with with an either absent or -- with an either absent or hugely ambiguous mens rea, meaning the standard of intent with which one must have acted in order to commit the criminal offense in question is often absent or at least so murky nobody can tell what it means. both these things lead to huge problems for defendants and for the liberty interest of the american people. i'd ask that you, if confirmed, help work with us on these things and share any thoughts you have. ms. bondi: i wasn't aware of the mens rea issue, yes. chair grassley: senator klobuchar. sen. khroe by champion: thank you very much -- sen. klobuchar: thank you very much -- >> president biden: i can announce a cease-fire. a hostage deal has been reached between israel and hamas. more than 15 months of conflict

that began with with hezbollah's brutal massacre on october 7, 15 months of terror for the hostages, their families, israeli people, more than 15 months of suffering by the innocent people of gaza fighting in gaza will stop and soon the hostages will be return home to their families. the elements of this deal were what i laid out in detail this past may. which was embraced by countries around the world and endorsed overwhelmingly by the u.n. u.n.security council. the deal is structured in three phrases. phase one will last six weeks. it includes a full and complete cease-fire, withdrawal of israeli forces from all the populated areas of gaza, and, and the release of a number of hostages held by hamas, including women and elderly and the wounded. i'm proud to say americans will

be part of that hostage release in phase one as well. the vice president and i cannot wait to welcome them home. in exchange, israel will release hundreds of palestinian prisoners. during phase one the palestinians can also return to their neighborhoods. in all areas of gaza. the surge in humanitarian assistance in gaza will begin. and the innocent people can have a greater access to these vital supplies. during the next six weeks israel will negotiate the necessary arrangements to get phase two, which is a permanent end of the war. say that again, permanent end of the war. there are a number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two. but the plan says if negotiations take longer than six weeks, the cease-fire will continue as long as the negotiations continue.

i have spoken to mater of cue wait and the -- of kuwait and the president of egypt and we have pledged to make sure the negotiation also keep moving forward for as long as it takes. then when phase two begins, there will be an exchange for release of the remaining hostage, including male soldiers and all remaining israeli forces will be withdrawn from gaza. and the temporary cease-fire will become permanent. and finally, phase three, any final remains of hostages who have been killed will be returned to their families. a major reconstruction plan for gaza will begin. this, this is a cease-fire agreement i introduced last hinge spr*eupbg. today -- last spring. today hamas and israel have agreed to that cease-fire agreement. and the whole ending the war. those of you who have followed the negotiations can attest the

road to this deal has not been easy. i have worked in foreign policy for decades. this is one of the toughest negotiations i ever experienced. we reached this point because, because of the pressure that israel built on hamas backed by the united states. hamas' long time leader sin war, was killed. hamas' strongest supporter, iran, launched attacks in israel. and those attacks failed after my administration organized the coalition of nations to stop them. and after i ordered the u.s. ships and planes to come to israel's defense, we also shaped israel's strong and calibrated response. destroying iran's air defenses. but avoiding an escalatory cycle of an all-out war. the united states also organized the coalition of 20 countries to stand up to attacks by the houthis, including the missile attacks in israel. then hezbollah, and other hamas'

strongest backers was significantly weakened on the battlefield. its leadership was destroyed with our support israel negotiate add cease-fire with them. after that lebanon finally elect add new president who is not beholden to hezbollah and they can begin a new chapter of the lebanese people. all told, these developments in the region which the united states helped to shape changed the equation. so now the terror network that once protected and sustained hamas is far weaker. iran is weaker. iran is weaker than it's been in decades. hezbollah is badly degraded. and after more than 15 months of war, hamas' senior leaders are dead. thousands of hamas fighters are dead. anti-military -- and the military formation vs. been destroyed with nowhere -- formations have been destroyed.

with nowhere to return hamas finally agreed to release hostages. there was no other way for this war to end than with with a hostage deal. and i'm deeply satisfied this day has come, finally come for the sake of the people of israel and the families waiting in agony. and the sake of the innocent people in gaza who suffered unimaginable devastation because of the war. the palestinian people have gone through hell. too many innocent people have died. too many communities have been destroyed. and this deal, the people of gaza, can finally recover and rebuild. they can look to a future without hamas in power. the bible says blessed are the peacemakers. many peacemakers helped make this deal happen. including an extraordinary team of american diplomats who have worked nonstop for months to get this done. secretary blinken led the

effort. secretary jake sullivan, national security advisor jake sul vin, brett, and others and the vice president worked relentliesly as we worked to deliver this deal -- relentlessly as we worked to deliver this deal. i also note this deal was developed and negotiations under my administration, but its terms will be implemented for the most part by the next administration. these past few days we have been speaking as one team. this has been time of real turmoil in the middle east. but as i prepare to leave office, our friends are strong, our enemies are weak, and there is a genuine opportunity for a new future. in lebanon, there is an opportunity for a future. free from the grip of hezbollah. in syria, a future free from the tyranny of assad. and for the palestinian people, a credible, credible pathway to

a state of their own. and for the region, a future of normalization, integration of israel and all its arab neighbors, including saudi arabia. the g-20 in deli -- delhi in september of 2023 i rallied countries from an economic carter from india across the middle east to europe. that vision can now become a reality. there are risks as well including isis in iran. even in badly weakened state, but, but we are handing off to the next team a real opportunity for a bert future for the immediate -- better fuamatu-ma'afala taour for the -- future for the middle east. let me close with this my friend for years in the united states senate, former senator george mitchell, who did so much to forge peace in northern ireland, once said about diplomacy, 700 days of failure and one day of success. 700 days of failure and one day

of success. we have had many difficult days since hamas began its terrible war. we have encountered road blocs and setbacks. we have not given up. and now after more than 400 days of struggle, the day's success has arrived. god bless all the hostages and their families. may god protect the troops of all those who worked for peace. reporter: how do you see the fuhr of gaza now, the implementation of this deal in the hands of the add next administration. and basically they will shape the fuhr of gaza, how do you see this future? how much credit do you give to the trump team for this deal? trump's already taking credit for it? president biden: you know, this is the exact framework of tkaoet i proposed back in may. exact. we got the world to endorse it. secondly, it's america's support

for israel that helped them badly weaken hamas and its backers. and create the conditions for this deal. and thirdly, this deal would have to be implemented by the next team so i told my team to coordinate closely with the incoming team to make sure we are all speaking with the same voice. because that's what american presidents do. reporter: how many americans will be released when the hostages are being released? president biden: all the exact detail of how many people are being held, how many bodies will be returned will all be forthcoming. all of it. all of it. thank you. reporter: mr. president, what's your confidence this deal will hold? president biden: i'm confident. reporter: who gets the most credit for this, you or trump? president biden: is that a joke? thank you.