vice president in his job as president of the senate and certainly to get to recognize a person who spent a lot of time in both the house and senate as the president and before 46th vice president of the united states, dick cheney. the story of the five presidents and their impact on the country is an important part of our history and as we celebrate this event today, we get a chance to both current and former members of the house and senate, some of whom you'll hear from. former members of the cabinet, -- justice scalia, and president bush before we are done, we are joined by vice president biden. we are particularly pleased to be here with his family, such an important part of his life, and his great partner, mrs. cheney. inne cheney is a partner

this project like she has been a partner in so many other things. the vice president has done -- she has a deep appreciation for the history of the country. she has written great children's history and adult history. and the vice president wrote a wonderful book on speakers of serving inhen he was the house and we were lucky to have her come and visit with senators about her groundbreaking book on james madison. member ofcheney was a the house, he told me that he and others founded the dennis thatcher society because mrs. cheney was the chairman of the national endowment for humanities and in the tradition of dennis thatcher, they thought they would band together to see what it was i to have a spouse of the more powerful job than they had but they have been great partners and so, when mrs. cheney said that she thought the had trulyhrens

captured the character of the vice president when she and the vice president got to see the bust for the first time, that was probably the most important indication that everything was going to work out all right. we are also pleased to have william behrens and his wife and members of their family here with us today. this will be the second bust that he has done that will be part of the vice presidential collection. he is now working on the third, thatpresident gore's bust he is doing as we are talking today -- he is planning that. so, vice president cheney, welcome back to the capital. will rogers said the man with the easiest job in the country was the vice president because all he had to do was get up every day and say, how is the president doing? [laughter] vicet presidents and presidents have changed this job a lot.

every vice president starting with john adams has done a lot to make their own impact on the country and uniquely had the opportunity to make an impact on the congress. dick cheney brought the vice presidency the preparation of a lifetime of service. has a no-nonsense approach and a willingness to solve problems. he was his first job in washington, to be a fellowship .t the capital sixers later, he is the chief of staff for the president of the united states. one of the quicker moves from inter-to chief that ever happen. he 10 years in the house, was chairman of the republican conference, the republican whip. i was the majority whip and never lost a job -- never lost a

vote has when i was majority whip it i also was the minority whip and i lost some votes there. dick cheney is the only minority whip never lost a vote. him to be. bush asked secretary of defense before he could ever whip about it. [laughter] he holds lots of distinction in the history of the country. it is an honor to be part of this presentation today and it will be a great honor to see him recognized and remembered in the capital with this bust. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the senate, the honorable mitch mcconnell. mcconnel: richard cheney.

he has had one of the most interesting careers in one of the most fascinating lives of anybody you would ever want to meet. as roy indicated, chief of staff, secretary of defense, member of congress from wyoming, house minority whip, vice president to president george w. bush, and master fisherman. many have spent their lives in pursuit of just one of these offices and many have failed in the pursuit. saysthis son succeeded quite a lot about him. when dick cheney sets his mind to something, he is absolutely determined to achieve it.

a trait he is well known for. here is another one. dick cheney loves his family. enjoyedo say how much i the biography of james madison. one thing we agree on is we henk he is our favorite loves his daughters, obviously. scholar, public servant, a strong woman who is never afraid to share her opinion on an issue. but cheney might be tough

lynn is tougher. i think the vice president is fine with that. here is what is interesting to me. dick cheney wasn't just the vice president of the finance states, he was president of the senate. that is why we dedicate a bust to him in every vice president. many view that role as ceremonial. not the one we are honoring today. was vice president, he was up at our policy lunch. he was an active member of the senate. he sat there like a sponge and soaked up all the information and we could rarely get him to say anything. it wasn't that we didn't think he had strong opinions but he knew he was there for president bush to figure out what we are up to. remember quite well relates to the vice president's on the opportunity to vote, to break a tie.

here is the setting. had a rather modest deficit reduction package which we could do through what we call, reconciliation. we could do it with 51 votes. i was the whip. i counted and i recounted and i recounted -- remember, we had 55 republicans at the time. i could only get to 50. q was the complication. take was in pakistan. dick was in pakistan. i had to call him a .5 times on the way.

i was right in my count. presidentd with us a and a vice president who have taken different paths in their post-presidency. and post-vice presidency. one continues to engage passionately in the debates of today. he writes, he speaks, he lets his opinion be known in no uncertain terms. the other views his role in a different way. he has an important work but has stayed in the background purity has done humanitarian work. he does something else, too. he paints.

who can say which role is the correct one? both of these important offices, it is a matter of personal opinion. i know we are all looking forward to seeing more of president bush's masterpieces. thank you for gathering today here thank you, president bush, vice president cheney, for all of the remarkable service to what our country over many, many years. thank you so much. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, this beaker at the house, the honorable paul ryan. ryan: thank you very much. i want to welcome all of you to

the capitol visitor's center. i see it, nobody could accuse dick cheney of living and inconsequential life. he was working in the white house on 9/11. he oversaw operation desert storm. he worked at the side of gerald ford as that man restore the presidency. he dedicated his life to public service. this is a man who witnessed the very first drawing of the laffer curve. given my position, i am especially interested in his career as a congressman. he was elected in 1978. he served in the house for 10 years. he literally wrote the book on this place with his wife. he vigorously supported ronald

reagan in those times. over that time, he rose in the ranks. the list of people he knew and people he befriended is like a who's who of the conservative movement. he succeeded jack kemp. newt gingrich seceded him as the house republican whip. he moved among giants in american politics. he is one himself. he left the house to become our defense secretary. he went on to serve as the president of the upper chamber which we and has prefer to call, that other chamber. then he was never heard from again. think one thing people forget about vice president cheney is that he is a funny guy. i study the debates because i had my on presidential debate and if you remember, the 2000 vice presidential debate, he is

up against joe lieberman peerage joe lieberman is talking over the boom times under president clinton and he says, i am pleased to see dick that you are better off than you were eight years ago you canada january's, i can tell you that the government had absolutely nothing to do with it. continues, i can see my wife and i think she is thinking, g, i wish we could go into the private sector without missing a beat -- dick cheney says, i'm going to try to help you do that, joe. runs in the family. years later, when the vice critics, had his he asked his wife, does it bug you when people refer to me as darth vader? and she said, no, it humanizes you. [laughter] [applause]

and that is what i am always going to remember about the cheney family. that calm determination, the fierce love of country. through all of the years, through war and peace, he did all he could to keep this country safe. him a tremendous debt of gratitude. thank you, vice president cheney. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the 43rd president of the united states, george w. bush. [applause]

george w. bush: thank you for the warm welcome. lynn and family, i am delighted to be here. i must confess, i am somewhat reluctant to come back to washington. the last time i showed appear, i was hanged in the white house. findtime, i return only to my vice president getting busted in the capital. i really appreciate you being here, thank you for coming. i want to thank paul ryan for his leadership. he is trying out for the abraham lincoln look-alike contest. mitch, when dick cheney was the leader, mitch was the minority leader appeared as majority leader, mitch is in charge now.

as a matter of fact, he assured wouldt dick cheney's bust in anminently displayed undisclosed location. thank you roy blunt and for organizing this event. william behrens is the sculptor pete i can't wait to see what it looks like peter meissner had a time somebody did with me and i looked like alfred a newman. years, i have a chance to meet a number of his predecessors. i have known one my whole life. lastly, i told mom and dad i was coming here for the bust unveiling. , send myd up and said best regards to old ironass. [laughter]

[applause] dick, that is indeed a badge of honor or the 43rd vice president, and the 41st president asked me to give you his heartfelt congratulations. he and mom join us in thanking you for your selfless service. dick is a man of the west and i find it interesting he was the son of a soil conservation service employee, that he laid powerlines for a living before he got his degree from the university of wyoming after he got kicked out of the al. he first came to this town in the late 1960's as a phd student working on his dissertation. which probably explains the special affection he has always attracted from the world of academia. mentioned, his

experience mattered. head ofsked him to the the vice presidential search committee, as he likes to tell you ever get asked to chair such a committee, do it. the truth is, i knew that dick cheney had the character and judgment that i needed as a running mate. he had the experience to step in as commander-in-chief if i were to get hit by a bus or choke on a pretzel. unfortunately -- and fortunately, he agreed to serve. for eight years, i benefited from his wise counsel. he was a principal and trusted advisor on the most difficult questions. he is an effective advocate on capitol hill.

he did an exceptional job discharging his two days as the president of the senate. every time he cast a vote, we won. [laughter] [applause] spend much did not time speaking on the floor, he managed to convey a lot in a few words. leahy.k senator people ask, do i miss washington? the answer is, not really weird i loved our time here but i'm happy to be home. i miss some things i miss saluting those who wear the uniform and i miss my friends. and dick cheney is one of those friends. i always look forward to our weekly lunches. i could always count on him to take on any tough assignment and i could always trust that the

advice he offered was given with our country's best interest at heart. he became acting president for two hours and five minutes in july, 2007. while i was undergoing an undisclosed medical exam. he wrote the only document ever signed by an acting president, a letter to his grandchildren. in classic dick cheney fashion, he offered them could vice, to always strive to do what is right. for eight years, dick cheney stood by my side and always did what was we cannot of asked for the better vice president than dick cheney. he is a man country and really loves his family. call and i are proud to him and his wonderful daughters friends. i'm glad his likeness will be an everlasting presence in these

halls of democracy. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states, joe biden. biden: thank you. , ii look around this room want to say thank you for letting me crash a family reunion. [laughter] i'm afraid i said to dicus i walked by that i'm afraid i have blown his cover. i actually like dick cheney. [laughter] i'm on the other family. inordinate but respect for you, and i mean that sincerely.

we started about the same time. your little bit earlier, and the late 60's. i got elected and 72, president nixon was president. when gerald ford took on that awesome responsibility at a difficult time he turned to strong, guiding hand. he picked the right guy. said that noyou one would challenge the statement he then went on to make. that anyone who is thinking about challenging dick cheney should think twice before they set about doing it. when we changed houses, there change going on. he showed me the bottom of the

white house with a were manacles on the wall and there were dake in thend cartoon looked at me and said you may want to renovate a little bit. [laughter] in theas no such thing white house. the only thing we ever received from the cheney's was there good wishes. and the way tried to help us out. i say to your daughters, and all myr family, the thing that family has cared deeply. i hope we communicated that about his health and i'm glad to see him in such a great health. your wholehank family for the kindness you have shown when i lost my son. showed generosity you contributing to a memorial. .t means a lot

it's a part of washington people don't see enough of a. we have seldom had direct conflict, but we have gone at each other's ideas. i can say, without fear of contradiction, there was never one single time a harsh word. not one single time in our entire relationship. butonly to one another, about one another. that is what i think is most desperately missing today in washington, d.c. their judgment, but not the motive. i learned that lesson a long who was then the leader of the senate mike mansfield. i came in and our friend orrin

, there was a guy from south carolina who got elected -- jesse helms. . kept in touch with his wife i will member walking on the floor when i would show up. i did not particularly wants to be in the senate and that time. i would you up once a week at the office of the majority leader. he would give me, every tuesday, and assignments. i had just turned 30. i thought that is what happened. leaders give assignments for real. i realized after the fact he was just taking my pulse. through, i said i would only stay six months. a lot of people wish i had kept that commitment. in and the mend

later became my friend jesse -- i had to go to my meeting with the leader. i guess i looked upset. , i went on toter really go after jesse. why would he not help, i went on and on. i never forget what he said to me. he said joe, what would you say in 1969d you that sitting in the living room in raleigh before christmas there was an advertisement in the observer. said all hean wanted for christmas with someone to love him and adopt him. what would you say if i told you

they went down and adopted that young man, which they did. i said i would feel like a fool. he said to joe, it is always appropriate to question of the , but not their motive because you don't know the motive. motive it istion virtually impossible to reach consensus. dick and i could argue like hell about everything from domestic to foreign policy, but if we went at each other in personal ways there would be no possibility to reach a resolution. frankly, mr. president, that is why i enjoyed working with you. of ae more than any democrat, i spend time with you. we disagree, but it really never was disagreeable. i might add that if my dad were here he would look at you and say he had, you got the good

blood. -- why the bushes chose the cheney's. when a phone call saying we would like to meet with you. he said he wanted to come to my hotel. thought that was inappropriate, it is the president of the united states i should visit him. but your dad insisted, he came in on a wheelchair. me toenda was welcoming houston. he thought it was appropriate. career, as i look back on it because it was teh same time frame, i don't think that there are many vice presidents -- or presidents -- who have been in the eye of the

storm on so many critical events. from the transition of a presidency in the wake of an wars, tont, to several that threatens the social fabric of the world. the thing about you that i have admired most is that you are absolutely steady. absolutely steady and thoughtful. we disagree a lot. but i really mean it. it is amazing. there is one other thing that i would like to mention. at i was riding up i was the truth ofknow, the matter is that they should

unveil a family bust. because with your incredibly he did notughters, do this on his own. he really didn't. that sound like hyperbole. but it isn't. is, you have the same intellect and backbone that he has, so do your daughters. i want to thank them personally for the phone calls. this is a family affair. this doesn't just happen. one man cannot take on as many critical roles at critical moments without the overwhelming support of their family. it is not easy. propose now on i will

that it be a family bust. because i know, speaking for myself, i've no doubt -- i and neverak for dick presume to -- but this recognition today goes to you as much as it does to him. i mean that sincerely. know, i consider it a .rivilege to know you to have known you, watched you work, i just wished i could've changed her your mind on a half a dozen things. [laughter] beenidding aside, you have a great asset to this country. the way you will personally conducted yourself as a model for anyone in high public office in this country. thank you all very much. [applause]

>> mr. cheney and the cheney grandchildren are the does it presidentse 220 vice and his him and almost nobody gets to do. ,f you would join your family we will see what this looks like.

collects all right, are you ready? [no audio] [applause] [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the 46 the vice president of the united states, dick cheney. [applause] vice president cheney: thank you all very much. i appreciate you posting this event today. i'm grateful to the friends and former colleagues that are with us. i'm especially proud to note one friend in particular, mr. president thank you very much for being here for all the years we shared together. all of youy that could join us on this particular occasion. being cast in marble is something that every vice president looks forward to.

not only a high honor, it is our one shot at being remembered. [laughter] see, joe, the was much to look forward to. [laughter] in the case of vice president biden, he will be remembered for 44 years of faithful service in the senate, and the white house, and we appreciate you being with us this morning. [applause] i also want to note the presence of my good friend, and one of the great justices of the supreme court come also a hunting buddy, and next year sca lia will mark his 30th year of the supreme court. [applause]

i'm pleased as well does it the highest ranking member of congress here, my friend paul ryan. he has lately become a reminder to me that we don't always get exactly what we want in the world politics. once aspired to be speaker of the house and wound up as vice president. you ran for president and wound up as speaker. you got the job for the actual power and authority and i got a very nice marble bust. [laughter] you, mr. can tell speaker, the position you are now in suit you very well. i'm glad you are here and i think the country is much better off that we have now been able to persuade you to take on this assignment. i want to thank our senate ,ajority leader mitch mcconnell

any chairman of the rnc for their presence. i've known mitch many years, we did a great deal of work together. it was always a pleasure to deal with the issues. i want to thank many of the cheney staff and alumni in the room were colleagues on the hill, or the pentagon, and the white house. men like scooter libb e, mary matalin, don edmonds, people i was pleased to share many years with. i especially want to mention and thank the members who served on my secret service detail. some of them are here, like a jimmy scott who pulled me out of the office on 9/11 and brought me to a secure location. they took great care of us during those years. me and myd out for family and will always have our

gratitude and our respect. close observers of portico will note this morning that the cheney bust arrived a little ahead of turn to as the honors at not yet been done to the 45th vice president, my predecessor al gore. someently, there have been delays on his likeness and it may be that i am somehow easier to carve into stone. [laughter] the senate rules committee was kind enough to schedule this event anyway and i appreciate their kindness. the rules committee staff, i thank it's all the architect of the capital and everyone on the senate curator's office for arranging my place in our diverse pantheon of the vice presidents. a special thanks to barbara will have to retire releasably as the curator of the capital. as the sculptor's work, i guess i'm not the most objective

judge, i would not be the first politician to went into the sculpting process thinking that no peace from the quarry could ever do justice to that face. but you can decide for yourself, personally i think it is excellent. i think he is on a superb job as a true master. thank you very much. [applause] as a young man unlike john adams theater was about. i would've been amazed. any such an area would've seemed like a real stretch for the man in my early 20's. the short version a few breaks

came my way. one job always led to another. it is taken me to far more places than i ever expected. it took me to this capital for the first time in 1968 with the hopes of working for donald rumsfeld. during that first interview he made it clear to me that i was not what he was looking for and threw me out. if you months later he saw the error of his ways. hisecruited me to be assistant during that first term of the nixon administration when gerald ford became president. and made me white house chief of staff. donald rumsfeld and gerald ford fundamentally changed my life. decades later, i returned to the capital as a member of the house of representatives. i want to thank the wyoming delegation for being here today. i had the fortune of when i arrived to begin a lifelong friendship with bob michaels was with us today. was them illinois,

republican leader. he taught me everything i needed to know to speak to the people of wyoming. i'm glad you're here. i fully intend to spend my career in the congress, but bloodless be grateful to president george h.w. bush for asking me to join his administration as secretary of defense. it was a special privilege to serve the men and women of the 90's dates military and to work with the president through operation desert storm. the collapse of the soviet union, and the end of the cold war. you had to design an individual to serve as commander-in-chief during those times, it would've been a lot like a george h.w. bush and i was proud and honored to serve. i don't recall exactly when i was first introduced to his eldest son, but i must admit a half decent impression. when the time came, governor bush needed a running mate and

got the notion that i could help him find one. that search committee was a diligent enterprise and before long we found our man. [laughter] in political history, the names of the running mates are always bound up together, all the more thing and up winning. the bush cheney ticket managed and not without a little suspense. all through those 2900 days we served together, handling serious matters in serious ways. i worked for someone who i respected and liked without reservation. he is a man of great strength, and great gentleness. sense oftegrity, a humor, and in other lack of pretense. all of these are what we share and will remember. i have been granted a few distinctions along the way in politics, and there is not a prize more than two have my name there in the story of those

years aside the name of our president, george w. bush. [applause] you will understand, i think, if today i think of another richard cheney, my dad. anyone who knew him can tell you that the name was plenty good by the time he was given to me. know my sister, sue, and brother bob would take the same. only more in the season of life i remember and appreciate both my dad and my mom, marjorie. kind, upright people they were and how enormously lucky i am to be their son. how could i conclude an occasion like this without mentioning my historian wife? is not a woman easily impressed, but i thought surely this final honor would do it.

a bust of me in marble here in the capital building. however, i'm reminded at this familythat if the cheney had not moved to casper, wyoming in the early 50's we never would have met. and she would married someone else. today, we would be dedicating his marble bust. [applause] that is not to say that i'm glad that fate worked as a did placing me in proximity to her, keeping a close by those 50 years and more. a gracious walk through the years and such a joy for our daughters liz, and mary, and their families. now with the seven grandchildren i've lived in no and cherish. i want to thank this morning my medical team, some of whom are here today. they saved my life on a number

of occasions and made all of this possible. over the years, they not only kept me alive but made it possible for me to lead a full and active life. i am very thankful for what they have done for me over the years. a tremendous honor to think this will reside here in the u.s. capitol. every now and then, even in the distant future, someone will surely wonder by the old cheney bust. orbe even stop for a moment two, trying to recollect something of the man here. whatever else that name might evoke, i want them to know this much at least -- here was a believer in america, so fortunate in his life experiences, so blessed and his to have and so grateful served as vice president of the united state of america. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please as barry black gives the benediction. >> let us pray. rules theal god, who raging of the seas. of viceu for the gift president richard cheney, and for his many contributions to this great nation. us.inue to bless and keep

sustain us as we seek to take a stand on the side of love, peace, and justice. cause, justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. continue to keep us without stumbling, or slipping. present --before the presence of your glory one day with exceeding great joy. god, andhe only wise to your name we ascribe glory, majesty, and might. dominion, and power, now and amen.,

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated for the departure of the official party. ticketed guests are invited to a reception and statuary hall. please see in usher for guidance.

>> here is a look at what we're covering on friday. and look at how airline passengers are screened, and efforts to streamline the process without compromising security. we would love live coverage. also a discussion about the future of islamic extremism in the thread list by isis and al qaeda. a panel will discuss the event hosted by new america. live coverage begins at 12:15 eastern time. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.

visit ncicap.org] >> every weekend, on american history tv, 48 hours of programs and events that tell our nation story. saturday morning, beginning at 11 easter we are alive from colonial williamsburg bringing you seem to 1770's. we enactments of revolutionaries and british royalists mingling on the streets. the governor's palace. drop the day, we take your calls and tweet but the colonial europe with historians and experts. sunday morning on road to the white house rewind we will hear the aspirations of presidential hopefuls from 1987, former defense secretary donald rumsfeld shares his thoughts about running for manchester, new hampshire. and i'd is 94, dick cheney exports as possible run. >> i used to think it was a political calculation. who else was going to run, and

with the prospects were. the more i think about it, the more it was a personal decision rather than a political decision. >> later, southern illinois history professor robert collett on the caribbean sugar trade and its role in the development of britain's atlantic colonies and its impact on race and slavery in the 1600s. >> sugar was one of the main reasons of the slave trade. 75% of all africans brought to the americas in the 1600s were brought to areas that were making sugar. it was a huge business. some scholars argue the first industrial enterprise in the western world. >> american history tv come all weekend, every weekend only on c-span3. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] >> president obama met with his national security team for a

briefing on the san bernardino california shootings. after this meeting he spoke briefly to at the white house. president obama: yesterday, a tragedy occurred in san bernardino. as i said in the immediate aftermath, our first order of business is to send our thoughts and prayers to the families of those who've been killed and to pray for the speedy recovery for those who were injured during this terrible attack. i had a chance to speak with mayor davis of san bernardino and i thanked law enforcement in that city for their timely and professional response.

i indicated to mayor davis that the entire country is thinking about that community and thanked him and his office for the way that they've been able to manage extraordinarily difficult situation with calm and clarity and very much appreciated the coordination that's been taking place between local law enforcement and the f.b.i. investigators. at this stage, we do not yet know why this terrible event occurred. we do know the two individuals who were killed were equipped with weapons and appeared to have access to additional weaponry at their homes. but we don't know why they did it. we don't know at this point the extent of their plans. we do not know their motivations. and i just received a briefing from f.b.i. director comey as well as attorney general lynch

indicating the course of their investigation. at this point, it's now an f.b.i. investigation. that's been done in cooperation and consultation with local law enforcement. it is possible that this was terrorist related but we don't know. it's also possible that this was workplace related, and until the f.b.i.'s been able to conduct what are going to be a large number of interviews, until we understand the nature of the workplace relationship between the individual and his superiors -- because he worked with the organization where this terrible shooting took place -- until all the social media and electronic

information has been exploited, we are not able to answer those questions. but what i can assure the american people is we're going to get to the bottom of this and that we are going to be vigilant as we always are in getting the facts before we issue any decisive judgments in terms of how this occurred. more broadly, like i said yesterday, we see the prevalence of these kinds of mass shootings in this country, and i think so many americans sometimes feel as if there's nothing we can do about it. we are fortunate to have an extraordinary combination of law enforcement and intelligence and military that work every single

day to keep us safe, but we can't just leave it to our professionals to deal with the problem of these kinds of global killings. we all have a part to play, and i do think as the investigation moves forward, it's going to be important for all of us, including our legislatures, to see what we can do to make sure that when individuals decide they want to do somebody harm, we're making it a little harder for them to do it, because right now it's just too easy. you know, we're going to have to, i think, search ourselves as a society to make sure we can take basic steps that would make it harder, not impossible, but harder for individuals to get

access to weapons. so there will be, i think, a press conference later today led by the attorney general. director comey will continue to brief not only the press but also members of congress about the course of the investigation. our expectation is that this may take some time before we're able to sort it all through. there may be mixed motives involved in this, which makes the investigation more complicated. but rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this and in the meantime once again i want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy. for those that have been injured, we hope they get well quickly and they're able to be back together with their families. thank you very much, everybody.

>> this weekend, the c-span city store take is to monterey, california to explore the history and literary culture of the area. , moderatenterbury row served as inspiration for other john steinbeck it is known eight spanish missions and heritage and with the capital of california under both spain and mexico before becoming part of after the states mexican-american war. we will tour the national steinbeck center which houses a collection of books and artifacts from the nobel prize-winning author john steinbeck. oft, donald porter author discuss is how it uses

experimental helicopters and other aviation firsts. then we join stephen lumbee author of the life and death the monterey bay, a story a revival as he shows us the day and talks about its recovery from a polluted body of water to one that is healthy and teeming with sea life today. >> 80 years ago, you would not want to stand on this beach. doing anything. it was -- the water was polluted. the air was foul. the seals and whales were gone. fishing was bad. the sardines eventually were all taken as well. all of that was happening 80 years ago. the differences that monterey bay got the better. >> on american history tv we visit the customhouse and learn about the importance this historic building had on trading to both california and mexico. next, we go to the carmel mission what we will hear about the history of the mission founded by franciscan priest's,

the missions were designed to bring the catholic faith to the native people. then it is on the colton hall where california's first constitutional convention was held in 1849. dennis copeland shares the along with items related to the convention. >> we have some documents on display. this is one of them. this is the registration sheet for all of the delegates. it is a great source of information. where every delegate is from, what state or country, how all the er, and what part of california and they represent. this is quite a amazing piece. obviously you need. >> watch c-span cities tour beginning saturday at noon on c-span twos book tv. sunday afternoon, on american

history tv on c-span3. the city store, working with our cable affiliates and visiting cities across the country. >> house republicans have proposed legislation would overhaul the waiver program as a response to the terror attacks in paris. visitors from 38 countries can enter the u.s. for up to 90 days without a visa. the proposal would increase the scrutiny of the visitors. house leaders talked about the bill at a capitol hill briefing for about 15 minutes.

mr. mccarthy: so you did come in. that's a good sign. well, thank you, all, for coming. as you know, we put together the task force on counterterrorism and homeland security just a couple weeks ago. within that task force you have found a number of chairmen. we took the committees of jurisdiction, brought them together to look and analyze from a short-term and long-term basis for the security of this country and what we see before us, especially after what transpired in paris. and in those we found one was a challenge before us was when it came to refugees. we were able to craft work that had already been done in a number of these committees together, bring it to the floor and in a bipartisan vote, a veto-proof passed a few short weeks ago.

one of the -- one of the highest concerns of security we had was the visa waiver program. many know there's 38 countries participating. but in the homeland security, they have worked on this with the candice miller bill. we looked at those recommendations for making sure that everybody has an e-passport, making sure that every country, if they have a lost or stolen passport that they report it into interpol. we also looked, what about travel? if you look at the mastermind behind paris he bragged about the freedom of travel throughout europe and the easiness of it. we have a real concern of that ability to come to america without having a check. so within this bill, we take those aspects to make america safer. i'm proud to say this is going to be a very strong bipartisan support and this bill will

become law. the process of work from all these committees, the work the work they have done testif'' done through the years and we worked on the other side of the aisle as well. i think this is an example of the way congress sees a problem and should solve it, because this becomes a solution, not a political talking point. and i want to bring up the author of the bill that had worked very hard on this long before these incidents taking place, candice miller. mrs. miller: thank you very much, mr. leader. first of all, what is a visa waiver program? very quickly as the leader said, he said something -- it had its origin, its genesis back in the 1980's in our country because we wanted to expedite tourism and travel to the united states. economically it's been a tremendous success. however, things have changed. we're in a different world today than we were back in the 1980's -- than we were back in the 1980's, so we identified this visa waiver program something that leaves our country vulnerable. there are 38 participating

country, and if you're a citizen in one of those 38 participating countries you don't have the necessity to go to the u.s. embassy or consulate to get your visa. you can travel visa-free. they still do a background, check your passport, but you don't have to get a visa for up to 90 days. there's reciprocity within the united states with that. that is obviously a huge vulnerability. so what our bill essentially does, and was mentioned, this is a bipartisan bill. we are -- we need to talk about regular order. this is a bill that's had a number of hearings in the homeland security committee and the subcommittee that i chair there, borders and maritime, judiciary also had some hearings on this bill -- on this issue. and it passed out of the homeland security committee unanimously, which doesn't always happen on this hill. so every democrat, every republican and so we are looking for a very, very big vote next week and essentially what it does. if you are one of these

participating countries and you do not share the information rather through the travel manifest or terrorist watch lists they might be maintaining in the various countries with us and the department of homeland security secretary does not have the confidence level, the high comfort level that we need to be able to ensure that our homeland is safe, he can suspend or eliminate you from the program. and as well, there are a number of other components but that really is a big thing. information sharing and also using e-passports which we have. most of these participating countries do not have. so that will be another requirement as well. you know the 9/11 commission said a couple very interesting things in their recommendations. first of all, they said we need to move from the need-to-know information to the need-to-share information, not just in the united states but certainly in a program like this and as well they said, for terrorists, travel documents are as good as weapons. we need to think in those terms, i think. we're very excited about having this bill come to the floor tomorrow.

i certainly want to thank all the chairmen, all the various committee members that worked on it and the leadership as well for bringing this along. thank you. mr. goodlatte: well, i'm bob goodlatte, chairman of the house judiciary committee. i want to thank the leader and the committee chairmen and especially chairman miller, not in her role as chairman of the administration committee, but an advocate, working together for producing this very important information. -- legislation. it's important to understand that the visa waiver program is a very important program but it's also a privilege. it's a privilege that we bestow on citizens of 38 countries, more than 160 countries do not get to participate in this and security concerns have been raised because various countries have had various levels of participation in the protocols that are necessary to make a program like this work, making sure you have biometric

passports, making sure you're giving interpol the information they need. what this legislation is going to do is to make it very clear that if you are one of the -- a citizen or passport holder from one of those countries and you travel to the four countries designated here or any of the four countries designated by the secretary of d.h.s., since 2011, or a duo citizen, you will not be able to utilize the visa waiver program. you have to go and apply for a visa, but it's important to understand, no one specifically by this bill is barred from entering the united states. it simply adds an additional security precaution of going to get a visa to come to the country rather than bypassing that process which contains additional scrutiny. this does not solve all the problems we have with making

sure our borders are secure and that the interior of our country is secure from those who would come in and commit mayhem. there are other provisions that we've taken with the refugee program. there are many other bills that the judiciary committee has worked on, the homeland security committee has worked on that would address additional concerns regarding the access of people who have terrorist intent to the united states, and we look forward to working together on all those measures as well. thank you. mr. mccarthy: chairman mccaul. mr. mccaul: thank you, leader. i want to thank you for bringing this legislation so quickly to the floor. it's a response in many ways to what happened in paris. i want to thank the judiciary for working well with us. i think it's important to state why we need this legislation. when abu bakr al baghdadi was released out of prison in iraq what he said is, i'll see you in new york.

isis has an intent to hit the west. they openly declared their intent to washington and new york. we came up with a bipartisan foreign fighter task force report with 50 key findings and recommendations and legislative recommendations as well. visa waiver being one of the top recommendations that we needed to fix. what we found in the report is disturbing. 30,000 foreign fighters from 100 different countries, 5,000 of those foreign fighters have western passports. so what does that mean? that means 5,000 foreign fighters with western passports can enter the united states without a visa. and when you look at paris, several of the paris attackers carried western passports. that means that the paris attackers, the ones that had the western passports, could have entered the united states without a visa.

that's why this legislation is so important. it will strengthen the visa waiver program, not abolish it, but strengthen it to keep terrorists from reaching our shores and entering into our homeland and as was mentioned, there are specific designated countries, particularly those with terrorist concerns that you will have to -- you'll be required to get a visa before you enter the united states. you will not receive a waiver. that is the importance -- i think that's the immediacy. that's the emergency concern that we have and that's why we're pushing this -- be on the floor next tuesday and i want to commend the leader for bringing this forward but also the bipartisan nature that candice miller cultivated on the committee to pass it unanimously but also for this thing to pass in a bipartisan manner on both sides of the aisle of the house, h