here what elijah cummings has to say. >>> new information on the sexual abuse allegation tied to jerry sandusky. >>> oscar buzz in the air now the news in your hands. the app for the billingest -- biggest night of entertainment and how to get it on this friday february 24th. good morning i am charley crowson. >> i am megan pringle. happy friday i think you will be happy after hearing from meteor outologist lynette charles. >> -- meteorologist lynette charles. >> we have a high wind warning in effect wind advisory in effect temperatures will be 15 to 20 degrees above average once again. we have more showers and storms out there. and then we will have falling temperatures so put your hand in the bag and what will you pick out? the wind advoicery that's in effect until at 3 p.m. until midnight. and that's where all the areas here shaded in the gray. then look back off to the west in carroll and frederick county under a high wind warning that goes in effect at 3 p.m. todayuntil midnight. so we will talk about when the showers and storms move back in and how windy it is going to get. let's

religious groups are opossession the measure and women deserve to be heard on the issue says elijah cummings. >> madam leader i am obviously not a woman so i can never fully understand how central this issue is to the lives of millions of women across the country. but i am here today to support their right to exercise control over their lives and their bodies. and to make sure that they are never, ever, never, ever denied a voice in this debate. >> republicans say the obama policy is stomping on religious freedoms but democrats say it's not about religion and it's about women's health. >>> 6:46. a a -- and a recall. 3,000 siege and double jogging strollers have been recalled megan. >> the safety commission says the front wheel can come loose during the use causing the stroller to tip over. this have been three incidents of injuries and children with the recalled strollers say if you have one of the strollers sold in the store or online between january 2010 and february of this year, contact the maker. >>> sears official say that it has plans to sell 11 profit making stores to raise extra mon

this morning elijah cummings will present a check to the baltimore housing it's program. money is from the neighbor works america, a organization established to create affordable housing and community development across the u.s. >>> dutch ruppeersberger will welcome a germany based shipping giant to the port of baltimore that's expected to bring about 255 new jobs to baltimore. the ceremony is 10:30 this morning. >>> john edwards rielle hunter settled a lawsuit between her and edwards former aid and the judge order the sex tape be destroyed within a month. >>> a trial of a former rutgers student used to use -- used a webcam to spy on his roommate is set to start. >>> attorneys for dr. conrad murray will ask for his release while his appeal in the death of michael jackson will be decided. news time 4:46. and there may be no such thing as a free lunch but there's a thing like a free breakfast. megan is standing by with more with the freebie friday. >> we are talking about pancakes. you can get free pancakes. it's one of the deals you can find on the website. so this is what

cloning man elijah cummings presented a check >> i realize there are a lot of people there hop want to stay and repair their houses but don't have the money to do it. >> it comes from neighbor works of america. >>> rumors abound as retail giant sears is headed for bankruptcy. they posted a huge loss on thursday. what drastic move the company is planning to take. >>> he's called the king of mopups, the man behind those ads from teeth whiteners to everything else. >> i'm cheryl conner with an introduction into two ballet shows this weekend. >> way below what we forecast. the warm air came close. richmond, norfolk, ocean city, even salisbury. we'll talk about how much cooler things trend through the weekend coming up. [ male announcer ] today at kfc get our freshly delivered whole chicken freshly prepared by real cooks with our own secret recipes. pick up an 8 piece meal with 2 sides and 4 biscuits just $15.99. taste why fresh is better. [ man ] 4...3...2...1... mission accomplishe >>> now on to the economy. after posting huge losses on thursday, sears is banking on a new set of plans to

. >> maryland congressman elijah cummings received honors today for his work would civil-rights. he was given an award today at howard community college. he is the ranking member of the house committee on oversight and government reform. >> insta-weather-plus forecast -- >> we have had mostly light rain here in town would temperatures in the upper 30's. as you travel north and west, there has been some snow mixed in with the rain. especially in westminster and northern frederick county. the reports have been mostly trace amounts of snow. you see some snow showers from detroit to the cincinnati area. picking them some snow and rain showers all the white south. this system is going to take its time -- there is a western system coming at us. an arctic front is coming in here. that will not get here until tomorrow evening. in baltimore, it turned out a little warmer than normal. 46 at the airport, 49 downtown. record low for this day on the coldest day ever in the baltimore, 1899, 7 below zero. that is unheard of in baltimore. 15.5 inches of snow as the blizzard of 2010 were winding

. >>> elijah cummings is conducting a forum to dental health care. a 12 year old child died and unable to find a dentist willing to remove an infected tooth. the forum is from 9:30 to 12:30 at the university of maryland. >>> lawmakers is offering table games across the state. specifying the types allowed, authorized if the bill should pass. they will discuss adding a casino in pg&e county. they could have five casinos total. a third in arundel county expected to open in the summer. >>> measure to protect kids, house panel will hear a bill on sobriety checks. the bill targets people who drive under the influence with a child in the car. they will check the sobriety prior to driving. the interlock would require drivers to blow in to a tube before starting the engine. >>> brown advocating to provide access to health care. brown will testify before a state senate committee in favor of legislation that bills on the state's efforts to create a health benefit exchange. this is intended to help individuals and small businesses by health insurance. >>> baltim

. >>> elijah cummings hosting a forum on dental health care studying the expansion of access from last year in honor of a 12-year-old boy who died after his mother was unable to finds a dentist to remove an infected tooth. >>> time for five things you need to know before heading out the door on this ash wednesday, man accused of plotting suicide bomb attack on the u.s. capitol will appear in court today. hearing will take place in virginia. agents arrested him friday after a lengthy investigation. >>> supreme court will hear oral arguments in a case of a military service member lying for honor. star jones returns to the view, appearing as a guest promoting awareness for women and heart disease. catch the view on abc2 news at 11:00. >>> president delivering remarks the construction site of smithsonian african museum. it's scheduled to open in 2015. >>> let's talk about the weather this morning. we see clouds trying to move in across the area. check out the break back in to west virginia there, we see a little bit of a break in to pennsylvania. that is what we will see through the day. w

thank you very much, appreciate it. >> ahead elijah cummings. [ leanne ] appliance park has been herele careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i come to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ golly, that is deep snow! yeah, can you get me out of it? of course. travelocity? that's how i got here! that's amazing! but i'm still stuck. come on man, dig it! [ female announcer ] travelocity. get great deals on all kinds of beach vacations. >>> i

. >> an honor for maryland congressman elijah cummings who was honored for civil rights. that award was presented by county executive ken almond. it comes from the house committee on oversight and reform. >> coming up, we'll show you a special show local kinder garteners put on to -- some local kindergarteners put on. >> and our "education alert." >> we're going to get some snow today. it doesn't look like a lot, but we'll talk about it coming up in the ins >> rain and snow is split, really. the i-95 corridor, you begin to get rain mixed in. we get a mix around annapolis up to near baltimore, and then it becomes a light snow. we have only had minor accumulation. out ahead of the cold front. that will be coming through later. things kind of slow down and stop for a while. so far not too much on the street. the pavement is wet. there might be a little slush. readings above freezing. 29.82 the barometer. that dropped off considerably now that the storm is in the neighborhood. the winds are calm. february is the month where we get a lot of this stormy weather. we have some re

elijah cummings is out raged. >> you're stealing someone's life.we can't make sure they're not taken advantage of, we need to go home and do something else. >> reporter: it may mean that tyler makes a big difference in someone's life. >> i would like to get them going. maybe if it happened to their families, they'll do it. >> the fda is going to work closely with the drug makers to manage the supplies. you can find a list of drug shortages and a statement at wjz.com. >>> now, next up this morning, right here on wjz-13: >> good morning, how exactly did yeardley love die? jurors see photos from the autopsy, details are coming up. >>> however -- how far can you go when it comes to taking pictures of police. we'll tell you more. >>> good morning, i'm ange ange. support -- i'm andrea fujii, we're talking about the same sex marriage bill. >>> we're talking about a delay building on the westside. right now, over to marty. >> "unforgettable" adds jay curtain to the cast. joining us on coffee with at 6:45, the morning edition continues after this. ,,,,,,,,,

elijah cummings presented a check of more than $250,000 for neighborhood housing services of baltimore and $150,000 for st. ambrose housing center. the money comes from congress to create affordable housing. >> the best expertise in housing. people find their ways to handle their payments properly, things of that nature. >> representative cummings is the ranking democratic on the house oversite and government reform committee. consumer protection on the internet is getting a big boost as well, just like the do not call laws that prevent telemarketters from calling you, now there is a "do not track" feature. in the f.c.c. bill of rights consumers will have a right to know what information is collected about them online. the concern is hundreds of businesses tracking movements over the injuries -- years. >> if you had a guarantee that prempses would be honored. >> respecting consumers privacy encourages trust in internet commerce. there are no federal internet privacy laws on the book. >> please don't go away. we have much more news coming up. first a look at events going on around town

. >> and this week an honor for maryland congsman elijah cummings who was honored for his work with civil rights. he was given the honor at howard community college yesterday. the award was present bid ken almo -- by ken almond from the house oversight of government reform. >> find out who is responsible for bringing clifford back to baltimore. >> and a celebrity cup -- couple shows pictures of their new baby. next. >> and i had to push about a half inch of snow off the windshield this morning. windshield this morning. there is nore snow denny's new sizzlin' skillets are here for a limited time. so strike while the iron's hot. starting at $4.99. only at denny's. america's diner is always open. >> two impulses coming through with this storm. part one came in overnight. maybe about a half-inch accumulation. here's baltimore here. the trailing edge is out near frederick and moving east. things will ease up a little bit for a while. part two comes in later on midday and this afternoon. snow showers with that. could be reduced visibility and a little more accumulation to boot. then cold air. l

. >>> elijah cummings is highlighting the importance of oral health as part of the children's oral health month. expand children's access to dental care. he says many parents still aren't aware of the potential risks of poor oral health. >>> turning to sports, the orioles part ways with one of the most durable pitchers. jeremy guthrie has been traded to the colorado rockies. guthrie had a rough season last season. jason campbell and reliever matt lindstrom. >>> a day after leading the new york giants to a super bowl win over the new england patriots, eli manning spoke about how ahmad bradshaw was able to make the game-winning touchdown. >> let them score, their offense can get the ball back and possibly score a touchdown. as i'm handing the ball off to ahmad, i could sense the patriots defense giving up, don't score, don't score. >> the giants will have a victory parade in lower manhattan followed by a big ceremony at city hall plaza there. >>> a soccer game between liverpool and putnam came to a halt after a cat wandered onto the field. the cat was escorted from the field by security. >>

now police is trying to track down 16-year-old tyrone lewis. >>> local congressman elijah cummings is access to dental care. he said many parents still aren't aware of the potential risk of poor oral health. >>> stay with wjz 13 maryland's news station complete news and first warning weather today at noon. take another live look outside. you can see it's a sunny start to the state and continues to be sign it's going only -- it going to

. >> congressman elijah cummings is the proper recipient of the leadership award from the institute for behavioral resources. the president of that organization presented the congressman with the leadership award for services to enhance the growth of behavioral scientists. that includes initiatives throughout the baltimore area. >> 60 people in syria were killed as their government continues the brutal crackdown. >> the red cross is called for something >> live, local, latebreaking. you are watching wbal6tv 11 news at 5:00 p.m. >> the doors could be closing for good at the south baltimore high school located in the heart of the cherry hill community. this is a relatively small school. >> officials say they have their reasons including a recent drop in enrollment and test scores. we have more details on the story. >> they have had their challenges since it opened in 1998 especially over the past few years. two of the six top leaders, the governor, and a ceo have high hopes for members of that student body. south side could close by the summer. that is the plan for the cherry hill campus

maryland lawmaker elijah cummings is outraged. >> basically, what you're doing is stealing somebody'sif we can't take care of americans when they're going through illness. if we can't make sure they're not taken advantage of, we need to go home and do something else. >> reporter: it might be that little tyler makes a big difference in a world where a lot of people's lives hang in the balance. >> i'd like to put my fear in these people's rear ends and get them going. maybe if it happens to one of their family members, they'll do it. >> reporter: the fda plans to work with them to manage the drug makers and improve supply. you can find the link to the current drug shortages. and there are a lot of them and the statement from the drug industry at wjz.com. >> got to be discouraging for families who are affected by this. >> you bet. >>> i'm alex alex demetrick. coming up, finally, some positive signs for the chesapeake's troubled oyster population. that story as eyewitness ,,,,,,, mine was earned over the south pacific in 1943. vietnam, 1967. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance i

following driver's death, congressman elijah cummings works to expand children's access to include oral healthcare. thanks to a law passed in 2009, children now receive dental coverage. all in an effort to prevent another tragedy like driver's death in the future. >> the office of the surgeon general reminds parents if you are on a well system or live in a community like many areas here in maryland that doesn't have fluoride in your drinking water, it's important to give your children a fluoride treatment. vic? >> some say that prolonged usage can increase the likelihood that a child will become a candidate for orthodontics. >>> an anne arundel county councilman is planning to introduce a bill making english the official language of the county. it would require all county documents be in english. he says this is the first bill in a series he hopes will stem illegal immigration in anne arundel county. >>> after looking unbeatable. asian stink bugs have finally taken a hit. yes. they seem to be veteran. but they finish -- to be finished. >> they hitched the ride through cargo. it was pois

. >> congressman elijah cummings has been given a service award from the center of african-american culture for his work on civil rights. the congressman is a ranking member on the house committee on government oversight and reform. >> we're back with a >> good morning. so far about an inch of snow in the immediate metropolitan area. a half inch or less has fallen. beginning to trail away. this first batch of snow in howard county and moving to the east close to the i-95 corridor. beginning a rain-snow mix. part two coming in from the west. our current temperatures have been at or just above freezing. humidity is up. the barometer is falling. at the moment, the winds are calm. part one of the storm is associated with a low pressure center near cape hatteras. that becomes a big nor'easter. it will be past us when that happens. cold front comes in this afternoon. with that, cold showers ahead of the cold front. we get a second hit of snow before things calm down. the snow-rain mix this morning, snow showers this afternoon, generally an inch or two accumulation. winds become northwesterly. an

elijah cummings is a maryland democrat who attended today's hearing.hat mandatory ultrasound bill. it's great to have you both on. you're both very much a part of this story. here's part of the governor's statement explaining his shift somewhat mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state. no person should be directed to undergo an invasive procedure by the state without their consent as a precondition to another medical procedure. but that did not satisfy democratic lawmakers in virginia. let's listen. >> it's just still a mandate. and that's the problem. actually, mandating an unnecessary procedure -- that's the problem. until the governor is imposing a mandate and walking into doctor offices and telling a doctor what procedure he should do, it's an improper role of government. >> just to get it squared away. senator, thanks for joining us from richmond. what do you make of the fact that the governor, the republican governor of your state who may be on the ticket nationally this year, saying you

. >> congress elijah cummings joins us. >> why would he find it so offensive that the president based this make him walk out? >> i cannot understand it, martin. i'm the son of two ministers and i've been taught all my life that we're supposed to take care of the poor. matthew 25 is an area in the bible that most christians are very familiar with. i think that's basically what the president was saying. i thought it was extremely disrespectful for my colleague to do that. i think we just got to change the climate here in washington and treat each other with greater respect. it's something that's very significant about the president of the united states addressing members of congress or anybody. there's a respect for that office. president barack obama is the president of the united states, and i think he owes him an apology. >> we know that politics is a rough business, but this was the national prayer breakfast. this was not an occasion where the president was promoting the american jobs act or promoting the salvation of the motor industry. he was quoting scriptture and referring to th

maryland elijah cummings.ushing bipartisan legislation to beef up the fda's power to beef up production. >> i wish some of my colleagues would meet some of these little kids with no hair, who have been through treatment and are surviving. but then find out in the middle that there may not be a drug available for them the next day. >> reporter: the fda also announced today, new suppliers for the drug doxil. it treats ovarian cancer. and it has not been available for months. vic? >> okay, mary. thank you. there are more than 250 prescription drugs in short supply or unavailable, in addition wide. -- nationid woo. -- nationwide. >>> the highest court is taking up action on the university court issue. jessica kartalija has more on this controversy. >> reporter: for the first time in nearly a decade, the supreme court will take up the issue of supreme court. a white person from texas is suing because she was denied admission to the school, claiming the policy violated her civil and constitutional rights. a federal

one of those here was com elijah cummings. >> they have people here to -- who have been certified to prepare taxes for the i.r.s. they are helping many people here. >> this is the 11th year for the cash campaign. >> families that made a$50,000 or below last year qualify for our services. they need an appointment, but we -- >> all of them are professionals. they are not getting anything they would not get anywhere else. we are specialists. >> the goal for this year's cash campaign is to prepare over 9,000 tax returns. for those that qualify, it is a great deal. >> i am a home owner, and i itemize, so normally they really charge for this, but here they do a really good job, and it is free. >> rob roblin, wbal-tv 11 news. >> can't beat that. that's a good deal. coming up this morning, news on a major birth control recall. why women are being told to use another form of contraception right away. >> why cruise ship passengers were restricted to their beds and toilets. >> and dancing like the stars. when we come back, hear about a program that has fifth graders performing dances most adult

were you really trying to get across to members of the democratic party there, nancy pelosi, elijah cummings public to hear the voices and the stories of the women who are affected by the lack of contraceptive coverage and how much this regulation means to all of us and to all of them. and i hope that's what came through in my testimony and i just really hope that people understand how very, very important this critical health care need is. >> one of your criticisms, you said, was that women's health was with being used as a political football, but this is a recess week in congress. this is a hearing by the democratic steering committee, really done for political reasons. do you feel like you yourself have been used as a political football in all of this? >> let me be clear, i don't feel like anyone has treated me as a political football. it was very discouraging to see women's health being treated that way previously, but i'm glad to see that america is paying attention to women's concerns at this point. and if you want to hold a hearing on a sidewalk outside, i'll show up to talk about wom

. >> joining me now is congressman elijah cummings, democrat from maryland and ranking member of the government reform which has been investigating the fast and furious program. thank you for joining me, congressman. >> it's good to be with you, reverend. >> now let me ask you, are the republicans interested in a fair and balanced investigation here? >> absolutely not. chairman issa over the past ten months, actually before that was accusing eric holder of approving gun walking and nothing could be further from the truth. and he has constantly made allegations, and they were allegations, reverend, where he was searching for facts to go with them, but he could not find the facts to go with them. and i think he's treated eric holder, our attorney general, very unfairly. >> now the thing that really got my attention is even the tone of the hearings have become somewhat disrespectful. >> no doubt about it. >> and hostile. let me show you one encounter with the attorney general. >> how many more border patrol agents would have had to die as a part of "operation fast and furious" for you t

elijah cummings attended the hearing today.sound bill. you're very much apart of this story. here's part of the governor's statement explaining his shift somewhat mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state. no person should be directed to undergo procedure for the state. let's listen. >> it's just still a mandate. and that's the problem. actually, mandating an unnecessary procedure -- that's the problem. until the governor is imposing a mandate and walking into doctor offices and telling a doctor what procedure he should do, it's an improper role of government. >> just to get it squared away. what do you make of the fact that the governor, the republican governor of your state who may be on the ticket nationally this year, saying you don't have to get this very invasive procedure, but you have to have the standard one that women have when having a baby. why did the mandate survive even in this form with the external sonogram requirement? >> well, the mandate is really a

representative elijah cummings will present ffderal grants to two affordable housing groups in baltimore.neighborhood of baltimore pill recieve more than 220-thousand dollarss..and saint ambrose housing aid center will recieve 150- thousand.both organizations will help homebuyters and homewoners facing forclosure pi the city. an annapolis couple's cruise getaway turns into a nightmare. nightmare.the grube'ssay they left baltimore on royal caribben cruise on saaurday... on a broken boat... headed towaads a huge storm. lisa the "enchaatmmnt of the sea" &pwith a broken propeller in th middle of a huge storm. grube says battling 20 foot wavee, they barely made it to port canveral in florida. the destination was the bahamas... out of fear. 3 3"it was aamost if, they shut the door and decided to tell us by the way, this shippis dis" disabled""based on the information we had, and thh experience we had so far, we didn't believe it would ake it" it"we contacted royal caribbban several times for heard back. all tto thousand people on the ship were refunded their money. the eyes of the natiin will be on cafe ho

also today, elijah cummings hosting a forum on dental health care, expansion that children have goodthat happened years ago. we will let you know how it goes and what happens. back to good morning america, have a great day. ♪ >>> ooh, they're having the popcorn. i'm surprised we left any. we were chowing here. kudos to our crew. this is our homage to "the artist." starring winston, the dog. >> he's back up in the dressing room now, enjoying it again. a little more mayhem. he was fantastic. thank you. >>> we're looking forward to sunday night. >> i am, too. >> you're going to be back on that red carpet. >> wow. hello! >> we have to ask you again, now that we saw the dress. >> i'm not wearing that dress. i loved it. i'll be bringing a dress with me. >> closing in? >> very close. >> don't give it up. >> i can tell you. saw it. >> saw it. >> all right. well, while you're discussing the dress -- >>> they gave you up. >> i have to tell america the truth. >> zow! >> thank you. >> you could go running. a great workout. it kills your knees. if you want to get back out there on the road, we'll

elijah cummings from maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. cummings: i'm very pleased we are extending the payroll tax cut through the end of the year which is essential to support our continued economic recovery. i'm also pleased we are providing unemployment benefits to ensure the millions of americans have access to benefits they so urgently need and that we are implementing the doc fix to ensure that seniors who are on medicare can continue to see the physicians of their choice. that said, there are a number of provisions in this agreement that deeply disappoint me. for example, this agreement will reduce by 30 weeks the maximum number of weeks of unemployment insurance available to residents of states with average unemployment rates, while the unemployment picture is certainly improving in january with the creation of 243,000 jobs, and a reduction in the unemployment rate of 8.3%, there's still 12.8 million people unemployed in this nation and

ranking member on the government reform committee of the house of representatives, congressman elijah cummings, a senior member of the committee, congresswoman carolyn maloney and congresswoman eleanor holmes norton. we are gathered here today with a very special guest, ms. sandra fluke. first, i want to say that the purpose of this meeting is one that i wish that did not exist. i wish in the hearing that was held last week, the republican majority on the house oversight and government reform committee would have heard from sandra fluke instead of hearing a panel of five men. our colleague, congresswoman malachy put it best, asking where are the women. in this debate, nothing could be more critical than hearing the voices of our nation's women and democrats are prepared to hear from a single witness today, are georgetown law student sandra fluke to disappear -- to be before our committee. she was summoned before the paddle -- before the panel that was summoned last week but the republicans did not want to hear from her. we do today. we are proud to bring sandra before our steering and policy c

distinguished gentleman from maryland, the ranking member of oversight and government reform, elijah cummings, two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for two minutes. mr. cummings: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank the gentleman for yielding. i want to thank ms. slaughter and mr. walz for your tremendous work. i stand here and urge our members to support this bill, but certainly i have my concerns. the house republicans stripped out of a bipartisan bill that passed the senate overwhelmingly key provision that is were supported by democrats and republicans alike. senator grassley and senator from iowa who i worked with quite a bit as ranking member was among the first who criticized their actions. and after they stripped out his provisions to require greater transparency over so-called political intelligence, consultant senator grassley said and has been said again and again and i think it needs to be plated in the d.n.a. of every cell of our brains it's astonishing, these are his words, and extremely disappointing the house would fulfill wall s

distinguished gentleman from maryland, the ranking member of oversight and government reform, elijah cummingstwo minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized forwo minutes. mr. cummings: thank you, madam speaker. i want to thank the gentleman for yielding. i want to thank ms. slaughter and mr. walz for your tremendous work. i stand here and urge our members to support this bill, but certainly i have my concerns. the house republicans stripped out of a bipartisan bill th passed the senate erwhelmingly key provision that is were supported by democrats and republicans alike. senator grassley and senator from iowa who i worked with quite a bit as ranking member was among the first who criticized their actions. and after they stripped out his provisions to require greater transparency over so-called political intelligence, consultant senator grassley said and has been said again and again and i think it needs to be plated in the d.n.a. of every cell of our brains it's astonishing, these are his words, and extremely disappointing the house would fulfill wall street's

but i believe congressman elijah cummings was holding the hearing and chairing the hearing.e feeling there? were there both sides represented? were there both sides open and willing to hear all points of view? >> i think the panel of religious leaders followed by a second very distinguished panel, i think, really drove home the religious liberty aspect of this. there were complaints, of course, that the panel, that the minority view was not represented and there were discussions about arcane rules and i was sort of amused to find -- to listen to those discussions about the arcane rules but i was happy to be there in order to defend religious liberty. >> bishop, originally, the -- kathleen came out and softened their stance with regard to catholic bishops and charities and universities. do you think they were listening? if they were listening, do you think they may further soften their stance on the requirement, the mandate for catholic charities and institutions, hospitals and universities to provide health -- contraceptives? >> i think it's -- the mandate itself is the prob

elijah cummings from maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. cummings: i'm very pleased we are extending the payroll tax cut through the end of the year which is essential to support our continued economic recovery. i'm also pleased we are providing unemployment benefits to ensure the millions of americans have access to benefits they so urgently need and that we are implementing the doc fix to ensure that seniors who are on medicare can continue to see the psicians of thr choice. that said, there are a number of provisions in this agreement that deeply disappoint me. for example, this agreement will reduce by 30 weeks the maximum number of weeks of unemployment insurance available to residents of states with average unemployment rates, while the unemployment picture is certaiy improving in january with the creation of 243,000 jobs, and a reduction in the unemployment rate of 8.3%, there's still 12.8 million people unemployed in this nation and milli

ranking member on the government reform committee of the house of representatives, congressman elijah cummings, a senior member of the committee, congresswoman carolyn maloney and congresswoman eleanor holmes norton. we are gathered here today with a very special guest, ms. sandra fluke. first, i want to say that the purpose of this meeting is one that i wish that did not exist. i wish in the hearing that was held last week, the republican majority on the house oversight and government reform committee would have heard from sandra fluke instead of hearing a panel of five men. our colleague, congresswoman malachy put it best, asking where are the women? in this debate, nothing could be more critical than hearing the voices of our nation's women and democrats are prepared to hear from a single witness today, are georgetown law student sandra fluke to be before our committee. she was summoned before the panel that was summoned last week but the republicans did not want to hear from her. we do today. we are proud to bring sandra before our steering and policy committee to deliver the testimony she

ranking member on the government reform committee of the house of representatives, congressman elijah cummingsnior member of the committee, congresswoman carolyn maloney and congresswoman eleanor holmes norton. we are gathered here today with a very special guest, ms. sandra fluke. first, i want to say that the purpose of this meeting is one that i wish that did not exist. i wish in the hearing that was held last week, the republican majority on the house oversight and government reform committee would have heard from sandra fluke instead of hearing a panel of five men. our colleague, congresswoman malachy put it best, asking where are the women. in this debate, nothing could be more critical than hearing the voices of our nation's women and democrats are prepared to hear from a single witness today, are georgetown law student sandra fluke to disappear -- to be before our committee. she was summoned before the paddle -- before the panel that was summoned last week but the republicans did not want to hear from her. we do today. we are proud to bring sandra before our steering and policy committ

elijah cummings from maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for a minute and a half. mr. cummings: i'm very pleased we are extending the payroll tax cut through the end of the year which is essential to support our continued economic recovery. i'm also pleased we are providing unemployment benefits to ensure the millions of americans have access to benefits they so urgently need and that we are implementing the doc fix to ensure that seniors who are on medicare can continue to see the physicians of their choice. that said, there are a number of provisions in this agreement that deeply disappoint me. for example, this agreement will reduce by 30 weeks the maximum number of weeks of unemployment insurance available to residents of states with average unemployment rates, while the unemployment picture is certainly improving in january with the creation of 243,000 jobs, and a reduction in the unemployment rate of 8.3%, there's still 12.8 million people unemployed in this nation and