we were able, apparently it's always been under the d.c. national guard, the commander of the d.c.ational guard. there was some kind of swearing in, i'm not sure what it was, but there was some kind of swearing in and everyone else who came in so that they were either sworn in at the national guard, or it -- it occurred, even though these were national guard. now, the d.c. national guard is a little different. because we're not a state. and therefore, -- but these were reserves people. they were on the ground at the inauguration. and my recollection is that although the d.c. national guard is technically under the president, that the commander of the d.c. national guard for in these troops as something other than reserve troops for purposes here, that may suggest there's some parallel there to avoid any constitutional issue of rising. because i do think we are truly preparing for the next one. we'd better assume, assume, that you will need to go beyond the national guard. national guard is best thing to do this. no question about it, from across the country. there are a whole lot o

the shington d.c. region was buried under nearly two feet of snow, fcing federal agencies to cle today. and everywhere commuters had to brave icy roads a slick sidewalks this morng. those who opted for blic transportati ran into delays in bus, commuter rail and subway service in several majocities. eay holiday travelers were left struggling to salvage flight plans after thousands of flights werdelayed or canced. >> on a flight from boston yesterday at:00 and got here at 5:00 p.m. and have been here sincerying to get to pittsburgh. rit over there behind the christmas tree. >> we called up e airline last nht. evything was totally fine. we arrived this morning. the flight was canceled. a lot of people confused not knowing what's goi on. >> reporter: as the day we on, runways began to rpen and flightchedules slowly began returning to normal. brown: the blizzard also left shoppinmalls snow bound th merchants scrambling to recoup a critical weekd of lost biness. airline passengers in the u. will not have to

court of appeals for the d.c. circuit. >> host: said he didn't get to the solicitor general but he got at least i wouldn't say second place, the d.c. circuit is considered to be the second highest court in the land by some people. it's equal with other federal circuit courts but it is in washington and the handles cases many of which go to the supreme court. >> guest: that's right and some people would see if you become solicitor general and have to take some pretty tough stance you might never have been on deck and appointed to the u.s. supreme court. who knows but it worked out better for him in the end. host koza 82 he goes on budget d.c. circuit. and then when does he get appointed to the supreme court? >> guest: 1986, and the battle there inside is whether he's going to beat robert bork to the nomination. as you know, robert bork had been really the man on deck for the supreme court. he had been a very strong intellectual force behind conservatism -- >> host: and former solicitor general. >> guest: justice sc

their message was for d.c. schools chancellor michelle rhee who had unexpectedly laid-off 229 teachers to close a budget shortfall. >> we have been totally disrespected. we have been treated like we don't matter. >> i was laid-off on friday. on saturday i look online on the newspaper, "the washington post" and it's about it's good we got rid of the plan lessons. >> the city council took up the issue weeks later alleging that rhee overstepped her authority in making the layoffs and engineered the budget shortfall in order to get rid of teachers she didn't want. >> by your own admission, you have stated on the record that you made an administrative decision regardless of the law and the process that is in front of you to follow. >> my understanding is that i do have the authority as the agency head to make the decisions about moving budget from one place to another. >> these people sitting out here lost their jobs because that's a decision you made. >> correct. >> what is the council supposed to do at that point?

the d.c.circuit claymont so he didn't get to be solicitor general, but he got at least -- i would say second place. the d.c. circuit is considered to be the second highest court in the land by some people that it's equal with other circuit -- federal circuit courts, but it's in washington and it handles cases many of which go to the supreme court. >> guest: and some people would say if you become solicitor general and taken some pretty tough stance he might never have been on deck and a pointer to the u.s. supreme court. who knows? but it worked out better for him in the end. >> host: so in 1982 he goes to the d.c. circuit. then when does he get appointed to the supreme court? >> guest: he gets appointed in 1986. the real battle their insight is what he's going to beat robert to that nomination. as you know, robert bork had been really the man on deck for the supreme court. he had been a very strong intellectual force behind conservatism tram and a former solicitor general. >> guest: that's ri

they are very socially connected in the d.c. area, attending many social events where, you know, it wouldn't be uncommon for them to be invited to something like this. they're not the type of people to, quote, unquote, crash a party, let alone a white house state dinner. she's beside herself right now. >> larry: i would imagine. i look forward to talking to them. we don't have an agenda on this program. i would like to learn what this was all about. matthew, are you concerned -- they're kind of innocent. are you concerned of the security breach? >> i'm starting to think there needs to be an internal investigation, if it's going to be looked into further. we need to identify the problem and look at what's important, that is, of course, the security of our commander in chief, our president. >> larry: well said. thank you all very much. we'll be doing a lot more on this. we look forward to meeting the couple themselves. you could bet jesse ventura's got something to say about party crashers. see what he thinks, next. would you like

it ends the d.c. opportunity scholarship programs that has done so much to help a small number of disadvantaged minority students. it increases funding for planned parenthood, the nation's leading provider of abortions, and it legalizes medical marijuana. yet, the overall funding levels of this bill are really unconscionable at a time where we're in recession, so many people out of work. we have got massive debt that threatens our nation's economic future and our very currency itself. the bill represents a a $50 billion increase or 12.5% over last year's funding level. now, this is not mandated spending. this is discretionary spending. this is at a time that the president is saying we've got to get a handle on our debt, yet every bill that the democrat majority has pushed across this floor has major increases in spending. it's actually nearly a a $90 billion increase over the year before. and, folks, what the president said he was against, which was earmarks, this bill has 5,224 earmarks in the bill,

if we did that in d.c. which would mean that every ambassador's child, every ceo's child, every congressman's child and the president's children would all get assigned to a random dcps school by a lot lottery which would mean that a huge percentage would be going across the river to anacostia every day, you would never see a faster movement of resources from one side of the city to another as you would in that circumstance. and i guarantee you that very, very quickly we would have a system of excellent schools. so in my mind it's not a matter of is it possible to insure a quality education for every child, it is possible. the more relevant question is, do we as the adults in this country have the wherewithal that it takes to make the incredibly difficult decisions that are necessary to make that a reality for every kid? and the answer to date has been absolutely not, we're not willing to make those decisions. so in the meantime because i can't close down private schools and i don't want to either, what it m

that yesterday afternoon in the midst of one of the toughest historic snowstorms here in washington, d.c., that hundreds of staff people were waiting at their post, doing their jobs on a saturday in the middle of a snowstorm when virtually every business around washington was closing down.

their message wafor d.c. schoolchancellor michee rhee who had unexpectedly ld-off 229 tehers to close a budget shortfall. >> we ha been totally diespected. we have been treat like we don't matter. >> i was ld-off on friday. on saturday look online on the newspaper, "the waington post" and it's about it's od weot rid the plan lessons. >> the city council took uthe issue weeks later allegi that rhee overstepped h authority making the layoffs and engineeredhe budget shortfall in order to get d of teachers she didn't want. >> by your own aission, you have sted on the recorthat you maden administrative decision regdless of the law d the process that is in fro of you tfollow. >> my unrstanding is that i do havehe authority as the agency head to make the decisio about moving bget from one place to other. >> these pple sitting out here lost their jobs becausthat's a decisionou made. >> correct. >> what is the council suppod to dat that point? >> my undetanding is that i do have the authority -- >> before you moveo yo

he developed the metro rail system in d.c. he is someone for whom i have a great deal of love and respect. >> let me go to something that i read that you wrote. "as a senate bid use almost everything in political terms." -- "as a cynic, you view almost everything in political terms quot." >> if all you have is a hammer, every problem you have is a nail. anything other than political terms, when i look at a debate about what ever is going on in the world, i am thinking about the political angle of it. not the policy and will. that is an important distinction. the merits of a policy on one hand, and there is the political back-and-forth that will determine the policy. it is hard to not become cynical or at least skeptical about the process when you see good ideas continually stifled and bad ideas occasionally slip through. i think that happens far too frequently. we focus on a number of things that do not have a lot to do with the real needs of the people. again, given my own family and ideological and personal orientation, i am

. >> the supreme court historical society hosted this discussion on tuesday in washington d.c..you can watch this program again or other recent programs at c- span.org. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: madam president, i -- i rise to speak on the bill -- the pending bill before us. one of the great pork barrel earmark-billed pieces of legislation that i seen come before this body. i'd like to quote from abc news by jonathan carl and def inn -- devin pryor, this is the season of pork, i quote -- "before returning to their -- excuse me. "just weeks before returning to their districts for christmas, congress is poised to give the gift of pork, roughly $4 billion of it. more than 5,000 earmarks were included in the $447 billion omnibus bill, funding pet projects of key members of congress from both parties in all regions of the country. senate will vote on the bill this weekend. independent analysis of the bill reveal a whopping 12% increase in government spending for 2010 while the inflation rate in the country remains near ze

i wish everyone in washington d.c. would read it. host: here is a look at one of the authors. >> we make progress as a society where everybody pursuing their own interests as soon as possible. he believed that is almost my duty as a citizen to pursue interests and fight for them. he thought that is what everyone should do. one of the exceptions is, he was deeply patriotic. he had three sons. he named them after his heroes -- george washington was one. and so when the civil war came around, he tried to? a large steamship's and given to the union navy. they said no. he was prickly. they never thought the war would last that long. the ship was expensive. so he ended up being forced against his will to lease it for large sums to the war department. host: t.j. stiles. you confine all kinds of video on our website. your favor nonfiction book of 2009. here is dennis in michigan. caller: merry christmas. there are a lot of nonfiction books the came out. i think the very best this year was "end the debt." or heard discussion about the differe

she moved to d.c., not knowing anybody. she ultimately got a bachelor's degree and two master's degrees. it just becomes a part of your dna and you understand that that is what the expectation is 3 >> do you have a favorite historian or writer in your life? >> -- the expectation is. >> to you have a favorite historian or writer in your life? >> i watched you interview him talk about that book. >> it has to be about 15 or 16 years ago. that is one of the books that sticks with me. it is interesting. i do not get a chance to read for pleasure anymore because every time i read for pleasure, i think that this is a time i can be devoted to reading for my work. >> how old are you now? >> 48. >> we are out of time. michael fauntroy at michael fauntroy.com. thanks for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> for a dvd copy of this program, called 1-877-662-7726. for free trade scripps or to give us your comments about this program, visit us and c- span.org. q&a programs are also available as c-span podcasts. host: caller[captioning

and the court in mills noted the d.c. statute and the regulation and the language from brown versus board of education or the supreme court had found that education was one of the most important functions of state and localities, and that such an education opportunity where the state has undertaken to provide it is a right which must be made available on equal terms. the mills court emphasized this language holding the nile of education to these children with disabilities violated d.c. statute and regulation as well as constitutional due process. so congress responded to the increased awareness of the educational needs of children with disabilities, the long-term benefits that are biting each other within education, and these judicial decisions establishing a right to education for children with disability with the indictment of p.l. 94142 and 1935. since 1975, i.d.e.a. has been reauthorized with times and has been the subject of thousands of judicial decisions. many of which do address the concept of a three free appropr

another look at one of john merrow's reports chronicling plans to reform public schools in washington, d.c. tonight, the debate over how to improve teaching standards. >> it's a terrible thing to say but ha of this past year ought -- half the staff here ought not be. they just don't fit into what we are doing here. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's "pbs newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour is provided by: >> what the world needs now is energy. the energy to get the economy humming again. the energy to tackle challenges like climate change. what if that energy came from an energy company? everyday, chevron invests $62 million in people, in ideas-- seeking, teaching, building. fueling growth around the world to move us all ahead. this is the power of human energy. chevron. intel. supporting math and science education for tomorrow's innovators. >> bnsf railway. toyota monsanto. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions

host: because that case was about d.c. guest: that case was about d.c., which the court assumed was basically part of the federal government. the question now is whether the second amendment is, as they say, incorporated by the other parts of the constitutional amendments so that it applies to the states. this is a case arising out of chicago, which has a handgun ban and some other restrictions. and there are a number of interesting aspects to the case, but basically if the court torp say it only applies to the federal government, the second amendment would be far less effective than most people think it is. host: based on what the court has said so far, any indication of how they're going to rule in that one, the leaning of the court so far in this? guest: based on the fact that they talked in that case like it was a fundamental right, which is the type that the court usually says is incorporated and applies against the states, it would be surprising to a lot of people, to most observers, if they did not also say that it

want to make d.c. the 51st state, you could have h.j. r.e.s. 51.ometimes it gives you better play. people spend a lot of time on as well in addition to the titles is actually drafting the bill. scores of interest groups around town draft bills and draft amendments to those bills as well. and what you're trying to do in terms of the drafting process is to influence its reference to a committee that is likely to act on it rather than one that may not act on it. and how do you know this information. you know it as a lawmaker or some of your staff who have done private consult fations and know it from the assistance provided by youral jice who are making -- allies about what members are going to be helpful and which are not and which chairman are going to back it, at least hold a hearing and which might not. what you try to do is come up with the correct words, phrases in the legislation that you're drafting so it will go to the committee that you think is going to act on it positively. there are certain people who are engaged in this enterprise and ha

in washington, d.c., there is a lot of talk but very little action. but in state houses, we educate, medicate, incarcerate -- that is 87% of our budgets. we have to balance budgets every single year. we keep that people in prison, could teachers in front of students, -- bad people in prison, good teachers-of students, and it sure that the last and least half health care. host: with two defeats for democrats running for governor in virginia and new jersey, what lessons have you learned from those defeats that you will carry forward into to as a tad? -- in 2010? guest: you don't win them all. just because you have sex does that mean you will not have a good year next year. -- just because you have setbacks does not mean you will not have a good year next year. host: but the democrat in new jersey was favored their purred what went wrong? -- the democratic incumbent in new jersey was favored there. what went wrong? guest: he had a 12- 415-point deficit at the close to about even and it was the question of getting turnout. it is tough to get committed vot

d.c. he's helped on boards of the national jazz inc. and others. jazz is a historic american creation and as such, it certainly should be honored and supported by congress today. this year marks the 50th anniversary of the famous jazz album, kind of blue. on august 17, 1957, miles davis and his ensemble, sextet, collaborated to record "kind of blue" this album popularized jazz like never before. it led columbia records to declare 1959 as jazz's greatest year. today, "kind of blue" is recognized as the best-selling jazz album of all time. its influence on music, beyond jazz alone, has led music writers to view it as one of the most influential albums ever. in 2002, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the library of congress to be added to the recording registry. in 2003, "kind of blue" was ranked number 12 on "rolling stones" magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. the author of the book "kind of blue: the making of a miles davis masterpiece" called it the premier album of

it d.c. a corner that looks disturb like somebody was chopping the ground up, he might have spotted a roadside bomb that they have. when you are not looking. but if you have the snapshot and compare them, you can spot where it has been buried. so that is what they do, visiting the area. so this is a rebirth. >> same design, they just scaled it up. they were able to just put a larger telescope with better optics. if you need to respond to contact on the ground, about to underdogs. there is a sensor package under with radar waves. we are certainly trying to keep roads clear. >> he was embedded at can our airports base in southern afghanistan in october. to find other programs, check out our website at c-span.org. go to the search box in the upper right-hand corner. >> president and first lady obama marked the holiday season and discussed sacrifices made by american troops overseas. they are followed by duncan hunter of california, with the republican response. he also talks about american troop

anyway, you have a 1040, you know, an s1040 or you want to make d.c.1st state, new columbia or whatever you call it, you would have h.j. res 51. that is the idea. sometimes they give you better play. but people spend a large amount of time on it as well. the actual drafting the bill, and you can be sure that scores of groups around town, and certainly the executive branch and other groups on the hill as well, certainly draft amendments to those bills as well. what you are trying to do in terms of the drafting process is to influence its reference to a committee that is likely to act on it rather than one that may not act on it. how do you know this information? you know from experience, from some of your staff that has done private consultations, you also know it from the assistance provided by your friendly interest group allies who are making sounds on your behalf about which members and committees are helpful and which are not. and which chairman might at least hold a hearing at which might not. what you are trying to do is come up with a -- with th

he says to his excellency president lincoln washington, d.c. i beg to present you as a christmas gift the city of savannah. and as i said i hadn't expected to write this book. i was working on the soldier vote and so i was at a book signing for one of the books you see up there on the battle -- eleven days in december and one fellow came to the signing and said have you thought about writing the civil war? and by selling working on the civil war right now and explain why was doing. he said no i mean writing about the civil war and christmas. what do you mean? and he said lincoln as a telegram from sherman saying you have savanna for christmas. well, i took my research and turned it around, and i hope to have a book signing i'm going to in about ten days this fellow whose name i don't know will turn up and i can thank him for the idea for the book. maybe some of you have ideas for another one that at this point i am not planning on another book out in military christmas. i'm not succeeded with military christmases but there is so much of this su

we look forward to it convening the aids 2012 conference in d.c. and working with a strong partnership with others working in the aids crisis in the united states and across the world. thank you very much. [applause] .. in the united states incidents have fallen from about 130 dozen cases a year in the mid-1980s to about 56,000 cases a year currently. excuse me. [laughter] our investments in hiv treatment of falso born fruitford gillon 1988 there were no effective treatment for hiv while today we have more than two dozen treatments that are saving lives and extending lives of people with hiv. the development of these medications is important and it is the glimp important to show they are available. that is why the president signed bipartisan legislation reauthorizing the ryan white hiv/aids program which provides care and treatment to over 500,000 people living with hiv/aids in the united states. he is also determined to enact comprehensive health reform that will make insurance coverage more available and secure for all americans including people

. >> brown: and still to come on the newshour: making tough decisions in the washington, d.c. schools; shoring up computer networks and fighting cyber crime; and sending holiday photos to u.s. troops overseas. that follows a conversation about the big money behind the health care reform legislation. gwen ifill has our look. >> ifill: when the senate votes out its version of health care reform thursday morning, hundreds of millions of dollars will have been spent lobbying for and against it. the center for responsive politics finds the health care sector spent nearly $400 million on the effort during the first nine months of this year. that includes lobbying congress, federal agencies and the white house, high-priced persuasion practiced by hospitals, doctor groups, nursing homes and other players. not included in that figure: another $122 million spent by the insurance industry during the same period. for more on how the money was spent and what results it did or did not produce, we turn to dave levinthal of the center for responsive politics, a not-for- profit group that trac

when we got done, i remember you saying well, i work in d.c. and here's my card and give me a call sometime and see if i'd be able to help you out. i looked at your card later and you were a representative from california, and i really appreciate all that you've done to help us out especially your advocacy for women's issues and for education and you've been a big inspiration so thanks, mary. >> host: well, thank you. thank you but the new book again, so soon. let me talk about meeting you though, because i think -- >> guest: it was a very special day. >> host: it was special. i believe in fate and sometimes our paths cross and you were special to me at that moment. and i told you at the time that i'd been in many beliefings on what was -- briefings on what was happening in iraq and afghanistan and the fallout from 9/11, and i truthfully thought you'd be talking about climbing k2 and it quickly changed from climbing k2 and i think what you originally felt like was a failure, but you changed it into this story of success and changing the memory

had to do is give names and identification to the fbi in washington d.c.. give their destinations come all of the stops they were going to make and their intent when they made the stops. so it filtered down through all these cities where they made their stops. but as you get further south you get into the klan country and there were plans were policemen and fbi and so they knew and they would tell their friends we've got eight or ten or 11 freedom riders coming and this is what they look like and this is who they are so they knew it, exactly who to attack. that was a bittersweet day for natural, may 14, mother's day. john lewis was on the original freedom ride, but he signed up for the peace corps, and somewhere between rock hill and anniston he had to get off the freedom ride. she came back to nashville so he was in nashville when all this happened. john symbol -- seigenthaler was there when the attacks on birmingham it was his job to see that they were able to get out of birmingham and to new orleans because it was too dangerous with what had happened the

i wish everybody in washington, d.c. would read it. >> host: one of the things recovered was a book called teaching styles book, the first tycoon. here is a look at what the author had to say during the book tv and we covered. >> he believed we make progress as a society by everybody pursuing their own interest as fiercely as possible and he firmly believed it is almost my duty as a citizen you pursue your interest and fight for them and he thought that is what everybody should do. but what of the exceptions of that is he was deeply patriotic. and he named it to a foot, three sons after his heroes, george washington, henry emmerson and cornelius vanderbilt. [laughter] and so when the civil war came around, he tried to give his largest steamship which cost nearly a million dollars. he tried to give it to the union navy and giddy and said no the secretary of the navy. he was a little prickly. nobody thought the war would last that long. never going to have this expensive ship it's going to be a white elephant for the navy.

police department and d.c. police department, and we recognize the job they do every day to protect us. sometimes it's hard to make that connection between the men and women who wear the uniform, the sacrifices they make, until it happens in your neighborhood. until it happens in your community. until it happens to one of your neighborhood police officers. until it happens to your mother. your father. one minute sitting having coffee at a coffee shop, the next minute gone. three fathers and a mother. coming to work, protect all of us, happens every day on the streets of america. they put on the uniform. they know the risk. so with this resolution today i think it's right that we pause and think about the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform here serving our police departments and our communities across this country to honor the service of mark renninger, tina griswold, ronald owens, and gregory richards. we should also mention timothy brenton who was killed 30 days before this event, before this tragedy

they see washington, d.c.iterally going to the floor and on the backs of our soldiers, preparing to pass the debt limit increase that will raise the debt limit by $2 trillion. what democrats are doing here is essentially facing difficult times by raising the debt limit on their credit card. that is not what the american people are doing right now. the people in indiana, the people across this country are making the hard choices to put their own fiscal house in order and put their family budget in order. thanks to the leadership of those who are gathered here, house republicans have a better plan. we believe that enactment of the cap and debt act would provide the accountability. let the american people count the roll and see who thinks we need to be cutting spending and those who think we ought to raise the debt limit. to answer these challenging times. we also ought to get back to a super majority idea. the last thought is the process here, we have grown used to it. we saw democrats in congress use a bill to

kate bolduan is in d.c. now. on the phone, this is a passenger that was on the flight along with 257 other passengers. sayyid, you were sitting in 16g, is that correct? sayyid joffrey, are you there? >> yes. >> you were in row 16g on this aircraft? >> yes. >> where were you in relation? where was the suspect in relation to where you were sitting? >> i believe he was in 19a and i was on 16g. so i was diagonally away from him for three years. >> a fairly large aircraft, 278 people on board. tell me what happened. what kudo you remember happenin? >> what we heard first is really -- we were pretty much getting ready to descend and ready to be landed. it was a long flight, everybody was tired. next thing we know, there was a pop. and everybody got a little bit startled. and then we looked around and saw nothing. after a few seconds or so, then there was a little bit of light, a little bit of -- kind of flamish light and there was fire. and people began to panic almost. and everybody was rushing towards that area and t

host: because that case was about d.c. guest: that case was about d.c., which the court assumed was basically part of the federal government. the question now is whether the second amendment is, as they say, incorporated by the other parts of the constitutional amendments so that it applies to the states. this is a case arising out of chicago, which has a handgun ban and some other restrictions. and there are a number of interesting aspects to the case, but basically if the court torp say it only applies to the federal government, the second amendment would be far less effective than most people think it is. host: based on what the court has said so far, any indication of how they're going to rule in that one, the leaning of the court so far in this? guest: based on the fact that they talked in that case like it was a fundamental right, which is the type that the court usually says is incorporated and applies against the states, it would be surprising to a lot of people, to most observers, if they did not also say that it

. >> we're at the national press club's author night in washington, d.c. you lead here and you lead temperance tours, if i was to go on one of those, what would be the first place we would go. >> the very first location starts off at the coggs wells temperance foundation, at 7th and pennsylvania, and it was a fountain put there in 1882 by henry dogswell as a reminder to washingtonians to drink water instead of whiskey and we visit the calvary baptist church and we finish off at the woodrow wilson house and he has a fascinating wine cellar in the house, which was during prohibition, transported out of the white house to his new house. >> the book is "the prohibition hangover." thanks. >> thanks for having me here today. >> here's a look at some upcoming book fairs and festivals. over the next few months. >> david wessel argues that pep burn single handedly came to the rescue of the u.s. economy hand prevented a second depression. mr. wessel claims that bernanke's response effectively made the federal reserve the fourth branch of government. mr. bernanke was

i know how that works in d.c. you get one mentioned everything shuts down. >> i'm a little close to the mark. and a little more easy to get home. like him, i'm prepared to be here to vote. this is a critical moment in our history not only with the defense appropriations bill that the defense health care bill. it is to pass these measures and get prepared to come back and continue the work in a new year. anyone else? well, thank you all very, very much. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] he was not imposing figure. he was not a giant of his time. and yet he emerged as the nominee at a time when the party was populated by big figures. >> his mark on history includes manifest destiny and in his new biography of james k. polk, a country of vast designs, robert and mary looks at the life and times of our levins president sunday on c-span's q&a. >> now tomas perez of the assistant attorney general will be hearing about his agenda for his office with the justice department. the american constitution soci

host: because that case was about d.c. guest: that case was about d.c., which the court assumed was basically part of the federal government. the question now is whether the second amendment is, as they say, incorporated by the other parts of the constitutional amendments so that it applies to the states. this is a case arising out of chicago, which has a handgun ban and some other restrictions. and there are a number of interesting aspects to the case, but basically if the court torp say it only applies to the federal government, the second amendment would be far less effective than most people think it is. host: based on what the court has said so far, any indication of how they're going to rule in that one, the leaning of the court so far in this? guest: based on the fact that they talked in that case like it was a fundamental right, which is the type that the court usually says is incorporated and applies against the states, it would be surprising to a lot of people, to most observers, if they did not also say that it

meyer served as ambassador from 1997 through 2003 and authored the book "d.c. received criticism from the british government. the former ambassador talked about his relationship with members of the bush administration and 10 downing street. in his testimony, he told members it was pointless to resist the u.s. charge to war. >> well, welcome, everyone. just a few opening remarks. the purpose of this session is to examine developments in the united states policy towards iraq between 2001 and 2003 and the u.k.'s response, and we're continuing this theme in hearings next week. i think i should emphasize that the focus of the inquiry is, of course, on the united kingdom government decisions, actions and policies. but to understand that, it's important also to understand the development of united states policy and the interaction between them. so this session will cover foreign policy priorities and decision-making processes in the u.s. administration in the period, the evolution of policy on iraq and the middle east in washington from 2001 until early 2003, includin

this discussion was held at the supreme court in washington d.c. on tuesday. first, justice anthony kennedy. [applause] >> thank you, and good evening. welcome. thank you very much for the work you do, that all of you do for the supreme court historical society. one of the fascinating aspects of a great institution is that you learned over time the place you have in it. it is not apparent to you at the outset. and the historical society is of immense importance, in part because it reminds of the justices of what they must learn in order to understand their role. your work is very, very important. sometimes people ask me, are you nervous before you go on the bench? the answer is no. sometimes those of you who teach will hear teachers tell students, well, it is just as hard to give the exam as it is to take it. do not believe that. and it is the same way about arguing cases. but my colleague not long ago made the comment that although he agreed with me that we do not feel nervous before go on the bench, we feel that way before we go into conference. we have to p

. >> you understand on the inside here in d.c. one of the things that happens inside the beltway and sometimes it's about a need to know question. certainly on the intelligence side. and that sort of stays with the culture that i think is broken because it's our information, we will figure out what this means, and we will determine whether or not we're going to share this out. that is a failure and it really has been in the past. i know they have tried to fix this and they've talked about fixing this and they've spent billions of dollars saying they're going to fix this, but this is reminiscent of what we were all talking about on september 12th of 9/11 and every day there forward. >> we're not making widgets here. they're trying to protect the country. i think it's appalling. >> it is appalling. we continue to see the sort of bureaucratic turf battles that are impeding the sharing process. we've seen a real struggle between the director of national intelligence admiral denny blair who oversees the terrorism center and leonard pan

the clerk: washington, d.c, december 20, 2009. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable jeanne shaheen, a senator from the state of new hampshire, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: robert c. byrd, president pro tempore. mr. reid: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: following leader remarks, the senate will resume consideration of the health care legislation with the time between 1:30 between the two leaders and their designees, between 1:30 and 11:30 tonight, there will be alternating hours with the republicans controlling the first hour. at 11:30 p.m., the senate will recess until 12:01 a.m. with the time until 1:00 a.m. equally divided and controlled between their leaders their designees, with the democratic leader controlling the final ten minutes and the republican leader the ten minutes before that. at 1:00 a.m., the senate will proceed to a vote in relation to the health care bill. that time unt

when they were lower court judges and the d.c. circuit, they would swap opinions and ask each other for advice on some of the language in their opinions. other justices have formed a bridge clubs and travel together. it is a very human institution. remember, they are appointed for life, so there is an incentive for them to get along. all nine individuals very much value collegiality. they are appointed for life. they have to work together. the matter their differences on the law, they want to get along. there were most challenged in 2000 after bush vs. gore. that was probably the biggest challenge in recent years. the differences emerge in very strong statements in their written opinions and sometimes oral statements given from the bench. they all know there is an incentive to try to keep getting along, because they have to share that building for many more years. many of these justices come and stay for 20 years, 30 years, and there is an incentive to appreciate each other's company, a matter how much they differ on the law. in r

of the spending, all of the tax increases, all of the government takeovers coming out of washington, d.c., these days, leave them with the answer is that they don't know what the rules are going to be and why in the world would you want to create a job, expand your business or make an investment when the very premise upon which you did so would change because of all the chaos here in washington. the facts of our debt crisis are not in dispute. the total public debt stands at about $12 trillion. we have in 2009, a $1.4 trillion fiscal deficit. in other words, we spent more than $1.4 million than the treasury brought in in fiscal year 2009. and then we're accumulating dent even faster during this year than we did last. according to the treasury department, the deficit for the first two months -- two months of the new fiscal year was almost $300 billion. $300 billion for two months. a total larger than the full year deficits in 2002, 2006, or 2007. so in two months the deficit is worse than the entire years of 2002, 2006, and 2007. our deficits will average nearly $1 trillion every year for

host: one of the reasons that the washington, d.c.area has been less hit is stimulus is a boon to d.c. area contractors. here is the story. "to a sizable sum has gone to contractors in the washington area who are helping to implement the initiative. they are being paid a hefty slice of the money to help spend the rest of it. the energy department is paying technology and management services $6.9 million to review applications for renewable energy loan guarantees. the contract represents a relatively small portion of the spending but they understand why the washington area is weathering the issue so well." democratic line, good morning. caller: i have a few things. we need to rein in some of the lobbyists. we should not allow politicians to work for lobbyists in any fact after their term. we need to disband the wal-mart and other box stores like that from the profits they are taking, splitting it up and giving the tax breaks to the local businesses. and then we need to reform the conservation corps rather than giving contracts to vario

most of it is still in washington, d.c. an example, a smart grid program, none of the funds have been spent. $2.2 billion alternative fuel program, none of those have been spent. $4 billion energy innovative technology program,. there is an $8 billion high-speed rail project with zero funds been spent and funds for the cops program and no funds have left for washington, d.c. before we spend additional money, wouldn't it make sense to figure out what the logjam is. you go to the web site and you see the jobs created in the 99th district of virgin islands. there are no such districts. or go to augusta, georgia and look at the housing projects, 317 jobs were created. it was a bonus for the existing employees or again from the administration's website, 937 million was spent on $10,000 projects in which no jobs were created. the stimulus program is not working. we need to revamp it. another reason why we don't have jobs under this administration is because of the cap and trade policy. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's tim

the international spy museum in washington d.c. hosts the hour-long event. >> good afternoon everybody. while come to the international spy museum. i am delighted to have you here. i think you are in for a very terrific session, let me put it that way. i included a podcast with our distinguished guests and i urge you to listen to that too if you enjoy the lecture today. i would make one request, if you would turn off your electronic devices, cell phones, pda's and so forth. it can interfere with the powerpoint and the applications that we very much appreciate you doing that. alright? okay, thank you. there will be time for professor andrew's presentation and there will be time for q&a and we will ensure there is time for a book signing for those who came for that as well, and the books can be purchased in the back. last thursday, the shooting at ft. hood royal the country and they highlighted once again the challenge we face in coping with even identifying islamic extremists. in great britain that task would be undertaken to a larg

the newshour: obal warming's impact on alth; al qaeda in yemen; and teacher standards in washinon, d.c. but first, for t other news of the day, here's ha sreenivasan inur newsroom. hari. >> sreenivasan: huge snow and ice storm spread acrs more of the midwest day on one of the most heavily traveled days o the year. the slow-moving system left me people hangingn this christmas eve. they faced a duge of rain, sleet, and forecast of uto two feetf snow in some parts of thcountry by christmas day. the nation weather service sued blizzd warnings from texas up to minnesota. state police warned of danrous conditions, and urged driverto rry water and flashlights. >> if you're on a ad and you see red lights, treat like a school zone-- puthe cell phone down, put your coffee downboth hands on the wheelfocus. >> sreenivasan: in kansas,inds gusted to nely 40 miles an ho and visibility was nely zero. one interstate was cpletely covered by ice but it wasn't justoads that were frozen-- inebraska, icles clung onto power lines and weighed down trees which dropped branches isome unlily places. >> all of a