the next century of the national park system. want to thank all the panelists that we're going to have with us today, and thank all of you for your attendance. and my colleagues for their attendance to what i believe is the first hearing in beginning to shape what our response is going to be as congress along with the national park system to the scrup coming cent tenal, which is a great achievement for the nation and also i believe a great opportunity to deal with some of the challenges that our park system is facing and will face in the future. natural and historic objects and the wild life in the marks and to provide for the enjoyment of the same. in such a manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. in just six years, we will celebrate the ten ten yl of the signing of this act and the hundredth anniversary is an important opportunity to review the agency's past and explore the possibility for the future. the challenges posed by managing a system which includes a burial site fo

the national federation of the blind, which is the nation's largest blind membership organization, and is headquartered in my congressional district, helps blind persons achieve self-confidence and self-reflect and acts as a vehicle for collected self-expregs -- self-expression by the blind community. the n.f.b. has been a champion for braille literacy over the years and i would like to congratulate them on their efforts. mr. speaker, literacy provides individuals with basic life skills that can lead to access to higher educational opportunities and economic success. by promoting literacy within all communities, we can help our nation and its citizens reach their full potential. i hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this resolution. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from washington. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: mr. speaker, i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves her time. the gentleman from new jersey. mr. payne: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tem

good afternoon 3 on behalf of the national park service and the staff and volunteers of the national re to welcome you to the vietnam veterans more apparent the national park contains some of the oldest monuments and the national park service. they promote unity and remembrance, and giving us a way to recognize those who served and those who continued to serve our nation. the more and now there's 58,267 names of men and women who died or who were named missing in action. i extend a special welcome to the families and friends of the six servicemen whose names of recently been added to the wall. we come to honor those who have served in the united states armed forces. as a more consistent four different -- different parks -- the wall behind me, the three servicemen statute, the "in memory" plight, and the vietnam veteran women's more. the three servicemen statue is undergoing restoration to restore the original patina of the statute. as he said, during this restoration period, it will be visible through the large full wing -- full length window. the vietnam veterans memorial fund and th

june is the national oceans month. this week is the capitol hill oceans week where members of the ocean interest and science community come to washington to petition their government. and yesterday was world ocean day. and for over a month now the nation has been experiencing the worst marine disaster in history. world ocean day was first recognized in 1992's earth summit in rio de janeiro and has been celebrated ever since. the united nations took official recognition of the day last year. i'm proud to load the effort here in congress this year. the resolution that we're adopting emphasizes that we have an individual and collective dutboth nationally and internationally to be ocean steward the resolution also petitions the president to set priorities using hiocean policy task force. i'll continue in my role as representing the coast of california and one of the marine science leading gee graphy areas in the world -- geography areas in the world to bring to this floor issues important to the ocean. but right now i want

thus it is fitting that we honor and thank the soldiers and airmen of the natural national guard, the first responders around our nation, who step forward to save and serve their fellow citizens. i urge all members to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> i yield such time as i may consume to my friend and colleague and the sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from west virginia, mr. rahall. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from west virginia is recognized. mr. rahall: thank you, mr. speaker. first commend the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. chris, for his invaluable support in helping us bring this resolution to the floor today. and i know that it is a special recognition to a special group of people. i do support the heroic efforts of our west virginia national guard, our local responders, and would urge my colleague to support the pending resolution. i have personally visited with the national guard members mentioned here and

the united states and india share so many commonalities. we are nationshich truly believe in democracy and democratic values. we both our pluralistic societies. we both respect human rights, and we both believe that together, we can play a very constructive role in shaping the global events, in stabilizing peace and tranquillity, and perhaps this relationship between our two countries will go along way in sending out a message clear and loud that these are to democracies which believe in equality, which believe in equal respect, and each also believes that we have a bigger role to play in shaping the destinies of humankind. this strategic dialogue is moving in that direction. >> i would just thank the minister for that very elegant and eloquent description of the overarching framework of the dialogues. that is exactly how seriously we take the importance of this interaction. and of course, there are many specific actions that are being worked on by our respective governments. we will be making a report, i to president obama and minister krishna to the pri

the same goes with the national army and national police. 500,000, the total number of national army and natnal police is projected. afghanistan not only now but with our resources, it will be difficult to sustain that sort of military and security force. civic revival and responsibility, the sense of duty and the government should initiate those things. people cannot do those things. afghans are the poorest people on earth. yet, we are running the risk of turningth country, the culture that is coming to have its grips onhat country is a culture of entitlement, a culture of handouts, a culture of drugs and war. we have to change that. >> i agree with you that one of the main points is parliamentary or reelection. one of the key points. you wil need more nato forces or military forces in ablorder o secure the elections? >> definitely. the short answer is yes, definitely. also, if nato does not participate in carrying its own burden in this alliance, nato is running the risk of putting all the burden on the united states and the uted states will suffer from fatigue, if nothing else. pub

we made that decision in the host nation trucking contract. conversely work iraq we told k.bbr., they were not responsible for the security, the u.s. government would contract separately for the private security contractors too manage that. so weetook a template and we're living with that template. now i'm here to tell you of the he re-look at both ways. it may be appropriatt -- >> i appreciate you saying thaa. again, that's not your call. again, i think the chairman made it clear, we've got to get that stuff to our soldiers. however we get it there, it's got to be done, no compromising on that but there are obviously you would have great confidence in the ability of our soldiers if we had enough to deploy to provide the equipment.nd transport the it would be at some troisk them, and they're at risk, obviously in theater now, but perhaps i'll ask you, general if you could comment on that >> i can only address it really from the perspective of the requirement flowing. in we didn't build the retirement -- rethirmente -- the requirement, we though

we do not want government control. >> as broadband becomes the new national medium do you think there is a case to be made for regulating it such as the telephone companies were regulated four years? >> it depends on whether you believe regulation lowers costs and provides higher quality service. capitalists believe if you want higher quality service you have to incentivize competition. the role for government is to prevent monopolies and duopolies, people having so much control that they are able to exert market pressure to provide less services at higher costs. but as long as you can make the case that you have a vibrant, competitive market, where people are trying to give higher quality service at lower costs, we should not be involved. >> as you know, there have been reports this week that s.e.c. officials have been meeting privately with telecom executives to possibly broker a legislative deal. should the agency be trying to seek a compromise with the industry, or has it overstepped its bounds? >> i think this is really kind of the debate now that we are talking about here in was

sections 202-d of the national emergency act provide for the automatic termination of a national emergency left prior to the anniversary date of its declaration the president publishes and the federal register and transmits to the congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect yonleds the anniversary date. in accordance with this provision, i have sent to the federal register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency and related measures blocking the property of certain persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in bela ruse continue effect beyond june 16, 2010. despite the relief of internationally recognized political prisoners in the fall of 2008, and our continuing efforts to press for further reforms related to democracy, human rights and the rule of law in bell russ, serious challenges remain. the actions and policies of certain members of the government and persons to undermine their democratic processes or institutions, to commit human rights abuses related to political repression and to engage in public corruption

and has provided us with some of the greatest moments in our nation's history. you know, as a poor child growing up in texas, i never knew what existed outside of my neighborhood. however, when i joined the army and left south texas, the world soon opened to me. when i arrived in paris, france , as a military policeman fresh out of basic training and advanced military training, i knew that my life was changed forever. shortly after arriving in paris and a friend of mine from west virginia who had just finished basic and military police training, we headed down to see the eiffel tower. while walking around the city, we pulled over to the side of the road and a young woman, young lady stepped out of the biggest car i of ever seen in my life and approached my friend and me. she wanted to take a picture with us. two young sold -- -- soldiers fresh out of basic training, but it wasn't until six months later that we discovered that this woman was one of the most popular movie stars in france. but all she wanted was a picture with two young soldiers wearing the american

we are much more important city and state to the nation. this is a national crisis. we are the major part of the fishing industry of the united states. we are the strategic oil reserves of the northeastern part of the united states. when some of the national broadcasters weeks ago were saying if it goes up the east coast it will be a national crisis -- excuse me, the national crisis is right here. >> i have to tell you, i do think the nation is in mourning. >> i hope so. >> there are protests in new york. there are protests against bp everywhere across the nation. it is a staggering. it is disgusting. for every day this oil center, someone should be sitting in -- for every day this oil sits here, someone should be sitting in jail. some stupid, horrible, small executive should be sitting in jail. >> we will cut corners to save money, and now you see the impact of that. what the rest of the country is hopefully starting to understand, we have been the victims of the two worst man- made disasters in the history of our country. the impact of this is not something that wil

the national rate. one of my counties, star county, in south texas has a high of 17.3 unemployment rate. another county has 11.1 unemployment rate. again this is not a partisan matter. areas throughout the country have unemployment rates that exceed the national average. this is a matter of importance to every worker and family and businessperson. and that's why this bill is good for the backbone of american small businesses. in many ways the nation's economic engine. i urge all my colleagues to support this bill and at this time i will yield the gentleman, for a minute and a half. the chair: without objection, the gentleman from north carolina is recognized. mr. etheridge: i thank you, madam chair. i thank mr. cuellar for offering this amendment to make sure that creating jobs where they are needed most is the focus of this piece of legislation. as a former small business man myself, i call on the house to pass this piece of legislation. small businesses form the backbone of our economy, increase the jo

the national rifle association, which is a very powerful organization, was opposed to it. the democrats knew they could not pass the bill if the nra was expressly against it. congressman chris van hollen, the lead author of the bill, he carved out this extent -- exemption. this was really aimed at the nra. it exempted the nra from disclosure requirements in this bill. and the nra did not oppose the new legislation. they just said they did not support it. at that point, it looks like the bill was going to come up for a vote this week. host: we want to get you involved. we are talking about campaign finance loans. -- campaign finance funds. the numbers are on the screen. please allow 30 days between your calls. john bresnahan of politico is our guest. what about unions? do they fall into this language as well? guest: there would be covered by that. they would not be exempted. host: who is for it? who is again ist it? guest: the chamber of commerce and a number of other organizations feel this#ua is n infringement on their activity. they are opposing this bill. also, other pr

with the humanitarian efforts of the united states, other nations and organizations like the united nations high commission for refugees, the red cross, the international rescue committee, and the refugees international among so many others, refugees are able to flee from persecution, violence, and war in order to seek protection. many have fled to the united states a safe haven with a history of aiding those seeking protext from persecution, violence, and war. america has provided more assistance to refugees seeking protection than any other country. if you ever met a refugee, you have encountered someone who has overcome great obstacles simply to just survive. take the case of a somaly refugee, abdul samatar, a young man with a childhood full of tragedy and life threatening experiences who took refuge in the united states. he was born in 1984 in somalia. then, at that time, a peaceful land of great beauty, promise, and resources. now, however, somalia s overwhelmed by famine, war, and violence. leave nothing person unaffected. in 1992, his father, a religious leader in moe gandhi shoe, a

may the priorities and the work of this congress reveal your goodness to the nation and make all aware of divine providence behind every problem and obstacle as well as every delightful gift for you are our life and our salvation now and forever. amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the chamber her approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the jouunal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from north carolina, congresswoman foxx. ms. foxx: please join me in the pledge to our wonderful flag. 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 10 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. kucinich: good morning, madam speaker. i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. kucinich: what if the b

-- would you say that rabin is the new national meeting? >> 95% deployment abroad been -- of broadband facilities. >> how you reconcile that with not being a common carrier? >> competition is the ultimate antidote to regulation. the fact that it is a national medium could be terrific, but when there is competition there, you do not need that regulation. >> one of the biggest points in all this is what congress's role might be. or that thing she brought up yesterday, the fact that the fcc is not congress. is there a fear that congress will not get to the issue as quickly as it should, or any update to the communications act might take too long? >> linney challenge the premise of your question. >> as you said, broadband is not as big an issue as some in the fcc has said. any legal issues that might arise -- is that something you see congress being able to tackle in the next couple of months are in the next year? >> i challenge the premise that we need authority to do that. >> the back and forth between some who say you need authority and those

he was mindful of the justice and equality of our nation that have preserved our heritage. died so the and we may endure. bless their continuous service today as well as their families and a grateful nation. bring us together in a future in ace. protect those serving on a field of battle this very moment, and continue to be a strength for the families and loved ones of those deployed. in your holy name we dupo pray, amen. >> ladi and gentlemen, please remain until the vice president has exited and the colors are rered. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] >> an hour public affairs content is available on television, radio, and online and you can connect with a son twitter, facebook, and youtube and sign up for our scheduled alert e-mails @ c-span.org. on "washington journal"

can we do that at the national level? one of the things that i found about a leader is that collaborate more. they share experiences and so forth. we hope that when you come down to authorizing an aeca and you get to the point of the turnaround that we're not closing the door that certain school districts, they get to a certain point, do not have any option that's viable for them. we need to figure out that that option that still holds people accountable that doesn't allow persistent failure in rural schools but there is something there that allows them to recon sys constitute themselves other than -- reexecute -- recon city to thank the panel and -- for all of your testimonies for being here today and more than that, your total involvement in education. first of all, let me justtsay -- listening to this whole thing today and i've head more and more hearings on this as i've sat in this committee for 22 years, it just seems that what we're involved in is always -- we're trying to fix the problem. all we're talking about is

the pt 26. since 28, e national f.f.a. ganizion, whi w known the fure ers of america, unt 18, has provided leadership, career depment and agriculture edcationrograms to y amerans. under dr. case's leadership, the orzn haevolved to nue meeting die toughral ucion. ricans roughout his care, dr. case has distinguished himself as visiory. as the organizati nowlaim mo than 0,0 membs, dr. case has led f.a. a it leers who will gde our country by the f.a.ott and at moteinglearning to d doi to learag to and livinto serve. cgratulate dr. case on casion his retirement. thank him for h service, d wwish him and his fam w phasin his life.nrs his mr. speaker, i ue passe of is resoliono honor dr. rry case upon his tireme as nationala.sor. i reserve the lancof my e ker tempore: the geneman reserves. the hair recnith gentleman from tes. mr. auer: thank u,r. i yield mysf sue the speaker pro tempore: t gentleman icoed. eugebauer: mr. saker, rise in support house resolution 138 hing th coributions and the retirement of onal ff. advor, drlarry se

they said, yes, the national rifle association gott a specia exemption. the aarp did. the humane society did. they changed it from a million members to half a million members. but we know most groups won't exempt. just a privileged few. that violates the decisions of the courts going back decades tell you. you cannot discriminate among groups. you cannot have disfavored and favored groups. and that's what we're doing right here on the floor. not just about something dealing with the -- dealt with by the constitution, but the essential of the first amendment. i am surprised that my liberal friends are t down here on this floor condemning provisions of this bill. and they say it's not a perfect bill. no, it's not perfect. it's unconstitutional. it is unconstutional by its very terms. and in the last two weeks and even yesterday it became more unconstitutional because they carved out exemmtions even further for unions and for selected groups of large size. mr. chairman, we should do better than this. we should do better than this. if we're not concerned about protecting t

and then sam gerdano of the national banking institute joins us. "washington journal" is live every day starting in 7:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. tomorrow, a look at new orleans in the wake of the gulf oil oil spill. our coverage is under way at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span2. his government broken? the brookings institute is hosting a panel tomorrow asking that question. it talks about current challenges to good governance and ways to strengthen democracy. this gets underway at 1:00 p.m. on c-span. all next, our reason number of commencement speeches. leigh ann tuohy, the mother of baltimore ravens football player michael oher. she was betrayed by sandra bullock in her academy award winning performance in the movie opened "the blind side -- she was portrayed by sandra bullock in her academy award winning performance in the movie: "the blind side." >> it is my privilege to introduce for the first time dr. leigh ann tuohy. >> it's good to have some women appear instead of men helping me. i am truly honored to be up here today. when cbu called, our schedule

the clerk: house concurrent resolution 242, concurrent resolution honoring and praising the national association for the advancement of colored people on the occasion of its 101st anniversary. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from tennessee, mr. cohen, and the gentleman from texas, mr. smith, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from tennessee. mr. cohen: thank you. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. cohen: and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cohen: thank you, mr. speaker. house concurrent resolution 242 honors one of our nation's oldest and most esteemed civil rights organizations, the national association for the advancement of colored people, known as the naacp, also known as the conscience of the united states congress. this year the naacp celebrates % its 101st anniversary and its ongoing efforts to produce

we are the greatest nation in the world and derive our strength from these pillars of exceptionalism from the rights that come from god, from our religious faith and foundation,% this core that is america and yet, we are afraid to say so. we shrink away from simple truth. and i happen to have heard a speech, the president of the %% n.r.a., he doesn't know i'm coming here to say this, but i was listening as he wrote thinks speech and i wrote this down. he said, if you know the truth is on your side, say it and shout it as long as you can. it might be as loud as you can. stand up, shout them down and don't you back down. waynela pier, president of the n.r.a. and who has defended our rights. impressed me with the clarity of his delivery. i take us to a subblet matter that is on my mind to some degree and has to do with what's going n from the white house and the presidency through the justice department. now the attorney general came before the judiciary committee sometime in late may before we broke for the memorial day period of time and he testified under oath that the justice depart

louisiana it catches about the nation's 30%. this is the brown shrimp.will be affected the moist -- the most because they are filter feeders. they are breathing in the oil right now. we create 35% of the nation's oysters. you see the blue crabs and alligators. i don't know if you eat alligator meat. it is delicious. >> it tastes like chicken. >> look at this species of fish this is related to sardines and anchovies. in 2004, right before hurricane katrina, fishermen pulled in 400 million pounds. it topped anchorage, alaska as the number one seafood port. this was right before katrina. this was theenumber 1 fish port in north america, including alaska. this fish right here is viewed -- is used for chicken feed. this is one reason why american chicken is so cheap because fisherman can put their neck down and catch hundreds of millions of tons of this fish. they go to northwestern arkansas and southwestern missouri and they pass on that low-cost to our because they are getting this fish. this can affect all of us. if this population grasses -- crashes, like

members of the d.c. nationalguard. the bill authorizes an education incentive program recommended by former engagor general david wherley and his successor, major general earl schwartz who suggested that education grants would be useful in stemming the troublesome loss of members of the d.c. guard to units in part because surrounding states offer just such educational benefits. i am grateful that the appropriation committee has allotted appropriation funds in some years. with smaller contributions from the district and the defense authorization bill. an authorization is necessary, however, to assure the d.c. national guard members receive equal treatment and benefits to other national guard members on a regular basis, especially with surrounding states that, in fact, have the higher education benefits we see for the d.c. national guard. the guard for the nation's capital is severely undercompeting for members from the pool of regional residents who find membership in maryland and virginia guards more personally b

the u.s. sort of nationally? and in addition to that, what is the government's sort of role broadly in terms of ensuring privacy protection as it tries to get a better handle on the sflob >> ok, well, a couple of parts. let me handle first my role with respect to the military's networks and how we get situation awareness there. in a war zone i said we have three cases. in a war zone, commander has to have confidence in his command and control system. increasing our our intelligence, our operations, our weapons platforms are all being brought together in cyberspace. we have to have confidence that that space is secure and whoever's running that space for that commander in that area has to know that's secure. you can't afford to lose it. tremendous vulnerabilities. so my responsibility if that regard is help articulate the requirements in the wartime effort. if you think about the defense department networks globally, in the department defense networks. that's my role. if you look at the rest of the government, that

they will lead the national commission on the bp oil spill in the gulf. it is now think it is internment of disaster of its kind in our history. their job, along with other members of the commission, will be to thoroughly examine this bill and its causes and that we make -- and to ensure we never face such a catastrophe again. we are continuing our efforts on all fronts to contain the damage from this disaster and extend to the people of the gulf the help they need to confront this ordeal. we have mounted the largest in the effort in the nation's history and continue to monitor, minute to minute, the efforts to halt or captured the flow of oil from the wrecked well. until the well is stopped, the multiplied -- we will multiplied our efforts to meet the growing threat. . . i've also directed janet napolitano and thad allen to triple the manpower in those places where oil has hit shore or is within 24 hours of impact. the economic response continues as well. we have ordered bp to pay economic injury claims and we will make sure they deliver. the small busin

the nation's seniors shouldn't be forced to make such a choice. that's why undee new health care law we are dedicated to closing the doughnut hole once and for all. and today, june 10, $250 checks are being mailed out to 80,000 eligle seniors as a first step to reducing the financial burden faced by seniors. and then nxt yearher will be 50% discount o prescription drugs in the doughnut hole. mr. eaker, the first of many benefits under the hltla that my republican coeagues opsed and now hope to repeal is on the way. our seniors and th rest of the country can't afford togo back to a broken system controlled by insurance companies with coverage gaps, denied care, and skyrketing costs. with that i yield. the speaker pro mpore: the gentleman yields back the balance ofis time. for what purpose does the -- the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? >> to address the house for one minute the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> today is a very important day for seniors in so

the core. which it, we're a nation of laws. e have laws to protect the unpopular, and to even protect people who do bad things, and we have a set of laws, when somebody does something bad, does something negligent to force them to pay and compensate those who were damaged. that's all on the books. what president obama did when he very publicly and very brutally strongarmed b.p. into setting aside this $20 billion is he went around those laws. and some people think, it's no problem. it's only b.p. imagine if dick cheney did it to somebody he didn't like and said we don't like you, we'll set $20 billion aside and i'll appoint the person who decides what will happen to the 20 billion. i'm not importantly worried about what will happen to the 20 billion. ken feinberg is a hero, he'll be honest and straight. i'm worried about the erosion of the rule of law, which is the president using the vast powers of the federal government to strongarm a company no matter how unpopular and no matter how badly they may have behaved. >> lehrer: you

of the oldest monunts and the national park service. they promote unity and remembrance, and giving us a way to recognize those who served and those who continued to serve our naon. the more and now there's 58,267 names of men and women who died or who were named missing in action. i extend a special welcome to the families and friends of the six servemen whose names of recently been added to the wall. we come to honor those who have served in the united states armed forces. as a more consistent four different -- different parks -- the wall behind me, the three servicemen statute, the "in memory" plight, and the vietnam veteran women's more. the three servicemen statue is undergoing restoration to restore the original patina of the statute. as he said, during this restoration period, it will be visible through the large full wing -- full length window. the vietnam veterans memorial fund and the national park service are partners in this product and we will continue to work together to preserve all four parts of th moral so that they may

he will be joined by the national security provider. nd confirmation hearings get under way for elena kagan. she will appear live at 12:30 eastern on c-span3 and c-span radio. we have a preview of the shearing from this morning's "washington journal." e wall street journal." "usa today" lead editorial " said elena kagan, setting the senate hearings are a hollow shell raid -- quotes elena kagan, saying the senate hearings are hollow charade. guest: i spoke to john ul stevens and he says it is an opportunity for the senators to say how important hearings are. beyond that, not to much. there is a certain dynamic to these proceedings, the nominee will pledge her fidelity to the law, will decide existing precedent on important issues, and will promise to pay close attention to separation of powers and the text of the constitution. beyond that, we probably will learn more about her. we will learn about the senators and what they think the priorities of the supreme court should be. host: is there any danger at this point to her being confirmed?

to observe american education week and the invaluable contributions of our nation's educators. you all make a world of difference in the lives of our students and families. i thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: madaa speaker, we have no additional speakers. it doesn't appear that the majority has any additional speakers. if that's the case -- ms. watson: i have no additional speakers. mr. chaffetz: we'll yield back the balance of our time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from california. ms. watson: yes, i understand that we do have another speaker, madam speaker. it's mr. minnick from california -- excuse me -- the gentleman from idaho for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from idaho is recognized for two minutes. mr. minnick: madam speaker, i thank the gentlewoman from california and extend her an invitation to come to idaho anytime, madam chair. you'd be a good additio

host: another story in "the washington post," a local story for national, because the editorial-page suggests potential national implications. "district teachers approve contract. district of columbia teachers ratified a new contract on wednesday that expands kasler michelle rhee's initiatives -- chancellor michelle rhee's initiative to remove part teacher -- poor teachers and places washington on a growing list of cities and states that established results and not seniority as the standards by which teachers are paid to read the contract was the product of two and half years of contentious negotiations, with one of the tax initiatives historically resisted by unionized -- with unorthodox initiatives historically resisted by unionized teachers. it gives salaries comparable to those in surrounding suburban districts. it breaks new ground in the extraordinary pace of change and a national education policy that in some ways has overtaken the document itself." what are your thoughts on this? guest: it is very important that we do this at the local level. some of the conversation is that w

this is larger than 25 states in the nation. s is larger than a lot of european nations in terms of the number of students. the size of our high schools can reach 3500 students. a single high-school is probably larger than most of the districts in the nation. the problems are tremendous. we started with a mission to reform education in los angeles. this was very ambitious. we want to make sure that all students have access to education that insured their success and the ability to go to college. we built independent charter schools. we've built up 10 at first in the most property-stricken areas in los angeles and we had great success. these are areas where students were having a 60%-70% dropout rate. we had a five to eaight times effect on those students. -- 8 times effect on those students. we needed an effective turnaround. we felt that the imperative for us to actually intervene in the large failing schools. lowest performing school in los angeles, this was in a very difficult neighborhood. it is 100% minority, 35% african-ame

i thank them for supporting the fcc's national broadband plan. i know julius genachowski had wanted to be here. some of his key staff is. it is gone to take a team effort to move these issues to the top of the nation's economic and technology agenda. larry summers hardly needs an introduction. for the record, he serves as assistant to the president for economic policy and as director of the president's national economic council. previously, he has served as secretary of the treasury under president clinton, as chief economist at the world bank, and as president of harvard university from 2001 till 2006, where he continues as a tenured professor. let me turn this over to you. [applause] >> thank you. i am glad to have this opportunity. the story of the subject that i'm going to talk about is that -- is one that should give inspiration to researchers and academia. this idea started, at least to my knowledge, with work that ronald did in the late 1950's. in the aftermath of his work suggesting that spectrum be auctioned or allocated by the market, tw

we have full coverage of the proceedings plus analysis from marcia coyle of the national law journal. >> brown: then interrupts from another confirmation hearing, this one for general david petraeus, the newly named u.s. commander in afghanistan said the u.s. has a long-term commitment to the war. >> it is going to be a number of years before afghan forces can truly handle the security tasks in afghanistan on their own. >> ifill: we examine the fallout from yesterday's arrests of 11 alleged russian spies living undercover in the united states. >> brown: ray suarez talks to film maker carol dysicker. her documentary explains whether afghan army troops are trained and ready. >> a lot of what i saw and came away feeling was not that there was so much something wrong, you know, with them as much as there was something kind of wrong with our expectations. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by chevron. this is the power of human energy. bnsf railway. and by the bill and melinda gates foundation, dedicated to the idea tha

tomorrow night, president obama will address the nation from the oval office. he will talk about steps the government is taking to deal with the gulf oil spill after his trip toothe region. we will have live coverage of that 8:00 p.m. speech and of our website and also on cspan radio. thursday, britain-based bp ceo tony heyward is scheduled to testify about the handling by bp of the oil spill. >> the second one is to continue to press the frontiers of the industry to give access to new supplies to the world. that is drilling wells to 10 kilometers in the gulf of mexico. it is beginning to export under the ice in the arctic. >> bp c o tony heyward on the oil spill. c what other government officials have said about the oil spill with more than 100 hearings, and briefings and other programs archived at the cspan video library. it is washington your way. this past thursday, a cspan -pcrew got a tour of an incident command post in louisiana. it oversees all the gulf oil spill response efforts. for the next 35 minutes, we will hear from top-ranking coast guard and bp

well, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration has released information that says we have the warmest january to april ever, the warmest january to april ever since they started collecting data in 1880. and what do we get from our republican colleagues? more drilling, more drilling, not safeguards but more drilling. they go out and hold a press conference and ask for more offshore drilling. rather than that, they should call for more solar investment, rebates for americans to have solar technology and get us away from fossil fuels that are ruining the gulf and causing the greatest disaster in the gulf and the worst ecological disaster we've known on this earth. what we can do to prevent future catastrophes is clear. we need to get away from fossil fuels. but republicans are only interested in lining the pockets of oil companies and making sure that they have the opportunity to drill, drill, drill, spill, spill, spill. we need to stop it and we need to have a policy that works. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman's time has expired. for w

part of the reason why the nation has a record level of debt. both republicans and democrats had a difficult time with cutting spending parties haveoth tried to. host: this is edward on the republican line from rochester, york. caller: i am an african- american conservative republican. bothers me is i do not see the media holding barack obama'sfeet to the fire. said if you give him $797 billion, that he wouud be able keep unemploymentt down to 7.5%. it is almost at 10%. theee are politics being played khalid sheik mohaamaed -- who's a trial will not happen. one has just come not saying that politics have just had a static vote. they have just had rahm emanuel on tv trying to play politics. they always seem to want to target someone. .%- they're not being held accountable. . . some conservatives say if the oil spill had happened when president bush president bush coverage would have been a lot tougher on the white house. host: let'sstalk about the disclose act and are we going to see anythhng happen? guest: it is moving forward but not at great sp

agency and the national security agency. w people know as much about cyber warfare, and our dependency on the power grid and the computer networks that deliver our oil and gas, pump and purify our water, keep track of our money, and operate our transportation systems. >> mcconnell: if i were an attacker and i wanted to do strategic damage to the united states, i would either take the cold of winter or the heat of summer. i probably would sack electric power on the u.s. east cost-- maybe the west coast-- and attempt to cause a cascading effect. all of those things are in the art of the possible from a sophisticated attacker. >> kroft: do you believe our adversaries have the capability of bringing down a power grid? >> mcconnell: i do. >> kroft: is the u.s. prepared for such an attack? >> mcconnell: no, the united states is not prepared for such an attack. >> president barack obama: it is now clear this cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation. >> kroft: four months a

we have the right to be there as a nation. do not have to apologize to pakistan or india or i ran to choose our allies the afghan government should not be apologetic to the rest of the world for being allies of the united states. the united states and pakistan are good allies and that is good for both countries. why should we apologize? z)hañhas pakistan ast who they d the allies with? -- asked us who they should the allies with text why should we apologize to the rest of the world for being allies with the west? we have experienced alliances with the soviet union. we have been neighbors with pakistan and iran. we have that experience. the united states is not going to bag afghanistan and taken away. those countries in the region have territorial designs or territorial dispute with afghanistan. it is only natural for a logical afghan government to strategically make a decision and exploited to the people of pakistan and the world that we do not need to apologize for being somebody's allies. does a very natural decision that a

that is the nationality of their members. so they won't be able to determine over 20% of the union were individuals who are not american citizens, american nationals, that is foreign nationals. and it's just, again, mr. chairman, an example, continued example of how this bill is not even handed. there are at least five provisions under this bill which treat unions differently than corporations. . we are talking about corporations. many advocacy groups have a corporate structure. so they are treated differently than unions. this has been recognized by any number of individuals. i have already read into the record the serious disability with this bill and this amendment continues that disability as expressed by the american civil liberties union. in another letter dated may 19, 2010, signed by eight former members of the fk funk going back to the beginning of that commission's existence, talks about how the act of the historical matching treatment of unions and corporations and they say that this will in itself cause a substanti

the npt. that is a treaty that we strive to have non-nuclear nations adhere to. this treaty continues the reductions started in the moscow treaty, which president george w. bush negotiated. unlike the moscow treaty, however, this treaty is a verifiable treaty with inspections and other mechanisms that will ensure transparency. in the nuclear arsenals of each side. this treaty will continue, although with different mechanisms than the start 1 treaty, the means to allow both of the u.s. and russia to monitor each other's nuclear systems. this new treaty and the attention that president obama has brought to the threat from the proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear materials are critically important. the proliferation threat is real and includes the possibility that nuclear weapons and materials could fall into the hands of terrorists or others who wish to threaten the use of or use of nuclear materials. through this treaty and the related efforts to secure weapons-grade fissile materials, these dangers will be reduced. fundamentally, this treaty is a treaty th

the hill. sarah, national director of the sierra club. it andrew schneider, associate editor for kiplinger and chairman of the speaker's committee. skipping over speaker, we have suzanne of the natural resources defense council, a member of the speaker's committee organized it days -- organize today's events. evan, chaar of the national press club's young members committee. bob keith, washington correspondent for the atlanta journal constitution and independent writer. thank you. on junee2, and farming bill brings west virginia is river as no. 3 on its 2010 most endangered rivers list. the threat that put it there was mountaintop removal. as its name implies, this mining practice removes the top of the mountain to reach the pole source inside, and it does not just affect west virginia -- to reach the coal source inside. that also affects mississippi. ashley judd is from kentucky. she first learned about them top removal from a grass-roots organization in 2007 and gave the keynote address at state capital last year. she is on the board of

the same goes with the national army and national police. 500,000, the total number of national army and national police is projected. afghanistan not only now but with our resources, it will be difficult to sustain that sort of military and security force. civic revival and responsibility, the sense of duty and the government should initiate those things. people cannot do those things. afghans are the poorest people on earth. yet, we are running the risk of turning that country, the culture that is coming to have its grips on that country is a culture of entitlement, a culture of handouts, a culture of drugs and war. we have to change that. >> i agree with you that one of the main points is parliamentary or reelection. one of the key points. you will need more nato forces or military forces in ablorder o secure the elections? >> definitely. the short answer is yes, definitely. also, if nato does not participate in carrying its own burden in this alliance, nato is running the risk of putting all the burden on the united states and the united states will suffer from fatigue, if nothin

they're attempting to turn dubuque into one of the nation's most sustainable cities. the man leading the charge is mayor roy buol. he spent decades working at the factory floor of john deere. five years ago he ran for mayor on a green platform and won. how does a guy who works with his hands at john deere all those years become a mayor so interested in the other kind of green-- green issues. >> well, i can tell you, it really started for me when my wife and i started being blessed with grandchildren. i just started thinking, you know, what kind of a world are we going to be leaving for future generations with our consumption patterns and how wasteful we were in our energy usage. >> reporter: dubuque could have turned out to be a classic rust belt story. but for the past two decades, the city has been working to avoid that fate. take a quick look. a revitalized river front, a new convention center, and a museum. far beyond the banks of the mississippi, people are noticing. the u.s. council of mayors called dubuque the most livable small city in america. "forbes" magazin