something that would give us a negotiating point where we could consider moving forward with a final repeal of this problem. but in fact, the legislative branch consists of two bodies. this body and the other body on the other side. until the finance committee acts, there's little more that the energy and commerce can do to push that bill forward. mr. speaker, today's rule provides for consideration of a critical bill, to ensure our energy infrastructure needs are being met. mr. pompeo has done a good job. i applaud him and our committee for the thoughtful legislation. i urge my colleagues to support both the rule and the underlying bill. i'm now prepared to yield back >> in a few moments, today's

presidential medal of freedom ceremony at the white house. marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of president kennedy and a ceremony at the internal flame in arlington national cemetery. national security adviser susan rice on u.s. policy in the asia-pacific region. later, a discussion of relations between the u.s. and united kingdom. >> a typical day would begin with her coming in in the morning, probably around 9:00. she would come in toting a straw bag in each hand filled with some of these things you see on her desk. she had taken them home for signing or speechwriting or event planning, whatever she was working on. she would come in and get to work. her desk was always very orderly. as she worked on her desk, with letters that she was processing, when she completed things she would put them on the floor.

she loved this office because she could look out at her alma mater and then a corridor through to the capital. we had three office staff at the time. we had a person who handled her calendar. we had a person who came from the white house as her press secretary who helped work on speeches. and then i was in the office. by friday afternoon, she was ready to leave and go to the ranch which she really called home. afternoon, wethe would say, do i have anything else to do? if the answer was no, she would say, tell the secret service i am ready to go. >> watch our program on lady bird johnson at our website, c- irstladies or see it saturday on c-span. our series continues live monday as we look at first lady pat nixon. >> president obama awarded the presidential medal of freedom to 16 people in a white house ceremony today.

recipients of the nation's highest civilian honor in court -- included the clinton and the late astronaut sally ride. this is a little less than an hour. >> ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the recipient of the presidential medal of freedom. [applause] mr. ernie banks.

mr. ben bradley. [applause] the honorable bill clinton. [applause] inoue accepting in honor of her husband. kahneman. the honorable richard lugar. ms. loretta lynn. [applause]

dr. mario molina. [applause] ms. pam accepting on behalf of her late partner, sally ride. [applause] mr. walter nagel accepting on behalf of his partner, bayard rustin. mr. arturo sandoval. ms. smith accepting on behalf of her husband, mr. dean smith. ms. gloria steinem. [applause] reverend c.t. vivian. the honorable patricia wald. ms. oprah winfrey. [applause]

♪ ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and mrs. michelle obama. ♪ [applause] >> good morning. good morning, everybody. [applause] everybody, please have a seat.

have a seat. , on behalf of michelle and myself, welcome to the white house. this is one of my favorite events every year. special this year as i look at this extraordinary and our individuals opportunity to honor them with our nation's highest civilian honor. the presidential medal of freedom. it is just a little more special. this marks the 50th anniversary of president kennedy establishing this award. today to have with us one of my favorite people, ethel kennedy. and a pretty good basketball player, president kennedy's

grandson jack. [applause] this metal has been bestowed on more than 500 is irving people. tonight, i am looking forward to joining some of these honorees as well as members of the kennedy family as we pay tribute to these 50 years of excellence. this morning, we are honored to add 16 new names to this distinguished list. salute competitors who theme true champions in sweltering heat of a chicago summer, ernie banks walked into the cubs locker room and didn't like what he saw. everybody was sitting around, heads down, depressed. ernie piped up and said, boy, what a great day. that play two. [applause]

that is a man who came up through the negro leagues making seven dollars a day and became the first black player to suit up for the cubs and one of the greatest hitters of all-time. in the process, ernie became known as much for his 512 home runs as for his cheer and his optimism and his eternal faith that someday, the cubs would go all the way. [laughter] that is serious believe. that is something that even a white sox fan like me can respect. he is just a wonderful man and a great icon of my hometown. smithng of sports, dean is one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history. x'ssuccesses go far beyond and o's.

he graduated 96% of his players. the first coach to use multiple defenses in a game. he was a pioneer who popularized the idea of pointing to the -- with his first national title on the line. he did have the good sense to give the ball to a nine-year-old -- 19-year-old kid named michael jordan. they used to joke that the only person who ever held michael under 20 was dean smith. while coach smith couldn't join us today due to an illness that he is facing, we also honor his courage in helping to change our country. he recruited the first black scholarship athlete to north carolina. he helped integrate a restaurant and a neighborhood in chapel hill. that is the kind of character that we represent -- he represented on and off the court. we salute innovators that push the limits of science changing

how we see the world and ourselves. growing up, sally ride read about the space program in the newspaper almost every day. she thought, this was the coolest thing around. when she was a phd candidate at stanford, she saw an ad for astronauts in the student newspaper. she seized the opportunity. the first american woman in space. sally didn't just break the stratospheric glass ceiling. she blasted through it. and she came back to her, she devoted her life to helping girls excel in fields like math, science and engineering. young girls need to see role models. you can't be what you can't see. today, our daughters including malia and sasha have set their sights a little bit higher because sally ride showed them the way. all of us have moments when we look back and wonder, what the heck was i thinking? i have that. [laughter] quite a bit.

[laughter] psychologist daniel kahneman has made that simple question his life's work. a historic career in israel and america. the studyly invented of human decision-making. he has helped us understand from everything from behavioral economics to, does living in california make people happy? anhas also been called expert on irrational behavior, so i am sure that he could shed some light on washington. what truly sets them apart is his curiosity. guided by his belief that people are endlessly complicated and interesting, at 79 he is still discovering new insights into how we think and learn, not just so we understand each other but so that we can work and live together more effectively. molina started as a

young boy in mexico city. a homemade laboratory in a bathroom at home. that passion for discovery led mario to become one of the most respected chemists of his era. he was awarded the nobel prize, not only for his research, but also for his insistence that when we ignore dangerous carbon emissions, we risk destroying the ozone layer and endangering our planet. thanks to mario's work, the world came together to address a common threat. today, inspired by his example, we are working to leave our planet safer and cleaner for future generations. musiciansve to salute who bring such joy to our lives. loretta lynn was 19 the first time she won big at the local fair. her candid vegetables brought home 17 blue ribbons. [laughter] they made her canner of the

year. [laughter] for a girl from kentucky, that was fame. fortunately for all of us, she decided to try her hand at things other than canning. her first guitar cost $17. with it, this coal miner's daughter gave voice to a generation, singing what no one wanted to talk about, saying what no one wanted to think about. now, over 50 years after she cut her first record and can't her first vegetables, e lynn -- loretta lynn still reigns as the rule breaking record-setting queen of country music. as a young man in cuba, arturo sandoval loved jazz so much it landed him in jail. it was the cold war and the only radio station where he could hear jazz was the voice of america which was dangerous.

he defected to the united states knowing he might never see his parents were beloved homeland again. without freedom, he said, there is no life. today, arturo is an american citizen. one of the most celebrated trumpet players in the world. there isn't any place on earth were the people don't know about jazz, he says. that is true in part because musicians like him have sacrificed so much to play it. we salute pioneers who pushed our nation towards greater justice and equality. c.t. viviannister, was one of martin luther king jr.'s closest advisers. it is in the action that we find out who we really are. time and again, reverend vivian was among the first to be in the action. in 1947, joining a set in -- sit-in in in illinois restaurant.

one of the first freedom writers. he was beaten, bloodied and jailed. rosa parks said of him, even after things that supposedly have been taking care of and we had our right, he was still out there inspiring the next generation, including me, helping kids go to college with a program that would become upward bound. at 89 years old, reverend vivian is still out there, still in the action pushing us closer to our founding ideals. , the day of morning the march on washington, the national mall was far from full. some of the press were beginning to wonder if the event would be a failure. the march's chief organizer, i rest in -- rustin didn't panic. he looks down at a piece of paper, looked back up and reassured reporters that everything was on schedule. the only thing those reporters didn't know was that the paper

he was holding was blank. [laughter] he didn't know how it was going yard had an but ba unshakable optimism, nerves of steel, and most importantly, faith that if the cause is just and people are organized, nothing can stand in their wake. for decades, this great leader was denied his rightful place in history because he was openly gay. no medal can change that, but today we honor bayard rustin's memory. [applause] speaking of game changers, disruptors, there is a young girl and gloria steinem who arrived in new york to make her mark as a journalist and magazines only wanted her to write articles like, how to cook without really cooking for

men. [laughter] gloria noticed things like that. she has been called a champion noticer. she is alert to all the ways large and small that women had been and in some cases continue to be treated unfairly just because they are women. as a writer, speaker, activist, she awakened a vast and often skeptical public to problems like domestic violence, lack of affordable childcare, unfair hiring practices. because of her work across america and around the world, more women are afforded the respect and opportunities they deserve. they also -- she also changed how women thought about themselves. gloria continues to pour her heart into teaching and mentoring. her one piece of advice to young girls is, i love this, do not listen to my advice.

listen to the voice inside you and follow that. wald asked if she would come back, she said she would like some time off to focus on her family. she devoted almost 10 years to raising five children. patricia never lost the itch to practice law. while her husband watched the kids at home, she would hit the library on weekends. at the age of 40, she went back to the court to show the young kids a thing or two. the first female judge on the d c circuit, patricia was a top candidate for attorney general after leaving the bench. her idea of retirement was to go to the hague to preside over the trial of war criminals. it is not worth celebrating anymore. today, we celebrate her. along with gloria, she sows --

shows there are all kinds of paths listening to your voice. we salute communicators who shine the light on stories no one else is telling. a veteran of world war ii and more than a dozen pacific brought the bradlee same intensity and dedication to journalism. since joining "the washington post," he transformed that newspaper into one of the finest in the world. postbeen in charge, the published the pentagon papers revealing the true history of america's involvement in vietnam, exposed watergate, unleashed a new era of investigative journalism, holding america's leaders accountable and reminding us that our freedom as a nation rests on our freedom of the press. moynahan forred, the admiration of many into a poem. his reign has ceased but his nation stands with strength increased.

to ben, he cand pull off those shirts and i can't. [laughter] he always looks so cool in them. [laughter] early in oprah winfrey's career, her bosses told her she should change her name to suzy. [laughter] to say i pause here got the same advice. [laughter] they didn't say i should be named suzy, but they suggested i should change my name. people can relate to suzy. that is what they said. surprisingly, that people can relate to oprah just fine. than 4500 episodes of her show, her message was always, you can.

, youan do and you can be can grow and it can be better. she is living proof, rising from a childhood of poverty and abuse to the pentacle of the entertainment universe. even with 40 emmys, the distinction of being the first black female billionaire, oprah's greatest strength has also been her ability to help us discover the best in ourselves. michelle and i count ourselves among her many devoted fans and friends. as one of those fans were, i didn't know i had a light in me until oprah told me it was there. what a great gift. finally, we salute public service. was a humble man and he didn't wear his mettle very often. he liked to wear a pin representing the good conduct medal he earned as a teenage private. to behave yourself take special

effort, he said. i did not want to dishonor my family. familylways honored his and his country, even when his country didn't always honor him. after being classified as an enemy alien, danny joined the japanese-american unit that became one of the most decorated in world war ii. he is the second longest-serving senator in american history. he showed a generation of young people including one kid with a funny name growing up in hawaii who noticed the was somebody during those hearings in washington that didn't look like everybody else, which meant maybe i had a chance to do something important too. he taught all of us that no matter what you look like or were you come from, this country has a place for everybody who is willing to serve. lugar hasoosier, served america for more than half a century, young navy

lieutenant to a respected leader in the united states senate. i will always be thankful for him to taking me under his wing, including travels together to review some of his visionary work, the destruction of cold war arsenals in the former soviet union, something that doesn't get a lot of public notice but would absolute -- was absolutely critical in making us safer after the cold war. you getg with dick, close to unexploded landmines, mortar shells, test tubes so with anthrax and the plague. [laughter] though, is the thousands of missiles and bombers, submarines and warheads that no longer threaten us because of his extraordinary work. our nation and our world are safer because of this statement. in a time of unrelenting partisanship, dick lugar's

decency is a model of what public service ought to be. , we honornever least a leader who we still remember with such extraordinary fondness -- he still remembers as a child , waving goodbye to his mom, tears in her eyes as she went off to nursing school so she could provide for her family. i think lifting up families like his own became the story of bill clinton's life. he remembered what his mom had .o do on behalf of him he wanted to make sure that he made life better and easier for so many people all across the country that were struggling in those same ways and have the same hopes and dreams. as a governor, he transformed education so more kids could

pursue those dreams. as president, he proved that with the right choices he could grow the economy, lift people out of poverty, shrink our deficit, invest in our families, health, schools, science, in other words, we can go further when we look out for each other. as we have all seen, as president, he was just getting started. he doesn't stop. he has helped lead relief efforts after the asian tsunami. tirricane katrina, the hai earthquake. his initiative has helped improve the lives of hundreds of millions of people. of course i am most grateful for ce during the endless travels of my secretary of state. [laughter] grateful to bill for the advice and counsel you offered

me on and off the golf course. importantly, for your life- saving work around the world which represents the very best in america. thank you so much, president clinton. [applause] these are the recipients of that when the 13 presidential medal of freedom. these are the men and women who in their extraordinary lives remind us all of the beauty of the human spirit, the values that define us as americans, the potential that lives inside all of us. i could not be more happy and more honored to participate in this ceremony here today. with that, what i would like to invite our honorees to

just sit there and let all of us stand and give you a big round of applause. [applause] [applause] hey! hey! right, i guess we should

actually give them the metals. [laughter] where are my -- your ego. -- here we go. >> presidential medal of freedom recipients. .rnie banks [laughter] [applause] with an unmatched enthusiasm for america's pastime, ernie banks slug, sprinted and smiled his way into the record books. and the fans as mr. cub, he played an extraordinary 19 seasons with the chicago cubs touring which he was named to 11 all-star games, hit over 500 home runs and won back to back most valuable player honors. ernie banks was elected to the baseball hall of fame in 1977 and he will forever be known as

one of the finest power hitters and most dynamic players of all- time. [applause] [laughter] [applause] benjamin bradlee. [applause] a titan of journalism, benjamin is one of the most respected newsman of his generation.

after serving our nation in world war ii, ben bradlee went on to defend liberty here at home. testing the limits of a free press during his tenure as executive editor of "the washington post," he oversaw coverage of the watergate scandal and successfully challenged the federal government over the right to publish the pentagon papers. his passion for accuracy and unyielding pursuit of truth continue to set the standard for journalism. [applause] [applause] the honorable william j clinton.

[applause] among the finest public servants of our time, president william j clinton argued cases for the people of arkansas, served his state in the governor's mansion and guided our nation into a new century. as the 42nd president of the united states, bill clinton oversaw an era of challenge and change, prosperity and progress. his work after leaving public office continues to reflect his passionate unending commitment to improving the lives and livelihoods of people around the world, and responding to needs both at home and abroad and as founder of the clinton foundation. he has shown that through kuwait , we- creative cooperation can solve even the most intractable problems. [applause]

irene hirano inouye accepting on behalf of her husband, the honorable daniel k inouye. [applause] a true patriot and dedicated public servant, daniel k inouye understood the power of leaders when united in common purpose to protect and promote the tenants we cherish as americans. as a member of the revered 442nd regimental combat team, daniel inouye helped for europe from the grasp of tyranny during

world war ii for which he received the medal of honor. representing the people of hawaii from the moment the island joined the union, he never lost sight of the ideals that bind us across the 50 states. senator inouye's reason and resolve helped make our country what it is today. or that, we honor him. [applause] dr. daniel kahneman. [applause] daniel kahneman's groundbreaking work earned him a nobel prize in economic sciences for his .esearch developing after escaping from not the occupied france as a young boy

and later joining the israel defense forces, dr. kahneman grew interested in understanding the origins of people's beliefs, combining psychology and economic analysis and working gursky, dr.. kahneman used simple experiments to demonstrate how people make decisions under uncertainty circumstances. each forever -- he forever changed the way to weave your human judgment. [applause] the honorable richard g lugar. [applause] state ofing the indiana for over three decades, r put countrya

above party himself to forge bipartisan consensus throughout his time in the senate. he offered a effective solutions to our national and international problems, advocating for the control of nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction, working with senator sam nunn, he under -- established the nunn-lugar program, one of our most successful national security initiatives helping to engage leadership after decades of conversation. he remains a strong voice on foreign-policy issues and his informed perspective will have broad influence for years to come. [applause]

loretta lynn. [applause] born a coal miner's daughter, loretta lynn has followed a bold path to become a legend in country music. a singer, songwriter and author, she has written dozens of chart topping songs, released scores of albums and won numerous accolades. breaking records, she opened doors for women not only by winning tremendous achievements, but also by raising issues few dared to discuss, fearlessly telling her own stories with candor and humor. loretta lynn has brought a strong female voice to mainstream music, captured the emotions of women and men i like and revealed the common truths about life. [applause]

dr. mario molina. [applause] the curiosity and creativity that inspired mario molina to convert his family's bathroom into a laboratory as a child has driven him from decades of scientific research. born in mexico, dr. melina's passion for chemistry brought him to the united states where his investigations of fluorocarbon's lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of how they deplete the ozone layer. the impact of his discoveries

extends far beyond his field affecting environmental policy and fostering international awareness as well as earning him the 1995 nobel prize in chemistry. remains a molina global leader, continuing to study our quality, climate change and the environment that connects us all. [applause] tam accepting on behalf of her life partner, dr. sally k ride. 30 years ago, dr. sally k ride soared into space as the

youngest american and first woman to wear the stars and stripes above earth's atmosphere . as an astronaut, she sought to keep america at the forefront of space exploration. as a role model, she fought tirelessly to inspire young people, especially girls, to become scientifically literate and pursue careers in science, technology and engineering and math. at the end of her life, she became an inspiration for those meddling pancreatic cancer and for the lesbian/gay/bisexual and transgender community. the tale of a quiet hero, sally ride's story demonstrates that the sky is no limit for those who dream of reaching for the stars. [applause] walter nagel accepting on behalf

ustin. partner, bayard r [applause] rustin was a giant in the american civil rights movement, openly gay at a time when many had to hide who they loved. his unwavering belief that we are all equal members of a single human family took him from his first freedom ride to the lesbian/gay/bisexual and transgender rights movement. thanks to his unparalleled skills as an organizer, progress that once seemed impossible appears in retrospect to have been inevitable. 50 years after the march on washington, he organized, rustin asnors bayard one of the greatest architects for social change and a fearless advocate for the most vulnerable citizens.

[applause] arturo sandoval. [applause] arturo sandoval is one of the world's finest jazz musicians. or into poverty in cuba, held back by his government, he risked everything to share his gift with the world. eventually, defecting with help from dizzy gillespie, his mentor and friend. in the decades since, this astonishing trumpeter, pianist and composer has inspired audiences in every corner of the world and awakened a new generation of great performers. he remains one of the best ever to play. [applause]

linnea smith accepting on behalf of her husband, dean e smith. [applause] dean e smith spent 36 seasons taking college basketball to new heights. as head coach at the university of north carolina at chapel hill, he led his team to 11 final fours, two national titles and 879 victories, retiring as the winningest men's college basketball coach in history. dean smith brought the same commitment to supporting his

players off the court. he helped more than 96% of his lettermen graduate and in an era of deep division, he taught players to overcome bigotry with courage and compassion. he will forever stand as one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history. [applause] gloria steinem. [applause] a trailblazing writer and feminist organizer, gloria steinem has been at the forefront of the fight for equality and social justice for more than four decades. instrumental to a broad range of initiatives and issues from

establishing ms. magazine and take our daughters to work day, to pushing for women's self empowerment and eigh end -- ab end to women's sexual trafficking. she has shaped the base on the intersection of sex and race, brought critical problems to national attention and forged new opportunities for women in media. gloria steinem continues to move us all to take up the calls of reaching for a more just tomorrow. [applause] reverend c.t. vivian.

[applause] equipped only with courage and an overwhelming commitment to social justice, the reverend c.t. vivian was a stalwart activist on the march toward racial equality. whether at a lunch counter on a freedom ride or behind the bars of a prison cell, he was unafraid to take bold action in the face of fierce resistance. by pushing change through nonviolent demonstration, c.t. vivian established and led numerous organizations to support individuals and communities. his legacy of combating injustice will shine as an example for generations to come. [applause]

patricia wald. [applause] patricia wald made history as the first woman appointed to the united states court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit, rising to chief judge of the court. she always strove to better understand the law and fairly apply it. after leaving federal service, judge wald helped institute standards for justice and the rule of law at the international criminal tribunal. judge, she model laid a foundation for countless

women within the legal profession and helped unveil the humanity within the law. [applause] opera g winfrey. [applause] oprah winfrey is a global media icon. when she launched the oprah winfrey show in 1986, there were few women and even fewer women of color with a national platform to discuss the issues and events shaping our time. over the 25 years that followed,

oprah winfrey's innateness for tapping into our most fervent hopes and deepest fears drew millions of viewers across every background, making her show the highest rated talk show in television history. oprah winfrey has used her influence to support underserved communities and lift up the lives of young people, especially young women around the world. in her story, we are reminded that no dream can be deferred when we refuse to let life's obstacles keep us down. [applause] >> the medal of freedom on

arrays, please. please.ees, [applause] all right, that concludes the formal part of today's cymer money -- ceremony. i want to thank all of you for being here. obviously, we are deeply indebted to those who we honor here today. we're going to take some pictures with them and their family members. the rest of you, i understand

the food here is pretty good. [laughter] so i hope you enjoy the reception and i hope we carry away from this a reminder of understood to be the essence of the american spirit, that it is represented here and that some of us may be less talented, but we all had the opportunity to serve and open people's hearts and minds in our smaller orbits. i hope everybody has been inpired as i have been participating and being with these people here today. thank you very much, everybody. [applause] ♪

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> later in the day, president obama laid a wreath at john f. kennedy's grave in arlington national cemetery. he was accompanied by first lady michelle obama and former president bill clinton and hillary clinton. the 50th anniversary of jfk's assassination is friday.

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