i think part of the process will be these vaunted discussions of sitting down with mr. mccarthy and say, we want to be included in some of these dialogues. host: i know daniel webster has expressed interest. have they propose a candidate of their own? guest: they want to meet the candidates and talk to the candidates. keep in mind, we're not talking just the speaker's job, but if kevin mccarthy leads up to speaker, someone has to become majority leader, and there are about a half dozen leadership positions that will be open for discussion, debate, and bot a v. the freedom caucus, what they have asked for is a little bit of time. they don't want to rush. they want to have time to discuss the various confidence -- candidates and where the party is going.

there is a pretty significant swath in the republican party that were supporters of john boehner the argue that the freedom caucus, while it is a valuable contributor to their majority, is also a minority view in the republican party. you cannot just give them the keys and say, run the place however you want. that will be the discussion. how do you make this particular hardline group feel included while still not letting them run the institution because they are ultimately still a minority within their own party. host: assuming kevin mccarthy gets the position, how does the house freedom caucus operate in the party now? guest: i do not actually know. this will be the beauty of this autumn, we will see this interesting moment where the speaker has stepped down, in part because of a revolution in his own caucus. thedeparture removes

pressure of the revolution for a few moments, and we have a new leader take the reins, and attempt to steer this fractious caucus in some other direction that does not have a catastrophic ending. i do not know how they do it. host: teresa from florida, hi there. caller: thank you for taking my call. my question is this. i am pro-life. i also believe in the law. planned parenthood has not been found guilty of anything at this point. so, why are they making such an issue of shutting down the federal government before they have a chance to go through the legal system? it is just ridiculous. my second point is i work for the national park service, can we please, somehow make it a point that that that service

stays open when you shut down the government? guest: no. in fact, the park service is one of the first things that shuts down in a shut down. i apologize for the bad news. again, it is not considered and large.by it is a great way to attract publicity, if you are in the government, and want to make people feel the pain of the shutdown. you just hang a sign on the "washington monument," and say, "closed for business be ago as far as the planned parenthood diane blackessman had a bill in the house. her argument was rather than borrowing funding for planned parenthood, let's do a one-year moratorium that allows for investigation into this matter to determine if something criminal has taken place.

i think, if you have seen the videos that this whole debate is about, they obviously represent -- they are hard to watch, and discussionopic of . because we don't know exactly where the video came from, how they work produced, it is improbable for us to conclude, like you said, that some crime has been committed. it is certainly enough to generate concern. gets to a deeper point that there is still a great deal of opposition to abortion in abortion.ry, just as nevermind what is in these videos. few weeksi went to a ago started to be a hearing about these videos, but really

was about is abortion ever right . as a philosophical dispute that will continue on for some time. this whole argument of the videos is just sort of the cast point that has started that argument again. should be about abortion in this country? , for are people who ethical and religious reasons, will say, we should not. host: a viewer on twitter asks if someone has had an investigation into the videos to see if they were altered. guest: this is what democrats are asking for an investigation into the videos. the organization has apparently -- i do not know the details, but there was a dispute as to whether they falsified information to the irs. i do not know. some democrats have requested that information and an investigation. week or sojust a ago, the oversight committee asked the four division to turn over its videos.

a republican-controlled oversight committee is less likely to investigate the videos and more like lead to investigate planned parenthood. this is where we get into the issue of partisanship versus policy. there are probably issues to be made on both sides. gerald up next. caller: good morning. how are you on this wonderful day? guest: still breathing. caller: outstanding. please, mr. moderator, i am a disabled vietnam veteran, please allow me these comments. the 14th amendment says that the public debt by the united states should not be questioned. my question to you is basically, is this a violation of the constitution? mr. moderator, i have a question with c-span, and most of the media lately. they seem to want to put the democrats on a singular vision. offther words, you leave

the subject. you say "democrat" instead of "democrats." why not refer to the republican party as "republic." godspeed. one last item here, if you please. for those who are focusing religiously on those videos by planned parenthood. i do not take my religious belief from the text. democrat-democratic thing isn't adjusting cast by the caller. in the early 1990's, several republicans started using "democrat," instead of "democratic" as sort of a sl

ur. it was intended to be a poke at the democratics, i don't know why. i think it was a newt gingrich adventure. it was really to get under the skin of the democrats. it seems to have stuck. know that there is much of a difference, and i don't understand exactly why it is considered a slur, but is one of those great moments of american politics that republicans have decided to slightly change the name to test the democratics. host: democrats, (202) 748-8001. republicans, (202) 748-8001. jim, go ahead. we will move on to thdee from oregon. caller: i want to make a couple of comments and then ask a question. i want to thank you for taking

my call. i am a 60 three-year-old woman. in the early 1970's, planned parenthood was the only option for young, unmarried women to get information about birth control. they never discussed abortion as a form of birth control. they did not discuss abortion at all. evenquent business, after roe v wade, there was no propaganda of abortion at all. women of all ages and races will have to find another means to have pap smears, breast exams, and other women's issues. over $200 to get birth control, not covered by public companies. private doctors performed therapeutic abortions, they were called. i do not believe the videos where representation of the

conversation that really happened. i believe the videos were shown weree videos shown propaganda. i just have to ask, where do women have to go for health care when the republicans are getting rid of the affordable care act, planned parenthood, they shutdown down a lot of medicare, and say there is no funding. get the money to do the budget changes from the overfunded military budget. is weapons that our country developing and selling around the world, especially in basis that are not part of true america -- i'm not against the military at all, i father fought in world war ii, but i think we spent billions of dollars developing weapons that we do not need, and they are sold to other places. guest: let me stop you there. i think one of the issues you touched on is one that republicans have, i think,

recognized and embraced. there are medical services other than abortion that planned parenthood does provide to women . in fact, the proposals that have been coming out of the republicans over the past few not to simplyen eliminate planned parenthood's funding, but transferred to other community health clinics, or women's health services to, in theory at least, provide supportme medical opportunities to women, who otherwise would be getting those services from planned parenthood. the democrats will tell you that that is a fiction, though services do not exist, those community health clinic are not equipped to provide those services, even if you gave them more money. i do not know the answer to that question. i'm not in a brick in women's

health care stuff -- i'm not an expert in women's health care stuff. republicans have said, we do not want to take money out of women's health care, we just want to take it out of this organization. from plano, texas, pat. caller: good morning. to take a little to of exception with what you said earlier, several calls ago. all these calls seem to be about entitlements, one way or another. i am 70 years old. re forying into medica many years, not necessarily because i wanted to. it is an obligatory thing. it ultimately goes into a trust fund, which we know is empty. it is getting conflicted with these entitlements --

medicaid's, and all these things. i definitely think that the today,"nt, and "usa honest onmuch more differentiating between things that are truly a trust fund. if you want to eliminate it, that's fine, but do it up front. i don't think people recognize manye just created so entitlements out of nothing, and now we are grieving a class warfare think. i don't think you help yourself , i'men people get medicare getting it, but i paid into it. if you want to eliminate it, eliminated for everybody. i think you should take on some of the other entitlements that are running out of control. honestly. that is my comment. aret: the entitlements really just a because the federal budget every year is about $4 trillion, and yet, congress is really managing an $1 billion about

because the rest of it is wrapped up in these programs. i cannot explain which ones are trust funds, but the fact of the matter is you are right. there is enormous growth in in medicare, and particularly for senior citizens . elder care is awfully expensive. we live longer. it is awfully expensive for a lot longer. it is an issue that, at some point, we will have to have a serious conversation about. , it is mr. boehner supporting conversations, i think it was on "face the said heyesterday, he really felt he was close to a grand bargain with the president

that would be a broader attempt to address exactly what you're saying. some of the entitlements have gotten out of hand, we cannot afford them anymore, the budget is sort of a mystery set of boxes. he and president obama were close to a deal. it disappeared in the end. they can point fingers at one another for why disappeared. sooner or later, you can expect that we will have a longer conversation about what benefits we can really provide people, and for how long. host: from maryland, mike, good morning. you guys keep talking about the government, as if it is this huge entity that makes money or has money like god, or something. quit calling it the government, and call it my fellow americans. the government is of, four, and by the people. guest: yes.

ultimately this is tax money that comes out of levees on all of us. you are right. this is your money being used for the causes that congress things you want it used for. host: bill up next from marietta, georgia. caller: good morning. i love the conversation with the gentleman from georgia that you had. my point is on the first party issue, you had collins from republicans. i was wondering why is it that they can't just tell what they expect from republicans, and not even mention president obama the democrats? you have 400 plus lawyers and businessmen going into congress from pretty pr privileged areas from all around the country. they don't believe in seniority or unions.

then, you tell the people around the country that they have to protect themselves. have a good afternoon. thank you. guest: one of the reasons the democrats are not part of this in the house,s impactority party has no on legislation. the republican majority can basically dictate what will pass, if -- this is why speaker boehner is going to step down -- if the republican majority can ,eep its party unified everything is majority rule, they can pass it. the reason speaker boehner is stepping down is because he could no longer keep the party unified, so he was losing 30-40 votes on every bill. you will see this week when they go to pass a clean continuing resolution to keep the government open. it will be a significant chunk

of the republicans, majority, but not all of them, unifying with the majority of the democrats. it will be -- they will have to rely on democratic votes to get this done because the republican caucus is unable to agree with themselves on how to do it. the next become will be a topic for the next few weeks. is there a timeline for when we get a new speaker? i have heard several different numbers, dates. maybe by the end of this week, next week, but i have not heard anything solid. for the freedom caucus types, they would like to take some time. they don't want to do this in a rush. obviously, we will need to have some sort of a vote before october 30, when mr. boehner leads. 20thime in the week of the would not surprise me. i honestly don't know what the timeline is. host: from massachusetts, this

is john. go ahead. whyer: i do not understand they want to close the government down, and yet they are getting paid. retired thatat are the this money are not getting paid. the other thing is if they want us to live in a government run by religion, why don't republicans, or "republics," as you people want to refer to yourself, move over to iran? thank you. guest: there is a question about faith -- imacs are working on a story on this topic right now. there is a question on the role of faith and its role in our government. it is interesting. it is an interesting tension in and united states between -- you see a play out in the republican presence of campaign over the past few weeks. in ae one hand, we believe separation between your government responsibilities and

your faith. on the other hand, we also respect a great deal people of great faith. in some cases, we use that as a litmus test to decide whether we want to hire them for political jobs. we want someone, often, who is of great faith. it is attention. host: judy from maryland, go ahead. talk about theto fact that when they shut down the government, they divide the services into essential and nonessential. teaeems to me that when the party talks about cutting -- what ends up getting cut is the v.a., child protective services and roads and bridges. is there some way that that can be separated out? so when the tea part get -- the

tea party talks about no government, people don't want that cut but that is what ends up being cut. guest: this is a political question. we might agree that the government is too big and expensive, and we are concerned about the growth of the debt, and it seems too expensive, these are reasonable points to make. wanthe question is, do you to cut bigger programs or my programs? if you want to cut bigger programs, i am in favor of that. we are not government funded. just to be sure. [laughter] sherry is in oklahoma city. good morning. caller: hi, i just wanted to make a few statements. there is a big push by the

faction of the republican party that wants to push forward with the defunding of planned parenthood. however, we actually spend millions of dollars in -- we actually send millions of dollars to israel, who pays for their abortions, their abortions are illegal. the insurance government -- the insurance companies pay for it. the republicans who support israel do not supplier -- do not require that the conditions of receiving the money is that we -- guest: can i ask you a question? this is the second question we have had on this point. did you read about this? yes, one thing i have

noticed about listening to do is that you dance around some of the truth. i know you know your correspondence. andf you want to find out, you arehat you know it, soashington correspondent, another thing i want to say is is a whitemccarthy supremacist. i can't prove it. i have no evidence of that. these are the sorts of things where i am interested to learn, as israel saying, it came up twice if the brief time as we have it on the air, it must be coming from somewhere, i would like to learn more about that. but i don't make allegations i can't prove. host: joni, you are the last

call. morning, i think the issue actually is that it is all about politics. planned parenthood is funded all the way through spring. this is all about elections and politics. none of it is going to happen. coming up with bills one at a time and everybody should take responsibility for their votes instead of hiding behind these put together packages where some people object and others don't. and the lady who made the , -- thee to israel islamic tribes, as well. parenthood, it is a

private entity, they get plenty , this is also much a do about nothing. the problem is that we have people complaining about the death penalty for criminals who nobodyous crimes, but says anything about the premeditated murder of children. there is no other way of looking at it. you can dance around it or sugarcoat it. guest: this is part of what i was saying before. i was interested in this hearing i went to on the planned parenthood issue. if you scratch the surface on whether or not planned parenthood is doing these different things, taking advantage of different tactics to improve the sale of these

past that,e you get it is the deeper question of whether abortion should be legal in this country. nevers something we have made peace with in this country. so it continues. in some ways a stalking horse. planned parenthood may or may not have done something wrong, but i think even if you decide that we are going to defund planned parenthood, that will not continue. host: >> tomorrow on "washington journal," california congressman tom mcclintock discusses the future of house republican leadership following the speaker's resignation. then wisconsin representative mark pocan looks at federal

funding for a possible shutdown this week. and more about government ognabovich. nancy that's "washington journal" live on tuesday at k a.m. eastern. the u.s. house returns in just a few minutes for votes on two bills including one relating to customs on rail shipments. on tuesday, work begins on a bill to allow states to exclude planned parenthood and other groups that provide abortion services in their medicaid funding. need to pass a spending bill by wednesday. late they are weekend, the house members could debate a bill to delay implementation of the iran agreement. follow the house live as they

gavel back in. tonight after the house adjourns, speeches from president obama and russian president vladimir putin. president obama discussed nuclear relations and president putin looked at his country's relationship with ukraine. see both speeches tonight after the house adjourns here on c-span. >> tonight on "the communicators" we'll talk with the internet corp. race for assigned names and numbers, icann. >> governments have an advisory role in icann. they don't directly make policy, nay cannot have a seat on our board of directors. this is very much, in fact, a triumph. . of showing how a private sector led institution that has the government as an important advisory body but that has a

broader base of decision making that's private sector including input from the technical community and civil society and academics, etc. t that's advice that informs the policy and the broad act -- and the board activities are anchored in the fact that government are continuing to play an advisory role to what we do. >> tonight at 8:00 eastern and pacific, on "the communicators" on c-span2. >> right after "the communicators," c-span's road to the white house coverage continues with republican presidential candidate donald trump. he unveiled his tax plan earlier today to reporters at trump tower in new york city. you can see the announcement at 8:30 p.m. eastern on our companion network c-span2. here on c-span, the house gaveling back in momentarily for

a couple of votes including a bill related to the shipment, the rail shipments, customs reporting on rail shipments. just a couple of vote this is evening. later in the week, by wednesday, they have to pass a continuing resolution. the senate, again, advancing their continuing resolution by a vote of 77-19. the senate still in session. senator cruz speaking about that vote on the senate floor. you can follow that over on c-span2. later this week in the house we could see debate on a bill that aims to prevent the implementation of the iran nuclear agreement off the floor. kevin mccarthy, the majority leader, announcing today formally that he launched his bid to succeed house speaker boehner. he said, quote we can't ignore the differences that exist but we must heel the divisions in our conference with work, time and trust. politico tweeting this afternoon that an announcement on leadership elections is expected tomorrow.

we'll keep you posted as we find out more information and the u.s. house gaveling back in at this hour. live corning on c-span. crkill reporte title.rro tempo: th crk: report to apa housreluon 444, resolutn providing f considerationthe bilh.r. 3495, tamnd tlef soci surict toow for teflexibilit with respecto elungprovid wre invold in aboron and wvina quemen cl-a of 1 w resptosiderion tain resolutis reported thpeer tempo: ule rerred to the hse calendar and orded print nled bl.ls fore the hou e erk:ene 994, a a todesiate tcility of the united stes post

erviocated at 1 walter mmd inal wort new asoseph d'stine buig. eaker prmpore: uanto cuse 8 rule roceinl sume o moo that re prevouy postpone votewi btaken in t following order. h.r. 2835 by the yeas and nays and h.r. 2786 by the yeas and nays. the first electronic is vote will be conducted as a 15-minute vote. remaining electronic votes will be conducted as five-minute votes. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentlewoman from arizona, ms. mcsally, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2835 as amended on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2835, a bill to actively recruit members of the armed forces who are separating from military service to serve as customs and border

protection officers. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 407, the nays are zero. -- being in the affirmative

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas are 410, the nays are zero. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the gentlewoman from arizona, ms. mcsally, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2786 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2786, a bill to require the commissioner of u.s.

customs and border protection to submit a report on cross border real security and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill? members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15--- this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 412, the nays are zero. 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the chamber will come to order. members can take their onversations to the cloakroom.

the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania eek recognition? mr. thompson: mr. speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor -- in honor of a nonprofit organization in my district that is provide a valuable service to the region -- providing a valuable service to the region. wick ricy's wheels provide -- ricky's wheels provides electric wheelchairs to those in need. rick and his wife diane created death wheels after the

of their son in 2009. after donating ricky's wheelchair to a local couple, ric and diane noted a conscious rick and diane noticed a need across their community. since its founding six years ago, ricky's wheels has grown from a few donated electric wheelchairs in their garage to a warehouse filled with mobility assistance devices along with push chairs, walkers and baby strollers. mr. speaker, ricky's wheels recently was named a local jefferson award recipient after being nominated by the local television station,. this award, which was created by the american institute for public service, honors ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition. mr. speaker, i believe that rick and diane are more than worthy of recognition for their efforts. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition?

so ordered. >> mr. speaker, many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have continually reminded us that they are not scientists. we have also heard this from several of the republican candidates seeking our nation's highest office. mr. foster: as a scientist myself, i appreciate their candor. but what i don't as much appreciate is when they use this mantra of, i am not a scientist, to preface statements that are factually wrong. facts are stubborn things. and they don't only apply to those in the scientific community. last week pope francis challenged us to take courageous steps to combat climate change. a call to action that made many republicans uncomfortable. when asked about the pope's statement, governor jeb bush dismissed it saying that pope francis is, quote, not a scientist, he's a religious leader. in fact, pope francis is a

former chemist and as such he has more scientific training than many of our elected officials. i was hoping that when the pope addressed congress in his remarks he would have explained to my republican colleagues the effect of the infrared be a source of carbon dioxide on the equilibrium radiation balance. but time did not permit. so i encourage jeb and my colleagues in congress to consider the pope's call to preserve our environment and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? so ordered. mr. paulsen: -- the speaker pro tempore: the chamber will come to order. if you can take your conversations off the floor, please. mr. paulsen: mr. speaker, our nation's firefighters signed up for the job knowing the dangers they will often face in order to keep their communities safe. tragically we've seen these

first responders give their lives in service to others. this past sunday the 2015 minnesota fallen firefighters memorial service took place on the state capitol grounds to honor the nine minnesota firefighters and 216 nationwide that have passed away in the line of duty this year. the event honors the sacrifice of these firefighters made and also provides support for their families who are coping with the profound loss. as policymakers, it's important that we recognize our first responders, what they go through on a daily basis, and support them. earlier this year, congress passed my legislation which is now law, that ensures that survivor benefits for families of those killed in the line of duty are not taxed. mr. speaker, we're blessed that so many men and women sign up to put themselves in harm's way to keep others safe. for those that give their life, we must not forget their sacrifice. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition?

so ordered. mrs. beatty: mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of september as prostate cancer awareness month. and as a proud co-sponsor of the national prostate cancer plan act, h.r. 2730. as the most common cancer in men, prostate cancer is a national epidemic. this year alone one in seven men will be diagnosed and 28,000 men will die from prostate cancer. last week, while hosting a community conversation in my district, in white hall, ohio, i met with two constituents, linda and ray hatger. an inspiring husband and wife team who tirelessly dedicate themselves to raising awareness about prostate cancer. lindsa and ray are members of

national organization zero, the end of prostate cancer. and are spear heading a campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer throughout ohio. i stand here today to commend their work. as ray and linda remind us, many of us have either been personally affected by this disease or has lost a loved one, so during this prostate cancer awareness, let us reaffirm our commitment and increase the quality of care in order to eliminate the pain and suffering once and for all. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. ros-lehtinen: address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise out of respect and admiration for our tremendous speaker, the incredible leader of our republican conference and my friend, john boehner. he has stayed true to his home

state of ohio for well over 20 years, serving his constituents with pride and integrity. his distinguished career was marked by an honest pursuit of what is best for the american people as well as the inclusion of more folks under the big tent of our g.o.p. he has worked in a bipartisan manner to help create jobs and restore america's leadership. all the while maintaining a hard line on castro's rule in cuba, being supportive of our strong relations with israel, as well as remaining a tough opponent of the weaken -- weak and dangerous iran nuclear deal. john's decorum, grace and patience are his hallmarks and they will be greatly missed in our nation's capitol. only in america can the son of a bar keep rise to make a lasting positive contribution to our history as speaker of the people's house. i wish john, debby, the entire boehner family, including his new granddaughter, all the best.

god speed, mr. speaker. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek ecognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> to explain the significance of the puget sound in one minute is impossible but i'll tell you this. with every 60 seconds that gos by, the puget sound is being damaged more than it's being fixed. and every minute that fwes by that we fail to collectively do something, we're all losing money. mr. heck: puget sound is a resource but it's more than that. it's a national pressure. -- national treasure. congressman kilmer and i have brought together numerous stake holders that agree on very few things to agree on this we need to do more and the federal government needs to step up to the plate to get recovery moving. the puget s.o.f. act is that

plan. we do it for the great lakes, we do it for the chesapeake bay and now is the time to bring forth this effort for our puget sound, the largest estuary in america. let's clean the puget sound up. join us in co-sponsoring this bill along with mr. reicher -- reichert, mr. newhouse, mr. smith and ms. delbene. clean up the puget sound. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from alabama seek recognition? without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to remember an american hero, dr. sydney phillips jr. who passed away in mobile over the weekend at the age of 91. dr. phillips was a veteran of world war ii where he served in the marine corps. at the young age of 18 he took lace in the famous battle of gaudal canal in the pacific. he was one of the most well

known and respected veterans in alabama. his career was profiled in ken burns' pbs documentary "the war" and stephen spielberg's hob sheerest -- series "the pacific." many of us remember him as a local family doctor, a patriotic family man and a strang the gentlewoman is recognized vo cat for our nation's veterans. on behalf of my constituents in southwest alabama, i want to share my condolences with sid phillips' family and friends he embodied the american spirit and he will be sorely missed. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank my friend, representative heck, for his work on the puget s.o.f. act. the puget sound is truly a gift that we need to restore and

protect. generations have enjoyed the ability to swim and spished a -- and fish and dig for clams in this iconic body of water. mr. kilmer: they've built lives and made livelihoods on the puget sound. but for the millions who call the puget sound home and for future generations we have to take action to fight for the sound. that's why i invite my colleagues to son sor the puget s.o.s. act. it names the sound a nationally significant body of water. it enhances the federal government's coordination in addressing these issues. this bill is an important step. i look tpwhard to continued work for puget sound. our kids, including my two little girls, are counting on us. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous condition sent -- consent to address the house for one

minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. foxx: today i rise to trooper ate jimmy -- won and award who -- that recognizes the stop roadside inspectors. he competed alongside other roadside inspectors representing areas all over the cufpbletry and mexico. troopers who perform motor carrier enforcement duties ensure all modes of travel including commercial motor vehicles are consistently monitored to improve highway safety. congratulations, trooper barang and thank you for serving the public good and helping maintain the safety of highways of north arolina.

the speaker pro tempore: are there further one-minute requests? the chair lays before the house the following personal requests. the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. al green of texas for today, mr. hudson of north carolina for today and for the balance of the week, ms. kelly of illinois for today through october 1. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. ms. jackson lee: thank you very much. i am very privileged tonight to lead the special order of the members of the con grming --

congressional black caucus. let me thank our chairman, chairman g.k. butterfield, for continuing this tradition and his continued leadership and encouragement and advocation for members and for the stories of those who have been such leaders in our nation and such major issues that we have been able to contribute to for the understanding of our colleagues. let me also make mention of my colleagues, congresswoman kelly and congressman payne who have led us on this special order for the congressional black caucus an thank them for their leadership and service. and very special thanks to those of you watching at home and have often watched at home and have followed the congressional black caucus through social media, social network, and also know that our major issues, criminal justice reform, civil rights, the restoration of the voting rights act and many others, have been to speak to the vulnerable and tonight we again speak to you, but we speak of those

heroes that we have lost over the last couple of months. tonight we pay tribute to amelia boynton robinson, congressman lou stokes and of course julian bond. our nation was builted on the values of dealing with the issues of freedom, justice and equality. values and principles that were perfectly embodied by the service and sacrifices of these three leaders. every the last week we have watched the pope make his way to a number of american sitst -- cities and use words that are muse exto the ears of the congressional black caucus. let me take one of many citations i will utilize to characterize these three individuals them complexities of history, said pope francis, and the reality of human weakness knot withstanding, these men and women, for all their many differences and limitations were able by hard work and self-sacrifice, some at the cost of their lives, to build a better future. i would say that amelia bointon

robynson, congressman stokes, and lou bond, through the sacrifice of their individual families, lives, were able to make a better future for us. we know of the civil rights tivist, amelia boynton obinson, led the bloody sunday march. known as the matriarch of the national civil rights movement, she fought courageously to make sure every american citizen had the right to vote. our trie to secure universal voting rights was amazing and she risked her life when she crossed the edmund pettus bridge. she said civil rights were her entire life. we now understand congressman lou stokes made an amazing impact legislatively and throughout his life he broke down barriers for african-americans. the first african-american

congressman from ohio, served for 30 years he will prioritized the advancement of our nation's most vulnerable populations he advocated for more funding for education, housing projects. he was one of the fiercest advocates for public housing. he was a major proponent and leader that asked the housing and urban development to assess the poor, deleterious, horrible conditions children were living in and how it impacted their health. inch gave my housing district a lead poisoning grant, encouraged by congressman stokes. i thank him for allowing me to work for him. we thank him for his amazing service he once said, i'm going to keep on denouncing the

inequities of this system. but i'm going to keep working within it. to go outside it one to deny myself. i have beaten the system and proved it can be done. s the kind of leader lou stokes was. our friend, julian bond was a civil rights leader a leader in the fight for justice and equal fi -- equality. yes, julian was considered the young one in the movement with dr. marten luther king and stood with not only the original but a fierce member of the student nonviolent committee. he fought against discrim nation, was discriminated against himself when he was refused a seat in the georgia state legislature. it did not in any way undermean his courage and he went on to be seated and do great things.

teen we are privileged to be able to honor and pay tribute to these three heroes. we are called to follow the example they set and ensure that all americans have access to equal opportunity and a fair shot at economic prosperity, have the right to vote, be free from mass incarceration and do the things america bestows upon them. these three individuals at the cost of their lives or futures, they built a better future for us. i'm delighted to yield three minutes to the chair of the congressional black caucus, mr. g.k. butterfield, a former high superior court judge, i'm calling him all kinds of names but in any event a dynamic leader in the congressional black caucus. again, the gentleman from north carolina. mr. butterfield: thank you, congresswoman jackson lee, for your friendship, your leadership and thank you for yielding time tonight. let me also thank the other members on the floor this vening to help in honoring

lives of these three icons. they are absolute icons of the civil rights movement who in their own way paved the way for so many. i had the high honor of calling lou stokes and julian bond personal friends. as the first african-american to represent ohio in congress, representative stokes was a pioneer in public service. he broke down numerous barriers to african-americans during his extraordinary career as an elected official on the localing state and federal level. first elected to congress in 1969 and serving for 30 long years in the u.s. house, he was a founder of the congressional black caucus and the first african-american to serve in the house appropriations committee. and was the founder of the c.b.c. health brain trust which remains act i today in protecting health equity and reducing health disparities.

congressman stokes was the embodyment. he used his elected positions to increase opportunities for millions of african-americans. we will miss our dear friend lou stokes but the impact of his legacy of service and commitment to his constituents and to the african-american community will be remembered for generations. often referred to as the matriarch of the movement, amelia boynton robinson's role in bloody sunday and the march from selma to montgomery is immortalized in the oscar-nominated film "selma." she made history in 1964 by becoming the first african-american woman from alabama to run for congress. in her congressional election that year, she garnered 10% of the vote despite the fact that african-americans only made up 1% of the voting population in alabama's seventh congressional district. 46 years later this c.b.c.'s representative terri sewell who

we'll hear from in just a few moments now holds that seat here in congress. this year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the voting rights act of 1965, we remember the selfless actions of individuals like amelia boynton robinson who fought against systems of injustice so that future generations would have opportunities that were not possible to generations past. tonight we honor ms. boynton robinson for her legacy which continues in each of us. finally, mr. speaker, we honor julian bond, a forefather of america's civil rights movement and one of our country's greatest advocates for freedom and equality and equitable treatment for all people from his work as a student leader in the 1960's to his service in the georgia house of representatives and the state senate, julian bond was a leader in the fight against racism and segregation. i first met julian bond at the funeral of dr. martin luther kick jr. in 1968.

as a founding president of the southern poverty law center and chairman of the board of the naacp, julian bond continued his work educating citizens around the world of the struggles of african-americans and the history of civil right here's in america. he spent his lifetime in public service calling for equal civil and human right, not only for african-americans but for every american until his untimely death. until his untimely death he was an advocate, activist who fought for the most vulnerable individuals and community among us. we celebrate his life and lasting legacy. i want to thank you, ms. jackson lee, for your leadership and thank you for yielding time. i thank the members for coming to the floor this evening. i yield back. . ms. jackson lee: let me thank the gentleman for his very thoughtful statement and setting the tone for the congressional black caucus that we will never forget our icons but we know to pay tribute is the highest honor for all of

us, because we are here because of all of them. thank you, mr. butterfield, for your leadership. it's my privilege now to present and to yield time to representative charles rangel, who needs not a long introduction, but it's important to note that he has led on so many issues, the chairman of the ways and means committee, but a dear friend of congressman stokes and one of the founders of the congressional black caucus for which, if you had not done what you did, mr. rangel, we would not be here today. i'm delighted to yield you time at this time. mr. rangel: thank you so much, congresswoman jackson lee. for pulling together this tribute. it is moving and emotional that after a visit to these chambers by the pope who made it abundantly clear how all of us, no matter how ordinary we are, can do extraordinary things when we make a commitment to do the

right thing. as some of the older members know, it's almost unbelievable how people that you know on an everyday basis, that go through life with their own problems, still can find the time to try to improve the quality of life of so many people. i feel almost awkward looking at the representative from selma, alabama, this evening, because after bloody sunday, there was a call all over the world for people to come to selma. and i was one of those called and i was one of those that did not think that me going to selma with my bad feet could make a contribution to anything and this is especially so after seeing what happened on bloody

sunday. but i did go down because of and lewis and andrew young martin luther king and ralph bunch, because they said that if you could just come down for the press conference, it would be appreciated. so i dressed up and went down for the press conference at around -- conference, a round trip ticket back to new york, and i was dressed pretty well. not ever thinking that i would be going any further than selma . and it started to rain. and i felt that this would be the appropriate time for me to get a cab and to go to the airport.

but when i saw these older people like amilia robinson putting plastic on their shoes and starting to sing and starting to march, i said, well, maybe i could go a couple of blocks. and i did that, exetcht i found -- except i found out if sell -- in selma, there weren't any couple of blocks. there were no television cameras. there was no one that recognized me down there. and i marched 54 miles, cussing every step of the way, trying to figure out what the devil was i doing in selma. but congresswoman, it just proves that if you attempt just to do the right thing, god can push you to do the rest. i never did believe like john

lewis that that supreme court would give us the voting rights and the civil rights. i never thought that president johnson would ever support these things. and so today i tell this very embarrassing story because you don't have to be a hero to be counted on, if you just try to start to do the right thing and just maybe god will push you to go further. and certainly when a woman like amilia robinson is beaten unconscious and someone like john lewis, who constantly put his life on the line, and of course the late dr. martin luther king who gave up his life, and god doesn't ask us to do these extraordinary things, but i do believe that the

courage that these people have, that each of us have, just a grain of it that would allow us to contribute, as the pope said, to show our respect for god allowing us to inherit this great earth and try to make the quality of life better, and of course when it comes to a young guy going to the house as bond did, dropping out of school, coming from a professional family where education had a higher standard than some of us from the inner cities, it must have broke their hearts to know that he was joining a group that would then provide the leadership for our country, for people black and white. and there's nothing that my heart would allow me to say about lou stokes. i came to congress knowing of carl stokes, not knowing that in the congress was a giant of a man from cleveland who

motivated the 13 of us, who led us to form the congressional black caucus, and who i've walked in the shadow of his giant footsteps since i've been privileged to serve in this house. so, ms. jackson lee, and members of the congressional black caucus, it's really extraordinary how god has given us the opportunity to say thank you for the blessings that we have. and i do hope that maybe on both sides of the aisle people can talk about those who allowed this country to be so great, sacrifices that so many people have made, and you just don't have to be a giant to appreciate the fact that god has blessed us all. so thank you for your effort and bringing us together, not just tonight, but on every committee, on every bill, and

this -- on this floor, sheila jackson lee is here to continue to inspire all of us. i thank you for that. ms. jackson lee: mr. chairman, we are so grateful, mr. rangel, for the special wisdom and insight that you bring to all of what we do. i know that the late lou stokes, the late amilia julian , and the late bond are grateful that they knew you and that you're here to tell, what you consider embarrassing, what i think is a wonderful testimony for anybody who says, i can't do it. we want to you keep telling us that wonderful statement over and over again. thank you so very much for what you provide to the congressional black caucus. and thank you for the kind words that you have mentioned of congresswoman, representative terry sewell. and just to say -- terri sewell. and just to say to her, i don't know what kind of s.o.s. phone message that she had to the

vatican, but might i just say that here are the words of pope francis that i asked her to come and yield time to her. here too i think, this is pope francis, as he spoke just a few days ago at that very podium, here too i think of the march which martin luther king led from selma to montgomery 50 years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill his dream of full civil rights and political rights for african-americans. representative sewell, let me thank you for bringing and fusing life into the wonderful city of selma, all the wonderful people there, including your dearl beloved mother and father -- dearly block of mother and father, and having us walk with you on every step of the way. as i yield to you, let me say that we should make a commitment right here today, as we make changes in leadership, that we commit ourselves to the restoration voasting rights act, section 5 -- voting rights act -- of the voting rights act, section 5. sewell sewell thank you very

much, to our leader -- ms. sewell: thank you very much, to our leader of the c.b.c., congressman butterfield, thank you for your exemplary leadership and the courage that you exemplify every day in fighting for the causes we all hold so dear. i want to thank congresswoman lee for those wonderful words. sheila jackson lee has not only been an amazing member of congress but she's been a great mentor to me and i want to thank you for all that you do for so many of us and the mentoring you continue to provide the younger generation, so thank you for that. what can i say to charlie rangel? to even have you know my name is an honor. i know that but for the remarkable lives of the three people that we celebrate, their lives and their legacy today, that i would not be in this auspicious chamber, but for your leadership and courage, i would not know how to behave in chamber. so i thank you, sir, for continuing to serve the great people of harlem and new york, but also the great people of america, black, white, green, yellow, all of us.

do you such a great job -- you do such a great job. mr. speaker, i rise today to join with my c.b.c. colleagues in paying tribute to the life and legacies of three great giants in american history. representative louis stokes, amilia robinson and julian bond. our nation collectively mourns the loss of each of these trailblazing figures who departed from us way too soon this summer. their journeys pavinged wait for myself and so many others -- pavinged the way for myself and so many other -- paved the way for myself and so many others. we honor them for their historic and notable contributions to this nation. congressman stokes was first african-american to represent the state of ohio in congress where he served for more than 30 years. he rose to prominence by breaking numerous barriers as the first in so many areas. this included being named the first african-american to serve as chairman of the prestigious house permanent select

committee on intelligence. as an african-american who now sits on that committee, i am deeply honored to follow in mr. stokes' footsteps. during his tenure on the intelligence committee, he stepped into the national spotlight as a vocal critic of the reagan administration's foreign policy. he spoke boldly on issues of national security and created a legacy of being a fierce advocate for the homeland. in honoring his memory, we must also commit ourselves collectively to continue the fight to promote diversity within the intelligence community. we must also be chit commithed to supporting policies -- committed to supporting policies which promote our national security in the face of growing threats. it was congressman stokes who taught us that our nation deserves nothing less. today we also honor an american treasure and one of my personal heroes, the courageous ms. amilia robinson. ms. robinson passed away on august 26, 2015, at the age of

110. yes. 110, mr. speaker. ms. robinson was a key figure in the voting rights movement in selma, alabama, and she's often remembered for her critical role in bloody sunday. on that solemn day on the bridge, robinson was savagely beaten and a photo of her taken shortly after she was attacked and posted in "the new york times" became a powerful symbol of the injustices suffered by those, those who were attempting simply to vote. yet this tireless, fearless foot soldier continued her work as a leader on the front lines of securing the right to vote for all americans. amilia is best known as the matriarch of the voting rights movement and it was her courage, along with john lewis and so many other known and unknown foot soldiers which led to the passage of the voting rights act of 1965. amilia was such an integral part of the process that the contents of the bill, the voting rights bill, were drafted on her kitchen table in

selma, alabama. in 1965. and she not only trailed blazes as a voting rights advocate, she put her money where her mouth was and she herself ran for congress. on may 5, 1965, she broke yet another barrier, when she became the first woman in the state of alabama and the first african-american woman in the state of alabama to run for congress. in 1964, she garnered 10.7% voast during a time when -- of the vote during a time when only 1% of the blacks were registered to involvement her dated run further sol her movement. without her courageous campaign for the seventh congressional district of alabama in 1964, i know that my election to this seat in 2010, some 50 years later, would not have been possible. her sacrifices pavinged the way

for me to walk the -- paved the way for me to walk the halls of congress and i will carimi my love and admiration for her in my heart each and every day for could i -- i could do what she could not, which is vote for the members of the seventh congressional district of alabama. for that i'm eternally grateful. one of my most memorable moments in this chamber will be the night that she served as my special guest in the state of the union on january 20, 2015, this past year. . i am grateful for her memories of greeting president obama that night and i'm blessed to have called her not only my constituent, but a beloved mentor and friend. she's remembered and she reminds us every day by her life, there's still much work to be done. finally, i would like to remember the shining leg se of yet another giant figure in the fight for civil and human rights, mr. julian bond. this courageous voice held several titles over the course of his impactful life but he's most remembered for his service

as the naacp chairman and co-found of the southern poverty law center. he was also one of the original leaders of the student nonviolent coordinating committee while he was a student at mor house college. he later served in the georgia general assembly for more than 20 years. he was elected to the georgia house of representatives in 1995. however, because of his long-standing legacy of fighting white supremacy, white members tried to block him from taking his seat. he spear hed efforts to draft landmark legislation that spoke to the needs of blacks in the state of georgia. in addition to his time as an eloquent speaker, he was also a celebrated writer, poet, television commentator, community advocate, as well as a communications specialist. he did so much for the southern poverty law center to set its on -- set it on its course and did

so much for the lives of so many. all three of these wonderful giants tell a story, the story of how ordinary people can to extraordinary things. working collectively, we as a nation can achieve amazing heights. even if we don't think so. as congressman rangel's story best exemplifies, if we just take one step, hopefully the lord will give us the strength to take many, many more toward justice and equality. i'm reminded of what amelia boynton would say when i and others would say, we stand on your shoulders. she was so infamously known for saying, after hearing it over and over again, get off my shoulders. there's plenty of work to be done. do your own work. is what she said. so i say to my colleagues gathered here tonight and the colleagues in this wonderful body called the house of representatives, we have plenty of work to do. we have plenty of work to do and while we walk in the footsteps

of giants such as amelia boynton and jewelian bond an louis stokes, let us never forget that they too had to take a first step. as we follow in their footsteps, let us all take many steps toward providing justice and liberty for all americans, especially those what are most vulnerable. thank you, mr. speaker, and i ield back my time. ms. jackson lee: i think we can leave this evening with the words that congressman sewell has just said and i thank her so much. do our own work. that message should carry whether we're republicans or democrats, or independents. we look forward to doing our own work on the restoration of the voting rights act, section 5, which you're leading and all of us signed onto. we thank you so much for that eloquent statement and that statement of passion. speaking of passion, it is my privilege to introduce a member of who has her own storied civil

rights history, someone who has served as the commissioner on the el eeoc, equal opportunity commission, someone who has been in the trenches in civil rights dealing with voting rights cases, deal twheg right to vote, in her own district of columbia. i think she will be the florence nightingale, the champion battler, because i believe that this delegate, congresswoman eleanor holmes norton, will be successful as we fight for the voting rights of her district through her leadership. i yield to her at this time. thank you so much for the work you done. ms. norton: i thank my good friend, representative sheila jackson lee, first for her kind and generous words, but especially today for her leadership of this special order which is characteristic of her leadership in this congress. i am so pleased that i -- that our chair has been here and spoken and that we have heard

from several other members. i just want to say a few words group of african-americans who have writtener that signatures across our time. you've heard their biographies, i don't want to recount their extraordinary buyos because that's not the only reason we are honoring them with this special order. i just want to say something about what they meant to me. two of them i knew personally, representative lou stokes, whose many years in the congress happened to overlap with my first years here. and of course julian bond whom i knew best. i was not fortunate to know amelia boynton, she may have been the most courageous woman in the movement of the 1960's death sted upon facing

if necessary in that march from selma to montgomery and nearly lost her life. i was privileged to be in her presence as so many members of congress were when we went to selma this past summer and that was a privilege. in and of itself. i was fortunate to know congressman louis stokes. he was founder of the congressional black caucus long before i served. great is a man of accomplishment. yes, we can speak about his first, the first african-american to serve in congress from his hometown of cleveland as one of the two famous stokes brothers, his father the first, his brother, i'm sorry, the first african-american mayor, something about the way those

boys were raised, showed themselves up in public life. but it is his career in congress that stands out. i'm not, certain there's -- i'm not certain there's ever been a more distinguished member of this body. looks like if they wanted somebody to do something hard they looked to louis stokes. first african-american to serve on the appropriations committee. then look at the committee he's chaired. the ethics committee. the house permanent select committee on intelligence. then -- he wanted to do something else that was difficult and that was to serve on the iran contracommittee. -- iran-contra committee. house select committee on assassinations. nothing was more difficult than that. if you're looking for a member who the public would trust and who this body will trust, who do you go to? they went to louis stokes.

so if you're trying to find out how to serve, recall the life of representative louis stokes. in the district we recall his loif and his work, much of his work was done in the field of health and howard university louis stokes health science library is named if -- named for him in the district of columbia at howard university so we'll never forget him. of the three, the one i knew best, of course, was my colleague and friend in the student nonviolent coordinating committee. and for many years a constituent. i met him several years after he founded, along with a handful of other student the student nonviolent coordinating committee. you've got to understand that grouping as different from any

student grouping since. they were not an offshoot of the civil rights movement. ey were a group that stood under -- it was the equivalent of major civil rights organizations, every single one, right alongside them. that's why john lewis got to peak at the march on washington. the reason sncc stood out was the quality of its leadership in those early years. julian became the spokesman and the reason he was the spokesman is his way with words. he was a poet and a writer and he could explain what we were doing. so he served a most valuable role in his early years. so no one should be surprised he went off after the zenith of the

civil rights movement to serve in the georgia house of representatives which -- what you may be surprised to learn is when he moved on to the senate, the georgia senate they refused to seat him. because he had endorsed a sncc statement opposing the vietnam war. imagine denying a seat to a member duly elected because of a statement he had made on an issue of great moment. this case was taken all the way to the supreme court. at that point i was a constitutional lawyer working for the american civil liberties union in new york and got to write the brief for -- the amicus brief he took very few amicus briefs to the supreme court and this one seemed to have the makings of a landmark case and endeed it did become a landmark case. you do not see anybody denying anyone the right to sit in his

seat or her seat today because of their views. nd because of that case. what was julian barn -- bond to do with the rest of his life? sncc broke a fair number of people. though they gave much in the moment, you shall not have heard about many of them since. what julian did was to give the rest of his life to the movement . for every single day of his life as a grown man, after he left public service, in the georgia legislate -- georgia legislature, he was devoted to this movement he had entered as a very young man. he moves in the district of columbia with his -- moved to the district of columbia with his wife, taught at the american university and university of

virginia. and became, and this is a matter that makes me chuckle, became the chairman of the naacp. i am way too -- it was way too conservative. that tells you how julian grows. he grew to be the chairman, longtime chairman and devoted chairman of the naacp. he carried out his devotion to civil rights magnificently throughout his entire life he remained a major spokesman for the civil rights movement and for progressive causes his entire life speaking all around the country, carrying the message. when he moved here, i had a black caucus event with julian and with john lewis.

simply discussinger that lives as young men in the civil rights movement. that is going to be one of the most memorable events since i've been in congress. just last february, during black history month, i asked julian to where howard university he and i engaged in an intergenerational discussion with howard students about the shootings in ferguson, missouri, and what they meant to this generation and how this generation had its own issues and moved in its own direction. one of the things we indicated was that for all of the work of the youth of the civil rights movement in our day, we never touched racial profiling. it remained alive and kicking for a new generation which has taken it on. i am finally particularly grateful that when julian moved

to the district of columbia he really became a part of this city. lending his civil rights celebrity to the cause, the great cause of this city, for full citizenship for d.c. voting rights, yes, and for statehood for the district of columbia. when you came into the district a few years ago, there was an advertisement, julian was speaking in the cab, informing you that you were coming to the district of columbia where the residents were trying to get their full citizenship. wherever he was, he had a way of touching upon the issue of freedom of the day and of the people around him. i will always listen, this -- i will always miss him, this country will always miss him, we are grateful for the life he led. we are grateful especially for this congressional black caucus.

even devoted to his life and the -- evening devoted to his life and the lives of two others, very divergent and in some ways very similar. i thank my good friend representative jackson lee again for her leadership here. ms. jackson lee: let me thank my good friend, congresswoman eleanor holmes norton, for giving these three legend the vitality and vie brans of a personal story. and to just add to his coming to students at howard university, i want you to know that at the university of virginia, where he was, he was the most popular professor with people standing in line because the students sensed his passion and commitment but they sensed his realness. as i introduce and thank you so very much for that very vibrant and informative presentation, as i introduce this next gentleman who has his own history, let m