out there. michael: obviously there is a lot of political intrigue in the supreme court. a lot of powerful people are interested in the decisions that you come to any effects that they have on public policy and commerce. my question is, what if any effect is that political interests have on the court decision-making process, and what steps do you take to maybe isolate yourself from that political interest? is it just something that you and the other justices get used to overtime? justice sotomayor: you do not get on the court unless you are a concerned citizen. every single justice has had a career in which they have devoted their lives, in some form or a the other -- or the other to the public view. even any private practice they have been involved in activities

that do public service. we are, by nature, citizen lawyers. you do not work as hard as we work, reach where we have reached, unless we have shown that to the powers that be. we get selected because we are the very best at some aspect of the work that we have done. that work often includes public service. it means that there is not one of us who was unaware -- is unaware of political rights. we are aware. we read the newspapers. we listen to the news. some of us are political junkies. others are not. being an informed citizen does not get translated into, now i am going to vote the way the public wants me to. the gift the founding fathers gave us is they gave us a lifetime job so that we would

not feel pressure to do a decision based on public opinion from fear that somehow we would be driven from our work. so we're not thinking about public opinion in terms of reaching the answer that we believe the law compels. every year if you read the most sensitive decisions, you will see us recognizing the impact those decisions might have on people. in every sensitive opinion the court is very aware when one of its decisions is going to be particularly difficult for some people in society. it is recognized in our writing. fact take pride on the that we are voting according to what we think he constitution or the laws require.

awareeans that we can be of what the effect will be, we can even acknowledge it, but that is a different thing from letting it determine the outcome of a decision. [applause] now, with the students please not leave. i am coming down now. i would like to take a picture with the students who are here. they took the time to come up with a creative question. they deserve a picture. [applause] maybe as i am walking down, the next student can ask a question so i get three more. through more.-- my security detail will talk to me later about being late. host: i know that all of you will join me in a rousing thank you of appreciation.

[applause] and -- [applause] as you can imagine, and i am sure some of you are feeling, we have a few more students, a few more colleagues and friends that have questions. we are going to have to get her back. we hope that you will do that. ofthe meantime, many years strength and health as you serve all of us from that incredibly important position. we are very grateful to have you

there. [applause] thank you. [applause] justice sotomayor: after i broke my ankle during the confirmation hearings, i am very cautious about moving. that is why you see them helping me. i am trying to avoid a second accident. bye-bye. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016]

tomorrow, president obama gives the commencement speech at rutgers university. the country, right-wing army officers tried to seize power and part of the country succeeded in seizing power in 1936. it sent a shockwave of alarm throughout the world. here was a major country in europe, quickly backed by hitler arms,ssolini who sent airplanes, pilots, tanks, tank drivers. eventually sent 80,000 ground troops, here was the spanish right making a grab for power. people all over the world felt

it ought to be resisted, if not here, where? otherwise we are next. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern and pacific on c-span "q&a." >> now a discussion on how the new media is covering the 2016 presidential campaign. >> "washington journal" continues. host: joining us now amy goodman. also the coauthor of a new book democracy now 20 years covering the movements changing america. thank you so much for joining us. guest: it's great to be here. host: start by telling us what democracy now is. guest: democracy now is a news organization. we started 20 years ago. we were the only day election show in public broadcasting in 1996. that was the election where president clinton was running for reelection against bob dole

and ross perot. we thought we would pack our bags nine months later and move on to another project. but instead there was more demand for at the time it was a radio bro cast than there was before the election. and the demand just kept growing. why? i think because we go to the grassroots. we -- well, i got the call to host the show when i was in the state house in haiti and i was covering what was happening in haiti when candidates would announce some political candidates would be gunned down. people face ednorms threats of violence at the polls but still the overwhelming number of people in haiti would vote. in the united states, that wasn't the case. not eevep half the people voted. and i was interested, why? i never thought people were apathetic in this country. and i thought we can use the primary system as a way to go from state to state and see how people were engaged what they were doing. and it's those authentic voices

rather than what you get on the networks those pundits who get it so wrong. and so it just kept growing. and then by chance the week of september 11th, 2001, by chance, that week, we were going on our first tv station, it was public access in new york manhattan neighborhood network and it became emergency broadcasting. we were the closest national broadcast to ground zero at the time of the september 11th attacks. and then tv stations around the country, public access stations say can we run your show? soon the fedex guys were coming to our studios and at the time it was video cassettes, filling their satchels their bags with video ca sets. and they would go out around the country and then more college and community radio stations who had watched on tv said can we run it. then npr stations then pbs stations. we went from nine stations in

1996 to over 1400 public television and radio stations today in the united states and around the world. and our headlines are translated into spanish so available for radio stations to run. >> just a testament to this hunger for independent voices. especially in a time of war and election. we need independent media. when we're covering war and peace we need a media that's not brought to us by the weapons manufacturers. when we're covering climate change not brought to us by the oil, the gas, the coal the nuclear company. when we're covering health care not brought to business the insurance industry or big pharma. we need a media that was independent. supported by the listeners and the viewers. host: you said you go to the grassroots to tell your story. what makes your journalism

different from what we see? how do you do that? guest: because we're not going to your typical punddit. we're going to the people at the heart of the story. we -- i'm looking at the "new york times" today, the top story. in democracy now the book but also in democracy now the news hour. deal with the death penalty extensively. we talk to people behind bars. i mean, just on friday we were talking to a prisonner named kinetic in solitary confinement in alabama. so he's been in solitary for more than two years because he led a protest in 2014 and now there's just been another work stoppage protest there now. and the prisoner's were protesting free labor, which is

basically slave labor. if you are forced to work for nothing. but the fieser story, fieser prohibits use of its drugs for execution. one of the big stories we focus on the in the book and also on the broadcast, is the death penalty. the now it is increasingly difficult for states to get the execution drugs fieser prohibitting its use of the drugs. it's enormous. the u.s. jockeying for drugs. in the book we were writing when california borrowed a similar drug from arizona, it's under secretary of corrections and rehabilitation wrote, you guys in arizona are life savers and we focus on independent media. like an exposee in the colorado independent that reported that the assistant oklahoma attorney general joked in an email with a texas colleague in 2011 that he might be able to help texas get the drugs, the death drugs,

in exchange for 50 yard line tickets for a top college football game between the university of oklahoma and the university of texas. when troy anthony davis, a young man on death row for half of his life, put on death row 20 orgia, when he was years old, there were four death warrents issued against him. three were vacated the final one he was excuted. september 1r, 2011. we went down to jackson, georgia, where the death row prison is in georgia. we broadcast for hours for more than five hours. we did not know what would happen, if his life would be spared. a former u.s. president, the pope, prosecutors, prison wardens were all calling for his life to be spared. 1,000 people were outside the prison. his family and the protestors.

his sister, a remarkable woman fighting for his life and fighting for her own life. she was fighting breast cancer. who is hailed as a leading light in washington. along with nancy pelosi. so many others calling for troy's life to be spared. he always insisted he did not commit the crime that he was convicted of 20 years earlier. so we just simply broadcast throughout the night not knowing what would happen. you know, frankly, i feel we should never be in the death chamber projecting an execution. i know this is controversial but i think if people saw the images that they would say no. we are so insulated in this country even though we live in a globalized world when it comes to understanding where we stand in the world. like around the death penalty that we are so alone in the

industrialized world in endorsing state killings. but state after state is now saying no. and we're up to i think something like 19 states that have said no to the zetsdz penalty. others because they're finding it so hard to get these death drugs and now will be even harder because fieser is prohibitting use of its drugs are turning to other means like the gas chamber and firing squad. we as journalists must show the images sand then people can make up their own mind. host: we are talking with amy goodman coauthor of the book democracy now 20 years covering the movements changing america. you can call in and join our conversation. here are the lines to do so. the numbers are on the bottom of your screen.

our first caller from arkansas. john is calling on the independent lifpblete good morning. caller: good morning. i won't be voting for hillary clinton. james from georgia had it dead on right. you can't believe a word she said. she will get out in front of any new wave of -- that the public is resonating -- that's resonating with the public. bernie sanders is one of the most honest politicians we have seen in at least a couple generations. there are so many problems facing this country. hillary said i heard her this morning say that she's against -- she wants to do away with citizens united. but there's more to this whole issue. you have to listen carefully to

the comments. the dark money sure but we should have public finances and term limits because these politicians, these professional liars will seek any weakness out and corrupt it. >> all right. we were talking in our previous segment about unity. how do you think the mainstream media has done? guest: i think they have done a terrible job. just go to the kindle report 2015 they looked at the coverage, they compared the coverage of all the candidates. they found that donald trump got 23 times the coverage of bernie sanders. i think it was abc world news tonight that gave 81 minutes to donald trump and 20 seconds to bernie sanders. i wonder what was so news worthy that he did that got him the 20 seconds. take one primary night.

march 15, with five primaries. that was ohio, north carolina, florida, missouri, and illinois. and let's look at how the networks covered that night. wall to wall coverage which is good. that's fine. that was the night that senator rubio pulled out because he lost his home state of florida. the night that governor kasich gave a victory speech he won his first primary his first home state of ohio. senator cruz spoke. hillary clinton had won florida, ohio, and north carolina. she spoke then which was smart. she had three wins under her belt. but the next two illinois her home state of missouri were too close to call. it was clinton, sanders, clinton, sanders. so she spoke before the outcome. then the networks waited for trump and they put that little square in the upper corner

showing an empty podium and they're filling the air time with the pundtri. finally, after about half an hour he speaks for half and hour and they play the whole thing. that pretty much did it. asich, clinton, cruz, trump, and rubio. that's pretty much it for the night. right? well, there was someone missing. bernie sanders. had he fallen asleep? had he taken the nightthey weree is bernie sanders? we are on a 100 city to her -- tour celebrating the democracy now! news hour. and we be in chicago were just in arizona. we were in flagstaff, tucson, and phoenix. i met many people who were in phoenix at a bernie sanders

rally, where thousands of thousands and thousands -- you know, his historically large rallies -- he was speaking. the networks didn't even show his speech. the networks didn't even show a minute of his speech. 8:00, weacy now! at broadcast live trade can catch , and wemocracy now!.org decidedly that night, we are going to run an excerpt of bernie sanders's speech. who would've thought it was a revolutionary act to run at served of a speech of a major party candidate on a major primary night, with a morning after? but that's what has become. the networks are simply trump land. they pump donald trump into everyone's home is the other candidates trench from state to state. this is unacceptable.

you ask how democracy now! is different. i call for an electoral season without polls. the of with polls that are so often wrong. you tune into one of the networks, she's coming up on the right, she's got 20%, he's moving up on the left, it sounds like a horse race. it's mesmerizing. but what have you learned by the end of the day? what has democracy gained? the networks for those same resources investigation and energy into the records of these candidates and businesspeople. and compare them to their promises. pollss the value of these that are so often wrong? primary, even at the end, recently, you have victory. and it's not consistent with the polls, so the candidates then the pundits spend the next time talking about how they got the polls wrong.

the fact is, their own polls -- there are polls that are legitimate happening with every week, and they are the primaries and caucuses. these are fact-based polls. these are very interesting. at the end of the day, after primary and caucus, you out who voted, who didn't. on the new voted, this is extremely important, mainly who didn't. in many cases we are talking about more than 80% of the people are voting. there's a racial breakdown, and economic breakdown, the age breakdown, the gender breakdown. fascinating and important. it is an speculation, it's real. there are your polls. whereen you have to ask does the money come from to do all this work? for the networks. enemy have to go back to the candidates. they are raising obscene amounts of money. thelast caller reached issue of citizens united. but this is true for all of the candidates. raising onndidates

the campaign trail and off the campaign trail, having to raise millions and millions of dollars. people across the political spectrum are very frustrated by this. bernie sanders on the campaign is $27.he average in march, he got $44 million. hillary clinton, $29 million. he got more than her. and what is so interest in that case -- he is raising up from people who give and give and give, who are giving so little, they don't max out. hillary clinton has a smaller number of donors, well over 6 million now. and number of the max out. she was just that a party and laurel canyon with george clooney. the going rate at the head table something like $350,000. that was for a couple.

even george clooney said when asked on the networks, think this is obscene. and he threw the party. but it's not just clinton. so where is this money going to? it's going to the networks. they have to pay for campaign advertising. tothe networks are not going raise this in a consistent way. 1200 people in washington got arrested protesting the corrupting influence of money in politics. this is very critical. we need networks they raise these issues, and whose pockets aren't lined by the candidates raising this money. that's why we need independent media. host: let's hear from some of our viewers as well. clifton from oakland, california is next on the democratic line. go ahead. caller: yes, good morning. ms. goodman, i have been watching your show for 20 years, it's a thrill to me that i'm talking to you right now. you are right.

we need a change. america is changing. bernie is talking about a revolution. a lot of people that complain about what he's saying and where was he, and how come he's just not talking? i remember in the 60's when people talked like bernie sanders. what happened to them? they ended up being assassinated. look at robert kennedy and john kennedy, look at martin luther king. i think bernie is a brave man, i think he's a brilliant man. and he has held this in for a long time, because now we doesn't get -- you doesn't care. you seem his family, you've seen his kids. he is telling the truth about america. we need a change, we need a revolution, and it's going to happen. for these people who were just following hillary saying that she is good for black people or whatever. i'm telling you, the clintons have done nothing for black oaks but lock them up. but lock them up.

look at the history. hillary called our kids super predators. let's be real. it's time for a change, it's time for everybody. look who we got. donald trump. let's be real. host: that's clifton from oakland, california. let's hear from the more color. as is dan from dubuque iowa -- dubuque, iowa. caller: i was calling about closed primaries. the primaries are tax funded deal, i would like to know as far as all of these independence being shut out of the process before the general election. host: dan from iowa. amy goodman from democracy now!. caller: the issue of closed primaries -- guest: the issue of closed primaries where independents can vote, but they can switch. for existence, new york, the closed primary, if you want to switch to vote in the democratic riemer from independent to democrat, you had to do that in early october.

this was before any debate, before any primary. if people didn't realize it was going to be a real contest, they would not have switched. it's a very real issue where independents fit into this whole process. on the issue of linens and mass incarceration. this goes to the way democracy now! is different from all of the networks. we cover the movements. what makents are history. you have young people who are part of the black lives matter movement. they are interrupting hillary clinton's private campaign fund-raising events, like one in south carolina in charleston. where a young african-american woman unfurled a banner that said i am not a super predator. she was referring to hillary clinton in 1996, after president clinton had signed the so-called anti-crime bill that led to incarceration of

people that we are seeing today. population,rlds with 25% of the worlds prisoners. two years later, hillary clinton would refer to black youth -- some black youth as super predators. that's what these young protesters have been raising. it's very important. it has forced the candidates -- they also challenge at the beginning at a meeting of roots nation, a challenge bernie sanders as well. and then the issue of donald trump. the fact that you have the presumptive nominee of a major party, you have donald trump, republican party, who when asked by jake tapper on cnn if he would disavow support of an avowed white supremacist -- david duke, i can't member of he was the grand dragon, i often confuse their titles.

whether he would disavow his support. he waffled. he said he would have to look more deeply into it. when was the last time you heard donald trump said he had to look more deeply into anything before he spoke? on this issue, what was it he had to look more deeply into? which klan chapter was supporting him? he didn't want to generalize? he goes further than that. at his rallies, you have one of his supporters sucker punches a black lives matter activist. and afterward says next time he would kill him. and then you have donald trump saying he will pay the legal fees of supporters like these. this is just astounding. i don't hold presidential candidate who has a huge rally of thousands responsible for everything that happens in the rally. they set the tone and say i do not condone violence.

that is something the bernie if you said trade instead, not only do you say that, but you say you will pay the legal fees of supporters who are violence, this is very frightening. thes ripping open underbelly of hate in america. host: do you think more attention to independent media would change the outcome of this election? guest: absolutely. i think independent media is not beholden to the very interest that are pouring money into these campaigns. earlier, theout vast majority of the money that these candidates are raising are going to the networks to pay for campaign advertising. are they going to bite the hand that feeds them? host: here's a chart we are showing our viewers right now, the value of candidates earned media coverage. there's free media that they received by simply being mentioned on the air. donald trump has earned media

about $2.8 billion. hillary clinton, $1.2 billion. berniez, $771 million, sanders is estimated at $658 million. next up in kingston, rhode island, bert on the independent line. caller: good morning and thank you for c-span. you it's wonderful to see and the unbiased journalism you do. i appreciate that very much. thatf the issues for me is how modern governments, repressive governments are being described by the media. when i hear claire mccaskill saying we are going to throw the theyr and sickle at him -- would say that most oppressive governments are democratic socialist with a capitalistic economy. i think this is one of the major things that has been perpetuated on the american people, as the

ideas regarding political systems. i hope you can comment on this. i am a strong bernie sanders supporter, ernie has been saying it for a long time. i remember when he confronted a man when he was in the congress -- a republican who was saying the word homo in congress. bernie got up and said it's a long time before anyone stood up. i will leave that alone and let somebody else talk. have a good day. guest: thank you. you know, i think that bernie movement writing a that is coalescing. that is finding its voice. you asked how democracy now! is different, and i said we cover the movements. so often, these movements have been emerging and coalescing for long time.

we just don't hit the corporate media radar screen. take, for example, the occupy movement of 2011. 2011 was a critical year, from the arab spring, egypt, tunisia, to wisconsin, the uprising of ,50,000 people, to the protests 1200 people got arrested here in washington protesting the keystone xl, concerned about climate change. september of 2011 occupy, thousands streamed into the county park and occupied wall street. i think a number of the pundits on television said that movement died. the police eviscerated the encampments, it was over. but hardly. when people streamed into the county park, and they challenged ,all street over many issues first the corporate media didn't even cover them. in that the media moguls and limousines going by, we are the media metropolis of the world. you had the elite journalists,

they're just not covering them. when they did, aaron burnett was just starting to show on cnn, and her first lease on occupy was called seriously? then went from not covering it to mocking it. the overall idea of the networks was what are these people representative? against death penalty, against war, they're concerned about climate change, against racism, inequality. and i was digging oh my gosh, the media's listing. that's exactly right, it's all those issues. but they saw as their weakness. can't they just choose one? but in fact, it was their strength. this goes back to dr. king. he spoke out against the war in vietnam, the day before he was assassinated, april 4, 1967, in new york. even his inner circle said don't do it. resident you have lyndon johnson wrapped around your finger, the most powerful person on earth or in uganda signed the civil rights act and the voting rights act. this is your war, don't do this.

he's on these issues is interconnected, the war at home and the war abroad. he talked about the triple threat of militarism, materialism, and racism. he said in the speech that he gave a riverside church at his country, the country he loved, the united states was the greatest purveyor of violence on earth eerie he was excoriated by the corporate press. i have the life magazine issue, time magazine, washington post, they said his speech's out of legos script out of radio hanoi, that he had done a disservice to his cause, his country, and his people, and he double down and spoke more frequently and louder against the war. until he would be assassinated april 4, nations 68. all of these issues coalesce. if people think that the movement died, look today at 2016 at the people who are coming out for rallies for

bernie sanders. it hardly died. they changed the language. they occupy the language. you say the word 1% and 99%, and everyone knows what you mean. you change the language, and you change the world. host: lisa from shreveport, louisiana on the democratic line is up next. good morning. caller: good morning. hi, ms. goodman. i talked to bernie sanders last year on c-span, and he was so honest. republican, i've changed a democrat because i like him so much. tell people where to go get their research, because in the 60's, bernie sanders handcuffed himself to a black man for the civil rights movement. also, ms. goodman, tell them about when hillary clinton was in arkansas, how she defended a rapist against a woman and laughed about it. she is not for anyone but herself trade please tell them

that, ms. goodman, and please tell them where to go get their research to learn about bernie. i certainly do appreciate your time. thank you. guest: thank you, very much. i don't go about the particular case she is referring to around hillary clinton, but it is very important to look at the records of these candidates. them, to find out what it is they actually represent. nothing less is than democracy at stake in this country. host: mark from eureka, california is up next on the independent line read good morning. caller: hi, amy. i have been a supporter of democracy now! and free speech enjoy -- tell him happy retirement. seeuestion is, i can't

trump inhis not -- nut office, i'm a bernie sanders supporter, and he probably will not win. liar and beat this nut the republicans have put up. ? host: mark, we hear you. i wanted to share before here from amy goodman from democracy now!, this comment on doldrums media coverage. he wrote that trump has seized much of the free airtime by doing many, many more interviews than his rivals and my driving the campaign dialogue as all candidates right to do but are usually too cautious or dull to pull off. hardreporters have dug into his businesses and rhetoric and promises and contradictions. the stories and segments have done little to dent his lead. he is seemingly impervious to most media criticism, in part

because his supporters don't trust the press, but it's not for lack of trying. guest: there is something worse than negative coverage, and it's the vanishing. you just showed free airtime and you saw how much more free airtime he got than others. i think it's important the candidates open themselves up to interviews. that's very important for all of them. i do think there is no question that the media chooses its favorites. when you have the example that i gave, one night, showing all of the concession and victory speeches except for one, this is acceptable. they weren't being interviewed, they were giving their speeches. so you play all of the speeches. i also want to comment on something that the caller just said. -- juan. to one he's talking about juan

gonzalez, who just retired as a columnist for the new york daily news after 29 years o. i can't talk about democracy now! without talking about juan. he was inducted into the deadline clubs new york journalism hall of fame, along with leslie stole, charlie rose, and others. when he got up to give his speech, he put everyone to shame. he was the first latino journalists elected. he said i figured my modest contribution would be not writing about neighborhoods, but from them. not after the fact, but before it, when coverage can still make a difference. i think that very much sums up our philosophy. also it democracy now!, his approach to journalism is to go to where the silences.

often, it's not really silence. when the protesters here in washington, recently, from democracy spring and democracy awakening, were protesting the corrupting influence of money in politics, they were saying where is cnn? where is msnbc? where's the coverage? they were well over 1000 people arrested. if there were 1200 people being arrested in havana, cuba, you would have all the network anchors flying down greatly cannot take a direct flight to say look at this repressive country. here in this country, and the nations capital, it hardly got the coverage that it deserved. these are critical issues. host: mark from henderson, north carolina: on the republican line. go ahead with your question or comment for amy goodman. caller: i have a couple of questions to ask her. first she started talking about mr. trump disavowing david duke. where was the coverage on

hillary when she got endorsed during this election season in california? she was actually endorsed by the kkk in california. there was no coverage on that at all. i've hardly heard anything, i had to begin up on my facebook. also have another question. on the protesters you were talking about how great they are , how come you're not saying anything about george soros putting out ads on craigslist, paying these protesters to come out and protest? contributed,has because these protesters now are getting a paycheck, and they are not on unemployment, they're getting a paycheck i george soros. none of this gets mentioned were said -- or said. how you feel about that? guest: i don't know about any of what you're saying, i don't know that any of those issues, whether in fact they are true. caller is cameron

from louisville, kentucky on the democratic line. go ahead. caller: how are you? host: good morning, you are on the air. caller: thank you. i just want to say about donald trump and his family's affiliation with the kkk. and how far back it goes. arrested back in 1927, you have the police record , as far as being arrested with the clan -- klan. why is it of that stuff ever brought up? guest: that's an interesting question, fred trump, that was a piece in the "new york times." talking about him being arrested, that should be looked into. host: can you talk a little bit about how democracy now! is funded? you mentioned you don't receive any advertising or any revenue

from corporate america. how do you pay the bills? caller: the majority of our money comes from listeners and viewers. we also have some work from foundations and network fees for broadcasting democracy now!. host: do you think there is a role for corporate-funded or commercial media in the country? you think the media in this country should be a nonprofit enterprise? guest: i think it's very important to have nonprofit news, and that should be the vast majority of the news. we have documentary makers from around the world come to democracy now! to see what democracy now! is as a model for news in the rest of the world. other countries, people are familiar with state news. when the state runs the newscast. they are familiar with private corporations, like we have in this country that run the news read but they don't know about

that whole model of listener and fewer support. important one. we have public media all over the united states. this public broadcasting, there's npr, there is pacifica radio. democracy now! originally comes out of pacifica radio. that was founded in 1949 by a war resistor, who was a conscientious objector in california. when he came out of the detention camps, he said there's got to be a media outlet that is run not by corporations, that profit from war, but run by journalists and artists. the five stations of the berkeley station, los angeles, houston, and here in washington, just to the fundraiser for the pacifica station here last night, wtf w -- wpfw.

within a few weeks, it was the only radio station in the country whose transmitter was blown up here at it was blown up by the kkk. the strap dynamite to the base of the transmitter. right in the middle of arlo guthrie singing houses restaurants. i thought that was a good song. weeks, they got back on their feet, they rebuilt the transmitter and went back on the air. in the kkk blew it back up again with 15 times the dynamite dropped to the base of the transmitter. it took a while for them to get back on the air. pbf came inf 1971, to show the phoenix rising from the ashes. arlo guthrie came back into houston, texas to finish alice restaurant live on the air. if it was theer exalted cyclops or the grand dragon, because i confuse their titles, but he said it was his proudest act. i think that's because he understood how dangerous

independent media is. dangerous because it allows people to speak for themselves. when you hear someone speaking from their own experience, whether it's a palestinian child born israeli grandmother, and often afghanistan, and uncle in iraq, a kid from the south honks or from albuquerque, where we were just speaking at the high school, where the overwhelming majority of the kids are undocumented immigrant student, when you hear someone speaking from their own experience, it breaks down bigotry, it challenges the stereotypes and caricatures that fuel the kkk and other hate groups. it's that understanding, when someone describes their own experience -- you have to agree with it. but it's that understanding that is the beginning of peace. i think the media can be the greatest force for peace on earth. instead, it all too often is wielded as a weapon of war. host: we have just a few more

minutes left in the segments, we will try and hear from some or viewers. our next one comes from south jordan, utah. stephen is on the independent line. go ahead. caller: if you want to become a nation with democracy, we have to get back to the principles under god, we have to become a nation under god. the principles that god has given will increase the social, spiritual, and economic value of individual communities in this nation. at the principle of our shot not covet, we turned that into thou shalt covet. , theyear false witness kill, they lie, they steal, people commit adultery. we don't keep the sabbath day holy. the sabbath day is a rest day for man, it's also god's environmental rest day for the earth. if you look in the bible, you'll

notice that satan's favorite tool was covetness. host: we are on most of time. go ahead, amy goodman. guest: i think it's very important to maintain the separation between church and state. i have great respect for people of all religions. but speaking of religion, i just wanted to acknowledge two losses in the last few weeks of great people who have passed. one is the jesuit priest who died just shy of his 95th earth day, 1000 people packed into savior church -- xavier church in new york. and he along with his brother were the founders of the powershares movement, believing in beating swords into plowshares. not far from here in 1968, they burned draft cards, hundreds of a1 draft cards with homemade

napalm. and he wrote in his rationale for doing this -- our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of your order, the burning of paper instead of children, he said. profit invoice of a this country, taking on war, taking on nuclear weapons. it's one that should have gotten much more coverage in the media. another is someone who passed just this week. the great human rights attorney, michael ratner in new york city. michael ratner was the head of the center for constitutional rights, he was a pioneering aman rights lawyer, who was person and part of a movement. yes, he used law, but equally believed in people taking to the streets around the issue of war, of torture. and ultimately brought the case

of the guantánamo prisoners to the supreme court. not believing he would win, but purely on principle, that they should have habeas corpus rights. they should have their day in court. and ultimately, actually, he did prevail. the center for constitutional rights did prevail. these that need to be heard, the need to populate the media. because i really do think that those who care about war and peace. those who care about inequality. those who care about climate change, the state of the planet, are not a fringe minority. not even a silent majority. but the silenced majority. silenced by the corporate media, which is why we have to take the media back. last caller is anthony from north las vegas, nevada, calling on the democratic line. go ahead. amy, i'm a follower of democracy now!, i really thank

you for your news organization. media isndependent very important, because you will find out stories they normally won't find out, that the corporate media won't tell you. -- i'm a washer of cnn, but not as much of a washer now. cnn, i found out that cnn is the parent company of hillary clinton -- and did not know that. i thought i got to pay attention to my new sources. this is huge. you would think that news outlets would really vet the candidates that are running for office. never showed the civil rights story of bernie sanders. they waited until the election had been underway several months have passed trade i thought this is really corrupt. host: anthony, we have to leave

you there, we're just about out of time. amy goodman from democracy now!, your final thoughts. guest: just that people should turn to independent media. people should turn to a media that doesn't profit from war, from climate change. should turn to a media that is honest and is going to the grassroots. tune intoe people to democracy now!, you can find out your station all over the country, public radio and television stations, community media -- this is the place to go to find the voices of people who are forming movements that are shaping america. i look forward to seeing folks in portland, maine later today and bangor tonight, bar harbor tomorrow, chicago next week. check our website this 100 city tour. democracy now!.org is the source of our daily news headlines, our

in-depth stories, we transcribe everything. a very content rich news website. really focusing on these elections in united hates, and on movements all over the world. , executiveoodman producer of democracy now!. her new book is democracy now!, >> "washington journal," continues. host: our guest is tom fitton, a group who has filed multiple lawsuits in the hillary e-mail case. thank you so much for being here this morning. guest: thank you for having me. host: tell us more about judicial watch and what it does. the nonpartisan educational foundation.

we are conservative, but we are anticorruption and we try to figure what the government is up to. we use the freedom of information act, which is a federal law allowing access to government records, it also allows access to the courts if the government doesn't give you those records. we have many, many lawsuits against the obama administration, which is a terribly secretive and in violation of the law. in our investigations and requests for documents about benghazi and hillary clinton's conflict of interest, we ran into -- really, uncovered in many ways the clinton e-mail scandal. that's why we are so involved with that. host: reminder viewers how you initially became involved and what documents you initially found. guest: we were asking for documents about benghazi. in 2014, your viewers may recall that we recovered this document out of the white house, it was

the white house that was pushing out the false talking points -- the attack on benghazi facility was the results of a spontaneous demonstration caused by an internet video. the administration have been saying our briefings on that were based on our intelligence, she was relying on intelligence. those with the talking points on this. were the talking points for politicos ben rose, it was a completely political doctrine. we noticed in that litigation, even before the release of that document, which really shook washington, because congress had not been able to get it. in response, speaker boehner reported the select committee on benghazi. we noticed that hillary clinton e-mail, where was the hillary clinton e-mails? i was thinking shouldn't do e-mail. be usual for someone in

the position not to use e-mails. in the request. we got the documents in response to the lawsuit that we already gotten in the satellite/about. the lawyers pushed back and said where did you look? we start getting answers saying other documents into review, the told the court that in february 2015, we give judicial watch everything, we haven't reviewed yet. leaks ineks later it the new york times, there was clinton e-mails and all bets were off. host: what is the status of your request for information now? guest: the requests are ongoing. now the argument is, we think we were gamed, the courts were gamed, some of our lawsuits, we are being told they did a reasonable search of her offices, didn't find anything. they never told us about the e-mails in which of the cases down. two of them have been reopened, including the one where we're

asking about a special government job obtained by a top clinton aide during her time of the state department, now with the campaign, she was able to work at the state department and at the clinton foundation and another clinton entity. we asked for documents about that, and they said we looked, here's only found. which of the case down. turned out, all the clinton e-mails were there. it was reopened, the court in that case was upset by the evident lack of good faith and handling our requests. he granted us discovery, which means that we're going to be able to gather evidence in testimony from officials in the like department and people cheryl mills, chief of staff who brought a state department political appointee in the i.t. department, who was helping hillary clinton run her illicit e-mail system. that testimony is going to take place by june 30.

host: viewers can call in and join the conversation as well. we have traditional phone lines for the segments, democrats, call (202) 748-8000. republicans, call (202) 748-8001 . independents, call (202) 748-8002. tweet, also send us a @cspanwj, and we are on facebook at facebook.com/c-span. here's beverly on the democrat equine. -- democratic line. caller: this is nothing more than a witch hunt. it's a witch hunt. host: all right. is this a witch hunt? guest: this is the justice department run by democrats that's investigating mrs. clinton's handling of classified -- these are fbi

two federal court judges who judicial watch discovery. the first judge i reference as an appointee of resident clinton. -- president clinton. witchhunts,lleged it's one involving a vast conspiracy, including an agency led by political appointees of president obama. it doesn't bear scrutiny. the problem judicial watch has been facing -- if there's a democrat we're going after, the democrats rally around the person of interest. when it's a republican we're going after, publicans rally around. haveew is, if you corruption in your political party and you have politicians associated with your ideology that are corrupt, you need to make it clear you want no part of that, and you want the truth to come out. because that is so harmful to have crooks being your

standardbearer. george w. bush, nothing he was personally corrupt, for his lack of transparency, something we ran into in a significant way was serious. the american people to not like it. that's why obama ran as the most transparent, all that was a scam. he would be the most transparent of administration history. we see time and time again, the perception of corruption is a major issue for voters. it will get the politicians here to admit it, we should recognize it. if you are a smart party activists in either party, you should see that as a key issue for you to handle directly, rather than screaming it's a witchhunts every time someone you like in your party gets criticized and put under investigation, with good reason, like hillary clinton. you aboutnt to ask

this article that was in the national review recently that criticized your group involvement in the investigation of hillary clinton, here's a little bit from that article. it's ever vomiting committee spokesperson are hailing the conservative watch grow -- watchdog group of drafting and the committees it best to get awake while claiming credit for some of its most important discoveries. the finalelease of report nearing, gop lawmakers, led by committee chairman trey gowdy are worried that the group will over politicized and much and just a group or -- much anticipated report. they've opened fire, keeping judicial watch of mischievous behavior. the two key instigator's are now at each other's throats, suggested deepening divide between congressional republican than conservative activist. the latter still hopes to wheel benghazi is a stake through the heart of clinton's president will build. -- presidential bid.

guest: we just seek the truth. this just shows you how effective judicial watch is. we are being attacked by the republican leadership of congress are doing our job and embarrassing them, and showing them up. the benghazi select committee would not be there but for judicial watch's disclosures. -- we have had disclosures that we've all made's all that the committee has either not been able to get, or may have had but didn't disclose that weren't being forthright with the american people and sitting on material. we have been critical when asked about what the benghazi committee has been up to comments is the payback. this to me as an extraordinary abuse of taxpayer resources to have paid staff of congress going around attacking a transparency group for doing its job. it, i don't believe

even think the obama administration spends their time proactively calling reporters and attacking our work. it's just incredible. let's hear now from someone on the republican line. larry from washington, d.c. is our next caller. go ahead. caller: good morning. my support judicial watch, you are correct in your statement that because of the interactions with a lack of the spine of congress to do the job, the separation of power of the legislative branch to check made the executive branch -- hillary clinton is going back 36 years -- now that she's campaigning for president, her statement before the house for intelligence committee -- what difference does it make? it shows she doesn't care about a pressure forces man. she just has contempt. to the pathological liar, a mass murderer, and i think your day

is coming. that's my statement i wanted to make to the people want to apologize for her. she's a forked tongue crook. host: that's larry from washington, d.c.. bill, northbrook, illinois on the independent line. go ahead, bill. caller: thanks for taking my call. going beyond the benghazi situation, the entire e-mail controversy -- i would like you to answer what is wrong with my statement -- how can it be that it takes virtually a year, with , andi agents investigating yet, there is no conclusion? as if our me government must be inept if we cannot conclude this investigation, regardless of what it shows.

to me, it's appalling that this has taken so long to come to some answer more to get the information that is needed to make a decision. host: that is bill from illinois. we are speaking with tom fitton of judicial watch. called, in the "washington post," the benghazi scandal of conducting a secretive and bungled investigation. why is that? guest: because it's been going on for two years, the american people don't know when it's up to. there have been few public hearings to educate the american people about the benghazi outrage. i believe the benghazi was a serious, serious abuse. we had lies by the president and mrs. clinton, designed to keep them in office that placed human lives in jeopardy. i think because of the lack of accountability, the lies

continued -- lives continue to be placed in jeopardy, and the benghazi committee has not done enough to vindicate those who have been killed in those who seek reassurance from the government. they don't know what they're doing. they refuse to disclose to the american people key information they have had for years, it democrats you complain about republicans, that they are politicizing investigations. they are right. policy -- the politics isn't the way the democrats think it is. the view one investigations is we don't like them, we don't think they politically work, so therefore, we won't do them. if we do them, we'll just do --ugh to keep the gull lake people like tom fitton and judicial watch and concerned american voters who are into this, happy. but not so much as to roil the

waters. the benghazi investigation of perfect example of that. host: let's hear from hillary clinton, defending herself in terms of the status of her e-mails investigation. she was on face the nation last week. [video clip] no one has reached out to me yet. last august i made it clear i am more than ready to talk to anybody, anytime a. i encouraged all of my assistants to be very forthcoming, and i hope that this is close to being wrapped up. >> no one said hillary clinton, we'd like to sit down and talk to you. it would clinton: not at this point. >> if there is this point where voters are thinking of you versus donald trump, some voters may be spaying attention now a different kind of way. what is your answer to the people who think fbi inquiry, that's a big deal. what do you say to them? hillary clinton: what have said

for many lives. it's a security inquiry, i always took classified material seriously. there was never any material march classified that was sent or received by me. i look forward to this being wrapped up. >> people ask what she has been learned -- what she has learned. hillary clinton: that was a mistake. it seems like a convenient idea the time, that certainly wasn't. i always take classified material seriously. there is no argument about that i'm aware of her in i will continue to do so. parameterswhatever are required for the president, which i know little bit about, having served with is an obama. -- with president obama. host: we are talking with tom fitton from judicial watch. william from quincy, massachusetts is on the democratic line. caller: thank you for taking my call. i was just watching, and tom

said at the beginning that is watch group discovered the scandal. i would just like to say i don't he discovered it. the word that would be appropriate would be created. we have a chairman of the benghazi committee come out on national television and state that this committee was put together for the sole purpose of destroying her reputation. he didn't get the speaker ship of the house like he was supposed to the next day because of that. because he destroyed this entire benghazi committee. i personally think that the taxpayer should be repaid by the republican party for the cost of the benghazi committee. host: william, we hear you. tom fitton from judicial watch. didn't say we

discovered it, we highlighted a key piece of information that the obamaryone knew clinton team was lying about benghazi. that was admitted to in many ways. but we had a documented proof. it wasn't trey gowdy who made that political comment about the committee, i think he was kevin mccarthy. republicans, that's the mess they made, and that's what we do our own investigations, because folks like your caller responded republicanto quote investigations, and he gets bound up in politics. judicial watch is nonpartisan, we just try to get the documents of the them out there for people to judge for themselves or if you don't think benghazi is a big deal, that's fine. but at least review the documents that we been able to uncover and look at the documents. the committee hasn't been able -- has kept free much all documents they have. they have released a few. we release everything we can we

get them. after we look at them. and then put them out for the american people to look at. judicialwatch.org , look at the documents and judge for yourselves. don't take partisan words for, for yourselves. host: a comment from twitter -- nonpartisan at your conservative judicial watch doesn't know what that person is. guest: nonpartisan means not associated with the party. we can have a conservative outlook and not be republican or democrat, or associated with a particular candidate. nonpartisan means that we ask russians of both republicans and democrats, and the consequences negatively were positively for either party are inconsequential to us read we are principled. more information from a story in the "washington post," this year that says judicial watch criticism is not surprising given its history that the group is mostly aligned with conservative causes, a push

for less government secrecy has made an uneasy ally for republicans to its founding in 1994. dick02, the group sued cheney and halliburton for a legit fraud, thing the company overstated its revenue under cheney's leadership. around the same time, he teamed up with the sierra club to sue for records related to energy task force run by cheney. the group has included republicans on his annual list of 10 most wanted corrupt politicians and cheered their legal defeats. peter is calling on the republican line. go ahead. caller: hi, tom. i saw you early on this morning i said i had to call in. you are a real patriot. the public doesn't really understand how important your organization is and the wonderful work that you are doing. if it wasn't for you guys, we wouldn't even know about hillary clinton. the thing that disturbs me the most about the media is that there are so many spinmeisters

who are not interested in the truth and justice, they are interested in getting this one way or the other. they have got a special place in the constitution that they are supposed to inform the public about wrongdoing, they don't do it. at least during the watergate investigations, there were some republicans on board who wanted to know the truth about what happened. i can't seem to see any democrats who are condemning mrs. clinton. gender, mrs. clinton is guilty of gross negligence. as just a fact. they just keep spinning this thing. i think trey gowdy and his organization is totally inept. they can't seem to get any information, and i think they are only interested in embarrassing mrs. clinton, and not bringing her to justice. i talked right all the time, because you on

television. i said i would to meet tom and shake his hand. because they got he is there. -- thank god he is there. guest: small world. -- i can tell you how my folks for media organizations, including well-known media outlets admire judicial watch. envious in a positive way of boy, i wish we could get the documents you are able to get. i wish we could commit our investigative resources to force the administration to be more forthcoming and follow the law and release documents as they are supposed to. from congress's perspective, members on both sides of the ande admire judicial watch their ability to get things congress can't. speaker boehner is no longer speaker because members were tired of being shown up by judicial watch. obama'se going to stop

lawless radical agenda, the least they could do was investigated, they weren't even doing that. that's why speaker boehner is no longer speaker, in some parts. host: how is judicial watch funded? guest: by voluntary contributions. we have over 400,000 supporters who write us checks every day. a widely supported organization, that an indication to me at least, and frankly, should be to politicians and the establishment class in washington that the american people are terribly concerned about government corruption, and figuring out what the government is up to. they host: mary lou from california is up next on the independent line. good morning to you. scamr: this man is another

about hillary. he needs to do a witchhunt on donald trump. he is least qualified to be president of the united states. there is a lot to be said about donald trump. hillary is the most qualified person to be president of the united states. republicans are very jealous. they do all of these witchhunts. he is a republican. he needs to be honest, and forget about these judicial is talkingatever he about. he is all about making money online. -- on lies. guest: i'm not sure how to respond about that. donald trump will come under judicial watch scrutiny the way that any other politician would. the thing with donald trump is he has not been an elected official, so he does not have as many records to get a hold of, as hillary clinton does.

host: sherry from oklahoma is up next. caller: yes. c-span, i cannot tell you how disappointed i am that you would keefe -- ar james o hack job. he is nothing but a republican hack job. talk about the investigation of one woman. he has more than enough issues that he could be investigating donald trump, which he will not need. host: we hear you this morning as well. we are speaking with tom fitton of judicial watch. there are several investigations into hillary clinton's e-mail. what is the justice department looking into? guest: all we can guess is what the reports are. the fbi, one of the cases said

they are looking into her use of the system, in the least. that is an issue for mrs. clinton. it is not a security investigation. the fbi director said he had never heard of a security investigation. .hat is a made-up term it is a criminal investigation into her conduct in the conduct of her colleagues and the handling of classified information. the fbi is also looking into the clinton foundation and basically the clinton cash machine while she was in office as secretary of state. one of the other foil litigation cases that pressured the release of this information is our request of conflict of interest, and when all of this the fan, or

at least the state department began getting nervous about this, we were getting and publicizing key documents showing that the clintons at the process was not all that ethical. president clinton sought approval for 250 speeches, and got approval for all of them and was able to earn money personally from the chinese government, other foreign entities. the state department did not care. mrs. clinton was benefiting from that too. the reports of goldman sachs after her six figures theyas secretary state, were giving her husband six

figures while she was secretary of state. her use of the foundation and the use of her position to take supporters,rs and she promised there would be a line between her and the would -- they would be careful ethical requirements to make sure there was no mixing of the two. what do the e-mails show? she was regularly getting advice from a clinton foundation employee. advisingumenthal was mrs. clinton on libya while she was secretary of state. she was actually banned reportedly from the white house. mrs. clinton did not want many people knowing that she was getting advice from sidney

blumenthal. was thehe top officials key cabinet advisor for mrs. clinton. sue: on the phone lines is from kentucky. good morning. caller: good morning. how are you? host: go ahead with your question. caller: i would just love to know if anyone is looking at donald trump and looking into his background. be -- not seem to me to host: go ahead, you are on the air. seem tohe just does not me to be present much euro. host: all right. let's hear from one more caller, and then we will go back to our guest, tom fitton. line, davendependent

. caller: thank you for taking my call. i just want to highlight, if you could -- i am left of center, but not a huge hillary clinton fan. i want to comment on something from "the washington post." there was a piece of imagery korea.rth here is something i know. someone moved data from a classified network to an unclassified network. when you look at the freedom of information releases on the , mye department website question, if you know the information, the two ladies who sent e-mails to mrs. clinton have security releases?

does anyone know who in the state department's release this information for to get moved to mrs. clinton's server? guest: i think the last question, that is one thing that the fbi and justice department are now trying to answer. i believe they have security clearances. mrs. clinton sending the .nformation is gobbledygook initially she said it was not classified, then she said it was never marked classified. -- was requesting documents materials that were classified.

the markings recognized its classification. whether it is marked or not is irrelevant. she should be able to discern whether it is classified or not. saying it was not marked at the time has nothing to do with what the law is and what the requirements of the law are. the fact that she continues to lie about what the laws are and her obligations are is disturbing. that the obama administration continues the lies is even more disturbing. host: larry from tucson, arizona

is on the line next. go ahead. caller: hello? air. you are on the go ahead. caller: i want to know, does washington journal in c-span have any responsibilities in who s?ey choose for guest his comments and thought process is based on his knowledge. many benghazi investigations have there been? guest: not enough. caller: you say. guest: you have a strong opinion too. caller: you are a conservative. guest: this is the typical response, unfortunately. if you don't like what someone is saying, they should not be on air talking. folks like that

are not able to trample on the first amendment the way they would like to. .ost: the next color is jeans good morning. caller: good morning. this is an honor. thingh the first and god -- i watched the first benghazi hearing. big,ught, this is something is going to happen. i have come to the conclusion, if you are going to be chair of the committee in congress, they on you.have some dirt thank god for you guys. if i ever get any money, i will send you a check. guest: i think committee en are there at the

benevolence of the leadership. speaker ryan is responsible for how these things operate. accountability for the failure to make this a more public issue and to vindicate the public interest in .iguring out what went on we mentioned earlier the benghazi committee attacking judicial watch. faith in thehave fbi director? guest: i think the interest is the establishment once mrs. clinton indicted. the fbi will probably be interested in doing that. frombi is too often in you

criticism. i do not believe it is immune from criticism in the irs case. they were involved in getting irs material they were not supposed to get under law. disinterestedt a party. they are doing the investigation, and surprise, surprise, there are no investigations coming of it. the fbi should we subject to the same scrutiny that every other agency is. host: we have time for a few more callers rebuts get and sue from maryland. good morning. .aller: good morning, tom i just wanted to make a couple of quick comments. number one, i don't know if people understand the importance

of foia. you cannot foia a private individual. can is why hillary clinton be because she was part of the executive branch. i do not think people get the and how important it is. i also want to make the point that government transparency is not a partisan issue. if it was not for judicial watch, there is an amazing amount of information that the not have.blic would if you are thinking of writing a judicialde it to the watch. you are doing great work. keep it up. guest: that is an essential

point. the freedom of information act is somewhat limited. i cannot get president obama's phone messages, at least not yet. the freedom of information act is not apply to congress. it does not apply to the federal judiciary. it is somewhat limited. it is remarkable, given the limitations, what we are able to do. a little bit of work can go a long way. not rocket it is science. it is persistence and the willingness to ask questions and get accountability. host: the last caller will be donna. go ahead. caller: hello. host: you are on the air. upler: i am just like fed with everything. i watched the whole thing.

they should have had someone other than hillary clinton to be accounted for. enough is enough. alone.er host: we have to leave it there. your final thoughts? guest: this is not going away. people are concerned about and ghazi, mrs. clinton, everything else that the obama and mr. is doing. mrs. clinton is going to have to account for her e-mail scandal .nd key officials this issue is not going away. host: announcer: washington journal is

live every day. on sunday, sarah smith movie on to discuss the legislation moving through congress on -- addressing the opioid crisis. then, james person of the history and public policy program for the wilson center will talk about the korean workers party, viewed as a key moment for kim jong-un. also, washington post reporter robert costa will discuss donald trump's visit to capitol hill this week. glass -- brent glass will discuss his new book on essential historic sites.

washington journal is live at 7:00 eastern. anduncer: president obama michelle obama hosted a state dinner with nordic leaders from tim been, iceland, sweden, and denmark. president obama and the prime minister's of iceland and denmark spoke. this is about 25 minutes. pres. obama: please join me in welcoming the president and first lady of finland. [applause] the leaders of norway. [applause]

prime minister and mrs. lohman of sweden. prime minister and mrs. rasmussen of denmark. [applause] pres. obama: and prime minister johannsson of iceland. [applause] pres. obama: now, we know they share a pride in their viking heritage. but i think we can all agree that the vikings could be a little rough. they did not always have the best manners at the dinner table. [laughter] pres. obama: their outfits were

not always appropriate. the times have changed. tonight our nordic friends are much better behaved. [laughter] president obama: we are honored to have you here as you can see from our decor, winter is coming. [laughter] pres. obama: this evening we have three speakers, so i will be brief. i do not want things to get out of hand. one of the great old norse poems from iceland offered advice on how to welcome a guest. let us begin by drinking ale.

the more they drink, the less they can think and keep a watch over their wits. good advice. [laughter] president obama: perhaps easier said than done. it is true that our nordic friends have a repeat today, unlike the past, for modesty and for propriety. don't let them fool you, in these nordic countries, things can get a little while. i understand that in norway, one of the big on tv is national firewood night. [laughter] president obama: this is true. it is a video of logs burning for hours, and hours, and hours. that is crazy. [laughter] pres. obama: another show involves a view camera being strapped to the front of a train, so viewers could watch the rails.

for seven hours. this sounds like riveting entertainment. we will not do anything that crazy tonight. [laughter] pres. obama: but we are grateful for our friendship with the nordic peoples. even if we do sometimes get a little jealous about how perfect they seem to be. if you have visited any of these nordic countries, everything is orderly, everything is clean, everybody is well behaved. and even prompted a best-selling book called the almost nearly perfect people. but there were some shockers. nordic countries can get into heated arguments about which country is happiest. [laughter] pres. obama: they also do get into arguments about who has the

better hockey players. until america steals them away. and they also have arguments about who has the honor of being the true hometown of santa claus. these are fierce debates that take place. among our nordic friends. but our work today actually does remind us of why we so value our nordic partners so much. in each other we find those who we work with and pursue common values. those we cherish the most. we stand together so the citizens can live in security and peace. we labor so our economy can create opportunity and

prosperity. it goes not just to the top, but to the many. together we are on the forefront of the right to get climate change. to protect indigenous people of the arctic. and in our own countries around the world, we stand for the dignity and equality of all people. many of our nordic friends are familiar with the great danish philosopher. among other causes he championed the idea of the school. the folks school. education that was not just made available to the elite, but to the many. training that prepared a person for active citizenship, and improving society. over time, and the folk school movement spread and one of those in the united states was in tennessee. it was called the highlander folk school. and especially during the

1960's, people came together to advancing justice. we know that some of those who were trained or participated in the highlander schools, john lewis, dr. martin luther king, junior, they world shaped in part by highlander and the teachings of a great nordic loss of her -- philosopher. and they had a ripple effect on the civil rights movement and ultimately on making america a better place. we would not have been here had it not been for that stone that was thrown in a lake and created ripples of hope that ultimately spread across an ocean to the united states of america and i

might not be standing here were it not for the efforts of people like a lot baker and others to participated in the school. so that is just one small measure of the enormous positive influence that our nordic friends have had on our country and it is part of the reason we so value their friendship. i said before in i will repeat, they punch above their weight and their values, their contributions, not just to make their own countries function well but to make the whole world a better place makes them one of our most valuable partners

everywhere in the world and we are grateful for the outstanding work they do so i propose a toast -- to the friendship between us and values that we share. may our nations continue to stand together and then for the moral preaching just the presidential axis. cheers. with that, i want to welcome the prime minister from iceland, followed by prime minister rasmussen of denmark. [applause] prime minister: mr. president, mrs. obama.

let me begin by expressing my pleasure at being here tonight and for your gracious hosting. for the welcome you have extended to iceland. we are honored to be here. most importantly as friends of the united states. we bring with us greetings and good wishes of our people. relations between iceland and the united states have always been strong. our initial and ongoing partnership and our broad friendship includes commercial, academic, and other ties. and it sometimes includes

artists in swan dresses. our friendship is based on solidarity and cooperation on some of today's most complex problems. building on our 2030 -- 2013 summit, i am pleased we have recognized the excellent united states-nordic cooperation. i am also pleased that we have committed in our joint statement to further deepen and broaden our cooperation of international issues. our worldviews and interests align. we share the same values. respect for freedom and democracy and an unsinkable

commitment to justice, human rights, and the role of law. we are committed to the equality and women's empowerment and we work together for peace and equality. as we near the end of your time in the office, mr. president, i would like to use this opportunity to commend your leadership. the conclusion of the paris climate agreement and the arctic. the population of iceland is 1000 times smaller the in at of the united states. as you might expect from viking descendents, we do not tied to hind our apparent lack of superpower structures. -- we do not hide behind our apparent lack of super power structures. we are still figuring out how to aim them. [applause]

so bear with us. ladies and gentlemen, i would like to propose a toast to a president, to the first lady, to the people of the united states of america and to the enduring friendship between our people. [applause]

>> mr. president, first lady, dear colleagues from my neighboring countries, ladies and gentlemen, once i was seven-years-old, my mother told me, go make yourself some friends or you will be lovely. -- lovely. those lyrics are from a danish singer's hit song in the united states and i am a lonely guy because my predecessors did not wait for the song to be released for they follow the advice and therefore i am so privileged and happy to be here tonight surrounded by friends from the nordic countries but first and foremost, you, mr. president and your fantastic and dedicated wave michelle and all of your

fellow americans. the united states is truly one of our closest friends. the first time you invited me into the overall office, mr. president, you said that denmark was -- you make me proud. now some sick shows later i stand was not only denmark, but all the other nordic countries. [laughter and applause] prime minister: but nevertheless, i am still proud and i believe these same goes for my colleagues so you can count on us and you know that. in that is probably why we are all invited here tonight because we punch above the our wait and

we will continue to do so and after two nights splendid dinner, we will definitely step up into a whole new weight class. [laughter] prime minister: the ties are strong and go way back. as you said, nordic viking's cross many years ago. and ever since, billions have left our windy countries looking for a new start in america, many of them settled. [applause] prime minister: i guess the weather made them feel at home. scarlett johansson, of danish descent is living proof of that. and the swedes and the fans and the icelanders did their part two. the gene pulled that gave you julia roberts, matt damon, and

uma thurman, and that you -- norwegians, well, they gave you karl rove. [laughter and applause] prime minister: among many other things. so i guess it is fair to say we have had a certain impact on america in many different ways. so the question is, can we nordic's till contributed to america in the answer is a sent -- is a simple yes we can. [applause] prime minister: nordic architects are transforming american cities with projects

like the redesign of the smithsonian here in washington based on a vision of making urban areas more livable, smart, and sustainable. the united states and nordic countries are taking the lead in the world of america and speaking of taking the lead, speaking of leadership, it is easy to see the importance and value of your leadership, mr. president. so without interfering in american politics i can truly and without a doubt say that you have been the best president you have ever had. [applause] prime minister: now your presidency is coming to an end

and i have something to admit. i am very proud of donald, too. he is smart, he shows leadership skills, a true visionary, and of course, i am talking about donald the president of the european council which in your absence is the best president and europe could have. while being a role model is not always easy, so i've heard, you, mr. president, have become to represent the influence of america and people across the world. we share a common goal of giving affordable health-care -- providing affordable health care to our -- to all and i appreciate this. you also contributed to the agreement on climate change last

year and we continue -- well, both are disappointed in copenhagen but we worked hard and finally we continue our work together on the issue. recently, mr. presidency, you swept the white house in rainbow colors. being the first country to allow same-sex partnership, denmark admires and supports your stance toward diversity and human rights. nevertheless, your presidency as coming to an end so congress will probably try to block most of your initiatives in the time to come. i guess that can be frustrating. believe me, being leader of a very small minority government, i know that from personal experience and if i may, allow me to give you a piece of personal advice.

when i get too frustrated, i let off steam by cooking. and i can recommend that. and if you do take my advice, i think you could be inspired by the new nordic cuisine. it already involves edible foods such as moss, burke, and living ants. but maybe you could be helpful in our research into a recipe for lame-duck. [laughter] prime minister: you are a great man and we will be happy to welcome you to copenhagen. denmark, as all the nordic countries can be honored to receive one of the most inspirational and charming figures in america, along with her husband, of course. [laughter]

prime minister: so michelle, mr. president, ladies and gentlemen let me propose a toast for the strong relations between our nations. the special friendship we have. to friendship. cheers. [applause] >> dinner is now served, but i think we're just identified the next comic for the white house correspondents dinner. [laughter] [applause] pres. obama: enjoy, everybody. thank you. ♪

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] joysncer: macklemore president obama to discuss opioid addiction. the president also talks about why he wants congress to expand axes to recovery services. alaska delivers the republican response, talking about the economy during the obama administration. president obama: hi, everybody. i've got a special guest this week. macklemore. for those who do not share the same love for hip-hop that i do, he's a grammy-winning artist, but also an advocate for a disease we whisper about, the disease of addiction. macklemore: hey, everybody. i'm here with president obama because i take this personally.

if i did not get the help i needed when i needed it, i would not be here today. i want to help others face the same challenges i did. president obama: drug overdoses take more lives than car accidents. a lot of times there from legal drugs prescribed by a doctor. addiction does not always start in a dark alley. it often starts in a medicine cabinet. a new study released this month from the 44% of americans know someone who has been addicted to prescription painkillers. macklemore: i did not just know someone. i lost someone. my friend kevin overdosed on painkillers when he was just 21 years old. addiction is like any other disease. it does not discriminate. it does not care what color you are, whether you are a guy or girl, rich or poor, whether you live in an inner-city, suburb, or rural america. this does not happen this to other people's kids or some other neighborhood. it can happen to any of us.

president obama: that is why talking about this crisis is not enough. we need to get more treatment to people who need it. my administration is working with communities to reduce overdose deaths, including with medication. we are working with law enforcement to get people into treatment instead of jail. and under obamacare, health care plans in the marketplace have to cover treatment. macklemore: along with a 12-step program, treatment has saved my life and recovery works. we need our leaders in washington to fund it and people need to know how to find it. president obama: we all need to do more to make that happen. i have asked congress to expand access to recovery services. this week, the house passed several bills about opioids, which is great, but unless they also make investments in more treatment, it won't get americans the help that they need.

doctors need more training about the power of the pain medications they prescribed and the risks pain medications carry. another way our country can help those suffering is to make this conversation public. >> shame and the stigma associated with the disease keeps too many people from seeking the help that they need. addiction is a personal choice and a personal failing and sometimes it takes a strong community and accessable resources. president obama: the good news is there's hope. when we talk about opioids, more people will find the strength to macklemore. like we'll see