mr. mccain? >> no by proxy. >> mr. barrasso? >> no by proxy. >> yes. >> mr. chairman? >> no. >> please record me as no. >> mr. chairman the ayes are five, the noes are 13. >> is there anyone else willing to offer an amendment? if not, the vote is on final passage of the aumf as amended. clerk will call the roll. >> aye. >> aye. >> ms. shaheen? >> aye. >> mr. coontz? >> aye. >> mr. durbin? >> aye. >> mr. udall? >> aye. >> mr. murphy? >> aye. >> mr. kane? >> aye. >> mr. corker? >> aye. >> mr. rubio? >> no. >> mr. johnson? >> no. >> mr. flake? >> no by proxy. >> mccain? >> no by proxy. >> mr. barrasso? >> no by proxy. >> mr. paul? >> no. >> mr. chairman? >> yes. court will report. >> mr. chairman, the yeas are ten, the nees are eight. >> i ask the staff be able to make changes before reporting to the senate, is there any objection? none so order. and danny, we've already feeded -- feted you before, but here's a resolution signed by every member of the committee. congratulations and thank you for your service. >> i want to thank you again for your service as a chairman. al

mr. mccain: mr. president, we're about to vote on a totally -- the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. mr. mccain: we're about to vote on a totally unqualified individual to be ambassador to a nation which is very important to our national security interest. her qualifications are as a producer of the television soap opera "the bold and the beautiful," contributed $8 hundred,000 to obama in the last election and bundled more than $2.1 million for president obama's reelection effort. i am not against political appointees. i understand how the game is played, but here we are, a nation that's on the verge of ceding its sovereignty to a neofacist dictator and we're going to send the producer of "the bold and beautiful." i urge my colleagues to stop its foolishness. i urge a no vote. mrs. boxer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. boxer: you would think this is the first time the president ever nominated someone who is a political appointee. that is ridiculo

mr. mccain: mr. president, i don't usually object to appointments and nominations by the administration to various ambassadorial positions around the world. and i also understand that there are numbers of political supporters, financial supporters. it is a characteristic of republican and democrat administrations alike. and it's never disturbed me when i have observed nominees say to a caribbean country or maybe london or paris or berlin, being with being -- reward both financial or otherwise. but now we are at a point where according to "the washington post," modern presidents generally followed a 70-30 rule on ambassadorial appointments where 70% are career foreign service and 30% are political appointees. president obama has defied this historical bipartisan practice and in his second term a shocking 53% of ambassadorial nominees have been political. this brings his two-term average to 37, far more than any administration in the past. so it's very interesting that some of these nominees are at ver

mr. mccain: madam president in. the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: ask unanimous consent to speak to the senate as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mccain: madam president, i come to the floor to praise the public service of and bid farewell to my friend and valued colleague from nebraska, senator mike johanns. with my remarks today, i celebrate not just mike's last six years in the united states senate but also his 30-plus years in public service that will cul culminate at the end of this term. at the highest levels of government in both the legislative and executive branches, mike's life of public service has been punctuated by greater accomplishment. from the lancaster county board in nebraska to the lincoln city council, from his service as mayor of lincoln to his service as the 38th governor of nebraska, from his service 28th u.s. secretary of agriculture and throughout his tenure in the united states senate, mike has democrat tax rated a commitment to -- hayes democrat tax rated a commitment to-- --ha

mr. mccain: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: madam president, i rise to discuss my opposition to the pending vote concerning mr. anthony -- tony blinken, who is not only unqualified but, in fact, in my view, one of the worst selections that -- of a very bad lot that this president has chosen. i hope that many of my colleagues will understand that not often do i come to the floor to oppose a nomination of the president of the united states because i believe that elections have consequences. in this case, this individual has actually been dangerous to america and to the young men and women who are fighting and serving it. mr. blinken has been a foreign policy advisor to vice president biden since his days in the senate, but as robert gates has note oddnoted, mr. biden has beg on every national security issue over the past decade. on may 6, 2013, mr. blinken discussed a number of the administration's achievements -- achievements -- including, one, ending the war in iraq responsibleably, two, setting a clear strategy and date

mr. mccain? >> no. >> mr. barrasso? >> no. >> mr. wahl? >> yes. >> mr. chairman? >> any other amendments? >> yes, this is paul amendment number three. this amendment would set geographic limits on this aumf. it reads, nothing in this joint resolution shall be construed as authorizing the use of force against the islamic state outside of the geographic boundaries of iraq and syria, and no action may be taken outside such area without congressional authorization. now, many have made the argument that we've added too many limitations. there should be no limitations, and they've argued historically that we haven't done this. the national security network looked back at all of the uses of authorization of force since the beginning of the republic, and they found that 60% of those actually did have a geographic limitation on them. some would say, well, you know, we just don't need this. it's too confining. the problem is, when you look back at 2001, we are now using it to mean anything. the words have become meaningless, the authorization has become so blanket that we a

mr. mccain. incoming chair of the senate judiciary committee senator chuck grassley is leaving toward leaving it alone. good for you, senator. up next, a partisan political report puts the nation's security in jeopardy. k.t. mcfarland and ralph peters on, well, the feinstein report. ♪ (holiday music is playing) hey! i guess we're going to need a new santa ♪(the music builds to a climax.) more people are coming to audi than ever before. see why now is the best time. audi will cover your first month's payment on select models at the season of audi sales event. visit audioffers.com today. then you'll know how uncomfortable it can be. but did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath? well, there is biotene, specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants... biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy too. biotene, for people who suffer from a dry mouth. they take us to worlds full of heroes and titans. for respawn, building the be

mr. mccain was in kabul the day before. >>> in syria, more than 100 people were injured or killed in air strikes in al bab near aleppo. it says in another village, 30 isis militants were killed by kurdish forces. they reject isis claims they shot down a jordanian pilot. >>> despite successful air strikes targeting isis, the terror group is expanding in the u.s. as part of its biggest target. isis is the only group wishing to attack the west. we have more from barbara starr. >> in a reck, propaganda videos of isis bloody violence, intimidation and killings. in yemen, the al qaeda affiliate puts out its new video showing pictures of its top leader. the two terror groups now vying for power. >> having to compete with isis for recruits from the arab world for attention in the global jihadist community. >> reporter: and the u.s. may be in the cross hairs as the rivalry grows. >> there's no doubt, if isis decides to, they have the ability to launch a major terrorist attack on western soil. this is a group with up to 1,000 western recruits. >> reporter: al qaeda and yemen posting a new addition

mr. mccain.oming chair of the senate judiciary committee senator chuck grassley is leaving toward leaving it alone. good for you, senator. up next, a partisan political report puts the nation's security in jeopardy. k.t. mcfarland and ralph peters on, well, the feinstein report. they challenge us. they take us to worlds full of heroes and titans. for respawn, building the best teractive entertainment begins with the cloud. this is "titanfall," the first multi-player game built and run on microsoft azure. empowering gamers around the world to interact in ways they never thought possible. this cloud turns data into excitement. this is the microsoft cloud. [ shutter clicks ] hi there! [ laughs ] i'm flo! i know! i'm going to get you your rental car. this is so ridiculous. we're going to manage your entire repair process from paperwork to pickup, okay, little tiny baby? your car is ready, and your repairs are guaranteed for as long as you own it. the progressive service center -- a real place, where

mr. mccain: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mccain: madam president, i would like to begin by expressing appreciation and admiration for the men and women who serve in our intelligence agencies, including the c.i.a. they are out there every day defending our nation. i have read the executive summary and i also have been briefed on the entirety of this report. i rise in support of the release, the long-delayed release of the senate intelligence committee's summarized, unclassified review of the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques that were employed by the previous administration to extract information from captured terrorists. it's a thorough and thoughtful study of practices that i believe not only failed their purpose to secure actionable intelligence to prevent further attacks on the u.s. and our allies but actually damaged our security interests as well as our reputation as a force for good in the world. i believe the american people have a right -- indeed, responsibility -- to know what was done in their name, how th

mr. mccain was in kabul the day before. >>> ukraine's government swapped prisoners of war on friday with pro-russia separatists. a few hundred prisoners were exchanges between the two sides part of petro poroshenko's plan to end a pro-russian uprising in the east we have been covering here for months now. more than 4700 people have been killed in the conflict. meantime, the russian president signed a doctrine on friday calling the u.s. and nato top military threats. russia is in the middle of a standoff with the west over ukraine. erin mclaughlin has more from moscow including what this doctrine could mean for peace talks. >> russian security analysts tell me that they see this in new doctrine as the kremlin's response to western sanctions and political statements on the situations in ukraine and while calling it defensive in nature, the new doctrine identifies nato expansion and western military activities on russia's doorstep as areas of deep concern. in previous doctrines, the focus had been the situation unfolding in central asia, but analysts tell me that the kremlin is essentially

mr. mccain.he incoming chair of the senate judiciary committee, senator chuck grassley, is leaning toward leaving it alone. good for you, senator. >>> up next, attorney general holder looks to ban racial profiling. despite the fact that president bush did just that more than a decade ago. what in the world is going on in this administration? dad, i know i haven't said this often enough, but thank you. thank you mom for protecting my future. thank you for being my hero and my dad. military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa auto insurance could be one of them. if you're a current or former military member or their family, get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. >>> i can't wait to get the judge's ruling on much of what's been going on here today. fox news senior judicial analyst judge andrew napolitano joining me. great to have you here. what in the world is the attorney general thinking? he said he was going to end racial p

mr. mccain: i ask unanimous consent to address the senate as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mccain: today i'd like to offer words of tribute to my departing colleague, senator tom coburn, whose service exemplifies standards of purposefulness, integrity and decency to which we should all aspire and whose example ought to inspire the service of new and returning service alike. -- senators alike. i'm going to miss an awful lot our colleague from oklahoma. i've always admired tom for the strength of his convictions and the courage and candor for which he stresses them day after day. the number-one thing people should have do in congress, tom once said, is stay true to their heart. no one in the history of this institution has ever followed that injunction more faithfully than tom coburn has. tom coburn has an unshakeable faith in the goodness of america, and he has worked dill gently with others when he could and alone if necessary, to make sure government respects the people we serve, respects their hopes and aspirations, their conc

mr. mccain.ng chair of the senate judiciary committee, senator chuck grassley, is leaning toward leaving it alone. good for you, senator. >>> up next, attorney general holder looks to ban racial profiling. despite the fact that president bush did just that more than a decade ago. what in the world is going on in this administration? dad, i know i haven't said this often enough, but thank you. thank you mom for protecting my future. thank you for being my hero and my dad. military families are uniquely thankful for many things, the legacy of usaa auto insurance could be one of them. if you're a current or former military member or their family, get an auto insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. get to the terminal across town. are all the green lights you? no. it's called grid iq. the 4:51 is leaving at 4:51. ♪ they cut the power. it'll fix itself. power's back on. quick thinking traffic lights and self correcting power grids make the world predictable. thrillingly p

mr. mccain. i've listened to your show this morning.honest disagreement as to the effectiveness of interrogation and torture. plenty of people say it's an important tool. all i'm saying is, war is messy. >> our cnn analyst, bob baer, said the cia cannot cite one specific example of how enhanced interrogation thwarted an attack, not one. >> bob baer -- >> they say they kind of led to stuff but they're not specific. he says the cia ought to be specific, and then maybe there wouldn't be an argument. >> they should be. bob baer also said he doesn't know -- >> how can you say it works when we don't have a specific incident? >> again, when you listen to our folks on the ground, and bob baer also said he doesn't know, i don't know, you don't know, which is why the cia should put it out there. the cia, our intelligence officials have said that interrogation methods helped lead to the capture of osama bin laden, helped prevent possibly, carol, a west coast 9/11. i don't think we should discount that. >> this is what happened according to the sen

mr. mccain. the incoming chair of the senate judiciary committee, senator chuck grassley, is leaning toward leaving it alone. good for you, senator. >>> up next, attorney general holder looks to ban racial profiling. despite the fact that president bush did just that more than a decade ago. what in the world is going on in this administration? 3rd and 3. 58 seconds on the clock, what am i thinking about? foreign markets. asian debt that recognizes the shift in the global economy. you know, the kind that capitalizes on diversity across the credit spectrum and gets exposure to frontier and emerging markets. if you convert 4-quarter p/e of the s&p 500, its yield is doing a lot better... if you've had to become your own investment expert, maybe it's time for bny mellon, a different kind of wealth manager ...and black swans are unpredictable. dentures with toothpaste or plain water. and even though their dentures look clean, in reality they're not. if a denture were to be put under a microscope, we ca

mr. mccain: mr. president, i want to offer a few word of tribute to my departing colleague, senator carl levin, a model of serious purpose, firm principle, and personal decency and whose example oughte ought o inspire the service of new and returning senators. we could not aspire to better service than he has given our country. charl and i hav i have served tr for the better part of three decades. he is my senior by eight years and has been my chairman for more than ten years in total. it's been a privilege to serve under his very able, honorable, and fair leadership. carl and i sit on opposite sides of the aisle. the difference is quite obvious on any number of issues. but i hope it's also obvious how much i admire and respect my friend from michigan. we've had our moments on the committee. debate there can get a little passionate from time to time, perhaps a little more passionate on my part than karls. but that is surely my problem, not carl's. wcarl's we are proud of the committee's tradition of

mr. mccain: ask unanimous consent to speak to the senate as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mccain: madam president, i come to the floor to praise the public service of and bid farewell to my friend and valued colleague from nebraska, senator mike johanns. with my remarks today, i celebrate not just mike's last six years in the united states senate but also his 30-plus years in public service that will cul culminate at the end of this term. at the highest levels of government in both the legislative and executive branches, mike's life of public service has been punctuated by greater accomplishment. from the lancaster county board in nebraska to the lincoln city council, from his service as mayor of lincoln to his service as the 38th governor of nebraska, from his service 28th u.s. secretary of agriculture and throughout his tenure in the united states senate, mike has democrat tax rated a commitment to -- hayes democrat tax rated a commitment to-- --has demonstrated a commitment. in the senate mike's leadership and bipartisan eff

tell me about senators feinstein and mccain, opposite parties and ideologies, but they're together on this. >> i think we were talking about mro, that was a $40,000 investigation. john mccain is a rare gop ally on the report and its release. mccain was tortured as a pow in vietnam, he has long said those techniques were troublesome, he thought it could constitute torture, such things compromise america's moral high ground. he is a lone republican to be in support of this. an example of where things begin to break was south carolina republican lindsey graham, a big mccain buddy. he says basically the obama administration has gone way too far, that democrats releasing this is provocative, the obama administration has gone the other way granting miranda rights and lawyers to foreign terrorists. republicans for the most part are against it. >> so are you saying that mccain is alone? he is the only republican senator supporting this torture report? >> well, he also defended its release, saying transparency is important to the american people. >> i said that, too, but he's defending the body of the conclusions. >> well, he is. >> n

mccain nelson. >> reporter: thank you mr. president. you spoke earlier about [ inaudible ] end the year with executive actions on cuba and immigration and climate change but you didn't make much progress on your legislative agenda. and republican lawmakers said they are less inclined to work with you if you pursue executive action so aggressively. are you going to continue to pursue executive action. or have you concluded it is not possible to break the gridlock? >> as i said before i take speaker boehner and mitch mcconnell at their words that they want to get things done. i think the american people would like to see us get some things done. the question is going to be are we able to separate out those areas where we disagree and those areas where we agree in i think there are going to be tough fights on areas where we disagree. if republicans seek to take healthcare away from people who just got it, they will meet stiff resistance from me. if they try to water down consumer protections that we put in place in the aftermath of the fin

i fully support the mccain flake bill sitting there ready for us to take up. could you, mr. secretary, initially -- my first question is, could you address how the executive action comports with the mccain flake bill particularly as it regards both border security and immigration. i know it's not comprehensive, but to what extent was that bill a template for action that can be taken, and must be taken to secure the border and fix the system. >> well, the executive actions that we have taken are no substitute for s744, which does a number of things, including an earned path to citizenshicitize. we do not have executive authority to provide an earned path to citizenship. we do have executive authority to provide deferred action for those who have been here for years, similar to the bill, who have not committed any crimes, and who have basically become integrated members of the american society to offer them the opportunity to be accountedable. that is not citizenship or lawful permanent residence. in that is simply you are deemed lawfully present in the country for a period of

mr. big shot. when you're running what john mccain calls a gas station with an army, size matters.o act like vlady in power when your nozzle, to the world, looks a lot smaller than it once dead e did. >>> now, they have to rely on the kindness of strangers, otherwise known as united states of america. >>> you meelight ef enget a bet deal out of iran now, even though the number one source of wealth is not the big dog. this krigschristmas, let's than santa for the people who otherwise didn't mind gouging us when they could, did they? >> tonight, on k"all in." the public grievings continues in new york. the mayor calls for a suspension of protests and goes after the media. >> what are you guys going to do? are you going to keep dried e dividing us? >> tonight, more on the suspect. the police officers he killed and the fight between new york's police union and the mayor de

i fully support the mccain flake to take up.or us ould you, mr. secretary -- my first question is, could you address how the executive action omports with the mccain-flake became as it regards border security and immigration? know it is not comprehensive, it can't be, but to what extent was that bill a template for taken and can be must be taken to secure the border and fix the system? actions the executive that we have taken are no for s. 744 which does an mber of things including earned path to citizenship. that is what is contemplated in the bill. we do not have executive authority to provide an earned path to citizenship. do have executive authority o provide deferred action for those who have been here for yea who , similar to the bill have not committed any crimes and have basically become of the ed members american society to offer them the opportunity to be accountable. that is not citizenship. that is not lawful permanent residence. simply you are deemed lawfully present in the country for a period of time. we also are, through executive e

remarks are followed by senators mccain and rockefeller. this is 90 minutes. >> mr. president, i want to thank the leader for his words and his support. they are extraordinarily welcomed and appreciated. today a 500-page executive summary of the senate intelligence committee's five and a half year review of the cia's detention and interrogation program, which was conducted between 2002 and 2009, is being released publicly. the executive summary, which is going out today, is backed up by a 6,700 page classified and unredacted report, which can be released if necessary at a later time. the report released today examines the cia's secret overseas detention of at least 119 individuals and the use of coercive interrogation techniques, in some cases amounting to torture. over the past couple of weeks, i have gone through a great deal of introspection about whether to delay the release of this report to a later time. this clearly is a period of turmoil and instability in many parts of the world. unfortunately, that's going to continue for the foreseeable future, whether thi

mccain, ripped bell on the floor of the senate. >> there is no it doubt that since taking office in 2010, the hungarian prime minister mr.an has centralized power. mr. orban is cozying up to vladimir putin. >> i am not against political appointees. i am not against-- i understand how the game is playedment but here we are, a nation that is on the verge of creeding its sovereignty to a dictator getting in bed to putin and we're going to send the producer of "the bold and the beautiful". >> stephen: well, without dow want, john? without do you want, someone from "the young and the restless"? they would be too inexperienced, then get bored and quit. folks, john mccain is dead wrong here. i have deep roots in hungary. i have a bridge named after me there. and the hungarian ambassador himself made me an honorary citizen. my only qualification, i am on tv. right there. s there's your proof. and folks, "the bold and the beautiful" is perfect training to be an ambassador. hungary is a region rife with drama and the constant threat-of-violence. exactly the situation of forrester family routinely handled from their pallacious esta

mr. obama authorized air strikes and 3,000 troops to help the iraqi army. senator john mccainices committee, have said air strikes can continue but more boots on the ground will be needed to defeat the islamic state. there will likely be less aagreement between the president and gop leaders in iran. in second round of nuclear negotiations with iran. a deal on the table would allow iran to continue enriching uranium opposed by republicans. another major foreign policy story to watch russia. an increasingly agreeses ive vladimir putin. economic sanctions levyied by the united states and european union are really starting to hurt since the price of oil began dropping. russia's economy is in crisis with the ruble plunging. afghanistan has been a major story for the last 13 years. today marked the end of the mission there. the u.s. flag came down in a ceremony in kabul. finally, on trade deals, republicans will likely be a lot more receptive to a couple of trade deals than democrats were. his own party mr. obama wants two trade deals to get done in 2015 and he's likely to have more

i fully support the mccain flat bill which is sitting there ready for us to take up. could you, mr. secretary, initially my first question is, could you address how the executive action korts with the mccain flake bill particularly as it regards border security and immigration. i know it's not comprehensive, it can't be, but to what extent was that bill a template for action that can be taken and must be taken to security the border, and to fix the system? >> well, the executive actions that we have taken are no substitute for f-744 which does a number of things, including an earned path to citizenship. that's what's contemplated in the bill. we do not have executive authority to provide an earned path to citizenship. we do have executive authority to provide deferred action to those who have been here for years, similar to the bill who have not committed any crimes and basically become integrated members of the american society to offer them the opportunity to be accountable. that is not citizenship. that is not permanent residence. it is simply you are deemed lawfully present in th

mr. o'reilly that torturing that person is going to bring my son or daughter back. even mccainnator mccain has admitted that there is no question. >> we're going to talk to you right behind you. >> has said techniques are wrong. if you are a mom or dad and you have children who may be killed. do you everything possible. that's what i'm saying. >> right. ms. fen as it said law are there for a reason. >> don't petty fog this issue. >> it's the cognitive distance of the left. the president said we are a nation of laws and we are talking about, bill, how the president is handling this. >> he believes what he did is lawful, so let's keep it on this. >> and so does his doj. his doj believes that this is lawful, as you point out, cia directors believe this is lawful. bill, this is all politics, it's base ginning. let's move it forward. if the left wants him to do something about it, does president obama then have the political stomach to prosecute people at the cia for what he believes -- >> . no. >> no, exactly. do you know why? because then it would reveal what these cia agents did.

mr. williams, innocent americans died at the hands of terrorists and you compare them to a general's family? i'm embarrassed for you and for nbc and for those on the right, senator mccain, this goes for you. >> i dispute wholeheartedly that it was right for them to use these methods. >> senator, stop apologizing for keeping america safe. those procedures were legal and effective. and here's the thing. senator feinstein and all her colleagues were aware of enhanced interrogations. now they want to call out the cia. well, we're calling you out for your hypocrisy. see, your weak-kneed response to terror does nothing, nothing, to make terrorists hate us less. it does, however, make america less safe when politicians like you cry foul for political gain. i'll leave you with this, the next time you feel sorry for terrorists, here's a little reminder of why we interrogate th time. willis report is next. have a good weekend. liz: bye now. gerri: hello, everyone. i'm gerri willis. it's a bitter pill for americans to swallow. the rising health care costs affecting everyone. 43 million of us have unpaid medical bills. 43 million. tonight, we'll give you solutions to lowering your

i fully support the mccain flat bill which is sitting there ready for us to take up. could you, mr. secretary, initially my first question is, could you address how the executive action korts with the mccain flake bill particularly as it regards border security and immigration. i know it's not comprehensive, it can't be, but to what extent was that bill a template for action that can be taken and must be taken to security the border, and to fix the system? >> well, the executive actions that we have taken are no substitute for f-744 which does a number of things, including an earned path to citizenship. that's what's contemplated in the bill. we do not have executive authority to provide an earned path to citizenship. we do have executive authority to provide deferred action to those who have been here for years, similar to the bill who have not committed any crimes and basically become integrated members of the american society to offer them the opportunity to be accountable. that is not citizenship. that is not permanent residence. it is simply you are deemed lawfully present in th

i fully support the mccain flat bill which is sitting there ready for us to take up. could you, mr. secretary, initially my first question is, could you address how the executive action korts with the mccain flake bill particularly as it regards border security and immigration. i know it's not comprehensive, it can't be, but to what extent was that bill a template for action that can be taken and must be taken to security the border, and to fix the system? >> well, the executive actions that we have taken are no substitute for f-744 which does a number of things, including an earned path to citizenship. that's what's contemplated in the bill. we do not have executive authority to provide an earned path to citizenship. we do have executive authority to provide deferred action to those who have been here for years, similar to the bill who have not committed any crimes and basically become integrated members of the american society to offer them the opportunity to be accountable. that is not citizenship. that is not permanent residence. it is simply you are deemed lawfully present in th

mr. chairman, i'm also supposed to be at a foreign relations committee. would you mind if i went ahead with my -- >> senator mccain, i was going to suggest if the ranking mem r member -- >> go ahead. >> agrees that you go first and we'll give our opening statements. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and ranking member grassley, and i thank you for allowing me to testify, and thank you to senator blumenthal for making this hearing happen. senator blumenthal's commitment that made him a valuable partner to work with on this issue. leave consumers holding the short end of the stick, and i'm here this morning to discuss sports blackouts and to explain why the continued use of blackout rules and policies failed to serve the interest of consumers. in this case, loyal sports fans. i will truncate my opening statement, just to say the simple fact is that the rules as they are today today only serve to benefit sports leagues and member teams at the expense of hardworking fan who is support them so loyally through money, time, passion. just last year during the nfl wildcard playoffs, fans of the cincinnati bengals, indianapolis c

. -- levin-mccain national defense authorization bill. i yield the floor. mr. barrasso: madam president, earlier today the former secretary of health and human services, kathleen sebelius, said that there was a way to fix obamacare. she said, change the name. she said, change the name. that was her solution. that's not something she just told a friend. it's something she told many as she was participating in "politico"'s lessons from leaders events. well, madam president, leaders don't blame the failure of a bad product on naivmen name. you can blame it on a lot of things but the name is not it. the president said he was fond of the name "obamacare." apparently, kathleen sebelius is taking a play from the playbook of professor gruber. this law isn't unpop blawrs it was named after the president. it is unpopular because it doesn't work. it is unpopular because it doesn't deliver what the president promised the american people it woovmen would. so democrats can rename this health care system whatever they want and people all across the country are still going to

mr. blinken, and even listening to my dear friend and colleague, senator mccain, a distinguished member of the committee who i regret we are going to lose in the next congress from the committee, you know, when he made the comment that the president's personal decision -- i'm referring to on syria -- when all his national security advisors recommended providing arms to the free syrian army, well, mr. blinken is clearly one of those national security advisors, but the president is the one who ultimately makes the decision on what policy will be pursued. which leads us separately to the questions about mr. blinken's participation and decisions involving iraq, afghanistan and other parts of the world, as certain members of this body have taken issue with. mr. blinken has had to defend those decisions no matter his personal views or advice. that is his job. you can disagree with the president's policies, but you cannot blame this nominee for doing his sworn constitutional duty to carry them out. now, i want to be very clear, we cannot judge the qualifications of this nominee, or for that fact

mr. chairman. first of all, i want to start by thanking you, senator blumenthal and senator mccain, for bringing this important matter to the attention of the committee. i think you've raised an important question. no one really likes sports blackouts, at least of all the public, yet as we all know congress has permitted professional sports leagues to operate outside of our antitrust laws in order to have them. we've done so on the theory that without blackouts fans might stay home and watch the game on tv. well, the ticket sales necessary to sum port the team might dwindle as a result. that economic assumption has now been called into question. the proponents of the bill argue that there's no evidence to support it. fans, they say, will attend games if the ticket price is right regardless of whether they could also watch the game at home as an alternative. at the moment, however, i'm not yet prepared to support the fans' act without additional study on my part. i am particularly concerned that the bill might unsettle some legitimate contractual expectations the sports leagues have bargained for with