angry with me. he goes on about why it's important and why she needs to support him. and before he goes off to be the leader of the war, he goes out and buys things for her to make nice dresses out of it. that's a husband worth having. >> >> they were not young at this point at all. go back to our viewer calls. >> am i talking to somebody? >> you are live on tv right now. do you have a question? >> yes, please. my name is gael. i have a couple of questions. i'm reading a very nice easy book called mt. vernon love story by mary higgins clark. and she said that -- that no one

ever called martha washington martha. she was always called patsy as lady bird johnson was never called claudia. so i was just wondering, you mentioned in his letters when he referred to her in his letter that it was just mentioned on the telephone that he did call her patsy. and i also wanted to mention that in the story that i'm reading about martha and george washington that the house, mt. vernon, was originally the home of his half brother, george washington's half brother. that he lived in a smaller farm. and i wondered if you are going to talk anything about his years as a surveyor or is this really about the years with martha as an adult?

>> thank versus much. this is actually martha washington's time in the sun. so we won't talk about george's early career. what about the nickname patsy? >> patsy, pat, patty were the nicknames for martha in those days just as peg or peggy is a nickname for margaret. the martha nickname has fallen out of favor. nobody was named patricia back then. the only patsies were martha's. that was simply the common name. >> the smaller farm she's reference ing? >> smaller, it was 500 acres. washington was able to acquire more acreage with martha's money but the farmhouse his brother lived in was the four-room farmhouse i was mentioning that he then added a second story to.

>> sherry is watching us in arlington, texas, hi, jerry. >> caller: hello. thank you for taking my call. i have a question about sally and wonder if you could clarify the relationship george had with her that continued until after the revolutionary war. was she aware of that relationship? how did she deal with that? or was it something that was not discuss? >> you want to start? >> want to disagree. >> you disagree. >> this is a classic example of where unfortunately mrs. washington did her cause no good by burning all of those letters. in the late 1950s, two letters were discovered which the vents of reigning biographer, james thomas flexner made a great deal out of. some would say perhaps exaggerated.

>> way too much -- >> -- their significance. sally fairfax was the wife of george william fairfax who was a neighbor and close friend. some people described him as washington's best friend. they lived just down river of -- from mt. vernon. clearly -- what i think clearly there was a -- i would use the word "infatuation." sally was an older, slightly older, very sophisticated to someone like george who wanted as a young man very much to belong. who wanted to be part of the colonial aristocracy, who wanted to advance in the british military. and so someone like sally, who was even then unobtainable,

nevertheless held a special allure. exactly what the nature of that relationship was is still being debated. it's -- it's -- you talked about george washington's integrity. i think it was something even then. i don't think the relationship went beyond a kind of a love- sick young man. but like to get your view. >> then we won't disagree. that there's no doubt when those two letters surfaced that you can't read them any other way but that he was a love-sick puppy. they hardly make sense if you read them sentence by sentence and try to punctuate them. he's sort of gone crazy because she has said something mean to him about not writing to her. he's gone nuts. you see how much me cares about her and how infatuated he is.

i don't think once -- i, too, don't think it went any further than that kind of infatuation because he cared too much about his friend. but once he met martha and once they started to settle down, i think she had to have known. she was a smart woman. she could certainly -- when they started talking about the elegant neighbors at belvoir, she had to have picked up a special tone. they had to be friends. those couples visited all the time. sally fairfax was there when sally custis was there when she dropped dead at the dinner table. they were close. and in 1773 as it's becoming clear that the revolution is coming about, the fairfaxes go back to england never to return. there's no continuing relationship beyond friendship. >> named after the fairfax family, fairfax, virginia. hi, mary.

>> caller: hi, mary, i'm an ancestor of martha washington. her younger brother, bartholamew was a great, great, great uncle of mine. i was born in virginia. i have a couple of questions pertaining to martha's younger life. i had always read growing up that she had met george washington at poplar grove, the plantation property next door to the white house and that he had been the guest of the chamberlains there for dinner and not knowing that martha was invited also and that was where they met.

>> you know, they -- >> caller: the other question i have is i understood that she attended somewhat st. peters episcopal church there in new kent county which was a very short distance from the white house. >> thanks. i have to clarify when we reference the white house, it's not the white house we know. >> the white house is the -- the plantation on the pomunkey river where daniel custis is the lord and master there. st. periods was their church. there are different stories about how they met. some people have said that she and george had known each other for a long time.

i don't think there's much really belief in that because when you do run the numbers and when he was out on the field fighting and she would be in williamsberg, if they met, it wouldn't amount to much. the whole chamberlain story comes from custis who likes to write everything as a grand old- fashioned romance and the chamberlains themselves believed it. i don't believe it. but certainly there's some evidence for it for those who do. >> time to move on the the revolutionary war, 1776, 1783? george washington pressed into service as the leader of the continental army. washington leaves mt. vernon to spend time with him. how frequently was she on the battlefield with him? >> she goes every winter to join him in the camps and to make a home, not just for him, but for all of the young officers on his staff and to encourage other officers to bring their wives and daughters to come visit and make it a social time. out of the actual eight years of the revolution, she spends over all, five years at the front. >> we have a video from one of those encampments. valley forge and the pennsylvania -- the philadelphia suburbs. let's watch that next. >> martha washington came to valley forge on the fifth of february of 1778. she arrives here, according to general nathaniel green in the

evening. it takes her ten years to travel from valley forge to mt. vernon. the weather when she was travelling was not always so pleasant. she started out snowy when she left from the mt. vernon area. then the winds picked up. it started to rain. it became very, very muddy. and when she arrived here on february 5, it was actually quite pleasant and the weather was 35. but for a lot of the time, she was travelling through mud. in her carriage with her slaves and servants with her. this was a difficult journey. now, it's very interesting to look at the primary documentation be which are the letters and journals and diaries at the time to see what she did do at valley forge. i think it's a little surprising and it really puts a different complexion, i think, on the entire valley forge encampment.

number one was to be with general washington. they had a nice relationship. if she was going to see him, she would have to come to him. we also know once she comes here to valley forge, she probably takes over the housekeeping duties, which was very much what she was used to. we also know she entertained. we know elizabeth drinker came to valley forge. she came on the 6th of april, she came with several of her friends. we know that ms. washington entertained and talked to visitors when they came to valley forge when washington was not able to do that. we also know -- this is when it gets interesting -- she served elegant dinners here at valley forge. now, most people would never put the word "elegant" with the word "valley forge."

this is probably where martha washington dined for a while until the log hut built for dining which she said made our conditions much more tolerable than they were at first -- that's a quote from her -- was built right back near the kitchen. so you can imagine martha washington here with some of the officers, general washington, perhaps some of the people from the area who might have been passing through eating dinner here, which was served in the afternoon, maybe 2:00 or 3:00. the food, by the way that they ate here was really, really different from what the soldiers were eating. we know, for example, that there were 2000 eggs brought into valley forge that they ate in the encampment period. six-month period for the valley forge encampment. we know they brought in 750 pounds of butter and at least

1600 pounds of veal were brought into camp. these are some of the things that martha washington would be eating here as she was dining with people. conversation's kind of interesting to think about. what would martha washington and the other people have been talking about? we don't know, of course. but when elizabeth drinker came from philadelphia, very likely the conversation at that point would have been what were the conditions like in philadelphia. the british were in philadelphia. general washington would be very interested to think about what the conditions were at that time. martha would have been part of that conversation, listening to what was happening, talking to ladies from philadelphia. we know, too, that martha washington went to several worship services here at camp. we know that on may 6, there's a wonderful sleighs called the celebration of the french alliance.

martha washington is there and receive assenter of a large tent and thousands of people, officer, the wives go through. and general dekalb says thousands of them are entertained and served refreshments with martha and general george washington. those are some of the things that martha is doing here at valley forge. >> back talking about martha washington with pat brady and richard norton smith. i have a tweet here from jennifer sherman who writes, "amazing how much time martha washington spent with her husband on the front lines." on the front lines what i wanted to start with. it sounds genteel, the existence we were hearing about. but 2500 soldiers died in that encampment in that winter. >> it wasn't viewed as gentile by her contemporaries. one of the things that fostered a bond between mrs.

washington and what would be the american people was the perception that she sacrificed every bit as much as her husband in the war. this is another part of her training in a sense for being first lady. he was in effect for eight years an executive. the klose thing that the country had. she was a first lady of sorts. and very touching story. they -- they had one room on the second floor of valley forge. then they had an hour every morning in a was sacred. one hour when they weren't to be disturbed. wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall for those conversations because washington unloaded a lot.

>> he had a lot -- he had so many worries. would they possibly win. but what she did, it wasn't just entertaining the americans, she was entertaining officers from france, from britain, from -- not britain, from germany. and she was able to charm them. one particular french officer said it was so wonderful to be there with her drinking tea, singing, and just chatting. and at the end of the evening, one would go home feeling better. can you imagine feeling better at valley forge? she had charm beyond belief. >> she had an official role acting as an assistant to his private secretary, transcribing documents. >> that didn't happen often. it was rare, really. >> gave her a glimpse of what his former job might have been like. >> that's true, that's true. what else from the long years were important for her development as first lady. >> one thing that's really

important, it sounds weird, is the change in her sewing habits. all american women sewed. well-to-do women sewed embroidery and tapestry and fancy work. when she was there and the local ladies came to call, she was not doing fancy work. she had the knitting needles out. and she was -- she was knitting socks for the soldiers. these were infantry men. they marched and wore holes in their socks. she must have knitted thousands of socks as well as others and raised the money to make linen shirts as well as uniform shirts for them. physically in terms of her work and emotionally in terms of the leadership helped the troops herself. >> there was a wonderful group of women who knew they were going to be calling on the general's lady and expecting this very grand figure.

and to their astonishment, they found her knitting and wearing a speckled apron. so she -- she clearly was not someone to stand on her position or her title. >> back to phone calls. elizabeth is in washington dc. hi, elizabeth. >> thank you so much for being here. this is great. the panel is fantastic. my question is about martha washington's grandchildren. you mentioned nellie and washy and, of course, eliza. could you talk about martha custis peter. the two letters in the desk mentioned earlier were found by that grand daughter, or at least that's the story. but could you talk a little bit about martha custis peter and her relationship with her grandmother. >> there were four children -- there were eliza, martha known as patty. then nellie, then wash.

when the was adopted two of the grandchildren, they took the two youngest, nellie and wash. and the elder girls lived with their mother and stepfather and eventually lots of half brothers and sisters. so the two elder girls spent a lot of time with the washingtons, were very friendly with them. but they weren't very loving with them. but they were not the same as the adopted children. patty got married very young, apparently for love. and her husband, thomas peter was a well-to-do man in georgetown, they built a beautiful house, an incredibly gorgeous place. in a sale after martha's death, she bought this desk and when she took it home, she found those wonderful letters. >> martha johnson, we said this a few times, she tweets martha washington outlived her four children. pretty unthinkable for people today, not so uncommon for people of this history.

edward, you're on the air, welcome. >> fascinating program. i'm originally from new york in newberg where george the general stayed at the has brooke house the famous room with seven doors and one window. i was wondering if martha was there with him and also if she the entombment there with the lasting encampment when they offered him the kingship. could you expound on that, please? thank you.

>> that defining moment in american history, i don't think she was there for that. >> we have 12 minutes left in this. we said when when he started 90 minutes is going to go by quickly. it is. we started out about the white house years but the last segment is on life after the presidency when the washingtons returned to mt. vernon. was this also precedent setting. what other presidencies would be like. >> she became the first president and then also the first ex-president. she shared in that. >> did they think about any of that? >> no, they were just glad to be at home. >> was there any consideration of a third term? >> no. indeed, washington had wanted very much to leave after the first term. allowed himself to be persuaded against his instincts that it was his patriotic duty. martha wasn't happy. she wasn't particularly happy he

took the first term. she recognized it was unavoidable and her life had been caught up in that of her country. i think -- not sure she would have divorced him if there had been a third term, but a third term was not in the cards for either one of their standpoint. >> the mid '60s in this time period was elderly. >> he twice had ailments that almost killed him during the time he was president and she was terrified that the presidency would literally kill him. you think of every president you know and you look at the pictures of when they start and eight years later, they're more

than eight years older for sure. it's a very aging kind of a job. >> we look at the political battles we face today over immigration and the size of the federal debt, what were the intensity of the political battles of this time frame? >> remember, washington's success as president depended on his persuading everyone that he was not a political partisan. he did not call it a federalist government. he called it a national government. he went out of his way to include all of the sections of the country. hamilton and jefferson had their cockfight in the cabinet much to his displeasure. he kept those people around him long after they wanted him to leave. he made that sacrifice. he was willing to see himself pillarry in the press as dupe of king george and betrayed the revolution. and martha had to suffer all of this in effect vicariously. it's always been harder and in some ways for a first lady or a presidential child to put up with the criticism than for the president who accepted it as

part of the job. >> you told us she was not apolitical. she had to have been involved. >> she did. she hated thomas jefferson. once he started the newspaper campaigns against washington. the reason he brought him in was to defeat hamilton. a shame how much the president suffers from these sorts of attacks. but it's necessary. she never forgave him, never. he didn't realize she was smart enough to see what he was doing. but she thought he was horrible and the fact that he was elected president was shocking. he made the mistake of underestimating martha washington. martha grew closer politically and personally to the adams.

she was glad that it was john adams and not thomas jefferson who won the presidency to succeed her husband. >> we'll delve into the life of abigail adams. this helps to set the stage for that. how many years post presidency did they live at mt. vernon? >> he lived two years and she lived beyond that. >> what would that have been like? >> it's a great time. the house, again was sort of broken down and things in the fields weren't done the way he waned them to be, experimenting with the crops and dealing with the gristmill and all of the things he pioneered with, she had the housekeeping. mt. vernon becomes the symbol of the nation after they retire. there is no white house yet.

you know, that's not built. washington, d.c. is building up, but it doesn't really exist. so when it doesn't exist is a large place but when foreigners and when important visitors come, who do they want to see. there's no building worth seeing in d.c. they want to see mt. vernon and washington. after washington dies, they want to see martha washington and talk to her about what it was like. they see her as the remnant of that history. they continue to have their post until they die, both of them. >> the defining act that he took in the final year of his life when he wrote a will in the course of which he identified himself, george washington as citizen of the united states, not virginia but more important, he made provisions to free the slaves that he could upon the death of martha. that, presumably, is something that he had to have consulted

her about, although i don't think we have any primary evidence to that effect. >> you don't. but he must have. >> after george washington died, martha left that bedroom as we showed you and moved to a garrut as it's call in the mansion. see what that looks like today. >> george washington does die suddenly. it must have been a great shock. she was very bereaved. and she does retreat. she does not use their shared bed chamber after his death. she moves to the -- the bed chamber on the third floor. and it is furnished now with the actual bed that we believe came to the washingtons in the 1750s from london.

it is hung with hangings based on a little fragment preserved from a 1960 valentine written by martha's grand daughter, nellie. and that valentine said this is fabric from the curtains that hung in the room in which mrs. washington died here in mt. vernon. that fabric and scrap of valentine exactly matches the description of the hangings that that came with this bed that george washington got from london in the 1750s. so it points to this very romantic tale that after george washington's death, martha washington moves upstairs but surrounds herself from things from the earliest days of her marriage. so i think it was a place of refuge for her and it was a place where that the house continued to be busy with servants, two slaves, with people visiting. so it was a place she could retreat to and be quiet and contemplate and be removed to the hustle and bustle of daily

life. >> well, when washington died, she said, it's over. my wife is just waiting now. and so she really and truly did not want to be in that room where they had been so happy. >> did she involve herself? people wanted to come see her. did she stay involve in the politics of the day? >> not the politics of the day. she became if anything i think more secluded, certainly emotionally secluded. her devotions became even more central to her day. every day she would walk down the path to what's called the old tomb which you can see today. and would pray and basically, pat's right, she was literally counting the days until she could be reunited with -- with

the love of her life. when you factor in her religious convictions, that's just another factor to take into account. >> two minutes left, time for a quick final question from julie up the road from mt. verse non and washington's port city. hello. >> george washington and george may sorry were very good friends. george mason had two wives, anne, and she passed away. and then sara. i was wondering what the relationship was between martha washington and either of george mason's wives? >> they were friendly neighbors but as far as i know, they never became intimate friends. >> in fact, that friendship was a political casualty. but after the constitutional convention, which, of course,

washington sanctioned and mason refused to sign, it spelled in many ways an end to their friendship. >> on twitter, george and martha washington, quite the power couple. so as we close out bringing us full circle, what are the important things for people to know about the influence of martha washington. >> i think it's important to know how smart and powerful she was and how dependent he was on her. his achievements were his achievements. but having her there with him made them much more possible. >> i think that's true. she defined influence in a way that perhaps contemporary americans might have difficulty understanding. but the fact of the matter is, she was the most influential person on the face of the earth with the president of the united states. >> this says richard norton smith's biography of george

washington patriarch still available if you'd like to learn more and we've been talking about the book "martha washington" with the striking portrait of young martha on the cover and widely available for people who want to know more. the partners for this series is the white house historical association. they've been helping us with a lot of documentary evidence and with our background materials as we get ready for the series. and we have to say thanks to them as we finish up this first program and we have a group of academic advisors. mr. smith is one. you'll see many of them and we thank them for their help. we have a robust website with lots of information. if we've whetted your appetite and you'd like to learn more, c- thank you fordies. being with us tonight.

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> season two of first ladies begins monday, september 9, with a look at the life of edith roosevelt. we are showing encore presentations of season one.

programs on every first lady from washing washington -- martha washington to ida mckinley. we are offering a special edition of the book. comments from noted historians and thoughts from michelle obama on the role of first ladies throughout history. it is available for $12.95. our website has more about the first ladies, including a special section produced by the white house historical association. at www.c-nd out more span.org/first ladies. next, a look at health insurance rates under the new health care law followed by wendy davis. paul.en ron

and the miami herald says health insurance prices will spike. what is going on with insurance rates right now? what do we know for certain? guest: a lot of the obamacare benefits are about to take effect starting in january. a big part is these insurance exchanges that states they could help people who buy insurance on

their own or those who do not get insurance at work. it is for many of the millions of uninsured now. there has been a lot of concern with some of the changes that health care costs with some of the changes that health care costs some of the changes that health care costs sell insurance. they turn away because they think it is too high of a risk. the other big change is insurance cannot charge more for people who are sick. if you cancer or diabetes they cannot charge more for you. they thought in terms of how prices because of that. there are also some things that are forcing down play.

that is these new insurance exchanges. people can shop. all the plants will be standardized. you will have gold plans, silver plans. right now when you try to shopper health insurance most of the benefits are often different. it is difficult to compare plans. right now we are seeing states come out. some states have reported their premium numbers. we are seeing this the board. new york is going down. other states say they will go up. right now we only have a portion. host: we can get into more detail about those states. it is a nonprofit news service. for those that do not they are editorial independence from the kaiser family foundation which are not affiliated with kaiser to h

p america understand this law. if you have questions or comments we are doing our lines a little bit different. if you are insured -- we want to hear from folks who work as insurers as well. those lines are open. they are on your screen now if you want to give us a call with questions or comments. talk about the timing of when this will all happen. you mentioned this in your previous comment. october 1 is when enrollment begins. guest: people have a total of six months. the earliest coverage can begin in january.

host: you talk about folks who are shopping on these marketplaces. who is shopping? we will speak to those who are to have insurance. guest: if they have insurance to their workplace, probably not. if they are buying insurance on their own or for small businesses those two categories last the millions of people right now who are uninsured. they cannot afford what is out there. if they have been turned away because had pre-existing medical conditions or they have not thought about it too much. these are millions of people who are expected to look at these exchanges. the obama administration has tried to make a big push. a lot of people may not show up. we should care about that because there is a concern that only the older and sicker people will show up and buy insurance.

while it will be good for them, it will not be good for the whole system. that may cause insurance costs for everybody to skyrocket. there has been a big push that is just beginning in august and september to get the younger and healthier people to get out so they can balance out the risk. host: we are focusing specifically on insurance rates. we saw some headlines about creamy him stumbling in new york and are rates tumbling in new york. guest: one reason we saw new york rates fall was because new york has some of these provisions in terms of guaranteed issue. rate in new york are already much higher than the rest of these country. these were in state law that

required insurance for everybody. because of that the insurance prices have already been up. this is one reason why we are seeing prices go down. healthcare costs is a big factor. lower cost regions may be lower than higher cost regions. arkansas may feel less than new york. the other major factor is competition. you tend to see prices a little bit lower. host: we split the lineup by those who are insured, not insured, and insurers. you are on. turn your tv down and go ahead with your question. caller: as soon as the obamacare

law is in place, what would happen to people who are on medicare? the rates are supposed to go up to make for the deficits or what have you? guest: no. it does not affect people on medicare. the main change has been the free preventative services. there has been a doughnut hole. for the most part, no. there has been some concern about medicare. one of the ways it has been pay for is by taking away some money from hospitals. they get paid on medicare. there is the increase in money will that they pay hospitals. that will go down a little bit. the increase will go down. that is what is going to help a for the expansion.

host: we have a line for those who are uninsured. george is on this line from oklahoma. good morning. caller: i have two questions. where do, i guess you get the premium free. where is the cut off? 20,000, 40,000 two where you do not have to pay a premium? second, i need to know if you can live on $45,000 a year or $50,000 a year to take care of your family and your insurance. at least 60% have to look at it.

you're lucky and makes a 45 or 55. what would your comments be? guest: this is a major point. it is not only the insurance exchanges but for the first time we have subsidies that will help many people afford coverage. if you make between poverty level wage for single person is is about $11,500 or 400% of the poverty level you will be eligible for government subsidies to help lower the premium. this is a major part of this. people are eligible. six 2000 to 40,000 would be eligible for families. guest: for families of four. the subsidies are key. even if insurance companies go down or stay the same it is the subsidies that will help people afford the coverage. they were asking if there is a maximum to pay out-of-pocket. the first year will be about

$6,300. that is the maximum you will pay out-of-pocket. right motion not have an out-of- pocket maximum. that is it is super high. host: going back to the question of the premiums, will premium supports the based on 2012 income? what have you underestimated?

guest: that is a key question. most government programs when you apply you base it on what is your actual income. when you go to the exchanges these are places you go online. in many places it'll be health care.gov. in some states they'll have a specific website. host: some states are running their own. how many? guest: there are only 16 states running it on their own. we are getting back to what will this be. yet to project what your income will be in the following year. there will be a little guesswork out there. the government will be checking information you provided by arrest records and make sure you are telling the truth. at the end of this it'll be working out in the following year.

when you find out what your income was in 2014, they will reconcile the subsidies to make sure you do not pay too much or too little. guest: are you allowed to shop the exchange if your employer offers insurance? guest: if they do not offer you affordable coverage, you will be able to shop. host: who defines that? guest: how much of your income you have to spend. a lot of folks expect this. maybe so costly that people cannot afford it. host: let's go to our insured line. frank is calling from charleston

west virginia. caller: i am on medicare. i have a supplement. they will also be competitive. can i get a better rate? guest: no. medicare is not part of this. does not affect people 65 and over. caller: i have a supplement with medicare. i have to buy that that myself individually. will that become competitive under obamas here as well as someone who does not have insurance at all? will my supplement become competitive. guest: unfortunately not.

he medicare supplements are not part of the insurance exchanges. host: our uninsured line. you are on. caller: this is my first time calling in. i've been watching for a long time. i've been uninsured since 2010. with this new law coming into effect, excuse me, i am sorry. the problem is i wonder if i will be eligible to give some kind of insurance. you have to either be pregnant or you have children. would i be eligible to get some kind of insurance through them? i've not had a job in three years. i do get paid by personal check. can i still be eligible for some kind of insurance? guest: you raise a really important point.

a big part of obamacare is the expansion of medicaid. everybody making under 138% of the poverty level would be eligible for medicaid. we're seeing some states are putting forth the expansion. about half the country is not. right now tennessee has not officially said which way they will go. as of right now they have not decided to expand medicaid. what would happen to the people that would have qualified? if you fall under the poverty level, you can go to the exchanges but you will not be eligible for the subsidies. it puts a lot of these people in a tough position. there are millions of people out there that are in states that are not expanding medicaid.

they are not eligible for subsidies. they are going to be left in many of same positions they are right now. yet you rely on places like community health centers or go without. that is why there has been so much pressure on states. the key threshold is if you get to that 11,500 mark you would be eligible for a huge subsidy that would cover 90% or 95% of the premium in the exchanges. host: i wonder if you can talk folks. what happens in terms of penalties for those who will remain uninsured pass the time this gets in. guest: the peninsula is quite light. it is $95 or 1% of your income. over the next couple of years the cost will go up.

in 2016 the cost would be $695. before people panic, the penalty is not apply to the very poor. if you are very poor and cannot afford insurance you do not have to worry. there has been a lot to talk about i cannot afford this. and here's the government going to penalize me. the large majority of poor people who cannot afford the coverage, a penalty does not apply. host: we're talking with phil of kaiser health news. we're talking about insurance rates and premiums and taking all of your questions on the affordable care act and your comments as well. he is with kaiser health news. here is a recent story he made with them on approved pricing for insurance marketplaces. talk about this issue of what we

are seeing as he watched these premiums come out. guest: these things are coming out one by one. there has been some politics with these numbers. california and new york have presented all the premium numbers. you can go on there today and look and see based on certain things. as i mentioned before, insurers will no longer be able to write insurance policies based on your health status. there are some things that will bury the cost of insurance, your age. people in 20s will pay less than people in their 60s. a smoking status affect it. if you smoke in many states you will pay higher rates. another factor is where you live. within certain cities rates will vary. there is not one rate. we see things across the board.

things come and less from vermont and south dakota. prices have come and comparable to where things are today. this is a good thing. these rates are coming out before he even talked about subsidies was all have a lower cost. there have been some states that have put out this for their release put out a little bit of information. they said they have seen an increase in their cost. host: talk about ohio specifically. there seem to be a battle over what the numbers really said. the insurance department claims obamacare premium rates to rise 41%. guest: right. again it is an average. ohio has not put out all their numbers. a lot of people need to remember it is not say what this will pay today compared to what they will do tomorrow.

these things vary dramatically. these do not come out of subsidies. people really want to look and see. we are seeing an average increase go up. i think what people want to look is what does it mean to them? what does it mean at their age? people have a question about what is affordable coverage and what is not. right now for people who pay nothing for health, there are millions of people who do not think they need health insurance and do not get healthcare. they do not pay anything. they may say that is a lot of money for health insurance. there are other people who are sick and do have a lot of healthcare costs and would be grateful to pay a couple hundred dollars.

affordability depends on your situation and how much you value health insurance. host: next on our insured line from massachusetts. good morning. caller: i want people to know here in massachusetts they compare obamacare with romneycare. the government here worked with the federal government. i saved $3200 a year for a family of four. i get $1500 back on the credit card i can use for my co-pays, medical devices. i am a smoker. i have a pre-existing condition. i am sick and tired of people sing obamacare will cost a lot of money. it is your government and the state you live in. it can work. it will work. i do not know why some people are scared about it. it is already up.

it has been running for quite some time. guest: massachusetts has been a prototype for obamacare. massachusetts by most accounts has been a great success. in terms of reducing the insured in helping get people and affordable option. today only about 2% or 3% does not have insurance. nationally about 16% of the population do not have health insurance. massachusetts has worked. they did start in 2007. massachusetts has been the prototype. massachusetts only started with about 7%. can you really say it is equal to what it is in california and texas? that is the big question.

host: what are the uninsured rates? guest: one and four people in texas do not have health insurance. in florida it is one in five. people are not used to having health insurance. there is a much bigger road to climb in the state in texas and florida. right now texas and florida are two states that are now extending medicaid. there is even more pressure there. host: the question on the subsidies issues. can you please tell us who pays for all of the subsidies you keep talking about so often? where does that money come from? >> the funding for obama care largely comes from funding to hospitals overtimes as well as some hired taxes on upper incomes.

this is where the wide majority of the money is coming from. it is not coming out of the patterns of most americans. it is also coming on other parts of the health industry. insurers are going to be paying a tax. people going out to tanning salons are paying a tax. this is where it is coming from. you might say if they have to pay a tax to help fund obamacare is in it going to be passed? the question is yes. they can tack on that cost to the premium. even with that extra cost and maybe a good deal for people with the subsidies and other factors. host: we split up our lines between insured and uninsured. we're talking about insurance rates under the affordable care act.

good morning. caller: i was just calling, it is just me and my wife. we do not have the spirit i drive a school bus during the school year. that is not a whole lot of money. i want to know what do we need to do whenever it starts kicking in to get on what we can give them. we need to be able to go to the doctor. we need some help of some kind. what do we need to do to get started and get on this?

there's not a whole lot you can do except get your documents in order in terms of showing what your income is. on october 1 you're going to want to go to healthcare.gov. there will be a pulldown menu based on what state you live in. it will encourage you on your exchanges. there'll be many places and and -- in texas that will help walk you through this. there will be these navigators and the sisters. you can go to the community health center. if you are internet savvy a lot information will be online. other states you might find it right on your insurance exchange website. they say they do not plan on doing it before october 1.

that is when you can start. this is probably going to spin something you will spend a couple of hours looking at. you're going to want to look at a couple of things. a lot of folks focus on premiums. it is a big number. you will be able to calculate how much you would pay each month. you also want to think about the co-pays. what are the deductibles? deductibles, you pay these costs ahead of time before insurance kicks in. and the plans, if you are going to a doctor, are these doctors in your insurance plan network? you will have to ask that question. host: you brought up the word navigator and assistors. guest: new positions. they are not insurance agents. there are people basically who will not tell you which health

plan to buy. they are not going to save planet x is better than plan y. but they are people who can walk into the process. host: federal, state employees? guest: for the most part -- no, they will not be federal and state employees. a lot of nonprofit groups. i think we will see people like chambers of commerce, united way, you religious organizations. the government, both the state and federal government has put a lot of dollars out there to help people sign up for coverage. so, they created these new position to help people. especially sit down. kind of like when people signed up for the medicare benefit that started almost a decade ago, they found out a lot of the information is online. a lot of people want to have someone on -- in front of them walking them through it. there will be phone numbers to call. the exchanges, not only will they have information on the website but there will also be a phone number to call where you

can get in person assistance. host: an individual on twitter asked about the navigators. guest: i think people should always be concerned about healthcare privacy. but in this case, i think these people are signing contracts with the government that this is why they are there. and the people who are in these positions i typically advocate for the poor, people trying to help people sign up for coverage. so, i would not be any more worried about that then putting your credit card number into expedia or travelocity. host: can you talk about some of the roadblocks some states have run into in trying to get information out there about the different plans? jody wright in on twitter -- writes in on twitter.

guest: ok, that is disappointing. a handful of states have started putting out commercials -- colorado, oregon-- to build demand. 78% of americans are barely available there as a law, let alone subsidies. i would still keep calling. if you have any problems calling that number they provide on the screen, call your local insurance department because they will have basic information in many states on where to go. it is still a tad early right now to start shopping for coverage. if you want to get an idea of where the premiums are, kaiser health news this morning on our website has put on our website the information from about 10 states right now that have shared some of their premium information. a handful of those states are california, new york, vermont, oregon, where you can get an idea of whether prices will be. host: a viewer on our insured pesylvanialanc

good morning, frank. caller: good morning. yes, i am calling -- i heard you say it will be $6,000 out of pocket expense for a person who gets into this insurance thing here? $6,000 you have to pay before your insurance kicks in as far as what you have to pay for yourself? guest: know, after you pay the premium -- in other words, your co-pays and deductibles, that is the maximum you would pay for those things. there still might be for some young folks in their 20s, then new thing called catastrophic plan, and they have a deductible of i thousand dollars that you may have to pay. though typically -- the

deductible of $5,000. though typically for preventative care. but i'm talking about what you have to pay out co-pays and adoptable after you pay the premium. for the most part, on some of the most popular plans, i think we will see deductibles closer to the $500 range for the most part. that is what i have seen. a number of states have come out. just to give you an idea, they will say, how much is the stuff? again, it varies by city and age. people in the 20's, any of the states have put out information, premium amount $200, in the 40's, 300, and the 60's, a little higher risk am a they will be on a $400 plus range. the prices before we count the subsidies. the subsidies could knock down the costs by half were even more, depending on what your income is. host: i should note we read a tweet from somebody having trouble getting through to their states information bureau on the health-care law that was from arkansas -- i believe i said arizona. the tweet was from arkansas. we will go next to john from

ellington, georgia, on our uninsured line. good morning. caller: how are you doing this morning? i think anything you pass without knowing what is in it, all to be like chinese food. is it going to be kaiser people or aarp people? these intimidators will come of your house, will there be two of them, anybody to watch them? stealing stuff, are they bonded? i will take my answer off of the air. host: some concerns about the system. guest: there are no death panels in the health-care law. there is information to help people out there to talk about death and things like living will, but there are no such thing as death panels. host: he was concerned about the navigators as well, the folks

will do when they show up at his house. guest: nobody will show that unless invited. although we do have people knocking on doors in communities with high rates of uninsured to ask if you want more information. but when you sit down with a navigator to talk about insurance, and if this is a new option, they will ask simple questions. they will ask you what city you live in, your age, and what your income is. those are some of the factors that will determine what insurance is best for you and how much of a subsidy you will be eligible for. so, those are some of the main questions. they will also ask you about --at your health that is is. what your health status is. are you somebody goes to the doctor a lot, a little? those are some of the factors you want to think about when purchasing health insurance. host: ron calling in on our insured line from topeka, kansas. i don't think we have ron.

we will go to ed from winston- salem, north carolina, on the uninsured line. you are on with phil galewitz. caller: i watch every morning usually when i get ready to head -- myrom my days were. day's work. i am uninsured. i have been. i do a novel thing. i have expensive -- i pay a bill or i make arrangements with the people who give me the treatment to pay them if i cannot afford. my wife has had several surgeries, i pay for all of them. i myself. i would wish just that when you people -- don't be so disingenuous and say government. instead of the word government, say your friends and neighbors. because that is who is paying when you don't pay a dollar or $100 or $500. and you say there are no death panels. watching the news when kathleen sebelius refused to give a 10-

year-old girl to get a waiver to -- to get an young. adult lung? what you call that a death panel if a judge had not stepped in, that little girl would be dead. i call it a death panel. i will take your answer off the air. host: a few comments. guest: if you are uninsured and you can take care on your own, that is unfortunate. unfortunately there are many people who cannot afford to see a doctor or get basic care like mammograms and immunizations for their kids. so, insurance hopes of them cover the cost. and insurance to cover the big bills. even if you can afford the $50, hundred dollar cost when you go to the doc there. people largely need health insurance because of fears of serious illnesses or injuries. it is not uncommon to go to the hospital today and come out with $50,000, 100,000 dollar bill, which the majority of americans cannot afford. that is the reason why people

need health insurance because they do not want to bankrupt themselves because of injury or illness. some of the basic costs on your own, that is fine. one thing you mentioned as far as having to do with cost shifting. some people pay less means other people pay more. one issue we have in the country is that because so many people don't have health insurance, and when they do show up at the emergency rooms and hospitals and doctors tend to eat these costs because there is no way they can bill and impoverished person, they pass on those costs and it passed them onto insurance companies and insurance companies pass on those costs to people who are paying the bill. in effect, we are all paying the cost of the uninsured. host: as we are talking about the issue, talk about the politics of it as well. what the political consequences are weather insurance rates go up or down. there is a story that you wrote for kaiser health news.

take us through the politics of this. guest: sitting here in the shadow of the capital, a lot of this is about politics. the obama administration has a lot invested in this law and wants to make sure it works. you will hear a lot of positive things about the law from them. on the flipside republicans who unanimously opposed the law have a lot invested to make sure this law does not work, because they have opposed it from day one. so people have to remember when you are hearing and reading things everywhere that people who are strongly democratic have the real big reason to want the law to work and those who are conservative and republican have a lot for it not to work. you want to get information from people who are nonpartisan who did not have a very heavy democratic or republican sway. again, it might have impact on the next election? sure, it will. host: and on some of the budget negotiations happening later this fall? guest: possibly.

we are not going to know really if this law works i think until at least sometime next year, until we see how many people show up. when you say, does it work? the question is, what is the criteria? expectation from the congressional budget office is that 7 million people will sign up in these new exchanges in this first year, by the end of march. that is one barometer. how many people will show up. the other question is, what will happen with health care costs? will it go up, will it go down? we will know a lot about that on october 1 when we see some of the numbers. we will know more as time goes by and how americans weigh in when they see these numbers and see how much impact the subsidies have, see how many more people have affordable health insurance. those are some of the fact that when people say, is the law working, is it not working? it depends on where you are sitting. if you are uninsured and have cancer and can't buy health insurance and october 1 -- and

in january you can have health insurance, affordably, yes, it is working. if you have been working for a large corporation and you have health insurance and it does not affect you and your healthcare costs may go up, you may question what this health-care law is doing for you. host: talking with phil galewitz from kaiser health news. he has been reporting on the national health industry and covering the health beat for about 20 years or so. he was at "the palm beach post" and kaiser media fellow before his current role. it time for just a couple more callers. mark is from lincoln park, michigan, on the insured line. good morning to you. caller: i have a question. i work for a labor union out of detroit. the way i work, as long as you are working, your insurance was being paid for, but you have to have so many hours. say you are off for a month, because that is the way construction works, you lose that and you do not it your insurance until thou was built

back up. you could go for two to be oh or three months. how is it going to work? guest: one thing we have not talked about the law is the employer mandate. i think that is what you are referring to in the call. all employers with more than 50 full-time workers are going to be required to provide healthcare coverage. right now about 96% of those employers already provide coverage. this law makes sure they all do. but this provision that was supposed to take effect this january for the 14, has been pushed back one year to 2015 because the obama administration was late getting some of the rules out and they decided to make it easier on employers and push it back. the question is, what is full- time? under the rules so far they made it 30 hours full-time. at is the number of hours they will consider a full-time worker. if they don't provide you coverage, then they would pay a penalty, and those people can

get coverage on the insurance exchanges. host: charlie from baltimore, maryland, on the uninsured line. good morning. caller: the morning, everybody. i had a question before my real question. if you could clarify. i'm not sure you said obamacare but you said it would be funded by changes in, i guess, medicare allocation and also taxes on the rich and then he followed up and said it is not like it is coming from any new taxes. i wanted to clarify, it sounds like it is coming from taxes. the second part, the individual mandate -- it was my understanding that that is kind of what makes this whole engine run. so, individuals like myself, 31, unemployed and uninsured right now for the past couple of years, if we do not buy into the system than it sounds like half the american public does not want this -- i am a registered democrat, by the way, for what it is worth. i understand both sides of it.

but if you are getting half of the population not buying into these exchanges, isn't that somehow going to affect the solvency of the program? and my quick side that -- side comment. i live in baltimore city where there are a lot of individuals with medical conditions out of hospitals. somebody like myself, 30 one, i am thinking, i see abuses of the system every day. why am i going to be paying money out of my pocket -- 20 -- $200 for a premium, -- $20 premium, versus $90 penalty and i am thinking it is not going to get paid because i am going to pay it because i do not believe it. if all of these other people are not believing and paying into it, does the system actually work?

guest: it makes a lot of good points. if you don't get sick, you don't need help insurance. unfortunately we cannot predict when we will get sick or injured. that is when all of a sudden if you think a $200 premium sound expensive now, if you contract an illness or step off the curb and get hit by a car or have an injury and end up with tens of thousands of dollars or $100,000 of debt, people are going to want to wish they did pay the $200 premium. it met -- on how much you value health insurance. there is a portion of the public that still has to be convinced on the need to buy health insurance, and that is why there is a big push in commercials, a lot of one on one counseling out there to help convince people that need to buy it. again, there are going to be a lot -- there is going to be a lot of pent-up demand. people have been turned away. people have been illnesses have been waiting for this day, january of 2014, for many years, and can't wait to buy health insurance. versus the other side -- if you are a 25 year old and never been to a doctor, a may not see reason to buy it. the other thing as far as taxes

go -- at the end of the day, almost all taxes are going to flow down to the consumer. if a medical device company is being taxed to help pay for the coverage, at the end of the day, the tax it's pushed her down and they will charge the hospital, the hospital charges insurance company and insurance company will charge more. almost all taxes get pushed down and we all feel some affect. but in terms of direct new taxes, the only direct new taxes are for people making really much higher income. $250,000 a year paying a higher direct tax. most of the other funding is coming out of some of the healthcare industry, as a mentioned before. hospitals, health insurance companies, medical devices, it which is where some of the money is coming to pay for it. the individual mandate is a key part of it. if we are all which, we could wait and buy health insurance when we get sick aired inc. of having property insurance for a house. we wish we could wait until we knew when the tornado or hurricane would hit and that is what we buy insurance.

but the purpose to buy insurance is we never know what we are going to need it. that is why people have to wait. that is why buying insurance, we are trying to balance our risks and paying a little cost now some people think is a better deal than having a huge cross later down the road. host: phil galewitz is a senior correspondent with kaiser health the news. you can catch up with him on twitter@phil galewitz. thank you for joining us in this segment with kaiser health news. up next, we will have your securitylook at port import operations. we will talk with the interim director of the virginia port authority, rodney oliver. also, to virginia congressman from republican scott rigell and democrat bobby scott. then president and ceo of the american association of ward authorities on how ports operate and the kinds of important experts to come in and out of u.s. ports. "washington journal" is live on

c-span every morning at 7 a.m. eastern. >> to mark him a discussion challenges facing the electric dread. we will hear from former cia and nsa director michael hayden and representatives from the energy industry and state government. will have live coverage from the bipartisan policy center beginning at 9 a.m. eastern on c-span 22 and on c-span, defense budgets at the pentagon. the pentagon will have to cut more than 985 to lynn dollars over the next day -- $985 billion over the next decade. >> tomorrow night, on c-span's encore presentation of first ladies -- >> the earliest extent letter we , 19 --tes to october 17

october 17, 62. we call it the adorable letter because that is the way that john opens a letter. , by the "ms. adorable same token that the bear of can't do company last -- t, and charge them to my account. i presume i have good right to draw upon you for the kisses as i have given two or 3 million at least. and of consequence, the accounts between us is immensely in favor of yours." oncontinues tomorrow night c-span. >> next, wendy davis delivered

remarks at the national press club and she talked about her future political plans and the more than 10-hour filibuster she held against a texas senate abortion bill in the legislation bans apportions after -- bans abortions after 20 weeks and was passed in july. hour.s just under an >> good afternoon and welcome to the national press club. and the 106ngela president of the national press club. we are the world's leading professional journals. for more information about the national press club, please visit our website at www. press.org to to donate to programs to the public here on national press club this

.chieved on behalf of our members worldwide come i would like to welcome our speaker and those of you and our audience today. our head table includes friends of her head speaker journalists who are club members. i would note the members of the general public are also attending. so it is not necessarily evidence of journalistic objectivity. i would also like to welcome our c-span and public radio audiences. action onllow the twitter today, using the #npc lunch. an answer and question time and answers may questions as time permits. that is time to introduce our head table guests. i would ask each of you to stand briefly as your name as announced. ,arl, dallas morning news washington columnist. maria, fort worth star.

david callaway, usa today, editor-in-chief. adrian garcia come a harris county sheriff kevin merida, washington post, managing editor. the honorable rodney ellis, texas state senator can skipping over the podium, alison fitzgerald, project manager for financial and stay news with the center for public integrity and the chair the national press club speaker committee. bob carden with current communications and the speakers to any member who organized today's lunch. thank you, bob. bob e patton, a fort with business leader and the owner the ellie dodgers. .- of the l.a. dodgers fare , bureau chiefon for thomson reuters.

jimmy labbe come a host and reporter with voice of russia and a blogger for "washington post." and rick dunham, a local reporter with the houston chronicle and a former national press club president. [applause] it seems now like the whole country was watching when our guests today literally stood up for her beliefs on the floor this -- of the texas statehouse. she filibustered a republican sponsored abortion bill on her feet without being able to sit, lien on her desk or drink water. that act everly blocked the abortion bill and made her a hero.

that made texas senate -- state senator, wendy davis, and he wrote to liberals and pro-choice activists. she began working after school when she was 14 to help support her single mother and three siblings. by 19 she was a single mother herself, working two jobs to make ends meet in hopes of creating a better life for her young daughter. she eventually enrolled in community college, a journey that culminated with a law degree from harvard. soon after she became a practicing attorney in fort worth and served nine years on the city council. she was recruited to run for the texas senate and scored a huge political upset by defeating a well-entrenched incumbent. in the senate she ran and won the election in 2008 in a race that was considered one of the biggest upsets in texas politics in recent times. she was reelected in 2012 despite rick perry and every major republican officeholder campaigning against her.

her main issues are economic development, education and family issues. she was named pressman legislator of the year in 2009. -- freshman legislator of the year in 2009. she apparently likes the filibuster, because prior to the one that got hurt national attention in 2011, she staged a public election. that filibuster temporarily blocked the cut and set the stage for the legislature restoring most of the money in 2013. she has been mentioned as a possible and senatorial candidates in texas. -- gubernatorial candidates in texas. we're hoping she may tip the cards for what the future might hold. please help us give a warm welcome to senator wendy davis. [applause] >> thank you. thank you all for having me here today, and thank you, angela, for inviting me to be here. it is a pleasure to be such -- to be with such an esteemed group of people.

i have to tell you people get a little bit nervous when i approached the podium these days. you obviously know what happened on june 25 in the texas legislature, but in case you were one of the few people not live streaming it, i thought i would repeat the entire thing for you today.[laughter] let's get comfortable. in all seriousness, i am very honored and so grateful you are interested in hearing more from me. i am constantly reminded what a privilege it is to have of the voice in a decision that affects everyone's lives and their future. though i mean the voice figuratively, my initial understanding of the power of voice was quite literal. when i was a young girl my family tried to spend as much time as we could with my grandparents. they lived in the panhandle of texas. my grandfather made his living

his entire life as a tenant farmer, and when he was in his mid-'60s suffered a massive stroke. from that point forward, he lived the rest of his life in a nursing home. he was partially paralyzed and had a very difficult time forming words because of his paralysis. when my mother and siblings and i would pile into my mom's old volkswagen and drive to visit him, we would pick him up at the nursing home and keep him in his home for the weekend with us. at some point on several of those occasions he would beckoned me into the kitchen, and i would sit with him at their old formica table, the one that has the silver band that goes around the side. as you can imagine, he is sitting there in his wheelchair,

me with my tiny legs stuck to their plastic chairs on a hot he would it take a later. dictate a letter. it was a lot of hard work. it was slow, and it could be very difficult. it was challenging, not just for me, -- for him, but me as well. invariably on those occasions my grandfather would start crying, which meant i would start crying, too. it is a very hard lesson for a nine-year-old to witness the despair in her grandfather's face, but the experience drove home a very powerful lesson for

me, the importance of having a voice. how painful it is to lose it, and how important it is to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to be true to what they would say if they could. many of you heard my name for the first time last month when it, as allison said, and the last hours of the texas legislative session the powers decided to pass not just an abortion bill, but a bill that would block healthcare access to tens of thousands of women across the state of texas. in the process, these partisan lawmakers were seeking to rob texas women of their voice. when women showed up at the capitol to testify, many of them were turned away and unable to give voice to an issue that had a very real impact on their

lives. before i took the floor that morning for the longest 13 hours of my life, i worked with staff to track down testimony that had been committed in testimony hearings but had not been read. during the next hour read it -- read every single one of their stories out loud. these were real people with very personal stories to tell. many of whom had never given voice to their story before to another human being. -- first my staff was reading at first, my staff was worried that i was reading them a little too fast, because 13 hours is a long time to fill. by the time the day was over we

16,000 people hungering to be -- hungering to be heard. i have to tell you, at some point in the day i stopped worrying about running out of time or stories and instead, i started worrying about running out of time. when i stood up but i guess that -- when i stood up at my desk that day, i had no doubt that filibustering the bill was the right thing to do, but i had no idea it would trigger -- trigger such an overwhelmingly positive response across the state, across the country. there was an outpouring of support for texas women. the most remarkable thing about it is stories that otherwise never would of been told were suddenly national news.

the voices we heard in support of my filibuster that night are not the ones we normally hear amplified across the state of texas. i think a lot of people who live outside our states are surprised they even exist. texans know the voices in our state that shout the loudest have not often been the ones that speak for everyone. that night to the nation was introduced to a force within our state. a force that will have a lot to -- to say about the shape that the future the texas takes, the shape that america takes. we have an outside influence on the direction of the nation, and many americans are ready see texas as the gateway to a better life. we are the nation's no. 1 destination for internal

migration. the reason, as any texan will tell you, is we have a lot to be proud of. there is are very diverse and fast-growing economy. our abundant natural and energy resources. our long coastline, and low unemployment and low cost of living and an appointment. just as importantly, there is the fervent belief that a better tomorrow for ourselves and children is just within our reach. my whole life i have seen texans create those tomorrows for themselves and family. i have seen them graze themselves up by the bootstraps and by their slang backs, and by pink running shoes.

texans work hard, and we believe hard work should pay off. the majority of texans know our state is stronger when it makes the investments in people that helped them reach their full potential. and yes, texans know there are areas where we can and must do better. one out of every 10 public- school students in the united states goes to school in texas. yet we produce the lowest percentage of high-school graduates in the entire country. one-fourth of our children live in poverty. we do have a lot to be proud of, and we're joined by a few of the texas leaders who not only know we can do better, but are hoping to make texas better.

we have some of them in our audience today. we have our county commissioner. i am thrilled beach -- to be joined by a community leader and school board trustee. my incredible, beautiful sister in the texas senate who was the one who asked finely at what point it would take for a woman's voice to be heard in the texas senate? former congressman martin frost. city councilman joe burns who represents a city council. my old city council district in fort worth. justice of the peace. at the head table we have amazing people with us today. you have been introduced a little bit to them. bobby patent is a local business leader. he truly defines what it means to be at texas success story.

adrienne garcia and my very dear friend and said that colleague. you will remember that senator ellis helped me with a back race on the senate floor. it is fair to say that from this time forward, texas women know that senator ellis has our back. [applause] these leaders, amazing leaders are a part of a growing movement to build a state that is more starred their voices are drowned the majority of texans are ready to start that

conversation, but their voices are too often drowned out by the shouts of people in power who provoked division. who hope that shouting will distract from real solutions. they are doing serious damage to the lives and opportunities of the texans the claim to represent. they brag about low unemployment, while at the tame same time dramatically underfunding texas education. they travel to states as far away as california and new york, trying to lure business to texas, while at the same time ignoring the needs of high your education system to make sure opportunities are available to all of our young texans. soon as we know the consequence of that will be we will probably have to travel to other states. -- have to travel to other

states to import brainpower, to o. there not being true to what people in texas are actually saying. it would be as a pretending to listen to what my grandfather had to say in writing down what ever i felt. you all know the saying, and some of you know the song, this and asmy first rodeo. allison said, this was not my first filibuster. in 2011 i took a stand against a partisan plan to strip $5.4 billion from our already very underfunded public school system. i do not know if you are aware of this, but after that budget cuts went into place, texas became 49 out of 51 in what it is investing in the future of the school system in this country. i wanted to filibuster because it helps put us into a special

session where teachers and parents finally had an opportunity to come to the capital and be heard. it was very important to me their voices be part of the conversation, and here is why, because i have seen firsthand that education is absolutely a pathway from poverty. 30 years ago i could not have imagined standing in front of you, standing in washington before a group of people like you. because back then my life looked so very different. it looked a lot like my mom's life. my mom has a sixth grade education. after my parents divorced, she had no husband, no financial security and for children to four children to

raise. every meal my mother put on our table was a struggle for her. by the time i was 19 i also was already married and divorced and raising a young daughter myself, living in poverty and facing the same challenges and hardships i had seen my mother face. i was always on the brink of the financial disaster back then. a flat tire on my car meant having to choose a belonging to a belonging to pawn at the pawn shop. often for me it was 99 cents i would cut the

mental quarters to make them last. experiences like that can absolutely zero of your vision, crush your optimism. for me, it came down to a simple calculation. if i really wanted to make a better life for amber, had a responsibility to improve my own. it was with a heart full of love for her that i started the journey. at the time i was working as a receptionist for a pediatrician. even though my paycheck was small, it was worth it to work there. i have no health insurance but my daughter had free medical care and medicine and free formula. one day at work one of the nurses came in and dropped a pamphlet on my desk for tarrant andnty community college. when i opened that pamphlet, it opened a door for me. i had always thought of college as belonging to someone else,

but that day and started to believe perhaps it could belong to me, too. the state of texas helped making by making it affordable, even inr a single mother like me. addition to going to school, i still work full-time and waited tables four nights a week. while it was not easy, in the texas i grew up in, it was possible. when i transferred to texas christian university, received scholarships that covered the cost of my tuition. but today, students facing the same challenges that i once based are unfortunately not able to receive the same kind of there is so much greater need, so many qualified students in need who simply can't get that health because there is not enough to go around.

there were other things that made my future possible, too. i have a women's health care clinic very close to where i lived. for those next few years that is where i received the entirety of my health care. today of course, in texas, partisan legislation on top of years of severe budget cuts have cut that access from tens of thousands of women across the state. each of them has lost the only health care they have ever known. regardless of your politics, i think everyone would agree that is just bad policy. because i was able to go to college and law school, i was able to be a part of starting small businesses and to become part of contributing back to the economy of my state. that is how it works. i want so very much to make sure

more people have the chance to do that. the challenges i have taken on as a legislator are about two things. andss and a voice.-- a path a voice. beenlthough i have characterized by our governor and members of the legislator -- legislature as a problem, i have really tried to be part of the solution. in texas we do not run for local office with a party affiliation ext door name.-- name. -- next to our name. i got in the habit of working on issues that are not considered natural for democrats from shale gas drilling to transportation planning to serving as the chair of the city economic development committee and fostering a great deal of economic development and troop height -- private/public was determined

that i would take that mentality to austin. in fact, that is one of the reasons that iran for the state senate. the people i represent are a lot more interested in seeing problems solved and they are in partisan label. one thing you should know about the texas capital is we did not have to cross and i'll to work across party lines because there -- we don't have to cross and aisle to work across party lines because there really is no idle. instead when we want to work with the republican colleague, i simply say to my chair across the senate floor, and we begin.

for example, in the last legislative session i work with a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers to pass equal work, -- equal pay for equal work legislation. even though there were republican lawmakers who were willing to work with me to see this injustice made right, governor perry in what was an overtly partisan move vetoed that bill. that not only undercuts the potential of texas women but makes texas a less attractive place to do business. texas families are paying the price. having been there, i understand how precious those few dollars can be. how very much of a difference it can make. that is why my real passion has been consumer reform. if you have ever had to go to a pawn shop for a payday lender in texas, and i have, you know texas is the wild, wild west when it comes to the predatory lending industry. the state turned its head as the industry siphons dollars from

the local economy entraps hard- working families into a cycle of debt they cannot escape. i have worked closely with an unlikely coalition of folks to try to address the issue from the christian life commission to the aarp to the defense department because of the fact that so many military members are subjected to those practices. i have also worked to ensure state agencies operate with oversight, transparency, and a commitment to being affected is the words of taxpaying dollars. in texas some officials have turned the state agencies into cash cows and favor factories to further their own interests and to reward their donors. and for all of rhetoric, and i know we all hear it about the government and small government, texans want what i think

everyone wants, they just want to see good government. i continue to take on issues people did not always associate with democrats. these problems do not have a and theiriliation. solutions shouldn't either. i had championed the needs of returning veterans. veterans like richard. after returning from iraq, like many suffering from the stress of war, he -- he found himself in the criminal justice system. senator bennett cute and i held to create veterans courts to andgnize veterans service their unique needs and to prioritize treatment and counseling for them. we want them back on the feet and back in the job force. [applause] i have been a strong advocate and waterportation.

infrastructure to grow our economy. when the natural gas industry needed a way to transport gas and waste fluids from fracking sides, i helped transport that valuable gas and the wastewater through pipelines in our states right-of-way. i have fought to help rape victims like christie.make sure that the state is getting sexual predators off the street i testing every rape kit on an evidence room shelf. [applause] it's of course a very important way to make our communities safer and to provide the in's and their families the comfort of knowing their attackers will be prosecuted. those are just a few examples of how important it is to find common ground. so i want to leave you with this, i will seek common ground, because we all must, but sometimes you have to take a

stand on sacred ground. liberty, the freedom to choose what is your future will hold. in the past few weeks i have had so many young women tell me how much it meant to them to see me stand up for them and to be standing alongside them. after the filibuster i've had more than a few come to me and simply cry. what i see in their tears are not tears of the feet. instead, their understanding that even if only for a short while, their voices, as much as mine, made a land -- a difference in the landscape of what was happening in the state of texas. they were feeling the empowerment of discovery. the moment of realization that they had a voice.

it is a powerful feeling. i know because i remember the first moment that i discovered my own. you may think the moment came when i walked across the state of harvard law school to except by diploma. or you may think it came when i raised my hand for the first time to be sworn into public office, but actually it happened in front of a bookshelf at tarrant county community college. holding what was to be my very first college book. i will never forget the feeling of that book in my hands. it was an incredible and overpowering moment. farther than anyone in my family had ever gotten and farther than i have ever hoped for myself. i know how proud of my mother was, because i know how proud i was of my girls on their first day of college.

every texan deserves that moment. every texan deserves a voice, and every texan needs to know the future belongs to all of us, and we all can play a role in shaping it. the leaders who capture this spirit will be the ones who write the next chapter in texas story, and america's story. as i learned that sitting at the kitchen table with my grandfather, the task may not be quick, and it may not be easy, but it is important. it is essential, and together it can be done. thank you very, very much. [applause]

>> thank you. we have a lot of questions, and many of them, as you might imagine, are along the same theme. let's just get this out of the way right away. you mentioned your feud with rick perry. are you thinking about running to succeed him as governor? >> a lot of people are asking me that question lately, as you can imagine, and i am working very hard to decide what my neck steps will be. i do think in texas people feel we need a change from the very fractured, very partisan leadership we're seeing in the

state government right now. >> what about a bid for another state office, perhaps u.s. senator or lieutenant governor? easily the most powerful office in texas. >> i can say i will run for either my state senate seat or the governor. [applause] >> one more question. this person asks, would you consider running as dp candidates with hillary clinton? -- vp candidate? [applause] >> in answer to that, we will have to find out whether she is planning to run for president >> you are obviously having a big moment in the spotlight.

we are happy to have you here today. ,eyond your electoral future what can you parlay this into next? >> i do think the extraordinary outcome is what i talked about an opportunity really to be a voice for people and continuing the conversation in texas. not just about reproductive rights.although that day was about reproductive rights. it is about the vacuum of leadership that is happening there. it is about the failure of our state leaders who are currently in power to really be connected to what texas families want to see. whether it is the dramatic defunding of public education that has put us into a battle in the court system texas really is --t listening to families.

whether it is a failure to invest in higher education. texas really isn't listening to families. i think it can be attributed to the fact that so many people the voteronnected. turnout in texas is abysmally low. they feel like it does not matter.even if they participate in that democratic process, they feel it would be making sure i played a part to fix that in texas.for me, it would be to make sure that i play a part in changing that in texas.

testing

i do believe that international allies need to be engaged. the united states should end straight leadership.

our allies should provide support to the people of syria. >> thank you. i do believe in president obama's cautious approach. i think that assad has to go. i do not think that we should push for democracy. he is a dictator. he has to go. we have a question of chemical weapons being used and the human rights violations that are going along with that. we had to make sure that this requires certain action but united states. because of this cautious approach, no ground troops, some arms to rebels, figuring out who is pro-democracy. act through international organizations, like we did in libya.

we should act through the united nations and we have, to some extent. russia has a potential veto and could use the veto in the security council. i would take caution. i would respect the president for what he is trying to do because he understands what needs to be done. >> i think there is a lot of agreement tonight. i want to make a few more points. assad must go. it must be done in a sober and deliberate way so that we do not cause more problems in the long run like we saw in the early and immediate. we need to make sure that we do everything we can to support other nations that have been destabilized from refugees and others going into their country. that means looking at lebanon, turkey, as well as israel. finally, america does not need to act alone. we have learned this the hard way in our history that if we go it alone, we put ourselves in jeopardy.

when we act in a community of countries that share the same values, we can be a lot more effective. we can bring back stability to a region that is way too unstable. >> thank you. >> an important factor to be considering with the next senator of new jersey is who has the experience and sophistication to deal with international questions. i talked about the complicated situation in that part of the world. the threads, if you pull on one, it pulls through jordan, saudi arabia, egypt, israel, palestine, iran, iraq, and turkey.

i sent a letter to the president saying that he should ask the new iranian president if he is good to his word. did appoint someone i know from their time at the united nations as foreign minister. and gives us time to work with iran on these important matters. we have not seen a lot of experience or sophistication. i think our next senator should be someone who has the ability to examine a broad range of issues internationally, to weigh out the sensitivity of these issues. protecting our national

interests and understanding that we pay a dear price in not investing in domestic challenges. at the same time, maintain our position as the world leader. this is our challenge and the responsibility of the next u.s. senator. >> time for our next question, i want to blend the domestic with foreign relation issues. there is no better place to do that than china. a rising power. a true economic superpower. many wonder how the united states should position itself going forward. the chinese show an inclination to challenge american military forces around the world in some measured fashion. is the united states well-positioned to deal with the reality of a rising and competitive china?

should we alter our position and stance with the chinese? >> i have confidence in the american worker and the american economy is number one in the globe. i know we can continue to lead in that manner. we have to make sure that we are all playing by the same rules and there is fairness. back to the issue of china, it is not a bad thing that they are rising. i'm telling you, what we're seeing with china is that they are often not willing to play by the same rules, whether it is with their currency, whether it is with their copyright infringements of america. whether it is about paying their workers a fair wage that reflects humanitarian interests. this is an area i feel very strongly about. we can compete in this. we need to turn our attention, as a country, to making our domestic economy stronger.

if we invest in research and development. there are real things that we can be doing to grow our economy and make it stronger. >> congressman. >> whenever we send a trade agreement with another country, like we did with china, we should not ask "what are the regulations for products entering and leaving the ports." we must consider what is acceptable behavior in workers' rights and human rights. we did not do that with china. we typically do not do that with trade agreements elsewhere. we have been negotiating with them on their currency manipulation and making a little bit of headway. their currency manipulation has hurt us badly.

our outsourcing to them has hurt us badly. not just in lost jobs, but in inferior merchandise and dangerous merchandise. dangerous equipment that we have been getting through the chinese shoddy manufacturers. we have to stand up to their adventurism around the oceans and the world. >> china has emerged as an economic power because senators and members of the u.s. house of representatives enacted laws and influenced the regulatory process to permit our commerce, our manufacturing, and our jobs. it has been decades that we have

turned products over in our homes and seen "made in china" on the bottom. there are places around the world which can bolster investment. individual investors look to china as a way to grow their wealth. that is how we got to this situation with china. when you look at the pollution that hovers over many of the large cities, to the detriment of the people who live there, china's policies as they relate to women and the inhumane treatment of women. and the legal system dealing with women. we created that on capitol hill. >> we have to be worried about the unfairness of china. first, they do not open up their markets to american goods. it is an unfair trade practice. they put up barriers in various ways to our exports and make it difficult to export. they constantly subsidize and make it easy for their

manufacturers to produce things and send them to the united states. the best example is renewable resources. i believe that we should be manufacturing solar panels and wind turbines here. china is cornering the market because they subsidize those industries and make it cheaper for export. they are walking all over us, when it comes to the economy. we have an obligation in the united states senate. we have jurisdiction over treaties. we have to make sure that these treaties operate in a fair way. >> i hear a lot of the same views. we need to make sure china plays by the same rules. copyright, trade, humane treatment of workers. we need to look at home. we are an incredible nation

where we said that we can build our local economy strong. people tell me that manufacturing is dead in america. we showed, in newark, that with the right strategy manufacturers can grow jobs and grow exports. it can be done in america if we have a congress that makes more investments in workforce training and education, research and development. these investments provide huge returns for the american economy. if we focus on growing strong at home, america will thrive. >> thank you. >> let me pick up on that point. america is a strong nation. the strongest in the world. the wealthiest in the world. we are not second in manufacturing. china has caught up. we can prevail around the world. we do not have to do it through

military force, although we must make sure that we check china's projection of military force. working with india and southeast asia, working with our own strong workforce and our production capabilities, we can prevail. we have the strongest and best educated workforce in the world. we have a great production ability. we should be aggressive in going around the world and not letting china buy up all of the earth's rare elements.

>> i point to decisions made on capitol hill. everyone looked in awe when chinese investors bought the chrysler building in new york city. we now know that a significant amount of real estate in manhattan is owned by the chinese. it is difficult for americans to acquire some of the most strategic real estate that exists. the reason we have a situation with china is because of the backslapping that goes on on capitol hill between and amongst members of the congress who would rather cut a deal, make some investments, instead of looking out for the benefits of the citizens that live in this country. i think it is time for the senate to reflect a different kind of standard. the only way you do that is by sending people to the united states senate who are going to change the paradigm. >> i believe that there are lessons that can be learned from china, in terms of our domestic economy. they are making huge investments.

one of the problems in washington is due to the tea party. the tea party wants to have a sequester and across-the-board cuts. we have to stop that mentality. we have to make investments to infrastructure. in research and development, we have used our tax structure to bring back jobs from overseas. the chinese used tax structure and subsidies to encourage manufacturing. manufacturing can come back to the united states, but we have to encourage it. companies cannot move their money overseas. companies will stay here and manufacture here because of transportation cost. we're not doing that. we have to make a difference.

>> that led me to where i want to go. there are those who say that it is time for america to do something to jumpstart our economic recovery. 162,000 jobs disappointed wall street. we had to do something with our tax code to reflect the need of a modern-day economy. i harken back to the days when i was a young reporter covering bill bradley who came up with the fair tax. it modified the tax code that people were paying in the 1980's. is it time to tear apart that tax code? we are not a poor nation. the mentality in washington has

become, we cannot do this or that. all we can do is provide privilege to the fortunate. the high jobless rate that we have and crumbling infrastructure, we can afford to take care of all those things and we cannot afford not to. it requires making sure that those who can pay, those who have benefited from our economy, pay their fair share. that is not happening. take the agenda of social security. we're talking about how social security is going to go bust. i'm saying that millionaires and billionaires should pay the same tax rate and we will not be talking about social security solvency. it will be solid and we can

raise benefits. >> we absolutely need to simplify the tax code in this country. it is too complicated. and, working-class and middle- class families bear the brunt of the burden. we have done a lot of things through the tax code to provide incentives and write-offs to large corporations. those corporations do not reinvest in our economy. i just discussed the practice of an international company, a national chain in the united states that is significantly present in new jersey. in order to get around a loophole, they claim their tax credits, they hire people and pay them 8.25 an hour. they retain those workers until they solidify those tax credits and then they lay them off.

this is possible because of our tax code. >> we need to jumpstart the economy. this tea party effort to cut across the federal government and it is killing us and slowing growth. ok? you can bring in more funds by reforming the tax code. i believe the wealthy need to pay more and it should not be on the backs of working families. corporations need to make it more every contribution. president obama suggested that we may be able to lower the corporate tax rate if you reform the tax code. they pay more, even though they are paying a lower rate. they do not have all the loopholes. take the companies that are spending money overseas and reform the tax code.

give them encouragement to manufacture here. we sent money back to the cities to prevent layoffs of the police and firefighters. we need to do this again. >> i don't have hair like you, but issues like this make you want to pull it all out. we have incredible growth, how do i know that? because we did it in newark, created thousands of jobs in newark. in the manufacturing sector, we knew we had strategy to make it grow. even for small businesses we had to increase the access to the capital pool.

that helps 50 or 60 businesses grow. why isn't congress doing the obvious things that we need to grow our economy? yes, we need to fix the tax code. we need to make it simpler. we can invest in research and development. we can do the things that i noted to happen. manufacturing can grow even more robustly. >> thank you. we need to invest. invest is a word that has fallen in disfavor in washington. there is such a thing. if we invest in infrastructure, we will be a wealthier nation. that is the way it was with the g.i. bill. it paid back many times over. that's what we need to be doing now.

investing in our public schools. making them accessible for motivated and prepared students to go to college. i am working with elizabeth warren to make sure that we have the lowest possible interest rates for student loans for prepared students to go to college. we can do that. we do not need to have the interest rates that we have now. >> yes. something that is a concern to me is that when you look around the country, we have significant numbers of aging suburban communities that once had stabilized tax rates and tax renewables. those things are gone. it is time for the federal government to work with the president and governors of states to move forward a recreation of economies across the country.

i use new jersey as an example. despite what you read about the bureau of labor statistics and what you hear about job creation, significant numbers of people in newark, trenton, camden, asbury park, people continue to be unemployed in the state. the jobs being created here are not jobs that are providing livable wages in one of the highest wage states in the country. >> there are references to congress being broken. i mentioned in my opening remarks. i believe that we can get things done in congress. i think not the tea party. i believe they are the problem. but, there are mainstream republicans and we have to reach across the aisle.

republicans are the majority in the house. find the moderates and explain to them that we have to get rid of the sequester. this is what the president was talking about in his speech. a grand bargain, or deal, we must do things to affect the tax rate. we have to get rid of these tax loopholes. we will invest money in the economy, grow jobs that have good benefits. we can make cuts. rational cuts. not across the board cuts. >> final word. >> congressman pallone is a noble person and has worked hard to do the things that he said. i'm telling you that we need to act.

let me give you a data point. we now make up 33% of all the development in the state from the commercial developments going on in newark right now. that is because we have a speaker that helped out with that. that's because the government -- a governor, who i disagree with on most issues, who helped. we're bringing community activists together and extending apprenticeships for our kids. what i'm saying is that we can get this done. we need to have people who can bring people together in washington and bridge divides. we can do this. it is not time for excuses. there are too many people suffering in a tough economy. it is time for action and getting things done. >> the next question will go to madam speaker. >> i want to stay on investment. rather than taxes, let's talk about education.

people view the most important investment in the future as educating our children. it is something that is talked about. however, changing it from washington has not been affected. no child left behind has left a lot of children behind. >> we need a national agenda, the public educational system, the community college system, the university system. federal leadership is required required.

the challenges presented do not have the expectation that washington weeks away. the demographics are different. the profiles and economies of the states are different. the federal government cannot craft a national agenda that is going to reflect the needs in each particular state. without question, one of my opponents made references to science, technology, engineering and math. we need to make broader investments. we need to make sure that our curriculums reflect those investments. >> i have been advocating a school modernization program where towns and counties can apply for grants to repair schools, like transportation. we should be sending money back to schools. we did this a few years ago after the recession. we did this in 2009.

in terms of no child left behind, it has mis-functioned in many ways. these tests and the rating of schools. we need to provide teachers with skills and provide better qualified teachers. that is where the government can play a role. i do have to say, and our district, with mayor booker, i do not think that vouchers are the answer. i do -- i am concerned about vouchers, which he supports. >> i believe in public schools strongly. it is a federal government responsibility and about taking action. all four of us have the same amount of legal authority of schools in our district. we brought in -- with schools in our district.

we brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars. we have worked to expand the school day and give kids home libraries. this allows kids to learn at home. the federal government has a role to play. if i am your united states senator, i'm not going to sit back and watch kids struggle. my first policy paper was about dealing with childhood poverty. when kids have empowerment with universal preschool. with prenatal care, they go to school. we need people who will take action. >> in addition to universal early education and making public schools work, we also

have to pay attention to science and math education. there's no one in the congress who has been a bigger champion of science than this scientist. i do not think that -- i'm interested mayor booker was silent about vouchers that mr. pallone raced. i would like to know how doctors can help the schools? they siphon money away. a massive expansion of charter schools is not the answer for education for 15 million children. for 50 million children. the idea "the washington post" that mayor booker is a vigorous proponent of this policy.

>> since we have focused in on the troubled school district in our state, newark comes into discussion. newark has been a takeover district. paterson has been a takeover district. under the state's auspices, we have seen no improvements in the operation of our schools. in the north district, while it was under state control, that we saw massive fiscal impropriety we saw a state superintendent who contracted with a large company. we have not seen improvements with state intervention in schools. there is no question that there is a political system that is involved with the school. we have to have competent professionals and legislators to address the issues that affect

urban schools. >> mayor booker talked about governor christie's economic programs. governor christie has been doing the opposite. he is taking money away from the cities and making it harder to pay for firefighters and the police. he is not helping. the federal government should help. the governor is not doing that. mayor booker's plan for education means vouchers and privatization of schools. maybe some money goes from private interests to help with the school, what is the impact? what is the impact, in terms of other things that are involved in that takeover?

we have to be concerned about the lack of funds that are going to the public schools. if you have to have teachers and comeback of curriculum, it is not going to make for good public schools. >> i will never apologize for bringing hundreds of millions of dollars to help poor kids get a better education. i want to bring up my silence about vouchers. these vouchers are for poor kids below the poverty line who are stuck in failing schools. i support scholarship from dems to give them a lifeline. i find it interesting that congressman holt would bring it up as a criticism of me. he voted for the washington d.c. opportunity scholarship program. he voted for a program that is similar to what i support. both congressmen voted for on the bus those that support this.

i would like them to explain why they have voted for the same position i have. >> the mayor should check the record. i have been an opponent of vouchers. they are an efficient method of siphoning resources away from public schools. the idea is to bring excellent education to all children in america. not some children who are lucky enough to be in specialized schools. we should be investing in teachers. that is where it starts. we should not turn education into a market-based enterprise where the products and the teachers are the means of production. we should be treating teachers as professionals. not someone who you hire or fire or go to a temporary agency for.

we need to be investing in the public school system. >> obamacare has been hailed by some as a panacea. others say it is putting us on the road to bankruptcy and driving doctors away from the medical field. your take on it. is the affordable care act, the way it is constituted, are you satisfied with the way it stands in the way things are going? >> i helped to write the affordable care act. it is my proudest achievement as a member of congress. the reason i think people should nominate me is because i care about issues that matter to people. do not believe the tea party or

those who tell you that the affordable care act is harmful. it is one of the best pieces of legislation that we have ever created. the bottom line is, americans will be insured. they are now going to have a good benefit package. there were preconditions and discriminatory practices. by the end of this year, those problems go away and most americans will have health insurance and a benefit package. they'll not pay more because of a pre-existing condition. discriminatory practices, for the most part, will go away. this is how congress works. congress can work and make a difference. the affordable care act is an example. >> i want to give the

congressmen credit. this is a great bill and the courageous leadership of our president has expanded opportunities for our residents in new jersey. young people who are getting to an older age can stay on their parent's insurance. we need to fight for the implementation and defend it against those who want to -- voting almost 40 times in congress -- repeal it. the sustainability of our healthcare requires that we do more to control cost. it is unsustainable what we're doing right now. we can do a lot more to get waste, fraud, and abuse of the system and reward doctors for outcomes. we can make health care strong in america and implement the affordable care act. we can make sure that we control

costs in the long run. >> as a member of the authorizing committee, i helped to write it. it is an improvement over what existed three years ago. the affordable care act, we need to see that it is implemented over the objection of governor christie and those in congress who voted to repeal it 40 times over the last couple of years. that will not, by itself, as good as it is, as good as far as it goes, it will not bring all americans into the fold of excellent health care. we need to take the next step. universal single-payer health care coverage. that's how you bring excellent education to all. it is a way to put a check on the uncontrolled increase in spending. the other candidates said that that was impractical.

that is another way of saying that we can only do things that we clear with the tea party. i want to know how mayor booker feels about it. >> i have been a proponent of single-payer, as well. within the past several years, there was a long time spent with legislative leaders in his district with labor unions and health care advocates to work and advocate for a one-payer system. that is not what we could get. i am totally embracing the affordable care act. there are people in the state who have no access to healthcare. i commend the congressional delegation from new jersey that created an opportunity in our state to make sure that children can get insured. we need to provide access to doctors for all.

wellness and prevention are going to be cornerstones, as we roll out implementation. as with any law, created at any level, when pieces don't operate correctly, you go back and correct it. >> i will be critical of my colleagues who say that we need to go further. this is a major achievement. the tea party wanted to and is still trying to kill it. i'm a big single-payer advocate. the bottom line is that we could not get a single-payer system. we couldn't get a public option. you deal with what you can. half a loaf is better than none. that is a reality.

when you talk about controlling costs. with the affordable care act, cost for insurance will be 50% less than what was before the affordable care act. when you talk about single- payer, that sounds great and it is wonderful. the fact of the matter is, we cannot get the votes for that. most people will be covered. this be an effective program. >> thank you. there is still urgency. we need to do everything we can to implement this. again, we cannot wait. we have to get it done. we're showing a pathway to reduced costs by promoting that are held. we are dealing with childhood obesity. we have done this in newark to lower costs for seniors.

even more than what we do with our newark-based prescription drug plan. there are things that we can do to build upon this. we cannot wait. we have to get going now. the urgency -- not just for people having health insurance but, for preventing people from getting sick in the first place and giving them access to preventive care. especially for our children, too. >> universal single-payer system is not pie in the sky. that is what va and medicare is. it works. it works better than what most people have, more what so many people do not have, at all. it is doable. the idea that we cannot hold out a vision of what is best for america because the tea party is going to object, that holds us back. that is not the definition of leadership, in my book.

>> tied to the issue of what system is better, the reality is, there are communities that are losing hospitals because hospitals cannot provide charity care. despite initiatives in obesity control. in a city like newark, we have had the closure of hospitals. columbus hospital, saint michaels hospital is teetering on the brink. if there is not political support, we will see more hospitals close in vulnerable communities. what the affordable care act will do is provide a way for hospitals to be compensated for the care that is being subsidized by the state. >> last question. we are up against the clock. you are democrats.

you've gotten rave reviews from the papers. you're the best candidates that they have seen in a long time. there's a good chance that one of the four of you will end up being the u.s. senator and go to an institution that is dominated by democrats in fighting against the other body that is dominated by republicans. why should the voters send any of you there? >> i do not understand why it is a criticism that i have worked with governor christie. he and i disagree on almost anything. despite our differences, i'm the mayor of the largest city of the state and i have to work with the governor. we worked together and created the largest economic

development period in newark since the 1960s. that is what you have to do as united states senator. you have to find a way to work with people that you disagree with, not to criticize and yell at them. find common ground when it exists. even if it is only 10% of the things between you. this is the problem with washington. if you like what you're getting from washington, stick with it. it is not working. if you want the same experience, take the same experience. we need a different experience. not a washington experience. >> as a scientist, i listen to people and study evidence, follow the facts, and take it where it leads, to a conclusion. that is true for all this. if you start with the facts, you can get things done in a divided and polarized system in

washington. that is how i got the mental health and suicide programs done for soldiers and veterans. that is what i have done with student aid. setting up money for teachers. historic preservation for foreign languages that i did with senator lautenberg. you find common ground and you can get things done. furthermore, i have a vision -- that is what i have done in washington and i have a vision. >> talent comes in a skirt often. i believe the lack of women representation in new jersey's

congressional delegation must end. i have served at every level of government. i have worked in newark's municipal government when the man was in high school. i have sat at every desk at every level of government. municipal, county, state. i have worked in higher education. i have worked in the private sector. i know the challenges that face the state and this country. i believe that i have the capability to address any issue that is of note to new jersey. i think, with that, the scope of experience in working with new jersey's issues. >> being an experienced legislator does make a difference.

i work with my colleagues on either side of the aisle to make a difference, in writing the affordable care act, cleaning up toxic waste sites, these are all examples of how you can get things done. we need an experienced legislator. i know that the mayor feels that being the mayor qualifies him. he does not work with a lot of the congressmen. half of the people in the senate are former members of congress. i've worked on legislation with them over the years. if you think about what i have done and what i can do to make a difference for working families, growing economy, creating jobs, changing the tax code, working with the president to grow the economy, this is what you need. a congressman with experience.

it was a situation where it is time for closing statements. >> it's time for closing statements. we barely scraped the surface. i apologize. i want to get to as many as we can. it is time for closing statements. >> we have seen clear differences between the candidates. we had to protect working families and look out for the little guy. that is what i want to do in the united states senate. i have a myself on senator lautenberg.

people think that i can get things done. like senator lautenberg, i will never compromise my principles. i voted against the defense of marriage act because i thought it was wrong. i was an early opponent of the iraq war. i think you have to stand up for your principles. we're all democrats. i believe in the democratic party and i believe that i can make a difference. i mentioned the fight to clean up toxic websites. toxic waste sites the fight for the affordable care act. i can make a difference as the united states senator. i ask for your vote on august 13th. thank you. >> time for the closing statement from mayor booker. you have 40 years of experience between these two congressmen. if you like what you are getting out of washington, you should go for them.

to me, we do not need more washington experience. we need a different experience in washington. when washington could not pass a jobs bill, we got to work. we were able to create local loan funds and other programs that created jobs. in washington, we could not get right for our veterans come home, we started the first veteran's one-stop. enough is enough. we've seen what 40 years of experience is getting us. it's time for different leadership. good is not enough and better is possible. i hope i get the chance to be your senator because i know that we can do better. >> i thank the organizers and the viewers. the citizens of new jersey need to know what they will get in the next senator from new jersey.

in my case, i have been out there and very public. i've been running this campaign on issues and specific issues. i have a record that is clear. "the new york times" said that i am the most able legislator of the group. you have the position that i hold out. i wish we could have more of these debates. we need to know where mayor booker is on these things. i say that i support breaking up the big banks that are too big to fail and are too big to exist. i support a carbon tax. i support stopping spying on americans. mayor booker did not support any of those. he does not support single- payer, either.

i have a list that is available for display and i have not hid or equivocated. i project a progressive agenda that will help the people of new jersey that will extend to all americans. >> i would like to thank njtv for allowing us to engage in this dialogue. i'd like to say that it is time to break up the old boy's network that exists on capitol hill. the way we do that is by making certain that new jersey's congressional delegation reflects the people that live in the state. 53% of our population is composed of women. households are headed by women.

whether they be widowed, divorced, never married. it is time for issues that are important to average, working, everyday new jerseyans. not more of the big money wealth interests. it is time to have a senator who will represent working class people and people who are trying to get a toehold to become part of the middle class. it does not matter that you have fraternization with other states. this campaign is about new jersey and no place else on the planet. >> thank you very much. to all of the candidates, thank you very much. this first debate is over. we want to send it to the studio next door.

and, to our host here at the university. thank you to all of the candidates. a reminder that the special election to choose the candidate is a week from tomorrow. we have had the privilege to bring all this to you. many issues that we tried to get to, we tried to cover them as much as possible. thank you very much. we hope to see you back here once again. good night from all of us here at njtv. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national

>> ie satellite corp. 2013] think in terms of our overall approach on health, we view health and food and power and trade as heart of a coherent comprehensive development agenda with africa. there is no direct link between one or the other aher than that we want growing economy to help their people and have electricity to power their economies and trade with us as well. we want to see all parts of their government work with all parts of our government to make that come together. the example of png is a good one.

year to douja last some ribbon-cutting on a $50 , i think the more you ask companies take those investments and see success, and are able to demonstrate that success to their other american counterparts -- one of the great challenges that africa wrestles with is the gap between real risk and risk perception. we should be frank about the real risks. there are tremendous problems and challenges in sub-saharan africa from security and economic to government. it is not a homogeneous base as you all know. there is a gap between the real risks and risk perception. nothing breeds success like success. to the degree that american

companies are going in making sizable investments and being successful at it, that could be a very positive carryover effect on to other countries as well. we are encouraging that. bit of what the african mission is about and the trade mission is about. that is a dynamic that we want to underscore. to your point about other legislation and support, we will be looking at all that. we will consult with our colleagues on the hill and look at their ideas for how to expand the u.s. economic relationship in sub-saharan africa. there is a lot of interest up there, both in supporting economic development but also very much as a market for u.s. investment in u.s. exports. that is why we want to make sure as we go through this process that we are doing so in a way that maximizes the -- and

strengthens the bilateral relationship. mr. fromn watch all of his remarks from the brookings institution online at c-span.org for a look at port security operations. we will talk with the image record of the virginia port authority. tonight, on c-span's encore presentation of first ladies. >> the earliest extant letter we 1762.ates to october

we call it the miss adorable letter. that is how john adams opens the letter. it is john writing to abigail, and he says miss adorable, are the same token that the bearer hereof set up with you last night, i hereby order you to give him as many cases and as many hours of your company after 9:00 as he shall please to demand and charge them to my account. i presume i have good right to draw upon you for the kisses as i have given two or 3 million at least. of consequence the accounts between us is immensely in favor of yours. of our encore presentation continues tonight at nine eastern on c-span. next, texas democratic state

senator wendy davis. she delivered remarks at the national press club and talks about her future political plans and the more than 10 hour filibuster that she held against eight texas senate abortion bill. the legislation that it banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy did pass in july. this is just over an hour. good afternoon and welcome to the national press club. my name is angela troutman keenan i'm a reporter for bloomberg news and the 100 and six resident of the national press club. we are the world's leading organization for journalists. for more information about the national press club, please visit our website at www.. press.org.

on behalf of our members worldwide, i'd like to welcome our speaker and those of you in our audience today. guest oftable includes our speaker as well as working journalism and club members. i would note that members of the general public are also attending, so it is not evidence of a lack of journalistic object to the. i would like to welcome our c-span and public radio audiences. our luncheons are featured on our podcast featured on itunes. guest speech concludes, we will have a question and answer. introduces time to our head table guests. i will ask each of you to stand briefly as your name is announced. maria rocio,ht,

fort worth star-telegram, washington bureau chief. david callaway, usa today editor-in-chief, adrian garcia harris county sheriff, washington post managing editor, the honorable rodney ellis, texas state senator. alison fitzgerald, project manager for financial and state news with the center for public integrity and the chair of the national press club speakers committee. bobping over the speaker, carton with card and communications and the committees member who organized today's lunch. thank you bob. bobby patton, a fort worth business leader and the owner of the l.a. dodgers. martin, ther manager of political programming for nbc news. marilyn thompson, era chief for thomson reuters.

camilo day, a host and reporter with voice of russia and a blogger for the washington post sheet the people blog. politicalm, a reporter with the houston chronicle and a former national press club president. [applause] it seems now like the whole country was washing when our guest today literally stood up for her beliefs on the floor of the texas statehouse. for 12 hours, she filibustered a republican sponsored abortion bill on her feet without being able to sit, lien on her desk or drink water. that act temporarily blocked the abortion bill and made texas state senator wendy davis a hero to liberals and pro-choice activists. senator davis is no stranger against the odds. she began working after school when she was 14 to help support her single mother and three siblings.

by 19, senator davis was a single mother herself working two jobs to make ends meet in hopes of creating a better life for her young daughter. she eventually enrolled in community college, a journey which led to harvard. soon after she became a practicing attorney in fort worth and spent nine years on the city council. ran for the texas senate and scored a huge political upset by defeating a well entrenched ,ncumbent third in the senate inator davis won election 2008 in a race that was considered one of the biggest upsets in -- and texas politics. in the senate and her main issues are economic development, education and family issues. she was named freshman legislator of the year in 2009 and was cited by texas monthly

magazine as one of the state's best legislators. she apparently likes the filibustered because prior to the one that got her national attention, in 2011 she staged a filibuster on public that filibuster temporarily blocked the cut and set the stage for the legislature restoring most of the money in 2013. she has been mentioned as a possible and senatorial candidates in texas. -- gubernatorial candidates in texas. thee hoping she may tip cards for what the future might hold. please help us give a warm welcome to senator wendy davis. [applause] >> thank you. thank you all for having me here today, and thank you, angela, for inviting me to be here.