now, i can tell you, we in new york are sinners. we are sinners. we have many flaws. we make many mistakes. but one of the things we do very well is sincere and fruitful interreligious friendsship. our ancestors came here for religious freedom and they found in new york city an atmosphere of respect and appreciation for religious diversity. about which you just spoke at the united nations. we, who have the honor of pastoring our people, we work together, we pray together, we meet together, we talk to one another and we try to serve as one the city we are proud to

call our earthly home while awaiting our true and eternal residence in heaven. so very aunch do we recall the face n do we recall the of god is in the midst of the city. and your prayer and your presence and your words this morning inspire us, so thank ou for being here. [applause] > you may be seated.

>> in this place, where horrendous violence was committed falsely in the name of god, we, representatives of the world religions, in this great city of new york, gather to offer words of comfort and prayer, with love and affection we recall the victims of the 9/11 attacks. we pray that their souls and the souls of all those first responders are forever remembered for eternal blessing. today and every day may we understand our shared mission to be, in the words of pope francis, a field hospital after battle. to heal the wounds and warm the hearts of a humanity in so desperate need of comfort. >> intolerance and ignorance fueled those who attacked this place. the courage of today's

gathering distinguishes us from the opponents of religious freedom as we stand together as brothers and sisters to condemn their horrific acts of violence and honor each life that was lost unconditionally. as we read in the quor an that one life lost is like all man kind and one life saved is like all man kind. to god, all life is sacred and precious. where others fail, let us be the peaceful reminders of that notion to his creation. >> the book of psalms teaches us that we should love peace and we should pursue peace. let us honor those killed in this place by becoming, in the words of saint francis, instruments of peace. where there is hatred, let us so love. where there is injury, pardon. where there is doubt, faith. where there is despair, hope. where there is darkins, light.

and where there is sadness, joy. >> men and women from all walks of life ran to this place in hopes of saving lives. the sole intent of those first responders was the protection of others, regardless of the cost to them as individuals. as the worst of humanity sought to take life, they exemplified the best of humanity through their selflessness, willing to give their entire life in hopes of saving another, their story is one that each of us should carry forward with us both in thought and in action as we move forward from this place. the koran declares that allah is with those who are righteous and those who do good. let us embody their unconditional love, their continued strength, their unwavering hope and their pursuit of good as we seek to build much-needed peace. >> so let us learn to share

his big apple we all call home through friendship and dialogues, may the timber and tonality of each of our faith traditions be heard in this great symphony of our city and nation. on this, the historic anniversary of it, let us celebrate, affirm and build on our shared commitment to interreligious dialogue. in the words of pope francis, may we respect and love one another as brothers and sisters , may we learn to understand the sufferings of others, may we live to see the day as envisioned by the prophet, mica. everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own figure tree and no one shall make them -- fig tree and no

one shall make them afraid for the lord almighty has spoken. >> the koran states, o mankind, we have created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you might know one another. we have gathered here today as men and women who seek to meet ignorance with understanding. through our knowing of each other today, let us move beyond the mere toleration of our differences and work towards a much-needed celebration of them. let us be bold enough to build partnerships with new friends and allies and together be the reason that people have hope in this world. not the reason that people dread it. > please rise.

pope francis: lord of love, compassion and healing. look on us, people of different faith and religions, traditions. today in this house -- in these hallowed grounds, the scene of unspeakable violence and pain. we ask you in your good tons give eternal light and -- goodness to give eternal light and peace who all who died ere.

our firefighters, our police officers, emergency service workers and security personnel, along with all the innocent men of women who were victims this tragedy simply because they walk or service to them here on september 11. we ask you in your compassion who, g healing to those cause of their presence here 14 years ago continue to suffer from injuries and illness.

heal too the pain of grieving families and who lost loved nes in this tragedy. give them strength to continue their lives with courage and home. -- hope. we are mindful as well of those who suffered death, injury and loss on the same day at the . ntagon and in pennsylvania , r hearts are one with theirs as our prayer embraces their ain and suffering. bring your peace to our violent world. peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the

ations of the heart. rn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred and who justify killing in the name of religion. the f understanding, magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible vents. may the lives lost here not vain. en lost in

console us, give us the wisdom d courage to walk tirelessly with true peace and friends among nations and in the hearts f all. announcer: ladies and gentlemen, kindly take your seats. > namaste.

speaking foreign language] >> may god protect us, may god nourish us. may we work together. may our dialogue be enlightening, may we be free from hate. ohm, peace, peace, peace. lead us from untruth to truth, from darkins to light, from death to immortality. ay all know peace.

[bell ringing] >> [speaking foreign language]

>> homage to the buddha. victory begets enmity. the defeated dwell in pain. the peaceful live happily, discarding both victory and defeat. one should not do any slight wrong, which the wise might censure. may all beings be happy and secure. may all beings have happy minds . peace. [bell ringing] >> [speaking foreign language]

>> god judges us according to our deeds. not the coat that we wear. that truth is above everything and the highest deed is truthful living. know that we attain god when we love and only that victory endures. in consequence of which no one is defeated. [bell ringing]

>> the reading is from the original greek text of the gospel according to matthew. speaking foreign language]

>> blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. for they shall be satisfied. blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see god. blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called the sons of god.

blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the sing coming -- kingdom of heaven. [bell ringing] >> [speaking foreign language]

>> o allah, you are peace and all peace is from you. nd all peace returns to you. grant us to live with the thee, and lease us to your abode of peace -- lead to us your abode of peace. you are blessed, our lord, be exalted. o owner of magnificence and

honor. [bell ringing] announcer: ladies and gentlemen, please stand for a prayer for the fallen. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> kindly be seated.

dear friends, excuse myself for not speaking english. have many different feelings moved by being here at ground zero where thousands of lives were taken in a senseless act of violence and destruction. you can feel the pain here. it's palpable. the water we see running toward the center reminds us of all this life who left under the

power of those who believed that destruction is the only ay to solve conflicts. that silent cry of those who own inlogical ir -- illogical violence of hate and revenge. the lodge take could only cause pain and suffering, destruction and tears. water falling also symbolizes our tears. tears shed for destruction of yesterday, who are joined by so much destruction today.

, is is a place where we cry , being e pain powerlessness that makes us feel when we see justice set to solve inability our differences. hrough dialogue. the this place we cry unjust, death of the innocent because we were not able to find solutions for the common good. it is watt that are reminds us -- it is water that reminded us yesterday's tears and today's .ears

amid some es ago families of the first responders that fell, while performing their service, and in this meeting i was able to see how destruction is never impersonal, it's never abstract. .t's not about things above all destruction has faith and a history, it is specific, it has names. show the members face of pain, pain that leaves us speechless but that screems to heaven. -- screams to heaven.

but at the same time they were able to show me the other face of this attack. the other side of their pain. the power of love and a remembrance. the memory that does not leave us empty, on behalf of so many lost ones, these names are faces of e in the these towers, so we can see them and we can touch them. nd we can never forget them. among this pain, we can also feel the capacity of heroic goodness that the human being is also capable of, the hidden force that we must always

appeal to. at times the greatest pain and , you were witness to the greatest acts of giving of themselves, of yourselves, and held a stretched out hand, life , en, that may seem impersonal loneliness, people were able to show the powerful solidarity of mutual help, of love. and self-sacrifice. at that time, it was not about blood or origin or neighborhood r religion or political views. it was a matter of solidarity,

an emergency of brotherhood, it was a matter of humanity -- a merging of brotherhood, temperatures a matter of humanity. new york firemen and women came in to the towers that were crumbling without much thinking about their own lives. many fell in their duty and with their sacrifice they allowed for so many others to survive. his place of death also is a .lace for life, saved lives a song that leads us to affirm triumph will always over the prophets of

destruction, over death, and win over bad, reconciliation and unity will revail over hate and division. in this place of pain and . membrance, i am full of hope because of the opportunity of the leaders representing so many religious traditions amidst of life of this great city. i hope our presence here send as powerful sign -- sends a powerful sign over which to wish to reaffirm the be there, a source of reck --

forces of reconciliation, forces of peace and justice in this community and throughout the whole world. differences and discreppies -- discrepancies, it is possible to live in a world of peace. in the face of any attempt to make us all similar, it is possible and it is necessary to meet together with our different tongues, different embrace religions, our belief against anyone who would like to prevent that, because together today we have to any ited to say no attempt to make us all the same and to say yes to our fferences, accepting

reconciliation. throw away eed to the feelings of hate and revenge and ran chore. -- ranker. we know this is only possible through a gift of heaven here in this place of remembrance. each one of us in their way, ut together. i propose a moment of silence and prayer. be the sk, let the lord gift of peace. peace in our homes. in our families. in our schools. in our communities.

peace in all the places in which war seems to be endless. peace in the faces of the eople who have only seen pain. that in this wide world god has given us as our home, as a a home for us all and for all. only peace. et us pray in silence.

in this way, the life of love will not be alive or forgotten, but it will be present each with try to be the prophets of construction and reconciliation, the profits -- prophets of peace.

[applause] >> thank you, thank you, young people's chorus of new york city. you're an icon of what this sacred site reminds us. and my brothers and sisters, in the spirit of hope and promise, of this sacred spot here in new york, i invite you to stand and xchange a sign of peace.

[applause]

[applause]

[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] >> tomorrow the pope travels to philadelphia. at 4:30 p.m. he'll speak at independence hall. then at 7:30 the pope visits the festival of families in philadelphia. both of those are live here on -span. >> he comes in here all time. that's his seat right over there. so i went back to the office and i called him up and i said, mr. mayor, i've just been to club 55.

i mean, don't you realize people are watching what you do, where you go and they say you sit there all the time and watch naked dancing girls? there was a pause on the phone, he says, it's nice, isn't it? >> this sunday night on q&a, nbc 4 washington reporter tom sherwood on the political corruption in d.c., maryland and virginia. >> i think 44 attorneys general from around the country signed a letter saying they agree with governor mcdonald, what what he did was politics, not bribery. and that these gifts, he should have reported the gifts, that might be a crime, but he didn't report the gifts. $15,000 for a child's wedding, a $50,000, $70,000 loan. the problem was, bob mcdonald had been considered potentially a vice presidential candidate, was in over his head when he got into the governor's office. this is another case where you're a public figure and you let your messy private life combine together. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific on c-span's

q&a. >> when you look at the role that the supreme court is having on our society now, it has to have ral advance. when we thought, what can we do to have relevance on current programming, a series on court made all the sense in the world. >> the court is an equal branch of government. it's the third branch of government. it still has fundamental impact on americans' lives. >> inside this elegant building is a courtroom where cases are heard and decisions are made and impact all of our lives. there are so many incredibly interesting cases in the court's history. we've all heard about roe vs. wade, we've heard about brown vs. board of education. but for so many people, they're just names in a textbook. and what we want to do is really talk about not only the

legal side of the cases but the people involved in these cases. they are human beings who felt so passionately that they were being wronged or their rights were being abridged that they brought their cases to the court. >> i think what people will find most fascinate being these cases are the personal stories. ne of my personal favorites is matt vs. ohio. i think when people hear this personal story of this woman and this situation, they will fall in love with these cases. that they will feel passionate about what happened in the courts and why they matter and why you should care. >> picking the 12 cases was a really difficult and arduous task. it was a fun task because we learned a lot. but those 12 cases represent really our evolving understanding of rights in america. when you take a look, from dred korematsu case to roe vs. wade, you learn about

rights in america. gland mark cases, historic supreme court cases, produced in cooperation with the national constitution center, delving into 12 supreme court cases that significantly influenced our nation's story and in our evolving understanding of rights in america. live monday nights at 9:00 p.m. eastern, beginning october 5, on c-span and c-span3. and as a companion to our new series, landmark cases, the book, it features the 12 cases we've selected for the series, with a brief introduction into the background, highlights and impact of each case, written by veteran supreme court journalist tony mauro, published by c-span in cooperation with congressional quarterly press, an imprint of sage publications incorporated. it's vave for $8.59 plus shipping and handling. >> house speaker john boehner

today announced he's resigning from congress effective october 30. up next on c-span, his news conference from this afternoon. followed by your reaction on the phone and on twitter. and we'll get reaction from president obama and members of congress. speaker boehner: ♪ my oh, my what a wonderful day ♪ >> i used to sing that on my way to work in the morning. we're now on track to cut government spending by $2.1 trillion over the next 10 years. we made the first real entitlement reform in nearly two decades.

and we've protected 99% of the american people from an increase in our taxes. we've done all this with a democrat in the white house. so i'm proud of what we've accomplished. but more than anything, my first job is -- as speaker is to protect the institution. a lot of you know -- now know that my plan was to step down at the end of last year. i decided in november of 2010 that -- when i was elected speaker that serving two terms would have been plenty. and -- but in june of last year when it became clear that the majority leader lost his election, i didn't frankly believe it was right for me to leave at the end of last year. so my goal was to leave at the end of this year. so i planned actually on my birthday, november 17, to announce that i was leaving at the end of the year. but it's become clear to me that this prolonged leadership

turmoil would do irreparable harm to the institution. so this morning i informed my colleagues i would resign from the speakership and resign from congress at the end of october. now, as you've often heard me say, this isn't about me. it's about the people, it's about the institution. just yesterday we witnessed the awesome sight of pope francis addressing the greatest legislative body in the world. and i hoped we will all heed his call to live by the golden rule. but last night i started to think about this, and this morning i woke up and i said my prayers as i always do and i decided, you know, today's the day i'm going to do this. as simple as that.

that's the code i always lived by, if you do the right things for the right reasons, the right things will happen. and i know good things lie ahead for this house and this country and i'm proud of what we've accomplished, especially roud of my team. you know, i've been here my 25th year here and i've succeeded in large part because i put a staff together and a team together, many of which have been with me for a long time. and without a great staff you can't be a great member and you certainly can't be a great speaker. i'm going to thank my family for putting up with this all these years. my poor girls who are now 37 and 35. their first campaign photo was in july of 1981, and so they've had to endure all this. it's one thing for me to have to endure it. i've got thick skin. but, you know, the girls and my wife, they had to put up with a lot over the years. let me express my gratitude to my constituents who've sent me

here 13 times over the last 25 years. you can't get here without getting votes. but -- i say this often. people ask me, what's the greatest thing about being speaker or about being elected official? it's the people you get to meet. i have tens of thousands of people in my own district that i would have not met other than the fact i decided to ran for congress. over the years as i traveled on behalf of my colleagues and the party, i've met tens of thousands of additional people all over the country. and you meet rich people, you meet poor people, you meet interesting people. probably a few boring ones along the way. ut i can tell you that 99.9% of the people i meet on the road anywhere could not be nicer than they've been.

it's been -- really, it's been wonderful. it's been an honor to serve in his institution, and with that -- all right, junior, go ahead. reporter: speaker boehner, you were noticeably overcome with emotions yesterday. speaker boehner: really, what a surprise. [laughter] reporter: did you make this decision last night if the grace of pope francis led you to this decision? speaker boehner: no. no. yesterday was a wonderful day. it really was. was i emotional yesterday, i think i was. i was really emotional in a moment that really no one saw. as the pope and i were getting ready to exit the building, we found ourselves alone, and the pope grabbed my left arm and said some very kind words to me about my commitment to kids and education. he pope puts his arm around me

and pulls me to him and said, please pray for me. well, who am i to pray for the pope but did i. reporter: if it wasn't the pope, then what was it? speaker boehner: listen, it's not about the vote. there was no doubt whether i could survive the vote. i don't want my members to have to go through this. i certainly don't want the institution to go through this. especially when i knew i was -- i was thinking about walking out the door anyway. so it's the right time to do it and frankly i am entirely comfortable doing it. reporter: mr. speaker, i heard you say before that a leader who doesn't have anybody following him is a guy taking a walk. speaker boehner: that's right. i have plenty of people ollowing me. but this turmoil that's been churning now for a couple months is not good for the members and it's not good for the institution.

and if i wasn't planning on leaving here soon, i can tell you i would not have done this. reporter: if i may continue, there are people who are on the right in your caucus and even outside of the institution who have been wanting you to step down for sometime who feel they have a victory today, who feel you were pushed out. speaker boehner: no. the members -- i'm glad i made this announcement at the conference with all my republican colleagues because it was a very good moment to help kind of rebuild the team. listen, i feel good about what i've done. i know that i every day try to do the right things for the right reasons and try to do the right thing for the country. reporter: mr. speaker, how can this not be a moment of turmoil? you wanted to leave two years

ago. you said it would keep the house in turmoil. there's going to be -- speaker boehner: well, i'm going to be here for another five weeks. i'm not going to leave, not going to sit around here and do nothing for the next 30 days. there's a lot of work that needs to be done. i plan on getting as much of it done as i can before i exit. reporter: does it make it easier to make tougher decisions, maybe relying on democrats to keep the government open? speaker boehner: no. i'm going to make the same decisions i would have made regardless of this. reporter: you've made no secret of your frustration that some members of the far right and some outside groups used words like "knuckleheads" and some other words you can't use on television -- speaker boehner: probably. reporter: did you just have enough? speaker boehner: i wouldn't

describe it as having had enough. that's not it at all. when you are the speaker of the house, your number one responsibility is to the institution. and having a vote like this in the institution i don't think is very healthy. and so i've done everything i can over my term as speaker to strengthen the institution. and frankly, my move today is another step in that effort to strengthen the institution. reporter: won't the next speaker face the same thing? speaker boehner: hopefully not. reporter: that's my question, mr. speaker. how will washington be different because you leave this institution? what should people watching this expect the house and congress to do going forward if you're not here? speaker boehner: well, if we -- if the congress stays focused on the american people's priorities, there will be no problem at all. and while we have differences between democrats and

republicans, the goal here as one of the leaders is to find the common ground. listen, i talked to president bush and president obama this morning. i talked to all my legislative leaders who i have a very good relationship with all of them. because at the end of the day, the leaders will have to be able to work with each other, trust each other to find the common ground, to get things done. and so if the congress stays focused on what's important to the american people, they'll get along just fine. reporter: can you tell us how your conference reacted to the news? speaker boehner: oh, i would say they were shocked, surprised. reporter: maybe how the leadership itself reacted? speaker boehner: i told mr. mccarthy about two minutes before i spoke what i was going to do. i told him five times because he didn't believe me. i said, you better believe me. reporter: should mccarthy be the next speaker? speaker boehner: listen, i won't be here to vote on the next speaker, but that's up to the

members. having said that, i think that kevin mccarthy would make an excellent speaker. reporter: who is the first person you told, and what did they say? speaker boehner: well, i told my wife. reporter: what did she say? speaker boehner: she said, good. [laughter] speaker boehner: i told my chief of staff and i talked late yesterday. i told him i was thinking today might be the day. and i told him i'd sleep on it. so before i went to sleep last night, i told my wife, i might just make an announcement tomorrow. what do you mean? what kind of announcement? tell them it's time to go. so this morning, i woke up and walked up to starbucks as usual and got my coffee and came back and read and walked up to pete's diner and saw everybody at pete's and got home and thought, yep, i think today's the day. so my senior staff was having a

meeting at 8:45, and kind of walked in before i opened the house and told them, this is the day. it's going to happen someday. why not today? reporter: do you know when the next election might be held? speaker boehner: no. reporter: what advice will you give kevin mccarthy based on your five years, what advice do you give him to avoid the same pitfalls that you've come across? speaker boehner: well, i tell kevin, if he's the next speaker, that his number one responsibility is to protect the institution. nobody else around here has an obligation like that. secondly, i'd tell him the same thing i've just told you. you just do the right thing every day for the right reasons, the right things will happen. you all know me. my colleagues know me. i'm always straight with them. you know, they may not like the answer they get, but they'll get an honest answer every single time they come to my office.

it's an easier way for me to do my job. reporter: you originally planned to announce this on your birthday. what factors weighed in on your decision to do this now? speaker boehner: just all this stuff i read about in the paper and -- you know, i really don't want the institution to hurt and i don't want my colleagues hurt. i don't want -- i don't want to put my colleagues through all this. for what? so -- yes. reporter: what are you going to miss? what will you miss? speaker boehner: what will i miss? of course, all of you. [laughter] i don't knower: i'm going to miss because i haven't missed it yet. i'll certainly miss the camaraderie of the house. let me tell you another story that was really kind of interesting. maxine waters and i, democrat

from southern california, came here 25 years ago in the same class. now, you know, there's nothing about my politics and maxine waters' politics that is even anywhere close, but yesterday about 5:30 she called my office. i got a note she called so i called her back. and she said, i watched you for 25 years here, we came here together and watched your career. and watched you today and she said, i just want to tell you something. i'm really proud of you. you know, listen, i got the best relationships on both sides of the aisle because i treat people fairly and treat them honestly. but i'm going to certainly miss my colleagues. reporter: thank you, mr. speaker. go back to trying to take turmoil out of the house and stabilizing the institution. how do you think that it could

become more stable? several republicans i talked to yesterday from your conference said they don't think a new speaker will mean any new outcomes. how could it become more stable? speaker boehner: as i mentioned earlier, the fact i did this with my colleagues this morning, then we proceeded to have an hour and a half conversation, i thought was a unifying moment. between that and the pope's call for living by the golden rule yesterday, hope springs eternal. reporter: talk about what you think your legacy is, what your most important accomplishments, and what will you do on november 1? are you moving to florida? speaker boehner: i was never in the legacy business. you all heard me say it, i'm a regular guy with a big job. i never thought i would be in congress much less i would ever

be speaker. but people know me as being fair, being honest, being straightforward and trying to do the right thing every day on behalf of the country. i don't need any more. reporter: mr. speaker, you seemed very relieved. speaker boehner: ♪ zippidy do-da ♪ [laughter] speaker boehner: when you make a decision this morning, you haven't had -- really have anything what you will do in the future. i do know this. i'm doing this today for the right reasons, and you know what, the right things will happen as a result. thanks. >> please exit from the back due to the size of the crowd. [captions copyright, national cable satellite corp., 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and

accuracy. visit ncicap.org] announcer: speaker boehner announcing his resignation. we are taking your phone calls and getting poor reaction this evening as we show different reactions today to the announcement, and again the numbers to call -- host: a couple calls already. caller: hi. i am sorry to see speaker boehner resign. speak, and i pope om a catholic, and i watched tw

catholics behind him, and a couple times they nudged each other, yeah, did you hear that? got themessage of hope head of the senate and the head were both united, i really thought maybe we were going to make some -- a -- and i am sorry to see him leave, because i think he was a voice of reason. host: thanks for the call. joe is calling from california. caller: i am a retired naval officer. i am glad he is leaving. the door could not hit in in the rear soon enough. he has done nothing.

nothing will be accomplished in the ballot box. nobody is doing the walk, and nobody is discussing our national debt, housing, unemployment, all the figures wall street is jerked off by the gangsters every 10 years when the figure out a new scheme, and you have illegal aliens getting better benefits than veterans do. come on. nobody's talking about real issues. it is a kabuki theater, and you will never change anything at the ballot box. a just change it from mustard mayonnaise. aheadcnn politics looking at that succession, boehner's resignation sparked succession. that from cnn. in theat the headline

power post from "the washington house speaker john boehner to resign at end of october. joining us is paul kane. what are some of the main issues that led to speaker boehner announcing his resignation today? been speaker for almost five years now, for almost every day on the job, the first thing he has had to do is battle with this conservative contingent, anywhere from 10 to 15 to upwards of 40 people pending on the issue on the moment. it has always been agitating for the most conservative, confrontational approach dealing with barack obama and democrats. things had seemed to settle down after eric cantor lost last june. boehner who admits did a act that he wanted to retire, but

kanter was gone and he felt like he needed to be a veteran presence, after the last year, 15 months, things have settled down for boehner. there were still constant chirps from conservatives that did not think enough things were going to write way. then games these controversial videos revealing abortion practices by planned parenthood. for the last two months-plus, conservatives have taken that issue and set what we have to do is shut down the government to force obama and the democrats to come to the table and agreed to shut off all funding for planned parenthood. democrats have made clear that is not the case. a have taken the votes and demonstrated their willing to support land parenthood still. it was only $500 million a year. the organization says none of that money goes toward abortion practices they were ready to stand and fight democrats. if they gows that

down this alley into a shutdown that they will get blown up, it will be the republicans who get blamed. host: how are other house republican leaders, how have a racket, and when they find out? this: last night and morning boehner made the decision after seeing pope francis saturday, a real personal highlight for him as speaker. he made the decision that he was going to put everyone through this decision of either shut down the government or for a vote on vacating hisce speakership, so he decided to go out on his own terms. he did not tell his leaders until a minute, two minutes for their closed-door meeting today in the basement of the capitol. he said he had to tell kevin mccarthy five different times. kevin, i am retiring. so now that is going to set off a whole other chain reaction of events to have leadership races,

try to replace boehner, likely place mccarthy, so you have a chain reaction, dominoes will fall, and it will be a real fight within the next few weeks in the republican conference to figure out what direction do they want to go, do they want to keep going down this mainstream conservative direction, or are there going to be some ideological challenges from the far right. host: what about the freedom caucus. who are they, and what are they saying about this resignation? guest: the freedom caucus is this breakaway group of about 40. they do not release all the names. they say they have about 40 republicans who used to be part of the normal conservative caucus, the study committee, but they broke away from that and formed their own group, and they have been the most far right agitators for boehner. people like mulvaney avenue labrador,lina, rowlin

and they want to get one of their own into one of the niche of ranks a feel like they have and theyehner's hand feel like they need to get one of their own up there. it is a very difficult task because these are the 40 most conservative guys, and you got to field to a group of 246 republicans. they have to broaden their reach beyond just that group of 40. host: what do you -- when do you think we will see those collections happening? we needed last time an election was june 2014, when the majority leader eric cantor suffered defeat in his primary. in that case boehner decided he was sticking around as speaker, would stick around another two, said they had a

snap election, nine days later. a week and two days later they had the election. given this time there might be more positions that are up for grabs and potentially more candidates, it might be another two weeks from now, it might be a little lengthier of a process. boehner has made clear he is out of here friday, october 30, his last day in the capitol. who do you think they will be putting forward, mccarthy, some other likely candidate? guest: kevin mccarthy is very much likely to be the republican nominee for speaker, and there will be an actual floor vote to make him speaker. he does not have a lot of opposition. as a generationally younger, outlook to a and lot of the conservatives. they do not necessarily trust him on conservative issues, but see him as a generationally

closer to them. there might be a nominal challenge to him, which is what happened in 2014 when he moved up to majority leader. i think the bigger fight here is going to be for the majority leader, the number two posts, and that is where you will get a whole crop of ideological, geographical divisions that will come into play. alise will want to move up to number, two. you have to move up the ladder. number four is rogers. she has been eyeing a challenge se already, and it will probably be a different southern conservative, and a lot of people are looking at tom price as a possible alternative southernable to win

voters as well as the freedom caucus. skamthere is also peter ro who lost out in the last round of the leadership races. you could have as many as four people have laying it out for number two. host: we will follow you on twitter. thanks so much. guest: any time. come pennsylvania independent, barb, what are your thoughts? caller: i am upset that john boehner is quitting, but i can understand why. i used to be a republican. now i am independent. for not have any feelings desperate well, that one democrat lady that called in that spoke good about boehner. that really made me feel good, but most of them, i get so agitated, and if they cannot agree with planned parenthood,

defunding it, there's something wrong. especially pelosi, she is and ben, i am catholic, carson, i really like him. because he was a doctor and he even operated on babies that womb.in the if they cannot understand that, are they a cancer? i do not understand. host: pennsylvania, the independent line. caller: hello. host: go ahead. caller: i called in on the others' line as i do not wish to express my party. i just watched john boehner's resignation. i think that is a tremendous man sitting down from his position. i would also like to add this

opens up a new door. i see in both parties, this election, both parties, democrat and republican, are going to have tremendous trouble emerging a front runner. a great man represents the republican side. i think the party should, throwing it out there, for their benefit, 80 they should get home -- maybe they should go home and see -- i see a man there capable of sitting in the oval office. also, in the other party, i see again tremendous turmoil. bring in the best candidate is going to be very difficult. i do not know, it could have been announced, maybe joe biden threw his hat in the rain, but the thought that dawned on me is the kind of in that party i can see the front runner if he sees

or decides to commit. host: looking at a couple of tweets, looking back, dancing with the teacher there is on capitol hill. most republicans are happy to see john boehner leaving. another one from the briefing room. most of the gop are not displeased with boehner, but also mcconnell. and one person who is not so happy to see him leave, steny exit a bad boehner's day for the house. a couple more calls. russ is waiting on the line, georgia, republican. john boehner stepping down, a wise man told me many as far as this is concerned right here with him, as far as dealing with the liberals and socialists, you cannot argue or compromise with

a sick mind. thank you. line canores on the bridge town, new jersey. regrets. caller: hi. are you. host: what do you think about john boehner leaving his position at the end of october? of all, i'm a democrat, and john boehner is a republican, house speaker. however, i think it was very sometimesf him and they say it is best you leave when you can leave with dignity. don't wait until things blow up in your face like they're coming out with the planned parenthood, us, they have no money, they want to shut the house. fire foras been in the the long time, and i'm glad to see that the pope set down and talk to him, and i'm glad to see that the pope talks to the house as a whole, and he could not reach more people than he did. host: all right, thanks for the call. let's look at the busy week in

washington. pope francis visiting, speaker boehner resigning, and today president obama meeting with the chinese president. during their joint news conference, president obama had remarks about speaker boehner's resignation. president obama: i just heard the news as i was coming out of the meeting, so it took me by surprise, and i took the time prior to this press conference to call john directly and talk to him. john boehner is a good man. .e is a patriot he cares deeply about the house, an institution in which he has served for a long time. cares about his constituents

and he cares about america. we have obviously have a lot to disagreements, and we are at the different end of the spectrum, but i can tell you he has always conducted himself with courtesy and stability with me. he has kept his word when he made a commitment. been somebody who has gracious, and i think maybe most importantly, he is somebody who understands that in government, in governance you do not get 100% of what you want like you who do work with people disagree with, sometimes strongly, in order to do the people's business. prejudge who to the next speaker will be. that is something that will have to be worked through in a house. and i will certainly reach out immediately to whoever is the

what his orto see her ideas are and how we can make progress on the important issues that america faces. the one thing i will say is that my hope is there is a recognition on the part of the next speaker, something i think john understood, even though at times it was challenging to bring his caucus along, that we can have significant differences on issues, but that's not mean you shut down the government, that does not mean you risk the full faith and credit of the invitestates, you do not a potential financial crisis, you build roads and pass transportation bills and you do the basic work of governance that ensures that our military is operating and that our

national parks are open and that our kids are learning. . and there's no weakness in that. that is what government is. in our democracy, you do not get what you want 100% of the time. and so sometimes you take half a loaf, sometimes you take a quarter loaf. that is something i have learned here in this office. i am looking forward to working with the next speaker. in the meantime, john is not going to leave for another 30 days, so hopefully he feels like getting as much stuff done as he possibly can, and i will certainly be looking forward to working with him on that. host: president obama earlier today. taking your phone calls, getting to know what you think about the resignation of house speaker john boehner. he is going to be leaving, not just the speakership, but also his seat, his ohio seat at the end of october. arthur is on the line,

petersburg, virginia, republican. caller: good evening, c-span. watcher of an avid c-span for the last 20 years. longd to be a democrat, a time ago, back when jimmy carter became our president. and i started really, really paying attention to the political scheme of things. i am very glad to see john boehner -- i am glad to see john go, because he capitulated with andy pelosi and with obama, a few of your callers have called in, democrats, sorry to see him go because they know now things are going to get a lot harder for them. host: who do you want to see in there, or what kind of leader do you hope takes the seat? caller: well, i-4 now and

now and-- i for looking, whenever i vote for somebody, i will look at how many terms they have served. i am tired of these career politicians. donald trump, what is going on our country now, anybody that has more than four terms, i will not vote for that. i refuse to vote for them. here,we get peter in massachusetts, democrats like. what are your thoughts on speaker boehner? caller: i'm excited that he made the right decision, because politicians are not supposed to it wasfetime -- because for the people and by the group. all they need to do is -- in be afaith, you should

limits.limit -- term everyone comes that they make so many promises. they do not care. they were all connected by the same god. -- that is what obama is, somebody has to be the governor, somebody has to be a senator. now people should take that as a gift from god. host: let's look at the what the reaction was from earlier today. we also heard from a number of the house members, some of the house gop reaction. we will start with congressman david jolly. >> can we have your thoughts?

mr. jolly: i would say the honor of john boehner this morning, the honor of john boehner this morning stands in sharp contrast to the self-serving idiocy in our party who seek to continually divide us. john boehner is an honorable man. what he did this morning was remarkable. >> why is he leaving? mr. jolly: you have to ask the speaker. >> did he say? mr. jolly: you have to ask the speaker that. it was emotional. i think a lot of people unanimously recognized, i hope recognized the honor of john boehner this morning. the majority of our caucus certainly did. >> we heard a long period of applause. was that after he made that announcement? mr. jolly: it was. it was in recognition of what he did for the country and for our party and for this institution in the face of great challenges from within his own party. >> i can hear you are upset, sir. tell us why? why are you upset, congressman? mr. jolly: it's an emotional moment. it's an emotional moment.

those in our party who seek to continue to divide us and shut down the government, shut down our party, they can take a small victory today. it's unfortunate. but the greater victory is in the honor of john boehner. he's a remarkable person. >> boehner said he didn't want it to be be a issue. do you think this will move the party forward or do you think they will unite now? mr. jolly: john boehner has removed himself as the issue facing our party, so we need to have a family conversation within our conference in the next four weeks to decide what to do next. >> do you expect a shutdown? mr. jolly: i absolutely hope not. i think with the speaker's decision, the odds of us shutting down are much less likely. >> and why is that? mr. jolly: because the shutdown caucus has a small victory and they can move forward knowing there's perhaps a bigger battle they can fight in the coming weeks. >> do you think that's why the speaker is stepping down, to avoid a shutdown? mr. jolly: you have to speak to

him. i can't speak to his intent. >> look, it's a difficult -- it's a difficult conference to manage. it is the largest majority since the 1920's. mr. womack: it has an undercurrent of some people at the extreme right of our party that have a sufficient voting bloc that are always going to have the capacity to put some pressure on the outcomes in our conference. so, again, it's a very difficult conference to manage, but i think he's done it very well. >> will the next speaker have an easier time? won't the next house speaker have the same constraints? mr. womack: i believe the next person in line, whomever that is, is going to face the same difficult task of keeping a very broad conference together. i think that's -- i think that's going to be the case. you can change the faces and the

names and the leadership chairs, but the pressures are still going to remain the same. >> do conservatives understand that? mr. womack: i think so. i think everybody in our conference understands that. we've had some -- we've had a lot of very serious family meetings over the last few years. and we understand what divides us as a conference. i wish we had a little better feeling for how, if we were more united, what better things, more accomplishments we could achieve as a body. so anyway, thank you. >> this is a condition of his own making right here. >> and so you don't know who you would want to be the next speaker at this point? mr. massie: i'm going to listen to what the candidates have to say and whether they understand how this republic is supposed to work and whether they respect the fact there are 435 members

here, that each represents 750,000 constituents. >> and why do you think the conditions were right to push boehner out of office? mr. massie: i'm not quite sure what you mean. >> there's a lot of pressure on boehner. why do you think this was a moment where he said he had enough? mr. massie: you know, we just came back from an august recess, five weeks of town halls, and the american people spoke. and they can see through what's happening up here. it's a farce, a theater. and the american people are tired of it. and the american people said, stop it, and everybody heard that at their town hall. i think members related that to the speaker when they returned after their town hall. i think it's not accidental that the timing happened after we returned from a recess, where people got in touch with their constituents. >> is there going to be a government shutdown? mr. massie: i don't know what

the president has planned. >> do you think you can put a clean bill on the floor? mr. massie: he said he is. >> and is he leaving congress at the end of october? mr. massie: that's what i understood. >> do you think that will make things better up here? mr. massie: depends on if the next speaker respects the grievances that are in the motion to vacate. >> so you're still going ahead with the vote? >> what i'm hearing is they are ready for a change in washington. the base of the party has asked for this change for two to three years, and it's happening. we'll see what will come out of conservatives. >> do you speaker leader mccarthy to -- mr. huelskamp: i won't speak to that. it's a matter of conservatives working together as a team. when we decide who we'll work for and hopefully get elected that will be made a decision as

a whole, not one at a time. what other possibilities are out there? what other members could be elected speaker? mr. huelskamp: i think 200 have that in their mind. i heard -- i wasn't nominated. i was not there at the beginning of the meeting. this idea that happened in 2010. when i first came up here in 2010, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, there wasn't competition. hopefully there will be competition. if people move, we'll see. >> do you expect the whole leadership to be shut down? mr. huelskamp: it depends. i do not know what to expect. i think house conservatives will be sitting down shortly. we've had many of these discussions for 2 1/2 years. i've been involved in many of those. a lot of them i have not. what happened with eric cantor

in five days, they had that locked up once he lost, i don't think that will happen this time. [inaudible] mr. huelskamp: folks said they were shocked and stunned, including other leaders claimed they didn't know before it was announced. he's had a long, distinguished service on a lot of different issues. i agree, john boehner, i think it's time for new leadership. [inaudible] mr. huelskamp: no, nobody said that. he's the speaker, a very powerful position. some issues he's done a great job. distinguished service since 1990. but i think we're looking for a new leader that's of this century and ready to move forward so we have a unified republican party as which move into 2016. >> what do you think this means for the -- mr. huelskamp: actually, i don't know why he did this. i clear if a vote was called, he didn't have the votes to sustain

himself as speaker if nancy pelosi didn't help him out. makes a very vulnerable position. i was pretty confident we had plenty of votes to prevent that. >> was does this mean for a clean c.r., do you expect one? mr. huelskamp: i don't know what that means. if someone wants to stand up and say, how do we win this battle? because john boehner was taken down a path that was guaranteed -- >> i don't know, the next speaker will have a tough job. i'm not happy with the circumstances under which he's departing, but clearly, you know, john boehner is a good and decent man. he's a principled man. and yet he understood he had a responsibility to lead and govern. and there are some around here who didn't share that vision. and all i can say is the next speaker is going to have to -- >> do you think he made a right decision? mr. dent: that's a personal

decision. i'm not going to second-guess his decision. it's his decision, not mine. i really don't like the circumstances under which he's leaving. >> what do you mean by that? what do you mean by that? does it have an impact of the possibility of a shutdown? mr. dent: we will have a clean bill next week. i feel reasonably confident that we're going to pass a clean continuing resolution. there will probably be some more drama between now and then. >> some kind of quid pro quo, he's leaving so there will be a clean bill? mr. dent: he said there will be a clean bill. >> a lot of conservatives were wanting a showdown about planned parenthood. did they back off their claims once boehner made the announcement? >> mr. dent: i don't know about that.

i think a clean resolution will be passed and it will happen before the deadline. hope it does. accidents happens around here, as we all know. as i was watching the pope yesterday, i was getting text message from family members, they said, is boehner crying? there's no crying in congress except today. >> a genuine sacrifice his resignation today. he's a personal friend and i'm a personal admirer of his. mr. rogers: i'm sad he's stepping aside. >> [inaudible] mr. rogers: well, i think anyone can look at what he's done here and not conclude this was an act of grace and great stature. and i hope that would translate into support for a clean c.r. thanks. >> the divisions driving him out of the speakership going to remain when he moves on? i mean, who else can run the house republican conference? mr. rogers: well, we got a lot of talent in that caucus.

we'll see how -- who develops. >> will you support mr. mccarthy? mr. rogers: we'll know in due course of time. certainly, i have great respect and admiration for him. he's done a whale of a job as leader, so he will be on my list. >> how much do you think his decision would tie to the big fight over planned parenthood and government funding and a potential shutdown? mr. rogers: well, i'm sure it must have been a big part of his consideration. there are a number of other things. a new grandchild, for example, and a desire to spend more time with his family. but i was thinking, you know, as one of the crowning moments of his life, not just his speakership, but his life was yesterday with his long-standing 20-year-old desire to have the pope address the joint session of congress, which came true, a dream come true, but all the while he must have been thinking

so much about the upcoming decision that he would announce to us today. a bittersweet day for him, but i congratulate him on being a great speaker over these years. something the reaction on capitol hill today, and taking your phone calls. james waiting patiently on the line, north dakota, independent. caller: yes. i would like to make a comment about boehner's designation. to be honest, i think he has a right to do so, and i really applaud his decision. he just successfully received the pope in the u.s. congress, which is a historic event. given the political climate that the america is involved in, it --really right for him to

host: sorry to cut you off there. donald is on the phone from weston, virginia. caller: hi. thank you so much for having this coverage on tonight. all the other cable networks, all pope all the time, and it is really interesting, but this is news. the speaker of the house resigned, and you are the only one talking about it. so thank you so much, c-span. kind of disappointed democrats. i would have really liked them it wouldems like they woul be a great opportunity for bipartisanship. if they reached out, given him votes and support his speakership, it really could have opened doors to progress to get past this decade of

gridlock. it seems like we just lost an opportunity to make america better. example --ly set the a better example going into the next election than letting them collect louie gohmert. thank's much for letting me talk. host: you that. bet.u willard on the line from georgia. i'm so glad to get my opportunity to speak. i am not as long-winded as these other speakers. as long time ago, about 1969, this abortion problem was coming up, and nothing like today. veteran,rld war ii almost lost my life in france, fighting the germans. and i am grateful for this

opportunity to speak my piece, and i want you to cut me off when i go to far. i am not a catholic. church ofo the crisis that jesus established, long before that catholics came about. and then i want that i do not know who it is going to get this nation back to where it was even 12 years ago. but the best way for me to express my thought is to get back to tip o'neill and ronald reagan. so thank you for letting me speak this time. host: thank you for the call. we just heard from some of the members of the house. we will taking more of your calls, but first, let's listen to what some of the senate leaders have to say. mcconnell: grace under pressure, country and

institution for for self, these hat come tongs to mind when i think of john boehner. some said republicans could never recover, he never a lot. when some gave into defeatism, he kept up the fight. , speakerse he did boehner was able to transform a broken and dispirited republican minority into the largest republican majority since the 1920's/ 1920's/ that is a legacy that few can match. a flew across the country to recruit new members to the cause, and as the leader of a

new majority of the he turned the tide in congress and brought conservative reform in many areas. he worked tirelessly to provide hope to those who dreamed of a middle-classand to families who struggled under the weight of this administration. john knows what it is like to struggle and to dream of something better. he lived it. a young man from ohio, wielding a bar towel, it reminds us of the continuing promise of this country we all know yesterday was an incredibly important event for the speaker. s aim to bring the same spirit of grace that has always guided his life to others. toonly had to look out on

the capitol lawn to see what he achieved, and that he chose this moment to make this decision means he is willing to leave us in a similar spirit. i know we will all have more to say then, but for now, thank you, my friend. senator reid: mr. president? tem: mr. leader. senator reid: i was stunned to learn this morning that speaker boehner is going to resign in the next few weeks. speaker made those .elations much more close

i have not always agreed and i was not always happy with what john told me, but he never ever misled me, he never ever told me something that was not true, and i accepted that. understood john boehner very, very well. his word was always good. we had a lot of dealings, so-called back-channel meetings. everyone knows a lot of things that we do are not in the public some thingstainly we worked on together perhaps did not work out very well in the public eye, that there were things we had to do to get things done. i had a very good relationship with john boehner. my staff got along with his. chiefs of staff, and they have both been terrific to work with. my staff has reached out to them on many occasions in very difficult times and they had a

good relationship. doubt that everything john boehner has done has been fact in mind that he was doing his best for the people of his district in ohio and our country. difficult job, mr. president. you know what a tough job he had. he had this fashion and that faction and that faction in a couple more. like john boehner a good man like john boehner, he is a conservative republican, but his problem is that john boehner has been pragmatic. he realizes there come times when you have to make a deal. and i say to the presiding officer and everyone within the

i know thaty voice, president eisenhower, never met him, never saw him, but ronald reagan, i was here when he was president. and he had conservative credentials. but ronald reagan was somebody who understood the art of compromise. who else could have worked out union?ng with the soviet i am not sure there is anybody. ronald reagan was able to do that. i am -- mr.sident, president, i'm so concerned. i've seen the republican, not the party of dwight eisenhower as i have studied him for the man, ronald reagan, as i knew him. i just think it is very, very sad that the tea party caucus, the republican leaders embraced

to win seats in 2000 and have now taken over control of the party. to say that i will miss john boehner is a tremendous understatement. i have looked out for him in ways that i could he looked out for me in the ways that he could. i will always consider john boehner my friend, i look forward to working with him until he leaves. i understand it is going to be in late october, but i will continue to work with him as i have in the past to try to do what i think is the right thing for the country, as i'm confident he will, and hopefully we will continue someplace in the middle to get things done. i have gotten done things with john boehner that i was not happy with and he was not happy with what we had to come up with, but sometimes you do the best you can. i wish john boehner the very best in the future, whatever i can do to make his life more

pleasant, i will be happy to do that. whether it is setting up a golf game for him in las vegas or helping him in some government matter, i will do whatever i can , because john boehner as far as i'm concerned is a good man, and it is a gross understatement to say i will miss them. i will. host: the leaders of the senate there. let's get more of your calls in. milton, philadelphia, democrat. hi. evening, and take you for taking my call. i would like to make a couple points. one, i thought that it was disrespectful especially towards president obama when he went out of his way to invite prime speaker of israel to before congress. second, i see boehner as a week speaker.

speaker pelosi would never had brought bills to the floor and not having votes to pass them. it is my way or the highway, or they refuse to compromise. thank you. that is my comment. abilene, texas, jerry is on the line for a republican. caller: yes, i think boehner at could notgood, but bills, and the republicans need to get used to shutting down the government. ronald reagan did not mind doing it, and it served him very well. -- we we are going to just need to learn how to do go with the power of the purse and everything but --

thank you for giving me this chance to talk, and thank you for c-span. host: independent line, bedford, georgia. caller: yes, ma'am. i am so glad he is gone. he is what rand paul calls a conservative. i love what thomas massie said. he said it is a republic, not a democracy. host: republican line from pennsylvania. caller: yes. i think that ted cruz is smarter than he really is. what is it going to take to convince him and his 40 tea party members that he is not going to get anything done as long as harry reid is backing up obama and obama is in office? can't they be patient and wait for the next election?

mentioned since you cruz, and some of the other president candidates, donald trump, dan john boehner's great. a couple more minutes, john in massachusetts, independents line. caller: thank you for taking my call. this is funny. i do not understand the republicans, right? and all the decisions they have made over the past year once obama became president have been bad decisions. obama has outsmarted them. have these hard-core members from the south who think everything has to be -- [indiscernible] more than half of the world population believes in global

warming. do.youblicans ask donald trump to give more specific for policy, and he talks about being friends with putin, and republican speak he is the smartest got to record i do not know who the republicans are and how literally how dumb they can be. host: showing speaker boehner's statement today. one more call today. north carolina, to mccain. caller: yes, thank you so much for taking my call. i just wanted to say, i think that john boehner is a good example of a politician that has had to fall in the sword, so to speak. just look at what he has accomplished. the democrats do not always agree with his policies, but he got the pope to the united states congress.

and that historical significance of trying to bring people together should not be understated. this guy, his entire career, again, not necessarily agreeing with all the in trying to get things done within the government. and it is unfortunate that he stuff take this type of with the resignations to maybe send a signal to everybody else that is out there right now that you know, you need to be able to work together. and i will submit one last point. he is number three in the line to, you know, to the presidency. and for one of these right wing tea party members, do we really want someone like that to be number three in line for the presidency? and