i played gordon a greedy corporate executive who profit while innocent investors lost their savings. the show was fiction but the problem is real. if a deal looks too good to be true it probably is. for more information on how you can help identify securities fraud, contact your local fbi office or, submit a tip online at www.fbi.gov. thank you. >> this one-minute spot sponsored by fbi. airing on bloomberg television. it's an effort to raise the fbi's public profile and awareness on the issue of insider trading.

you're listening to "washington today" on c-span. from the white house, capitol hill and politics, you'll also get the capital spotlight news story, trivia and unique c-span promotions. two more alerts available for book tv weekend lineups. sign up at cspan.org. >> around the country we're on xm satellite radio channel 119. ♪ this is at an early stage and there is a lot of good work being done but there's no plan yet that we can point to. >> the plan being referred to as what to do next in syria, the comments of secretary of state hillary clinton as she testified before the senate foreign relations. welcome to hour two of "washington today." i'm steve scully.

we'll hear from the president, who spoke about the auto bailout and politics in arizona and michigan. let's begin though with some news today from portland, maine, and here in washington. olympia snowe saying that she's not running for re-election saying that she's confident that she would have won but is frustrated with what she called at months fear of particularization. she's in congress for a total of 33 years. in politics, rick santorum has dubbed himself a conservative heavyweight, he was responding to criticism from mitt romney today. romney calling santorum an economic lightweight in the day. this is a closely-watched race, it could go either way. michigan polls will be closing in about two hours.

in the upper peninsula, polls closing at 9:00. secretary of state hillary clinton saying that the u.s. is working closely with libya as it works to create a post gadhafi area. she urged the senators to meet with him as the u.s. tries to figure out what to next in libya. syria, reporting from associated press as the secretary of state saying that the syria president fits the definition of a war criminal. she was pressed by senate lindsey graham and others on syria. more than 4500 people have died through the violence of president assad and asked by

other senators asking that if he's war criminal, the secretary said that he would fit in that category. the testimony taking place here in washington this afternoon. here's more with secretary of state clinton. >> a few months ago i had the unique opportunity to travel to libya in the aftermath of that transition, it was a real -- i don't have a point of reference, but it was starting to watch pro-american graffiti on the wall. they knew had turn them back on them. i hope that will pay dividends in the future. we're several months into that transition and the u.s. involvement in that, my question is two-part, number one, how is that going in terms of our role there? and then, the second question is, one that hopeful that there will be a transition similar to

that syria pretty soon? what are we learning from the libyan experience that as far as what role we can play, particularly making sure the sophisticated weapons don't fall in the wrong hands? but also some of the other things going on, in essence, how is the transition going in libya and how that could be applied to a syrian transition. >> sn. >> senator, thank you for that visit. i remember getting briefed about it. you're right, i think the united states has a very important opportunity from libya through tunisia, through algeria, to morocco, if we do what we need to do in those four country, we can really help them move towards sustainable democracy, open up their economies and produce results for people. libya is more challenging

because gadhafi destroyed all institutions, they don't have -- they don't have institutions that they can remove people from and fill people with, because, it was -- you know, it was such a personality cult, they're making progress, the new prime minister will be coming to visit in just a few weeks, i would urge, if it's not already on the schedule that he meet with members of this committee and explain to you what he is doing, what his government is doing. they have cooperated with us on going after the men. we have implemented a plan that we worked through with them. and we are also working with them to fulfill their signing of the conventional weapons destruction technical arrangement. so, they have been very

cooperative, we know that they face problems in combining all of the militias into a coherent, organized military presence, we are certainly supporting them in their efforts to do so. and i think that we've got a chance here to really respond to their -- their positive attitude toward the united states. this is something that can -- you know, bring dividends in not only how they develop but in our own standing and leadership in the region. reintegrating these militia members into civilian life and into the security services is the biggest challenge, they are getting their economy up and going and we're working with them on trying to help with their wounded warriors, something that is, i know, is important to several members of the senate, the people in libya

seem to be quite optimistic about how things are going, but it's -- you know, it's like starting from scratch, they really are working as hard as they can and i think it's in our interest to support them and with respect to syria, it's a much more difficult and complicated set of circumstances. we are -- i recently returned from a meeting in tunis, where about 70 country and organizations were present to try to plot away forward on syria. the potential of supporting the political transition, the humanitarian assistance that they need, ratcheting up pressure, the eu just adopted more, tougher sanctions yesterday is what we're all working on and then as you know, there's a big debate about whether there was a a feasible

way of trying to help the people who are under assault by the assad regime defend themselves. this is at the early stage. lot of good work being done. but no plan yet we can point to. >> the comments of secretary of state hillary clinton. taking questions on capitol hill. including marco rubio, from florida. she talked about the developing story in libya and the situation in syria. bbc reporting that the u.n. rights commissioner released a statement. after the comments from u.n. human rights commissioner, security forces have intensified their attacks. as opposition strong holds tend to grow here in washington. the secretary of state saying that president assad does fit

the definition of a war criminal. that issue of auto bailout the impact for two u.s. leading automakers, general motors and chrysler, the uaw meeting here in washington for a legislative convention. president obama made some indirect references to mitt romney and rick santorum coming on the same day that voters in michigan will try to determine who will be the republican nominee. here's president obama. >> a few years ago, one in five autoworkers were handed a pink slip. one in five. 400,000 jobs across this industry vanished the year before i took office. and then as the financial crisis hit with its full force, america faced a hard and an unimaginable reality that two of the big

three automakers, gm and chrysler were on the brink of liquidation. the heart beat of american manufacturing was flat-lining and we had to make a choice. with the economy in complete free fall, there were no private investors or companies out there willing to take a chance on the auto industry. nobody was lining up to give you guys loans. anyone in the financial sector can tell you that. so, we could have kept giving billions of dollars of taxpayers dollars without demanding the r of return that was needed. that wouldn't have solved anything in the long term. sooner or later we would have run out of money. could have just kicked the problem down the road. the other option was to do absolutely nothing. and let these companies fail and

you will recall there were some politicians who said we should do that. some even said that we should let detroit go bankrupt. you remember that? you know -- think about what that choice would have meant for this country. if we had turned our bax on you. if america had thrown in the towel if gm and chrysler had gone under. the suppliers, the distributors that get their products from these companies would have died down and then ford could have gone down as well. production shut down. once proud companies chopped up and sold off for scraps and all of you, the men and women who

built these companies with your own hands would have been hung out to dry. more than 1 million americans across the country would have lost their jobs in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the great depression, in communities across the midwest it would have been another great depression. and then think about all of the people who depend on you, not just your families, but the school teachers. the small business owners, the server in the diner who knows your order, the bartender who's waiting for you to get off. that's right. their livelihoods were at stake as well. and you know what else was at stake, how many of you who have worked the assembly line had a father or a grandfather or a mother who worked on that same line? [ applause ]

>> how many of you have sons and daughters who said, you know, mom, dad, i would like to work at the plant, too? [ applause ] >> these jobs are worth more than just a paycheck. a source of pride. a ticket to a middle-class life. they make it possible for you to own a home and raise kids and maybe send them, yes, to college. give you a chance to retire with some dignity and some respect. >> the president earlier today at the uaw conference in washington, d.c., and that reference yes to college, an indirect reference to the comment of rick santorum calling the president a snob when he called on those who get a college education to improve themselves, meanwhile a story that we want to bring your attention, the "new york times,"

article, that romney admits to mistakes. mitt romney has not faced reporters for more than 20 days. he's traditionally avoided the national press. today, mitt romney confronted by polls showing him in danger of losing his home state of michigan, accepting personal blame for his inability to emerge as the decisive favorite but he said was unwilling to quote, light my hair on fire to win. after a bruising week when he unwanted attention to his wealth. saying that his wife owned three cadillacs and he was friends with a couple of nascar drivers. he's determined to create course as he prepares for crucial contests next week, so-called super tuesday.

ohio and tennessee and in massachusetts and in georgia. here's more from mitt romney earlier in the day in livonia, michigan. >> she's a tea party organizer in the neighborhood. stay at home mom of three, she said we just don't think we know mitt romney, what can you say to voters here today, why is that? >> you know, i have had the occasion to live here for a while and then serve as the governor where i got to know pretty well known by the people in massachusetts. wrote a couple of box. if someone wants to get to know me better, they can read the book, get to know the people that i interacted with. the people that i have worked with in my business career and then at the olympics, and then at the state of massachusetts, people that are part of my team

are supporting me and the endorsers that i have, some of them are dmgs by the way. in this primary, they'll support me. i'm very pleased that the people who know me best are part of my team. they continue working with me over time. someone like beth myers for instance, she was my chief of staff, she continues to work with me on my campaigns. okay, people who know him the best, close to him on a day-to-day best, stay with him and are loyal to him and i'm loc loyal to them. thanks, you guys. thanks, guys. >> some questions by the national press corps following mitt romney in michigan today. publications pointing out the former massachusetts governor trying to down play a victory in his home state.

his last attempt to recruit voters, asking democrats to vote for rick santorum in today's primary, all of it makes it difficult to make it difficult in today's primaries. it's 6:17 in the east. in four counties in the upper peninsula will be closing at 9:00 eastern time. both can candidates in michigan tonight. ron paul is in springfield, virginia, and newt gingrich who is campaigning in georgia, has him ahead in the polls that he wants to win next week for super tuesday. we're following all of this for politico. at least one poll had romney down by 15 percentage points. all part of the expectations game by team romney.

here's charles and from politico in our last hour >> it was a public policy polling service that appeared out of the blue, a jagr entry into the political landscape to have an emerg of 15 points over mitt romney in his home state. because of that numbers, it alarmed people affiliated with romney. >> so, let's look at what the rules state in michigan, independents and democrats can cast their ballot in the republican primary. rick santorum and his campaign asking those democrats to vote today. what impact do you think with the polls still open in michigan will that have tonight on the results? >> well, it's not going to have an enormous impact on the polls.

no one really knows. but i think if it has an impact at all, it's probably going to be in single digits. single-digit percentage points. some folks say it will have an impact at the margin. there's a concerted effort of sort n the conservative bl blogosphere. there's a history of that happening over time over the years in michigan but it's never really played an enormous role and it's probably going to play a marginal role if any today. >> what your colleague wrote today for politico some things to watch in michigan and arizona. let's take it two different ways. let's assume that romney wins by one or two percentage points, is a win or a win or is a narrow victory a loss for mitt romney? >> i think it depends on the state.

each state is different in terms of what the impact will be. michigan is a special state for mitt romney, a state which he was born there, his dad was governor. to lose the state would really, really cause a huge problem for him and you'll see that reflected in the headlines tomorrow. and then the next question, what is an acceptable victory? it's hard to say. i think anything under five points you'll see a lot of headlines. questioning how durable his campaign is. you'll see members of congress scratching their heads and acting alarmed. some degree of uncertainty. head scratching in the republican party about their viability of their front-runner. >> charles, who writes for politico, his work is available online. again a reminder we'll have live

coverage of the speeches and the results here on c-span radio and stream on the web at cspan.org. students who attend for-profit colleges and universities, passing the bill opposed by president obama, which would cancel the education department's requirement that college campuses receive state authorization in order to participate in federal aid programs, the law is expected to fa take effect in 2014. the debate that took place on the floor earlier in the day with -- again the measure passing. here's more with congressman michael fitzpatrick, he's a republican from pennsylvania. >> i rise today in strong

support, protecting academic freedom in higher education act. this portion legislation repeals two of the department of education's package of regulations that will hinder colleges and universities from making decisions that best serve their students. these federal regulations handed down from the department of education are not only proving to be costly but intruding into areas best handled by institutions. today, i urge my colleagues to join me in support to repeal two re regulations. these provisions allow the federal government to reach further into the education authority of the states. the state authorization provision requires institutions offering distance education programs to meet requirements in every state in which they have a distant education student.

it threatens programs like penn state's world campus. the credit hour provision establishes a federal definition of a credit hour, hindering institutions of higher education of making decisions. i was home in bucks county last week. i met with the president of a local college, he was worried about the impact these burdensome regulations would have on his students. expressing their support for the repeal of these costly regulations. over the course of the last decade we have seen the cost of higher education skyrocket with the rise in tuitions and fees at four-year colleges. it won't be solved by more

federal mandates and programs. we must return flexibility to academic institutions. >> gentleman from california. >> i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california. >> okay, to the gentleman from new jersey mr. holt. >> gentleman from new jersey is recognized for two minutes. >> i thank my friend from california. here, i join the new jersey president's council that represents all of the institutions of higher education in new jersey. join in support of this legislation. as well as the american council on education, which represents 1600 college presidents around the country, in support of this bill. clearly there have been abuses in some businesses and some institutions. and those abuses have to be

addressed. but, this legislation, i think, makes sure that we go about it in the right way. i would like to quote one of my constituents, she writes, quote, unlike many nations elsewhere in the world the united states has nurtured a vigorous respect for higher education, under such a system america higher education has flourished. but if recent trends continue, they seek to substitute their own judgments about what mission and institution should pursue and how that institution can best achieve that mission, we risk damaging the country's leading institutions. in other words, these are my words, the department's rules strike at the heart of our excellent higher education. but whether these rules are in

effect or not x doesn't matter, if students can't afford to go to college. my amendment to this legislation to require pell grants be maintained at at least the current level of $1500 was not made in order. in new jersey, 213,000 students use pell grants to make college affordable. there's bipartisan agreement on mrs. fox's bill, but unfortunately, this is a partisan matter, the republicans in the house, have three -- may i request -- the republicans in the house have three times approved the budget to slash the maximum pell grant to the slowest since the 1988 it would put college out of reach for thousands of students. i call on the republicans, because this is a partisan matter to protect pell grants. and not roll them back to their

1998 levels in their budget this year. >> the comments from the house floor, that was congressman rush holt, a democrat from new jersey. before that, michael fits penalty rick. the house today by a vote of 303, 114 passing a bill cancel the department of education bill that college campuses receive state authorization to participate in aid programs. they're scheduled to take effect in july of 2014. ease these restrictions on for-profit college. a statement from the white house saying that the obama administration quote, strongly opposes the house bill and congress should not stop the department of education's programs. in the house of representatives. in chardon, ohio, the judge

should ordered the 17-year-old suspect in that fatal school shooting held for 17 days. a third victim passing away. david joyce saying at the hearing that the suspect t.j. lane did admit to firing those ten shots at the chardon high school, two other individuals remain hospitalized. but three now have died as a result of the shooting that took place yesterday morning just outside of cleveland, ohio, today on the house floor, the republican from ohio called for a moment of silence. >> speaker, i ask to speak out of order for one minute. >> gentleman's recognized. >> i thank the speaker and my colleagues for their attention, sadly n a set of circumstances that's becoming all too frequt