it is important for our discussion of the environment and climate change in the democratic platform that we underscore in terms of conflict around the world and economic justice around the world climate is a fundamental issue. elijah cummings: well stated. any other questions? >> thank you for your powerful testimony. elijah cummings: well stated. any other questions? >> thank you for your powerful testimony. we have so much work to do. it shows today, it showed us yesterday how much work we have to do. what is the single most important step we can take today?

we have a long list of action items that we need to take to protect mother earth, to protect our earth. what would you recommend? >> the single most important step today. ms. suh: in terms of government actions, we have seen this historic establishment of the first comprehensive framework to address it. it serves as the bedrock of the leadership we have seen in other nations pretty continuing to ensure that we can keep those standers in place -- standards in place is going to be critical. elijah cummings: thank you very much. thank you. felicia marcus. she was appointed by governor jerry brown to the california state water resources control board in 2012, designated by the governor in april 2013.

the board implemented both federal and state laws regarding drinking water and water quality, it implements the state's water right laws. thank you for being with us. ms. marcus. it's an honor to be with you today. i was asked to talk about the extreme drought california is experiencing and offer suggestions for the federal government could do to be of assistance. the short answer is move from 20th century thinking and infrastructure to investment and tools appropriate to the 21st century. all with prioritizing efficiency and equity. help invest in the transition to more efficient and integrated water management including green

infrastructure. take an integrated approach. work with states, local governments to use water in a more sophisticated way to benefit ecosystems, agriculture and domestic use. 21st century tools, develop and disseminate tools for efficiency and treatment using more up-to-date and transparent data and analysis. the california drought is the worst in modern times. we've had for rough years including one with the least snowpack and 500 years. we've had agricultural land fallowed, fish and wildlife decimated. many communities have run out of water and we have been dell offering water to them in tankards and running pipes. we have seen escalating tensions and we have seen drought angels who have risen to the occasion. in addition to these direct

impacts, this drought is the godzilla of a wake-up call for what climate change has in store for us. climate change will bring us years like these more frequently in the decades to come. at a minimum, more precipitation we do get will fall as rain rather than snow. this is a huge deal in the west. in california we rely on our snowpack for one third of our storage in an average year. this is similar to other areas. we depend on snowpack and infrastructure to store and move water to where it is most use and when it is most use, which is not where and when it falls. today's conflicts between ecosystem, agricultural and urban needs will seem like a picnic compared to what is to come if we do not adapt now. some want us to write off one of

their three uses -- those three uses. we rely and need them all. i hope the platform embraces that concept. the natural world sustains us. we are a part of it and i hope the platform declares we can and must have a healthy and vibrant environment, healthy environment economy, and healthy and vibrant people. water is key to all of that. fortunately there is a lot we can do to prepare. efficiency is first and foremost. using less water to meet the same needs is quite doable. using water multiple times, it is very doable. changing what we use it for is definitely doable. managing water and more integrated way to make every drop make multiple needs is starting to happen.

you will see it in philadelphia. the federal government can be a critical assistant to making this transition. the federal government helps local agencies make enormous strides. those facilities are now outdated including being darn leakey. 10 to 30% of large urban systems were in rural areas. water recycling can yield the next big wave of benefits. it is expensive. local and state governments are up for it but need the help. the federal loan program needs a boost but we keep hearing it is at risk. it needs flexibility to foster green infrastructure and put a

greater focus on disadvantaged communities. 21st century approaches and attitude. green infrastructure has potential as cities moved to a one model. capturing water and green spaces to move water where it carries a concoction of urban pollutants and where it can percolate into groundwater and be tomorrow supplied. we can get flood control. we can get livable communities. one location can be water for a father after it does work for wildlife or after habitat restoration can bring back the biodiversity we lost and depend

on. these are complex efforts and require government to come together and deal with complexity, uncertainty and trial and error. there is a key role for the federal government here. sleeves rolled up partners. 21st century tools -- our research and technology, promote and accelerate innovation. water managers can keep more water in storage versus managing by date and dumping water to avoid flooding that may never come. it can mean remote-sensing, destroying flow gauging to manage our waterways for fish and wildlife farmers in real time. better systems to access big data for transparency for all. treatment technologies for all sorts, particularly in

disadvantaged communities are essential. more and more contaminants discovered to go beyond what smoke amenities will ever afford. finally, an overlay to prioritize disadvantaged communities is essential. california enacted the nation's first human right to water law, director state government to prioritize the issue, and has led to important funding and other actions with more yet to be done. thank you for allowing me to join you. i'm happy to join you as you complete your task.

elijah cummings: thank you. questions? >> how -- how much efficiency were you all able to achieve during the most severe time of the drought? >> there is more in my written testimony. in urban california, they cut back 25%, which is enormous when you think about it. it is by water agencies. we have 400 that serve over 3000 people. 90% of the water agency volume in california. we have thousands of water agencies. many of them are very small. they were able to cut back largely by reducing outdoor landscape.

there was a community, communities rose up to save water because they knew it was the right thing to do particularly at a time where they were hearing about rural communities who were without water. took a while to get going and we did have to use top-down regulations to get it going. the public, once we put that data out transparency dustpan transparently, they rose to the -- transparently, they rose to the occasion. we have got to get off our butts and do more about it. >> i want to applaud the city of california and your efforts for the innovative things california is doing to conserve water. my question, we have looked at, we have had a lot of testimony on fracking.

my understanding is it takes 160,000 gallons of clean water to frack a single well. in california, doing the positive things to conserve water on the one hand, why would we allow big gas companies to consume so much clean water on the other hand in terms of fracking? the second thing, i want to reiterate the question on earthquakes. oklahoma, for example. we have seen a massive spike in earthquakes in oklahoma. i was wondering how concerned california is for a spark -- bike in earthquakes in your state by the continued use of hydraulic fracturing.

ms. marcus: i think the amount of water, especially clean water varies from place to place. water is water but a lot of the fracking that occurs in california occurs over saline, not using fresh, clean water. i could not say those numbers are correct for much of california. part of what we did, we have not picked and chose and exactly what people use water they have a right to. some people wanted us to ban bottled water. it takes more water to make a beer than to make bottled water. i'm not going to ban beer. it depends on the circumstances, the location. in california it is a small

percentage. that doesn't mean all water shouldn't be used as wisely as possible and recycled as often as possible but it is less a drought issue then is the larger issue of making sure a regulatory scheme is tight enough and we are in the process of tightening up our management scheme as every other state should be. it is on a continuum. it depends on the circumstances. i think mary's answer was largely correct at the moment. we have a large-scale oil and gas activity in a general area of many years. i think part of why we came up with such stringent regulations is known as sb four. we have tight regulations. we are going to have real data ahead of time.

they are strict regulatory largely in geothermal with much more engagement from the waterboards than had been the case in the past. especially as it moves into other areas where there may well be seismic risk. that should be something that is expected. we got these regulations because of a threatened mass expansion where it had been, which tends to be where the mass of that is. we got this regulatory scheme in advance as we argued people would have wanted a tougher scheme in advance of -- we have been trying to be as tight as we can on all kinds of regulation including agriculture.

elijah cummings: thank you very much. ms. marcus: happy to work with you. elijah cummings: one last question. >> i would like to draw my attention of my colleagues -- you have heard testimony from the public servants. top quality public servants for testimony who are grassroots movement leaders. i would like to remind the committee both of those groups

are necessary for solutions we are trying to define here. both of those public servants and grassroots movements are abused by the other political party. when we write our platform and we talk about our goals, but the means to get there, we should be affirmative about how the intensity of the movements that have brought some people here and the dedication of public servants like these witnesses are both essential to getting those solutions. elijah cummings: i could not agree more. you are absolutely right. thank you very much. [applause] elijah cummings: for the members of the committee, we have two more witnesses. then we will break for lunch. friends of the earth president is a nationally recognized energy subsidies for more than a decade. he has worked to reform u.s. tax and budget policy to reduce pollution and spark a transition to clean energy.

he served as the organization's director of domestic programs. he designed and launched many friends of the earth's campaigns including efforts to bring emerging technologies such as nanotechnology and synthetic biology under greater public and regulatory control. and to reform how the federal government manages and invests in our transportation system. welcome. >> i want to express my deep appreciation for inviting me to be here today to express some of your thoughts on the democratic platform. for those who don't know, we were an organization -- we have 750,000 members and activists. we are part of the world's largest environmental organization with member groups and 75 countries around the

world. our mission is to transfer -- champion a just world. since the drafting of the 2012 platform which contained the all the above energy plan, much has changed in the climate movement. a vast movement of grassroots leaders and activists are a poising -- opposing the also fuel industry. this movement success includes shutting down 150 coal plants, pressuring president obama to stop the keystone xl pipeline, mobilizing 450,000 people at the climate march in new york,

fighting two keep fossil fuels in the ground, and forcing public institutions around the country to divest from. fuel companies. underneath this context of the climate movement i offer the following platform positions to facilitate alignment with the democratic party with these movements. the party platform needs the plan, needs a plan steeped in climate justice and justice for workers and communities in transition from the community. we have to proactively deal with it. the platform must support the repeal of $150 billion in fossil fuel subsidies and end public financing of fossil fuel exports and implement a carbon tax.

cap and trade is an inferior policy. the platform must support a moratorium on all new federal leasing. keeping fossil fuels in the ground. this single step would take 450 billion tons of carbon out of play. we need the moratorium on fracking. it must support significant agricultural reforms to embrace ecological possibles that sequester carbon, create healthier soils, healthier foods and healthier habitats. the platform must make clear the democratic party will not take money from the fossil fuel industry and it supports the efforts of state attorney general's and the department of justice to investigate exxon for past and ongoing climate fraud.

the round of what is possible and necessary is changing at an accelerated pace. it's time for the democratic party to embrace bold solutions and pathways forward that are commensurate with the time it crisis -- climate crisis we face. the instinct of political moderation is inconsistent with atmospheric chemistry, recognizing the climate crisis and offering less than what is necessary. thank you. [applause] elijah cummings: thank you very much. any questions? thank you very much. we have a question? thank you. our final witness for the

moment, dr. batista. she is director of the pediatric residency program, a michigan native. she earned her master's degree in public health. in addition to educating the next generation of physicians she directs the michigan state advocacy health initiative to research my monitor and mitigate the effects of lead on drinking water. welcome, doctor. >> good to see you as well. i would like to begin by thanking the platform committee

for inviting me to talk about the flood water crisis. i am pleased you have taught but the crisis in the urgent and ongoing need of the citizens of flint. i appreciate the ability to talk the of video. the flood water crisis touches on some of the issues that are vital to the future of this country including water quality, public health, poverty, justice, and the loss of democracy. it is also about our priorities and how as a nation we have prioritize the future of our children. today in flint we are on our third year of water that is not safe to drink even though many cameras are gone we are in a state of emergency. i was in clinic this morning. they cannot go to their kitchen sink and drink tap water without a blood filter. despite their efforts i have

congressional leadership as you have failed to take any action in regards to flint. the origins of the flood water crisis have roots in politics but today issued not be a political issue. in 2011, flint was almost bankrupt. as a cost-saving move flint changed its water source to the local flint river without doing some thing that was necessary, adding corrosion control. that created a perfect storm for led to leak go into our drinking water and going to the bodies of our children. lead is a potent neurotoxin.

there is no safe level of lead. we are moving forward. we will not be defined by this crisis. we are hoping to build a model health program, to wrap our children around whatever will promote their development. we still need the help of the federal government. the michigan legislature passed a budget that will bring the services. we need long-term commitment and congressional bipartisan support. but we hope to learn we hope to share with the rest of the nation. there are other communities facing led crises and facing issues of extreme poverty. we believe that with private -- rapid cycle initiatives, we can help kids recover and thrive. reinvesting in public health, especially in environmental

health, ending childhood poverty, which is a disease, investing in early education. what we do in the first five years of life will mitigate the impact of lead and help promote their development. flint has currently no grocery stores, we need great nutrition to promote children's development and to mitigate the ongoing exposure to lead. and revitalizing the economy. people ask me what is the one thing you would do to help your kid? that is jobs. to boost them out of poverty and provide support for their family. the crisis is a failure of government and so many levels. only a creative government

commitment will rebuild flint and restore the shaken trust. we are committed to not being defined by this crisis but our response to this crisis. we hope the world -- the word flint will be synonymous with hope and recovery. you can see our smart, strong and beautifully resilient children will continue to thrive. thank you for the opportunity to testify today. elijah cummings: thank you very much. >> i want to tell you how proud i am of you and the work you are doing in flint, for the nation. it's an economic crisis and now an environmental disaster. ira member when flint was a thriving community. on top of this we have this

crisis. i want you to think down the road for me a minute, 20 years, if we don't do something. what happens to the children of foreign now who have -- of flint now who are living this nightmare? where do they go? what becomes of flint if we don't, and are there things we can be doing for these children now? are the things we can do that would help in some cases remediate the damage that has been done to their young lives? >> that is a great question. flint did not always mean disaster. it used to have the highest per capita income in the nation. because of the investment which led to poverty, he created this

crisis. this is a buildup of so many economic issues. if we do nothing we will see the concert once is of lead if we do nothing, we will see the consequences of lead poisoning. it is well known what the consequences are. it decreasing children's i.q.'s and decreases their economic potential and causes lifelong trajectory altering consequences if we do nothing. but we have the potential do something. science has taught us that brain development has plasticivity. if we throw intervenks around these children now such as early education, nutrition, healthcare, we can mitigate the impact of this exposure. we cannot take this away. it is

irreversible. we can definitely mitigate it and limit the impact over the exposure. these kids did nothing wrong except live in a poor city that was almost bankrupt. we owe it to them to do everything to try to mitigate this. we will be assessing this and sharing it with others dealing with sews you economic issues. >> again, i wanted to thank you, doctor, for all you have done and continue to do. i've said it when i was in flint and in our committee. seems as if there are somenologist our country that don't mind other americans being collateral damage. i know that is strong phrase but it is real. we're going to continue to fight but thank you very much. any other comments? questions? thank you. [applause] > thank you.

ladies and gentlemen, we're going break for lunch. we will come back in exactly one hour. it's about five after, i think. all right? thank you. >> today our coverage of the democratic national committee platform hearing continues. among those scheduled to speak, cket reich and actress patricia arquette. at "washington post".com,

>> these are delegates. > exactly. about this. finally, we are finding evidence of the people who will be empowered to nominate any candidate taken it upon themselves to do something. we have heard so much from disaffected republicans saying why can't somebody else stand up and do this. what can we do something to at least slow his momentum? aybe for some concessions.

a bunch of the delegates have been trying to do that over the last two weeks and they have finally found each other and they have started organizing a way that mirrors the initial activists, leaders of the tea party movement did to -- six years ago. they are mad as hell and will not take it anymore. we found that there are people in iowa, colorado, washington state, arizona, louisiana, who are now getting together and hoping to find enough delegates across the country to make something happen. >> has bigger paul ryan in an interview said he would never tell anyone to do something contrary to our conscience. he had said that he will vote for donald trump. how significant were his remarks? >> he is the official chairman of the convention. he has to remain above the fray when it comes to all this. what he is signaling is that he will not put his bones on the scale one way or another which is to say, if you want to try to do something and you can build the momentum to do it, go ahead and do it. but you and the word artists, that has won the -- conscience, that has won the hearts of the folks what to do this. they are proposing a conscience clause or they will take you to the convention rules committee a week for the convention convenes and proposed that instead of being bound to the results of their states caucus or primary, the delegates should be allowed to vote for whoever they refer. to vote their conscience. some interpretations, that is already it is supposed to e.

have been that delegates are bound to the results of their states. if you have been paying attention, you probably seen explainers on how this works. the first 1-4 rounds delegates are forced to vote. but some say they can do whatever they want the beginning. they choose, not voters. they were electing delegates after all, not at candidate directly to the convention. >> your piece includes a statement by donald trump saying he won almost 14 million votes. quote i have tremendous support nd get the biggest crowds. which delegations are behind this effort and how would this unfold in terms of momentum?

>> no one full blown delegation s behind this. there are members of every delegations who are. no state has decided en masse that we're going to do whatever we can to support a conscience clause. but you have members in colorado, a state that ted cruz used to organize supporters as early as last summer to go to the state convention and get him the delegates needed. they're one of the few states that did not hold a caucus, they relied on a convention. the team that won him the convention is essentially banded together to continue this in hopes of adding him -- getting -- getting trump to not be the nominee. their home base is the -- colorado. they anticipate the numbers will grow. the reason why they can now start to figure out who is who and who is supportive it this

past monday, the states and territories had to turn in their final list of delegates and alternates. the die is cast. it is now known who has to go. the problem is that the rnc at one point was saying they would with the delegates and alternates and i'm being told that they may not do that for whatever reason. this will require them to go out and call each state party to pass ai long their list and they will have to compile the phone numbers and e-mails that way and reach out to try and find people. if there was one master list, they can determine this monday morning. it will take a little while longer. incredibly, throughout this whole thing, you have people who tell me they have been fighting each other on facebook, fighting each other through direct messaging on twitter. try to do this in a very quiet way. perhaps to avoid scrutiny of

fellow republicans or even fellow members of the delegations. i had one delegate tomie the chairman of the delegation had threatened them that if they don't vote for donald trump, they will have the credentials removed and be kicked off the floor. this was a state trump has won. this delegate believes as others do that he should be able do whatever he wants. >> we are a month away from the start of the convention in cleveland, how significant have been the last two weeks for donald trump to him whether his remarks, comments or latest polling numbers? >> all of it is significant. it is getting to cause a lot of worry for the delegates. look, his numbers are tanking. he has said and done things that suggest he's in for his own personal gain. i was struck that if you've them

dash few of them said they are disturbed about what they said -- he said about the federal judge. he was raising concerns about the judges ethnicity but also because he was threatening to use his political power and threatened to use the power of the presidency to single out a judge because he does not like something he has done. to single this judge out not because the judge has ruled against the will of the people, but because he was ruling against the self-interest of donald trump himself. he is abusing his power in essence. the other thing, comes calls for new gun laws in the wake of orlando was a red flag to a lot f conservatives. to us, the second amendment is settled. nothing more needs to be done. don't touch it. they are very concerned by his comments. examine -- again exposing that he is not necessarily sufficiently conservative. all of this is inspiring people to do something and see if there

is a way to take them at the convention. they are making very clear that this is not on the behest of anguished opponents. they don't necessarily have a preference yet on who would be other than trump. they are eager to try to do something to stop him and feel they can do it in the next month. >> the most organized effort so far. to stop donald trump from becoming the gop nominee, the reporting of ed o'keefe, his work available online. thank you for being with us. >> ity time, steve, take care. >> the political primary season over, c-span takes you to the political conventions with live coverage from cleveland. >> we'll be going into the convention no matter what happens and i think we're going to go in so strong. >> watch the democratic national convention starting july 25 with live coverage from philadelphia. >> let's go forward.

let's win the nomination and in july let's return as a unified party. our fight we take for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to philadelphia. >> every minute that the republican and democratic parties national convention on c-span, c-span radio and c-span.org. >> at the state department's briefing john kirby took questions on a memo signed by 51 employees which calls for a more aggressive stance on kiria. before that a report on violence from the assistant secretary of state. this is just over an hour.

i'm going to welcome william brownfield. he oversees a bureau that combats drugs and organized crime. yesterday the assistant secretary appeared before the committee on foreign relations. today he is going to focus more specifically on inl support in central america. i'm going to bring hem up here. he will have a few comments at the top and then we'll get to some q & a. i'll moderate the q & a and when that is complete we'll get into the daly briefing for the day.

my function is to keep you entertained while you stuck in his wind oweless room. we are at about the six-month mark from when the united states congress approved the appropriation of an unprecedented roughly $750 million to support yates government efforts in central america. so it is not a bad time for us to take a look at what is happening there right now that automatic that comes to me is about 1/3 -- amount is about 1/3. that is one part of what the united states government is trying to do with its three-part strategy in central america.

prosperity which speaks for itself. economic development, trade, governance, which is to make the institutionsor government work in a way that delivers value for the people. of central america and security by which we mean managing, reducing and ideally eliminating violence and violent crime which produces some of the push factor driving tens of thousands of citizens of central america to seek residence in other countries, including the nine states of america. our piece of this program is what we call the three-part, i'm into threes today, bottom-up which we are trying to support programs that community level that have an impact on people living in the community and work in the countries. top-down by which we mean reform of institutions, training, and

creating better performing law enforcement prosecutorial skills, courts and corrections and finally, support for perations. those units, those organizations that are in fact providing on a day by day jesus the actual enforcement of the laws, management, control, protection of the borders. control of sea ports and airports throughout central america. we have had some cool results in the last 12 months. we are working in an unprecedented way with u.s. a --usaid. the strategy was developed in the city of los angeles in the outhern part of california and

ties like juarez, mexico and medillin columbia. we identify precisely certain zones in cities or even rural areas and provide a specifically targeted developmental and security approach to that zone. we have made some pretty cool progress in terms of effort to control gangs, both on enforcement efforts and efforts to provide alternatives to the particularly vulnerable youth in poor neighborhoods that are otherwise very susceptible to gang recruitment. you have seen in at least one country, guatemala, on anticorruption effort can truly succeed. the organization is called succeed in we have been supporting it for seven years. or those of you who missed the

story, at the end of last year, with the investigations, virtually the entire previous government of guatemala was removed due to allegations, not yet prosecuted, allegations of orruption. finally, there are an impossible to name in entirety number of pecial law enforcement units and task forces that provide enforcement on issues such as major crimes or special victims or border related issues or counter narcotics or gang units. in other words, we have not been sitting on our hands over the last six months since the congressional appropriation or the last seven years since the effort started here in the united states of america. where we have engaged with the strategy, homicides are own.

he entire government of what -- guatemala has been replaced. in honduras, big chunks of the hunters national police have been purged -- honduras national police have been purged because of allegations of corruption. more than 50 locations in guatemala and honduras and el salvador where there are model the ncts that will become carrier of place-based strategies. many youth have gone through the resistance education program or great to give them some protection from recruitment by the gang. that, ladies and gentlemen, is my summary of where we are and now i invite you to go on the ttack. [laughter]

>> i can't top that. >> in your yesterday, you mentioned a need for a shift from focusing on cocaine to focusing on heroin. can you elaborate on that? is this a shift in which the u.s. needs to change the ways it relates to countries that have been major producers of some of these illicit drugs? >> the shift is logical. it makes sense on the united tates. over the last 10 years, cocaine consumption and united states has dropped more than 50%. over the last august, the consumption of heroin -- five years, the consumption of heroin has increased by more than 00%.

if we are trying to have programs and policies that respond to our realities, our problems come out crises, we had better shift, cocaine focus to a heroin focus. and we are. this is more complicated, however, tentatively saying we will address these issues in a different way in the united states of america. the sources of the product are very different. ocaine is found for the most part only in three andean ations in south america, libya, bolivia and colombia. the overwhelming majority of heroin consumed in the net estate is grown and reduced in mexico -- united states is grown and produced in mexico. cocaine had central america as the issue because, for quick made, in order to get from south america to north america, you must go through central america.

they are therefore, part of that problem. a drug that is produced in the neighboring country of mexico has no logical basis for working through central america. that was what i was intended to describe, perhaps unsuccessfully, to the senate floor relations committee yesterday. not that drugs are different, they are but the nature of the problem has changed and therefore, the structure, infrastructure, strategy, approach, techniques, technology that we bring to bear in this issue in an international context are going to be very different. before i stop, i did get to say, i also said yesterday, i'm optimistic about this. our dialogue with mexico is very good. we are in fact talking about the

right things, the mexican government is in fact moving in the right direction and i believe, our challenge is to ensure that we have good coordination of the above tried to do what we must do the united states side commanded the mind -- manage the demand and treatment ability should issue -- and rehabilitation issue and the cultivation site on the mexico side. and transportation to the border and across the border. that was my pitch yesterday. >> this is not directly under your purview, can can you give us a sense of how demand for evolved arcotics has in the united states over the

last few years and what effect, if any, of the legalization of cannabis and so interest actions is or is not having on the demand for other narcotics? >> you have a bit of the demand answer from when i was just saying. part of the shift in the united tates, each country is different, but here in the united states of america, the story of the last 10 years, probably five certainly is the demand for cocaine has dropped dramatically. the demand for heroin has increased dramatic way. oming with the heroin, and perhaps the biggest element in the problem, is a chemical, a drug, a psychoactive drug that is added to the heroin. it is called fentanyl. it is overwhelmingly produced in china and much of it enters the united states, most of it if the

mixed mexico where it is and combined with heroin. ladies and gentlemen, it is the fentanyl that is killing us by the tens and thousands every year. not so much that heroin. the fact that the heroin users think he or she is just taking heroin and discovers that instead, it is that to know. a product that is 30-50 times more potent, powerful, and more dangerous than is the heroine. that is the challenge that we are dealing with right now. you after similar question to what the united state senator from colorado, one of the two, asked me about the impact of selective legalization of marijuana. in terms of our international engagement. may i preface my remarks by saying i have no rights, authority, no opinion on what the citizens of any individual state of the united states choose to vote for in the

exercise of their constitutional rights as they determine which laws they will adopt within the jurisdiction of the states. i take no position on the decisions of the people of colorado, washington state, oregon, or alaska in terms of marijuana legalization. i do say, as i said yesterday, a -- it complicates my mission every time i go down to mexico and engage in conversations with the authorities of the mexican government, in terms of cooperation with this issue. i hear about legalization and in a sense, how can we ask for cooperation on this issue when states in the union are legalizing marijuana and cannabis in the united states of america. i would like to think i'm not an idiot. have an answer and it is not a bad answer. at the end of the day, it does

complicate at least this discussion and dialogue. >> my question was different. how is the selective legalization of cannabis affecting demand for other drugs within the united states? is there a substitute affect? people going for what is legal and not going for things that are illegal? is there any causal effect in terms of demand? >> it may be. eventually is an area. that is a domestic question. it's a good one for dea. good one for the department of health and human services. i'm a brave man, but i think i'll stay out of that one from this particular podium. shiftyou know whether the

from cocaine to heroine was consumer driven or was it successful interdiction of cocaine or marketing initiative by heroin? >> little bit of all three. particularly number three. there is clearly a foreign opponent. here is bill brownfields theory which i think is shared by a tremendous number of people in the drug control and abuse community. as he worked our way to the 1980's and 1990's, the american medical perfection, to their credit, responding to the needs and requests a demand of their patients on matters related to pain and pain management, asked or and received from the legitimate, non-black-market pharmaceutical industry, pain edication opium-based, opioids

to address pains of patients. for about 15-20 years, this medication was widely prescribed because patients were asking for it, not as some criminal conspiracy to create a dependency for opioid-based pain medication. as he moved into the 21st century, we then had a large segment of our society, a u.s. specific response that developed into dependency if not addiction to opioid-based pain edication. as that dependency and addiction spread more broadly into communities, those who produce and market heroine spotted an opportunity to develop and market. what did they do? despite the fact that they are a criminal enterprise, they did

what any good lawful enterprise would do. identify the market, and offer their product substantially cheaper than the alternative if you were to say, which was a good guess, that in order to get a black market opioid-based pill, you might pay 40 bucks the black-market. they can offer the same amount of buzz to heroine for $10. what then happens? those that have this addiction or dependency turned to heroine because it is much cheaper and to a certain extent, easier to obtain and 15 years later we have ourselves a genuine authentic unquestioned heroine crisis in the united states. something we are not seen since the late 1940's and early

1950's. the immediate aftermath of the econd world war when huge amounts of morphine hit the u.s. black-market at the conclusion of the second world war when it was no longer needed for combat purposes. that is how long it has been since we've had to do with this sort of crisis into a very considerable extent, that is how far behind the power curve we are in terms of how to do with it. i know you're going to throw me out of here in just a second, but i will say one group that was slightly ahead of this, if you will permit me to say this, inl. a beer with the department of state. why? because during the last 50 years, when the rest of the world do not have a heroin issue, other chunks in the world did, and we have developed curriculum in terms of demand reduction, treatment, education which we are applied n places in latin america,

afghanistan, pakistan, burma, back fromve had to put overseas to applied here in the united states of america. what goes around, comes around, i am now done. you may object me now. >> we will do one more. then we're going to kick you out. >> you talked about anticorruption programs and results largely in terms of officials and law enforcement officers that had been removed. i was wondering what kind of steps are being put in place to ensure that incoming replacements are not equally corrupt or succumbing to the same issue? >> when i say government officials in guatemala, i'm talking about the previous resident of guatemala. and this vice president. they have both been formally accused, including vice president, in much of the cabinet. this was not a pro forma event.

you ask a valid question but you have two different categories. in terms of law enforcement, in the professional members of any government, prosecutors, investigators, community police, corrections officials, border guards importer personnel, who -- whoever it may be, there are incoming the personnel have institutions within the incoming personnel. they are called internal affairs divisions in the state. they could be called inspector general. they are those who have the responsibility of policing the police and ensuring those within the institution meet certain basic standards. there is as well, and we provide this in way of capacity building and training, they need to have

prosecutors who in fact are both willing and trained in and the second thing to do, we have been quite successful in the effort is ensuring that there is statutory law in every country that makes it clear that these are criminal offenses. there are a number of countries still in the world, these are gray areas. in terms of how police officer or corrections officer enhances his salary through nontraditional sources of ncome. well, they could be traditional dependent on where you are. the answer to your question is yes. there are mechanisms, there are systems that can, when properly applied and supported, ensure or

at least reduce the likelihood of continued corruption in the institution or the government. you mentioned a second club of people, that is government or government elected officials. that is different. most countries in the world have a constitution, and they elect their government through the constitution process. you kind of say, if they choose to elect a criminal, the people are going to elect a criminal. if they choose to elect someone they believe is corrupt, they're going to like that human being. what we would try to do is ensure that there are bodies, institutions in place in the government to investigate, provide some degree of transparency in the event they discover certain activities that are happening though that most people standards fall into the category of corruption, and then

third, that the constitution itself permits some mechanism for adjudicating and if they should so decided to move him from office, those who have engaged in corruption activities or behavior. that that in many ways is far more trickier than purging corrupt officials in a police force. fortunately, there are far fewer senior elected officials in any government then there are members of they police force. i am backing away now. >> good luck to you. >> going to need it. >> don't be easy on him. >> they never are. i can't possibly [laughter] hank you for that.

not even going to attempt an opening statement. oes go to get to it. >> start on the internal memo that you and everyone else in the building is now aware of, what can you confirm from the various news reports about it's content, subject etc.? >> i can confirm we have the dissent channel message. i can confirm that the principal topic is syria. i don't think it will surprise you that i'm not able to get into anymore detail as to the content or the arguments that ere put forth. >> did it surprise that so many people have signed on to a document that, without getting into detail, that the sense -- dissents from what has been the

ministry since policy to end the ar for five years? >> it is unusual for dissent channel messages to have as many ignatures as this one. >> what does that tell you about the current policy which we have spent so much time on this week, this month, this year, this administration? so many people inside the building directly ealing with it are so unhappy? >> it tells us several things. we have a unique process in place through which employees at the state department can offer candid and unvarnished views all the way to the top. it tells us clearly that syria matters a lot to the people who were here at the state

epartment, as it should. it says to me that we need to eep on working just as hard as we can for better outcomes. at the secretary and so many others are doing. no one is content with the tatus quo. we talked about this several days this week. too many people are dying due to starvation or being bombed. too many weeks have passed ithout getting a political rocess moving forward. too many violations of the essation of hostilities. prickly, -- frankly, far few

people are getting the food and medicine they need. people are taking a dangerous route outside the country to survive. we're going to explore options. obviously, our focus remains on the three big movers in front of us. getting political tracts of talks. getting cessation of hostilities to be accepted. getting more people, more of the aid they need. we are, it would be imprudent for us not to. not to explore other options that may be available to us. we have talked very openly about the fact that we are doing that. back to this message. we welcome alternative views. we welcome input. we welcome dissenting opinions. before this week, i had never heard of a dissent channel. the more i learned about it, more in admiration i became of it. it is a unique tool. you don't see in government. it has been in place since 971. allows people that work here at the state department to proper their views. even if not especially, those these different from stated olicy.

it is a unique tool that the secretary very much respects the tool itself. as you may have heard earlier, he looks forward to getting back and king a look at this. >> how effective can you be in pushing your current policy when it is clear that some people directly involved in this policy don't believe in it? >> i'm not going to speak to the content of this message. we have always said that we have o work hard at getting the better icons in syria -- better outcomes in syria. we are to continue to explore our options in the policy we are

pursuing as well as options that may at this time fall outside the current policy. we have to do that. as the president has said and as the secretary has said, as you look at other options, none of them are great options. the best option forward for syria is a political process that leads to a transition to a overnment away from bush are from al-assad. we believe the political solution is the best solution. >> to your knowledge, has been any change in the obama administration policy towards syria not to attack the syrian government forces targets? >> no. >> do you expect any change in the policy as a result of this dissent? >> i will not speculate one way or the other. >> has there ever been to

knowledge, he said it is unusual for 51 people to sign a dissent message. that the most that has ever signed a dissent message? >> i don't know. i will promise you this, i will take the question, but i cannot promise that we can provide that answer. the vehicle has been in place since secretary of state dean rusk was in office, 1971. don't know there is a continuous record of every single dissent message that has been sent forward. i don't know if we will be able o answer the question. typically, these are sent forward by single individuals, or small numbers. that's my understanding. >> when did it begin? i think he was gone by 69 with the nixon administration.

don't think he was -- >> my reading of the history said he has something to do it. will not quibble. >> i just want to get it right. the most name is example i'm aware of of a dissent, it is not clear that it was in the dissent channel, the so-called blood telegram 1971 which argued, from the u.s. consulate in argued that the u.s. government should ave done more to prevent the genocide massacres against bengalis in east pakistan. it did not change the policy, but that was signed by 20 people and i'm interested in understanding if it is possible to get an answer if this really is the most that have signed

something? >> we will take a look at i cannot promise we will have that information. >> a couple more for me. do you have any sense, they disagree with the policy, you have any sense of the motivations of the people who signed it? the reason i ask is that normally, one dissents with policy when it is at an inflection or decision point and i don't sense we are at an infection point in the last 7-8 months. do you have any understanding as to why now? >> i don't. >> have the secretary yet seen it? >> no. >> he said in copenhagen that he planned to meet with some of the authors. do you know when that will happen? >> i believe he said was looking for to reading it into probably, or a potential meeting back

here. i don't believe he said he had intention to meet with the office. >> i misunderstood then. any idea when that will happen? >> i don't. >> if the authors of the dissent were confident that the dissent hannel with the right place to put this, why did they also leak it to the new york times? >> i have no idea how this message made its way into the public domain. have no idea. > the diplomatic part of it, and mid-level employee what is the difference in efinition? >> i will not speak to the identities of the authors were

described are characterized the employment at the state department. i think if you were to ask secretary kerry he would say that all of us at the state department our diplomats at her own right. i'm not going to get into characterizing each individual and what their job is and categorizing that in terms of diplomacy. >> they are all responsible? >> imac or to provide any -- not going to provide any additional information about the authors -- i am not going to provide any additional information about the office. >> on the issue of striking. what would be, what is the desired outcome? >> i will not talk to the content of the message that was sent forward. as i said, we continue to be focused on the core elements of the policy in syria which is to try and get the political discussions back on track, cut

to get a cessation of hostilities nationwide enforced and get humanitarian assistance and so many desperate people. we continue to believe a political solution is the best solution for the people of syria. >> this came out a day after the statement of secretary kerry? >> i know of no connection. >> how is the state department during the fact that this document was reached to the press? -- leaked to the press? are you ok with that or third investigation? >> i know of no investigation how it ended up into the public domain. what i can tell you is that authors of this particular dissent channel message said it forward through the dissent channel so we are treating it accordingly as they would any other dissent channel message.

>> how does the state department do with the ramification of this memo being in the public arena from the foreign policy standpoint? especially in terms of relation with allies were also engaged in tereo. -- syria. initial reaction from the russian foreign minister backed into the portion that showed support for strikes against the assad regime saying this would be absolute madness. considering the rank-and-file people who were day-to-day on implemented the u.s. policy, vicious it -- this shows dissatisfaction on this level. how do you go forward and deal with allies with this out there. >> i'm not speaking to the content. that is in the public domain, it is beyond dispute.

people can react as they wish. what i can play is the secretary -- tell you is the secretary continues to be focused on making sure that we get food, water, medicine the people that needed. a cessation of hostilities that can be enforced nationwide and that we get the political process back on track. that is where his head is and that's where his focus is, and that is where it will remain. as i said, i don't know how many times earlier this week we continue to explore other options. it would be irresponsible for us not to. i will not get ahead of that discussion in any way hatsoever. is there concern that the memo may undermine u.s. credibility with allies? >> you have to remember that this is not just about the

united states. t is about the international series support group and the united nations come all of whom have signed up to the same approach that i just outlined to you. it's not just this idea of a political solution in a cessation of hostilities. humanitarian assistance. all of that is embodied in the un security council resolution. signed on not just by us, but by very other member of the issg. is not just about u.s. credibility, the international committee is focused on all that together. >> how widespread are the sentiments in the state department? >> i can't speak to that. >> are you concerned that john kerry's efforts for a peaceful resolution could be undermined by new administration that would favor this kind of thing? >> would not speculate one way

of the other. the american people have decisions to make this fall and they will do that. there will be a new president one way or another and it is up to the new commander-in-chief to determine how he or she is going to approach the conflict in syria. i can tell you as long as this administration is in office and as long as secretary of kerry -- secretary kerry, he will be ocused on getting a peaceful resolution through political means to the conflict in syria. >> plans to make it public? >> no. >> official state response to he dissenters? >> there typically is. there is a process by which to -- dissent messages are replied to. we will prepare the appropriate reply.

>> since 1971, that was the vietnam war, a big catalyst for dissent. on many issues that happened. the mechanism to do this, somebody drafted position? did they go around collecting signatures? is that what happened? >> i do not know. the specific process by which was prepared. typically, in general, there -- they're drafted by a specific individual or sometimes small group. there is no rule that says that there has to be a limit on the number of authors and how the authors of the dissent about crafting it in delivering their views is up to them. i would have no idea what the physical process of preparing something like that would be. >> couple more. the manual says that there should not be reprisal against

people who avail themselves through the dissent channel to register the disagreement with olicy. it is one thing to act against someone soon after this has happened. it is another thing if use of the dissent channel is used in subsequent administrations for years or decades to prevent people from rising. want to know what the secretary thinks about whether the mere use of the dissent channel should ever be used to prevent someone from getting a promotion or getting another sensitive job or moving up in the hierarchy or becoming an ambassador. >> i think it is safe to say

that secretary kerry would not hold this against all in for the purposes of promotion or advancement. their right to use the dissent channel. it is not only against the foreign affairs manual, it is against all standards of ethics, conduct and integrity and he would never abide by something like that. >> thank you for that answer. i asked the question because i have talked to two people in the building already today who talked about the fear that this could happen and because archer blood never made the best dirt and was -- never made ambassador and was systematically prevented from moving up as i understand it -- ambassador and was systematically prevented from moving up as i understand it. talks about in a public statement how these people have risk their careers by doing this.

to the extent that there are anxieties out there that this is going to hurt these people and their careers, your view is the secretary would not tolerate that? >> not one bit. no one has risk anything -- risked anything by cementing a dissent message with respect to syria or any other policy. that is the purpose of the dissent channel. > is it your understanding, my understanding that what was leaked was a draft, not the actual memo and that it was leaked before it had gone through the classification process. is it your view that we can something flood is a draft before it has been classified as a violation of the letter of the state department rules even if it is of the spirit?

>> i cannot speak to the process by which this got to the public domain. we keep talking about leaks here. i don't know if that is what happened. e do not know. nor are we particularly interested in how the contents of this dissent channel message made its ay into the public domain. what we are interested in doing is preserving the sanctity and integrity of the dissent channel process through which this was submitted. it was classified by the authors. we will respect that, too. just as critically, we're going to respect the process by preparing the appropriate response as we should. >> two quick ones, when did the department receive the dissent channel? yesterday? >> to the best of my knowledge, yesterday.

>> you made the argument today and many, many days in the past that the administration believes that a political solution is the best solution, is the only solution. >> indeed. >> there are people who argue that the ability to achieve logical solution is enhanced when there is the credible hreat of the use of force. does the department believe that there has not been, particularly since he decision not to carry through with airstrike in 2013 over the assad governments use of weapons, that there has not been a credible threat of the use of military force against the assad government and that the absence of such a credible threat h made harder to

negotiate to achieve a political solution? > we believe the best way to achieve a lasting sustainable peace is through the political process. political solution. for anybody seeking leverage no gh consequences look more than the continued devastation inside the country. it should be, although does not appear to be, to the assad regime, anyway, you don't need any more reason to find a political peaceful way forward here.

you look at the people starving and the ones have been gassed and barrel bombed, you don't, just take 10 steps back from this issue and just looking at it in general. t is hard for any reasonable person to try to make the case that you need more leverage than the current status quo. >> the question goes more to, less what is the horror of the tatus quo, more of whether you -- your diplomacy to achieve a political solution would be more effective if the assad government, which is clearly unmoved by the current status quo, felt anyway threatened by the possible use of military force? >> without speculating to other potential options, none of which

the president has it are great options, it is puzzling to see. certainly discouraging to see that the russians are not, for some reason have chosen not to use their considerable influence to get them to make the right decisions for their own people. and to move this process forward. we're going to continue to make that case and we will continue to press that even as we continue to look at other less desirable options that might be available to us. that is as far as i can take the question. >> one last question on the russians. i know you are aware of the reports of what president clinton has said in st. petersburg -- putin has said anything. berg said he endorses -- st. petersburg says he endorses the proposal to add members of the opposition to the current government to the active

, government in damascus. is there any u.s. proposal for opposition members to join the assad government or government in which assad remains in power. >> no. >> do have any idea what he is talking about? >> no. nothe secretary has embraced or broached any policy? >> no. the toppling of the assad benefits isis? i will not speculate what will or will not benefit daesh. the secretaries talked about this. between a symbiotic th the assad regime and daesh. it is through his recounted that

daesh has been able to grow. we have not talked about it weently, but while understand the future of syria cannot include assad, as a work through the process for a traditional governing body we , recognize that some institutions of government, this force, and some form of fashion have to stay intact. >> if the syrian government was to fall, what would happen? >> i will not engage in hypotheticals about the situation that we are trying to avoid. it is not about the fall of the regime. a are trying to get to

traditional process of governance that preserves some of the existing infrastructure going forward. at the end of the process, gets us to a government that is put in place by the syrian people with their voices being heard that does not include al-assad. >> one in the united states not to target al-assad. >> i have not seen that comment. >> how would you react? >> there is not any u.s. efforts to target al-assad. that is not part of the calculus. i have been standing up here now for 15-20 minutes say we try to work through a political process or transitional process. that is the goal. that is still both policy and what we are pursuing. >> clarify one thing about the channel memo. the foreign affairs manual cause for disciplinary action against

people who share messages with unauthorized personnel. are you saying there has been no attempt to make find out who leaked the memo and disciplined them? >> i cannot speak to and we are not focused on how it made its way to the public domain. it came to us today. the dissent channel process. we're going to protect the sanctity of the process in our focus is on the moment it came in the dissent channel process, became a dissent message, and it is from that time on we are focused in terms of protecting the sanctity of the process and the content of the material of the message. >> turkey. >> i never thought i would be glad to get to turkey. you are dragging me behind. >> i did not understand. the secretary called this an important memo.

but everything you're saying here is very similar to what has been said for months. is there any chance that this memo will lead to a modification in u.s. policy? >> as i said, no one is content with the status quo. of what is going on in syria. even as we continue to pursue what you guys have commonly referred to as plan a, a political solution. even as we pursue that, we are, as we must, look at other options. it would be irresponsible if we did not. none of those other options are better than the one we are pursuing. that does not mean we are not going to look at them and the potential for them. the secretary is contributing to

the process in the cabinet official. he continues to examine the other options and he will provide his advice and counsel for the president appropriately. we are obviously interested in looking at other views and other alternatives. in that vein, without getting into the content of the message, we welcome those views in being proffered by employees in the state department. regardless of the numbers and individuals, this is the purpose of the dissent channel as a valuable tool. the secretary respect this. he was not wrong to call it important when you have your own employees using the special channel to provide their views all the way to the top. that is a special thing that he wants to respect and clearly. -- and he wants to respect that completely. he looks forward to working his way through the message and where that takes us, if it takes

us anywhere, i don't know. it would not be proper for me to speculate one way or the other. >> follow-up on carol. >> on carol? sure. >> you said -- >> your question on turkey is getting lost. [laughter] it will be an unsatisfying briefing, my friend. >> as you stated, no one is content with the way things are in syria and other options are being considered. is there a reluctance within the part of the administration to launch a dramatically different policy in syria so late in the administration? is that one of the hesitancy'ie? in essence, if you want something, it cannot be carried out into the next presidency?

>> if you're asking if the secretary looking at the calendar, not willing to try new approaches or proposed new approaches for the president to consider, the answer is absolutely not. you know the secretary as well as anyone. you know how engaged in energetic he is on syria. how seriously he takes the situation there. the amount of time and energy he has personally invested in diplomatic efforts to try and get a better outcomes in syria and i can assure you for everyday he remains as secretary of state, he will remain focused and fixed on trying to get the political solution in syria. it can be better for millions of syrians that are still there and hopefully the ones who want to go home. remain open, as he has remained open, to different ideas and different

approaches and alternatives. frankly, not even new ideas from the u.s. government or state department but he remains in , close touch with all of the other foreign ministers of the and the you in and -- the u.n. and continues to solicit views from them as well. this is a secretary of state who come above all things, remains open-minded and i think you can be secure in knowledge that that will remain so as long as he is in office. i promise we will go to turkey. no? you shouldn't have told me what it was about. >> just today, the government of declaredl -- instanbul that lgbt individuals have been banned from holding pride marches. it has been held for decades. coming off the orlando attack,

do you have a comment? >> we have seen the reports. the governor of the stable will not allow the pride parade. we strongly support, as you know, the right of lgbti individuals to celebrate the freedom of expression, we would like to see that happen in instanbul . >> another part of human rights, erosion in turkey, how worried you are about the direction of turkey? >> we have talked about this before. obviously we are troubled when , we see turkish leaders make decisions that are not in keeping with the democratic

principles that are enshrined in their own constitution. turkey is a friend and ally. we want to see them succeed. we believe one of the best ways forward for the turkish people to succeed is to live up to those democratic principles. yes it concerns us when we see , decisions like this and trends towards closing down freedom of expression as we have seen in turkey lately. deeply concerning. thank you. >> the government of artair are getting fight with the border of -- are accusing the government of the united states into getting into the haiti by along the border of ethiopia. is there any truth to these accusations? >> no. easy question.

united states continue to engage with the ethiopians and eritrea to prevent escalation. last week, the united nations of inquiry report and recommended national organizations insist on the implementation of the 2002 decision by the eritrea-yukio -- ethiopian commission on the limitation of the border. on the other diplomatic address the concern? >> we are in touch with officials on both sides as you would expect. in competition with the u.n. on this. is he going to quit tar --

quatar? >> i have nothing new to announce on the secretary's travel. go ahead. >> thank you. according to "the associated press," there is a fighting between the democratic party and islamic kurdish forces and islamic republic of iran and i would like to know whether you have any information on this and if you do, can you tell us in this regard? >> no and therefore no. i don't have information. >> i have two questions on crimea. but first about

russiaanctioned against over the annexation of crimea. what does it mean for the effort to restore borders of ukraine and postwar europe? >> we welcome the european unions decision to roll over sanctions. our own sanctions related to crimea will remain in place as long as russia's occupation continues. we are heartened to see that our friends and allies have decided to expand their own sections for another year. our view is well known. crimea is and always will remain part of ukraine. we cannot allow the borders of europe to be redrawn at the barrel of a gun. we condemn and call for the immediate occupation of pressure and crimea. >> the other question is about secretary kerry's plan to visit ukraine.

they said today that there is a probability that the a secretary of state will visit ukraine in the near future. could you confirm this plan? >> nope. i have nothing on the secretary scheduled to announce today. when we do -- >> are you working on this? [laughter] >> i have nothing on the secretary's travel schedule to speak to today. had a great weekend. today, our coverage of the democratic coverage platform hearing continues. among those scheduled to speak, live coverage begins at noon eastern on c-span. the democratic national committee is holding their southwest regional platform hearing in phoenix. this section focuses on health

and safety issues. [applause] efforts code leads all to restore, elevate efforts of young people and women of color envoyg to lift the band said of funding. she previously served as director of engagement of planned parenthood and she led efforts to engage blocking us in all aspects and to work as patients advocates and supporters. >> thank you for having me. it is an honor to be here with all of you. chairman cummings said, we are campaign led by more than 115 reproductive health rights and justice organizations to lift the bans on abortion coverage. we envision a world in which each of us have the tools we need to pursue our dreams and

build the families and teachers we desire. for this to be a reality, a woman must have access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care, including abortion. antiabortion politicians have interfered in reproductive decisions why banning insurance coverage for abortion care, so not only has congress passed a high amendment, which vans medicaid from covering abortion, every year since 1976, but they have passed additional abortion restrictions that target women based on their insurance or care. it was affected? medicaid,rolled in medicare or the children's health insurance program? federal employees and walden the federal health benefits program? peace corps volunteers, members of our armed forces, dependence, native americans covered by the , includingth service those in the attained for immigration purposes. in addition to the federal

bands, policymakers and 25 states have restrict coverage of planson and insurance offered through out the exchanges and policymakers have also banned abortion coverage in all private plans. each restriction, each band is intended to further their ultimate goal of making abortion unaffordable and unavailable press many people as possible. unfortunately, the strategy is working. practically speaking for those who struggle to make ends meet, women of color, young women, immigrant women, a coverage ban might as will be a ban on abortion altogether. restricting medicaid coverage of abortion for one in four women seeking abortion [indiscernible] this combined with the fact that a woman who was denied an abortion is more likely to fall into poverty. howred it -- it illustrates devastating it can be. is that ittion

creates one of, if not the most, onerous [indiscernible] social justice advocates are rising up. noted last year, she and house of representatives introduced the equal access to abortion coverage and health as the eacht, known moment act. this legislation would reverse the amendment and related abortion coverage in care and restriction. has an advocate, latina, mother, i see the potential of the each woman act. those whobution of are within the legal right to an abortion for those who have not yet been made real. not only does the legislation 119 in the house, but it also has the support of the american people.

oft july, a strong majority americans agreed that the woman in medicaid should also have health care covered by here insurance, including abortion services. the american people are done with arguing and then with the hundreds of anti-choice laws that stand in the way of a woman getting the care she needs. it is time to end this in cities policy that targets will income women. we urge you to add a strong statement to our platform, so that each of us can access safe, legal and affordable abortion up we need it. we are fighting for all right to drive. we are brave, united and equal, andrea asking you to join us. you are. -- and we are asking you to join us. thank you. cummings: thank you. >> young women have done this all around the country. -- eed you with us [indiscernible]

means repealing, so two r. -- so thank you. >> thank you. cummings: dr. katrina peters. [applause] dr. peters is a clinical professor of psychiatry in san francisco and is currently the medical director of the innovation forensic psychiatry unit. she is a delicate for the california medical association and the chair of the national medical association region six, which encompasses 14 western states. it is the oldest and largest medical association of primarily african-american physicians 1895.

thank you. dr. peters: thank you. especially as they have impacted the african-american community. i would like to speak to the issues of disparities, violence, access to mental health treatment and substance abuse. we focus on decreasing the violence in our community that has become so commonplace it is often a mental health problem that is unseen, undiagnosed and untreated. we have some closing remarks of 2016 on the aspect of violence and how it impacts our community. it is important that we understand and obtained a toast to eliminate violence that has impacted the african-american community disproportionately. they continue obtaining appropriate mental health treatment, especially african americans and minorities. despite recent progress in care,ping physical health

for many people, accessing mental health care is still a separate and unequal. barriers include affordability, private psychologists do not take insurance on medicaid, the weight to see practitioners may be months. there are few that are able to provide competent care, for example, in california, african-americans, latinos and other ethnic groups make up 47% of the population and only a couple of active physicians belong to these minority groups. in california, almost one in six adults has a mental health care need and one in 20 adults and one in 13 children suffers a serious mental illness. half of these adults and two thirds of them with mental health needs to knock at the needed treatments. in the african-american community, it is worse. american community still suffers from fear of the stigma of the mental health

diagnosis, in part stemming from the miss trust of the system that has misdiagnosed and mistreated them for centuries. the limited access, community access for evaluation and treatment puts people at risk for severe decompensation that could lead to emergency room or inpatient care. i have worked at the hospital since 1989. when i started, there were 88 acute psychiatric beds and now there are only 22. and another 22 for patients who are too disabled to be safely discharged to the street. they're waiting for beds at a lower level of care that doesn't exist. those who are discharged have no complete the go to recovery and many are afraid to stay in the shelters, even if they are able to get a bed or just the chair to sleep on. it is no surprise that many of the patients relapse and returned to the er hospital and they are penalized readmission in less than 30 days.

iss vulnerable population targeted for violence and behavior succumbed to the attention of the police to arrest them and put them in jail. i lake county jail is one of the largest mental health facilities in the country. jails and prisons are not equipped to be a treatment facility or hospital. many wind up on my unit, even though just a few days ago, they were down the hall in the community unit. once in the criminal justice system, it becomes difficult patients to get out of their mental illness. this impacts the community disproportionately because a number of african-americans, especially incarcerated men. theproblems can lead to path of incarceration or more mental illness. current concerns about prescription medicine are being targeted for safer practicing and prescribing for physicians,

but there are disparities and treatment options for african-americans. chronic pain often leads to depression to to changes in the brain chemistry. african-americans have been undertreated for pain. clinics are thought to be the best and safest way to help those with chronic pain. however, those clinics often are difficult to access, especially for african-americans and other underserved groups, meaning they do not accept medicaid insurance. one of our physicians asked to evaluate pain clinics to not find one in the entire state that took medicaid. even the recent deaths of the prince cannot be prevented before he was able to access his appointment with a pain specialist. entertainerat the cannot access timely and appropriate care, how are others

able to do so? although the reasons are numerous and complex, we must continue to be courageous and take bold actions to eliminate them. i thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today. [applause] representative cummings: thank you. questions? thank you very much. a licensed registered nurse for almost 43 years in san diego, california. she is speaking about but the 190,000 -- she is speaking on behalf of the 190,000 direct care nurses of national nurses united. >> good evening. i am really happy to be here. many of you are my idols. thank you to the audience for

raising issues that i did to my heart that have been brought up. i am geraldine and live in san have been a i registered nurse for almost 43 years. my late mother was my role , and she army captain had a career over 50 years, so together, we have almost 100 years of nursing professions. i'm here today as a proud representative of national nurses united to ask that medicare for all be included in the proper medical principle of the democratic party. one of the critical roles of a nurse is to be a strong patient advocate. today, i am here to not only advocate for health care to all but because it would not only benefit patients that i'm a patient myself. i had a life-threatening

incident one year ago. i was treated and placed on disability, and after a year, i thankfully resumed working but not before i completely used up to cover life savings my bills. insurance, i have our state aca exchange financially, i had no margin of error. , am a single mom with two sons and one has autism. autism alone can be financially devastating, but my sons have prospered. however, there is nothing left over for medical emergencies. currently, i pay my health care premium but i cannot afford to use my insurance because of my and theing medicine

necessary lab work is out of my reach. i understand the struggles of my i,ients because like them, too, have put a band-aid over the hemorrhage. because i cannot afford health care in the united states, i have been forced to the extreme situation of driving across the border into mexico to get affordable care. when in mexico, i drive to the doctor office building, i park and i walked past the many heavily armed guards for their to protect the doctors from being kidnapped in order to get my care. last time i went, i was detained while the bomb squad cleared the building. not i face the reality of having the money to pay for my health care, i fortunately have an alternative to our expensive aca plan, and i was able to purchase