to senator klobuchar. >> thaou very much, mr. chair. welcome back, judge. it's good to see you again. i enjoye our conveation and what i most remembered out that is that you confeed th you once brought winter parka to mnesotan june. i will not hold that against you this week. i know you have many friends and family ere, but it was really an honor for me to meet your mom. when president obama fst announced your nomination, i love t story about how your mo saved all her money to buy you and your brotr the first set of ecyclopedias in the ighborhood. itreminded meof when my mom bought us sig cloe paid areas. to me, they were the window of thworld. from the time you were 9 years old,your mom raised you and your brother o her ow she struggled touy those on her nue's salaryt she did itecse she believed deeply in the value of education. you wenton to be to in our class andgo to law hool. after that, you became a local prosecutor. most of my questions during this heing wi be about opinions u've authored and wrk that you've done in the cr

amy klobuchar is continuing to ask questions. the democratic senator from minnesota, of the supreme court nominee, sonia sotomayor. by the way, she's the senior senator from minnesota. the new junior senator from minnesota, al franken, he's slated to ask questions later today as well, so we'll have extensive coverage of all of that. >>> cnn.com is where you can see all of this uninterrupted, if you want. we'll take a quick break. i never thought it could happen to me... a heart attack at 53. i had felt fine. but turns out... my cholesterol and other risk factors... increased my chance of a heart attack. i should've done something. now, i trust my heart to lipitor. when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. unlike some other cholesterol lowering medications, lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk... of heart attack, stroke, and certain kinds of heart surgeries... in patients with several common risk factors... or heart disease. lipitor has been extensively studied... with over 16 years of research. lipitor

senator klobuchar also saying that her mother has been calling her saying when are these men going totalking because i would like to hear from you and senator feinstein who is brilliant what are you going to say? adding levity before this latest round of questioning, pretty interesting here. just a couple things i want to point out, chris about our coverage. we have note there had are 14 new haven firefighters here. they are here because frank richie, of course, is going to testify, as well as lieutenant vargas, so they are here in support of them t should be noted that very earlier this morning, judge sotomayor actually went over and greeted them, said thank you for them being here. of course, they are more the star witnesses for the republican side but nevertheless, she did acknowledge them and they are part of the scene here. chris? >> norah, thanks for that. back to amy klobuchar, of course, the senator from minnesota. >> which you have provided not only in this proceeding but you also provided it when you came before the senate for confirmation to the circuit court in 1997, 1998.

klobuchar: madam president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. klobuchar: i'm here today to speak about senator coleman who was my colleague for my first two years in the united states senate. as everyone knows, the minnesota supreme court issued its ruling on the outcome of last november's senate election. i, as i did this week, want to congratulate al franken for his hard-earned and long-awaited election victory. he has had a good first week in the senate and we all welcome him. but i did want to take this time to talk about norm coleman. first of all, after six months without having a second senator, senator coleman made a very difficult decision, and he did it with such grace. he could have appealed that decision. he could have gone to federal court. it was his right. but he made a decision which he felt was best for the state of minnesota, and the state thanks him for that. and i personally thank him for that. i wanted to talk a little bit about what norm coleman meant to me, what it meant to me

klobuchar talking about baseball was sort of the softest question you can get. they're trying to break down the caricature, but the strategy has not been we've heard your speeches, that's the real you. that didn't get you beyond more than half a day. >> well said. we'll be right back. arlen specter continues to question the nominee. we'll get to the exciting half hour off al franken coming up. gecko vo: you see, it's not just telling people geico could save 'em hundreds on car insurance. it's actually doing it. gecko vo: businessmen say "hard work equals success." well, you're looking at, arguably, the world's most successful businessgecko. gecko vo: first rule of "hard work equals success." gecko vo: that's why geico is consistently rated excellent or better in terms of financial strength. gecko vo: second rule: "don't steal a coworker's egg salad, 'specially if it's marked "the gecko." come on people. - hello! - ha! why don't you try a home cooked meal... with yummy hamburger helper? oh! tada! fantastically tasty, huh? ummm, it's good. what would you guys like

joining us now is minnesota's senior senator, amy klobuchar. you picking up anything in the cloak room or your side conversations away from the cameras that suggest that senator sotomayor is facing any sort of major trouble? >> hi, david, hi, tamron. no. i think she's been very solid today. you just never know for many people out there how someone's going to do when they're under the glare of those lights, being asked repeated questions. i think it was senator feinstein who said this is the best test of someone's temperament when they're poked at with questions. as senator graham noted, unless there was a meltdown, judge sotomayor is going to do well here. there's clearly not a meltdown. she's really been careful in her words. but very solid in how she answered the questions. s the command of the facts of cases, shows the command of the law. i think it's been impressive morning so far. and in the early afternoon here. >> what are you picking up if anything from some of your republican colleagues? are they saying anything to that extent, sort of

>> actually is a continuation of what explain to senator klobuchar. i had in the d.a.'s office realized that in the criminal law system we could not affect changes and opportunities for people, we were dealing with the discrete issue in applying the law to the situation at hand, that if there was going to be an increase of opportunity for all people that that had to involve an increase in economic opportunity and economic development for different communities and so that in combination with my desire to broaden my own personal understanding of as many aspects of what is i could, i decided that i should change my focus and concentrate on commercial matters rather than criminal matters. and also guided some of the, much of the pro bono work and did thereafter which also involves questions of finances and economic opportunities and so i served on the new york state mortgage board and the new york state mortgage office was involved in giving individuals affordable housing are loans for affordable housing. i was a board member of the new york city campaign finance board and

working with our fantastic senior senator amy klobuchar, i'm going to fight hard to make quality healthcare accessible and affordable to all of minnesota's. . . when you win an election is close, you know that not one bit of effort went to waste. i can only imagine how hard these past months have been. no matter whether you voted for me, for senator coleman, for senator berkeley, or whether you voted all, i want the people of minnesota to know that i am ready to work for all of you. i am committed to being a voice for all minnesotans in the u.s. senate. i know there is been a lot of talk about the fact that what i am sworn in, i will be the sixtieth member of the democratic caucus. that is not how i see it. the way i see it, i am not going to washington to be the sixtieth democratic senator, i'm going to washington to be the second senator from the state of minnesota, and that is how i am going to do this job. [applause] i promise to do my best, to work hard, to stand on principle what i believe i must, and yes, to compromise when i believe that that is in the best interest of the people of

klobuchar: madam president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. klobuchar: madam president, i ask to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. klobuchar: madam president, health care reform is a very personal matter for me, a personal matter for so many people in my state. i first got interested in this issue, as i think many of us did, after something happened to me when my daughter was born. she was born, she was very sick, she couldn't swallow. and back then the insurance companies had a rule that new moms ant and their babies were kicked out after it 4 hours. so after she was in intensive care, i was kicked out of the hospital in 24 hours. as my husband wheeled me out in the wheelchair, i remember thinking, this wouldn't have happened to the wife of the head of the insurance company. but it happened to me. and i went to the legislature along with others to say we have to change this to ensure mothers and their new babies at least a 48-hour hospital stay. that ne

democratic sator amy klobuchar serves on the judiciary committeeand joins us now le from mieapolis. great to s you, senator. thanks so much. >> good to be on. >> well, we know w that the witnesses are going to include four klochar -- four klhar -- you're not nominated. for sotomayor, jor league tcher, he'll talk about he help in the judicia rulings endinghe 1995 basell strike. the repuicans are gng to bring out that new haven firefiter, frank risc ree reesh. >> first of all, e's had 17 years as a judge, more an any other minee that's been put forward in00 years. she s someone o has a great background as a osecutor. i'll be focusing al that and some of her judicial decisions that show that pragmatism,hat sh understands wt w enforcement offirs, the decisions theye to make on e front line a how you hav to have tha sense of the real world to be a judge. i also think the're not surprised at all by some of the witnessethat the other side will be putting forward. anthere'll be a t of estions about that case. but as w all know, in that case, she was following precedent. she actually acknowl

senator amy klobuchar, demoat from nnesota. thank you very mh for coming on the show tonight.ongratulations foryou. >> it was great to be o thank you, rhel. >>>oming up -- there are eues and then there is wat has been written in the wake of foer secretary of defense robert mcnamara, who died yesterday. if you thk you know anger fo rently powerful an horribly misgded public officials, ststand byor a jaw-dropping grade. gathered geer for 22 gms owhole grain goodness.. 's what makes triscuit wowoh every bite. triscuit. wee some wonder. i felt amazingly boxed in. nnouncer) joe useses theontour meter r from ber. (joe) my meteabsolutely adapts toe and my lifestyle. i'm joe james, being outside oththe x is my simple ww (announcer) w available in five vivibrant cors. wewe sakak rs so you can zizip other cars. but we also spspeampmpgso you can n y y byas stations. fa, we speak ggs fluently, we can say onee more thing. the new ford fusion n the most-fuel-efficientt midsize sedan in america. d d th's something nono oe else can say. wepeak the 2010 fo f fion. get in... anan drive one. >>>

senator klobuchar, you're next. i will yield to senator klobuchar. >> thank you very much, mr. chair. welcome back, judge. it's a pleasure to see you again. i enjoyed our conversation and what i most remembered about that is that you confessed to me that you once brought a winter parka to minnesota in june. and i promise, i will not hold that against you during this week. i know you have many friends and family here, but it was really an honor for me to meet your mom. when president obama first announced your nomination, i loved the story about how your mom saved all of her money to buy you and your brother the first set of encyclopedias in the neighborhood. i always remember when my parents bought us a set that held a hallowed place for me. they were a window on the world and a gateway to knowledge, which they clearly were to you as well. from the time you were 9 years old, your mom raised you and your brother on her own. she struggled to buy those books on her nurse's salary but she did it because she believed deeply in the value of education. you went on to be valedictorian

as i recall, we left with senator klobuchar, your next and i yield to senator klobuchar. >> thank you very much. it is a pleasure to see you again. i enjoyed our conversation and what i most remembered about that is that you confess to me that he once brought a winter park that to minnesota in june, and i promise i will not hold that against you during this week. i know you have many friends and family here but it was really an honor for me to meet your mom when president obama first announced your nomination. i love the story about how your mom saved all for money to buy you and your brother the first set of encyclopedias in the neighborhood and it reminded me of when my own parents brought us encyclopedia britannica's brigate is held the hollow-- how would place in the hallway. to me there were a gateway to knowledge, which they clearly to you as low. year mom raised you and your brother on her own. she struggle to buy those encyclopedias on her nurse's salary but she did it because she believed deeply in the value of education. you will not to be the valedictorian of your high scho

>> senator klobuchar, when pilots are on duty, the minute they check in, their hotel costs on duty are paid for, 100% by the company. they also receive a travel -- the same main line and regional. there is no distinction between the way those policies are done between major airlines and regional airlines. >> anyone have anything to add on that? >> there's a fair amount of difference but where you are going is is the pilot getting adequate rest, and a place to get that adequate rest before he or she begins that trip out of whatever domicile they have been assigned to and the answer is no, they're not provided by the airlines. >> they fly to start the first trip from somewhere, and there may not be away for them to get reimbursed for of flight, because it is not in between flights. was that the case here? i know she was spending the day in an airport. >> i seriously doubt -- i can say without a doubt they were not given a place to get adequate rest, provided for or compensated for a hotel room. >> we heard the regional pilots are likely to become tired and fatigue by flying, they are fly

and later with senator amy klobuchar from the committee.is "andrea mitchell reports," only on msnbc. geico's been saving people money on car insurance for over 70 years. and who doesn't want value for their dollar? been true since the day i made my first dollar. where is that dollar? i got it out to show you... uhh... was it rather old and wrinkly? yeah, you saw it? umm fancy a crisp? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. but i did. you need to talk to your doctor about aspirin. you need to be your own advocate. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. you take care of your kids, now it's time to take care of yourself. come on in. you're invited to the chevy open house. where getting a new vehicle is easy. because the price on the tag is the price you pay on remaining '08 and '09 models. you'll find low, straightforward pricing. it's simple. now get an '09 silverado xfe with an epa estimated 21 mpg highway for under 28 thousand after all offers. go to chevy.com/openhouse f

yesterday franken entered the senate with minnesota's other senator, amy klobuchar and walt mondale.administered the oath. >> please raise your right hand. do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith to the same, that you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duty of the office upon which you are about to enter, so help you god? >> i do. >> congratulations, senator. >> thank you. >>> with franken, democrats now have the 60 votes to block philly busters. >>> this morning on "the early show," maggie rodriguez will be in los angeles with more on michael jackson's memorial. i'm michelle gielan and this is the "cbs morning news." lower r bad cholesterol but your good cholesterol and triglycerides are still out of line? then you may not be seeing the whole picture. ask your doctor about trilipix. if you're at high risk of heart disease and taking a statin to lower bad choleste

asked her if she had seen the all-star game last night, she wasn't able to so klobuchar informed herjeter from her beloved yankees tied her up and the american league went ahead there was a little bit -- we can even play you a little bit of that just a light moment in this otherwise very serious hearing. >> baseball case and they have been talking about umpires and judges of umpires. did you have a chance to watch all-star game last night, because most of america didn't watch the replay of your hearing. they might have been watching it. >> i haven't seen television for a very long time but i will admit i turned it on for a little while. >> there was, i will say and maybe you -- maybe you didn't turn it on on this moment, but your yankee, derek jeter, tied it up but you must know that he scored only because there was a hit by joe mauer. i just want to point that out. >> derek jeet certificate one who got on base. pete, so you have it all there, perry mason, nancy drew and the all-star game what do we expect this afternoon? >> this afternoon, the questions are going to finish up. we wi

speaking of which come we to take a moment to thank amy klobuchar for her staff. they have done a great job the last six months trying the burden of two united states senators. she is an extraordinary public servant. i do not reach this with any big regret. i ran the campaign. i conducted the legal challenges. i have always believed you do the best you can and be the result of to a higher authority. i am at peace with that. the future plans are subject for another day. we live in a great country and a great state. we have confidence, we can all come together and arrive at a better future that we all seek. thank you. may god bless you and minnesota. they got continue to bless the united states of america. [applause] >> this means we are ruling out any more appeals. this is done. >> i have congratulated al franken. 2008 is a long time ago. it is over. we will work together to support our new united states senator. >> was added to step away from more legal battles? was it money? why me to step down? >> i wanted a chance to raise the issues that we thought had to be r

amy klobuchar and wall walter mondale. enough to prevent fill busters, of course, in theory. >> a program note, usually at this time of note lou dobbs is sitting here. lou will be back tomorrow. he will be reporting on education including controversial plans by schools across the country to charge parents for their kids to participate in music and sports. on lou's show tomorrow night. >>> perhaps the most touching moment in today's memorial service when michael jackson's daughter spoke. was it planned? was it spontaneous? find out from one of the men who was working on putting the show together behind the scenes. it's a whole new way from bayer to dissolve pain fast. new bayer quick release crystals. ♪ >> man in the mirror, michael jackson. >> again, i say thank you. thanks to god. in the past i've gone from where is he to here he is again. >> i love you, michael. >> i must confess it feels good to be thought of as a person, not a personality. >> fame, fortune, they're all - all -- ♪ ♪ who's bad ♪ ♪ i'm bad i'm bad ♪ ♪ i'm

senator klobuchar? >> thank you very much, madam chairman. i know that our distinguished panel here, that new energy legislation is truly about creating jobs here in america and it's about developing home grown energy and breaking our reliance on foreign energy. i spent the fourth of july week up north in minnesota meeting with people everywhere. but i will tell you up there the unemployment rate is at 20%. in minnesota, our people want good-paying jobs across the spectrum. miners to mine more iron ore, manufacturing workers to make wind turbines and workers to fill our barges with those turbines to ship them on lake superior to countries across the world and scientists to develop fuel cells and new sell lossic ethanol technologies. but an energy bill has to take account not just the captains of the energy industry but also the people who buy the energy. middle class families need protection from a jolt in their electricity rates and they also need an energy bill to provide job opportunities. i believe a new energy bill done right will mean n

we'll then recess until 2:00, and we'll come back at 2:00, at which point senator klobuchar will be -- will be recognized. senator durbin. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. judge sotomayor, welcome to you and your family. these nomination hearings can be long and painful, but after surviving a broken ankle and individual meetings with 89 different u.s. senators in the past few weeks, you are certainly battle tested. at the nomination hearing for judge ruth bader ginsberg in 1993 my friend senator paul simon of illinois asked the following question. you face a much harsher judge than this committee. that's the judgment of history, and that judgment is likely to revolve around the question did she restrict freedom or did she expand it? i ask this question with respect to the nominations of chief justice roberts, justice alito, and i think it's an important question of any court nominee, particularly to the supreme court. the nine men and women on the supreme court serve lifetime appointments and may resolve many of our most significant issu issues. it's the supreme court that define

itit'sotot prududic itit's sasang, how d do tngs pl out in the rrld ithought that senenat klobuchar d nice, n nic job today trying to say,y, look. everyone on thisis committee haa dierent lifeory. we've got diffeferebackckouound and expererieeses. that doesestt make us assed. ititeeanwe come toogeerernd ining e wealth of o our experienenceogogetr ande'e're a better group f for it. hihi th's a pointnt that is not quite being me loud andd clear.r. i think ththe'e' all sortsts of defenses o off empathyy apart o the problemss eatat itself is su a uishy, conststututiol word that t it leaves tstsel op toll sorts of attacack. but i thght that was sortrt o niniceayay o m mang the inint ththat empathy doesn't make you crazy. itit doesn't meann that everyy single tim you see aa white guy you flyntnto a a rage. empathy y messou simply understand both sisidef the dispute and iusust want toto ad at sotomamayoinin her very,erer brbrf openingstatement,t,t was sevenn minutes, really tookthe facts as stripippe d dn as they ululd but one poinint she made was not just that shehaha fifidety of thelaw but

. >> senator klobuchar? >> thank you. going to let senator specter, who is -- i guess i'm more senior to him only because of a technicality, but also he's been here longer. so i'm going to let him go and then i will go. >> senator specter? >> i'll defer to senator klobuchar. [laughter] >> okay. here we go. i first wanted to thank both firefighters for your service. as a prosecutor we worked extensively on arson cases and i got a little sense of what you go through everyday and how dangerous your job is. so thank you for that. i just wanted to follow-up on one thing, ms. chavez, when you talked about you clearly know ms. sotomayor's history and her record. but when you talked about how she got into princeton, you didn't point out the one thing that i think mr. morgenthau did and that is she ended up graduated summa cum laude and that's about numbers and grades and not affirmative action; correct. >> i wish she was giving a message that she was able to do it and overcome adversity and because she applied herself and working

i'm going to turn the gavel over to senator klobuchar. >> ms. wells, ms. campbell had described, individuals, murderers, who had previous records that she rightly believes should have been in jail and not able to commit these kind of crimes again. let's pursue that a little bit. you're a professional and you've been at this a long time. and i've come to believe that mathematics is a factor in all of this. that there are just not many people that sexually assault women. there are a certain number of those are repeat offenders who are exceedingly dangerous. just from a purely public safety point of view, is it important we identify those persons early and that they be incarcerated in order to protect the people of this country from this kind of violence? >> well, senator, you said it as well as i could say it, yes, that is critical. and there are a lot of studies already that are helping us to identify those persons. and as soon as we can identify them, then our goal should be to incarcerate them for as long as possible. >> now, you represent a very sophisti

. >> reporter: andinnesota democt amy klobuchar closed her rn with a question that south carolina senatorrah had put to chief justice jo berts at his confirmation hearing in 2005. >> i'd just like tosk one last questn then. and he asked, "wh would you like htory to say about you, when all is said and don" >> i can't li my life to write history's story. that will be the job of historians long aft i'm gone. some of them start now,ut long after i' gone. laughter ) in the en i hope it will say i'm a faijudge, that i was a caring pern, and that i lived my life serving my count. >> reporter: by early afteron, the estioning of judge sotayor came to an end, and witthat, an array of other witnesses came forwar they were calledy committee members topeak for and against her nomination. tse witnesses included two ne ven, connecticut, firefighte who claimed they were denie promotions bad on race. the sueme court ruled for the group last month, revsing a lower court panel that incled sotomayor. frank ric, the named plaintiff in t case, took and passed an exam that would have pmoted him. thresults were

our fourth story tonig, accoanied by senator amy klobuchar and former ve prident mondale to his swearingrrent vice presidt biden, ladies and ntlemen, senator al franke >> please raise ur right hand. do you solemy swear that you support and defend the constitution of thunited states against all enemies foign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that you take this obligation freely without any mental rertion or purpose of evasio and that you will well and faithfully discrge the duty of the office up which you are about to enter, so help you g? >> i do. >> congratulations, senator. >> thank you. >> congratulations, senator. republicans responded with ts web ad showing frankeneemingly work up, making this the face of the newuper majority in the senatehere democrats now have 60 votes, enough to block republicans libusters, except at the video shows an imprsion franken was doingn the e stumofofis idol, former nnnnesa senator paul wellstonene when he was s cohihingis son in trtrack. all of which r rubublins know already bebecae e no coleman used the samamvivid

from minnesota democratic senator amy klobuchar, watch. >> all these guys been asking about your baseballhave a chance to watch the all-star game last night? because most of america didn't watch the replay of your hearing. they might have been watching it. >> i haven't seen television for a very long time, i will admit that i turned it on for a little while. >> because i will say and maybe you didn't turn it on on this moment, but your yankee, derek jeter tied it up. you must know that he scored only because there was a hit by joe mauer of the minnesota twins. i just want to point that out. >> and tamron, that was 45 seconds neither the senator north judge will ever get back. >> nor will we. but we love it. these oddball moments are funny. so there was another lighter moment at the sotomayor hearings yesterday. it came after a protestor, which was not -- was ejected after interrupting grassley. he then jokingly made the following remarks. >> people always say i have the ability to turn people on. maybe could you start over again. >> tamron, i'll have what he's having. >> you know, nothing

our fourth sto tonight, accompanied by senator amy klobuchar andformer vice presidt mondale to his presidentdies and gelemen, senator al franken. >> please raise your right nd. do you solemnly swea that you support and dend the constituon of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic, th you will bear true faith and allegianceo the same,hat yo take this oligation freely without any mntal reservation or purpose of evasion, and that you will well a faithlly dischae e duty of the office upon which you are about to enter, so help you god? >> i do. >> cgratulations, senator. >> thank you. >> congratulations, senator. reblicans responded with this b ad showinganken semgly woed up, making this the face of the new super majority in the senate where democrats n have 60 votes,enough to ock republican filibusts, et that the vid shows an impression frarank w wadoing on ee stump of his idol, foorm nnnnesa senatoraaul welellsnene whenen h w wasoaoachg his son i track. all l which rububcans owow already becaususe rmrm coleman used t t s sam vidideoasasyear whenen fnknkenon. an e-maillo the

you see senator amy klobuchar of michigan, an attorney her sef, speaking. so far two prominent republicans have come out against sotomayor. lindsey graham is one of them. we will continue to follow this. stay tuned to msnbc for the live coverage of the vote which is taking place today. >>> one month ago obama administration was celebrating but now doubts about passing health care reform not to mention other agenda items getting little or no mention. melanie barnes is president obama's domestic policy adviser and director of the domestic policy council and joins us now. great to see you. >> great to see you. congratulations on your show. thanks for having me on. >> thank you so much. we are having good success and good time here. i want to bring immediately into the conversation kerry eleveld who is joining me today. we were talking about the public option and notion that might get dropped. kerry, you want to jump? >> well, i wonder about this. this is something that president obama has not drawn a line in the sand yet. i'm wondering, number one, is the whit

on the judicial committee, and amy klobuchar recounts everybody's inspiring story and a gaping holerence thomas whose grandfather was share cropper and who slept in a chair until he was 5 years old in pinpoint, georgia, so i thought all of that was very amusing, and good for lindsey graham putting up that big fight. >> two-thirds of the republican senators are still going to vote for her after they grill her. i mean this seems like -- we had glenn beck on her saying this seems like a lot of smoke and mirrors. >> again, if you believe that the advise and consent rule means something, then i think they should start actually getting to their role, and i hope they do that today or tomorrow because a plot is at stake, a lot of decisions are made at the court the affect our lives and a lot of decision making is being taken away by the court and diminished by the court, so it's really important. steve: if you were actually asking a question of her today, i know it would be a good one. what area -- she said so much stuff, the wise latina stuff, also here at the court of appeal level, this i

. >> to amy klobuchar. >> he is harvard educated where alex spent time as a teacher. that is clearly a democratic. >> he wants to be known as junior senator to amy klobuchar. >> his state does not like a lot of excitement. establish credibility first. with his limited comedic abilities, being dull should not be too hard. >> they don't like a lot of excitement. didn't the state elect jesse ventura for governor, a former wrestler? >> they like their politicians, look how they conducted this recount. >> he is a funny guy. >> i think alex has given him good advice except the shot about his comedic talent. pay your dues, then move on. >> thanks very much. >>> some of the deadliest protests china has seen in decades. more than 150 people killed, more than 800 injured. what is behind the fury? children trained to be killers, taught by the taliban to become suicide bombers. now there's video. we have it, the video of the horrifying new terror tactics. d >>> in china, 166 people are dead and more than 800 wounded after riots broke out in what appears to be the deadliest unres

no, senator klobuchar. i apologize, former prosecutor before she came here as was senator whitehouse. please go ahead. >> thank you very much, mr. charges and i wanted to thank you and the ranking member for holding such a civil and dignified hearing. i had a few people say that it got boring at times, and maybe that is a tribute to the fact that it was a civil and dignified hearing. like many of my colleagues, i have been so impressed by judge sotomayor. like senator durbin i most remember her mother sitting behind her, that mother who when the father died at age 9, judge sotomayor was raised by that mother who had hardly any money and nurse, saved all the money just to buy their family incyclopedia britanicas and when you watch that family and brothers it reminded you that judge sotomayor knows the law and she knows the constitution, but she also knows america. one experience of hers in particular resonates with me, and that is that immediately after graduating from law school that she became a prosecutor

. >> i have a nice chat with amy klobuchar this morning. she was talking about when she first began comparing notes when why my wife both agreed -- now nurse is plus with advance in medicine. we will i just discussed this again with senator sessions, we will go first to senator specter, then senator franken, and then we will recess and go into the other room. senator specter of course is former chairman of this committee. one of the most senior members of the senate and one of the most experienced. senator specter. >> thank you, mr. chairman. welcome back, judge sotomayor. you have held up very well all of the proceedings in the senate. this was the most exact among the witnesses. years ago as you dealt with the case of ashcroft versus tennessee they said it was unconstitutional to subject a suspect but that doesn't apply to nominees. and your family has been here one. my wife, joan specter, who has been in office holder in her own rights as it has been a lot harder to listen to me than to make a speech herself. and you are engaged. i think

no, senator klobuchar. i apologize, former prosecutor before she came here as was senator whitehouse. please go ahead. >> thank you very much, mr. charges and i wanted to thank you and the ranking member for holding such a civil and dignified hearing. i had a few people say that it got boring at times, and maybe that is a tribute to the fact that it was a civil and dignified hearing. like many of my colleagues, i have been so impressed by judge sotomayor. like senator durbin i most remember her mother sitting behind her, that mother who when the father died at age 9, judge sotomayor was raised by that mother who had hardly any money and nurse, saved all the money just to buy their family incyclopedia britanicas and when you watch that family and brothers it reminded you that judge sotomayor knows the law and she knows the constitution, but immediately after law school she became a prosecutor. that would forever shape how she views the law. i had interviewed -- interacted with victims of crime and you see wh

we'll then recess until 2:00 and we'll come back at 2:00, at which point, senatoor klobuchar will benized. >> thank you. judge sotomayor, welcome to you and your family. these hearings can be long and painful, but after surviving a broken ankle and individual meetings with 89 different u.s. senators in the past few weeks, you are certainly battle-tested. at the nomination hearing for judge ruth bader ginsburg in 1993, my friend, senator paul simon of illinois, asked the following question -- you face a much harsher judge than this committee. that's the judgment of history. and that judgment is likely to relve around the question, did she restrict freedom or did she expand it? i ask this question with respect to the nominations of chief justice roberts, justice alito, and i think it's an important question of any court nominee, particularly to the supreme court. the nine men and women on the supreme court serve lifetime appointments and they resolve many of our most significant issues. if the supreme court defines our personal right to privacy and decides the restrictions that be plac

when you come back, we will hear from senator klobuchar, senator specter, senator specter.e will then have an introduction of you. what everyone has really been waiting to hear, we will hear from you. thank you very much. megyn: there you have it here. elisse the first part of the morning wrapped up. dick durbin of illinois coming in a bit late because he had meetings this morning. we heard about her history in terms of her parents and where she went to school and grew up. we have yet to hear from senator specter and senator franken. she's moving around ok for a woman with a broken ankle. this woman get an award for poker face. she barely cracked a different expression them when she started with. >> her hands were firmly on the table right in front of her. megyn: they did not move. bret: you see her talking to senator leahy and senator schumer. i counted five democratic senators who brought up justice roberts and his statement about a judge being an umpire and judging balls and strikes making that analogy. of course, he is now the chief justice. five democratic senators bri

. >> senator klobuchar, i apologize, former prosecutor before she came here as was senator white house, please go ahead can i thank you very much, mr. chairman, and i wanted to thank you and the ranking member for holding such a civil and dignified hearing. i had a few people say it got boring at times in a bid that is suggested to the prior two that was a sewell and dignified hearing. like many of my colleagues i have been so impressed by judge sotomayor. like senator durbin i most remember her mother sitting behind her, the mother who when her father died in at age nine judge sotomayor was raised by the mother who has hardly any money coming years as a chairman to buy the family encyclopedia britannica as. and when you watched that family and her brother it reminded you that judge sotomayor knows a lot and she knows the constitution but she also knows america. one a series of paris in particular resonance with me and that is immediately after graduating from law school that she became a prosecutor. and i believe that experience and my discussions with her will forever shape how she v

klobuchar: mr.dent, i ask to speak for five minutes to be followed by the senator from new hampshire, senator gregg, who wishes to speak for ten minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. klobuchar: mr. president, i come to the floor today to voice my support for the levin-mccain amendment to strike $1.75 billion added to the bill that is on the floor to purchase additional f-22 aircraft that have not been requested by the pentagon. i believe this amendment present us with an important choice of what our national security priorities will be going forward. will we continue to pour billions and billions of dollars into weapons systems despite the fact that they are not request requested, despite cost overruns, program delays? will we make the hard choices necessary to ensure that our troops in the field have what they need to fight present and future conflicts? i believe the choice is clear. now, i'm aware that this means for some states that are making this plane or subcontracts -- we hav

as we have a whole lot of other things going on in the senate, i was hoping my -- senator klobuchar, senator specter, senator frank, and i'm sorry i didn't get to you yet, but we will before we do the closed session. judge, thank you very much. >> thank you for -- >> we stand in recess. >> all right. day two is now over. day two is over. eight senators have to ask questions that will resume at 9:30 a.m. eastern. six democratic senators still have time allotted to them, 30 minutes each. two republican senators, john cornyn of texas, tom coburn of oklahoma. so, there are going to be at least four hours of questioning tomorrow morning starting at 9:30 a.m. eastern, assuming all of those eight senators use the full 30 minutes allotted to them. some of them might not need 30 minutes and that would reduce t afterwards, as you just heard, senator patrick leahy, the chairman of this committee say they will then go into a closed door session to review some of the fbi vetting, the background checks, thens like that then they will resume the second round for all 19 senators. they will each have

klobuchar: mr. president, first i wanted to commend my colleague from arizona, senator mccain, for his great leadership and for his important words about burma. no one would know better than senator mccain would about the human rights violations, of someone held in a prison like that. as he's aware on a bipartisan basis the woman senators have come together to support aung san suu kyi and her plight in burma. i recently met with the burmese community in my state, and they're concerned about their relatives there and everything that's happening in that country. we have someone in our office whose relatives are in burma. and so i thank you for your words and also, senator mccain, for your leadership on the amendment, the levin-mccain amendment to strike the $1.75 billion added to the bill that's on the floor to purchase additional f-22 aircraft that have not been requested by the pentagon. this is a very difficult issue for many people in this chamber, including the senator from arizona. but we all kn

senator klobuchar? >> i know the distinguished panel understands that new energy administration is -- new energy legislation is about creating jobs and developing homegrown energy and breaking our reliance on foreign energy. i spent the fourth of july 2 week up north in minnesota, meeting with people everywhere, but i will tell you up there the upon rate is at 20%. in minnesota, our people want good paying jobs across the spectrum. to mine more iron ore, manufacturing turbines to ship them to the superior and countries across the world, and scientists to develop fuel cells and ethanol technology. but an energy bill has to take into account not just the captains of the energy industry, but also the people who buy the energy. middle-class families need protection in a jolt -- from a jolt in their energy rates, and the needed energy bill to provide job at attendees. i believe the new energy bill done right will mean new business to make the nuts and bolts of new energy systems. electric car batteries and s

senator klobuchar?>> i know the distinguished panel understands that new energy administration is -- new energy legislation is about creating jobs and developing homegrown energy and breaking our reliance on foreign energy. i spent the fourth of july 2 week up north in minnesota, meeting with people everywhere, but i will tell you up there the upon rate is at 20%. in minnesota, our people want good paying jobs across the spectrum. to mine more iron ore, manufacturing turbines to ship them to the superior and countries across the world, and scientists to develop fuel cells and ethanol technology. but an energy bill has to take into account not just the captains of the energy industry, but also the people who buy the energy. middle-class families need protection in a jolt -- from a jolt in their energy rates, and the needed energy bill to provide job at attendees. i believe the new energy bill done right will mean new business to make the nuts and bolts of new energy systems. electric car batteries and so

senator klobuchar? >> i know the distinguished panel understands that new energy administration is -- new energy legislation is about creating jobs and developing homegrown energy and breaking our reliance on foreign energy. i spent the fourth of july 2 week up north in minnesota, meeting with people everywhere, but i will tell you up there the upon rate is at 20%. in minnesota, our people want good paying jobs across the spectrum. to mine more iron ore, manufacturing turbines to ship them to the superior and countries across the world, and scientists to develop fuel cells and ethanol technology. but an energy bill has to take into account not just the captains of the energy industry, but also the people who buy the energy. middle-class families need protection in a jolt -- from a jolt in their energy rates, and the needed energy bill to provide job at attendees. i believe the new energy bill done right will mean new business to make the nuts and bolts of new energy systems. electric car batteries and s

klobuchar: madam president, it is my honor today along with former vice president mondale to escortal al franken as the new senator from our state. al told me the third year of his campaign would be the best. and he was right. i did want to thank my staff, first of all, some of them and many of them are here, for the hard work they did in the past six months double double duty. they never complained and did it without extra resources and are as happy as can be this is revolved and something about norm coleman. last week he made a difficult decision. he had a right to pursue a legal challenge but he did what was right for minnesota. norm was my senate colleague for two years. we often worked together for should for minnesota and we wish him and his family the best. despite just a little delay, to be exact, 246 days since the election day and 183 days since the senate convened, why would i know that, al franken now joins me in representing the state of minnesota. i've gotten to know al very well the past few years and i know that he will be getting acquainted with his fellow senators in