and the headline of your piece is the white supremacist group that inspired a racist manifesto. >> sure. so you know we know that dylann roof appears to have had friends who were black. we also know from talking to his friends that he seems to have adopted this racist ideology relatively recently. he says after the trayvon martin shooting. the aftermath of that. so you know, i think we have to take heim -- somewhat at his word. we have pictures of whim nazi symbols. we have him saying he was inspired by what he thought was black-on-white crime. we have his quotes in the church as he was leaving. i think that we just basically have to take -- there's no reason to believe it was not inspired by race, despite the fact he may have had black friends in the past. >> covington, georgia joe. good morning. >> caller: good morning. taking the flag down is not going do anything unless we get the whole story out of there. i would like to call on republicans and people in the

south, georgia and stuff, to call the southern poverty law center. let's get justice for kenneth gladney. they've been covering it for common cause and public citizen and stuff. they called out the gang on kenneth gladney, a man, town hall meeting in missouri. he was selling trinkets because he had to pay some hospital bills. he had cancer and all this. they singled him out during the health care debate a town hall meeting, out from the tea party. these people from seiu. they called him the "n" word knocked his table over and started beating him. the tea party stopped them from killing him. we called senator lewis trying to get justice for this man. they're covering it up. they call our churches down here and tell them if they speak again obama or dismiss them they'll be tearing churches down. that's republicans -- that's common cause. >> all right.

david in st. louis, missouri, a democrat. hi good morning. >> caller: good morning. thanks for taking my call. first, we have to remember in america that he who lives in the past is doomed to repeat it. so i'm a vietnam-era vet. i don'took at army movies -- not because i'm not a patron of the united states, it's just that i find army movies depressing. and let's look at the first amendment. first amendment says freedom of speech. but we got to remember that if you holler "fire" inside of a theater, you're breaking the law. so all these symbolisms we have out here that goes back to the civil war, that goes back to slavery, so forth and so on. we need to get rid of all of that. now, i understand that everybody has an opinion about everything because we know what opinions are of the same assumptions. but i think if we start off, if mr. graham would write an article telling people let's start celebrating the living and

where we want to go in the united states, and let's put the past in museums, that's why we developed museums. thanks for taking my call. you guys are fantastic. sometimes you do hear callers there make a lot of sense. let's if forward, not backward. >> okay. all right. let's talk about one debate that has come out of this, as well. not just over the confederate flag but gun control, as well. i mean, is it something the president talked about immediately after this tragedy that happened last week? and it's something now that governor -- excuse me former west virginia governor, now senator joe manchin along with patrick toomey of pennsylvania they've said let's revisit our background check legislation. maybe we can try again. it failed on the senate floor back that 2013. >> that's right. it's remarkable how slowly gun control has come up. obama went straight to gun control in his comments. unusually fast for him. he's tended to take a while to

bring it up even in the course of speeches after major shootings. he went right to it and seemed fairly resigned to the idea that it would not happen. the fact that we have joe manchin and pat toomey talking about it is an interesting development. what we saw last time they brought this up was the political prospect is difficult. there's a lot of opposition in congress, although generally the american people seem to support background checks in polling. we'll see whether it gets any further now than it did in past efforts. >> couple of reactions on twitter here. jay is saying that there's probably change like you're talking about david graham, because of greater awareness of hate due to greater mass media. and then rick on twitter says, "the kansas caller says it is a symbol, and he is correct. it is a symbol of hate. full stop." tampa, florida kenneth independent. good morning. >> caller: yes, good morning, greta. how are you? >> doing well sir. what's your question, your thoughts this morning?

>> caller: yes. i'm a retired veteran. and what i look at when it comes to the rebel flag because i -- i originally am from south carolina is it don't bother me to see the flag because once i see the flag i know where that person stands when it comes to me or anything. but at the end of the day, what is the difference between a rebel flag now and the isis flag that we are so upset about taking over the middle east? so what would be the difference as far as how people express the rebel -- in that time and now in 2015 with the flag? >> all right okay kenneth's thoughts. on twitter "the rebel flag should be treated with respect. it should be folded and put to rest. today it's not a sign of glory but hate "reaction on twitter from dweller. bill in tyler, texas,

republican. what do you say, bill? >> caller: good morning. >> good morning. >> caller: i wanted to make a comment. i believe that they should take the flag down for the immediate ceremonies and put it back up. the flag represents an ideology. i'm proud to be from the south. i didn't fight the civil war, but i'm proud of my ancestors that did. it stood for bravery courage, to make a stance against the federal government. the next thing i fly a flag not at my home because i'm obviously afraid of repercussions from that but i go to oklahoma, my property, and i proudly fly the flag. >> bill, i'm going leave it there because the house is about to come in. i want david graham to give us the timeline for this debate in south carolina. they opened up debate in the state legislature yesterday.

when might they take a vote on whether or not the flag comes down there? >> it won't be this week. it will be at the earliest in the next couple of weeks sometime in july. >> you wrote a story recently how the debate is spreading. it's going outside of south carolina. other states looking at taking down the emblem, as well. >> that's right. yesterday, terry mcauliffe, governor of virginia called for -- ordered that a confederate flag license plate be withdrawn. the governor of tennessee made a similar request. i think we'll see other cases where states withdraw license plates and other official documents and signs that contain confederate flags. >> you can continue to follow the debate by going to "the atlantic's" website, theatlantic.com, reporting on twitter at "the atlantic." david graham staff writer for the magazine thank you for your time. on the next "washington journal," representative milk mulvany discusses the charleston shooting and debate over removing the confederate flag from the south carolina state house grounds. then congressman paul tonko of new york talks about the

upcoming supreme court decision in michigan versus epa. a case looking at whether the epa properly considered cost in determining power plant emission regulation regulations. "washington journal" live every morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. and you can join the conversation with your calls and comments on facebook and twitter. british prime minister david cameron answered questions from members of the house of commons on border control, renewable energy, and expanding broadband to rural communities. acting labor party leader harriet harmon also wanted to know about plans to prevent migrants from illegally entering the u.k. from france. this week's prime minister's questions is about 35 minutes. >> other. questions to the prime minister. martin vickers. [ cheers ] >> number one, mr. speaker.

>> mr. speaker? mr. speaker, i'm sure the whole house would wish to join me in celebrating armed forces week. [ cheers ] >> armed forces are the best in the world. this week is an important opportunity to pause and reflect on their dedication and their sacrifice in keeping the country safe. mr. speaker, this morning his meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. in addition to my duties in this house, i should have further such meetings later today. >> martin vickers. >> i, too, welcome the prime minister's comments about armed forces weekend. and there is a major event in my constituents to mark the kz -- constituency to mark the occasion. i thank my friend for agreeing to meet with me and the honorable lady following the announcement yesterday of significant job losses by young seafoods in the area. they are the largest employer. it's particularly disappointing after a run of good news. much investment has been attracted with the help of the regional growth fund. could my honorable friend assure

me that perhaps additional help and support may be given to the area through the rgf and it's important to retain the presence in the area. >> first of all, i'm happy to meet with my handle friend. as he says, the recent report surrounding youngs are concerning. this will be a difficult time for employees and their families. the company will be talking to employees. the government stands ready to assist in any way it can. the broader picture is more positive. we've got the able u.k. energy park creating up to 4,000 jobs. also of course the seamen's investment nearby a major investment for the region. we'll ton provide support for the regional growth fund. 49 awards have been made in the area. we'll keep up with that and keep up with the long-term economic plan. [ cheers ] >> i join the prime minister in paying tribute to our armed services including the reserves. we honor those who are serving today.

we remember the sacrifice of twhoez have served in the past. and let's never forget them when we think of the freedom and democracy that we have today. i'd also like to pay tribute to the family's federations. the army family's federation, navy federation and air force family's federation. the great work they do supporting service families contribute so much to the strength of our services. mr. speaker, we've all seen the chaotic scenes where british travelers and drivers are facing harassment and intimidation as 3,000 migrants tried to get illegally into the u.k. the french should be assessing them as soon as they get to their to decide whether they're genuine refugees or whether they're migrant workers who should be removed. how confident is the prime minister that the french are going to start taking effective action? what's he doing to put pressure on them? and will he be raising it at the eu council this weekend? >> prime minister -- >> i think you for what you say

about the forces' family. she's right. at this saturday when many of russ attending armed forces celebrations and commemorations, it's a moment to talk to the families and thank them for what they do whether they're missing their loved ones. she quite rightly asked about the unacceptable scenes that we've all been witnessing for the last day. of course, there was a key role played by the strike that took place in france. she asked specifically about what should be done. let me answer clearly, of course we want to see migrants better documented and fingerprinted. frankly, a lot of that needs to happen in italy where they land rather than in france. the three things we must act on is first of all better security, working with the french, we've already invested 12 million pounds. i'm happy to do more if that is necessary. we've got to work with european partners to stop this problem at source. to break the link between getting in a boat and getting settlement in europe. thirdly, we've got to do more to make sure that britain is a less easy place for illegal migrants

to come to and work in and that's what our immigration bill is all about. [ cheers ] >> he's right that this problem is the responsibility of the italian authorities and the french authorities. but as he acknowledged it's also an issue about the security of our border. can he say more about what steps he's taken to strengthen security at the u.k. border? >> prime minister -- >> the honorable lady is absolutely right. the juxtaposed border controls on the french side are a good thing for our country. and we should be prepared to invest in them. that's what the 12 million pounds has been about. in talks with the home secretary this morning, we've been looking at whether we can put more personnel and indeed sniffer dog teams that side of the channel to make a difference. and there's also more work being done in terms of installing fencing, not just around the port, but also around the eurostar and euro tunnel entrance. all of these things can make a

difference. we should work with the french closely. there's no point either side trying to point the finger of blame at each other. this is a strong partnership that we have in place. we should keep it that way. [ cheers ] >> harriet harmon -- >> i thank the prime minister for that answer and efforts on all sides will need to be stepped up. turning to another issue. the prime minister said in his speech monday there's nothing progressive about robbing from our children. but isn't it inevitable that cuts in tax credits for working families, and less employers raise their wages immediately mean children will be worse off? [ cheers ] >> first of all, what i said in my speech about robbing from our children of the importance of getting our deficit down and not asking them to pay debt that we weren't prepared to deal with ourselves. what we need to do is make sure we go on with the plan that's seeing 2.2 million more people in work and crucially for children compared with when i became prime minister there are

390,000 fewer children in households where no one works. my program for tackling poverty is to get more people in work, get them better pay and cut their taxes. [ cheers ] >> harriet harmon. >> well, i'm asking about robbing from children who are in families who are facing tax -- tax credit cuts. the ifs have said that cutting five billion pounds from tax credits would mean working families losing on average 1,400 pounds a year. i know he doesn't have to budget, but many families do. [ all talking at once ] >> it's the truth. it's the truth. it's the truth. think -- think about if honorable members would just for a moment think about a lone parent working part time to compensate her for that loss of

1,400 pounds a year, the minimum wage would have to go up overnight by 25%. that's not going to happen is it? >> prime minister -- >> the problem with what the honorable lady says is the last government didn't budget for the country. [ cheers ] >> she asked -- [ all talking at once ] >> order. order. i'm very worried about the health of the honorable member. she must calm herself. we're in the early stage in the proceedings. a period of calm must descend. the house. prime minister? >> because the last government didn't budget for the country, as a result, the whole country was plunged into poverty which is what we've been dealing with. let me explain what we're going to do. for those who are out of work, we want to get them a job and a well-paid job. that's the best route out of poverty. for those in work we want to

see higher rates of pay, lower taxes. our program is simple. let's have an economy with higher pay lower taxes and lower welfare. what she seems to want is the current failure of low pay, high taxes, and high welfare. that's what we need to move from. [ cheers ] >> harriet harmon. >> you see, mr. speaker you don't get higher pay by cutting tax credits. he seems to be saying that low-income families won't lose out because somehow on the day that he cuts tax credits, every employer in the country will rush to immediately put up pay to compensate for the loss of tax credits. that would mean employers putting up pay overnight by twice what the obr has said they're going do over a full year. that's not going to happen is it? >> we are seeing rates of pay in our economy go up because we've got a strong and successful economy because of the decisions that we took. what the honorable lady doesn't

seem to understand is if you don't get people back to work and reduce welfare, you're going to have to make deep cuts in the nhs which we don't want to see, or you're going to have to put up taxes which we don't want to see. look, if the labor party wants to spend this five years arguing against any change in the welfare system, i say let them. you're end up with the same results. >> harriet harmon. >> what he doesn't seem to understand is that these are people who are in work, who are going out to work providing for themselves and their children. the truth is the prime minister is going to cut tax credits. he's not going to make up for that loss by putting up the minimum wage overnight. employers are not going to make up for that loss either. he says he is tackling low pay. he's not. he's attacking the low pay so

much to the party of working people. >> prime minister! >> the party of working people is the party that's got 2 million more people in -- almost 400,000 children in households where people are working. that is why you can see a party that believes in work against a party which according to what of leadership contenders is now the anti-worker partner that is what they honorable member said. i would say to the honorable lady, in the week when greece teeters on the brink, we should learn the lessons of what happened when debt spiral into you lose control of your economy. labour is stuck with the same answer, more borrowing, more welfare, more debt. it's the same old labour and it will lead to the same old failure. >> mr. speaker, thank you. would be prime minister agree that one of the best ways of

tackling the cycle of child poverty is, in fact, to ensure that we deal with assistance educational underachievement? children get the best start in life, particularly schools, universities and just as importantly in vocational education. >> my honorable friend is right if we really want to tackle the deep and entrenched poverty we have in our country we need to go after the causes of poverty. the causes are high unemployment debt addiction and family breakdown. those are the things that can make a difference. i was at the school this week on the outskirts of runkorn with 65% free school meals. and yet that school was able to achieve almost two-thirds -- they have a better record

frankly than many schools in well off constituents. so it can be done so let's go after the causes of poverty and then we could really lift people out of that entrenched poverty. >> angus robertson. >> -- organizing and will be attending armed forces day across the uk. mr. speaker, the prime minister and other uk party leaders made a promise. they made about that more powers will be delivered to the scottish parliament. the people were promised home rule. they were promised and i quote as close to federalism as possible. why does the prime minister's scotland bill not even deliver the limited smith commissioner proposal? >> first of all the bill that we put in front of his house does deliver the smith commission. it r will fulfill the vow that

all of us kwept. of course, what it doesn't fulfill his of all fiscal autonomy that his party would like that would like scottish taxpayers with a bill of thousands and thousands of pounds. if that this policy can when he gets up he should say so. >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. the house of commons library says that important part of the smith commission proposals are not in the scotland bill that the prime minister proposed. the shortcomings in the bill had been identified by an all party committee in the scottish parliament on which the scottish conservative party state. are all of these people wrong? will the prime minister now commit to deliver the smith commission proposals in full and all of the powers that were voted for by the people of scotland in the general election? >> we address precisely the point made by the committee in the scottish parliament that he refers to. mr. speaker, this go to a larger truth, which is the scottish

national party only want to talk about process. they don't dare talk about which powers that be are being given they would like to use. if you don't like the way things are fixed why don't you put up taxes and spend more money? isn't it time you started talking about the policies you want to put in place, the outcomes? because the truth is that this comp full fiscal autonomy has now become a tough test, full fiscal shambles. >> would be prime minister investigate why some labour control councils including leads -- schools wishing to become academy's? >> i'm delighted that woodkirk academy and its primary schools have applied to set up a multi

academy trust. it often really works if you have secondary schools worked with primary schools to improve the results in those primary schools. i am convinced when you look at the figures, the academies are performed better than the local authority made schools. that's why the change is a necessary. i would say to the labour party don't stand in the way of this change, help bring these academies about. >> i can tell them and we are committed to elected by the great western main line. we are also contributing 125 million pounds to the cost of the wider valley line electrification. it's a vital this work goes it. we need to make sure network

rail gets its costs under control and strong leadership in place and we will make sure those things happen. >> in holland rates. >> yeah, yeah. >> yeah. >> thank you, mr. speaker. full employment is down 61% in terms of -- a strong endorsement of this government's policy to make work pay and also to the hard work and investment of business people in my constituency. what further support will the prime minister offer to help with much-needed investment, broadband, mobile phone coverage, all of which would further help job creation in my area? >> first of all let me welcome my honorable friend to this place in the work i know he will do on behalf of his constituents. he's absolutely right, in rural areas like the one he represents, better transport better broadband and filling in

the spots on the mobile phone network are vital. the mobile infrastructure project is providing more homes and businesses with mobile coverage but we do need to make sure we build -- i'm pleased to say the a-64 is part of our 3 billion pound investment in roads in the northeast and yorkshire. but there's more to be done. >> -- a drug prescribed for epilepsy. although gps are now more aware of the risk the national archives show the risks are well known by drug companies and government as far back as 1973. yet mothers were kept in the dark. will the prime minister urge his health secretary to meet with me and the delegation of mowers who were affected by this issue to discuss the case? >> first of all, can i thank the

honorable lady for raising this case. i'm not aware of the specific drug which she indicates. i'll look closely as someone who had a son with very severe epilepsy. i will certainly fix the meeting between her and health the health secretaries so that make progress on this issue. >> does my right honorable friend agree that the northern powerhouse requires proper transport infrastructure? can the prime minister update me on my campaign to get the a-6 bypass to reduce congestion and increase growth in my constituency? >> my honorable friend is absolutely right which is why we're increasing transport levels in the northwest. we're investing 4.3 billion on the strategic road network. the a-6 relief road, as he knows, is going ahead. and i am pleased to confirm we provided authority with 350,000 pounds to fund a feasibility

study for the next stage of the bypass route around stockport and hazel road my honorable friend refers to. i do understand that if this could commit it will make a lot of difference in terms of relieving congestion. >> with the death of yet another cyclist, and a young woman commuter beneath the wheels of a tipper trouble truck will the prime minister meet with a small delegation of the cycle group to discuss what more can be done to protect vulnerable road users including the call by the acting leader of the labour party for a ban on these killer lorries in our towns and cities at peak times? >> i'm very happy to the meeting it does seem to me that although a lot has been done and wanted to try to make cycling safer and cycling save safer and cycling strategy, money is being invested. cycle lanes are being introduced. the number of fatalities is still very high and extremely depressing. young lives being snuffed out in this way. so i'm very happy to have that

meeting and perhaps also keep in contact with the mayor about this important issue. >> rishi sunack. >> thank you, mr. speaker. as the prime minister to mention ask is all the broadband is essential in today's digital world. can my honorable friend tell us about his plans to get broadband to my constituents and those in rural areas across the country? >> first of all let me welcome my honorable friend to display. is got the job of following in footsteps of william hague which a number of those the very difficult in all sorts of different ways but i'm sure he would do it very well. the figures on coverage encouraging. we went from 45% in 2010 to over 80%, but obviously there's a real challenge getting to the remaining bits of the country, including the most rural areas, so that we have got this 8 million pound investment fund and weaver piloting a number of solutions. one is run by airwave and to set a new technology number honorable friend's constituency. so he's on the cutting edge of this digital tenl.

and if it works, we can obviously boost it faster. >> last week, this government sent a message to the world that scotland was closed for business when it comes to future investments and the renewable energy sector. you did. today the court appoints on exports estimates that this government is set to miss its own target for exports by up to 300 billion pounds. could be prime minister confirm when he's going to stand up for the best interest of the scottish economy? >> well, first of all its if scotland wasn't part of the united kingdom there wouldn't be this access to the uk energy market. but i suppose we can leave that on one side. what i would say to the honorable lady first of all, we have a huge increase in renewable energy right across the united kingdom in recent years. we have removed some of the subsidy of onshore wind because

we are going to reach 10% of our electricity generation from onshore wind and so now it's right it should be for local communities to make that decision. interestingly a position that before they got into government the snp agreed with. >> very grateful, mr. speaker. last year, the 75 million pound selling of cashback warranties by scottish power, including to thousands of my constituents, was raised by the prime minister. a year later very little has happened with scottish power dodging their responsibility for 625,000 people across the united kingdom. in light of the most recent evidence can my right honorable friend urge ministers and himself to look again at this issue, to get people back the money that they're owed? >> my honorable friend is absolutely right to raise this issue. i understand the liquidation of the company is involved in the scheme that is still under way so as a result the creditors have not yet received the reports from the liquidators to see if there's money that can be extracted.

i will before the party opposite get too excited, most of his happened between 1997 and 2001. i have asked the business secretary to meet with my honorable friend to discuss his concerns directly. >> alistair mcgovern. >> the great englishman john donne said no man is an island entirety of itself. each is a part of the continent, a piece of the main with reference to vulnerable child refugees. does the prime minister agree? >> yes, i do and that's why britain fulfills its obligations in terms of taking asylum seekers from all over the world and having a system that many other countries see as robust and fair. it is also why we are playing our role in the mediterranean first with bulwer, now with hms enterprise rescuing people are desperately in need. it's also why uniquely amongst the larger rich countries we kept our promise about funding overseas aid and are investing

in the north african country from which these people are coming. i'm quite convinced we are doing what we should to fulfill our moral obligations as a nation. >> at the last comprehensive spending review, the clever ways of transferring expenditure on the bbc world service to the bbc from the foreign office budget helped prevent a calamity to our foreign policy capacity. five years on, foreign policy making and analysis has got considerably more challenging. will he ensure that a silo savings requirement is not applied to our capacity to direct the overseas elements of our national security strategy or our ability to represent the country abroad? >> first of all, can i congratulate my honorable friend on his election as chairman of this vitally important committee

in this house. i know he will speak out without fear or favor entities vigorously independent. he's right to say that the soft power we have as a country, whether the british council, the bbc, the foreign office, overseas aid budget of just talking about, all those things are important not just to fulfill our moral obligations but also to project power and influence in british values in the world and what to make sure those things continue. he talked about the bbc funding being a weave. on a shot of code that they're acting as part of the bbc making sure that it found deficiencies as a part of the public sector work, too. >> mr. speaker, yesterday we heard that early referral cancer detection can save 10,000 lives a year. a 21-year-old mother of a 3-year-old son suffered in agony for six months. three times she was refused referral. she was told she was too young. now she is battling cancer, cervical cancer and will never have another child. will the prime minister ask the

secretary of state to investigate what happened and to meet with me? and with the prime minister act to ensure that in future we have early referrals so that never again do we get people denied treatment which can be the difference between life and death? >> first of all i quite understand why he raises his individual case and assure my right honorable friend the health secretary will look specifically at the case. he is actually write that early referral is the key to improving cancer outcomes. what on not standing at the dispatch to say that rob has been solved, redwood city we are now making sure something like 650,000 more patients are actually being referred in terms of cancer. and those sort of diagnostic tests that can often find out whether you have the golden council -- after conversing many more of those tepco something like 40,000 40,000 of those tests being carried out. i think the key is to make sure

that gps get the training and information necessary to early identify the cancer so they can rapidly onward refer. >> lynn davis. >> thank you, mr. speaker. the prime minister made two promises especially important to the people of mid-wail and calling the general election. he has fulfilled one of them might scrapping onshore wind farms. when he fulfills the other by visiting the -- in three weeks' time, perhaps he will call in on montgomery to see the wonderful landscapes that will now not be desecrated. >> let me say to my honorable friend, it was a privilege to keep my first promise to the people of mid walles in terms of wind farms and there will be a pleasure to keep the second promise of coming with limb to

the royal well for show. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this morning's program was partly recorded -- in my constituency. the issue that other employers of good quality start producing good quality goods for export, this is an award-winning company. their concern isn't that the apprenticeship scheme in this country is not fit for purpose. what plans does the prime minister have to meet with these employers and to develop an effective, quality apprenticeship scheme rather than the cheap and cheerful -- >> order! >> first of all, can i welcome the honorable lady to this house. i, too, have visited the excellent firm. i think i recorded a broadcast while i was there. so they're obviously an equal political opportunity employer, which is very good. i think it's very important that we make sure we have really good apprenticeship schemes.

we must focus on the quality as well as the quantity, and we're committed to working with employers and making sure those employers work with local colleges to make sure the standards of these qualifications are very good. >> thank you, mr. speaker. last week my constituents were very pleased to hear the news that part of the measures the prime minister is taking to boost mobile coverage in rural areas, that's three of our very worst not-spots have been selected for consideration for new mobile markets. does the prime minister agree with me that better mobile coverage has an important role to play in improving rural economic growth and will he continue to do all he can to ensure that we spread the benefit of this tenl as far wide as possible? >> first of all, a warm welcome to my honorable friend.

if you want to this productivity revolution that the chancellor and others have spoken about we've got to improve broadband coverage in our country. the mobile infrastructure project can make a difference. three potential sites in south suffolk -- the honorable membership calked down a little bit. i know he identified three potential sites in south suffolk that will make a difference. and i think what is important for all members of the south to recognize, while there are often first on campaigns against -- we need to see these built. >> marie rimer. >> the prime minister has repeatedly been reported as saying he wants to create, quote, a new era of transparency in government. given his desire why is the secretary of state dwc refusing to release statistics of the

deaths of people who -- as instructed to do so by the information commissioner? >> -- and get the cwp secretary to comply with the spirit of your desire and to request the instruction of the information -- >> first of all let me reassure the honorable lady data will be published, it is being prepared for publication as we speak. i think it is important that we publish data and this government has published more data about public spending than any previous government. >> thank you, mr. speaker. over the last few years we have seen some horrendous examples of children being sexually exploited. as a mother i would ask my right honorable friend, what's he going to do to tackle the exploitation of children? >> first of all, let me welcome my honorable friend. she's absolutely right to raise this. what we saw happen was absolutely horrific.

i think steps are being taken by police and social services to deal with this much better in future. there have been some very important prosecutions, for instance in oxfordshire recently. but i'm not satisfied with the progress, so i've asked the educational secretary to chair a new task force to improve the protection of vulnerable children. i want us to bring the vigor and emphasis on quality that we've done in education to the area of social work. >> this month's imf report shows how unequal the uk has become with 15% of all income in the uk going to just 1% of the top earners while over 5 million people are earning less than a living wage. given that evidence showing the increasing income, will lead to an increase in growth, what is the prime minister concentrating cutting tax credits to people in low pay? >> first of all, what i would say is the statistics show that

inequality in britain has gone down and not up. one of the reasons for that is we have 2.2 million more people into work. but as i was saying to her right honorable friend, leader of the opposition, what we want to see in britain is an economy where we create well-paid jobs, cut taxes and keep welfare done. the alternative which is a low pay, high tax, high welfare economy, that's a we had under labour added had not ended extreme poverty. >> thank you, mr. speaker. every week 15 babies die or are stillborn, which is devastating for the families who suffer this lost. in half of cases, no cause of death is established. will my right honorable friend facilitate a meeting between second and states for health and charities so that we can try and reduce these figures?

>> first of all, can i welcome my honorable friend to this place. she served in the honorable welch assembly and i know in this place she will serve well. she proves that by raising a difficult and heartbreaking case against the death of every child is a tragedy and no words can do justice to the loss felt by parents in these cases. we have made steps forward with more midwives and more health visitors they can make a lot of difference in the run up to the final days before birth but i can tell the nhs england is going to fund the project to develop a national child death review information system to try and drive more information. the health sector will be keeping people informed and i'm sure he will want to discuss this issue with her giving her knowledge in this area. >> gordon. >> mr. speaker, can you prime minister tell us why he's promised local people the final sale of onshore win farms, but is denying local people in blackpeople and lancashire the

final set at a local application? why double standards between renewable energy and fracking? >> i think the honorable gentle is making a slight miscomparison. what we've done is taken the unnecessary subsidy for onshore wind given it is now a mature technology and we have a sensible planning system so that unconventional gas can go ahead under very strict environmental conditions. but i tell you what i want for blackpool part of what blackpool to be the center of expertise and excellence of for this industry. i want the apprenticeship, the training, rather than -- as he wants to do in blackpool. >> order. >> i am not one of those who believes in the psychiatric examination of people, you know? i believe that most of these

people, the historians should be on the couch themselves rather than to psycho analyze people they've never met. on the other hand, when i meet people, i don't judge them in terms of whether they have a firm handshake or whether they have eye contact, but what i try to do when i meet people is to to listen to what they say. you don't learn anything when they're you're talking. >> nixon drv a psychiatrist. he was an internist, not technically a psychiatrist. nixon went to his hymn because he was psycho sematic illnesses in the 50s, his head hurt, his neck hurt and he couldn't sleep. he received some mild therapy. even though he went to one, he hated psychiatrists and was always denouncing them. and he was afraid in a way of

looking at himself in a realistic way. he used to say, i don't carry grudges. hello? richard a nixon was one of the great grunl carriers of all time. he could be very unself-reflective and this hurt him because his lashing out at enemies, of course is what destroyed him. >> evan thomas, talks about the victories and turmoil of richard nixon sunday night at 8:00 pacific on c-span's q&a. >> the confederate flag was still flying.

on tuesday, the state's lawmakers agreed to begin discussing whether they should remove the flag. here is the debate before the south carolina senate. it's an hour snav. >> i believe on the disk is i believe house bill 4274, maybe. but what that does and i want to make sure we understand this. that resolution is drawn extremely narrow. we did that on purpose. that the only things that can be taken up pertains to the flag. they cannot deviate to some other area. that pertains to the flag the area that the flag flies in now. i feel like this senate needs to

amend the senate resolution to the last to get to this most important issue and it's extremely important issue for our state. the world is watching us. i think -- and i say this. i believe that south carolina the state of south carolina has handled this situation as well as it could ever be handled. as i know you are, i'm extremely proud of the way our people handled this, in particular, the love and forgiveness shown to down in charleston by those families. i was no there, but i sat there and watch replays of it. it brought tears to my eyes, i can tell you that. i think we need to move forward with this, and this allows the speaker and i to call it back when we need to. i will tell you this -- i want to do this as expeditiously as we can. i want to make sure we do it

right, that we don't make mistakes. i assume that a bill or bills will be introduced on the senate floor today. i assume that they very well could be introduced on the house floor. don't know that. my point is we need to amend this in order to be able to take up whatever bills are put forth relative to the flag issue. i say this to you -- i really hope you will vote to amend this, because if we don't, we can't take up any more bills. no bills can be introduced unless we commend it to allow that. i ask you to support this amendment for the resolution,

and i will tell you that once we can sort out what it looks like, whether or not it goes to committee, i will expeditiously ask this to come back as quickly as we can, and that would be very quickly after we sorted it out. i would ask you to cast your vote on this allowing us to move forward with amending this. mr. president, that would be my motion and, of course, that requires a two-thirds vote to amendment. keep that in mind as you are casting your vote. >> the question is the adoption of the amendment of the senate. >> i would like the opportunity to be heard.

>> proceed. >> mr. thurm man. >> thank you, mr. president. fellow colleagues, i ask that you lend me your ears. your mind, your heart, for a few minutes. grieve the loss of my friend and colleague, the senator from jasper, along with his eight sisters and brothers. we needed time to mourn the loss of my friend and my fellow charlestonians. the vigil that i attended was powerful and beautiful. i feel that i am out of place

after thought and prayer to try and find the words to make a difference with you and with others. when i think of this senator from jasper, i think of how he touched me with that wonderful biblical speech about thomas during our body camera debate. it was described as his finest moment. yet it was only a few weeks ago. he had so much more to offer, yet was taken to soon, just at the age of 41. i am selfish because i do not want us to lose him. i want to continue, for him to continue, to be a pastor and husband and father and public servant that he is. when tragedy strikes, even christians ask why. why did this happen? why would someone with so much

hate in their heart, they would hurt others? i cannot comprehend the hate that was visited upon the holy city, but i can't respond with love and unity and kindness, and maybe show others that their motivation for future attacks of hate will not be tolerated, will not result in a race war will not device us but rather will strengthen our resolve to come together as one nation, one state, and one community under god. it is my understanding that the bible study that senator pinckney was leading focused on the book of mark, character 4,

verses 4 through 8. it discusses a pastor selling his seeds, how some were eaten by birds, and others put in places where they couldn't grow due to poor soil and thorns. but others made it to good soil and they were able to grow a crop and multiply 30, 60, and hundreds of times. this passage, for me describes our work as public servants. there are times when we have idea that's sprout up quickly only to realize that we haven't had enough foundation to grow and, as such, the idea is discarded. there are ideas that special interest predators fly in and devour, and then sometimes the ground is fertile and the time is right for there to be growth. i think the time is right in the ground is fertile for us to make progress as a state and to come together and remove the

confederate battle flag from prominent statue outside the statehouse and put it in a museum. it is time to acknowledge our past, atone for our sins, and work toward a better future. that future must be built on symbols of peace, love, and unity. that future cannot be built on symbols of war, hate, and divisiveness. as lawyers, we are taught to see issues from both sides and so i want to discuss what i perceived to be both sides, and make it clear that i reviewed this position and not simply reacting. on the one side, some feel the flag represents oppression, a constant reminder of the old

south, of slavery. i understand why many citizens of south carolina feel that way. on the other hand, some say that the confederate battle flag represents the south's heritage and ancestry. >> let's talk about the heritage aspect. my family has been here for many generations. i was told that my great-grandfather was with general lee when he surrendered at applematix. i am aware of my heritage, but my appreciation that they forebearers accomplished to make my life better doesn't mean that i must believe that they always made the right decisions, and for the life of me i will never understand how flin could fight a civil war based in part, on the desire to continue the practice of slavery. think about it for just a second. our ancestors were fighting to continue to keep human beings as slaves and continue the

unimaginable acts that a cure occur when someone is held against their will. i am not proud of this heritage. these practices were inhumane and were wrong, wrong, wrong. now we have these hate groups and the symbols they use to remind african-americans that things have it changed -- haven't changed. things have changed. overwhelmingly, people are not being raised to hate or to believe that they are superior to others based on the color of their skin. my generation was raised to respect all people, of every race, religion, and gender. i have often wondered what is my purpose here in the senate. i've asked god to guide me and

strengthen me and i have prayed that i will be able to make a difference for this stage. i have prayed that i will leave this place better for future generations. i am proud to take a stand and no longer be silent. i'm proud to be on the right side of history regarding the removal of this symbol of racism and bigotry from the statehouse. but let it not satisfy us to stop there. justice by house is not justice, we must take down the confederate flag and take it down now, but if we stopped there we have cheated ourselves out of an opportunity to start a different conversation about healing. i am ready. let us start the conversation. thank you. >> thank you. senator from charleston --

>> unanimous consent request to record to allow senator thurman's records to be recorded in the journal. >> without objection, it is so ordered. >> god bless the state of south carolina. >> thank you. senator from charleston -- >> mr. president i wish to be heard. >> proceed. mr. campson. >> c.s. lewis said to be a christian means to forgive the inexcusable because god has forgiven the inexcusable in you. to be a christian means to forgive the inexcusable because

god has forgiven the inexcusable in you. i want you to reflect upon that quote by the great c.s. lewis as you listen to the rest of my remarks. sunday evening while participating in the bridge to peace event, my sister witnessed an act that encapsulates charleston's reaction to this brutal emanuel ame church murders. while 15,000 people held hands in unity across the bridge a man stretched his arms towards heaven and declared at the top of his lungs this is how we riot in charleston. this man personifies why we should be proud of how charleston has dealt with this unspeakable tragedy. i'm very proud of my hometown. also, the victims' families with their statements of forgiveness

and even charity toward the murderer of their loved ones personifies why we should be proud of charleston. in human terms, the families' response to this horrendous event, it was insxlixble in human terms. the response to this horrific event is inexplicable in human terms and it is not until i reflect upon this quote by cs lewis, to be a christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because god has forgiven the inexcusable in you reflect upon that quote can you make any sense of their actions at all. their response is a christian response. it flows from the gospels message of sin separating us from a holy god, christ paying the penalty for these sins and

offering reconciliation with god. understanding that they have been forgiven of much empowers the forgiven to literally forgive. when a debate leading up to the removal of the confederate flag from the capitol dome in 2000 erupted, i was only two members of the general sempbly that supported the removal. i did so for one reason, it did not meet the criteria that flags must meet to flag over the capital. it must be the flag of an existing government that has jurisdiction over people. inhabiting the land. i was captive to that logic. the flag failed that test, so i argued for its removal on these grounds.

my late father, george campson jr., was in the general assembly when the flag was placed over the dome in 1962. in 2000, he organized over 90% of the then surviving members of the 1962 general assembly along with several former governors to sign a petition he drafted. it indicated they place it over the dome to commemorate the centennial of the civil war and had simply neglected to provide a takedown date. their intention was never for the flag to fly indefinitely. they petitioned the general assembly to remove the flag from the dome, which i did in -- in the year 2000. syndicated columnist george will referred to these arguments as the solution to the flag debate. this history is relevant because

it constituted common ground to remove the flag from the dome in 2000. in light of charleston's reaction to the emanuel ame church shootings, i suggest common ground to remove the flag from the statehouse ground. the common ground of which i speak transcends and is more powerful than issues of race and heritage. it is yet another biblical principle found in romans 14:19, pursue what makes for peace and mutual up building. the witness of emanuel ame church pursuing peace and mutual up building demonstrates that love is greater than hate. congregants at st. michael's church st. phillip's church, and other charleston churches followed emanuel's lead

when they literally encircled the church last sunday morning, bathing it in prayer as the emanuel congregation courageously refused to permit evil to keep them from worshipping. sunday night, the charleston community demonstrated an outpouring, a virtual spontaneous outpouring of unity when 15,000 people held hands across the ravanell bridge. the unknown man i mentioned earlier who declared this is how we riot in charleston and many others have followed suit. in responding to this tragedy let us not focus upon what outsiders say. let's focus upon us, our relationships, our communities, and our state. let us follow the example set before us, if the confederate flag on statehouse grounds upset

a significant number of citizens, let's remove it in the name of peace and mutual up building. let's do this as a reciprocal act, a reciprocal act of charity and grace, extended to the fallen, their families, and the congregation of my friend and colleague, senator pinckney. they have demonstrated incredible forgiveness, charity, and grace before god and a watching worth world. both in life and in death they have shown us how to love forgive and pursue peace and mutual up building. it is our turn to follow their example. >> thank you. senator from -- mr. jackson. >> thank you, mr. president and members of the senate. my original thought was i was not going to say anything else,

but i am reminded mr. jackson of what my friend says, sometimes the best thing to do is to be brief and quick. so i hope to do that. but i do want to share, perhaps put some things in context and in perspective. when i was first elected to the senate as a young man 34 years old at the time, when i walked in the door, with there were four confederate flags in this building. i want to help you understand the magnitude of the compromise that was reached in 2000. because i think in this process, that is lost on people now when they say you signed it you coauthored the compromise, they look at it senator richland, as it was something bad. but in particular and those that were so young that don't understand what we actually had to go through, imagine 34 years old, walking in this building on

the first floor lobby, there was a confederate flag. on the dome of the capital, a confederate flag. the first day of my session, when i was told to turn to the american flag, put your hand over your heart and say the pledge of allegiance, i had to look at a confederate flag. for a great deal of time senator charleston i would purposely miss the prayer and the pledge of allegiance because it was so painful to put my hand over my heart and say the prejudice of allegiance to the united states flag and look at that same flag. that history cuts both ways. in the year 2000 when my great friend former senator from charleston, senator mcconnell and many others, the great legendary senator we have here today, senator john matthews cape hatterson and others when we signed that compromise, it

was tough. it was very tough. i think what is missing is that people say to me now -- and i refused to do any television interviews, because first of all i want to grieve my friend, but i think it is important to put it into perspective. my great great uncle on the opposite side -- and i said this to late senator vern smith in greenville. when the senator marched through columbia, he joined sherman's band. he had a family and named his son sherman. and so history it's his story. from my family's perspective william t. sherman was a great liberator. and i said that. and i was proud of this body in 2000 when we signed the heritage act. because here is what we did.

we put one flag by the monument and took four other flags that were on the building and inside the building down. we substituted one flag for four flags. we substituted four for one. that to me, was progress. but as i prepare to take my seat, i will tell you that i never thought that was the end. you remember the senator from coreson, the speech that i made at this podium on the floor as we debated that in 2000 that has since given me so much -- so many challenges with my friend. i stood here and said i love the naacp. i said i'm a lifetime member. my grandfather was a member. but i love the state of south carolina, also. and we must do the right thing. and we did the right thing in the year 2000. we are doing the right thing right now.

i knew it was not finished. i knew that that would not be the end. i hoped and prayed that i would be in this senate long enough, senator from rock hill, to see what we are doing today. and that day has come. although i did not want to say anything, i am compelled to say that i am so glad. i leave you with the words of the apostle paul when he writes to the galatianss, who were discouraged, and they were considering giving up. and he writes in galatianss 6 and 9, let us not become weary when we are doing good for in due time, or at the right time, we will reap a harvest if we just don't faint. and i'm so glad that we did not faint, that we are now able to reach a harvest. congratulations. i am proud of this body. i love this state senate.

thank god for bipartisan leadership. that will do the right thing. god bless the senate and god bless all of you. >> thank you. senator from charleston. >> first of all, unanimous consent to record the words of senator campsen, senator charleston, senator jackson the senator from richland. >> without objection so ordered. >> i'd like to be heard. >> proceed. mr. campsen. >> thank you mr. president, members of the senate. i rise as the senator of district 42, the place of the charleston massacre. and i want to provide you with an update on the district on how

district 42 and the surrounding areas are fairing. the citizens of charleston are resilient, strong, tenacious people. who are persevering through this great tragedy. we applaud what this body is discussing here, as my colleague, senator thurman, just mentioned, there have been several vigils. i have spoke with reverend golf last night, the presiding elder at ame church. funeral arrangements are being made. i have been in consultation with ref rand rev represented nelson rivers who is on the ground and ministering spiritual healing to the families.

i want to take a moment to talk about mother emanuel. mother emanuel. senator from beaufort mother emanuel is our sanctuary. a sanctuary for the devote who through vandalism, fire, earthquake hurricane and depression sacrificed to maintain an order nant, beautiful and maintained tabernacle for the glory of god. and a sanctuary from activists who is from its august pulpit called for justice and humanity. there was no greater, no greater man of god qualified to speak from the same pulpit that dr. martin luther king jr. once

spoke than our colleague senator pinckney. he understood the meaning of a sanctuary and a safe and sacred place for worship, for peace, for organization and action. yes, it was in his sanctuary, our sanctuary, that god took his hand and the hands of cynthia heard, reverend sharon singleton, reverend daniel simmons, ethel lance and susie jackson. god took their hands as a reward of a lifetime for service to his glory. i say that mother emanuel was our sanctuary because it is literally the oldest and greatest mother church for

christianity as practiced by african-americans in south carolina and throughout the south. moreover, people of all races organization and commemorate and where we relax our souls. senator from berkeley, to listen for god. mother emanuel, yes is a church for all of us and it belongs to all of us. so when evil walks inside our sanctuary and takes a seat, listens to do the word of god and then proceeds to violently violate our refuge one might ask where is god? where is god when people are gathering in his house and then evil massacres in a place where people should feel safe? where is god when in a city rich of history but also steeped in racial division, a coward steps

into god's house and in flames racial tension by killing murdering, nine black worshippers. where is god when the receipt carpets of this notable oedipus built to his glory is sustained with the blood of its pastor and parishioners? where is god? i'll tell you where god is. mother emanuel itself is the answer to the question because the word "emanuelimam yell "emanuel" is hebrew for god is with us. god is emanuel and god is with us. he was there in that sanctuary when mother emmanuel, providing refuge to those who are evil, before, during, and after, he was they are holding their hands and whispering into their ears, in their last transition from

god's earthly sanctuary to the great sanctuary above. and god will be certainly with us when evil is brought to justice in the state of south carolina for violating our sanctuary and god will be with us to forge a real conversation about hate, race, and division in this state when we take down the confederate flag. during the civil war, abraham lincoln once asked, whose side was god on? he replied, my concern is not whether god is on our side, but my greatest concern is to be on god's side. as i take my seat and encourage

the senate to do the work we came to do on behalf of all people, all creeds, all colors, and the work of the people of south carolina, and as i reflect on district 42 in the aftermath of the shooting of walter scott in north charleston and the charleston massacre that killed nine families, at this moment of horror pain and anger and grooefr, just as god is with us, let us also be with god. let us be on god's side. let us do got god's business by passing this resolution to incorporate a great debate so that we can begin the work of removing the confederate flag from in front of the statehouse.

i will close out by saying, as i echo the chance of our an senters, right on king jesus, no man can hinder me. no one told us that the road would be easy. but we don't believe he brought us this far to leave us. walk together children, don't you get weary. there's a great camp meeting in the promise land. bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till i want no more. >> thank you. senator from richland be heard. while he's coming forward, the senator from berkeley? >> i ask that the remarks of the senator from charleston be memorialized in our journal. >> without objection, so ordered. >> mr. coresen. >> you all know the late -- senator pinckney will be lying

in wait tomorrow. my church across the street, there will be a community prayer tonight at trinity. the church will be open from 1:00 to 5:00 for people that want to come in with prayers given on each hour, brief brars and the church bells will be ringing every hour 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 4:00 and 5:00. this is not only for the body but anyone looking to go to trinity, there will be refreshments available because it's going to be very, very hot. i would like to also follow up on what my close friend from richmond said about the heritage. you left one component out because you're very modest. when we crafted the original heritage act of 1993 we had a component that you suggested that we build a monument to our african-american heritage in our state.

the heritage act failed in 1993. i think it got through the senate, lost in the house. you came back, senator jackson, and you asked us to meet with you. and you said gosh, the heritage act is dead but how about let's redo and revisit the idea of an african monument with our heritage, the african-american heritage. to be paid for with private funds. and we lood looked at you and we said, good idea. we'll do it. and we went to see the then president tempor of the senate and told him what we planned on doing. he said waits a great idea. we did it and it panned out very, very well. i think that we are the only state in the nation with a monument to african-american heritage. the only state in the nation. if it had not been for you and senator from -- this would not have taken place. and i think we need to know that for the record. thank you, mr. president. >> thank you. >> the question is the adoption

of the concurrent resolution, which is the amendment the senator from lawrence. >> thank you mr. president, members of the senate. god is with us. senator from charleston, god is still on the throne, king jesus. this body, it comes from our ministers who serve amongst us, our chaplain the laymen, even poor old brother jerald maloy from darling ton last week the lord compelled you last week and you sought solace with him. and i appreciate the opportunity that this memorialization

process for us is for breath rent and sister continues. clementa and i are all that remain in the body from our class. and i've told my family, my friends and constituents at home that he was a better man than i. because i don't know that there is one of us that can point to my brother and say, he spoke ill of me. and i will confess, apologize and ask your forgiveness for stridentsy. sometimes i wish i had been more vigorous and less strident. clem, never. i can say with confidence that

he loved better than i do. i appreciate the fact that the our state, the holy city, has been bathed with so much prayer and god's word. and i am reminded of what my palestinian sister gave me this past lord's day as it relates to unity and, of course in this pastoral prayer. he remembered our brothers and sisters in charleston. again, senator from charleston, thank you for invoking their name. david said how good and pleasant it is to dwell together in unity. he gave two examples, the oil running down aaron's head to toe, even the hem of his

garment. and the vision of the waters falling upon the mountain, down upon the land. and, of course the vision is eternal life, preens with god. the picture in his -- the balm of gilliad, the covering. i'm so blessed to be among you and i will say this, how good it is to dwell together in unity. i would rather be with you together in this unity than in any other state in this country. but i don't feel this unity. so as i tell you that i have spoken already with the

president pro tem, the majority leader, the minority leader, as i speak to my constituents of my state, the world i can tell you that i pray that we will continue to embrace each other in disagreement. so i'm not voting for an adjustment. my trust is god knows my heart. i'll be able to continue to be benefited from you. i've been so blessed. senator from charleston, you said you hope that you could convey something to us. you did. every one of you has. i pray for a spirit that i will be able to convey something to each of you, in the days ahead.

i don't know what the leadership has specifically in store for our conversation going forward, but that's what i pray for. a conversation that, again will unify us more than divide us. regardless of outcome. because, as the psalm was saying, it's life ever more. and i've heard the theologian from tharls ton talk about the continuum of life, eternity. we will look at eternity, past, present and future, at another day. today is not the day. i do appreciate the opportunity to convey my heart, express love for our departed brother, give you a basis of where my heart is as the debate goes forward.