inouye: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. inouye: i rise today -- the presiding officer: tbher a quorum call. mr. inouye: oh, mr. president. i'm sorry. i ask that the quorum call be rescinded. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. inouye: mr. president irng rise today to recognize my chief of staff, dr. patrick deleone, who has helped me to serve the people of hawaii and our nation for 38 years. dr. deleone is retiring. when he leaves -- but he leaves behind him a legacy of work that has greatly improved the lives of many of our citizens in hawaii, particularly native hawaiians, while advancing the professional circumstances of doctors, nurses, and psychologists. after joining my staff in august of 1973, as an psychologist and attorney, he directed my office to create and refine health and education policy, and in the later years he would also serve as chief of staff of my washington office. pat helped to shepherd legislation related to native hawaiians, i

first, though, mike inouye is following a serious situation, a really bad place to be jammed up thisng, right, mikey? >> especially right now as the commute is just building. folks are coming in building off the bay bridge. that's where we have this huge accident and fire which, as i understand it, the tanker fire is actually out and that's great news because this is a tanker with two trailers carrying gas. this would be a huge potential for more problems. the fire sounds like it's out. injuries at the scene, still a full closure for 101 between i-80 and cesar chavez itself. all the flashing lights obviously a distraction for folks on the opposite side of the freeway. avoid the entire area if you can. we'll take you back to the maps. this is at 101, van ness, cesar chavez and bay bridge coming to the interchange right there. 280 is clear, but avoid that portion of the city if you can and jump on a little further south. the rest of the commute building for antioch, usual suspects kicking off now. that's a little lighter. >>> here is fun news. niemann marcus releasing the latest book o

there's mike inouye. i can't keep him off that organ. a little on the chilly side. probably want to bring a snuggy to put over the kids between houses. and take you to the seven-day forecast. a chance of rain next thursday. if anything very light activity in the north bay. we'll keep watching the area of low pressure for you. >> watching the slow down. it's friday. we expect a lighter volume of traffic. i told you about the disabled rig. choppers overseas. still trying to lift it off the roadway. this is northbound 238 at the southbound 280 interchange. there's the offramp that you're looking at. that's an issue. and the light just went on. we'll take you back to the map. that's the reason for the slowdown off the y on 880. now to the south bay. let's get a look at that. the speed sensors here, not a problem. volume of traffic shows you it's picking up. >> thank you very much. commuters are one step closer to more car pool and toll lanes. they gave approval to a plan to create 290 more miles of road tolls. >>> it is 6:19. supporters of medical marijuana are suing er

mike inouye is playing the organ. you want to keep a nice jacket handy to put them ongoing from house to house. 58 degrees at 9:00 p.m. as trick or treating comes to a close. no major changes in the forecast. nice and comfortable. more fog sunday into monday. let's check the drive with mike now that he's done. >> you're welcome. it was tough to get over here in time. catch my breath. that's all right. you have time for the south bay. let me get out of your way. let's look at the speed sensors. center of your screen, southbound 880 is the construction stretching down towards 280. closer to 6:00 we'll see road crews moving around. 101 is equally clear. other side is 880 past the coliseum. nice volume around high street to the bay bridge toll plaza. the toll plaza is a light volume of traffic. for folks heading into stty, just a few cars lining up. critical mass gathers at jus tin herman plaza at 6:00 p.m. >> thank you very much. a congressional committee investigating solyndra going to the top. they plan to hear testimo

mike inouye. i'm sure there's a lot happening out there. 6:57. a lot of traffic.ery slow all the we down to sunol and fremont. the volume of traffic expecting speeds into the 40s by the expre expresslane. >>> coming up next t latest on the devastating earthquake in turkey. >>> and the woman prince harry has been seen hanging out with in california. >> hello, harry. thanks for joining us this morning. we'll be back at 7:25 with local news update. traffic and weather included there as well.

mike inouye on the green screen. >> right here reporting for duty. construction still going on at 880. suddenly slowing on the southbound side of 880. so far the volume of traffic doesn't indicate we should have it. perhaps we have the crew moving. also another crew in town, the sharks playing. a lot of a shark fans and a lot of duck supporters as well. 101, the construction at university and in between it's cleared up as well no problems on or off of the bridge. the golden gate bridge, some of the fog is creeping in. visibility may be a problem to this spot here. 880 and the volume of traffic is what we're concerned with. that's starting to pick up. southbound with the headlights, that's where we see a bump over the next 10 minutes. back to you. >> all right, mike. when you think of the storied 49ers franchise, a few key moments may come to mind. the catch, for example. how can you not? or all the fantastic super bowl victories. >> now there's possiblily another moment you might be adding to the list. the handshake. after the game a thrilling victor

let's check your drive once more with mike inouye. >> our chopper found the accident. motorcycle down. the driver is on the roadway but talking to someone assisting there. an ambulance is ash rooifing now. upper deck is slammed from the harrison exit across treasure island and back to the toll plaza. it is going to be a tough drive right now. plan an alternate. no delays reported for the b.a.r.t. system so far. back to you. >> thank you for the update, mike. >>> the clash between oakland police and occupy protesters getting national attention. coverage will continue on "today." >>> also this couple right here decided not to let a massive sandstorm get in the way of their wedding. the guy was very much in love or too squared to call eight off. >> what about her? thanks for joining us. we'll be back at 7:25.

first let's get you out the door with mike inouye. >> we're looking at the bay bridge. a disabled vehicle in the upper deck towards treasure island. it doesn't give details about any lanes blocked. they're heading out there to help this person on the san francisco side. meanwhile, no slowing across the bay on the upper or lower deck. construction in berkeley. we'll tell you about that coming up. >>> oakland's occupy movement back in full force in front of city hall. they are not interested in what city leaders have to say. mayor quan shouted down by free speech activists after she claims she was invited to speak. quan walked out a side door hoping to avoid cameras. >> can you stop the car? >> released a written letter to protesters. she also posted an iphone video saying she hopes to engage in a peaceful conversation and address health and safety issues. occupiers made it clear they are no longer listening. occupy san francisco's camp undisturbed. police are still monitoring the situation closely. keeping out an eye for safety and sanitation concerns. things are relativ

let's check your drive with mike inouy inouye. >> we think we could see a clash in the east bay. occupy protesters and police appear to be on a collision course. christie smith is live in oakland. the city issued a second order to clear the camp if they don't leave. we are seeing police cars on the move from up above. tell us the latest. i can tell you there's a nervousness and attention building out here this morning at occupy oakland. clearly the people who have been camped out here are aware, they seem to be, that police are coming. we're hearing after getting eviction notice from the city last thursday, they're poised to say but we're seeing that people are setting up palettes around the entire tent area and moving dumpsters in anticipation. one person said she saw chp officers out here early driving around. at this point we haven't seen any police officers. i can tell you this started way back on october 10th. then last week the city gave them notice that this movement, occupy oakland with more than 150 tents, a kitchen, a library, a child center would have to go. but they s

mike inouye has more on the commanding presence the president will have on the city streets. >> yeah. the commander in chief will definitely command the roads in san francisco this morning. mostly in the south market area near the w hotel. interesting. in about 15 minutes, streets in the area will close. northbound 3rd from fulton to mission and the intersection of 3rd and howard. that's going to affect most of the drivers heading off the bay bridge up toward market. street closures will be in effect until 11:30 this morning and 4:00 tonight. you might want it change your route if you're heading out the door for your lunch break. marla, over to you. >> mike, thanks. >>> in other news now, the pregnant woman accused of killing east bay nursing student michelle le and dumping her body is scheduled back in court this morning. michelle esteban is asking for permission to fire her current attorney sbb assigned a new court-appointed lawyer. esteban was to enter a plea yesterday but the hearing was postponed until a judge could rule on that request. the 27-year-old is charged with murdering

that's why we have mike inouye to fill us in on that part of the story. >> mike, great news about the potential of a couple of lanes to clear in the next 15 minutes or so and good news that somebody stepped up during that whole process. looking at video -- i'm going to show you, just about 6:30 this morning. this is the problem it causes, shutting down 101, just before the bay bridge, causing a solid backup before you got to treasure island we saw flowing off the incline. disrupted the morning commute because of that accident right there. bob will show you the cleanup on the scene. let's head back to the maps. currently, where i circled there in the westbound direction, slow approaching the scene. we also had a good amount of slowing at the top of your screen, richmond/san rafael brinl, fol bridge, folks using that as an alternate. social media, in part, to thank for this. twitter, facebook, they got the word out and said these are options. they're just slower as you head through the city. another 15 to 20 minutes maybe for two more lanes -- two lanes period, i'm sorry, to reopen. for

mike inouye and myself always watching that this morning. 53 in santa cruz. you're 56 in livermore.p up to 63 degrees. staying nice and mild. then we round out the day with the 70s, upper 70s in the warmest city across the bay. no 80s just yet. 72 in santa cruz. i'll have the seven day outlook. first we have to get to work. how, mike, how does it look? >> not enjoyable. this is the latest from chp. now down to only one lane blocked. we had two lanes blocked until just a few minutes ago by this motorcycle accident at treasure island. look at this. we have slowing already. then through san pablo and richmond. building down the east shore freeway and across into the city. out of the city, a new accident reported for the lower deck approach at 7th. bart, no delays there. mike, thank you very much. >> the time is 6:40. still to come on "today in the bay." the latest from washington" about unconfirmed reports moammar gadhafi is dea [ mom ] hey guys. guys... [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon are an irresistible sunday morning idea. nothing calls them to t

first let's get you out the front door with mike inouye. >> we have a new accident affecting folks up the peninsula to san francisco. there's an accident there involving a town car and a gar back truck. no word on the extent of injuries or how long it might take to clear. we'll trauk this carefully as the commute and the bay bridge. it is 6:01 right now. overnight san jose's homicide count rose by one after another deadly shooting. this comes just hours before an important news conference at police headquarters to address all the recent violence. marla tellez is live in the police department. she joins us with more. good morning, marla. >> reporter: laura, good morning. it's like deja vu. we just coverd this story yesterday. talking about the rise in homicides as well as officer-involved shootings for the city of san jose. today the police chief for the department will address the duringing trend. last night's shooting involved an 18-year-old who was shot to death. this morning the crime scene tape is gone. but a cleaner was there scrubbing the blood away. police say a 911 call came i

and if you're doing so right now; mike inouye has a couple of things to tell you about. >> this is the map i wanted to show you a few minutes ago. an accident between a pickup truck and a bicyclist. this are injuries to the bicyclist. from what it sounds like, we're still waiting for more details, but this is affecting port chicago highway at willow pass road. that means a major intersection in the area off 242. the slowing is also in the area for antioch westbound highway 4. that kicked off on schedule just before 5:30. there's your build for the bay area in the outer most regions. here's a look at sunol and 680. taillights around the bend into the south bay. no major slowing here in to fremont. but it's building as far as the volume goes here as well as the bay bridge. let's get a shot at this. now filling in all lanes. meters lights will be turned on in about half an hour. >> pretty look out there. 5:38. the latest on efforts to rescue an injured hawk. we'll have good news coming up. >>> the mayor of san francisco is accused of cheating. a number of his opponents calling this mornin

mike inouye, why did the skeleton not cross the road?n't have the guts. >> start off with a groaner this morning. another issue here. the san mateo bridge eastbound. there's a stall reported over the high-rise. the speed sensors show you no major disruptions to the flow of course traffic. >> it's 5:30. plechbty of kids are getting costumes of you this morning. good morning, marla. >> laura, good morning. halloween is always a fun time for kids. can be very worrisome, though, if you're a parent. we are in front of the san francisco parole office on 12th street. this is where high ranking state officials also the mayor of san francisco will be meeting to talk about a new program designed to keep your kids safe on this halloween. it's all part of operation boo. that's the name of it. up until this point it's basically forced sex offenders in california to stay inside on halloween. it restricts them from handing out candy and halloween registrations. operation boo has a plan for them. they are to report to transient sex offender roundup cent

let's check you drive with mike inouye. >> the heaterring lights turn on at 6:20. look at that, including past west grand avenue. slowing there. a note back to the desk. i got an update that the 12th street system has reopened. vumt of the protesters. >> yes, speaking of protesters right now. oakland protest are are gone right now. they move to close occupy oakland. bob redell has moved to snow plaza. what's happening over tl? >> good morning to you, jon. you can see if you look up there to the right, police have that intersection. that's 19th and harrison blocked off. 10 to 15 protesters in here. it's hard to see in the dark. police came in 15 or 20 minutes ago and removed these protesters as well. farce the situation here goes at snow park, officers tell me it's secure. it's a matter of taking the protesters out of here and perhaps doing a clean up of the snow park. contrast this to what took place two hours ago where there was overwhelming force. one has been set up for two weeks now within 30 to 45 minutes. what was noteworthy is how smooth the process was. one

you can say inouye that he was destined to write the edgar award what -- award-winning manhunt, a version that it is based. manhunt was listed in 2006 as one of the 10 best books of the year in and cited in "newsweek" as one of the two nonfiction and crime books ever written. his latest book, said "bloody crimes" the funeral of abraham lincoln and the chase for jefferson davis" is another thriller. it weaves together in ridding fashion, the jefferson davis and in the aftermath of the session eight -- assassination the 20 day rolling terrain funeral bringing his body back to spring ploy build. is 1600-mile journey. he has a degree in history it was sought by the eminent historian john franklin with a law degree from ucla and has worked in think tanks and in the government here in washington and has written for the "wall street journal", "l.a. times", smithsonian magazine , and active with the ford's theatre and the abraham lincoln bicentennial commission. but what i learned classmates at a celebration for the authors and chatty with them made me like him even more. james swanson and talkin

that is where my generation has been very fortunate inouye. very paradoxical but fortunate for the young people to have a clear enemy. we know who to fight and those who give up the fight many of the frenchmen did not injure the resistance but those who did knew the cause. i wonder if that is not what is lacking now in this country. who is responsible at the responsibility lies with the president of the that is not a very popular fight. it seems to me it is of a lack of getting together in order to bring the kind of change that they feel is needed. i have no explanation but my feeling is, they're great american and movement is the movement to four word and the new frontier, the newnt deal that is something to my mind that gave enthusiasm to the americans and also of the world now there is a lack that it seems to me, a lack of aid.me -- name. what do you do? what do you want? what do we want? do you know, why? that is the message of my book. let's speak about the message of my middle book that makes it sell more. [laughter] that message is to s

inouye: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. inouye: mr.sident, i -- mr. akaka: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. akaka: mr. president, i rise today to introduce the stand against violence and empower native women, save native women act. i would like to thank the quoa sponsors of my -- the cosponsors of my bill, my good friends, senators inouye, murray, udall of new mexico, begich, franken, johnson of south dakota, baucus, tester, and bingaman. mr. president, native women across the country suffer from severe threats to their safety. according to a safety study by the department of justice, two in five girls and women in native communities will suffer domestic violence, and one in three will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. can you imagine looking through the loving eyes of your daughter, sister or mother and know that one of them will probably be abused in their lifetime? this is the terrible reality of life for native women and their families across the country. it is an epidemic. it is unacceptabl

. >> host: you talk about how inouye, sweden, some of those scandinavian democracies have emerged nowy pretty much because it is an oppressive society. but you don't have to go too far away from the studio to find good americans who would say that to have a single payer health care is in itself a tyranny. it depends how you define your liberties. >> host: would he recognize that as -- >> guest: yes, he did, and hayek actually had a slight hint at this. he never addressed to the public and if he were here it would be very interesting to hear what he had to say, because he said the look on the scandinavian countries look on the tranquil,,, civilized sort of places they are actually full of people in the turmoil which turns out of having the market choices removed from them by the government that's why >> host: this has left you sort of dumfounded for awhile. on that note, let's take a short break. >> "after >> host: so today we talk about the hayekian goal and the keynesian goal and one could easily make the mistake of thinking that those schools just rose faster than the people of my e

we're going to check the morning commute with mike inouye right now.nd follow the continuing saga of the closure for southbound 101. two trailers have overturned, just been righted or the second one is about to be righted. hopefully, we'll have a are report from bob redell who is on the scene and giving me updates. slowdowns getting into the city, very slow across the bay bridge from the san francisco side. here 880 moves slowly up toward the downtown area as well. a new accident at 5th which you'll have to contend with as well. problems on both sides of the bay. big! big, big. big big big big? big big big big big. big big...big. ♪ big big big -big. -big! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ big big big -big big. -big! -big -big! -♪ big -big. -big big big. big big big. big big big. small. big big big big. small! [ male announcer ] the space-saving, eco-friendly, totally unique smart. unbig. uncar. ♪ >>> traffic is still backed up from a major crash, involving a semi and several cars. let's check in with bob redell at the scene with the very latest. >> reporter: g

let's check your drive with mike inouye. >>> it's been a tough morning. bay area morning news on facebook and nd i will be along for today in the bay as well tomorrow morning. >>> we're back with more "today" on this winesday, wednesday. ready to play "who knew?" we're about to get a little tricky. kathie lee, of course, is across the street at the nbc experience store ready to hand out 100 bucks to those who answer the questions right. to those who don't, well, they get her cd. okay. linda pierce is here to help me out. "family circle" magazine's editor in chief. you've got some good questions on here. >> i think we'll trick people. >> this couple is from canada. they call it newfoundland. not newfoundland. they were very, very harsh about that. what percentage of adults in the u.s. dress up on halloween? 21%? 35%? 50%? 79%? >> i'd say 35? >> oh, no. no, no. hard to get this in canada. you're going to enjoy that. >> all right. so the correct answer is half. 50%. >> a lot, right? it seems like more and more adults get into it every single year. in fact, a

let's check your drive with mike inouye. >> we have an alert. a major accident.en a half an hour since it was declared. northbound 101 all the lanes are closed. all the way back. now monterey highway is just jammed up right. city streets getting over there. we still don't have the loader to remove the scrap metal off the joer turned roverturned rig. back to you, laura. >> it's a tough one out there. we'll check baa with you. another local update in half an hour. >>> 7:30 now on a monday morning, the 24th of october, 2011, as you can see our crowd a little bit bundled up this morning as temperatures dip just a bit. shouldn't be too bad out there. we'll go outside and say hi in a couple of minutes. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie who is here while ann is taking a couple of days off. >>> just ahead a weekend wedding for the oldest daughter of the late elizabeth edwards and former senator john edwards. how elizabeth was honored at that ceremony and what john had to do just to walk his daughter down the aisle. >>> also ahead looks like prin

burr 890, demint 763, inouye 918, ayotte 753, crapo 814, kyl as modified with changes at the desk. lee motion to recommit. that there be no amendments or points of order tkpwaepbs of the amendments -- against amendments prior to the votes other than the budget points of order. that the vitter and menendez, sessions, paul, ayotte, crapo and coleman amendments be subject to a 60-vote affirmative threshold. all after the first vote be ten-minute votes. the remaining coburn amendments be withdrawn with the exception of amendment 801, that no other motions or amendments be in order to the bill, the senate proceed to the cloture vote on the substitute amendment 738 as amend. if cloture is invoked, the substitute amendment be considered as read as agreed to. the majority leader be recognized to raise points of order against any pending nongermane amendments. if cloture is invoked the senate resume consideration of the bill on 4:00 p.m. monday, october 31 and proceed to skwrer mainly pending amendments -- germane pending amendments. in addition to germane amendments the bill as amended be

brown of ohio, schumer franken shaheen, hagan casey durbin, blumenthal conrad, whitehouse, harkin and inouye. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the amendment under quorum call rule 2 be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to a period of morning business, senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to executive session and consider calendar number 361. the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table with no intervening action or debate, that no further motions be in order to the nomination, that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the record, that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action and the senate then resume legislative session. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 361 francis joseph rigadone jr. of massachusetts, a career member to be ambassador of the united states of america to the republic of turkey. the

inouye, proposes an amendment numbered 738. mr. reid: i ask further reading of the amendment be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from wisconsin. mr. kohl: mr. president, i'm pleased today to introduce the 2012 agriculture appropriations bill. this is a very austere measure. almost every category of funding is lower than last year, and much lower than the year before. setting aside disaster and security items that we dealt with in debt limit negotiations, discretionary spending in this bill is $200 million below 2011, and compared to 2010, it is $3.2 billion lower. that is equal to a 15% reduction compared to 2010. in total, discretionary spending is $20.046 billion. that figure includes nearly $300 million in disaster relief for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts and other natural disasters. all together, discretionary spending is nearly $2 billion below the president's request and is consistent with our 302-b allocation. to achieve savings and devel

inouye, president pro tempore. mr. mcconnell: madam president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: no. mr. mcconnell: madam president, i just want to make a couple of observations this morning about what's going on in washington at the moment and what isn't. what's going on is the democrats are obsessed for some reason with raising taxes. that's the only possible way to explain their latest idea to impose a permanent tax hike on about 300 u.s. businesses, business owners, and then use the money to bail out cities and states that can't pay their bills. that's the proposal we'll be voting on, apparently, tomorrow. now, i don't know if our friends on the other side have noticed, but washington can't pay its own bills right now. think about it. the federal government spent $3.6 trillion last fiscal year, a new all-time record, and in the wake of the single largest spending year in history, democrats want to put together another bailout. add up the projected deficits of all 50 states this year and you get $103 billion. that's all 50 states' deficits added up. well

inouye, president pro tempore. rye reid mr. president? the presiding officer: the distinguished majority leader. mr. reid: thank you, mr. president. i have the rare opportunity today to introduce and say a few words about the gest chaplain. -- about the guest chaplain. reverend chaney has just delivered, as usual, an eloquent invocation. reverend chaney is originally from south carolina, but for the last two years has led his flock at the second baptist church in las vegas, one of the older, extremely well-established, large churches in las vegas, nevada. he's a man who's involved in the community, very, very deeply. he serves on the board of the urban league and the naacp, but in addition to his service in the spiritual line, he's also served as a patriot in our nation's armed services. he has served in the navy for four years, as has our chaplain, barry black, both naval officers, and recently retired as chaplain of the united states air force reserve at necessarily is air force base. i've met with reverend chaney under very unique circ

inouye, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: mr. president.pect roll call votes around 2:00 p.m. in relation to these skwroplgss. there is a -- nominations. there is a joint meeting in congress today at 4:00 p.m. senators will meet on the floor at 3:30 to proceed to the house. we'll do that together. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that nathan engle, a fellow in my office, be granted floor privileges for the duration of consideration of h.r. 28012, the agriculture appropriations bill. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: later today the senate will have an opportunity to hear from south korean president lee, and i know we look forward to it. south korea is a stalwart ally that

inouye, president pro tempore. mr. reid: i note the absence of a quorum, madam president. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. reid: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be terminated. officer without objection. mr. reid: following morning business, the senate will be in morning business for an hour. the republicans will control the first half, the majority will control the second half. following that the senate will resume consideration of s. 1619. cloture was filed on the bill last night. as a result, filing deadline for first-degree amendments is 1:00 p.m. today. unless agreement is reached, a cloture vote on the bill will occur tomorrow morning. the republican leader and i have had a number of discussions and we'll decide if there will be amendments on the china trade. it is my understanding that both democrats and republicans want to offer some amendments, and certainly we can do that, even though there's a cloture petition having been filed. madam president, franklin roosevelt said that no man can truly be fre

and inouye they can adjust to change but the key is to start.g benefits and much more intensely and how much should they pay? that is a real step. you just have to start moving toward the medicare program that said we provide you with enough to obtain adequate health care when you retire but not the on limited, congressmen right-hand took the first major step in that direction. he is a very courageous man but we know the profits are taken in their age but then later we see why they are right. hopefully members of congress will listen. if you start to make adjustments slowly, you can get there. if you're in denial the will get those changes but it will look more like greece. we don't want that. we don't have to do that but we have to get real. that is rarely find members of congress and the reality is beginning to break out. >> the argument to the left for it to become more obvious is radicalizing but they have argued the modern state, the problems that we have is inevitable. the wave of the future. "this is it." trying to convince you there is n

inouye, president pro tempore. mr. reid: madam president? the presiding officer: majority leader.mr. reid: following leader remarks, the senate will be in consideration of the free trade agreements. there are three of them. there will be up to 12 hours of debate on these matters. the senate will have their normal recess from 12:30 to 2:15 today for our caucus meetings. expect to yield back some of the time. i certainly hope so, on the trade agreements. although people can speak as much as they want on these matters. but we are going to complete the action tonight, whether it's at 4:00 or at midnight. we will complete action on these bills today. the house is waiting our action. madam president, h.r. 2681 is at the desk and due for a second reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bill for the second time. the clerk: h.r. 2681, an act to provide additional time for the administrator of the environmental protection agency to issue achievable standards for cement manufacturing facilities and for other purposes. mr. reid: i would object to any further proce

inouye, president pro tempore. mr. durbin: mr. president.the presiding officer: the majority whip is recognized. mr. durbin: following leader remarks, the senate will resume consideration of h.r. 2112. at noon there will be three health care votes. the first will be on the confirmation of heather higginbottom to be deputy director of the office of management and budget. the filing deadline for first-degree amendments to the substitute amendment and h.r. 2112 is 1:00 p.m. today. there will be another series of up to four roll call votes at approximately 2:00 p.m. in relation to additional amendments to the bill. further roll call votes are expected during today's session in order to complete action on the bill. we also hope to vote on the confirmation of the nomination of john bryson to be commerce secretary as well today. additionally, cloture was filed on the motions to proceed to s. 1723 and s. 1726, and if no agreement is reached, those cloture votes will occur on friday. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: under the previous

i remember daniel inouye, the best bridge player in the hospital in battle creek michigan he weighed 93 pounds, he since put on a pound or two. [laughter] but he was a very close friend of mine and we both came to congress about the same time. in fact he tells the story i told him in the hospital that we both want to run for congress and i'm not sure i ever said that, but it's all right with him it's all right with me. [laughter] but he got there before -- anyway, and then the chance to replace senator carlson who was one of the most decent men you will have ever met during his lifetime in kansas and they are honoring him i think next week. some special program for senator frank carlson. he sort of decided -- i think pat helped him out a little bit -- that i should be the republican candidate. and so i was the republican candidate and was elected and served five terms, something like that. [laughter] left the senate voluntarily, but i didn't leave politics voluntarily. [laughter] i kept asking i said i think there should be recount. [laughter] i kind of fuel in some of those states i

inouye, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned until 3:00 p.m. on monday, october 31, >> back now to testimony from secretary of state hillary clinton before the house foreign affairs committee this weekend. she is talking about her recent trips to afghanistan and pakistan. >> we know that they have done it. of those, there seems to be both a weirryness with fighting and a recognition that the path that the taliban had been on was not the right path. this is part of the testing process that we have to be engaged in and i think that the, the hard reality is until we really put it to them in some kind of afghan-led negotiation nobody will be able to gauge that. we have followed some intelligence threads which suggest that there is a debate going on within the about, for example, letting girls go to school which is something that would seem to me to be absolutely a condition. so i think you're asking the right question. i'm just not yet at the stage of how t

inouye, president pro tempore. mr. reid: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. reid: following any leader remarks, the senate will be in a period of morning business for one hour. the majority will control the first half, republicans the second half. following that morning business, the senate will resume consideration of h.r. 2112. the senate will recess from 12:30 until 2:15 p.m. today for our weekly caucus meetings. we'll work on an agreement with respect to pending amendments to the appropriations bill that's now before the senate. we'll notify senators when votes are scheduled. i would hope that we can process some of the amendments that are now pending. it's my understanding senator mccain is coming today to offer a number of amendments. i look forward to working with senator mcconnell and others to move the process along as quickly as we can. there are five bills at the desk due for a second reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the bills for the second time. the clerk: h.r. 2250, an act to pro

let's check your drive with mike inou inouye. >>> 85 and union, an accident in the middle of the roadh. homecoming against university of hawaii. from actually about 1:00 -- actually, about noon, as there's a festival. sunol, no problem getting into or out of that area. still slow 680 north of the coliseum back into downtown. >> appreciate it, mike. check out nbc bay area morning news on facebook for the latest updates. ♪ >>> one week from today, boy, is this a special event. coldplay on the plaza. these guys went to the top of the charts for more than a dead kay, about to release a new album, a new hit single and going to hit our concert stage, coldplay, friday, october 23rd, live here on "today." get here early because the crowd is going to be huge. >> a lot of campouts. we might have to break out the concert t-shirts again for this one. i love them, my absolute favorite band. >> coming up in this half hour, one woman's inspirational story, three weeks after getting the great news she was pregnant, she breast cancer and now some 13 years later, she and her son are thriving and she's

let's check that drive with mike inouye. >> first check the rails. driving fine there.y had earlier problems near the bay fair station. that's all back online now. we have the sigalert which continues. only one lane westbound 92. out of foster city approaching 101. the accident at delaware. the earlier accident has cleared from willow. but the flow is still low as it just cleared a few minutes ago. slow served heading towards highway 84. the south bay starting to recovery nicely. >> for the latest traffic and news updates check out nbc bay area news on facebook. i'll be back in a half hour with joer local update. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hello, everybody. welcome to thirsty thursday, october 27th. we are sohappy you're with us today. >> hi, how are you? >> how you doing? >> we are both doing better than stephen tyler. >> we are. >> i met him once in a hotel lobby. he was the friendliest, sweetest guy. >> i interviewed him several years ago and he was drinking wheat grass and broccoli. he was in the shower. he's on tour. he said he had horrible f

. >> with our decision of the third of october, [unintelligible] inouye struggle to acquire your stateof freedom and independence. we also have committed to apply some commitments which are a rising from this paper that you already signed. there are 18 clauses which have to be upheld by your presidency. can you tell us more about this? >> certainly, we did not come here to say we accept this and reject that. we are ready to take on all the commitments here in this council to accept and to implement. on this occasion, we express our gratitude to you for accepting us as partners, but you'll find that we are among the countries of the world's most committed to human rights, pluralism, and democracy. >> mr. president, dear colleagues, we now conclude the questions to mr. abbas. may i thank you, mr. president, most warmly, for your communication and for the answers you have given to the questions. thank you so much. [applause] >> we will hold the next public meeting at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon. this meeting is adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copy

inouye, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr.s, the senate will be in a period of morning business until 3:30 today. at 3:30, the senate will begin consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 1619, which is the currency exchange rate oversight reform act. at 4:30, the senate will be in executive session to consider several judicial nominations. at 5:30 there will be two roll call votes. the first vote is on confirmation of menry flaid, south carolina, to be united states circuit judge for the fourth circuit. the other vote will be on a motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the currency exchange matter. mr. president, today the senate begins another very busy work period. i'm confident this work period will be productive. tonight the senate will vote, begin debate on legislation to curb china's unfair currency manipulation. i expect strong bipartisan support to move this legislation forward. there have been conversations between the bipartisan supporters of this legislation, the house of representatives, and the ad

inouye, president pro tempore. mr. reid: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader.r. reid: following leader remarks, the senate will be in morning business until 5:30 this evening. at 5:30 there will be three roll cal votes. the first will be confirmation of jane margaret triche-milazzo. that's a vote for a judge. we appreciate the cooperation we've gotten on that. the seconds will be on passage of 1619, china currency and the third will be on 1616, the american jobs act. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. the majority leader is still recognized. mr. corker: i would like to ask a question if i could. mr. reid: i'll be happy to yield to my friend for a question. mr. corker: mr. president, fall, i think most -- first of all, i think most people know to spend 995 days on the free trade agreements just coming to the floor, i had a good conversation with the majority leader and i thank him for his courtesy. but it's my understanding for all those who want to see the free trade agreements ratified prior to the time the south korea

president, i pose this question, and i look around this floor, with the exception of senator inouye, my dear friend from hawaii, nobody has served in this body longer than i have of the current membership. nobody. i keep hearing this talk about 60 votes. most votes you win by 51 votes. and this constant mantra of 60 votes, 60 votes, this is some new invention, i tell my friends based on my history. so my question to the majority leader, whether we were here with a democratic majority or a republican majority, does he remember a time when judges who were confirmed unanimously, every single republican, every single democrat voting for them out of committee would then sit on the calendar for three, four, five, staoeuplgs six months -- sometimes six months because there's not an agreement to vote on them without a 60-vote supermajority. i cannot remember any time in 37 years. i don't know if the majority leader recalls such a time. mr. reid: the senator from vermont has been here longer than i have, but he's absolutely right. i would also, mr. president, add this. the republican leader s

inouye, president pro tempore.: under the previous order, the senate stands in recess until 11:00 a.m. on thursday, october 11:00 a.m. on thursday, october >> our review which we issued last week, a report identified that weaknesses exist in key security patrols and each of the 24 major federal agencies and partners. >> sensitive personal and classified data stored by the federal government is at high risk of cyber attack. that is the finding of a just-released gao report. find out more of the gao head of information security issues tonight on "the communicators" at 8:00 eastern on c-span2. >> coming up in an hour and a half here on c-span2, president obama on the economy and home refinancing. since its creation in 2002, the department of homeland security has had three secretaries, tom ridge, michael chertoff and janet napolitano and earlier this month all of those spoke at george washington university about protecting the nation from terrorist attacks and natural disasters. this is an hour and a half. [laughter]

warner, a senator from the commonwealth of virginia to perform the duties of the chair signed daniel inouye. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate the previous order, the senate >> we will now take you back live to the state department hearing on the oil pipeline from canada through the u.s. >> i urge the president not to put this pipeline in. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much. we will submit this armband and you can do all you want. we will submit this for senator clinton president obama to join us and be pipeline fighters and the santa lovers and be ogallala aquifer lovers. we are depending on you. we are counting you. [applause] >> i'm here today as a citizen concerned about the future of my country and particularly about the world that my two and a half year-old niece will inherit the achieving the stories of people who have been surfing from and fighting to tar sands to government which is endangering their way of life as well as the fact that nafta scientist doctor james hansen has called development of the tar sands game over for the clever. i knew i

inouye proposes amendment 918 for mr. kyl proposes amendment numbered 912 as modified. dur discoure i believe the senate is ready to act on these -- mr. durbin: i believe the senate is ready to act on these amendments. the presiding officer: is there further debate? if not the question is on the amendments en bloc. all those in favor say aye. those opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the amendments are agreed to en bloc. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. the cantwell: madam president -- ms. cantwell: madam president in that en bloc group of amendments was an important amendment numbered 893 that was sponsored by my colleagues from the northwest. obviously myself, senator murray senator wyden senator merkley, senator boxer and senator feinstein. and we thought it was very important that this amendment pass tonight because scientists are calling it a disease emergency. that is, that the pacific northwest wild salmon might be threatened by a virus that has already decimated fish farm salmon from ar

president, i pose this question, and i look around this floor, with the exception of senator inouye, my dear friend from hawaii, nobody has served in this body longer than i have of the current membership. nobody. i keep hearing this talk about 60 votes. most votes you win by 51 votes. and this constant mantra of 60 votes, 60 votes, this is some new invention, i tell my friends based on my history. so my question to the majority leader, whether we were here with a democratic majority or a republican majority, does he remember a time when judges who were confirmed unanimously, every single republican, every single democrat voting for them out of committee would then sit on the calendar for three, four, five, staoeuplgs six months -- sometimes six months because there's not an agreement to vote on them without a 60-vote supermajority. i cannot remember any time in 37 years. i don't know if the majority leader recalls such a time. mr. reid: the senator from vermont has been here longer than i have, but he's absolutely right. i would also, mr. president, add this. the republican leader s

president, i pose this question, and i look around this floor, with the exception of senator inouye, my dear friend from hawaii, nobody has served in this body longer than i have of the current membership. nobody. i keep hearing this talk about 60 votes. most votes you win by 51 votes. and this constant mantra of 60 votes, 60 votes, this is some new invention, i tell my friends based on my history. so my question to the majority leader, whether we were here with a democratic majority or a republican majority, does he remember a time when judges who were confirmed unanimously, every single republican, every single democrat voting for them out of committee would then sit on the calendar for three, four, five, staoeuplgs six months -- sometimes six months because there's not an agreement to vote on them without a 60-vote supermajority. i cannot remember any time in 37 years. i don't know if the majority leader recalls such a time. mr. reid: the senator from vermont has been here longer than i have, but he's absolutely right. i would also, mr. president, add this. the republican leader s

inouye: and to urge my colleagues to continue in the current bipartisan spirit as we seek to work additional bills in the coming weeks. building on the progress we have made this week will make it less likely that we will be forced to resort to an omnibus or yearlong continuing resolution down the road. the bills we are considering are both bipartisan and fiscally responsible. senator kohl and senator blunt have worked together to produce an agriculture bill that is $2.2 billion below the president's request, and $141 million below the f.y. 2011 enacted level. senator mikulski and senator hutchison have managed a commerce-justice-science bill that is $5 billion below the president's request and $631 million below the f.y. 2012 enacted level. and senator murray and senator collins have crafted a transportation-housing bill that is $677 million below the president's request and $117 million below last year's. as noted by the leadership of the respective subcommittees, all three of these measures were approved by the full committee with overwhelming bipartisan support. these measures reflect th