to step down at the end of this year or early next year and said if the president is re-elected it will be time for somebody else to take over her duties as the secretary of state. as a wife and mother, receives asked about the workplace at the state department and elsewhere. and whether or not she's been trying to make it easier for women to work at the department she oversees. here's more from today's q & a by the secretary of state with state department employees. >> madame secretary, i'm on the board of executive women at state. fewer women are applying for senior positions in the department and women at every level are having difficulty with maternity and elder care issues. workplace flexibility system inconsistent from office to office. how can women work with you to help address these problems before you leave? >> well, this is a matter of great concern to me because

obviously, balancing family and work responsibilities is challenging, and the challenge falls disproportionately on women in the workplace and it's no longer just a question of one's children. it's also one's aging relatives who are often part of the care giving responsibilities that are assumed. and i really want to do more on in this year. you know, i think we've got a variety of policies in place that are trying to make the department a more family friendly work environment. i know some of you have raised on the sounding board and through your chains here the question about more telework. we very to determine which positions are eligible and which and the. a lot of the classified and

confidential work can't be outsourced to telework. so we are looking at that and we will try to support as much expansion of it as is possible. but i don't want to overpromise because there are inherent challenges. we also have a policy that provides for alternative work schedules. we support job sharing when it has been worked out with the office and the person willing to share the job with you. we have two daycare fats we're about to have a third. one at fsi. one at sa 1 and one at a new building that is being revamped and readied for ca. we need more capacity. everybody knows that. and we're exploring everything we can do. i also have been made away of the desire for more lactation rooms. i think we've added numbers to

that, and we are in the process of trying to develop a policy to increase the numbers. and i think there's a lot that is practical and again, maybe apparently small steps but which could make a big difference in an individual's ability 0 balance family and work. so i hope that we'll keep really stretching the envelope on this. obviously, on you know, for our lgbt community, we've really broken through and done a lot in terms of improving family-related policies. so we're very sensitive to this. we'll try to do as much as we can within the confines of the kind of you know specific constrains that we have to work with. so keep the ideas coming. and keep encouraging talented women to move up the ranks. we don't want there to be any

stagnation in numbers. there should be no glass ceiling or any other kind of skeeling that prevents women from going forward insofar as we can make the work environment successful for you. so we'll keep working on that. >> every couple months, the secretary of state sitting down or standing up i should say as she takes questions from state department employees. she did so today. we covered it in its entirety available on our website at c-span.o c-span.org, part of our video library. you're listening to washington today. and some other news today, on wall street, the dow fell 22 closing at 12,0002734. nasdaq was down 13, s&p was down seven. a presidential commission says the u.s. must immediately start looking for an alternative to replace the failed yucca mountain nuclear waste dump inch nevada that costs an estimated $15 million but never built. the report says the government must also prepare for the

eventually large scale transportation of spent fuel from storage sites to the new site or to interim starch fats yet to be built. the 15-member panel says the u.s. ufrthly needs a new strategy on nuclear waste. bill gates is pledging $750 million to fight three killer diseases and also rescue a beleaguered health fund whose financial losses have cost it donor support. the microsoft founder said he's lending his credibility to the global fund to fight aids, tuberculosis and malaria based in geneva by making the donation through a promissory note so the fund can immediately use the money and save lives. he made an announce cht at the world economic forum in davos switzer land. an ex-marine from v pleaded get that he fired shot ots at the pentagon and other military related targets. jonathyonathan melaku is 24 car old and arrested back in june

when he was spotted after dark in arlington national cemetery with a backpack containing potential explosives material and notations referring to jihad and osama bin laden. a top european anti-corruption body wants the u.s. to increase transparency of political funding through outside groups that donate millions to support candidates warning they could be used to skirt long established disclosure rules. it's the council of europe's group of states against corruption known as greko which counts the u.s. as a member warning that soft money political finance vehicles appear to be increasing in the u.s. this is a highly technical 39-panl report. it is being reported, but it also notes that the american political system is often more transparent than in europe. and finally, ben bernanke plans to take a brief step back into his former life as a college professor. he will be delivering four

lectures on the fed and its role in the economy for an undergraduate course at the george washington university school of business. he'll do so in march. it will be streamed online. back in one minute with more washington today. michael hastings, "rolling stone" magazine contributing ed to have, our guest this sunday, 8:00 p.m. eastern on q & a on c-span radio. he will talk about his new historical narrative, the operators. the book expands on the june 2010 article that he wrote for "rolling stone" magazine that resulted in general stanley mcchrystal being fired. he tells the story of how he was granted access to general mcchrystal and his closest staff. michael hastings, our guest this sunday, 8:00 p.m. this sunday on q & a on c-span radio. he discusses his book, "the operators." >> and welcome back to washington today here on c-span

radio. we welcome listeners coast to coast on km channel 119. beat are the 90.1 fm in our nation's capital and streamed at radio.o radio.org. tomorrow the candidates heading to south florida for a hispanic leadership conference. tomorrow at 11:00 eastern time, newt gingrich delivering remarks before the gathering. about 12:30, mitt romney will be speaking there. all eyes tonight on jacksonville and the debate that will take place on cnn. we'll have a chance to reair that debate this weekend. get information by logging on to c-span.o c-span.org. >> the president using the backdrop of the u.p.s. facilities in las vegas, nevada to be talk about his energy policies. he was using it also, according to the las vegas sun up to fend off critics have stifled domestic energy production. the preds today announcing the administration will open up 38 million acres of oil and gas

drilling along the xwufl of mex he used the stop to talk about other ways in which the administration is pushing for clean natural gas and other alternatives. here's more from his speech at the u.p.s. facility in las vegas. >> so last april, we issued a challenge to shipping companies like u.p.s. we said, if you will upgrade your fleets to run on less oil or no oil at all, we're going to help you succeed. we want to help you with that experiment. so we started out with five companies that accepted the challenge. of course, u.p.s. was one of the first. that's how they roll. so -- less than a year later, we've got 14 companies on board and together, they represent one million vehicles on road. that's a lot of trucks.

we should do more though. and that's why we're here today. first, let's get more of these natural gas vehicles on the road. let's get more of them on the road. the federal fleet of cars is leading by example. turns out the federal government has a lot of cars. we buy a lot of cars. so we've got to help not only the federal government but also local governments upgrade their fleet. if more of these brown trucks are going green, more city buses shout, too. -- should too. there's no reason why buses can't go in the same direction. second, let's offer new tax inseptemberatives to help companies buy more clean trucks like these. third, let's make sure all these new trucks that are running on natural gas have

places to refuel. that's one of the biggest impediments. the technology we know how to make these trucks, but if they don't have a place to pull in and fill up, they've got problems. so we're going to keep working with the private sector to develop up to five natural gas corridors along our highways, these are highways that have natural gas fueling stations between cities just like the one that folks at u.p.s., south coast air and clean energy fuels are opening today between los angeles and salt lake city. that's a great start. so now one of these trucks can go from long beach all the way to salt lake city. and they're going to be able to refuel along the way. and finally, to keep america on the cutting edge of clean energy technology, i my energy secretary, steven chu to launch

a new competition that encourages our country's brightest and engineers and entrepreneurs to discover new breakthroughs for natural gas vehicles. so we're going to keep moving on american energy. we're going to keep boosting american manufacturing. we're going to keep training our workers for these new jobs. but an economy that's built to last also means a renewal of the values that made us who we are. hard work, fair play, and shared responsibility. >> the president earlier today in las vegas, part of a three-day five-state tour as he discusses various themes he outlined tuesday night in his state of the union address. tomorrow the president will travel to ann arbor, michigan talking about community colleges and the importance of education and touching on the american auto industry before heading back to washington, d.c. he will also travel to cambridge, maryland where he

will deliver remarks to the democratic retreat, members of the house meeting this week. last week house republican caucus holding a separate retreat in baltimore. speaking of cars and vehicles that are using various forms of energy, the washington auto show is taking place here in our nation's capital at the convention center. we were live this morning showing you what's happening at the show and introducing you to a number of auto executives. kevin riley is the vice chair of the washington auto show. pedro talking with him as part of the "washington journal" this morning. >> 750,000 square feet of cars, that's what the vice chairman of the washington auto show kevin riley tells me. with all of the cars here and being in d.c., what are the policy implications for the next couple days. >> it's tremendous for policymakers and consumers alike to come down here to the show. of that 750,000 square feet, we dedicate 65,000 square feet to the super highway where we

demonstrate the latest in technology, natural gas technology, clean diesel technology, so if you're a policymaker and given all the discussion of corporate average fuel economy requirements you definitely want to be here at the d.c. auto show. >> what's the purpose of an auto show? >> to come down here and entertainment to see where the industry is going, maybe shop for i anew car. bring your kids. we have a lot of activities for children down here. educational. go to the super highway and 65,000 square feet, the largest of any show in the entire world they can learn more about where our industry is going and what we're doing to make a better planet. >> for planning purposes, how long does it take to put these days together? >> the whole year. moment the show finishes we're working on the next year. >> tell us what to expect in the next 30 seconds for those in the area who want to come. >> you seep a lot of innovations in electric technology, hydrogen technology and a lot of safety tools too will be put forth at

the show. 750,000 square feet of cars. >> kevin reilly, thank you very much. >> thanks so much. >>en an by the way, if you want to watch some of those interviews from this morning's "washington journal" available on our website at c-span.org. a sidebar political note for you. david pollack is running for the u.s. house of representatives. you may remember him from the film called the "the bad news bears," one of those iconic 1970s movies being turned into a campaign spot by david pollock. let's lis. >> and rudy stein, the first inside pitch you get, lean into it let it hit you. you want to win the game, don't you? >> i'm david pollack. it's been awhile since i played rudy stein in "the bad news bears." i still know a thing or two about the underdog. take washington these days, it's bad news. lobbyists run the show in the washington.

wall street bankers are handed trillions in taxpayer dollars while congress tries to undercut our education, medicare and social security. >> strike three. >> tax loopholes for oil companies and millionaires while the middle class is asked to sacrifice more and more. our jobs are shipped overseas and unemployment benefits cut. meanwhile, too big to fail means the middle class continues to pay for wall street greed. enough is enough. in congress, i'll work to break up the six largest banks and get a win for the middle class. i'm david pollack and i approve this message.

>> david pollack who is running for california's 26th congressional district. he starred in the 1970s movie bad news bears that included tatum o'neal and walter matthew. in this ad he has some of his co-stars from the bad news bears and uses that theme to talk about issues like the middle class, the 9% and the u.s. economy. by the way, if you want to get more information on his run for congress and this bad news bears spin off as part of his campaign approach, log on top pollack for congress.com to get more information about his race and also his background. he is a graduate of ucla. >> you're listening to washington today on c-span radio. >> the hot line is out with its latest senate race rankings. reed wilson is here in our studios. thanks for being with us. >> what are some of the headlines you take away this latest look at the senate races for 2012. >> the senate has been overhad

doed by the white house race which is unfortunate because the battle for the senate is as important as the battle for the presidency. democrats hold a 53-47 majority in the senate. they have 23 seats up this year, a lot of which are vulnerable. republicans only have to defend ten seats and only a couple are vulnerable seats. at the moment, they have a good chance of taking over the majority in the senate. >> the conventional wisdom as you indicate, you're saying maybe not so fast. >> it's funny if you ask somebody the key question in the presidential race is always are you better off than you were four years ago. in this sense, i'm asking, are the democrats better off than they were about six months ago when the situation was really dire? the answer is yes. races have developed to the point at which democrats are a little more comfortable in a few more seats. that's not to say they're going to win the majority but the dark storm clouds certainly don't loo can so cloudy as they did a couple of months ago. >> in north dakota, also in

nebraska a couple retirements. >> both states, one we knew about for a long time, nebraska. north dakota rather where senator kent conrad said he won't run for another term. in nebraska, senator ben nelson waited a very long time before announcing he wouldn't run again. democrats spent more than $1 million to try to prop him up but over the christmas break when he said he would talk with his family, he decided he just wasn't going to run for another term. whether or not that was because of the political realities on the ground, he was always going to face a tough fight for re-election. now democrats don't have much of a chance in nebraska. the one caveat being former senator bob kerrey thinking about running for what is his old seat. p. nelson won that seat 12 years ago once kerry retired. carrey went off to new york to be the head of the new school there. now he's back in nebraska contemplating it but admitting he's going to have a tough time because this is a a red state. >> missouri is always a purple

state. swings both democrat and republican. >> she is probably third most likely seat to switch parties. the biggest thing working on her behalf is the republican primary is so divided right now. three main candidates in the race. a businessman named john bruener. republicans are excited about bruener's chances. aiken hasn't raised a lot of money. steelman. people are asking if she can win a statewide race. and bruener represents the best chance to beat mckaskel later this year. that means spending a lot of his own money in a way that doesn't hurt him too much for the general election. if mckaskel can make it about

the republican candidate, she has a good chance to win. if this becomes a referendum on obama, she will have a tougher time because obama is not competing in the state, which, of course, he lost four years ago. >> let's talk about massachusetts. mitt romney did not seek re-election. scott brown is seeking a full term in the senate. finding a tough time in massachusetts as a republican. >> he is. this is a very blue state. as you look across the country, one thing you have to consider is how much crossover votes does each candidate have to get in? in massachusetts, obama will get 60% of the vote. he got 62% in 2008. scott brown will have to get one in six democrats, one in six people who voted for obama to switch over and vote for him in the general election. that is a very tall order. it could be very tough to do if it comes to that.

elizabeth warren. let me back up. scott brown in the special election beat a poor democratic candidate. somebody who wasn't good statewide. someone phoning it in. did not do all she could have. elizabeth warren is not that candidate. she has proven a great fund-raiser. she is fired up with the liberal base around the rest of the country. elizabeth warren is helping other democrats raise money. she raised $5.7 million in the last quarter, which is more than just about every republican presidential candidate, except ron paul and mitt romney. that tells you how big a deal she is and how tough a time scott brown will have securing a full term. >> let's head out west. two other races. nevada. >> nevada is a great contrast between two candidates who could not possibly be more different.

you have dean heller. he is from the carson city area. he is a cowboy. he likes to go on vacations in the sierra nevada mountains. the democratic candidate is shirley berkeley. she is from los angeles. her dad was the maitre 'd at the sands. can you imagine a better contrast between two candidates? this race, though, is going to be a contest. all about two specific counties. in the south, you have clark county where los angeles is. the population center. it will have three congressional districts centered in it. in the north, you have washo county. that is dean heller's spot. if dean heller is able to run up the score and win by the same margin in 2010, shirley berkeley

will have a hard time in a more evenly divided clark county, which will -- that balance there. who can run up the score in their home territory and make the best in roads in the other territory will tell the tale. >> and hawaii is a blue state. what is happening there? >> this is a big sleeper race. linda lingel raised more than than the two democratic candidates have raised in six months together. so, at the end of the day, there will be a very late democratic primary in hawaii. the two democratic candidates represent different wings of the party. retiring senator as well. the case is moderate. he will appeal to a more

moderate slice of the electorate. if the primary gets nasty, you will have linda with 5 or $6 million in a late primary to spend on ads and tout herself as a candidate to run against the machine. if she were elected, she would be the first republican senator elected in modern times. >> some of the senate races and potential match ups this fall. reid wilson. thanks for being with us. >> thanks for having me, steve. >> two days after the president delivering his state of the union address, the president of the national congress of american indians urging the federal government to be more flexible with tribal governments and to put the decision-making power back in the hands of those who live in indian country. that was a statement today from jefferson keil, the president of

the chickasaw nation. he said it would be more efficiently for the indians around the country, especially in states like oklahoma. as is tradition, there is a response and today, representative tom cole, who is a member of the chickasaw nation, talked about it not being a partisan issue. he said both democrats and republicans agree it is important to work with the indian community to solve some of their issues. then he had this to say at the end of his remarks. >> we have a very, very different perspective on american history. i want to end with a couple of stories to drive that home. my great aunt was a famous indian folklore artist and story teller. she not only told stories of our

people, chickasaws, but she picked up anecdotes and tried to draw a moral out of them that an indian would draw out of them. i remember one. i will not be able to quote it verbatim. it is based on a real incident. a southern cheyenne war chief in the 1860s dealing with the american government. in trying to comprehend and encapsulate in words the enormity of the challenge and the change that he was seeing in the course of his lifetime. in the course of those treaty negotiations, he addressed the representative of the united states government and he was an american, but not american citizen, obviously. he said once this was all the land of the red man, but then came the white man and the black man and the yellow man. and i thought about this. and i thought about nature.

and nature, aren't there white horses and black horses and red horses and horses of many colors? i thought about birds. there are white birds and black birds and brown birds. all one bird. all one horse. all one man. the great spirit must have wanted this to become the land of all the peoples. and so it shall be forever more. if you think about american history, that is a pretty profound way to encapsulate really who we are as a people, as an american nation. that is where he concluded his story. but my great aunt added, if you really know indians, you know what they don't say is sometimes more important than what they do say. when he gave the speech and recognized the changing reality in the world in which he lived,

he did not say he would give up his tribe or his traditions. he intended to keep those within the greater hold he was becoming part of. that is who we are. we are the oldest part of america. the most remarkable part of america. actually the most diverse part of america. each and every person in here who is a member of a tribe intends to remain who you are and to pass on that identity, your culture and traditions, but your unique political status within the constitution of the united states. each generation of american indians usually has to educate the rest of the country about what that status is. who we are and who we intend to be. our najaho brother and i'll take