then former president george w. bush talks about governing and leadership. ♪ brian: please give me your name and when you're from. >> i'm kate carpenter from the great state of oklahoma. brian: what is this week all about? program entitled the united states senate youth program which engages students from all across the country for politics and civil engagement. brian: your name, sir? >> rubin banks. and i'm from the great state of mississippi. brian:

what has this state meant for you? >> it means a lot. for someone of my status and caliber to may not have opportunities at home. it means the importance of nature. the idea of brother model and good and meeting with people that you've never touched before. brian: this is put on by the hearst foundation and you're here for a whole week and you get a scholarship. where do you plan on going to school? >> as of right now, the air force majoring in mechanical engineering. brian: in the room are your mentors. what have you learn this would -- what have you learned this week? >> they taught us about respect as well as discipline. they've made this fun and made it all about us but also teaching us how to respect people who have put work into there week. brian: explain all of us what this has meant and how did you get picked? >> tonight is very unique. it's the final ideas of the people selected so we want to

process. tonight is the final lasting moments we spend with each other. we want to make sure we create a lasting impression and i think that's what me and kate bring tonight. brian: what is the high point of the week besides the history of the military mentors? >> there was a lot going on. for me, personally, it was bonding and when we went to the lincoln memorial, everybody let loose and had fun, take pictures. that was kind of the moment when we went from friends to family. brian: and for you? >> i would say the same. bonding moments, sneaking around past security would be one. [applause] dancing with each other would be another but it's the idea of having opportunities to engage and interact. in changing times and the

meaning of family is changing. it looked different 10 years ago, 50 years ago but now it's the opportunity that everyone is an equal member of my family and my book. brian: thank you both very much. we're going to meet some of the rest of your fellow attendees. good luck on your speech tonight. excuse me. who would like to tell us about somebody that you met this week and what you learned from them? let's start right here. go ahead, stand up here. give me your name and when -- where you're from. >> i'm from orlando, florida. brian: and who do you want to name? >> chief justice roberts was an amazing human being to meet this week. not only because he's a brilliant legal mind and he's been able to shape the future of this country but because he really took the time to explain the judicial process to us. we all go the to ask questions of one of the most powerful men in the world and he answered them like the future leaders that we are and that was really

humbling. brian: who's next? most inspiring people i got to meet was elizabeth -- her willingness to seven, her willingness to continue, even when it's hard is really inspiring. i hope i get to serve in some sort of position like that and have that dedication that she has from her job. brian: again your name and where are you from? >> i'm nicholas. one of the delegates from the grate state of maryland. brian: and why did you even get involved in in? >> that's a great question. i had a passion for serving my community and i had a feeling in opportunity would provide me with some opportunities to allow me to learn more about my country and state and it's done exactly that and also, i've made

a great group of friends and really family. brian: next? squeeze through here. anybody at this back table? hands up, yes ma'am. tell us who you are and where you are wrong. >> isabelle jones, i'm from l.a. arkansas. my favorite. person was brian -- from phil:. he was very can did in his -- fema. he was very can did in his responses. and i want to go into public health. his talk was really valuable. brian: this is a year program and i need to know from you how you got involved and how you got to be the representative from your state. >> yes, i actually didn't know anything about the program until i met the delegate from last year at arkansas girl state and she told me how amazing it was. she thought i would be a good candidate for it. i applied through my state, wrote an essay about leadership and i had to take a test over all things u.s. history and

arkansas history and then i went to little rock to interview for it. brian: based on what you've seen in week, how will it affect your life in the future? >> i think it's given me great experience to go to college and meet a group of people i didn't meet before. i plan on going to college out of state. it will be a totally new environment. it's just being surrounded by people as motivated as i am and as driven. i can honestly say this is going to be the next group of leaders so just eating surrounded by them has been motivating. i'm from the commonwealth of massachusetts. brian: and who did i meet and what did you learn that you'll not forget? >> one of the favorite people we met this week was susan gordon, the principal deputy director of the national intelligence. i learned from her that intelligence is hard work but it certainly is a fun job. brian: did you notice as you

were here this week a difference between the politicians and the people behind the scenes, people working as staff people? >> absolutely. brian: what did you notice the difference to be? >> the people behind the scenes tended to really love what they were doing and they were very important people. we got a little bit less time with them but it was great to hear from them as well. brian: who's next? somebody back here? yes, sir. >> i'm alan duger from the state of louisiana and one person who i was proud and honored to meet was my senator john kennedy. he's a man who i am ideologically at odds with but the fact he was able to humble himself and be very kind to show up and meet me was pretty humbling and honored to me. it was great to kind of learn that sometimes you feel elevated by your status but there are a lot of people down here that are worth your time to meet.

that's something i will take with me. brian: give me your name again and also tell me what part of louisiana you're from. >> i'm alan dugger and i'm from baton rouge, our capital. brian: what else have you learned about a washington? >> well, one thing i think i'm coming away with is i'm a lot more optimistic because i'm seeing how truly passionate and driven all the public servants are. i kind of thought they might come back a little more cynical, being more sort of familiar with the process but i've actually seen that everyone who we've been spoken to by has been extremely passionate, extremely knowledgeable and extremely qualified for the job that they're doing. brian: all right, anybody else who wants to tell us about somebody that you met? this young lady over here. please stand. your name, where are you from? caitlin ahearns

and i am from pennsylvania. brian: who did you meet, who did you talk with that you would like to talk about with us? >> one of the people that really impacted me this week speaking two was martha raddatz. i'm a really big fan of news, specifically her. for myself as a woman hoping to go into public service, it was very inspiring to see such a brave and intelligent woman who i've looked up to for years. and get to meet her and hear from her respect. brian: what did you learn from her? >> i learned how important it is to be a global citizen and how important it is to be cognizant about what's going on in the world and not just to feed into information that may not be correct. brian: thank you. who else? it's either me or these aisles are smaller this year. yes, stand up, please. tell us who you are. >> i'm roland shaft from the great state of virginia. northern virginia, vienna,

virginia. i met my senator, tim kaine. he was so kind and i'm so grateful i had the opportunity to meet him. he answered all my questions and he was really thoughtful with his responses. i understand being a senator is a very busy job but the time he took was so meaningful and impactful to me. brian: what did you and him and what did he tell you? >> in my area there's been a rise of sex trafficking, especially as northern virginia becomes more of a transient city. i asked him which policy he was enforcing because he's on one of the committees dealing with that issue. i wanted to make sure he was aware that was a problem. brian: how were you chose on the be here? there's only two from each statement. >> it was a rigorous process. i had to be demom named by one -- i had to be nominated taiwan of my teachers, then i had to nominated by one

of my teachers, then i had to take a very difficult test and interview as well. was it worth it? without a doubt, thank you. brian: let's change topics for a bit. you ready to talk? ok, good. what, from your perspective -- excuse me. i'm having trouble talking. what from your perspective has been the impact on this country of the trump presidency? and what was your reaction to meeting him yesterday? >> you gave everyone else softballs and you give me this? [laughter] brian: you bet. your name and where are you from? [applause] my name is david ox. i'm from the small village of oddsly in new york. i think -- well, it's hard to tell exactly what the impact of the trump administration has been. i think -- you know, if you look at his policies of deregulation. i think you could make a strong argument that it's -- it's going to have a terrible environmental impact. especially decades down the line

and even right now. economically, economic stewardship is quite successful. i would agree with those who say it's ignoring the risk of a financial crisis in the coming years and i think it's -- social policies i think are for the most part disgraceful. i do have to applaud the tenor of the administration, especially on trade and i think , that ultimately the heart of many of the leaders of the administration are in the right place in their focus on the interests of the common american worker. brian: what's your reaction to meeting the president? >> well, -- it's incredible seeing him. even if you dislike him, there's that certain aura around him , he almost seems to exude power. it's quite intimidating so when we all saw him -- he's a large, large person. [laughter]

>> well, i don't mean to comment negatively but he's a physically imposing man so we all started applauding quite heavily and he seemed to enjoy it. he had some light repartee and it was off to the races from there. brian: all right, who else wants to talk about the trump presidency? [applause] hello. i'm from the great state of arkansas as well. brian: come on over here so we can see. >> i personally disagree with donald trump, a lot of his policies, zero tolerance. deregulation of businesses in regard to environment. travel ban, etc., etc. it goes on, a whole list. so it was very interesting to meet him because personally i just see him as a very immoral man. it was very difficult to me. i was very conflict did -- conflict it

because i didn't know whether to shake his hand or not or exactly how to react. i was very upset afterwards when a lot of people were attacking other people for shaking his hand or not shaking his hand. i thought that was exactly what he wanted. for us to argue about him and make him the center of attention. for us to fall into that trap i thought was really sad. i feel like we should live up to that message much more than what we did yesterday. brian: what is the impact of the trump presidency on the country? >> definitely division. we see that. we're constantly talking about bipartisan in washington with all of our speakers. a lot of us like to talk the talk and not walk the walk and a lot of these speakers also do not like to compromise. just saying being bipartisan is not enough. it's way more important to actually be bipartisan instead of just saying it. even though we see this division, it's important to know that we have to team humanity on the other side and for us to be the future leaders of tomorrow and be able to embody that and i think that's pretty inspiring

for the next generation. [applause] brian: thank you, next? yes, ma'am. tell us your name and when where you're from. >> i'm morgan heath powers, from the great state of nevada. brian: so the impact of the trump presidency on the united states and what did you think about meeting him? >> i think it was said very well by susan gordon, deputy director of national intelligence that, if anything, we are all awake. our nation is very divided right now and regardless of your opinion on the trump administration, we all come here with very passionate opinions but the one thing that i can say, especially as i look around. at so many future leaders and so many future members of the -- generation is that we are awful -- we are all so involved and we care so so much so if one incredible thing has come from all in it's that we're all awake. a lot of times we look at an

election, or truly any political race, political figure for their policies and we might comment a little bit on who they are as a person. this is really for us to consider who do we want leading our nation. and if not president trump, what alternatives are you looking for and how will you bring that to the table? i ask that regardless of your opinion about president trump that we really do consider what kind of people do we want to be going forward, how can we continue to stay awake and hopefully use that to bring us together. brian: back in the back. we haven't heard from some of these tables. yes, ma'am. please stand up. >> i'm lane. i'm from wisconsin. brian: where in wisconsin? >> just outside milwaukee, actually. on the trump question, i think this whole week we spent a lot of time hearing from elected officials, specifically about the importance of reaching across the aisle.

although that's always been important throughout american history, specifically now it's more important than ever we band together as a country and make sure that amongst all the division and animosity in our politics that we can come together and really focus on what's important. with such a decisive president in such a divisive political system. i think the important things can get lost sometimes and it's important that our congress i think specifically and the members of congress can sort of come together and focus on passing policy and legislation that is meaningful, impactful and important to the people and that they dismiss the petty politics and come together and protect the american team -- people and do their jobs. brian: what was your reaction of meeting the president? >> regardless of what you think of him, meeting the president of the united states is an honor. regardless of whether you agree with his policies or not. so i guess it was an honor for me even though i don't necessarily

consider myself to be in agreement with all of his beliefs. brian: thank you. a lot of hands up over here. >> i'm will from the state of indiana. brian: greats state of indiana. >> exactly. brian: tell us what you think the impact of the trump presidency is. >> this week we've learned a lot about the current day but also a lot about history. the italian ambassador was talking a lot about the roman senate and how they used to stab people. at least we're not at that point. we heard from the capitol tour guides about how charles sum -- charles sumner beat someone almost to death. so we've seen worse times. there's a quote that stuck with me about how partisanship is the salt of democracy. salt is bitter but it also

preserves it. the debate, it's important to keep it civil but we have to recognize that the partnership, the negativity, take a positive spin on it. recognize that there were always going to be disagreements. make a good argue. advocate in what you believe. brian: your reaction to meeting the president? >> i think it was david who said the aura about him was really something. you're in the east room of the white house where the presidential addresses are made. you see him walk down that hallway and it's hard to believe you're there. the impact of actually meeting him was for me, as well as i think others, a little bit conflicted. coming from my state a lot of people are huge fans of his. i personally disagree with a lot of what he does but you have to respect the office of the president. you have to respect the place that you're in so shaking his hand really was an honor because we're shaking the hand with the office of the presidency and how

much -- how many people can say they've gotten the chance to do that? but what i'm looking forward to is taking all these lessons i have learned, going back home, spreading the word of bipartisan, change. really meaning it when you say compromise. brian: where are you from in indiana? >> just outside indianapolis. brian: yes, sir. is there anybody in the room -- i mean, what a non-verbal comments about the president and if there's somebody in the room that is for donald trump, because it's clear that everybody we've talked to so far is not. so let's ask this young lady right here. tell us who you are and where you're from and under the surface here, it sounds like there's been some interesting discussions. >> i'm grace costco from ohio. and i am with donald trump on

many of his policies. i might not agree with how he treats some people, i guess, because i've heard a lot of things and i've learned a lot from all my other delegates but when we met him yesterday it was really powerful because i was talking to some people afterward and they were all very against trump before. and i heard some people say like he was actually really nice. like he joked with us. he was fun and he was surprises and -- surprising and i feel like he's always been attack sod -- he's always been attack. he's oftentimes on the defense but with a lot of his policies and don't hates me for saying this -- i agree with a lot of his fundamentals and a lot of the things he believes in and a lot of the deregulation. i'm more libertarian so a lot of the fiscal stuff i'm more conservative and with that i stand with him and because of that, it was a true honor to meet him and i will hold that

with me for the rest of my life, as i'm sure many of us will. brian: so what's so important about being nice? >> honestly, i'm not sure. because -- i mean, all these politicians that we met, i feel like if they had the most stressful job in the world, i feel like it's more important to be strong and stand with who you are and do what you think is best and, although being kind to people and treating people with respect is something they wholeheartedly agree with and that i think he sometimes does fail at but i think that anybody would fail at that sometimes and so it was really nice to get the chance to meet him and see the human inside because we're just looking at the tv screen and that's not some way that you can learn someone and i have a

policy that i don't hate someone until i've met them and until i know them and i've heard a lot of people say from back home and even from here that oh, i hate trump and i'm like you can't. like, it's impossible to say that without knowing who they are, you know? brian: thank you. a couple of hands back here. on the issue of the president. yes, sir, what do you think the impact of the trump presidency has been? >> i'm cal david burn from the great commonwealth of virginia in arlington and i think donald j. trump is making america great again. i personally believe in the slogan and i believe that he's doing what he said he would do. as other delegates have said, in that office, you have to have a certain respect about yourself and the way you hold yourself. i don't think he's up to that par some of the time but i

believe his policies and the way he's holding a more aggressive stance towards other countries and towards other politicians and i don't blame him for the partisanship in america. i think he's doing what he said he would do. we knew that from the moment he started his campaign in 2015 to the moment he got elected in 2016. he was pretty much going to do the same thing. he hasn't changed. but the partisanship started before he ran for president and it's continued and only grown and that's because i think either you're with trump or against trump and if you're not with trump in the republican party, it's really hard to get elected at this point. if you're with trump, you have to go with him on everything. so i think there's a lot of that issues in the party, in the politics in general, but i do think he's making a better america and a better world for us. brian: so has it been difficult being pro trump during this week with your fellow students? >> i would not say it's difficult being pro trump in this room. there's a lot of great discussion that happens and everyone here knows that though

you may be a different political party and have different views. we're all here because we want to make a better worlds for ourselves and for the generations that come afterwards. virginia was just ranked as one of the least tolerant places in the united states. i'm used to that. but coming here and seeing the difference, i can speak to anyone on any issue. gun control, abortion, the wall. you'll have a great discussion, great talk with anyone even if they're on the complete other side of the u.s. -- of the issue. thank you. brian: one more on the donald trump subject and then we'll move on. yes, sir, stand up and tell us who you are. >> thank you very much. i'm ian mccabe from center harbor, new hampshire and i start off not being a big donald trump fan during the 2016 primary. i was a big john kasich fan and i struggled at the very beginning but as i read multiple

news sources, startled readsing on my own instead of watching on television so that bias from the media didn't play a role in how i read. it changed my perspective on the republican party. i've always been a conservative but i feel that trump has a very bad persona around him and that people don't look twice or three times. someone said we need to learn how to learn and not just read but think deeply and think about all sides of an issue and i worry that we as a nation, we just put ourselves in a box and we don't think deeply. and i have faith that our country will improve but it's a difficult time. it's a difficult time for republicans. it's a difficult time for democrats. i just wish we could come together and have civil conversations. it worries me that we blame each other for having different

beliefs. brian: thank you. this is the senate youth program, under written by the hearst foundation. 104 students come here every year, spend a week meeting a lot of important people, including the chief justice, the president, secretary of state and all their senators. i want to switch topics. we have about 30 minutes left. who in this room can talk about the new green deal? and what do you think of it? and do you think there will be a moment when we put all airplanes away forever? yes, sir, stand up please. >> i from the great state of am maine. about 10 minutes outside of portland in regards to the green new deal, i think it's an important step in refocusing the priorities of this nation. i don't agree with everything

that is stipulated in the resolution and i don't think, you know, i definitely don't agree with all of its goals but i think it's important that we really take a fine-toothed comb to our policy in the united states about how we treat the climate, how we treat the earth and, you know, some broader economic goals that i think would be beneficial to this nation. brian: we're $22 trillion in debt. how do you pay for a green new deal? >> i think the debt question has been kind of an issue throughout our 21st century life but we had a budgets surplus in 199, 1997, 1998, 2000. in 2003, taxing were cut once. we engaged in two wars, in iraq

and afghanistan and now in 2017 we cut taxes again. i think we can see budget sur pluses in this country just as we have just under 20 years ago. i don't think it's that hard. we do need to raise taxes to three levels intact close look at our spending priorities. i don't think it's as difficult as some people think it is. brian: who else on the green new deal. who hasn't spoken yet. yes, ma'am? >> my name is caroline radar and i'm from the big sky state of montana. i just have one area of the green new deal that i would like to address. the number one economic driver in montana is agriculture and there's a lot of talk about switching to electrical vehicles. if you know anything about farm equipment, you know it would be virtually impossible to power that equipment to provide food for our nation if we switch told electric combines, trarkt, etc. how do we do that under the green new deal? are there stipulations for that?

i'm not as educated about it as i would like to be but i think it's something that hasn't been discussed at all that needs to be discussed. brian: one of the suggestions in the green new deal is we will do away with cows. >> i know that has to do with methane production. cows produce far less methane than anything on the earth. i think that is off-base and has no basis. the other thing is if you were to do away with cows, you would have problem with range management, pasture management, what would you do with all the land the cows were grazing on? it is unhealthy for grazing land to be unused. it causes buildup of plant material that causes the rangeland to degrade. brian: who wants to talk about the green new deal? we have to hit these military people over here.

>> i think that when it comes to climate change, we have a responsibility not only to our future but the rest of the world, and the people who are suffering because of the effects of climate change, to act now. i think no amount of debt is greater than the cost of climate change left unaffected and untreated, because our earth cannot sustain our levels of greenhouse gas emissions, pollution. i think we as a nation have a responsibility to take drastic measures. i don't agree with everything in the green new deal but i think the goals of the green new deal are admirable and that we need to work hard to make those goals a reality. brian: i ask you the same question as earlier, what about the $22 trillion in debt?

>> i think he had a good answer. i think the money is there. our nation, the new tax bill, it added something like $1.5 trillion to our deficit. i think there needs to be a will. when people are adding that amount to the debt just for tax cuts, i think that is a poor excuse. brian: what you think the chances are that there is the will in the u.s. to do what you're suggesting? >> i think the will is there on one side. truly i think it has to become a , bipartisan issue and im saddened it -- and i am sad and it has become politicized. the beauty of our nation should not be political. the future of earth is something i think is universal. we should all be able to agree

we want clean water, beautiful reefs, a beautiful country, and to preserve natural resources for generations to come. brian: we're going to keep talking about this for a moment. you all carry notebooks around with you and you write things all week long. i want you to find just a sentence in your notebooks that you find to be a little bit provocative or some real insight, and i will move around before this is over to a bunch of you to get just one sentence. i don't want a lot of paragraphs, just one sentence. green new deal, who wants to talk about that green new deal? yes, sir. >> my name is aj, i'm from st. louis, missouri. on the green new deal, i would say i don't agree with all of the specific legislative points of the green new deal, but i

think the fact that we're talking about climate change and the green new deal right now means it is already a success. climate change has always been on the back burner of american policy since jimmy carter. it's always something there are more pressing issues in something else more politically topical, something else to worry about, fear mongering or whatever. we are reaching the point, the you in a few months ago released a very damming report about climate change and that it is a major issue. we put it off for so long that now it is a demanding issue. climate change is real, that is a fact. i know it is debated somewhat and it should not be, it is science. i am glad it is being talked about. brian: one side of this

discussion does not think it is an issue, why? >> i think it comes down to politics. it comes down to one, there are so many vested short-term interests in washington -- if you are a senator tried to get reelected it is more beneficial for you to support may be your donors in the oil industry than it is to go against them and face losing your seat. i also think that one of the downsides of the democratic system is it is very short term. we tend to think in two-year, four year, six-year plans. it's hard to extend beyond a short period of time. i think that has kept us from adequately addressing climate change, it won't take four years or one president, it will take a

long time and it will take a massive bipartisan action that we all need to take and we all need to take a leadership role. that is what it will take to save this issue. brian: one more on the green new deal and someone who thinks it is hokum. who said you will do it? this gentleman here. >> my name is adam and i am from west virginia. i don't really want to talk about the specifics of the great new deal, i just want to say how disastrous i think it would be for my state. my state is was virginia. we are the second against coal -- second-biggest coal producing state in the nation after wyoming. under obama's clean power plan, it was disastrous for my state. thousands of people lost their jobs. a lot of the mines shutdown in the cold regions. i think it is great to talk about the green new deal and saving the environment and climate change, but realize it

is going to have really disastrous short-term effects for tons of people across middle america. i do believe climate change is real, but i do believe we need to have something come up like a safety net for the people falling behind due to the changing nature of the green new deal. brian: what would be the impact on the united states if you got rid of coal and nuclear power and fossil fuels? >> i am not going to disagree that i think it would be much cleaner for the environment, i'm just saying i don't think it's realistic. brian: thank you. all right, let's go to your notebooks. remember, we are not looking for a lot about what a wonderful week it was. some insight you have that you wrote down and you want to share, and this will go quickly. you don't have to get up, what is your name?

>> my name is sayid and i am from connecticut. the first day we talked with a , revolutionary war historian and he said our job is to fulfill the american revolution. it was important that he brought it up, he was addressing the issue that many people feel our freedoms and ideals have not yet been fulfilled. hearing this from him showed the magnitude of the issues can be very large and can seem like they are too big, but this idea we have to continue to allow independence to be sought after was a big one. >> i am from georgia. brian: what did you write down? >> it is required of the citizens of our public to be founders and our democracy, which is from colorado senator michael bennet. brian: why did that get your attention? >> they think it's really

important especially with the partisan divide in our nation to understand it is our generation's role and duty to preserve and continue our democracy and the legacy of our founding fathers. brian: if we assembled people representing different areas of our country to create a constitution, could we right now? >> i think it depends. i think our young people are very inspiring and passionate about our ideas, and seeing all of the delegates this week, i have confidence that we could come together to reach a consensus that is informed and crosses party lines. brian: we should invite people 22 years old and younger? no millennials. oh my gosh. [laughter] >> i am from indiana, and the

quote i wrote down is when justice roberts was referring to sandra day o'connor, he said she said you cannot be indecisive, you've just got to decide. this quote is important to me and i think to all of us, because in such a divided country, in such a divided world, it is up to us to have that dialogue, it is up to us to critically analyze what is being said through different lenses and use that critical thinking to make a decision, stick with it, and continue to advocate. brian: where are you from an indiana? >> a suburb of it indianapolis. brian: we talked earlier, you are the speaker tonight, this better be good. >> just a little preview i guess. i am one of the delegates from

oklahoma, from stillwater. instead of talking about a speaker's quote, i'm going to talk about a delegate quote. my friend from new york. [applause] he is very intelligent and he asked thought-provoking questions. he asked most of us a deep philosophical question which is said, is a ship is to set off to sea and all of the old planks are replaced with new planks, is it the same ship? i can think of it on a philosophical level about what the answer would be, but i thought about it more and i thought about ourselves as people. we are going to set off, go to college and we will never see each other again. no matter how much we add to ourselves, will we be the same people and come back and be friends? it's interesting because we see a lot of politicians go off to washington, d.c., run on a platform, and when they get to d.c., the platform changes. are they same the person?

or did politics change them? i want to give a shout out to my friend david for this question. it helped me put in perspective where we are going in our future, will we stay the same or will be changed because of society? brian: tonight when kate gets up there, you can close your years and go on with the rest of your conversation. [laughter] yes, ma'am. i am from california. the quote was from susan gordon, she said, if we lose a couple million that is ok, but if we lose a couple lives come i have to rethink my decision. that really resonated with me, especially around immigration and everything going on. i feel often times we lose context of the lives being lost, the people in detention centers and the families being separated and we stop thinking about the stories and the people behind everything occurring and focusing more on the economic aspect, which is important, but when she said that if we lose a

couple lives i have to rethink my decision, that resonated. brian: how about at this table? please stand. >> i am from new jersey. one quote that resonated with me was when judge henry was discussing when he was a nominee for bill clinton, and bill clinton said, i really did not like your decision on one your cases, and he said, i didn't like it either but there is this law thing. that resonated with me because i want to be a lawyer and hopefully a judge, and you have to separate yourself for mere personal feelings and the law. the idea that judges are only responsible, held it the constitutional and the law, and not there personal feelings. brian: what did you going to do with your diary once the week is over? >> i'm going to take it back to my school and at already reached out to my board of education to share some of the knowledge i learned. i will keep some for myself.

i want to sit down with my principal and hopefully talk about some of the members of my local democratic party and talk about how i can help them make even more for change in our town. brian: this table. yes, ma'am. >> hello, i am from minnesota. the quote i have is from the secretary of housing and urban developing, ben carson, and the quote is, look at the goal as opposed to who gets credit. if we truly want the best outcomes in society in our daily lives, we need to be able to admit we don't know everything. i think a lot of people nowadays, especially politicians, are praise hungry, and they don't go to the other size and seek guidance from other people. if we decide to go into politics, it is important to him admit we don't know everything and go to those who may be wiser than us and get advice and enrich ourselves so we can achieve the goal we are going for. brian: thank you. yes, sir. >> i am a delegate from west

virginia. charleston, west virginia. a quote that spoke to me was also from judge henry, he was discussing how judges must decide every case before them, and the context of that was opposed to legislators or the executive branch were maybe you can push off and it's you -- push off an issue until after the election are never aggressive. -- or never address it. brian: right here. >> a quote that spoke to me was also from secretary carson. it was pretty simple, the american dream is for everybody. that idea that regardless of race, religion, creed, gender, that we all as americans have an equal opportunity to make lives better for ourselves and our children and those after us, that is something i really value. in a divisive time like this, it is important we go back to our roots and those founding ideals that every american is an american and every american has opportunity. brian: same question as earlier,

if we had a constitutional convention today, could we come to an agreement? >> yes. brian: thank you. >> i am from oklahoma. brian: what did you write down? >> chief justice roberts said i see the likeness of god in every human face, and if you do that, it is hard to instinctively hate. i think regardless of how you feel politically or what you feel about president trump or the green new deal, if we don't love each other, we have already lost. brian: this table. please stand. >> i am from washington. i wrote down if everybody is happy, you are not doing your job. this is from elizabeth mcdonagh. it resonates because you cannot please everyone, and in society today, whether you are working in diplomacy or anyone in government or civil service, you have got to do what is better

for the majority of the people, you will not make everyone happy. brian: thank you, we will do a couple more quotes and then i want to ask you the same question we ask high school students around the country to create a five minute documentary. we have 3000 entrants and we just announced the winners, the winner got $5,000. the question is, what does it mean to be an american? what does it mean to be an american? who has got a quote? >> i am from tennessee. the quote was, the american dream is for everybody from ben carson also. i thought it was a provocative quote because i personally don't think the american dream is for everybody. i think right now we have a lot of issues of racism and sexism and other prejudices that keep us from the american dream. specifically coming from ben

carson, to be honest i was a little upset, because ben carson has ignored a lot of civil rights cases coming into his office. in his two-year term he is only approved one of the cases, and it was not even the most provocative case. i am very inspired by my fellow delegates i have met that we can achieve the american dream, i believe that in order to do that, we must take the veil off of our eyes and realize that at the state we are at now, the american dream is not attainable for everybody and we must work harder to achieve that. brian: thank you. [applause] brian: one more. please stand. >> i am from the district of columbia, which i hope will be the 51st state. the quote would like to give you today is that women's rights are natural rights immutable and , universal. [applause] where did you get that?

>> jack warren from the society of cincinnati revolutionary war historians. brian: why is that the most important quote? >> these days some people get a bad reputation for calling themselves feminists, because people are tied up in protecting the status quo that they get distracted from moving forward. even if women here can drive cars, that doesn't mean every issue in our society has been solved and it is important to , remember that women are half of our society and just as important as the other half. brian: let me ask you a question , after this week for you and you go back home, you don't have to go very far, what kind of reaction do you think you will get from your fellow students when you tell them what you have done for the week? >> i think they will be jealous of some of the politicians i've been able to meet.

i think it will have mixed feelings about having met the president, they will say, why didn't you give them some choice words? i will say, i wanted $10,000, and also because i respect the office. but i also think people will want to know the things i have learned and i will be happy to share that with them and i hope my teachers will forgive me for missing so much work. brian: it's all about the money? >> no, definitely not. this experience, if i had been here without $10,000, i would have been just as happy. the experience was amazing. i came here, it took 15 minutes, but it has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. i also would not have insulted him even if i was under threat of not getting my scholarship. brian: i should explain the $10,000 in scholarship money toward your education. >> right, it is not pocket money, it is for education, and all of us are encouraged to study political science or history.

i think everyone of us, whether or not we going to political science, everyone of us is going to go into some kind of public service because of how much we have been inspired this week by the amazing speakers we have heard. brian: that $10,000 comes from the hearst foundation, a private organization, not the government. all right, what does it mean to be an american? oh my goodness, i am surrounded. >> my name is catherine, and i am from alabama. i believe that to be an american, it means to be proud of your country no matter what your views are or if you agree with the government or not. because the founders had many differing opinions, and even today we have many differing opinions, but like they said, in -- e pluribus unum, out of many, one. out of many different ideologies, we make one strong, great nation. brian: thank you. we are going to move quickly now, make it as short as possible.

>> i am from new mexico. i think to be american is to be kinetic, we are always moving and we must always be moving forward. it is important to focus not on ourselves, but the future generations and the future we all love. >> thank you. i am from delaware. i believe that being an american simply means knowing the difference between america as an idea and america as a country and knowingly must always and by the idea of america and ideals we were founded on and know when the country is wrong and what to call it out. >> i am from south dakota and i believe being a true american is understanding the nation's not perfect and true patriotism is fighting for what you believe in protesting for what is right and it has been that way since 1776. [applause] brian: what does it mean to be an american? >> i am from oregon.

a military man post this question to me one day, to be or to do? when we regard the idea of america, it is not simply an idea or something we can conceive, rather a social responsibility to our citizens, putting in the work, protest, the activism and making sure that what we say and what we are is not simply something that is a label, and rather something we can see every day when we walk out the door. brian: i need to move around the table and ask you to introduce yourself to the audience and tell us where you are from, your name, and what does it mean to be an american. >> i am from north dakota, and for me, the concept of being an american could best be summarized from a quote a speaker set to us, she referred to the government as a living, breathing creature. i think that is what our nation is, it is a living creature. part of that is activism.

brian: also from north dakota. >> for me, sorry for my voice, i am patriotic and i love my country so much, and especially right here, i have never been more in love with being an american. i love that i can go anywhere in the world and do anything and things about me could change but no matter month -- no matter what, i will always be an american. brian: thank you. >> should i stand up? brian: you could just tell us. >> i am from new york. to me, to be an american means to be a striver, someone continuously working toward a more perfect union, turning the ideals of our founding fathers into reality not just for our country, but for the world. as we have all discussed, many of those ideals of not yet been fully realized in our nation.

i think, as americans, we need to continue striving toward progress. i think in all of the pieces of legislation and the policies we discussed, no matter our political leanings, what are -- whether it is the green new deal or the jobs act or tariffs, all of that is done as of means to bring us closer to the ideals of our more perfect union. to be an american is some of continuously moving toward progress and a better world. brian: one last one in the back. please stand so we can see you. >> i am from rhode island. to me, being american is to call out your country when you realize something is wrong. at all times. it doesn't matter what you believe in, it doesn't matter if you are someone who believes, for instance, you don't believe in gay marriage, it doesn't mean you stand for homophobic beliefs. as american, you believe that everyone has the right to be in

america. i think a speaker said to us once, if you have an idea and have a stance, you are american. to be american is to have a dream and idea, and no matter what, whatever you stand for, to be an american is to be free and be as open as you can. one person should not represent what america is, to be american is to be progressive and open to all know matter what. [applause] brian: i said that was the last one but i want to see if somebody can do this, one word. what it means to be american, one word. please stand. >> i am from illinois. one word. improvement.

brian: thank you. this is the united states senate youth program, underwritten by the hearst foundation. you spent a week here, you have got about two hours sleep throughout the week and are looking forward to the big dinner tonight. we thank you very much for joining us on this occasion. good luck to you all. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪ >> all q&a programs are available on our website at www.c-span.org.

>> next sunday, new york times columnist david rooks on his book, the second mountain, the quest for eight moral life. c-span.ext sunday on announcer: all this month on c-span, we'll feature the first and second prize winners of our to student cam documentary competition. middle and high school students created videos answering the question, what does it mean to be american? and now it is time to announce our grand prize winner. mason doherty and eli scott, 11th graders at the international academy of north texas in mckinney, texas where c-span is available through spectrum. their winning entry is titled what it means to be american. >> the topic is accountability in government was what we believed was the really important topic in describing what it means to be an american because it was something that