mr. franken. >> aye by proxy. >> mr. manchin. >> no by proxy. >> mr. heinrich. >> aye. >> miss hirono. >> aye by proxy. >> mr. king. >> aye. >> miss douglas. >> aye by proxy. >> miss cortez-mastow. >> aye. >> in this vote, the nays are 13, the yays are 10. it is not agreed to. >> the clerk will call the roll. >> cortez-masstow. >> miss murkowski. >> no. >> mr. brasso. >> no. >> mr. risch. >> no. >> mr. lee. >> no. >> mr. flake. >> no. >> mr. danes. >> no. >> mr. gardner. >> no. >> mr. alexander. >> no. >> mr. hoeven. >> no. >> mr. cassidy. >> no. >> mr. portman. >> no. >> mr. strange. >> no. >> miss cantwell. >> aye. >> mr. wyden. >> aye by proxy. >> mr. sanders. >> no. >> miss stabenow. >> aye. >> mr. franken. >> aye by proxy. >> mr. manchin. >> mr. manchin is aye by proxy. >> mr. heinrich. >> aye. >> i'm sorry, mr. heinrich? >> aye. >> mr. ruino. >> aye by proxy. >> mr. king. >> aye. >> miss duckworth. >> aye by proxy. >> miss cortez-mastow. >> aye. >> by this vote, the nays are 13, the yays are 10. the amendment is not agreed to. >> i would like to

and he then added thatjust last week, mr franken was lecturing people about sexual harrassment and respectng out that al franken is not the only politician whose actions are being scrutinised, but he is the only one mr trump is tweeting about. the president did not, for example, comment on republican roy moore, who's hoping to win a senate seat in alabama next month, and has been accused of making sexual advances towards several teenagers. mr moore denies those claims, which he says are politically motivated. mr moore's wife has been speaking out in his defence. he isa he is a loving father and a grandfather, and most important, he isa grandfather, and most important, he is a christian. let me set the record straight. even after all the attacks against me and my husband, he will not step down. laura bicker in washington updated us on sexual allegations against roy moore. two more women two more women came two more women came forward two days ago, and today, you heard from his wife that he denies all of the accusations against him. he is accused of preying on teenage girls. 0ne accused of p

mr. franken's problems are just getting started after a second woman has come forward with a claim of her own. 33-year-old lindsey mims tweeted out, in august 2010, congressman franken grabbed me at the minnesota state fair. i felt violated and important. mr. franken was serving in the senate at the time. so should he resign? and we have our panel here with us. all right. richard, let's start with you. second woman, i guess squeezed her tush. we're gone from corn dogs to horn dogs. an easy joke. what do you think? >> when this horrible allegations about roy moore came out, childhood predatory behavior, if it was true, how are you going to prove whether what this woman is saying is true? even as to leeann tweeden, al franken was apologetic. and i don't think until we come up with a sense of proportion, the notion of al franken resigning over this seems silly. >> laura: robin, your take? >> i do think he needs to resign. last week, i was proud of him for how he handled it when he asked for the investigation and he apologized. the young lady accepted. what i heard today was gross to me. he s

mr. franken and mr. conyers and any other member is a member of the united states congress. >> and you have said prior to today before congressman john conyers said that he would be stepping down as ranking member of the judiciary committee. you said you think he should step down as a result of the allegations. in your view is that enough for now? >> i think that john conyers is an -- no question his service in the united states congress has made america a better place. we wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for the service of john conyers. that being said i think it is appropriate that while there is an ethics investigation in regards to the scenario with him and whether or not someone was sexually harassed that he remains in congress but should not be as a ranking member until such time that this case has been resolved. should it be resolved and it is as he said that basically was a severance pay et cetera then i think there should be opportunity for him to go back. until that happens and until

mr. franken says he will cooperate with an investigation. some say that's not enough. >> he should resign. >> i think that's appropriate. . >> reporter: president trump weighed in on twitter saying: >> reporter: during the campaign, at least 11 women publicly accused president trump of sexual misconduct in the past. weijia jang, cbs news, capitol hill. >>> a number of women who work for al franken in the past have come out in his defense saying that in a statement that he treated them with the utmost respect and was a champion in legislation for women. >>> investigators are trying to figure out why a pennsylvania nursing home burst into flames injuring 20 people. flames poured from the roof and spread to other buildings. patients were evacuated. then buses moved them to save and warm locations. >> it was burning. as soon as you got close you could smell smoke and see flames. >> none of the injuries appears to be life-threatening. >>> it is a busy travel day at bay area airports. people getting an early start on the long thanksgiving holiday

mr. franken says he will cooperate with an investigation. some say that is not enough. >> people are saying he should resign. >> i think that committee ace pope eighth. conduct of a member. deals with institution, i think that is commiserate. >> reporter: president trump weighed in on twitter saying the al franken stein picture is really bad, speaks a thousand word. where do his hands go in pictures two, three, four, five and six while she sleeps. during the campaign at least 11 women publicly accused mr. trump of sexual misconduct in the past. weijia jiang for cbs-3 "eyewitness news". >>> well, former pennsylvania governor tom ridge remains in critical condition this noon, a day after under going an emergency heart procedure. seven two-year old became ill as republican governor's association conference in texas last week. he served as pennsylvania's governor from 1995 through 2001e was first home land security secretary serving under president george w. bush until 2005. >>> well, philadelphia's school reform commission has voted to give tot

cue mr trump on twitter: now, it's worth pointing out that al franken is not the only politician whoset he is the only one mr trump is tweeting about. the president did not, for example, comment on republican roy moore, who's hoping to win a senate seat in alabama next month, and has been accused of making sexual advances towards several teenagers. mr moore denies those claims, which he says are politically motivated. mr moore's wife has been speaking out in his defence. he is a loving father and a grandfather, and most important, he is a christian. let me set the record straight. even after all the attacks against me, my family, against the foundation and my husband, he will not step down. applause. the bbc‘s laura becker is in washington for us. we just heard the bbc‘s laura becker is in washington for us. wejust heard mrs moore, so let's start with roy moore, so let's start with roy moore, what other alleged —— latest allegations against him. this controversy has been building for the last week since the washington post printed allegations that he preyed on teenage girls. one woman

she released this photo taken during the trip in december 2006, before mr franken entered politics.may is to hold talks on friday with the president of the european council and the prime minister of ireland as she seeks a significant step forward in the brexit negotiations. 0n the eve of the european summit, the brexit secretary, david davies, speaking in berlin, warned that putting politics above asperity in the brexit negotiations was not a smart choice. —— prosperity. so after we leave the european union we will not engage in a race to the bottom. that would mean lower standards for our consumers and poor prospects for workers. after brexit, britain will have an independent trade policy. and we will use it to lead a race to the top on quality and standards across the globe. 0ur political editor is in berlin and she explained what reaction there was to the brexit secretary's speech. it is almost as if david davies tonight told the rest of the eu, it's not me, it's you, warning them not to put their political priorities, the political sanctity of the eu, ahead of the livelihoods of

she released this photo taken during the trip in december 2,009, before mr franken entered politics.ay is to hold talks on friday with the president of the european council and the prime minister of ireland as she seeks a significant step forward in the brexit negotiations. 0n the eve of the european summit, the brexit secretary david davis, speaking in berlin, warned that putting politics above prosperity in the brexit negotiations, was not a smart choice. so after we leave the european union we will not engage in a race to the bottom. that would mean lower standards for our consumers and poor prospects for workers. after brexit, britain will have an independent trade policy. and we will use it to lead a race to the top on quality and standards across the globe. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: could it save the egytian tourist industry? we get a glimpse of the biggest archeological you seem of the world due to open next march. benazir bhutto has claimed victory in pakistan's general election. she has asked pakistan's president to name her as prime minister. jackson has been

mr. franken: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i would like to request unanimous consent that my energy policy fellow suchi delatto be granted floor privileges for the remainder of this congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. franken: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise today to talk about the importance of bipartisan action on health care, just like the senator from new hampshire just did. now, over the past year, i have traveled all around minnesota to talk with individuals and families and community leaders about health care. i've heard from mothers and fathers who have been worried about losing the health insurance that their children need to access life-saving services. i've heard from daughters who have been panicked about how to pay for their parents' long-term care and prescription drug costs. and i've heard from hospital executives in rural areas much like the rural areas in arkansas who have been concerned about how they're going to keep their doors open. what is abundantly clear fr

mr. franken asked [inaudible] now, we now know that one campaign had communications impressions through mr. papadopoulos and others in you seem to be unaware of the fact that let's try to correct the earlier testimony for the record. yes, sir no, did you chair the march 301st 2016 meeting of the national security advisor committee? >> i did chair the committee. >> yes, sir no, did mr. papadopoulos mention his outreach? >> he made some comment to that effect and as i remember after having read. [inaudible conversations] >> there are reports that you shot george down when he proposed that meeting and is that correct? >> yes. i pushed back i will say it that way because your answer is yes. >> you are concerned by mr. papadopoulos connection and it's possibly arranging a meeting with boone. yes, sir no, did anyone else at that meeting including then candidate trump react in any way from what mr. papadopoulos had presented. >> i do not recall. >> your testimony is that neither donald trump nor anyone else at the meeting expressed any interest in meeting the russian president or concerns about v

mr. franken: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. mr. franken: thank you, madam president. and i thank senator leahy, my good friend. madam president, new developments in the ongoing investigation into russian interference in the election has once again raised concerns about the accuracies -- the scrascy of -- accuracy of statements made by attorney general jeff sessions during his appearance before the senate. in light of the attorney general's failure to tell the truth about not just his own interactions with russian operatives but also the extent to which he knew about russian contacts by other members of the trump campaign team, i call upon attorney general sessions to return to the senate judiciary committee and provide us with a complete and accurate accounting of the facts. madam president, there is no question that russia, a hostile foreign power, meddled in our election. russia carried out this attack in order to undermine confidence in american democracy, to damage hillary clinton's campaign for president, and to help donald tru

mr. franken: thank you, mr. president. like the senator from illinois, i rise to voice my opposition to the nomination of bill wehrum to serve as the assistant administrator for air and radiation at the environmental protection agency. the office of air and radiation oversees matters that are critical to human and environmental health. specifically, air and radiation. but also climate change, air quality and vehicle emissions. if confirmed, mr. wehrum would be responsible for these immensely important issues which requires putting the health of our citizens above industry interests. given this, i don't know why the senate would confirm him for this position. mr. wehrum already served in this role as -- in an acting capacity during the bush administration, but his confirmation was blocked by the senate in 2006. and his prior tenure shows that he will not fulfill the mission of the e.p.a. to protect human health and the environment. in fact, he has a record of putting corporate profits before the well-being of citizens. duri

mr. franken said -- president trump who is denying, more than a dozen allegations of sexual impropriety himself, spoke for the first time about senate candidate roy moore, encouraging alabama voters to support moore, despite the allegations against him of sexual misconduct with teenage girls. president trump: we don't need a liberal person in there, a democrat. jones, i've look at his record. it's terrible on crime. he denies this. lana: moore is already using the president's words against his democratic opponent, doug jones. the jones campaign is using first daughter's ivanka's support of the female accusers against roy moore. lana zak, abc news. adrianna: the former doctor for the u.s. women's gymnastic team pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct in michigan. he prison. prosecutors say he molested girls under the guise of treatment at his home and at a gymnastics clinic at michigan state. so far, more than 130 women have accused him of sexual abuse, including gold medalist aly medalists aly raisman and gabby douglas. john lasseter is taking a leave of absence amidst allegations of sexual m

mr. franken. some said the senator quote was a champion for women both in the legislation he supported and in promote would go man to leader ship rolls in our offices. senator franken was scheduled to be in the book fair on sunday in florida but has cancelled that appearance. >>> former first lady of pennsylvania says her husband is in the early stages of recovery. pennsylvania's former governor tom ridge underwent an emergency heart procedure yesterday, and michelle ridge released a statement saying tom's now in the early stages of recovery from a heart attack he suffer at his hotel last week. ridge was in texas attending the republican governor's association conference. he served as pennsylvania's governor from 1995 to 2001. >>> civil rights act wrist jesse jackson announce today he has parkinson's disease n a letter to supporters jackson says he has been seeking outpatient care for two years and plans to dedicate himself to physical therapy. jackson says the diagnosis is not a sign to stop worki

mr. franken, step down. president trump, you need to take a hike. i mean, you've got to call it, push the country to the point where they have to confront the second point which is, women have been carrying this baggage for a long, long time. men behaving badly has been an accepted practice across the spectrum, and now all of a sudden we have to confront it and they want to try to shift the blame around the spectrum? >> trump isn't going to step down. that is what's driving this as a political story. i just want to say one other thing and i want to hear what you have to say. let's also not forget that women are so marginalized here. really, these are not unrelated phenomenon and i say now, nancy pelosi is the only woman at the table. in congress. you know? exactly. in the -- >> and also the strongest leaders can actually use the pulpit for good in this case and democrats are missing a moment. >> you were saying -- >> and we're seeing -- >> nancy pelosi had a big opportunity herants and we actually are seeing in the democratic party one of the things

sold a radio anchor in los angeles namely n tweeden has accused mr franken all of assaulting her in this tweet that she posted yesterday she posted this photo photo from two thousand and six when she was on a humanitarian to overseas with the u.s. army she's asleep in a transport plane in this photo but al franken appears to be grabbing her she's described what happened in an article posted online and she also accuses al franken of forcibly kissing her on another occasion now al franken used to be a comedy writer for saturday night live and before when he ran for senate the first time he got into trouble for making a joke about rape he's apologized quite profusely for this latest incident but it's looking like he's probably going to have to face an ethics investigation by congress the president donald trump has weighed in on this on twitter as you might imagine here's what donald trump had to say the al frankenstein picture is really bad speaks a thousand words he then goes on to speculate what al franken might have done in for the pictures as we know donald trump himself has been called

mr. franken, i think you can understand where when i answered the question i felt like i was answering it properly. >> but you agree today you would he answered differently if it was asked in the same form today, considering your recollection you just gave? mr. sessions: you're asking me today, explicitly, did you meet with any other russians, i am prepared to say i did. ambassador in my office, at least two of my staff, senior, respected patriots, retired in the army. nothing improper occurred at all. >> once and for all, can we answer the question? mr. sessions: i am once and for all answering the question. i do not understand why you will not take my answer. during your time on the campaign, did any person on earth state they were communicating with russians, traveling to russia, or ask the campaign to meet with russia? o your recollection? i am asking you today, to your knowledge, did any person on the campaign tell you they were going to russia? mr. sessions: i am prepared to answer the question but i just will not answer in a way to suggest that i am anyway intentionally misleading

during that official trip, ms tweeden says mr franken forced a kiss on her during a performance of ae also released this photo taken during one of their flights and it pretty much speaks for itself. the senator has just released a statement apologising for his behaviour. and he has been referred to the senate ethics committee. 0ur political analyst ron christie, who worked in the george w bush white house, is in the studio with me. ron, how many people are there sitting on capitol hill today thinking to themselves i am feeling nervous? probably about 200. i worked on capitol hill for about eight years and i referred to it as the last plantation. there were things pretty much that you could do if you wanted to do. they do not have sexual harassment laws in place. all the laws that apply to any american citizen do not apply to those representatives and senators. i would put it at over 100 certainly who are very nervous and consulting lawyers right now. al franken has come out with a statement saying he respects women and women should come forward with these stories and he is very sorry

he slams franken's behavior despite the fact that more than a dozen women have accused mr. trump too. and then there's the grabbing women's genitals. franken issue youed two apologies. >> while president trump is happy to weigh in on senator franken, he will not say anything, not a thing about roy moore who is accused of sexually molesting a girl when she was 14. the president flat out refuses to say whether he thinks moore should be a senator. so this larger moment is causing a grand reassessment of the present and the past. a democratic senator now says she thinks former president clinton should have resigned. while this plays out, congress trying to pass the most sweeping tax reform in decades. the senate is advancing on its plan, teague it up for a vote for after thanksgiving. whew! all right. we have it all covered for you. we start with suzanne malveaux live on capitol hill >> reporter: good morning, john is. as you know, sexual assault allegations rocking both parties on capitol hill. in the meantime, president trump sources telling us he has been reticent to speak pu

>> took to twit tore criticize democrat franken despite mr. own history of allegations from women citing improper conduct. no de

mr. franken, mentioned we've seen frightening weather patterns and infrastructure instability in puerto rico and the ukraine even in 2015 when mupublish s actors destabilized the country's power grid. i had to learn that cyber security can take many forms. i come to this from a military perspective where it's all about enemies hacking and also cybersecurity, trying to prevent technological failures from occurring as well. i'm proud labs are partnering with industry to modernize our grid including our own oregon national lab. and we've heard this earlier when you responded to my colleague from louisiana about the investments that need to be made, and that's where my question is going. it seems to me there is a cycle of scientific discovery that then provides necessary impetus and once we develop those initial technologies and prototype, then we move towards bring them to a place where they can demonstrate effectiveness and be deployed to the marketplace. and i'd like to further elaborate on that. of all the witnesses where in terms of this cycle of discovery, prototype development, and develo

mr. trump has commented about a democratic senator, al franken. he released a statement about allegations against the lawmaker from minnesota. later, franken's accuser, lee ann tweeden read allowed from a handwritten note in which franken apologized. mr. trump's outrage in this case is bringing fresh attention to allegations about his own behavior. last year, more than a dozen women came forward to accuse him of misconduct. the trump campaign denied everything. his former opponent, hillary clinton, spoke in a radio interview yesterday. >> look at the contrast between al franken accepting responsibility, apologizing, and roy moore and donald trump, who have done neither. >> mr. trump said this morning, crooked hillary clinton is the worst and biggest loser of all time. she just can't stop. which is so good for the republican party. hillary, get on with your life and give it another try in three years. >>> a rock and roll icon has died. malcolm young, founded ac/dc with his brother angus, the band that created hits like highway to hell and you shook

>> took to twit tore criticize democrat franken despite mr. trump's own history of allegations from women citing improper conduct. no double standard here says white house press secretary sarah sanders. >> senator franken admitted wrongdoing, the president hasn't. >> dickerson: spectacle is not slowing progress on the mammoth tax reform bill which passed the house. >> thank you. going really well. >> dickerson: but faces less certain future in the senate where tempers are already short. >> tax cut sell really is not for the middle lags it's for the rich. >> i've been here working my whole stinkin' career for people who don't have a chance. i really resent anybody saying that i'm just doing this for the rich. give me a break. >> with all due respect i get sick and tired of -- >> mr. -- how many times -- >> i get a little tired of that crap. if we brought together we can build this country -- >> dickerson: will the middle class really benefit from this tax package we'll talk with budget director mick mulvaney. plus arkansas republican senator tom

and, you know, there were no repercussions. >> reporter: so what's the difference between franken's accusers and mr. trump's? >> i think in one case specifically senator franken has admitted wrongdoing and the president hasn't. >> reporter: and the political infighting cuts both ways. tonight senator kirsten gillibrand has sparked a backlash for saying that former president bill clinton should have resigned after the monica lewinsky scandal. some democrats calling her a hypocrite for accepting the clinton support and money. >> this is ridiculous, and he's wrong. bill clinton did very important things for this country. but my point is about this conversation we're having today and that we need to have the highest standards for elected leaders. >> reporter: as for roy moore, there's concern if president trump weighs in too heavily, he could be seen as trying to tip the scales of the alabama senate race. and with an already narrow gop majority in the senate, the president's entire agenda is at stake. lester. >> kristen welker at the white house. >>> in alabama the governor there says she still plans t

franken's hands may have gone. before criticizing the senator's recent efforts to speak out against sexual harassment. mr. trump weighing in to the franken controversy, while continuing to ignore questions about the accusations against republican senate candidate roy moore. >> mr. president, should roy moore step aside, sir? >> reporter: press secretary sarah sanders referring to last week's white house statement when asked about moore's future and punting the decision to alabama voters. >> the president believes that these allegations are very troubling and should be taken seriously. and he thinks the people of alabama should make the decision on who their next senator should be. >> reporter: mr. trump going after franken despite the fact that a number of women have accused him of similar conduct. >> he was grabbing my breasts and trying to turn me towards him and kissing me. >> reporter: the president has denied the accusations, attacking the women who came forward. >> every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign. >> reporter: although he's on tape admitting to assaulting women in this now

rejecting any comparisons between the groping allegation against senator al franken and the multiple sexual misconduct allegations against mr. trump. do you think a senate ethics investigation into the allegation against senator franken goes far enough? >> let me first say what senator frapg endid was completely unacceptable. but with the sexual assault allegations against donald trump and the hollywood access tape i don't think the president has moral standing to talk about this issue. but as a society we need to talk about this issue right now across kitchen tables, across america families need to talk with their sons and daughters that sexual harassment, assault should never be tolerated. this is a big wake-up call for all of us in society. >> we've learned from some of your congressional colleagues, republican congresswoman barbara come stock from virginia, jackie spooer from california that in addition to senator franken, two other sitting members of congress face allegations of sexual harassment. does the pun, the american people, do they have a right to know their names? >> they do. and i believe sexual harassment sh

there were no repercussions. >> reporter: so what's the difference between franken's accusers and mr. trump's? >> i think in one case, specifically, senator franken has admitted wrongdoing and the president hasn't. >> reporter: and the political infighting cuts both ways. senator kiersten gillebrand has sparked a backlash for saying former president bill clinton should have resigned after the monica lewinsky scandal. some democrats calling her a hypocrite for accepting the clintons' support and money. >> it's ridiculous and he's wrong. bill clinton did very important things for this country. but my point is about this conversation we are having today and that we need to have the highest standards for elected leaders. >> that was nbc's kristen welker reporting. >>> coming up, the person who is stepping into the spotlight to defend roy moore against sexual misconduct allegations. that's up next. when you have moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, the unpredictability of a flare may weigh on your mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go, and how to work around your uc. that's how

mr. franken himself. hillary vaughn with the details. hey, hillary. reporter: neil, that's right. this senator apology comes over 10 years after senator al franken took this photo with radio host leeann tweedennen. franken is groping tweeden while she sleeps. this is not only harrassment she suffered working with the former comedian now senator on uso tour of middle east in 2006. tweeden says, while backstage at one of the stops, franken insisted they rehearse one of the questions that including a kissing scene. the host tried to turn her cheek when he approached her with a kiss, but franken forced himself on her. tweeden, we did nothing leading up to the kiss, he came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, matched his lips against mine and aggressively put his tongue in my mouth. franken is vocal supporter of the #me too movement on twitwer where people share their stories he doesn't remember it happening that way in certainly, i don't remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way but i send my sincerest apologies to leanne. the photo was clearly intended to be funny an

mr. franken. mr. heinrich. [inaudible] by this vote the amendment is not agreed too. >> i would like to call up heinrich number 64. >> is that number 34? >> yes. the clerk will call the roll. [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] the vote, the amendment is not agreed too. a >> them amendment fails. manyhe other members wish to call up. >> i would like to call up franken number 32. the clerk will call the roll. [rolll call] [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] the no's or 14 -- the amendment fails. >> cantwell number six. clerk will call the roll. [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] by this vote, the amendment is not agreed too. >> i would like to call up amendment number 49. >> the clerk will call the roll. number 49. [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] [roll call] on this vote the amendment is not agreed too. the amendment falls. >> i callnt up sanders number 43. >> the clerk will call the roll on sanders number 43. [roll call] [r

mr. franken. >> senator lee. >> thank you madame chair. we begin today's hearing with a certain amount of knowledge. expert opinion testimony has identified a laundry list of concerns with management and operation. let me list a few. staff have been hired without regard to experience and expertise resulting in the failure of multiyear projects. we've seen widespread theft of power and billing failures. we've seen outdated infrastructure that has resulted in unacceptably high rate of force and sometimes prolonged outages. we have generation units that are outdated technologically, requiring the reliance on expensive fuel and we have procurement practices that have focused on a large number of small vendors with payments going out to over 14000 individual entities. corruption and mismanagement have been a problem and they've plagued the organizations for decades. if we don't start exercising meaningful oversight over other every dollar spent in contract signed we could be looking at decades of ongoing problems, and even more dire financial s

franken story. you just heard me talk to senator wyden about mr. -- senator franken. he's not going anywhere. mj, can he hang on? have any democrats at all considered calling for him to resign? >> reporter: well, at this point in time, jake, it's clear he has no plans to resign. he obviously confronted national media reporters today and made a brief statement and took some questions. what he said, again, is that he is sorry for these stories that have come to light. he is ashamed and embarrassed. and he said that he knows there are no magic words that he can say to regain the trust of the people that he has disappointed and that he is committed to moving forward. a part of that is actually returning to work in the senate. now, he did take a handful of questions, as uh mentioned, and the question that i asked senator franken is why he has been unable to answer the question of whether there will be more women coming out with these kinds of allegations. take a listen to what he said in response to that question. >> if you had said -- you know, ask me two weeks ago would

franken. she called you fish lips. maybe you can find employment that mrs. paul's. night, "saturday night live", where al franken was a writer, took aim at the minnesota democrat. [video clip] >> thursday's thanksgiving and there are so much to be thankful for, unless you are a human woman. [laughter] senator al franken is being accused of sexual misconduct on tweeted, who leann posted this photo of him apparently groping her breasts washing was asleep. i know this photo looks bad, but it is also bad. sure, this was taken before he ran for public office, but also after he was a sophomore in high school. didty hard to be like, you not know better. he was only 55. she also claims that franken forced her to kiss and as the rehearsal for a comedy sketch for troops. come on, man. don't the troops in afghanistan have it hard enough without having to sit through sketch comedy? people can barely stay up to watch them after week and updates. host: back to your phone calls, al franken was scheduled to be in miami for a miami book fair. we are covering it today on c-span's boo

mr. azar: i believe that is the case. sen. franken: do you agree with the conclusion that access to free birth control is vital to women's health and well-being? mr. azar: separate from the issue of any birth control or which ones should be covered, one of the principles we have around thinking about access to insurance, is it ought to be assurance the individual wants to acquire. if i have concerns, my concerns are at a much more precedent level, not about this drug, that product, but rather, should there be flexible for the individual to choose the insurance package they want? animus toward any preventive service. our system off to enable flexibility that does not exist with the current framework. but you agree thatou the institute of medicine's conclusion that free birth control is vital to women's health and well-being? mr. azar: i haven't studied the report. programs has important to provide family planning assistance and services. sen. franken: do you agree with the institute of medicine's conclusion that access to contraception

mr. trump has commented about a democratic senator al franken.e tweeted about allegations against the lawmaker from minnesota. later, franken's accuser, leeann tweeden read allowed from a handwritten note in which franken apologized. >>> mr. trump's outrage in this case is bringing fresh attention to allegations about his own behavior. last year more than a dozen woman came forward to accuse him of misconduct. the trump campaign denied all of those claims. and his former opponent, hillary clinton, spoke in a radio interview yesterday. >> look at the contrast between al franken accepting responsibility, apologizing, and roy moore and donald trump, who have done neither. >> mr. trump said this morning, crooked hillary clinton is the worst and biggest loser of all time. she just can't stop, which is so good for the republican party. hillary, get on with your life, and give it another try in three years. >>> well, coming up, a surfer is making waves in the scientific world. the project under way that may hold an important key to human health. >> plus

mr. franken, the party can look as if it did women's issue seriously, which itself is one of the few reasonso vote democratic. push himrty failed to out, the cries of hypocrisy will ring from see deciding she -- she -- see to shining sea. caller: good morning. saide caller from earlier exactly what i wanted to say. i agree with her 100%. i'm glad you have the show going on because the only way to deal with this is to talk about it. to piggyback on one of the callers about al franken. franken did not admit nothing. i don't think he admitted and a numbing charlie rose admitted. i think they just expressed regret. i'm sorry if i did it to you. but these other guys, roy moore and trump and the president, they flat-out deny it. don't care what the woman feel are said. i think to lose their job, to lose their whole livelihood from misunderstanding, if it is a pattern they should lose their job. but if it is in misunderstanding , i don't think you should lose your whole life or economic -- your whole life for that. host: one more question from the quinnipiac poll. they asked if roy moore wins the s

mr. franken, and i hope the people of alabama reject roy moore.an people understand that sexual harassment is pervasive, it's a persistent problem, ask we need to get rid of to it, we need to understand it more. and in terms of politicians, media figures, celebrities, today we're talking about them. but if you're just an ordinary citizen out in the country, you should know your rights and you should not be harassed while you're on the job. stuart: donna brazile, i am going to buy your book. i'll make sure some revenue flows to you. i'm sorry you're going to lose half of it, you will unless you've got a very good accountant and a lawyer. donna, i do want to say it was a pleasure having you. thank you very much, indeed. >> i look forward to coming back on the show again, how's that? [laughter] stuart: if you're not careful, you'll get an invite. >> i'm available. i'm not always free. stuart: be careful, be careful. >> thank you. stuart: i want you to sit right next to me in new york. >> i would like that. and let me just also say to your viewers, ha

franken. >> thank you, mr. chairman, thank you for this hearing and thank you to all the witnesses for your testimony and thank you, senator bennet, for working on this for so long. i want to take a moment to agree with senator murray that i hope we have broader conversations about college affordability. in minnesota as in every one of our states, this is so important. in minnesota, students graduate with owing more than $30,000, and across the nation, 44 million americans are working hard to pay off their student debt. i was glad to hear the chairman agree heartily with the ranking member's opening statement trying to work together with hearings like this, bipartisan hearings that you always have on the higher education act. mr. draeger, thank you for your testimony. the trade off between simplicity and accuracy is a great way of talking about this and understanding it. your testimony, you mentioned we can rely more on technology after students submit the fafsa, to have both simplicity and accuracy. dr. mccull

mr. franken, i think you can understand where when i answered the question i felt like i was answering it properly. >> but you agree today you would he answered differently if it was asked in the same form today, considering your recollection you just gave? yousessions: i believe that are asking the today, explicitly, did you meet with any other russians i am prepared to say i did. i met with him back in my office. patriots,respective retired in the army. occurred atoper all. >> once and for all, can we answer the question? andsessions: not young once for all answering the question, mr. congressman. i do not understand why you will not take my answer. >> during the campaign, did any person on earth state that they were communicating with russians, traveling to russia, or ask the campaign to meet with russia? do your recollection? today, to your knowledge, did any person on the campaign tell you they were going to russia? mr. sessions: i am prepared to answer the question but i just will not answer in a way to suggest that i am anyway intentionally misleading anyone when i answered the que