thank you for your service to the american legion auxiliary. p that i know the legion depends on a lot. secretary, thank you for your leadership over the last two and a half years. it has been an honor to work with you. it's an honor to call you a friend. i am honored to be here amongst you for the 93rd annual convention of the american legion. i appreciate the invitation. thank you very much for the warm welcome this morning. two weeks ago, two days after one of our chinook helicopters had been shot down in afghanistan, i stood on the tarmac at the airforce base in afghanistan for a battlefield memorial. i witnessed what is perhaps one of the most solemn ceremonies in the military. it was a ramp ceremony. 40 souls were honored that night, all died fighting a hero's fight. i stood shoulder to shoulder with members of our armed forces to pay our final respects to the shoulders, the navy seals, and the airman -- to our soldiers, the navy seals, and the hairmen. we stood united in our grief, our pain, and our anger over loss oforrific life. i refle

without the american legion, and for that draws americans together, that pragmatic common sense -- and not separate on itself, this nation will not weaken, and this nation will be here tomorrow and for every tomorrow after words, because of one very, very important thing -- i don't think anyone in this room can imagine a world where america doesn't exist. america is far more than just an entity. america is an ideal, america is that shining beacon that makes things that seem so impossible at the darkest hours possible, and it is dead because our young warriors who serve -- that is because our young warriors who just experienced the deadliest month in afghanistan, and when the frustration comes with the politics, and the discussion comes about which direction we should go, there is one thing those folks know -- they are out there serving not just to preserve my children's freedom, or your children's and grandchildren's of freedom. they are preserving the freedom of countless children that not only do they not know, they will never meet. that little girl in afghanistan, after so many year

it is just that bit of volume but no problems in toward silver spring, 270 and the american legion bridge. back out to the maps, this time, we'll zoom into 95 and the bw parkway. looking good through baltimore

the chamber cannot do this without the help of organizations just like the american legion that have a grass-roots infrastructure to marry up with what the local chambers of commerce are trying to do across the country. i am confident we can go from 100 to 300 or 400 or 500 hiring fairs in local communities, in suburban cities, with the help of men and women like you, because you understand the sacrifices the young men women have made and you have done it yourself. imagine if you took a map of every legion posts across the country and overlaid it with the map budget showed you. imagine the potential of what we can do and the movement we can create together by just taking a local chamber and a legion post and just saying let's just throw a lunch, five or six employers with jobs for veterans, and we will get 20 or 30 veterans in that small community and bring them together for a couple of hours to talk about job opportunities. we started with a pilot program in new jersey in the ocean and burlington county to do hiring fairs in october and november. is there going to be as much fanfare

it is just that bit of volume but no problems in toward silver spring, 270 and the american legion bridge. back out to the maps, this time, we'll zoom into 95 and the bw parkway. looking good through baltimore to the beltway. a live look at route 50 east of the bay bridge. we're looking good here as well across the bridge span in toward the beltway and on to route 50 through cheverly. travel times now, we'll start off with 95 coming in from 216. 295 north to the 11th street bridge, 7 minutes. beltway, 10 minutes right now. a look into the district at 6:12. mike, back to you. >>> we're learning more now about how an american born islamic anwar al-awlaki was killed. a statement released from yemen easy al-awlaki was killed along with his companions. the american bosh cleric was killed during an air strike. the 40-year-old was born in new mexico and has been implicated in the u.s. army based killings in fort hood, texas and a 2009 attempted airline bombing in detroit. now, the united states put al- awlaki on a kill or capture list back in 2007. the united states has not confirmed his death s

he announced the american legion for 20 minutes. >> good morning.i'm humbled to be in all of your presence. i have to admit i was a little bit nervous when i read the agenda and found out i was speaking the day after the president. i was involved at a forum similar to this a couple months ago, and as i spoke after the president, the audience was much thinner than what's before me today, so i appreciate you all staying around to listen to me and to hear what we're doing across the country to help our nation's veterans. i hope i don't disappoint you. two years ago i retired from the marine core after 20 years active in the service. i have to admit -- [applause] thank you. [applause] thanks. i have to admit not a day goes by that i don't miss the men and women i served with as a marine. it's special for me to be here today to be surrounded with people like you who served our country and the community like minneapolis that truly appreciates the value and the sacrifices our military families make every day to defend our freedoms. this morning, i hope you

american legion bridge, looking good here as well. leaving virginia and maryland across the bridge span. no problems to report and no lane closures. now, we'll end with the beltway look at route four near andrews air force base. looking good through oxon hill and down to the wilson bridge into alexandria. no problems northbound into new carrollton and college park. in my next report, we'll take a look at virginia at 4:56. mike and andrea? >> the state of virginia is withholding $20 million in transportation funding from fairfax county, arlington and alexandria and it is all over a seat on metro's board of directors. >>> the state secretary of transportation says that group hasn't signed a new transit contract, giving the state a seat on the board. but the northern virginia traffic commission says that could violate its terms with metro. if no compromise is made, the virginia railway express says it could run out of money at the end of october. >>> a heads up to drivers in virginia. starting today, the left exit from the inner loop of

this is a look at the american legion bridge. people are starting to make their way about. nothing is slowing them down. they're driving at a good speed limit. shooting over to the 14th street bridge exit. 395 as you make your way across. i'll be back in 15 minutes with a look at your rails. back to you both. >> danella, thanks. >>> this weekend expect a lot more traffic on the chesapeake bay bridge because of nascar. the aaa 400 is on sunday, and the maryland transportation authority tells us there will be long delays. the mta will monitor traffic conditions and allow two-way traffic on the westbound side to cut down on delays. drivers should travel during off-peak hours, before 7:00 a.m., after 5:00 p.m. >> a lot of fast driving and nascar fans in our area. 4:54. 62 degrees. >>> coming up, why a trip to the department store turned into a great story for some local people. there are over 200 varieties of gourmet coffee that have earned the keurig brewed seal of approval. the keurig brewed seal is our commitment that the coffee inside will deliver a delicious cup of coffee

without the american legion, that anchor the jobs americans together, the pragmatic common sense andould argue this one, america -- >> you can find the speech online at the c-span video library. back to the veterans foreign and today's keynote speaker, department of veterans affairs undersecretary for benefits, allison hickey who we will hear from in just a moment. >> it's my pleasure to introduce alice in a hickey, undersecretary for benefits department of veterans affairs. secretary hickey is that 90 states air force academy of 1980, the first class to include women. as an air force officer she served with distinction, cumulative 1500 hours in multiple aircraft. she served in several positions of responsibility to include director of the air force tv future total or for us. as undersecretary for benefits, she is a tremendous responsibility of leading over 20,000 employees in an effort to improve nonmedical benefits and services to veterans and their families. important issues such as disability compensation, education, home loan guarantee, vocational rehabilitation and employment a

. >> reporter: mark walker is with the american legion, which provides job fairs and training for veterans. he says many employers have a hard time seeing how military skills fit into the workforce. >> so how does that guy who's in the infantry fit into management, fit into i.t., fit into a specific skill set? >> reporter: walker also says soldiers may not have the same professional connections or education as other people their age, and that's hurting them in the job hunt. another problem is that while many vets are skilled medics or truck drivers, the civilian workforce requires certification to perform those jobs at home. tom tarantino says that just doesn't make sense. >> if you drove an 18-wheeler while getting shot at and blown up in iraq, you pretty much can drive an 18-wheeler across the midwest. i'm just saying. >> reporter: with so many out of work, president obama recently proposed a new tax credit to incentivize businesses to hire veterans. >> you fought for us, and now we're fighting for you. >> reporter: lawmakers in both the house and senate are also considering legislation

on the one hand i agree that what the american legion is a very capable politician and he's very capable to change his own a.d.'s with time i think the west has made a major mistake when they saw him just as a former k.g.b. officer and didn't see for example his and caprino experience so they underestimated him but part of his team which didn't change from in years is a bit so i would say is not as dynamic as well would like to be thank you thank you very much dmitry and just reminded that meet me by be sure needed across what political analyst and columnist were against on the show today we discuss the latest political news from russia and that's it for now from all of us here spotlight we'll be back with more for us and comment on what's going on in and outside russia in a fourth who will follow the election campaign in this country so stay tuned to russia today and take you to. if. feel. lucky limmy. least since. it's. six you feel. sick. please. was.

unfortunately, she had already committed to speak at the american legion conference in minneapolis this morning where she is right now. otherwise, she would be year, but she asked me to bring her sex to everyone -- she asked me to bring her thanks to everyone and the neighbors and supporters of the bay view neighborhood and alice griffith community for turning out to eight years while she could not be here, she did ask me to share a statement with you, which i will read now. today, san francisco has secured more than an investment in new housing. our city has begun to transform a neighborhood, revitalize a community, strengthen our economy, and provide a fresh start for the families of alice griffith year the project reflects the key goals of the choice neighborhoods initiative here to build sustainable mixed income communities with affordable rental and below market homes to connect to local households to services and schools, transit and jobs, and it upholds the principle of one- for-one replacement injuring no loss of public housing units, it is a source of pride for all san francisc

we start off looking at the american legion bridge. we do have an incident reported on the northbound spur. incident on the baltimore- washington parkway is reported. i want to take you into northern virginia and check out the trip southbound through the springfield area. dealing with an accident. 28 northbound at the toll road blocking to travel lanes. that is the latest for now. >>> coming up how 67-year- old man was able to survive a car crash and six days stranded. >> more fallout from the repeal of don't ask don't tell. >> get ready for more traffic troubles in tysons corner. i'm a curious seeker. i am a chemistry aficionado. diphenhydramine. magnesium hydroxide. atheletes foot. yes. i'm a people pleaser. if elected, i promise flu shots for all. i am a walking medical dictionary. congratulations virginia. inflamed uvula. i'm virginia. i'm a target pharmacist and i'm here to answer your questions. >>> don't ask don't tell has been repealed and there is another big shift under way in the military. >> this is creating a lot of a buzz

no problems crossing the american legion bridge or woodrow wilson bridge. the trip southbound out you have laurel down towards college park, no problems to report for you. bw parkway also looking good. let's take a look at virginia, northbound 95. here we are, 270, father hurley boulevard, no issues for you as you head out of frederick. 66 in virginia also looking good making the trip out of manassas and all way in toward the beltway, nothing in your way there. 59 here we are. this is the beltway at robinson terminal as you leave springfield heading up towards 66. you are incident-free as well. that's a check of your fox 5 on-time traffic. >> thank you. >>> before we get to headlines right now, a note to pass along about a school in the district. paine elementary school is relocating to eastern high school today because of a power outage. so paine families should drop children off at paine by # 45 this morning. buses will then take the kids over to eastern and bring them back to paine for dismissal at 3:15 this afternoon. -- paine families should drop child

house minority leader nancy pelosi speaks at the american legion convention. i newsmakers, ohio's republican leader discusses the economy and jobs and ohio's economic issues as well as his view of the obama administration's economic initiatives in advance of the president's jobs speech. newsmakers sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> 2008 republican vice- presidential nominee and former alaska and the governor, sarah palin, was the keynote speaker at a tea party of america rally in iowa. she criticized president obama's handling of the economy and offered her own plan for recovery. this event is about one hour and 25 minutes. >> thank you. thank you. what an honor. thank you, iowa. thank you so much. thank you. the sign that says "thank you sarah," no, i can thank you. your love of country keeps us going. iowa, you are good people thank you. it is an honor to be in the heartland sharing this labor day weekend with you. i thank you for the invitation. the organizers put so much work into this. it is great to see you here today. last night wa

traveling from montgomery county into virginia, let's take a live look at the beltway crossing the american legion bridge. no problems to report for you. you should find that your lanes are running well. we do have a little bit of volume up there, seeing some headlights and brake lights but everybody is moving at speed. let's head onto traffic land, see what else we've got going on around town. 270, no problems for you out of frederick all the way in past germantown, rockville, towards the split. nix looks good here approaching the beltway. the inner loop ramp, left ramp is closing this weekend. you only have the right ramp. that happens tomorrow. here we are leaving springfield. no problems for you on the inner loop. >>> we are following some big breaking news right now. fox news has confirmed that american born muslim cleric anwar alalaki has been killed. he had been linked to al-qaeda in yemen. this is information according to yemen's defense ministry. but important to note here, this is the first time that an american associated with the terror network has been targeted and taken out. we will

we'll take a look at the american legion bridge on the west side of town.his is always kind of full. no problems here across the potomac river leaving virginia and maryland, you'll be ok. if you're one of those who takes the trains in the morning, metro, vre and marc are all on time. if you can stick around at 5:39, i'll take a look at virginia roads. >> florida is expected to move its presidential primary up to january 31st. >> republicans are trying to move new jersey governor chris christie into changing his mind about running for the nation's top job. and g.o.p. insiders tell cbs news christie is starting to listen. he may be deciding to get into the race. they say now it is about 50/50. christie spoke at a rally in louisiana for governor bobby jindal yesterday. >> i've had a slow week. i've been very low-key. haven't seen me around at all. >> if you are prepared to go through the level of change, we'll get to a balanced bawjtd pay down the debt. >> newt unveiled his new contract with america hoping it will help his dismal poll numbers. herman cain has

even during a speech to the american legion in minnesota, the president couldn't resist a preview of his highly anticipated jobs plan. >> next week i'll be speaking to the nation about a plan to create jobs and reduce our deficit. a plan that i want to see passed by congress. we've got to get this done. >> reporter: it's an effort to jump-start the economy and shore up his dwindling poll numbers. a recent cnn/orc poll shows only 37% of americans approve of how the president is handling unemployment. so next week, he's rolling out a package that's likely to include an extension of a payroll tax cut for workers, which is set to expire at the end of the year. also possible in the plan, businesses could get a tax break for each new worker they hire, or even an additional credit for hiring the long-term unemployed. outside policy makers consulted by the white house say other possible ideas include a program that gives the long-term unemployed job training experiences with local businesses. and new spending on infrastructure. it could bring back build america bonds, which can make it cheap

i would go to fire stations, police stations, ambulance buildings, american legion halls, place where'suld be likely to have either known about some kind of 9/11 response in public or they might know someone who did. and so, these kind of informal conversations that i had led me to objects i never would have found. the subject of this tattoo is a deeply private person. i was able to convince him that my intentions were pretty good. and, you know, made an agreement by the way. no pictures of his face. he did not want his picture taken from the front. and i honored that, and in the end, he honored me back, and we ended up having a very good relationship and in fact his picture on the five-year anniversary went all over the world. many people in this country looked at the material in my collection, the photographs in my collection, and people saw red, white, and blue and tended to think that either my collection represented some kind of nationalistic expression or other people thought that i was a great patriot because there was so much red, white, and blue, when in fact it's my contention

. >> reporter: tea party conservative michele bachmann spoke to the american legion convention and appearedfer herself as a modern day margaret thatcher. >> both ronald reagan and margaret thatcher contributed greatly. we're in a similar time period and we need to have strong viable leadership to see that return again today. >> reporter: doing battle with poll topping rick perry. >> he's supposed to be the tea party guy? >> reporter: the campaign hit back hard through thursday. over a group's pro bachmann ad. and establishment republican mitt romney makes his first direct pitch to the influential tea party express. at their new hampshire event weekend. one of the big highlights monday will be in south carolina. it will be the first time we'll see rick perry and mitt romney in the same venue. a number of candidates including those two but also bachmann and newt gingrich and cain and others will be at a forum in south carolina. it's hosted by jim demint, the tea party senator. it will be a key opportunity to see how these candidates look side by side. they won't be on stage together. they'll

here's our newest member of the american legion.] >> as we commemorate the ten-year anniversary since the 9/11 attacks, this morning we're live with a look at aviation security since the attacks. tsa chief john pistole is at the center for strategic and international studies to talk about it. live coverage here on c-span2. [inaudible conversations] [background sounds] [background sounds] >> well, good morning, everyone. my name is rick nelson, i'm director of the homeland security and counterterrorism program here at the center for strategic international studies. i thank you all for braving the first day of school and the bad weather and this very hectic week that we have of events in front of us. we are absolutely honored and thrilled here to have tsa administerrer john pistole to speak. as, you know, tsa, obviously, since 9/11 and its creation has been the center and the focal point of a lot of discussions about what the appropriate role is for homeland security, in particular transportation security. we know tsa many times, we r

my american legion coaches try the new camera to see as that is big. second. >> i thought was a really good movie have you seen it? >> yes. i thought it had a lot of funny moments, moments that you could cry, i think some of the fans will really like this. especially if you are in oakland a's fans. you will be able to reminisce about a special time with the oakland a's, that season special with the winning streak, the three young pitchers, and is a good mix of veterans. i really enjoy them. i cannot wait to see it. >> we are back live at the paramount theatre in oakland, adjective the brad pitt has now moved to people right next to a. he plays billy been in this movie talking about how little money and everything else he was able to turn to the ground for the oakland a's. in an interview he talked about how he is not a huge baseball person but everyone says that he is great in the movie and were hoping to have a quick word with him live in just a moment. >> was it like to play billy been in the here and open? >> he is not a boring individual. a very ch

bill: that speech from the 93rd american legion national convention. we have new fox polling numbers out that tell an interesting story about michele bachmann. we're going to get to that a bit later this morning. martha: those are a few of the stories we're watching in america's news raoplt. we've got a lot going on. take a look at what's coming up. she's not running for president yet, as far as we know, but we may find out something over the weekend from sarah palin. what are voters saying about whether or not they think she should run? interesting stuff. bill: they battled over jobs, spending, the economy, the debt ceiling. on tuesday, congress is back in session. so what are we going to get then, america? >> martha: and as we approach the 10-year mark since the 9/11 attacks, a new study has just been released on firefighters and cancer, that contradicts a recent federal report. that's coming up. >> it's definitely had -- taken its toll on my family. thank god i've had my wife to support me. >> i didn't expect to retire as a cancer patient. martha: l

in a speech that bill simon just gave at the american legion at the end of august, we doubled that to $20 million. and it's important because the philanthropic piece with the corporate piece is something that goes hand in hand. and specifically, there's a great program that some of you may know that is led by c. recuse university and it's called entrepreneurship boot camp for veterans with disabilities. and there's a companion effort that deals with families, represents a consortium of universities that are devoted to make entrepreneurs out of veterans with disabilities and their families, and to make them successful. if you don't know much about it, i would encourage you to learn about it. it provides some of the flexibility that we think this population needs to not have necessary the typical career with wal-mart or with anybody else, but that would want to start and own their own business. i heard some discussion about my good friend, barbara, and given an hour this morning, the work she's doing is very important and very important to us as we go forward with our work in this space

the president talked about that today in his speech before the american legion, about making sure that we honor our commitment to those returning men and women who serve us, many who did not quite understand that they would be serving our country for three and four tours. it has had a devastating impact on their families. we have been opening up opportunities so the private sector will hire them. those who are disabled. that should be something we all take seriously and should know that it is something that is constantly on our mind and we want to address and we want to make sure we bring all of these resources to bear to help. >> you were a member of congress. you were in the california legislature. that means that unlike some of the other members of the cabinet who come to washington from the private sector, you have been well educated on how the political world worked for better or worse. we have seen almost unprecedented bifurcated debate surrounding the debt ceiling, which was not comforting to a lot of people and is comforting to many. -- discomfitting to mean. many. what is the

she was a member of the okema chamber of commerce and past president of the american legion and a member of the p.e.o. in 1999 the city of okema put her in the okema hall of fame. ime was a true inspiration to her beloved oklahoma. again, we are all going to miss her. so many of us, i know, she has family scattered across the state of oklahoma, particularly in okema. her son and many, many other oklahomans who she has touched. again, we will greatly miss her and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois, mrs. biggert, for five minutes. mrs. biggert: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. biggert: mr. speaker, i rise today to pay tribute to a man who served illinois, our country and people from other nations around the world for decades before his death this weekend at age 91. that man is senator charles h. percy of illinois. a list of accomplishments as a senator, a statesman and a larger than life political figure are well

in a speech bill simon gave at the american legion at the end of august we doubled that to $20 million. it is important because the philanthropic peace with the corporate piece goes hand in hand. specifically there's a great program led by mark haney of syracuse university called boot camp for veterans with disabilities and there is a companion effort dealing with families, represents consortium of universities devoted to make a entrepreneurs out of veterans with disabilities and their families and make them successful. if you don't know much about it you are encouraged to learn about it. it provides flexibility we think this population needs to not have the typical career with walmart or anybody else but starting their own business. i heard some discussion about my friend barbara, the work she is doing is important to us as we go forward with our work in this space. one of the things we realize is we must take away any of the hindrances to our leaders in hiring managers. with support of her network advising her people on some behavioral issues we think is an important effort but her w

probably have had those uncles and our families come after world war ii who went to the vfw or the american legionand the they self-medicated with fellow veterans, and then if that didn't work they got to the point of suicide. that is the challenge we see now and i think we are changing -- we have change the culture. we have had senior officers in our army come out and admit that they have issues. that is where we need to go in the future and i think that in maryland for example, our lieutenant governor was anthony browne, an iraq war veteran. he came back and put a focus on making sure we have the behavioral safety net in maryland for our returning veterans and for our guard and reserve. and the focus on the families to get them to come forward and identify the issues is critical. they see them first and to make sure they understand that there is a place that they can call and it we are there to help. we all have to understand that there is terminus cost to war as i said earlier. these are natural responses to the unnatural environment. >> i think at this point it is time to open up to the audien

we probably all had those uncles in our families after world war ii who went to the vfw or the american legionand they self-medicated down there with fellow veterans. and then if that didn't work, they got to the point -- that's the challenge we see now and i think we're changing -- we have changed the culture. we've had senior officers in our army come out and admit that they have issues. that's where we need to go in the future. and i think that in maryland, for example, our lieutenant governor was anthony brown, a iraq war veteran, came back and put a focus on making sure that we had the behavior safety net in maryland for our returning veterans and for our guard and reserve. and the focus on the families to get them to come forward and identify the issues is critical. they see them first and to make sure that they understand that there's a place that they can call, that we're there to help. we all have to understand that there's tremendous costs to war as i said earlier. and these are natural responses to the unnatural environment of combat. >> i think at this point it's time to open up to

i appreciate your service to the american legion auxiliary. s a group i know that the legion depends on a lot. to the secretary, thank you for your leadership over the last year and a half. it has been an honor to work with you and call you a friend. i am honored to be here among youth for the 93rd annual convention of the american legion. i appreciate the invitation. thank you so much for the warm welcome this morning. two weeks ago, two days after one of our helicopters had been shut down in afghanistan, i stood on the tarmac at the air force base in afghanistan for a battlefield memorial. i witnessed what is perhaps one of the most solemn ceremonies in the military. 40 souls were honored that night, all died fighting a hero's fight. i stood shoulder to shoulder with members of our formed forces -- armed forces to pay final respects to those servicemen and women as they prepared for their final journey home. we stood united in our grief, our pain and our anger over such a horrific loss of life, and as we watched, i reflected on one truth that