to each of you. i've circled the word liability and it's unbelievable. i can't read any of it. >> neither could we. >> at the beginning of the voyage the cruise lines provide safety -- and this is to anybody -- provide safety information at a, quote, muster drill to help passengers prepare for an emergency like a fire or a wreck. this information helps passengers prepare and no what to do in the event of an emergency. my question for the panel, many of you experienced emergency situations that you were unprepared for. did the cruise lines discuss any information about what to do in a medical emergency? i'm asking any of you. >> senator, no. in my situation, no. the cruise line did not. >> and in our situation as well,

senator, no. and it would be very simple to simply just add, oh, by the way, our medical infirmary is on ya-da, ya-da floor. we had no idea where to go. >> the obvious question is, if you had this information, that might have helped, right? >> if we had the information, we could have saved her life. you know, someone should have given her cpr. >> okay. well, i've got more questions but my time is up for my first round so i go to senator begich. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman, and i appreciate the opportunity to have you all here today and thank you for sharing your story. let me ask you, and i think you gave some suggestions, if i remember my line-up in my writing here.

you had suggested aed machines should be more visible or available. i'm not sure if that's the right word. tell me what you mean by that. >> we've been told that carnival does have defibrillators, aeds, but they keep them locked up because they are afraid that the passengers may steal them. >> okay. >> so -- >> and your comment about cpr training to make sure that employees or all employees or employees related to security, or help me understand what you're thinking there, too. >> at the very least, security when people are coming back on board from excursions. >> and there is part of the proposal that the chairman has is to make sure there's information available to potential passengers or customers. let me ask you a question. when you were researching your desire, was this your first cruise or second or -- >> we had been doing this for years.

>> so you're a cruiser? >> used to be. >> alaska, we have a lot of cruise ships so i understand. when you go look for a cruise, just tell me how you go about that when you want to go. >> i'll be honest, i have a cousin that organizes our family reunions so she picks it out and we all basically chip in to buy the tickets. so -- >> do you -- maybe i may not be able to ask you. maybe i can ask one of the other two this question. i'm trying to find out, when you go online -- i have not done a cruise. i am very familiar with cruises, let me make that very clear, with over a million passengers coming to alaska, from the small cruises, big disney cruises, princess, disney, so forth. i've been on many of the ships but have not done a full-scale cruise. when you go online to look up what you want to do, do you -- in your mind, are you looking for not only what your location is, what you're interested in,

but do you decide, geez, i want to know how safe this cruise is? does that come across? is that one of the thoughts that you have? >> you assume that if you're leaving out of a u.s. port, that you have u.s. health care and, well, safety, period. it was just an assumption. >> here's where i'm trying to go and anyone can answer this and i appreciate the chairman's piece of legislation. but in it it talks about putting a lot of the information on the department of transportation website. my guess is that is not a place you would go to if you're going to look up a cruise and think about the safety of a cruise. i mean, if it didn't -- you see where i'm going, in other words? >> yes. >> if you're going on to a cruise site and you think you want to go on to a cruise to the mediterranean and you wonder how safe that cruise is. let's say that is your question.

is your first instinct to go to d.o.t.'s website? >> no. >> where would that be? >> i think all of us would go to travelocity, expedia, cruise.com, something like that. the assumption is there just like with air travel that i thought regulations were in place. i thought a corporation as large as carnival, you know, with the reputation, i just assumed that they would have great safety measures in place on ships of that size. i was naive. >> no. i understand that. i'm just trying to figure out -- what i'm worried about, and i've told the chairman this, adding another layer of information but then the customer has no idea where that information is. >> maybe they could put something on expedia saying go to this site for -- >> i'm trying to figure out what is the better -- >> well, definitely every cruise line needs to have an updated reporting on their website and in regards to the transportation, to me that would

follow along with airline or train or if i was a consumer looking for something that involved all different types of transportation and incidents that occurred but the regular consumer may go to that royal caribbean and carnival website or even a travel but you should be able to know what type of crimes when you're planning your family vacation. the television commercials give you this false sense of let your kids go and have fun and do what you want to do while you're on the cruise. i feel that the different crimes need to be reported and i feel all of them need to be reported, not just if they are open but if never closed. >> do you think that should be the case for all types of transportation? >> i don't know. for a family -- after what i've learned for -- what i didn't know, because i had the false sense when i left out of san pedro, los angeles, i thought i was taking all of my rights with me and didn't know it was flown

under liberian flag and they were the ones that the law was under. >> thank you very much. >> thank you, senator begich. senator blumenthal? >> thank you, mr. chairman and thank you for championing this bill which i am very, very proud to co-sponsor. thank you for having this hearing which gives us an opportunity to really not only express our support and sympathy but also to make you a part of the crusade for this legislation which will really, in a sense, make something good come of your horrific experiences. and i have a family who is a constituent family in greenwich who suffered very tragically a loss that in some ways is reminiscent of yours, a loss that is still with them.

george smith, iv vanished, literally disappeared sometime overnight going into july 4th of nine years ago. he remains missing since 2005. there was blood on the ship when it went into a harbor. the crime scene was never secured, let alone adequately investigated. his death remains a mystery today. much to the understandable consternation of his family. his death is with us still in connecticut. it is a grievous reminder that the rights of people who suffer as victims of crimes while at sea are completely and inadequately protected, as miss dishman, you have reminded us so graphically. that's the reason that these

kinds of limitations on liability make a mockery of the implicit promises that are made to passengers on cruise ships, that they will be kept safe. that's the minimal obligation that a cruise ship has to its passengers, to keep them safe. it can't guarantee that they will be happy, that they will always be celebratory, that the weather will always be good, but to keep them safe is a minimal obligation. in each one of your instances and examples, the cruise ship failed in that basic obligation, and passengers were left without remedy and without hope of real recovery, and in your instance, ms. butler, what happened to your mother may well have been avoidable and unnecessary in its

ultimate consequence. you have my special sympathy in that regard. so we are really trying to impose minimal protection on cruise ships. that's the purpose of the cruise ship passenger protection act. it imposes standards of decency, standards of minimal, basic decency and fair dealing on cruise ship lines. i'd like to ask you ms. butler whether you have taken legal action. i note in your testimony you consulted with an attorney, and he advised you as to where you had to file suit and some of the basics of the law in this area. i wonder whether you have taken any legal action. >> yes, we have.

john arthur are eves and frank spagletti have picked up our case. >> has he indicated to you the obstacles because of -- >> death on the high seas, it's literally david versus goliath and we're david. >> in a sense, passengers like yourself are not only on an island as the chairman indicated, passengers are not only on an island in the high seas, but it's a lawless island. >> exactly. >> ms. dishman, if i may ask you, have you taken any legal action? >> yes, i did. >> has your lawyer advised you as to obstacles that are in your way because of the inadequacy of the law? >> yes, and i -- i experienced several different challenges and things that occurred in regards to my case.

>> and ms. ware and mr. grisham, let me ask you the same question. i know you're an attorney. let me ask if you've taken action on behalf of your client. >> indeed i did. my client's case was settled for a handsome sum, i must say just recently. i would comment on ms. butler's situation that i litigated a similar case for seven years involving the anoxic brain injury to a 26-year-old third year medical resident from ohio who collapsed on a treadmill on board the ship in the presence of the fitness center director who took no steps at all to resuscitate her, and there was a factual dispute over the length of time she was down without any

defbi ration,. and there are international treaties that require crew members to be trained in cpr. the position that the cruise lines take is the training is only advisory, they're not required to use it, and it's discretionary as to whether or not they want to use it and federal maritime law is that they're not legally responsible if they don't use it. and they didn't use it in this case, and this young woman who a a brilliant career ahead of her essentially lives the life of a vegetable today, with no recovery. >> thank you. ms. ware? >> yes, i have taken legal action. and i did not know that by signing that ticket i was giving up all my rights, according to carnival, for competition. >> mr. chairman, again my thanks for having this hearing. i'm going to ask that a letter

from my connecticut colleague congressman jim heinz be entered into the record in support of this legislation, and that concludes my questioning. i'm out of time, but i really want to thank you again for being here today. thank you. >> thank you, senator blumenthal. there are a lot of questions, a lot of questions. the -- you know, the thing that amazes me is you have a very profitable industry. they make a lot of money. they are very popular, but i think their popularity will continue to increase. many people have a pleasant experience. they pay virtually no taxes in

the united states, even though they're based in miami and a couple other places. everybody thinks they're getting on an american ship, but they're getting on a panamanian, or it's always registered in some other country where there are no taxes and there is no sense of accountability or responsibility. and i say to myself why is it that they are so resistant to making some basic changes on things which are so obviously going to come back to haunt them? we understand that, you know, 90% plus or whatever of the -- whether it's a 3,000-person boat or a 6,000, and i think they're now building them 6 to 7,000 passengers. why -- if you're making the money, you don't have to pay taxes, you don't pay the coast guard for when they come to bail

you out and drag you -- or when the fbi is involved, you don't pay them. they have a free ride. they make a lot of money. they have a very good future, so why not, as a matter of business sense -- forget humanity for the moment, but just as a matter of business sense, wouldn't they take steps to clear up some of these problems we've been talking about? i mean, i remember when my wife and i -- i had never done cpr, and our children were in high school. we went and took a lesson in cpr, which i got through, and i think probably three days later i couldn't have repeated what i did, because there wasn't a focus. there wasn't the same focus, because it was all -- something that might or might not happen. why don't they make these -- voluntarily make these

things? why don't they inform you? and on -- i remember -- i've said this a number of times in this committee, i come from a state with a lot of coal, and coal is a dangerous occupation, but it's one where miners can be kept safe if you ventilate the mines and you pay attention. operators for the most part don't, they just get the coal out, and the miners take their losses and get black lung and die from black lung. but the companies continue to be profitable. i don't understand why the cruise industry doesn't spend the money to fix some of these problems, because it would inure to their benefit, and would protect them from people like me and senator blumenthal and others who are determined to make sure they do what they should be doing and will do

that, no matter how many years it takes. they just push us away. they don't want to talk. they don't want to discuss, just like they didn't want to react to any of your situations. in modern society, if you're in bankruptcy, you know, that argues for not doing anything, but if you're not in bankruptcy, you're making a lot of money and these are really good people that you have, why wouldn't you do that? i simply don't understand that. that sense of frustration, the sort of corporate mentality of you're from the federal government, don't do anything about this. what you're doing is talking about regulation. well, yeah, we do regulation, and we did it on the airlines.

when pilots were flying way over their limit of being alert and they had a big airplane crash in lackawanna, new york, wherever that is. a lot of people were killed. a twin engine, this style, not jet, and the pilots had gone a long time without sleep. so we put on requirements. they have to have before they get on an airplane to fly, they have to have an eight-hour sleep. if they don't sleep, okay, they don't sleep, but they have to have that time to be able to sleep, with the time on each side to prepare for that and to get up from that. that's not a -- if that's government running rough shot over an industry, that's just not true, that is just not true. it's just not true. it's common sense protection of passengers. the airlines are the safest thing you possibly can run on. you wouldn't know that reading international news recently. you stay away from certain

countries and airspaces, but i don't understand why they won't do it. so the one of the reasons we've had this hearing today and you've been patient enough to put up with it and answer questions and tell your stories, is to put certain colleagues on this committee in a position where they need to help. and one of our colleagues said, well, we should -- this is a separate bill and you shouldn't attach it to the coast guard bill. everybody knows that the coast guard bill is a bill that you've got to pass. the cruise ships want the coast guard bill to pass. but if you separate them, the coast guard bill will pass, the cruise ship bill will get flushed down the toilet. so you don't allow that to

happen. you hold them accountable. it's done in life, it's done in business, it's done in family situations. you have to take responsibility. so i've got a lot of questions here. but i don't feel the need to ask them, because most of them have been in part responded to. this whole idea of a hotel versus a city, you know. it's mystifying. when we had our last hearing, with the representative of clia which is their lobbying organization, sat right where you're sitting, ms. ware. you may want to move. and just dismissed it all. we're doing everything we

possibly can. people have a responsibility for their own safety. well, that's true, but you know when general motors is discovering that when certain things don't work in gm cars, the entire nation gets interested, they're pulled before congress and they have to end up paying a whole lot of money to change their ways and to learn how to run a company with the consumer in mind. i'll give you one final example. people often dismiss people who are trying to help consumers, protect consumers. this committee used to be kind of a commerce committee. it was more business oriented. now we've tried to make it people oriented, consumer oriented. that's what it's meant to be. i give you this just to contemplate, because it sounds so stupid, but it affects

people's lives directly. it's so nasty. people move, so they call a mover. not in all cases, but in some cases the mover comes and they sign a contract. they load all their belongings onto the van. the mover goes five miles and goes into an alley and calls them up and says we're going to triple your price. sorry about that, we're going to triple your price, you have to pay us three times than the contract you signed. you can go get a lawyer if you want, but you're not going to get your furniture back, because you don't know where we are. it's a horrible thing. you just don't let that stuff pass by. so we're making life more difficult for them and better for the consumers. i don't know. i mean you all made a trip with

good spirits, with good thoughts, with enthusiasm and ran into terrible problems and there was nobody to help you. if you had been going on a little row boat, that would have been one thing. but you were going on a huge corporation's ship who had all the experience and the wherewithal, the money, to solve your problems if you ran into them. but they just didn't. the tent city concept that you were talking about. i mean, that's famous throughout the world now, because it was such a vile thing to do to people. corporations have to be responsible. this committee exists, as do others in other areas, to do oversight to find out if they're carrying out their businesses properly, with care.

some mistakes can happen, we understand that, but when there's this attitude of just neglect -- and i was asking behind me and i'm not sure of the answer, but i sort of remember the last hearing, that when you signed the ticket with that invisible print, that in many pages, you give away the liability and all the rest of it, your ability to have recourse, but i believe -- and if i'm wrong, but this is what i remember -- it was in the signing of the ticket. after your signature was on the ticket, it was then that you were able to not take, you know -- you were able to take the sticky covering of the next page which had that liability clause, which of course you weren't going to look at and couldn't read it even if you

decided you wanted to, and then you could see it, if you could see it. it's awful behavior, if it was true. i'm not saying it was true. i remember that is the case, but i may be wrong. but i don't have to be right about that. because what happened to you was just simply wrong in a modern society from corporations that are doing well, or are on the upswing and have every right to want to make people have a happy experience and make sure that they do. everybody knows that not everything works out the way it should. there will be problems. , you know, four days waiting, stranded, a mother who didn't get any attention and a 15-year-old girl who gets raped, in your own case. i mean, it's just -- you don't let stuff like that pass. particularly if it happens with a certain degree of consistency.

so that's why we've had this hearing, and it's all in the record. everything you said is all in the record. that bill, if we're going to pass a coast guard bill, which i tell you those cruise lines want, because they need that coast guard, and our coast guard is so broke, it has ships that are very, very old, but they're still functioning and still used by the cruise ship lines. the minority leader asking, why can't we do them separately? he had a very clear purpose for asking that question. he knew if we did it separately, the coast guard thing would pass and the cruise ship thing

would fail. it's my job as chairman to make sure we don't play the game that way. so i just want to totally thank you, one, for talking about experiences that are not comfortable to talk about, doing so in a forthright way, for educating this panel, and believe me just because not all the members are here, a lot of the staff is, and it's always the staff that really counts. if you've got good staff, you'll be a good senator. if you don't, well -- so i'm not going to carry this hearing forward, because i think the points this need to be made have been made. that's because you have made them clearly and with firmness and with certainty, and with a degree of anger, which i share. so wherever you have come from, go back safely.

and i thank you. this hearing is adjourned. >> thank you. live now to the center for american progress where shortly secretary of state john kerry will be discussing his upcoming trip to india and u.s. relations with that country.

the obama administration has been criticized by some for not paying enough attention to india, a country that recently elected a new prime minister. we expect this event to get started shortly. earlier today, secretary kerry released the 2013 annual report on international religious freedom. that was at a news conference at the state department. he also spoke about the israeli-palestinian conflict. we'll show you part of that news conference now while we wait for this event to get started. good morning everybody. how are you? everybody good? so i'm going to make -- david, i want you out here with me, if you would. i want you to come out here on the other side. thank you, sir. i'm going to make a statement,

and then i need to rush out of here because i have a phone call literally in about ten minutes. i'll leave thom malinowski and david here with you. david is a nominee and, therefore, won't be able to say anything at this point in time. i wanted a chance to introduce him to all of you. as we release the international religious freedom report which we believe is a very important statement that underscores a major challenge around the world, it is also a pleasure for me to introduce president obama's nominee to serve as our ambassador at large for international religious freedom. and he, when confirmed and if confirmed by the united states senate, is going to lead our efforts to make progress on these issues of religious freedom across the globe, and

that is rabbi david sapper stein. before we begin, i want to say a few words quickly about the events in gaza and what is happening and what we're trying to do. as you all know, i just returned from the middle east and from paris where i had a series of discussions aimed at deescalating the conflict, ending the rocket and tunnel attacks against israeli civilians and easing the suffering of innocent people everywhere, in gaza, in israel, in the west bank. today we are continuing to work toward establishing an unconditional humanitarian cease-fire, one that could honor eade which begins now and stop the fighting, allow desperately

needed food and medicine and other supplies into gaza and enable israel to address the threat which we fully understand and which is real, the threat posed by tunnel attacks and to be able to do so without having to resort to combat. that is what could come from a cease-fire. we believe the momentum generated by a humanitarian cease-fire is the best way to be able to begin to negotiate and find out if you can put in place a sustainable cease-fire, one that addresses all of the concerns, the long-term concerns as well, begin to talk about the underlying causes of the conflict in gaza, though those obviously will not all be resolved in the context of a cease-fire, sustainable cease-fire discussion. but it is important to try to

build, to begin and to move in a process, and that's what we're trying to achieve. that is the only way, ultimately, this conflict is going to be resolved. hopefully if we can make some progress, the people in this region who deserve peace can take one step towards that illusive goal by stopping the violence which catches innocents on all sides in the crossfire and begin to try to build a sustainable way for ward. we also believe that any process to resolve the crisis in gaza in a lasting and meaningful way must lead to the disarmament of hamas and all terrorist groups. and we will work closely with israel and regional partners and the international community in support of this goal.

so we continue to have these discussions. our discussions over there succeeded in putting a 12-hour humanitarian cease-fire in place. then as the rollover time for that occurred, regrettably there were misunderstandings about 12 hours versus 24, four hours versus 24. so we're trying to work hard to see if these issues can be clarified in a way that allows israel, the palestinian authority, the palestinian factions, the other countries involved, working through the egyptian initiative, to be able to find a way to silence the weapons long enough to be able to begin to negotiate. now the cause of peace and

understanding is what brings us here today. 16 years ago i was very proud to join my colleagues in the united states congress in passing the international religious freedom act. the law that mandates this annual state department report in order to shine the light on the obstacles that so many people face as they seek nothing more than the ability to be able to worship as they wish, and the release of this report here today is a demonstration of the abiding commitment of the american people and the entire u.s. government to the advancement of freedom of religion worldwide. freedom of religion is at the core of who we are as americans. it's been at the center of our very identity since the pilgrims fled religious persecution and landed in my home state of massachusetts, and many settled in the city of salem which takes

its name from the words shalom meaning peace. we're reminded that before long even there, even there in salem newly founded in order to get away from religious strife, unfortunately religious persecution arrived on the scene. women were accused of witchcraft and some burned at the stake, emerging differences between religious leaders in massachusetts and some congregations were led as a result of that to break away and to found new settlements. rhode island was founded by people who wandered through the woods leaving massachusetts and wandered for an entire winter until they broke out on this expanse of water and they named it providence for obvious reasons. 100 years after the pilgrims set sail for religious freedom, a

catholic woman was executed on the boston commons for the crime of praying her rosary. so we approach this issue, i certainly do, very mindful of our past and of how, as americans, we have at times had to push and work and struggle to live up fully to the promise of our own founding. john winthrop, born in england, but his passionate faith and disagreements with the anglican church inspired him to lead a ship full of religious dissidents to come to america to seek freedom of worship. on the deck of the "arabella" he famously said in a sermon he delivered before they landed "for we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us." and they have been ever since then, and they are today.

and though we are obviously far from perfect and we know that, no place has ever welcomed so many different faiths to worship as freely as here in the united states of america. it's something that we are extraordinarily proud of. but freedom of religion is not an american invention. it's a universal value and it's enshrined in our constitution and it's engrained in every human heart. the freedom to profess and practice one's faith is the birth right of every human being, and that's what we believe. these rights are properly recognized under international law. the promotion of international religious freedom is a priority for president obama and it is a priority for me as secretary of state. i am making certain and i will continue to, that religious freedom remains an integral part of our global diplomatic

engagement. the release of this report is an important part of those efforts. this report is a clear-eyed, objective look at the state of religious freedom around the world. and when necessary, yes, it does directly shine a light in a way that makes some countries, even some of our friends uncomfortable. but it does so in order to try to make progress. today of all days, we acknowledge a basic truth. religious freedom is human freedom, and that's why i'm especially proud to be joined today by president obama's newly minted nominee as our next ambassador at large for international religious freedom, rabbi david sapperstein. it is safe to say that david

sapperstein represents the gold standard. think about the years of elevating this fight and david has been at the lead every step of the way, serving as the first chair of the u.s. international religious freedom commission, director of the religious action center for reformed judaism and as a member of the white house council on faith-based and neighborhood partnerships. david's resume is not just a list of titles or positions. that's why he pushed for the u.s. government to engage in partnerships with communities that work across faith lines. that's why he's worked to forge deeper partnerships with women of faith networks, to advance peace and development, and that's why he's worked to engage american muslim communities and their groups on global muslim engagement affairs. that's why he made it his mission to promote tolerance and mutual understanding in sudan.

i have witnessed his exceptional skill, his patience, his ability to listen, his sense of humor and his tenacity as an advocate over the course of my years on capitol hill. he is simply one of america's most compelling and committed voices on religion in public life, and i could not be more grateful for his willingness to now serve on the front lines of our global push to expand religious freedom, and i look forward, i hope, to his rapid confirmation by the united states senate. one thing for sure, rabbi sapperstein is joining an important effort at a very important time. when countries undermine or attack religious freedom, they not only unjustly threaten the people that they target. they also threaten the country's own stability.

that's why we today add turkmenistan to the list of countries of particular concern. we have seen reports that people in turkmenistan are detained, beaten and tortured because of their religious beliefs. the government of turkmenistan has passed religious laws that prohibit people from wearing religious attire in public places or that impose fines for distributing religious literature, and the authorities continue to arrest and imprison jehovah's witness whose are conscientious objectors to military service. i want to emphasize this effort isn't about naming countries to lists in order to make us feel somehow that we've spoken the truth. i want our cpc designations to be grounded in plans, action

that help to change the reality on the ground and actually help people. that's why we're committed to working with governments as partners to help them ensure full respect for the human rights of all of their citizens. when 75% of the world's population still lives in countries that don't respect religious freedoms, let me tell you, we have a long journey ahead of us. we have a long way to go when governments kill, detain or torture people based on a religious belief. north korea stands out again in this year's report for its absolute and brutal repression of religious activity. members of religious minorities are ripped from their families, isolated in political prison camps. they're arrested and beaten, tortured and killed. we've seen reports that individuals have been arrested for doing nothing more than

carrying a bible. north korea is not alone. earlier this month chinese officials sentenced christian pastor to 12 years in prison for peaceful advocacy on behalf of his church community. just last week i welcomed the release of miriam mish shaud, a mother of two young children who had been in prison on charges of hip post see in sudan. governments have silenced members of religious groups with oppressive laws, harsh punishments and brutal tactics that have no place in the 21st century. in iran, u.s. iranian citizen pastor saeed abedin any remains in prison. the iranian authorities sentenced him to eight years behind bars simply because of his religious beliefs.

we will continue to call for his release and we will continue to work for it. make no mistake, we will continue to stand up for religious minority communities under assault and in danger around the world from jehovah's witnesses to muslims. so we have a long way to go to safeguard these rights. we also have a long way to go when governments use national security as an excuse to repress members of minority religious groups. in russia, the government has used a succession of evermore punitive laws against what they call extremism to justify crude measures against people of faith. in china authorities harass christians. they arrest tibetan buddhists simply for possessing the dalai lama's photograph. they prevent weaker muslims from

providing religious education to their children or fasting during ramadan. in uzbekistan the government continues to imprison citizens, raid religious gatherings and confiscate and destroy religious literature. these tactics continue to pose an incredible test. but make no mistake, these tactics will fail the test of history. one of the troubling trends identified in this year's report is how sectarian violence continues to displace families and devastate communities. thousands of rohingya muslims have been displaced in burma in the wake of sectarian violence and tens of thousands more living in squaller camps without adequate medical care. in pakistan militants killed more than 500 shia muslims in sectarian blood letting and brutally murdered 80 christians

in a single church burning last year. the pakistani government has yet to take adequate steps to bring those responsible to justice. in nigeria, boka haram has killed more than 1,000 people over the last year alone, and that includes christian and muslim religious leaders, individuals who were near -- near churches and mosques, worshippers and bystanders alike. we have all seen the savagery and incredible brutality of the islamic state of iraq and the lav vant, the wholesale slaughter of shia muslims, the forced conversions of christians in mosul, the rape, executions and use of women and children as human shields. all of these acts of bash richl underscore the stakes. just the other week it was

declared that any remaining muslims must convert, pay attacks or be executed on the spot. around the world repressive governments and extremist groups have been crystal clear about what they stand against. so we have to be equally clear about what we must stand for. we stand for greater freedom, greater tolerance, greater respect for rights of freedom of expression and freedom of conscience. with this report i emphasize we are not arrogantly telling people what to believe. we're not telling people how they have to live every day. we're asking for the universal value of tolerance, of the ability of people to have a respect for their own individuality and their own choices. we are asserting a universal

principle for tolerance. the abrahamic faiths, christianity, judaism and islam, have to find new meaning in the old notion of our what really is our common inheritance? what does it mean to be brothers and sisters and to express our beliefs in mutual tolerance and understanding? answering those questions is our mission today. edmund burke once famously said all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. this report is the work of good men and women who are doing something profound in the face of bigotry and injustice, and let me share with you around the world some of today's greatest advocates in this cause are doing their part every day, some of them at great risk and in great danger. they are doing it in order to force light into darkness.

in pakistan following the militant attacks i just mentioned, members of the muslim community formed human chains around churches to demonstrate solidarity against senseless sectarian violence. in egypt muslim men stood in front of a catholic church to protect the congregation from attacks, and in london an orthodox jewish neighborhood watch team helped muslim leaders protect their mosque and prevent future attacks. there are many, many, many examples of people standing up for this universal value of tolerance and doing so for themselves at great risk. there are many whose names and communities and watch teams we will never know, but they will not receive prizes. they may not ever receive recognition.

their courage goes unremarked, but that makes it all the more remarkable because they put their lives on the line in face of beatings and imprisonment and even death in the near certainty that their sacrifice will be anonymous. believe me, that's the definition of courage. so while serious challenges to religious freedom remain, i know that the power of the human spirit can and will triumph over them. it is not just up to the rabbis, the bishops, and the imams, it's up to all of us to find the common ground and draw on what must be our common resolve it put our universal commitments into action. tom melnowski will speak further, be prepared to answer any further questions. i am grateful to you all for being here for this very

important report and for all allowing me to introduce you to the president's nominee. [ inaudible ]. >> i think they will make some remarks and then they will take some questions. >> thanks, everyone. sorry i'm not the secretary. so let me just pick up where the secretary left off and talk a little bit about the report and some of the highlights, some of which, of course, he already mentioned. the 2013 international religious freedom reports documents how, when, and where the universal right to religious freedom was violated or protected in 200 countries around the world and it reflects the commitment of the united states to advancing religious freedom for every

person. now, from my point of view religious freedom is fundamental because it protects our ability to hold and profess and change our most deeply held and personal convictions. being deeply held and deeply personal, religious beliefs are often strongly contested but the most significant abuses of religious freedom, those involving large-scale discrimination, persecution, and killing, rarely arrive naturally. there is usually the additional factor of cynical calculation by political forces seeking to exploit religious differences for political ends. authoritarian governments, for example, often cannot tolerate independent communities of conscience beyond state control. when i was a kid visiting the country where i was born, poland, in the 1980s, i remember seeing how threatened the communist authorities were by

catholic communities and churches where every sunday sanctuaries were created where people did not fear their government. buddhist monasteries in burma played a similar role under military rule. likewise today the chinese government severely restricts the ability of unregistered religious groups to meet. we urge chinese authorities to release gao as scheduled orn august 7th and allow him to return to his family without harassment or restrictions to his movement. in tibet authorities continue to assert control over tibetan buddhist religious practices. >> i feel pretty tall up here. good afternoon.

i'm vikram sing here at the center for american progress. thank you for joining us for todays a event with secretary of state john kerry. the timing of this event could not be better. with the new government in new delhi and secretary kerry heading to the fifth annual u.s. india strategic dialogue this week it's also a perfect time to launch our new project india 2020. india 2020 will explore specific ways to realize the full potential of this relationship as india continues to rise as an economic, political, and military powerhouse. with the leadership and support of our president and the guidance of cap senior fellow and former assistant secretary of state rich verma, the center will set the stage for india and the united states to transcend differences and jointly enhance peace and prosperity across

asia. we will address issues ranging from the next steps in our security partnership to climate, energy, and water security cooperation to trade and investment. we will look for real opportunities to seize obstacles we will technical by 2020. all of us are grateful to our new advisory council members, an esteemed group. along with deputy secretary of defense ash carter who is here with us today, the council includes former age of society president and former u.s. ambassadors to india, nancy powell, tim roemer, and tim whizner. finally i'm goesed ee eed supp get out of your way and introduce my boss.

strengthening the middle class, fighting inequality, educating our children, dealing with climate change. all challenges incidentally that the united states and india share and that we can better manage by working together. before turning it over, i want to thank some great partners. india's extraordinary representative in washington, the ambassador who is traveling today. his deputy is with us. assistant secretary of state biswal and many who are joining us. with that i'm proud to introduce my boss, neera tandem. >> thank you, vikram, for that warm introduction. i want to welcome everyone to the center for american progress. we are really honored and thrilled to have the 68th secretary of state john kerry join us today to discuss

america's relationship with india. throughout his career, secretary kerry has reinforced the strategic partnership between the united states and india. he supported the crucial civilian nuclear agreement in 2008 and maintained u.s. support for india's full, permanent membership in an expanded u.n. security council. with a new government in india, the country faces challenges and real opportunities. prime minister modi came to power with a promise and a mandate to shake up india's economy and redefine the country's role on the world stage. through caps, we hope to work with key stakeholders to build an even stronger relationship and seize on the opportunity for positive change. we are so pleased so secretary kerry at our inaugural event. secretary kerry has a long and distinguished career in serving his country on the battlefield,

in the senate, and now as the face of american diplomacy around the world. for three decades he represented massachusetts in the u.s. senate. in fact, i grew up in bedford, massachusetts, and he was my senator and i am proud to say my mom always voted for him. his service in the u.s. -- i left at 18, but i would have voted for him. his service in the u.s. navy during ved nietna vietnam made leading voice. the proud son of a foreign service officer, his understanding of today's foreign policy challenges uniquely qualifies him to be america's top diplomat. since he was sworn into office, secretary kerry has been one of the most active, energetic, and ambitious secretaries in u.s. history. he has dived head first into some of the world's most difficult problems. i knows a the world faces

greater and greater instability with international crises erupting seemingly daily, it is easy to turn in words. that is why it is so crucial secretary kerry is in this role because throughout his career he has stood for that strand of progressivism that is international in outlook and engaged in the world. that brand of progressivism that believes an engaged america strengthens our own security as we work for peace and stability around the world, however hard that is. i know the world is a difficult place and getting more dangerous. but secretary kerry also knows that without active, engaged american leadership, it will get far, far worse. we are lucky to have him in this role. i believe he is truly the man for this moment. secretary kerry, thank you for being here today, for all the support you have had of cap over the years, and it is now my great honor and privilege to

introduce secretary of state john kerry. [ applause ] >> thank you very, very much. thank you for confirming to me your mother's fealty. i'm deeply appreciative for our support through the years and i'm sorry we lost you when you were 18, but i'm glad you wound up here as is everybody else. we're delighted that you're here. it's a privilege for me to be back at the center for american progress, and i am very, very apologetic for the delay. i know i have kept you all from your appointed rounds and i apologize for that. it's good to get the telephone unglued for a few minutes here. obviously we are still working hard trying to deal with the

issue of the crisis in the middle east. i spoke to it a little earlier today, so i'm not going to repeat what i said except to say to all of you that we want to be able to find a way to get to a table to discuss the underlying issues which are real and impactful on everybody and on the region, and we open to be able to find the magic formula by which the violence could cease for a long enough period of time to try to find that sustainable cease fire which could allow you to move on from there. the region has known violence for far too long. too many innocent people caught in the cross fire. so many lives ruptured, and so it is imperative for all of us in positions of responsibility to do everything we can to try to find a diplomatic way, a peaceful way forward if

possible. it is a privilege for me to be back here at the center for american progress. ambassador, thank you for being here representing the embassy, the dcm here. all of our ex-ambassadors and ex-assistant secretaries of defense and otherwise, greatly appreciative for their support and efforts to advance the very crucial relationship between the united states and india, and you know at a time when so many people are back in history when they were looking for a lot of simple slogans and silver bullets to cure an immediate problem, which was pretty basic, that the democratic party was out of the white house and sidelined in the minority in both the house and the senate, that's when a guy named john podesta stood up and was determined to get past the day to day ups and downs of the

washington ecochamber and helped to shape a progressive policy agenda for governing. john knew then what he practices now in the white house for president obama, good policy is good politics. so -- excuse me. let me get right of my flight here. good policy really does make good politics. i always found that and i have always tried to practice that. under neera tanden's leadership for the last couple years, cap has continued to prove that good ideas are still the most important currency in our political debate, and that is a principle that has also guided cap's work on foreign policy, especially in convening the first intensive climate change dialogue between the united

states and india. india 2020 builds on that success by showing how the united states and india together can tackle global challenges from security in the asia-pacific to providing clean energy to delivering more inclusive growth, and vikram and rich are going to help lead us together on that bringing some of the best minds together in terms of policy and politics, and i thank you very, very much for your contribution, rich and vikram. thank you for what you're undertaking. it is really a dialogue about what is in most people's currency but not always yet fully blossomed, one of the most important relationships internationally. now, i just got back as i think you all know from a pretty

intensive trip to egypt, israel, and the west bank and to europe working to try to find an end to the violence that has threatened our ally, israel, and which has also cost hundreds of innocent lives in gaza and elsewhere. we're -- the fact is that we were able to produce at least the beginnings of a cease-fire process, a 12-hour cease fire, then confusion over four hours and 12 hours, but the bottom line is the concept of that is still appreciated by all and the key now is to find the road, not the question of what. now, there are some in america who question america's efforts, actually not just in america. there are some people who ask this elsewhere, but particularly here they question our efforts to bring peace to various conflicts around the world. i think they ought to ask,

what's the alternative? make no mistake, when the people of israel are rushing to bomb shelters, when innocent israeli and palestinian teenagers are abducted and murdered, when hundreds of innocent civilians have lost their lives, i will and we will make no apologies for our engagement. ungoverned spaces threaten us all. instability threatens us all. in upholding the rule of law and humanitarian standards are not only national security imperatives, they are the right thing to do. this is who we are, and this is what we do. and, frankly, i think it is what we do with greater gusto, with greater grounding, if you will, in international rule of law and structure than almost, almost any other country. but i want to be very clear about something, and that's why

i'm here today. even as we focus on crises and flash points that dominate the daily headlines, even as this happens and they demand our leadership, we will always act with long-term stra titegic imperatives foremost in our minds and that's why we're here today. you can go to any capital in the world, and you can find different nuanced and self-assured perspectives about american foreign policy. but if you were lucky enough to have the top 100 foreign policy thinkers sit in a room together and you ask them to name the most important relationships for which the united states -- with that relationship will most affect the direction of the 21st century, i can guarantee you this, every single one of them would rank the u.s./india

relationship right up there in the top tier. so i want to emphasize, the key relationship for the united states, one of the key relationships for the united states in that context is the deepening relationship with india. and particularly trying to deepen our ties with india in terms of our strategic imperatives, both of us. it doesn't matter just to us or to india. it actually matters to the world, and that's why in my first months as secretary of state i went to india, and it's no coincidence that, you know, at the time in prime minister modi's first 100 days of his government, i'm now returning to delhi for two days of strategic dialogue and discussion, and it was no accident that in the intervening time we have had many discussions and meetings

and the prime minister -- former prime minister singh came here to the white house during that period of time. then, of course, they had an election and as everybody knows for a certain number of months during a election, things tend to be put on hold. now is the time to renew that dialogue with a new government, with a new set of opportunities, new possibilitiepossibilities. this is a potentially transformative moment in our partnership with india. we're determined to deliver on the strategic and historic opportunities we can create together. in a globalized world, we recognize that, yes, india is going to have many different partners. that's the nature of the world we're in today. but we believe there are unique opportunities for just the united states and india. and that the dynamism and the entrepreneurial spirit of mumbai

and bangalore, of silicon valley and of boston, that is precisely what is required in order to solve some of the world's greatest challenges. president obama is absolutely right to call this a defining partnership for the 21st century. india's new government has won a historic mandate to deliver change and reform, and together we have a singular opportunity to help india to be able to meet that challenge, to boost two-way trade, to drive south asia's connectivity. to develop cleaner energy. to deepen our security partnership in the asia-pacific and beyond. the united states and india can and should be indispensable partners for the 21st sentry and that is, i assure, you the way we approach the modi government.

this week secretary prits ger and i will be emphasizing those opportunities as we meet leaders of india's new government. we face, as we all know and neera talked about it and it is true, this is a particularly challenging moment. forces that were pent up for years in the cold war, tampened down by dictatorship and absence of freedom to speak have suddenly been released everywhere, and everywhere everybody is in touch with everybody all the time. it changes the face of politics profoundly everywhere. people have more information, more ability to organize, more ability to talk to each other. so we do face a host of critical challenges together, and we face a world in which more young

people, more rapidly are demanding more from their governments with too much -- too many places where there's too little response. and that is a challenge for all governance. none more so than what we do to link our economies, india and the united states in order to further our shared prosperity agenda. what we do to strengthen global security and a rules-based international system, how we turn the challenges of climate change into an opportunity for greater cooperation and economic growth these are the big challenges, these are opportunities for us. our countries have had a decades' long relationship, and i can personally remember the lirngerring sense of distrust and suspicion when i went to india at the end of the cold war. i travelled with executives from companies like raytheon and

nextel. i remember talking to then finance minister singh about the reforms that were needed and the opening up of the economy and the ability to be able to attract capital and have rules that made sense to everybody, that we all understood. i remember that back then, and i felt then the possibility of the enormous potential of a closer, stronger partnership. and now it's not hard to see how in this moment we can actually deliver on that partnership's full promise. the new plan, together with all, development for all, that's a concept, a vision that we want to support. we believe it's a great vision. and our private sector is eager to be a catalyst in india's economic revitalization. american companies lead in exactly the key sectors where

india wants to grow. in high-end manufacturing, in infrastructure, in health care, in fact teinformation technolog. vital for leapfrogging stages of development so you can provide more faster to more people. india wants to build a more competitive workforce and already 100,000 indians study each year in america's xhuferts. but america's community colleges actually set a remarkable standard for 21st century skills training. we should be expanding our educational ties, increasing opportunities for young people in both of our nations. i know prime minister modi drew from that energy of india's youth during his campaign. he repeatedly pointed out that while india is one of the world's oldest civilizations, it has the world's youngest

population. prime minister modei has said young people have a natural instinct to rise like a flame and he has spoken about india's duty to nurture that instinct, and we believe, frankly, that's a duty for both of our nations, and that means strengthening the exchange and technical education and vocational programs for high skilled trades and especially in areas where we can build on the entrepreneurial inknow tay tiff spirit of both of our nations. and we all know about the extraordinary work ethic that india have and the capacity to seize this opportunity. one of the marked contrasts of this moment is this juxtaposition to parts of the world where young people demanded a participation in this world they see around them and

rose up against leadership that had stultified over the course of years, decades even. tunisia, egypt, syria. they all began without one flake of religious extremism involved in the revolutions that brought change. it was all about young people gathering and forcing the notion that they wanted something more to life, they wanted opportunity, education, respect, dignity, jobs, a future. so this possibility i have just defined between india and the united states which fits very neatly into prime minister modi's vision that he expressed in a campaign which was ratified overwhelming lie by the people of his country is exactly the vision we need to embrace now and that's why this opportunity is actually so ripe. this area of cooperation is, you

know, particularly exciting i think and i'm particularly confident about these communities because only countries that reward creativity the way the united states and india do could have possibly launched hollywood and bolliwood. only countries that celebrate the entrepreneur the way we did could have launched silicon valley and bangalore. innovation and entrepreneurship are in both of our dna, and they not only make us natural partners, they give us natural advantages in a world that demands adaptability and resilience. the united states and india cannot afford to just sort of sit back and rest on these currently existing advantages. we have to build on them, and we have to build on them by investing more in one another. now, unlike some other nations, the united states cannot direct

a private corporation to go invest in a particular country. president obama can't order businesses to build factories in calcutta. it just doesn't happen. but we know this from several hundred years of experience. if india's government delivers on its plans to support greater space for private initiative, if it creates greater openness for capital flows, if it limits subsidies that stifle competition, if it provides strong ind lek actual property rights, believe me even more american companies will come to india. they may even race to india. and with a clear and ambitious agenda, we can absolutely help create those conditions. so as we work with our trading partners around the world to advance trade and investment liberalization, india has a

decision to make about where it fits in the global trading system. india's willingness to support a rules-based trading order and fulfill it's obligations will help to welcome greater investment from the united states and from elsewhere around the world. the greater transparency and accountability that prime minister modi put in place during his time as chief minister tells us he has already provided a model of how raising standards can actually increase economic growth. now, i believe the united states and india should continue to reach for the ambitious target that vice president biden laid out last summer in india to push from $100 billion to $500 billion a year in trade. and whatever impediments we may face along the way we need to always be mindful of the opportunities and the bigger picture around this. so it's in our -- excuse me.

it is completely in our mutual interest to address those obstacles that kind of raise their head here and there as you go along the way and to remember that a lot bigger opportunities will come from more robust ties. so we need to keep our eye on the prize out there and not get dragged down by, you know, one small or lesser particular aspect of a restraint. the bigger picture has to guide us and the end game has to guide us. if you have any doubts, just look at the opportunities that ford is creating right now in india. they're doubling production from

plants. they're investing $1 billion to make india a global hub for expor exports. take a look at the jobs tata is creating for americans by expanding automobile design and built in the united states adding to its 24,000 employees already in this country. india investment creates close to 100,000 jobs right here at home. we've also convinced -- we are convinced that just as the united states and india can do more to create shared prosperity, so can india and its neighbors. simply from the size of south asia's market, 1.6 billion consumers, and from india's geography sitting at the center of this dynamic asian continent, the opportunities are leaping

out at us. they're just enormous. and just to underscore how untapped this potential is consider this. south asia is the least integrated economic region in the world. fastest growing region in the world, southeast asia. by strengthening trade link was bangladesh, by building on the political opening in burma, by increasing trade with the asia-pacific and sooetiutheast , india can be at the heart of a more connected, prosperous region, so we are deeply committed to helping india grab ahold of these opportunities. that's why the united states is supporting an indo pacific economic corridor to connect south asia to southeast asia. that's why we're focused on investing in regional infrastructures and then the creation of a regional energy market. and that's why we're supporting

new trade routes looking central and south asia with a new silk road initiative. i mean, the pockssibilities her are gigantic. by inviting leaders from around the region to his swearing in and by binging rem together to speak about economying their economies, he is eager for india to play a leading role and guess what? so are we. nowhere is that leadership more critical than improving cross border trade and relations between india and pakistan. prime minister modi took the important first step of inviting him to his inauguration. both men are business-minded leaders who want to create

opportunity for their people. he was very encouraged, thought it was positive. the possibilities he understood. so improved trade is a win/win for both countries and both peoples, and i know that there are plans for commerce secretaries and foreign secretaries to meet in the coming weeks in order to build on that. i commit to you that the united states will do everything we can to encourage india and pakistan to work together and improve the prospects for both prosperity and stability in the region. now, india has already shown a deep commitment to regional stability with the generous investments in afghanistan. at this critical moment of transition and in the coming months, support from all across the international community will be vitally important. in the coming days, i will continue to work closely with president karzai, with the candidates, with the united nations in order to provide afghanistan with support during

the transition. and we look forward to working also with india on this and we look forward to india engaging with its neighbors so that afghanistan's connections to the region and the world are defined by the opportunity that they can create together. far beyond afghanistan india's assuming greater responsibilities for regional and global security. as india plays an increasingly global role, its interests are served by forging strong partnerships on a broad range of issues. among south asian nations and within international organizations, india should be a global leader. that's why president obama voiced his clear support for a reformed u.n. security council that includes india as a permanent member. for several years india has been a major partner in the fight against piracy in the straight

of ma lar ka. even as we speak india and the united states are participating in rim pac and joint naval exercises. secretary hagel will explore broadening our deepening -- the deepening possibilities of our relationship with india when he travels there in early august. counterterrorism is also a challenge to both of our nation nations. the united states and india are continuing a very close partnership in that regard. we began after the horrific mumbai attacks, and then we began to train first responders in order to help protect our citizens. and president barma was crystal clear about the stakes at his west point speech in may. and our two nations have provided one model of how these partnerships can work.

our collaboration on count counterterrorism and real time information sharing has helped us confront common threats and bring terrorists to justice. but there is obviously room for us to be able to do more. when terrorist attacks took 400 indian lives in 2013 alone, we know that the threat of terrorism remains too real and far too high or india's people. confronting terrorism requires our continued partnership and it requires continued vigilance, and it also means leading with our values. india and the united states are two nations that have worked hard to overcome our own divisions so that today we draw strength from flepluralism and diversity. we have to provide that example as we work to provide opportunity beyond our borders addressing the conditions that allow extremists to thrive in

the first place. i won't tell you where, but i'll tell you i was with a foreign minister of a country in africa recently and we had dinner and we talked, kind of candidly and openly as you can in that situation, and he said to me, you know, i asked him about their muslim population and what was happening. he said, well, "x" percentage of our population is muslim and we're very worried because the bad guys have a strategy. they grab these young minds when they're 13, 14, 15, 16, they pay them originally and then when they get the minds they don't pay them anymore, they don't have to. then they send them out to recruit or conduct a mission and they subvert the state. they have a strategy. do we? it's a prime question for all of us. and in so many parts of the world where 60% of the population is under the age of 30, 50% under the age of 21, 40%

under the age of 18 and more in some places, if these people don't find jobs and they don't get an education and they don't have opportunity and dignity and respect and a voice, then you know who is going to grab them and say out of frustration there's a better way. that's part of our challenge and responsibility as great global powers, and that's part of how we tame the most dangerous impulses of a more interconnected world. one challenge that drives home just how interconnected and interdependent we are on this planet is this challenge of a lifetime called climate change. for millions of indians, extreme weather and resource shortages are not future threats. they are here now. they're endangering their health and prosperity and security every single day. in india's largest rice producer

region, west bengal, the monsoon rains have been 50% lower than average this year. this comes after the monsoons all but failed last year in several indian states helping to cause one of the worst droughts in a generation affecting 120 million indians. in parts of northern india, armed bandits have imposed what amounts to a water tax demanding 35 buckets a day. so believe me, it is not hard to measure the ways in which climate change every single day is already a catalyst for instability. i can show you places in the world where tribes fight over a well and people are dying because of the absence of water. and while parts of india suffer from a once in a generation drought, others suffer from,

guess what? historic rains. when i arrived in india last summer, there was an area grappling with historic floods that killed more than 5,000 people. so climate volatility is clearly taking a toll on india's population and so is pollution. of the ten cities in the world with the worst air quality, six are in india. each year in india the effects of air pollution cause nearly 1.5 million deaths. so we know what the downsides are, but happily, guess what? we also know what the solutions are. and forging these solutions is a huge economic opportunity for both of us. the solution comes from areas where we already do things very well. where we've already made great progress. where innovation, smarter energy policy, and clean energy technology are already defining

the future. let me just share with everybody, reinforce this again and again whenever i get a chance, the solution to climate change is energy policy. it's not some magical unreachable, untouchable thing out there. it's not pie in the sky. it's energy policy. and where we put good energy policy in place we reduce emissions and we begin to contribute to the solution. it's a huge market, high friends. i also remind people that the market that created the great wealth of the united states of america during the 1990s, which made americans individually and otherwise richer than they had of been in american history. at the top end it made people richer than they did in the 1920s when we didn't have an income tax, and everybody saw their income go up in the 1990s. you know what that was?

a $1 trillion market with 1 billion users. it was the high tech computer, personal computer, et cetera, market. today's energy market is a -- today's energy market is a $6 trillion market now with 4 billion to 5 billion users growing to 9 billion users over the course of the next 30 years by 2050. just think about that. it's aroun opportunity for huge numbers of jobs, for transformation and the provision of our power, transformation in health, lowering the pollution, moving into the new energy sources, providing safety and security in energy so we don't have instability and i could run on in the possibilities, not the least of which are global responsibility to stand up for and leave a cleaner, better, more sustainable earth to our children and our grandchildren. it's a way of living up to our

responsibility as stewards of the planet which, by the way, is directed to us in every major scripture of every major religion. now, both of our nations pride ourselves on science and innovation. so the bottom line is this is up to us. it's up to us to deliver. i know prime minister modi understands the you aurgency. called for a salve ron revolution because the saffron color represents energy. together i believe we can at last begin a new constructive chapter in the united states/india climate change relationship. the united states has an immediate ability to make a difference here and we need to eliminate the barriers that keep the best technology out of the

indian market, and the united states can help india find and develop new sources of energy through renewable technologies and greater export capacity for liquefied natural gas. already we've brought together more than $1 billion in financing for renewable energy projects, and with this funding we helped to bring india's first 1,000 megawatts of solar power online but we need to build on the u.s./india civil nuclear agreement. and we need to build on the $125 million investment that we made in joint clean energy research and development center. prime minister modi has also made a commitment to electrify every home in india by 2019. with fewer limits on foreign technology and investment in india's green energy sector, we can help make clean power more

cost-effective and more accessible at the same time. we can provide 400 million indians with power without creating emission that is dirty the air and endanger public health. and by working together to help an entire generation of indians leapfrog over fossil fuels, we could actually set an example to the world. so i readily acknowledge that today's climate challenges did not start with india, and we know that the united states is the second largest emitter of carbon in the world. the first now being china who have overtaken us, but we also know that we can't solve these problems alone. no one. they require partnership, and our partnership requires our leadership. by acting right now to reduce emissions just as president obama has done here in the united states, by investing in innovation, and by working together in the u.n. climate

negotiations we could prevent the most devastating consequences of climate change and meet this generational challenge. lastly, in this century one that will continue to be defined by competing models of government, india and the united states have a common responsibility. we already have it. we share it. to prove that democracies can deliver for their citizens. our two nations believe that when every citizen no matter their background, no matter their beliefs can make their full contribution, that is when we are strongest and that's when we're most secure. so we are two confident nations connected by core values, optimistic nations, never losing sight of how much more we can and must achieve. from women's rights to minority rights, there is room to go

further with our work together, and we also have to speak with a common voice against the violence against women in any shape or form that is a violation against our deepest values. the united states and india are two nations that began both of their founding documents with exactly the same three words. we, the people. and by deepening our partnership we can work together to deliver opportunity to all of our people and become stronger nations. president roosevelt, of course, described america as having a rendezvous with destiny. india's first prime minister, prime minister nehru, spoke about india's tryst with destiny. this can be a moment where our destiny actually do converge, and if we harness our capacity of our two nations, if we deepen our partnership, if we make

smart choices, if we seize these opportunities, the united states and india can create a more prosperous and secure future for the world and for one another. that is why i leave for delhi tomorrow night and that is why the president will welcome prime minister modi to washington in september, because this is the moment to transform our strategic relationship into an historic partnership that honors our place as great powers and great democracies. we intend to leave not an instant behind us. we are going to get to work now. thank you. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, we ask that you please remain in your seats while the secretary makes his exit. thank you.

a reminder if you missed any of this program with secretary kerry, you can watch it anytime in our video library at cspan.org. we take you live now to the national press club where leaders of the nation's largest jewish organizations and communities have gathered to talk about their support and solidarity with the people of israel. joining them several members of congress, the obama administration, and other dignitaries at what's being called a national leadership assembly for israel. join the event in progress with

representative steny hoyer of maryland, the minority whip. live coverage. >> -- is to defend its people. article 51 of the united nations charter affirms this and i quote, inherent right to self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a member. how more clear can it be that israel acts not only from a moral perspective but under the charter of the united nations. america would do no less, and the congress of the united states will continue to stand by its ally, israel, as it takes the necessary step to protect its people. in my 13 trips to israel, and i brought over 150 members of congress of the united states to israel, i have seen firsthand the challenges israel faces. history has afforded the state of israel a historic mission, to protect the jewish people and

enable them to seek a peaceful life in the homeland to which they returned following centuries of bitter exile. no movement or ideology, no force of arms or threat of terror can shake the determination of an extraordinary people to build a strong and free democracy in their ancient homeland and to continue serving as a light unto the nations of the world. i stand with all of you today, and we stand with israel. indeed, we stand with all peoples in all the world against those who would by terror and force of arms undermine their security and their safety. i want to close with this. michael or rin wrote an op-ed in "the washington post" a few days ago. and he pointed out that our responsibility as a nation and

as an international community is to ensure that this war concludes with a categorical israeli win is in the world's fundamental interest, in the world's fundamental interest, in the world's fundamental interest. if the terrorists think they can win, they will never cease. [ applause ] and so we stand in the world's fundamental interest. may god give those who fight against the terrorists of this world strength, tenacity, and our support. god bless you, and thank you very much. [ applause ]

>> i am the president of the jewish council of greater washington and welcome to our community here who always stands proudly and lovingly with israel. it is my honor to introduce congressman kevin mccarthy. since he was elected to congress in 2007 through today as the incoming house majority leader, kevin mccarthy has always been an outspoken supporter of israel and a u.s./israel relationship. having visited the jewish state a few times now, the congressman has a personal connection with the land and the people. he understands their hopes and fears, a fact underscored by a visit a few years ago. in addition to backing funding for israel's security and missile defense, the congressman has also demonstrated his

leadership by accompanying freshmen members of congress to a mission last summer providing them with a firsthand understanding of the jewish skate and the unique security threat it's forced to confront constantly. congressman, thank you for your support, for your leadership, and your friendship. please join me in welcoming incoming house majority leader kevin mccarthy. [ applause ] >> thank you so very much. you can tell this isn't a partisan issue. this is about the morals of the world. we're united. this country has to speak with clarity of who is our friends and who do we defend. if there's a rocket on israel, there's a rocket on america and we will not stand for it. [ applause ] i want to tell you a personal

story. it's true, i have been blessed to visit israel many times. before i became a member of congress when i was in the state assembly, we did a bipartisan trip. i still remember walking in, listening to chin abrams, a mother who had to deal with rockets coming into her children. now, i had children about the same age, conner and megan, and they talked about the board games they played. at my house we played monopoly and candyland. at their house you know what they played? they played a board game to tell them where to go to a bomb shelter when a rocket came. no child should live like that. it changed my life. i understood what friendship meant, but i will tell you as i walked through the streets of israel with the other members, it changes them as well.

they understand the bomb, they understand the proximity, they understand the narrowness, but they also get to feel and see where our enemies live. a terrorist is a terrorist, and we should be very clear about that. hamas is evil. their intentions are evil. the use of children, hospitals, and bystanders to achieve their terrorist actions should not stand. i want this congress to speak with one voice. we would never allow in this country two-thirds of our population to go to a bomb shelter. we would never allow tunnels to come into america without being destroyed. and we would never allow hamas to have any military existence to be able to send rockets to us again. and they should not stand. [ applause ]

having a i would way to make su happens, you will hearcongressw rossalaten. you know what you're going to do this week? we're going to do exactly that. we're going to pass house resolution 107 condemning the use of innocent civilians and human shields and calling on the international community and abbas to condemn this horrible tactic as a breach of international law and an affront on all human decency. we will do that this week, and it will be a very big vote. i do not want this country to give misinformation. i've watched members moved by the place they have walked. and one of my trips with the

members we are up in northern portion of israel. you know what happened that day? while we were in the north on a bus, individuals came across the sinai and shot up a tourist bus killing seven. nothing hit closer than the day you there are. nothing understands more the challenge they face every day. a friend doesn't sit by while another friend is in trouble. a friend joins arms and lets the rest of the world know. but a friend fights with friends to make sure the world is a moral place. the other aspects of israel that i've seen, one of the greatest democracies. the idea that believes in human life. even though you have terrorists an the other side, who provides their health care?

who cares for them in their hospitals? who shows a barren land how to grow agriculture and beyond? who shows the silicon valley where technology really grows. it's our time to lift them together to defend what we believe in and make sure this never happens again. thank you, and god bless. good afternoon. my name is rich bernstein. i am a member of the board of directors of the greater miami jewish federation. it's my honor today to introduce my friend and neighbor who is the chair of the house middle east subcommittee and immediate past chair of the house foreign

affairs committee. she is a stallwart friend and champion of the pro-israel community and of the greater miami jewish federation. her appearance every year at our supersunday is memorable. it's engaging. and it is her authentically. please join me in welcoming representative ileana ross lateen. >> i told them i need the date. save the date. do it fast. thank you so very much for being a part of this, such an important event. and as we gather here today, our thoughts and our prayers are with the people of israel. as israel struggles and continues to avail herself of the inherent right that she has that every sovereign nation has to defend herself, and sadly, i

was in israel justice a few wee ago when we heard the horrific news that the three teenagers were found. their bodies riddled with bullets, murdered by hamas. and an entire nation gathered around us as we attended the funeral. and i also had the privilege the next day to sit with the family of naftali and it was absolutely heartbreaking. but the family was so strong, and i thought this family is an emble emblem, is a symbol of what the nation of israel is all about. founded in sorrow, struggling every day, but bound by hope because every person who came lifted the family up from their day of sorrow to tell them there will be a brighter tomorrow and

their memories will forever be a blessing. and it's so emblem atic of what the state of israel is all about. and that family understood that hamas was responsible for naftali's death n that they also understood that hamas had already begun attacking israel with ongoing daily rockets, missiles, on a daily basis that the media was not paying attention to. they did not pay attention to until israel decided enough is enough. we're going to respond. and then all of a sudden, oh, the media is interested. look at this. look at this asymmetrical war. look at this disproportionate use of violence. but israel had to respond. and the only way for israel to achieve peace and quiet for her citizens was to take out the root cause of this tragedy.

hamas. the terrorist organization. and there is no more equivulancy between a sovereign, peaceful state of israel and a terrorist organization known as hamas. there is no fault. there is no equivalency. it is all falsehood. and the only way to successfully root out this cause of evil, hamas is to go into gaza to destroy the tunnels, to destroy the runderground weapons collections which we have seen is sadly taking its toll on israel itself as well. and when israel unilaterally withdrew from gaza in 2005 and hamas seized control of this territory, rather than building up the infrastructure, rather than helping the palestinian people under its control know hamas decided we're going to

build up an arsenal of weapons. we are going to build up an underground of tunnels. we will build this intricate network of tunnels to smuggle weapons to attack israel and we will do so from schools, from hospitals and when israel responds, look at what we will have. we will tell people not to go away from the building but to go up to the roof and become -- become casualties. this is how hamas uses the palestinian people. this is how it uses the money that it receives from donor countries to wage war against israel. they don't care about the well-being of the palestinians. all they want is to wipe israel off the face of the map. and they don't care at what cost. but we can't forget that those benefactors of hamas who continue to fund and support it financially and materially.

let's not -- let's not talk about hamas as an isolated core. who is feeding hamas? who is supporting hamas? who is giving it support? and one of the reasons that we have seen is that we have countries that are supposedly our allies, countries like turkey. they say they're going to send another flotilla. we see countries like qatar, the qatari foundation and it's funding, funding all of these organizations. so we have seen israel supporting each and every cease-fire, and we have seen hamas not support any of these cease-fires. which is a peaceful country? it is israel. it is so easy to see, but if you look at the network news, thank you very much, you will never get that impression. i see now why steny was saying thank you to you. so i congratulate israel for its

restraint because the u.s. would not have shown the restraint that israel has shown. but it is these nations and these terrorist groups, if they see that support from the u.s. is waning, they will continue to attack israel. that is why we are going to continue to show the world that congress' support for israel will not diminish, and that is why congressman ted deutch and i will pass this bill condemning hamas for the use of human shields each day and every day. thank you so much for being here. thank you for your support, for free and independent israel. thank you.

>> i am rabbi steve guta, president of the jewish council for public affairs. i am here at a time of great difficulty for our people to introduce three important rabbinic leaders from the conservative reform and orthodox movements who standing together right now, take a look, in this room. each with their own -- [ applause ] each with their own prayer who will reflect wall to wall, wall to wall the unity of our people from one side of the religious spect rum to the other. this is a unity against an aggressor named hamas that values neither innocent israeli nor palestinian lives. you know in the days of th