this new regulatory loophole has just become known as the london loophole. but firms also listed american energy commodity derivatives in yodubai and singapore and opened their electronic platforms to american traders. this new electronically traded marketplace allows american traders, simply put, to evade american market oversight and speculation limits. the practical implication of this is that united states traders can use offshore electronic exchanges to artificially drive up prices of united states commodities without any consequences from our nation's market regulators. this is a big problem. a 2008 cftc report found that traders using this london exchange to trade u.s. crude oil futures held positions far larger than would be allowed by american regulators. in fact, from 2006 to 2008, at least one trader position exceeded united states speculation limits every single week on the london exchange, and british regulators have done nothing about it. the good news is that some steps have been taken administratively to address this loophole. in 2008, the co

let me mention three loopholes in this bill. well, $39.5 billion as spending is designated as an emergency. well, that falls outside of pay-go. $21.9 billion of medicare spending, the so-called doc fix, comes under something called directed scoring. it magically has no cost. then we have the double accounting, $11.8 billion, in new taxes to be used first off as the cost and then on the new oil spill fund. mr. speaker, my friends on the other side of the aisle are using accounting gimmicks that would make bernie madoff blush. is it any wonder that the national press reported that our national debt is now $13 trillion, the highest ever in american history? you cannot spend, borrow, and bail out your way to economic prosperity. mr. levin: i now yield two minutes to another distinguished member of our committee, mr. neal of massachusetts. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. neal: i thank the gentleman for acknowledging me. i stand in support of this legislation and i had not intended to offer an

are you for investing in jobs at home or do you want to continue this loophole that a lot of creative tax lawyers have exploited to ship jobs overseas? >> how do you see the passion that is out there right now -- is a mostly anti-incumbent or anti-establishment or and i- obama? what is your sense of the nature of this passion? >> i think it is anti-business as usual. and tight the kind of policy and called -- anti-the kind of policy -- >> but that') not good for the incumbent party. >> we are the party in power in the sense that we have a majority in congress and we have the white house. but ironically, we have also been there -- we have also been the party of reform. all of the measures we have been trying to push through congress are today change the old business as usual that got us into this mess to begin with. that is what the wall street reform bill is all about. reforming the systems of taxpayers are not left holding the bag. that is why it is interesting to see republicans do voted to come to the rescue of the big banks saying they will make the taxpayers to get a free of a fu

the president wants to close down those loopholes. now, the president will take his lead from members of the house and the senate as to where he can be most effective campaigning for them. there are oversly some places where the president is strong, there's some places where he is a little less strong. but he is a great national spokesman. he is the best at making clear what the stakes are in this election. the importance in moving forward and the costs and consequences of going back to the same economic agenda that got us into this mess. >> will republicans be making a mistake if they couch this election as somewhat of a referendum on the president? if they run against barack obama, how successful will that be? how much trouble would that cause your candidates? cause your candidates? >> i think that would be a big mistake for the republicans. if they want to do that, go ahead. but they did test drive that strategy in pennsylvania. if you were to look at the republican ads, four out of five were trying to create a bogeyman out of pres

let me explain what the loophole is. the federal laws require background checks if you buy a gun from a dealer. there is an exemption ostensibly so that if you own a gun and you want to sell it to me we would not have to go through any of the investigatory process. you will find people going into the shows with hundreds of guns to sell. these were meant for individual purchases. closing the loophole requiring the same processes for non registered dealers. the federal government has legislated that they should not have them. i think that this is another one of the categories that is sympathetic to the concerns. i think that he is a -- this is consistent with the other laws that the congress has passed. corks how willing are the gun show dealers to break the law? -- >> how willing are the gun show leaders to break the law? >> we are concerned about the loophole. we have certain state that seemed to contribute excessively. gun shows predominate. >> in our investigations after this, we want to make sure the seller of the gun

make sure that those huge loopholes that only people right at the top, vy

a loophole gives terrorists the upper hand.loophole allows known and suspected terrorist to purchase military grade explosives and firearms legally and our country. -- and our country. we do not want to rob people of their constitutional rights, but i do not like saying this but i am going to do it, but to err on the side of protection, that is a chance we have to take. and as gao will testify, it just last year a person on the terrorist watchlist was cleared to buy explosive by the atf. the federal government cannot block the sale of these explosives to a person simply because they are in a terrorist watchlist. it sounds frightening to me. it defies common sense but it is the law of the land. in fact, some of the very explosive agents used in iraq and afghanistan are available for sale legally to known and suspected terrorists here in our country. we know that terrorists do not only used explosives, firearms are a weapon of choice. one u.s. citizen arrested at jfk airport in connection with the times where a car bombing had al

i think it is a carveout, it is a loophole. there are a thousand lobbyists in this town doing everything they can to gut one provision after another in this bill. millions of dollars are being paid for them to walk the halls of these buildings, to do everything they can to gut this kind of a thing. what a tragedy it would be that at the cost of adopting this legislation, for the first time establish a national consumer protection bureau in our nation that we would carve out an area that affects the very young people who are sitting there in harm's way, in afghanistan, iraq, and elsewhere around the world. my hope is, mr. president, we would not let that happen. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. dodd: i ask consent the quorum be vacated. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. dodd: this is not a unanimous consent request here, but just based on the conversations we have had between the majority and

sort out the mess in the government finances, but we can pay for fairer taxes by closing the huge loopholes that only benefit the very wealthy and making sure the polluters pay for the the gentleman that they have caused. a fair start for all our children. cutting class sizes in primary schools to just 20, investing in catch-up classes in our secondary schools so no one is left behind. imagine it, opportunity for every child. that's fairness. imagine, too, a fair and sustainable economy. let's break up the banks and make sure that they pay for the damage that they have caused as well. and let's invest billions in new green infrastructure, affordable housing, green renewable energy, high-speed rail to build a new economy beyond the city of london with jobs that last for everyone in every part of the country. that's fairness. and finally, fair politics. if your m.p. is corrupt, you will be able to sack them. there will be no more dodgy donations to political parties, and we will fix the system so that your vote will count no matter where you live. that's the way to put fairness back into poli

closing the loophole.congressman joins the fight to prevent american children from being abducted by one parent. but first, inhumane ending. state officials are struggling to sort through 40 discarded bodies found stacked inside a maryland funeral home. >> i'm scott broome in river dale park where sorting out whose body is whose may prove to be impossible as investigators try to sort out a shocking discovery made here at the chambers funeral home. chambers funeral home now accused by state officials by mishandling as many as 46 bodies. >> i found individuals in dy

it's a good bill for closing tax loopholes. it's a good bill to dissuade people from taking jobs overseas. take this step for america and continue to build on the economic progress that we have made over the last 17 months, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: all time for debate has expired, pursuant to house resolution 1473, the previous question is ordered. the question of adoption of the motion is divided. the first portion of the divided question is will the house concur in the senate amendment with all of the matter proposed to be inserted by the amendment to the house other than section 523. the question is on the first portion of the divided question. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the eyes have it. mr. levin: mr. speaker, i ask for a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of a vote will rise. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are y ordered. members will record their votes by electronic de

our goal is to expand that so it is loophole free in covering the folk here that it needs to like in the bill. both bills have that. if you don't get a speedy administrative ruling, but the senate trials only allows it for major disciplinary actio which means if you transfer the bureaucratic sberia or are stripped of all your job duties are exiled from the subject area that you blew the whistle on, you don't get access to a jury. also the senate bill gives the government about a 30% head start on the independent justification also knownas pre-tax. if you go to court instead of having an administrative hearing. we think those are both unacceptable. the senate will give you access to the circuit court of appeals instead of just the federal circuit, which has been so hostile. but not for this significant cases. the federal circuit still keeps the monopoly on bad and that it has created almost all of the obscene precedent that it made this law a bad joke. both bills have rights against retaliatory investigations but the senate will meato have to wait until there is a further action taken

this bill closes that loophole.says, if you outsource our jobs from this country, you don't get off the hook when it comes to the i.r.s. now, what does it use the money for? well, if an american business goes into a bank today and the bank says, you know, we would make this loan to you to expand your business but we just need a little more collateral, a little more guarantee. this bill says, the small business administration can step in and make that loan happen. and create those jobs. or a woman running a soft wear company or a bio-- software company or a biosciences company says, i have a real opportunity here to hire more scientists and researchers but i can't quite find the capital. this bill says she can hire five scientists for the price of four because of the research and development tax credit. or the mayor and council of the town is saying, we could fix our antiquated clean water system, we could build a new water treatment system and have cleaner water and more jobs for people in our town, but the interest

is that a loophole that should be closed or the way it should be?r speaking out about the oil spill and the criticism the obama administration is getting from some. >> katrina was something he was warned about, a natural disaster. they kept saying days before, the storm is coming. no one kept saying to obama, the rig is going to blow in three day, it's brewing up there in the gulf. i lost 120 pounds on nutrisystem. enjoy four perfectly portioned meals for as low as $8.92 a day, our best price guaranteed. i'm marie osmond, and i lost 50 pounds on nutrisystem. i lost over 100 pounds and lowered my blood sugar on nutrisystem d. based on the proven science of the glycemic index, nutrisystem works, and now it can work for you. that's me 22 pounds ago, and i'm never going back there again. roll back prices no matter who you are or what program is right for you. people say i look 10 years younger. i feel 10 years younger. smart money named nutrisystem the best value of popular weight-loss programs. now our best price just got better. call 888-988-thin and

closing ben hall loophole -- closing of that gun show lou loophole would help keep guns out of the hands of those that the federal legislature has already dictated should not have them. i think the gap is just another one of the categories. i am is sympathetic to senator gramm's concerns. i think he is a very thoughtful senator and he has put a lot of time into this. i would argue that this is consistent with the other laws that the congress has passed and that the supreme court has said are reasonable. >> thank you. commissioner, tell us level -- tell us a little about some of the findings of a study. i am struck with just a willing the gun show participants are to break the law. >> this was done by private investigators. we are obviously concerned about the gun show loophole. it has been known and talked about on the street. certainly, in some states it is more of a problem than in others. we have certain states that seem to contribute excessively to the guns that we find on the stteets of our city. gun shows predominate in a lot of those states. >> let me just add one other thing. in

after insisting that changes be made, republicans were able to close significant loopholes in the democrats' bill that would have perpetuated taxpayer funded bailouts. these changes demonstrate our determination to protect the american taxpayer and the future of our economy. ultimately, this debate is about the appropriate role of the federal government in the economy. republicans believe that the federal government should protect taxpayers and promote economic growth. we will continue to support changes to this legislation in an attempt to achieve these goals. thank you. >> today, retiring judge john paul stevens and the solicitor general on his life and legacy. miss kagan has been interviewed as a potential replacement. that is coming up today at 7:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> the president on the phone and said to me, "judge, i would like to announce you as my selection to be the next associate justice of the united states supreme court." a caught my breath and started to cry and said, "thank you, mr. president." >> learn more about the highest court. the eyes of those who serve their 3

no one in the pledge does it talk about any loopholes, whatsoever. i will not raise your taxes, and i have pledged it. >> thank you, mr. critz for 30 seconds. >> i can promise you i'm not going to raise any of your taxes, just his. >> mr. burns, the cost of education is rapidly increasing making a college education out of reach for more and more students. what will you do to make our students collegiate dreams a reality? >> well, you know, college education cost just like cost in virtually every other thing had been going up across america. you know, one the things that we need to be very careful about is in the latest health care bill where the government is actually taking over student loans. that is a bad thing. student loans, we need student loans to be available. we need this money to be available so students can borrow the money in order to go to college. that process has been in place and it's worked, i think that there should be some improvements that could be made to it. but a government take over of the student loan process is a very bad th

the bill fails to address the largest loophole of all, the double spending loophole. last week it was reported th the majority plans to fund a new summer jobs program with revenue from a tax increase on each barrel ooil. the revenue has been promised to the oil spill liability trust fund to cover the $14 billion in damages on our gulf coast. you don't need to be a c.p.a. that you can't spend the same dollar twice. the majority is spending revenue that has been committed to other programs. it is using this as long and imflames the trust of the american people. we ought to be closing the double spending loophole. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas rise? m moran: address the house for one minute. the speak pro tempore: without objection. mr. moran: the federal government has failed when it comes to immigration. it's no surprise that arizona is stepping forward to do the job the federal government has not done. our country is a nation of laws and they must be enforced. whether this administration likes it, it is a fe

they're looking to close a loophole. it's provided to airline oons web board. they're required to update it every 24 hours. they do get fications alerting them when a priority, someone new has been put on that list. it's been up to the airlines to do this updating themselves. i'm told that many do but they're not required to. now they have to do it within two hours of getting a notification from us, someone of concern has been added to this list. you have to go back and look at this web board and put him on your list. now, fortunately there were redundant systems in place here. customs and border protection was looking not just at the no-fly list and comparing that to the manifest but looking at any number of other alerts and databases that they have access to. they're the ones who realized he was on that flight and got him off. >> here's the interesting thing, he paid for those tickets in cash. how about the people who paid for that airline tickets in cash. is that going to change, jean? >> there's a movement afoot to do that. right now the airlines are not re

the american jobs anclosing tax loopholes act will do just that. it will close loopholes that give outsourcing a benefit and will provide joband tax relief for businesses and working families. you know, for too long, unscrupulous corporations have outsourced american jobs sending themrseas, sticking american taxpayers with the bill. it's time to close at that tax loophole that encourages that behavior and demand accountability. this bill also will close another tax loophole and make wall street fund managers pay a fair tax rate on their income. st like my central ohio constituents do. make the oil companies pay for the gulf oil cleanup, not amican taxpayers. and it will rebuild our crumbling infrastructure with build america bonds. also giving our students summer jobs, promoting research and development with a research and development tax credit. h.r. 4223, the american jobs and closing loophole act, is deserving of our support. i encourage my colleagues to vote for it. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from te

we are urging congress to close the gun show loophole. we have found that 82% of an area members are also in favor of closing the gun show loophole that enables the terrorist gap. under commissioner kelly's leadership, the nypd has developed one of the world's most advanced counterterrorism programs. thousands of our best police officers work on counter- terrorism and intelligent every day. a key element of any smart counterterrorism strategy is to make it harder for terrorist to strike. that is why airport passengers walk through metal detectors. that is why our police randomly checked bags into the subway. that is why they patrol sensitive locations. and that is why it is just common sense to give the fbi the authority to keep terrorist suspects from buying guns and explosives. let me close by is saying something about the second amendment. it was not written to empower people who want to terrorize a free state. it was written so that people could defend the security of a free state. today, our free state is being tested by terrorists.

this loophole was never sanctioned by congress.apparently, never intended by the supreme court, but it was a significant loophole. it allowed banks to for the first time in the nation's history avoid interest rate restrictions by the states of their consumers. it allowed them to get through that loophole by reorganizing as national banks and moving to states with comparatively weak consumer protections. once the banks figured out that loophole, what's called a race to the bottom ensued. bank credit card centers moved to states with the worst consumer protections, and in some cases states made their consumer protections even worse in order to attract that business to their state. so the result of that is that today the credit card divisions of bah major -- of major banks are based in just a few states, and that deal with the bank state causes consumers in all our other states to be denied their traditional historic, lawful protection against outrageous interest rates and fees. with millennia of interest rate protections behind us an

there is an unintended loophole that needs to be closed. we need to give law enforcement the tools they need and because ultralights are not currently technically considered aircraft, they do not fall under the smuggling provisions. under my legislation, individuals caught smuggling on ultralights can be prosecuted for using the aircraft in addition to being prosecuted for the drugs in their possession. when they are convicted of this new offense, they can receive a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. the bill will establish the same penalties for smuggling drugs and ultralights as for smuggling on airplanes and automobiles. today is a good day for the southwest border and people of arizona and this country. president obama has finally agreed to my repeated requests to deploy the national guard to the u.s.-mexico border. today, the president announced that he will authorize 1,200 national guard troops to be deployed to the southwest border. he will also request that $500 million be included in the supplemental s

so if you want huge loopholes to begin this process support this amendment.if you want to maintain, i think, well-structured exemptions for the economic use of derivatives, that is incorporated within the underlying dodd-lincoln bill, and it makes a great deal of sense to me. there are issues here that i think we have to be conscious of and we can still debate within the allocation responsibilities between regulatory authorities with respect to these derivatives. that's an issue that i think is still understanding. there are amendments on the floor to deal with that. but the underlying architecture of derivative regulation has been accomplished by the individuals in the underlying dodd and lincoln bill. again, we have learned a lot i think we should have learned a bit of collective humility about the ability to deal with these complicated products, and so we have to build in multiple lines of defense if you will. simply requiring a registry, reporting to a central location. when you make an o.t.c. contract that's good but not sufficient. requiring that the ma

these provisions close major loopholes and fix major deficiencies. i yield back and i urge a yes vote on this en bloc amendment. the chair: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. andrews: i thank the chairman. at this point, i'm privileged to yld to another champion of growth of american jobs here, the ntleman from chicago, the runner up city in this year's stanley cup finals, mr. lipinski for one minute. the chair: the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. mr. hi pinskey: i'd like to -- mr. lipinski: i'li to commend chairman skelton and the ranking member for their support on this. i'd like to encourage support of this en bloc group of amendments. these amendments would bolster national security and create american jobs, two critic goals for america. in this recession, the loss of manufacturing base to country such as as china has only sped up. it's bad enough with consumer goods but to depd on foreign companies to supply our national security is risky. in this time -- it is time american contractors compete for this contra

we're also clogging the loophole -- closing the loopholes that allow oil companies to bypass critical environmental procedures. as i said before, domestic oil drilling continues to be one part of an overall energy strategy that now includes more clean renewable energy and energy efficiency than any other time in our history. it is absolutely essential that going for robbery put in place every necessary safeguard of protections that a tragedy like this does not happen again. this is a responsibility that all of us share. the oil company share it and the manufacturers of this equipment share its. the agencies of the federal government in charge of oversight share that responsibility. i will not tolerate more finger- pointing. the people of the gulf coast need our help and they deserve nothing less than for us to stand up and do whatever is necessary to stop the spill and prevent further damage and compensate those who have been harmed already. that is our job. it is also our job to make sure that this kind of mess does not happen again. the job we have been doing is the job we will keep

part of my jobs plan is the elimination of a tax loophole for companies that ship jobs overseas.applause] the bush tax cuts for the very wealthy are about to expire. in this economy, we have a government that needs revenue streams. i think they should expire. what i can promise you is that i will fight like heck to never raise taxes on working men and women. >> mr. burns, 60 seconds. >> let me answer that question very directly on like my opponent. i will pledge to never raise your taxes. [applause] in fact, early in my campaign i signed a taxpayer protection pledge, and this loophole that he talks about, i can give you a copy of that pledge perino where does it talk about any loopholes whatsoever. i will not raise your taxes. [applause] >> back to mr. critz for 30 seconds. >> i can promise you i am not going arrays any of your taxes, it just says. -- i am not going to raise any of your taxes, just hehs. -- just his. >> the cost of education is rapidly increasing. what will you make our students dreams are reality? >> college education costs -- just like cost in virtually every o

and fix a loophole that allowed advertisers to get names, age, date of birth. >> this is the informationt identity thieves love to get and use to steal your identity on line with all kind of bad consequences for the individual. >> facebook says changes will happen shortly. the social networking site has nearly 500 million users. >> coming up tonight. plans for graduates to honor yardly love at university of virginia. >> catching up with riddick bowe, trying to rebuild his life here in our area. >>> veronica has our forecast coming up. >>> he was once a king in the ring ring. riddick bowe. he finished 43-1 record. things have changed for the champ. dan? >> jim, riddick bowe. now he is trying to lay the foundation for a new life. he has a new wife and a beautiful 4-year-old daughter. bowe's financial situation the biggest problem for him. he is fighting foreclosure trying to save the house that he built. >> riddick "big daddy" bowe one of the biggest stars in boxing. heavyweight champ. defeated holyfield, at 29 years old, retired, and was worth $20 million. now almost broke. the symbols of

because it provides our tax revenues and we had a loophole. that they be allowed to have slaves for a while and down by the salt wells and coal mines. and we thought that. the slave owners were in eagle creek running their mind. we have thousands latest dropping like flies and we thought that. and is rugged old men with this gun, this gun culture, and i think how is it that the only people more dissenting against big coal are people who politically don't need a. and i'm realizing coal politics has nothing to do with party politics. it's the liberal democrats who have equally beholden the right wing republicans, and how can that be? and he said, on your property were slave graves, and we all knew it. and now they have stripped wind. because we don't want to remember. we want to strip the history that strip mining is not just a process of taking the route of the trees. it's a process of ripping out the roots of a culture and historical memory. and i remember, that historical memory. one of the first times i ever thought about coal was in 1988. t

>> close those tax loopholes, all right. carried interest for wall street upwards of $80 billion to $100 billion a year. they get taxed at 15%. $80 billion for tax loopholes, so oil companies that literally have record profits, $352 billion a year that's not collected in taxes from small businesses and individuals of corporations. but also secretary gates, i stood up and said he was right when he said, wait a minute, we don't need the f-22. i have two plants in my district that provided parts for that plane. but what he's trying to do to transform the military is also absolutely needed. >> we'll leave it there. congressman sestak, thank you very much. let's turn back to the senators, the campaign chairs. senator menendez, talk about pennsylvania. the white house backed senator specter. that didn't work. assess this race now going into the fall. >> well, you've seen that you have a navy admiral who really has an independent view, one that fights for pennsylvanians in terms of their jobs and economic opportunity, versus someon

. >>> and a facebook loophole exposed. was sharing user's personal information without letting them know it. >>> chuck says wet weather ahead. >>> this weekend a sellbrags of d.c.'s history and culture is under way. more than 100 walking and bike tours are available through all of the city's wards. there is something for everybody. we are joined live by the director. i understand there is one walk through the old red light district of downtown washington? >> yeah, absolutely. federal triangle area was where the hooker brigade was placed during the civil war. as you might imagine, the name caught on from the folks that caught on the to visit, the soldiers while they were down there. interesting an area. >> now, only up standing politicians that work in that area? >> sure. the great thing about it is there is a real opportunity to see all of the city, all eight wards. a lot of neighborhoods, people may have never been to some before. hillcrest which is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city will have a tour. fed

so reagan thought, i believe, that if you got rid of those preferences, those loopholes, that you would pull government back from the private sector. you would pull government back from society and you would in a sense create greater freedom and less government. now, this required some imagination because in fact tax reform up until that time had been a democratic issue. they thought, without reason, that a lot of these preferences were really just going to powerful interests. so reagan was able to put together, and through his own force and potential for the basics would not have happened if reagan hadn't been behind it and willing to expend capital on a. he was able to get that through, and it did lead come it was tax neutral ticket lead to a shifting of taxes rather than a reduction. but he did lead, i would argue, to a reduction of the size of government. and he was willing to do that and willing to bring it about. reagan had lots of luck, one way or the other. he seemed odd like being shot good luck. that really created a public image that was very positive, help them to get his pr

there are loopholes. one of the loopholes is something called a 527. this as an independent expenditure. i may be limited as a citizen to give money to my politician, but i am on limited -- unlimited on how much i can spend on my own. if i run advertisements or put something in the newspaper or promoting an issue, there is no limit on that. if i am a fat cat, there are ways for me to spend big money. i can only give a certain amount to my local politician. >> the previous caller asked about supreme court cases. one of the biggest ones this year was the psittacine united case. you will not have to know that case, but what you should know is that the first amendment right to free speech has often been used to limit campaign finance laws, especially the independent expenditures where if you are an independent group, giving money independently sometimes can be unlimited. host: this is from twitter -- guest: both of these come from the 14th amendment. they both go back to the civil rights. equal protection clause is really at the heart of brown versus the b

this is a -- an unintentional loophole. it has created grievous abuse of consumers who for the first time in american history are paying 30-plus interest rates under the law. when you and i were growing up, mr. president, if a flier came in the mail that offered a credit card with a 30% interest rate, that would probably be a matter to bring to the attention of the authorities because it would be illegal. now they market this stuff at will and too many americans, too many of our states' residents, too many consumers are paying exorbitant and what would in that state be illegal interest rates because of this loophole. it's long past time to change it. this amendment would close it. i urge the support of my colleagues and look forward to the chance to call this amendment up. thank you. i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. harkin: i ask that further proceedings on the qu

there are loopholes. one of the loopholes is something called a 527. this as an independent expenditure. i may be limited as a citizen to give money to my politician, but i am on limited -- unlimited on how much i can spend on my own. if i run advertisements or put something in the newspaper or promoting an issue, there is no limit on that. if i am a fat cat, there are ways for me to spend big money. i can only give a certain amount to my local politician. >> the previous caller asked about supreme court cases. one of the biggest ones this year was the psittacine united case. you will not have to know that case, but what you should know is that the first amendment right to free speech has often been used to limit campaign finance laws, especially the independent expenditures where if you are an independent group, giving money independently sometimes can be unlimited. host: this is from twitter -- guest: both of these come from the 14th amendment. they both go back to the civil rights. equal protection clause is really at the heart of brown versus the b

builds the criminal case, the department of homeland security is tightening a screen loophole that allowed the suspected bomber to get on the plane. shahzad's name was added to the no-fly list on monday, but emrats air was working off an old list and he got through. now airlines are being required to check every two hours for no-fly additions. the government disputes the popular notion that he nearly got away. officials say c.b.p. customs officers had his name. they did their job, and they got their guy. katie. >> couric: meanwhile, bob, why do you think he's being so cooperative? it seems like this guy can't stop talking. >> reporter: it's a little curious. but perhaps we can speculate that he fears pressure. his family is still overseas. he doesn't want them to be harassed. but i have to tell you, in the recent cases we've seen involving terrorists and confessed terrorists, talking seems to be the trend. azazi in new york confessed to plotting the subway attacks there that never happened. david headley said i was involved in the mubai attacks. so it seems to be kind of a curious way to d

thank you for the question. >> senator, where are you on closing that loophole and why?rite, based upon the backs of the increasing crime rate. -- i favor it based upon the fact of the increasing crime rate. when the talk about 100% voting record, he is wrong. and have had a lot of experience in criminal law enforcement -- i have a lot of experience in criminal law enforcement. i believe one way to deal effectively with the problem of violence with guns is with tough sentences for tough criminals. that is why i introduced and succeeded in passing the armed career criminal bill. when i was district attorney of philadelphia, there were too many provision eric life sentences handed out by the philadelphia judges. when i got to washington, i wanted to bring the federal government into the picture. if you have an individual who had been convicted of three or more violent crimes -- robbery, burglary, arson, drugs else -- that it would be taken into the federal court, where the behalf of a mandatory sentence of 50 years still life. -- to life. the president looks to senator cas

but we are obviously concerned about the gun show loophole. it has been known to be -- it is talked about on the street. certainly, in some states, it is more of a problem than others. we have certain states that seem to contribute excessively to the guns that we find on the streets of our city. the gun shows sort of predominate in a lot of those states. >> let me add one other thing. >> go ahead. >> our investigation at the gun shows -- we made sure that the seller of the gun, who was somebody that we have hired, said to the potential buyer, "if you had to go to a background check, would you pass? 63% we have this on tape -- said they would not. people who could not go to a reputable dealer -- and 90% of the gun dealers in this country are reputable and insist on a baccground check -- people who cannot buy guns that we go to gun shows to avoid the federal law. i do not think congress wants to pass that. they passed a law. it should be enforced. >> i agree. congressman king, mayor bloomberg, governor kelly, thanks for taking your time to come

. >> failure of rules so riddled with loopholes they allow unsafe conditions to continue. >> reporter: he asked the labor department to tighten its rules to make it easier to prove a pattern ever violations. the mine owner told congress last week safety is his number one priority. >> we led the industry in safety innovation and made every attempt to deal with the violations. >> reporter: west virginia senator disagrees. >> blatant disregard for the welfare and the safety. >> reporter: west virginia's governor and victims' relatives testified today. some of those relatives what want to attend interviews. the government want to interview those witnesses in private. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> the crew aboard space shuttle "atlantis" will have one more inspection before heading back to earth. they will pull out a boom to check for damage. it will provide a full 3-d scan of the left wing. "atlantis" undocked from the international space station yesterday. the shuttle will be retired once it returns home. >>> let's get a check and see what kind of weather we'll have for this mon

the problem was that the banking industry began to figure out that there was a loophole here. they began to figure out that if they could go to the states with the worst consumer protection laws in the country or if they could go to a friendly governor and say, hey, i'll make you a deal. you clear out your consumer protection laws, and we'll come and we'll locate a big high-rise business full of call center people in your state. they could go, and from that state they could operate nationally. and because of this funny 1978 decision from an 1863 law, bit by bit all of the constitutional federalists states' rights protections where sovereign states have the right to protect their own citizens against outrageous and exorbitant interest rates became ineffectual. we never decided that as a congress. if we had had that debate, i will venture that it would have gone the other way. it would be preposterous for us as a congress to look out across america and say, okay, we're going to pass a law that says that the worst state for consumer protection regulation is going to be the state

the american jobs and closing tax loopholes act continues these efforts. current tax law allows companies here in the united states to be rewarded for shipping american jobs overseas. this is unconscionable and american workers deserve better. this legislation includes provisions that close these tax loopholes and protects jobs here at home. this legislation will also continue to provide hard working american families with the relief they deserve, relief on property taxes, sales taxes and college tuition. mr. speaker, the american jobs and closing tax loopholes act is another is important important step to creating jobs and jump starting our economy. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without jection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, the ongoing abuses and tragedy in burma are almost unfathomable. the cruel military dictator systemically oppress and exploit the

it is critical that we pass h.r. 4213, the american jobs and closing tax loopholes act. this bill includes a summer youth jobs provision which will put over 350,000 young people to work this summer. our young people now are helping their families pay the rent and put food on the table. also, summer youth jobs programs give them the essential jobs and life skills to be productive workers and employees. under the obama administration, we are beginning to see hopes in the economy, but we mus do our part in invest in putting people back to work and pass h.r. 4213. this puts us on the right track. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition? mr. harper: mr. speake ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from mississippi is recognized for one minute. mr. haer: mr. speaker, ending will reach a $1.3 trillion with money we don't have and the same white house budget proposes tax increases by the year 2020. yet, for the first time in more than 35 years, th

. >> bob: well, he retired over there, finding a loophole to escape to the usa because his club didn'ten he came over there. >> rob: they have to go ten years before they're a free agent. >> bob: he hadn't done that >> rob: right. >> bob: that's why he retired, supposedly. an interesting story and he's back working with young pitchers over there. when you mentioned matsuzaka, that reminded me of the great hideo nomo. >> rob: colby lewis of the rangers has been tremendous so far for them, having spent two year in japan. [ crowd booing ] >> rob: working on some things, especially a changeup. bruney strikes out helms right here. you can see from the side? he goes -- yep, right by the plate. as long as you break that plane, that imaginary or invisible kind of line, you're done. or if the first base up pyre bob sees head of your bat. >> bob: here's maybin. 07 for 3 today and 1 for 11 in the series. >> rob: a lies get-me-over cut albuquerque slider, doesn't matter. you can do anything from that point. >> bob: mike lamb has been a good pitcher. bruney miss upstairs. .1 with a one o , one out

solomon, nehemiah, th ey all say usury is dead and wrong and bad but in deuteronomy bailout day loophole that is almost a bill that says and to a stranger upon whom is land they usury you cannot lend to your brother of lot and a charge interest because you would be a bad guy is a curious $1,000 i want teeeleven hundred back your sister-in-law would never talk to you. but until a stranger you can cause interest but then something happened. the next stage is 35 a.d.. what happens? anybody here old enough to remember? [laughter] 35 a.d. saw on the road to damascus. he is blinded by the white. and the lord says, go this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the gentiles in kings and the people of israel and what this means is that there are no more strangers. know every ready as part of a family and says the phrase and to a stranger almost most politically consequential word in all of the continent to set them on the road of division although it would be synergistic antagonism they would need each other and use each other along the way. nothing else happened a few years earlier

the things the bill would do is clarify the very broad scope of whistleblower protection, close loopholes created by the msp via the federal circuit, let whistleblowers access to federal district court and jury trials for the first time, suspend federal circuit court of appeals jurisdtion over wpa claims, provide whistleblower protections for tsa employees, clarify disclosing scientific censorship is protected, prohibit nondisclosure agreements that don't have a statement of whistleblower rights, or the enforcement of non-disclosures agreements in violation of whistleblower rights. and create whistleblower ombudsman to help whistleblowers with the process andake various other improvements. there is no disagreement about any of those issues. we are also working to find a way to provide whistleblower's new security clearances denied or revoked a form of review and to allow intelligence community whistleblowers to seek redress for whistleblower retaliation. one of the reasons there is such wide support for strengthening whistleblower protections is it is not just an issue of protecting the w

a loophole gives terrorists the upper hand. this loophole known as the terrorist gap allows known terrorists to purchase military-grade explosives and firearms legally. we don't want to rob people of their constitutional right, but i don't like saying this. but to err on the side of protection is a chance we have to take. it can be challenged in our court system without problem. as goa will testify, just last year a person on a tear watchlist was cleared to buy explosives. how can it be? right now the government cannot walk -- blocked the sale of firearms to someone simply because they are on a terrorist watch list. it is pretty frightening to me. it defies common sense, but it is the lawn of a land. some of the same explosive agents to make roadside bombs in iraq are available for sale in italy to suspected terrorists here in our country. -- available for sale here to suspected terrorists. a u.s. citizen arrested at jfk airport in connection with the times square car bomb had a loaded gun in the car as he drove to the airport.

the regulators in court to opens up a series of loopholes one might say or they found a series of gaps in glass-steagall that were progressively opened. as i mentioned banks were getting more and more involved in financial derivatives which in many ways were synthetic securities although they were not recognized as being so by the regulators but everyone in the market knew they were. and so the boundaries between the banking and securities and insurance were breaking down through a process that you coule say regulatory and judicial innovation, erosion and in 1999t finally the very large banks, large securities firms which byb then had decidede they are not going to be to keep them out of the business we might as well through thed pushed bill, the gramm-leach-bliley act, which essentially took on the major glass-steagall walls and said okay under this eential umbrella of the financial holding company you can have a , bank, securities firms andk and insurance company under theranc ownership.y al the theory was while we have tte these so-called corporate fire e walls or silos between the