the federal reserve, for example, the department of the treasury. the securities and exchange commission. these institutions set up as benefactors for the public. i think, increasingly, they are not. >> author and columnist, james grant, sunday night at 8:00 eastern, on sunday's "q & a." next, florida governor ron desantis gives his inaugural speech. this is 20 minutes. [ applause ] please place your left hand on the bible, raise your right hand and repeat after me. i, ron desantis, do solemnly swear -- >> i ron desantis, do solemnly swear that i will support, protect and defend the constitution and government of the united states and of the state of florida.

that i am duly qualified to hold office. under the constitution of the state. and that i will well and faithfully perform. the duties of governor on which i am now about to enter. so help me god. congratulations. >> thank you. [ applause ] [ fireworks ]

[ cheers and applause ]

ladies and gentlemen, governor ron desantis. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you. thank you very much. mr. chief justice, senator and mrs. scott, members of the cabinet and fellow citizens, i take the helm of the ship of state as a florida native, as a veteran of our nation's military, conscious of my own deficiencies, mindful of the trust that has been placed in me and thankful to so many of you who have prayed for me. being charged with leading a state with so much promise, all i can promise is the sweat off my brow, a full heart, my best judgment and the courage of my convictions. [ applause ]

i will not be a rudderless vessel in this endeavor. my compass will be set on the principles reflected in the constitutional oath to which i have just taken, principles to which people in this country have given their lives. namely, that our rights are endowed by god, not by government. [ cheers and applause ] that we the people loan power to government under the constitution in order to protect our rights. that government's role is not to run our lives for us, but to provide what lincoln called an open field and fair chance for one's industry enterprise and intelligence. [ applause ] these principles endure, not because they are partisan. they aren't.

they endure because they are right. i will also be guided by the love and support of my wife, casey. [ applause ] she will be a terrific first lady for florida. [ applause ] she's my best friend, an accomplished professional, a wonderful mother for our two young children, madison and mason. as many of you saw, pretty darn campaigner in her own right. and she really cares about the people of this state. now, casey and i have decided to dispense with the parade that typically takes place after these inaugurations. instead we will return to the governor's mansion to have our little boy mason baptized with water we brought back from the sea of galilee in israel. [ applause ]

i'm also fortunate to be succeeding our new u.s. senator, rick scott. [ applause ] who stood here eight years ago at a time of great economic turmoil and pledged to put people back to work. today 1.5 million more floridans have jobs and our economy is one of the best in the nation. [ applause ] senator scott, your laser-like focus on improving florida's economy has meant so much in the lives of so many here in our state. you are leaving a strong foundation from which we here today can build. i wish you and ann fair winds and following seas in our nation's capital. i know he had to leave early, because his swearing in is in a couple of hours. he will continue to be a champion for florida in the united states senate. [ applause ]

so it now falls to me to build upon the foundation that has been laid to navigate the challenges, economic, environment and constitutional that lie ahead and to steer florida to a stronger, cleaner and safer future. florida competes with other states to attract investment, jobs and opportunities for citizens. too many states have sought to match run-away public expenditures with ever-increasing levels of taxation. this creates a vicious cycle that leads productive citizens to flee, repels investment and leaves the people overburdened with less opportunity to prosper, all the while badly damaging the fiscal health of these states. indeed, we in florida have benefited from these follies and have wisely chosen sound fiscal policies and maintained a favorable tax climate. let's promote a virtuous cycle,

whereby low taxes, a reasonable regulatory climate, a sensible legal system and a healthy environment attract jobs, businesses and investment, particularly in the areas of technology, manufacturing and finance. and an expanding base will yield more high-paying jobs for our citizens, and is the best way to generate the revenue needed for public priorities like education, protecting our natural resources and helping our infrastructure. we know what works and what doesn't. let's not veer off course. [ applause ] our economic potential will be jeopardized if we do not solve the problems afflicting our environment and water resources. people come to florida because of its natural beauty. tourism is not only a pillar of our state's economy, it helps spread the tax burden to

nonfloridans, limiting taxes on our own citizens. but this could be in jeopardy if we do not solve our pressing environmental problems. as the great philosopher yogi bera remarked, if people don't want to come, nobody is going to stop them. [ laughter ] now, for florida, the quality of our water and environmental surroundings are foundational to our prosperity as a state. it doesn't just drive tourism. it affects property values. it anchors many local economies and is central to our quality of life. the water is part and parcel of florida's dna. [ applause ] protecting it is the smart thing to do. but it's also the right thing to do. i will lead efforts to save our waterways. we will fight toxic blue green algae. we will fight discharges from lake okeechobee.

we will fight red tide. we will fight for our fishermen. we will fight for our beaches, we will fight to restore our everglades, and we will never, ever quit. we won't be cowed, and we won't let the foot-draeger stager star way. [ applause ] we resolve to leave florida to god better than we found it. [ applause ] we also resolve to support education. florida should place a greater emphasis on vocational and technical training, as there is honor in jobs that require vocational skills and those who work hard in these trades made great contributions to our society and should have our admiration. [ applause ] skills-based education should also include training in

computer science and technology, as these skills will continue to be in demand for the foreseeable future. in a large and diverse state, our education system needs to empower parents to choose the best possible school for their children. [ applause ] one size does not fit all. no family should be denied the opportunity for their child to succeed due to insufficient income or to living in the wrong zip code. [ applause ] and this opportunity must extend to every floridan, regardless of race, color or creed. [ applause ] we need to rediscover the value of civics education. our founding principles are what enables a nation conceived in liberty to long endure. their preservation is why so many americans have laid down

their lives in battles near and far. how can we ensure that government of the people shall not perish from the earth if we fail to provide all of our students with the foundational knowledge needed for properly discharging the duties of citizenship? [ applause ] one key element of our civic tradition is the distinction between the three branches of government. as a recovering u.s. congressman, i understand and respect the powers afforded to the legislative branch. our legislators are independently elected. they don't work for me. but i hope they will work with me to meet the needs of the people of florida. [ applause ] in no area is legislative initiative more needed than in the field of health. the escalating cost of medical care, prescription drugs and

health insurance has wreaked havoc on family budgets, priced many out of the market entirely and has put significant stress on our state budget. the current system is riddled with perverse incentives. it intrudes in the doctor/patient relationship and it's mired in red tape. the people of florida deserve relief. [ applause ] i also understand that the role of the judiciary, while important, must be limited. it is a self-evident truth that in our constitutional system courts lack the ability to legislate. but for far too long, florida has seen judges expand their power beyond constitutional bounds and substitute legislative will for dispassionate legal judgment. all the while damaging the constitutional separation of powers, reducing the power of the people and eroding individual liberty. to my fellow floridans, i say to

you, judicial activism ends right here and right now. [ cheers and applause ] i will only appoint judges who understand that the proper role of the courts is to apply the constitution as written, not to legislate from the bench. the constitution, not the judiciary, is supreme. [ cheers and applause ] one month before the election, a ferocious storm tore through parts of northwest florida. hurricane michael brought widespread destruction, but it did not destroy the resilience and resolve of the people of northwest florida. to the communities impacted, we will stand with you to rebuild your community stronger than before. [ applause ]

to our veterans and men and women in our armed forces, florida values not only your service in uniform, but also the contributions you make to our state. to our men and women in law enforcement, i will stand with you to protect our communities. you put your life on the line in defense of others. you deserve our support, not our condemnation. [ cheers and applause ] to our local and federal law enforcement partners, the state of florida will work with you to keep our people safe, particularly the safety of our schools. we must never turn a blind eye to those who represent a danger to our schools and community. we cannot sacrifice the safety of our people at the altar of social experimentation. [ applause ]

we will stand for the rule of law. we will not allow sanctuary cities. and we will -- [ cheers and applause ] and we will stop incentivizing illegal immigration, which is unfair to our legal immigrants, promotes lawlessness and reduces wages for our blue collar workers. [ applause ] we also cannot allow florida's reputation to be further tarnished by the repeated failure of a small number of counties to conduct elections in a transparent and lawful manner. [ cheers and applause ] one generation of botched

elections is enough. alexander hamilton wrote that energy in the executive is the leading character in the definition of good government. i agree. so let there be no misunderstanding. as governor, i will lead with purpose and conviction on behalf of the people of florida. if the legislature engages in wasteful spending, i will veto it. if local officials are neglectful of required duties, i will remove that official. [ cheers and applause ] if our environment is threatened, i will move to protect it. leadership requires decisive action. after all, if the trumpet sounds an uncertain note, who shall prepare for battle? at the constitutional convention

of 1787, benjamin franklin was asked to be the first to sign the new constitution. it had been a tumultuous convention. it was a miracle they had produced the constitution at all. franklin pointed to the chair at the front of the chamber from which general george washington had presided over the convention. the chair featured a sun that sat low on the horizon. franklin remarked, "i have often in the course of the session looked at the sun behind the president without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. but now at length, i have the happiness to know that it is a rising, not a setting sun." if we meet the challenges that lie before us, if we overcome the tribalism that has dominated our politics, if we set aside -- if we set the interests of hard working taxpayers as our true north, then i have no doubt that the state of florida will cruise

to bright new horizons. we will see that rising sun. so sail on, oh ship of state, for the future of florida is strong and great. god bless you and thank you. thank you very much. [ cheers and applause ] later in the day, the house rules committee will meet to consider bills to fund and reopen the federal government as the shutdown is now on its 18th

day. that will be live from capitol hill, starting at 5:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span3. tonight, president trump will address the nation on what the administration is calling a humanitarian and national security crisis on the southern border. this is the president's first address to the nation from the oval office. house speaker nancy pelosi and senate democratic leader chuck schumer will respond at the conclusion of the president's remarks. live coverage starts at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. welcomel go into our spotlight welcome back, and we're going to go into our spotlight on magazine segment, where we're going to be talking with "wired" magazine contributor rod gerdner about his recent piece about climate change. john, good morning. >> good morning. thanks for having me. >> so what made you decide to write this piece? and why did you focus on the glacier right now? >> i write a lot aboutci