medical care in connecticut. most especially at the west haven v.a. facility which is our main hospital. my question is -- what can we do to attract more of those trained professionals to the v.a. facility in connecticut and others around the country which really provide the day-to-day >> and that is a great question. i have been thinking a lot about this. knowing the shortage we have. and also the more relatively organization -- morale of the organization. health careme that professionals want to make a inference in the lives of others. they want to be on the cutting edge. we are going to start correlating ptsd with events that occurred during the military experience, that is

cutting-edge stuff. stuff that no one has done before. that i the kind of thing would think health care professionals would want to be a part of. we should tell that ability and use it to recruit the best people who want to make a difference in others' lives. forhen we met, i have asked sites pacific information related to the audit that was done here. shinseki forl's site-specific information. i am referring to the audit that was done in the spring. i would like a commitment that i

will receive a response to that letter. >> we will respond to the letter. >> i would like your commitment -- asking for an apparent tripling in the wait times. it seemed to have tripled in connecticut. will you commit to me that you will provided response to that? >> if confirmed, i will provide a response. >> i'm hoping that response. well.t is my hope as

>> the other area that is of grave concern to me is care for women veterans. 's -- >> is a growing priority the number of women going into combat is growing. this is something we have to get ahead of. >> relating to connecticut, a great deal of our veterans have been victims of purgatory -- predatory schemes or practices on the part of for-profit colleges or others related to educational benefits. ultimately the victims are not just the veterans but also taxpayers.

it is taxpayer money that is lost. will you commit to make correction of those kinds of abuses? i have read some of the newspaper articles and reports on that. that andet into understand it. unconscionable that somebody would take advantage of our veterans. >> with regard to the criminal investigation that is ongoing which i asked the department of justice to begin, i would like your commitment that you will assist and support that investigation to hold accountable anybody who has committed fraud awardees were documents. -- legally manipulated committed fraud or destroyed documents. yllegal many -- illegall destroyed or manipulated things.

>> the number one value of the organization is integrity. >> thank you. >> thank you for being here. notuld be remiss if i did first to brag about my state and invite you to it. alaska, wetor from have attempted to look at this problem in a very complex way. carenot only a health delivery system, g.i. benefits, a laundry list of services. as i said earlier in my comments now have inng -- we alaska 26 agreements with tribes that deliver health care. we didn't need legislation. we offered it to read we work with the administration to figure it out. the former secretary was bold and went on the cutting-edge.

to dok we are starting some incredible things that are delivering services wherever and the are in uva -- v.a. reimburses with regards to the services. federal resource. we are of these, when partnering in anchorage, the delivery system -- if you are a veteran, you will get same-day care. that is a pretty -- that should be the goal. when you walk in as a veteran, you should get care. we are getting 70 hyphae -- -80 folks a week. wey are signing up to be -- have an incredible delivery system. what i mean by that, not just a mechanism but the kind of care we deliver. a holistic view of medicine. not just that you come in with one ailment.

we try to look at the whole system. we have a team that works with you. the idea is that the outcome of the health care is better than just a process they are going through. i would hope that you would be willing to consider looking at that. v.a. has beenthe looking at this as a model in some cases. emergency care cases by changing once a both thing. youd you commit -- mentioned you were going through go around. we have a clinic and a unique delivery system. to come to alaska and see what we are doing? >> certainly, i would like to go to alaska again. i have been there many times and have always enjoyed it. what you described is trying to prevent the ole miss.

trying to prevent the problem not just treating it once it occurs. the work we have done at procter & gamble with our health care business has always been about the illness from occurring. >> for a good. >> in order to keep people healthy hunger. >> -- very good. >> in order to keep people healthy longer. >> i wanted to echo what senator blumenthal mentioned about the of -- growing population women in the va system. some of our systems were not designed for the needs of women. i want to hear you say it again. your commitment to make sure the women who are veterans who will get equal treatment as you are looking at and in proving and reforming the system. >> yes or. >> -- yes, sir. here is what is going to

happen. you will have all these wonderful ideas. which we are anxious for. these- you will present ideas to the office of budget and management. you will be told, you don't have enough money. are you willing to buck the system to say, here is what we need if we are serious about dealing with our veterans? which may mean you have to say no disrespect to my friends at omb -- they are my are you willing to the advocate for the veterans when the system says, you we cannot do it? >> my intention is to meet with

members of the opposite -- office of management and budget week or so. once a they are a constituency and they are going to be helpful. a partner ship with them is critically important. just as a partnership with that organization and the private sector would be as well. >> less question -- last question. we have seen this play before with dod. i have seen it on the appropriations committee. an irsght v.a., da, together to figure this out. when they say, it is not our problem. say, we stand tall and are going to have these integrated systems that are clean? that the veteran does not have to worry about.

we as agent she should worry about a boat -- worry about but we should never worry about it. your --ious for the pentagon may be big but secretary hagel and i are small. we can work together on these kinds of things. i do plan to let him know what our needs are. i hope in return he will let me know what his needs are. at the effect that he reached out to me is a great sign. the fact that he reached out to meet is a great sign. >> thank you very much. i was a bit more questions. i appreciate your willingness to be here. >> we are coming to a close. let me thank you, mr. mcdonald, for your willingness to serve. your testimony. what we are going to try to do -- i hope and believe we can -- is have a vote on your

confirmation tomorrow. i heard, based on what you are going to be confirmed. i hope that is the case. say, and thing i would the senator raised, is there is a conference committee report out there. is there isgreement also a house of representatives, not just the senate. both bodies are going to have to work together. i hope we will be able to do that before we leave here. i hope we will be able to provide you with the emergency hope -- hope you need. i hope also we will give you the resources you need to get the doctors and nurses and other personnel you need so we don't have this crisis. saying youlude by have heard -- and i know you are aware -- of the significant problems facing the v.a..

in addition to everything else, we have 2 million veterans that have come into the system in recent years. you will be dealing with a crisis of 500,000 men and women dealing with ptsd and tbi. accountability issues. the need to develop a new culture at the eva. v.a..the what you have going for you is the american people feel very toongly about the need provide for and take care of those who have sacrificed so much. i think they will support you. beingk you very much for here. this hearing is adjourned.

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on facebook and twitter. we asked if you think a robert mcdonald can fix the veterans administration. his from jay-- post your comment. no to facebook.com/cspa johnsonon c-span, jeh discusses u.s. border security and human cell going -- human smuggling. then president obama talks about dogs and the economy. and a debate on the ongoing israeli palestinian conflict. watergates ago, the scandal led to the only resignation of an american

president. american history tv events it's 1974.isits this week, the house judiciary committee. >> what you have here are questions about what the framers had in mind. whether the activities that had been found out by the committee in the senate were indeed impeachable. and thirdly, can we prove that richard nixon knew about them? and even authorize them? >> watergate, 40 years later. sunday night at 8:00 eastern. next, homeland security secretary jeh johnson talks byut ongoing efforts immigration authorities to target human smuggling networks in south texas. about also us -- asked

texas governor perry's proposal to put the national guard on the border. this is 20 minutes. >> take you for being here. -- thank you for being here. it in the face of the rise in illegal migration into the rio grande valley sector, we have said repeatedly our borders are not open to either legal migration. if you come here from central america, the mullah, el salvador, we will send you back in response to the current situation. with regard to adults who come here without their children, we have dramatically turned the time around -- reduce the time that it takes to repatriate and remove these adults from an average of something like 33

days down to four days in the removal process. we are sending between 6-10 flights a week into each of these countries. to send the adults back who are coming here into the rio grande valley sector. with regard to adults who bring their child and -- children, we have established detention capacity in artesia, new mexico, where i was a week before last. we are building additional capacity for adults who bring their kids here. here up to something like 6,000 beds. last week we began to repatriate adults with children back to central america in the flights along with the adults with regards to the unaccompanied children who are coming here as a part of this migration we have highlighted repeatedly the dangers of the long journey into

the dangers of traveling with a criminal smuggling organization. we have repeatedly stressed the misinformation that the criminal smuggling organizations are putting out. we have stressed that there are no free passes and once an illegal migrants get to south texas and programs before to the action are those that came here seven years ago. we are reducing the time that it takes to repatriate unaccompanied children and we are adding resources to that process with discussions from the congress about the changes in the law. about the repatriation and about the efforts that they are making to reduce the migration into the

united states. the three presidents of the countries will be here friday for meetings with president obama. i was in guatemala a week before last with the same purpose. we are seeing the numbers of illegal migrants coming into the rio grande valley sector drop over the last four to six weeks we've seen the numbers of total life retention drop and the numbers of comprehension of unaccompanied children dropped over the last four to six weeks. we are not declaring victory. this could be seasonal, but the numbers are dropping. nevertheless, the recent rise in illegal migration requires a sustained aggressive campaign by the government in response we have the capital right now that requests supplemental funding to my department, the department of

justice, the department of health and human services and the state department. i have stressed that the current rate given the capacity that we have had this urge to deal with this issue. we run out of money in mid-august the customs and border protection run out in mid-september, and doing nothing in the congress is not an option. today, i want to highlight what the deputy attorney general here and with the acting director of immigration and customs enforcement and with peter edge, the executive associate director of homeland security investigations, such as a part of the ic. the work we are doing to focus on law enforcement against the criminal investigations that are bringing children and others into the rio grande valley sector's to whom these families

are paying as much as $10,000. over the last month i've directed that an additional 60 criminal investigators and intelligence analysts and other personnel go to south texas to focus on this effort. since that time they have made something like 192 criminal arrests in smuggling related cases and seized 28 vehicles. we are interacting the money flow, the flow of money that goes to the criminals smuggling organizations over the last month or so, we have interdicted $625,000 in 288 bank account and we are continuing this effort and we are going to ramp up this effort and that's part of what we want to talk about today. we need to continue to sustain the campaign. and we will do so. we are focused on that.

we will identify more bank accounts and more flows of money. and we will continue to go after the criminal smuggling organizations. we will continue to work with the mexican and central american governments on their law enforcement efforts. so, with that i would like to turn it over to the deputy attorney general, my friend jim cole to talk further about the law-enforcement efforts that are part of this campaign. thank you. thank you secretary johnson and all of you for being here today. i'm pleased to join the secretary to discuss the efforts of the department of justice and homeland security to address the challenges created by the recent surge in undocumented immigrants crossing illegally into the united states. as the secretary has discussed and described the conditions of the migrants en route to the united states they are horrible.

human smuggling ventures lead to extremely dangerous circumstances that pose a threat to public safety and create serious planetary and concerns. we have encountered smuggled aliens that have been kidnapped, taken hostage, beaten, sexually assaulted, threatened with murder or have died as a result of the conditions en route. the department of justice has a long history of working with the department of homeland security to investigate and prosecute humans of smugglers. our u.s. attorney's office charged almost 3,000 attendants with a crime and bringing in and harboring criminal and a certain aliens. in the four fiscal years from 2009 to 2013, the u.s. attorney's office filed charges against over 15,000 individuals for these crimes. and as of june 30 of this year, the department filed alien smuggling charges against more

than 2,000 defendants in federal district court in this fiscal year alone. the statistics are emblematic of the work of th but trouble pross and law-enforcement agents do that and force the nation's immigration law. the department of justice continues to work collaboratively with the department of homeland security to facilitate investigations like the one secretary johnson described that may lead to the prosecution of those responsible for the illegal entry of individuals including minors into the united states. just two weeks ago i met with the attorneys that represent the southwest border districts to discuss additional ways to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations that are facilitating the transportation of unaccompanied minors and others into the country. we are also working with our counterparts to encourage them to target facilitators operating in the country in particular as the secretary noted we are readable in efforts to work with the governor of mexico to

identify him at weekend and prosecute smugglers who are eating the children crossing the u.s. border. but arresting and prosecuting without the will will not fault the problem. we also need to build the capacity of our counterparts in what allah and el salvador to address the violence particularly game violence that encourages migration to the united states. the violence remains endemic event countries such as el salvador where they have been brokered between the gangs. this can be addressed only by a sustained commitment to the rule of law and law-enforcement reform by the country from which these miners are fleeing. ..

>> seeking to reform their laws as well as investigate, prosecute, and you with correctional services. we are hopeful that the congress will fully fund these capacity building programs in central america and as a result, we will be able to bring about more successes in the months to come. thank you very much. i guess we're going to take questions. right here. the 501happens to immigrants that are taken into custody? are they eligible for visas or anything of that sort? do you have a sense of where

these smuggling organizations emanate? are they based in central america? are they central american but based in the u.s.? do they have folks in the transit countries? let me start with your second question first. smuggling organizations are all up and down through central countries in mexico and exist partly in the united states. most importantly, the flow of money that they rely upon to fund their operations occurs within the united states, which is one of the things that we are focused on. the organizations are themselves both a national. in three or four countries at a time. what was your question regarding the 500? >> what happens to -- visas? where did they go? >> if a migrant qualifies under our laws or humanitarian aid or

humanitarian relief, we will comply with the law. that if you come here illegally, unless you qualify for some form of humanitarian relief, we will send you back. we are searching resources to do that. yes ma'am, right there. smuggling and trafficking. how do you interpret a reentry after being deported counting as smuggling or trafficking case? also, in terms of this controversy over ice using commercial airliners to transport all undocumented immigrants, children were young adults, can you address that issue? >> well, with regard to the repatriation back to central america, we have been using it to the using charter flights.

there are commercial flights that we use from time to time, i believe. when it comes to the repatriation to central america they are charter flights. >> hi. cbs news. do you have any statistics on how many and the company children have actually been brought by human traffickers or smugglers? such a large number without parents. >> it is our observation that almost all of them are smuggled. no one is freelancing. they are identified, recruited. smuggling organizations mislead families into believing there are provisos that will expire at the end of the month unless they act now, and remarkably these groups charge an exorbitant amount of money, several

thousand dollars, which for a lot of families, i have to believe, constitutes one year's wages and very often it is have now, have when you get to the border or have when you get into the united states. one of the examples of how these criminals smuggling organizations operate was an arrest that we made just two weeks ago where the smuggling organization felt it was owed an additional $2,000 by the family and basically kept the migrants hostage until they were paid and threatened to either decapitate her were sell her to a brothel and tell the family paid $2,000 once she was here. i think that what is in northern virginia. that is what we are dealing with, how these criminal organizations operate, which is why we keep highlighting the

dangers of putting your child in the hands of the criminal smuggling organization like this. right here. >> how, if at all, the customs border enforcement agency and the border itself will cooperate with the national guard that are being sent by the texas governor to the border? are you going to cooperate in some way so that they are used in an effective manner? >> well, i would certainly hope so. the governor announced yesterday that he was sending 1,000 national guard to the border. we do not know yet exactly what they intend to do, what the intended use is. but whenever that is, i would hope that our customs and border personnel, immigration customs enforcement personnel would working effectively with him. [inaudible question]

>> week, at this point -- well, certainly the government feels as though with is necessary. the governor and president had a conversation about this matter when president obama was in texas. the governor asked about potential uses of the broader national guard and the president agreed to look at that. and so we are reviewing the options just because we have said we want to review all lawful and appropriate options to deal with this. next question. right here. [inaudible question] sorry. you said that nearly all unaccompanied minors are being smuggled north in exchange for payment. why would they then be treated under the traffic law which is designed for people who are forcefully moved and abandoned? and also, do you have any numbers on whether they slowed down family use border crossing

at the last week? >> the answer to your second question is, yes, we have seen a slowdown in the rate of apprehension of unaccompanied children, family units, as well as the and the company's adults. the t dpra, the 2008 law, the trafficking victims' protection. i'm sorry i don't have the acronym talks in terms of when a child is identified as an unaccompanied child and in this circumstance by customs and border patrol under our laws within 72 hours we are to transfer that child to the department of health and human services. that is basically how the law works. under the tvpra, the department of health and human services should act in the best interest of the child. as you probably know, we have

asked the administration has asked for a change in law, and we are in active discussions with congress right now about doing that. >> thank you, mr. secretary. a couple of questions on the funding. he said that ice would run out of august by september if you don't get the emergency funding by congress. reports on the hill today that republicans may announce their own plan to address this situation and that it could dramatically scale back the amount of money. the president has requested. now two and a half billion. rieti's level ever the reduction might be pre does your department need all the money the president has asked for and would that be critical to your operations? >> department of common security ask for one and a half billion dollars to focus just on immigration and customs enforcement. the request is for just over 1 billion. 879 million of that goes to building detention capability.

another 100 million or so goes to supporting the law enforcement efforts in central america. so the funding we have requested is very targeted at detention, deterrence, and removal. the other key to our funding request is to transfer authority based upon involving -- devolving circumstances. if some of the assumptions behind the numbers change we want the flexibility to transfer money within the department of homeland security your from the department of health and human services over to dhs. time for one more question, one more question. right here. >> to questions. number one, can you give us an idea of how many centers you have had to open in order to house the children? number two, i want to make sure i understood you. he said that you have reduced the turnaround time to repatriate adults and are looking to reduce the

time that you processed the children. >> yes. to process children and to remove the children, send the kids back under our laws. >> my second question is about process. that is, at what stage the the children get to lay out their case? in other words, when do they, you know, is it in the beginning? is it when they go before a judge, the second time they have to go before a judge, through an agent, where in the process? >> well, the way it generally works this, there is an opportunity early on in the process usually with a lawyer to assert a claim of asylum or credible fear, other form of humanitarian relief, and there are various different avenues

for that under the lofts. that claim is then considered, and if it is denied then the process reverts to the normal removal process for unaccompanied children. we believe that a majority of them will not qualify for any form of humanitarian relief. when you look at the statistics in the past most of them must be and will be removed. th >> the militant islamist group isis has been fighting against forces for- iraqi control of major cities across the country great state department officials will testify about the escalating violence in iraq. live coverage from the house foreign affairs committee starts at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span 3. later, a member of the international cruise safety

association will talk about that at a senate here. we will hear from a man who got -- whose mother got sick on a carnival cruise and later died. it starts at 2:30 eastern on c-span 3. president obama signed the workforce innovation act, which invests in job training. at the bill signing, the president, who was joined by vice president i can, spoke about jobs and the economy. this is 30 minutes. >> distinguished members of

congress and member of labor and community, today as the president signs the workforce innovation and opportunity act, we are using this occasion also to present the president a roadmap he requested in the state of the union message on how to keep and maintain the highest-skilled workforce in the world. build ontoerfect what bipartisan consensus .ongress recently reached i had the best partners i could ask for. talked to governors, mayors, industry leaders, presidents of community colleges and colleges, unions, and a lot of members of congress, many of whom are here. i have to knowledge at the thatont -- at the outset

my wife, jill has been an incredible advocate for community college and the role they play in training the workforce. most importantly, i spoke with a lot of americans who were hit exceedingly hard by the great recession era to -- recession. they are doing everything they possibly can to find a job. they are willing to learn new skills in order to have a decent middle-class job. one thing i hope we can put to rest -- ameran -- americans one to work. they want to do anything to get a decent job. they show us that are saying this greatest resource -- and is not hyperbole -- is our workers. they are in the best position to learn the skills of the 21st century that the workforce requires.

all has changed has changed utterly. all has changed. it is a different world in which people are competing to get the jobs they need. whether it is in clean energy or information technology, all areas at our booming -- that our booming. how do you connect? how do you connect these workers who desperately want a job, who will do all they need to do to qualify? how do you connect them with jobs? how do americans know what skills employers need? it sounds like a silly question. how do they know? how do they get these skills once they know what skills are needed for the job? where? where did they go to get those jobs. ? this report is designed to help answer those practical questions. it includes 50 actions of the federal government and outside

partners are taking now to help fill this skills gap. that is this new strategy we think will lead directly to more middle-class jobs. these actions will help promote partnerships between educational institutions and workforce institutions. they will increase apprenticeships which will allow folks to earn and learn and earn while they learn. it will empower job seekers and employers with better data on what jobs are available and what skills are filled -- need to fill those jobs are ready to you a story. -- need to fill those jobs. let me tell you a story. i have been looking at programs you have that are similar to what he are proposing today. i was recently in detroit just last week. . met with an incredible group

all these people came from hardscrabble groups in detroit. it was all women. it was coincidence. they all made it to -- through high school. they ranged in age from 25 to their mid-50's. they all got a high school education and they were determined to do more to provide for themselves and their families. through word of mouth, they boot about eight coding camp. it is called set it up america. between partnership wayne county community college and a company called ust global. four-month,ensive eight hour a day -- i think. it is almost the whole day. don't hold me to the exact number of hours.

it is an intensive training program where these women -- as i said, there were about a dozen and a half women -- learned i.t. skills needed to fill jobs at ust global. they represent a lot of i.t. companies as well. knowing vacancies exist, they estimate over 1000 vacancies in the greater detroit area. upon completion of this program, ust global hires the students and the lowest starting job is at 45,000 a year and the highest is $70,000 a year. these are computer programmers. train thesedoes not women out of a sense of charity. they do it because it is a very smart business decision. there is an overwhelming need for more computer coders. not just ust global, but the entire industry. by 2020, our research shows there will be one point or

million new i.t. jobs all across this country. the pay is in the $70,000 range. i was so proud of these women. as i said, my wife teach at a community college. her average class age is 28-30 years old. just think of yourself what courage it takes. you are out of high school. you have graduated. you have been in a job trying to make it. you have been out 10, 15 years. someone says there is an opportunity to take this program, to learn job which, -- learn java, to learn to operate a computer in which you can code it. it takes a lot of courage to step up. it takes a willingness to be able to fail. these women were remarkable. not just of these women. they write code. they were not out there. someonee -- they knew who had gotten a job because of

the program and they thought they could do it. they learned an entire new language and they displayed an initiative that was remarkable to see. they showed up. they worked hard. because they want a good-paying job. they want to make a decent living. they want to take care of themselves and their families. myks, as i know all of colleagues believe, this is what it is all about. it is not just information technology. manufacturing. 100,000 high-tech manufacturing jobs available today in the united states because the employers cannot find workers with the right skills. that number of highly skilled manufacturing jobs is going to by 2020.75,000 folks, you know i was recently up in michigan. dow coco has a plant there.

they could not find someone who knows how to run the machines. the community college and business role be machines into the community college. these are good paying jobs. in energy, 26% more jobs for petroleum engineers. average salary, $130,000 a year. 5% more jobs for solar panel installers. $38,000 a year. more electricians are needed learning $50,000 a year. -- earning $50,000 a year. these are real jobs. health care. there are 20% more jobs. that are needed in the health care industry. registered nurses, jobs that pay 65,000 bucks a year.

there are training programs in your districts when while you are out there and a practical nurse, you can still be working and be essentially apprenticed while you are learning how to become a registered nurse. physicians assistants badly needed as the call for health care increases. what is the number, tom? 130,000 a year, roughly? these are jobs all within the grasp of the american people if we give them a shot. , let them them away know how they can possibly pay for it while they are raising a family, and they will do the ways. to maintain our place in the world, we need to maintain the world's most skilled workforce and to give hard-working americans a chance at the good middle-class job that can raise

a family. report are in this just a beginning. the last -- so many have fallen out of the middle class and many need to find a path back. there is a path back if we all do our jobs. from union leaders to congress to the federal government. the mission is very simple. it goes back to central economic vision. this guy that most of us -- i can speak for the president and i -- or the date we got here. the mission is to widen the aperture to be able to get into the middle class. to be able to get into the middle class by expanding opportunity. no guarantees, just expanding opportunity. who represent the backbone of the most dynamic, thriving economy in the world.

that is a fact. we are the most dynamic, thriving economy in the world. in order to thrive, education and training has to be just as dynamic and adaptable as our economy is. america is in a better position today than we have ever been. attractive place in the world for foreign investment i a long shot. -- by a long shot. says the gapvey between number one and number two is wider than it has ever been. manufacturing is back. instead of hearing about outsourcing, what are you hearing now? you are hearing about in sourcing. companies are coming back. note direct credit for. we are in the midst of an energy burglary -- energy boom.

united states of america, mexico, and canada. we remain the leader in innovation. we have the greatest research universities in the world. we have the most adaptive, most adaptive financing systems in the world to go out and take chances on new startups. american workers are the most productive in the world. they want to work. to seize this moment, we need to keep the world's most skilled workforce here in america. i think with this bipartisan group, we are ready. the american people are ready. i know the man i'm about to introduce is ready. he wakes up every morning trying to figure out -- how do we give ordinary americans an opportunity? this is just about opportunity, man. simple opportunity. how do we give them? they are so exceptional.

ladies and gentlemen, i think everyone in this room shares that goal, providing for opportunity. the man i am about to introduce, that is all he talks about when he talks to me. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, barack obama. [applause] >> thank you. thank you so much. everybody, please be seated. welcome to the white house. i want to thank joe for the generous introduction but more importantly for everything he does on behalf of american workers. i want to thank the members of congress who are here from both parties who led the effort to reauthorize the work worse investment act. when president clinton signed the original work or investment act back in 1998, he said it was a big step forward to making sure that every adult can keep on learning for a lifetime. he was right.

the law became a pillar of american job-training programs. it has helped millions of americans earn to the skilled -- the skills they need to a new job or find a better-paying job. even in 1998, our economy was changing. the notion that a high school education could get you a good job and you keep that job until retirement was not a reality for the majority of people. advances in technology made some jobs obsolete. global competition length over jobs -- other jobs overseas. as we were coming into office, the great recession pulled the rug out from millions of hard-working families. today,d news is that nearly six years after the financial crisis, our business has added nearly 10,000 new jobs over the past 52 months. manufacturing is adding jobs for the first time since the 1990's. the unemployment rate is at its

lowest since september of 2008. it is the fastest drop in one year in nearly 30 years. there are more job openings at any time since 2007, pre-recession. for the first time in a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that the number one place to do business, the number one place to invest is not china, it is the united states of america. thanks to the hard work of the american people and some decent policies, our economy has recovered faster and gone fath r frather than most -- farther than most advanced nation. as joe says, we have the best cars. to we emerge more companies join the trend and bring it jobs on. to make sure that the gains are not just for the very top but

that the economy works for every single american. you are working hard. you should be able to get a job. that job should pay well. you should be able to move forward and look after your family. opportunity for all. that means that even if you are creating jobs in the new economy, you have to make sure that every american has the skills to fill those jobs. keep in mind, not every job needs a four-year degree. the ones that do not need a college degree generally need specialized training. last month, i met a wonderful young woman named rebecca in minnesota. a few years ago, she was waiting tables. her husband lost his job. he was a carpenter doing construction work. he had to figure out how to scramble. she got enrolled in community college and retrain for a new

career. not only is her husband back in construction, but she loves her job as an accountant. started a whole new career. the question then is how do we give more workers that chance? revamp, to retool so that they can move forward in this new economy. in 2011, i called on congress to reauthorize the workforce investment act updated for the 21st century and i want to thank every maker who was here, from both parties, who answered that call. it took from compromising, but you know what? it turns out sometimes that compromise is ok. folks in congress got past the differences. they got a bill to my desk. this is not a win for democrats or republicans heard it is a win for america -- republicans. it is a win for american workers. it is a win for the middle class. it is a win for everyone fighting to make their way into

the middle class. the bill i am about to site will give committees more certainty for job training programs in the long run, it will help us remove programs into the 21st century why building on what we know works based on evidence, based on tracking what actually delivers on behalf of folks who enrolled in these programs. withpartnerships employers, more tools to measure performance, more flexibility for states and cities to innovate and to run their workforce programs in ways that are best suited for their particular demographic, their particular industries. 21st -- thech the 24th anniversary of the ada, this bill takes new steps to support americans with disabilities want to live and work independent lay. -- independently. there is a lot of good stuff in here. as joe said, there is still more we can do. that is why we have rallied

employers to give long-term unemployed a fair shot. that is why we are using $600 million in federal grants to encourage companies to offer apprenticeships and work directly with community colleges. it is why in my state of the union, in the citadel union, i ask jo to leave them across to train themion and match them with good jobs right now. cabinet torect my implement some of the recommendations. use the fundso and programs that we arty have in a better way. -- already have in a better way. we have been working on an approach. a lot of you know what that means.

they enroll, they get trained for something, and they are not sure if the job is out there. saddlingare doing is themselves with debt and putting themselves in a worse position. we want to make sure that you train the workers first, based on what employers are telling you they are hiring for. design thess training programs. so, we are creating a pipeline in jobs that are out there. programso, training that use federal money will be required to make public how many graduates find jobs. workers, as they are shopping around, no if they can expect a good return on their investment. every job seeker should have all

of the tools they need to take their career into their hands. newre investing in strategies that keep pace with the economy. we are testing faster ways of and giving ats risk youth the chance to learn on the job. thatll keep making sure americans have the chance to build their careers throughout a lifetime of hard work. signing today and the actions i am taking today will connect more americans with ready to be filled jobs. there is so much more we can do and i look forward to engaging all members of congress and all not-for-profits who worked on this issue to see what else we can get going. i will give you a couple of examples.

our high school graduation rate is the highest on record. more are earning college degrees than before. maken still do more to college more affordable and lift the burden of student loan debt. millions ofive americans the opportunity to cap their student loans by 10% of their income. congress could help do more. minimum wage, you know, this since thed five years last increase. more and more businesses are raising wages. i would like to work with congress to see if we can do the same for 28 million americans. give americans a race right now. fair pay. let's make sure the next generation of women are getting a fair deal. next make sure that the

generation of good manufacturing jobs are in america and let's make it easier and not harder to bring the jobs back home. on the get to vote "bring jobs home" act. there are companies moving profits offshore. let's encourage those companies. let's build on what parties have already done on many of these issues and see if we can come together. let's fix the it, immigration system that is currently broken in a way that strengthens the borders and we know will be good for business. we know it will increase gdp and drive down the deficit. want to thank all democrats and republicans today for getting this done. it is a big bil. i invite -- bill.

i invite you back. let's do this more often. this is so much fun. let's pass more good bills. look at everybody. everybody is smiling. everybody feels good. we could be doing this all the time. our work to make real differences in the lives of americans. that is why we are here. more job satisfaction. the american people are customers and they will feel ettore about the product we produce. 1998, when president clinton law, he had a man spokeennsylvania who about how he had been laid off in 1995 at age 49 with two kids and no college degree. with the help of jobs training

able.ms, he was for the past 16 years, he has been employed as a programmer and worked his way up from contractor to full-time employee in a few months. he plans on retiring after a lifetime of work. the program made a difference in his life. what he is thinking about doing is teaching computer science and helping a new generation learned skills that lead to a job like he had the opportunity to. , ran for president because even in a changing economy and a ies like world, stor jim's should be the norm. i know that america is full of men and women who work very hard and little to the responsibility.

all they want is to see hard work pay off. that responsibility rewarded. they are not greedy. they are not looking for the moon. they want to know if they work hard, they can retire. they are not going to go bankrupt when they get sick. maybe take a vacation once in a while. nothing fancy. that is what they are looking for. what is important is family, community, and relationships. that is possible. that is what america is supposed to be about. that is what i'm fighting for every single day as president. this bill will help move us along this path. we need to do it more. let's get together and work together to restore opportunity for every single americans. i want to invite some of the people in the audio to help make this happen. i am going to sign this bill

with all of those pens. thank you, everybody. [applause] >> all right. >> the job. -- good job. -- how old are you? >> 25. > stand right up here. >> all right. >> just make sure. [laughter]

>> good. [laughter] everybody.t,

[applause] >> we have a lot more work to do. great job. >> good work. >> we are good. all right. thank you, everybody. two federal appellate courts handed down contradictory rulings on the part of the health care law that provides insurance subsidies to

americans. the earnest was asked about ruling at the briefing. >> i understand what you were saying about the legal aspect and it seems that conservatives are acknowledging that it will survive. do you ignore what that it could be messy? >> no. what the administration believes is that the legal basis for our case is strong and we have effective advocates at the department of justice will make the case. that the intent of congress was to make sure that tory american has access credits. >> there are decisions written by the justices that take dim

views of government bureaucrats rewriting laws that do not turn out as they expected. given that that is out there, why are you so confident that your legal basis is sound. ? >> a district judge anticipates that the government would implement the law in line with the congressional intent. this judge was at the district level and did say that there is no evidence in the statute or the legislative history of any intent by congress to support the claims made by the plaintiff. to put this more simply, it is the view of this administration that the way to implement the affordable care act to maximize with theits is in line

intent of the united states congress. >> on the next washington journal, we talk with jim himes about intelligence complex. -- heulskampamp will discuss reform. an article about syria's chemical weapons program. we will take your calls and get the latest on conflicting appeals court rulings that relate to the financing of the health care law. you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. washington journal is live on c-span. tv.n book

>> i thought it would be compelling to tell a story of a family with the same name, who come from the same place, and follow them through the civil war and the civil rights movement to today. compare and contrast. >> chris tomlinson on his family's slavery. he talks about the brother of the nfl running back on their lineage as former slaves. palestinian authority envoy to the united nations appealed to the u.n. to intervene in the conflict as the death toll continues to rise on

both sides. the deputy ambassador spoke. this portion of the meeting is 50 minutes. >> the security council will consider item t you have the floor. >> thank you. members of the committee. you and [indiscernible]

know, i have asked the secretary council. i will continue to jordan and saudi arabia. and, other countries in the region. if necessary. i have had fruitful conversations and had a

meaningful meeting with the palestinian president. state. secretary of general incretary cairo. opportunity of meeting the minister who is asiting in the region and had telephone conversation with the minister of france. we exchanged our views. grateful to the countries who have been engaging in the diplomatic efforts to bring an end to this crisis. i'm sure that you understand

that this is highly sensitive and i cannot publicly reveal the details. it is my hope and believe that this will lead to results and the end to the fighting in the very near future. there are many complexities. solidarityission of and peace. news ofeeted with the theterrible fighting and enormous human toll of the fighting and the scale of the challenges for us. we must stop the fighting. andust start the dialogue tackle the root causes.

without addressing the deeper never solve the problem. we will only delay. the bitterness and hatred will become more entrenched each time it comes around. withy, if people are left despair and occupation, the problem will only grow. the prospect of the cease-fire comes in the form of a proposal by egypt. unfortunately, hamas has yet to respond.

this is the most meaningful pathway to peace. the security concerns -- i will continue my meetings with the president and ministers. the indiscriminate rocket fire launched by hamas into israel has taken a deadly toll. they have paid the price for this latest escalation. this decision affects most of the countries.

[indiscernible] the escalation in cairo is affecting operations. worldwide corporations are closed as a result of the crisis. this is unacceptable. more than 5% of the population of gaza -- a serious loss of life.

i urge all of you to respond to the tremendous pressure. we must eliminate their sufferings. i thank the many countries present to work towards order. i also thank the u.n. staff for their devotion to respond to humanitarian needs.

we the international community have to assume responsibility. [indiscernible] it is imperative that we show balance. tens of thousands in gaza continue to receive salaries without performing essential government functions in gaza. this is the third time that i have had to come to the region to help end the crisis. the children of gaza are now in the middle of a major assault of international imbalance. the cycle of suffering must end. the opportunity to bring a cease-fire separate political superiority is the best idea for gaza. this council is formed to end

this violent crusade. we proceed -- the international community wants to help and bring justice. thank you. i'm trying to help this region as best as i can. thank you. [indiscernible]

>> tens of thousands. 60,000 thousands -- without essential functions in gaza. is all concerned parties. president, this is the third one that i have had to come an emergency mission to help these parties. gaza are worried about violence.

this cycle of violence must end. we need a cease-fire and support -- also, guiding progress. form.ust conflictn end to the and a two state solution. we need to send a sense of security. israelis need to see the opportunity. there must be justice for all.

people in this region. thank you. [indiscernible] i am happy to listen as much as i can. thank you. i yield the rest of my time. >> the secretary-general, thank you for his statement. >> thank you, mr. president. i thank you for your strength this month. the efforts to address the

crisis being faced by the palestinian people. due to the military aggression in the gaza strip. i thank the security general for his briefing and convey deep gratitude to him. to secure an urgent cease-fire based on the egyptian initiative. i want to welcome the foreign minister of luxembourg was with us. thank you for attending this very important meeting. today, i also recognize the efforts of the special coordinator on the ground with regard to the goals for the humanitarian cause and the government efforts.

under the leadership of pierre and the general and other u.n. agencies and humanitarian organizations, including the icrc providing vital emergency assistance to the palestinian people at this time of crisis. mr. president, despite all of these regional and international efforts, palestinian civilians have been killed. thousands have been injured and tens of thousands have been displaced by the israeli military aggression in gaza since we last came before the council on friday. the israeli bombardment

including missile airstrikes, bombs and artillery from air and seen on densely populated civilian areas has also resulted in the destruction of more than 1000 homes and damaged more than 18,000 other homes. fear and panic have gripped the population, leading to the displacement of more than 100,000 people who are now sheltered in nearby schools. palestinians have sought refuge in the schools. we urgently appeal for efforts to address the humanitarian

needs of the palestinian civilians in gaza, including donor support. israel is occupying and slaughtering entire families. a family of 26 people, a family of eight people in northern gaza, a family of 10, a family of seven people, a family of six people in sharia, a family of five people, a family of five people and the family of four people in northern gaza were among the many. these attacks in just the past three days constituting the majority of the dead. the casualties are mounting with every passing minute. in one day, sunday, 95

palestinians were brutally killed with at least 72 people, including 17 children, 14 women and for elderly persons massacred by the occupying forces who passed through the streets littered with bodies, ensuring the rising death toll. paramedics declared that there are no injured, only dead. it is nearly impossible to keep up with the pace of killing and injury caused by the occupying forces with weaponry.

in a matter of just two hours, another 23 palestinians were killed. their names and stories not yet included in the vast documentation of the israeli war crimes. which we will continue to insist be recorded by the u.n. the death toll stands at more than 600 palestinians and more than 3500 people injured. we are haunted by the images of babies, boys, girls, women murdered by the israeli occupying forces. in the streets and the refugee camps. by the images of the thousands

of wounded people, their lives forever marred by the sight of thousands of palestinian families fleeing for safety from the israeli assault. let me show you some of the pictures of these victims. these are the human faces of our victims. these are those who suffered the most.

the largest number of them killed, the children. we are not numbers. we are human beings. when hospital floors are covered in blood of the innocents, filled with the deafening screams of pain of the wounded

and the cries of grief and anguish for loved ones killed and doctors with barely any supplies and deprived of sleep and sustenance, fighting courageously to save human lives, despite themselves being targeted, we know the international community has failed to protect civilians in armed conflicts, failed to enforce the rule of law and failed its promise to humanity. we are wearing the black ribbons today to honor all of our children, women, men and older civilians killed in this

genocide by israel against our people in the gaza strip. [reading the names of the children killed] [reading the names of the children killed]

[reading the names of the children killed] [reading the names of the children killed] [reading the names of the children killed]

[reading the names of the children killed] [reading the names of the children killed] [reading the names of the children killed] [reading the names of the children killed] while council members may be fatigued by a repeated lists, we must bear witness to the despair of our people and insist on their dignity.

these palestinian children whose lives have been so cruelly taken by the occupying power had names. mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents and friends who are grieving their deaths. devastated by this massive loss of human life for which there cannot be justification and consideration. the president, on behalf of the palestinian people, we ask, what is the international community doing to stop the israeli atrocities? what is the security council doing to uphold its commitment to protect civilians in armed conflicts? without decisive action, the resolutions and statements ring

hollow as civilians find no relief from the murders. all of gaza city and everywhere in gaza, the palestinian people are suffering greatly. the humanitarian fallout is on the brink of collapse and the impact of the israeli aggression -- the obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of the civilians is gravely breached by israel. we reiterate our appeal to the un security council to uphold its duty to ensure peace. without exceptions and without delay.

even as efforts in the region to secure a cease-fire continue, the security council still has the responsibility to act to stop the slaughter of innocent men, women and children. israeli impunity must be halted. we can no longer deny that such crimes are being deliberately land and carried out to exact maximum loss and carry out a punishment to the people. humiliation of the people in leadership. this is a fact verified by the declaration of israeli prime minister and other government officials.

it is a fact that has been proven by the illegal actions of the occupying power. we reject the label of the entire people as terrorists. the women and men are not terrorists. we will not allow our loved ones to be used as human shields. they have been held captive by israel in an open prison called gaza which remains under israeli occupation and control. regardless of the narrative regarding the 2005, we have never once heard it mentioned before this council running occupation.

conveniently ignoring the fact that israel is an occupier, yet somehow clamming the right to defend itself from the very people they are oppressing. let me reiterate that it is no coincidence that this latest aggression was launched to increase international pressure. international acceptance of the palestinian unity government, intensifying more condemnation of the settlement, provocations in this incident and the israeli destruction of the two state solution and the growing call for sanctions against israel. the council must live up to the

demands of the charter and the expectations of the international community. the injustice being adored by the palestinian people under this depraved israeli occupation affects people of every race, color and creed. demanding accountability for these war crimes, including the international criminal court. the council must lay its role and contribute to the efforts for security a cease-fire. to ensure the cease-fire is

sustainable, preventing the recurrence of such crises, including the need to end the israeli blockade of gaza. the need to ensure protection for the palestinian people and the need for a political horizon forward. despite all the odds and the immeasurable loss and grief, the palestinian people hold firm to their conviction and the promises and commitment to bring an end to their oppression and achieve justice. we affirm that we continue to strive for a peaceful, political solution for this conflict for which there is no military solution.

we appeal again to the international community to render all support possible to the growing effort to achieve a just, lasting and peaceful settlement and the long-overdue rights of the palestinian people come including freedom and independence in their state of palestine. in conclusion, i reiterate my call for the adoption of a solution to condemn the israeli aggression against the state of palestine, to stop this aggression and lift the blockade against the gaza strip and provide palestinian people with international protection. i thank you very much, mr. president. >> the observer state of palestine, thank you for your statement. israel, you have the floor.

guest: before i begin, i would like to thank the secretary general for his briefing. and to you for presiding over this debate. two centuries ago, the great german writing statement said the hardest thing to see is what is in front of your eyes. look around the world today and you will see that the primary threat to global peace and security is staring this council right in the face. from benghazi to boston, no nation is immune to the threat of islamic terrorism. armed with dangerous ideologies and deadly weapons, radicals are raging war to destroy life. we have become too familiar with the names, isis, hezbollah, boko

haram and thomas. they share a disdain for democracies, a contempt for society and willingness to attack civilians. the region has been plagued by instability and intolerance, dictators, disorder, tyranny and terrorism. one nation stands apart. the state of israel is the only liberal democracy between the red sea and the caspian sea. we are on the front line fighting radical islamist terrorism. the struggle we face today is a preview of the struggle that the rest of the civilized world will likely face tomorrow. mr. president, as we speak, the israeli defense forces are fighting to rid gaza of the hamas military infrastructure that has terrorized the israeli people and devastated the

palestinian people for well over a decade. trust me when i tell you, gaza is the last place we want our soldiers to be in. the very last place. this is not a war we chose. it was our last resort. hamas has sent suicide bombers into our cafés. they have sent armed terrorists throw tunnels come into our homes and into our schools. they have launched over 12,000 missiles and rockets into our cities in the last 10 years. every single person has been affected by terrorism. israel has grown up with a thread in our backyard, and we will never grow used to it. we will never grow used to the sound of armed rockets overhead.

we will never be and refuse to be accustomed to this conflict. israel did not want this war. three different times israel agreed to accept a cease-fire and every single time hamas refused. and launched even more rockets. each of these rockets sends the message loud and clear. hamas is determined to wage war. even when the red cross and united nations asked hamas to stop firing so they could assist their civilians, hamas refused. they have proved that they have no regard for the well-being of the palestinian people. the egyptian foreign minister

stated that if hamas accepted the egyptian people, they could have saved the lives of palestinians. let me make the picture very clear. the palestinian civilian casualties are a direct result of hamas apostate decision to continue sending rockets toward israel while putting their civilians upfront to protect their so-called leader. the leaders and their delegation refused to stand up and say to hamas, stop. mr. president, in the past month, israel has been attacked on four fronts. rockets have been fired from lebanon, syria and hamas has launched an all-out assault from gaza.

in addition to firing rockets, hamas has developed a new strategy to wage war against israel. in gaza, there are two cities. a city above ground and a city belowground. 18 meters below the street are dense tunnels crisscrossing like a giant web. >> since entering, we have uncovered 23 tunnels with you for an entry points. they are under homes and schools. -limits forff

hamas. hamas is using the extensive tunnel system to carry out a series of deadly attacks. in the past week, dozens of terrorists have used these tunnels to infiltrate israel. what do you expect israel to do come to thests metropolitan museum? what is life for israelis to and thet to tunnels doorsteps of the communities. imagine what it is like to fall asleep, wondering if a terrorist wonder if or, to your children are going to be safe at school. only 200 meters from the

kindergarten. a palestiniannd, terrorists emerged from the tunnel and were armed with automatic weapons, wearing military uniforms. they fired a rocket propelled grenade and killed soldiers. they retreated back underground. more terrorists entered israel with a tunnel. tranquilizersying and handcuffs. --y were on a miss of mission to kidnap an israeli. know why building materials -- what building materials are being used for. the international community thought they had been sending money to develop social services or political institutions. in truth, the dollar that you

sent helped hamas and build terrorist tunnels. they have their budget underground and it proves that they are more interested in warfare than the welfare of the palestinian people. they violate international law and abuse the people of gaza. innocent men, women, and children to their homes. and refuse tokers build bomb shelters for civilians. in denselyhelters populated neighborhoods and have set up headquarters inside of a gaza hospital. hamas can be seen walking through the hallways. rather than taking steps to avoid civilian casualties, they

have stepped up their attacks to create more casualties. the message is clear. machine is of this to push the international hamas'ty to conceding to demands. those who claim that both sides are to blame play into their hands and enable them to continue the campaign of terror. this organization is part of the palestinian unity government. the president has a choice to make. he can remain silent and stand .n support in -- of hamas he can dissolve the unity government. the choice is his. be a part of the problem or a part of the solution.

our upmost tog avoid hurting civilians. we believe that civilian lives lost are a tragedy. we regret the losses and the blame lies with hamas. is that they are taking idf is taking steps. set up ar nations failed hospital to treat the wounded on the other side, even if the enemy fires on it? nation gives the enemy time to deploy booby-traps and snipers. warning that they

would enter the neighborhoods to uproot hamas and gave hamas for days to prepare for assault on our troops. every time we make a phone call thatnd a text message warns of an attack, we in danger ger our children to keep theirs say. israel has no interest in gaza. we are fighting in gaza. we are not fighting the people of gaza. the equation is simple. when it is quiet in israel the goal is to demill tarrize gaza. member of the international community have said that israels that right to defend its

citizens, but when we exercise that right we are criticized. us to do?u expect when terrorists are tunneling into our communities. what do you expect us to do when our children are being kidnapped and murdered? you expect us to do when rockets are fired at our cities pass a citizens can't single day without running to a bomb shelter. mr. president, iran is exerting its influence to attack israel from the land, the sea and the on every front. it is supplied hamas' rock nets standing by sear supplying hezbollah with missiles in lebanon. groups these terrorist are teaming up to form the dream making terror, intent on life a nightmare for millions of israelis.