it seems to me that the texas experience than sort of disastrous for the dominant party in texas and kind of a debacle for the state at least from a good government standpoint. what are the lessons that you would draw from the texas -- on going texas litigation and political redistricting experience for other states which are not exactly like texas, but have some of the same issues in the future including in playing out of this redistricting process in the next few years? >> i mean, there's one very easy lesson to draw and i think that is that many of the legal constraints operate primarily to prevent the most grotesque form of overreaching. that is i think that if texas had not overreached quite as much as they had, they would have gotten preclearance either from the department of justice or from the ddc or if not from the ddc from the supreme court. i think, you know, the numbers nina put up showed that texas -- what was it, 80% or 70% of the overall population growth is attributable to a growth in the latino population. they drew fewer latino opportunities the next time around. so

and she is one of the lead lawyers in the current texas redistricting case that is working through the western district of texas through the district of district of columbia and the supreme court. it's a trifecta. the panelists will speak for about 10 to 15 minutes. we'll turn to questions about changes in the world since the voting rights act. what the changes get applied. ellen. >> thank you. it is great to be here. it has been a great day so far. i want to thanks alex and slipper. i did not know that is what it was called, for organizing a terrific event. i know nina will talk about the texas case in detail, but i want to start there with a simple observation. that is that much of the mess that has been going on in texas would not have happened if john mccain was president of the united states. by a republican. a republican controlled department of justice would have almost certainly approved the texas plans by now as is. it would not have stopped the litigation. there would be much to fight about. in that respect, some of mess would not happen. as that stands, the attorney general

>> yes. >> we challenged the plans in texas the western district of texas in san antonio. it has been a long road since july. we went into a very compressed discovery period. lots of exchanging of things. lots of depositions. we tried the case on the first workday after labor day. we tried it into mid-september and then we did post trial briefs. we did more briefing in another mini trial. by that time, the state of texas was under way with its lawsuit in the washington d.c. federal court seeking pre-clearance from the courts. i have to disagree with ellen here. if they submitted the plans, the doj would have objected. as doj objected to the house plan in 2001 under bush ii. we would have gotten an objection. texas in its wisdom chose to go to court and filed an unsuccessful summary judgment. we filed that case january 17th until the day before yesterday. in the middle of all that was the appeal interim maps. we have to have elections and we have an early primary elections in texas. they are held the first week in march. the backed up deadlines including under the new milita

. >> eva rowe's parents were among the 15 who died that day in texas city. it was the worst workplace accident in this country in 16 years. >> these things do not have to happen. they are preventable. they're predictable, and people do not have to die because they're earning a living. >> welcome to 60 minutes on cnbc. i'm leslie stahl. oil is the engine that drives our economy. and as oil becomes scarcer, the push to discover and develop new sources becomes increasingly dangerous. this edition examines two recent disasters in the oil industry with a great deal in common: the deepwater horizon rig in the gulf of mexico and the refinery at texas city, which suffered explosions five years apart. they were both operated by bp. and in both cases, 60 minutes looked at whether bp's cost saving measures may have had deadly consequences. first we'll look at the biggest off shore oil spill in history, the blowout of the deepwater horizon drilling rig in 2010. critical revelations in the disaster have come from one of the last crewmen to escape the rig, mike williams, w

shutdown of the texas's women health program for the state. nding over backwards to prevent any texas women from getting cancer screenings, breast exams or pap smears from planned parenthood, texas effectively cut off hundreds of thousands of texas women from these services altogether. state senator wendy davis, the target of this seemingly random if not plain crazy firebombing yesterday is one of the many texans who has protested the shutdown this month. they got a bus, the women's health express, you can see that there. they traveled around from rally to rally, making their presence and their opposition clear. at one rally, senator davis talked about being a single teenage mom, having been a single teenage mom, and having had to rely completely on planned parenthood and its subsidized and free health care in an earlier part of her life. >> i, like so many poor women, relied on that as my absolutely only source of health care. >> there's no reason to believe that senator davis' vocal opposition to governor perry's agenda had anything at all to

the gentleman from texas. the gentleman from texas. mr. hensarling: i yield back the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman from texas yields back. all time having been yielded back, the question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from texas. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the amendment is agreed to. . it is now in order to consider amendment number 5 printed in house report 112-409. for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? mr. ellison: i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: amendment number 5 printed in house report 112-409 offered by mr. ellison of minnesota. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 572, the gentleman from minnesota, mr. ellison, and a member opposed, will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from minnesota. mr. ellison: thank you, mr. chair. mr. chair, this amendment is very simple. we brought this up in the committee. i'd like the whole b

the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentleman from texas has 10 minutes remaining. the gentleman from colorado has 14 minutes remaining. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield four minutes to the gentlewoman from new york and author of key provisions of this bill, mrs. maloney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for four minutes. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on the rules committee. i rise in support of this rule and the underlying bill. it's a package of bills designed to encourage the growth of smaller companies and start-ups, and it contains six separate bills, four of which have already passed this body by overwhelming majorities. and i share the concerns of the ranking member, mr. frank, that the 17 amendments that were put in place, adequate time has not been given to fully debate them. i do want to take issue with my good friend from north carolina in his criticism of the card act saying that it has made it harder for americans to receive cards

the state of texas is a proud sponsor of one such force. congress provided modest increases to the ustr and funding the program at $41.25 million in fiscal '12. unfortunately the administration's budget reverses this trend and cuts the funding by $13.7 million. the average cost to maintain a usar team exceeds $2 million, leaving local governments with -- which sponsor the task force to fill the gap. many localities facing budget short falls themselves, sponsoring the teams is a burden they struggle to afford significantly straining task force capability and readiness. for a minor investment, congress can significantly enhance the nation's preparedness to respond appropriately. we encourage the subcommittee to increase the funding in usar over fiscal year 2012 appropriation. lastly, we wish to express our reservations regarding the administration's proposal to consolidate 16 homeland security grant programs into the new national preparedness grant program. each of the homeland security grants was established in order to serve a specific and i

the gentleman from texas reserves. mr. smith: madam speaker, we have no other speakers on this side and i'll yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. berman: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in strong support of the bill. i ask unanimous consent for leave to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. berman: and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's -- the gentleman is recognized. mr. berman: this bill arises from a tension between a 1963 statute providing foreign art collectors immunity from seizure and the foreign sovereign immunities act. it specifically stems from a 2007 court decision that broadened the exception under the fsia and allowed pursuits on artwork under the 1963 law. the los angeles county museum of art and other museums have made clear to me the chilling effect of that decision on artistic exchanges. this bill resolves the

the schools are segregated in texas based on housing. that does not mean everybody who lives in a particular neighborhood of is of the same race. tavis: why does this issue keep coming up out of texas? >> it is a very big state. it has a large and growing latino population. it also has a significant black population. there are many factors to university has to take into account in order to have a diverse student body. there is also a small percentage of latinos. texas is a large state and has a diverse population. tavis: you reference to the decision some years ago made by the supreme court on affirmative-action, justice o'connor, i will let you explain it. you teach this everyday. she made the case that it was not time to end it. that would come in 2025. she was able, with her vote, to put this thing off. take me back to a few years ago. tell me what you think is going to happen. wrote ane o'connor opinion for the supreme court in which the court affirmed the idea that having a critical mass of students in a classroom or on a campus is c

that's what the state of texas figures 18 years of wrongful imprisonment is worth. e was a paperwork snafu; his release documents never used the words "actual innocence," so texas refused to pay. >> two words, two words. they're holding me hostage behind two words. >> reporter: finally, after nine months of public pressure, the legislature passed and the governor was quick to sign a special measure awarding him the money. graves credited "48 hours mystery" for drawing attention to what he was owed. but he had already won the biggest fight of his life, for his life and for his freedom. >> you could put your hands out and touch both walls where i was living at, you know. >> reporter: he can come and go as he pleases as he tries to absorb how far he's come from a previous life he's still struggling to understand. >> they were trying to kill me. i still can't wrap my mind around how the hell did i go from home to death row for a crime that happened in another town to people i don't even know. it's crazy. and i gave 18 years of my life. captioning sponsored by cbs caption

that's what the state of texas figures 18 years of wrongful imprisonment is worth. ere was a paperwork snafu; his release documents never used the words "actual innocence," so texas refused to pay. >> two words, two words. they're holding me hostage behind two words. >> reporter: finally, after nine months of public pressure, the legislature passed and the governor was quick to sign a special measure awarding him the money. graves credited "48 hours mystery" for drawing attention to what he was owed. but he had already won the biggest fight of his life, for his life and for his freedom. >> you could put your hands out and touch both walls where i was living at, you know. >> reporter: he can come and go as he pleases as he tries to absorb how far he's come from a previous life he's still struggling to understand. >> they were trying to kill me. i still can't wrap my mind around how the hell did i go from home to death row for a crime that happened in another town to people i don't even know. it's crazy. and i gave 18 years of my life. captioning sponsored by cbs capti

it was very, very long in the texas at the time. it detailed every, all the rare plants, specimen plants, horticultural, introducing them to texas. i was so excited about all of this. i used to say to my brother, this apple thing, you have gotten from your grandfather who had a reverence. he would say that is ridiculous. when my brother announced he was going to give up his life as a trial lawyer to be an apple orchardist. my father said i have one thing to say, jews don't farm. but they did. his father clearly did. >> just to wind up, then, what are you working on next? >> i have become fascinated with the personal. this is the most excruciating difficult book. >> so you are going to turn around and do it again. >> i have been spending a great deal of time in india every year my next book is a memoir of going through india and what this has done to transform my own life. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> [applause]. >> [applause]. we have a very special guest. [inaudible] is here with us tonight. [inaudible] dancing. step da

the poll tax problem. texas republicans considered making it free and then they deliberately decided not to. they deliberately said no. so then the justice department considered all of that and the justice department said no to texas, no, texas we don't approve of your new law, now on hold pending a court challenge by rick perry's administration. just before christmas the justice department turned back a law to make voting harder in south carolina. saying the law placed an unfair burden on minority voters there. south carolina's governor under nikki haley is looking to get their law approved. the lawsuit comes with an estimated cost of at least $1 million in legal fees, billable to the south carolina taxpayer. it's tempting to think of it as southern thing but it's a republican thing. south carolina, alabama, mississippi are some of the dominated states that passed laws to make voting harder since the last election. another state is wisconsin. but judges in the state courts there have put that voting restriction

this is check it out blue bell ice cream the state ice cream of texas or the ice cream of texas.se me. you don't want do go anywhere because we have brought our big appetite and we are going to be grilling it up and you don't want to go anywhere. stay with us on fox 5 morning news. ♪ [ female announcer ] with swiffer wetjet, cleaning better, doesn't have to take longer. i'm done. i'm going to... drink this... on the porch! ♪ give me just a little more time ♪ [ female announcer ] mops can be a hassle, but swiffer wetjet's spray cleaner and absorbent pads can clean better in half the time so you don't miss a thing. swiffer. better clean in half the time. or your money back. and for dry messes big and small try swiffer sweeper vac. >>> 176 years ago today, texas declared its independence from mexico forming the republican of texas. >> our annie yu is learning more about the way the texans celebrate this day from hill country barbecue market in penn quarter, you're really in texas in that restaurant. >> reporter: i know right? we're having a lot of fun out here and we're learning a l

the northwest. severe storms from nebraska to missouri. scattered showers from texaslinas. >>> millions of people in 42 states are scrambling to buy what they hope are chances to win the record half billion megamillions jackpot tomorrow. >> i'm in. is it possible to beat the odds? or sit all dumb luck? here's john donvan. >> reporter: they're buying in los angeles, in manhattan island, philly, cleveland, tu a tulsa. some on a whim, some with a plan. when the balls popped out for the midweek drawing and nobody had all the numbers for the megamillions jackpot, it changed the game, size-wise. not only was the jackpot still out there, but i grew hugely from this to this. wow, is that the a record. that's why they're lining up everywhere to play game that is so very stacked against any one individual that tps a joke. your average to win is worse than any american male's chances of being tom cruise. and yet, that statistically near impossible thing does happen. [ creaming ] >> reporter: often enough that tlc could make a series about the winners called "lottery changed my l

the poll tax problem. texas republicans considered making it free and then they deliberately decided not to. they deliberately said no. so then the justice department considered all of that and the justice department said no to texas, no, texas we don't approve of your new law, now on hold pending a court challenge by rick perry's administration. just before christmas the justice department turned back a law to make voting harder in south carolina. saying the law placed an unfair burden on minority voters there. south carolina's governor under nikki haley is looking to get their law approved. the lawsuit comes with an estimated cost of at least $1 million in legal fees, billable to the south carolina taxpayer. it's tempting to think of it as southern thing but it's a republican thing. south carolina, alabama, mississippi are some of the dominated states that passed laws to make voting harder since the last election. another state is wisconsin. but judges in the state courts there have put that voting restriction

, all the way from the texas wine just west of shreveport. everybody gets together to come and to gather. so it takes a while for the forces to come. they are be supplied, they are ready. nobody believes that the yankees can move that quickly, and they did. and so every time the texans try to come across a predetermined point the yankees already added them. it's just like a big race, one site coming of the red river, which is the union. the texans coming up what is today the equivalent of highway 59, u.s. highway 59 in texas. and they will cross over into louisiana. louisiana troops have come from central louisiana, northeast louisiana, back to northwest. and the texas infantry under walker have been in the south part of the red river valley, and they come up. although no one realizes at the time, everybody is shadowing the union and the union has no clue. in fact, the confederates really probably don't have a clue. taylor knows that if he can fight the closest come as close as possible to shreveport and to still protect it, he will do his job

she was winning the texas primary. there were a lot of states in the future that hillary clinton was going to be very strong in. and there were still a lot of superdelegates that hadn't decided what to do. there was a chance if there was some controversy that erupted that disqualified obama as a democratic nominee, that was the only thing that could knock him off from ultimately getting the big prize. reverend wright was that kind of thing. when he and on the scene saying the incendiary things he said, obama immediately moved and said, look, i've wanted to give this speech for a while. this is a time to do it. he gave that speech you played the clip from, was roundly applauded for it across the political spectrum. then, of course, reverend wright came back on the scene shortly thereafter and said other disquieting things and that's when obama did something he didn't want to do in the initial race speech, really sever ties with reverend wright, throw him under the bus.

what is the status of that and why do they object to the texas law? >> guest: it is stunning, just four years ago united states department of justice was in favor of voters id laws and filed a brief pending before the united states supreme court saying that voters id laws were perfectly constitutional . now the department of justice is against the photoid law in the state of the texas. eric holder said texas hasn't shown justification. i have 50 convictions for voters fraud and some voting for dead people and twice in an election. >> mike: that's highway i got elected. [laughter] >> guest: voters fraud is real and united states supreme court ruled that voters id laws are constitutional and texas believes it has the same right other states have to require a voters id. >> mike: i tried to ask democrats and i am sincere. i don't want to keep anybody who is legal to vote from voting. i don't want to do anything to supriss the vote and i don't think you do either. are there specific thing that is the justice department pointed out that would create voters s

jeff canyon, he is president of the houston texas professional firefighters association, represented the international association of firefighters. mr. john holmes, deputy executive director for the port of los angeles and representing the american association of florida authorities. jim mullen, the current president of the emergency managers association and also the direct your of the washington department of emergency management. he is representing the national emergency managers association. and last but certainly not least, mr. michael depalo who is the director and general manager of the port authority trans hudson corporation. thank you for being here this morning. and we look forward to hearing from each of you as you give us your thoughts and opinions on the grants reform that has been introduced. this bill is on effort by this committee last year and how the grant is -- has been set up. but we recognize that there are challenges and we believe that it is also time for reform. if you could, maybe keep your kmants to two or three minutes and summarize it for the committee. bear

are you and the democrats in the state of texas playing the race card?ment of justice represents the entire united states of america whether it was department of justice under president bush or president reagan or president clinton. they have an obligation to follow the law. that's what they did. let me explain that i have ever represent for difference of opinion. our own attorney general in the state of texas indicated in the last decade they only prosecuted and were able to prosecute 50 cases in the last decade. that's five cases per year. >> do you take offense? does that particularly bother you? >> it bothers me because of the lack of understanding. i don't waste time on people's opinion, but it bothers me because people will be denied the right to vote because of misunderstanding and mischaracterization. i'm enthusiastic about the department of justice decision and enthusiastic that they will pursue this in court. this gentleman will find out it's not race question when he sees millions and thousands upon thousands be denied the right to vote. we ha

and in many places around the world. >> sreenivasan: every five years texas drafts a new water plan. the 2012 plan reflects climate scientists forecast that drought is expected to increase in general worldwide because of the increase in temperatures. and makes recommendations for water conservation and reservoir building projects. turning policy into action however, remains a problem, according to andrew sansom, director of the river systems institute at texas state university. >> we have up until recently affirmatively denied in state policy that climate change is even a possibility. that is changing. the current draft of the water plan acknowledges that the climate may be changing and so i think there is a growing recognition that the drought of the '50s may not be as bad as it can ultimately get. in terms of preparing for a really serious drought we are behind the eight ball. >> sreenivasan: sansom says a combination of antiquated laws governing water rights and changing demographics are making the water problems worse. >> we have already given permission

local authorities, and it was because of that report that law enforcement from the region, including the texas rangers, knew they were in the vicinity. so that's when the nets began to sort of close around bonnie and clyde, and their ambush occurred actually just four days after clyde barrow was spotted here on this street. they were ambushed not far from road. there was actually the ambush laid in place by local law enforcement over in that part of louisiana who knew on good intelligence where they were going to be, what their movements were, and they laid in wait for them on a stretch of road, and as many people know, opened fire on the car that they were riding in, and bonnie and clyde both suffered over 50 separate bullet wounds each in that ambush. the story of bonnie and clyde like the story of john dillinger and others like that from this era really is a part of i think a broader social commentary about america in

, the texas a.g. sort of bragged about the fact that there had been 50 cases of election fraud of any kind, including some that didn't have anything to do with voter i.d., 50 cases over the past decade. compare that to the fact that of the rolls today in texas nearly 800,000 eligible registered voters don't have the i.d. so would be knocked out of their ability to vote, so 50 cases of fraud over a decade and for that you're going to kick 800 people out of democracy in your state? that's crazy. >> multiply that by the gas that they're going to use to get that i.d. to prevent that from happening. this is never open as long as there are alec or groups trying to stay in office against the democratic tide of reality. how are the voter restrictions going to play out in virginia. >> in virginia, another former jim crow state that has to go to the department of justice before it restricts its voting rights in the state. unfortunately, or fortunately if it stays and virginia law is not quite as onerous, you ar