[applause] >> thank you so much, senator leahy. and now to present the award to senator paul, i would like to introduce my dear friend, one of my oldest friends, julie stewart, the president and founder of families against mandatory minimums. i want to tell one story to embarrass julie. her husband who is here somewhere, he is the dean at the university of baltimore law school. i went to their wedding how many years ago? 20 some odd years ago. even at that time, one of their valves was they would always work together to obtain criminal justice reform. [laughter] it was a strange wedding vow but from ron and julie, it is what they do and it is who they are. i cannot think of a better person to present the award to senator paul. [applause] julie: i did not expect that but yes, our valves did -- did involve sentencing. thank you so much for this tremendous honor you've given me in introducing senator rand paul, one of the recipients of the 2015 constitutional champions award. if you look up senator rand paul's's official bio as i did

[applause] senator leahy mentioned a collection of phone records.llions of people's phone records are being collected. to my mind the fourth amendment says you need to name an individual, don't know anybody named mr. verizon. i think you reckon -- records and help a third party and been fully adjudicated but when your records are held by a third party and you have a privacy agreement with them i think you do not give up their private property interest in your records and you still maintain an interest in those records. [applause] one unapologetic senator who i've had a few rounds with says if you are not talking to terrorists why are you worried? he goes on to say that he would censor the mail if he could. really? this senator goes on to say that when you are an american citizen and ask for a lawyer you just tell them to shut up. really? have we stooped so low that is our standard? that we fallen so low that is their standard? if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. it's a long way from innocent until proven guilty. our founding father

or to get an award the same night as senator leahy. thank you for making this happen. martin luther king wrote in the letter from jail about what an unjust law was. martin luther king wrote it's a code that a majority passes on a minority but does not make binding on themselves. for too long in this country the law was overtly unjust based on the color of your skin. this time it's fortunately and for the most part we have abandoned injustice da jour. i believe we suffer injustice defactor. there's injustice within the criminal justice system. it still exists. i don't think this is a conscious effort. we have had discussion of this. the fbi director recently talked about how we have to be very, very careful of racial, you know insensitive or reeshlly profiling people. i think that's important. but when we see the disparities, i don't think the disparities are coming from an overracism. nevertheless, there's a disproportionate impact. there's something going awry in the criminal justice system when you look at those incarcerated. i was a

senator leahy by measure surf a constitutional champion. tonight i will speak briefly about some of the reasons why we know that to be the case. as a sflat or, a former chairman of the judiciary committee as arranging member, senator leahy he quips himself as a man of principle. commitment and somebody who believes in the rule of law and the constitutional rules that we set for ourselves. most recently together with another one of our honorees this evening, senator rand paul senator leahy is a co-sponsor of the justice safety valve act. the maedz that you remember is intended to restore a measure of fairness and discretion to judges as they seek to sentence people in the context of mandatory minimums. in a post 9/11 world, senator leafy has lent his voice to the rule of law and the tensions that we face with respect to our constitution and the need to keep the nation safe. senator leafy has been all of the discussions has been a central figure in legislation that we contemplate and has elevated our commitment to principles in the most harro

thank you very much. [ applause ] >>> thank you so much senator leahy.ld like to present one of my friends julie stewart. and i want to tell one story to embarrass julie. and that is that her husband, ron white who is here somewhere he's the deen at the university of baltimore law school. and i went to their wedding how many years ago? 20-some-odd years ago. and even at that time one of their vows were that they would always work together to obtain criminal justice reform. it was a strange wedding vow, but from ron and julie it's what they do and it's who they are. and i can't think of a better person to present the award to senator paul. [ applause ] >> i didn't expect that. but yes our vows did involve sentencing. some of you in this room were there. thank you, jenny. and thank you so much for the tremendous honor you've given me in introducing senator rand paul, oun of the recipients of the 2015 constitutional champions award. if you look up senator rand paul's official bio, as i did, you'll read he was born in pittsburgh raised in texas, went to bayl

leahy: mr. president i want to thank the senator from north dakota for her very, very strong statement. you know, we sometimes talk about numbers and this and that. it's when you talk about real cases we understand what we're talking about here. we're going to have two amendments related to preventing human trafficking and runaway and homeless youth. senator cornyn's amendment speaks to this effort, but i don't think it's a meaningful alternative to the exroonive amendment senator -- to the comprehensive amendment senator collins and i will offer. our amendment number 290 has the support of 30 bipartisan cosponsors who understand that no effort to end human trafficking can be complete without addressing the needs of runaway and homeless youth. in fact, when the senate judiciary committee voted 0en this legislation last -- voted on this legislation last year, it received the vote of almost every single member including senator cornyn. now, you in our hearings and since -- and i've listened to the

leahy: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: mr. president i realize the devil is always in the details and i see the distinguished senior senator from texas on the floor. i hope we are getting somewhere on trafficking. it has taken overlong, i appreciate the fact this body when we were doing the violence against women act voted for the sex trafficking amendment that i proposed during that, and the majority of the senators then voted for the final violence against women act which included sex trafficking and that that bill has been signed into law. we should continue on this one which adds to what we did a couple years ago. but i'm concerned as i've said many times that we've held up loretta lynch because of this. i cannot see what the the core larry -- the core layery is. we've had my friends on the aisle tell me they've had to wait for three or four days for a republican nominee on the floor to get confirmed that that's too long and they warn us of the concerns about national security. well, loretta lynch has waited 54 days. i wan

i now have the pleasure of introducing a friend and colleague of mine, senator leahy. the undeclared yet accurate king of the, of the dairy policy. and the dairy policy posse who comes in at 11th hour and 59th minute that helps us write a farm bill for a brief remark, sir. you may manage a bill on the floor in your very snappy attire. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i like being with the chairman who knows how to comb his hair. >> i appreciate that so much. >> just let it go, okay? >> i can't do as well as you do on the tones on your phone, but i commend you for holding this. all seriousness. this is an important hearing. here's cuba 90 miles from our shores. we have the ability to help them gain control of their own lives but we can also expand american farmers. selling their product. there'll be some winners as part of normalizing trade with cuba. we have to temper our hopes and remember cuba's economy is in shambles as people are suffering. but i i would note what senator stabinaw said she wouldn't spend time with agriculture community there on our last trip. i've been

leahy: mr. president, you know for almost two months i've been returning to the senate floor to urge the majority leader to schedule the confirmation vote for our next attorney general. yesterday afternoon we were finally able to get an agreement that was long overdue. but even now this morning we're not voting to confirm loretta lynch to be the next attorney general of the united states, we're going to vote on whether to invoke cloture in regard to the top law enforcement position. for those not familiar with the rules of the senate, cloture is a rule that allows the senate to end a filibuster. the fact that senate republicans are requiring a cloture vote on her nomination acknowledges what we've known all along. republicans have been engaged in an unprecedented filibuster of this nomination. when we do vote to confirm loretta lynch this afternoon she will be the first african-american woman to serve as attorney general. she is an historic nominee. but also senate republicans are making history

chairman and ranking member leahy. i am honored to be here today to introduce the candidate loretto lentz. she is the nominee to serve as the next atty. general of the attorney general of the united states. to serve she must have experience in the field of law a brilliant intellect and a steady moral compass. i have met with her two months ago and i can tell you she needs all of those criteria. she is strong, tough, independent and fearless. as one of our most accomplished women serving in law enforcement i urge my colleagues to support her nomination. she is an outstanding cut candidate for this job. she began her service for the eastern district of new york in 1990 where she rose quickly to serve as chief as the long island office. for 15 years she has been a prosecutor in the u.s. at atty.'s attorney's office in the eastern district of new york. since 2010 she has served as the attorney for the eastern district of new york. in that position she has demonstrated a superior sense of judgment and remarkable expertise.

senator leahy was talking about products in new zealand.hey are getting powdered milk from new zealand. milk producers would be happy to abide. others would as well. we are a whole lot closer. potatoes and beans and a whole range of things are available. apples seem to be a delicacy at christmas time. i said, we can give you christmas every day. we have a lot of opportunities. let me ask undersecretary scuse. there is an expression that says, the first step to achieving success is showing up. i think that is really true on trade. also, our ability to market. you mentioned the market access program and the other tools at the department of agriculture. i wonder if you might speak more to what -- how would you envision the usda's programs going forward, creating opportunities and tools for american agriculture? mr. scuse: again, if we were allowed to use our marketing programs, such as our market access program, it is an area where we work with operators to go in, to do the trade missions, to look at ways to develop markets and what the actual

leahy: mr. president, you know for almost two months i've been returning to the senate floor to urge the majority leader to schedule the confirmation vote for our next attorney general. yesterday aftdented filibuster of this nomination. when we do vote to confirm loretta lynch this afternoon she will be the first african-american woman to serve as attorney general. she is an historic nominee. but also senate republicans are making history and i would say for the wrong reasons. we've had 82 attorneys general in our nation's history. until now not a one of those 82 have had to overcome a cloture vote. not a one has had to overcome a cloture vote out of 82. but this one, loretta lynch i said the first african-american woman, to serve as attorney general, became the first and only to have to overcome a cloture vote. you know i would have opposed any filibuster on any president, i've been here with president ford president carter president reagan, president bush, president clinton, another president

senator leahy was talking about products in new zealand.hey are getting powdered milk from new zealand.

senator leahy: i can't come as well as you do on the tones on your phone. but i commend you for holding this. all seriousness, this is an important hearing. here is cuba 0 miles from our shores. we have the ability to help them gain control of their own lives but we can also expand american farmers selling their product. there will be some winners as part of normalizing trade with cuba. i agree we have to temper our hopes and remember that cuba's economy is in shambles as people are suffering. but i would note that what senator stabenow said and she wouldn't spend time with the agriculture committee on our last trip, i've been going to cuba numerous times in the last 20 some odd years. this last trip, you saw a huge difference, seeing american flags in the stores, american flags on the taxis, a lot of these taxis are mid 1950's automobiles and have flags of different countries, never seen american flags on it before but now we saw them. now, we're not going to have an immediate commercial windfall for american agriculture but cuba has used our embargo as a

leahy: president, you know for almost two months, i've been returning to the senate floor to urge the majority leader to schedule the confirmation vote for our next attorney general. yesterday afternoon, we were finally able to get an agreement that was long overdue. but even now this morning, we're not voting to confirm loretta lynch to be the next attorney general of the united states we're going to vote on whether to invoke cloture in regard to the top law enforcement position. for those not familiar with the rules of the senate, cloture is a rule that allows the senate to end a filibuster. the fact that senate republicans are requiring a cloture vote on her nomination acknowledges what we've known all along. republicans have been engaged in an unprecedented filibuster of this nomination. when we do vote to confirm loretta lynch this afternoon she will be the first african-american woman to serve as attorney general. she is an historic nominee. but also, senate republicans are making history, and i would say for the wrong reasons. we've had 82 attorneys general in our nation's hist

thank you, senator leahy for being with us.u take it from here back in washington, much less windy, i think. >> thank you very much. we are following some brea the news. back in new hampshire a jury has found a live shot from the area. there it is right there. this took seven days for the jurors to adown nair decision. he was taken out of court in handcuffs, sentence to do life in prison. we'll have more on this in a moment. we'll hear from the jurors in the case. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" right here on msnbc. but when i started having back pain my sister had to come help. i don't like asking for help. i took tylenol but i had to take six pills to get through the day. so my daughter brought over some aleve. it's just two pills, all day! and now, i'm back! aleve. two pills. all day strong, all day long. and for a good night's rest, try aleve pm for a better am. how much protein does your dog food have? 18 percent? 20? purina one true instinct has 30. active dogs crave nutrient-dense food. so we made purina one tr

chairman grassley, senator leahy, distinguished members of this committee, i'm honored to appear before you in this historic chamber, so many dedicated public servants. i want to thank you for your time this morning and i also want to thank president obama for the trust he has placed in me by nominating me to serve as attorney general of the united states. the particular in which we joined today by numbers of my family that i introduced as well as the other numerous family and friends who have come to support and whose travel and service i am so appreciative. mr. chairman, one of the privileges and, in fact, one of my favorite things in my position as united states attorney for the eastern district of new york is welcoming new attorneys into the office at administering to them the oath of office. it is a transformative moment in the life of a young prosecutor and one that actually remember well. and as they stand before me prepared to pledge their honor and their integrity come i remind them they are making their oath not to me not to the office, not even to the attorney general, but to

leahy: mr. president loretta lynch is an historic nominee. what i worry about is this body is making history for the wrong reasons. the senate republicans who filibustered her, she becomes the first out of 82 attorneys general in our nation's history to face a filibuster, has had to wait longer than any other. she is an historic nominee. on one hand she's an historic nominee for the right reasons, the first african-american woman, highly, highly qualified, everybody agrees with that. but what a shame that we had the second part of history to have her be the first out of 82 filibustered to be held to this very disturbing double standard. this woman has had to face double standards all her life, why one more? i will parlay vote for her. as to present, i yield back my time. >> today, this and it picks up the nomination of the 83rd attorney general. we all know that the former democrat leadership could have processed this nomination during last year's lame duck, but in the limited time that we had they chose to concentrate on confirming a number

i have to thank senator schumer and senator leahy. thank you so much for being here. thank you for your support not just today but over the years and doing what i thought was impossible, making the senate a welcoming place for me and my family. thank you so much. thanks to my wonderful family. we are quite the force multiplier. many of you have come to know my father to this process. he has been in every hearing and every vote. it did not just start now. i remember looking up and seeing him in the gallery at my first trial. he was there for everyone. he has encouraged me in all things, even when my choices were not ones he would have made for me. he has been the best of fathers and i thank him. [applause] i hope you know that without him, i would not be standing here before you today having just been sworn in as the 83rd attorney general of the united states of america, just one week after his 83rd birthday. [applause] my mother could not be here today, but she is never far from my thoughts here it she grew up in a world where she was told what she could not do. or wh

[applause] chairman leahy you know this is a man who never thought it paid to be silent in the face of oppression and prejudice and so many people so many people in your home state and in this country owe you so much, not just for your wisdom but the physical courage it took back in those days to speak out as you did. a baptist minister who always taught his children that anything is possible. in the face of jim crow in north carolina raising a lovely, bright young woman as well as her brother and saying anything anything is possible. he not only taught it, he fought for t and he also, as i understand, made it clear that they had to work for it, too. the dad taking young loretta to the courthouse to see important cases was a pretty, i imagine even in those days fairly innovated. while he had his young daughter in the courthouse. then the local library dropped her off to instill in her one of the few places a young black woman could be and with some degree of security, surrounded by all those works that are still just in incredible love of learning and language in you loretta. this is a

then the leahy substitute which would strip the hyde language and include leahy's runaway and homeless youth act and senator klobuchar's stop exploitation act. then we proposed it use the bill passed by the house instead of the cornyn bill. the bill the house passed, bring it to the floor and passed it. we've agreed to keep it but use for law enforcement efforts and use the house bill authorization for victims services including health care. but republicans wouldn't agree to any of these changes. they simply aren't interested this getting the yes. i hear this morning some talk maybe we can work something out. i hope that, in fact, is true. i hope we're not using this urgently needed trafficking bill to continue to push through the party's backward agenda related to women's health. mr. president, the hyde language i serve in -- served in the house of representatives more than 30 years ago. i served with congressman hyde, a fine man if there were anyone who looked like a public servant, it was henry hyde. big man beautiful white hair, great speaking voice. he this good congressman is res

energy secretary ernest moniz, and iran's nuclear chef ak bar al is a leahy, both from m.i.t. but it may take more than two nuclear physicists to solve these problems. what kind of nuclear research will iran be allowed after the first ten years of an agreement? will the u.n. sanctions be lifted in june as iran demands or just suspended so they can be slapped back on if iran cheats? john kerry doesn't give up easily. but if he doesn't get a nuclear deal, he has made his mark here. a local restaurant has named a pizza after him. arugula, chicken, onion and bacon to go. even if there is a deal tomorrow, the u.s. will not get the specific commitments, all of the specific commitments that it once hoped to get from iran. that will make it harder for critics who fear the administration is making too many concessions just to get a deal. lester? >> andrea mitchell, thank you. >>> a big headline in the fight against isis in iraq. that country's prime minister says iraqi forces have reached the center of tikrit as they move to retake control of saddam hussein's hometown north of baghdad.

lou: joining us now, andy leahy and miss new york usa. joanne.et's start with if i may denying a 6th grader his bracket price, he beats everyone, and espn will not hand over the stuff. >> he should not no prize for this kid he broke the rules you do not gamble if you are under age. if we give him the prize it will lead to insider trading. lou: we owe espn a debt of gratitude. >> and he should be thrown in jail. he broke the rules that is the same as breaking the law. i think maybe -- i don't want to be hard on the guy maybe 5 or 10 years. lou: a certain -- >> tough on crime. >> i respect that. let's go to rand paul this problem are lady reporters about what is going on? >> i think he gets asked questions, he doesn't like them very much then he gets awkward about it. his ego gets in the way he gets uncomfortable. but welcome to 2016 presidential competition there you will be uncom for -- uncomfortable. >> he kind of has a problem with male reporters took i don't know if there is a sexist team, as much as he needs to test himself a little bit. on t

and during her confirmation, senator leahy and -- i think you were there, mr. president -- asked a panel of witnesses who were pro and supposedly con, to raise their hands if they opposed her. not a single witness raised their hand. to me, that spoke volumes. even republicans who will vote against her because they disagree with the president praise her credentials and personal qualifications. and -- but despite all that, the senate subjected her to i think an inexcusable delay. and it's particularly sensitive because this would be the first african-american woman as attorney general in the history of the united states. and if you look at race relations today and the impartial and important role that the department of justice plays, it seems to me that her appointment may well be the most important possible appointment at this particular point in time. her nomination has been pending for 56 days on the floor, and that's more than twice as long as the seven most recent attorneys general combined. so hopefully it's done now. i recognize that the other side will sa

leahy -- senator leahy -- and i think that you were there, mr. president -- asked a panel of witnesses pro and con to raise there hand if they a poster. not a single witness raised their hand. to me that spoke volumes. even republicans who will vote against her because they disagree with the president praise her credentials and personal qualifications. but despite all of that the senate subjected her to i think, and inexcusable delay particularly sensitive because this would be the 1st african-american woman as attorney general in the history of the united states and if you look at race relations today and the impartial and important role that the department of justice place, it seems to me that her appointment may well be the most important possible appointment at this particular.in time. her nomination has been pending for 56 days on the floor command that is more than twice as long as the seven most recent attorneys general combined. so, hopefully it is done now i recognize that the other side we will say they could not move the nomination bec

appreciation to senator leahy. available for us at any given time to help us work through these issues. it was not easy. but thanks to their efforts it has been extremely important. we fight human trafficking, a really really, very, very important thing to do. we reject efforts to further obstruct amendments to access for services that are deserved and needed. i also want to say something about senator cornyn. john cornyn i came thursday we thought we had something worked out. he is now very reasonable and helping us arrive at a conclusion a conclusion to this command i express my appreciation to him publicly for that. this compromises evidence this compromises evidence that when democrats and republicans sit down together and work toward a solution good things can happen. the senate needs more of this. but the post agreement amendments. each side we will be cautious because any one of those amendments could cause a knew filibuster. we don't need to get involved in that. we need to move forward on this legislation.

everybody knows you. >> i have a leahy. >> what on erlsarth happened to mr.own. >> senator brown's sign is missing. >> that's okay. >> senator brown. >> i lost my trachbin of thought. but thank tu for holding this hearing. one question, mr. secretary. talk to me about what this means, what trade restrictions mean to a state like ohio in terms ofwoízu agriculture exports. >> for a stitate like ohio, what current restrictions mean, it means that it's difficult to get agriculture products into -- from a state into cuba. we're at a tremendous disadvantage. the playing field's not level. because we're not allowed to do marketing programs like other countries do. we're not allowed to extend credit like other countries do. so the playing field is not level and it creates a great deal of difficulty for us to compete against those countries. >> tell me what it will mean as we ease them. >> well again, i think that as we ease the restrictions it is going to be easier for us to get products in there. again, i went through the list. right now the corn's coming from brazi

senator leahy was talking about products in new zealand. they are getting powdered milk from new zealand. milk producers would be happy to abide. others would as well. we are a whole lot closer. potatoes and beans and a whole range of things are available. apples seem to be a delicacy at christmas time. i said, we can give you christmas every day. we have a lot of opportunities. let me ask undersecretary scuse. there is an expression that says, the first step to achieving success is showing up. i think that is really true on trade. also, our ability to market. you mentioned the market access program and the other tools at the department of agriculture. i wonder if you might speak more to what -- how would you envision the usda's programs going forward, creating opportunities and tools for american agriculture? mr. scuse: again, if we were allowed to use our marketing programs, such as our market access program, it is an area where we work with operators to go in, to do the trade missions, to look at ways to develop markets and what the actu

as senator leahy asked me, i said on january 20 seventh we had the hearing on january 27. said we will be put on the agenda as soon as all of the written responses to our questions come back. i forget just which week that was, but then there was a week of congressional recess that came in between. i citizens we get to that recess, we would voted out of committee. so we did that. i kept my promise to the democrat leadership of the judiciary committee, that we were going to move her when i said we would move her. it gets out to the floor of the senate and at that particular point, it is not chuck grassley who decides when the agenda comes up. it is someone else. i except -0-- i accept the majority leader's deciding when it comes up. i object to it. after the human trafficking bill came up, it got out of committee 19-0. then the democrats decide to filibuster a bill that came out 19-zero. as long as the filibuster when on, we could not get to the nomination. why filibuster a bill that came out committee 19-0 come i do not know. but that is what held it up and that is all i ca

i expressed my appreciation to senator leahy on it. judicial committee who has been available for us u at any given time to help us work through these issues. it wasn't easy but through their efforts, senators i mentioned, has been extremely important. we'll fight human trafficking and that is really reallytr very, very important for us tos do. we also reject efforts to further obstruct a woman's access to services they deserve and need and we believe is within the law. i also want to say something about senator cornyn. john cornyn i talked to him on thursday and he is, we thought we had something worked out. he has been very reasonable helping us arrive at conclusion to this. i expressed my appreciation publicly to him for that. this compromise evidence that is when democrats and republicans sit down together and work toward a solution good things can happen. the senate needs more of this.t, but, mr. president, all the post-agreement amendments don't ruin the agreement that we've reached. each side isch going to have to be cautious in

. >> she's addressed a huge subject, one that rand paul and ted cruz on the right and pat leahy and elizabeth the left mandatory minimums we have millions of prison orphans whose fathers are away now. let's note by the way, the dreaded koch brothers charles and david, have announced that koch industry is going to stop asking on their job application forms if you have a criminal background as a way to help people reintegrate into society. >>> next up, the economy flatlines while the president works on trade. your kids get used to sweaty odors in their room. they think it smells fine, but you smell this... eliminate all the odors you've gone noseblind to with febreze fabric refresher. mmmm... so you and your guests can breathe happy. test you total your brand new car. nobody's hurt,but there will still be pain. it comes when your insurance company says they'll only pay three-quarters of what it takes to replace it. what are you supposed to do, drive three-quarters of a car? now if you had a liberty mutual new car replacement, you'd get your whole car back. i guess they don't want you driving ar

the leahy amendments tell us we can support those forces in that behave in a way consistent with our values, and when a particular unit does not, we isolated and no longer support it. if this investigation reveals a particular part of either the iraqi security forces or the popular mobilization force, did not behave appropriately we won't support it going forward. >> who is conducting the investigation -- >> well, president -- prime minister abad himself declared he was taking responsibility for that investigation. >> can you give us a sense of how many -- >> i can't from memory. there's a certain village south of tikrit where there was evidence of buildings that had been scorched on the outside the masonry. in some case that was probably a result of the fighting and others probably was in fact a result of misbehavior, but they're trying to sort that out not so much in tikrit, by the way. >> and saudi arabia and the u.s. strategic interests in providing the intelligence to saudi arabia. >> i can do that. two things. first of all, saudi arabia is a long-standing friend and ally of our

jason: i would add out of senator leahy and senator rubio their plan is one of the best, and they are not trying to hamstring themselves levying revenue-neutral. they are going for more efficient tax codes and growth. i think that is important. peter: one last one. >> you were talking earlier about what the goals of tax reform being complexity. having worked on tax reform" protects specifically, i can tell you that any -- reform specifically, i can tell you any reform will be complex. it is so complex now, that even if they cut it in half, he would still be incredibly complex. tax people forget that if you talk to the average person about simple text concepts -- tax concepts their eyes will spend over. they cannot understand any of that. even other attorneys that i talked to who are not tax attorneys can not have a meaningful discussion about taxes. my point is, this idea of getting rid of complexity without getting rid of the income tax, to me, whatever you want to call it -- income tax as a consumption tax -- if you start off with income, that determination is --an obstruction, and

everybody knows you. >> i have a leahy. >> what on earth happened to mr. brown. >> senator brown's sign is missing. >> that's okay. >> senator brown. >> i lost my train of thought. but thank you for holding this hearing. two questions, mr. secretary. one question, mr. secretary. talk to me about what this means, what trade restrictions mean to a state like ohio in terms of agriculture exports. >> for a state like ohio, what current restrictions mean, it means that it's difficult to get agriculture products into -- from a state into cuba. we're at a tremendous disadvantage. the playing field's not level. because we're not allowed to do marketing programs like other countries do. we're not allowed to extend credit like other countries do. so the playing field is not level and it creates a great deal of difficulty for us to compete against those countries. >> tell me what it will mean as we ease them. >> well again, i think that as we ease the restrictions, it is going to be easier for us to get products in there. again, i went through the list. right now the

senator leahy subcommittee is going to have to deal with that. there's a succession of issues.ink the fugitives in cuba is going to be a big deal. i hope it's not. i can't say for sure. juan: why does cuba matter? what is in the impact of cuba on progressive thought and movements here and the united states and around the world? >> on the negative side, the cuban exiles have intimidated a lot of people, but have actually been quite cancerous in our society. they have created a kind of mafia click in florida. they gave rise to the jeb bush dynasty. cuban exiles were directly involved in the killing of a chilean diplomat and his assistant. they blew their car up in washington, d.c. juan: and the watergate burglary -- >> they broke into the democratic party headquarters of watergate. they were part of nixon's plumbers. they make good use of their time here in the united states of america, mainly, in very dubious and sometimes horrific activities including attacks on cuba from bases in the united states. on the positive side, cuba sent a wake-up call to the world that small countrie

but i also have to thank senator schumer and someone who's here today, as well senator leahy.nk you so much for being here but also for your support, not just today, but over the years. and for doing, frankly, what i thought was impossible making the floor of the united states senate a welcoming place for me and for my family. thank you, sir, thank you so much. and, of course thanks to my wonderful family. as you can see all around you, we are quite the force multiplier. many of you have come to know my father throughout this process. he has been at every hearing and every vote but he didn't just start now. i remember looking up as a young ausa preparing to do my very first trial and seeing him in the gallery, and he was there for every one thereafter. he has encouraged me in all things, even when my choices were not the ones that he would have made for me and in that he has been the best of fathers, and i thank him. [ applause ] and i hope that you all know that without him, i would not be standing here before you today, having just been sworn in as the 83rd attorney general

democratic senator patrick leahy praised her confirmation but rued how long it took. >> she becomes the first out of 82 attorneys general in our nation's history to face a filibuster, has had to wait longer than any other. she is an historic nominee. on one hand, for the right reasons, first african-american woman highly, highly qualified. everybody agrees with that. but what a shame that we had the second part of history to have her be the first out of 82 filibustered, to be held to this very disturbing double standard. amy: loretta lynch presided over controversial terrorism cases as the top federal prosecutor in brooklyn. she supports bulk nsa surveillance and disagrees with president obama's stance marijuana may not be more dangerous than alcohol. comcast has reportedly dropped its bid to acquire time warner cable in a deal that would have merged the country's two largest cable providers. the move follows reports of opposition from the justice department and federal communications commission over the merger, which would have left a single company in control of 57% of the broadband i

the leahy amendment tells us we can support those forces that gave in a way consistent with our values and when a particular unit does not, we isolate it and no longer support it. if this investigation reveals that a particular part of either the iraqi security forces or the popular mobilization force did not behave appropriately, we won't support it going forward. >> i'm sorry, who's conducting those investigations? >> well the iraqi government -- prime minister abadi himself declared that he was taking responsibility for that investigation. >> and when you say isolated incidents, can you give us a sense of how many how many were involved and the specific -- >> i can't from memory. there was a certain village south of tikrit where there was evidence of buildings that had been scorched on the outside, the masonry. in some cases that was probably a result of the fighting. in others it probably was, in fact, the result of misbehavior. they're trying to sort that out. not so much in tikrit by the way. >> and saudi arabia? i'm curious if you could elaborate on the u.s. strategic interest i

as far as patrick leahy, one of the u.s. senators does have legislation pending, and obama supports it, to set up a forensic unit in the u.s. department of justice to create standards for forensic testing. because right now, we don't have reliable standards. >> jonathan that a good idea? >> i think that's part of the thing, but i think the bureau have to come up with the right standards and the bureau is doing what they need to do in order to come up with those things. and i think that you can't just say that the bureau has a bad reputation because we do not. the bureau has a great reparation. and they're going to go forward and fix this but, you know science is like this and also when you teach people to go in and how to present themselves in court, if you don't set the standards out beforehand then these things can happen. i think that's the greatest thing that can be done here is the bureau goes out and fixes these standards. >> john than gilliam, tom fuentes, brian claypool. gentlemen, thank you very much. appreciate it.