there are few more qualified for a federal judgeship than ann donnelly. she's dedicated her life to public service, having spent a quarter decade as a prosecutor in the prestigious new york county attorney's office. she accumulated a host of awards there and rose through the leadership ranks of the office. then in 2009, she became a state court judge hearing a wide variety of cases. and she has a stellar academic record, having graduated from the university of michigan and ohio state university school of law. i could tick off many more accomplishments and the list would be long, but judge donnelly is more than a brilliant resume. i know her well. she is at her core a kind, thoughtful, and compassionate person. anyone who knows her or who has interacted with her even briefly knows she is fair, hope minded and has exactly -- open-minded and has the kind of temperament that will make her an exceptional federal judge. i congratulate ann donnelly and her family, particularly her mother, on her confirmation. i nope her mother is so proud of her. it is a milesto

the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, ann donnelly of new york to be united states district judge for the eastern district. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the time until 11:00 a.m. will be equally divided for debate in the usual form. the assistant democratic leader. mr. durbin: mr. president, i had the privilege of joining senators shaheen, klobuchar, and warren during the recess just concluded in traveling to europe to assess the refugee flow that is spilling into greece and ongoing russian aggression and a visit to ukraine. let me start with the visit to one of our most important nato and european allies, greece. greece is struggling, we all know, with its own economic challenges, but now is facing an overwhelming flow of refugees across its border. almost half a million refugees have come into greece just this year. they're fleeing war and economic stability in the region. most are from syria, but there are many others from afghanistan, iraq, and other countries in peril. many are middle-class families who are simply exhausted from years of horrific war in syria.