c-span takes you to the political conventions. watch the republican national convention with a live coverage from cleveland. >> we will be going into the convention no matter what happens. i think we will go in so strong. >> and watch the democratic national convention from old althea. >> let's go forward, let's win the nomination, and in july, let's return. >> and then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to philadelphia, pennsylvania. >> every minute of the republican and democratic national conventions, on c-span, c-span radio, and www.c-span.org . post.com and on saturdays washington post, looking at the republican

delegates that are launching a push to halt donald trump. thank you for being with us. >> good to be with you. >> a key point in your story, these are not party operatives, these are delegates. >> exactly, that is important for anybody who is rolling their eyes as they hear about this. finally, we are finding evidence of the people who will be empowered to nomine, formally, any candidate, taking it upon themselves to do something. we heard from disinfected republicans saying, why can't somebody else stand up and do this? do something to slow his momentum, maybe force concessions from him. a bunch of delegates have been trying to do that over the last few weeks and they have finally found each other and started organizing in a way that meters what -- mirrors what the tea party started doing six years ago. they are mad and they are not

going to take it anymore and they will try to do something about it. we found that there are people in iowa, colorado, arizona, and louisiana and elsewhere who are now getting together to help to find enough delegates to make something happen. host: paul ryan in an interview with meet the press that he would never tell anybody to do something contrary to their conscience. he said he will vote for donald trump, how significant were his remarks? ed: he is the official chairman of the convention, said he had to remain -- has to remain above the fray when it comes to this, but what he is signaling, i will not put my thumbs on the scales one way or another. if you want to do something and can build the momentum to do it, bring it forward. by using the word conscience, that will warm the hearts of those who are trying to do this, because what they are trying to do is proposed what they are

calling a conscience clause, they will take it to the convention rules committee the week before the convention and they will propose, instead of being bound to the state cop's or primary delegates should be elected to vote for whoever they would prefer. to vote their conscience. and some and rotations of the rules, -- interpretations of the rules, that is the way it should be. and other leaders are saying, no, they are bound to the result of what happened in their state and they should vote that way for a certain number of rounds. if you are paying attention, you would have seen how this works, the first 1-4 rounds, they may be bound to their state results, but then they can do what they want. but these people say they can do it they want in the beginning, because it is the delegates who choose the party nominee, not voters in the state, because they were electing delegates, not the candidate directly, to

the convention to figure this out. host: your piece includes a statement that donald trump said, saying that he has tremendous support and get the biggest crowd. it was a delegations are behind -- which delegations are behind this effort and how will it enfold -- unfold? ed: no full-blown delegation is behind this, there are members that are. in mass, we decided will do it we can to support the conscience clause. but there are supporters 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 are one of the few that did not have a caucus or primary, but realized on the convention -- relied on the convention. they banded together to continue this and hoping to get donald

trump to not be the nominee. so there are home bases in colorado, there are some in louisiana, iowa, some on the east coast as well, and they anticipate numbers will grow. part of the reason they can start to figure out who is who is that this past monday, the territories to turn in their final lists of delegates to the national committee. in essence, the die was cast and it is now known who has to go. the problem is, they were telling everybody at one point that they would release the list, but at this point they may not do that for whatever reason. so this will require them to go out, call each state party or finding mike -- like-minded delegate who can reach out and try to find people. if there was a master list available, they could determine

this by monday morning. but it will take longer. you know, incredibly throughout this thing, people tell me they have been finding each other on facebook, and through direct messaging on twitter, trying to do this in a quiet way and a subtle way, perhaps to avoid scrutiny of fellow republicans in their own state or fellow members of the delegation. maybe the chairman has threatened that if they do not vote for donald trump, and alternate would be put in their place. but this delegate believes they should be able to do whatever they want, especially with concerns about the conservative politics of donald trump. host: we are one month away from the start of the convention in cleveland, how significant have the last two weeks then for donald trump, whether they are his remarks, or the latest polling numbers. ed: all of it is significant, because it is creating a lot of

worry for these delegates, who are saying the numbers are tanking in a head-to-head matchup with hillary clinton, she has -- he has said things that suggests he is and for his own personal gain, i am disturbed about what he said about the federal judge in california, not only because he is raising concerns about the judge's authenticity, but he was threatening to use political power and potentially the power of the presidency to single out a judge, because he did not like something he had done. to single him out not because the judge ruled against the will of the people, but because he was ruling against self interests of donald trump himself. so he is abusing power. and this week, he was calling for new gun laws in the wake of what happened in orlando, with a red flag and a lot of concerns, saying very quickly -- to us the

second amendment is settled, do not touch it. they are very concerned about his comments this week that are exposing him as somebody who is not conservative to most republican. so all of this together is inspiring people to do something and see if there is a way to stop him at the convention. and they make it clear, they are not doing this on behalf of the vanquished opponent, they do not have a preference quite yet on who it would be other than donald trump, but they are eager to try to do something to stop them and they feel like they can do it in the next month. host: the most organized efforts of hard to stop donald trump from becoming menomonie. ed o'keefe, his work available online, thank you for being with us. ed: any time, steve. >> on newsmakers, we talk more about donald trump and his relationship with the republican party.

include, steve blondin, who campaigned for ted cruz, and laats.nder plots -- pa watch the interview tomorrow at its about p.m. eastern on c-span. -- 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. is not the new 30, and 60 is not the new 40, and 50 is the new 50, it looks good and it is ok and we ought to own our age and not talk about being over 50 as being in decline. >> said tonight, joanne jenkins talks about the health and financial challenges older americans face and what the aarp is doing to assist them. she is also the author of the aging."isrupt

>> the fastest-growing population is those who are over 65 years old. and so, not only are there more people in the system mother they are living longer. so we have to be able to look at these programs and make meaningful adjustment that are going to allow people to live with dignity at a much longer period of time. >> sunday night on c-span. >> next, paul ryan and members of the house gop task force talk about the importance of self-government and constitutional authority. this is one of several task forces created by the house republicans to outline their agenda on various policy issues. need members discussed the to rein in the executive branch when it comes to federal spending and the rule of law. from the u.s. capitol, this is

one hour. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: alright, welcome to statuary hall. our history fills this chamber, our story as americans. it is a story that's told in part through the statues that are around us. farmers, inventors, war heroes who stood up for what they believed and dared to dream big. to them it wasn't about title, it wasn't about job descriptions. it was about writing their own individual stories about their own individual pursuits. because they were all characters in a much larger story. a story of america's promise. what is america's promise? it is the promise that every man, woman and child in america

should have the freedom to pursue. a promise that no matter your background, your walk of life, you are free and empowered to choose your own unique version of the american dream. it's not a promise of perfection or a life without challenges. but it's a promise that you aren't limited to where you finish because of where you start. that is the promise of america. we sue this promise through the -- we see this promise through the sculpture, architecture and artwork all around us. after all, this is where the people's house of representatives first made its permanent home. where many of the early chapters about our great experiment were first written. but even this place right here endured one of the earliest struggles to fulfill the american promise, when it was engulfed in flames during the war of 1812. you see, there's always been a challenge to america's promise. it is a fundamental struggle

between freedom and power that started the very day our declaration of independence was signed. a struggle between trusting people to make the best decisions for themselves or a government that decides for them. it's not a republican or a democrat struggle, it's an american struggle. and it touches the very core of who we are. men and women who have written a story for more than two centuries about how together we the people win this battle to form a more perfect union. at that moment in 1814, when our struggle was seen through the burning timbers and the thick smoke in this room, it appeared that the promise of america had failed. that history had shown representative government was too weak to survive. that people couldn't govern themselves. but out of the ashes rose our capitol. a temple of liberty where that promise continued and people through their elected representatives were central to its fulfillment.

our capitol is the home of the greatest inheritance our western civilization has to offer. the greatest inheritance because it starts with people. here in congress the people write the laws, assert the ultimate power over their government, and express their consent to be governed. for thousands of years prior, the power to make law resided in pharaohs and tribal chiefs, ceasers and dictators, kings and queens. government was the realm of a few privileged powerful people operating beyond the reach of the masses who were ruled. but then came the united states of america where a new start was made, a rag tag group of believers seeking freedom from those who were trying to dream for them. we rejected the idea that the law is an instrument of special classes of people that are better or wiser or more powerful rulers. what started as a little promise

of the people, by the people and for the people grew into a great one. but today americans are anxious. seniors fear retirement. parents worry about the future success of their children. students stress about finding careers to pay back their debt. hard workers can't compete with the tangled web of taxes, one-size-fits-all regulations and arbitrary rules. the reason they're so anxious and frustrated is because their voices aren't being heard. they're afraid, they're losing representative government. and the country they have known and loved. over time presidents have come to legislate by executive order. over time courts have come to make laws from the bench. and we, congress, and our desire to avoid complexities and

conflicts have ceded power in order to simplify the process of law making. so here we find ourselves again, in the age-old struggle, a contest that will determine whether we shape our dreams or whether others shape them for us. the people's house is the seat of representative democracy. no other institution has such power. because no other institution is as accountable to the people. presidents can veto, supreme courts can strike down, but congress has the exclusive seat of law making power. not some guy in the basement of the labor department. we must assert that the people speaking through their elected representatives is the best way to keep us free and protect our liberty and to make sure the promise of america exists for the next generation. what you'll find throughout history is that not much has changed. it is the same historic reoccurring struggle between freedom and power that the abraham lincolns, the john

quincy adams, the daniel websters all faced. it's the struggle between fulfilling the promise of america or breaking it. they knew the torch one day would be passed, where it resides with us. a daughter of a cherry farmer from kettle falls, washington. a nurse from tennessee. a businessman from texas. an air force chaplain from georgia. an author from utah. a combat surgeon from ohio. about this generation's responsibility right now to cherish, to embrace, to protect the fragile, carefully crafted american promise that puts people in charge through their elected representatives. it's our call to put aside any personal ambition so the next generation can have their individual power protected, to freely pursue their version of the american dream. let's use the power of the purse

to make government bureaucracy more accountable to the people and less arrogant, so the i.r.s. can't target free speech and the e.p.a. can't regulate mud puddles. let's do our job of reviewing, rethinking and possibly eliminating government programs that are running on auto pilot without oversight or authorization. so agencies like the v.a. operate their hospitals more like cleveland clinics. let's hold unelected bureaucrats accountable when they interfere with the next innovative startup being created in a garage or with a scientist working to cure cancer in a lab. let's make agencies more transparent and closer to the people. a government that operates more like uber and amazon and less like the d.m.v. and most importantly let's give people a voice through their elected representatives so a 19th century institution can actually solve 21st century problems.

so today i am grateful. i am grateful for the efforts of my colleagues, chairman bishop, chaffetz, goodlatte, rogers and sessions, who spent the last six months thinking through how the people's house can accomplish these goals on behalf of the men and women we represent. and i am inspired by my colleagues who have joined me this morning to answer the call from the people, to restore their voices in government, and protect what our founders conceived. the most just system of government the world has ever seen. our dreams and aspirations belong to us, not the government. only we can push the heights of our imaginations, not the government. we know the power of our ideas, not the government. that is why freedom is so important. it isn't about political parties, personalities or power. it never has been.

it is about making certain the promise of america is never breached and knowing the only ones who can preserve it for the future and future generations are we the people. [applause] mr. goodlatte: i'm bob goodlatte, chairman of the judiciary committee. the constitution is clear, it's the role of congress to make all laws. judiciary to interpret the laws, and the president to enforce the laws. this system was wisely set in place by our country's framers over 200 years ago because they knew firsthand that the concentration of power in the same hands was a threat to individual liberty and the rule of law. in recent decades, however,

presidents of both parties have aggrandized their power and usurped congress to legislate from the oval office. this is not a republican or a democrat issue, it's an american issue. and touches the very core of our system of government. so today i am pleased to join with speaker ryan and conference chair mcmorris rodgers and my other colleagues in unveiling our republican plan to re-establish the system of checks and balances created in the constitution by our founding fathers. to reassert congress' authority we need to start where the constitution starts. asserting congress' authority over law making. the very first sentence of the very first article of the united states constitution begins, "all

legislative power herein granted shall be vested in a congress of the united states." key pieces of our agenda include reforming the administrative procedure act, ending the deference doctrine that currently gives bureaucrats the benefit of the doubt when they interrupt statutes. requiring full and fair disclosure of the administration's regulatory agenda, and reasserting that congress is the ultimate decision maker, regardless of whether they occur by statute or regulation. fully half of the vetoes of this president has come of the congressional review a ct resolutions disapproving of his regulations. when the president to this degree is blocking the will of the people through their elected representatives, it is clear that congress, under article one, must strongly assert its constitutional powers.

today's federal administrative state is an constitution -- institution unforeseen by the framers of our constitution. it is rapidly mushrooming out of control. this overgrown bureaucracy is tipping our system of checks and balances away from the legislative and judicial branches and toward a stronger, emboldened and overreaching executive. our republican plan takes commonsense steps to protect our system of checks and balances and preserve liberty as the framers intended. [applause] mr. chaffetz: hello. i'm jason chaffetz from utah. i really do appreciate the vibrant discussion we've had with our colleagues. i appreciate cathy mcmorris rogers, our conference chair, who has led us through this process, along with the speaker and majority leader. to really put forward a vision of where we should go and what we need to do.

there's three things that i would like to just briefly touch on. this is truly the people's house. and if the truly the people's it's truly the people's house, we've got to maximize the sunlight. i believe sunlight is the best disinfectant and it allows people the access they need to their government. they pay for it and we're here because of the people. to execute on that in today's modern world, i guess we'd call it crowd sourcing. if we're going to do our job, we have to make sure that they have the information at their finger tips. there are several ways we can do that. one is we have to strengthen the inspectors general. these are the nonpartisan folks, the career people who are able to get in and look under the hood. we have roughly 72 inspectors general that employ between 13,000 and 14,000 people. they have to have unfettered access to the executive branch and be able to follow through. you shouldn't be able to, for instance, just be able to quit your job as a federal employee and then the investigation's over. that happens time and time again.

we need to strengthen the inspectors general. we also need to strengthen foia. we did pass out this week the senate version of the foia, the freedom of information act, proud to do that in a bipartisan way. in a good way. that bill is now on the way to the president's desk. i assume that the president will sign it. but the incumbent upon all of us to make sure that that promise is actually fulfilled. and then the other thing we have to do is strengthen subpoenas. the congress has the right to see documents to understand what the executive branch is doing. and we need to be able to strengthen the -- and expedite the process by which, when we issue a subpoena, it's not optional, folks. it's not an optional exercise. you come to congress and testify, you got to tell the truth, when you're issued a subpoena, you must comply. part of the game plan is to make sure that this is strengthened as well. thank you and it's an honor and privilege to serve and i look forward to serving with my colleagues to make sure that we can make this country the best it can possibly be. thank you.

[applause] mr. bishop: i'm rob bishop, chairman of the resources committee. on behalf of the church group in washington who is denied their annual permit to have a picnic in a national park because the park land manager thought it would disturb the semblance and the serenity of the rest of the park, or the nevada family whose murdered son they were not allow to search for the body until they came up with a $1 million bond to reimburse the park in case something happened, or the new mexico rancher who is denied a grazing permit because he gave a speech critical of the land agency, or the utah ranch who who had to take out a water pond he built with his own money on his own land because it was attracting too much wildlife from federal lands who thought the drinking was good, or the female outbackers in wyoming who were photographed by b.l.m. as they were going to the bathroom as they were trying to come up with evidence of trespassing, or the senior citizens who are allowed to go into yellowstone in the lockdown because they'd

already paid for the rooms but were locked into the hotel and couldn't see old faithful and then the armed guards as they're leave on the bus refused to allow them it take pictures because that would be recreating and they couldn't get off the bus for two ours, those are the hours, those are the people of why we're doing this. this is not simply a battle between executive and legislative branch over power. this is an issue of what happens -- the executive agencies were designed to make decisions without dealing with that nasty concept of what people want or they need. congress on the other hand has to run every two years. which means we have to talk to people, we have to understand what they are talking about. that's the nexus of what this is all about. it's the effort to find a way of actually empowering people. we will, among other things, this is the first step of a lot of steps, make sure that every committee that authorizes, goes through a plan of re-authorizing, every organization, so we can look at what it does, and its powers -- we will self-police ourselves

with this document so no longer will we get language that gets carte blanche to the agencies. we will establish what the parameters will be. we will put in language that will insist that there's coordination between the agencies and local governments, so locally elected officials by the people can have their voice also being heard. if we don't do this, if we don't insist that the rules and regulations have to be reviewed with us before they are implemented, not after, if we don't do that, people are going to be harmed. and if we do do it, citizens are going to be empowered. that's the goal of this document. it is a better way. [applause] >> good morning, everyone. the great to be here to talk about our proposals for a better way in america. mr. rothfus: i'm keith rothfus. you're going hear it repeated today every american high school , high school learns there are three branches to our government. legislative, executive, judicial.

the legislature makes the law, the executive enforces the law and the judicial adjudicates disputes arising under the law. over the last number of decades there's been a dramatic shift in law making power away from the people's representatives to unelected bureaucrats. the proposals being present here can't come soon enough. they can't come soon enough for the farmers, minors, consumers and power plant workers i represent in western pennsylvania. people like a dad i met last december, he has three kids, aged 5, 3 and 1, he had a solid middle class job that he could take care of his family back in december. he lost that job. he was in the coal industry. and he wants to know why congress could not stop the regulations that stole his and his family's livelihood. his story is repeated by millions of americans who have been hurt by the so-called experts in washington who continue to churn out red tape without accountability. those americans want people from their area, their representatives, making the laws, not the bureaucrats who live in a far-off capital. this idea goes to the heart of self-government and what we're pursuing here today. 35 years ago president reagan said, quote, from time to time

we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule. that government by an elite group is superior to government by, for and of the people. well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, president reagan asked, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? it is past time for a return to self-government through the people's elected restoring congresseswhile w-making rolela through initiatives such as the reins act will not end regulations. members can vote to approve good regulations or bad regulations, and if a member makes the wrong decision, the people can correct that at the ballot box. that's what self-government is all about. thank you. [applause]

mr. hill: good morning. i am french hill and i represent , the second congressional district in arkansas. this is a day we get to remind ourselves that 50% of the words in the constitution relate to article i. clearly, the founders considered the legislative branch the preeminent branch, the first branch. and as james madison said in federalist 51, though, all three branches are in competition, and when one gets a little too ambitious, the others need to counter that ambition. and today's project is all about countering the ambition of the executive branch. as a businessman for over three decades from arkansas, i've seen firsthand the negative effects of an executive branch that bypasses congress to either propose their own rules or to enforce laws in ways that were not intended. all without input of the american people. one example i've seen recently is dumbfounding to me and that's

the waters of the united states rule. in arkansas, it was enjoined with nine other states from being implemented. but implemented it is being by the coercive effect of federal representatives to make private landowners incorporate the wotus rule into everything they do now. even though it's not the law of the land. that is federal overreach. in his last, final state of the union address, the president made a point to characterize too much regulation out of washington is too burdensome on the american people. well mr. president, the wotus rule is a prime example of overregulation, and the law never intended micromanaging streams and ponds on private land in arkansas. these are the types of situations we need to tackle in this congress, and as congress follows our proposals today for a better way, we will successfully reassert our

authority under article i. i congratulate cathy mcmorris rodgers, proud to work on this project, and wish all the best for its success. [applause] mr. collins: good morning, i'm doug collins from georgia's ninth congressional district. i come from the northeast georgia mountains, and poultry is our biggest industry. in fact we're the poultry , capital of the world. it's a thriving sector, and we are striving not only to meet the demands of america and the -- but the world. but somewhere in many cubicles across washington, they determined that's not good enough. they're putting things in the way, putting costs and increasing the burden on our poultry industry. somewhere along the way, the executive branch has forgotten it's their job to enforce the laws, not make the laws. if they would like to make the law, i encourage them to put their name on a ballot and run, and not do it the wrong way. as a whole, the executive agency seems to be more concerned with a political agenda than actually enforcing the law.

osha, just recently, who is tasked with the basic health and safety of workers, a noble cause, is continuing putting into practice things like a wall-to-wall inspection of poultry plants. this isn't done for safety reasons. it is some -- it is done simply to cause a policy agenda to be driven. everyone we can assure needs to to ensure worker safety this does little for safety. these inspections d do more harm than good because they simply slow down the facility, hindering them from doing what they're supposed to be doing. but then also sometimes you have , to smile. not because something is right but because something is so , ludicrous. recently, the usda issued organic rules for comment. these rules were meant to have little to do with food safety and are meant to address consumer perception. according to these new rules, chickens need sizable outdoor space for enrichment activities.

the pastoral image of chickens roaming around the yards is well and good in theory, but in practice it's a costly change that would drive up costs to consumers and would also put grocery stores at a disadvantage. it was so amazing and i was even asked, what would happen to chickens in cold weather states? would we have to give them jackets when they were outside? no one seems to know, again. agencies seem to run amok. the usda's policy also puts people at risk because it contradicts avian influenza precautions we have put in place that would be absolutely devastating to our economy and to our nation if we put our food source at risk. so you see this is not simply , about is congress better than the executive branch. it's about doing our job and doing it in the way the constitutional founders said to do it. when we all do our job the way we're supposed to, the people are protected, the people are served, and our country is stronger for it. thank you. [applause]

mr. radcliffe: good morning, my name is john ratcliffe, i represent the fourth congressional district of texas. the view i have of the american system of government is that every american is intended and meant to have a say. laws are developed and voted on by the people that are chosen. those are then interpreted by the courts and enforced as is by the executive branch. but in recent decades, the executive branch and its bureaucratic agencies have stepped far beyond the carefully -designed balance of power, by creating rules and regulations that have the same impact as law but go far beyond the scope of , any existing laws. to this point, it's no secret that texas will be particularly hard hit by the environmental protection agency's clean power plan. these regulations are

anticipated to increase retail power prices in my home state by 16%. and when family budgets are already stretched too thin, they simply can't afford this rate hike. and unfortunately, these regulations are specially them sitting for the fourth congressional district that i am sinkhole to represent. -- that i am thankful to represent. the local coal-fired power plants in my district have already announced that they simply can't afford to remain open if they're forced to comply. this means a loss of jobs, it eliminates an affordable source of energy for the folks back home, and it saddens me to see a circumvention of our constitution by a ballooning administrative state have such a crippling impact on the american people. that's what i have introduced legislation to address this ongoing problem and why i'm now teaming up with my fellow defenders of the constitution here in the house to establish a

strong plan aimed at restoring the balance of power that our founders intended. texans and people all across this country deserve to have their voice restored. they deserve a better way. after all, we're here to serve them. it's not the other way around. thank you. [applause] mr. bishop: good morning, my name is mike bishop. and i represent the eighth district in the state of michigan. i want to thank the task force, the chairman and the members of the task force for their hard work on this important subject. and i want to say that the constitutional crisis that we're talking about today is really the primary reason why i decided to run for the united states congress. every year, unelected bureaucrats create thousands of onerous rules and regulations.

that in many cases supplant years of existing legal precedent and have full effect of law without ever being publicly debated, discussed, voted on, by a single elected official. and without any input from the very people that they will directly impact. one specific example of the many is the department of labor's overtime rule. the rule doubles the salary threshold under which employees qualify for overtime. i'm concerned, members of the task force are concerned, and the people that we represent are concerned that this was pushed through without consideration of the obvious known and very negative consequences. not surprisingly, the final rule will likely lead to fewer jobs, less workplace flexibility, and fewer opportunities to climb the

ladder of success. it impacts everybody, from the individual to the small business owner, to our abundance of outstanding colleges and universities that serve the students across my state and across this country. to know the schools have to work, to worry about that -- a decision that was made miles away from them without any input, in many cases over their objection, may force them to cut hours and raise tuition, is not how the american system was meant to work. michiganians and the people across this country have a right to be concerned and frustrated, and they are. i'm uniquely aware of the concerns raised by parents across my district as a father of three. i'm -- i worry about every day the growing cost, the

skyrocketing cost of higher education, as do many of you. and in general, the higher cost of living. and under no circumstances, no circumstances should any government agency be making it harder and more costly for families, parents, students, or people of any walk of life to realize their dreams. this this rule i'm talking about , right now is just one of many. and it's symptomatic of a far greater problem that's facing this country today. it's snowballed in recent years. it's time for a better way. it's time for us to enforce the constitution. article i, section 1, and section 8 of the united states constitution affirms the role of congress very specifically, very directly, and unambiguously. it is responsible alone to legislate and pass laws. it couldn't be any more clearer. and is exactly what the framers of the constitution intended, to avert the style of government

that they left, to protect the american people from a top-heavy and tyrannical government. i'm proud to be a part of this task force, and i'm proud to be a part of its mission. together, we are going to give the voices become to the people that we represent and restore the powers of the constitution as our founding fathers intended. thank you. [applause] mr. wenstrup: it's great to be with you this morning. i want to thank all of my colleagues that i have had the pleasure of working with on this mission, if you will. i'm brad wenstrup, i represent ohio's second district. i want to tell you our constitution is not broken, it's not an outdated document that's to be ignored in this century. because it was carefully and deliberately crafted based on a guiding principle of "we the people" that set limits on the government, not the other way

around for the government to set limits on us. our founding fathers laid out a specific framework for our federal government that was balanced on three separate but equal blanches to ensure that we , the people, were heard and properly represented. but now we're at a point in our history where a largely unconstitutional fourth branch of government has taken root. it's an unelected bureaucracy. and the sprawling network of federal departments and agencies is churning out rules and regulations at an unprecedented -- at an extremely unprecedented pace. these rules carry the force of law, but have never been voted on by the people's representatives. so what happened to we the people? that's the question we have to ask. in ohio's second district, i'm hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn't felt the effects of our bureaucracy, especially when it comes to businesses. for example, take sealcorp industries in my district. thanks to the recent overtime rule, which was never voted on by congress, they are facing a

$125,000 in compliance costs. for them that means little growth, higher product prices, and for many of their employees, that means a demotion from a salaried position to hourly positions. what we have seen is an executive branch that issues orders they say they don't have the authority to issue but do it anyway. we see a department of justice that today decides which laws they want to enforce and which ones they don't. we see a supreme court that changes laws rather than sending them back to congress to be changed. and of course, we see agencies that carry the rule of law. ladies and gentlemen, if we truly want to put america on a better way, we need to restore the constitutional balance and put legislative power back where it belongs, in the hands of we the people, and that would be your hands. thank you very much. [applause] mr. flores: good morning, i'm bill flores, and i represent the 17th district of texas. i'm also honored to serve as chair of the republican study committee.

hard-working american families are frustrated, and they're angry with the government overreach coming out of unelected, unaccountable, out of control washington bureaucrats. and today, we're putting forth our plan, a better way, to restore constitutional authority. in 2012, the waco tea party contacted me to express concern about invasive informational requests regarding their application to become a 501-c-4 organization. the information the irs was seeking would have been logistically and financially impossible to fulfill in the very short time period that the irs gave them to comply. and this was after an extended period that the irs set on their application. our investigation revealed that the irs was inappropriately targeting conservative groups like the waco tea party all across the country. irs bureaucrats led by lois lerner were abusing their power

by putting politics and ideology above the law to threaten the freedoms and the liberties of hardworking americans. this is unacceptable. the federal government must be held accountable to follow the law and to adhere to the constitution. we have a duty to restore america's trust in their federal government. today, house republicans are leading the charge to protect hardworking americans against government harassment by reining in unaccountable, out-of-control federal bureaucrats. again, we owe it to our constituents to follow the wisdom of our nation's founders to restore congress' constitutional authority by implementing a better way. thank you. [applause]

mr. byrne: good morning, my name is bradley byrne, and i represent the gulf coast of alabama. in the gulf of mexico, we have a fish called the gulf red snapper. fun to catch, great to eat. and we're blessed to have plenty of gulf red snapper out there. and for most of my life, we've been able to go out there on a summer weekend day and go catch some snapper. now you're limited to two per day, but you can catch enough snapper, it's good eating, you don't have to worry about just having two. for most of my life, you could do it all summer long. recently, the last several years a federal agency calls the national marine fisheries service has come forward and said, we're going to start limiting your snapper season to nine days. this year, that snapper season was interrupted by a tropical storm in the gulf of mexico. so let me tell you, this federal agency has decided to take away from people that live on the gulf coast, something we've done for years. now they do it because they say there are not enough fish out there.

now why do they say that? , because our scientists at the university's on the golf course the gulfsities on coast say there are plenty out there. here's why this agency says that. because when they go to count these fish, they count them on sandy bottom. they don't count the fish on reefs. the gulf red snapper is a reef fish. if you go and try to find the gulf red snapper somewhere other than a reef, you won't find a red snapper. now, we have brought this to the attention of the scientists that work for this agency, and they say, we can't figure out how to count them on reefs. but the scientists at the lesser -funded state universities find them very easily and have shared their techniques with them and still, this federal agency won't do it. now here's the kicker. this federal agency receives $900 million. and it's an agency that has not been authorized by congress since 2000.

there is a better way. there's a rule of the house of representatives that says, we are not supposed to appropriate money to unauthorized agencies. now, authorization is not just some superficial process we go through. it gives congress, and the congress is the representative of the people of the country, an opportunity to provide real oversight to what agencies are doing and not doing. so if we provide that sort of oversight, if we give the authorization process exactly the sort of attention it should get, then we can start reining in agencies that are doing things they shouldn't be doing and making sure that agencies that have appropriate jurisdiction, that they do their jobs and do it right. and if we do that in the case of the national marine fisheries service, then we'll be able to restore an industry on the gulf coast, an industry of charter boats and people that supply things to people that go fish, we can restore that industry. but more importantly, we restore the liberty of the american

people to fish in their waters. and yeah, maybe we'll also catch a few fish. there's a better way. thank you. [applause] mr. newhouse: good morning, i'm congressman dan newhouse from washington state's fourth district. i'd like to applaud speaker ryan, conference chair cathy mcmorris, and join with my colleagues to restore constitutional principles in our government. and restore limited government in our public. -- our republic. i'm proud to be part of asserting the people's voice at a time of executive overreach, when americans are frustrated with not being heard. the founders designed our system of government to be balanced. they reserved legislative authority to the people's representatives in congress.

not unelected officials of countless federal agencies. in my own state of washington, we are seeing firsthand the effects of agencies pushing their own agendas that go against the will of the people through their elected representatives. in this case, the epa awarded tax dollars for an anti-farm advocacy program, attacking the agricultural industry in direct violation of the law. this kind of government -sponsored abuse feeds a cycle of distrust, and it shows what happens when the lack of federal government accountability. today, congress is stepping in to say, enough. americans want to know that we will rein in these kinds of executive over branch -- executive branch abuses. and exercise our oversight and

law-making authority granted by the constitution. we commit to a better way. to restoring the rule of law and the separation of powers that are meant to keep the people in charge and their voices heard. thank you. [applause] mr. rogers: good morning, my gers. s hal ro i represent kentucky's fifth congressional district and chair the house's committee. the key to reclaiming the power is reclaiming the power of the purse. our founding fathers spelled it out clearly in article nine in the constitution. quote, no money shall be drawn from the treasury but in

consequence of appropriations made by law. and of -- end of quote. james madison described this power of the hurt purse as, quote, the most complete and effectual way to obtain a redress of every grievance and to carry into effect every just and salutary measure. this is why it's critical for the congress to retain and tighten its power over federal appropriations. it's one of the most basic duties that we have as congresspeople and one of our greatest responsibilities. so how do we bring back this power into the hands of the people? first, congress must pass all appropriations bills annually. anything less cedes authority to the executive branch, undermining the principles of

our constitution. both the house and the senate must undertake internal reforms to remove any obstacles to passing these bills, including the 60-vote hurdle in the senate. whatever happened to rule by the majority? next, we must address our nation's real spending problem, uncontrollable, automatic, skyrocketing, mandatory spending. that makes up 2/3 of our federal budget. that can be done through overhauling the budget process to allow congress to more effectively control spending on mandatory programs. third, agencies and bureaucrats must be held accountable if they spend any dollar not specifically directed by congress. such actions are violations of federal law and must be treated as such.

this also brings many -- means bringing many outside agencies within the congressional appropriations and oversight process. and finally, we should aggressively and strategically use the tools that we already have, including limiting and conditioning funds, to enforce congressional intent. the recommendations of this task force will help reclaim the constitutional power of the purse. it'll make sure that elected representatives, who are accountable to their people and who know the needs of their districts the best, are the ones to determine how federal funds are spent, not unelected bureaucrats. these recommendations will help improve the way congress functions. give the american people a more

control over their tax dollars, and ultimately form a more perfect union, as our founding fathers intended, because the founding fathers saw this as the better way. thank you. [applause] mr. stewart: good morning, i'm congressman chris stewart, and i represent the most beautiful district in the country, utah's second district. i believe our founding fathers got it right. i believe they were actually inspired when they set up three branches of government, one to create the law, one to enforce the law, and one to review the enforcement of that law. they set up a presidency, not a king. and they never intended that our federal regulators would rule over us rather than serve the people. unfortunately, some of these executive orders and these rules have become muddled in recent decades.

the executive branch that pushes out rules and regulations and executive orders that have the same force as a law but without the input of the american people. and these excessive rules and regulations hurt hard-working american families. and let me say that again. these excessive rules and regulations hurt hardworking american families. my district in utah is a great example of that. we have four national parks, two national monuments, millions of acres of beautiful scenery. that millions of americans come to enjoy every year. but because of some of these excessive rules and regulations, it has made it impossible now for those outfitters and guides, because of the mandates requiring a minimum wage, many of them are going to close. and it's going to hurt americans who want to enjoy the great american west, because they're not going to have that option any longer. this increase in minimum wage will force many of these

recreational outfitters and guides to simply close their doors. let me read you a letter from one such constituent. we very much want to retain our commitment to the national parks and other public lands. however, the costs of compliance created by this role impacts our business. we may have to cease running trips in national parks. what a tragedy that would be. if we actually close access or make it more difficult for americans to come enjoy these beautiful places. this is just one example. and there are many more that we could talk about. repeated stories across utah, across our country, where rules and regulations passed as has been stated here many times, without accountability do , serious harm. and that's why i join with my colleagues in this effort to reclaim the power of article i in the constitution. i'll say it again, our founding fathers got it right. there is supposed to be a balance of power.

the president and federal regulators have claimed power that they simply constitutionally do not have. it's time for the american people to reclaim that power. article i, the intent of the constitution, freedom, the people, that's what this is about today. so i'm pleased to be here. thank you for giving me this opportunity. [applause] mr. franks: it is a good morning. we are privileged to be in a place like this. on the subject of this magnitude. i'm trent franks, i have the precious privilege of serving as chairman of the constitution committee. so i especially gratified to am cathy mcmorris rodgers and for those who help her for this invitation and for this gathering. the united states constitution is the greatest manmade charter for human government in all of human history.

it does not memorialize the rights of government as do most constitutions. rather, it proclaims and safeguards the rights of the individual and limits government. it specifically guarantees the rights of life, liberty, and property, of which each individual cannot be deprived without due process of law. and from that foundation has extrapolated the most powerful, the freest, and most noble nation known to man. our oath of office, sworn before almighty god, by members of congress to support and defend the constitution, sacredly binds each of us to that noble task. yet certain rules and practices of congress, unconstitutional executive orders, and legislating from the bench have become a mortal threat to the constitution. it has indeed threatened our article i powers of the purse.

no one could possibly and more exquisitely articulate it than did congressman hal rogers this morning. accordingly, may we all both be inspired and admonished by the words of the great daniel webster when he said, hold on, my friends. to the constitution and to the republic for which it stands. for miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6000 years may never happen again. so hold on to the constitution. for if the constitution should fall, there will be anarchy throughout the world. i hope this will be a morning when all members of congress will be deeply reminded of our sacred oath to the constitution , and that each of us will recognize the treasure that it represents to the entire human family. thank you. [applause] mr. sessions: good morning, pete

sessions, representing the 32nd congressional district of texas, chairman of the house rules committee. when i came to washington, i came to be a part of a grand experiment of constitutional government that i considered to be a responsibility of balance, combined with the responsibility to live with and for the united states constitution. you have heard today members of our body who are bringing together the ideas that they hear not just back home, but really the pulse of a nation. we believe that the american dream is in question. we believe that the american dream should be reevaluated because what made america great should also be what makes us greater in the future. making government work for people is what we should be for. we not only look at the constitution as the guiding

force, but we want that balance and responsibility. for nearly four months, we have been working as a team. ideas put forth by speaker ryan made flesh in working by congresswoman cathy mcmorris rodgers, our conference chair. we've been working for four months on recommendations by listening to our members, by taking advice from people back home, and understanding that if we work together as a team, we can be successful. our mission is to restore appropriate balance among the branches of government exactly as our founding fathers intended. by reasserting the unique constitutional role of congress. we believe that we must, as part of our responsibility, live up to our responsibility. said another way, we are here to

say, we are upping our game. to do the things that are within our, not just responsibility, but within the context of what the american people expect. each two years, we put our name on the ballot, each two years we go and define not only what we stand for, but the hopes and dreams of a grateful nation as we move forward. you have heard our members speak clearly about the things which must take place, and i will tell you as chairman of the house rules committee, it is my job to work with our members to make sure that these ideas are put into law, that they are put into bills that can be understood by the american people with not only great intent, but purpose to make this great nation even better. you see, we believe there is a better way. [applause]

mrs. black: good morning, i'm diane black. i represent the sixth congressional district of tennessee, and i'm honored to be here with my colleagues today to talk about a better way, to give the power back to the people's house, and therefore, to the american people. almost every day, i hear from tennesseans who come to me in frustration because their lives and their livelihoods are being impacted by a government rule. cobbled together behind closed doors, away from public view, by bureaucrats they can't even speak to on the phone let alone vote for. in fact this month, my office met with mayor dale reagan from clay county, tennessee. he manages a rural sparsely populated county that was already struggling in the economy, and now they're going to get hit once again by the department of labor's overtime rule.

mayor reagan tells me that this rule threatens to drain the counties education budget because it implements a new overtime pay schedule for nearly every teacher they employ. i cannot overstate how upset they were that they had no say as this rule came to be. and i told them, i'm a as frustrated as you are because the constitution says that we in congress should write the laws. yet for the past few decades, bureaucratic agencies have been legislating with regulations and rules that have the same force of law. this is just unacceptable. instead of trying to stop bad rules once they've been announced, we in the people's house and as a result the constituents we serve, should be a part of the process from the very beginning. and that's what today is about. offering a better way to restore our constitutional separation of powers and to reform our rule

-making process so that the american people, folks like mayor reagan and the people of clay county, have a voice through their elected representative. thank you. [applause] mr. ryan: first off i'd like to , start by thanking cathy mcmorris rodgers and the members of our task force for this very impressive work on this most significant work on our better way agenda. i thought i'd close by quoting one of the greatest supreme court justices, antonin scalia. he once asked, why do you think america is such a free country? what is it in our constitution that makes us what we are? well, most of us would probably say the bill of rights, the freedom of speech, freedom of press, the right to bear arms,

and true enough those rights are , very special. but justice scalia went on, if you think a bill of rights is what sets us apart, you're crazy. every banana republic in the world has a bill of rights. even the soviet union had a bill of rights, he pointed out. and it promised a lot more than ours does. but there's a reason we don't remember the ussr as a bastion of liberty. because that bill of rights was just, quote, just words on paper. close quote. as justice scalia said. what truly makes america free, he argued, is the separation of powers. those amendments to the constitution may enumerate our rights, but it is the separation of powers that protects those rights, that secures those rights. our country makes sure that no one person exercises too much power. i'm talking about the fact that we elect most of our

representatives every two years. the fact that both houses of congress have to pass a bill before it becomes law. the fact that congress is elected separately from the president. that means a lot of people a lot of different people, they have to agree for a bill to become a law. that means disagreement, it means debate, it means compromise, and in the end, it means good government. i also think it's very telling that when justice scalia talked about the separation of powers, he barely even mentioned the court, and he sat on it. maybe what he was trying to tell us is this. we can't rely on the court alone to protect our rights. because if you have to file a lawsuit, guess what? it's already too late. your rights have already been violated. being free doesn't mean you can get damages. being free means you don't have to worry about your rights being

violated in the first place. that's why we need the other branches of government. especially the legislative branch, to remain strong, so they can defend our rights when another branch attacks them. that is what will secure our rights in the here and in the now. and that is why we are here today. our problem is not so much that the presidency under both parties keeps breaking the rules, though it clearly does. our problem is that congress, under both parties, keeps forfeiting the game. yielding to the executive branch. giving the president a blank check. not even bothering to read the fine print in some cases. and as our members just told us, as we just heard a beautiful articulation of our cause, this means more than just out of control spending.

it means more chaos at the border. it means not being able to live out your faith. it means not being free. that's why this plan is so important. in fact, i would argue this is the most important part of our agenda. because we won't be able to fix our safety net, we won't be able to rebuild our military or pare back the red tape until we put the people back into the driver's seat. it's not enough to have an efficient or effective government. we want a free government. one of the most important principles that unites all of us as americans, that makes this a popular and inspiring nation, is that we are a historically self-determining people. historically with a government by consent. that's what unites us. that's what makes us free. that's what makes us the beacon of hope in the world. we must reclaim and conserve this principle.

we want a competent america, where all of us are free. and that's something that i think all of us can agree on. thank you very much. [applause] [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]

announcer: c-span's washington journal, live every day with policy issues that impact you. sunday morning, political consultant and contributor for ,he hill, michael singleton attracting minority voters to the gop. then michael eric dyson, sociology professor from georgetown university, talks about the latest developments in the 2016 campaign and his calls to march in protest at the republican national convention because the gop is electing donald trump as their nominee. and david shimer and, on how the media and newspapers do with criticism in the 2016 election cycle. he also talked about how traditional nuclear business models have changed.

these are to watch "washington on sunday morning. join the discussion. >> known as the center of the country music industry, "c-span cities tour," posted by comcast gill partners, explores the literary culture of the tennessee state capital, nashville. on "book tv," and author talks about his book, the history of the ryman auditorium. have this became a place for civil rights events and political rallies and the home of the grand ole opry. >> the civil rights movement was very important in nashville, tennessee. a few blocks from here, young students from fisk university, tennessee ami, now tennessee state university, all did the lunch counter statement -- citizens. they got arrested here, challenge the system of what was going on in nashville, tennessee

and the conscience of the country. announcer: and on "american history tv, visit the hermitage, jackson's home from 1804 to 1805. how the home group right to store log cabin into a presidential residence. and then, tour the country hall music museum. they talk about the relationship between the 1960's music icon bob dylan and johnny cash. the political clash between the two music genre is, and how the help of museums -- musicians helped bridge political differences. >> they had a lot to do with changing perceptions of nashville, bringing rock 'n roll people here. the assessment of nashville as a political and social establishment didn't really even accept country music. there were a lot of people that would like to pretend the grand

ole opry was here. what they saw was rude people overall. you can imagine at the height of the 1960's counterculture with the division between long-haired hippie culture, if you will, coming out at the time, and more conservative elements -- announcer: what's the "c-span cities tour," throughout the day . >> president obama and the first families and part of the day at yosemite national park in california to acknowledge the 100th anniversary of the u.s. tional parks system. this was the backdrop for the president, who gave a speech on the park system and the steps his administration has taken to protect public land and the environment. [applause] well, have ama:

seat, have a seat. how gorgeous is this day? [applause] can, yes we can. president obama: yes we can enjoy it. this has to be the perfect way to spend father's day, and father's day weekend, and yesterday our family checked out carlsbad caverns down in new mexico. today, i want to thank superintendent do bacher and all of the incredible rangers and us here atosting yosemite. they do a great job, we are so proud of you. give them a big round of applause. [applause] president obama: we also have the congressman for this state. we appreciate congress engineering to work hard to support our national treasures. give them a big round of

applause. [applause] president obama: in the west wing lobby, i have got a and ang of myrtle fall half dome, but it looks slightly better in person. [laughter] president obama: just look at the scene. ipadan't capture this on or flatscreen, or even an oil painting. you have got to come here and leave it in yourself. -- breathe it in your self. capitank is home to el and yosemite falls, deer and falcons and bobcats and 2000-year-old sequoias. it is a park that captures the wonder of the world that changes you by being here. there is something sacred about

this place. the wallsthat is why of this valley record -- are referred to as the regional walls -- as cathedral walls. it is like the spirit of america itself is right here. [applause] so, it is noma: wonder 150 years ago, president lincoln first [indiscernible] the ground on which we stand. and then teddy roosevelt, he called the great trees here, a temple rather than any human ,rchitect could possibly build spent a whole bunch of time camping around here with john r, a man whon mui gave life to what has been called america's best idea, our national parks.

as he said after his visit, we are not building this country of ours for a day. it is to last through the ages. theugust, we celebrate 100th anniversary of the national park service, a system that includes more than 400 parks from yosemite to seneca falls. since i took office, i have been proud to build on the work of all those giants came before me and to support our national resources and help all americans get out into the great outdoors. we have protected more than 265 million acres of public lands and waters. [applause] is moret obama: that than any administration in history. that does include the really big body of water in the pacific ocean, but we have also already done the second-most public land of any administration official.

we have seen more victories under the invasive species act than previous -- endangered species act than previous administrations. sea turtles and manatees. we are restoring more ecosystems like the grove of giant sequoias right here. we designated new monuments and historic sites that better reflect the story of all our those famous with sites like gettysburg, we can also see monuments to cesar chavez or the pullman porters in chicago. we have got more work to do to support our land and culture and history. we are not done yet. last year, more than 305 people visited america's national parks. for this centennial, we are asking all americans to find your park, so that everyone,

including those in underserved communities, can experience these wonders. in the past few years, we have been offering free entrance to troops and military families through michelle and joe biden's joint forces initiative. last year, we lost the every kid in a park effort, which gives passage to every fourth-grader in the country. they explore the parks and lands with their families for free. just visit every kid in a this is good for the local and national economies so that people try to post conversation -- conservation against economic development. every dollar we invest in national parks generate $10 for local economies. nationalp to drive outdoor industries like boots,

bikes, tents. this supports $650 billion in spending every year. that is a lot of fleeces and headlamps. so, as we look back over the last 100 years, there is plenty to celebrate with a national park system that is the envy of the world. when we look to the next 100 years, the task of protecting our sacred spaces is even more important. and the biggest challenge we are going to face in protecting this place, and places like it, is quite a change. make no mistake, climate change is no longer just a threat. it is already a reality. i was talking to the rangers here. ranges are drying up, are shifting farther northward. ficus aremals like being forced up slope to escape

higher temperatures. the waterline is a must gone. they are also saying longer and more -- seeing longer and more dangerous wildfire seasons. i was in new mexico yesterday, which is dealing with a big wildfire just like folks here in california and for other states -- four other states. rising temperatures could mean no more glaciers at the glacier national park, no more joshua trees at joshua tree national park. destroy vitaluld ecosystems in the everglades, and at some point could even threaten icons like the statue of liberty and ellis island. i want not the america to pass onto the next generation. but is not the legacy i think any of us want to leave behind. -- that is not the legacy i think any of us want to leave behind. their memory could be marred or

lost, the history. that is to be taken seriously. we cannot treat these things as something that we deal with later, that is some else's problem. it should not lead to careless , weestions that somehow don't get serious about the carbon emissions that are released into the atmosphere, or that we scrap an international treaty we spent years just try to put together to deal with this. this land belongs to all of us. it is the only one we have got. and we can't give lip service to that notion but then oppose the things that are required to protect it. we have to have the foresight and the faith in the future to do what it takes to protect our parks and to protect this planet for generations to come. that is especially true for our leaders in washington.

it is what lincoln did when he set aside this ground for our posterity. it is what roosevelt did when they inspired the national park system. it is what our generation has to do. we have to summon that same vision for the future. we have made good strides. please -- we just started the clean energy initiative, we are preserving landscapes. climate change together, but we have got to do more. on this issue, unlike a lot of issues, there is a thing such as being too late. the good news is we can rise to the challenge. over the last seven years, we approved it. communities from rising seas and stronger storms and brutal droughts. we'll protect children's lungs from breathing dirty air areas multiple people from displacement. we will protect national

security because we will not be seeing refugees displaced because of conflict and scarcity . and we will build on that legacy of all those again before us, whose enemies parks century ago -- who stood in these parks a century ago, believing america will last through the ages. the head of the system here about my first visit to a big national park up in yellowstone. i was 11 years old. , soi was living in hawaii this was the first time i had traveled to the mainland, i came through california, went through , and then ended in yellowstone national park. i remember being an 11-year-old kid, the first time i saw a moose. [laughter] president obama: in a lake. the first time we drove over a

hill and suddenly there was a field full of deer. bear and time i saw a her cub. that changes you. you are not the same after that. i want to make sure every kid feels that. studies have shown now that just five minutes of time in a green open-space brings your stress level down. makes your heartbeat go down, makes your whole body feel better. makes your spirit stronger and cleaner. we have got kids all across this country who have never seen a park. there are kids who live miles from here who have never seen this. we have got to change that. the beauty of the national park system is, it launched everybody.

tois a true -- it belongs everybody. it is a true expression of our democracy. all lookn that we after ourselves and families and we work hard and make money, we have our own homes, apartments, we have our own homes, apartments, cars and televisions. but then there is part of it that is part of everybody, something we share. a place where we connect with each other and connect to something bigger in ourselves. one incredible idea. what a worthy investment. what a precious thing we have to pass on to another generation. let's make that happen. thank you everyone, got bless you. god bless the united states of america. happy father's day. thank you. [applause] ♪

>> book tv has 48 hours of nonfiction books and authors every weekend. here are some programs coming up. tonight, from book expo america, the publishing industry's annual trade show, a former nba player, dream build a bar, talks about jabrar talksul about his latest book. and a roundtable discussion talks about donald trump's book. a senior includes writer for politico, and a senior writer for the wall street journal. and at 9:00 p.m. eastern, political science professor -- talks about his book, which looks at the history and rise of isis. by anotherviewed

author. --said this surge of axis isis was the result of the deepening sectarianism, the civil wars in the area of the east, the security vacuum that ,xists in iraq and other states and in the perception that somehow the arab spring, the peaceful action could naturally change the existing order. for the book tv.org, complete schedule. host: joining us now is seamus hughes from george washington university. he is also a former policy staffer of the national terrorism center. thank you for joining us this morning. guest: thank you for having me. host: you are here to talk about the threat of homegrown terrorism. how big of a concern is this in our country today? guest: let's start with the big numbers, and work our way down.

the fbi director talks about the cases. we look at all of the cases of people who have been arrested. since march 2014, the average age has been 26, they tend to be male. they were active in all 24 states. host: one of the most frightening aspects of the shooting in orlando is that the shooter seemed to be one of us. he was educated in american schools, an american citizen. what do we know about how people like him become radicalized? guest: that is the biggest issue when you look at these concerns. there is not a typical profile of an isis recruit. poor, they could be a high school dropout. many of them are u.s. citizens. in terms of radicalization, it

is not a linear process. people are by their very nature, complex. and there are various reasons why they would do so. there is an ideology that plays into this, but there are always various reasons why they are drawn to it. host: we hear about social media, what is the role of the internet and social media in developing some of these ideas? guest: it is twofold. isis has become very adept at using social media. they have a good message, what they perceive to be a good message. then they use the platform of social media to amplify that. in a u.s. context, we look at about 300 accounts of the isis supporters over a six-month. and what we found is it runs the gamut from the banter of everyday life, to the violent

images we see in the nightly news. these are kids that get together and talk about how great it is to be isis. it is a most like a sub channel on reddit. host: where is it found online? dark corners or public places like facebook? guest: in the good old days, five-years ago we had about a dozen forums and you had to know somebody to get in there. now, we have evolved to twitter. that is the platform of choice for the recruits. and it allows them to push out the message. although there have been a number of takedowns recently of the accounts, they have moved over to telegram, which allows for some control. host: what is telegram? guest: it is a similar platform, it allows you to create groups and invite people in. it is easier in terms of operating in the environment,

and they cannot be taken down as quickly. and you get a sense of how it goes. host: you mentioned there is no single profile of someone who carries out a loan will -- lone wolf attack. what kind of challenge does not present for law enforcement who are trying to investigate? guest: that is a big issue, because there is no checklist. you cannot say these are the top 10 things, and if they had those things, they will become a terrorist. that is not how it works. you have to look at actions, and not necessarily behaviors. are the individuals acquiring weapons to build bombs, are they communicate with a known or respected terrorist online? to the pop up on the radar? host: we are talking with seamus hughes. you can join the conversation as well. here are the numbers to call. 748-8001 from republicans.

748-8000 for democrats. independents, 745-8002. you can also send us a message on social media. the twitter handle is @cspanwj. let's take a listen to the cia director john brennan. , he was on capitol hill this week discussing this. >> the so-called lone wolves, it -- it ise to operate an exceptionally challenging issue for the intelligence community and law enforcement to deal with. the tragic attack in orlando, we have not been able to uncover any direct link between the individual and a foreign terrorist organization. but that inspiration can lead someone to embark on this path of destruction and start to acquire the capabilities and expertise, they did the surveillance and carry out an attack without triggering any of those traditional signatures

that we might see as a forest terrorist organization tries to deploy operatives here. those individual actors, either acting alone or in concert with cohorts presents a serious challenge. we are working with the fbi, the department of homeland security, and others to give them whatever intelligence we have that might help them identify some of these individuals. host: we are talking with seamus hughes. does the fbi, do you think, have the power and resources that it needs in order to effectively conduct investigations? guest: we will break it out a little bit. in terms of resources, cricket -- it is clear that they are triaging. the fbi director talks about 1000 active investigations. it is a unprecedented number of investigations for the homeland. i think it is important to put it in context. it details -- pales in comparison to the european countries. they have to think about who is an individual that unfortunate i will not be will to get to.

the other question is authorities. and i think we will see in the coming weeks and months, whether the congressional overseers do a review of, do they have the authority they need? it is a balancing act. you have civil rights concerns. fbiing at orlando, does the monitor and individual for three years? what does it mean for resources or civil rights? it is a difficult balancing act. they talk about it all the time. host: let's turn now to the phone lines. from tampa, florida, john is calling. what is your perspective on this, someone who lives near the scene of the most recent shooting. caller: i believe that ideally the department homeland security and the fbi should consider identifying all relevant factors that could be used to predict

thatikelihood that it -- an individual will conduct a terrorist act through careful study of all terrorist attacks in the u.s. and abroad. a magnitude may be circumstance specific, or a range, and combines all of these magnitudes in order to establish a final combined calculated magnitude of terrorist likely not for the subject or given individual at the time. the magnitude for the likelihood determines what actions to take. maybe, recommendation once several relevant factors are established, you can use the working equation to establish for all past terrorist acts that have occurred to see how they occur.

given a terrorist act, retrospectively. given a final conclusion, you determine the actions today. and at the next level, it will require investigation. be next highest level would that the case remain open and all law enforcement, databases, and guns and other weapons purchasers who have the individuals name, so they know if he wants to buy a weapon, considering the waiting time. the highest level would require it immediate arrest. because now there is probable cause that person would be conducting a terrorist act. host: we heard that proposal what you think? ,guest: the fact that we do not have a common profile of a terrorist is not a failure of research. when you look through the 800 pages of legal documents that we have on extremism, you get

snippets, but you do not get a typical profile. they run the gamut. we have a 15-year-old kid from north carolina, and an older person from new york, so it runs the accusation on the spectrum economic- such spectrum to. it really runs the gamut. the fbi agency does this all the time. as the person made actual steps to develop a plot? have they talked to suspected terrorists online or in person? these dynamics play into whether they go from a pier 1 to a -- tier 3 to a tier 1 case. host: in other words, you are saying some elements of the proposal is already in place.

guest: yes. host: next is jason from washington. caller: it is interesting. so much of the orlando shooter, what he was saying when he called into the police department was they are bombing his country. we forget that things we do as a country actually insights a lot of this violence, because the united eights, everything -- states, everything i have learned about violence, i have learned from the government. when they don't get their way, they like to use force around the world. when you drop a drone on a wedding party, do we not think that these people will become radicalized? guest: yes. i think there is a whole host of factors that go into this. i think the issues about foreign policy clearly play into the mix, but they are not the underlying factor. what i thought was interesting about the call, he said, bombing his country. right. he already took himself out as part of america, saying he saw himself as another. that tells us something.

we see it with other attackers. if years back, there was a terrorist who mentioned, you are bombing my country. muslim not seem to be a and an american, which is what most muslims don't believe. host: you mentioned earlier that there have been arrests of suspected isis members in america. are there any common threads in those cases that allowed the fbi to actually take this step which they did not take in this case? guest: there are a couple of takeaways when we look at this. one is the fbi used an informer undercover in at least 50% of the cases. in the orlando case, the used an used in a former, but it did not stick. or the person did not cross the legal threshold. there are number of different

throughout an investigation when a family member or loved one saw something that was concerning and reached out to law enforcement or tried to do an ad hoc intervention. i am worried about my loved one and i want to bring them back into the fold. you see that play out time and again. that you wrote recently, if a red flag exists, it would be a family member who spots of them. tell me about the role of family members of the alleged shooter in trying to combat radicalism. guest: i mean family members , play a key role. for the last year, i have interviewed a number of family members to hear their stories. it i talk a little bit about in the op-ed that you cite about meeting with a father. he tells the story of his daughter joining isis. and he tells me, i saw things and i was concerned and i do not know what to do about it. if you pull through all of the cases, you see mothers,

individuals dealing passports, or stealing passports things , like that. family members can play a role in stemming the radicalization process. the question is if they have the tools or if they are doing it in an ad hoc way. or are they doing the best they can, in terms of billing -- googling isis dissimulation. we do not have a systematic approach to address this issue. host: is there a systematic approach? guest: everywhere else but here . it is something that european countries to all the time. -- do all of the time. for a number of reasons. they have to be creative in terms of the radicalization disengagement. in terms of the fbi, if you have a person you are worried about you don't have to be necessarily that creative. we also have a smaller number of

people going. so, again, you can rely on these tried&true law enforcement efforts. but in places like germany, and places like that, you can try the systematic intervention program. germany has hotlines that people can call. canada has a d radicalization program that offers guidance to family members and loved ones on how to talk to a loved one going down this path. host: you also mentioned france just announced a program to create the radicalization centers. is there any momentum for a move like that in the u.s.? host: in maryland, there is a program that works with county governments and gets funding from county governments on that. so they work with religious leaders, law enforcement, and if

they have an individual they are worried about, the use social workers and run the case. similar what you would do with a troubled teenager. pushre looking at a slow by the administration away from this broad-based community engagement. instead of 300 people in a room and talking about terrorism, where the administration is trying to do, let's do one on one interventions. it is something you can measure. you can determine whether you have closed a case. host: the next caller comes from new york on the democratic line. go ahead, anthony. caller: thank you very much. i would like to sign the petition to bring mr. swain back on thursdays, if possible. no disrespect to academics like yourself, but it seems we are being intellectually dishonest and it seems to be chronic in

the people you might see on shows like this in that we are constantly, or you gentlemen are constantly trying to sell us a cure, rather than look at the cause. and to hinge my comments on the caller from washington prior to mine, if you want to stop terrorism, you have to stop or -- participating in it. george bush invaded an innocent country that had complied with years of sanctions and it brought about years of blowback from the middle east. the energy sector rose to power, basically a bunch of oil sector lobbyists, and brought us into a war. and it insulted a nation. i'm sure you anticipated this. ike i said, the dishonesty

feel with academics, you do not want to discuss, almost like you would be insulting cure leader if you say anything to insult the bush and cheney gangsters. you keep trying to sell me a cure rather than look at the cause and say, would we going to -- what will we do to fix the cause? it is like cancer. what is causing cancer first? host: we hear your point this morning. guest: if you look at the early cases of individuals drawn to isis, it was because of the assad atrocities. they wanted to join, it had really nothing to do with foreign policy or anything like that. attack us on -- assad. there is a whole host of factors. host: the department recently issued a terror warning after

the orlando shooting. here is a story from the hill. the quote is, "in this environment we are particularly concerned about homegrown violent extremists back and strike with no notice. the story says the second notice of its kind issued under the system. that is according to the department of homeland security. what should the average person do? dhs is saying we should be concerned about it, on the lookout, but for the average person, what type of action with would this notice encourage us to take? guest: i think a lot of it has to to do with if you see something say something. aboutiduals are talking their beliefs to others, so there will always be in effect the people see something that is

concerning. bulletinhing with the was, they are talking about homegrown terrorism as a threat. and i agree with them. if you look at the terrorist attacks in the u.s., the boston marathon bombing, these people were not directed necessarily, but where is fired -- were inspired by. it is an important dynamic. they also have less linkages and they do not pop up on law enforcement radar. host: next is janet. go ahead. caller: yes? host: turn down your tv and ask the question or comment. caller: ok. like when the tires were knocks

--knocked down by the plane, those people were in germany. they said they were very nice guys, very patient people to destroy things. their ambition is they want the muslims, all the muslims, the whole world, that is what they planned. so they are born as muslims, , their parents taught them. so these people do not just start out and do this sort of thing. and besides, you are saying, that is what the people on tv, i don't know why people don't listen to the people who have lived through this. and they say they will lie, do anything, i mean. host: we hear you this morning. let's move on to tony from fort worth, texas. go ahead. caller: you know, we put a lot of emphasis on licenses. but we have had more american terrorist acts in this country

than we have had committed by muslims. we are at war and it is a war that we cannot win. for every one that you may catch, there are 10 still out there plotting. this war is not a war that americans are used to fighting. you know, and everybody is saying, watch the muslim. everybody -- they are locking up the man's wife, i don't know if they are locking her up or not but they are investigating her , for being married to the guy and going with him to buy the gun. you talk about the call columbine shooting, the church shooting, we have been killed by more americans in terrorist acts by isis.an how do we combat that? guest: i don't think it is either or. we look at all forms of extremism.

whether they are isis inspired. again, it is not either or. you should be concerned about the dylan roofs, as well as others. and we see this play out in different ways. my focus has been on-us -- then on isis. that is my expertise. we cannot ignore the fact that 88 individuals were arrested in the last two years. 61 people arrested just last year alone. while those numbers are small, they are exponentially larger than they usually are, usually we have about 10-15 cases per year. there is clearly a phenomenon going on here that you need to understand and put in perspective, but also study. host: next is alex. alex is from maryland. you are on the air. caller: i would like to make a comment on the gun-control stuff.

defend a right to ourselves and the right to bear arms. if we are not allowed to exercise those rights, their places like the district of columbia where it is impossible to get a gun permit. what are we supposed to do on the scene, where somebody put a through someone else's head, rather than all these people getting hurt. host: in the previous segment, we were focused on the issue of homegrown terrorism. you talk about balance rising. there is debate whether the focus should be on common-law or -- gun laws or expanding fbi authority. where do you fall and where does your organization fall? guest: we are nonpartisan. we are research field. we don't try to jump into politics. we take a step back and look at the use of guns for terrorism. clearly the ease-of-use of guns

increases lethality. putting aside the politics of it. and the idea of people on a watchlist, whether they should have guns or not, we leave that to politicians. but when you look at the historical thing, like june 2009, we had individual that killed one person and injured another outside an army recruiting station in arkansas. in his evaluation, he tells the psychiatrist about the fact that he went to walmart, that he and he was gun waiting to be arrested. but he was not. even though he was on a watchlist. i think that these dynamics depend on the case. host: you talked also about the impact of social media on the radicalization process. what do we know or what do we hear from social media companies

like facebook and twitter over how they are trying to deal with the threat that might be on the networks? guest: yes, think of it like a spectrum. on one side, you have an organization like facebook that are over lenient in pushing alternate messaging. and then on the other side, you have telegram and twitter fall in between. social media companies, by their core, are libertarian, when it comes to use of the internet. and that is where i think they are most comfortable. but i think that we are seeing increasing public pressure on taking down content. the interesting thing here is when we look at the isis recruits online, they built in resiliency. over the summer, there was lone wolf 7. he came back as lone wolf 8. there are shout out accounts

that come when he comes back. 7 says, this was lone wolf and now it is 8. by the time he got arrested in the fall, he was lone wolf 21. there is resilience in the system that allows them to get back and forth. they are firm in their beliefs. they will find ways to get around the system. you have to balance, do you not -- knock them down so they figure how to get back on board , or do you focus on counter messaging? host: next is tina. go ahead. good morning to you. caller: thank you for listing to me. i just want to comment on the shooting in orlando. i am a florida resident. and i just want to say, this is not a democratic thing, or a republican thing, or independent thing, you need to look at the shooting that happened. look at the shootings, the children who were shot at sandy hook. this is something we need to

work on as americans as a whole. these things like this have been going on for centuries. we need to sit down and come up with a plan to keep these things from happening. and if we just generalize everything and say this is an american thing and a lot of people are losing lives, if we don't do some thing about the situation, this will continue. and i mean, people like myself i , will make this really quick, i am in a situation where you have people in charge, and they will not do anything about it. we need to come together as a whole with a plan so we can stop this from happening again. just, it is i am touching me because i lost individuals in this. do