lautenberg: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. lautenberg: i ask unanimous consent that calling of the roll be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lautenberg: i further ask unanimous consent that if the finance committee meets tomorrow at 9:00 ale it b a.m., it be aud to meet tomorrow during the session of the senate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lautenberg: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, -- mr. president, again, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. lautenberg: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that further calling of the rolling dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection nc, the senator from w jersey. mr. lautenberg: mr. president, i changed the order here, and i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak up -- to

senator frank lautenberg, moments ago. senator lautenberg, thanks for joining me here. let me start with the most important question in all this. do you have reason to believe some sort of criminal activity has taken place in this country connected to rupert murdoch's enterprises? >> the one thing i know, not that i just believe, that is an american corporation cannot use bribery. it's a felony. it's against the law and should not be used. >> at this point, you're not talking about these things happening in this country that you know of, although you're curious about that, you're focusing on what's happening over there and the possible repercussions here. what are the possible repercussions. let's say we did find out this? what could happen? >> they could be fined. there could be severe punishment if the corporation has directed people to violate the law. it also, since we've heard that hacking has been taking place and directed at families who suffered as a result of 9/11, loss of a loved one or injury to a loved one. we want to make sure that this practice doesn't esc

we'll hear from senator frank lautenberg live next.>> media barron rupert murdoch has gone from power broker to pariah in just a matter of days. murdoch is widely considered a brillant and sometimes ruthless businessman. he's pushed his media property, especially newspapers to success and notoriety by featuring sometimes sensational stories. cnn's allan chernoff has more. >> reporter: as rupert murdoch's great love has always been the newspaper business, say those who knows him. he demands dramatic stories, telling reporters we will never be boring and frequently checks in with his top editors, one of whom used to be luke colasuonno. >> he's passionate about his newspapers, and along with that passion comes involvement to the day-to-day operations of his papers, particularly the bigger ones. >> reporter: murdoch's ambitions gan in his native australia inheriting his father's newspaper business. murdoch added media properties across the country and started "the australian," a nationwide newspaper and aggressively used them to support po

lautenberg: mr. president, we've arrived at a moment of truth in the american economy and our standing in the world hangs in the balance result of the republican plan to derail the functioning of our country and bring about the precarious prospect of a major default in our financial condition. democrats have bent over backwards to compromise, and yet the republicans continue to put our country in jeopardy, and the american people and the american economy are determined for a reprieve from this disaster. and well, you know, we just heard comments by our colleague from across the aisle about getting our tax structure in order. reminds me of a condition where there's a fire in a house, and they start arguing about -- people start arguing about the color of the fire engine. what we have here in front of us is an immediate disaster program that could upset the balance of our functioning in our society and put america for the first time in a position of less support from around the world and putting people

. >> you live in new york, did you know that frank lautenberg called for an investigation about the hacking of a 9/11 victim's family? >> yes, the reason is that in under american law, you can't hold a license to a television station if you have a criminal conviction. so if there's a criminal conviction in england, it might affect his ability to own and run television stations here. this is a man who started fox cable, which is now -- dominant cable news some he's got >>> issue three, american classic. >> there are women all over country like me, and if i don't make this public, then their lives will be gone. they're in jeopardy. >> former first lady elizabeth ford passed away a week ago. betty ford died peacefully in her home in palm desert, california, at the age of 93. her husband geralds ford, served as the 38th president for two and a half years, filling out the remainder of president nixon's second term in 1974. president ford died five years ago. as first lady, betty ford advocated for many social causes, sump as early detection for breast cancer and other women's rights generally. p

senator lautenberg? >> thanks, mr. chairman.we are at this hearing and request for learning to what to do as a result of the intention that was paid to several serious oil spills in the past, and most recently and the gulf of mexico lost chemical disper cants to break down surface oil. there's concerns about the dispersant safety that actually predates the exxon valdez oil spill. we're still not sure about what the effects are for cop sen traitions of the -- concentrations of the dispersants. they were never made available to the public. now, when we look and see that we are still reeling from the oil spill that took place years ago, and exxon valdez, we still have many species that have not yet returnedded to their quantity -- returned to the quantity or quality of their existence. there's long term effects before they are used and their requires exposure of the ingredients in these disperse cants. now, would more information about the dispersants affect your oil spill response efforts? might there be an influence there, admira

investigation into murdoch's news corp here in the states senator jay rockefeller and frank lautenberg have both raise a very fair point at the u.k. news outlets had no fear of dabbling in illegal activity it's what's to stop the u.s. branches of news corp from doing the same thing and in fact that lumbered went on to say further investigation may reveal that current reports. only scratching the surface of the problem at news corp accordingly i am requesting that the d.o.j. and as you see examine these circumstances and determine whether u.s. laws have been violated the families of the victims of nine eleven have also come forward supporting the call for a probe into whether or not murdoch took advantage of the personal information for the sake of a big story so as news corp find itself in the middle of the biggest media scandal in the years i think it's just another sign of the very rapidly changing media the competition beef between news outlets for both profits and stories is so intense the more more seem willing to risk their reputation just to be the first ones behind a scoop. i t

lautenberg: mr. president, i further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed at the appropriate place in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lautenberg: thank you, mr. president. and i ask unanimous consent further that i be permitted to speak up to 15 -- for 15 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lautenberg: mr. president, there are so many things here that we can disagree upon, but i want to say thank you to all of my colleagues. 100 of us have joined together in overwhelming numbers to support this historic legislation which creates a national moment of remembrance to commemorate the tragedy of 9/11. mr. president, few events, if any, have done more to change the course of american history as much as the horrifying terrorist attacks on september 11, 2001, nearly ten years ago. it was one o

frank lautenberg believes news corporation violated federal law bribes foreign countries for information. would you want to hold hearings for mr. murdoch or his executive? >> certainly that would be a serious consideration. i'm waiting now for a return from the justice department. >> reporter: in canvassing capitol hill, we've learned of growing sentiment for congress to delve into the activities of rupert murdoch and his journalists. most of those calls are from democrats. murdoch is a big banger of republicans. if more momentum build into probes in the united states or even congressional hearings, there are cautionary tales for lawmakers. reports that the tabloids sometimes turn the tables on those who investigate them. most of those accounts date well to well before this scandal blew up in the media in recent weeks. the watchdog group tells us when british parliamentarians looks into the press a couple years ago he heard of allegations she were discouraged from repeatedly inviting rebekah brooks, one of the top execs, to testify. >> the allegation was, they were told, members of that

. >> we were just showing new jersey senator frank lautenberg there, who has gone so far as to say look, news corp is an american corporation and could actually face consequences based on american laws, no matter where the crime allegedly happened. we'll have to wait and see how that plays out. stephanie, thank you. >>> a confessed child killer is due in court today. suspect levi aron is expected to be arraigned soon. aron led police to the body of 8-year-old leibby kletzky in his brooklyn apartment. the little boy that he confessed that he smothered and then dismembered. for little leibby's parents, the worst kind of horror. it was the first time they had allowed their little boy to walk home alone. this is a crime that has absolutely shocked this city. >> reporter: it certainly has, and really the country. it's relatable for all parents, to have a child say i want to do this or that, it really raises the question when do you let your child walk alone. this young boy was 8 years old, had begged his parents to just walk home alone from camp. he wanted to feel like a big boy and his pare

senator frank lautenberg asked the justice department to look into a dispute between news america marketing and a new jersey marketing company. the company claimed news america hacked into its computer system nearly a dozen times in 2003 and 2004. the fbi is already investigating allegations that news corp. employees tried to hack into the voice mail accounts of september 11th victims. murdoch denied that in his testimony before parliament. murdoch and his wife wendi returned home to new york yesterday, to a warm reception following the grilling murdoch got in parliament. >>> let me bring in nbc's martin fletcher in london. where do the investigations on both sides of the pond stand? >> reporter: contessa, here with rupert murdoch home in the united states, of course, the investigation is beginning there. the fbi as you mentioned and britain's parliament in summer recess until september 5. it may seem as if the drama's over here at least, but far from it. the government has widened its investigation of news international, rupert murdoch's group in the uk, to include other broadcasters and s

among the four democrats of new jersey, senator lautenberg. >> they have no right to break the laws. they are an american corporation. it wouldn't matter if they were selling tires or selling roofs or what have you. those are the rules, those are the laws that we have to obey. >> we are getting reports this morning scotland yards made an arrest in connection with the news corporation's phone hacking scandal. london's top cop is going to be in the hot seat today. let's bring in dan rivers. he has the latest live in london this morning. good morning, dan. >> reporter: good morning, yeah. another arrest this morning in this police inquiry. we understand that may be a former editor of "the news of the world." that's according to sky news here. he has been arrested this morning, taken into police custody. no comment from the news international themselves. the bigger picture here is there's still confusion about this request for the embamted chi chief. they are all being told to come and report to a committee here on tuesday. the deadline for them to respond is this morning. so far the com

. >> to those who said bob mendez or barbara boxer or frank lautenberg or jay rockefeller, they're all democrats and this is political payback, if you will, against rupert murdoch, what say you? >> i don't have anything against rupert murdoch. if the report was that cnn did this, i would be going after you all. well. >> well, i hope you don't have to do that. dog versus machine. why that was the topic of a fiery debate on exhale clil. -- capitol hill. there's another way litter box dust:e purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder on dust. and our improved formulas neutralize odors better than ever in multiple-cat homes. so it's easier to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. >> body scanners versus dogs. some of the other top stories in "the situation room" right now. >> at issue during the fiery airport security hearing was which could be more effective in searching travelers for explosives. some may the argument that canines are cheaper andless invasive than body scanners while others allege

democratic senator frank lautenberg also believes news corporation violated federal law against bribingofficials in foreign countries for information. >> would you want to hold hearings and call mr. murdoch or his executives? >> certainly that would be a serious consideration. awaiting now a return from the justice department. >> in canvassing capitol hill, with eeve learned of growing sentiment for congress to delve into the activities of rupert murdoch and his journal iss. most of those calls are from democrats. murdoch is a big backer of republicans. if more momentum builds for probes into possible hacking in the united states or even congressional hearings, there are cautionary tales for lawmakers, reports that tabloids sometimes turntables for those who investigate them. most of those accounts date back to well before the scandal blew back in the media in recent weeks. media standards trust tells us when british parliamentarians look into the tabloid press a couple of years ago, he heard allegations that they were discouraged from repeatedly inviting rebecca brooks, one of murdoch'

senator frank lautenberg from new jersey is urging attorney general eric holder and the securities andission to launch an investigation. also comments from commerce chairman jay rockefeller, who launched concerns over whether murdoch's journalists targeted 9/11 victims as well. i want to bring in richard levick who specializes in crisis management. he joins us from d.c. via skype. richard, you've been following this very closely. how deep do you think this all really goes? >> this is not about a lone reporter. this is about a business practice. you have 40 years of rupert murdoch intimidating politicians, and now it's a payback time. that's a challenge. the other challenge is this is not a british or australian company, it's a global company. the issue in an anti-mack developian way, meaning that bad news is being leaked out over time, and we're learning all the revelations. hacking into the phone of the 13-year-old girl who was later found to be dead. hacking into the phones of 9/11 victims apparently. hacking into the phones of deceased british afghan and iraq war veterans. all of th

senator lautenberg from new jersey. senator leahy from vermont. senator levin from michigan. senator lieberman from connecticut. senator manchin from west virginia. senator mccaskill from missouri. senator menendez from new jersey. senator merkley from oregon. senator mikulski from maryland. senator murray from washington. they had the courage to not have this debated on the senate floor. they had the courage to say, we are not going to allow debate. we're not going to allow the chance that you might get this bill passed that could save america from future generations, further courageous senators, senator nelson from florida. senator nelson from nebraska. senator pryor from arkansas. senator reed from rhode island. senator reid from nevada. senator rockefeller from west virginia. senator schumer from new york. senator shaheen from new hampshire. senator stabenow from michigan. senator udall from colorado. senator udall from new mexico. senator warner from virginia. senator webb from virginia. senator whitehouse from rhode island. senator wyden from oregon. it took a stand to

. >>> and here is what senator frank lautenberg wrote in the letter to attorney general eric holder. "accordingly, i am requesting that doj and the s.e.c. examine these circumstances and determine whether u.s. laws have been violated." in the uk, where the outcry is much, much -- very much so the loudest here, this morning murdoch dropped his bid for britain's bskyb television company. listen to how hot the discussion got in britain's house of commons. >> there is a firestorm, if you like, that is engulfing parts of the media, parts of the police, and indeed our political system's ability to respond. and what we must do in the coming days and weeks is think about all of the victims like the downer family, who are watching this today, and make doubly sure we get to the bottom of what happened and prosecute those who are guilty. what has happened at this company is disgrateful, has got to be addressed at every level, and they should stop thinking about mergers when they've got to sort out the mess they've created. >> so with investigations being called into murdoch's u.s. practices, yo

as follows follows: reid of nevada durbin, murray inouye, coons whitehouse boxer casey sanders lautenberg brown of ohio, reed of rhode island, feinstein merkley cardin, levin, schumer. mr. reid: mr. president i now move to proceed to calendar number 91, h.r. 2055. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to proceed. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 91, h.r. 2055 an act making appropriations for military construction, the department of veterans affairs and so forth and for other purposes. mr. reid: i have a cloture motion at the desk, mr. president. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the under undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 91, h.r. 2055 an act making appropriations for military construction the department of veterans affairs and related agencies for the fiscal year ending september 30, 2012, and for other purposes. signed by 18 senators as fo

>> i was hoping i'd have the opportunity to answer senator lautenberg's question as well because i thought it was a very good question for us, and we, for a loping time have tried to look at our ability to respond to spills as the basis are we at a point nationally that we can do our job? the answer for noaa is no, we don't have the resources to respond to two spills, and over the last several years, the resources for the specific group that does most of our core response has had to be right sized because of a lack of resources, and during the course of this event, everybody that still wasn't in a walker that had retired and was still somewhere around, we brought back to try and just have enough resources to respond to this one spill, so given the budgets we're looking at, we're very concerned about the ability to continue to respond appropriately. >> okay, can you for the record do two responses on that? one is for the decision making process, the new mou, what resources you think you need in order to accomplish that, and the second part is this more global oil spill capacity itself, what

great depression and served in world war ii along with my colleagues, senator inouye and senator lautenberg. we were the beneficiaries of one of the federal government's greatest investments, the servicemen's readjustment act of 1944, more commonly known as the g.i. bill. this visionary federal legislation enabled returning world war ii veterans, many who like myself, came from families of modest means and may never have otherwise attended college. the g.i. bill not only changed the lives of its beneficiaries, it changed the united states while laying the groundwork for the emergence of our middle class, which remains the backbone of our country. many other valuable investments made in the years that followed, such as interstate highway system and federal funding for research programs at the nation's leading universities, propelled america into one of history's greatest periods of economic expansion, social advancement and technological innovations. none of these investments simply happened. they were made by past congresses and presidents from both parties. these legacies have proven repea

lautenberg: up to 15 minutes, thank you. mr. president, i think it's obvious to the world around us that the atmosphere here is hardly one of comforter satisfaction. the public doesn't see the agony of the debate that's taking place as we watch how dysfunctional the discussion about the national debt has been here. we're -- we feel the threat to america's world financial leadership that's lurking around here and it's not very satisfying to those people whose homes are close to foreclosure or the people who need to be assured that health care is going to be there for them, or that their child can learn, can get an education without mortgaging their future or even can't even get a mortgage on that. so we look around and we watch and we listen and we see that the republicans in the house and the republicans in the senate are in search for political gain, regardless of the cost to our society and our nation. and i don't make this statement casually, but after months of watching and listening to the targeted goal of politics over the

reid of nevada, durbin, schumer, lautenberg, franken, rockefeller, reed of rhode island, whitehouse, brown of ohio, sanders, kerry, merkley, stabenow, inouye, leahy and cardin. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the rule 22 be waived. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. reid: i withdraw my motion to proceed to s. 123. the presiding officer: the motion is withdrawn. mr. reid: i move to proceed to s.j. res. 20. the presiding officer: the motion is before the senate. mr. reid: i ask consent that the time until 5:00 p.m. be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees, that any time spent in quorum call be equally divided, and there is already an order in effect that republicans will be limited to 10 minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. a senator: mr. president. rhett the -- the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. wyden: mr. president, international trade is one of the best ways to create go