they occurred in dearborn michigan. the first amendment safeguards freedom of speech and religious expression even for christians. maybe the police in dearborn, michigan haven't read the constitution. these arrests are shameful. whether the police like it or not. that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. capps: i rise today in strong support of wall street reform. after months of diligent work the house and senate will finally vote this week to enact wall street reform of the this is an historic achievement of the the bill is not perfect but it's a major step forward. wall street's unchecked greed and recklessness nearly destroyed our economy. wall street reform will repair our financial system and prevent another collapse. when the house last voted on this bill, democrats voted yes. while r

the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: mr. speaker, it's now my special privilege to yield two minutes to the congresswoman from pennsylvania, kathy dahlkemper. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. dahlkemper: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of my bill, h.r. 5623, the home buyers assistance and improvement act of 2010. i particularly would like to thank the leader, chairman levin, and particular for helping advance this legislation which will extend tomorrow's closing deadline to those eligible for the home buyers tax credit. the national association of realtors estimates that 180,000 families, including over 5,800 in my home state of pennsylvania alone, signed contracts for new homes by their april 30 deadline but have not yet finished their closing. one realtor in my district estimated that there are 20 of these such closings which have not been able to be completed yet. due to the turmoil in the housing market and overwhelming success of the tax credit, lenders in

bean: i yield 2 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from michigan. the chair: the gentleman from michigan is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you. i rise in support of h.r. 5297. small businesses create two in every three new jobs in this country and creating an environment that allows small businesses to innovate and grow is the single most important objective necessary to reduce unemployment and lead our nation to full economic recovery. i've held a field hearing and roundtables with small business owners and have traveled door to door in downtowns in my district, and the one thing i hear over and over again, many entrepreneurs are ready to invest and create jobs again but they cannot secure the capital necessary to start or grow their business. some, like karen teague, a small 'tising firm, says because -- advertising firm, says because she can't get a simple line of credit, she was forced to lay off workers. it's no secret why small businesses are struggling. mr. peters: wall street banks admitted that they reduced their banks in michigan as

the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: i'm pleased to recognize the chairman of the constitution subcommite, jerry nadler of new york, for two minutes. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. nadler: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the disclose act. earlier this year, the supreme court reversed decades of precedents and ruled that corporations are individuals like you and me and can put as much money into elections as they want. it distorts our political process. the very real danger now is that corporations will be able to use vast sums of concentrated money to further corrupt our political process and drown out the voices of everyone else. without objection action as a result of this latest activist supreme court decision, our electoral system will be at the mercy of large moneyed interests. this bill takes several critical steps to reclaim our elections. the most important one is that it would require disclosures of donors providing money for political purposes in certain circum

is to leave michigan. and i understand that is something that really difficult to do if you are someone who has a family, who has a mortgage, has children. how are you just going to get up and move? so, i can sympathize if not empathize with this person because i have talked to a lot of people in similar positions in michigan and withere doesn't seem to an fix on the horizon. host: you grew up in michigan? guest: i did. host: was your family involved in the auto industry? guest: i think my mom worked on an auto production line in her 20's. but they are both accountants so they have not been really affiliated with the ought troe industry. i think their clients to a certain extent may have been feeling this more because they have people who had jobs that are more tied to manufacturing. host: have your parents felt the economic effects? guest: i think that they have to a lesser extent because they have occupations like accounting. so even if there were companies filing to bankruptcy they need accountants. but

mccotter: i thank the gentleman from michigan. i thank him for all of his guidance and advice in this institution. one of which is being that on these swampy, humid, hot days, a son of detroit can wear sere sucker to beat the heat. the other that i wish to thank him for is his constant reminder to us through his example that we work for the people who send us here. and that in very difficult times it is crucial that we look past our perceived differences and be able to come together on behalf of the people who have entrusted us with office, to help solve problems for them. we in michigan went through this, where we saw an entire cherished way of life endangered and we united to come togethee to help solve that problem. the crisis has not passed, it continues to this day. but we are on the road to recovery. former president of the united auto workers, ron gettelfinger, is a man who understands positions of trust, a man who understands the need to do everything he can to honor that trust. as a democratically elected president of the

, the gentleman from michigan. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you you for calling this a very important hearing. what happened on the 202-737- was ater horizon rig tragedy. the loss of life was heartbreaking and the environmental damage that worsens by the day is a gut it needs to be made crystal clear to all involved that the polluter will pay. the american taxpayer should not and will not bb on the hook for the cost of this accident, both economic and environmental. nor should consumers to be punished with tax increases passed in the name of the bp spell that will only serve to add cost to hard-working americans and further weaken our economy. we now have the opportunity to look bp america in the eye and demand they fulfil their responsibility for the disaster in the gulf, and an important step is the creation of an escrow account that will assure -- american taxpayers are not left holding the tab. in the wake of this tragedy, we solutions that will protect consumers, taxpayers, and our national security. the cleanup has been t

the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: i'm pleased to recognize the chairman of the constitution subcommittee, jerry nadler of new york, for two minutes. the chair: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. nadler: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the disclose act. earlier this year, the supreme court reversed decades of precedents and ruled that corporations are individuals like you and me and can put as much money into elections as they want. it distorts our political process. the very real danger now is that corporations will be able to use vast sums of concentrated money to further corrupt our political process and drown out the voices of everyone else. without objection action as a result of this latest activist supreme court decision, our electoral system will be at the mercy of large moneyed interests. this bill takes several critical steps to reclaim our elections. the most important one is that it would require disclosures of donors providing money for political purposes in certain circ

the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: ladies and gentlemen of the house, this is the most disturbing debate that i have engaged in in the 111th congress, and to hear what i have already heard from one of the most distinguished members of the judiciary committee is a little bit dismaying to me. let me say this. i'll answer one his questions. whatoes the bill do? p agree. i'd love four hours. perhaps we'll be debating this bill after the vote regardless of its outcome. this bill roll back the decision, blatant decision of citizens united and the supreme court by using the three tools that the court said that we could do to make their decision different. first, we can increase disclosure. two, you can require disclaimer requirements on advertise -- advertisements. and three, we can limit foreign influence in our elections. one, two, three. now, the danger of citizens united decision, the most shocking decisio

the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: ladies and gentlemen of the house, this is the most disturbing debate that i have engaged in in the 111th congress, and to hear what i have already heard from one of the most distinguished members of the judiciary committee is a little bit dismaying to me. let me say this. i'll answer one of his questions. what does the bill do? i agree. i'd love four hours. perhaps we'll be debating this bill after the vote regardless of its outcome. this bill rolls back the decision, blatant decision of citizens united and the supreme court by using the three tools that the court said that we could do to make their decision different. first, we can increase disclosure. two, youan require disclaimer requirements on advertise -- advertisements. and three, we can limit foreign influence in our elections. one, two, three. now, the danger of citizens uned decision, the most shocking decis

upton: it's a great day in michigan. thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of defeating the previous question which is next vote here on house floor. i worked for ronald reagan. we have a $1.5 trillion deficit this year. the last thing that we should do is to raise taxes. the first thing that we should do is cut spending. as many folks here know, the republican side has been offering five different proposals every week for the last month or so letting folks across america vote on the proposal that they think merits the most sense. this week was my proposal that, one, that is we are going to tell the i.r.s. that we're not, not going to hire another 15,000-some i.r.s. agents in the next couple of years to monitor health care, and we will save the taxpayers $5 billion to $10 billion. billion as in big. that's not a bad proposal. save the taxpayers some money by not hiring 15,000 more bureaucrats. what are these folks going to do? they're being to make sure that every american verifies they have health insurance? maybe they'll look at page 737

in michigan.r. mccotter: you bring up the soar point. we have the highest unemployment rate in the country. we have the longest lasting recession and at present, they are very concerned that only will we not see an immediate recovery, but another dipdown in the recession with inflation following it due to the massive borrowing by the federal government. this would be akin to the stag flation that michigan experienced which was a very severe blow to the economy and workers that rely on a strong manufacturing base in our country. when you talk about the budget and the transportation bill, these are essential items of the federal government. not being able to bring forward a budget, as the gentleman has rightly pointed out, leaves individuals who could make investments and help grow the economy to feel that the fiscal discipline and fiscal integrity in the united statovernment is absent. this would preclude them from stepping forward in trying to help grow the economy and help people trying to grow j

there was no state that was more affected than michigan. that is why it is somportant that congress act to protect consumers and me certain that taxpayers will no longer reforest the bailout of large finaial institution. i've visited the main street businesses across the oakland county, michigan. and i m with the small business owners who cannot get a loan to create jobs. workers who lost their jobs and they now know all too well that when greed and recklessness caused a financial meltdown, this will go through the ente economy. i have spent 22 years in the financialervices industry. we wl make a good return for invests and areholders. there were addicted to high-risk short-term trading oppprtunities. this was little more than the bets and they do not serve as a source of luidity andhey do not create real economic growth. we have to get wall stre awaa from the casino mentality. this is what wall street rerm is ultimately about. the economy will continue to be -- we have to make certain tt we do this in a ceful and the libey of way. under th

>> i killed larry switt in michigan. >> larry: over what?an argument him and i had. >> larry: so you knew you did it, right? >> oh, yeah. >> larry: was it all self-defense? did you have any plea? >> no, no. it wasn't self-defense, larry. it was an act of cruelty on my part. >> larry: and you're saying, kevorkian, that should be given? >> don't forgive him. he paid a penalty. we have a penalty for it. but after 40 years in prison, what sense is there to continue it when the man is civil, he speaks calmly, you can tell. >> larry: yes, sir. >> and he married, i understand, while he was in prison, has a devoted wife who visits him every time. i met her. great woman. >> larry: how is she? >> oh, great. she left a while ago. we have our visits every wednesday, and she's home right now. >> larry: thanks. >> yeah. thank you, larry. >> larry: hang tough. >> see you, jack. >> thanks, doc. good to talk to you again. >> all right. >> larry: we'll be back with kevorkian's attorney right after this. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 i thought investment firms were ther

the gentleman from michigan. mr. levin: mr. speaker, i yield yselsuch te camp: mrspear, i yield myself such timas i may consume. he speaker p tempore: the ntleman is recognid. mr. camp: this bills going to spend taxpayers' money and have an obligatioif we are ing to spend taxpayers' money we t effecty. onridanight the treasur released a port our debt will exed the gross domestic oduct of cntry we had expert testimonyhat sa wn your debt gets to 9 g.d.p. you los1% of econic gwth, which bs. slates into omillion this bill, because of how narowly draft no small businesslle advantage of t excsionf catal gas becausey have toe c corporatns. and there's trend we have n is thabusinesses are ing organized throuh entities. that'sowmall busins america is beg organized. while this is great rhetoric, th bill isn't gointo b effecte in doingnything. let me just sa i heard the forchairman sayhat republics ju say no. on the health care bill, we had viable ternate inac i will say the te on the health ce bill was bipartisan opposition. only morit p

the unfinished business, gentleman michigan, mr. levin, to suspend the rules to h.r. 3962 on which the yeas and nays are reported. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: an act to provide affordable quality health care for all americans and reduce the growth and health care spending and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules. the members will record their vote by electronic device. this will be a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] >> the yeas are 415, the nays are one. 2/3 being in the affirmative. the senate amendments are agreed. the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 417. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the amendments are agreed to. the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, t

let me recognize the gentleman from michigan. >> thank you. mr. mckay, you indicated that bp is looking to pay all damages. are you willing to put into an escrow account enough money to pay for such damages as might be expected? >> we have been very clear from day one that we as the responsible party will be responsible for living up to the obligations of open-90. i cannot comment on whhthee there will be a fund set aside or not. we have made it clear that the company stands behind these commitments. with a strong balance sheet and a strong company, and we intend to stand behind those. i cannot commit to a one way or another whether a fund would assert that. >> so that is and know its this point. >> i cannot comment yes or no. >> why not? the buck stops there. >> what we have said is that we will honor all legitimate claims. the full company stands behind that. >> have you asked the feeeral government for any help that you have not received? >> not that i know of. >> what grade would you give the administration in its effort to stop the spill? >>

now recognizes the chairman of the oversight and investigations subcommittee, that gentleman from michigan, mr. stupak. >> thank you for you and mr. waxman for holding this hearing and for your leadership. on the oversight committee, we have been investigating the actions of bp. this provides the committee a chance to examine the practices of the other major oil companies. he could be so that bp is the one bad apppe in the bunch, but unfortunately they appear to have plenty of company. exxon and other "companies are just as unprepared to respond to major oil spill in the gulf as bp. i've been examining the oil spill response plan of exxonmobil, the largest oil company in the united states. this document is over 500 pages long. in many respects, is virtually indistinguishable from bp's response plan and the response plans of the other major companies. at this time, mr. chairman, i would ask unanimous coosent that this be been a part of the record. >> without objection, so ordered. >> thank you. there is one major difference between the exxonmobil plan and the other response plans. the secti

because being able to play all day is pure michigan.ip begins at michigan.org. >> larry: the search continues for a 7-year-old oregon boy, kyron horman. he vanished on june 4th. according to police, his stepmother terri, last saw him as he walked down a hallway at skyline elementary school in portland, oregon. authorities are treating it as a criminal investigation. joining us with the latest is steve dunn, anchor of kau-tv in portland. give us the history here. >> here's the history, larry. june 4th kyron goes to school in southwest portland. he goes in there. he's headed to a science fair. goes to the science fair with his stepmother, terri horman and seen by other people at the science fair. at 8:45 his stepmother says she lasts see him going down the hallway toward his classroom. he's marked absent that day. nobody sees him in class and from then on it's been a mystery. he does not show up at home and does not come home on the school bus. stepmother calls the mother. office calls 911. here we are today. >> larry: does he live with h

thanks to the unions in michigan -- the labor unions have ruined michigan. you gotta have unions, don't get me wrong. but you have to have it for health and safety, to watch out for the individual. i know for a fact like the uaw, they got good pensions. but union is big business. they can automatically take money out of your check for union dues without your say so or not, you have to join the unions. the bigwigs in the unions, all for one and one for all in the union, but in their contracts, or what they give themselves -- they got -- is that fair? tell me unions are good. they are not. they are actually you're ruining the united states. host: a little bit more from the strict -- piece. he worked with labor unions. he writes in this morning in "the politico" -- minnesota, democratic line. jane, good morning. caller: discussing this $10 million that the unions the donated to the campaign. i want to know how much -- i realize the $10 million was union and i also realize that how much money, if you think $10 million is a lot from the unions, that they have no

the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. mr. conyers: ladies and gentlemen of the house, this is the most disturbing debate that i have engaged in in the 111th congress, and to hear what i have already heard from one of the most distinguished members of the judiciary committee is a little bit dismaying to me. let me say this. i'll answer one of his questions. what does the bill do? i agree. i'd love four hours. perhaps we'll be debating this bill after the vote regardless of its outcome. this bill rolls back the decision, blatant decision of citizens united and the supreme court by using the three tools that the court said that we could do to make their decision different. first, we can increase disclosure. two, you can require disclaimer requirements on advertise -- advertisements. and three, we can limit foreign influence in our elections. one, two, three. now, the danger of citizens united decision, the most shocking d

in michigan i would say this.%% we look down at the water. i thank the gentleman for yielding me another 30 seconds. in michigan we look down at the water. we don't look up at the water. and we just think it's very unfair that we have to keep subsidizing all of the other areas just because we live on the water as well. i think this program needs to be revamped and i say again we should have a national catastrophic fund. we have great empathy and sympathy for those who want to live in a flood-prone area but i don't know why those of us on the shores of the great lakes have to be the only ones in the nation to subsidize this. i think it's unfair. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentlelady from florida. . ms. kosmas: i adopt reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. mr. miller: it's very unfortunate the fate of the flood insurance program has to be on a temporary basis because of unrelated issues. what we need today is certainty and stab

the gentleman from michigan. r. upton: mr. speaker, seeing my member is not here, i yield back the balance my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. mr. upton: and would ask, depen, for a strong -- again, for a strong yeah vote and hope our -- aye vote and hope our senate colleagues are listening. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from -- mr. marke mr. markey: i now yield to the gentleman, i have worked with him under his leership on these issues for years, i yield two minutes to mr.angevin from the state of rhode island. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. langevin: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. langevin: i want to thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i ristoday in strong support of h.r. 5026, legislation to protect our national electric grid system. i particularly like to thank chairman markey for his outs

jeremy wilson from michigan state university. he will be talking about counterfeit databases and counterfeit pharmaceuticals and organized crime. dr. wilson is an associate director for research and associate prof. in the school of criminal justice at michigan state university. he founded the michigan state university anti-counterfeiting and police said the consortium. he was a behavioral scientist at the rand corporation where he led the development of several successful initiatives including the center on quality policing and the police recruitment and retention clearing house. he still serves as director. he has collaborated with many police agencies and governments throughout the united states and the world. he is a published author. the list of his books are pretty impressive. they focused primarily on policing, but crime, and others. -- policing and violent crime. jeremy received his ph.d. in public administration from ohio state university. let me introduce to you dr. jeremy wilson. [applause] >> good morning. i appreciate

whoever is here from michigan state, i give you a shout out. we're also joined by members of u.s. law enforcement, i.c.e., fbi, and nypd. finally, we have for law- enforcement -- foreign law enforcement partners. they have all travel great distances to be here today. we all know we really want to make a lasting impact. if we really want to make a difference, we will have to work hand in hand with our private sector partners. through combined efforts, we can most effectively and successfully combat not only i.p. theft, but also the organized criminal organizations that feed off those proceeds. in closing, and i do not want to take a lot of your time, i want to thank you for coming here. i want to point out two things i think you hear during the presentations. terrorist organizations are similar to any other organization. they need to earn money. way out. i.p. theft is often one of the avenues. in addition, without a partnership, -- i want to thank you all for coming to the ipr center. thank you for your partnership, not only with i.c.e., but with all of us at the ipr center. togeth

for what purpose does the gentleman rom michigan rise? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consenttthat today following legislative business and any special orders heretofore entered iito, the following members may be permitted to address the house for five minutes, to revise and extends their remarks and include %- therein exttaneous materials. ms. woolsee of california, mr. murphy oo new york, myself, ms. kaptur of ooio, mr. denazz yo of oregon, rs. grayson, florida -- mr. defazio of oregon, mr.+ grayson, florida. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. under the speaker's announced policy of januury 6, 2009, and under a previous order of the house, the following mmmbers are recognized for ffve minutes each. mr. poe from texas. mr. poe: permission to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes.%% mr. poe: mr. speaker, capricious, arbitrary and punitive. those are the words of a federal judge today in ruling about the moratorium for offshore drilling. the federal judge said that the

because being able to play all day is pure michigan. your trip begins at michigan.org. >> larry: james carville and sammy kershaw remaining standing by. we'll get their thoughts on what is heard from our next guest. senator mary landrieu, democrat of louisiana, member of the senate committee on energy and natural resources. first, what did you think of the speech? >> well i am very happy the president chose to address the nation from the oval office. i think this incident is very significant and it deserves that kind of venue to deliver a message that is important. this, larry, is not just about louisiana or the gulf coast, although we are on the front line, it is about our nation. it is about our environment. it's about our economy. so i think the venue that he chose was terrific. i think his analogy to a war, to a battle, is also right on. we have not been winning these battles, the last 57 days. and we need to win this war. and a call for gulf coast restoration as james has been saying is a step in the right direction. >> larry: what

michigan blue cross exactly seconds at about 40%.ooked like all tamale building fortress pennsylvania in this one state -- ultimately building fortress been to bring in one state, the idea was they would be in a position to compete out to the other state. one thing that could be controversial in this audience is there could be synergies to be had through the consolidation. about a billion dollars of the efficiencies that would have been gains -- stuck to the recommendation throughout the process. so, if the consolidation were done in a way that went out into the state into other states and did the same kind of thing at -- as other national insurers do -- united competes in almost every state, aetna, well point, 34 states -- if one wanted to merge out, i think those kind of consolidations merit closer attention. but the idea of building up in one state -- i told them at the end it was like the game of risk. the winning strategy is to have all your army in south america so no one can attack you and you go out to a tax everybody else di

because being able to play all day is pure michigan.gan.org. [ man ] i've seen beautiful things. ♪ i've seen the sunrise paint the desert. witnessed snowfall on the first day of spring. ♪ but the most beautiful thing i've ever seen was the image on a screen that helped our doctor see my wife's cancer was treatable. [ male announcer ] ge technologies help doctors detect cancer early so they can save more lives. bringing better health to more people. ♪ >>> here are tonight's headlines. senator robert byrd, the longest serving senator in in history is, in serious condition in a washington area hospital. his office saying the 92-year-old west virginia democrat admitted last week initially believed to be suffering from heat exhaustion and severe dehydration. doctors say now other condition have developed, and he is described as "seriously ill." byrd elected to the senate in 1958, after serving six years in the house. >>> the president's skourtd nominee, elena kagan, goes before the senate judiciary committee monday. the ranking republican, j

host: kevin, our next question comes from flint, michigan. comes from flint, michigan. on our line for republicans. michael on the washington journal. caller: good morning. i have got a couple of comments to make and a question. first one is the general that was just relieved there, seems to me as though he was fighting to me as though he was fighting a war more worrying about ideology in the region. i would like to know, i have a comment about that. and also, if the reporter has any knowledge as to maybe what the differences are between the two generals, general petraeus and the general that was kicked out. and also, i was wondering if he had any knowledge as to are they doing any kind kind of training for the troops and that in the region, say, comparatively?3 before they are being deployed out for the urban kind of warfare? host: go ahead. caller: i will start with the differences between the two generals. these guys, i think, petraeus said that they used to run together 30 years ago. but mcchrystal was a guy who was hand-picked because he was a special operations co

jeremy wilson of michigan state university. he will be talking about counterfeit incident database and some of the links between counterfeit pharmaceuticals and organized crime. by way of introduction, germany is the -- to wilson, or jeremy, is an assisted director for research and says the professor -- associate director for research and associate professor at michigan state university. he was behavioral scientist at the rand corp., were in additional to securing and directing many influential law enforcement project, he led an element of successful initiatives, including the center for quality policing. jeremy has cooperated with many police agencies and committees and task forces and governments around the united states and the world on many of the most salient public safety problems. he is a published author and the list of his books is pretty impressive, primarily on policing and violent crime, etc. he received his ph.d. in public administration from ohio state university. i introduce to you dr. jeremy wilson. [applause] >

three years ago, when bp was caught discharging into lake michigan, i joined with my colleagues to beat back the attempted pollution of our latk. we worked together to solve the problem. we need a similar but partisanship here today. the gulf of a mexico accounts for almost 1/3 of u.s. oil production. if we eliminate that supply, the dependency on foreign oil will indeed go up. saudi arabia will be happy. hugo chÁvez and mahmoud ahmadinejad will be popping champagne, but the consumers will rrmember the good old days when gas was only four dollars per gallon. i asked secretary salazar to ask what went wrong on that the deepwater horizon rig. he said you believed it was preventable, that ii was the result of human error and overlooked safety regulations. [buzzer sounds] i will wait for that. we will not be satisfied until there is no danger to our environment. let us learn from this awful mistake, fix the problem, clean up the gulf, and look forward to fixing our ailing economy and creating private sector jobs. >> we recognize the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from califor

that is from the university of michigan, consumer confidence survey. that does not come from the house. that comes from the outside source, consumer confidence rising for the third straight months, the highest level in more than two years, before mr. tonko and i were in congress. so that's very, very encouraging news. along with retail sales rising for the seventh straight increase and the 12th gain in 13 months. so a lot of very encouraging signs. i know this is still a problem for those who are -- for those who are out of a job, and obviously we're still very, very concerned about that. but we have some signs that this economy is recovering. and it it really has to do with what we've done here in the house. for so many of the good policies that we passed here that have helped move this economy forward. and here we have -- we'll show you retail sales which are on the rebound. and when people start buying again they have confidence, confidence that we are recovering. so here's what happened in the red during the bush administration. and as you can see

let me turn and recognize the gentleman from michigan, mr. upton. >> thank you. mr. mckay. you indicated b.p. is looking toopay all legitimate damages. are you will to put in an escrow account enough money to pay as such chair damages as might be expected? >> we've been very clear from day one that we as a responsible party under open 90 we will be responsible and living up to the obligations of open 90. i cannot comment whether there will be a fund set aside or not. we made it clear the company stands behind these commitments. we've got a trong balance seat and intend to stand behind note. i cannot commit one way or another whether the fund would serve that if nurtance. >> not a this point? >> i can't comment yes oo no. >> why not? the buck stopts there. >> we'll honor all legitimate claims and the full company stands behind that. >> have you asked the federal government for any help you've not received? >> not that i know of. >> what grade would you give the administration in its efforts to stop the spill? >> we've been cooperating in every way we know how with the admini

let us go to detroit, michigan, independent line.aller: i do not see much evidence of stimulus in this area. i seek evidence of abuse in this area. i can give you an example. there are a lot of orange cones on the freeway. you do not see any work going on during the week. on the weekend, saturday night, sunday night, you will see them working for double time or time and a half. it is the late hours on the weekend, but during the week, they are not doing anything. i see the money is being corrupted. these jobs are a dead end in this area. host: if they were working during the regular hours, would that cause problems with rush- hour traffic? caller: not really, because the detroit area has more freeways than any other city in the country. we have the least amount of jobs. that is not even an issue. what really strikes me is people in this country know this area has been the hardest hit. obama is playing the political card. we went from bush, it will face fire to obama, a talking fraud. -- bold faced liar to obama, in talking fraud. hos

to note our other colleagues who are also veterans of the korean war, congressman john conyers of michigan, congressman samuel johnson of texas, and congressman howard coble of north carolina. my apologies if i may have left out other members, but it certainly was not intentional, madam speaker, and i also want to thank them as well. congressman rangel fought in the korean war from 1950 to 1952 as a member of the 503 battalion all-black artillery unit in the second infantry division. late november, 1950, his unit en

i like to recognize my distinguished colleague from michigan, the ranking member of the subcommittee, mr..upton. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i thank you for calling this very important hearing. what happened on the deepwater horizon rig was truly an american tragedy. also like was heartbreaking and the environmental and economic damage that worsens by the date is that wwenching. as i've said many times before, it needs to be crystal clear to all of yoo that the polluter will pay. the american taxpayer should not and will not be on the hook for the cost of this accident. but economic and environmental. nor should consumers be punished with tax increases passed in the name of the bp sppll that would only serve to add cost to hard-working americans and further weaken our economy. we now have the opportunity to look bp america in the eye and demand that they fulfill their responsibility for the disaster in the gulf, and the important step is the creation of an esccow account that will insure american taxpayers on not left holding the bag. in the wake of this tragedy, we must work

we are waiting to bring you live coverage as president obama speaks to high- school students in michigan. kalamazoo landed the president as their commencement speaker. while we wait for the president to speak, here is an update on to competitive primary races in south carolina and california. >> let's start with the south carolina and there is a competitive one, why is that? >> he has gone against the republican grain for a long time and it is finally catching up with him. the biggest issue is he voted for the bailout like everyone else in south carolina and he has been beaten up on that. his opponent who is leading in the polls, has just hit him hard on that and that comes in addition to him up voting against the usrge in iraq and the energy bill, voting against protecting "under god" in the pledge of allegiance and a few other small things that all add up to make him unpopular among the tea party crowd and conservative base. >> but he has been considered and raided a conservatives during his tenure in congress. >> exactly. this is a classic example of him having both strong republican

recently, myself and the gentleman from michigan, mr. peters,

not all states are in as dire straits as michigan is. i work three jobs. i am hairstylist, and i have had to pick up another salon. and i work part-time for a company that provides insurance for those that do work part- time. we have to do what we have to do to make a living. host: how many hours a day are you working? what is your schedule? caller: i get up at 6:00 in the morning. i go to one salon of 4 7:30. i worked there until 12:00. i leave there and go to my other salon, which is about 20 miles away. when i leave there, i go to my 9:00.job anfrom 5:00 to host: p&g do not have health insurance? -- and you do not have health insurance? caller: my husband and daughter do, but i worked provide whatever medical privileges i can, through programs or what have you. my husband has had a heart transplant. i have to work. i am appalled at people say they cannot find work and i have three jobs. they are small jobs, but you have to work. host: here is "the washington post" this morning, speeding up the routt from farm to table is a story about how the agricultur

host: republican line, michigan. caller: of want to speak to you as a journalist. before you came on, there was a gentleman that stated that republican conservatives hate barack obama. why do you think that is? i do not hate him, i just as like his policies. guest: i do not take him at all. i find him charming. i agree completely. i am not into hating people. i think he has been a very ideological, left wing president. people who do not agree with him would be frustrated by the things he is doing. you have to recognize the scope of his ambition, which is amazing. overhauling health care, energy, education. there is no part of american life that this administration has sought sought to exert greater control over. it is either great or terrifying, depending on your point of view. the has promised to be a united not a divider and has ended up doing the opposite. to be totally blunt with you, i find less disingenuous than others. host: democrats line, eleanor. -- illinois. caller: i have a comment relevant. you will hear -- i like your comment on this. he will hear mor

host: >> phone call, michigan, pepublican line, brian, good morning. caller: every marti law in the wor in speaking of theseshs at can acally stop the oil gulf, iave listened to the coast guard. i have sailed a lot of wateu÷. if you put an admiral and his staffñrñr in charge of this operation, bp needs to foothe bill for all of this as far as the second this -- sucking this. i think if we have been in f ts program frohe started, certainly we be of further along out. e weather is good now. if some of them have to paddle a carbeanor a the while, -- paddle a round out in caribbean for while, fine. guest: i have been -- i have learned to say what i have been told, not what i know. okçóhey have discussedhe federal response and what they have said that ugh seas inhibitthe to skim. the wav of and the chop is 3 to 6 feet, they will not be to do skimming. the second thing is that the seabed, the dispersants' placed there dispersed. instead of having t oil th op and can be instead, it disperses it below the surface ancause now the world plum. the will plume isot

port huron, michigan. >> hi. i live in michigan, of course. i love the great lakes.we deregulated dumping. but we are still feeling the long-term effects. a pregnant woman cannot eat the fish.. i am concerned about the long- term environmental effects here. what are we looking at in terms of the long-term defects. ? what are they going to do about the regulations that were in the defect that did not work? >> just about eight minutes before the hearing gets underway. tony hayward testifying before the oversight committee. you can watch the hearing on liline. arlington, virginia is up next. this is frank. >> good morning. i have a concern about the government's capability. this is like a wake-up call for our capabilities of going into the ocean.. . only bp knows what technology will work. they have the deepest wells in the gulf. there is even one that is twice as deep and has a labyrinth of wells connected like spiders. it is scary when you look at it. the government needs the capability. unfortunately, they need a nasa agency for the undersea to develop a see crawler

host: michigan, paul, republican line. caller: i think basically he should not have been fired -- mcchrystal should not have been fired. because once in awhile you get a general that speaks up, or an officer that speaks up for the enlisted man. here we have a situation where the engagement is putting troops on necessarily in harm's way. if they are not hit, then they can shoot back. this is dead wrong. you know, macarthur was fired for the same reason in correa -- truman made a blunder and we are still living with that blunder -- in korea. what is happening now is we need somebody to speak up for at least the enlisted man here. they cannot speak up for themselves. they are put in harm's way. and the congress should be in on this 100%. they are not there. they are a wall, as far as i'm concerned. and i'm a retired master sir -- master sgt. guest: i did many of the points you made are accurate. speaking from the point of view of somebody in congress, it is a very frustrating situation for us because we are not commander in c

there was no state that was more affected than michigan. that is why it is so important that congress act to protect consumers and make certain that taxpayers will no longer reforest the bailout of large financial institution. i've visited the main street businesses across the oakland county, michigan. and i met with the small business owners who cannot get a loan to create jobs. workers who lost their jobs and they now know all too well that when greed and recklessness caused a financial meltdown, this will go through the entire economy. i have spent 22 years in the financial services industry. we will make a good return for investors and shareholders. there were addicted to high-risk short-term trading oppprtunities. this was little more than the bets and they do not serve as a source of liquidity and they do not create real economic growth. we have to get wall street awaa from the casino mentality. this is what wall street reform is ultimately about. the economy will continue to be -- we have to make certain that we do this in a careful

president obama today will be speaking at a high school in kalamazoo, michigan. take a look at the front page of "the new york times" on the oil spill. the headline in many papers -- coast guard seized the cleanup lasting into the fall. damage will continue after the well is capped, according to admiral thad allen. a bit from the story -- jefferson, new york, veronica, on the democrats' line. caller: thank you for taking my call. all right, she might have spoke a little bit out of turn, but why is it any time anyone of voices concern about israel -- israel has done things, and we just sit back and we say nothing about it and we are always supportive of israel. sometimes israel is not always right. so, i don't think it is fair and i think that is a lot of the reasons why a lot of -- it people feel the way they feel about our country. i think a believe they can do whatever they want over there. in some ways, they are occupiers, whether they want to accept that or not. they won't leave that west bank that they promised to do. so, who is really storing of the trouble

host: alright, we will move on to michigan. willow, independent line. caller: i am calling because i think that the tax should be reinstated. but i think that it should be in a locked box. a fund like that seems to be taken over by interests and i think that there should be regulation on how much of it can be passed on to the people. people need to realize that if they use these products, but they need to be responsible for the taxes that are left behind. the best way to get rid of some of these terrible things going into the environment is to demand products that do not put those toxins into the environment. host: what about the concern that if you are taxing the oil companies that are already facing increased taxes for the trust fund for cleaning up oil spills and now possibly facing another tax for the superfund, their argument is that they will take those jobs, oil rigs, and go to other countries and not produce and not contribute to this economy. caller: by taking these jobs overseas they will be paying more for transportation. everyone needs the i

you have companies and manufacturers from texas and michigan. this can be a real job creating industry if we manage this appropriately and we are going to do that across the administration. if i might, senator wyden i know our time is coming to a close but i did want to respond to one thing that chairman baucus said and i want to make it absolutely clear. this administration is acutely focused on the needs of americans to find the jobs we so deeperately wants to accompany this economic recovery, and we believe having a smart, thoughtful, aggressive export policy is the way to do that. we share the concerns of this committee about some of our challenges with china, but i want to make sure we don't give the american public the impression that it would be in the best interest economic interest, of the united states of america to withdraw from the global trading community. 95% of the world's consumers live someplace elsother than the united states. the fastest growing region economically, as you noted, is in the asian pacific realm and then includin

. >> we now read it -- we now recognize the gentleman from michigan. >> thank you, mr. chairman. before i ask questions, i would just comment on the colgan situation. i read the transcript, and i think beyond the training issue was the issue of the lack of competence of the individuals. it's made me shudder to read the cockpit transcripts and observe the conversation back and forth. they were preoccupied with personal issues and not flying the plane. i think it is not just a matter of training. it is a matter of hiring responsible individuals. i think anyone who reads that transcript would realize that was a good share of the problem. i just want to comment. we have had some other airlines coming together, and i understand all these advantages of airlines combining. and working together. the many different ways they do that. but i am afraid, what i have seen is there something lost every time we get some airlines going to get there. a very recent case, i won't give specific names, but one airline that i felt was operating very, very well, and everyone in congress is an expert on