actions as an incentive or motivation for people to come and fight. can't point to specific evidence at this stage, particularly the setting that says whether this is extra happening not. >> are most of the fighters coming into turkey? >> yes. me another issue here is turkey is being -- under deluge.y factor innk that is a their not keeping the borders more secure?

>> turkey has made no secret that when elements of its policy is dizzy al-assad go. see al-assad go. have had fighters killed carcass -- turkish policeman. case in october where turkey broke up a group inside turkey that had gathered weapons and explosives. turkey wants al-assad to go. key elementainly a of its policy, but at the same time, they recognized that isil is also a threat to turkey itself. >> thank you. i yield back. >> thank you. i want to thank the gentleman for being here.

it is concluded. thank you. >> the senate foreign relations committee will hold a hearing tomorrow on isis. the committee will discuss a potential authorization for the use of military force. we will have that live tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. eastern on c-span three. hagele secretary chuck made a visit to afghanistan this weekend, where he met with

troops and afghani leaders. secretary hagel discuss the would draw of 1000 troops. leave just under 11,000 troops in the region until next year. this is secretary hagel's final trip to afghanistan. carter has been chosen to head the pentagon. that announcement was made by president obama on friday. a little bit more than a week after secretary hagel said he was resigning. this announcement from the white house is 20 minutes. >> good morning, everybody. please have a seat. it is wonderful to be able to announce the filling of one new job. before we do -- [laughter]

i wanted to make a somewhat broader statement about the economy. ash is willing to indulge me. last month, america's businesses created more than 300,000 jobs. this keeps a pace this year that we have not seen since the 1990's. so far this year, over the first 11 months of 2014, our economy has created 2.65 million jobs. that is more than in any entire year since the 1990's. our businesses have created 10.9 million jobs over the past 57 months in a row and that is the longest streak of private sector job growth on record.

we also know that the pickup and the pace of job growth has been in industries with higher wages. overall wages are rising. that is a welcome sign for millions of americans. we have an opportunity to keep up this progress if congress is willing to keep our government open, avoid self-inflicted wounds, and work together to invest in the things that help with high-paying jobs. exports, infrastructure, streamlining the tax code, immigration reform, giving minimum-wage workers a raise. it has been a long road to recovery from the worst economic crisis in generations. we still have a lot more work to do to make sure that hard-working americans' wages

are growing faster. the united states continues to outpace most of the world. over the last four years, we put more people back to work than europe, japan, and all other industrialized countries combined. we are going to keep at it until every single american who is willing and able to work can find not just any job, but a job that pays a decent wage and allows them to support their families. it is worth reflecting on the fact that the american economy is making real progress, and if we can continue in this trajectory, if we can continue to grow robustly, and if we make sure that those companies who are seeing profits higher than any time in the last six years, that they are making sure that the workers are sharing that growth. then we can get a virtual cycle going. it can become a critical component of strengthening our national security because national security starts with a

strong economy here at home. now, i know that some people think i announce cabinet positions on fake twitter accounts. [laughter] this is not the case. a year ago, when ashton carter completed his tenure as deputy secretary of defense, secretary hagel took to the podium in his farewell ceremony and looked out at the audience and said, i have known ash carter for many years, all of us today have benefited from his hard work, his friendship, his inspiration, and from his leadership. chuck went on to express his gratitude to his partner for what ash has done for this country and will continue to do in many ways. i could not have said it any better myself. today, i am pleased to announce my nominee to be our next secretary of defense, mr. ash

carter. with a record of service that has spanned more than 30 years, public service, as an advisor, as a scholar, he is rightly regarded as one of our nation's for most national security leaders. as a top member of our pentagon team for the first five years of my presidency, including his two years as deputy secretary, he was at the table in the situation room, by my side navigating complex security challenges, i relied on his expertise and his judgment. i think it is fair to say that in your one year attempt at retirement from public service, you failed miserably. [laughter] i am deeply grateful that you are willing to go back at it. ash brings a unique blend of strategic perspective and technical know-how. as a student of history, he

understands the united states. it is the single most provider of security in the world and he plays a key role in devising our defense strategy to advance that security. he is also a physicist. which means he is one of the few people that actually understands some any of our defense system understands how many of our defense systems actually work. that has also allowed him to serve with extraordinary range. he has served under 11 secretaries of defense. he's an innovator that helped create the program that has dismantled weapons of mass instruction around the world and reduced the threat of nuclear terrorism. he has been a reformer never afraid to cancel old or in -- or inefficient weapons programs. he knows the department of defense inside and out. all of which means on day one, he will hit the ground running. ash is known by our allies and friends around the world having served republican and democratic

secretaries, he is respected and trusted on both sides of the aisle. he has been a close partner with our military leaders and he is admired by civilian leaders across the department because he is a mentor to so many of them. there's one other quality of ash's service that often gets overlooked. that is his true regard, his love for the men and women in uniform and their families. his relentless dedication to their safety and well-being. when he cut outdated, unneeded systems, he did it because he was trying to free up money for our troops, to make sure they have the weapons and gear they needed and the quality of life for them and their families they deserve. when our troops in iraq and afghanistan were struggling to defend against roadside bombs, he moved heaven and earth to rush new body armor and vehicles. it is no exaggeration to say there are countless americans who are alive today in part

because of ash's efforts. when our forces sat down for thanksgiving dinner far from home, or as our wounded warriors recovered in the hospital or when our fallen heroes returned to dover, ash was there. often on his own time without any publicity or fanfare. i know ash will be there for them now as secretary of defense. we face no shortage of challenges to our national security. our combat mission in afghanistan ends this month and we have to transition to a new mission of advising and assisting afghan forces and going after remnants of al qaeda. we have to keep degrading and ultimately destroying isil in iraq and syria. we have to build counterterrorism partnerships and new platforms. we have to continue the fight against ebola in west africa. we have to continue to strengthen our alliances, including nato, and continue to

rebalance our defense posture in the asia-pacific. going forward, our armed forces will need to be leaner. as commander-in-chief, i will make sure we have a military that is second to none, that continues to be the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. that means we are going to have to bolster some new capabilities, our cyber defenses, how we deal with our satellites, how we are adapting our military and investing in new capabilities to meet long-term threats. we are going to have to work with congress on a more responsible approach to defense spending, including reforms we need to make to make the department more efficient. that is how we will preserve readiness and keep faith with our forces and families and deliver world-class care to our wounded warriors. ash will be critical to all of these efforts. when we talked about this job, we talked about how we will have

to make smart choices precisely because there are so many challenges out there. we are going to have to squeeze everything we have out of the resources we have in order to be as effective as possible. i can't think of somebody more qualified to do that. in his career, ash has been confirmed by the senate three times. if it were entirely up to my dear friend carl levin, i suspect it would happen really quickly. because that is the kind of guy carl is. carl has had a chance to work with ash in the past. my hope is in the new congress, we get similar speed and dispatch. by the way, we will miss carl levin. i just wanted to mention that. [applause]

one last piece of critical information that may have tipped the scales in me wanting to promote ash. ash is a big motown fan. [laughter] one of his favorites is a classic why the four tops, "reach out, i will be there." ash, i am reaching out to you. you have been there for us, our troops, our families, our nation. i also know he has been there for his lovely wife, stephanie, sometimes by skype because he has been traveling. but the sacrifices stephanie has been willing to make, this is a team effort as is true for our military families. we are grateful to stephanie. she joined ash on a lot of those thanksgiving trips to see our troops and at the bedside of wounded warriors. she knows the sacrifices they

are going through. stephanie, we thank you for your service. we thank will and ava, who could not be here. we know that they could not be prouder of their dad. with that, i want to let our hopefully new secretary of defense say a few words. [applause] >> thank you, mr. president. mr. president, mr. vice president, it is an honor and privilege for me to be nominated for the position of secretary of defense. general scowcroft, my longtime mentor, thank you for being here. thanks to another longtime mentor, bill perry, who cannot be here today. and thanks to you, chairman and

many other friends and colleagues past and future for coming out today. i accepted the president's offer to be nominated for secretary of defense because of my regard for his leadership. i accepted it because of the seriousness of the strategic challenges we face. but also the bright opportunities that exist for america if we can come together to grab hold of them. i accepted the offer because of the deep respect and abiding love that stephanie and i have for our men and women in uniform. as we talked together in the past weeks, mr. president, we discussed the challenges and opportunities and the need both to keep america safe and to make a better future for our children.

if confirmed in this job, i pledge to you my most candid, strategic advice. i pledge also that you will receive equally candid military advice. and finally, to the greatest fighting force the world has ever known, to you, i pledge to keep faith with you and serve our nation with the same unflinching dedication you demonstrate every day. [applause]

>> [indiscernible] [laughter] >> [indiscernible]

>> unbelievable work. how have you been? [laughter] >> good to see you guys. happy holidays. >> [indiscernible] [indiscernible]

>> thank you very much. >> [indiscernible]

>> on the next washington in lee etheredge looks at what's ahead for congress this week. the former chair of the federal energy regulatory commission talks about the vulnerabilities of the power grid. the director of the homeland security defense center will talk about the program that expires on december 31. always, we will take your calls and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. why she can journal, live at 7:00 a.m. on eastern on c-span. mary landrieu was defeated last night in her bid for reelection. -- the twoy

candidates were featured in a special run-up election in the louisiana after neither of them secured more than 50% of the vote in november's election. spoke to reporters after last night's events were announced. >> mary. mary. [applause] >> what a crowd! [cheers and applause] >> thank you all for being here. thank you all for being there every day. thank you all for being at my side with our family fighting for the right thing for louisiana. [cheers and applause]

>> all right. i just called congressman cassidy to congratulate him after a long and tough campaign. i told him that representing the people of this state is the greatest honor that anyone could ever have. [applause] >> the people of our state have spoken and while we were working and hoping and praying for a different outcome, i'm so proud that our campaign was open and accessible to voters. [applause] talking about issues that are important to the people of louisiana because where i come from and you can tell a little bit with this family, there is no quit. so we were excited to work hard. i could never ever have started this race or finished it if it

wasn't for a solid and secure faith in god himself and without my family, my extraordinary husband frank who was not only been there with me every step of the way -- [applause] >> not only been with me every step of the way, but encouraged me and actually egged me on every step of the way. our beautiful daughter mary. and our wonderful son and daughter in law emily and the most precious angel of all, maddox parker snell. you should never put a precious child on the stage with you, they will upstage you every time and he has. to my mother and father who taught me so much.

[applause] two of the most extraordinary leaders this country has ever known. [applause] to all of my brothers and sisters, all eight siblings, their husbands and wives and nieces, nephews, and friends god bless you all. they were out on the street until 8:00 tonight. there are literally hundreds of staffers, but no staffer has been at my side longer and in more of the toughest moments and the most joyful moments than norma jane. [applause] norma jane. get up here, norma jane. [cheers and applause]

>> you all know the story. we met when we were 17 years old and she hasn't stopped bossing me around since, all right? and to my current chief of staff, a wonderful promising young leader, don craven. and when our campaign needed a new direction we reached over and stole one of the best or borrowed one of the best staffers from mitch landrieu, ryan burney. where are you? ryan. so i want to thank all staffers, literally over a hundred, but also the louisiana democratic

party that never left our side. karen carter peterson. what an amazing, amazing young woman. and to all, to congressman richmond who has been with us and congratulations to him who won in the primary and the entire leadership. we have elected officials on the stage tonight. there are too many to mention but i can promise you there is a deep and extraordinary bench of young democratic leaders in this state ready to lead and ready to carry on. now, just briefly on a very sad note, if i could have just a moment. we had over 3,000 people out

working today. and like we have been working every day for 18 months. and a young woman that had just started working with us but her oldest sister works with the mayor of shreveport was fatally struck by an automobile while she was canvassing today. so we want to acknowledge her and her family tonight and we have all been saddened, our hearts are broken. and her family, of course, is in mourning, but karen carter is with them tonight. let me briefly say that it has been nothing but a joy to serve this state for over 34 years. when my amazing father ran for mayor and even prior to that, 44 years ago, he put a great coalition of progressive men and women together from all walks of

life, from different racial backgrounds, he fought for openness and opportunity and freedom for all and access to the middle class and security and justice and fairness. we have together built that same coalition and it is obvious in this room tonight. we have always, always known what we were fighting for. a stronger state. a state more committed to justice. openness and opportunity. regardless of where you were born, what zip code you were born into, or the color of your skin, we may not have won tonight, but we most certainly have won some extraordinary victories. we have stood shoulder to shoulder to secure our coast. to find for the first time in

our state's history a robust stream of revenue that will come into this state long after we are gone. $250 million a year. [applause] >> to not only protect our great industries but also our unique and amazing culture that is so worth preserving and so worth fighting for. and that was a tough fight. some people thought it was impossible and many people tried but the group in this room, my supporters, all of you and our staff made that happen. we have three major military bases in louisiana. barksdale air force base, fort polk one of the greatest training centers anywhere in the world, and bellchase right here in this region. we have made them stronger. we have built them better. and they are flourishing because of our commitment. [applause] >> the work that many of us have done for orphans in america, all over the world, strengthening the foster care system and saying clearly that every child

deserves a forever family and a place to call home. together we have also fought a good fight and it is no over yet for healthcare because -- [applause] >> to have a strong work force, to have a strong workforce to lift our nation forward, we have to have a healthy workforce. we have to have a way for people to be able to have an access to doctors, two nurses, two people who can keep them healthy. they can have security knowing their children can have access and if they get stricken with cancer or heart disease or diabetes, they can't be thrown off insurance anymore. this is something i am glad we fought for.

we are in a hotel named after the great leaders, the roosevelts. i hope you saw that story about their contribution. one of my favorite quotes from teddy roosevelt is about the critic -- it is not the critic who counts. man indit belongs to the the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and blood, who strives valiantly and comes up and who does actually who spends himself on a worthy cause, and the ed he knows high achievement and sales he knows highend

achievement. things.fought for some it has been a joy. joy in the journey and the satisfaction and reward is in the fight. spend your life in a worthy cause, choose something that takes longer than your life to achieve, and you know it's worth fighting for. when i look at my young children, when i look at my grandson, when i look at the young staffers who are out here, and i have seen you work out in the fields and on the streets and on the farms talking with voters, but more than that, about their hopes and aspirations.

we have so much to fight for, , after and integrity some of our darkest hours. the joy has been in the fight. it has been a blessing. it has been a fight worth waging. louisiana has always been worth fighting for. may god bless us. we bang god for the democracy we have, for the right of people to vote. -- we thank god for the democracy we have, for the right of people to vote. cannot tell you how proud we are to make a difference for many decades, and we will continue to do so. thank you so much. god bless. [applause]

♪ [applause] from --d all y'all come where did all y'all come from?

this victory belongs to you. this victory happen because people in louisiana voted for a government that serves us but does not tell us what to do. think about it. on november 4, the american people sent a message. they sent a message they did not like the direction our country was going in. th