through some version of the rolodex of what do we own. she said, that will work. they made it work. i do not know if those opportunities exist in every organization but you have good federal practitioners who are trying, in spite of challenges put forth, to bring their agency up to speed.challenges put forth to bring their agency up to speed. and you still have a lack of support or attention to -- they do not support it, they just have a lot on their plate and they are not paying attention to it. >> thank you. some journalists are e-mailing me and they could not make it here. they are watching it, it looks like, on c-span. so our panel suggested this happened over and over before

clinton's case. so why this was never raised, why the flag was never raised you? is it ben ghazi? libya? or will it die a premature death if she doesn't run, or after the elections. what can we do to keep it in focus so that we have these requests? what do you look into your crystal ball, to give it life? >> well, i hope that the issue does not go away. the mandate of 2016 is not going away regardless of who our next president is. the important point is that this does point to the good issues in

the history of this country. it is a moment where there are a lot of people in this room watching. we do not usually have a conversation about narrow regulations and capstone policies that gets the attention of the press and the public at large. there is a moment that this controversy has served well. which is that we need to have that conversation and we need to talk about saving e-mail in electronic form so that we can have a more accessible and open government, and we need to -- i welcome the coalition. it is one way of advising the industry as to how to talk to the government about accountability and standards and we need the press also to be pursuing the story of how the

government is doing with respect to the archivist directive. there are a lot of directives issued, a lot of memoranda issued for omb and others. this is very important to journalists, because getting the record-keeping issue right really assists getting government accountability right in terms of accessible records. we live in a digital world. this is only increasing as we all know in time -- we have tremendous opportunities to improve government over the next years, not just with e-mail but in all digital records and all form. we should seize this moment to move the conversation forward.

in testimony before congress or on his own initiative, i would hope he would lead that effort. there are many ways and many good people in this town who want to assist the archivist in making sure that the 2016 and 2019 mandates are fulfilled. >> i would say the e-mail issue is sort of like the return of the locusts. about seven or eight years it will pop act up again. just think, eight years ago gender -- chairman henry waxman was holding hearings about private servers, use of e-mail, working out negotiations with republican national committee lawyers to recover e-mails from the rnc servers, although the vast majority turned out to have been destroyed. 88 top officials of the bush white house have been using that as their main e-mail system. that was eight years ago. before that, the transition in

the bush administration, where you had whistleblowers saying, wait a second, they have gotten rid of the er timing system that clinton put in. then you go back to 1987 and you have the tower board report based on e-mail from backup tape . every seven or eight years, the locusts come back and e-mail is on the front page again. it very much helps that this content is the poster child for that necessity, the legal requirement to save this stuff. let's hope that goose is more changed across this government. >> i agree with both jason and tom, but i would also note that tom did, too. i spent a whole lot of time in the last few months explaining regulations and how e-mail fits in, just explaining the basics of the government's record-keeping policy to journalists. that this does not die, and that

it does not die because of the press, because of the media. but i would also hope that the same amount of time is put into training journalists on foia and how to use foia and the importance of it, that at least an equivalent amount of time or some percentage would go into training journalists into what the statutes are, what the regulations are, to at how they are being met. we do not have many beat journalists anymore. we are looking at the agencies. that is a huge problem because nobody is paying attention outside the government to whether things are being implemented properly in the government. whether statutes are being followed, except foia. i think it is incumbent on all of us -- and i would throw it back at the journalists that ask

-- and whether in 2016 or 2019 we get to where we are supposed to be and we do get to where we need to be, and we still have a long way to go. >> hi, i'm lauren. i was wondering, if so many agencies are not keeping their records properly, what are the national security implications of that beyond just keeping a

historical record? >> we have four minutes left. >> we are the nongovernmental group that follows freedom of information requests with defense department statements. the problem is the record-keeping systems means that real-time releases of documents just doesn't happen. it is a key piece of the enormous delays we see across the freedom of information system. i would say we have argued that there is only really one way out . the point that our former chief financial officer in the back made about financial limitations goes in space for the freedom of information system. any new freedom of information request you put in in effect slows down your previous freedom of information requests. each next one then slows down -- it is a zero-sum system. the only way out is for agencies

to proactively post everything they are releasing and everything they think might get released. all of mrs. clinton's calendars as the secretary of state, you had better believe there are dozens of freedom of information requests right now for everybody that she met with, and for how long and who she talked to, a national interest. she was our secretary of state during an incredibly important period in our nations history. that stuff should be before the freedom of information act. we should see information like the challenger shuttle disaster. nasa was getting inundated overloaded, and said we will agree to post it all online when we are done with the investigation. they did so. the government can handle that. is good for all of us. >> let me just interrupt.

the question was, the implications on national security. we have one minute left. who would like to answer? implications of national security. jason: the history of this country includes e-mails that are classified under the executive order laws. the important point is that those e-mails need to be preserved and eventually opened under declassification policies. you need better preservation mechanisms and agencies not just for classified stuff but for every e-mail. there will be a billion e-mails coming out of the obama white house alone in january, 2017. the exponential curve is clear. we are living in an age with e-mail and other media. we need better preservation mechanisms, search mechanisms, better information governance throughout the federal government in terms of who is

paying attention to these important issues. the discussion today at the national press club, i am sure all of us on the panel would be happy to have conversations going forward and i'm sure everyone here is watching to challenge government agencies to ask the question, what are they doing to meet the 2016 and 2019 deadlines. >> thank you very much. we have come to the end of a very interesting session, and let's hope that we can do this again in the future. with that, thank you very much and please become a member of the national press club if you are not a member. thank you very much for your time and effort. [applause]

announcer: our road to the white house continues in miami monday. senator marco rubio's run for the presidency. he will be the third republican to enter the presidential race. live coverage will start at 5:30 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span radio, and online at c-span.org. announcer: this sunday on "q&a " senior editor for "the weekly standard" andrew ferguson. andrew ferguson: they want somebody who looks like he has stood up for them. i am amazed now to the degree to

which primary voters on both sides are motivated by resentment. and the sense of being put upon. those people really do not understand us. here is a guy who does understand us, and he will stick it to them. that happens with both sides. hillary clinton will give her own version of that kind of thing. i do not think that was actually true 30 years ago. resentment has always been a part of politics. but the degree to which it is almost exclusively the motivating factor in truly committed republicans and democrats. announcer: sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific on "q&a." announcer: tonight, a discussion about the legacy of former first lady laura bush. we speak to a need in the ride -- to anita mcbride former

chief of staff to the first lady. anita mcbride: they are partners in everything, and she is an anchor to him. he is hugely supportive of everything that she does. in fact, i will say one comment here about even going to afghanistan, the trip that we planned, which is 10 years this month. when laura bush interviewed me and she said, "i want to go to afghanistan," my first question to her was "was -- does the president know?" he supported her to go, he sent her all over the world as an advocate or as a representative of him, the closest personal envoy you could possibly send all over the world is your

spouse. she was so effective. they were partners in everything . in their personal lives, obviously, and devoted to their family, but also in this important work of the country she was there in every single part of it. announcer: tonight, a discussion on the legacy of former first lady of laura bush. you can see the event. you can see it at hollister university in new york at 9:30 eastern here on c-span. announcer: were you a fan of c-span's "first ladies" series? it is now in the form of a book looking inside the life of every first lady in american history based on interviews with over 50 preeminent historians and biographers, learn about what made these women who they are, their unique hardships with her

presidential spouses. the book "first ladies: presidential historians on the lives of 45 heroic american women." sometimes at great personal cost while supporting their families and the husbands at great personal cost. it is an illuminating, entertaining, and inspiring read , and is available as a hardcover or e-book through your favorite bookstore or online seller. for the price of $28.99. announcer: vice president joe biden spoke thursday about u.s. policy in iraq, efforts to combat the islamic state, and improvements in iraq's military capability. he spoke for about 30 minutes. [applause]

vice president biden: thank you for that introduction. it is an honor to be before such as single audience. ambassador nesbitt, thank you. she is a senior vice president. i am just a vice president. [laughter] vice president biden: these days , i do not like the word "senior" associated with my name and finally, i would like to say to the ambassador, the iraq's ambassador to the united states, it is an honor to have you here today. military officers, men and women, and brian mcewen. how are you doing, brian? he worked for me since he got out of the university of notre dame, and that was 412 years ago.

[laughter] vice president biden: it is good to see you, brian. next week, the prime minister will make his way to washington, d.c. this will give us an opportunity to take stock of where things stand right now. that will be the focus of my remarks today. critics have made a number of claims regarding our policy in iraq and the state of affairs in iraq today. they say iraq's fight against isil him under the command of their government with the support of america's coalition has stalled, is in stalemate. we read that isil remains in a commanding position inside iraq, that iran and its proxies are leading the fight against isil and they are dominating iraq. and that iraq it self is likely to be a thing of the past, doomed to split apart because of sectarian violence.

there is just one problem with these critiques. the claims do not reflect the circumstances on the ground. the claims do not represent the circumstances on the ground. they do not reflect iraq's progress against isil and complete what is significant and growing. a rack -- iraq's resilience in what many thought would split them apart. or iraq's resolved to uphold their independence even as they look to their neighbors in all directions for assistance. the jury is still out. it is not over yet. but the momentum is in the right direction. i would like to speak about that for a few moments today. it is true that when isil swept in and took the capital of mosul

, we saw the collapse of the iraqi army. we saw it melt away. the horrific slaughter of innocents and the enslavement of women, ethnic cleansing of minority groups, including christians who had lived in most for over 1000 -- in mosul for over 1000 years. they gain significant money from banks that they robbed, significant military equipment left behind by iraqi forces, and manpower, from brutal conscription and foreign fighters. and maybe, most dangerously, a sense of momentum, even a sense of inevitability, which seemed to attract more foreign fighters. that is why when mosul fell, president obama responded decisively. within hours he took steps with all of you, the military, to make sure all of our people in

our embassy were secured. within days, we put special forces into the field temporarily to better understand the battle space. we served -- we surged intelligence and reconnaissance and set up a joint operation center in baghdad and revea, to help the iraqis prepared to fight back. we knew that the first order of business was to make sure that iraq had a functioning inclusive government. for all the years i spent in dealing with iraq he public officials and iraqi government, we knew for certain, without a united iraqi government there was no possibility, none, of defeating isil. when mosul fell, iraq had just held their national election. roughly 14 million iraqis had shown up at the polls. now they had to form a government in the middle of this

chaos. and having been deeply involved as brian mcewen will tell you because he was with me, trying to help form the first government and being engaged, we knew this could be extremely difficult and was likely to be difficult. during the term of the last government, distrust had deepened so profoundly between sunni, shia, and kurds, creating serious obstacles through a unified effort against isil and question the willingness of whether they were willing to literally stay together. but the irony, the irony of all ironies is that iraq was actually helping form its government because of isil. isil, the various outfit that tended to tear iraq apart and

establish a caliphate. it actually united iraqis. the sunnis realized they preferred a united federal iraq under a new government to being at the mercy, the mercy of isil or dependent upon the other sunni states. the kurds realized that withdrawing from iraq was not a viable option, and they did not want a terrorist state on the doorstep. the matter how many conversations i had with president bersani. the shia realized they did not want to take on isil alone. consequently, they each concluded they are better off if they are in this together. to quote a famous american politician, weaver hang together or hang separately.

the iraqis themselves recognized how badly the trust had been broken. nothing less than a comprehensive change could deliver a united iraqi government that could effectively take on isil. many iraqi natives believed that the only way to do this is, as i believe, was a wholesale change in leadership. that every interest in iraq had to find different leaders this time. to occupy the seats of power. i remember speaking to a proud son of mosul, him deciding that in order to make way for a new wave of leaders, he thought it was important as well that he

would have to step down as speaker. there is a need from the speaker to the prime minister to the president. the result was another widely respected sunni became the new speaker. iraq chose a senior statesman to be the new president. he stuck to his convictions under enormous pressure. you know how the process works. the president is the one that then turns to one of the factions to form a government. there was enormous amount of pressure. but he stuck to his guns and he named the prime minister, a shia leader who had built up majority support within the shia national alliance which won a majority of the votes. there was a consensus among the

leaders that iraq would need a much greater measure of functioning federalism, which is called for in the constitution. they all agreed to that. that common understanding backed by genuine act of statesmanship, has led to significant progress and a chance of a long-term unity government. in just eight months, prime minister abadi and other iraqi leaders have formed an inclusive government, in record time arrived at a national government with equitable revenue sharing. formed an oil deal between baghdad and herb eel. i don't know how many times after 23 visits in iraq we were told there was an oil deal just

over the horizon that never occurred. within the face of this crisis they pulled that together. they built a consensus mobilized thousands of sunni fighters to fight against isil. this past week, prime minister ofabadi visited with the forces in a plan coordinated in part to help liberated mosul. yesterday he was in embarq province. in and bar province. he was in anbar province. more efforts to organize, arm, and fight isil. he has visited cairo, abreu dobby, kuwait, and for the first

time since 1990, saudi arabia has agreed to open an embassy in baghdad. at the invitation of a shia iraqi president. these are promising steps. obviously a great deal of work remains, including moving forward on the national guard legislation, legislation to design and advanced national reconciliation including the bath education continuing to mobilize an arm and pay sunni forces. bringing volunteer forces under the command and control of elected iraqi government.

empowering local governance and planning for reconstruction in the liberated areas, consistent with their notion of federalism. all of which we will be discussing with prime minister of body -- prime minister abadi. he and i have probably spend more time on the phone than i have with my wife. [laughter] vice president biden: the entire region, the entire world but the entire region is watching this closely. iraq he leaders cannot -- iraq he leaders cannot -- much hinges on the prime minister, but not the prime minister alone. ultimately, this is all about iraqi leaders pulling together, and they must continue to compromise, and it is hard. it is hard. thousands of bodies have been

strewn and lost in the interim. but they are doing it. we knew that in addition to forming an iraqi government, the next challenge would be putting back together the ability to be able to position itself to succeed on the battlefield. that started with helping iraqis reorganize and reconstitute security forces. many iraq is have fought bravely and given their lives. thousands have given their lives in the fight against isil. that would challenge any army. but as we saw last summer, some units have been hollowed out with corruption, questionable leadership appointments, lack of discipline, sectarian infighting, and the collapse help to make the fall of mosul possible. we helped iraqis to make -- a

body appointed a number of former military officers -- excuse me, relieved a number of former military officers and appointed new officers. 36 commanders were replaced in november, and we sent our special forces to assess which iraqi units could be salvaged. under the leadership of general austin we began working with the iraqi military to reconstitute the divisions. we are now training and have continued to train iraqi forces at four different sites across the country. 6000 have already graduated. thousands more are in the pipeline, and we are supplying weapons and critical equipment. since the fall of 2014, the u.s. has liberated over 100 million rounds of ammunition.

62,000 small arms systems. 1700 hellfire missiles, 250 ambush protected vehicles delivered in december that are now protecting iraqi forces from mines and homeland bombs. 50 additional were transferred to iraq this week. at the air force base that many of you served in, al-assad air force base, we are training iraqi forces, who in turn are mobilizing sunni fighters. iraqi national security forces training sunni tribesmen. we are also bringing iraqi pilots to the united states who are in advanced stages of flight training in arizona to enhance their capacity to defend their country in the air. we are not doing it alone. we lead and mobilized a massive national coalition, over 60

partners, nato allies, arab nations and many others to help take on isil. it is not just a military coalition, it is a global effort to weaken isis across the board from undercutting its messaging to tracking foreign fighters. several nations are providing significant support in iraq. a coalition partners have launched over 500 airstrikes in iraq -- spaniards, danes australians, and others have provided training inside iraq. the dutch and italy are working with us to resupply the peshmerga. several countries, including japan and saudi arabia, have made significant nonmilitary contributions in areas such as development assistance humanitarian aid. a majority within each of the

iraqi constituencies and communities supports this u.s. effort and these coalition efforts. leaders from across the iraqi political spectrum have publicly asked for our help and our continued help and we are providing the help in a smarter way. small numbers of advisors backed by a large coalition. this large coalition is backed up by the most capable air force in the world. we are pounding isil from the sky. nearly 1300 u.s. airstrikes alone, thus far, thankfully, we have not lost, knock on wood, a single u.s. service member to enemy fire. not one. but this is a dangerous dangerous, dangerous place. with our assistance, the iraqis have made significant progress

on the battlefield. eight months ago, isil was on the offensive everywhere in iraq. no force in iraq or syria proved capable of defeating isil head on. but today, isil has lost large areas they used to dominate. isil has been defeated at mosul dam, mounts in jar, and decree. many places have been flat out rivers. thousands of isil fighters have been removed from the battlefield. their ability to amass and maneuver has been degraded. leaders have been eliminated. supply lines have been severed. checkpoints, safehouses have been destroyed. reports of demoralization within isl raceranks are rife.

there is still a long fight ahead. i do not want to paint an overly rosy picture. but the isil aura of invincibility has been pierced and that is important. let me give you one recent example where iraq us capability has been tested, as well as its leadership. three weeks ago, in every newspaper in the west or the united states and in the news, speculation was that the united states, the coalition, and iraq's effective leaders have been sidelined particularly in to create -- in tikrit. you saw pictures, and it made it clear, the implication being we now own iraq.

then something changed. the attacks stalled and the prime minister stepped up. he courageously stepped in making it absolutely clear that the iraqi government -- him, as commander-in-chief -- was in charge of this operation. when i spoke with him, he made it clear to me that he wanted the united states and the coalition to engage all over iraq, was his phrase, and explicitly, he wanted us engaged and requested support in tikrit. his call was joined by sunni leaders as well as the most senior religious leader in the country, grand ayatollah sistan he, who declared the iraq a government had to be in the lead. that the units had to be under

the command -- all units -- under the command of the iraqi government. and that sunnis had to be included in the liberation of their own communities. we made it clear -- general austin -- that we were prepared to help in the battle with volunteers both shia and sunni fighting alongside iraqi forces. but only if all elements in the fight operated strictly under the chain of command of the iraqi military. because that is the only way we can ensure the safety of those on the ground and minimize the risk of friendly fire. today iraq's national flag -- not isil's -- hangs over the city of tikirrit. but success brings new challenges holding military

areas, policing them with forces that are trusted by the community, in the community that they are returning home to. transiting, governing authority transitioning back to government officials. restoring vital public services. in the face of reports relating to tikrit that there is mass looting and burning of homes. the prime minister stepped up with swift action. he condemned the abuses. he assured regular forces were patrolling those seats and acknowledged the degree of loss that occurred. once inside tikrit, iraq a soldiers uncovered

execution grounds where many were executed and were thrown into mass graves. mass graves are still being found, a stark reminder of the brutality of isil in the need for its defeat. this battle continues inside iraq. we are also taking the fight isil in syria the international coalition has launched over 1300 airstrikes against isil and other terrorists inside syria bombed refineries that have been taken over by isil. the oil, both refined and crude being used to fund their operations eliminating that as a source of revenue. we embarked on a train and equip program, taking on isil and protecting the syrian communities. inco body, -- in c -- moving title can be beaten inside syria

as well. i'll ever -- however, the regional challenge extends beyond syria. for years now, iraq is being -- is risking being pulled apart by a wide range of sectarian competition externally and internally. but the reality is the iraqis do not want to be drawn into regional conflicts. they do not want to be owned by anybody. everybody forgets there was a war not but a decade before were over 100,000 were killed, a war with iran, their neighbor. they do not want to be published angling on the string of anyone's puppeteering in the region. do not underestimate our iraq he -- our iraqi national pride

independence, and sovereignty. it is only natural iraq will have relations with all of its neighbors, including iran. the history is too long, the border is too long, and it is a difficult neighborhood. but iraq must be free to make its own sovereign choices under the authority of elected representatives of an iraqi government. we want what iraqis want, a united federal and democratic iraq defined by its own constitution, where power is shared among all iraqi communities. where a sovereign government exercises command and control over the forces in the field -- that is overwhelmingly what the iraqis want. i go back to the focus on the iraqi government. when the three major constituencies -- sunni, shia, and kurd -- are united into a

whole and prosperous iraq the influence of any single nation in the region is diminished exponentially because this represents the only government in the region that actually is not a stone sectarian dominance. -- is not based on sectarian dominance. this is going to be a long haul. the only success or failure is in the hands of the iraqis. but as they stand up and stand together, this administration, this country is committed to stand with them. i need not tell this audience -- since 2003, more than 1.5 million american women and men including my son, have spent

significant amounts of time on iraqi soil. every single morning since i have been vice president and before as chairman of the foreign relations committee, we contacted the defense department and i asked the same question -- give me the exact number of americans who have given their lives on iraqi soil and afghan soil. give me the exact number of the general -- not a generalization, the exact number -- of those who have been wounded and are lost in afghanistan because nobody -- because no audience knows more than this, every one of those lives, every one of those brave women and men represents a community, represents a family and a larger family. only 1% of all americans have

waged these for us. with 99% of all americans owing them support and recognition. 4481 americans have given their lives on iraqi soil, including many who served alongside the people in this room. i will bet everyone of you in unit -- i will bet every one of you in uniform knows somebody who was lost or wounded. although our mission is significantly different today -- you imagine, why am i focusing on this? although our mission is significantly different today than it was during that period there are still men and women in uniform in iraq making sacrifices as i speak protecting our embassy, to training and equipping iraqis.

all of you who wear the uniform know that one of the loneliest feelings for your family particularly if they do not live on a base, with every other kid in school, every family and church -- dad or mom is not home for that birthday. they are not there for christmas. we have an obligation. we have an obligation. just because we no longer have 160,000 troops there, it is an obligation that is intense and is real as it was when we had 160,000 troops there. they want our support. the families want our deep that they warrant our deep gratitude.

as a country, our one shared obligation is to give them what they need on the battlefield and care for them when they come home. their blood and toil helps give iraq another chance. our mission now is to help the iraqis make the most of this. thank you all for listening. but most of all, thank you for your service, and god bless the united states of america, and may god protect our troops. thank you. [applause]

announcer: this sunday on "q&a," senior editor of "the weekly standard andrew ferguson on what voters are looking for in a candidate. andrew ferguson: they want somebody who looks like he has stood up for them. i am amazed the degree to which primary voters on both sides are motivated i present, and the sense of being put upon. those people really do not understand us. here is a guy who does understand us and he is going to stick it to them. that happens on both sides. hillary clinton will give her own version. i do not think that was actually true 30 years ago.

resentment has always been a part of politics, but the degree to which it is almost exclusively the motivating factor in truly committed republicans and democrats. announcer: sunday night at 8:00 eastern and's pacific on "q&a." announcer: "first ladies" is now a book published by public affairs, looking inside the personal life of every first lady and american history, based on original interviews with over 50 preeminent historians and biographers. learn details of all 45 first ladies that made these women who they were -- their lives ambitions, and unique partnerships with their spouses. "first ladies: presidential historians on the lives of 45 heroic american women." sometimes at great personal

cost while supporting their husbands and families. it is an illuminating, entertaining, and inspiring read and is now available as a hardcover or even look through your favorite bookstore or online bookseller for the cover price of $28.99. announcer: during this month c-span is pleased to present the winning entries in this year posturing camp document or a cop -- in this year possible student cam documentary composition. student's were asked to create their documentary based on the theme "the three branches and you" to demonstrate how a policy law, or action by one of the three branches of government has affected them or their community. tate hawver and cameron to which -- and cameron tuech were one

of our second prize winners. they focused on national waterways. >> here, seconds from the beaten path lies 40,000 acres of rich and abundant ecosystem. it has remained one of central florida's most desired natural resources, serving 340,000 visitors in 2014 alone. the men and women caring for the attention on a local level, to maintain -- to maintain a pristine environment for the state park. it is beautiful, it is fragile but mostly the river is wild and scenic. >> ♪ do you ever think hard, honey, how we got here today? you may think it sounds funny but you had better get down and pray ♪ >> the source of the 16 mile

long river is here at the wekiva state park. we spoke to one of the managers as to how important the springs are to the state park. >> when you look at all the acreage, 95% of visitors come here for the springs. people come here to enjoy the water, to cool off, to have a barbecue on the hill. >> what are the trade-offs of having so many visitors? >> anytime you have people, the national system -- the natural system, it leaves an impact. working here is a balance between the use of people in protecting the resource. that is an ongoing thing. >> how do you walk the fine line between recreation and restoration? >> maintaining the trails, filling in the potholes on the

road. there is a wide range of activities that are rangers do. we prescribed burning to present -- to have healthy growth. >> keeping a healthy spring is something that we tackle every day. >> the high demand for water the population growing has depleted the flow into the springs. fertilizers and other man-made chemicals that get into the water from houses and from the people in the area also can contribute to the growth of algae and some exotic vegetation that is not good for the springs. >> what exotic species -- one of the exotic species is hydro a. >> it is an exotic species hy

drilla, that has been introduced. it tends to overtake the native vegetation. >> we spoke to the park biologists. >> category 2 just alters ecosystems. it is there and it persists for a long time. category 1 alters ecosystems and displaces natives. >> one reason hydrill is difficulta to control is how quickly it spreads. >> you knock a piece off, and the next thing you know, the water takes a downstream and it finds a new place to attach itself. it is just so prolific. it thrives on high nutrients sunlight -- it thrives on high nutrients -- the sunlight.

>> we have nice warm water constant temperatures in a lot of cases. >> these conditions are made worse by the presence of chemical runoff. >> hydrilla is a plant and you are putting fertilizer on a plant by having nitrogen and phosphorus in the water. >> ecosystems across florida and much of the southeast have experienced this pervasive combination. federal, state, and local governments have tackled the issue by creating specific standards and creating water pollution. >> the epa outlines the growing concerns. >> the epa has created new numeric water quality criteria to replace the former narrative evaluation used by many state parks. >> if we keep letting phosphorus

go up, nobody wants to swim in that. >> senator john barrasso. senator barrasso: undermining the work at the state level to manage our natural resources and to protect the air and our water. >> this does not appear to be the case at wekiva. >> we have had good cooperation a lot of times at the federal level. >> there is money out there for the feds. >> between all of the agencies involved the federal epa, state and county governments, there are a lot of regulations being put in and being enforced to maintain the health of the river. >> part of the reason why the

river has been so well maintained is because of the corporation of various states and agencies in florida. >> saltwater drives the plants out and kill them. >> we all work for the same state, and so having the relationships with each other and helping each other when needed. >> in the end, it is the strong support of the visitors. >> is one of the last passions -- it is one of the last bastions of the county and it would break my heart. >> we have people politically and scientific working on it. we have many agencies working on it and cooperating together. i think the way forward is going to be up. announcer: to watch all of the winning videos and learn more, go to c-span.org and click on

studentcam. also tell us what you think on facebook and twitter. announcer: our road to the white house coverage continues in miami monday for senator marco rubio's announcement about his run for the presidency. senator rubio will be the third republican to enter the presidential race. we will have live coverage starting at 5:30 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span radio, and online at c-span.org. announcer: here are some of our featured programs for this weekend on the c-span networks. on c-span2's booktv on "after words," grover norquist says americans are tired of the irs and our tax system. sunday night at 8:00, susan butler on president roosevelt and josef stalin, allies during

world war ii and their unexpected partnership be on the war. and on american history tv saturday on c-span3 jennifer murray on how civil war reunions have changed from the reconstruction era to the present. sunday afternoon at 1:00, live from appomattox courthouse, commemorating the 100 50th anniversary -- the 150th anniversary of the confederate surrender that ended the civil war. announcer: "washington journal" is next. at 10:00 a.m., virginia governor terry mcauliffe discusses childhood education. at noon eastern, the cato institution on u.s. tax policy. coming up in 45 minutes,

national urban league president and ceo marc morial on the state of black america and the shooting of an unarmed black man by a police officer in south carolina. then whit ayres on host: andhost: our goal is to discuss public policy and having civil discourse with you about some of these current topics. this morning we are going to approach it a little bit differently for this first segment. there is a new book out and it's called "so you've been publicly shamed." he looks at public shaming and people who have been through it and whether or not it's an