i yield the floor. mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: yesterday, the senate confirmed two more superbly qualified circuit court nominees, joel carson and john nalbandian. they are the 20th and 21st circuit judges we have confirmed this congress. this morning, our colleagues on the intelligence committee finished their consideration of gina haspel to be c.i.a. director and reported her nomination favorably with bipartisan support. ms. haspel's testimony and record have showcased the poise, talent, and experience that make her an excellent selection. senators heard about her 30-plus years of c.i.a. experience spanning sensitive operations from the cold war to the global war on terror. that background makes ms. haspel an ideal pick at this particular moment, and secretary mattis has explained that counterterrorism and a renewed great power competition are two of the key challenges facing our nation. so it's no wonder, mr. president,...

mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, this week is police week. it's a time to honor the brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to keep our streets safe. every morning police officers all across the country wake up, put on their uniform praying for the kind of day the rest of us typically enjoy, a routine one. praise god. most days that's the case. but sometimes our police officers are asked to put their own lives at risk in defense of others. back in my hometown new york, we're protected by the finest law enforcement organization in the world, the nypd. just two weeks ago, two rookie new york police officers, flavio chaco and jason chu llio rushed into a burning apartment building up nine flights of stairs to pull people to safety. it was an extraordinary act of heroism or just another day in the line of duty for the over 35,000 men and women of the new york...