Skip to main content

tv   Key Capitol Hill Hearings  CSPAN  March 3, 2016 12:54am-2:02am EST

12:54 am
the obama administration's drawdown of u.s. land forces to its lowest level since world war ii. and then thomas hanks will talk about voting integrity in the upcoming election. these are to watch "washington journal," live beginning at 7:00 a.m. eastern tomorrow morning. join the discussion. >> former 2012 residential candidate mitt romney talks about his party's current field of candidates thursday. we bring you his remarks live from the university of utah at 11:30 a.m. eastern on c-span3. thursday from the american conservative union's annual political action conference, remarks by national rifle association president wayne lapierre. that begins at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3. this weekend, the c-span
12:55 am
cities tour takes you to anaheim, california to explore the city's history and literary culture. on booktv. >> the idea came from my editor at the time. i wasn't of funded by the idea, but i did not want to do it because i didn't think anyone would care. in journalism, you want the stories where people will care. you don't care if they like you or hate you, as long as they are reading. he kept insisting and we needed to fill in a space in the paper that week. i said, ok fine. i will go back. he said, it will only be one time. it will be a satirical column. people went absolutely nuts for it. some people loved it and some people hated it. more important than anything else, people were caring.
12:56 am
on my blog andd they started sending in questions immediately. >> and on american history tv. >> john and his partner go up to san francisco, where is a lot of the german immigrants are located. and they are actually able to -- i find it very shocking -- but they are able to convince 50 nobody was am farmer and only one person had any background in wine making, to give up their businesses and come to anaheim. so, their first action after they formed the los angeles vineyard society, was to hire george hanson to be there superintendent. wasob was to -- his job to bring the irrigation here, layout the plant site, and lay out grapevines. citiesh the cspan'
12:57 am
tour. the c-span cities tour, visiting cities across the country. >> house democratic leader nancy pelosi held her annual women's history month reception to honor women veterans, including retired brigadier general. michelle obama and house republican conference chair representative cathy mcmorris rodgers also took part in the ceremony. this is one hour. >> ladies and gentlemen. please welcome the democratic leader of the house of representatives, the honorable nancy pelosi on the chairwoman for the house of republican conference. and our honored guest, brigadier , and theilma l boss
12:58 am
first lady of the united states, michelle obama. [applause] >> good afternoon, everyone. thank you all for joining us for this annual celebration of women's history month. each month we gather as members of congress and friends to lift up the legacy of every woman who has stepped forward to expand and defend freedom throughout our history. the oath of office we take as members of congress is to
12:59 am
support and defend the constitution and the american people. last year, as many of you know, we honored four women supreme court justices who support and defend the constitution with their wisdom. today we are privileged to pay tribute to honor the women who support and defend the constitution and the american people with their heroism, american women's veterans. [applause] today it is such an honor to be joined by two of our nation's greatest champions. our magnificent first lady, michelle obama. [cheers and applause] dr. joeoutstanding biden. [applause] madam first lady and dr. biden,
1:00 am
thank you for your leadership in creating the initiative to power our service members, veterans, caregivers, and families. as we celebrate all women we are proud to be honoring one woman veteran in particular. wilma l.rinter general u.s. air force. [applause] a trailblazing woman who gave torly 31 -- 30 years service. one of the first women to become brigadier general. [applause] deploy with an to strategic air command meant bombardment wing with operational deployment. one of the most decorated women
1:01 am
in american history. now she is president emeritus of the women in military service for america memorial foundation. keep that in mind. [laughter] we have a slight change in our scheduled program. your program shows dr. biden speaking later in the program but after 340 days in space astronaut scott kelly has come back to earth, landing in kazakhstan late last night to -- last night. it is longest time an american astronaut has spent in space and it is an historic achievement. [applause] personal fort is us in the connection of scott kelly's brother, mark kelly, also an astronaut and husband of our colleague gabrielle
1:02 am
giffords. [applause] ms. pelosi: we always like to associate ourselves with greatness one way or another. dr. biden must be -- leave early in time to help welcome captain kelly home on behalf of all americans. please send him our congratulations. we thank you for making time for this gathering and it is my privilege to welcome dr. jill biden. [applause] good afternoon, everyone. thank you so much, leader pelosi for hosting today's event and for your injuring commitment to and sacrificed so much for our country. let me start by apologizing as the leader said for leaving a little early and as leader pelosi said i have the honor of
1:03 am
traveling to houston to welcome home after not scott kelly. from the year in space. we are so proud of scott kelly and it is going to be a really special celebration. will be joined by scott's twin brother and members of his family. as part of our joining forces education initiative, i have invited three military connected students from aberdeen high school in maryland to travel with me to two or the johnson space center and welcome home retired navy captain scott kelly area -- scott kelly. [applause] i want to show the students that if they work hard and if they dream big, there is no limit to where they can go. and it is always a pleasure to
1:04 am
spend time with our first lady, michelle obama, who works tirelessly for military families and i am proud to call her my friend and my partner in joining forces. i would also like to thank the chair of the house republican mcmorrise, kathy rodgers for her leadership and support of our military families. [applause] generaln: and he dared -- brigadier general bought, we are truly honored in your presence. you are an inspiration. madame later, in 2010 you awarded the congressional gold medal to the first woman who --
1:05 am
to flight u.s. military planes. the women air force service pilots or wasps went overlooked for too long so you along with sureipartisan group made made sure that their service was acknowledged. we continue our commitment to honoring and supporting our women veterans. it is because of those women the brigadierlike general and so many of you here today that michelle and i started our joining forces initiative in the first lace. michelle and i talked back on election night in 2008 about how the two of us could work together to serve those courageous americans the way they have served each and every one of us.
1:06 am
together, the first lady and i traveled all across the country starting the dialogue with service members and their loved ones. to hear what kinds of support when needed and what kinds of advocacy could make the greatest difference. what we heard during those conversations was very similar from what we hear today from all american families. they want to ensure that their kids have a good education, that their family has the health care that they deserve, and that they have the opportunity to have a good paying job. as a military mom, and a lifetime educator, i also understand on a personal level how essential it is for teachers to the trained to support the children of service members.
1:07 am
it was very personal for the biden family when our son was deployed to iraq in 2008. his teacher put a picture of his unit alongside the door to the classroom so every time natalie, -- granddaughter natalie's class would walk into the classroom they would be reminded that natalie's daddy was fighting a war. similarly, michelle and i know that some of the most talented, hard-working, resourceful employees in the country are veterans and military spouses. for many military families education and implement opportunities are essential. studies show that women veterans are more likely to get a college education. yet, less than a quarter of women veterans use their g.i. bill benefits.
1:08 am
it is so important that we ensure women veterans have the tools and the resources they need to succeed. because a new job or degree can empower a veteran and her family. it gives them their shot at the american dream and they had earned nothing less. in the five years since michelle and i have joined -- launched the joining forces, more and more businesses have stepped up and hired more than 850,000 veterans and military spouses. [applause] dr. biden: because here is what we know. our servicemen and women are among the most highly skilled workers in this country. discipline, work
1:09 am
ethic, it is in their blood, it is who they are. educationns of higher half in making some big strides in helping veterans succeed on campus. 850 governors in city and county officials are working to end veteran homelessness in their communities. and many have already done it. michelle and i intend to continue pushing forward on this work for our remaining time in the white house and beyond. and we hope that all of you here today will join us to show the members of our military and veteran families that we stand by all of those who are willing to do so much to sacrifice everything for the good of our great nation.
1:10 am
thank you again for having me here today. have a wonderful women's history month. ourbless our troops, veterans, and their families. thank you. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the honorable cathy mcmorris rodgers. ms. mcmorris rodgers: good afternoon. it is an honor to join everyone and thank you for being here. i certainly want to recognize later for lizzie as a trailblazer herself, as the first woman female speaker. [applause] five, grandmother of
1:11 am
nine, and it is an honor for me to be able to be here with the first lady michelle obama and dr. biden, and i have the pleasure of cochairing the military family caucus with san ford bishop and we spent a lot of time together as we were thinking through priorities and it is great to be on the stage certainlyoday and recognizing general baught. to miss the reminders of great women before us. we follow their lead, remember their struggles, and enjoy the rights and freedoms that they have helped to secure. so often we talk about the past but women's history month provides us an opportunity to challenge people to think about those who live today and create history for the next generation. today, we honor women who dream
1:12 am
and accepted the call to serve our country and protect our freedom. william --general wilma [indiscernible] in 1980 became the first woman selected for promotion to brigadier general in the comptroller career field. whoonor another young woman 1984 joinedlater in the air force and made the personal decision, she was going to be the first female fighter pilot if and when the ban was lifted. was lifted us young woman faced another hurdle, a challenging environment in which she was often the only woman in everyoneand where not in the room wanted her to succeed. i working hard improving her
1:13 am
abilities she not only met that goal, she became the first woman to command a fighter squad earned in combat, in charge of a 44 fighter aircraft and personnel responsible for deploying anywhere in the world in 24 hours. during her military service she flew three to 25 combat hours and was awarded the bronze star. among other commendations. she broke down the barriers, faced hostility, and was tremendously successful in a male-dominated field but it is important to remember that success was not just because she was a woman. it was because of her leadership and her results. that young woman is our friend and congressman martha mcsally. [applause] martha is one of the historic thefor women, i see many in
1:14 am
room serving in these halls of congress. and making history in our own way. while we come from different backgrounds and have different disagreements at times, we have one thing in common. we are raking down barriers for our daughters and their daughters' daughters. from the first woman to present their state to women who have made dramatic care -- career changes from the trailblazers to innovators to pass it -- passionate advocates for the voiceless. two lifelong public servants and women who went from secretary to the corner office. you.nor you and we thank all of us in leadership positions are showing two girls around this country that with hard work, they can achieve anything. no dream is too big, no goal to far-fetched. what i believe as a lawmaker is what i believe as a mother of
1:15 am
two young girls. we should not be defined by where we come from. -- bypowered but wait what we can become. let's focus on a bright future for every american, especially women to live courageously, follow their hearts, see potential, leave in ourselves, and be risktakers. you all have made a difference in the world and left a mark so every american can feel safe and secure in their lives in the future. and where women can keep making history for years to come. thank you very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, brigadier general wilma l. vaught, united states air force.
1:16 am
[applause] brigadier gen. vaught: it is a privilege indeed to be here they to be representing veterans, the women veterans who have served our country. i decided what i was going to talk about today is how history affected my life. i graduated from high school in a small school in illinois in june of 1948. and little did i realize that in june of 1948, the legislation was being signed into law that said women could be full-fledged members of the military. and i can tell you if i had known it it would not have meant a thing to me. [laughter] and as i -- so as i think about
1:17 am
this, as i think about graduating from this small school of about 56 students in the high school, my class was the largest ever graduated, 24, 12 boys, 12 girls. needless to say as i think about who, i wonder sometimes, would ever have dreamed that in about 80 years i would be standing here in front of you. not me. [applause] afterier gen. vaught: graduating from the university anillinois, working for atomic energy company for about five years, i received a letter from an army recruiter telling me that i could get a commission and i could manage and supervise and that is what i wanted to do. so i joined the air force.
1:18 am
what can i say? [laughter] brigadier gen. vaught: and when i think back to that time in 1957, when i think about the opportunities open, number one, position,one colonels only one that i could compete for, the director of women in the air force. -- thinkld not be about becoming a general because the law said that women could not be generals or admirals so that was out. the laws i think about that passed in 1948 said we were limited to 2% of the force and at that time we were .7 of 1%. by 1967 during the vietnam war that law was changed. the limit was taken away, the 2% limit and the restriction on
1:19 am
promotions was taken away. think at that point in my life 10 years after i had gone in, i immediately thought, i am going to be a general. i did not. as a matter of fact, i went to vietnam instead. about 1971 tonk 1973 and at that time, women did not get the same benefits as men in the service, if you got married he could not get an id card, could not go to the base exchange, the commissary, any of those things, and one of our air force first the tenants sue the secretary of defense and said that she was being discriminated against. and she was advised that she would surely win. she did not. she lost. that case got picked off -- up by ruth bader ginsburg.
1:20 am
[applause] brigadier gen. vaught: who took to the supreme court and that was her first supreme court victory. and she is very proud of it. and that opened the door to other lawsuits. opened toow rotc got women, lawsuits by women saying they were discriminated against. there were four women suing over the academies being close to women. they sued about women being forced to leave the service on the day that they were diagnosed as being pregnant. ify sued the principal that women had children in their household, they had to get out. they sued about that. and they won all those lawsuits
1:21 am
and things changed. some of those things did not apply to me because i never had children and i never was married, but you could not help but be aware of the changes that were taking place in women having greater opportunities. 1980, i was promoted to brigadier general. as she said. and at that same year, when you think about history, that was the year in that timeframe that the va discovered that, my goodness, we have a lot of women veterans and we are not doing our facilities for women veterans. we do not have the right kind of doctors. we do not have the right kind of facilities. then andarted changing has been changing ever sense, and we have the members, particularly the women members of congress for -- to thank for
1:22 am
many of those changes. [applause] brigadier gen. vaught: and another thing happened. think2, that you would was not particularly important but it was. that was when the first history of women in the military was ublished by major general jean holm, air force, retired. been a revolution. and i do not know that it is finished at. -- yet. for the first time, here i am now, a brigadier general of two years and for the first time, i was able to read this history of women in the military. retired as a brigadier general, and i remember it well. there were seven women generals
1:23 am
or admirals, seven, and i was the ranking one, a brigadier general. and when i think about today, we women, twofour-star army, generals, and one in the navy as a four-star. we have come a long way. [applause] brigadier gen. vaught: so i returned to washington, d c wondering what in the world i was going to find to do because i intended to keep working. that mary did i know [indiscernible] who was a congresswoman and wereor frank murkowski busy doing something that was going to influence my life. because they were working to get legislation passed to build a memorial honoring all the women who had ever served.
1:24 am
and they got it passed and signed into law. [applause] in 1985, gen. vaught: and frank murkowski lost daughter is now -- frank murkowski's daughter is now in the congress. i was asked in december of 1986 to be on the board, and in january, 1987, i joined the there were only five general officers or admirals in the area. and i knew the others were not going to do this and i felt one of us had to do it so i said i would. intended to do what generals do so well, make comments. got a phone call , i was sitting at home and one of the members of the board said
1:25 am
why were you not at the meeting? i said what meeting? she said the board we are on. i said i forgot about it. what did you do? she said, we elected officers. you are the new president. was 29 years ago. this month. so, the first year i had to think through this because i was not sure if we should build a memorial because we had worked very hard to integrate ourselves as women with the men and should we build a memorial that is -- that segregated women and i finally decided as i began to talk particularly to the world war ii women who had served, this was something we had to do. and, you know, when you think about the women, going back to the american revolution and at
1:26 am
that time, there were 1.8 million unrecognized women say, why and you might didn't anybody see them, why were they invisible? because nobody ever asked them to tell their story. the books were written about the men. they did not even write about the nurses. and that is the way it was. so i felt we have to do this, and so we had to build it, and it had to tell the story and pay tribute to the women. you do not do these things alone. i had a lot of help. there was a man that many of you murtha,t was here, jack in getting it done. [applause] brigadier gen. vaught: and after we got it done, we still needed a little help. and jerry lewis from california one ada millerda
1:27 am
mcdonald -- juanita miller mcdonald said we had to support this for $5 million year and i said we do not need $5 million. i was wrong. but she got us $1 million a year and then what did she do but get cancer and she died and i can tell you i went to her funeral. because she was the greatest supporter that i had. and she started something that exists today because she started the caucus of congressional dayn to come every memorial timeframe and put a wreath at the memorial and they have done it every single year, and they are -- [applause] brigadier gen. vaught: and corinne brown, who is sitting
1:28 am
right over here and sheila jackson lee was another of those women who had, they were friends juanita miller mcdonald and they were there. we still do that. as i think about the help we had, we had other help, too. first lady by the bush helped. first lady hillary clinton helped. health with the dedication and a little bit beyond that. and as stated previously, jill and jillchelle obama, biden have helped. and since that time through the and michelles
1:29 am
obama hosted us at a tea party. i reminded her of something she did not know. eleanor roosevelt had invited at her house and i asked her if they still served tea at the white house. and they do. [applause] [applause] e} and they did. we had 150 people there and it was wonderful. thank you again. have always also had help i never saw and i did not know her name was leader pelosi until today. amazing what you can learn. leader nancy pelosi pelosi. every time i think i ever saw her, she acknowledged my presence and wanted to know what she could do to help.
1:30 am
i do not think i ever answered that question. i should have. i will think about that. in closing, from 1948 through -- they wanted to do what they could to serve their when they served in the military in world war i, they were not military like the men, they were reservist and world war ii they were in the reserve for the duration plus six months. they couldn't be thinking about a career in the military until 1948 when women finally became
1:31 am
official members of the military. when you think about that, we have come a long way since then. women have always been volunteers in a guess we will be until they decided draft us and if they do we are americans, too and we will want to serve our country. were taken in in 1901. --y were not formed by the like the men's course. the women to back it ranks. the reason they didn't is at the mail numbers said women should up the ordering men around. women have been ordering men around since the beginning of time. now we are up to 3 million women
1:32 am
veterans. every single woman veteran can be registered at the memorial. at the moment we'll have about 269,000 registered. in a long way to go. thatt you to know that young marine reservist who was killed in woodbridge has been registered already. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, democratic leader, nancy pelosi.
1:33 am
>> thank you general for your exceptional leadership on behalf of military women. wasn't that something? oh my gosh. whatever you want. that januaryo say , after 29 years, i retired. my replacement is here, major .eneral dean mcwilliams where are you? right there. she gets all of the worries now. >> the both told me that they
1:34 am
need their money to pay the rent . i know that i speak for some -- i say you onhere earth with your presence. i think ms. rogers for joining us and saluting veterans in the celebration. thank you for your inspirational message, as well. [applause] generationpost-9/11 represents a largest generation of women to ever serve in the military. any women faced broad and manyiminatory barriers
1:35 am
women come home to a society that does not recognize their service and heroism. invisibleten they are veterans. and arean inspiration changing the face of courage in .merica they honored guests here today are a testament to the 2 million women veterans. thank you to the washington, d.c. mayor. air force general deborah james. the american legion director, miss jones. dole.nator elizabeth the
1:36 am
establish the elizabeth dole foundation. the v.a. secretary bob mcdonald for encouraging women veterans to come forward. thank you. we are glad to support the initiative toe ensure that women veterans get the recognition and support that they deserve. >> we know there are women veterans serving in the congress on both sides of the aisle on both sides of the capital. senator joni ernst, congresswoman gabbert, congresswoman duckworth.
1:37 am
we have many friends from the veterans department would joined us as well. mcdonald, tim wall. thank you for your service. we continue to act on our sacred responsibility that the military leave nobody behind on the battlefield when they come home. we need to leave no veterans .ehind at the women's federal memorial carved in class cry out the words of the army nurse from world war ii words that define the mission and embody our purpose here today. , let the generations
1:38 am
know that women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom. [applause] privilege to present a woman who has inspired millions with grace and strength of her leadership, first lady, michelle obama. [applause] not yet, not yet. [laughter] i am milking this for all it is worth. power of her positions to lift up the extraordinary service. the first lady is ensuring that the courage and sacrifice of those that serve and that of center oflies are the the national conversation. she's helping to ensure that military men and women to the full respect that they deserve, now.
1:39 am
please join me in welcoming, the first lady of the united states, michelle obama. [applause] >> thank you. good afternoon. it is truly a pleasure and an honor to be with you all today. we will give ourselves a round of applause. just one month. i want to start by thanking leader pelosi for that kind introduction and for hosting us here today. i want to thank her for her outstanding leadership, every day in congress. i do not get the chance to visit capitol hill all that often but when the leaders invited to me,
1:40 am
i was delighted to accept. like so many of you i am a big fan of our leader, nancy. she has been such an extraordinary leader and advocate on so many important issues including supporting those who serve our country and i'm so grateful to her for everything she has done. >> i also want to thank jill who has been an outstanding partner in joining forces for so many years. we could not have got so much done if it were not for our friendship and partnership. i also want to thank chairwoman mcmorris rodgers for her terrific work is been a tremendous partnership and of
1:41 am
course, i want to recognize the brigadier general. history of women in the military and veterans that happens to be her life. one of the most inspiring women i have ever met. every time i see her i tell her that i want to be just like her. generations of women in the military. every person across america.
1:42 am
she is working tirelessly although she is retiring. intoas put so much effort honoring women and women veterans. i am so proud to be here today to honor her for her extraordinary service to this country. thank you so much. thank you to brilliant and fearless woman, more than 200,000 women are serving our country in ranks. army ranger school, they are awesome. as you have already heard, they will soon be welcome in every combat unit in our armed forces. there is so much progress to
1:43 am
celebrate. we also know that our women in really 3- it is plenty, they still face of challenges as they serve this country and then transition act to civilian life. is thatking reality many women veterans do not self identify as veterans. as a result, too many miss out on the benefits that come with serving this country. 10 women veterans take advantage of their g.i. bill. she mentioned that three quarters of women veterans do not use the v.a. health care system at all. at first, statistics like these might seem surprising, folks might wonder how could these women serve with such honor and
1:44 am
hesitate to even discuss that service when they come home. when you meet these women and hear their stories to begin to understand why they might he reluctant to tout their status as veterans. take the story of captain brown. yearill celebrate her 17th in the army in may. she's been deployed to iraq and served as a cup a commander but when she decided to reenlist after spending time in civilian life. many asked her how she could possibly put her career ahead of her responsibilities as a mom. a question they would not dream of asking male colleagues. then there is the specialist, kate toyed to is with us today, rocking a great jacket. armyserved as an photojournalist in iraq, documenting more on the front convoys --ing in
1:45 am
riding in convoys and taking cover from mortar fire. when she locked into a local v.a. organization, they took one look at her and offered her an application for military spouses. the executive director is here with us today and i love her to death. she is awesome. she would not acknowledge yourself like many of you do not do. she has served in the air force. she is the first female thunderbird pilot and is flown over two dozen combat missions. this is what nicole shared with us during the meeting. she said when she would tell people that she was a fighter pilot they often would not believe her. she would get into this back-and-forth thing and they
1:46 am
would say, yes i am, no i am not , so finally she would just say, google me. every single female servicemember can sell stories like these. stories of misguided questions outdated assumptions and interactions with folks who for one reason or another one to believe they cannot just as well as a man. that theyan all agree are sacrificed so much and have served so bravely they should never have to a side -- either a competence. never half to hide their competence. they should beginning every single one of the benefits they have earned. that is why i am so proud that
1:47 am
my husband and this administration has worked with so many folks in this room to funding at unprecedented levels. benefitshelp expand particularly the women veterans. that is why, over the past seven 2700 health trained care providers in women's health and established a women's health provider at every the a medical center in the country -- every v.a. medical center in the country. that is why we have a staff made entirely of women discuss benefits and provide referrals to women veterans and their families. we know that government alone cannot close this gap. we all have to play the role in honoring and supporting our men
1:48 am
veterans. step up and do our part. today, i want to challenge everyone to take action on behalf of women veterans. it's not just talk about it. if you are a member of congress, so money here are already doing, work with us to ensure they get the support that they deserve. go back to your states and districts, find these veteran service members and connect veteran families to benefits and opportunities that they have
1:49 am
earned. if you are a ceo or hiring manager or hr director, raise the bar and commit to employing more women veterans. as you have heard they are some of the most skilled and dedicated workers you could ever have and bringing them on board isn't just the right thing to do it is the smart thing to do for your bottom line. if you are a health care provider, make it your point to ask all of your patients if they have served. if you are a reporter, a publisher, or an editor, tell the stories, they are amazing. sure that folks understand that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. finally, if you are a woman worn thisf you have country's uniform and serve so bravely, i want to ask you to stand tall and share your story. i know that so often you are trained to focus in your team and missions and not yourself. that is part of the challenge. as the music indicates -- [laughter]
1:50 am
also tell you this. those years in the military help to develop skills that uniquely set you apart. my own eyesit with as i met with our military members and veterans across the country and our spouses. they are amazing individuals. our service you learn what it means to be a real leader. how to work with all kinds of people in all situations, including challenging life or death situations that many of us could not imagine. so if you learn how to load weapons onto multibillion-dollar perform thehow to most complex high-tech analyses using the most cutting edge technology. all of you learned how to build missionnd complete any
1:51 am
in front of you know matter what it takes. like the general has been doing. you have to tell your own stories. they are so worth telling. girls, daughters, and granddaughters need to hear them. when people hear about your theyce and sacrifice, once see how patriotic you are, trust me. i have seen it. they will slowly, but surely start to get what we have got. you all are amazing. tell them about the extraordinary things you have done to protect us and keep us safe. have yourwe will
1:52 am
back, every last one of us. , we allave social media have access to facebook, twitter and instagram and we can all use the women's #to lift up your stories in the way that they should be. if we keep doing our part to celebrate these heroes, if we all keep joining forces and i am confident begin serve our men and women in uniform as well as they have served this country and that is the least we can do to honor them for everything they have done on our behalf. so want to continue by once again thanking our service members and women, our veterans -- it has been an honor to serve you. it is been one of the great gifts of being first lady. to give you voice and honor you.
1:53 am
as jill said, we will keep doing this work after we leave the white house. thank you, and god bless you. >> again, are we blessed to have had the presence of the first lady here today? today, we have gathered here in the heart of our democracy, in the halls of congress. above us, the star-spangled banner flies in honor. from time to time we represent outstanding individuals with
1:54 am
flags that have flown above the capital. rarely do we do so in statuary hall in the presence of such distinguished guests. first lady -- i don't know if you can to the second lady, the first lady of the knotted states and dr. jill biden. now, the flag that flew over the capital on january 1, 2016. the day that she retired from the memorial foundation. recognition of her service, in the presence of the first lady and so many members of congress, it is our honor to honor all of you in presenting brigadier general wilma of the u.s. air force with this flag. god bless you, general.
1:55 am
and god bless america. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, following third up archer, please enjoy refreshments here at statutory hall.
1:56 am
[inaudible]
1:57 am
>> coming up on c-span, house energy committee on the bioethics and fetal tissue donation. then remarks by the german foreign minister. journal, newington york republican congressman chris gibson and minnesota democratic commerce meant tim walz -- democratic congressman tim walz talk about their opposition -- chair of election commission, thomas hicks, will talk about voting integrity in the upcoming election. join the discussion. republican012 residential candidate met romney talks about his current field of candidates thursday. we will bring you his remarks to
1:58 am
utah at salt lake city on c-span three. thursday, from the american conservative union, the political action conference, remarks by national rifle association president wayne lapierre. we will bring at life from the international harbor in maryland starting at 1:00 p.m. et on c-span three. many of my former books were horizontal studies. many countries across a whole region. the balkan coast covering a minimum of six countries. here i look at one country in depth and a use it to explore a great theme. the holocaust, the cold war, the challenge of plumbing or putin. speaking moldova
1:59 am
have a longer border with ukraine and even poland has. to study romania is to study the legacy of empires. "in europe's of about thee talks and the struggle to regain democracy. >> it was an extremely corrupt country because it endemic we had weak institutions. is, this isows nothing new. what is happening is, the grown uppopulation has and become far more sophisticated and is demanding clean government. it is the number one demand. .> sunday night >> book tv has 48 hours of
2:00 am
nonfiction books and authors every weekend. .aturday night >> the first sentence of the book is the history of american conservatism is a story of disappointment and the trail. >> afterwards, the syndicated columnist discusses the history of conservative politics in his book of why the right went wrong . he is interviewed by a cohost of the fox news channel's the five. coming up sunday, in depth with jane mayer. her most recent book is dark money, the hidden history of the billionaires behind the rise of the radical right. we be taking your phone calls, tweets and e-mails. watch all weekend, every weekend on c-span two. television for serious readers.
2:01 am
next a panel on the bioethics of fetal tissue donation for medical research. the house energy and commerce committee investigative panel was created by republicans last year in response to videos of planned parenthood actresses. .his is three hours 45 minutes >> the investigative panel will come to order. the chair recognizes herself for five minutes for an opening statement. i would like to what -- welcome all of our witnesses here today and i will introduce each