if you can add that on top of that, that would be great. >> thank you for the question. we have an office in china. we consider it a very strong marketplace for what comes out of north dakota. that is how that started. the exporting side into china and when you do that, there is a reciprocal agreement that develop. it is very strong that way. china is a huge market. no doubt about it. there are certain the opportunities available in north we had a regional office in north dakota. and china is a huge market to develop for investors coming into north dakota. they may come or may not be her own company in, but they will bring capital into north dakota to invest into existing companies. that is a very strong component.

that we callgram export assistance. we take graduate level students from there is countries internationally and replace them in companies in the state of north dakota on a part-time basis. china, we have students from china who come here, work with the companies, understand what they are doing, where they are going, they want to remain, or they want to go back to china and so that relationship really a strengthened between our what iss here and happening back home in china. we have a lot of things to work with in that perspective to strengthen the relationship. in missouri, we have two offices in china. our primary office is located in shanghai. we also have an office in hong kong. we have probably

have had four or five traditional investments from china in the state of missouri. -- oncehave been seeing again, being one of the landlocked states in the midwest -- we tend to be a flyover region. so, a lot of investment coming in from china, we have noticed, has been on the coast. they hadn't quite made their way yet with regard to setting the market share. what we have seen from china is a lot of investment with regards to property. tennessee has nashville, we of course, have branson, missouri. the live music capital of the world.

deal ofa great investment in the entertainment sector from the chinese. we continue to build upon relationships, continue to market the state of missouri, continue to try to recruit chinese investment as far as manufacturing facilities etc. also, we are just not. if the midwest, as a region, is not there yet with regards to chinese investment. leslie: i would have to say from the tennessee perspective, we have a long-term relationship coach early with china with tray back in the 1980's that took a whole group over to investigate how to share cultures. we have had consultants working with the state off and on over the years.

-- took a recently large group over for a business focused mission. we established a foreign direct investment office in shanghai. we have had those ongoing relationships over the years. we are looking for a new foreign investment office in china. that is an active search right now. most recently, what we have had is that entertainment piece. we have posted at the national film festival starting last year from china with ministry support. we brought over six producers. they are bringing another group this march the national film festival. in turn, we are looking at going over there. we had a great asset in tennessee with our music and film industry. i would tell lost foreign has been working -- abigail has been

working with china bringing music to tennessee and taking our focus is it going there. we are engaging in some of these activities going on unofficially and kind of crystallizing them and same these are true opportunities for cross-cultural relationships developing business between the two. and ii am mindful of time am afraid we have to wrap things up. thank you so much for this rich discussion. i want to highlight that we heard about market strength. we heard a lot about talent and workforce development. we have heard about infrastructure and incentives. ,e also heard about the process how internally, it is a team sport. have to a light all the players to attract the companies. we learned about the long-term partnerships that you: best

into. the incentives, when they do come into play, it is about growing clusters and ultimately, creating more jobs. again, i would like to thank the nga. i would like to thank frank, jim, anne, donovan, and leslie. thank you very much for your time. [applause] [crowd murmuring}

>> the national government association will continue their conference today. -- senatorr from the amar alexander, who played large role in every student succeed act. later today, our road to the white house covert takes us to greenville, south carolina four campaign rally with presidential candidate bernie sanders. he will talk to supporters after losing the nevada democratic caucuses yesterday to hillary clinton. eastern one at 5:00 c-span. [applause] more -- everyion

election will remind us. >> c-span is a home for political junkies. >> it is a great way for us to stay informed. >> there are a lot of c-span fans on the hill. my colleagues say, i saw you on c-span. >> there is so much that c-span outsideknow that people the beltway know what is going on inside of it. >> we are joined by congressman adam smith of washington. he is a top democrat. he is a member of the select committee on benghazi. in our studio to help with questions, richard lager. we will start with richard. good morning, congressman. how are you? >> good. i would like to talk about the defense commission.

they are calling for a major increase of the budget, $18 million for 2017. they describe the president's budget as underfunded to do with the threats the u.s. is facing around the world. the threat environment they described as being the most frome since world war ii north korea, who refuses to stop its nuclear program. i would like to get your thoughts on this increase and whether or not you feel the budget is adequate. >> there is no question we face a severe threat environment. a,think north korea, russi isis, there is no end to challenges. is president must budget mine hundred $60 million. -- $960 million.

million. this is the exact number that the republicans agreed to last year in the budget deal. it is the agreement that was made for last year's funding and this year's funding. whenre going over the top you are talking about the difference between $609 billion milliony proposed $15 to $20 million more. it is not necessarily the amount of money you spent, it is how you spend it. whether or not you are spending it wisely on the correct programs. there are lot of us areas to block savings that the pentagon has proposed to make it more difficult. estimates on how overcapacity we are in the ability to close those bases.

billion from the president is a pretty solid starting point. maybe we need a little more. top rhetoricthe about how this is woefully inadequate when you are talking about $609 million is more partisan than substantive. we need to have a discussion on what we're going to spend the whether or not we should go about $609 million. >> to follow up on that congressman, the base budget is capped by law, but the were budget is not cap. caporry to interrupt, not by law, but it was a part of the agreement. -- again, thats is not what they agree to.

it was not said that was a minimum. it was considered in both lasher's budget. included -- it was a part of the agreement. if you are going to increase defense spending by any amount, unless you rewrite the budget law regarding the base budget cap, the money would have to come in an overseas account. you can still spend less than the number stipulated in the budget agreement for the overseas account. would you support that? would you be open to adding to it in that way? it has been a views lately. semantics forgely the purposes of republicans trying to cling to the notion that there are sticking to budget caps.

if i was in charge, the way i would do it, if we decide defense needs a nether $15 billion, i would raise budget gaps and spend it accordingly. it is still money. it has the same impact in the deficit long-term whether you raise the budget caps, or whether you play the game. if it was up to me and we decided it was that should $10 billion we needed, i would raise the cap. i am not opposed to that. thatnot want to pretend it's anything other than gamesmanship. it is the nature of government you have to compromise. we are taking a closer look. concerned, i can make an argument that the department of defense needs more money, and i am open to that discussion. if that is the only way

republicans will do it, i am a ultimately opposed to that of the cases made. >> i know you talked about the need for honest budgets when it comes to meeting the country's defense priority. what does that mean? is this an honest budget the president has put forward? > >> i believe so. some of this is overseas contingency. we are fighting in iraq and syria. yesterday, just launched an attack in libya. we have done attacks in somalia and elsewhere. it is a legitimate way to do it. what the republicans tried to do last year where they insisted on keeping the budget caps and then just added $38 billion to yoko, the blakely admitted that it wasn't yoko because the conservatives would not let us do it any other way.

i don't think that is wise. we would be in better shape within the president's budget. facing the right wing tea party republicans who refuse to raise the caps, but somehow are ok with putting the money into yoko. when you're facing that type of hypocrisy and that title of hypocrisy -- that type of hypocrisy happens to be in the republican party -- >> one quick question. this deals what the department's ability to manage the money it gets. a number of sectors in dod are considered high risk areas. a $2.4 billion cost overrun of the aircraft carrier.

they have become routine. we really see it will held accountable. how do you make a case for giving a department more money when they can't manage the money they currently have? all, when you say they cannot manage the money iny have, there is waste every human endeavor i have come across. i think there are areas in the department of defense would they spend the money more wisely than people give them credit for. years havee last 15 not been good on the acquisitions side in terms of being able to stay within a budget. that is why the chairman and i are leading acquisition reform. it is how these programs to change along the way. if we were building the same aircraft carrier that they told us to build when it was first

built, we would be under budget. it gets changed, moved forward. in the case of the f-35, they did this thing where they started building it before they had fully tested it because they trusted the computer models to test it is that a flying it. these are things that need to be changed. the final point on accountability, you are right. because these programs are so long, you pass one program manager to another, and everyone is going, i was not in charge of that, he was in charge of that. we have got to shrink down the number of program managers and number of people engaged in oversight. put a specific person in charge and hold that person accountable. that is part of the acquisition reform we are trying to do. we are taking on the mother of all bureaucracies at the pentagon to try to fix this. we have wasted way too much money in the last 15 years. >> richard mentioned the f-35.

you said they started building it before fully testing it. you used past tense. this is still going on. >> oh yes. you are correct. will have built an estimated 500 planes, 20% of the total, before they start doing the full, combat in 2018. do you have any intention of altering the approach to this program, it is slowing it down? has -- the have put out a scathing report about the technical deficiencies of the program. >> that is a discussion we are going to have. there are three different variants of the f-35. they are in different places. forgive me, i forget which is where.

thanf them is a lot closer being combat-ready than the other two. that is a discussion we need to have. senator mccain is very concerned about this issue. they want to see those reductions. the problem we have had is because of the way this program was constructed, it is set to fighter90% of our attack aircraft. programwhat the f-35 became. it is replacing outdated aircraft. we are very dependent upon it. it has to work. it has put us in a bind the way this program was constructed. we are going to try to scramble and try to fix it. there is no great outcome. mentionedsman, you the strike in libya overnight.

if we are going to talk about the islamic state for a little itsand how the u.s. and allies, you cautioned about overreacting to isis. you said there is no peer, military solution to the problem. has now moved into libya. their numbers are down slightly in iraq and syria. u.s.o you -- how does the get its arms around the problem and are we in perpetual war there? >> we are in a perpetual fight against isis and other ideological groups like al qaeda. i don't see that ending any time soon. i will say this, i don't think the reason they are shrinking an ironic and syria is because they are in libya. they are beginning to fail. continue to gain

territory. what we have done has made a .ifference, push them back there has been tiny progress, especially with the iraqi special forces. theyt becomes obvious that will not continue to grow -- one of the biggest selling points was we are building a caliphate, we are growing, we are winning. they are not winning anymore. they are losing. there have been many stories about having to cut back what they are paying people. they had -- they are beginning to struggle. they are completely incompetent, violence, and psychopathic. ity are incapable of running that does not completely terrorized the local population. it does not succeed in anything. as people see the failure, they

are not willing to follow along with it. that is a good news. the bad news is the ideology, their perverted interpretation of their religion, isn't going away. ideology --reme's it is an extremist ideology. we have to try to keep track of it. al qaeda was in afghanistan. we knocked them out of afghanistan. they wound up in pakistan. many wound up in yemen. we are seeing the same thing from isis. we may be able to beat them down to one place, but the ideology is metastasizing. it is not just a military solution. the military has to be a part of it. these guys are coming after us, our allies. a certain portion is hitting them before they hit us. what we really need is allies in the sunni world willing to leave this fight against these

extremists a western force isn't going to be able to do this. that just feeds into their ideology. their ideology is that they are the ones delivering western aggression. we have had a devil of a time with that. sunniny countries in the /arab world has not stepped up. it is going to be a long-term fight. i don't like the phrase anrpetual war," but it is ideological structure -- struggle. versus civilization violent extremism. violent extremism is not going away any time soon. it is a long-term struggle that is multifaceted. i want to ask you on that the u.s. need both

turkey and kurdish fighters to win this fight against isis. ? how does the u.s. support one without alienating the other? problem ina devilish which i do not have an answer. the most reliable sunni allies we have had are the kurds. they are the ones who have had an effective fighting force primarily responsible for taking that territory from isis in syria and a rock. there are a few problems with that. turkey being the biggest one. turkey and the kurds are still fighting each other. there are still terrorist attacks in turkey by different kurdish groups. turkey sees it does the same. -- ing some way to work

don't know if you can get to peace between turkey and the kurds. we need them both. of course, you have iran fighting against isis, so are other arab states. mixs a very, very twisted in terms of trying to find the right coalition to take on isis. i will emphasize, it has to be locally driven and has to be primarily sunni-driven. to be therates need ones who clearly reject this violent extremism and fight it. >> it would be great if the sunni moderates would step up, but they are not. think weion is, do you need to do anything new, or bigger given the absence of a local, combatant force in iraq and syrian even though they have lost territory?

they still control major population centers. they are growing in libya. should anything change in the current approach? >> we need to keep pushing forward with the current approach. and there are many challenges to it. it may well be that adding some more special forces people into andck and syria -- i syria. situation event of where extremists will once again argue that the west is attacking islam. one of the biggest things that needs to happen is the iraqi government needs to stop shoving the sunnis out of that iraqi government. in iran, it is a major problem. isis.elt threatened by

they need to stop force in the iraqi government to push sunnis aside. if the sunnis felt bested in the baghdad government, we would be more likely to have a partner there would be willing to fight. the reason the sunni military in iraq has joined isis, or refuse to i them, is because the baghdad government, which is it is under by daddy -- not inclusive enough. we need to continue to push on that point. we need to maintain our vigilance to see where various up.nches of isis pop- the basic strategy does not need to change. we need to keep moving on it. alternative is that we need to job 100,000 u.s. troops in the middle of this mess would make it worse, not better.

as for an alternative that is an improvement, stained the current course and trying to improve upon it seems like it is more sense. congressman, next week, your committee will hear from the commander-in-chief in the pacific and the army commander in charge of armed forces there. willgine the conversation deal in large part with north a fourth nuclear test in january and very recently, launched a satellite into space on a rocket that could be used as a delivery system for nuclear weapons. can uss north korea a bit for us? how much is provocation, how much a serious threat? we have a large number of troops still in south korea. what do you make of north korea and its refusal to stop its

nuclear program? i'll have a terribly sophisticated analysis, nor do i think one exists. it is simple and straightforward. north korea is crazy, isolated, and in possession of nuclear weapons and entirely in particular. that makes for a dangerous situation to which there is no easy answer. people have starved to death in north korea. they don't care. they don't care how isolated they are. they are basically living outside of the entire rest of the world and thinking in a way that makes no sense whatsoever to anybody other than them. to predict how they will act, how they will react, how to contain them, extraordinarily difficult to do. i think sanctions make sense. we have to maintain them, try to contain them. we have to make it clear that we .re supporting south korea that any effort to take a

military attack on south korea will be suicide. we have to maintain a deterrent. we have to try as much as possible to work with china. the best relationship with north korea to get china to put pressure on north korea. i will be honest about that. china's greatest fear is that north korea collapses and they are faced with millions of refugees pouring across their borders. they don't have a great incentive to crack the resume -- the regime and leave chaos and north korea. it is a terrible and danger situation that we need to work to contain. i don't think anybody has an answer that is going to solve it. because of all of the problems that i just stated. host: congressman, going back to iraq for a second, i wanted to get your take on the debate happening in the republican presidential primary over the decision to invade iraq in 2003. what is your thought about that debate as it plays out? guest: i have watched on the republican debates. how can you intelligently comment on that?

are just attacking each other ruthlessly and saying one outlandish thing after another. i am not going to comment on their positions on anything. much less in iraq. i don't pretend to understand where they're coming from exec a from one minute to a next. you can ask me about it, what it means, where should we go, i can give you my opinion. i can't give you an opinion on what donald trump and ted cruz are shouting at each other on a regular basis. host: you were here in congress one medivation took place. release2003, a press that you put out after the invasion happened said let us not forget about the countless innocent iraqis who have suffered greatly under the rule of saddam hussein. we must keep their -- our commitment to them once he has removed from power and work for a more safe and prosperous middle east region. have we done that since 2003? guest: we tried. we tried for a long period of

time. i strongly disagree with those who say if we just stuck around a little longer with greater numbers, everything would have worked out. that comes back to my point about how dealing with isis, dealing with all of these crises in the middle east, it has to be locally driven. apart, it iraq fell is not that we made a lot of mistakes. thatunni-shia civil war occurred broke the place in half. when the shia had a chance to build an inclusive government, they chose not to. sentenced to death the highest-ranking sunni government officials. they excised sunnis from the military, government positions. they allow shia militias to, in some cases, carry out genocidal attacks on sunni neighborhoods. i don't think there is anything that the united states can do to fix the sunni-shia split.

we can work with and help those moderates who are there. this is a problem that is driven by their own violent intent and their inability to get along. they are the ones that are going to have to figure out how to fix it. whether we had invaded or not, these problems would undoubtedly exists. you can imagine that if saddam hussein was still there, we would be facing the same type of civil war in iraq that they are facing in syria. as the arab awakening happened. think it is a problem that defies our ability to reach and there and fix it given the centuries of history of violence and discord that exist in the region. congressman adam smith, we have to end it there. thank you for being our newsmaker this week. guest: i appreciate the chance. table,traight to around

john donnelly, want to begin with you. you asked the congressman, should they change in the current approach any rock and syria dealing with the isis threat? he said he basic strategy doesn't need to change. he has not heard a viable alternative area what are the congressman's republican colleagues on the armed services committee saying? are they proposing what i think are viable alternatives? would say it is a false choice that he posits between doing what we are doing now, targeted strikes on the one hand and a mass occupation of 100,000 troops. there are things in between. a variety of things in between. a bite ways amount to more than what we are doing right now. more special forces on the ground. maybe in a little bit more forward positions. loosening the rules of engagement. a big part of the problem is that terrorists are and mashed in urban areas with innocent

civilians. they are doing it on purpose. we are limited -- we are limiting ourselves out of humanitarian reasons in what kind of strikes we conducted some people say let's take the gloves off. those are the things being opposed. republicans say there are a lot more options greater than what we are doing right now. host: do you want to join in? >> the congressman brought up an important point which is having allies, sunni moderates in the middle east lead this fight. that has been the problem. that continues to be the problem. you have heard and described a history of violence between the sunni and shia factions. it doesn't leave you optimistic that this problem will be solved soon. we can do all sorts of things. we can put more special forces and there. we can loosen the rules of engagement. until these countries in the middle east to deal with this on -- youwn, one doesn't

aren't terribly optimistic about -- outcome which is why perpetual war. we are trying to contain things as best we can. that doesn't seem like a long-term solution. >> even if we knocked out of mozilla or falluja, we can keep them out of there, that is where you need to have some kind of sunni investment in this. you are right. it is absolutely -- doesn't look -- host: the other major topic the congressman was talking about with the budget, the president running out fiscal 2017 budget and digging into the details, the dod budget, acquisition reform is something he got into in those discussions. where are we in terms of acquisition reform? is this a place where republicans and democrats in the armed services committee agree? >> i think they do.

anyone who has covered defense for any period of time, every president comes into office declaring they will finally get their arms around the waist and cost overruns. from the get weapons drawing board into the field quickly and cheaply. it never happens. i applaud their efforts. i think they are sincere. this is very difficult, especially when you have programs that are so large. >> what they rarely do is penalize a program by cutting its budget if they don't perform well. take the f 35. last year, they added a bunch of planes. he said the f 35's have been cut back from the president's budget. they have in the air force but they have grown in the navy and the marine corps. the net effect is plus eight. , do better, but here is

more money and do better, becky building them. host: i appreciate your help being our newsmakers this week. ♪ c-span's washington journal live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. morning, tomorrow energy correspondent for the national journal was join us to discuss president obama's 2017 budget which proposes $7 billion for the department of energy to research and develop clean energy technology. be sure to watch c-span's washington journal beginning live at 7:00 a.m. eastern tomorrow. join the discussion. the democratic caucuses were yesterday in nevada where hillary clinton was declared the winner. a few presents have yet to deport us report, but current results of the former secretary with a five percentage point lead over her opponent, bernie sanders. hillary clinton give a victory speech yesterday to supporters

in las vegas. this is 15 minutes. [cheering] hillary clinton: thank you. thank you, nevada. thank you so much. [chanting "hillary"] sec. clinton: thank you, thank you so much. you know, i am so thrilled and

so grateful to all of my supporters out there. some may have doubted, but we never doubted each other. [applause] sec. clinton: and, this one is for you. i want to congratulate senator sanders, in a hard-fought race here. i want to thank each and every one of you. you turned out in every corner of this state, with determination and purpose. hotel and casino workers who never wavered. [applause] sec. clinton: students with too much debt, and small business owners who never go off the clock. [applause] sec. clinton: tens of thousands of men and women with kids to raise, bills to pay, and dreams of that won't die. this is your campaign. and it is a campaign to break

down every barrier that holds you back. they are going to build opportunity in its place, so every american can go as far as your hard work takes you. and for the thousands of volunteers and organizers that worked so hard in the state -- [applause] sec. clinton: to the more than 750,000 people who supported me on hillaryclinton.com, and contributed what you could, the vast majority of giving less than $100, and to the millions of people across our country, who are supporting our campaign, thank you from the bottom of my heart. [applause] sec. clinton: we hear you, we see you, we are incredibly grateful to you, because we are

in this together. we look at our country, and see so much that is not working the way it should. we see grandparents forced to choose between paying rent and buying medicine, because a prescription drug company has raised the price is 5000% overnight. we see african-american families denied mortgages at nearly three times the rate of white families. we see small towns and rural communities impacted by lots jobs and lost hope. we see rising generations of young people coming of age in a world where opportunity things out of reach. worst of all, we see children growing up in poverty or pain or fear. here in nevada, a brave young girl told me how scared she is.

that her parents would be deported. in south carolina, i met children trying to learn in crumbling classrooms and neglected communities. and then there is flint, michigan. where children were poisoned i toxic water, just because their governor one to save a little money. americans are right to be angry. but we are also hungry for real solutions. [applause] sec. clinton: in the campaign, you read a lot about washington and wall street. we also want to get unaccountable money out of politics, which starts with appointing a new supreme justice to the court. [applause] sec. clinton: who will protect the right of every citizen to vote, not every corporation to buy elections.

and we also agree that wall street can never be allowed to threaten mainstreet again. no executives should be too powerful for jail. if we listen to the voices of flint, and ferguson, if we open our hearts to the families, if we listened to the openhearted of hard-working people across america, it is clear there is so much more to be done. the truth is, we are not a single issue country. [applause] sec. clinton: we need more than eight plan for a bank, the middle class needs a raise. we need more jobs. we need jobs that can't be outsourced, jobs of dignity and a future. we can do this by unleashing the innovation of our entrepreneurs and small businesses.

we can do this with new infrastructure, and clean energy, especially here in nevada. [applause] sec. clinton: somebody, some country will be the energy superpower of the 21st century. it will be china, germany, or us, and i wanted to be us. [applause] sec. clinton: we also have to do more to make it easier for parents to balance work and family, and to break down barriers to keep so many people on the sidelines of the economy, especially women. don't you think we have waited long enough? it is time for equal pay for

equal work. [applause] sec. clinton: and all you think it is time to face head-on the reality of racism, and the community? left out and left behind, reforming our criminal justice system, our immigration system during ensuring that people with disabilities have the same opportunities to work and fully participate in our society. [applause] it means, to make sure that nothing holds you back, not debt, not discrimination, nothing. no one can get this done alone, not even the president of the united states. it has got to be the mission of our entire nation. i have never believed that dividing america between us and them. we are all in this together. we all have to do our part. [applause]

sec. clinton: so let me say this to the men and women who run our country. if you cheat your employees, exploit consumers, pollute our environment, or rip off taxpayers, we are going to hold you accountable. [applause] sec. clinton: but, if you do the right thing, invest in your workers, your community, helped build a better america, we are going to stand with you, and go into the future together. we need more jobs, more opportunities. and i want to say this to all the young people out there. i know what you are up against. if you let college, a kind of loans, it is not just about making college more affordable, you need help right now with the

debt you already cap. [applause] sec. clinton: that is why i have a plan, to cap payments so you never have to pay more than you can afford. [applause] sec. clinton: but i want you to think about this. it cannot be just about what we are going to give to you. it has to be about what we are going to build together. [applause] sec. clinton: your generation is the most connected our country has ever seen. in the days ahead, we will propose new ways for more americans to get involved in national service, and give back to our communities, because everyone of us has a role to

play in building the future we want. washington is never going to have all the answers, but for every problem we face, somewhere, someone in america is solving it. we need you to be part of that exciting journey we can make together. we need the community activists to decide about the school board. the entrepreneurs do not leave a hometown that has seen better days. we need millions of teachers and nurses, police officers, firefighters, to make our country a safer, better place. each of us working together, growing together. looking out for one another, and

lifting each other up. there is a basic truth about america, something that bill and i have been the beneficiaries of, that we have tried to contribute to, and while we could to continue. americans can only live up to their potential. each and every american has a chance to live up to your potential, too. imagine, no child growing up with discrimination, or the specter of deportation. every child in every zip code get the education he or she needs and deserves. [applause] sec. clinton: imagine a tomorrow where every parent can find a good job, and every grandparent can enjoy a secure retirement. [applause] sec. clinton: where small businesses try, and big business is played by the rules, giving back to the country who is given them know much. communities are strong. with your help, that is the tomorrow we will build for our country. so please, join us. go to hillaryclinton.com, and be part of the campaign. let's do this together. i and heading on.

[applause] i am on my way to texas. bill is on his way to colorado. the fight goes on. the future that we want is within our grasp. god bless you. [applause]

>> bernie sanders spoke to supporters at his campaign headquarters in henderson, nevada.

[applause] sen. sanders: thank you. sen. sanders: thank you. thank you. thank you. it is -- the support we have received today. a few weeks ago, we were 25 points behind in the polls. and a little while ago, i called up secretary clinton and congratulated her and her staff on the victory here in nevada. they ran an aggressive, effective campaign, and i applaud them for their efforts.

[applause] what this entire campaign has been about is the issue of momentum, the issue of bringing more and more people into politics. when we began in iowa, we were 50 points behind. when we began in new hampshire, we were 30 points behind, and we were way behind here in nevada. what i think is happening, is that as people hear our message, it speaks to the truth of american society today. that is, the fact we have a corrupt campaign finance system which is underminind american democracy. [cheers and applause] sen. sanders: we will not allow billionaires and their super

pac's to continue to buy elections in the united states of america. the american people are catching on, that we have a rigged economy, where ordinary people, working people working two or three jobs, longer and longer hours, and almost all new income goes to the top 1%. if we all vote, we can create an economy that works for all of us, not just the top 1%.

[cheers and applause] sen. sanders: and the american people are catching on, that we have a broken criminal justice system, a system which says today that some kid in vermont or nevada gets picked up with some marijuana, that stays with him his entire life. but if you are a wall street executive and your illegal behavior destroys the economy and the lives of millions of people, somehow nothing happens to you. [boos] sen. sanders: our job is to bring justice back to the criminal justice system.

[cheers and applause] sen. sanders: i want to thank all of our supporters here in nevada. i want to thank our thousands of volunteers, including many of you, for working tirelessly. and i want to thank our staff for the great job they have done. [cheers and applause] here in nevada, like across the country, we are bringing working people and young people into the political process in a way we have not seen for a very long time. [cheers and applause] in a short while, i will be on a plane to south carolina, and then we will be competing in 11 states all across this country

on super tuesday. and i believe, i believe that on super tuesday, we have an excellent chance to win many of those states. [applause] but i also know that on super tuesday and before, we are going to be taking on a very powerful and well funded super pac, a super pac that receives significant amounts of money from wall street and wealthy special interests. [boos] wealthy special interests. [boos] the supporteciate

of the american people, who have been so kind and generous. we have received, at this point, over .7 million individual contributions. [applause] and if people want to help us out, they can do that at berniesanders.com. as i think everyone knows, taking on the establishment, whether it is the financial , whether it is the media establishment, it is not easy. me at our backs,

we have the momentum. [applause] and i believe when democrats assemble in philadelphia in see the are going to results of the greatest political upset in the history of united states. [applause] [chanting "bernie"] mr. sanders: our volunteers, our supporters, thank you all very much. is on to super tuesday. thank you. [applause]

♪

♪ >> we will hear more from bernie sanders later today. -- and his family spoke to supporters in south carolina after being declared the winner. ♪

[cheers] mr. trump: thank you. [chanting u.s.a.] [cheers] mr. trump: well, i want to begin by thanking the people of south carolina. this is a special state. [cheers] mr. trump: thank you. these are special people. we got a little boost last week from the place we all remember, new hampshire. we can't forget it. special, we love it. they sent us in here with a good feeling, right?

very good feeling. i want to thank you. all of these people, volunteers, they travel and go all over. i say, what are you doing? now they're going to texas. some are going to nevada. i will be going to nevada. we're making a big speech tomorrow in atlanta. then we are going right to nevada. i think we are going to do terrific there. the fcc is going to be very exciting. we expect to do very well. [applause] i want to just say thank you to my family. it's been not eas for them. they don't see me anymore. i making speeches all the time. i have a great family. i just wants to thank all of you. [applause] ivanka, we have a hospital ready just in case. in case we are going to have a baby, there is nothing wrong with that. [applause] it could be any second. it could even be before i finish. [laughter]

but she insisted on being here, it was so important on ivanka to be here today. we have a wonderful lieutenant governor, who backed us early in the process. [applause] you know henry, right? the lieutenant governor of south carolina. i will take him over the governor anytime, because we won. [applause] he can handle that very nicely. he is tough. tiffany, eric, laura, and millennia-- say something, go ahead. >> an amazing place, south carolina. my husband is working very hard. and he loves you, we love you.

and to be going ahead to nevada. we will see what happens. he will be the breast president. -- the best president. mr. trump: representing wonderful children, ivanka. >> thank you south carolina. this is an amazing, amazing night. the momentum since the beginning of this campaign has been unbelievable. that is because my father's message resonates so deeply with so many people. our family are incredibly proud. we are incredibly grateful to each of you. thank you for being here to support us. i will say this, my father is incredibly hard worker.

he will be working for each and every one of you. [applause] together we will make america great again. mr. trump: thank you very much. you know, i was watching upstairs. it was really amazing to be watching what i was watching. some of the pundits, overall fair. a number of the pundits said well, if a couple of the other candidates dropped out, if you add their scores together, it's going to equal trump's. [boos] these geniuses -- they are geniuses. they'd understand that as people drop out, i'm going to get a lot of those votes also. you don't just out of them together. -- just add them together. [applause] i think we are going to do very very well. i want to also congratulate the other candidate. in particular, i have to say ted and marco did a really good job. they did quite well, as i understand. [boos] eh, come on, just women it. -- just one minute. tomorrow morning we will be back. i just want to congratulate the

other candidates. there is nothing easy about running for president, i can tell you. it is tough, nasty, it is mean, vicious. it is beautiful. [laughter] when you win it is beautiful. we are going to start winning for our country. [applause] our country doesn't win anymore. we don't win with the military, we can't beat isis. we don't win on trade. you look at what china and japan is doing to us. what mexico is doing killing us at the border, and with trade. mexico is killing us absolutely. we will do the wall, don't worry. we will do the wall. [applause] we will do the wall. and by the way, who is going to pay for the wall? [crowd screams "mexico"]

>> they said, you can't get mexico to pay for the wall. 100% iw ill. the wall is going to cost 10-12,000,000,000 dollars. believe me, they will pay. one of the officials, the x officials from mexico had a news conference. he announced we will not be paying for the wall, who does mr. trump think he is? the press came to me. look at all those cameras back there. [boos] the press came and said they would not pay for the wall, do you have a comment? i said yes, the wall just got 10 feet taller. [applause] i love mexico. i love china. i love many of these countries that rip us off because we have leaders that are incompetent and don't know what they are doing. i love these countries, they are

great. i have thousands of spent. -- thousands of hispanics. i lead with the hispanics in every poll. they love me, i love them. [applause] the problem is that the leaders of these countries, whether it's mexico or japan or the amount, which is doing a big number now -- or vietnam, which is doing a big number now. or china, the greatest abuser country that i have ever seen financially. but what they have done to us is the single greatest theft in the history of the world. they have taken our jobs, money, everything. we are bringing our jobs back, folks. we are going to bring them back. and i know how to do it. we've had so many incredible endorsements. to me, getting the greatest business people to endorse me is important. summary others have endorsed me. we are going to put these great business people in charge of trade.

when china wants to come and negotiate, they are going to negotiate not with a political hack, which is what they have now, they are going to negotiate with the best business minds in the world. we have them in this country. [applause] we are going to do a lot of beautiful work. we are going to terminate obamacare. it's going to be over. it's going to be repealed and it's going to be replaced. you will have much better health care at a much smaller cost. obamacare, if you look -- look at the increases. 25-35, even 55%. it's dead. it's not working. we're going to get to a plan that is so much better and so much less expensive. [applause] second amendment, by the way. this is a room that love the second amendment. loves and cherishes the second amendment. we are going to protect our second amendment.

[applause] totally. we are getting rid of common core. we are bringing education to a local level. the people in this community, every time i see them, they want education locally. the parents, the teachers, they want to do it. they don't want bureaucrats in washington telling them how to educate their children. [applause] we stand as a nation more for education per pupil -- spend as a nation more for education per-pupil. second-place does not even exist, it is so different. and yet, out of 30 countries, we are ranked 30. you have china, norway, sweden, denmark. then you have number 30, the united states.

we spent the most and we are at the bottom of the heap. not going to happen anymore, folks. [applause] we are going to build our military, which i thank. because a number of the pundits watching tonight -- we love our military. [applause] we love our military. by the way, we love our police. our police are terrific. [cheers] they are not being treated properly. we are going to build our military so big, so good, so strong, so powerful, that nobody is going to mess with us, folks. we are going to buy the equipment that our generals, soldiers, and everybody that in the know wants. we are not buying equipment because they have campaigns and

give campaign contributions. we are going to get the equipment that they want, not the equipment they are told to have by senators and congressmen in washington. we are going to have great equipment. [applause] reason i can say that is i am self funding my campaign. i'm not getting millions of dollars. i'm not getting millions of dollars from all of these special interests and lobbyists and donors. once they get it, they literally do whatever the politicians want. that's not going to happen. we're going to take care of our vets. we love them and they are being treated terribly. we are taking care of our vets. [applause] we're now off to nevada. it's a great state. we have great people. we have great people internation. -- in our nation.

no matter where we go. i went to mobile, alabama. 45,000 people. we went to oklahoma recently twice. 20,000 people. no matter where we go, we fill up the arenas. over here the other day we had a 9000, 10,000. we have people -- the only thing that off the crowds are the walls. we cannot get them in. we are to send thousands away. time magazine last week did an incredible cover story. they said it is a movement. and that is what is it is. an incredible movement with incredible people. [chanting u.s.a.] it's an incredible movement with incredible people. whether we go to dallas or anywhere -- l.a. -- anywhere you say, our people are incredible.

what's our theme? you know it right? our theme, which i love, may be the greatest theme of all times. the word eventually is going to come off. we are going to get rid of it. make america great again, right? the last two weeks, i guess illusions when you add them up--billions when you out of them up. the people are so incredible. i've been saying make america great again, and it's going to be greater than ever before. that's the kind of potential we have. greater than ever before. [applause] so i want to thank everybody. i love you all. again, south carolina, we will

never forget you. we will never ever forget south carolina. we will never forget our great volunteers. we love our volunteers. we will never forget the people that helped us so much. folks, let's have a big win in nevada. let's have a big win at the fcc. let's make america great again. thank you very much. [applause] ♪

>> marco rubio beat out ted cruz for second place in the south carolina primary yesterday parents and the rubio spoke to supporters in columbia, south carolina, where he was joined by his family. ♪

[cheers] sen. rubio: thank you very much. thank you. [chanting "marco"] sen. rubio: thank you. first of all i want to begin by congratulating donald trump. we have not had a chance to speak at. he won here tonight. after tonight, this week am a three-person race. and we will win the nomination. [applause] i also, a few moments ago, got to see on tv governor bush in his announcement. i have an incredible affection and admiration not just for governor bush, or for his family and service to the country. [applause]

jeb bush has many things to be proud of. he is an extraordinary husband, extraordinary father, he was the greatest governor in the history of florida. [applause] and i believe and pray that his service to this country has not yet ended. i thank jeb bush for everything he did for the state of florida and for running a campaign based on ideas. i pray for him and his family tonight as they move forward in other endeavors in their life. [applause] tonight in south carolina, the message is pretty clear. this country is now ready for a new generation of conservatives to guide us into the 21st century. [cheering] the time has now come, after eight years of failure, to return to the constitution of

the united states that made us the freest people that ever lived. [applause] the time has now come for leaders that will re-embraced free enterprise, which middle most prosperous people that ever lived. [applause] and the time is come to rebuild our military, because the world is a better, safer, and more stable place when we are the strongest military in the world. [applause] we as a nation have faced troubling times before. fact, 36 years ago, this nation faced a period of doubt. after a failed presidency, it felt like america was in decline. our economy stagnant, and the american dream felt like it was slipping away.

we elected a president that inspired us. a president who asked us to remember who we were and believed, as we do, that america's greatest days always light ahead. ronald reagan-- [cheering] ronald reagan made us believe that it was morning in america again. and it was. well now the children of the reagan revolution are ready to assume new leadership. [applause] those of us that grew up when it was morning in america and ronald reagan was in the white house are ready to do for our generation, the next generation what ronald reagan did for ours. [applause] our principles remain the same. but who are we? the 21st century conservative is

the son of a single mother who grew up in poverty and was almost lost. today, he serves this state as a senior senator, tim scott. [applause] [cheering] sen. rubio: the 21st century conservative movement is the daughter of immigrants from india, who wanted desperately for the children to have all the opportunities they never did.

who faced a string of prejudice, and yet, because the greatness of our coach, today, nikki haley is the governor of a state where it's always a great day. [applause] and the 21st century conservative movement the son of a bartender and maid from cuba, who stands closer to becoming the fifth president of the united states of america. [cheering] [chanting "marco"] sen. rubio: we are a nation and people that celebrate success. we are a nation that admire people that have worked hard and had. as conservatives, we will always celebrate success. we fight for those who are still trying to make it. if tonight, you are that single mother who has made it the purpose of your life to leave

your children better off than yourself. in the 21st century, we conservatives will fight you. -- fight for you. ♪ if you are watching tonight enter that father that works 3 jobs so that your kids can have all the chances you never kid. we conservatives will fight for you. [applause] if you are his high school -- a 17-year-old high school and you want a big future. you get up well before dawn to take buses to a school halfway across town, who gets home halfway late at night, because you know that god made you more then you do. we conservatives will fight for you. [applause] we will fight for you. him from where

we live the way you do now. we know that limited government and free enterprise and a strong national defense is a better way forward for you, need, us, and the united states of america. [applause] tonight, for those watching at home, i ask you to join us. this has been a long road. there have been many people on this campaign when it started. many of whom in any other year would have been a front runner. practically speaking it is down to 3. i know our campaign gives us the best chance not just to come together, to unify our party, but our country, and to grow this movement. [applause]

i ask you to go on our website. if you're watching tonight, go on her website right now, marco rubio.com and join our campaign. [cheering] 60 years ago, a young couple from cuba came to america in search of a new beginning, a second chance. a precious. america change their lives. of course, i'm talking about my parents. [laughter] 10 days ago, their son arrived in south carolina, after a difficult selection in new hampshire in search of a new beginning and a fresh start. many thought it was over. some had doubts about whether we would wind up here, even now. for me, the state of south carolina will always be the place of new beginnings and fresh starts. [applause] god's hand is on everything. whatever god's will is what will

happen ultimately to this country. if it is god's will that i should serve as the 45th president-- [cheering] sen. rubio: if it is god's will that we should win this election, then history will say that on this night in south carolina, we took the first step forward in the beginning of a new american century. thank you south carolina.

thank you, god bless you. [cheering] ♪ [chanting "marco"] [cheering]

>> ted cruz finished third in the south carolina president primary. marcoint behind senator rubio. senator cruz spoke with supporters in campaign headquarters in columbia, south carolina. this is about 10 minutes.

[applause] [chanting ted] sen. cruz: god bless the great state of south carolina. [applause] sen. cruz: friends, once again, we have made history. you, the good people of south carolina, are incredible volunteers. all over the country, continue to defy the pundits, and to produce extraordinary results.

[applause] sen. cruz: let me say a word about governor jeb bush. a man who had a terrific record as governor of the state of florida, who brought job creation and education innovation to the people of florida. a man who ran a campaign based on ideas, based on policy, based on substance. a man who did not go to the gutter and engage in insults and attacks. [applause] sen. cruz: governor bush brought honor and dignity to this race.

tonight, he has suspended his campaign. but heidi and i give our very best to jeff and columba and their entire extraordinary family. we wish them the best, and thank them for that remarkable campaign. [applause] sen. cruz: i want to thank our tremendous team here in south carolina. the congressman. [applause] congressman mark sanders. [applause] sen. cruz: and former attorney general. [applause] sen. cruz: senator lee bright. [applause] sen. cruz: and representative

bill chamblee, and many others. [applause] sen. cruz: and ray nash, and pastor mike gonzalez. [applause] sen. cruz: and heroic volunteers, and all of their seven terrific kids. and the nearly 500 south carolina passengers that endorsed this campaign. [applause]

sen. cruz: first iowa, the new hampshire, now south carolina. we don't know the exact results right now, right now we are effectively tie for second place. but each time, despite expectations, causing the pundits -- [applause] [chanting "ted"] sen. cruz: indeed, the screaming you here right now across the potomac is the washington cartel in full terror that the conservatives grassroots are rising up. [applause] sen. cruz: but before we reflect, let's think of accomplishments.

i would like to pause for a moment of silence in honor of the great man, an american hero, justice antonin scalia sen. cruz: today, i attended justice scalia's funeral. i knew him for 20 years. he was brilliant, principled, faithful, and a ferocious defender of the constitution and the bill of rights. [applause] sen. cruz: as ronald reagan was to the president, so too, was a

justice scalia to the supreme court. [applause] sen. cruz: his passing one week ago today, underscores the enormous stakes of this election. it is not just one, but two branches of government that are at stake. justice scalia's appointment will not be chosen by the washington powerbrokers.

[applause] sen. cruz: it will be decided by we the people. [applause] sen. cruz: this election will be a referendum on the supreme court. i will tell you this, i cannot wait to stand on that debate stage with hillary clinton or bernie sanders, or whatever other socialist they nominate. [applause] sen. cruz: and make a case against their radical beliefs

that would strip away religious liberty and the second amendment, and the basic rights of every american citizen. sen. cruz: in iowa, they said it could not be done, and we won. [applause] sen. cruz: in new hampshire, they said a conservative, a bible believing christian, could not be. we defied expectations. [applause] sen. cruz: and tonight, despite millions and millions of dollars of false and nasty attacks,

despite the entirety of the political establishment coming together against us, south carolina has given us another remarkable response. [applause] sen. cruz: together, iowa, new hampshire, and south carolina tell us three things. first, that conservatives continue to unite behind our campaign. [applause] sen. cruz: if you are a

conservative, this is where you belong, because only one a strong conservative is in a position to win this race. [applause] [chanting "ted"] sen. cruz: second, we are the only campaign that has beaten, and can beat donald trump. [applause] sen. cruz: that is why donald relentlessly attacks us, and ignores all the other candidates. now i congratulate donald on his victory tonight, but i will say this to the people of america, if you do not believe that donald trump is the best candidate to run against hillary clinton in november, if you believe we need a strong contrast with the democrats, [applause] sen. cruz: then we welcome you aboard our team. we welcome you to be part of the over 200,000 volunteers, and the over 980,000 volunteer contributions at ted cruz.org. join us at tedcruz.org. [chanting "ted"]

sen. cruz: and the third lesson about new hampshire and south carolina is that only one candidate remain as a consistent conservative. other candidates engage in nonstop personal attacks. we have not and we will not respond. [applause] sen. cruz: there is a reason other candidates resort to insults, and it is that they cannot defend the substance of their record. [applause] sen. cruz: there is only one candidate who has led the fight against sanders. [applause] sen. cruz: who has led the fight against obamacare. [applause]

sen. cruz: who has led the fight to defend life and marriage and religious liberty. [applause] sen. cruz: who has led the fight to protect our right to keep and bear arms under the second amendment. [applause] sen. cruz: who will fight to pass a simple -- and abolish the

irs. only one candidate has stood up to the corrupt deal-making in washington, said no to the corporate welfare, and indeed, only one candidate took on the ethanol mandate in iowa, and won. [applause] sen. cruz: as president, i will rebuild our military. [applause] sen. cruz: stand unequivocally with the nation of israel. [applause]

sen. cruz: and utterly destroy isis. [applause] sen. cruz: together, we will secure the borders and keep america safe. [applause] sen. cruz: and i give you my solemn word, that every justice i appoint to the supreme court will be a principled constitutionalist who will be faithful and will vigorously protect the fundamental rights of our children and grandchildren. [applause] sen. cruz: when i look at our young daughters, caroline and catherine, i know that i will fight with every breath in my body. to ensure that they enjoy the same fundamental liberty that all of us have been blessed to inherits. -- inherit. [applause] sen. cruz: it is why i fight, it is why everyone here fights, because we love our children, and we will not go quietly into the night or give up on a brighter america. [applause] sen. cruz: and now, the race turns to nevada, and the super tuesday, and the so-called fcc primary.

iowa, new hampshire, and south carolina have given the voters a clear, defined choice. you could go with the washington dealmakers, or we can stand together with a proven, consisting, constitutional conservative, and bring back morning in america. [applause] [chanting "ted"] sen. cruz: each of you is amazing, and together, we will win the republican nomination. [applause] sen. cruz: we will beat the democrats in november.

[applause] sen. cruz: and we will restore this last, best hope of mankind that is the united states of america. thank you, and god bless you. [applause] [no audio] [applause]

>> jeb bush announced in south carolina that he is suspending his presidential campaign. in colombia after a fourth-place finish -- finish, his remarks 14 minutes.

♪ ♪ [applause] mr. bush: thank you, thank you very much. thank you, thank you lindsay. when i began this journey in

-- this is going to be short and sweet. thank you, very, very much. [applause] sen. graham: to jeb bush, and his family, thank you for running a race for the presidency that we can all be proud of. [applause] sen. graham: thank you jeb, for being one of the most decent, thoughtful man i have ever met. ladies and gentlemen, my friend for life, governor jeb bush. [applause] gov. bush: thank you, thank you very much. thank you, thank you lindsay.

when i began this journey in miami, i committed to campaigning as i served, going everywhere, speaking to everyone. keeping my word, facing the issues without flinching, and staying true to what i believed. for the better part of a year, i endeavored to do exactly that. i have put forth a vision for america that includes all, because our country deserves a president for everyone. the presidency is bigger than any one person. it is certainly bigger than any candidate. we are different in our country, as our head of state is not above us. but because the head of state, the people who aspire to presidency, or part of the people, part of a government by the people and for the people, we elect a president like us, imperfect under god's watchful eye. i have had a front row seat in this office for most of my adult life.

i've seen fallible man rise to this office with humility and clarity of purpose, to make our nation safer, stronger, and for your. i firmly believe the american people have entrusted this office to someone who understands that lever hold is a servant, not the master. someone who will commit to that service, with honor and decency. our next president will lead an extraordinary country, whose people have always made the improbable possible. in big ways and small. every day, america sets the boundaries of freedom and achieves more than they ever could have drinks. but over the last seven years, our nations bright light has become little more than a fli cker. we have retreated from the world stage. the american values that have brought peace and opportunity are fading. that is not the america we know and love. america is a country that thinks big, act boldly, and lead without apology. it will be up to the next

president to restore that kind of leadership. i am proud of the campaign we have run to unify our country. to advocate conservative solutions, that would give more americans the opportunity to rise up and reached their god-given potential. but the people of iowa in new hampshire and south carolina have spoken, and i really respect their decision. so tonight, i am suspending my campaign. yes. thank you. [applause] gov. bush: i congratulate my competitors that are remaining on the island, on their success for a race that has been hard-fought. just as the contests for the presidency should be, because it is a tough job. in this campaign, i have stood my ground, we have put forward

details, innovative conservative plan to adjust the mounting challenges we face. because, despite what you might have heard, ideas matter, policy matters -- [applause] gov. bush: and i truly hope that the ideas will serve as a template for conservative leaders at every layer of government so we can take back our country. we laid out plans on everything from performing tax regulatory system to reviving our economy, to rebuilding our military, and fixing the va once and for all. finally, i am so grateful to senator lindsey graham of south carolina here for his extensive work [applause]

gov. bush: and his amazing humor. he stole the line that i am now saying, that he has become a friend for life. i think all of the alumni that have helped going door-to-door across the country, who have put their lives on hold for this cause. i want to thank my mom and brother who came here to south carolina. america truly loves them and respect them, and so do i. [applause] gov. bush: i want to thank all of my family. [applause] gov. bush: and to my dad west served as an inspiration to me, is the greatest man alive. [applause]

gov. bush: i want to thank all of the volunteers and supporters that i have met along this incredible journey, and to all the fellow grinders on our campaign, our staff, who never, ever gave up. [applause] gov. bush: i have had an incredible life, and for me, public service has been the highlight of that light. -- life. no matter what the future holds, this is the best landing you can imagine. i am going to sleep with the best friend i have, and the love of my life. [applause] gov. bush: and i am totally

blessed to be the father of three extraordinary children, and as you might know, four near-perfect grandchildren. i am blessed to say i am living the greatest country in the world has ever known. i remain optimistic, and with the right kind of leadership we all need to make it happen, america will be safer ahead. with strong conservative leadership, republicans can win the white house, and we can get back to having this as the best time to be alive. i look forward to working with you to make that dream come true. i will do it as a private citizen, just as you are. thank you for the opportunity to run for the greatest office on the base of the earth. -- face of the earth. i love you all, god bless you. thank you. [applause] ♪

dakota.