and united states. i am honored to do so. thank you very much. [applause] thank you for coming today. my last question -- your konica is that -- iconic motto a mind is a terrible thing to waste. with colorado in other states having legalized or wanted, do you worry that more students campus andted on that they might waste their education as a result? [laughter] >> no. [laughter] few minutes a remaining, i would like to ask my good friend and my congressman john lewis if you would say a closing remark about the importance of an hbcus education. john? [applause] >> thank you, dr. lomax, for all

your great and good work. thank you for all that you do. if it hadn't been for these colleges and universities, i wouldn't be standing here today. first one in my family to finish high school. first one in my family to go to college. pathway to the middle class, middle america. citizens.s all if it hadn't been for these colleges and universities, we wouldn't have a civil rights movement. maybe martin luther king junior or james farmer. a julian bond. down, notnts sitting standing up.

these colleges and universities bring about a nonviolent revolution, a revolution of values, i revolution of ideas. have the podium, i want to take a moment to yield to a friend of mine. >> we were just going to introduce him. >> mr. davis. is -- when it comes to education, he is a champion. danny, thank you. you want to say a word? [applause] congressman davis of chicago. he is a native of arkansas. >> he has hbcus now. actually, two of my heroes

have already spoken. there isn't much else that i would need or desire to say, except that the schools have provided and continue to provide, not only the experiences that john has had, but experiences that thousands of young people all over the country. if there was not a morehouse, it kansas orbeen in ar a southern illinois. southern university in louisiana. or could've been all kinds of institutions. please give if you have the resources. i share with dr. lomax when he talked about education and the struggle that we had with them.

i share with john all of the struggles that he has had throughout his life and the fact that he is such an inspiration to all of us. thank all of you. [applause] >> thank you all for coming today. to dr. lomax, congressman davis, and the congressman lewis. this has been somewhat of a spontaneous ending but i think it is ending on the right note. also like to thank the national press club staff including the journalism institute and broadcast center for organizing today's lunch. if you would like to get a copy of today's program or to get more information about the national press club, please check out our website at press.org. thank you and we are adjourned. [applause]

>> next, president and mrs. obama welcoming olympians to the white house. after that, discussion about journalism with a journalist to receive nsa files from edward snowden. louisiana republican state senator grades the obama administration. >> it really gets to me because i get to know these young men and women when i am out there. i keep seeing some of them killed or amputated. i want out of there as fast as anybody else and let the afghans fight their own fight. i think we have to do it in a prudent way. when i try to say to the mothers when i am talking with them is we can't get too hung

iraq ore defects of karzai and the afghan politics. we do have to keep in larger perspective that those who have died did not die in vain. i will go back -- if i said to 2001 that 10 years later they wouldn't be another attack on the united states, most of you listening would say you are wrong. thes because we did take war offense only to al qaeda. if you stand back in the particulars, we are safer today than we were in 2001 and we are well on our way to crushing al qaeda and crushing the jihadists. i think overall we have done a successful job with our military. analyst, andteran, author bing west will take your

questions in death live for 3 -- in depth live for three hours. president andhe mrs. obama welcomed athletes from the olympic and paralympic winter games to the white house. the first couple also paid tribute to the victims of the recent fort hood shooting. this is about 20 minutes. >> welcome the president of the united states and mrs. bussell --michelle obama. [applause] >> hey, everybody. >> hi. >> welcome to the white house. [applause] i know you guys have been

standing for a while, but you are athletes, you can handle it. we are so excited to lead team usa with us today. before we begin, i want to take a moment to it knowledge -- acknowledge. we have experienced yet another devastating tragedy. we just want to make sure that our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who lost loved ones and friends, as well as those that were injured because i know that many of the athletes here today are veterans themselves. in when something like this happens, it touches all of us. i know that the president and i are torn apart when things like this happen so today as we celebrate the olympic spirit, we remember that the same spirit, the spirit of hard work and teamwork, a shared by her military men and women and we stand with them today and

everyday. the -- youget into guys' thing. today, after watching you guys all over tv all these couple of months, i have to say that i am truly amazed. i shared some of this with you guys in the receiving line. you all are so talented, and dedicated, i don't know how you do it. i really don't. i watched you guys do some of the craziest stuff. that is the thing with the winter olympics. you guys do crazy things. careening down the face of mountains -- craziness. throwing each other up in the air. the mixed pairs skaters, the women are teeny. take them and throw them across the ice. are you kidding me? she lands on one foot on a blade.

most of you jumping on those cookie sheet things and just lying down a mountain 80 miles per hour. who thinks of that? of everything awe you do as so many people here in america and across the globe are. you all showed us of that being an olympian is about heart, guts, and it is about giving it your all no matter what stands in your way. that is a message i try to convey to young people all the time. the idea that you work hard and commit yourself to a goal and then pick yourself up when you fall, there is nothing you cannot achieve. as olympic and paralympic athletes, you also know that a big part of reaching your full potential is making sure that your putting the right fuel in your body. you all know that better than anyone in this country that what you eat absolutely makes the difference and how you perform. that is another message that i have to -- that i try to spread

to her young people, the importance of eating healthy and staying active. i want to thank all of you who take a video -- taped a video for let's move campaign. i want to give a special thank you for their work for giving over 2 million young people an opportunity access in their communities. we are grateful for the work in the example you all set for our young people. you all are expiring -- inspi ring folks every single day. nowhere have i seen that more clearly than in the story of someone that i'm not here in the white house four years ago -- that i met here in the white house four years ago. lieutenant commander dan was seated next to me at a dinner with leaders of our military. i got to see dan. we had dinner together.

just a few months earlier, dan had been in afghanistan. he was leading a platoon of navy seals when he stepped on an idd. ed. theost both of his legs in explosion, but he never lost that fighting spirit. i will always remember dan because just four months after that explosion, he finished the half marathon in a wheelchair. four months after the exposure and. on the one-year anniversary of his injuries, he ran a mile on his prosthetics. over the next few years, dan stayed on active duty while in the navy, earning medals in atmming and running events the warrior games and completing the new york city marathon. today, four and a half years after his injuries, dan is proud to wear another one of our nation's uniforms and that is of team usa. [applause]

yeah. there is dan. dan is in the back. >> wave, dan. there's dan. [applause] i also got to meet dan's sister who stayed by his side every single minute of his recovery. important part of that recovery. she is a terrific woman. i'm glad to hear that she is doing well. in sochi, dan inspired us all again by competing in the 15 k biathlon in the cross-country sprint. dan has come a long way in the four years that we met and i know that his story and the stories of all our olympians and paralympic ends are nowhere near finished. so, keep it up. this is only the beginning.

many of you were here four years ago and you told us you would be back and you are back. i know you're already getting ready for that next four years that in the meantime, we look forward to all that you were going to do in this country and around the world and keep justring young people to live a little more like you all live and to show them that spirit of resistance. thank you all again for everything you do. i can't wait to hear about everything you will do in the years to come. with that, i will turn it over to this guy next to me. [laughter] who happens to be my husband and more importantly is the president of the united states, barack obama. [applause] clear, it is more important that i am michelle's husband than i am president of

the united states. [applause] i don't want anybody to be confused. many of you young people out there are not married yet so i wanted you to know -- giving you some tips in terms of how to prioritize. obviously, as michelle mentioned, our thoughts right now in many ways are with the families at fort hood. these are folks who make such extraordinary sacrifices for us each and every day for our freedom. during the course of a decade at war, many of them have multiple tours of duty. to see unspeakable, senseless violence happen in a place where they are supposed to feel safe is tragic. obviously, this is the second time the fort hood community has been affected.

we joined the entire community in honoring those who lost their lives, every single one was an american patriot. we stand with their families and loved ones as they grieve. we are thinking about those who are wounded. we are there to support them. as we learn more about what happened and why, we are going to make sure we do everything we can to keep our troops safe, strong, and not just on the battlefield but when they come home. they have done their duty and they are an inspiration. they have made us proud. they put on the uniform and they take care of us. we need to make sure we take care of them. is whatspirit of unity brings us here today because we cannot be prouder of team usa. [applause] team usa. i hope all of you have made yourselves at home. we double checked to make sure all the bathroom locks were --king in case johnny quinn

[laughter] tried to bust down these antique doors. i want to recognize the members of the congress we have here as well. scott blackmun from the usoc. our fantastic navigations that represent the diversity and values of our country so well. we are here to celebrate all of you. our olympians and paralympic ends who brought home a total of 46 medals for the red, white, and blue. [applause] that ken alsod brought home some stray dogs. that doesn't count but it does tell something about the freestyle skiers. over the past couple of months,

we saw some dominating performances by team usa. american women won more medals in the olympics then women of any other nation. [applause] good job. the man swept the podium in slope style skiing and paralympic scott -- snowboarding. there you go. [applause] our women's hockey team brought home the silver. [applause] our men's hockey team played a game for the ages with an epic shootout victory over the russians. [applause] i would personally like to thank all of our snowboarders and freestyle skiers for making newscasters across america say things like air to fakey. forkhe back to back double

1260. i don't know what that means really but i just want to say it. [laughter] i am pretty sure i am the first president to ever say that. [applause] the back to back double fork 12 60. does it feel good? [laughter] sochi, these athletes made plenty of history. score threeear-old goals to make her sled hockey team to win back-to-back gold medals. [applause] hey. hey, hey. our men's bobsled team became the first americans in 62 years

to meddle in both the two-man and four-man competitions. [applause] bobslee ter's -- dders. those are tough guys. shiffrin mikayla became the youngest woman to win a medal in the slalom. wave a littl ebit. -- a little bit. she is down low. there she is. i knew she was here, i saw her. she said she wanted to win five golds in 2018. i do have to say as somebody who was once told that you are young but you set your sights high, i have three words of advice -- go for it. you are goingnt

to be bringing back some more golds. of lobbying from team usa, women's ski jumping was added as an olympic sport and they did outstanding. [applause] men. can fly just like said we havee arrived, we are good at what we do, and we are a lot prettier than the buoy jumpers -- then the buoy jumpers -- boy jumpers which i can attest to. i have seen them. [laughter] she was not lying. to theski jumpers athletes and coaches to sewer our country in uniform like dan who we are so proud of. these athletes all send a message that resonates far beyond the limited visage --

olympic village. going for the gold and pushing yourselves to be the best and inspire the rest of us to try to be a little better. just get off the couch. that is what michelle said. all of you remind us, just like the olympics, the most important thing in life is not the triumph, it is the fight. i want to take an example of somebody who could not be here today but his story is typical of so many of yours. this is noel pace. he was hoping to be here. she has been on the road a lot. she wanted to give back to her husband and kid. almost a decade ago, noel was on top of the world after winning the women's skeleton world cup. she was injured in a freak accident that caused her to

stop. she missed the podium by 1/10 of a second in 2010. she retired to spend more time with her family but then two years ago, her husband convinced her to go back on that sled because raising a family in racing down the track don't have to be mutually exclusive. since then, noel, her husband, her children traveled from competition to competition. silver inome the skeleton jumping over the wall to celebrate with her family on the final run. here is what she said afterwards -- life is never going to go as planned. just decide when you were bumped off course, is a good hold you back or move you forward? that is the spirit we celebrate today. that is something that all of you in some stages of your life have understood or will understand.

things are not going to go perfect. michele and i always remark watching our olympians and that you work hard for four years and then a little something to happen. you are just that close. confidence and the and the joy of competition that keeps you moving, that is going help you throughout life. it helps our country. it is what america is all about. it is why we're so proud to have you all here today. and four years from now, i won't be here to greet you, but some president is going to. i suspect that a lot of you may come back even four years after that. you guys have done a great job. what an extraordinary achievement it is for all of you

to represent the united states of america at our olympic and paralympic games. congratulations. good job. [applause] >> mr. president and mrs. obama, on behalf of the teams, we want to present you with these flags. just to say thank you from our coaching staff and the athletes that were competing. [applause]

>> you were freestyler. [laughter] [indiscernible] [applause] >> next, discussion about journalism and national security with the journalist who received an essay files from edward snowden. a louisiana republican state senator grades the obama administration. after that, the president of the united negro college fund, michael lomax, on the feature in this organization. bend is a timber town.

the timber qualities are almost completely removed. bend was at imbe timber town. at the height of the timber industry -- if you were to drop 1928, you would have smelled the mills, sawdust if you went through certain parts of town. you would hear periodic mill whistles from the two gigantic mills. it would've permeated everything. it would've been 10 minutes off the downtown corridor, but you would've seen the smoke from the smokestacks. you would've smelled it, you would've heard the whistles. you would've known you were in the middle of timber town, usa. looks at the life of

a band, organ. -- bend, oregon. >> a conversation with the three journalists who received files from edward snowden. all appeared via skype at the conference in new york city. toenwald has not returned the u.s. since the story because she fears arrest or subpoena. this is 45 minutes. >> hello, please take your seats. and welcome back. this next event, i promise, is going to be interesting. it's a skyped interview on the snowden revelations, and it involves actually four skypes.