what is the united nations? the united nations is not a group of democratic nations.ted nations is not a meeting of our allies. the united nations is the one forum in the world that includes everybody. the good, the bad and the ugly. and, you know, when the vast majority of members of the united nations don't subscribe to what we would consider as basic human rights, it's hard to imagine how their human rights council could come to decisions is that we wound find as democratic nations terribly pleasing. so -- [ applause ] but look. it is -- look. it is outrageous. it is outrageous that -- just one example. i know others know these things but outrageous that in the united nations human rights council the one and only country in the world that is a subject of a permanent agenda item is israel. one of the freest nations in the world by any standards. yet, there is virtual hero worship there of the palestinian authority whose leader has had no democratic mandate in 12 years and who rules by decree because there is no elected legislature of any kind. no outrage about that

a new national pride is sweeping across our nation and a new surge of optimism is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp. what's we are witnessing today is the renewal of the american spirit. our allies will find that america is once again ready to lead. [applause] all of the nations of the world, friend or foe, will find that america is strong. america is proud. america is free. in nine years the united states will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding. 250 years since the day we declared our independence. it will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world area what will america look like as we reach our 250th year? what kind of country will we leave for our children? i will not allow the mistakes of recent decades to define the course of our future. ourtoo long we have watched middle-class shrink as we have exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries. we financed and built one of global project after another but ignored the fates of our children in the inner cities of chicago area baltimore, detroit, and so many other places throughout our

we share our commitment to national security. this revised order will bolster the security of the united states. now, we have spent the morning briefing the congress, the continue to talk with key stakeholders this afternoon. experts from the department of theland security, department of justice and our department hosted a hour-long call with the media on this topic this morning. our collective teams will continue to follow-up with the congress, the media and stakeholders to answer your questions. i will now turn to the attorney general for his comments. thank you mr. secretary. one of the justice department's pop -- top priorities is to protect the united states from threats to our national security. i want to discuss two points. first, the national security basis of this order and second, the department of justice possible in defending the lawful orders of the president of the united states. first, as president trump noted in his addressed to congress, the majority of the terroristiccted of content is gaining from iran. seeking

national objects to promote and a national character to support."e said, "if we are not, then let us no longer act a farce by pretending to it." so i ask, are we now acting out the farce that president washington predicted? we have matters under consideration in this capital city, most notably concerning immigration law and its enforcement that even the most jaded among us would be grudgingly concede our national importance to everyone. we have border states most net b notably on our southern border that have to date disproportionately borne the brunt and burden of our failure to act during the past decade but is there a state in this union in which the impact of the failure is not keenly felt by the american people yet we seem to have fallen to a place and time in our national discourse where the mere restatement or affirmation of laws long ago crafted and duly enacted by our constitutional republic's legislature, laws that were formed and codified iy inneied people's house by the people's representatives is now considered controversial? in the exe

three of these nations are state sponsors of terrorism. the other three have served as safe havens for terrorists countries, countries where governments have lost control of their territory to terrorist groups like isil or al qaeda and its affiliates. this increases the risk that people are admitted hear from these countries that they may belong to terrorist groups or may have been radicalized. we cannot compromise our security by allowing visitors their own governments are unable or unwilling to provide the information we need to vet them responsibly. or when those governments actively support terrorism. this executive order responsibly so wees a needed pause can carefully review how we scrutinize people coming here from these countries of concern. second, the department of justice believes that this executive order, just as the first executive order, is a lawful and proper exercise in presidential authority. this department of justice will defend and enforce lawful orders of the president consistent with the core principles of our consti

but what is the united nations? the united nations is not a group of democratic nations.he united nations is not a meeting of our allies. the united nations is the one forum in the world that includes everybody. the good, the bad, and the ugly. and, you know, when the vast majority of members of the united nations don't subscribe to what we would consider as basic human rights, it's hard to imagine how their human rights council could come to decisions that we would find as democratic nations terribly pleasing. but look, it is outrageous. it is outrageous that -- just one example, i know others know these things, outrageous that in the united nations human rights council, the one and only country in the world that is the subject of a permanent agenda item is israel. one of the freest nations in the world by any standards. yet there is virtual hero worship there. for western leaders for the leadsers of our country not standing up for what is right and in our own interests and defending one of our most vital allies, state of israel. i will also say. this that notwithstandin

as a single nation. as such, preserving the union gave the appearance of nationalism. ,y answering lincoln's call northerners chose to emphasize the same rights that southerners did in leaving the union. only they used it to cooperate with lincoln. in doing so, they placed nation above state and realized -- and relied on the union for national authority. that was an alliance between lincoln and the governors and it reinforced the union. but it did not mean that they lessened their commitment to local government. on the contrary. they kept popular sovereignty and pitted agrarian and industrial resistance against each other. the fusion oftood state politics and nationalist state governors compromised union. levelsl and state navigated the shoals of nationally sure in and conscription. when lincoln expanded his aims to assist governors in maintaining support for the war, it tested popular sovereignty's limits. the secretary of the navy addicted as much early in the war. the government will doubtless be stro

a new national pride is sweeping across our nation. and a new surge of optimism is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp. what we are witnessing today is the renewal of the american spirit. our allies will find that america is once again ready to lead. [ applause ] . all the nations of the world, friend or foe, will find that america is strong. america is proud. and america is free. in nine years, the united states will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding. 250 years since the day we declared our independence. it will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world. what will america look like as we reach our 250th year? what kind of country will we leave for our children? i will not allow the mistakes of recent decades past to define the course of our future. for too long, we've watched our middle class shrink as we've exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries. we financed and built one global project after another but ignored the fates of our children. in the inner cities of chicago, baltimor

a new national pride is sweeping across our nation.nd a new surge of optimism is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp. what we are witnessing today is the renewal of the american spirit. our allies will find that america is once again ready to lead. [applause] all the nations of the world, friend or foe will find that america is strong, america is proud, and america is free. in nine years the united states will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding. 250 years since the day we declared our independence. it will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world. but what will america look likes a we reach our 250th year? what kind of country will we leave for our children? i will not allow the mistakes of recent decades past to define the course of our future. for too long we have watched our middle class shrink, as we have exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries. we financed and built one global project after another, but ignored the fates of our children in the enter cities of chicago, baltimor

effectively carrying both congressional designations as the national museum and national memorial. quite a sitting tribute for a citizen initiated museum and memorial. all to honor those who served in world war i and marked the turning point for the nation and the impact it had in the united dates. catastrophe of the 20th century, the moment that launched the american century captured here with national designation. let's go up to the memorial and talk about some of the architectural features of this extraordinary landmark. extraordinaryhis memorial tower dedicated in 1926, but the foundation state when thelaid in 1921 president and commanders gathered here to begin the building work. whichxtraordinary power is larger than the statue of liberty. a dominant feature on the landscape. on extraordinary tribute to those who served in world war i. it also marks the national engagement of the whole country coming behind is extraordinary effort to deal with this cataclysm that was happening in europe. this power is a spectacular sight. it is beautiful at night. an elevator runs up on the i

we face as a nation are great. but our people are even greater. and none are greater or braver than those who fight for america in uniform. ( applause ) we are blessed to be joined tonight by corinne owens, the widow of u.s. navy special operator, senior chief, william ryan owens. ryan died as he lived-- a warrior and a hero, battling against terrorism, and securing our nation. ( applause ) i just spoke to our great general mattis just now who reconfirmed that-- and i quote-- "ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemy." ryan's legacy is etched into eternity. thank you. ( applause ) thank you. ( cheers ) >> and ryan is looking down right now-- you know that-- and he's very happy because i think he just broke a record. ( applause ) for as the bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, a

but what is the united nations? the united nations is not a group of democratic nations. the united nations is not a meeting of our allies. the united nations is the one forum in the world that includes everybody. the good, the bad, and the ugly. and you know -- [ applause ] >> when the vast majority of members of the united nations don't subscribe to what we would consider as basic human rights, it's hard to imagine how their human rights council could come to a decision that we would find as democratic nations terribly pleasing. but look, it is outrageous. it is outrageous that, just one example, i know others know these things, but outrageous that in the united nations human rights council, the one and only country in the world that is the subject of a permanent agenda item is israel. one of the freest nations in the world by any standard. yet, there is virtual hero worship there of the palestinian authority whose leader has had no democratic mandate in 12 years and who rules by decree because there is no elected legislature of any kind. no outrage about that whatsoeve

the national -- for mr. neufeld, ranaud, and emrich, national security implications of marriage fraud are great. the 9/11 commission reported several top al qaeda operatives viewed marriage fraud as, quote, a fantastic mechanism for operatives to acquire valid documents, end of quote. in fact, a k-1 visa was required, as i said in my statement, by one of the san bernardino terrorist attackers. what -- i've got four questions. i don't think i'll have time to ask all of them, but each of you can hit on what background checks do both the u.s. citizen and foreign national undergo during the initial filing of a petition? you don't have to respond to that. >> both the -- both the petition petitioner and beneficiary. public safety threats. as well as serx offender administration. if there's a lookout in there concerning a potential sex offender then we do a fingerprint checko see,o determine if that person is going it be a teat to a child. >> i'm sorry, i didn't mean to interrupt you. >> uscis recognizes that the i

national security. for it is the president who must take responsibility for the nsc system and deal with the consequences. item -- president reagan's personal management style places an especially heavy responsibility on his key advisers. knowing his style, they should have been particularly mindful of the need for special attention to the measures in which this arms sale initiative developed and proceeded. on this score, neither the national security adviser, nor the other nsc principles deserve high marks. item -- the national security advisor failed in his responsibility to see that an orderly process was observed. item -- the chief of staff also shares in this responsibility, more than almost any chief of staff of recent memory, he asserted personal control over the white house staff and sought to extend his control to the national security adviser. he as much as anyone should have insisted that an orderly process be observed. in addition, he especially should have ensured that plans were made for h

every visa decision a national security decision. the fraud officer's efforts reflect the complicated multi faceted agencies that are used to screen these applicants. and this day is shared among the departments and no visa can be issued unless all of the relevant questions are resolved. and also, we have moving testimony to inspire to us do mo more. the efforts to prevent marriage fraud continue. we seek other efforts to collaborate with our partners, including you to address this urgent issue. i appreciate your feedback and look forward to your suggestions. >> now, mr. renaud. >> thank you for the opportunity to testify at today's hearing. i'm daniel reno and i'm the assistant field directorate at the u.s. -- >> i pronounced your name wrong. >> that is quite all right, sir. i learned at the early age the public service. both of my parents served the federal government and i chose it as a career path. for over 20 years i have balanced immigration with the need to ensure that those who are not entitled to a benefit under the law do n

the national -- for mr. neufeld, renaud and emrich, the 9/11 commission reported that several top al qaeda operatives viewed marriage fraud as, quote, a fantastic mechanism for operatives to acquire valid documents, end of quote. in fact, a k-1 visa was acquired, as i said in my statement, by one of the san bernardino terrorist attackers. i've got four questions, i don't think i'll have time to ask all of them, but each of you can hit on, what background checks do both the u.s. citizen and foreign national undergo during the initial filing of an i-29 petition? and if all of you don't have to respond to that, that's okay. but i'd like to have whatever you've got to contribute. >> yes, sir. for the i-129-f, that -- both the petitioner and beneficiary receive a check through the tech system, we contains records from 26 other government agencies pertaining to national security threats, public safety threats, as well as sex offender administration. if there is a lookout in there concerning a potential sex offende

and the nation. so we continue working through this, we also note that the city of des moines also has important levee work that needs to be done and cedar falls has been working on a 408 permit application that still isn't approved. in addition, how the current system is set up to calculate the economic benefits of flood control projects places iowans at a disadvantage. the current metrics that the corps and the administration use prioritizes building beaches in front of multimillion dollar ocean front homes, over protecting the people of cedar rapids because the calculations are based on property value. cedar rapids is iowa's second largest city. and its success is critical to the economic well-being of the entire state. they have endured two significant flooding events in eight years that have cost billions of dollars in devastation and recovery aid. the corps has some discretion on help and simply made the decision to forgo the assistance even though the community worked with the corps to develop

that would be picked up things where there was a national security, there was a national security flags or other information. which in this case, i'm not sure if there was one but in regards to verifying addresses that applicants are providing on the forms in the absence of any national security flag or indicator, the infrastructure is not there to verify addresses. >> o final question, from what i understand in 2014, dhs began a pilot program to incorporate social media screenings. into the vetting of applicants. for immigration visas including k-1 fiancc visas. >> what is the current state of a fair in terms of our use of social media examining the postings of individuals, particularly from regions of the world that pose significant threats of terrorism, to what extent are we examining their social media postings? >> yes, sir, so since fy 15 we've been piloting a variety of social media screening efforts, the current effort as vindicated personnel so we have staff who are devoted to doing this full-time on selected populations. right now, as a result of the executive order we are rev

the soul of our nation and of all nations.k -- and the democratic principles that they were founded upon. this unique form of government was built in an agreement called the great law of peace. which states that before beginning their deliberations, the council shall be obliged and i quote Ãto express gratitude to the cousins and greet them. they shall make an adjustment offer thanks to the earth where men dwell. to the streams of waters, the pools, springs and lakes. to the fruits, medicinal herbs and trees. to the forest trees for the usefulness and to the great creator who dwells in the heavens above and gives all things useful to men and who is the source and ruler of health and life. [applause] this recognition of our debt to the creator and apparent duty to be responsible members of this great web of life was there for the beginning of western democracy. so we must always remember that the laws of our nation are built on the foundation of a natural law. a law that cannot be overturned. laws that do not respond to the man

national history site in georgia as a national hist toric park. tomorrow, work on a measure relating to veterans, mental health, and second amendment rights. and another bill that would expand the ability of the v.a. to fire or demote employees based on performance or misconduct. you can follow the house live here on c-span when members gavel back in in just under an hour at 6:30 eastern time. tonight, watch remarks from president trump as he holds a rally with supporters in nashville, tennessee. you can see those comments live at 7:30 eastern on c-span2. if the senate has gone out of session by then. >> c-span's "washington journal" live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up thursday morning, virginia republican congressman tom garrett discusses the house g.o.p. health care bill. then, wisconsin democratic congressman mark pocan, first vice chair of the progressive caucus, looks at the house democratic agenda, the g.o.p. a.c.a. repeal and replace bill, and the trump budget. and howard schneider talks about the decision

a new national pride is sweeping across our nation. and a new surge of optimism is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp. what we are witnessing today is the renewal of the american spirit. our allies will find that america is once again ready to lead. [ applause ] all the nations of the world, friend or foe, will find that america is strong, america is proud, and america is free. in nine years, the united states will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding. 250 years since the day we declared our independence. it will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world. but what will america look like as we reach our 250th year? what kind of country will we leave for our children? i will not allow the mistakes of recent decades past to define the course of our future. for too long we've watched our middle-class shrink as we've exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries. we financed and built one global project after another but ignored the fates of our children in the inner cities of chicago, baltimor

other nations have to pay tribute or acquiescence to the more powerful and larger nations. we also see in the case of north korea and iran a proliferation issue, one that has been delayed in iran that we see the reckless behavior north of the dmz on the korean peninsula. then we deal with the terrorist threat and we are going to be dealing this -- with this for a long time to come. that would be a thumbnail how is he the strategic challenges sir. >> what about the cyber challenge? something we've got to get our hands on. >> cyber cuts across all three aspects of warfighting predicts nuclear command and control and conventional warfighting and regular warfighting, space operations cyber operations electronic warfare. these things are inherent to everything we do today. >> general but if we got to do to keep all of our troops and when i say all, combat ready meaning flexibility and you mentioned this earlier but you also need resources, do you not? >> we do senator and their new things this budget commission needs to get after the first of all we have to use our equipment at

nations. all here because we are of this earth. we are here to protect the water we drink. we can not eat oil. future ofl is not the our economy and country and not the future we will pass on to the next generation. resisting, standing and saying no more. we are no longer going to allow our people.aten we will no longer allow our government and corporations to in hand to threatens our water and human rights and indigenous rights. to sand r stand in solidarity and fight for freedom. this is bigger than any pipeline. the struggle for our freedom is a battle of a life time and will we let them win. i see many beautiful faces. people of all backgrounds here in solidarity because we understand that to efend the rights of indigenous people is to protect this earth. in hand and we must honor those that came before. indigenous people were here before any buildings were ear. honor this connection we have to the earth lives within us all matter who we are the god we believe in or color of our skin this

*cheering >>: american greatness is now beginning, a new national pride is sweeping across our nation impossible dreams firmly within our grasp. we are witnessing today is the renewal of the american spirit. our allies will find that america is once again ready to lead. *cheering >>: will find america is strong america is proud america but is free. in nine years the united states will celebrate it still hundred 50th anniversary of our founding. two injured 50 years since the day we declared our independence. it will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world. will will america look like as we reach our 250th year. what kind of country will be leave for our children. at a >>: will not allow all the recent mistakes of decades past to define the course of our future, for too long we have watched our middle-class a straight exported are not jobs and wealth to fart foreign countries. we finance and build one global project after another. we >>: a spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas. while infrastructure at home has so badly crumbled then in 2016 year shifted b

of our nation. we can choose to say the task ahead is too great, we can turn our faces apart and believe it can't be done or we can look forward with optimism and hope and to believe in the enduring power of the british spirit. i choose to believe in britain and that our best days lie ahead. and i do so because i'm confident we have the vision and the plan to use this moment to build a better britain. for leaving the european union presents us with a unique opportunity. it is this generation's chance to shape a brighter future for our country, a chance to step back and ask what kind of country we want to be. my answer is clear. i want the united kingdom to emerge stronger, fairer, more united and more outward looking than ever before. i want us to be a secure, prosperous, tolerant country, magnet for international talent and home for the pioneers who will shape the world ahead. i want us to be a truly global britain, the best friend and neighbor to our european partners, a country that reaches beyon

national insurance, there isa same way.re is a tax hike for the self—employed. their national insurance contributions will go up to ii% in 2019. the contributions will go up to 11% in 2019. the chancellor says this will help raise £145 million. other changes raise much more. but some tories are unhappy. painful social ca re tories are unhappy. painful social care is now an urgent problem and the chancellor had promised mps he would find cash to buy more time. —— paying for social care. the system is clearly under pressure and this, in turn, puts pressure on our nhs. for social care, an extra £2 billion over three years, with £1 billion available in the next year. he said the long—term funding options would be announced, but what he called labour's death tax on estates was ruled out. companies, including pubs, are being hit with higher business rates. that has worried mps and forced the chancellor to pour out a little comfort. small businesses are taken out of paying rates altogether. the revaluation has undoubtedly raised s

and they have to respect our rights as a nation will slow. —— nation also.n path. myjob is not to represent the world. myjob is to represent the world. myjob is to represent the united states of america. but we know that america is better off when there is less conflict, not more. we must learn from mistakes the past, we have seen the war and the destruction that have ravaged and raged throughout the world, all across the world. the only long—term solution for these humanitarian disasters, in many cases, is to create the conditions where displaced persons can safely returned home and begin the long process of rebuilding. america is willing to find new friends and forge new partnerships where shared interests aligned. we want harmony and stability, not war and conflict. we wa nt and stability, not war and conflict. we want peace wherever peace can be found. america is friends today with former enemies. some of our closest allies, decades ago fought on the opposite side of these terrible wars. this history should keep us —— give a full faith in the possibiliti

no increase in national insurance, no national insurance rise. that is our vow.d the manifesto, as you would expect, since the budget, to have a look at the precise wording and to try and see if there is any way of getting out of the pledge. and as far as i can tell there isn't. it didn't take long for the sleuths of westminster to turn up tory election tweets, pledging no increase in national insurance contributions and taunts about how labour was bound to do just that. they have quite blatantly broken their manifesto pledge. let's remember, they've got form for this. they told us before 2010 that they weren't going to reorganise the nhs, and then as soon as they got into power they organised the biggest reorganisation that the nhs has ever seen. i was flabbergasted at today's announcement doing —— to increase national insurance the self—employed people. i think it is catastrophic. one of the traditions of budget day briefing by treasury officials outside the commons chamber shortly after the childless is down. today's briefing was a less confident affair, as th

so, effectively carrying both congressional designations as the national museum and national memorial. quite a fitting tribute for a citizen-initiated museum a memorial to honor those who served in world war i and marked the turning point for the nation and the impact it had in the united states. the founding catastrophe of the 20th century, the moment that launched the american century captured here in this museum and memorial with national designation. let's go up to the memorial and talk about some of the architectural features of this extraordinary landmark. behind us is this extraordinary memorial tower dedicated in 1926, but the foundation stone laid in 1921 when vice president calvin coolidge and the five allied commanders gathered here to dedicate the project and begin the building work. this extraordinary tower is larger than the statue of liberty. a dominant feature on the landscape and an extraordinary tribute for those who served in world war i. it also marks the national engagement of the whole country coming behind this extraordinary effort to deal with this cataclysm th

the micro level, i managed a national trade council swat team, designed to rapidly assist our nations manufacturers, workers, ranchers and farmers, with any type of trade problem they may be having. whether it is with a cheating perp -- competitor or difficulty within our own bureaucracy or anything in between. every day as the requests come in, i'm continually made -- i continually see how difficult it is for our companies to compete on a level playing field. i case in point is the whirlpool , headquartered in michigan. this heartland of america and our -- icon is grappling with a practice called, country hopping. that is when two of its south korean competitors, lg and samsung, moved their production to another country each time whirlpool wins and antidumping case against them. such country hopping has happened twice to whirlpool already. the latest case, lg and samsung, simply moved their production from china to vietnam and thailand. the kind ofisely trade cheating that must be stopped. it undermines the whole international order, even as it puts thousands of americans on the unem

and it discussion on worker productivity at the national association for business economics national conference. president trump signed an executive order that bars people from six muslim majority nations from entering the u.s. for 90 days. but exempts travelers holding valid visas. also the new order does not ban citizens of iraq. changes made to an original order in hopes of putting the measure on stronger legal and political -- secretary of state rex tillerson, attorney general jeff sessions and homeland security john kelly announced the changes . etc. with secretary of state. >> good morning. thank you for joining us. the executive order signed by the president today, protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry in the united states, is a vital measure for strengthening our national security. president's solemn duty to protect the american people. and with this order president trump is exercising his rightful authority to keep our people safe. threats to our security continue to evolve and change, commonsense dictates we continually reevaluate and reassess the system we rel

have to respect our rights as a nation also. [ applause ] free nations are the best vehicle for expressing the will of the people, and america respect the right of all nations to chart their own path. my job is not to represent the world. my job is to represent the united states of america. [ applause ] but we know that america is better off when there is less conflict, not more. we must learn from the mistakes of the past. we have seen the war and the destruction that have ravaged and raged throughout the world, all across the world. the only long-term solution for these humanitarian disasters in many cases is to create the conditions where displaced persons can safely return home and begin the long, long process of rebuilding. [ applause ] america is willing to find new friends and to forge new partnerships where shared interests align. we want harmony and stability, not war and conflict. we want peace wherever peace can be found. america is friends today with former enemies. some of our closest allies decades ago fought on the opposite side of these terrible, terrible wars. this history

you heard a lot about the staff of the national security council in recent months. i can tell you, they are good and dedicated government employees who put in long hours for the nation's benefit. they are eager and anxious to serve their country. one thing is still upsetting me, however. no one kept proper records of meetings or decisions. this led to my failure to recollect whether i approve an arms shipment before or after the fact. i did approve it, i just can't say specifically when. rest assured, there is plenty of record-keeping now going on at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. for nearly a week i have been studying the report and i want the american people to know that this wrenching ordeal has not been in vain. i'm going beyond the board's recommendations so as to put the house in even better order. and taking action in three basic areas, personnel, national security policy, and the process for making sure that the system works. first, personnel. i brought in an accomplished and highly respected new team here at the white house. they bring new blood, new energy and

a new national pride is sweeping across our nation.nd a new surge of optimism is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp. what we are witnessing today is the renewal of the american spirit. our allies will find that america is once again ready to lead. all the nations of the world, friend or foe will find that america is strong. america is proud. and america is free. in nine years, the united states will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding. 250 years since the day we declared our independence. it will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world. but what will america look like as we reach our 250th year? what kind of country will we leave for our children? i will not allow the mistakes of recent decades past to define the course of our future. for too long, we have watched our middle class shrink as we exploited our jobs and wealth to foreign countries. we financed and built one global project after another but it ignored the fates of our children in the inner cities of chicago, baltimore, detroit a

so i would urge all of my colleagues to stand up for our nation's wildlife, to stand up for our national wildlife refuges and to vote no on this proposal. mr. president, with that, i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: ms. murkowski: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: mr. president, i request that the proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. murkowski: mr. president, there have been now two speakers on the floor speaking to house joint resolution 69, which is the disapproval on the fish and wildlife rule. i have come today to speak in strong support of this resolution which will effectively overturn a rule imposed by the previous administration related to fish and wildlife management on millions of acres of refuge land in the state of alaska. i'd like to start my comments by acknowledging both senator sullivan for his lead on this initiative and for congressman young as he moved in measure through the house just a couple of

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2017] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray. eternal god we thank you for giving us another day. send your spirit upon the members of this people's house to encourage them in their official tasks. as the members approach the votes they are making in the days to come, may they be imbued with courage and leadership that looks to the health and vie brancy of our great nation. assure them that that the fulfillment of their responsibilities, you provide the grace to enable them to be faithful in their duties and the wisdom to be conscious of their obligations and fulfill them with integrity. may we be faithful stewards not only of your creation but also your desire that all people would be free from whatever inhibits them to be fully alive. may all that is done this day be for your greater honor and glory, a

the nationals visiting these part have grown.hey know that our, having good conservation with eco—tourism provides a lot of opportunity and economic development for the region. so we share with the government a vision of development based as a consequence of conservation. i know you have discussed this with the government for some time. what, problems dld to this point? at the beginning, i think we are proud to have instigated one of the largest land protection efforts and the only way to achieve this scale is through partnership with the government. she had a vision, and sometimes it takes a village, sometimes it takes visionary people to understand. the problem... sometimes it is usually the timespan. we run out of time to create these things. sometimes people see a menace that leaves out land that has other use than for conservation. we don't think that creating national parks are obstacles for development, basically. hernan mladinic there. now to the us roadtrip which reached across the political divide. when two congressmen

national team physician. what i've only recently come to understand is that the medical treatment he performed for my back pain and other injuries was sexual assault. the doctor abused me at the national training center in texas. he abused me in california at meets and all over the world. many times it took place in my own room, in my own bed. he abused me in my hotel room in sydney, at the olympic games. when i first spoke out about my abuse at the hands of the doctor i thought i was the only one. i was disbelieved. and even criticized by some in the six community for bringing this disturbing issue to light. now i know that i'm not alone. more than 100 women have come forward and shared stories that are shockingly similar to mine. children often don't speak up when they're abused. they suffer in silence. they are taught to submit to the authority of adults. this is especially true in the hypercompetitive world of elite gymnastics. women do speak up and that's why i'm here today. usa gymnastics failed its res

all of their nations have to pay tribute or acquiescence to the more powerful nation, the larger nation. we also see in the case of north korea and iran and, it liberation issue, one that has been delayed in iran, but we see the reckless behavior at north of the dmz on the korean peninsula as unsettling northwestern pacific east asia area are given we deal with the terrorist threat in this we will be dealing with for a long time to come. we are in an era of frequent skirmish, but that would be a thumbnail how i would see the strategic challenges, sir. >> what about the cyber challenge? that is something we have got to get our hands on and if we don't we will pay dearly, will we not? >> sir, cyber cuts across all three aspects of war fighting, nuclear command-and-control, that's conventional war fighting and irregular war fighting, space, operation, cyber operation, electronic warfare, these are inherent to everything we do today. >> general, what have we-- what will we have to do to keep all of our troops and when you say all, combat ready. you need flexibility, you mentioned earlier, t