i think i've probably repeated these words 10,000 times over the years, paul wellstone's famous quote, the future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard. it's still true. it will always be true. and most of all i have faith in minnesota. a big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from washington, but more often than not, when i'm home, i am blown away by how much minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. the people i've had the honor of representing are brilliant, creative, hardworking, and whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge i've enjoyed for the last eight and a half years, being as good as the people you serve. this has been a tough few weeks for me, but i am a very, very lucky man. i have a beautiful, healthy family that i love and that loves me very much. i'm going to be just fine. i'd just like to end with one last thing. i did not grow up wanting to be a politician. i came to this relatively late in life. i had to learn a lot on the fly. it wasn't easy and it wasn't always fun, and i'm n

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. i know that the work i've been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heartbeat. for a deca n

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. i know that the work i've been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heartbeat. for a decade now, every time i would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for, and would get me back up on my feet. i know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving people's lives. and i hope you know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. the fourth circuit court of appeals is considering the legality of the third portion of the president's travel ban which places restrictions on people from iran, libya, north korea, syria, and yemen. we both have live coverage of the international refugee assistance program versus donald trump this morning at 9:00 a.m. eastern on c-span two. mark meadows this afternoon will be at the conservative women's network forum live starting at 12:00 p.m. eastern also on c-span2.

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. i know that the work i've been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heartbeat. for a decade now, every time i would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for, and would get me back up on my feet. i know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving people's lives. and i hope you know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. the same date at senator franken gave his resignation speech, there was a lawmaker who announced he would be stepping down in light of accusations of inappropriate behavior. residenceks said in a -- written statement that he was resigning after becoming the subject of a newly opened ethics investigation. have accuseddes the republican congressman of asking them to be a surrogate mother for his child with one being offered $5 million in exchange. a initially said he would

senator wellstone died 15 years ago in a tragic plane crash. on the tenth anniversary of that terrible loss, senator franken wrote an essay about paul wellstone's legacy for "the atlantic" magazine. i want to read a short section from that essay. senator franken wrote one of paul's most famous quotes is this -- politics is not about power, it's not about money. it's not about winning for the sake of winning. it's about the improvement of people's lives. that quote al franken said is often used to criticize those on the other side who seem to forget the human consequences of their political agenda, but progressives should keep it in mind as well. the big fights, war and peace, justice and liberty are important, senator franken wrote, but there aren't any small fights. where paul wellstone made the biggest impact, where his life resulted in the greatest improvement on people's lives was on issues that don't usually leave anyone's stump speech. mental health, domestic violence, homelessness among veterans. when future historians look bag at the le

today, even on the worst day of mu political life, i feel like it's all been worth politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. i know that the work i have been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heart beat. for a decade, now, every time i would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for and would get me back up on my feet. i know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is >>> that he would decide to he said that this was the best experience of his career. and that he would fight on for the rights of all americans as a private citizen. i want to go to our nancy cordes. chief congressional correspondent who's on capitol hill. you've been following this since day one. quite an emotional speech from the senator who up until a couple of weeks ago believed that he could still caponize job. >> reporter: right it's a big -- keep his job. >> reporter: right, it's a big blow to the democratic party at large. democrats who though they believe this i

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. i know that the work i have been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heart beat. for a decade, now, every time i would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for and would get me back up on my feet. i know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving people's lives, and i hope you know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. >> and there you heard a rather emotional senator al franken announce that he will be stepping down from the senate, the two-term democratic senator from minnesota has been plagued, of course, the last few weeks by allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriately touching women. he said, in his speech, that he was shocked by the allegations. "i was upset by the allegations that all women deserved to be heard and their experiences should be taken seriously," howeve

senator paul wellstone. >> politic paul wellstone told us is about the improve many of people's lives. i know that the work i've been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it al all over againn heartbeat. does we will have continuing coverage coming up tonight at 10:00 and of course you'll fine the latest developments 24/7 on fox 29.com. >> police in chester looking for group of teens accused of assaulting a 60-year-old man. yesterday evening on west 15th street. police say the group was bothering many people in that area before attacking the vict victim. the man was taken to hospital. expected to be okay. >>> federal grand jury has indicted former police chief for using excessive force during an arrest. frank new sarey stands accused of violating a man's civil rights. he retire as the bordentown police chief in january. while under fbi investigation. the bureau says he slammed an african-american teenager's head into a door jam in september of 2016 while making an arrest. now the fbi also says he repeatedly used racial slurs. >>> a prosecutor has harsh criticism for the

for 12 years the seat i currently occupied was occupied by paul wellstone. he was a tireless, passionate champion for working families. he fought for veterans, farmers, and those who needed a voice. paul had a saying that represents the values and principles for which he fought. he used to say that we all do better when we all do better. that was paul's creed. what he meant is that the working poor and the middle class and the poor, and the well-off, the country does better when each of us is able to contribute to economy fairly. i think paul was right. not everybody does. some people's values are different. some people believe that those at the top are there for a reason and that they shouldn't have to concern themselves with what's going on in the lives with the people who haven't been so lucky or even so accomplished. some people believe -- honestly legitimately believe -- that not everyone deserves to have the same standing in this country. they believe your standing as a citizen should depend, in part, on where you were born or what you believe or who y

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. i know that the work i've been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heartbeat. for a decade now, every time i would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for and it would get me back up on my feet. i know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving people's lives. and i hope you know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. >> and good day. i am andrea mitchell in washington. minnesota senator al franken just yielding the floor and yielding to overwhelming pressure from his fellow democrats after announcing he is resigning from the senate effective the end of this year, three weeks from now. joining me now is msnbc's gator haake on capitol hill, tom brokaw, jeremy peters, political reporter of the "new york times" and michael steele, former senior adviser to jeb bush, and house speaker an

he was a fire brand paul wellstone. he says the future belongs to those who are passionate and works hard, notwithstanding walter mondale, perhaps the most famous democrat from that state. >> lisa: i think there is another side of this conversation that often doesn't get discussed. there is clearly photographic evidence with al franken here. but there is a concern that in this 24-hour news cycle and with social media, we're so swift, like this mob mentality to get justice that i worry that there are going to be innocent people caught up in this. and there has been instances of false allegations in the past. >> harris: that's why have you an ethics investigation. we are averdicting that process. >> lisa: exactly. not allowing that to play out. >> katie: anyone who is honest on capitol hill knows that the ethics committee is a black hole for anything which is exactly why people who do do things wrong want the ethics committee to investigate them. they never actually come up with any consequences for what they have done. >

paul wellstone's famous quote, the future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard.ill always be true. and most of all, i have faith in minnesota. a big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from washington. but more often than not, when i'm home, i am blown away by how much minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. the people i've had the honor of representing are brilliant and creative and hard-working, and whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge i've enjoyed for the last eight and a half years, being as good as the people you serve. this has been a tough few weeks for me. but i am a very, very lucky man. i have a beautiful, healthy family that i love and that loves me very much. i am going to be just fine. i would just like to end with one last thing. i did not grow up wanting to be a politician. i came to this relatively late in life. i had to learn a lot on the fly. it wasn't easy and it wasn't always fun. i'm not just talking about today. this is a hard thing to do with your life. ther

i think i've probably repeated these words 10,000 times over the years, paul wellstone's famous quotere belongs to those who are passionate and work hard. it's still true. it will always be true and most of all, i have faith in minnesota. a big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from washington, but more often than not, when i'm home, i am blown away by how much minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world the people i've had the honor of representing are brilliant and creative and hard working and whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge i've enjoyed for the last eight and a half years, being as good as the people you serve this has been a tough few weeks for me but i am a very, very lucky man. i have a beautiful healthy family that i love and that loves me very much i'm going to be just fine. i'd just like to end with one last thing i did not grow up wanting to be a politician i came to this relatively late in life. i had to learn a lot on the fly. it wasn't easy and it wasn't always fun, and i'm not just tal

seeing him as the inheritor to paul wellstone, the previous senator who died in a plane crash. he's always held him up as his mentor and role model. you have a lot of conflicted feelings but also some -- virtually the same time as they lost another person they considered an icon, garrison keillor, public radio host. so for minnesotans, this is a very emotional time. host: the senator citing paul wellstone in his speech on the floor yesterday he also referred to the person who would replace him as a her. so what -- guest: i don't know that that's -- i don't know that that's a fwiven but certainly there's a lot of pressure, momentum, to nominate a woman. there are a number of choices that the governor could have. his lieutenant governor, tina smith, has been put out as one of those choices but he says he has not made that decision yet and it won't come for several days. there are a number of women who could fill that spotful former elected officials, other prominent women leaders. so i think that one has not yet been decided. we also don't know -- host: how does that work -- gues

paul wellstone said often we all do better when we all do better. i will serve minnesota in the senate, guided by these words, and led by these minnesota stories. ago, wer three years reelected senator franken with a mandate to work hard to keep minnesota moving forward, to improve people's lives. with his decision to step down, it is the responsibility of our government to find a person to fill this vacant spot. my job will be to go to washington dc to continue working on behalf of minnesota and our country. i will do this in my own way, using my own best judgment and experience, but always with the people of minnesota in mind. minnesotans to decide for themselves who they want to complete senator i will run in that election and i will do my best to earn minnesotans' support and i believe the way to do that is by being the best senator they can be. i want to thank senator franking for his service. he has been a champion if for our state and i know that he and frannie will continue to work for our state and our country. and i want to thank his statu

i think i've probably repeated these words 10,000 times over the years, paul wellstone's famous quote, the future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard. it's still true. it will always be true. and most of all i have faith in minnesota. a big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from washington, but more often than not, when i'm home, i am blown away by how much minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. the people i've had the honor of representing are brilliant, creative, hardworking, and whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge i've enjoyed for the last eight and a half years, being as good as the people you serve. this has been a tough few weeks for me, but i am a very, very lucky man. i have a beautiful, healthy family that i love and that loves me very much. i'm going to be just fine. i'd just like to end with one last thing. i did not grow up wanting to be a politician. i came to this relatively late in life. i had to learn a lot on the fly. it wasn't easy and it wasn't always fun, and i'm n

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of the lives of people. i know that the work i have been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heartbeat. , every time iow would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for and it would get me back up on my feet. i know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving people's lives. i hope you know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. vonnie: senator al franken in a speech we anticipated, announcing on twitter that he would make a speech today saying that he will be announcing in the coming weeks that he will be resigning as a member of the united states senate after sexual harassment allegations. he started by saying he would use his power to be a champion to be a woman at upset at claims against them. he called it ironic that a man who bragged on tape about his treatment of women is in the oval office and a man w

senator paul wellstone often said we all do better when we all do better. he knew the economy does better when there is a strong middle class, when working families have more money to spend. unfortunately, the republican tax bill does the opposite of what paul wellstone argued for. instead of helping working families, it raises taxes on at least 14 million of them. and it uses this revenue to give $1 trillion to the super rich all while adding $1.5 trillion to our national debt. this is at its core an awful bill. when president trump took office, he pledged that he would look out for the forgotten men and women, not the wealthy. this bill is a betrayal of that commitment. i believe congress should work on a bipartisan basis to make our tax code fairer and simpler for working families, and that's what i've advocated for since i joined the senate. and democrats have made a good-faith effort to work in a bipartisan manner on the tax reform bill with republicans, but republicans have chosen from the very start of this congress to make -- to take a purely partis

i think i've probably repeated these words 10,000 times over the years -- paul wellstone's famous quotework hard." it's still true. it will always be true. and most of all, i have faith in minnesota. a big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from washington, but more often than not when i'm home i am blown away by how much minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. the people i've had the honor of representing are brilliant and creative and hardworking and whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge i've enjoyed for the last eight and a half years being as good as the people you serve. this has been a tough few weeks for me but i am a very, very lucky man. i have a beautiful healthy family that i love and that loves me very much. i'm going to be just fine. i'd just like to end with one last thing. i do not grow up wanting to be a politician. i came to this relatively late in life. i had to learn a lot on the fly. it wasn't easy and it wasn't always fun and i'm not just talking about today. this is a hard thing to

he worked very hard and he worked in the tradition of paul wellstone who was a terrific senator from minnesota, very much a progressive farm labor democrat type. and al franken had to get beyond the image he was just a comment can be dismissed as a political neophyte and he did so and he's a very popular senator both in minnesota, so much so people were talking about al franken running for president. now you come to a day when all of this goes to tatters and his allies, people like kirsten gillibrand, patty murray, are leading the fight to toss them overboard. i don't see how you can say this wasn't a bitter and sad day. he calls it the worst day of his life. >> greg: worst things that happen on this day. >> juan: for him, i think it's pretty sad, and i feel for him. i'm so sorry this happened but i will say that i find myself in an odd situation where i agree with people like laura ingraham and sean hannity. they too think this is democrats turning on one of their own and throwing him overboard for political purposes that they will then be better positioned in terms of confronting c

the famous quote from paul wellstone, the future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard. of all, i have faith in minnesota. a big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from washington, but more often than not when i am home i am blown away by how much minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. the people i have had the honor of representing our brilliant, creative and hard-working. whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge i have enjoyed for the last 8 1/2 years, being as good as the people you serve. this has been a tough few weeks for me, but i am a very very lucky man. i have a beautiful healthy family. i love them and they loved me very much. i am going to be just fine. i just like to end with one last thing. i did not grow up wanting to be a politician. i came to this relatively late in life. i had to learn a lot on the fly. it was not easy and it was not always fun. i am not just talking about today. this is a hard thing to do with your life. there are a lot of long hours and late nights and h

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. i know that the work i have been able to do has improved people's lives. again ino it all over a heartbeat. now, every time i would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for, and it would get me back up on my feet. true fore same will be everyone who a politics that is about improving people's lives. know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. thatd with that, the news democratic senator al franken is resigning his seat in the senate in the coming weeks, on a day he calls the worst of his career. he said he has never brought dishonor on the senate. responded, in some measure, to the calls from eight people who accused him of sexual misconduct, saying all people deserve to be heard, but saying he believes in some of those cases at least, the allegations were not true. in others, he remembers them differently. nevertheless, he is resigning because he says he cannot serve

paul wellstone spent his whole life working for mental help parity and it didn't pass until six years after paul died. this year a lot of people who didn't grow up imagining that they would ever get involved in politics have done just that. they have protest march or made their first call to a member of congress or maybe even taken the leap and put their names on a ballot for the first time. it can be such a rush to look around a room of full people ready to fight alongside you, to feel that energy, to imagine that better things are possible. but you too will experience set backs and defeats and disappointments. there will be days when you will wonder whether it's worth it. what i want you to know is that even today, even on the worst day of my political life, i feel like it's all been worth

paul wellstone spent his whole life working for mental health parity and it did not pass until six yearsl died. people who lot of did not grow up imagining they would ever get involved in politics have done just that. they had gone to their first protest march or made their first call to a member of congress. lead andeven taken the put the names on a ballot for the first time. it can be such a rush. of peopleound a room ready to fight alongside of you. to feel the energy. to imagine better things are possible. also will experience setbacks and defeats and disappointments. there will be days when you will wonder whether it is worth it. but i want you to know is that, even today, even on the worst day of my political

paul wellstone's famous quote, the future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard. around the state and listening to what people need from washington but more often than not, when i'm home, i'm blown away by how much minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. the people i have had the honor of representing are brilliant and creative and hardworking and whoever holds this seat next will inherent heart a half years, being as good as the people you serve. this has been a tough few weeks for me, but i am a very, very lucky man. i have a beautiful, healthy family that i love and that loves me very much. i'm going to be just fine. i'd just like to end with one last thing. i did not grow up wanting to be a politician. i came to this relatively late in life. i had to learn a lot on the fly. it wasn't easy and it wasn't always fun. i'm not just talking about today. this is a hard thing to do with your life. there are a lot of long hours and late nights and hard lessons and there is no guarantee that all your work and sacrifice will ever pay off. i won my

for 12 years the seat i currently occupied was occupied by paul wellstone.he was a tireless, passionate champion for working families. he fought for veterans, farmers, and those who needed a voice. paul had a saying that represents the values and principles for which he fought. he used to say that we all do better when we all do better. that was paul's creed. what he meant is that the working poor and the middle class and the poor, and the well-off, the country does better when each of us is able to contribute to economy fairly. i think paul was right. not everybody does. some people's values are different. some people believe that those at the top are there for a reason and that they shouldn't have to concern themselves with what's going on in the lives with the people who haven't been so lucky or even so accomplished. some people believe -- honestly legitimately believe -- that not everyone deserves to have the same standing in this country. they believe your standing as a citizen should depend, in part, on where you were born or what you believe or who yo

quoting paul wellstone who preceded him and died. politics is about improving people's lives and praising his staff and colleagues. he went out in a way where he said serving in the senate was one of the great honors of my life. while he didn't admit guilt, he tried to take it to the senate and say what you do here is important. that's probably why he ended up giving this speech on the senate floor rather than anywhere else. >> i want to get your thoughts, but before i do, i want to replay the portion of al franken's speech where he talked about the fact that he called it irony that he is resigning and there are republicans who are facing allegations from the oval office to potentially a new senator in the united states senate from alabama. they have the support of their party. >> today i am announcing that in the coming weeks i will be resigning as member of the united states senate. i of all people am aware that there is some irony in the fact that i am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault

i think i probably repeated these words 10,000 times over the years, paul wellstone's famous quote, the future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard. it's still true. it will always be true. most of all, i have faith in minnesota. a big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from washington but more often than not, when i'm home i am blown away by how much minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. the people i've had the honor of representing are brilliant and creative and hard working and whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge i've enjoyed for the last 8 1/2 years, being as good as the people you serve. this has been a tough few weeks for me. but i am a very, very lucky man. i have a beautiful, healthy family that i love and that loves me very much. i'm going to be just fine. i would just like to end with one last thing. i did not grow up wanting to be a politician. i came to this relatively late in life. i had to learn a lot on the fly. it wasn't easy and it wasn't always fun. and i'm not just tal

he brought it back to paul wellstone. i like the way he promised us that he was not going anywhere.e would leave the senate sadly. you could see his voice breaking. but he was going to stay active. won't be shamed entirely out of politics even if he had to leave the senate in a really unfortunate series of events. >> i think the idea that i'm going to praise a speech by george bush, a man who i mocked for years, because he couldn't speak, we mocked this man we could make fun of because he couldn't speak english now having the courage to speak about white supremacy. i think it's important when republicans speak about white supremacy. it's a fight against mainstreaming that hate. and we need the right to stand up to it. they know where we stand. and that's the thing against steve bannon and trump. transforming america to accept what used to be in the fringes, allowing it to come out in the sunlight with tiki torches and saying this is okay. you need republicans saying it's wrong. that's j jewhy jeff flake and ge bush are important in this role. >> absolutely. we have a lot more revvie

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives i know that the work i've been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heartbeat. for a decade now, every time i would get tired or skurdiscoura or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for and would get me back up on my feet. i know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving people's lives and i hope you know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. >> senator al franken calling it the worst day of his political life, says in the coming weeks he will resign as a member of the u.s. senate after several allegations of inappropriate behavior, allegations he said were simply not true, others he remembers very differently, adding i know in my heart nothing i've done as a senator has brought dishonor let's bring in kayla tausche for some reaction to this speech kayla? >> carl, senator franken's resignation comes in the middle of his second term and

i think i've probably repeated these words 10,000 times over the years, paul wellstone's famous quote are passionate and work hard. it's still true. it will always be true. and most of all, i have faith in minnesota. a big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from washington. but more often than not, when i'm home, i am blown away by how much minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. the people i've had the honor of representing are brilliant and creative and hard working, and whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge i've enjoyed for the last eight and a half years, being as good as the people you serve. this has been a tough few weeks for me, but i am a very, very lucky man. i have a beautiful, healthy family that i love and that loves me very much. i'm going to be just fine. i'd just like to end with one last thing. i did not grow up wanting to be a politician. i came to this relatively late in life. i had to learn a lot on the fly. it wasn't easy, and it wasn't always fun, and i'm not just talking about to

my predecessor senator wellstone made it his life story to fight for people with mental illness, pushing for mental health parity. one of my greatest honors as senator from minnesota has been to carry forward his work on mental health and championing policies that promote parity. i'm proud that the affordable care act expanded projections to people who have employer-sponsored coverage, and seek care through the individual market. the 21st century cures bill extends these efforts by called on the federal government and other key stakeholders to generate an action plan to improve enforcement of mental health parity laws. dr. mccance-katz, in your testimony you referred to all listening session that the administration held this past july, haitians, advocates and providers explained that many times people cannot find in network providers face high out-of-pocket costs and have to fight with insurance companies just to get services covered. stakeholders call for more enforcement, transparency from insurance companies, and agency guidance. the actions the administration has taken thus far fall

my predecessor, senator paul wellstone made it his life's work to fight for people with mental illness, pushing seeslessly for mental health pairtry. one of my honors as senator of minnesota is carrying on his work on mental health and championing policies that help promote parity. i'm proud that the affordable care act expanded parity protections to people who don't have employer sponsored coverage and seek care in the market and 21st century cures bill calling on the federal government and key stakeholders to come up with a action plan to improve mental health parity laws. dr. mccance-katz, you referred to the listening sessions the administration held this past july. patients, advocates, providers explained many times people can not provide in network providers, face high out-of-pocket costs an have to fight with insurance companies just to get services covered. stakeholders called for more enforcement, transparency from insurance companies, and agency guidance. the actions the administration has taken thus far fall short of these demands. what will you do, commit to doing, in your

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. i know that the work i've been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heartbeat. for a decade now, every time i would get tired or discouraged or frustrated i would think about the people i was doing this for and would bet me back up on my feet. i know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving people's lives. and i hope you know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. neil: with that, senator al franken has resigned from the united states senate. he says he will do so in the coming weeks. he didn't specify how many weeks. that is important parliamentarywise because we don't know whether he wants to stay for the vote, not only temporary measure to continue the government and continue operating the government for another couple weeks and conclude by voting yea or nay, presumably nay on the tax cut package in the conference committee in bo

and wellstone and ventas, couple real estate investment trusts led it lower for the real estate firmsig rise in the ten-year yield, group like utilities and telecom, were notably weak today. you would have thought, bill, the banks would have moved up. basically the banks have not moved. some people are saying this is finally the start of a sell on the news idea we've been talking about for the last two weeks. >> waiting for the senate vote and earnings from among others, stitch fix and fedex, on the second hour of the "closing bell" with kelly evans and company. see you tomorrow, kell >>> thank you, bill. welcome to the "closing bell," everybody, i'm kelly evans no record closes on wall street toi today. let's look at the declines dow dropping 35 points on the bell to 24,756 just over a tenth of a percent drop it gets worse as you go down the list the s&p 500 down .32%, 8 1/2 points on the bell 2,681 the close. the has dock down almost .50 to 6,963. the russell 2000 shedding .79%, a 12-point drop. 1,536 is the close for the small cap russell 2k going to be a busy hour for earnings mor

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives.k i've been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heartbeat. >> so i've been pulling together some opinion pieces in response to this. i just have an incredibly uneasy feeling about this entire story, to be very honest, and tried to say that once yesterday. >> yeah. >> and it was as if a bomb went off. >> by the way -- >> so. >> for people out there, i know there are a lot of little right-wingers who are 14 or 15 years old and you have a blog post. oh, mika is just saying this because she's a democrat. i understand you go out and play tee ball and then you come back in and do your blog post and you have no sense of history. mika brzezinski in 1999 and 2000 when everybody else in the democratic party was defending bill clinton, mika has consistently said that democrats were hypocrites. she's been saying it for 17 years, all right? so why don't you go back and, you know, get your juicy juice and go back in your basement and play with your legos and act

the senators cited paul wellstone on his -- in his speech on the floor and also in the speech comingd to the person who drew -- who would replace him as a her. go ahead. guest: i don't know that that's a given but certainly, there is a lot of pressure, momentum to nominate a woman. there are a number of choices the governor could have. his lieutenant governor is tina smith and she's been put out as one of those choices. he says he is not made the decision yet and will not come for several days. there are number of women who could fill that spot, former elected officials, other prominent women leaders. i think that one has not yet been decided. host: how does it work? himt: the problem with appointing tina smith is that she is a lieutenant governor in minnesota. she is the president of the -- thethat would step president who would step forward to fill her spot would be a republican and we would have a divided government and the state is not set up for that. i think there are elements in the party that are quite resistant to that. host: so the governor, mark dayton -- guest: he also ha

politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. i know that the work i've been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heartbeat. for a decade now, every time i would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for, and would get me back up on my feet. i know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving people's lives. and i hope you know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. house administration committee met to review the sexual harassment reporting process for congressional employees. the want us to remember young woman who came to this building who worked in a number of offices, and it was in her second office where she became -- where she filed a complaint for sexual harassment. she is no longer here. her career was over. she was told her career would be over if she filed the complaint. and she has not worked since. we have got to make s

today, even on the worst day of my political life, i feel like it's all been worth it politics, paul wellstone told us, is about the improvement of people's lives. i know that the work i've been able to do has improved people's lives. i would do it all over again in a heartbeat. for a decade now every time i would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, i would think about the people i was doing this for and it would get me back up on my feet. i know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving people's lives. and i hope you know that i will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. sullivan: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: madam president, i ask that following disposition of the balash nomination the senate proceed to consideration of executive calendar 167 as under the previous order. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sullivan: madam president, i have five requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they ha