it is who we are as american people.

[applause] >> and we do today must to renew our resolve to protect our god-given rights from all those eager to take them away. we gather today in the heartland of america to take a stand against religious bigotry and intolerance. brave heroes who have lost their livelihoods and positions of honor. this rally is a chance to stand thatreedom and the ideas rights don't come from black

robed lawyers are from politicians in washington. they come from god. [applause] >> it is this understanding, this revelation that has made america an exceptional nation and indeed the exceptional nation in the history of the world. [applause] now is the time for each of us to ask for the courage of daniel and esther, and jeremiah. about freedom loving people of faith versus those who want to silence our faith to take away our freedom.

history shows us that in order to gain control of the people, you must first destroy their moral fiber, destroy their faith. extremistsares the the most is that there are more of us than there are of them. [applause] you have heard tonight of two tremendous groups, the liberty institute and the alliance defending freedom, two groups i have been proud to volunteer with and support for many, many decades. let me tell you, these groups , if you are finding yourself persecuted for your faith, to defend our first

amendment rights, our religious liberty. call thatlawyers on will come often and represent you for free because they believe and understand that if we lose our religious liberty we lose every freedom in america. [applause] many of you know that my father, rafael, is a pastor. [applause] >> he saw freedom taken away in cuba. and it breaks his heart to see the same thing happening in america. my father travels around the country, 76 years old, and he is on the road seven days a week with the energy of a teenager. delivers a tough message, especially to follow pastors. he stands and addresses pastors and tells them, if you look at the plight of the nation, no one bears more responsibility than the pastors.

if the flock stumbles in a ditch, you don't blame the sheep. you blame the shepherd. country right now, there are roughly 90 million evangelical christians. millionast election 54 evangelical stay home. 54 million. you wonder why we have a federal government that comes after our free speech rights, that comes after our religious liberty, e, thatmes after lif comes after marriage, that comes after our values. it is because 54 million evangelical christians estate home. tell you, we will stay home no longer. [applause]

>> i would like to ask every pastor who is here with us today to please stand. [applause] thank you. thank you for your leadership. thank you for standing for your faith. arek you for the impact you making in your congregation and your community, standing up together, helping all of us awaken the body of christ to restore this nation. [applause]

we are building an alliance of pastors with a pastor and faith leader in each of the 99 counties across the state of iowa. together, we will stand up and we will show up. we are a self-governing people and we will defend our liberty. [applause] >> we will not be shut out s touse we still hold truth be self evident. we will not be silent. we will not take court rulings as a mandate to forget our faith while washington elites tried to force their values upon us. [applause]

>> that is why i am so in incredibly grateful for the thousand to have come out today the home groups and church groups across i went across the country. -- what us hope that we has been lost in our nation's capital is alive in the hearts of those who believe. [applause] and i give you my solemn word that if i am elected president, on my first day in office, i will instruct the department of justice, the irs, and every federal agency and washington that the persecution of religious liberty in state. [applause]

[cheering and applause] like the song, "god's not dead." [cheering and applause] which we'll be hearing very soon. neither is america and her love of freedom and our people's willingness to defend our freedom. [applause] nation willing to subject itself to the tyranny of manson standard is not worthy to be called a free nation.

show all of us where this can go, we've seen the persecution here at home. monck costn sergeant powerful testimony of soldiers fighting forces of the real battle was being waged here at home. powerfulnt testimony of soldiers fighting for us who said the real battle was being waged here at home. for, -- facing turn torture, murder, and imprisonment. i would like to recognize one more hero that i have grown to respect and admire. of pastor a

abadini. [applause] ♪ sen. cruz: welcome. i am so glad you could be here with us. >> thank you. sen. cruz: would you please tell us about him. this is my first time in des moines, iowa, and i am glad to be here with senator cruz. dad and i was watching you with your beautiful daughters, and it is

heartbreaking. his faithack down on in jesus christ. he has been tortured and beaten. has -- he has been in prison for three years now. he has shared his faith with those in prison with him. [applause] hands of: he is in the the hardliners. they are angry. they have told our government officials that he has not learned his lesson, not only has he not denied his faith in jesus christ, he tells other people about it, and that's the way he shows his love. that is the way he found life in christ. he is passionate as a follower of christ.

[applause] sen. cruz: many of you know his story. he is an american citizen. he and his wife, two beautiful children, family resides in idaho. iran andr traveled to was sentenced to eight years in prison for the crime of preaching the gospel. it has been three years that he has been locked up in an iranian prison. as we think about the threats we face here, it is a topical happen. of what can tell us about him as a husband and father. iranll, before he went to

he would usually open his suitcase big does we were working at an orphanage, and he would tell the kids to bring third toys and clothing so that we could take it to the orphans. they would bring their toys and close. he would say, no, go get that toy you got for christmas. they would,. they were so young. my daughter was five. she will be nine soon. they would cry and bring their favorite toys, and i would get mad, thinking why would you do this to the kids, but he would say that you always give god your best. [applause] >> he was always trying to

instill christian values in them and teach them. he poured into them the first few years of their life that they still carry with them. my doctor will be nine next month, and she was five which saw them.n she last last week she stop drawing him in the family pictures, and i she has is a way that given up hope. she hopes it every birth they will be the birthday. i think it has become a coping mechanism for them to say that this is life and this is how it's going to be, and i just tell them to trust in jesus and that we serve a good god, and that if things don't work out on our timeline for the way we want -- someone shared up he or that

when their faith was tested, they grew stronger. bottom, i rock discovered christ in a more intimate way. i could never questioned god's goodness. i am faithful to that. [applause] sen. cruz: when the pastor was , he wasnt to prison sent to a brutal prison in iran, but it turned out for the ayatollah that that was not good enough and they transferred the prison,o the even worse which is where they keep their death row. hellhole in the entire iranian prison system. the day that they transferred iranian the day the

ayatollah celebrates, the death to america today. the celebration of iran taking americans hostages in the 1970's, and the ayatollah leads chance while they burn the american flag. that was the day they transferred him to this prison. how is he holding up. how is he doing? they don't like him, because he represents america and jesus christ, and those are two things radicals who are holding him do not like about him. he is not doing very well. i wish i could say he was. he is in one of the worst prisons in the world. the beatings he endured the first month were pretty horrible. he was put in solitary. he has been put in solitary three or four times now, and they never treated him. doctors say he needs surgery.

,e was hospitalized last year but the iranian government refuses to treat him, and part of their torture is to allow him to suffer in his pain every day. in the facend yet , one of theness most extraordinary things is that from that iranian prison o has lede pastor numerous prisoners and captors to christ. [applause] sen. cruz: we know that god has it in his power to free him from prison, just as paul and silas when an earthquake shattered open the prison and they walked out.

with their captors ready to take his own life, in god's power. that he is not alone in that prison. you and your children are not alone as your husband is suffering. everyone of us here, we are lifting you up in prayer. we are standing with you. [applause] sen. cruz: your faith, your

steadfastness, your courage, and your love, they inspire everyone but us. one of us. god's love shines from you. i would like to give everyone an thattunity to see a video their children made for the father. if we could play the video could >. >> dear president obama, please help bring my daddy home. i miss him so much. >> i don't one him to miss another birthday. >> i don't want him to miss another birthday or christmas or

father's day. why does our daddy need to be in prison for loving jesus? sen. cruz: stay with this for a moment. i would like to say something very, very clearly. bring him home. [applause]

sen. cruz: before we wrap up and begin the concert, i would like to invite each of the heroes to come back to the stage, and i want to close this portion of the program in prayer as we stand together. so i would welcome each of the heroes who shared your story to please come join us here, and let me say to the folks who are at home, to the folks watching on live stream, to the folks watching in home groups or church groups, i would encourage you to please come sign our national petition in defense of religious liberty. site, tedthe web cruz.org.

the word liberty to 41444. we have seen from these incredible heroes what it means to speak the truth to a world that sometimes refuses to listen to the truth. we have seen what it means to suffer for it, both here at home and abroad. all of us must stand for truth. i would ask each of us to pray heroes andr these for our nation. if we would all stand and pray. father god, we come to you today on our knees, celebrating your glory, celebrating the courage whofaith of these heroes

wordw the teachings of the reflect on your countenance, the redeeming love of our savior jesus christ. and father god, we come here today proclaiming promises of the scripture. he has sents that me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives , and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed. jesus also said, but whoever denies me before man, him i will also deny before my father who is in heaven. , stand fast therefore in the liberty by which christ has made us free

and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. thosetold us, blessed are who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. tonight,that promise father god. galatians tells us, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of christ. these heroes are not standing alone. surrounded bying hedges of protection, with prayer warriors and intercessors in this room, crosses state, across the nation, across the world, the body of christ is celebratingether

their courage and praying for families, praying for the peace that passes all understanding. promiseod, we claim the of psalms 35, that tells us weeping may endure for a night, -- but, from the morning cometh in the morning. purifying,u for the sanctifying blood of jesus christ, and we thank you for this great nation in which we with the religious liberty that each of us is guaranteed under our constitution, and we pray that you will awaken the body of christ across this nation of believers and lever does -- and lovers of liberty,

that we stand together to reclaim this nation. we thank you and we praise you. in jesus name, amen. [applause] ♪

29, the 10thaugust anniversary of hurricane katrina, one of the five deadly storms in u.s. history. ofight 8:00, c-span's tour hurricane damage. 9:30 p.m., a house hearing featuring new orleans citizens describing their experiences. >> they told us what they would take us to shelters and get us help. oup on military trucks and declare the city of new orleans a war zone, and it still did not sink in that we were the prisoners of the war. >> on monday night at 8:00, of hurricane damage at st. bernard parish. not only her house, butcher

whole community, friends, family , everybody is gone. your family and friends that you used to see, you don't see anymore. you don't forget it. you never forget it for the rest of your life. >> followed at 9:00, with a town narrated by mayor ray nagin. i voted for you, so represent me on the local level. i don't know where else to go. i don't know what else to do. >> thursday night starting at 8:00 p.m., more from the atlantic conference theme administrator.

then, president obama's trip to the region and remarks on the effort 10 years later. hurricane katrina anniversary coverage all this week on c-span. >> an aarp study shows that nearly half of retirees muster want to work during their retirement years. experts on aging and health testified about the needs of older workers in and the way in which employers are changing to accommodate them. this hearing is about one hour and 15 minutes. >> this hearing will come to order. good afternoon. found back to1985 marty and doc go 30 years back in time. they end up in 1955, the middle of the baby-boom, where they save the