mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise in recognition of the greenfield volunteer fire department stationed in erie county. which has been named pennsylvania's e.m.s. agency of the year. i am proud to have these dedicated volunteers stationed in the pennsylvania fifth congressional district. just two years ago their department only had two active volunteers, two active members. now they have a team of 25, with an additional two junior members. responders say 70% of their calls are for emergency services and that their department hasn't missed a call in two years. the department officials say they're overjoyed with the support they've received from both the volunteers and their community. at a time when many volunteer fire departments in my state and across the nation are shrinking, it is great to see this kind of growth. mr. speaker, it is the dedicated men and women like the volunteers of greenfield township that make our communities across pennsylvania safe and great places to call home. well done, greenf

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of world down syndrome day, which seeks to draw awareness to down syndrome and how people with down syndrome play a vital role in our lives, our communities. all of us know someone who lives with down syndrome and we know that in spite of some extra challenges, they live full and robust lives surrounded by family and friends. in order to provide those living with down syndrome and other disabilities the best start possible, i was happy to co-sponsor, along with the majority of my colleagues in the house, the achieving a better life experience or able act. which was signed into law in 2014. this law empowers people with disabilities and their families to create a flexible account to help save for medical and dental care, education, community-based employment, community-based support, training, housing and transportation. my office participates in a congressional internship program for individuals with intellectual disabilities. this program, which i

mr. thompson -- i think it's mr. thompson. no. lauren thompson said, "it is impossible to do what they have asked. you can't upgrade our cold war fighters". would you agree with the statement of thompson and would you want to elaborate? >> yes, sir. you can only do so much with our fourth generation fighters today. you can only add so many upgrades and structurally improve them to last a certain period of time. but what i will tell you from the knowledge i have on this program and the capabilities of the f-35, our legacy airplanes now and in the future will not s survive the threat and no matter how much you upgrade them and how much you put into them, eventually they will not survive. this airplane differently. it will survive -- >> in combat? >> in combat. it will survive for decades to come. >> i want to point out one thing before i ask mr. sullivan's comments about this. this poll asks people about sticking with our current fighters until 2037. i wonder what the poll would have been if they were asked if they would be willing t

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate penn state university which is located in the fifth congressional district on receiving nearly an $18 million grant from the national science foundation. these grant funds will be used over the next five years to be dedicated to the growth of two dimensional crystals in order to research how they can be used in the next generation electronics. a very technical work which at times involves the use of materials only a few atoms thick. eventually this reserve is expected to play a significant role in the development of electronics which are faster, use less energy, and can be built on flexible surfaces. this research institute was only one of two in the nation awarded the by the national science foundation. i'm proud to see such groundbreaking research happening at penn state. it stands as proof the university's national leadership in the area of research, along with the testament of the skills of the faculty. i know this funding will be put to great

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of pennsylvania's wildlife recognition week. representative of pennsylvania's 5th congressional district, i know how quickly simple brushfires can get out of control often devastating acres of forest. in pennsylvania, it is nearly 7,000 acres are burned each year. all brushfires, an estimated 85% occur in the months of march, april and may. because of the prevalence of fires, i want to praise the efforts of our fire departments across the commonwealth. these men and women, the vast majority are volunteers, volunteer their time and service and put their lives on the line lives. property and all wildfires are caused by human activity and it is important to educate the public and stop wildfires before they stop. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition? >> permission to address the house for one minute. ms. kaptur: to mark the first week of spring, this week i launched a countdo

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise to con garage late several students from pennsylvania's fifth congressional district on their appointments to delegates on the conference of future medical leaders. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. members in the back, take your conversations off the floor. the gentleman is recognized. mr. thompson spook these students will be delegates to the congress of future medical leaders to be held later this year in massachusetts. the congress is an honors only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into a field devoted to medical research. each of these students was nominated by their teachers, has demonstrated tremendous academic success. many who attend the congress will receive full academic scholarships as they look forward to completing university courses this esix students selected to attend the congress represent many communities in the fifth congressional district, including courtney, auddree, kendra, bella from central

mr. thompson agreed in a plea deal to talk about the coins but never hasto destination cleveland says of the city's resurgence continues convention and visitors bureau says 65,000 people will come to town for the summer's republican national convention the new convention center hotelepne will help bring more big gatherings toe cleveland and the very near future donald to top governor k-6 and when the ohio primary from scheduled an 11th hour stop outside of youngstown tonight in the magglio was the only cleveland reporter got the chance to ask mr. trump a few questions it will come back been a long day.ch >> it's a very interesting as you both knowre he is in a tough battle be with tom k sick rightk now according to most polls if you can squeeze out aut victory here in a win in florida tomorrow he'll be in the high-speed lanes with the nomination he made no attempts to lower expectations or diminish what ohio could meanan. >> mr. trump how important is ohio how bad do you want itit i really would ohio that's why i'm' here i've been to ohio a lot i used to work year i worked here for a lon

mr. thompson, for five minutes. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of the 70th anniversary of the miller v.f.w. post 6221 in empore yum cameron county, located in pennsylvania's fifth congressional district. the post is named after two sets of brothers, who answered the call to defend the united states of america in world war ii. jack and harry miller, along with sam and frank, jack and harry were killed within one month of each other in 1944. sadly, sam and frank also made the ultimate sacrifice on the same day, yet miles apart from one another, also in 1944. after the war ended, the community welcomed back the surviving men and women who formed the miller post 6221, which was officially opened on march 5, 1946. mr. speaker, we owe so much to the members of our nation's armed forces. and especially to those members of the greatest generation who travel to places such as europe and asia to fight tirnifment i'm proud to -- tyranny. i'm proud to salute the members of the v.f.w. on this important anniversary and wish

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i have the deepest respect for the law enforcement men and women who are tasked with protecting the communities of the pennsylvania fifth congressional district. it is with deep respect that i congratulate titusville police chief gary thomas on his upcoming retirement. chief thomas has served his community for nearly 26 years. after being hired as a patrol man in 1990. thomas is credit with helping fight back against a rise in methamphetamine production in titusville which spread through northern pennsylvania starting in the late 1990's. he worked together with state police and the state attorney general's office to crack down on this plague, and more importantly, he enlisted the help of the titusville community to fight back. after being promoted to police chief in 2009, thomas continued the battle against drugs. this time against bath salts and synthetic marijuana, educating the public on the effect of these drugs and what to look for. the efforts that results in a form of

mr. thompson -- >> it's a blm number here that we've got. proposed budget including $88 million for blm land acquisition, including $44 million in appropriate reetion, this is more than the $19 million enacted in fiscal year 2015. >> so this is specific to blm? >> that's the proposed budget? >> yeah, because the increase for the conversation water fund is not what you're suggesting. so i just need to coordinate on numbers. but let me say this, maintenance backlog is an issue. our budget proposes a way to reduce the backlog, 12 billion. of which half of that is transportation. >> you mean roads? >> yes. typically paid for out of the highway trust fund. >> so why wouldn't you use the standard accounting techniques that the rest of the federal government use in developing these numbers? >> chris, do you know what he's talking about with that? >> i mean, we're trying to -- is this number too high, too low? why don't you use the same numbers as everybody else? >> i'm actually not familiar with this. so i'd be happy to get back to you on the recor

mr. thompson: mr. speaker. the speaker: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. the speaker: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. the pledge of allegiance will be offered and led by the gentleman from vermont, mr. welch. mr. welch: i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker: the chair will entertain up to five requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. lamalfa: unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman virginia tech -- the gentleman is recognized. mr. lamalfa: i'm not talking about matters of nurebt but basic everyday

mr. thompson, no, well, lauren thompson said, it's impossible to do what they've asked. you cannot upgrade our cold war fighters. would you agree with that statement? would you want to elaborate? mr. bogdan: yes, sir. you can only do so much with our fourth generation fighters today. you can only add so many upgrades. and structurally improve them to last a certain period of time. but what i will tell you from the knowledge i have on this program and the capabilities of the f-35 are legacy airplanes now and in the future will not survive the threat environments we know we're going to have to face. so no matter how much you upgrade them, and how much you put into them, eventually they will not survive. this airplane differently, it will survive -- mr. turner: in combat. mr. bogdan: in combat will survive for decades to come. mr. turner: i want to point out one thing. this poll asks people about sticking with our current fighters through 2037. i wonder what the poll would have been if they asked people, would you be willing to drive your current car through 2037. mr. sulliv

mr. thompson is here with us this morning. i am sure that you must get so many people who say that aaron jail for the wrong reasons. how do you determine who is really telling the truth? >> 10 full-time prosecutors. you are right. everyone says that they're wrongfully convicted. sadly, there are innocent people who are in prison. we have to look at the case and investigate it thoroughly. make it the decision. >> do think that this is a problem throughout the country? >> no. we are leaving the country. country. >> it is actually, in a way, easier for you. leaders in the criminal justice system. murder that they did not commit. >> it is an amazing place. everyone is so dedicated to giving them out of jail. it was physical evidence that i read about. if anybody knows anything, the guy could not have physically done it. >> prosecutors back then. walk. this man could not do that, physically. >> we love to see innocent people go free. what about guilty people going to jail? public urination, jumping a turnstile. we have had some noi

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate the penn state nittany lion wrestling team on earning its fifth big ten wrestling title in the past six years. they scored 105.5 points to win the title over iowa earlier this month, which was just one-half point shy of its school record beyond the title itself, penn state wrestler dayne rutherford was named big ten wrestler of the year and jason nolf won the freshman of the year award. coach sanderson was named coach of the year. with the big ten title in the book, the focus shifts to the ncaa championship in new york city. nine members of the team will compete for their fifth title in six years, mir thriring big ten success. i wish these young men the best of luck as they compete in new york city and congratulate them on their achievement of earning the big ten title. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? the gentleman from california eek recognition? the gentleman is recog

for clay thompson. mr. inside. we're done here. clay 32.lso hit seven-3pointers. >> against vcu it was a night ncaa tournament game before he scored 36 in the win momma said i can't take it. i've got to go. she wasn't around the finish. khan watch. her son was cool with it though. he's seen it before. >> she's always like that when i was in the bah hamas when the games get tight. she's walking out and every time she walks out, something big's happening. something good happens. whatever she's doing, she needs to keep doing t. it's helping us a lot. >> tonight in denver they needed a prayer to beat philadelphia. answered by emmanuel. wiel be back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, late show is next. charles barkley's on. he'll be good. >> talking barbecue. you're making me hungry. >> a little midnight snack. oh, nice. >> brisket. our next newscast tomorrow morning at 4:30. we'll see you then. ( band playing intro music ) ( band playing "late show" theme ) ♪ ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen colbert, everybody! captioning sponsored by cbs ♪ ( cheers a

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate deana kim, a senior at state college area high school located in pennsylvania's fifth congressional district on earning the national president's volunteer service award. this award honors people across the nation who volunteered 100 hours per year or more in service to their communities. deana has worked for years as a translator for compassion korea, and a former volunteer malaysia in helping teach english to refugee students. she started volunteering when she was in fifth grade. the organization allows people from around the world to sponsor a child in need from another country. deana works to translate letters from children to their sponsor families who korea. deana kim estimates that she has accumulated 600 hours of volunteer service both in state college, her former home in texas, and malaysia. she will graduate this year and plans to attend college majoring in linguist ticks. she's an example of the great contributions young people can bring

mr. thompson, for five minutes. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today to laud the efforts of penn state university located in pennsylvania's fifth ongressional district. these students are participating, mr. speaker, in a nationwide competition called up to us. the goal is raising awareness of the national debt and the impact it will have on the leaders of tomorrow and generations to come. especially in terms of their future economic opportunities. the winning team will be recognized later this year and will receive $10,000. the national debt isn't something you often hear much about from men and women in their late teens and early 20's which is why i was so impressed by this. these are signatures of more seeking to udents raise awareness among the men and women who represent them in such places as the united states house of representatives and the senate. now, i was happy to share some of the work we have done over the past few years in lowering the debt and pledge to continue that effort. spending has been reduced to historic lev

mr. thompson, for five minutes. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of grace preston, a 6th grader from the brockway area elementary school, which proud to say is located in the pennsylvania fifth congressional district. grace was recently among two students in pennsylvania to be honored with a prudential spirit of community award. this award is given to young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. grace has raised more than $4,000 in the past three years to improve the lives of animals in her community. she's done this through the sale of homemade dog treats and cat toys, flea and tick repellent. she became interested in helping animals after her family adopted a dog from a local shelter. . through her efforts grace has raised enough money to purchase a storage shed as well as rabies meds and has animal oxygen masks for pets that are caught in fires. help pay for a shelter dog's recent surgery and collected animal food for the pets of needy families. mr. speaker, it's wonderful to see such dedication to comm

mr. thompson. >> thank you for being here. i will jump right into my questions. i am please the fish and wildlife service has recognized there was the driver behind the decline, and ensure that the final roll allows activities to continue. they are not impacting the back. it appears as if the sierra club and the centers for biological diversity intends to file suit regardless. can you provide the committee as sense of how to defend the services used for its authority? >> i would say lawsuits are not uncommon from all points in this job. the official wildlife service has permission recognizing the primary threat is the white knows syndrome but also recognizing the importance of having a habitat that is conducive, and the rule looks at that and that is legally defensible but we have to determine that. >> will you commit to battle that if the suit is filed and not like you said, it commonly occurs versus what happened in the past which appears to be some back room deal which is a compromise, even a compromise to the endangered species act while. just want to assure

mr. thompson made the statement and scud why we acquired these lands and you said it helped close access. >> i don't believe i said that. >> it's on the record. >> i was going to answer your other question. i just want to be clear in terms of the $18 billion figure that includes permanent and mandatory funding. the fair comparison is 13.3 that's in discretionary funding. >> the answer should be yes, in my opinion. i want to go to another thing that was just stated here from the other side of the aisle you asked a question four to one return was on those public lands. is that the case? >> that's a national park service number. >> okay. he said public lands you said park service. okay. with that we should expect, we should be needing a budget, be able to handle it yourself -- >> the return goes oftentimes to local communities. so it's not a return to the park service it's a return to the local communities largely. >> with your indulgence mr. chair i would like to ask about -- it indicates it's focus on the withdrawals no longer needed with this intend purpose at the time announced 10 acre m

mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, as a senior member of the house agriculture committee, i rise today to commend the efforts of students at penn state university and their efforts to set up a student run farm in state college pennsylvania located in the fifth congressional district. the university student farm club has been working toward securing ground nor farm for the past couple of year, finally obtaining an acre of space at a meeting in january. the farm will operate as a laboratory will students will have a chance to study food production as well as distribution and marketing. food grown there will be delivered to the community through student run community supported agriculture which connects consumers with growers. i know this is just the beginning for penn state's student farm club as they hope the tonight run farm will expand in years to come. agriculture is the number one industry in my state and is key to the penn state university's past, present, and future. i wish these students the best of luck

thompson writes, quote, the defendant chose to become a police officer and to put his own life on the line there is no evidence the defendant intended to kill or even injure mr. guerrillaly, had the tables been reversed, akai gurley would be in prison. >> reporter: brooklyn borough president eric adams won't say whether or not he agrees with the d.a.'s decision. i asked him to respond to a statement from akai gurley's >> hearing that statement, what is your reaction? >> i'm going to -- i have been duped before. i'm going to speak to the d.a. i don't know where that statement came, and i don't want to be premature. i would like to speak with the district attorneys and the akai gurley family. >> reporter: meanwhile, the police union is responding. they tell news a statement that police officers are human beings and make mistakes, and criminalizing that is an injustice. meanwhile, the gurley family says they will be in court for liang's sentencing next month, and they will be asking the judge for jail time. live in jersey city, michael george, news 4, new york. >> thank you. the nypd commissioner and brooklyn leaders met today to discuss ways to make the west i

spend next 15 years behind barses, thompson is asking the judge for five years probation, 500 hours of community service, and 6 months house arrest. his reasoning, quote, mr. liang has no prior criminal history and poses no future threat to public safety. in a statement pba president pat lynch agreed saying it is for those very reasons that liang never should have been indicted in the first police station. defense attorney math you who did not work on liang's case of weight at sentencing. >> be very unusual for a judge to sentence mr. liang to jail in lights of a nonjail redges. it's possible. he could. >> so when had peter liang goes before the judge on april 14th, that judge can do whatever he wants. also we should mention that the family of akai gurley plans to be at that sentencing. they want to talk to judge and address the court and they'll also be here today in downtown brooklyn holding big protest right outside of d.a. ken thompson's office. leats from downtown brooklyn this morning. back to both of you. >> thank you very much. we have a lot more still to come including story of the flight attendant arrested here in new york after she ftion caught

could spend the next 15 years behind bars, thompson is asking the judge for five years probation. 500 hours of community service and six months house arrest. mr. liang has no prior criminal history and poses no future threat to public safety. it is for those area present that liang should have never been indicted in the first place. it will hold a lot of weight at sentencing. it is possible that he could do that. very unlikely. >> back in court april 14. the judge can do whatever he wants in this case. the last time a police officer was convict did, brian was his name. convict did of a lesser charge. he, too, was given five years probation. greg: thank you very much. in los angeles. all of that cocaine left by a flight attendant who freaked out when they started to search her at the gate. she ran off. left her shoes there. she got away. she turned herself in. marsha gaye reynolds. accused of -- kerry: leaving behind 70 pounds that is worth $3 billion. she had been randomly stop at a check point for airport workers. she turned herself in activity airport yesterday. >> the top of the bridge. inside the tub boat. this happened a week ago last we

da thompson wrote, quote, because his incarcination is not and due to the unique circumstances of this case, a prison sentence is not warranted. he went on to say justice will be best served if mr. liang is sentenced to five years probation, six months home confinement, electric monitoring and performs 500 hours of community service. akai gurley's family attorney released a statement a short time ago as well, saying holding police accountable for wrongful acts is important for our community. we continue to have faith in our justice system. just moments ago, pba president patrick lynch released this statement, saying police officers are human being and as such can make mistakes while risking their lives to protect the community. criminalizing a mistake, even a tragic accident, discharging the service is no good purpose. he believes the officer should not have been indicted in the first place. sentencing scheduled for next month. >> we'll have reaction tonight on eyewitness news at 11:00. >>> now to the brussels terror attacks.

mrs. webber inhales hey, it smells nice in here and try pluggable febreze... ...to continuously eliminate odors for... ...up to 45 days of freshness pluggable febreze and fabric refresher... ...[inhale + exhale mnemonic]... thompson. we had showers overnight but things are looking good this morning... larry has check of the first warn forecast. .today...sunny. much cooler with highs in the lower 50s. northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. .thursday...partl y sunny. a chance of rain showers in the afternoon. highs in the lower 50s. chance of rain 50 percent. .friday...partly sunny. highs in the mid 50s. .saturday...mostl y sn highs in e mi5.unday...sunny.ghs in thelow s.onday...mostlynny. highs in mid 60s. .tuesday...mostly nny. highin e lower 70sday unselorwill be at wtcklenburg high school after a student was killed in a crash tuesday. 15 year old heaven seay died when the car she was road. cmpd says the driver was speeding, lost control of the car and slammed into a tree. two other teesn were also injured in the crash. coming up ... the latest on that triple murder in gaston county. plus a another check of traffic and weather, in thirty minutes. the time is 7:56. i'm ben thompson. other times, not so much. so it's good