only speak in favor of the thune amendment. i had an opportunity as secretary of our culture to spend many hours with the brazilians. they are the individuals who brought the cotton case. they made it very clear to me that their case was not about cotton. it was about the entire approach to foreign policy that thatnit -- to farm policy the united states had feared we are exasperating the situation with rice and peanuts and applying it to other commodities, corn, wheat, and soybean. i cannot agree more with senator roberts. and wheatans and corn out of this. i think there's going to be a wto challenge to this. i think if history is any guide, it almost always is with the wto, that challenge will be successful. we are already paying brazil every year tens of millions of dollars because of the defeat of the cotton litigation that they had. i think this is just begging for additional litigation. so i speak in favor of the thune amendment. i think it is absolutely the right approach. >> thank you. we want to make sure -- i do want t

thune thune: one final poinf clarification and perhaps the senator from north dakota would react or comment on this as well. my understanding is -- of course, this doesn't have any impact on the master manual, the way the corps manages the reservoir. and so the degree to which there might be concern about, is this a our water versus their water that historically has plagued a lot of the discussions about the missouri riverup stream, downstream interests, as the senator from north dakota pointed out, the water gets us used. the water is going to get used. this is -- this is water that's either stored or it's used. and -- and i think it's a question of whether or not we're going to be charged. and the users of that water are going to be charged and that, of course, create a precedent. and if it's something that they can do here, the question is, what is the next state? because this violates a principal of federalism, as was pointed out by the south dakota attorney general in his letter to the corps of engineers. but i just wanted to, for the record, for those who, perhaps, are viewing this as

senator thune, the treasury i.g.official knew about this enemies' list as early as june 2011. >> from may 2010 through may of 2012 a team of specialists referred to as the determination unit selected 298 cases for additional scrutiny. we found that the first time executives from washington, d.c. became aware of the use of these criteria was june 2011. >> sean: found that executives in d.c. were aware of it. two developments today, senator thune, we learned that jay carney said nobody knew earlier. in fact the president's lawyer, the president's chief of staff knew earlier than what jay carney was telling us. you can put that together and piece that together for us, please? >> one thing, lois lerner is taking the fifth which would suggestion an admission of guilt right there. as senator portman pointed out we got nor non-answers than answers. steve miller and paul shulman who testified in front of the house committee in march of 2012 there wasn't any targeting. and found out subsequently there was and for months said

senator thune. >> the first amendment, this would be thune number four. this has to do with the s.n.a.p. education programs, which requires the improved budget implementation plan. the discussion about the program this morning is senator on cuts to the program in who that might impact. this doesn't impact any beneficiary. this is basically the program is to educate people. if you look over those dollars dollars go to bed, you've got some serious inequities in the way the money is distributed. in fact, it seems a little on thayer the 54% of resources go to for states. just as a case in point, texas has more enrollees in california is on the receiving 1.3% for california gets 31.4. it doesn't seem it would take that much more to educate people in california than it does in the state of texas. this is another program, which previous proposals have attempted to do, but ensures resources or summer equitably. basically what it does is provide a $5 per person number that would be allowed for parental and individual user education. that is indexed annually for in

senator thune. >> mr. chairman, i really don't have more questions but i do want to say that if we did have v-to-v connectivity that would probably listen to bach with you last night i just want to thank you, mr. strickland was something you help our office with, i want to say the batmobile which for those of you, the new vehicle technology, the breath alcohol testing mobile inc. and one of the great plains region, i think it will be very helpful initially of improving public safety on our indian reservation in our state. to thank you for you help with that. >> thank you, mr. thing to do with one every we were focus on is improving vehicle safety, you know, in native reservation territories and lands because it is unfortunately, native americans are overrepresented in a very bad crash areas. lower seatbelt use, high or drunk driving is, i've crashed, more fatality number numbers but anything would into to help address those countermeasures is something were very strongly supportive of. we were happy to hel

chairman. >> thank you, senator thune.for my colleagues, it now says there are no votes before 4:45. 4:35. so we can relax a little bit. senator blumenthal. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and congratulations, mayor foxx, and my thanks to you and to your family for your willingness to serve and your service in the past. as you know, my state has just been a major transportation crisis, an incident that certainly speaks to the need for investment. not only in rail, but in all forms of transportation. but most especially rail because i think that this incident, an accident that could have cost even more lives, caused more injuries and done even greater damage, fortunately, was less severe than it might have been. and that fact is due to the investment that was made in the most advanced -- at least to date -- the more advanced type of railroad cars, the m8 rail cars on the metro north line which most likely prevented more injuries and limited the severity of the ones that occurred. fortunately, there have been no fatalities. the

we have more from bob portman and john thune. and john thune.re welcome to the new buffalo... where new york state is investing one billion and john thune. they were dollars to attract and grow business. where companies like geico are investing in technology & finance. welcome to the state where cutting taxes for business... is our business. welcome to the new buffalo. welcome to the new buffalo. welcome to the new buffalo. new york state is throwing out the old rule book to give your business a new edge, the edge you can only get in new york state. to grow our start your business, visit thenewny.com if you're suffering from constipation, miralax or metamucil may take days to work. or faster relief, try dulcolax laxative tablets. dulcolax provides gentle relief overnight unlike miralax and metamucil that can take up to 3 days. for predictable relief try dulcolax. and metamucil that can take up to 3 days. all stations come over to mithis is for real this time. step seven point two one two. rify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, tw

senator thune ask you about efficiency. when we had the pleasure of meeting and having a good conversation, i also brought up about looking at streamlining and efficiency and i had asked if you have any examples. have you had were thought of any examples, maybe in different program areas where you would look to find some efficiencies? >> senator, i commit that i'm interested in focusing on the good i have to confess that i have been tied up, having the pleasure of meeting you in all your colleagues and i have not been able to dig in yet. but i do look forward if i'm confirmed to have the opportunity to do that. >> that will be great. thank you. also, we have the manufacturing sector here in this country that has faced challenges. i believe that we have to level the international playing field if we are going to ensure that our manufacturing sector is competitive. i think we have to look at regulations. we have to look at trade. would you agree that? >> senator, i agree completely. leveling the playing field, making sure tha

john thune was on time. eastern south dakota and they've got good values. evidently today a couple of passed me right by. i apologize. the story of modern america would be difficult to tell without the automobile. i resent the model t. rolled off the assembly -- should be assembly line? you can't lock off an assembly. the car and its drivers have shaped our hiss or he, our than imagination. it was the automobile after all the brought forth detroit's rise but good-natured manufacturing to give americans a independenc. it changed quite that were their country's landscape in modern american culture. the automobile has been central to the story of america's innovation and public safety standards pc bell, brake lights come air bags have saved innumerable lives once needlessly lost. today the car's owner are safer than ever, but with a long long way to go. more than 30,000 lives are lost each year. i can remember when those 50,000, so that's good, but an awful lot of us lies. each year on our highways and roads, most crashes frankly are caused by driver error nee

senator thune? >> the outrage over the actions taken by the irs against conservative organizations underscores how critical it is for government leaders to scrupulously honor the public trust. my question is, what if anything can you pledge to this committee regarding your commitment to safeguard the trust that would be bestowed on you as a cabinet secretary? >> it is important i bring my core values to the table if i am confirmed as secretary of commerce, and for me, being known as someone who is trustworthy, someone of high integrity and high ethics is what i strive to be. and so i hope i will set the tone at the commerce department if i'm confirmed such that the trust the taxpayers, all americans can have as well as the senate and the house and the work of the commerce department is something you will have full faith in. >> we have all watched this week what happened in moore, oklahoma, and our hearts and prayers go out to those who were struck by that tornado. we are grateful the warnings and al

you are next, senator thune. i'm sorry. senator port map, -- portman, you are next. >> thank you, mr. chairman. let me say i also had a town hall meeting last night. we had about 25,000 people at any one time. the questions were coming in from democrats and independents saying the same thing which was outrage. the outrage being expressedded at the very least the irs ought to have an even-handed and a fair administration of our tax laws given the power of the agency. mr. miller, in response to concerns expressed by grassroots organizations around ohio, as you know, senator hatch and i, joined by eight of our colleagues, sent a letter to the irs on march 14, 2012. you responded to that letter. and i want to tell you why i joined senator hatch on the letter. the tea party of ohio was asked to print out ever posting it ever made on the facebook page. it determined the names ever spoke, at the meeting. i thought that was odd. the ohio liberty township -- in march of 2011 in response to the january application. it included resume

thune: mr. president, i first want to start with just a word about the tragedy in oklahoma. our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by yesterday's devastating storms as well as the first responders and volunteers who rushed to the scene. and i hope all americans will continue to keep them in their thoughts and prayers and be looking for ways in which they can pitch in and help out in a very tragic situation. mr. president, i want to come to the floor today to talk about the long-term budget challenges facing the country and the impact those challenges are going to have on jobs, economic growth and future generation tp-s we don't control spending. last week the congressional budget office released its updated projections. they released an analysis of the president's 2014 budget. c.e.o. underscores the long term challenges face this go country. if you listen to the politicians in washington, d.c. and commentators and the democrat side reacting to the congressional budget office report, you would have heard claims that the deficit and debt crisis facing this cou

senator john thune will be here on the show next. we have election results. los angeles plus a little something we have been watching at the polls in another west coast city that will surprise you. first a look ahead at the politics planner. jay carney's birthday briefing at 1:00. maybe we should give him a birthday present and give him the day off. "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. alright, now for the best part. ooh, let's get those in the bowl. these are way too good to waste, right? [ male announcer ] share what you love with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. they're gr-r-reat! it's time... for aveeno® positively radiant face moisturizer. [ female announcer ] only aveeno® has an active naturals total soy formula that instantly brightens skin. and helps reduce the look of brown spots in just 4 weeks. for healthy radiant skin. try it for a month. then go ahead and try to spot a spot. aveeno® positively radiant. naturally beautiful results. constipated? yeah. mm. some laxatives like dulcolax can cause cramps. but phillips' caplets don't. they have mag

senator thune, senator heitkamp, senator caucus, senator johnson, and this does not affect the master manual on the missouri river or any of the authorized uses. i want to emphasize that. again, a very simple amendment. itnsures that states' rights are properly protected, and i encourage a yes vote. thank you. the presiding officer: without objection, the amendment has been modified. mrs. boxer: madam president, if i could be heard? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. boxer: i am supporting this amendment. i think it is very important to the states affected, and there are several states. the fact is we don't want to see the corps start a water war, and the chair has discussed this with me and i'm very grateful to her and to senator hoeven for really explaining this. the tribes are involved in this. we don't want to see them get in trouble with this. and i think the corps has to respect the fact that there are these water rights in place. so i will be supporting this amendment. the presiding officer: who yields time in opposition? the senator from louisiana. mr. vi

at her confirmation hearing thursday republican senator jon thune of south dakota asked her about hers to superior bank, a chicago-based bank owned by her family. superior failed after penny pritzker and her family expanded subprime lending. >> there were a number of banks that had claims they lost over $100,000 in savings including one who reportedly deposited her entire account was superior and month before it failed. what you have to say to those who lost significant sums of money because of this venture? >> senator, i regret the failure of senator bank. it was not an outcome or situation that -- i feel very badly about that. >> if confirmed, penny pritzker with a net worth of over $1.5 billion, would be by far the wealthiest member of the current cabinet. and one of the wealthiest, secretaries in history. bloomberg news reported pritzker recently inadvertently understated a portion of her income by at least $80 million in the form required for nomination. last year she received over $53 million in consulting fees from her family's offshore trust in the bahamas. >> as an air of the

thing has erupted you have seen this dmuld question not only by prominent republicans like senator thune but others who say the irs is a mess. senator, how bad does this get on the health care implication side? >> well, i think that's one of the really scary aspects about this whole discussion, neil, is that the very people, sarah ingram, who was head of the exempt division that did all of this political targeting in this latest episode would be responsible under obama care for the regulations associated with all of the pieces of obama care that the irs is going to be responsible for. so what we did is simply sent a letter to the attorney general, eric holder, as well as jack lew, the treasury secretary, that essentially said is she under investigation in this latest issue? and we don't believe that any regulations pertinent to obama care ought to move forward until such time as that issue's resolved. she either resigns or is fired. those things ought to be suspended. this is the person who is going to be responsible for implementing and enforcing obama care who was part of this latest s

on the one side, you have republican senators mike enzi and john thune leading the fight alongside democratsnd big box retailers like walmart and target. on the other side, senators from states without sales tax like democrats ron wyden and max baucus and kelly ayotte, fighting against the tax with the internet. with internet commerce giants ebay and overstock. this bill has so thoroughly jumbled political alliances that those democratic opponents made their way into a video proud by the heritage foundation. >> the market place fairness act, but it is anything but fair. >> i urge the senate not to move forward on the marketplace fairness act. >> sovereignty of our states is significantly eroded. >> could seriously harm america's small businesses. >> unleashes all the nation's tax collectors on small internet businesses. >> urge you to vote against this motion. ♪ >> now, if you haven't been paying attention to this battle, you may be a little confused and that would be fair because your usual rules of thumb likely will not apply. more than 20 republicans voted for the bill, which really makes

john thune deserves a lot of t. he was on this before anybody else about the irs targeng conservative groups. now we will have a hearing and everybody is outraged. what about four people killed by al-qaeda-backed terrorists eight months ago and our government lied about what happened to them. what about the death trap created called the benghazi consulate. what about the seven and a half hours they were being attacked and nobody could come to their aid? where was the outrage there? our president has been misleading misleading and manipulating the evidence and people under him have done the country a great disservice. we aren't going to stop. >> and i hear there are other whistleblowers. >> i do too. i'm tired of whistle blowers. it's eight months and not one survivor has been allowed to come forward on their own without fear of losing their job. it's time for the congress to tell this administration we have an independent duty, not the board appointed by secretary clinton, congress has an independent duty. we should

thune: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with and that i be allowed to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, yesterday morning i called for the immediate resignation of acting i.r.s. commissioner steven miller in light of the i.r.s.'s admission that it targeted conservative groups for inappropriate scrutiny. while i was willing to give mr. miller and other i.r.s. officials the benefit of the doubt until the facts were in, the treasury inspector general report released on tuesday has erased any doubts as to the severity of the misconduct and blatant incompetence in dealing with it at the highest levels of the i.r.s. i'm pleased that president obama chose to heed the call that i made and others as well by dismissing mr. miller last nig night. this is a necessary step but only a first step toward restoring the credibility and the integrity of the i.r.s. this scandal is much larger than any one official within the i.r.s.

. ♪ >> a jury ruled against las vegas billionaire sheldon, and the judgment a win for richard thune arguingame ling licenses in the early 2000s and file the lawsuit in 2004, asked for 328 million, the stock down 14 cents california showing a budget surplus for the first time in more than a decade. governor brown, though, still warning lawmakers in the state not to spend. we're not out of the woods. the budget shows an 850 # million surplus, but he's asking for fiscal restraint and for strending cuts in the state. finally, dr. dre teamed up with his fellow beats electronics co-founder and music industry titan to donate 770 -- 70 million to the university of california. the generous gift creating a new academy of business and art with their names on it, of course, open to students in the fall of 2013. that is your west coast minute. well, i want to let you know fireworks expected on capitol hill in moments as eric holder appears in front of the house judiciary committee. >> lawmakers expected to grill him on justice department's swipe of phone records at the associated press, and melissa and

i do want to thank the caucus cochairs senators leahy and thune and congressman glat and congresswomanoe for helping us put this together today. their leadership to host these debates between internet companies is important and we're in their debt. next week we have another briefing coming up on patent control litigation on may 30, friday. that issue is really hot in the high-tech community. senator cornyn introduced legislation to complement senator schumer's legislation. the vermont attorney general just started issuing patent controls and then there's the shield act in the house. the week after that on june 7, also a friday, we'll do something called faceoff, a fact-base debate which sounds really painfully boring but it's actually a really good debate about the economics of the internet so you can better understand these important issues like net neutrality and net flix and some of those things. the twitter handle for today and the hash tag is do not track. the hash tag is do not track, all one word. and a lot of the resources will be put up on twitter so an efficient way to get th

last year senator thune, republican from south dakota, and durbin and lugar and i proposed the aggregate risk in management risk program streamlining the safety net. the program will work with crop insurance to provide farmers the tools they need to manage risk, making payments only when farmers need them most. this program is market-oriented. it relies on current data. it is more responsive to farmers' needs. it is more responsive to taxpayers. the bill reforms a number of long-standing, unjustifiable practices. for the first time, this farm bill ends payments to landowners who have nothing to do with farm management. it ends payments to millionaires. it puts a firm cap on how much support any farmer can receive from the direct farm support programs each year. this so-called conservation compliance provision reflects a landmark agreement put forward by a number of key commodity and conservation interests and stakeholders. if you're going to receive federally subsidized crop insurance, you need to show you're meeting basic conservation requirements. again, the days of subsidies without c

. >> senator thune. >> we are looking for ways to save money. you can save $2 billion in a way that doesn't cut benefits to anybody. and i agree we have issues and need to educate the american people about obesity being one of them. with respect to individual states make an application for this fund to, this doesn't prevent texas -- texas can apply up to $5. texas doesn't want to apply for individual rowley, but they don't have to. the tone option. what it does do is put generally cap, which seems to me to be indexed for inflation a fairly reasonable amount and find a way to save $2 billion in this farm bill that we could pass on savings to the american taxpayer without impacting the beneficiaries, the people who depend on this program, which is pointed out in previous discussions on previous amendments by the senator from new york here folks across the country do need help from the program. this is an administrative costs. this does not come out of beneficiaries, no one at benefits and programs today simply reapportion is the way in which state

chairman. >> senator thune. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i think it's clear both liberal groups and conservative groups follow the law and regulations as they exist today. but there's only one group targeted and you all can get here and say there wasn't political targeting, but it does not comport with the facts. maybe it wasn't you, that somebody was one of the purposes is to find out who was targeting conservative groups. otherwise you can't explain the fact you had conservative other patriarchy party or 912 selected for extra skirt knee. you have no evidence there were groups with progressives and insight that similarly targeted. but this issue to rest. i don't think there's anyway you can know that. i'm ingesting and knowing, mr. miller and mr. shulman again if you you were aware that is lerner was going to plant a question and get ahead of the new cycle by disclosing prior to the release of the ig report. >> i mention i did know, yes. >> were there any discussions at the white house was aware april april 24 of this information. were th

. >> thank you, senator thune. i a journalist this hearing on the presumption that you will just ride the fast rail. hearing adjourned. >> thank you, mr. chairman. [inaudible conversations] >> [inaudible conversations] >> [inaudible conversations] >> after president grover cleveland loses his bid for reelection in 1888, his wife tells the staff, i want you to take good care of all the furniture and ornaments in the house and not let any of them get lost or broken. i want to find everything just as it is now. when we come back again for years from today. spent and they did return to the white house winning the election of 1892. the life of frances cleveland as we continue our series on first ladies, live monday night at nine eastern on c-span, c-span3, c-span radio and c-span.org. >> the u.s. senate is about to meet. senators began the day with about an hour of general speeches. at 10:30 a.m. eastern they turn to a judicial nomination for the u.s. appeals court. the senate will vote on moving the nomination forward

why examine brasso and thune in south dakota and cornyn in texas to move on these issues. >> the groundworks there for her. she will say a lot in manchin/toomey bill she did like and she voted for the grassley, i won't go into the detail about that but a little talked about alternative. she is from the live free or die state so are supportive -- >> she is a northeast republican. >> exactly. not up until 2016. >> rob portman and she have to find a way there. >> mccain could the connection with jeff flake home state senator -- >> mccain could bring over flake' kelly. >> yep. >> on something -- >> the question becomes how do you get to the point you bring it back for a vote and was is the galvanizing moment? i'm still lost. >> you know what? those polls are pretty galvanizing. if you can get something through the ho u.s. that passes. >> you need harry reid to bring it back. >> you are talking about something here that george w. bush supported in 2000 and four and he also supported an assault weapons ban in 2000 and four. this is not radical stuff. then i think what some of these republicans ar

thune: mr. president, i rise today to discuss some of the amendments that i have offered to the 2013 farm bill. first of all, let me start by thanking the chairwoman and the ranking member for their leadership in listening to the voices of the members of the agriculture committee when it comes to reauthorizing the farm bill which is set to expire at the end of september. we vice president been able to agree on all aspects of the farm bill. our chairwoman and ranking member, however, should be recognized for their tireless work in getting a farm bill done this year. one way or the other, we do need to move this process forward. we came close last year when the senate passed a farm bill, but we were unable to get the house to move it, and i'm hoping this year we can complete that process and get a bill that's actually able to put on the president's desk and be able to give the producers around this country the certainty that they need when it comes to planting and to make decisions about the futur

and thank you ranking member thune, members of the committee, it is an honor for me to appear before you today as president obama's nominee to be u.s. secretary of transportation. i want to thank senators richard burr and kay hagan for their kind introductions. and i also want to thank my beautiful wife, samara, who is she is behindtoday. me now. my children, hillary and zachary, wanted to be here but they have school obligations that their parents wanted them to meet today. if i have the honor to lead the department, i will bring the perspective of serving as mayor of charlotte, america's 17th largest city. as mayor, i know transportation from the ground up, but i learned the value of quality transportation and hard work even earlier. i was born and raised in charlotte by my mother and my grandparents, who were public school teachers. things were not always easy growing up. many times, there would be a $20 bill on the table, and my family would have to choose between basic necessities and funding a school field trip. somehow, they always made the investment in me and for that i am f