what you learned your first year of college, by junior year half of what you learned is outdated. i think in that respect dropping out and going against that kind of power doesn't make sense. quickly gets you to dropping back, not only to where iran dropped back because of sanctions and the way they live today. if you look at their infrastructure versus everybody else. with respect to others using this against us, i think there's always a concern of countries going after ours because of the use of the dollar. i think that's where the eupropol approach is one respected not just by us but many countries. we need partners and allies to take the same stance we do.

it sure is strengthened when you get others involved it in. i have not seen to that extent where it's been used that way. i can't think of one. i can see where they are using it to attack people. one of the ones they released was $100,000 to go after the saudi ambassador here in the u.s. and washington. when you start to look at some of those, there is tremendous impact that these programs have. >> i am an intern here. i greatly enjoyed your talk. my question is, are american and other western multinational oil companies who are doing business in russia, like exxon, shell, are they affected by sanctions against russia?

if so, how? >> who is best on this? on what the actual effect has been? >> i don't know. >> i know the answer is yes, but the specifics of the answer we could handle better in the front row. >> we are allowed one free question to the audience here or one free answer. david knows. you want to pick that up? >> go ahead, david. >> as has been noted, the sanctions in relation to the russia/ukraine situation have been largely focused on individual actors, not on the companies in russia. that being said the fact we have applied sanctions against significant russian business

people, including some of the kro kroenys quite close to president putin who provide significant operations in russia in the energy sector and other sectors has had a chilling effect. secretary lew noted this in this is remark. the sanctions and threat of sanctions and the fact we have the ability under the recently adopted executive order to apply sanctions against actors including the energy sector, combined with the fact we have applied sanctions against individuals who are the chief operating officers of some of these entities has had a real impact on the russian economy. so there isn't, as we sit here today, any direct sanctions impact on any of those entities operating there. there is, however, the risk of additional sanctions if the russians continue to act in a

destabilizing fashion. that has its own market impact. >> thank you. barba barbara slaviy. >> we'll just get him up here. >> this morning has been all about the success of sanctions, how well they've worked, reputational risk, how well it's worked and how the private sector is totally spooked by all of them and so on. is there a concern that it's going to be difficult to unravel these sanctions and in the event there is an agreement with iran, iran is going to insist on this, but once you have terrified the private sector into avoiding a country, how do you convince them that it's safe to go back? >> let's divide that question up into two parts. part number one which i would like to give to jane is, let's say there was an iran deal.

this takes three deals, one between the u.s. and europeans in iran and the others in the group. one between the iranians and negotiators and the clerics and the igc, then the hardest one of all between the president and congress. could you imagine congress voting to lift the sanctions that barbara was referring to if there was a deal? >> not easily. i think it would take congress understanding that israel was supportive of the deal in order for congress to eliminate sanctions. i think there could be adjustments and surely right now everyone is aware, bob mendses

has teed up a deal for sanctions. if there is no deal by whatever it is, end of july, i'm guessing, congress will be in recess probably. i'm guessing in september that proposals on the senate floor. i think it's a great question. are we ever going to undo these regimes? sanctions on iran have to do with more than the nuclear deal. they have to do with iran's conduct, bad conduct, with respect to the proxy terror organizations in the region. that's not on the table. i would say unlikely sanctions would be lifted. the french were in there. nothing was consummated. i think much of the world wants to resume trade with iran and has agreed to our sanctions

because the treasury folks in the front row have been so brilliant building an international coalition to do this. i think a lot of members of that coalition, if there is no deal, are going to want to roll back their participation in the multilateral sanctions regime and that will be very harmful to achieving the results we want to achieve in iran. >> i think there is tremendous benefit getting rid of the sanctions. what that does is it gives the iranian people more access to what's going on. i think having them closer to the western world is a good thing. i think that's part of the solution. getting that information out there. they are good people. if you send arnold schwarzenegger or any movie star over there, they would be treated great. the problem is we are not communicating with them. i think it's in all our best interest to get there. i agree, the problem is if they

continued down the road to build a weapon, it polarizes the region in such a way that it just goes really bad. so we've got to win. we've got to get to that point. that is a huge set of issues on the table. >> last thoughts on this and particularly on the iran deal? what you think the big challenges would be if we actually got to a point of lifting sanctions? >> i do think getting some agreement about what are the elements of a good agreement, what is a bad agreement look like, what does a good agreement look like? doing some -- and you know, think tanks can play an important role in this regard. building that partisan consensus that is sorely needed. i also think israel will have a lot influence how people will

view the agreement. i want to underscore something steve hadley said earlier. even if we get to a good agreement, sanctions are lifted, figuring out how do you hold iran accountable and prevent cheating, disincentivize them in terms of cheating. what kinds of instrument ares short of military force do you have? >> we may be able to turn the sanctions back on? >> that would not be an easy task. once this particular regime, which took years of hand crafting and lots of work to get all the compliance we've had and all the buy-in, once you let this go, i don't think there is any hope of getting anything that looks like this back for a long time. figuring out what your leverage is to enforce this agreement, it

speaks to the level of transparency and inspection and intrusiveness you have to get as part of this. it also speaks to thinking through what is going to be your an enforcement leverage down the line? >> very good. i thank you very much. i think we have run slightly over our time here. so thank you for your patience with that. we look forward to the rest of the program. >> a discussion on baseball and american life, including comments from samuel alito. the administration announces its plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. i heritage foundation discussion about our recent supreme court decisions may affect first amendment free-speech rights.

>> we will discuss the administration's climate change --tiative with david. under david doniger. and we will mark the 25th anniversary of kinnaman square. -- tiananmen square. you can join the conversation with a phone call or via facebook or twitter. >> we wanted a building that was very accessible to the community it needed to be able to incorporate a future that we did not -- we cannot predict the future. with the oldroblem library is that we were tapped -- on as many futures

computers and wiring that we can fit into that structure. one thing we liked about the he combined different geometric features. we have the triangular main part of the building, we have around auditorium, a rectangular structure on the west side. and the crescent wall that have the library on the north and east side. all of these different geometric features are bridged together with skylights. light flows to the building at all levels and we have 360 degree view of our surroundings. >> i think it is vital for a community to have a library that brings people together. this particular space was geared in bringing the community

together. it is an opportunity for people to remember the things that hold the city together, public safety officers, the mayor, the library all really work together. we have physically done that with our architecture. weekend, learn about the rich history and literary life of salt lake city, utah, saturday at 6:00 and sunday at 5:00. >> a form on baseball and american life with the panel that includes samuel alito, usa today sports columnist christine .rennan, david brooks this is a little more than an hour.

how wonderful it is to see you and wonderful to welcome you to the luncheon on the subject of baseball, america's game. some people seem confused. they actually think pro football is america's game, but it's not. baseball is america's game. this is sponsored today in part

by the boston red sox. i chair for the red sox. [applause] i chair for the red sox the great fenway park reuters series. this is an extension of that series. the red sox are the only team in professional sports that sponsors a literary series. i'm also president of the city club of san diego in the denver forum, which are two american public forums collectively of 70 years and more than 2200 programs presented in the public interest and the dialogue of democracy. this is our second washington event. if there are more that lie ahead, you will help us make

that decision. in many ways, if you are going to do a literary series, this is one of the great duties in which to do it. -- great cities in which to do it. there are a number of writers here today. carroll, who did the great book on clarence darrow and tip o'neill. he is right there. hello, jack. jane liddy did two of the books ever, one on mickey mantle, and the other on sandy koufax. and ms. levy is down here. [applause] and to every writer in the room, we want particularly to tell you how much we appreciate you and the art form in which you are engaged, because there are very few, if any, that are more important. i have several other introductions i would like to make. first, the former director of

the federal bureau of investigations, the honorable william sessions. [applause] and the former council of the president of united states, mr. george w bush, miss harriet miers. [applause] i also want you to meet the cochairs of the washington writers series, two extraordinary individuals, hugely successful in the field of business. first, i field. ike, stand so we can greet you. [applause] and greg rosenbaum. mr. rosenbaum is somewhere -- there he is. [applause]

i also want to read knowledge the president of one of the owners of the washington nationals, faye field. [applause] on the senior director for the ballpark experience of the nationals, maggie cussler. [applause] we have one book that is available for signing at the end. there are a few left. don't leave the university club without getting mr. will's book and having him sign it for you. now let me introduce our panel. beginning with from the united states supreme court, associate justice samuel alito. [applause] and you can -- come on up.

next from the new york times and cbs, david brooks. [applause] somebody who wrote a book entitled "is this a great game or what" which was the funniest book i ever read from espn, the one and only tim kurkjian. [applause] and one of my all-time favorites. to know her is to love her, from "usa today," christine brennan. [applause] and finally on the panel, the incomparable george will.

[applause] in the book is on the 100th anniversary of wrigley field, a nice little place on the north side. now it is my privilege to introduce our moderator, who has become a very great friend. you have a copy of one of his books. he has written to others, one on baseball, one on leon jaworski and james baker. he is an attorney from dallas, texas. an extraordinary fellow, he's here with his wonderful family. i would ask that you welcome please, talmage posten. [applause] >> before we begin, i'm going to take a little personal privilege. you see the rangers cap here. at the front table, we have part

of the ownership group and executive vice president from the texas rangers, who have come to town this weekend to play a series. it's the first time that the texas rangers have played a game in the nations capital since they left town 41 years ago as the washington senators. [laughter] this is an historic occasion this weekend. as george will points out in his marvelous new book "years ago," a man who probably knew nothing about baseball, with sir winston churchill, spoke about parliamentary ideals using words we hope to achieve in the next hour. churchill said a good dialogue is quick, informal, and conversational, and requires a very small space, and on great occasions there should be a sense of crowd and urgency. with a tip of the cap to sir winston, our esteemed panelists today are all people at the top of their field, and are quick and informal and conversational,

particularly as it regards our national pastime. we have a good sense of the crowd and a clock that compels a sense of urgency, so let's talk baseball. the first topic of conversation, your initial passion for the game. bart giamatti once said "the appeal of baseball is intimately wrapped up with the place where you got to know it in your youth." the question for the panel, where did you first get wrapped up in baseball? and in that place, briefly describe the place the game takes up in your heart. justice alito, do you want to lead off? >> when i think about summers when i was young, they seem to have lasted forever. that is what my friends and i would do all summer.

we played baseball. we collected baseball cards. unfortunately, my strategy then was not to collect a lot of mickey mantle cards or willie mays cards, which would now be valuable. i would trade my extra all-star cards for the card of some guy who played one game. [laughter] so i would have a complete series. and i remember going to games with my family. in those days, we would go to a doubleheader on sunday, i think, for under $15. we could drive to philadelphia park on the street, i tend to games, bring our own lunch. we had a special spot where he was almost an obstructed view seats, but not quite, so it was a good bargain. and we tried to get into the two games before the sunday curfew in philadelphia. you could not in those days

start an inning after 6:00 on sunday. >> i'll be darned. christine brennan, how about you? >> yes, there is always a toledo or two in the crowd. in any case, i grew up in the suburbs of toledo, ohio, and i'm the oldest of four kids. i had my own personal title ix. my father, jim brennan, became the republican party chairman in lucas county in ohio in 1988. a rockford republican and the biggest feminist i knew. anyway, here i am growing up in the 1960's and 1970's and i wanted to follow baseball and he encouraged that every step of the way, as did my mom and siblings. i got one of those score books, which i'm sure many of you had, and i listened by my radio and listened to the toledo mud hens games. not only were there very few girls keeping score of minor-league baseball at the age

of 10, but i was. and it was encouraged in our household. we had season tickets to the toledo mud hens. my dad arranged those for us. and we also went to a lot of detroit tigers games, because those of you that know baseball well know that the tigers have, except for a few years, been the triple-a team of the detroit targets -- detroit tigers. we got a chance to follow our favorites of the mud hens when they would be called up by the tigers and then go see them play at venerable tigers stadium. and like you, i also traded baseball cards. we would do something else. we would send the cards to the players and asked them to sign them, and every single time -- this is obviously a different era than now -- every time they did. and they send them back. but the good old days. >> i have senators manager. i have hank aaron's signature on a baseball, one of those all-time leader cards you may remember where it still said

babe ruth, seven-14, and hank aaron and his signature on it. i still have all of those and i'm not giving any of them up. [laughter] >> george, we know of her love for the cubs. where did it all begin? >> i grew up midway between chicago and st. louis at an age too tender to make major life decisions i had to choose between the cardinals and the cubs. all of my friends became cardinals fans and grew up cheerful and liberal. [laughter] i became a gloomy conservative. i played baseball briefly and badly for a little league team that had commercial sponsors. my team was the middendorf funeral home panthers. [laughter] our color was black. baseball at that time, i think -- as christine mentioned the radio, baseball was literally in the air in central illinois.

you had two teams with buddy brown and then two teams in chicago, and of course, the cardinals. i listened to a lot of baseball. and i think i became a cubs fan because i could not bear the cardinals announcer, who was harry carey. [laughter] who is now the statue outside wrigley field. no good deed goes unpunished. >> and i will tell you, george's new book has a great little anecdote about harry carey, and i will leave it at that. but don't miss it. david brook, new york mets fans, how did baseball make a line drive into your heart first? >> in 1968, i was seven years old living in lower manhattan and i discover the new york mets. it was fine. they were not good. [laughter] then the next year, the skies

opened up, god appeared with the pillar of fire. miracle of miracles, and may the most magical moment of my life and certainly the most magical year in the mets history, every miracle that could happen happened. a black cat walked in front of chicago and the mets beat the baltimore orioles. and it taught me my life lessons. basically, their goals will happen, and a ball will owe through dr.'s life another year. and you will be a sunny, and you will be a sunny, optimistic conservative. >> tim, how did it start as a child? >> baseball is all we talked about in my house growing up. nobody, but nobody loved or had

a better feel for the game than my father. and he was a really good player in his day. i had two brothers in the baseball hall of fame at catholic university. this is all we did, all we talked about growing up. in the sixth grade, missed fevered, my teacher, stopped class at 1:30 p.m. so we could watch the world series games between the red sox and the cardinals. and for a young guy like me who was madly in love with the game at that point, to have a teacher say, we are not studying anymore, we are going to watch the world series here, that was really important to me. and then of course, i went to walter johnson high school, named after the greatest pitcher of all time. and i played baseball and basketball there, but i also wrote for "the pitch," the school paper. [laughter] and i did some work for the yearbook, and that was called "line-up." i figured i went to a school and after the biggest pitcher ever. i figured i had to make a career

move. i decided i better be a baseball writer and here i am 35 years old and still a baseball writer. [applause] >> second topic, baseball heroes. bart giamatti said among all the men who play baseball, there is very occasionally a man of such qualities of heart, mind, and body that he transcends even the great and glorious game. the question for the panel -- give us your perspective on the ballplayer who most has transcended the game. george, do you want to start? >> no. [laughter] no, i hesitate, because transcending baseball would be a vice.

i will just tell you who my favorite player was. how is that? in my 60 something years watching baseball, my favorite player is rickey henderson. baseball, unlike football where a quarterback gets hot or a running back or a shooting guard in basketball can take over the game, it is a game where you could not take over the game, except he could. he would get up there in that crowd with the strike zone the size of rhode island and he would get to first base and he would deal second and get heard on an infield out and score on a fly field over. if you look at his numbers, you have to put him among the all-time greats. and if you put him together, as we all do in our spare time, the all-time team, you get to the outfield and you've got babe ruth. and it seems to me, if you're going to play a game, then in your all-time outfield is rickey henderson. >> great. tim? >> i have a few. i grew up here, so eddie brinkman was a shortstop for the washington senators when i was a

kid, and he was great. when i met him as a scout, told him what a great fan i was of him and he looks at me like he could not believe that anyone actually watch him play. [laughter] and of course, frank howard was my hero here, because he hit home runs to places where they are still not hitting them today. and he had been there 50 years ago. during my prime as a kid, willie mays was the best player i've ever seen, and to this day he is still the greatest player i've ever seen. i learned more watching cal ripken as a baseball player come and as a basketball player and others than anyone. and the other day i -- this is the beauty of the game, i sat next to that sampodria of the red sox, who is an inch and a half taller than i am. and trust me when i tell you this -- my hands, which are big for a little guy, my hands are twice as big as his. and he is the m.v.p. in the league a few years ago and he's

still one of the best players in the game. and he looks more like me than anybody. if you were sitting in his room and you did not know who he was, you would not know that is destined for drogheda. that is the beauty of this -- that is destined for drogheda --dustin pedroia. and that is the beauty of the [applause] [applause] game. little guys can play baseball. >> tommy, what about you? >> one guy that i still admire and i think played greatly was dave madigan. he had a great swing. the wall across the plate before he would begin his swing and he would still complete his swing somehow. just a short, beautiful little swing. it was just tranquil and serene. i am reminded of rickey henderson, which does treat -- teach you one truth about the game was up it is not a game

that rewards thinking all the time. [laughter] i don't know where i got this story, i think most of my stories come from tim's book, so this could be a repetition. but i recall a story that i would not trust in the paper without checking this out. he was given his big bonus come his first big bonus in the majors. and the team noticed he never cashed the check. and they said, why haven't you cash this check? and he said, i framed it. i wanted to keep it as a souvenir. [laughter] and the other rickey henderson story i know is that he was playing -- he came to the mets and was playing a first base than that were a helmet on his head -- i hope this is from your book. >> it is, it is. >> ok, you tell it. >> is your story. >> you wrote it.

i'm not stealing it. >> the first baseman was john orman and he had a brain aneurysm, so he wore a helmet in the field just to protect his head. rickey played with him in new york, and then they ended up together interop so in he sees john l root -- in toronto and he sees john l root in toronto and he says, you know, i used to play with a guy in new york that laid with a helmet on. and l root said, ricky, that was me. [laughter] collect the check, by the way, was for $1 million. it was an expensive -- >> the check, by the way, was for $1 million. it was an expensive framed artifact. when ricky was with the yankees, he got on the team bus one day and team rules vary from team to team. he sat down in the front seat and someone said, that is for people with tenure. and he said, tenure? i've got 16 years. [laughter] later in his career he called kevin -- kevin towers, then the general manager of the padres and left the following message on his voicemail. he said, kt, this is rickey

calling about ricky. ricky wants to play baseball. that is why he is my hero. >> justice alito, who is the person who most transcended the great and glorious game echo >> i think without -- glorious game? >> i think without question, the person who most transcended the game was jackie robinson. he was a figure of his stark importance beyond baseball. my favorite player growing up was richie ashburn. why i picked them, i don't know. he was a great player. i also don't know why i picked the phillies. my situation was similar to george's. i lived in trenton, which was halfway between new york and philadelphia. and in the 1950's, the yankees won the world series practically

every year. the phillies had never won a world series, so naturally i chose the phillies. [laughter] and i do think it has an effect on your thinking. but richie was a great lawyer. he was kind of a money ballplayer before his time. he almost never hit a home run, but he had a great eye. he walked a lot. and he could foul off pitches almost indefinitely. you reminded me of a great richie story as we were walking in. he would foul off. he was a left-handed hitter, so he would file off these line drives -- foul off these line drives into the seats. and on one occasion, the ball hit a woman and she was hurt. they were carrying her out, maybe in a stretcher. but they were carrying her out, and the next pitch is in and richie hits another foul ball, hit the same woman on the -- [laughter] >> all right, christine.

>> these guys are a tough act to follow. however, in terms of transcendent can absolutely jackie robinson. i think we all would agree. i also have to just throw out a name i mentioned a bit ago, babe ruth. i bet you there are kids today playing baseball, hopefully just for fun in their yard, boys and girls. and someone demanding to be babe ruth today. that transcends everything by decades, centuries, what have you. i certainly think babe ruth lives on in many ways in all of us, and for the best reasons. and again, my childhood favorites were the toledo mud hens who went up to the detroit tigers. and i do have a night brown. -- ike brown. we watched him catch a ball barehanded over the outfield fence. he reached out and caught it barehanded and then through the runner out at second. you don't see that very often. and a fellow named tom

timmermann. you might remove that name. he played for the tigers when they were not very good. -- you might remember that name. he played for the tigers when they were not very good. when he came from the mud hens, the clubhouse and the deck out were not sick -- dugout were not together. the players had to walk through the sand. and tom timmermann would say, you again? and it was, us again, as we got another autograph. he became a pretty good pitcher for the tigers during their lean years. those were my favorites. >> favorite teams. our giamatti grew up in massachusetts and his favorite was the red sox, 15 years before the curse of the bambino ended. he said "the red sox are an affliction. the annually reenact the fall of

humankind." that is what used to be. "more than anything they re-create the aspiration, inspiration, and the declining into exile." as george points out in his new book, the poet robert frost talks about the love affair that people have with their team, but they also have lovers quarrel. what is the worst lovers quarrel you've ever had with your favorite beloved team? who wants to go first? no lovers quarrel and echo -- no lovers quarrel? we've got some rangers stories. [laughter] but i will jump in -- >> i will jump in. i guess it would not be a baseball conversation if i did not mention the dreaded word cerro and performance-enhancing drugs. johnnie perl to last year for the tigers was suspended as part of the bs drug bust in baseball history to stop -- biggest drug bust in baseball history.

i think we can all agree that is a good thing. and in the tigers had him come back and play in the postseason. i did a column and i thought that was just awful that he could come back. his suspension was up, but it seemed wrong to me. as someone who follows the steroids era in the olympics and in baseball, it's such a huge story and remained a huge story in many ways because of the lesson it teaches our children. we want that scrawny shortstop, boy or girl, and one third of steroid users in high school according to statistics are girls. we want that girl a boy who was a sophomore in high school who thinks if they get a little bigger and try something different they will be like their heroes. we want them to get the message by having these adults who are there "role models" tossed out of the game. i think it is a terrible thing

for the tigers to do, to let him play, to let him have the joy of being in the postseason. as you know, major league baseball has now come up with the role come to be known as the johnny peralta rule, that if you are suspended, you cannot reap the benefits of the postseason, even if your suspension is up, which was the case with her all caps -- withperalta last year for the >> george, your book cover this. >> william butler yates said life is a long preparation for something that never happens. [laughter] basically, any experience of being a cubs fan, there are some any low light. the most important thing that ever happen in wrigley field it turns out didn't happen. the called shot was a myth that as we say in journalism, was too good to check. [laughter]

and i say this with some trepidation in front of my tent -- my friends from the texas rangers, because i was at game six in 2011, which i'm sorry. i was at the bartman game in chicago when the poor devil did what any fan would do, and indeed would a dozen other fans around him were doing, which was reaching for a foul ball that was in the stands. it was not an interference. and if moises had not had a little tantrum, which to this day he regrets, bartman would not be in the witness protection program, wherever he is. [laughter] leaving that night, this is game six, and we were walking down the ramps and someone shouted "mr. will, we will get him tomorrow." and i said, "not a chance." when the cubs were in the postseason in 1984, they were playing the padres. this is the first two games of wrigley field, the best-of-five.

the cubs won the first two games and would play three if necessary and sundry go -- in san diego. i'm walking out of the ballpark with another broadcaster who was a pitcher. and he said, now do you cubs fan believes -- now do you cubs fans believe? and i said, every cubs fan believes it is the best-of-five. the ball went through the legs of the first baseman durham. >> all right, tim. >> i guess my quarrel was with oral weaver of the orioles, who was with one of the three greatest managers of all time, a guy learned so much from. the first time i met him was in 1979. i was going to be the backup baseball writer at the washington star, and dan johnson introduced me to earl. i was a little nervous about all this. he said, earl, this is tim, and

he will cover the team and help me out a little bit this year. and earl looks at me and says "bleep you, tim" and walks away, and that was it. [laughter] but he taught me so much. [laughter] he made me laugh so many times. and the only stroll -- story that you need to know about earl is that while he was managing one of his outfielders, pat kelly decided to join the ministry while he is playing in the major leaks. -- the major league's. pat waits for the moment to tell his manager of this really big step in his life. he finally finds a perfect moment and he goes to earl and he said, "earl, i'm going to walk with the lord" and earl says, "i would rather you walk with the bases loaded." [laughter] and this last story isn't funny,

but tells you an awful lot about earl, and a lot about buck showalter. i was at a simulated game, which tells you what kind of life i lead. [laughter] two years ago, buck -- and i'm sitting with earl weaver at a simulated game. there are four people there and we are sitting next to the dugout. but calls me over and i know him really well. don't start me on him either, and because we will be here all day. buck says, we are going to run the pickoff play that he famously invented in the 1960's. buck knows that earl invented this. so he ran it during this simulated game. he said, don't tell earl. buck did that for earl, runs the play and earl snacks -- smacks me on the shoulder and says, that is my pickoff play. meaning, out of respect for earl, they ran this pickoff play.

and am a 60 years later, earl recognized it and recognized, hey, they are doing this for me. that told me a lot about earl, and even more about buck showalter. >> justice alito, did you ever have a lovers quarrel with the phillies? >> o, yeah, quite a few. [laughter] without question, the biggest was in 1964. the phillies were, after having a horrible team, some of the worst teams ever in baseball in the early 1960's, somehow very improbably they were in first place with i think 12 games to go, 6.5 games ahead. it was almost impossible to blow that. they were going to go to the world series. it was incredible for me, having suffered through those years. and baseball has this ability to break your heart. i don't know if there's any other game that can do it quite the same way. because there are these moments when something happens -- and the ball through buckner's legs, or there is a decision someone

makes an years later, you wonder if it was the right decision. the phillies manager, gene locke, decided he did not have confidence in the number three and ever for starters. in those days, they had a four-pitcher rotation. chris short pitched everyday for the rest of the year and they lost. they went on a losing streak. the cardinals went on a big winning streak and the world series came around and the phillies were not in the world series. that really scarred my use -- my youth. [laughter] >> david? >> jim bunning was exactly the same kind of senator as he was a pitcher. [laughter] actually, i was at game six with you that night. it was in dallas at a big ballroom and we watched the game on a big screen. i spoke. it was probably the least

attended speech i've ever given. and then six through nine, and pride it was before the fall. because the rangers were winning. ira member people saying, six more outs, 5 -- ira member people saying -- actually, chanting, six more outs, five more outs. it was terrifying for me, because thomas was going to drive me home. [laughter] the champagne turn to harder stuff as the game slipped away. [laughter] fortunately, the better half of the family whispered to me, don't worry, i will take you home. with my -- with mets fans, there are many feuds. trading nolan ryan was a really good idea. [laughter] though will call the guy called me and said, you should really invest for this guide madoff. -- this guy, madoff. [laughter] the real question for reporters, i've always tried hard to stay away from the team for fear it would affect my love. the press passes used to get if you work for the newspaper. i've done it a couple of times

and i've felt acutely uncomfortable in the locker room. i love watching these guys play. i don't want to see them need not chose. [laughter] i've always tried to maintain a distance, but you guys have kept the love of the game even while still implement with them. -- intimate with them. >> right, cheating. ask of cheating are secretive, covert acts that seek to undermine the basic foundation of any contest and your -- destroy faith in the game's integrity and fairness. we had a rusher had another perspective on cheating. he said, i believe in rules, because if there were any rules, how could you break them? to the question. how does cheating affect your engagement with baseball? who wants to go first? but there are two kinds of cheating. -- >> there are two kinds of

cheating. the cheating with performance enhancing drugs is intolerable because it changes the playing field and requires people either to put their health at risk or their careers at risk. and therefore has been met with proper sanctions. and i think although we are in an ending competition between the good chemist and the bad chemist, the bad chemist producing drugs and the good chemist finding ways to test for them. it is probably correct her to say we can close the steroid parentheses in baseball, i think we are getting there. as far as cheating -- a great guy in broadcasting said, the only way to lewinsky t --ulowitzki can be playing like this is if he is stealing signs. i say, get better signs. [laughter] for those of you who have not read it, there is an essay about as long as war and peace on the unwritten rules of baseball. don't steal if you are five runs ahead in the seventh inning, dumb stuff like that. it's a hilarious insight into what baseball considers if not cheating, at least bad manners.

>> cheating, tim? >> cheat -- people have been cheating in baseball whether you like it for the last 130 years. interestingly, i have bobby valentine once -- bobby knows an awful lot about baseball. i asked him, is sticking a needle in your butts and doing steroids, is that cheating? and he said, is -- of course that is. and i said, is nothing a baseball cheating? -- is scuffing a baseball cheating? and he said, of course it is.

i said, is sticking a needle in your butts more cheating than scuffing a baseball? and he said, absolute not. the pitchers who are really good at scuffing a baseball are really good at it and can pretty much guarantee success. whereas sticking a needle in your but does not guarantee anything. he's dealing guy i've heard put it that way. -- he is the only guy i've heard put it that way. three years ago, derek dieter pretended to get hit by a pitch. derek cheater j -- dereketer is -- derek jeter is our best guy. however you multiply, he is our best. however, he got hit in the bat right here and he pretended like he got hit on the hand and he fakes like he got hurt and he ran to first base and got away from the pitch. and people were outraged. how could derek jeter do this? and i had to defend him in baseball terms that this is what they are taught from the day they get to baseball in high school, if not before. everyone out there is taught as a professional player, you've got to get on, no matter what. cheating is a little tricky for me.

i'm not sure i understand exactly what it is, but i know that for 130 years people have been cheating in baseball. and as tom always told me, if you are not cheating, you are not trying. [laughter] >> justice alito, where do you weigh in on cheating? [laughter] >> i'm going to defend cheating. [laughter] i think the steroids were a real black mark on baseball. baseball is based or -- baseball is a sport where statistics matter. everybody remembers who hit the most home runs, r.b.i.'s. statistics are any more missed part of the game -- an enormous

part of the game. steroids should be disregarded, certainly for those who have admitted that they have taken steroids. you have to be suspicious of a lot of the statistics that have been compiled during that era. i think it really hurt the game a lot. tim makes an interesting point about the types of cheating that are accepted in baseball. certainly, pretending to be hit i a pitch is one of them. or tending to catch a ball that was trapped is another one. that just seems to be accepted. it is interesting, why baseball's approach to those things is different from other sports. of course, there are aristocratic sports like golf and tennis, if you did anything comparable to that, it would be a scandal. but even in stocker -- in soccer, you get a penalty for

diving in and in-hockey -- in ice hockey you get a penalty for diving. i guess the only explanation for that is, if the canadian sport. [laughter] -- it is a canadian sport. [laughter] >> christine? >> i would repost you that we are still in the steroid area. having is, sorry. -- i would propose to you that we are still in the steroid area. happy news, sorry. as a journalist, you are presented the news as it unfolds in front of you and you go with it. we are in the steroid era of sports. 100 years from now, when students are studying holograms or ridding the wallpaper, or whatever they are doing to study history, it will be known, this time, as the steroid era. and that includes performance-enhancing drugs, what have you. the olympics started drug testing in 1972.

and the olympics, of course, still have a performance enhancing drug problem. they still catch cheaters, as the lance armstrong solder a couple of years ago was unpleasant for everybody, certainly the cancer community and the rest of us. it was a sport strategy on many levels. it is also good that we caught him and he was brought to justice. if you think about it, the limbic started -- the olympics started that in 1972 and there are still cheaters in the elliptic. baseball started in 1984 was up -- started in 2004. baseball is 30 years behind the old games. if we look at the olympics as our guide -- and i'm sorry for throwing cold water on the conversation, but if we look at the olympics as our guide, we know that at times are ahead. -- bad times are ahead. the bad chemist will try to stay ahead of the good chemist. i do think there will be designer drugs and new ways to

do things and new ways to deal with genes. and when there is so much money out there, and there is way more money in baseball than the olympics, michael phelps would just be an average employee in the baseball locker room with his salary. there is so much money in baseball. my sense is that they are looking for new ways to do this. i hope i'm wrong, but i think felix shows us we have some years to go here -- the olympics shows us we have some years to go here. >> david? >> i'm just thinking about the difference between scuffing and steroids. i think the reason we are not scuffing -- bothered by scuffing is that it is somewhat mitigated by cleverness. that is part of it. i think justice alito makes a decision -- the distinction that in golf, you don't cheat. it is a democratic game, baseball. it doesn't have some of the affectations of the upper-class post and finally, it's just a game.

and for all we love it, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. it matters in our hearts, but not in the war and peace terms for the i totally admire the staffers. -- not in war and peace terms. i totally admire the ball scoffers. -- scuffers. in some ways, the showboating part of the game has offended me more than the scuffing. googling ryan sandberg and hall of fame speech, the speech he gave at the hall of fame several years ago now was among the best hall of fame speeches ever given. he talked about how to play the game -- how he tried to play the game in order to live up to the standards of those who came before and was not about showboating. it was a beautiful moral speech about how to behave with the

craft. >> next topic, instant replay. george will once said, "sport should be the triumph of character, openly tested, not of technology here cap -- of technology." what is your reaction to instant replay? >>. to. i was on the committee that came up with instant replay. although the heavy lifting was done by the committee. i was slow to learn and resistant to all change, until joe torre said, you go to a ballpark and there are 40,000 people there. the people in this week have television and they see the replay. the people getting a hot dog in the concourse have televisions and they see the replay. almost everyone is too poor to have a device in their hands and to the replay. with 40,000 people in the ballpark and four people want to know what happened. they are called umpires. [laughter]

they have to learn how to spell bluetooth. so people don't have to walk over and put on headphones. that is so 20th century. it will get a little quicker. and it will be tweaked and refined. the other day, the pirates won a game on a walkoff replay call. in the curmudgeons said, it was a walkoff committee meeting. yes, but it was better than a walkoff mistake. i have come to like it. >> justice alito? >> i think it's a very good idea. chief justice roberts famously said a few years ago that judges are like umpires. i think that is true.

the umpires on the field are like the trial judges. and we know they get things wrong sometimes, so you have to have an appeal to the umpires in new york, who review the replay. the only thing that is wrong with the system is it only has two levels. [laughter] you need somebody to keep the umpires in new york in line. [laughter] >> anybody want to add to the subject of what has been discussed? ok, next question. the speed, or lack thereof, in baseball. last week in the "wall street journal" there was a article that rattle off these facts. in 1954, ball was put in play every two minutes and 29 seconds and wages every three minutes 30 seconds.

game time in 2014 is 13 minutes longer than it was in 2010. baseball requires more patience from a society that has less of it. it might have something to do with the fact that between 20 -- 2009 and 2012, the number of children playing baseball in america between the ages of 7-17 fell by 18%. if you are bud selig's successor as commissioner of baseball, do you do anything to address this issue of the games increasingly slower pace? >> use the right word -- you used the right word. it is the pace of the game, not the length of the game. people complain about the pace of the game to the sportswriters. the pace of the game matters, because tom or gucci has demonstrated that by now, only 81% of the pitches are put in play. the idea of going deep into the count where the starting pitcher will get into the middle relief, which is supposedly where mediocrity is in baseball, and

then you win the game. the per -- the trouble with the middle relief now is he a 6'4" and 195 and you don't get anything from this. what we are doing, however is having six or seven pitching changes in the game, and they take time was up -- and they take time. the guy who was warming up in the bullpen comes in and warms up again with eight pitches on the mound, ostensibly because there might be a difference between the bullpen mound and the pitching mound and the field of play, when in fact in almost no ballpark is there a difference. if i could ban batting gloves -- [laughter] it is them believable. everybody has garcia parra disease. [laughter] john miller noll on a go watched -- not long ago watched kinescope of game 7, 1963 world series. yankees-dodgers. he said, not once did either a yankee or a dodger step out of the batters balks once he got

in. the culture of baseball has changed. purdue g talked about -- var gucci talked about a bat that was 10 minutes because the batter would step out and the pitcher would step off and the whole nature of baseball has changed, starting in the minor leagues. you tell them that their livelihood depends on a younger, more energetic, more impatient generation of americans wanting to see more energy on the field. >> and one way we can do that if we can have guys swing the bat a little more often, which is kind of what george is talking about. adam dunn, a few years ago, struck out looking 72 times in one season. had williams never struck out 72 times in any season, swinging or looking. joe dimaggio struck out 39 times. that was his career high. adam dunn struck out looking 72 times. mike trout is the best player in

the game, hands down, and he went a one-year timeframe and struck out looking 53 times. i'm telling you, it's an epidemic in the game that we are also preoccupied with on-base percentage. hey, a walk is better than a hit. first off, a walk is never better than a hit. it is good. i love them. we have a generation of layered now who are saying, let's walk a hit. let's work a deep count was at let's get it to 2-2. we get to 2-2 and we have not even swung the bat yet. rink robbins told me years ago that he's never seen so many fastballs right down the middle of the plate that people do not swing at. what is going on? this was eight years ago. and it gets worse every single year to the point now where the strike zone is as big as a license plate and the hitters

are taking advantage of that and saying, well, i'm going to swing what i want to swing. if i strike out, fine. john greco always tells me, deep that that, if you strike out on a 3-2 count, that is not a good at-bad. if you struck out, you think. -- that is not a good at-bat. if you struck out, you stinl. [laughter] >> yesterday at the white house we were talking about concussions. and a lot of parents are saying to their kids, especially boys, i do want you playing football. and of course, the concussion rate for ice hockey for boys and for women and girls soccer are also huge. we see potentially parents saying -- not tomorrow, but maybe in the next 10, 15, 20 years, you know, baseball. obviously, there is a threat of injury and trouble for a child in any sport. every time you walk out of your house, there's a chance you could get hurt or injured or

what have you. will we see parents want to start directing their kids back to baseball from football? i don't know what the future holds. but this concussion story is going to be fascinating to watch how that plays out over the next few decades. likewise, one of the things that i have actually talked to the commissioner bud selig about is, you referred to have in the world series on in the afternoon and be able to watch on tv. how many of us had friends that would bring the transistor radio in to listen to the world series on an afternoon while we were in school. of course, no child today or for the last 20 years has been able to talk about that or say that, much less say what happened beyond what the third or fourth inning of any world series game is, because they have gone to bed. how many kids are we losing because they don't get a chance to watch it? and one last thought. that is obviously concerned. one last thought, i'm actually glad that baseball is a little slower than other sports. and again, how many times i have taken kids to games and watch them enjoy it, watch them talk about it with their parents,

maybe teach them how to keep score. use a pen and a piece of paper. it is a welcome relief from the computer and video games. i certainly hope the game doesn't start to try to attract those kids -- yes, video games are important, but just the joy of watching a game with a game with the child, there is still nothing better than that. [applause] >> i sort of agree with the need to speed up a little bit, but the mitigating factor is still the same and is well-known, which is that football is an action game and baseball is a drama game. a lot of the excitement of baseball is the excitement -- is the stuff that happens between the pages. and they do a good job of the cutaway shots to people and the tension of what is about to happen, like so much in life, is more satisfying than what actually does happen. just a final point -- that is a comment on my romantic life. [laughter] no, it's not.

i don't know where that came from. i just realized i'm on c-span. fantastic. [laughter] i just want to say one thing about the youth a small -- baseball -- let's move on, folks. [laughter] that is, for the last 20 years, my baseball experience has been about 80% youth baseball analyst one percent professional baseball. -- and only 20% professional baseball. in my view, the reason youth baseball is dropping off is in part a cousin of the float as of the game, but also the falling off of coaching at the early levels -- is in part because of the slowness of the game, but also the falling off of the coaching at early levels. >> justice alito, do you want to weigh in on the pace of the game? >> i would like to see it sped up. the time between pitches -- the pitchers bear part of the fall. the batters bear part of the fault for stepping out.

and the television between innings. i think that is probably a factor in the problem that baseball has with young people. but i don't know whether -- i don't know how important it is. i will occasionally record a football game. you can watch an nfl game in probably 15 minutes. i might be exaggerating. because the time when something is actually happening is very short and the rest of it is time between plays. baseball is an acquired taste. it is not a sport that is appealing to people who don't have a background in baseball. somebody comes here from europe, for example, and you take them to a baseball game come and they don't know what is going on. it is not as interesting to them as it is -- it is about as interesting to them as it would be for us if we went to a cricket match. but something is definitely happening. i will tell you this little story. my son and i went to a game last year and sitting behind us was a

young man with a date. i could not help hearing what they were saying. he was definitely trying to impress her with how much he knew about baseball. she didn't know much about baseball because she wanted to know whether a ball was a fair ball or a foul ball if it started out in the air over fair tears tory and landed -- over fair territory and landed in foul territory, so she was not going to call him on anything he said. she said, what is the batting average? he said, that is the percentage of pitches that the batter hits with his bat. [laughter] and i thought, this is the biggest sign of cultural decay in the united states. [laughter] . . >> the final question for the

panel. it defies characterization. i will tell the story and then let the panel tell their story. that resident nixon was trying to restore his image. he was on talk shows. he was in the green room, and the person right after him was anti-vietnam. these people had been hating each other for years and had never met. they talked about the one thing they could feel good about, and that was baseball. i will ask the panel, do you have a situation where you

thought a door was closed or there was some reason you weren't going to connect with ofebody, but the subject baseball brought you into harmony? [laughter] >> the woman on the panel was dates with the guys. when they found you could talk baseball and keep score. i went to northwestern and several wonderful days on wrigley field, and i was keeping score with my date for the afternoon, and we had a great time. that helped. i was nine oray 10 years old. i remember it fairly well. the 68 detroit tigers won the world series at the same time

detroit was ablaze in so many of our cities were dealing with the aftermath of the martin luther king assassination and the reaction to it. to this day people from detroit and michigan -- i talked to the coach. we have talked about this. we remember hearing about the tigers and how they were unifying that city. one of that thing about the tigers team there were three african-american players who played major roles. brown and rl wilson. earl wilson.

the issues were the same in other cities around the country. you had the african-american population of detroit rallying around their tigers because of those three african-american players. i think that is a nice story. >> do you have a story? >> i think democracy is served by baseball because there is so much losing in the season. everything goes to -- they play the whole year to sort out the game. if you win 10 out of 20, your definition is mediocre. it's a game in which -- just as democracy the system of a half loaf. no one gets everything they want. baseball is the sport of half loaf. >> speaking of losing, talmadge,

i covered the 1988 orioles. no team come close to doing that. frank robinson the manager takes the writers out to eat after minneapolis lost. he said the president called me today. frank was a big kidder. finally he said look, the president of the united states called me today. i said frank what did he say. frank, i know what you're going through. frank said, mr. president, you got no idea what i'm going through. >> baseball opened up a friendship or door for you? >> i never been out of harmony with other people. it cements friendship. we do this show on fridays. our segment is called shields and brooks. we want to call it brookshields. on the air we talk politics. off the air we just talk sports. we're never out of hormoneny. just to have that facility to

talk sports, just constantly cementing joyful unselfish conscious way to spend time together. two things, civility requires self-restraint. one of the great books of philosophy i've read is a book buy a guy called the mental of

abc pitching. it's a book about how to control your mind. pitching is about controlling what you paying attention to. one of his recommendations for pitchers -- first of all, he's always for offense. just go after the hitter. do not waste a pitch. just go forward. very simple. if you're on the mound, you should have two things on your mind, pitch selection and location. if there's something else on your mind get off the mound. i recalling a conversation he said he had with greg maddux. he said to him, how did it go today. maddux said, 73 out of 87. what he meant by that was the ball left my fingers correctly 73 times out of 87 pitches. after your ball leaves your fingers, you have no control. it's about focusing on what you control and limiting your own thought process to what you can

do. the final thing i'll say is, i'm always resistant to mix baseball with the rest of life. the rest of life is messy and unpleasant. to me basketball is a -- baseball is a hobby. during the bush years, i was invited to have lunch with the president. i drove down to southern virginia where my son was playing baseball. across the field, one of the players from the other team from a town from around pittsburgh, was jim leeland's son. he was sitting across, i remember thinking, i am so thrilled to see that guy. thrilled to see leeland. the president, they come and go. >> justice alito. we'll let you close. anything in baseball helped you? >> mixing baseball with the rest

of life. i think for fans what baseball does, is to channel natural aggression and trivial instincts which people have. david and i are sitting here with a phillies hat and a mets hat but we're very civil. i guarantee you, now that the price of a ticket has gotten higher and things have changed, but back in the not so old days, if i went to the stadium with a phillies hat and the phillies were winning or if david came to -- we were sitting in the cheap seats and he was cheering for the met. in the vet, they had a lock up in the stadium. it channeled people's natural tendency to fight with each other into something that isn't really important as opposed to fighting about something that is.

>> i want to turn the program over to george >> let me just quickly first thank c-span in my lifetime, 46 years in politics. no more significant thing happened than c-span. if you believe in a necessity of government and the process of government, c-span has just been so extraordinary in what they've done. we're grateful that c-span decided to share this time with us today and will share it with the nation. i want to acknowledge the

president. he's presence, the homeland security assistant. are you here allen? my appreciation tonight wonderful friend from texas talmadge boston. my very great appreciation mr. tim, mr. brooks, just alito, ms. brannan and mr. will. to all of you. let's do the appropriate things and thank this extraordinary panel. [applause] >> in a few moments, the administration announces its plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. hear a foundation discussion and a recent supreme court decision striking down limits on campaign

contributions. the role treasury department plays in national security. several live events to tell you about tomorrow morning. the center for international studies hosted a discussion on a -- intelligence and national security. also on c-span 3, at 10:00, a environment subcommittee holds a hearing on impact on climate change. here on c-span, in response to recent supreme court decision on campaign finance, the senate judiciary committee will consider a constitutional amendment that would allow congress and the states the authority to set limits on raising and spending money in political campaigns. you can see that at 10:00 to a.m. eastern.

>> sundays at eight includes michael lewis. >> we are living through a traumatic time. there are real structural problems. i am not an economic forecaster, but everything i read suggests we are going to live with unusually high levels of unemployment. a quarter of the country is on food stamps. it's not a great depression. we are not reprising what is happening in the 30's, but it's a version. >> sundays at eight, now available as a father's day gift guide your favorite look seller. the head of the

environmental protection agency announces the administration proposal to reduce carbon output from power plants. the goal is to cut co2 emissions by 30%. this is a half-hour. [applause] >> thanks for having me here. it's great to be here and to think everybody. thank you for all the leadership . i want to begin by telling you a story. a trip to thetook cleveland clinic, and i met a lot of great people, but one even if hed out,

needed to stand on a chair to seen.imself seem. -- he is 10 years old, and he struggled from severe asthma his entire life. he is anhe challenges active kid and a good hockey she saysut sometimes the air is too dangerous to play outside. and the united states of america no parent should ever have to have that worry. that is why epa exists. we are directed to protect public health and the environment. today climate change fueled by pollution is supercharging risk to our community, our economy,

and our way of life. ont is why epa is delivering a vital piece of president obama's climate action plan. i want to think janet mccabe, our acting administrator and the entire team and teams across epa who work so hard to deliver this proposal. they should be incredibly proud of their hard work. i know i am incredibly proud. [applause] today epa is proposing a clean power plan that will cut carbon energyon by using clean

sources and cutting energy waste. although it would limit arson,nts like mercury, sulfur, currently there are no froms on carbon solution power plants. for the sake of our family's welth and our kids future, have a moral obligation to act on climate. we will turn risk of climate into business opportunities. we will spur innovation and investment and build a world leading clean energy. the science is clear. the science keeps piling up. rising temperatures bring more smog and asthma. if a kid doesn't use an inhaler you should consider yourself a lucky planet -- parent.

in 10 kids in the u.s. suffer from asthma. comes packagedn with dangerous pollutants like and they put our children and families at even more risk. carbon pollution from power plants comes packaged with dangerous pollution like nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, and they put our children and/or our families at even more risk. climate in action is costing us more money in more places more often. 2012 was the second most expensive year in u.s. history for natural disasters. even the largest sectors of our economy buckle under the pressures of a changing climate, and when they give way, so do the local economies that depend on them. as our seas rise, so do insurance premiums, property taxes, and food prices.

if we do nothing, in our grandkids' lifetime, temperatures could rise 10 degrees and seas could rise by four feet. the s&p recently said that climate change will continue to affect credit risk worldwide. this is not just about disappearing polar bears and melting ice caps, although i like polar bears, and i know about melting ice caps. this is about protecting our health, and it is about protecting our homes. this is about protecting local economies, and it is about protecting jobs. the time to act is now, that is why president obama laid out a climate action plan to cut carbon pollution, to build a more resilient nation, and to lead the world in the global fight against climate. today's proposed climate clean power plant plan is a major step forward.

we were built on your advice from states, cities, businesses, utilities, and geos, and thousands of people who provided us with comments. i want to thank you for that comment, you will see that they made a difference. today is about kicking off what we see as a second phase of critical engagement. shaped by public input, by present trends, by preventing -- proven technologies as well , as a healthy dose of common sense, our plan aims to cut energy waste and leverage leader -- cleaner energy sources by doing two things. first, by setting achievable, and forcible state goals to cut carbon pollution four megawatts hours of electricity generation. second, laying out a national framework that gives states the flexibility to chart their own customized path on how they meet

their goals. all told, in 2030 when they meet those goals, our proposal will result in 30% less carbon pollution from the power sector across the united states in comparison to 2005 levels. that is -- [applause] -- thank you. just to print that in perspective, that is if we canceled out the carbon pollution from two thirds of the cars and trucks in america. this is the preferred path forward. if you add up what we actually avoid before 2030 even comes, it is more than double the carbon pollution from every power plant in america in 2012. it is double what every power plant generated in terms of pollution in 2012, and as a

bonus, in 2030 we will cut smog and pollution by 25% or more if we do not have this rule in place. that is a great added bonus. [applause] now all of that means it is going to result in lower medical bills, fewer trips to the emergency rooms, especially for those most formal role -- vulnerable. those kids, especially those kids who have asthma, our elderly, and our infirm. this is also about environmental justice. lower-income families and families of color are the hardest hit. let me get into the details of the proposal. it is all about flexibility. that is what makes it ambitious, but also achievable. that is how we keep our energy

affordable and reliable. the glue that holds this plan together and the key to making it work is that each state's goal is tailored to its own circumstances, and states have the flexibility to reach their goals in whatever way works best for them. to craft state goals we looked at where states are today, and we followed and looked at where they are heading. each state is different, so each goal and each path can be different. the goals spring from smart and sensible opportunities that states and businesses are taking advantage of right now, from the plant to the plug. let me tell you about the kind of opportunities that i am talking about. we know that coal and natural gas play a significant role today in a diverse energy mix. this plan does not change that. it recognizes that there are

opportunities to modernize aging plants, to increase efficiency, and to lower pollution. that is part of an all of the above strategy that paves the way forward. states also have the opportunity to shift their alliance to more efficient and less polluting plants. since 2009, wind energy in america has tripled. solar energy has grown tenfold. our nuclear fleet continues to supply zero carbon base load power. homegrown clean energy is posting record revenues and creating jobs that cannot be shipped overseas. those are all opportunities at

plants. about the plug? existing technologies can squeeze the most out of every electron helping us use , electricity more efficiently and our homes and businesses. more efficiency means that we need less electricity to will -- to cool our refrigerators or to charge our phones. for the fuel we burn, let's get the biggest bang for our buck. all of these options are not new ideas. in fact, they are based on the technologies, proven approaches, and they are part of the story of the energy progress in the united states of america. our plan does not prescribe. already available technologies that are available to progress underway. there is no one-size-fits-all solution. states can pick from a portfolio of options.

they can pick options in any combination that they choose. it is up to states to mix and match to get their goals. if states do not want to go wit -- it alone they can hang out , with other states, we can do multistate market programs. we are doing them today. [applause] or, they can be creative and make new ones. more players mean more flexibility, and when you look at this proposal you will see that more flexibility means lower cost. states have flexibility not just in the means and the methods, but in the timeline as well. under our proposal, states have to design plans now, and they have to start reducing so they

can be on a trajectory to meet their final goals in 2030. that kinds of flexibility means a smooth transition to a cleaner power that does not leave any investment opportunities behind. the flexibility of our clean power plan affords the choices that lead them to a healthier future. choices that level the playing field, and keep options on the table, does not take them off the table, choices that reflect where we are today, and that look to seize the opportunities that are here for us tomorrow. choices that are focused on building up, not on shutting down. so we can raise the common denominator for a cleaner, low carbon economy that will fuel growth for decades to come. what is special about the flexibility of our plan? it does not just give states the more options, it gives entrepreneurs and investors

options to play as well. [applause] it will deliver the certainty that private investment is looking for that will unleash market forces, that will drive even deeper into innovation and investment. it will spur cleaner technologies and power of all sorts. we can bring new, low carbon technologies to the table. our plan will pull private investment off the shelves and into our clean energy revolution and in all directions, not just the one or two that we know today. opportunities are endless.

the good news is that the states, cities, and businesses have already blazed the trail. we are not doing cutting-edge work here. we are just opening up the door for cutting edge to happen. our clean energy revolution has been unfolding on front of us -- in front of us. i went to salt lake city where the mayor and the utilities are teaming up on building efficiency. i went to st. paul where there is a science center that is recycling energy waste, and is actually teaching kids what we adults are just beginning to learn. i have seen fortune 500 companies revamp strategies to lower business risk by meeting the demands of a carbon constrained future. i want to give a shout out to all of the local officials, all of the rural co-ops, and all of the power operators and utilities that have been leading the charge on climate change. you know who you are.

i thank you. it is clear you act not just because it is reasonable, but because it is right. governors and mayors are leaning into climate action. they see it not as a partisan obstacle, but as a powerful opportunity. we know that success breeds success. those of us in state and local government have seen a healthy competition, a push to share ideas and expertise. that is how everybody ends up winning. epa has had a long-standing partnership with states to protect public health. we set goals, and states are always in the drivers seat to meet them. releasing the clean power plan shifts much of the conversation to the states.

if you're a teacher, a scientist, a mechanic, a business person, or just someone who has a good idea, share your thoughts with your state leaders. help them see that they can build a plan that will better all of our futures. i know people are wondering, can we cut pollution while keeping our energy affordable and reliable? sure we can. we can, and we will. critics claim that your energy bills will skyrocket, but they are wrong. shall i say that again? they are wrong. [applause] any small short-term change in electricity prices would be within normal fluctuations the power sector has already dealt with four years. any small price increase that we

see is about the price of a gallon of milk a month. arfed by thed -- dw huge benefits. this is investment in better health and in a better future for our kids. just like these kids right here. are they girl scouts? just hanging out? [laughter] in 2030, the clean power plan will deliver health benefits of up to 90 billion dollars. for soot and smog reductions alone, for every dollar we invest in this plan, families will see seven dollars in direct health benefits. if states are smart about taking advantage of opportunities, when the effects of this plan are in place in 2030, average electricity bills will be eight percent cheaper. that is how you write a rule. [applause]

this plan is a down payment, we will know it to be a more efficient when he first century power system. it will cost -- cut pollution and cost. it is a proven path, and a lot of states have been doing it for years. think about it like this. we set historic fuel efficiency standards that doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas. many of you were engaged with that rulemaking. that means you fill up less often, and you save more money. that is what efficiency does for you in the audio industry, that is what it will do for you in the power sector as well. given the astronomical price that we pay for climate in action, the most costly thing of

all we can do is nothing. the most costly thing that we can do is to do nothing. the critics are wrong about reliability. for decades power plants have met pollution limits without risking reliability. what threatens reliability and causes blackouts is the devastating extreme weather that we are going to see that is fueled by climate change. i am a little tired of people pointing to the polar vortex as a reason not to act on climate. it is exactly the opposite. it is a wake-up call. climate change heightens risk from extreme cold that freezes our power grid, superstorm that drown our power plants, and heat waves that stress our power supply. it turns out that efficiency

upgrades that slow climate change help cities insulate themselves against blackouts. that is how it works. we know it, they know it. despite all of that, we are going to see special interest skeptics who will cry that the sky is falling, who will deliberately ignore the risks, who will deliberately overestimate the cost, and will deliberately undervalue the benefits. the facts are very clear. for over four decades, epa has cut air pollution by 70% percent, and the economy has tripled. all the while putting the power we need to keep america strong. [applause] climate action does not actually dull american competitive edge, it sharpens it, it spurs innovation and investment.

in 2011 we exported almost 33% more than 2009. that is a clear sign of a competitive industry. our fuel efficiency standards help to make that happen. companies like best buy are investing in low carbon operations. bank of america actually pays its employees to cut carbon pollution because investors see climate risk as business opportunities. do not get any hint that a raise has been ordered for these people, but this is good news. any business will tell you that eliminating waste means more money for other things, like hiring employees, corporate climate action is not bells and whistles, it is an all hands on deck call. even without national standards, the energy sector seems the handwriting on the wall.

businesses like spectra energy are investing billions of dollars in clean energy, and utilities are weaving climate considerations into their business plans. all of this means more jobs, not less. we will need thousands of american workers in construction, transmission, and more to make cleaner power a reality. [applause] you have heard me say this before, but it is worth reiterating again. the bottom line is, we have never, nor will we ever have a have to choose between a healthy economy and a healthy environment. [applause] there is a reason why empty allegations from critics sound a

little bit like a broken record. it is because it is the same tired play from the same special interest playbook that they have been using for decades. in the 1960's, when smog choked our cities, critics cried wolf and said that epa action would put the brakes on auto production. they were wrong. our air got cleaner, our kid got healthier, we sold more cars. thank you for the folks that epa. in the 1990's critics cried wolf and said that fighting acid rain would make our industry die a quiet death. they were wrong again. industry is alive and well, our lights are still on and we have dramatically reduced acid rain. time after time, when science pointed to health risk, special

interest cried wolf to protect their own agenda, not the agenda of the american people. time after time, we followed the science, we protected the american people, and the doomsday predictions never came true. now climate change is calling our number. right on cue, the same critics will once again talk manufactured facts, standing in the way to meet our moral obligation as stewards of our natural resources. they will claim that science will harm us, will fly in the face of history, and show a decided lack of faith in american ingenuity and entrepreneurship. i do not accept that premise, the president of the united

states does not accept that, we should not accept that premise. we can lead this fight, we can innovate our way to a better future. that is what america does best. [applause] yes, our climate crisis is a global problem, and it demands a global solution, and there is no hail mary play we can call on to reverse its effects. but we can act today to limit the dangers of punting this problem to our children. it is no accident that our proposal is a key piece of president obama action plan. there is still much work to be

done before we get carbon pollution down to be safe levels we need, but i am hopeful. i am hopeful when i see the progress made, i am hopeful when i see the pattern of perseverance that defines america. from the light bulb to the locomotive, america has always turned small steps into giant leaps. we have cured diseases, we have explored the stars, we have connected corners of the globe with the click of a mouse. when critics say it cannot be done, we say, you watch us. that is what america is made up, we do not settle, we lead. that is how we will confront this climate crisis. when it comes to our plan, we may not agree on the details of how we do it, but i sure hope we agree on why we do it. when our kids asked us if we did

everything we could to leave them a safer, cleaner world, we all want to say yes we did. when we think of our children, when we think of kids like arc are from ohio, it is easy to see why we have to be compelled to act. as governors, mayors, ceo's, school teachers, nurses, factory workers, and most of all as parents, in particular the moms who are here, we have a moral obligation to ensure that the world we leave behind is safe, healthy, and vibrant, just like the one we inherited. our clean power plan is a huge step to delivering on that promise. thank you very much. [applause]

i have some signing to do. this is the opening of our second round of engagement. i am looking forward to it. whoever said that the sword is not mightier than the pen? thank you very much.

thank you, everybody. [applause] don. -- done. after the announcement of the proposed clean air rules, the committee, the house fred upton, said -- the leading democrat on the energy committee, representative had henry waxman responded --

on facebook, we are asking, should the epa cut carbon emissions? those responding included victoria, and rachel. among those who responded to the administration's proposal was responded in senator john barrasso of wyoming, a member of the energy committee. president, today the obama administration released a new plan intended to shut down american power plants. instead of celebrating his policies in the rose garden, president obama delegated the bad news to the environmental section agency -- protection

agency. what they are announcing is another step in the president's plan to make electricity rates " necessarily skyrocket." promise -- thee president promised americans when he was running the first time in 2008. when he was elected, congress said no to his radical plans. even when the democrats controlled the house of representatives, nancy pelosi was speaker, the democrats had city members -- 60 members of the senate. gress of house -- houses of congress said no, mr. president. the president decided that he knew better than the american people. he decided to go around congress and the american people. page of to the front today's paper out of wyoming and obama butne is quote

the epa do his head work -- dirty work. it has caused him so much criticism that he is no longer leading the pack. the front to say on page, when the obama administration unveiled its much anticipated proposal to curb powerplant emissions, this cornerstone of the president's climate change policy, the most significant environmental regulation of his term, will not be declared in a rose garden news conference or even from behind the lectern in a major speech. they go on to say, it will not be announced by the president at all. ,nstead, by his head of the epa the environmental protection agency, while president obama ads his comments in an

off-camera conference call. talk about something that is unpopular with the american people, it is this. about a year ago, the president put out rules limiting carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants, power plants they were being constructed. the epa is applying tight new limits on the omission of existing power plants, plants that were already there producing energy. the administration said it is going to allow states flexibility in how they meet the new limits. that any of the flexibility being offered is just an illusion. states will have a severely limited number of options for what they can do to meet the standards. every one of those options are going to raise the cost of energy for american families. that means consumers