obstacle may be in our place to introduce what i think will be one of the best democratic national conventions we have seen. >> monday president trump holds a campaign rally in north carolina on the eve of the special election for the 19th congressional district in that state. the president won the state by 3.5% in 2016. campaign 2020, watch our live coverage of the presidential candidates on the campaign trail, and make up your own mind. c-span's campaign 2020. your unfiltered view of politics. wednesday is the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack. watch our live coverage on c-span3 from the 9/11 memorial plaza in new york city.

the moment of silence, the reading of the names, and the ringing of the bell. cello --athlaying wreath-laying ceremony. coverage of the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on atpan, c-span3, and online c-span.org. or listen free on the c-span radio app. speaks atal candidate a breakfast in new hampshire. she has eventsys planned through this weekend. >> welcome. director.ecutive [applause] thank you. herehe executive director

at the center for politics -- at the institute of politics. this is a special series we have and we are continuing on today. president of saint anselm college. this is his first politics and eggs. this is a wonderful occasion. we probably will have a little bit more activity between now and february. i would like everyone to recognize him. [applause] and of course our sponsors here are the people that allow us to have these breakfasts. wonderful new sponsors.

we also have their board chair and his wife. just a side note that carol works for senator kennedy in the 1980 campaign. she was telling me stories about it this week. leading arp through an interesting time. now on saturday in new hampshire it is going to be just a few people running for president in the state. democraticause the party has just a huge event taking place across the river. this is good for our primary.

ray buckley is here today. he's got a big event tomorrow. no sleep tonight. of course our partner in politics and eggs is new england's chamber of commerce, an amazing organization, many members, and of course a great leader, jim. . would like to have you up >> thank you for all the hard work he does here and is great staff. i just spoke to the president. stop alle i'm going to the interviews. good news for all of us. congratulate the

president for being the leader of this extraordinary college. we wish you much success here, a great legacy. eggs, all of them around the room. just remember the banners that are here. they are good corporate citizens of new hampshire. thank you for allowing us to have this wonderful series here. we have a couple of events coming up.

senator angus king of maine will be speaking to the new england council. we will host the speaker of the british house of commons. be a very will interesting session in light of what is going on. host senator chris -- in of connecticut and what is called the capital conversation series. finally we have announced our honorees of the 2019 annual dinner that will be held in boston.

people from all six new england states coming together. we are delighted. today we are delighted to friend as sheod campaigned for the 2020 presidential nomination. the service president of the united states. she has a knack for making history. she was elected to the state legislature in 2002. she was just 21 years old, becoming the youngest member ever elect it in that wonderful state. when she was elected to the house of representatives in 2012 , she is the first -- one of two first female combat veterans.

she brought with her extensive experience. in the middle east and the army national -- the service in the military has been an incredible asset to her, where she has drawn under first-hand experience to advocate for our men and women , andiform, our veterans our national security. advanceworked to financial banking and how it -- and housing policies that will best serve the american people. today she is running for president of the united states on a platform of ending regime of millions of

dollars. invest -- and instead invest in quality health care, education and a green economy. please join me in welcoming the honorable congresswoman from the great state of honolulu, hawaii, kelsey gabbert. -- kelsey gabbard -- tulsi gab bard. you started off the conversation with aloha this morning. thank you so much for this opportunity and platform to be able to have a great conversation about where we are as a country and where i believe we need to go. you have been incredible.

there he is. been incredible to get this all muchher and thank you very for hosting this. you for your leadership and helping to support and provide this platform. ray and i served as vice chairs of the dnc together and grateful for the leadership you are continuing to provide. especially during this dizzy democratic primary. you open the conversation with a loja. i think it's a very relevant word to deal with what we are facing in this country. how many of you been to hawaii before? almost half of you.

you are familiar with the word a loja. don't know ite means a lot more than just hello and goodbye. loja is ieaning of a come to you with respect, i come to you with an open heart and , regardlesspassion of where we come from, race, religion and orientation, all of the things in this current political climate are unfortunately too often used as wedges to divide us. it's really disheartening. this hyper-partisanship and iser divisive politics undermining the values and principles we hold dear as americans.

why we love our country. i am really inspired as we go through this campaign, we are visiting different communities in different states across the country, because people are coming out in droves, inspired by love of country disheartened by where we are, but driven by this motivation, saying the only way we bring about real solutions, real change, is by we the people standing up and exercising our rights through our democracy to be the change, to be the solution. recognizing we can't just point our fingers and think, someone else is going to save the day. our elections are so important because when we the people stand up, we can bring about the change we need to see. it is important that this be

driven by love of country, this remembrance and recognition that united we stand, divided we fall , and as diverse as our country is in so many ways, whether we are talking about politics, ideas, the color of our skin, where we come from, if we worship, how we worship, all those things make up the fabric of how -- of who we are as a country and remind us how important it is that we fight for our freedoms, that we take nothing for granted, and that we protect these freedoms that allow us to continue to strive towards that more perfect union that we have. one of the main centers of frustration that we see in our current system, why unfortunately in the past we have seen so many people staying home and not voting at all, is they feel like they have been left behind.

this vision that abraham lincoln set out of having a government that is truly of, by, and for the people has not been carried out. is a few people in washington who are in positions of great power who are holding onto that power to serve their own interests while the voices of the people are not being heard. andconsequences of that -- you see this in new hampshire, you are very involved in the elections process -- election after election, we find ourselves talking about the same problems. these problems are not being solved. maybe we put a band-aid on it or talk about it for a minute while it is in the headlines, but then it goes away at something else pops up. meanwhile, the people suffering as a result of that problem, whether health-care or immigration, broken criminal justice system, failing infrastructure, climate change,

these things capture the imagination for a moment, then it moves on to something else, but their problems remain -- but the problems remain. why is that? it is because our government is not fulfilling this essential mission of service first and foremost to the people of our country. jim mentioned in his introduction i am a soldier, i still serve in the army national guard. this past april was my 16 year anniversary. a few weeks ago i did my two weeks of active army duty and tooking, a mission that place in indonesia, a joint training exercise with the indonesian military. theave a small group from hawaii air and army national guard working with officers in the indonesian military from across all branches of their military. the focus of this specific training exercise reinforced the

principle that has been drilled into me as a soldier for as long as i have been in the military. that principle was a problem-solving mindset. it really struck me how essential this is obviously for planning successful military operations, but how relevant it is to the challenges we are facing as a country both in foreign policy as well as domestic policy. a problem-solving mindset. steps that go into this problem-solving mindset. first of all, the need to understand the current situation , that we cannot even begin to understand the problem unless we understand where we are. not looking through things through rose-colored glasses, not looking through things only through a partisan lens, but really being a realist and understanding the situation, the

challenges we face. number two, understanding the situation, being able to really define the problem. if we really think about the challenges that we face, how often do we see the inability to solve the problem if we don't understand the root cause? we have to understand and define the problem, which leads to the third step, being able to identify a clear, achievable goal. each of these three steps being essential to being able to really solve the problems that we face. i think there is a lot of different examples that we can point to throughout our recent history, both here at home as well as our foreign policy. domestic challenges. health care continues to be the top of mind issue for folks we seethis country, as even as there has been progress made, there is still tens of million people who are either completely uninsured or

underinsured. we still have laws in place, medicare, for example, that are not dealing with actually solving the problem, serving those that need help the most. i think it is absolutely unacceptable that even with the affordable care act's passage, medicare is still prohibited from negotiating lower prescription drug prices with prescription drug companies. the united states is the largest purchaser of prescription drugs in the world. we have an incredible about of leverage. we should be trying to get the best deal we can for the people we are serving. we see these challenges with health care. we see continued challenges with the immigration crisis at the border. so much is driven by what's in the headlines and what we see too often is leaders who are reacting to the headlines or to the crisis of the day, and there is a crisis, rather than taking a step back and looking at what

is driving this, what is causing this problem in the first place. why are there so many people coming to seek refuge at our borders? what is the issue with our borders? how has our foreign policy in the past helped to create this instability? therefore, what change do we need to make so we are actually solving the root cause of the problem? how are we dealing with our broken, legal immigration system? getting to the root cause of the problem. criminal justice reform, the opioid epidemic that is taking so many people's lives. this epidemic continues. we are not getting to the root cause of the problem and therefore not in a position we are able to stem this epidemic and prevent people from being harmed in the first place. the list goes on. failed war on drugs is a prime example. when you look at how these three steps have not been adhered to by our leaders.

a failure to understand the current situation, a failure to define the problem, and therefore to create a completely unachievable goal to the point where decades later this war on drugs is continuing to be waged, but at what cost and to what consequence? it has had a devastating impact on people's lives, an overburdened criminal justice system, and it has done nothing to stem the tide of illegal drugs in this country. gun safety legislation is another one that is continuing, unfortunately, to stand at the forefront of the challenges that we face because of the ongoing tragedies and shootings and murders. why is it that we have not yet begun to solve this? why have we not yet gotten to the point where we are bringing down the number of shootings in this country? because we are not addressing the root cause of the problem

and coming together as a country to solve this. instead, we see one side. against -- we see one side pitted against the other, pointing fingers, shouting, and forgetting the unity we have as americans. when we put the divisiveness aside, what we are left with is who we are as people at the care we have for each other, recognizing that this is about all of us. these challenges impact every one of us, not just democrat, republican communities. these are things that concern all of us and require all of us to come together and be a part of that solution goodmorningamerica.com you see these -- solution. you see these same challenges in our foreign policy and the tremendous toll it has taken on our country. during my first deployment to iraq in 2005, we were based in a cap 40 miles north of baghdad. it was the height of the war and

it was at a time where we were seeing very severe casualties. i served in a field medical unit during that deployment, and every single day i was confronted with the terribly high human cost of war. how many people, americans, every single day were being injured, killed in combat. this is something that as a soldier and a veteran hit very close to home, especially as we lost friends of ours, our fellow soldiers, there. we came home and their families were not able to welcome them home. being this ongoing told taken for those veterans who have come home with both visible and invisible wounds, scars that stay with them for a very long time. i think there is a cost to these failed foreign policy decisions that reaches far beyond those of

us who have worn the uniform or who continue to serve. that's a cost that is paid for by every single one of you, every single one of you who may be watching, every american. this isn't something we often think about, but when we connect the dots, we see how these failed foreign policy decisions have a direct impact on everyone of the domestic challenges we wee, every one of the needs feel in our families and communities. i served in the city council and state legislature in hawaii, so for local officials, the frustration is often we don't have enough resources, don't have enough money to pay for the things we need in our communities. serving on the city council, talking about potholes, sewers, water, safe parks, neighborhoods, law enforcement, firefighters, the basic needs that have a daily impact on our residents, our citizens.

yet so often, we are told there is not enough money. you have to squeeze so much out of every dollar to try to meet those needs. 9/11t the same time, since alone, our country has spent over $6 trillion -- over $6 trillion -- on wasteful, counterproductive wars that have not made our country more safe. they have not been about national security. strengthenedually terrorist groups like al qaeda, the terrorist group that attacked us on 9/11. our have taken a toll on men and women in uniform, caused so many lives. the lives of the people in the countries where we wage these wars, and they have cost us as a people tremendously as we see these dollars taken out of our schools, our health care system, our communities and our

community needs and infrastructure. so you can't separate these issues, which is why it is so important as we talk about this problem-solving mindset. this is the kind of mindset i would bring to serve you as president. to solve these problems, build coalitions, bring people together, to recognize that the only way we move forward is when we move forward together. the experience that i bring to this job of president and the president has his commander-in-chief. yes, my time in the military, but also congress, almost seven years on the armed services committee, the homeland security committee, understanding the importance of our national security, making sure we have a strong, trained, and capable military, and also understanding that our failed foreign policy undermining those objectives, which is why as president i will end these wasteful,

counterproductive wars, the likes of which we have seen in iraq, libya, syria, and unfortunately the word president trump is pushing us closer towards, the war with iran. a war that would be far more costly and devastating than anything we saw in the iraq war, would take more american lives, create more refugees, would cost us as taxpayers trillions more. end these wasteful wars. work to end this new cold war we are in with escalating tensions between the united states and nuclear armed countries like russia and china and the arms race that has kicked off as a result, and instead redirect these presses resources that would have otherwise been used on these wars and these weapons, and use them to serve the needs of our people, because those needs are great and pressing. it is time we get our priorities straight in our country, put the

well-being of our people ahead of profits and partisanship at divisiveness and bring these principles that are at the heart of every soldier, every servicemember, the principle of service above self, to the white house. restoring a government truly of, by, and for the people. this is what's driving me, what's motivating me, my love of country and appreciation for who we are as americans and where we need to go. i think there is nothing but opportunity ahead of us if we are driven by love and respect for one another, appreciation for the principles and freedoms that we hold dear, and the work that we have ahead of us, to be able to work for the well-being of our people and our country and the protection of our planet. thanks for the opportunity to be here to join you today. i look forward to our conversation. thank you. [applause]

>> can you do a couple questions? rep. gabbard: absolutely. >> we have students with the portable mics. if you could identify yourself when you have a question. if i could ask the first question, it has been reported that the president is negotiating with the taliban in afghanistan. -- troops.000 tubes talking about reducing them by half. is that a prudent approach? what would you recommend we do with afghanistan, the longest where we have had? greatabbard: it is a conversation to start this question because it is connected to what i was talking about. what is happening with these nokia she is -- these negotiations should have happened a long time ago. it is important that we as a country recognize a couple of things. we have to stop trying to be the world's police.

it's not working, it is not our role, and we see in examples like afghanistan how costly this foreign policy has been and how it undermines the interest we have as a country. acceptough it is hard to for those of us who want to be able to help others, the afghan people are dealing with a lot of challenges. they have been for quite some time. ultimately it is only the afghan people who will be able to determine their own futures, only the afghan people who will be able to root out corruption and the wrong government, only the afghan people who will be able to roo work out their form of governance. it is very different from ours. these negotiations are very important. they should have happened a long time ago. we need to bring our troops home from afghanistan now. [applause] mcdermott fromt

aarp. >> good morning. thank you for coming here. , bothyou for your service in congress and obviously in the military. my question has to do with the high cost of prescription drugs. you mentioned in your remarks allowing medicare, medicaid to negotiate for lower prices. if you are elected president, in addition to that, what specific steps would you take to lower drug prices in the united states? rep. gabbard: thank you very much. thanks for being here and thanks for all the work that aarp is doing. we have a great relationship with our aarp chapters in hawaii, really powerful advocates that i think is important in washington because it crosses party lines and you have conversations with people about what is affecting our community.

this issue of prescription drug prices is way out of control and it is not only impacting seniors , it is impacting people dealing with diabetes, people reliant on life-saving drugs about are increasingly finding they can't afford them as costs skyrocket. it is only happening here. there is a couple of different things i think we need to do. we need to reform our patent system that allows prescription drug companies to hold onto these patents rather than allowing the generic drug in andes to come offer them at a lower price. the other thing is to allow for the importation of these drugs at a cheaper price from other countries, like canada. the pushback we often hear is there is a safety concern. it is really a very empty counterargument. the bottom line is we have got to make sure our medicines and our health care is being offered

and available to people at an affordable price and that the price gouging we are seeing coming from big prescription drug companies is ended. i think there has to be an accountability measure in place and oversight so that this is not allowed to run rampant. we see some accountability in other industries. i think we need to apply those same principles to prescription drug companies. thank you. jim: other questions for the congresswoman? , sir.ait for the mic >> mark tardiff. questions ieces and know you are asked, but how does this conversation start? you talk about divisiveness. you could talk about the strategic problems, solving this, solving this. but in this environment right ,ow -- and you look around

particularly in the democratic field, you look at what is out there, what is being said, you look at the treatment. one are you going to do to start the conversation that you talk about bringing together? rep. gabbard: thank you. this is what's at the heart of what we are talking about. we talk about unity. how does this unity begin in such a divisive environment? two approaches that we have got to take. first, it starts at the top with leadership. what kind of leadership what i bring that would help to unify this country? it also needs to happen within our communities. it can't be a one-sided thing dictated from the top. i think we as people need to recognize the role we need to play, whether it is within our workplace, at school, at home, where unfortunately we have seen families separated because mom

or dad voted this way and the son or daughter voted this way off and are pissed don't talk to each other anymore. i have seen this myself and it is really unfortunate. is with that begin recognition that the things we care about, the things that make us angry and frustrated, are things that should drive us to bridge this divide, that we have to start at a place of respect, and this is the kind of leadership that i would bring, the kind of work i have already been doing in my almost seven years in congress. when i first got elected, i was a freshman democrat coming into a republican majority, brand-new member of congress from a very small state. i was told by longtime washington people, don't even waste your time trying to get

legislation passed, just mind your business, bide your time, and wait for the democrats to take over, because you can't get anything done. nothing motivates me more than people telling me i can't get it done. i started thinking about how do we do this? how do we bridge this divide that would cause someone to tell me that? people with good intentions and who were trying to be helpful to me. it is through building relationships with respect, not coming in with prejudgment and saying, you have this letter next year name, therefore you must be this or that. i did something simple. i started with the universal language of food. shortly after i got to d.c., i called home and asked my mother, who makes this amazing macadamia not toffee, can you make 434 boxes? [laughter] rep. gabbard: she and my dad ,aised five rambunctious kids

so she said hey, that is a really great idea. i said, i have not done yet. can you make another 435 bigger boxes of toffee for the staff of every member of congress? she paused only for a moment just to say, whew, ok, that might take a little longer. but she said, i am in. she is in hawaii, stirring two pots at the same time. roled playing an important as quality control, taking one piece out of every 10. i was in d.c. writing handwritten notes to my colleagues, learning more about them, their background, the issues they care about. what is incredible is that as soon as we started to deliver tose little gifts of aloha people, almost right away on the house floor, which is the only time all of us are in the same place at the same time, you see

republicans, senior members, walkmen, making the long to the democratic side saying, where is this new member of congress from hawaii? when finding me, saying, thank you so much, really appreciating that small gesture. then saying, i ate it all, so i have to get more to take home with me this weekend. but most importantly, saying, tell me what's going on in your district. tell me what your constituents are worried about. what are you working on for them? i am the chairman of the transportation committee, the national resources committee, or whatever. let me know how we can work together. that came from a very small and simple gesture of just reaching out, saying aloha. that's why we started this conversation today with a loja, reaching out and saying, you and i may disagree on issues, maybe

a few, maybe a lot, but i respect you. let's focus on how we can best work together to serve the american people, your community, my community, the people of this country, not just those that agree with us and say, the hell with everybody else. that has allowed me to be effective throughout my time in congress, working with people, democrats and republicans, coming together and not being afraid just because we disagree on some or many things, to come together and say, here is one thing we do agree on. let's find a way to pass legislation to address this. one great example just happened in congress not long ago when we passed the first step act, a very important prison reform bill. this not only happened because progressive and conservative leaders in congress came together, but it happened because the aclu and the koch brothers came together. they said, look, we disagree

strongly on a lot of things, but we recognize how important this is for every american family. let's join forces to get it done, and we got it done. andhen we talk about unity putting the well-being of people first, this is not some utopian pie-in-the-sky, out of reach goal. ways happening in small sometimes, big ways other times, but it is what is necessary in order for eyes to deal with these perennial challenges, to finally solve these problems. it begins with reaching out and treating people with respect, recognizing that a loja, that connectedness, that we are all americans and we must stand united. thank you. jim: other questions? ambassador? wait for the mic.

we all want to hear the question. >> thank you for being here. just a simple question, congresswoman. if you are elected, will you release your tax returns? and do you think a president should release his tax returns? rep. gabbard: yes and yes. [laughter] rep. gabbard: i don't think it needs much more explanation. jim: young lady in the back here. >> my name is emily burns, i am a student here. during one of the democratic debates, you spoke to senator harris about her dealing with the criminal justice system in california. if elected, how do you plan to reform the system we currently haven't days? rep. gabbard: rep. gabbard: thank you with this really important question. i just mention the bill that we passed -- trying to reduce this this recidivism rates we have in this country.

and if you want since that legislation has passed we have seen close to 5000 people be released from prison as a direct result of that bill and be able to reintegrate with their families. we see how great the impact is when we are able to make changes but also how many people are still being left behind because of this broken system. one of the first things we have got to address is the failed war on drugs. that is causing so much of this overcrowding in our prisons, it is costing us at the federal level as well as the local level. i just talked to them they are the other day and i was are dealingyors with these nuts and bolts issues every day but he said his number one issue was the need for ending the federal marijuana prohibition because they are seeing their county jails being filled up and so much of their money going towards their local prosecutors and all that is required to fuel this broken system. we have got to end the failed war on drugs. bipartisanship, i've

introduced the only bipartisan legislation in congress that would end the federal marijuana prohibition. this would have a great impact on our criminal justice system. while also helping to deal with the opiod crisis. that we are facing. in states that have legalized some form of marijuana, whether it be medicinal or recreational, we've seen the data show a direct correlation in those states with the reduction in opioid addiction as well as a reduction to opioid related deaths. this also has an impact on our veterans who too often come home dealing with chronic pain or post-traumatic stress go to the v.a. and say i need help but i do not want to take oxycodone. . i do not want to take these opioids are notv.a. docs allowed to refer them towards any other alternative form of medicine like medicinal marijuana. this leads to very, very detrimental consequences. we've got to end the private

prison. industry face, that youts have an industry with a business model that is motivated by keeping those cells full. our objective should be seeing how we can reduce crime. how we can reduce the revolving door that we see through the criminal justice system. to actually help people make sure that they are being productive members of our society. there is a lot that we need to need -- we need to do in reform. talking about mandatory minimums. from him i -- a young man virginia who shared his story about how he was charged with two marijuana violations of because of the laws in virginia he got two back-to-back five-year sentences because of mandatory minimums. he was a college student studying computer science and his whole life was

torn upside down and he takes responsibility for his actions that he ended up with a ten year sentence because of mandatory minimums. is cell mate was convicted of homicide and he got out of prison before he did. the last thing i will mention is cash bail. this is a huge issue that very clearly and unfairly punishes the poor, people who just cannot afford to pay their bail, innocent or guilty. they have been charged with a crime but they are left in jail because they cannot afford it. while those who have been mean to may be charged with the same or worse crime they are able to pay bail and get on with their lives as they wait for the criminal justice system to work. this is inexcusable in my view. i think this is a major and urgent change that we need to make. >> yes, sir. jim: wait for the mic. identify yourself. >> thank you again for your service to our country.

you mentioned them. of issues we need to fix in this country and, also, how our society and government is driven by headlines. where the a country mass murder of our civilians does not even last a couple of days in our headlines, including children. so, the on the conversation started you mentioned, what other concrete steps will you make -- to save our country from mass murder and the murder of children and those of us who are parents who are afraid of going anywhere nowadays. rep. gabbard: thank you. i think we have to look at this from a couple of different tospectives, as far as how we tackle this fear that now exists throughout our country that no one is safe. our kids are not safe in school. at love ones are not safe church or synagogue or temple or mosque. we are not safe shopping at the supermarket or walmart. or walking down the street. the recent massacres that we've

seen. legislatively, congress needs to take action. there are clear barriers in place to that because of this divisiveness, because these conversations aren't happening in a very real and honest and respectful way. what we have is one side saying there should be absolutely no regulation whatsoever on our second amendment rights. then the other side coming from extreme saying we should have, we need to take away the second amendment completely. both extremes are unfortunately driving the divisiveness in this, when the vast majority of recognize thats it is a false choice to say it has to be one of the other. that we can and should uphold our second amendment rights having sensible safety regulations in place that make sure these guns are not getting into the hands of those who would do these mass shootings, who would seek to do harm to others. you're right about the

headlines. it is in the headlines for a day or two. then the new cycle moves on to trump's next tweet or whatever the thing is, but also, there are so many people, kids, families, who are losing their lives every day in cities like chicago and detroit and others of.never, we never hear so this problem is bigger than even i think what is talked about or what is realized. i think with the recent texas shooting what that we saw in midland and odessa, it is a clear example of how having universal background checks could have prevented this guy from getting a gun. so, this is legislation, h.r. 8, the we passed the congress. it passed with bipartisan support several months ago. earlier this year and it is sitting on mitch mcconnell's desk in the senate in so far he has refused to bring it forward for vote. there was a glimmer of hope

when trump in the wake of one of the shootings that of course we should have background checks. and mitch mcconnell said we maybe will bring this forward. unfortunately now that the spotlight has moved on, they are not feeling that pressure to carry through on that commitment. so, that is really where we come in. where we have the opportunity to continue to keep the heat on. to me, there is no excuse why background checks are not mandatory, whether you are purchasing from a gunshot or a gun show or from a private person. the vast majority of people support this. other sensible gun safety laws put in place. be it requires the leadership and the courage of members of congress to do it. it should not require that much courage but in this day and age it does. it requires accountability for those who fail to exercise that courage. in iowa a few weeks ago we had a

chance to spend some time with family members of those who have been killed, due to gun violence. publicized very shootings that we have seen but others coming from the cities i'm talking about where their children were killed and nobody knew about it, nobody took notice. so powerful- it was seeear in their voices, to tears streaming down their faces that really brings this whole thing home which is this is about our lives, all of our lives. and if we stay focused on that, i really believe that we can change the tone of the debate and the discussion around this issue to one that, that all of us really care about. we care about our children and our loved ones.

and none of us was to have to live in fear that one day they will not come home because they have fallen victim the gun violence. there's a great example being put forth by the kids from parkland in florida. in our own cams talking with people who we agree with on both sides of this issue, rather than having the tough conversations and reaching out to those who are on the "other side." but when we do that, we realize we are all on the same side. we are on each other sides. and these kids from part one have been doing that in an amazing way. , as they go to the community they are not just going to communities friendly to their cause. they are going to places that are not, that are quite unfriendly and dealing with protesters screaming and shouting in their face. i ask these kids, how do you deal with this? do you cancel your event? what did you do? the kids came up and said, no

went and we started giving them flowers as an opening just to be able to talk. and actually listen to where they are coming from. conversation i think is at the heart of where we need to go and how we bring about this change is through that dialogue and that discourse. thank you. jim: that is a very nice message. i wanted knowledge the former chairman of the new england council board. what are the best political strategists and all of new hampshire. worked on very successful campaigns. [applause] stop for any serious republican candidate. he has worked on president lamar alexander's campaign, president mitt romney campaign. president john kasich campaign. he has got one of the best minds

around. we wanted thank him. congress onenk the for being here. rep. gabbard: thank you for having me here. jim: i think a lot of the students as well of the members for the council and other outstanding citizens here would like to talk to you after. thank you very much for being here. [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] gitf for you.g we're going to give you a tote bag. perfect.ard: oh, here we go. jim: all right. rep. gabbard: thank you. [indiscernible conversations]

you will never forget your first. [indiscernible conversations]

rep. gabbard: thank you very much. appreciate you coming. thank you. how are you doing? i am appreciating the beautiful weather you have here right now. while we have it. thank you. >> how are you? rep. gabbard: i'm good, how are you. >> my daughter just graduated from st. a. rep. gabbard: no kidding? that is so cool. >> thank you very much for all your service and all you do. rep. gabbard: thank you for coming. how are you? >> great. as a former --

[inaudible] i love what you say about respect and problem solving. that is how i got stuff done. rep. gabbard: thank you very much. because people have their own agenda. rep. gabbard: reactionary. [inaudible] thank you so much. >> how are you? rep. gabbard: how are you? >> i strongly my your integrity and your military service and also your performance with, harris. rep. gabbard: thank you very much. good morning, how are you? >> good. [indiscernible conversations] rep. gabbard: i'll be really good at signing. >> they do so much. rep. gabbard: thank you. >> thank you for your service. rep. gabbard: thank you. my honor. careful right now.

thanks for your question. >> the debate when that happened that was the biggest moments. [inaudible] rep. gabbard: thank you. it should be for all of us. and it has -- [inaudible] yeah, sure. >> thank you. thank you so much. rep. gabbard: thank you. nice to meet you. >> thank you. that was very good. rep. gabbard: what are you majoring in? >> politics. can we get a picture right here? >> we never got a picture. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. [inaudible] rep. gabbard: of course. what is her name? annie? a-n-n-i-e?

you., thaknk >> have it personalize. rep. gabbard: there you go. thank you. >> get the money out of politics because when it comes to -- against the petroleum industry, talking is not going to do it. rep. gabbard: we are dealing with hyper partisan divides. money and greed and politics is a whole different thing. i have a number of ideas in my platform. [inaudible] members of congress becoming lobbyists. the revolving door that we have seen around government where you have people working in industry then coming in the jobs that are supposed to regulate the industry and going into -- [inaudible] through legislation. i'm working on legislation in congress right now to do that. that's a huge priority because it is really what, the root of

we're the wrong that sitting in the policies of the past that do not serve us. that serve them. >> good luck. rep. gabbard: hi. can i sign your's first? >> i would love he would sign his. [inaudible] rep. gabbard: i just got an email about that a couple of days ago. i'm hoping we can make that work. do you have a chapter here locally? >> i work in the manchester field office on hanover street. we hope to see you in november. rep. gabbard: thank you so much. hi. >> thank you so much for your service both in congress and the military. rep. gabbard: thank you. i'm grateful to have the opportunity. thank you for coming today. >> thank you for your message of community. we need so much more of that and i hope you will -- rep. gabbard: i am. i will. thank you very much.

>> wouldn't mind signing? rep. gabbard: that is what friends are for. >> it's great to see a strong female candidate money for president. it gives me a lot of hope for politics. rep. gabbard: good. i was with the family of four girls and one boy last night and i was asking a little girl, which one of you will run for president? they were like, i will. i just love that, of course you will. >> thank you. sorry about that. thank you so much. rep. gabbard: thank you. so much gort lot of work ahead of us -- got a lot of work ahead of us. thank you. how many of these do you have so far? >> i only have four.

rep. gabbard: wow. only four. >> mind if we get a picture? rep. gabbard: yeah, sure. >> thank you very much. rep. gabbard: thank you. all right. >> a lot of women inn -- in tech, for the edges together woman in the white house. rep. gabbard: absolutely. it is unfortunate. i'm a cofounder of a caucus that we have in congress, diversity ucus that focuses on women and minorities and how can we encourage more representation? thank you. thanks for your work. hi. ournjoying some of weird new hampshire traditions? rep. gabbard: i appreciate tradition. the chair of the democratic party's office. has he been to his office?

-- havbe you been to his office? he should start giving tours. i have been there before. it is pretty incredible. thank you. thank you. hi. i'm good. sure. >> somebody asked me to. rep. gabbard: no problem. thank you thanks for spending the time in coming here and thanks for all you guys do. it really makes a difference. >> [inaudible] rep. gabbard: good. i'm glad to hear that. thank you. a picture? sure. thank you so much. hi. how are you? >> good. i'm studying politics and criminal justice here. i really appreciated your words on criminal justice reform and your positive message. rep. gabbard: i think it is a great present-day example of

what is possible at a time when so often things seem impossible. >> absolutely. rep. gabbard: a few people that led that legislation, a great friend of mine, very conservative. a progressive friend of mine from new york. they were an unstoppable partnership and they both got attacked by people in their respective parties but they got it done. >> that's what the matter. would you mind a picture? thank you so much. thank you. rep. gabbard: nice to meet you. hi. how are you? >> good, and you? rep. gabbard: i'm great. thank you. >> surviving. signing? rep. gabbard: i'm getting pretty good at it. [indiscernible conversations] rep. gabbard: thank you so much for your question. >> conversation doesn't happen very much anymore. rep. gabbard: no, it doesn't, but it has got to start somewhere. and it is --

[inaudible] >> i got my oldest injured in afghanistan. my youngest is in -- it's an oxymoron. he is in government health. [laughter] [inaudible] rep. gabbard: i would've only had president if i had that. hi. >> thank you so much for addressing the high cost of drug prices and your plans to address them. rep. gabbard: thank you. more thanere's a lot these to be done but i think those issues that i talked about, they should be the low hanging fruit that we should be able to get done quickly. to deal with the deeper issues as well. >> thank you. a picture? rep. gabbard: yes, of course. much.nk you very rep. gabbard: have a great day. thank you. hi. >> i'm so grateful. rep. gabbard: i will shake your

hand, too. >> thank you for coming in. [inaudible] for aarp. work thank you. rep. gabbard: yeah. is -- to see how few resources are really being dedicated to the opioid epidemic. when it affects summary people in such big ways and for such a long time. i'm glad you're working on that issue. something you need to be above the do more about. i'd love to. >> thank you. really appreciate it. thank you. how are you? aloha. nice to meet you. >> [inaudible]

rep. gabbard: thank you. i was going to ask about education, too. rep. gabbard: my parents are teachers. my parents. my father-in-law is a public school teacher. it is something deeply ingrained in my family. [indiscernible conversation] thank you. >> good luck to you. rep. gabbard: nice to meet you. [laughter] coming. you for thank you for your service. my uncle just came back from kuwait. rep. gabbard: wow, how long was he gone for? >> about nine months. >> he came home. [inaudible] rep. gabbard: i'm glad. he's home? he's safe?

is he an active military or national guard >> he was active. rep. gabbard: wow, very cool. said welcomemi i home. thank you. hi. >> thank you so much for coming. and thank you so much for serving our country. i really appreciate it. rep. gabbard: thank you. i am grateful to have that opportunity to serve. you so much. have a great day. >> aloha. rep. gabbard: aloha. >> some folks when they come here think they are in vermont. your policy on pulling out of the war is absolutely straight on. and only you can speak to that. well, pete buttigieg. rep. gabbard: everyone else should be speaking. >> [inaudible]

thank you for your service and best of luck. rep. gabbard: my honor. i want to make sure i do my job here. don't'd yell at me if i walk out with it. rep. gabbard: thank you , sir. hi. how are you? >thank you. i'm glad you're here. thanks for the work you do. sure. i bother you? rep. gabbard: yeah, absolutely. thank you very much. nice to meet you. take care. hi. >> thank you again so much for doing that interview. that was awesome. rep. gabbard: thank you. i appreciate that. >> [inaudible] rep. gabbard: glad to hear it. makes it easier. if i keep on going on and on

then you guys have to figure out how to cut it down. it's a win-win. [indiscernible conversations] >> thank you so much. rep. gabbard: thanks for your help with facilitating this today. how are you? >> good. great job. thank you. go. gabbard: there you >> thank you very much. rep. gabbard: how are you? >> thanks for serving our country and thanks for running for president. [inaudible] >> good luck. rep. gabbard: thank you. thank you. how are you? you for to say thank uyo coming today. we love doing it. really appreciate you coming to interview our students. thank you. so we have one of the people at

the institute. [inaudible] rep. gabbard: i'm not going to leave you yet. here we go. thank you you so much. >> hi, i'm jenna. nice to meet you. [inaudible] i really love what you said about building bridges. food is the universal. [inaudible] >> are you stealing? >> yes, i am. rep. gabbard: thank you so much. there you go. >> wonderful, nice to meet you.

>> nice to meet you. >> hi, congresswoman. thank you for your service. rep. gabbard: thank you. my privilege. >> i work for a nonprofit in the state with the largest scholarships. so as you progress of the campaign, think higher ed, workforce, increasing -- for low income kids, that would be great. rep. gabbard: the costs of higher education -- .6 trillion and new hampshire has the highest prices of colleges. and depending upon -- the most expensive community college. so, combine that with student loan debt and low pell grants, it is really impacting. exactly. so, if you can think about that, it would be great. rep. gabbard: of course. [inaudible]

and ideas forns how we -- [inaudible] crisis andent debt rightly so but like i talked about earlier we have got to get to -- the cos tof higher education how to we open this up to more accessible using all our technology and opportunities that we have. the people will get the -- [inaudible] w focusing on the workforce is a criticalh, you can actually earn income. >> thank you very much. rep. gabbard: thanks for your work. >> thank you for your service. my brother served in the first gulf war. andi've always respected appreciate. i work at the medical center. [inaudible] you should come and give a chat about health care. rep. gabbard: i'd love to. thank you.

thanks. i'm actually from new york city. rep. gabbard: oh, wow. >> i'm told this is what everybody does. rep. gabbard: this is what everybody does. >> my daughter is a millennial and i had dinner with her the other night. i'm very interested in her. rep. gabbard: good. right on. i'm glad to hear that. tell her to go to my website. >> i'm sure she's read it all. >> where are you off to next? rep. gabbard: here. [inaudible] >> thank you very much. rep. gabbard: i really appreciate it. >> hi, there.

[inaudible] appreciate your service. we appreciate your calm and quiet approach. the way you approach it, i love the idea of getting the right problems and putting them into context. [inaudible] with government funding comes down to -- [inaudible] in charge of following and not just serving? [inaudible] i'd like to see a trampoline. maybe that is another orientation that we need. not a net but a trampoline. finding the right problem can become a very important discussion because we think we are solving the right problem. but what assurance do we have that we did nail the problem? rep. gabbard: make sure that we

have that -- we've solved the problem in that program can end. >> check. you bet. rep. gabbard: is there for the sake of being there. >> what a ties to is your point about some of these initiatives come from a more political point ollowing point of view. you get a sense of who you are from these kind of sessions. 30. gabbard: instead of a second moment on a stage. to your point, i hope they use these kinds of platforms because i get it. there are a lot of candidates but there are a lot of differences between us as well. we would have more of a conversation. >> from -- your message resonates. thanks for your service. rep. gabbard: thanks. have a great day. this.'t be in the way of rep. gabbard: thank you again, for making the time to come. i really appreciate it. thank you for your service.

>> thank you. it is really nice to hear you. nice to hear your thoughts. thank you. free advice. is worth a second what you pay for it. they say that all the time. i would say one thing. lexicon.in your when you talk about for example, the drugs. if you are specific, this is what we are going to do. this is what we are going to do. short, to the point and vef explict. because you walk off the stage when everybody and his audience to say -- i want to hear more. the name of the game in our business. i have been in it a long time. rep. gabbard: absolutely. how long of you been in the senate for? >> i have been in the senate for 22 years. rep. gabbard: my goodness.

thank you for your leadership. >> we are doing our best. the national chairman of the council state governments. rep. gabbard: my father is a state senator in hawaii. and i imagine he will see him -- >> we will see him at puerto rico at the national convention hopefully. that's great. rep. gabbard: i will tell them to keep an eye out for her. you keep an eye out for the good-looking guy from hawaii. >> in hawaii, was a very close friend of mine. i was a basketball coach 100 years ago. we had a festival team. squeeze to have-- a basketball team. he is to have kids from all over the country come to our camp. of course, of course, they are on maui. absolutely. >> if you come across them, tell them i said hello. good luck. rep. gabbard: see you again, i hope. >> look forward to it. rep. gabbard: thank you. hi. >> we're going to do some press

before we go right here. >> how are you? good speech. rep. gabbard: thanks for coming. >> of course. monday, president trump hold a campaign rally in fayetteville, north carolina, on the eve of a special election for the ninth congressional district. the president won the title state by 3.5% in 2016. watch live at 7 p.m. eastern on c-span 2. ♪ campaign 2020. live coverage of the presidential candidates on the campaign trail and make up your own night. c-span's campaign 2020, your unfiltered view of politics. ♪ >> c-span's "washington journal" live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up sunday morning, author ben howell will join us to

discuss his book "the immoral majority" why evangelicals chose political power over christian values. then judge jeanine. discusses her latest book " radicals, resistance and revenge." watch "washington journal" live at 7 a.m. eastern sunday morning. and be sure to connect with us during a program with your phone calls and facebook questions and starting on monday with our new texting feature. how conversation now on anti-semitism and muslim supremacy have become a threat to american security. the founder of the muslim reform movement and a fox news contributer produce a paid in the 45 minute event. funny that that song was playing because that is my go to karaoke song. what a great start to the panel.

as jenniso