congress? (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 745-8002 for independents and all others. also on twitter at @cspanwj. do you think there was any sort of implicit deal, the speaker saying he would step down, as long as we pass a clean resolution without any planned parenthood attached to it. speaker boehner and mitch mcconnell said, especially mcconnell, said there would not be a government shutdown. portrecognized it as a strategy because they did not have the votes to get a bill to the president's desk. they wanted to avoid that. certainly this has minimized the chances of a shutdown in september. you can also make the argument that congress is doing what it punting.,

it will be a very difficult decision for the next speaker, and arguably, increase the chances for a shutdown around christmas time. guest: remember, one of the legacies of speaker boehner is this is the lots of majority since 1930. he has built up a very impressive republican congress. interestingly, he still cannot get the vote on big fiscal controversial issues. in the house, you have to move bills through your party. you cannot rely on the minority in many cases to increase your power and leverage. he was unable to do that. host: a bit of irony there that the people who he helped to get elected are now in a conference, or caucus, opposing his

contingencies as bigger. -- as speaker. guest: that is right. without a doubt, it has been an interesting speakership. the speaker going up against president obama, and then harry reid. it is a very difficult job. speaker boehner, he liked to play golf, drink red wine. he will be enjoying life after congress. overall, i think it will be and just a what he does between now and october 30. will he moved controversial -- move controversial bills? that is the question. host: we were talking about this on friday. many tweets said that mitch needs to be the next to go. the racee factor is

for the white house. many other the candidates running, not all of them, but many running for the republican nomination had been critical of mitch mcconnell and john boehner, and were celebrating the fact that john boehner resigned. mitch mcconnell is highly respected within his conference in the senate. i think his job is very safe. he will take a lot of criticism because there is a lot of frustration in washington. host: there are calls waiting for bob cusack. we go first to rob in california. caller: good morning. a little'm getting confused as a republican because i remember back when john boehner took over as the speaker . he said, we are going to be pushed around by the tea party. the tea party is not going to push the republican party around. we will do what has to be done

to get business taking care of. as he went down the road, he was not a gym right, tip o'neill, not even a newt gingrich. he could not generate enough bipartisanship to pass anything. it is time for this guy to go. he was totally ineffective, and now, we are at is not in the road, where the republican party is going nowhere fast. opinion, in a historical sense, how is the world going to look at boehner and say, that guy was maybe not the best speaker we ever had. guest: certainly, if you look at speaker ships, he is not going to be ranked among the most powerful speakers. he will be regarded as one of the weaker speakers. it was a victory for the tea party to nudge him out before he wanted. in the press covers on friday, he said he planned to announce

his resignation on his birthday in november, but moved it up. certainly, if you look at his legacy, he almost had a huge fiscal deal with president obama in 2011. that was so close to happening. it did not happen. eliminate -- something he l talk about coming up. when you eliminate earmarks -- critic ofn was a earmarks. he did not have the tool at his distance. i heard him when he was trying herhurt these cats -- these cats. dhost: gavin on the independent line. is whatmy question and, are the positive things -- i

know he has a legacy, but what are the positive things he brings? eileen democrat, by independent because i support anything intellectual for this country. the republican party has done, by their own admission, nothing. the congress has 8% favorability. we are not passing laws. congress has done the least amount of work in 2014-2015. as an independent, i'm looking for positive reasons to support the republicans, i'm not getting them. speaker boehner did a terrible job. will the tea party keep control of the republican party? we still do not have a balanced budget. we still do not have roads and bridges being built. why are we working on things that are irrelevant to the american public, when we have so many things to do? guest: speaker boehner, he

wanted to do big things. ne wanted to pass a immigration bill, and had a group working on it for years. that group never came to a compromise. he wanted to do big things, and certainly, he has gotten some things done, but not sleeping legislation. there was a medicare bill that got through this year, and also fast track on trade that speaker boehner and president obama agreed with. it was very hard to pass, but boehner and mcconnell got it through. mccarthy isng kevin elected speaker, what type of partner with you make for mitch mcconnell? guest: i think he has a good

relationship with mitch mcconnell, as i boehner does. i think it will be interesting because mccarthy has recently been critical of the senate, where he said, listen, the house has passed a lot of bills, if you want to look at gridlock, look at the senate. i do think that they have a good relationship. kevin mccarthy's challenge, if, and when, he is speaker because daniela heavy favorite -- webster has indicated he wants an underdog.e is no one else has indicated they want to run. texas says he will make the decision early this week. i budget by tomorrow he will announce if he is running for speaker. going back to mccarthy, i think he will have to make the case, whoever he faces, how is he

different from speaker boehner. he is well-liked by the house republicans. he came in in 2006, only one of 13 republicans in that wave. he helped to recruit this majority. he knows these guys personally, plays basketball with him. he will have to make the case that i am different from john boehner in this way -- 1, 2, 3. host: to new castle, delaware, jim on the republican line. think boehner just was not the fighter that republicans needed at this time, especially with obama, who plays with his rules. the house really cannot do much with the way the senate is set up. we have to get back to a situation before we had a popular they elected senate -- a

popularly elected senate. we could have a veto proof majority for republicans that could actually fight obama and pass some sensible legislation. boehner try, but did not have the fight in him. i would like to see steve king from iowa. guest: certainly republicans are frustrated with the senate. votesould love to have 60 so they could move stuff to president obama's desk, even if a lot of that work be towed. that is why some in the senate want -- some of the house what the senate to change its filibuster rules. republicans have 54 seats in the senate right now. if you look at the map, they have double the amount from 2014.

he's not looking to win themes, you looking to protect his majority. if the democrats win the majority, then good of the democratic president of a democratic senate, and changing those rules could really backfire. mitch mcconnell has been pressed to change the filibuster rules and he an institutionalist so i do not see that happening. our caller that this is the fight they needed to is this something the republican conference, particularly the freedom caucus, wants to see this now? pelosicertainly nancy indicated that this shows that the house is in disarray. frustrated by the fact that we have had disarray in the house republican conference, the coup attempt against boehner. but democrats are in a large minority right now. they have an uphill battle to win the house.

you are having this moment where speaker boehner is residing and a lot of republicans are saying let's talk about how we can do this more orderly and try to bring bills to the floor and be on the same page so we are not fighting each other and at the same time i do not know if that will be possible. it is a very difficult job to get 247 republicans on the same page for anything. host: democrat line, good morning. caller: i just call for two reasons right i want to say i am a democrat, i'm watching republicans, i would never vote or them. the tea party is crazy and what happened to john boehner after all those years, that is disrespect. that is what they are. they are so disrespectful of everybody and everything. if it does not go their way, they close their doors.

never mind what is happening to the people and effects. how they never get the majority again. in's to our independent line cleveland, georgia. good morning. caller: i got nothing against mr. weiner, but i say it is a good start. he had enough sense to get out of there. those who are voting for these people, we need to get rid of everybody who signs papers on the side, whether it is a caucus insperity, or democrats selling out to wall street. tothey do not sign up present the american people, we need to put them out of there. ton boehner has a ability read what is going on in the wind, the rest of the need to go with him. host: any thoughts on?

republican congress was one of the worst in getting legislate and done. the fun i can point their finger at the senate, and the senate point back. now the republicans have the house and the senate, so this is a concern in trying to reserve that majority. the house will probably remain redistricting unless there is a massive wave in 2016. it is a problem that republicans now on the congress. ad approval ratings are problem for the gop. they cannot blame the democrats. it is a tough argument to make that case. they will be democratic votes for a continuing resolution. what else do you think is going to try to get done before his seat -- he resides? guest: he will be democratic

votes and he will get it for the cr. --lly, a lot of these top of type of bills he has had to rely on democrats to get there is on final passage. he may also need their support on the rule that brings the bill to the floor. a lot of republicans are not going to be happy with the cr because it does continue funding for planned parenthood. i know some callers were calling in and i do not think finger boehner is going to move a lot of controversial legislation and i do not think it will move the export import bank. i think that will put him in a difficult position because mitch mcconnell opposes it, kevin mccarthy opposes it. remember, this resolution, if he moves anything that is against what the tea party once, this resolution, seeking to oust him, could still be on the house floor. not think he is going to

risk that. i would be very surprised if he moves something like export import bank or a big highway bill. we will see. our line.r, on caller: thank you. protége not put in my position, and a new phase comes in, do you think a shorter, prefer more concise bills sent up to the senate so that the public knows this is what this is about, it is not complicated, it is easy to understand, that might force is your passing? that was the plan as far as the spending bills that they were trying to move. they were trying to move a dozen of them individually. once again the did not have the

votes to have those type of bills. as far as messaging and being simple, that has been the struggle for the congress to go up against. as well as the 2016 race for the white house where donald trump and others are getting a lot of attention. it is tough to get your message through all of that. but at the same time if you look at what the republicans need and to coalesce the hind obamacare replacement, they have been talking about that for years. they do not have an obamacare replacement that leadership is behind. they need a nominee to really champion that cause. of course they want that nominee to get into the white house. reaction on friday from ted cruz and also donald trump for the speaker. pretty well played

in the political setting for those candidates. guest: yes. marco rubio champion and announcing in his speech and getting a lot of applause. it is good politics for the hopefuls. they do not want to back washington insiders. bobby jindal calling for mcconnell to step down. congressional leaders are not popular at the same time, congress is never a cut popular base. but it is especially unpopular now. is really hampering put mitch mcconnell and john boehner have been trying to do, because they are taking so much friendly fire from the white house hopefuls. host: independent line. caller: good morning. me for theevident to last half a century that the republican party and the democratic party have been

running this nation -- ruining this nation. their problem is they listen to the lobbyist more than the people who put them in office. down here in is the phoenix area we had a representative who had real good credentials. he was a cpa or something like that. and in everyhim district put him in office to go to washington dc and represent their views on how the government should be run and budgeting. and people like boehner and the rest of the right knows took him out of his well-deserved committee and put him off as a side. the republican party, like democratic party, is mainly interested in promoting themselves instead of what is

best for the country. people are getting tired of it. here is another point that everybody seems to be missing. since this is a representative government, what you see in republican party is truly indicative of the way it should be. it is not one big harmonious party where everybody goes everybody is going to vote in the same direction for the same thing, let's get along. the truth of the matter is this country is pretty well divided. what you see in the republican party, at least, truly represents the way our representative government is supposed to be. you have one faction that wants to do one thing, and you have another faction that once something else. that wants something else. it looks very and a manageable,

but the truth of the matter is that is the way this government is meant to work. you look at the democratic party, and they just vote lockstep and perfect example of that is the worst piece of desolation we have ever seen in our lifetime, and that is the -- the teaan bad mouth party if they want to come up with the truth of the matter is they really represent what is best for this country. he talks about the diversity of the republicans. that is part of the reason that the speakers that doubt is his difficulty managing all the iversion use -- divergent views. -- theey were i caller speaks of one who was

bounced from a committee because he was not in step with the others. they use the current and that use the stick. there was a rebellion from the right. they said that mark boughton meadows back on his subcommittee, and that is what happened. that is why it is so difficult because they tied persuasion -- ofed persuasion, enforcement intimate asian, and it has not worked. host: an interesting meeting the day before the public income of that jim jordan was calling to the speaker's office, other members of the republican committee, the freedom caucus, was there any sort of last-minute attempt on the speaker side to negotiate with thee members in terms of issue immediately in front of them, the continuing resolution and planned parenthood funding? guest: i think those meetings were basically, some members want more of that communication from the speaker's office that

members who knew john boehner very well had a tough time meeting with him because he became speaker because his job is very big and he cannot meet 246 republicans over time. that was an effort to say this is a strategy, we do not have the votes to defund planned panthood, but we're going to step up that name a new committee to investigate them. we are going to put together a budget package under reconciliation rules were you only need 50 votes in the senate. that is the plan. i think it was a way of saying listen, i am bringing you into my here is the strategy. trying to minimize how much criticism he was going to take from the jim jordan's and others in the house freedom caucus. in thispicture morning's cq weekly. it has me wondering about the role of the speaker itself. is it just an antiquated or old-fashioned notion that the

speaker of the house is actually speaker of the house, or has that ever been that the speaker was not a political animal but truly the speaker of the house? role of the speakership is changing, especially in this age of social media. some people of said the john boehner would have been a good speaker in the 1990's, 1980's, 1970's. now is a different type of role you are taking. a lot more criticism. you cannot just go behind closed doors and make deals. recently there is so much reporting on what is going on at the end of the day. ability forrt the both parties to be able to get big sweeping legislation. that is a good thing because we do not let deals made in back rooms. without a doubt this bigger ship is changing. but is probably going to be kevin mccarthy's biggest challenge, should he get it. socialn that issue of

media, how challenging wasn't for your organization from your editor in chief of the hill, what was friday likely four yo? was a bit crazy. you are trying to find out what behindly happening closed doors. that is a test of our leadership reporters and we have a grate staff. but i would tell them that your goal is when speaker boehner or some other big republican is saying something behind closed doors, five minutes later, you need to figure out what that is. that means having relationships and context e-mails to find out what is happening behind closed doors. it was a crazy day. but it is one where you are not going to forget, but this week is also going to be pretty crazy. host: republican line, myrtle beach, south carolina. caller: good morning. i saw speaker peter sitting

there crying, i physically got upset. that if i was in the republican party, there would be a meeting tomorrow morning and he would be gone. show your emotions. you have to be up to keep your emotions in check. he is third in line for the presidency. anybody who showed up for work and cried all day long, they would be let go the next day i promise you. that is what happened to him. what was it behind the speakers crying? was he a very emotional guy? -- speakerur boehner boehner, what you see is what you get. much the same behind closed doors. he is a very friendly guy, he tends to get emotional, especially when you do not expected. when he is announcing his

resignation,', it is not surprising that there were tears. someone also mentioned, that male politicians can do that, but female politicians cannot. they would be viewed as weak. it is an interesting debate. contrast, ihy, by have not seen him cry. we shall see because the speakership can bring tears. host: democrat line. good morning. caller: with this issue of i am 65.on, my parents were immigrants at one time. i sympathize a lot with immigration and that we should immigration but i also know people who are 65 and older but chose not to be u.s. citizens. the monetaryctly benefits that people have not

being a u.s. citizen is and may be part of the problem that we have with immigration. we should probably take a hard look at what stops somebody from not wanting to be a u.s. citizen. host: let's talk about immigration and speaker boehner. he elected to not bring before the house the senate passed bill a couple years ago. what were some of the politics behind that? significants pushback from his conference. they did not like that senate bill, and it is something that speaker weiner wanted to pass. certainly he was eyeing passing the bill by having the secret bipartisan group. he ordered this group of about eight lawmakers to come up with a bill. they were not able to do that. the desire was there, but too many tea party lawmakers were very critical of it. speaker weiner was critical of

it. he said that was not the solution they wanted to move over. own wanted to move their solution. they were not able to come to an agreement on that, especially the thorny issues for the gop, donald trump making the case repeatedly for a wall on the southern border. mitt romney, when he ran into thousand 12, he went way right on immigration reform. i think of when you very interesting to see who the nominee is. of bush is a proponent immigration reform. marco rubio was the author of that bill. he has stepped back and said that is a mistake and he will not reintroduce the bill. the nominee of the republican party, whether they are pro-comprehensive immigration reform or anti-, they will have to deal with it. host: texas, independent line. caller: good morning. it while ago, obama signed an executive order eliminating the

amount of money that is paid to veterans planes. i think there was a deal made under the table by the speaker because i have never heard anything where the speaker came out and was opposed of it. i'm a disabled republican combat veteran, and it applies to some of these newer veterans. this war was fought, and i'm still suffering. my question about speaker weiner -- speaker john boehner is this, how much money is he going to get when he retires? k street ando to become lobbyists, we will have

to see if he goes back home. i think you will do well in his retirement. it remains to see exactly what he is going to do. he has indicated that. you may still be deciding. host: columbus, nebraska. go ahead. caller: this seems to have all been started when the female leader of the house raised her hand and said you have to vote on it first and then we will read what is in that later. that is where this all started. host: what do you mean by that? how did that start where we are with speaker boehner? caller: the tea party. of course we all know it was nancy pelosi with the affordable care act. when she was in charge. they could have done something on immigration when obama's

first took office. it was his campaign promise, if you play the videos. he was going to do something on immigration has first year. he lied. here two partiers were out . re: more afraid of us for with our bibles and our guns, or are you are afraid of isis with their koran's and their ak-47s? host: would you like to see in the speakership? caller: i would like to see someone who is not conservative, but who can work across the line. the next person in the speakership is going to have a very difficult job. therefore had to have decisions from the get-go, whether it is moving on the senate passed highway bill, real rising import-export bank, dealing with immigration to some degree, and it leader in the year dealing with government funding measures. but overall i think that they are going to have to get house

republican conference at least to have a cease-fire with all of these back and forth. that is good to be the most challenging part. host: does this politically empower the more service caucus, the tea party supporters? guest: talking to members who have been around a long time, the tea party gave her the speakership. them he would be the minority leader. when you look at it from a governing standpoint, it is good for a frustrating for people of been around this town for a long time. if you look at the tea party lawmakers they do not have a candidate for speaker. the house freedom caucus does not have a member. that, isn, who heads widely respected by the right and in the caucus and said he

will not run for speakership that he has not ruled on other leadership spots. host: a couple other calls. democrat line. caller: good morning from south florida. a brief comment and a quick question. the outgoings on speaker. he is a good man. i'm a democrat: not a democrat line, he has a good man. i hope there will not be some kind of scandal following him or accusation of a scandal because he is a good man. i did see this coming. mr. dusek, i am sure you're in the know. he was burning out. whatuestion i have is about the lawsuit that he has against president obama? was there a potential lawsuit or a lawsuit that was actually filed? been executiveve actions that the president has taken, whether it is on obamacare and certainly immigration that we have really

not seen a lot of headlines en masse because there was some delay in filing at least one of the lawsuits. i do not think anything will come out, you never know. but he said he was going to come out by now, and i think he is looking forward to his retirement. beenagree that he has not as engaged as he certainly was early in his speakership. if you get some of the videos online when he was going through this massive fight with the president, they took a toll on speaker boehner. we turned about this at the beginning of the conversation, this is the washington post reporting that the measures have him advancing before they leave. long-termhey are budget deals, multiyear highway bills, a reauthorization of the export import bank, and extension of the federal debt ceiling. that that stuff is

not likely to happen. boehner, 10 days ago office was a was not going anywhere but because you have to say that. harry reid for months and months said he was quite run for reelection, until he wasn't. you do not want to lose power. you announce your residing you lose power and leverage. he is a lame duck speaker. if he tries to movie of the controversial bills, he would have a huge fight on his hands. to the caller's point, he is tired of the five. he is looking forward to his retirement. he does not want a situation where he tries to move something to the house floor and the speaker in waiting is ripping the speaker. i just do not see it. host: staten island, new york. republican line. caller: good morning. i just want to make a comment about the military spending.

we are spending $700 billion a year on the military. nuclear powered aircraft. we have 60 nuclear powered missile carriers. in 120 1200 basis countries according to wiki leaks. and 160 billion on ef 35. we are developing new intercontinental ballistic missile. we are renewing the ballistic missiles that we have, and that is going to cost $350 billion. we are $20 trillion in debt. the republicans are talking about lowering taxes on corporations. we have the most unbelievably inefficient health care system in the world. that is my comment. have a good day. host: pilings of issues on the

plate. we aremilitary spending, seeing that in the republican race for the white house. many are saying that we need to spend more. that is a big part of the negotiations that are going to happen later this year what to do with the sequester, the white house has said we need to stop the sequester for not just military spending which republicans they want to increase, but also the one that hit social spending. a huge issue. it is interesting he mentioned the debt. you are not hearing a lot about the debt in the republican race for the white house. are you hearing huge plans by the leading candidate to curb the debt? no. your hearing more about tax reform and cutting taxes paid a long way to go in that race. a huge issuech was for the tea party in 2010 and helped republicans get a majority in the house and senate, you do not hear about it as much. host: that is something that he has to get done before he

leaves, has to be raised by early november. guest: that is a moving target. but anything that is done will be done with the blessing of the new speaker. speaker boehner was asked about moveas far as would he more bipartisan legislation, more democratic leaning largest nation in the weeks that he is remaining on the job, and he basically said i going to continue to do the same thing i have been doing. without a doubt, they may have to move some type of debt ceiling bill before he leaves, but i think he will do that in post convocation with kevin mccarthy. if he is challenged by jeff hensley, he keeps his job. he keeps his job as majority leader, so he would be looking to work for a new speaker. same thing for the majority whip. if mccarthy becomes speaker, he will keep his job because we are in the middle of congress the beginning of congress.

a lot of these races, they may not occur because people will stay in the state spot. on twitter, where are the big that would change people's lives for the better? medicare plan d just made a former richer and us for. question,ave with a should the gop passed bills that people want, not what the president wants? host: i republican congress medicare partl of d ingratitude that bush presidency desk. hillary clinton just cannot with a proposal to curb spending. that is going to be something that you were going to hear the candidates talk about. but senate candidates, i think it is hard for the republicans to get their message out.

as we seek candidates drop, i think you will see some of these issue papers come out. donald trump, the front-runner right now, has put up one or two issue papers, and he is going to be issuing a lot more in the coming weeks. host: two are for the next -- thank you for the segway. bob cusack, you can follow him on

>> congress returns today trying to find a path forward on a temporary spending measure that would fund the government beyond wednesday and avoid a government shutdown. in addition the house takes up a bill tuesday that would give states more flexibility in denying medicaid contracts to providers involved in abortions. the senate gets to work today on its version of a temporary spending bill known as a continuing resolution to advance the cr scheduled for :30. >> when you look at the role the supreme court is playing in our society now our history series have to have relevance so as we thought about what can

he k we do to give relevance, a series on the 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 that impact all of our lives. there are so many incredibly interesting cases in the court's history. we've all heard about rowe versus wade, brown versus board of education. but for so many people they're just names in teasked book. and what we want to do is talk about not only the legal side of the case bus the people involved. they are human beings who felt so passionately that they were being wronged that they brought their cases to the court. >> i think what people will find most fascinating about these cases are the personal stories.

one of my favorite is matt versus ohio. i think when people hear this personal story of this woman in the situation that they will fall in love with these cases. that they will feel passionate about what happens in the courts and why they matter. >> picking the 12 cases is a really difficult task. it was fun because we learned a lot. but those 12 cases represent really our evolving understanding of rights in america when you take a look.

>> pope francis was in philadelphia this weekend on the final leg of the u.s. visit. one of the stops was independence hall. from the same podium president lincoln used. this is 35 minutes. [applause]

[speaking spanish] pope francis: one of the highlights of my visit is to be hall.t independence the birthplace of the united states of america. it was here that the freedoms which define this country were first proclaimed, the declaration of independence, which stated that all men and women are created equal.

endowed by their creator with certain unalienable -- in alienable rights and that the government exists to protect and defend those rights. words continue to inspire us today. even as they have inspired peoples throughout the world to fight for freedom to live in accordance with their dignity. history also shows that truths must

constantly be reaffirmed, reappropriated and defend it. defended.y -- the history of this nation is also the tale of a constant day tolasting to our embody lofty principles in social and political life. remember the great struggles which led to the abolition of slavery, the extension of voting labor, the growth of the movement and the gradual effort to eliminate every kind of atism and prejudice directed of newcessive waves

americans. [applause] shows thats: this when a country is determined to remain true to its founding principles, those principles that were foundational and based on respect for human dignity, that country is strengthened and renewed. in a memoryry keeps and remembers, he continues to tow and be renewed and assume and take into this -- its bosom new people. [applause] all of us benefit

a great deal from remembering whichst, remembering remembers, does not repeat tasks -- past errors. instead, it looks with confidence to the challenges of the present and future. people'sce fades a whomever -- soul from would it dominate it for its interests. when individuals and communities are guaranteed the exercise of their rights, not only are they free to realize their own potential, but they also with

this, with their work, contribute to the welfare and enrichment of all of society. [applause] in this place, theh is symbolic of ofrican way of -- the model the united states, i would like to reflect with you on the right to religious freedom. [applause] it is ancis: shapesntal right which the way we interact socially and personally with our neighbors is

whose religious views differ from our own. the ideal of interreligious dialogue where all men and women have different religious make dialogue without fighting each other, that is what religious freedom gives us. religious freedom certainly god, the right to worship individually and in community. conscience dictates.

but, on the other hand, but religious -- religious liberty by its nature transcends places of worship and the private sphere of individuals and families. because the religious dimension is at a side culture, it part of any society and of any nation. [applause] our various: very --s traditions are traditions serve society

primarily by the message they proclaim. they call individuals and god, thees to worship andce of all life, liberty, happiness. they remind us of the transcendent dimension of human existence and of our irreducible freedom in the face of every claim to absolute power. , but look at history, it is good for us to look at history, especially the history of this last century to cb

atrocities perpetrated by systems that claimed to build one or another earthly paradise by dominate peoples, subjecting them to principles and denying them any kind of rights. religious traditions seem to offer meaning and direction. they have an enduring power to always. horizons, to stimulate thought, expand the mind and heart. they call to conversion, re-conciliation, concern for the future of society. in the servicece

of the common good and compassion for those in need. at the heart of their spiritual mission is to the proclamation of the truth and the dignity of the human person and of all human rights. our religious traditions remind us that as human beings we are otherd to acknowledge an that reveals our relational identity in the face of every uniformity tose a which the egotism of the powerful, the conformism of the

weak for ideology of the utopian would it seek to impose on us. in a world where various forms of modern tyranny seek to suppress religious freedom for, as i said already, try to reduce it to a subculture without right to a voice for votes in the public square, or to use it religion as a pretext for hatred and brutality, it is imperative that the followers of the various religions join their peace, foralling for tolerance, and respect for the dignity and rights of others. [applause] [applause]

pope francis: we live in a time subject to the globalization of the technocratic paradigm, which consciously aims at a one-dimensional uniformity and seeks to eliminate all differences and traditions in a superficial quest for unity. religions, religions that have the right and duty to make clear it is possible to build a society where a healthy pluralism, which truly respects differences and values them as such, is a precious ally in the

commitment to defending human path to peace in worldoubled world, in our so harmed by war. [applause] [applause] these thinkers who founded philadelphia were inspired by a profound evangelical sense of the dignity as well as bydual the ideals of a community united by brotherly love. this conviction led them to found a colony which would be a haven of religious freedom and tolerance. that sense of fraternal concern

for the dignity of all, especially the wea and in the -- and the vulnerable, became a special --t of the americas area american spirit. during his visit to the united states in 1987, saint john paul homage to this, reminding all americans that the greatnessest of their was the way that every human being would be treated, especially the weakest and most pope francis: i take this

opportunity to thank all of those who, whatever their religion, have solved to serve god, have saw to serve the god of peace by building cities of brotherly love. need,ing for neighbors in of godnding the dignity conn's gift of life in all its stages, by defending the cause of the poor and the immigrants. too often, those most in need everywhere are unable to be heard. you are their voice. women, you -- men and religious -- have made their cry

heard with its witness which frequently encounters powerful resistance. you remind american democracy of the ideals for which it was you remind us that society is weakened whenever and wherever any injustice prevails. [applause] a few moments ago, i spoke of the tendency towards globalization. itselfzation in and of is not bad. on the contrary, the globalizing

tendency is good. it brings us together. but what may be bad is the way this happens. if globalization's would seek to make everybody the same as if it , that single sphere globalization destroys the richness and particularity, the individuality of every person and every people. if globalization seeks to bring , but to doogether so, respecting each person, each individual person's richness and peculiarityality --

, that globalization is good and makes us all grow and leads to peace. i like to use geometry here. if globalization is a sphere where each point his equidistant from the vector, then it isn't good because it bundles each of us -- annulls each of us. if it joins us as a polyhedron where we are altogether where each conserves his or her own identity, then it is good and and grants them rights.

there are, among us today, members of america's large hispanic population. as well as representatives of recent immigrants to the united states. thank you for opening the store. emigrated and i greet you with particular affection. have emigrated to this country at great personal cost, but in the hope of building a new life.

do not be discouraged by whatever challenges and hardships you face. i ask you not to forget like those who came here before you. you bring many gifts to the station. -- this nation. don't ever be ashamed of your traditions. do not forget the lessons you learned from your elders. which are something that may enrich the life of this american land. not be ashamed of

that which is a part of your life. called to be responsible citizens. called to be responsible asizens and to contribute , toe who came before did so contribute fruitfully to the life of the communities in which you live. in particular, i think of the vibrant faith which so many of you possess, of the deepness of family life and all other values which you have inherited. gifts, youting your will not only find your place

you will help also to renew society from within. [applause] pope francis: do not forget what happened here. .ore than two centuries ago do not forget that declaration that proclaimed that all men and women are created equal. that they are endowed by their creator a certain inalienable existand that governments to protect and defend these

rights. youends, i thinank welcome and warm for joining me here today. let us keep and care for freedom, the freedom of ,onscious, religious liberty each individual, each family, each people's own liberty which is what gives our rights. may this country and each of you be renewed in gratitude for the many lessons and freedoms that you enjoy. rights,you defend these

especially religious freedom given to you by god. may god bless you all, and i ask you, please, pray for me a little bit, too. thank you. [applause] pope francis: my brothers and sisters. us pray. heaven,er, who art in hollowed be the name. thy kingdom come, thy will be done. give us this day our daily

bread. and forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation. the lord be with you. >> and also with you. bless youis: may god all. cheering]and

[bells ringing]

>> good morning, ladies and gentlemen. welcome to all of you who have come to witness this visit by pope francis the holy father of the roman catholic church. your holiness pope france since we are joined this morning by

our mayor, many of our state legislators, members of city council, other justice officials, and our prison staff. more importantly, assembled before you are the men and women in our custody you have sought to meet. they have come together in a spirit of hope to receive your message. we stand in authority understand that love and respect as well as the spirit of hope and forgiveness must fill both the keerps and the confined otherwise peace and justice cannot be achieved. all of us have anticipated this day and i know i speak for everyone saying that this extraordinary event will be etched in our hearts and our minds forever. as a token of our appreciation the chair in which you sit was made for you by the inmates and instructors of our industry's program. [applause]

you still have taken the time to be with us. you. you and god bless at this time i would like to ask the archbishop to come and introduce the holy father. >> thank you, commissioner. ladies and gentlemen, i will be brief you. father time because the holy is eager to speak with you. the christian faith began among thungry and the poor and st. peter the first pope knew the inside of roman prisons from a personal experience. so it is fitting that his successor is here with you today. the chair you made for the holy

father has a special history in the catholic church. latin the word for chair is catadron. in the roman empire oit was a of authority for the emperor. after the empire collapsed, the christian community adopted the word to describe the chair representing a bishop's authority to lead the local church. the pope is a pastor of the catholic church worldwide. but he is also very specifically the bishop of the dice cease of rome. and father his cathedral which comes from the word again is the church of st. john in rome. when the pope speaks, from the chair, it means that he teaches with the full authority of his office stretching back 2,000 years to the apostles. that is the nature of the gift you gave to our holy father.

so it is now my privilege to introduce to you someone who of emperor. after the empire loves you. the 266th man to follow st. peter as the bishop of rome. pope francis. [applause] i will speak in spanish.

i will be translating.

dear brothers and sisters, thank you for receiving me and giving me the opportunity to be here with you and to share this time in your lives. t is a difficult time one full of struggles.

i know it is a painful time not only for you but also for your families and for all of society. any family which cannot share or take seriously the pain of its children and views that pain as something normal or to be expected is a society condemned to remain a hostage to itself pray to the ery things that cause that pain. i am here as a pastor but above all as a brother. to share your situation and to it my own. i have come so that we can pray together and offer our god everything that causes us pain. but also everything that gives us hope so that we can receive from him the power of the resurrection. my own. i have come so that we can pray together and offer our god verything that causes us

gospel scene where jesus watches the feet of his disciples. this is something they found hard to accept. a even peter refused and told gospel my never wash feet.

in those days it was the custom to wash someone's feet when they came to your home. that was how they welcomed people. the roads were not paved. they were covered with dust. and little stones would get stuck in your sandals. everyone walked those roads which left their feet dusty, bruised, or cut from those stones. that is why we see jesus washing feet, our feet, the feet of his disciples then and now.

life is a journey along different roads, different paths which leave their mark on s.

we know in faith that jesus

seeks us out. he wants to heal our wounds to oothe our feet which hurt from traveling alone. to wash each of us clean of the journey. our he doesn't ask us where we have been. he doesn't question us what about we've done about what we've done. ather, he tells us, unless i wash your feet, you have no share with me. i wash your feet, i will not be able to give you the life which the father always dreamed of, the life for which he created you. jesus comes to us so that he can restore our dignity as children of god. he wants to help us to set out again to resume our journey, to recover our hope, to restore our faith and trust. he wants us to keep walking along the paths of life to realize that we have a mission and that confinement is not the

i wash yours exclusion.

life means getting our feet dirty from the dust-filled roads of life and history all

of us need to be cleansed to be washed. all of us. and me in first place. all of us are being sought out by the teacher who wants to help us resume our journey. the lord goes in search of us to all of us he stretches out a helping hand. it is painful when we see prison systems which are not concerned to care for wounds, to soothe pain, to offer new possibilities. it is painful when we see people who think that only others need to be cleansed, purified, and do not recognize that their wearieness, pain, and wounds are also the wariness, pain, and wounds of society. the lord tells us this clearly with a sign. he washes our feet so that we come back to the table. the table from which he wishes no one to be excluded. the table from which is spread for all and to which all of us

are invited.

this time in your life can only have one purpose, to give you a hand in getting back on the right road, to give you a hand to help you rejoin society. all of us are part of that effort. all of us are invited to encourage, help, and enable your rehabilitation. a rehabilitation which everyone seeks and desires. inmates and their families, correctional authorities, social, and educational programs. a rehabilitation which benefits and elevates the morale of the ntire community and society.

i encourage you to have this attitude with one another and with all those who are in any way a part of this institution may you make possible new opportunities, new journeys, new paths. all of us have something we need to be cleansed of or purified from. all of us. may the knowledge of that fact inspire us to live in solidarity to support one another and seek the best for thers.

let us look to jesus who washes our feet. he is the way and the truth and the life. he comes to save us from the lie that says no one can change, from the lie that says no one can change. d in silence we ask the lor

to bless us. may god bless you and protect you. ay his faith shine upon you. nd may he grant you peace. thank you. [applause]

>> upon your request that the holy father bless the rosery he gladly going to impart that blessing now on religious items.

the chair is beautiful. thank you very much for that artwork. [applause] [applause]

[applause]

the agency's chair speaks at the national press club today about that milestone and future plans, live at 9:30 eastern on -span 2. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national able satellite corp. 2015] captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption contents and accuracy. visit ncicap.org

>> tonight at 8 eastern and pacific the communicators on c-span 2. up next on c-span, q&a, with washington, d.c. political reporter tom sherwood. live at 10:00 president obama address it is u.n. general assembly in new york. >> this week on "q&a,"

political reporter tom sherwood. mr. sherwood, who covers politics in washington, d.c. talks about political corruption in d.c., maryland, and virginia. brian: tom sherwood, after 41 years of covering washington, d.c., as you look at it, what was the biggest scandal? tom: no doubt it is the marion barry years. from the 1980's to the 1990's. brian: are you surprised at all that they want to change the high school name to marion barry high school? tom: he died a year ago and there is a plan to try to give some kind of acknowledgment of