committee about the scarborough shoal. what are the opportunities we have? it seems we have challenges, but i also think there is a norm a strategic opportunity. could you and general dunford talk to those, particularly the idea of new basing arrangements, new training arrangements? i think there is a lot we could be doing, and i would like to hear both of your views. sec. carter: you are absolutely right. there.re opportunities they are presenting themselves because countries in the region recognize that their region has had peace and stability for 70 years, and that is what has given them all the opportunity to rise. miracles,ian beginning with japan, south korea, taiwan, southeast asia, today india, and yes, china, all of that has occurred in an atmosphere of peace and stability, which they know that we had played a pivotal part in.

there is a greater demand for partnership with us. when we talk about basing, we are discussing with the philippines right now. you may know that their court passed an important willtone recently, which all i was to do more with the philippines. and australia, particularly our marine rotations in australia. vietnam. who would have thought that decades ago we are doing more with vietnam? week thank you, because we have funding,ime security which initiated in discussions with you, senator, and other members of the community. we are grateful for that. we are using that funding. the japanese, as you probably know, have adjusted and amended their parent practices. they are looking to do more with us, joint patrolling,

exercising, and so forth. india, i will be there in a short while, continuing to strengthen our relationship with that country, with one billion geography, and a capable military that wants to partner with us as well. we do all this in order to keep going the system that has brought prosperity to asia. we are not seeking conflict with china. it is not against anybody, it is part of keeping that system of security and tax. we are willing to do it, that's what the rebalancing is about. we are popular there. people want to work with us. i guess that >> i guess that emphasizes what you and the secretary have alluded to. i have made to bankruptcy the region, and i think the desire for people to develop stronger bilateral relationships with the united states has probably never been greater, and frankly with our partners, particularly those

with whom we have a treaty obligation, our relationship has probably never been deeper. but when you talk about opportunities, the one thing we probably have not had in the last multilateral relationships and interoperability's concerned with conducting everything required in the region, or that multilateralism serving as a deterrent to those who might want to be destabilizing the region. there is the opportunity from those relationships. the issue we have not talked about in detail his opportunities for training. in the pacific -- as in the pacific, joint training is required to maintain readiness. we are looking for opportunities to maintain readiness even as we conduct exercises and engagements with our partners. i think the willingness of our partners to afford us the in theirty to train countries, continue to maintain proficiency with aviation capabilities, those kind of things, i think will only increase in the future.

of placesa number where the secretary of staff is in contact with to enhance our training opportunities, and as the secretary spoke about, are basing opportunities. i agree with you, a review of the common challenges in the pacific has brought us together in a positive way, and it has created all the opportunities you have alluded to. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> thanks to all of you for being here. secretary carter, on december 3, just a few months ago, you announced that the military branches would be opening all mls's to service members regardless of gender. variousasis of provisions in several iterations of the national authorization of your decision. you are certainly aware of congress's interest of being consulted on the matter, yet in

your announcement and in subsequent briefings with members of congress, you failed to discuss the legal and practical implications this decision can have on selective service in america. it seems the that department may have made a policy decision and left out the congress and the courts to deal with the difficult legal ramifications. i would like to know, what assessments has the department of defense made to examine how opening all mos's to female service members will affect the selective service act, and what ever said he made to examine how requiring women to register for the draft, or handling selective service altogether, would affect military readiness, recruitment, retention, and morale? for thater: thank you question. let me begin at the beginning, why did we do this in the first place?

the reason to open up all mos's to females is to make sure that we are able to access what is 50% of the population. >> i'm not presently concerned about that. i am talking about its implications for the selective service. sec. carter: i do understand. that is the action we took. congress isforming concerned, we have the implementation plans, including everything required by law in order for us to do what we need to do. selective is the service system, which is not administered by us. it is governed by statutes. so you will have a voice in any implications for that. my own beliefs about that is twofold. first, it stands to reason that you would reconsider the selective service and its treatment of females and view of -- in view of the department of

defense's policies and practices with respect to women as well as men, but the second thing i would like to say about the selective service system and the draft generally is this. we want to take our people. our people. we don't want people to be forced to serve us, and we don't want all the young people in our country. we pick very carefully. a little bit about more than 2/3 of young americans even meet our basic qualifications. many of them are obese or have other health issues. 1/3 of them have not graduated from high school, and we want high school graduates. about 10% of them have criminal records that make it impossible for us to want them.

people chosen for us, we want to pick people. that's what the all volunteer force is about. that's why it is so excellent. and that's why we are constantly trying to make sure we keep up with labor markets and generational trends so that we continue to pick and have access to the very best people. look at the magnificent people we have now in uniform. i need to make sure that tomorrow and 10 years from now, 20 years from now, we are also able to attract the very best. but now, we want to pick. we don't want people to take for us, we want to be able to pick ourselves. the sentimente you are expressing, the change needs to be made by congress, with input from the american people, rather than administratively or by the

courts. sec. carter: that is set in law. in a long ranging interview published with "the atlantic," president obama has expressed his disdain for security free riders when it comes to allies in europe and parts of the middle east. budget calls fy 17 for a quadrupling of the european reassurance initiative, and robust boko funding -- robust funding for activities in the middle east. so how does president obama reconcile concerns he has expressed about some of our allies who are not taking steps to increase their defense spending, or who are potentially abusing the relationship with fortheir alliance with us their own benefit, without

making corresponding increases to defense spending? sec. carter: i will just say that i think america needs to lead, and i am happy to have us lead, and we have by far and away more capability than anyone else, but we need others to join us and get in the game. you mentioned europe. we have been urging very insistently europeans to spend more on their and defense --on their own defense. i commend the united kingdom, who has included their position -- increase their percentage of gdp. and as you go around the world, with respect to others, allies in the gulf and so forth, we are looking for people to join us. sold --ter i counter-isil coalition, to deter

.ranian aggression we are determined to lead, but i think it is fair to turn to our partners and say, we need you to join us. our role on that is very specific, and the chairman's is as well, to describe our --let's take the counter-isil coalition, what do we need? we need some more isr help from you. we need some special forces from you. we need reconstruction funding for places like ramadi, so if you don't have any forces, or you don't want to put your forces there, you can open your wallet. that's needed. to get themy choices for how they can make a contribution and leave them in that direction, but -- lead them in that direction, but we need people to follow. it is an important part of my job, and i know the chairman's

as well, to talk to our counterparts and say we need everybody in the game if we are going to have a peaceful world. we share this world in this future together. you've got to get into the game. whatdunford: to emphasize the secretary said, i think a key part of our responsibility is on a day-to-day basis, and i recently went to the region and two so defense to encourage their participation, but one of the things we do hard is where we can make a contribution, and i encourage them to do that. it has been an ongoing process. are we satisfied with where we are? never. thank you, general, secretary. gentlemen, thank you for your testimony and service. i will have general mclean -- general mccain declared the hearing adjourned. >> thank you.

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cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] sunday morning, a reporter for roll call will discuss the wonder 14 congress. wade henderson, president and ceo of the leadership conference on civil and human rights, along with kurtz leavy, executive director of the freedom works foundation. they will join us to discuss the nomination of chief judge merrick garland, and the history of nominating and voting on a president's take for the high court. and the u.s. executive director of one campaign will be talking about the efforts to bring greater attention to poverty, and how this can help fight terrorism. be sure to watch c-span's washington journal, they getting live at 7:00 a.m. eastern sunday morning. join the discussion. c-span's "road to the

white house" coverage continues today, when former president bill clinton speaks at a rally in tucson, arizona for hillary clinton. also scheduled to appear, gabby giffords, and her husband, former astronaut captain mark kelly. live coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> as the director of the military and veteran affairs in ohio, people come to my office and talk about it and they want to vote for. regardless of if they want to vote democrat or republican, it is your civic duty to vote. many things are at stake, so i encourage you to get out and vote for who you think best represents your causes. >> the best candidate in the

field right now is the most viable alternative to mainstream politicians. i encourage everyone to go out and support bernie the populist. one issue important in this election is college tuition. when people go to school, they need to know how they will be able to afford it, and when they leave school, they need to know what the job market is going to look like and things like that. college democrats, those are the two biggest issues for the electric cyclical. -- electric -- election cycle. >> hillary seems more knowledgeable, and she has been in a political environment before. ,he has been secretary of state and she has already seen the

inner workings of the white house and how the game goes. in his weekly address, president obama talked about his decision to nominate merrick garland to the supreme court of the united states. of norththom tillis carolina has the republican response. he explains how senate republicans plan to handle the supreme court vacancy. pres. obama: hi, everybody. one of the most consequential responsibilities our constitution grants a president is appointing a supreme court justice. the men and women who sit on the supreme court safeguard our rights. they ensure that ours is a system of laws, not of men. and they're given the essential task of applying the principles written into our founding documents to the most challenging questions of today. so this is a duty i take very seriously. it requires me to set aside short-term politics in order to maintain faith with our founders.

and on wednesday, after weeks of consultations with republicans, democrats, and leaders across the country, i selected a nominee whose unmatched experience and integrity have earned him the respect and admiration of both parties, chief judge merrick garland. judge garland grew up in my hometown of chicago, with parents who taught him to work hard and deal fairly. as a young lawyer, he left a lucrative private firm to work for half as much in public service. eventually, he oversaw the federal response to the oklahoma city bombing, working side-by-side with first responders, victims, and their families to bring justice for an unspeakable crime. and everywhere he went during that investigation, he carried with him in his briefcase the program from the memorial service with each of the victims' names inside. for the last 19 years, judge garland has served on what's known as "the second highest court in the land," the d.c. circuit court, including the last three years as chief judge.

on the bench, he's shown a dedication to protecting our basic rights, a conviction that powerful voices must not be allowed to drown out those of everyday americans, an understanding that justice isn't simply abstract legal theory, it affects people's daily lives, and a spirit of decency, modesty, and even-handedness in his work. judge garland is admired for his courtesy, his devotion to family, and his civic-mindedness. for the past 18 years, he's served as a tutor for young students at a local d.c. elementary school. during my time as president, through three separate supreme court appointments, in conversations with republicans and democrats alike, one name came up more than any other, merrick garland. i understand that we're in the middle of an especially noisy and volatile political season, but at a time when our politics are so polarized, when norms and customs of our political rhetoric seem to be corroding, this is precisely the time we

should treat the appointment of a supreme court justice with the seriousness it deserves, because our supreme court is supposed to be above politics, not an extension of politics, and it should stay that way. so i ask republicans in the senate to give judge garland the respect he has earned. give him a hearing. give him an up-or-down vote. to deny it would be an abdication of the senate's constitutional duty. it would indicate a process for nominating and confirming judges that is beyond repair. it would make it increasingly impossible for any president, republican or democrat, to carry out their constitutional function. to go down that path would jeopardize our system of justice. it would hurt our democracy and betray the vision of our founding. i fulfilled my constitutional duty. now it's time for senators to do theirs. i hope that they take the time to reflect on the importance of this process to our country, i

hope that they'll act fairly, and i hope they'll work in a bipartisan fashion to confirm merrick garland to the supreme court. that's how we can uphold our pledge to liberty and justice for all, for our time and for generations to come. thanks, everybody. and have a good weekend. sen. tillis: hi, i'm thom tillis, senator from the great state of north carolina. i want to speak with you today about the vacancy on the u.s. supreme court. it's a topic that has generated a lot of attention, and frankly, a lot of misinformation, especially since president obama named a nominee earlier this week. there are a couple of things that make this vacancy unique. first, the seat became vacant in the middle of an election year, literally as americans are casting their ballots to help choose the next president of the united states. second, the seat will determine the balance of the court for generations to come, as we're

replacing the incomparable antonin scalia. justice scalia was widely admired and respected for defending the original intent of the constitution and its prescribed separation of powers, and he served as a critical check on president obama's executive overreaches. while the constitution allows the president to nominate a supreme court justice, our founding fathers also made sure to give the senate advise and consent authority, to help protect the integrity of our system of checks and balances. the senate can confirm a nominee, we can reject a nominee, or we can simply choose to withhold consideration of the nomination altogether so the american people can weigh in on this important decision. this is about principle, not the person the president has nominated, and it's why the majority of the senate has chosen to use this unique situation as an opportunity to let the american people have a voice. the president and democratic

leaders aren't exactly thrilled with giving the american people a voice. and contrary to their claims, the senate is doing its job and fulfilling its constitutional obligation by deferring consent in order to let the people's voice be heard. both sides can respectfully agree to disagree, but it's now time to move on to address the many pressing challenges facing our nation. we know good things happen when both parties in washington cast aside their areas of disagreement and instead focus on identifying areas of common ground. we saw that last week when the senate passed the comprehensive addiction and recovery act, bipartisan legislation that gives states and local communities vital tools they need to combat the painkiller and heroin epidemic. it's a great accomplishment, but there is still much more work to be done this year. we need to fund our military and make sure our brave men and women have the equipment and training they need to keep themselves and our nation safe.

we need to ensure veterans are receiving the best health care possible and more healthcare choices. and we need to hold va bureaucrats accountable. this year, i'll be leading an effort to reform the military's health insurance program, and work to ensure that military families with autistic children have access to the care and the therapy they need. senate republicans already have their sleeves rolled up, and we're ready to get this and much more done. the question now is what choice the president and democratic leaders will make. will they join us in doing our jobs on behalf of the american people? or will they instead seek to further divide our nation by turning the supreme court process into a blatantly partisan back-and-forth? are they going to resort to blocking and sabotaging important legislation and good-faith efforts to help the american people, all in the name of seeking to score cheap political points in an election

year? senate democrats should remember the message the american people sent, during the 2014 election, which resulted in a new senate republican majority and 12 new republican senators, including myself. american voters made it clear they were sick and tired of the bitter partisanship and inaction of the then-democrat-controlled senate, and they were frustrated with the president's overreliance on executive orders to bypass attempts at compromise and cooperation with congress. for the good of the nation, i hope the president and the democratic leadership do not repeat their mistakes of the past. i hope they'll accept, however reluctantly, the fact that the american people will have a voice in this supreme court decision, and start focusing on the issues that concern hard-working americans. i hope the president's final months in office will be spent working with both parties to do great things for our nation. that's what the american people want.

that's what the american people deserve. thank you for your time, god bless you, and may god continue to bless the united states america. -- united states of america. has 48 hoursok tv of nonfiction books and authors every weekend. here are some programs to watch for. tonight, a book discussion with city university of new york professor douglas rushkoff, author of "throwing rocks at the google bus." he talks about how americans can build on the digital economy, by growing how they businesses to benefit employees and employers. afterwards, law professor john yu. -- john by au is interviewed former deputy assistant attorney general. obvious that the

government can't regulate the money that you use to participate in a constitutional right. since you have a right to free , and politics, during a campaign is when the framers wanted to protect the right of free speech, -- announcer: on sunday at 8:00 eastern, former first lady laura bush discusses her book "we are afghan women." ms. bush wrote the introduction to the book, which was put out by the george w. bush institute. go to book tv.org for the complete we can schedule. -- weekend schedule. >> the supreme court is vested outside the amount of power, and with that power comes great responsibility, and the fact that you have individuals sitting on the court for 30 to 35 years is just, just doesn't

have the smell test when it comes to a modern democracy. announcer: sunday night on q&a, gabe roth talks about changes you would like to see in the supreme court, including opening up oral arguments to cameras, imposing term limits on the justices, and requiring justices to adhere to the same code of ethics that other federal justices follow. decisions court affect all americans. all americans are aware of the third branch of government. in the last 10 to 15 years, the branch has become so powerful. the idea that issues on voting, marriage, and health care, , women's rights, pregnancy discrimination, i could go on and on. years ago, 20 or 30 the executive branch would get together and make a compromise. that doesn't really happen anymore. the power of the supreme court is unprecedented, and given that, the supreme court is

making very impactful decisions in our lives. the least the public can do is press them to conform to modern expectations of transparency and accountability. announcer: sunday come on c-span's "q&a." announcer: and this week on "the communicators," the discussion of the president's lifeline program. joining us are two guests to discuss this. fazlullah and daniel lyons . daniel is a visiting scholar from boston college. this fazlullah, what is lifeline program. how did it come about? the program actually came about during the reagan administration, in order to provide a subsidy to make sure that low income persons would have access to voice service, telephone service.

this comes from the notion that ,aving everyone on the network having access to public safety, each other, and commerce is incredibly important, and for low income persons, making sure that they had the additional support to do that was necessary, so that's why the program began. and how many people -- chairman wheeler: and how many people participate in this program? the past year, about $13 million. >> what is the cost? amina: a $9.25 subsidy per household. it is a relatively minimal subsidy. the costs have gone down over the past few years. in terms of the overall cost for the lifeline program. host: and this