that is when michelle obama could come and be with us for the first ladies conference and also when president bush and president obama laid the wreath together. >> do you feel a sorority with the other first ladies? >> absolutely. we talk about how our girls are doing. and what you have worked on. also, when i am with hillary clinton or any of the other first ladies. >> you mentioned meeting michelle obama. what is the first lady initiative? >> our chance to work with first ladies around the world to talk about the way first ladies can use their platforms worldwide. we have had for a number of years and the united states, you all know this, very active and involved first ladies who support their husbands and their policies they are working on.

also, in many cases, they have their own initiatives. oftentimes to help women and children. and what we want the first ladies from around the world to know is that they can also do that. there is a role for first ladies to have. to talk about especially women's issues and especially issues that have to do with children. we started this first ladies initiative and we began with first ladies from africa with a conference we hosted. then we invited all of the african first ladies to a luncheon in new york when they were all there with their husbands for the united nations general assembly. many came, more came for that luncheon. we just talked about two programs after that luncheon was just to have a festive and

friendly luncheon, but we had wendy who founded teach for america. she talked about teach for all of which is her international program. and then we had our daughter, barbara, talk about her nonprofit, global health court. -- health core. she got the idea from teach for america. she recruits young graduates to work in the health field. she partners with safe and secure and stable health organizations in africa and the united states. they write a job description and she recruits young americans who partner with the young people from other parts of the world. she has two young architects in rwanda who are deisgning a

ventilation system. not just young health workers, but also young people who can set up the technology or a clinic. young people who can help health organizations build capacity. we had this fun a luncheon. even one president came. she did not have a first lady to send so she joined us. that was a thrill for me. i've been able to go to her inauguration in liberia when she was nominated. >> the series is called "first ladies: image and influence," and what did you think your legacy was? >> the things i know will last and will last for a long time to things like the national book festival which was this last month in washington. the texas book festival which is this weekend in austin. those are both great and i hope

they will continue long after i am gone to entertain people and introduce people to their favorite authors and introduce people to love reading. and so i think that will stay for a long time. and no child left behind, strong bipartisan support. i hope the principles of accountability and responsibility we have to every student in the united states both to our own children but to all children. i hope those will last. i hope, kind of strength and compassion i was able to bring after september 11 will be

something that other people will both want to emulate and also convert people for a long time. -- comfort people for a long time. >> laura bush. thank you for your time. >> thank you. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> later, another washington, d.c. tradition. the national prayer breakfast with president obama. >> kentucky senator rand paul is our guest this weekend on "newsmakers." we talk to him about the at ceiling, sanctions on iran, and the 2016 presidential race.

>> the democrats can say, we are the great defenders of women's rights in the work lace and we will defend you against some sort of abusive loss that uses their position of authority to take advantage of a young woman when the leader of their party, the leading fundraiser in the country, is bill clinton, who was a perpetrator of that kind of sexual harassment. they cannot have it both ways. whoally think that anyone wants to take money from bill clinton or have a fundraiser has a lot of explaining to do. i think they should give the money back. if they want to take a position on women's rights, by all means, and do. you can do it and take it from a guy who is using his his edition of authority to take advantage of young women in the workplace. he paid an $800,000 fine for sexual harassment.

you can watch our interview with rand paul this sunday at 10:00 a.m. and again at 6:00 p.m. eastern right here on c-span. >> the washington press club hosted the 70th annual congressional dinner in washington dc. they were highlighting the lighter side of capitol hill. pelosi, included nancy jonathan there and, donna senator,and arizona jeff flake. it started with the awards, including the lifetime achievement for nbc news radio correspondent ann compton. this is one hour. [applause] >> thank you, david.

thank you so much to my friends at the washington press club foundation for the honor of being here tonight. i want to get right into the presentation of awards, starting with the david lynch award for regional reporting. this is an award recognizing a reporter who provides coverage from a regional perspective, making sure that what happens in washington gets translated into the way real people speak. david lynch covered washington within apposite is on congress for the buffalo news. daily newspapers and new england, alaska, and south carolina. later he ran a one-man bureau with newspaper clients and i was and alaska. his wife is here tonight. if you would give her a round of applause as she stands. [applause]

she created this award and her husband's name when he passed away in 1988, and continues her great commitment to her husband's memory and his passion for regional reporting. ofore we announce the winner the david lynch award, i would like to recognize two honorable mentions. a reporter from the las vegas sun. brown of " newsday." judges loved tom's work. they said atop them a lot of new things. andwork was well written covered a wide variety of stories. the judges were impressed by the ability to make the story about a bird compelling and the judicial process seem relevant. congratulations to you both.

[applause] davidnner of this year's is deirdre. i should tell you this is her third time winning this award. .retty amazing her ability to explain how decisions made in washington affect local people caught attention yet again. they said that her work exemplifies the award and that she found great angles for local stories. congratulations to deirdre. [applause] congratulations again. >> thank you so much.

thank you. great. thank you very much. >> next i would like to recognize someone who is very dear to the white house press gals and particularly the in the press corps. and compton is a national correspondent for nbc news radio. [applause] she is this year's recipient of the washington press club foundation's lifetime achievement award. this is for outstanding a, transit or wrote journalism as a profession and also for enhancing the role of women journalists. on 9/11 she was the only broadcast reporter allowed to remain on air force one when president bush was unable to return to washington.

she became the first woman assigned to cover the white i ae on a full-time basis network television news organization. she was, at the time, one of the youngest to receive that assignment. she had a soft spot for newbies. and for her sister's in journalism. if you don't have the quote you need for your story, she will mail you her digital file. you had a tough briefing, maybe it stung a little? she finds it afterward and bucks you up. long days. grueling travel. they are no match for her enthusiasm, optimism, and dedication to covering the white house. she is truly a trailblazer. whilee did it all go raising four children, two of whom are here, along with her husband. if you would, turn your

attention to our video screen. [applause] >> it is red. age, she wasrly comfortable in front of a camera. today she has spent four decades there, most of it at the mountaintop, the white house. firsts.had a career of >> a bill of an unusual type -- >> hired after an internship in roanoke, she was their first a female reporter and opened the richmond bureau. ford, for example, -- 70's nbc stover

away -- stole her away. she has been a floor reporter at the national convention. >> let's change the pace a little bit, mr. vice president. >> served as a panelist on two presidential debates. served on presidential campaigns and through seven presidents. >> you sound surprised? >> i am surprised. >> she had a first row seat to history. >> we have i'm compton on the scene -- and compton on the scene. be a florida to plane. >> she is on the phone from nebraska. can you hear me? >> yes, peter, i can.

>> what are you doing in nebraska? >> we did not know where we were until we landed. president bush is here at the home of strategic command. >> she was their only broadcast reporter. >> we knew that one of the most trusted journalists were on air force one. on that reporting to keep america safe. like?t was it what are you talk for a spell? >> i think the striking thing about today is -- >> and is most proud of what she has done off-camera. she mentored young women. and she raised four children. >> she has proven that you can be incredibly successful at your job and be an incredible mother. mr. president, i'd take up of

the tax returns are -- >> she is at the front row there in the white house. she is question so many presidents and press secretaries. she has earned the respect and trust of so many people. she is always the first one there and the last one to leave. she is one of the hardest working journalists i know. her body of work speaks for itself. >> saddam hussein has not turn over weapons documents. >> she is a remarkable woman. >> with the president in china. [applause]

ann compton. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. are reporterso carry a swiss army knife with our tools and it, things like curiosity, credibility, courage, and way too much self-confidence. i have got to tell you what strikes me tonight is the honor to stand here with so many of a generation of women who had the and the luck of good timing. i came along at a time when the

gates really open, the society open to moving into the mainstream. to sit here with so many speakers and members of congress, and women journalists, i am part of that generation that really served. i'm incredibly grateful for that. i'm also grateful that i worked with and for some incredible women. that includes the white house bureau chief. she was a wonderful boss. [applause] what all of us tonight need to do, all of us here need to reach that hand down to the next generation who are coming into a world of journalism that is a lot different than we knew. forward.o bring them you so much for this impressive honor. [applause]

>> our next speaker once took off her shoes to tell jokes at this dinner. i really hope she does it again. she wears very nice shoes, and i could use another pair. house minority leader, nancy pelosi. [applause] this is a wonderful might of so many happy memories. let's collect some for this evening. say thatjust want to you do not have to check any of my fax tonight. i bring greetings from the congress of the united states on this very special occasion. there is so much to be proud of . thank you for the warmness of opening up the program. rihanna graduated five bedded

kappa atphi beta berkeley. places where my conservative credentials are recognized. if you see rihanna keller and her colleagues on the move you know one thing for sure, justin bieber is on the move. thank you to ann and nbc broadcasting. she is the recipient of the lifetime achievement award. ann may beprice for that she convinced jay carney to shave his beard. one of the many people congratulating ann is her husband, bill, a position.

we are glad to hear that under obamacare, she can keep the doctor that she has. [laughter] congratulations, deidre, on the lynch award. i understand that they are working on a new paper for people who are not staying in hotels. it is always a pleasure to share friend, with my good steny hoyer of maryland. are happy to be here with cathy mcmorris rodgers. we are so proud of her. she is here to offer rebuttal to my remarks.

enter rand paul and the others. i'm so glad that we are joined by senator thune. he is an avid runner. so much so that he is been called the fastest man in congress. i am not sure that as a compliment, but nonetheless -- [laughter] i don't know what the competition is there. isnow that's up to go to famous for being the home to mount rushmore. but just because you are stonefaced at the state of the union address to not mean you're going up there. one of tonight's else speakers , congresswomannd donna edwards of maryland. we are so proud of her. some of you may remember that

donna was photographed in a speaker boehner at the congressional woman's softball game. but the real news was at the speaker was at the baseball game anduse, as you know, everybody knows, there is no crying in baseball. let's hear it for the women's softball game. don't we love that? after donna concludes her remarks, we will hear from one of our former house colleagues. we are so proud of jeff flake. he has a large amount of family members here today. welcome to washington. they did not applaud, jeff.

he is from a family of 11 children. imagine. is that not beautiful? arizonaom snowflake, which actually sees very little snow. that is why it is like the republican health care plan, with very little health care. some of you may know that jeff once spent a week alone on a desert island talking to nobody, doing nothing. it was perfect preparation for a republican in the united states senate. week the american people heard president obama deliver the state of the union address. it was powerful. it was moving. it was inspiring. after listening to the president's beach though, it sounded as if it changed the chief"om " hail to the

to " with or without you." any bono fans here? i house divided will not stand. in fact, it will not even clap. one thing i miss about being speaker is getting to sit next to vice president joe biden for one hour without him saying one word. [laughter] just kidding. just getting. there is been a lot of talk about the republican party strategy to oppose the president. in fact, the speaker said that the house will be a brick wall if obama tries to act unilaterally. that is an odd leadership strategy, bomb fairly putting himself between barack and a hard place. laughter]

i am having a good time. h too't want you to laug much because it will come out of my time. the speaker said that some of the members are not as sensitive as they ought to be, especially when they're talking to women. if the speakers looking for sensitive men, i could introduce them to some of my constituents in san francisco. [ mixed laughter] speaking of san francisco, i had high hopes that the 49ers would win the championship game. i really did. when they lost to the seahawks, i lost my bet to my colleagues from washington state. bread.n sourdough

the folks at msnbc thought only barack obama could multiply the lows the fishes. [mixed laughter] all of us believe in strong and thriving free press. it was originally the women's national press club. now they have a male president of the club. is that great? congratulations. [laughter] now seriously. i've always maintained that of all the freedoms and the first amendment, the freedom of the press is the most important safeguard of our democracy.

i think all of you for the role that you play in that. i congratulate and thank the washington press club foundation, which was originally , as i said, called the national press club, for your work, leadership, and advocacy, on behalf of reporters from the nation's capitol and across the nation as guardians of our democracy. thank you. and good night. [applause] next, another lawmaker who heels, senatorh john then. -- thune. >> by the way, nancy, being the fastest manning congress, johnson a new once told me is like being the best surfer in kansas.

it is a nice title to have, but it doesn't mean a whole lot. off and on here since i was first elected in 1997. lightwere john boehner's orange years. [laughter] it has been a busy day for us because, in the senate, where lott does not happen, we were on retreat today. both republicans and democrats had their respective retreats. i am told the democrats broke out into an argument over who had to have the president, and campaign for them in their state. i was told that one of them drew the short straw. houseat he told the white that they had a village in northern alaska where he really ,eeded to spike the turnout that the president could come

and visit. and it was somewhere from which you could see russia. [laughter] i am excited to hear from jeff flake. theas my colleague in united states senate. i served with him in the house of representatives. i did not know he was funny. [laughter] most, he was one of the actually the most beautiful person in washington, according to the list. scott brown left congress, the united states senate lost its hunk. fortunately, it just is stepping into that role. that is a good thing. schumer was feeling really pressured. [laughter] let me get off the stage by .aying, thank you to all of you

congratulations to all of you who received awards. especially congratulations to ann for the lifetime achievement award. what a wonderful career. much -- i knowo it is not often that politicians get up and celebrate the press, but you really do have an important job to do. you are the reason why the freedom of the president and the first amendment. it helps keep us and the leaders accountable. it makes for a strong democracy. thank you for what you do. congratulations. let's have a great evening. thank you. [applause] we are getting now, in a few minutes, the main source of our entertainment. first of this is the the dinners we will go to in the washington dinner season, special because it was founded

have ane that women equal place in the newsroom, but also because a congressman has wanted to provide security for us this year. that is the first time it has happened. if you see michael, make sure you tell them thank you. seriously, thank you. but do not ask him follow-up questions. i cover the white house. and one of the stories that we have seen was the whitehou se.gov where americans are petitioning for the president to the poor just an bieber. -- did the port justin bieber. deport justin bieber.

"politico" just reported that, so there is no possibility that that is an exaggeration at all. [laughter] have you heard the good news for chris christie? he has been invited to sochi to advise the team. they think that he is so good it going downhill fast. of course, the scandal he has been dealing with have a lot of people wondering if he will run for president in 2016. as chris christie himself is saying, we will close down that bridge when we come to it. [laughter] senator kay hagan is here tonight. we told her that president obama would not be. he wanted to be here. he really did. started to gethe dressed, bill o'reilly

interrupted him. this isn't really a friendly town for the president, president obama, and not a family town for smokers in general. cvs will be-- banning tobacco. there's a group that is pushing for the stopping of e cigarettes in washington dc. if you want to smoke legally in this town, you are just going to have to light a joint. [laughter] we also have cory gardner here from colorado. he is in the audience. run.ust got back from a so sorry about the broncos. it was rough. they started with a safety, interception, and a fumble. or as head coach kathleen sebelius said, i thought they did great.

[laughter] and did you see the red hot chili peppers play the halftime , or play, i guess we should say, because we are learning today that they were pretending to play their guitars? apparently, it is big news when guys fake it. [laughter] conclusion. oh wait, i wasn't supposed to say that. fact, i would like you to please welcome congresswoman donna edwards. she will take up members of her own party to prevent them from getting on base. she entered congress by defeating a democratic incumbent that she once worked for, so imagine what she will do if you do not laugh at her jokes. [applause]

>> i think we are waiting for video. on " scandal." .> it is a secure line i wish you just be honest with me. >> i don't know how many other ways i can tell you this. i am not having an affair, not with anyone else. why do you keep calling me? >> so i should just back off. back off with who? my relationship with him is professional. even if i wanted to, there are not enough hours in the day to do my job, spend time with you, and keep up with majoring in, and you think i have time for another affair? [laughter] fitz, i have never given you a reason not to trust me. [laughter]

>> did you see it? >> it is not even mean. your paranoia is eating you alive. [phone rings] i need to take this. unit to get a grip on it. -- you need to get a grip on it. have a good night. we have been found out. there is a picture. that shortly did not pull anyone. we need to call me to do damage control. stop sighing. it is such a turn off. [laughter] [applause] >> thank you so much.

as you can tell, it is great to be here with you this evening. "u can see that i am a huge scandal" fan. i have the sultry voice this evening just for that. i don't get a lot of free time. i have been preparing for season three. it is so much fun to watch them though you and i both know that it is completely unrealistic. the fact is if you want to do a realistic view of washington these days, all you need are two props. you need a keyboard. and you need a champ who can ghazi,nghazi, and benghazi over and over and over again. if you don't believe me, ask hillary? i'm glad to see all of my colleagues from the house this evening? . i'm surprised to see so many of my friends on the other side of the aisle.

i did not realize that you guys had time to finish up the rebuttals from the state of the union to get prepared for this. kathy, did you finish yours? we get the privilege of being here with our friends, and our republican friends are here. said jim clyburn back there from the black caucus. i suffered from the progressive caucus. wanted to give a very special shout out this evening. help me, y'all. i want to give a shout out to nancy pelosi and all of my sisters. holla. i really thought i saw jeff. is he here this evening? sugar, if you are out

there, i will meet up after party. drinks, and i the don't want any pill packs. in congress, we try to put our differences aside for one night. we like to get dressed up and have a little fun. all of you all are dressed up. do you see my dress? take a look at it. thing ireally special got it at a maureen mcdonnell clothing swap. got my j.c. penney and i got her oscar deller and the. it looks good on me don't you think? i realized that bernie williams went out wandering the streets handing out rolex watches and designer evening gowns. he was really trying to satisfy

the neediest people in northern virginia. bet mitt romney 10,000 dollars on that particular deal. all seriousness, i want to get to the bottom of this. i am sure we will get to the bottom of the virginia scandal. i know that i saw chairman ice out there, because i think he is going to call a hearing in just about a day or two. congress is broken. i know it is pretty funny. i'm having fun. congress is broken. do you all agree with that? it is a little bit broken. it needs to be fixed. have you see the numbers? i'm not talking another democrat members. i am talking about the republican numbers. you are at nine percent. had not been legalized in

two states, you guys would be at zero right now. jeff knows this, because we've been really good friends, we have to put our differences aside. we have become together. we then all of the shenanigans. jeff, did you have a problem with that word " shenanigans" in a spelling bee. ? got it now? yeah. well, we do have to put our differences aside. when they asked me to do this, i thought, well, i was a little bit nervous. and i was uncomfortable. and then i found out that it was against this guy, and i thought, if i can't improve my odds against a guy named flake.

f-l-a-k-e. did you guys see that spelling bee? bee whenon a spelling i was in fifth grade. you are just really bad, aren't you? i really like jeff flake. he was a little worried we had this video. we traveled together to cuba. ofknows that i have pictures him. jeff likes to show himself from the waist up and water. jeff, i did not use those pictures this evening because we're like family. we are colleagues. just like family, we get a little tired of each other. isn't that right, senator? we get a little tired of each other. it doesn't matter. there are times when we find time to work together. , i mean i say together

in a commercial kind of way. laughter] right about midnight we do the negotiation dance. then we flirt with compromise. suddenly the entire room gets all fuzzy and it morphs into this creepy carnival kind of thing. and then, just when we are going is deal, we endl up in separate bathtubs. jeff knows. i mean, i'm just talking about budgets. but we are family. and like family, we like to make a little time for fun. i decided recently,

in the spirit of bipartisanship that i was going to travel to egypt with the conference. it included michele bachmann. and steve king. and my invisible friend, steak stop in -- steve. being on a reality show called the muslim big brotherhood. trust me, i was there. big brother" they created this really weird confession room video for the people of egypt. have you all seen this? i mean, it was crazy. and then i thought, well, was a really crazy?

or was it a covert operation to make us think the entire region was stable? to travel withun these folks because you learn a lot about people when you are away with them. the road trip really was a blast. egyptamily trips go, the adventure went on a little too long. that is my fault. if i had done even a little bit of research, i would have found that if you spend more than five days with members of the tea party caucus, pretty soon you develop the condition. stockmanown as syndrome. have you heard of it? you can find it on webmd. syndrome, after you with steveal days

stockman. jeff, there is nothing wrong with that. those are your people. but it was really bad for me. jeff and i have been fighting. we have been fighting really hard because when i developed stockman syndrome i wanted to do something about it. you guys are always complaining that we don't work across the aisle. we wanted to make sure that we would fight very hard for stockman syndrome to be covered under obamacare. we wanted to make sure that every single american, that every american has access to free birth control. take that in.

[mixed laughter] work with a just a little bit. on the same trip, and this was the longest trip in my entire life that i have ever taken, that tells you how clueless i was to take this trip. they thought it was foolish to take this trip. there i was with michele bachmann. i discovered that we had something in common. decided that we are both really big fans of " downton abbey." michelle loves it so much that she sent me a family portrait she had made over christmas. take it in. these are the people i was with. it is a little odd.

i did not really want to tell my girlfriend, michelle, and i'm looking at her there with that thing that she has on -- i didn't want to tell her that in this economy flaunting your wealth like that is a little bit tone deaf. but it is true that the kitchen " downton abbey" make more than most people do. she is showing it all off in this portrait she said to me. when i came here this evening, and i wasn't certain i wanted to be here with this voice i have going on, the one of the things that is really true about you, and i so much value the foundation, is that we are here because of you, because of the role that you play in keeping us honest. i truly have come to value your truth seeking, your astute lyrical analysis, your amazing courage and your threatened by

members of congress with dismemberment. i wanted to make a commitment to you. i notice the kind of promised that jeff is going to make, as well. that is that i will never answer all of your questions ever. pitch you will never over a balcony either. all of you very much for inviting me this evening. it has been a lot of fun. it has been really challenging. [applause] those are my friends clapping. so mucho say thank you to the entire washington press club foundation for all that you do to elevate women and minorities and offer outstanding opportunities. it really speaks to the diversity of our great country.

i want to thank you for including me. i want to thank you jeff flake for being a special republican friend. you really are. thank you to the team at revolution messaging. i could not have done this without them. thank you very much. [applause] as you already know, our next speaker went on another survivor trip on a deserted island this past year. it proves that, even members of congress, will take extraordinary members to get away from members of congress. ladies and gentlemen, the senator. >> thank you. good to be here. great show. what a great event. ann, congratulations for this

great award. it is wonderful to be here. that rand paul was butg to give her a bottle, then the organizers remember that most of you have access to wikipedia. i bet it encouraging that last jason from utah, which tells me that i might have found an audience who appreciates good mormon humor. i thought mitt romney might've killed your taste for it. are known for our tireless outreach efforts. that is kind of how i view tonight. best of all, i am already inside. there is no door you can slam while i say, if i could just have a minute of your time.

[laughter] it is nice to share this experience. it is comforting to see nancy pelosi here. when i was getting nervous, i went to nancy and said, what can i do? like wisdom of hers she said, embrace the foc lock. speaking of donna edwards -- no. no. that was not -- no. i just hope that donna does not have higher political divisions as we all know that donna was a community organizer. and we all know that that background does not lead anywhere.

what you may not know is that donna used to work for nasa. she wants proposed that we establish a national park on the moon. true story. i have to tell you that is a big mistake. during the next government just one more is part the republicans will get blamed for closing. i don't want to be part of it. i was a word about not being funny that i sent a note to a friend asking how i could be the only speaker tonight. create a traffic jam so that done i cannot get there. keep it real. --chris christie. new yorkt see the " headline now, if this was

obama, brilliant plan. i have no illusions that i am a big washington a lister, or any choice.first but if you view can look forward next month and to the correspondents dinner after that. for some of us prom season ends here tonight. this is all we have got. [laughter] speaking of the gridiron dinner, ted cruz is headlining that affair. i just hope the organizers have secured that room for 21 hours. i wish ted well. with the filibuster references to dr. susan star wars, i cannot help but wonder if he has not used up all his comedic material. just to tell you little bit about myself, i was born in a

town of snowflake, arizona. i know you're thinking. does it even snow there? occasionally. the name was taken for my ancestors who founded the town. talk about a sheltered childhood. i grew up not knowing that flake was a term of disparagement. nobody made fun of us there. it was a safe haven for flakes. true story. ella onceroduced to a f who knew somebody from snowflake. i said, was this guy a flake? he said, no, he seemed normal to me. it has been downhill from there. my campaign slogan was, another flake for congress. sandra decided not to run for congress. i'm a bit upset.

i was wanted there to be a fluk e/flake bill. i've stand from coffee, tea, tobacco, and gambling. that is my family out there, i think. the sober ones. [laughter] senator onceow that i was going to celebrate my birthday. he said, how? [laughter] my wife, who is here, my only --e [applause] i have five children. among mormons that can be summed up in three words. " a good start."

mormon families are so big that counting them is called a census. there are political parts of coming from a large mormon family. you've all heard the polls that said that popularity of members of congress is down to blood relatives. kids, 10 siblings, and 69 first cousins, i am going to ride that popularity wave for all that i can. let me tell you, growing up in northern arizona was not all fun and games. i grew up on a ranch. early on, i lost the end of my index finger. democrats of been trying to help out. they have been giving me the finger for years. it is just the wrong one. prior to my election in the house, i ran the goldwater institute in arizona. our mission was to call republicans back, if only they will listen to ideas that once

commanded majorities in seven of the 50 states. we did it once, and we can do it again. [laughter] frankly, i like my democratic colleagues. and i find a lot to admire in president obama. man with a vision to see things that others simply cannot, the evidence of economic , the benefits of losing 2.3 million jobs. the humility of john kerry. biden.ius of joe here, in the senate, as you know, they lower the bar for just about everything. lotddenly feel a heck of a younger. i notice my hair looks fuller. i've gone from being a mediocre athlete to an all-star. my jokes are a lot funnier.

i am kind of testing the premise tonight. but part of this was mentioned by senator thune. it was the most beautiful people. finestism had its empirical focus. pulitzer stuff. senator thune hit it just right. i know what my dominance means. scott brown has left town. the republican congress is equally deserving. terms were noted in special categories. aszabeth moran was singled capitol hill's most read taking cherokee indian. [laughter] we are all thinking mitch mcconnell for keeping the washington beauty quotient

exactly where it is. and for scaring people out of the senate race. thank you, mitch. good luck. the washington scene. who is up? who is down? it is also shallow, anyway. that is why, as you heard, when i was a member of the house, i set out on a lonely odyssey that you may have heard about. four week i lived in the marshall islands. coral, sand, and jungle, completely under -- uninhabited. even a court has not been able to register any democrats there. let me just reiterate. this was not a metaphorical hike on the appalachian trail either. i did nottell you, appreciate the " huffington

post" headline. " flake goes on vacation. catches crabs." was a way of escaping the igor be eaten atmosphere. eaten atmosphere. i asked one of the islanders how i could tell if the fish that i plan to spirit he would be poisonous. the answer was not very comforting, but it was eerily familiar. to padded might have to find out what is in it. pass it to find out what is in it. [laughter] like i said, not very comforting. before i return, i made the mistake of releasing a photo. i will not be doing that again.

believe me. each time i do, my twitter feed named up, and some guy carlos danger gets royalties. [laughter] washington, back in the junior senator from arizona, just one step away from my lifelong dream to be senior senator from arizona. there's just one guy left in my way. [laughter] i've been trying to find out how to give him, you know, the gentle push. put the old maverick out to pasture. how do you cut loose a louisiana and? cannon.

john is not one to take can't. i decided to -- hints. i decided to raise the retirement issue directly. i gave him a dose of history talk. it was right between the geriatric -- and the nap room. just to help you get your bearings, that is beyond the counter with the essentials, bslumns soaking -- com soaking, fixadent. i told them, look my friend, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. suddenly, i got the feeling he had heard those words before long ago. something told me to back off a little. i asked senator mccain if he would consider removing his name

from my throat. [laughter] i guess i will have to accept my lot in life. there are, after all, worse things than being a junior senator with a six-year membership in the most exclusive club in the world, where you get to associate with firms like donna edwards, where you get to play even a minor role in the best new government ever somehowhed, one that withstands the daily foibles of the men and the women who serve in it. i appreciate the good work of those assembled here, including those like ann compton who keep this town were honest than it would otherwise be. it is been a pleasure being with all. -- you all. [applause] least a ground for the after

dinner reception sponsored by the hill. and have a good night. [applause]

>> we will look at the key. to talk abouts us global threats to u.s. security. with janet yellen taken her this week as head of the federal

reserve, we will examine the bank's upcoming conditions with the reporter of the wall street journal. your calls, tweets, and facebook comments. everygton journal airs morning at 7 a.m. eastern. the chair of the fed janet yellen is experienced to testify about monetary policy. we will have live coverage on c-span three of her first hearing on tuesday. that starts at 10 a.m. eastern and we will have it live on c-span three. >> if they can stand against us, the garbage of the rona. >> i believe it will go very successfully indeed.

we will wait and see so we can pontificate the facts instead of -- called on polymer entry expenses -- unpar limentary experiences. he made a remark that suggested the opposition was not honest. of expressions -- the lying thing was once instructed by the speaker to withdraw an accusation of lying. instead of accusing whoever was , itelling a lie, he said will call it an

inexactitude. no one could ever find that so it is probably a myth. >> behind-the-scenes look at the british parliament, sunday night at 8:00. shaun donovan says freddie mac and fannie mae must wind down in their current forms and that the government backing of home loans which is currently at 80% is unsustainable. fannie and freddie don't originate loans. secretary donovan spoke at a conference hosted by the national association of hispanic real estate percent taxes. he spoke for about 25 minutes.

>> thank you so much for an incredibly generous introduction. in particular, i want to say thank you for your tribute to ernie. i know i am joined by all of you here. outgoing president juan martinez, all the great contributions he has made. your incoming president, jason madiedo, on his new role. i also want to acknowledge that two great friends, henry cisneros and brian montgomery, are here as well. let's give henry a great round of applause. brian. [applause] all the board of directors and, in particular, gary acosta who has just given remarkable service over so many years. i know all of us join you in remembering the great life and

the great work of ernie reyes. i was deeply saddened to learn of his passing over the weekend and i first want to send my best wishes to his family. i also want to make sure that we not only remember with sadness today his life, but the enormous vision that he brought, the indelible mark that he made on his community and on an entire industry. we were talking with my team over the weekend about him and one of his great sayings i was reminded of was that he said, "ideas are great, but they don't mean a darn thing without some action behind them." in other words, it is one thing to talk about progress, it's

another thing to fight for it. throughout his life, ernie reyes fought for progress. he fought to highlight issues too often overlooked. he fought to expand opportunity for those too often denied it. i am proud to be with you today to say two simple words -- thank you. thank you, ernie, for your work. it will be long remembered. [applause] i pledge, all of us in the administration pledge to continue the fight for fairness and opportunity because our nation is at its best when everyone has a fair shot. president obama once said, "whether our ancestors arrived

on the mayflower, signed in at ellis island, or crossed the rio grande, their diversity has not only enriched our country, it helped build the greatest economic engine the world has ever known." the members of nahrep embody this spirit. in doing so, you have not only strengthened the hispanic community, you have strengthened our entire nation. i thank you for this work, thank ernie for his work, and tell you how much i appreciate the chance to be with you today. let's remember what brings us together is that fundamental value that housing plays in our nation. homes are the foundation of our lives. they are where we raise our families. homes are at the center of healthy and thriving communities. we all know that owning a home is what helps families build wealth, start businesses, put their kids through college, and save for a decent retirement.

that is why we have to ensure our housing market is healthy and provides opportunity to all responsible families. this work has not been easy in recent times. just a few years ago, our nation endured a once-in-a-lifetime crisis that devastated americans across the nation. when president obama took office in 2009, the housing market was literally in freefall. home prices had fallen nearly 20% from the year before -- the largest one-year drop ever measured. both new and existing home sales were near all-time lows. 3 million borrowers were seriously delinquent. i could go on with the statistics, but i don't have to because all of you saw this pain up close. the thing that perhaps more than anything else though that you

saw that the statistics bear out is that from 2005 to 2009, the household wealth of the median hispanic family dropped by two thirds. think about that -- two thirds of hispanic wealth wiped out in just four years before president obama stepped into the oval office. you all know these numbers represent more than just figures on a spreadsheet. they represent people's dreams turning into nightmares. it was clear to the president and to me that when we took office we needed to address this crisis head on, both for the hispanic community and for our nation's future. that is why we have helped about 8 million responsible families modify their mortgages. that is why we have put $7 billion to work helping rebuild foreclosed and abandoned

properties in all 50 states to our neighborhood stabilization program. that is why hud-approved housing counselors have helped 9.5 million families get through these difficult times. as a result of these and other efforts, all of your efforts, the market is healing. from the beginning of 2012 to the third quarter of last year, the number of underwater borrowers fell by nearly half, lifting 5.7 million families above water. during that same time, homeowners have seen $3.4 trillion in home equity restored. existing home sales in 2013 were the strongest they have been in seven years. bottom line -- progress is occurring across the country. you all can be proud of the work you have done to help that progress happen. we also know, all of us here today, there is still so much

work to do. access to credit for responsible families is still too limited. underwater borrowers are still too common. too many families are still struggling. that is why the administration is committed to accelerating the housing market recovery in a number of ways. specifically, we are working to empower families with the tools they need to become homebuyers, ensure that these families can access credit when they are ready to buy and lastly, build a rocksolid housing finance system for the future by getting reform done. let me talk a little bit about the work we are doing to help families strengthen their financial positions. at the heart of this effort is working with the private sector to create more jobs. the good news is that our economy has experienced 46 consecutive months of private sector job growth.

that is over 8 million new jobs. as the president said in his state of the union address, he is determined to build on this progress by making 2014 a year of action. specifically, he put forth a series of concrete proposals to be taken both with and without congress to strengthen the middle class and to build ladders of opportunity for those trying to get into the middle class. he did not waste any time. he announced that he was raising the minimum wage for federal contract workers. he is enhancing training programs to help americans get the skills they need to succeed in the global economy. he is partnering with ceos to put the long-term unemployed back to work. he is pushing for investment in our infrastructure so that people can get jobs rebuilding roads and upgrading ports. he is taking these and other actions to ensure that our

nation is a place, as he said, where honest work is plentiful and communities are supported. where prosperity is widely shared and opportunity is for all. if we do this, then families will be in the position to escape the threat of foreclosure or to buy their first home. i ask you to support the president's agenda in this year of action. i also ask you to make your voices heard about other efforts we are taking to give more families the opportunity to strengthen their financial future. literally just a few thousand dollars can make a huge difference in helping americans get a house they can afford or rent decent affordable housing. that is why the affordable care act is so important to all of us in the housing community. first, americans who already have insurance have the chance to reduce their monthly costs, freeing up resources for housing

or other important needs. second, for those who are uninsured, we all know that a sudden surge in medical costs can lead to families missing payments, losing their homes, going bankrupt. with coverage, they don't have to carry this anxiety. that is why it is great news for nahrep and our entire nation that nine million americans have signed up for private health insurance or medicaid coverage. to keep this momentum going, i ask all of you to help us get those you know, who don't have insurance, covered by march 31. it is good for them, good for our housing market, and it is good for our entire economy. another effort i want to mention that is good for all of us, including our pocketbooks, is immigration reform. [applause]

this is a top priority of the president's, and that is why he is called for action again during his state of the union address. i want to say this is personal to me. as the son of an immigrant who was born and grew up in latin america and south america, english is his second language by the way, we all must be committed to this effort. not only is it the right thing to do, not only is it the right moral course, it makes good business sense as well. creating a new pool of millions of potential homeowners and pumping hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and income and spending into our u.s. economy. let's speak up and stand up to get this done once and for all.

[applause] thank you. all of these efforts i have talked about on immigration reform, health care, on help to grow jobs, all of these will go a long way in helping to prepare more families to buy a home. you also know that is just one part of the equation. the second part is ensuring that when these families are ready to buy that they have access to the credit they need to get that first home. we can all agree that before the crisis, credit was too easy to get. but now, it is too hard to get for too many american families. the federal reserve did a study recently that showed from 2007 to 2012, mortgage lending to borrowers with credit scores

over 780 fell by a third. loans to those with scores between 620 and 680 fell 90%. clearly, action is needed, which is why we've been working in a variety of ways to get credit to those who are ready to own. one way is by simplifying the regulatory environment for lenders. case in point is the qualified residential mortgage rule which we finalized in december. it is the result of six federal agencies, including hud, coming together to make the qualified residential mortgage equal to the qualified mortgage in order to simplify the mortgage origination process. this is a direct result of the feedback we received from all of you and so many others since our first proposal in 2011. by doing this, by aligning these two rules, we are avoiding greater complexity and most

importantly, we are avoiding overly restrictive down payment requirements that could serve only to exclude creditworthy borrowers. some of the critics say this is a dilution of the rule. you know the consumer financial protection bureau's qm rule is a very strong measure. i am confident that it will help protect families from being victimized in the future and i am confident that our actions to align qrm and qm have found the right balance between responsibility and opportunity moving forward. another way we want to ensure credit is available for low and middle income families is by strengthening the federal housing administration for the long-term. fha historically has been a beacon of hope and opportunity for underserved communities. during the housing crisis, it helped keep the dream of homeownership alive for families by providing much-needed