sidney blumenthal: thank you. ani hope that you being observer of contemporary politics and a lot of what you brought in, i was struck in terms of the know nothings, and you are addressing that. in terms of lincoln's thought, i am so impressed. i'm listening to a book on tape here. i have only gotten through 18 discs. going back,ther 18 but i was struck by the way in which lincoln. early on was so attuned to the issue of bringing immigrants into the process and especially during the war and appointments. maybe that is ahead of where you are now, but i was wondering if you could give us some more on lincoln's giving us insights into the way we must maintain an umbrella and go back to that original document and try and make america a country for all. >> let me just discussed the immigrant question in the context of lincoln. am a native of illinois. lincoln, for much of his life, lived in the most racist northern state with the most are akoni and black coat. it was a very conservative state , populated by many people

sidney blumenthal: thank you, dan. in general, now mary lincoln has become somewhat of an easy figure for people to dismiss and to discredit and degrade and even defame, but there would have been no lincoln without mary. [applause] sidney blumenthal: mary lincoln was difficult. she was volatile. she had an upbringing that created all sorts of problems for her. she had -- her mother died. her stepmother was that of cinderella. she loves her father, but he neglected her. and she set her cap on lincoln. they had a tumultuous, confused relationship in which lincoln often, they can did not understand how to handle the members of the opposite sex, and eventually he and mary came together and she referred it to their marriage as our lincoln party. and in the beginning, there were only two members at this party. and it was lincoln and mary. she was and highly unusual woman in that she was political. she grew up in a political household. her father was a business partner and political ally of henry clay here is she knew clay, s

and we are back with senator richard blumenthal of connecticut. but first china reacting very strongly to secretary of state nominee rex tillerson who suggested a more aggressive strategy by the u.s. in the contested waters of the south china sea. that's where china has built and now mill triesed artificial islands, huge ones with, our brian todd has been looking into this. brian, what have you been learning about the remarkable comments from the secretary of state nominee? >> we're getting signals the president-elect trump security team is going to get in china's face over those islands. it's raised a key question, will the trump administration maintain the current strategy of essentially buzzing these waters with american war ships and planes to signal their displeasure over the islands or will they try to block china from accessing them. and risk a possible conflict. they've staked a claim to thousands of acres of what were sand bars and reeves. they've used sophisticated equipment like these ships, pumping sand through those thin tubes to crea

senator leahy: senator blumenthal. senator blumenthal: thank you, mr. chairman. i want to express my appreciation and join my colleagues in thanking you for giving us the time that we need on this tremendously important topic. few d say that there are issues or votes that we will address more important than this one. most of us in practicing law and many of us in prosecuting how significant will serve t is who in this role because the attorney general of the united states is more than just another law enforcement officer, more than just another lawyer. he must be the legal conscience for this nation and he must have the independence and integrity to stand up and speak out when his boss, the president of the united states, is in violation of the law. and that is the tradition of the department of justice. it is the tradition that sally yates upheld and demonstrated when she stood up and spoke out to the president of the united states. the analogy has been made to the saturday night massacre during the watergate scandal, but there also is a comparison to what james

blumenthal: how am i recorded? the presiding officer: the senator is not recorded. mr. blumenthal: madam clerk, on behalf of all the people -- the presiding officer: debate is not allowed during a vote. the senate will be in order. debate is not allowed during a vote. mr. wyden: because health care should not just be for the healthy and the wealthy, i vote no. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. debate is not allowed during a vote. mr. whitehouse: madam clerk, how am i recorded? the presiding officer: the senator is not recorded. mr. whitehouse: on behalf of 14-year-old charlie in rhode island who suffers from -- the presiding officer: debate will not be in order. debate is not allowed during a vote. the senate will be in order. the clerk will proceed to call the roll. mr. whitehouse: i vote no. mr. reed: madam clerk, for the people of rhode island, i vote no. a senator: madam clerk, how am i recorded? the presiding officer: the senator is not recorded. mr. franken: i vote no on behalf of the more than 2.3 million minnesotans who can no longer be discrim

we have senators blumenthal and mcmahono introduce mrs. . both of these gentlemen have run against mrs. mcmahon and vice versa, so i hope they didn't bring their files. >> we've been trying to forget. sen. risch: in any event, senator blumenthal, the floor is yours. thank you so much for gracing us with your presence. blumenthal: thank you. i'm pleased to introduce our fellow colleague, linda mcmahon. we know her as a fellow citizen of connecticut and as a successful business leader. as the cofounder and former ceo of the wwe and as a generous contributor to many significant charitable causes and educational institutions in connecticut, including, for universitycred heart , near where we live. in my view, mr. chairman, i recommend her because i think she would be an excellent fit for this agency based on her experience and expertise. as a business leader. she knows, as i do, that small businesses are the backbone of our economy. they are the most vibrant and vital job creators. they not only innovate by fostering new jobs, but they also inve

senator blumenthal. thank you. mr. blumenthal: madam president? the presiding officer: the mr. blumenthal: madam president, i am proud to join my colleagues, senators hirono and donnelly, and i want to thank them for their very impressive and steadfast efforts on behalf of medicare and medicaid during a time of tremendous uncertainty in our health care system, as unfortunately our friends on the other side of the aisle work toward repeal of the affordable care act without any replacement. and any clear plan on what the alternative will be. not only would repeal the affordable care act impact children, families, but most particularly our seniors who have worked hard and have earned the benefits of medicare, any additional changes to the program that have been previously suggested by republicans, whether changing the eligibility, age or privatization, have no place in a reconciliation that has not been fully debated by the house and senate and without a hearing from constituents and stakeholders about what those changes would mean. and that's why we are here in support of the ver

blumenthal. >> i am richard blumenthal from the great state of connecticut. quickly,nt to say real you know, my dad came to this country in 1935. to escape persecution as a refugee. he was 17-years-old. he had not much more than the shirt on his back. he spoke no english and new nobody in this country. the united states of america gave him a chance to succeed. he would be sad and ashamed of this order. he was a proud american. but he would be sad and ashamed based onon anyone religion or race or national origin. that kind of ban and discrimination are not only anti-immigrant, anti-refugee, anti-muslim, it is anti-american. so we need to fight, be strong, and this movement is capturing america. and it shoulding because this is a threat not just do one religion or one race, it is a threat to all of us. thank you for being here tonight. speaker pelosi and i am happy to introduce my colleague now. i am from the great state of oregon. oregon stands for liberty. oregon stands for justice. lady liberty. give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. isn't that

want to go to senator blumenthal. >> i supported the authorization with in it. when the sport said it was no longer necessary that section 5 be in it, i did not support the language that you offered that would basically put it back in. you and senator leahy, so i don't apologize for that. i think that was a legitimate decision and with regard to the question of voter id, i'm not sure it's inconclusively settled one way or the other whether a properly conducted voter id system is improper and discriminatory. indeed, the supreme court has held that voter id is legitimate. at least on certain circumstances. >> before senator blumenthal, i have another that has come to our attention. a letter that we received from some lawyers about the idea issues. these lawyers litigate cases on this issue. they say certain stories about the issue took senator session's comments out of context b and then they go on to note that is that right kennedy and others later reached an agreement with senator sessions on the issue. >> senator blumenthal. >> senator session, i want to per su

thank you very much. >> thank you, senator blumenthal. i was hoping she would have idaho at the top of her mind. >> i'll let her say that. >> i don't think she will. senator murphy, thank you for coming. we're all busy these days and it's tough to push certain things aside. but thank you so much. the floor is yours. >> thank you, chairman rich. ranking member shaheen, members of the committee. it is my pleasure to recommend linda mcmahon as the next leader of the small business administration. as you said, mr. chairman, this visual is going to be a little amusing and surprising to folks in connecticut who watched the three of us duke it out over two long senate campaigns. but you know what, politics can't work if political grudges never die. and political adversaries have to find a way to work together after the fight is over. and i'm here today to support linda not because we've magically become of one mind on how we approach every problem that this country faces but because i have confidence that she is going to give good sound counsel

i am very pleased to join with senator blumenthal to introduce her today. chairman: thank you, so much senators. we will advise the guinness world book of records about this event and get it duly noted. you are certainly welcome to stay, but knowing that we are all drinking out of a fire hose these days, you can certainly be excused and i'm sure you will see this when you need to see it. so, thank you so much. thank you for coming. >> thank you mr. chairman. chairman: thank you. where we are headed here and for everyone else, i am going to make a very brief opening statement. i will yield to senator shaheen to do likewise. at that point, he will administer the o's, which is -- oath andthe o's the floor will be yours to make an opening statement. as you can see, you have a list of people with deep, probing questions who will then take turns at you from each side. so, in any event, first of all thank you for coming to meet with me and spending the time that you did. and you for being willing to take on this important appointment. the small business administra

i just want to thank you for c-span but i was discouraged about my senator from connecticut, blumenthal. i think he really acted obnoxiously and he should be giving award for the worst senator and worst words of the whole session. thank you. >> here on c-span 3 throughout the day we have been bringing you live coverage from the senate judiciary committee. they started this hearing at 9:30 this morning. they have taken a few breaks and this one started about 6:00 eastern. what we expect to happen is for them to return for one last round, possible couple of senators and the chairman, senator grassley wrapping things up on day number one. again, this is the first of two days with jeff sessions. senator sessions testifying today and then other witnesses expected tomorrow. to new york, vincent on the democrats line. >> caller: yes, hello. well, i think senator jeff sessions presented himself very well but i really don't think he's the person we want in that office. there are many examples of racism on his part and i don't think he could fulfill the duties properly. we have heard quotes such

thank you very much. >> thank you, senator blumenthal. i was hoping she would have idaho at the top of the mind. >> i will let her say that. >> i don't believe she will. senator murphy, thank you for coming, and we are all busy these days and it is tough to push some things aside, but the floor is yours. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and chair shaheen, it is my pleasure to recommend linda mcmahon as the next leader of the business administrati administrations. it is going to be interesting to see the three us who duked it out after political campaigns, and politics cannot survive if we don't continue to find a way to work after the fight is over. i'm here to support linda not because we are magically one mind, but because i have confidence that she is going to give good sound counsel when it comes to president trump when it comes to small businesses. i believe she has passion to the job, and it is vital. at the core, the sba mission is simple. to help build and start small businesses. and every owner of a small business wants to own a big b

thank you, senator blumenthal. i was hoping she would have idaho at the top of her mind. >> i'll let her say that. >> i don't think she will. >> senator m, thank you for coming. the floor is yours. >> thank you so much, ranking members and chairman of the committee, it gives me great pleasure to introduce linda mcmahon to serve over the small business administration. as you said, this visual will be a little amusing and surprising to folks in connecticut who watched the three of us duke it out over two long senate campai campaigns. politics can't work if political grudges never die and political adversaries have to find a way to work together after the fight is over. i'm here today to support linda, not because we've magically become of one mind to approach every problem this country face, i have confidence she is going to give good sound council to president trump when it comes to policies affecting small business and i believe she has the passion. at its core, the sba is simple, to help americans start and grow s

connecticut democratic senator richard blumenthal, member of the judiciary committee. senator, have you determined how you'll vote in advance, and can you tell us the kind of questions you'll ask him tomorrow? >> i am going to make my decision once i hear from senator sessions himself in response to my questions and other colleagues, and the kind of questions i'm going to be asking will go to his record on civil rights and voting rights, on women's health care. he has denounced roe v. wade, which guarantees a woman's right to choose. and on other issues like religious freedoms, torture, where he's taken positions that i think are out of the mainstream, and of course his staunch and steadfast opposition to any kind of immigration reform. those answers to those questions, and some others, will determine how i'll vote. >> is it jermaine to you that he was turned down for the federal bench by this same committee, though admittedly it has turned over several times over? >> brian, it is germane, because a public record, a man's career, his life's work, all of it is germane,

we heard from senator richard blumenthal, the connecticut democrat. he's one of the three we're waiting to hear from. we talked to him last night and again this afternoon keeping his cards close to the vest how he'll vote and keeping his cards pretty close to the vest on the questions he will ask this afternoon. one person who has been there watching this all, part of a number of civil rights folks who have been keeping pressure, al franken is on the hill, been in the hearing room. what have you heard that has given you pause? >> well, i heard a lot this morning he has answered some of the questions in an interesting way, because i think the problem, brian, that many in the civil rights community has is where he can deny whether or not he made certain statements that he's on record voting and supporting for example the shelby decision, which led to the supreme court decision that took out section five of the voting rights act. he's been on record concerning voter i.d. so we can have different opinions. we can't have different facts. when you have some

. >> before i call on senator blumenthal, out of consideration for you, i want to explain what i think we have left here. if you need a break, tell me. we've got two democrats and two republicans to do a second round, beside the chairman, but i'm going to wait until later to do my second round. we've got two democrats, i've been told, at least want a third round. and, so, what i would like to do is, first of all, if you need a break, we'll take a break whenever you say so now. and in the meantime, i'd like to have my colleagues be -- take into consideration something i want to do. i want everybody to get over here that wants to ask questions and i'm not going to take up anybody's time until everybody else is done, and then i want to take about maybe 15 or 20 minutes of your time to do the equivalent of a couple rounds with questions i haven't asked yet. so, what's your desire? >> i'm ready to go. >> okay. >> i may take a break at some point. >> you just say when you want to take a break. >> thank you. >> senator blumenthal. >> thanks, mr. chairman. thank you, senator sessions. i was pl

blumenthal: thank you, mr. president. the senate is holding hearings on each of president-elect trump's nominees to his cabinet. traditionally, presidents are given a high in assembling their team. they are accountable to the american people, too. no cabinet member is more powerful or has more impact on the day-to-day lives of americans than the attorney general of the united states, and i ask that the full transcript or recordin recordine transcript of my remarks be included in full, if there's no objection. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blumenthal: the attorney general is indeed a general, in command of an army of thousands of lawyers whose words carry enormous weight and power, and it is the weight and power of the people of the united states. he speaks for us. he charges defendants in our name. he has sweeping authority to bring criminal charges in all federal owe fensz, enormous, unreviewable discretion in cases ranging from minor misdemeanors to felonies, in every sense that capital penalties can be

blumenthal, no. >> because healthcare should not just be for the healthy. >> senate will be in order.the r it is not allowed during a vote. >> madam clerk. >> mr. white house. >> how my recorded. >> the senator is not recorded. >> on behalf of 14-year-old in rhode island and the policy and cannot be denied healthcare. >> senate will be in order. debate is not allowed. >> mr. reid. >> i vote no. >> mr. reid, no. >> mr. franken. >> how my recorded. >> the senator is not recorded. >> i vote no on behalf of the more than 3.3 million minnesotans who can no longer be discriminated against because of the aca. >> the senate will be in order. >> mr. franken, no. >> mdm. clerk. >> ms. warren. >> how my recorded.. >> the senator is not recorded. >> madam clerk, on behalf of of republicans and democrats who have worked for a decade to bring healthcare to 97% of our a our -- i vote no. >> the senator is out of order. >> my conscience impels me to vote no. >> debate is not allowed. >> mr. king, no. >> madam clerk how my recorded. >> the senator is not recorded. >> on behalf of the 5 million california

blumenthal: the fight must toon, after his defeat douglas. the cause of civil liberty must not be surrounded at the end of one, or even 100 defeats. >> for a complete schedule, go to c-span.org. >> "washington journal continues. morning,our table this president of the the american federation of government employees. i want to show our viewers first what sean spicer, the white house secretary had to say -- the reason why the president went forward with this, and get your reaction on the other side. guest: sure. [video clip] spicer: encounters genetic expansion of the it counters- expansion of the workforce. it does not apply to military personnel, and it ensures the american taxpayers get effective and efficient government. host: j. david cox. guest: number one, the number of federal employees has been very much flat lined at 50 years right at 2 million employees. it was that many during the kennedy administration. it went up or down just a small fraction. what has increased through the years started in the reagan administration, the shadow wo

blumenthal. >> how am i recorded?d. >> the senator is not recorded. >> on behalf of all the people . -- >> debate is not allowed during a vote. the senate will be in order. >> i vote no. >> debate is not allowed during a vote. >> mr. wyden? >> because healthcare should noj just be for the healthy and, wealthy -- >> the senate will be in order. debate is not allowed during a vote. >> mr. wyden, no. how >> madam clerk, how my recordedf >> the senator is not recorded on behalf of 14 year old -- debate is not allowed during a vote. the senate will be in order. and -- the senate will be in order. the continue -- the clerk will continue to call the role. >> mr. white house know. >> mr. reid, no. >> madam clerk? on >> mr. franken. >> the senator is not recorded in i vote no behalf of the more than -- debate is not allowed during a vote -- >> who can no longer be o discriminated against because of the aca. the senate will be in order. >> mr. franken, no. madam >> madam clerk? >> ms. warren. n >> how am i recorded?rren: m >> t

and i'm out of time so maybe we can get that in writing. >> senator blumenthal, i want to thank you on behalf of all the men and women in the intelligence community, i want to thank you for that. >> thank you. >> thank you all for appearing before us. mr. secretary, director clapper, since this is your final appearance, i know you hope, thank you very much for your many years of service, director clapper particularly you, i'll add my voice to senators blumenthal and mccaskill and add my admiration for men and women in our intelligence agencies. i've had a chance as a member of the intelligent committee to meet them here in hearings and at their headquarters around the world and they don't get the credit they often deserve. the troops we help provide for in this committee usually do because they wear uniforms and are known in public but intelligence officers don't wear uniforms and are often undercover. i want to express my deepest respect and gratitude for what they do. we've heard a lot of imprecise here today, "hacked the election, undermined democracy, intervened an election," i wan

blumenthal. >> no. >> mr. donnelly. >> aye. >> mrs. hirono. >> aye. > mr. king. >> aye by proxy. >> mr. heinrich. >> mr. heinrich. >> aye. >> mrs. warren. > no. >> mr. peters. >> mr. peters. >> aye. >> mr. chairman. >> mr. chairman. >> aye. >> 24 ayes, 3 nays, the notion is agreed to. >> i want to thank all members for their cooperation, and hopefully we can get this done before the 3:00 so that people who have plans can fulfill those. i want to thank every member for their cooperation and if there's any further business, if not, this hearing is adjourned. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national able satellite corp. 2016] >> c-span continues to follow president-elect trump on the road to the white house. from trump tower in new york city, a conversation with two key trump administration staffers. elly ann conaway and shawn spicer. what we can expect from a president donald trump. first we sit down with kelly ann conaway and incoming white house counseler. >> donald trump has transformed the republican party into

senator richard blumenthal sits on the committee that will approve or deny his nomination. he will explain the delay. >>> plus -- >> the white house expected to weigh in momentarily over at the daily briefing. there you see live pictures for the briefing room. sean spicer, his second q & a with reporters coming up as well. people confuse nice and kind but they're different... nice tells you what you want to hear. but kind is honest. this bar is made with cranberries and almonds. so, guess what? we call it cranberry almond. give kind a try. won't replace the full value of your totaled new car. the guy says you picked the wrong insurance plan. no, i picked the wrong insurance company. with liberty mutual new car replacement™, you won't have to worry about replacing your car because you'll get the full value back including depreciation. and if you have more than one liberty mutual policy, you qualify for a multi-policy discount, saving you money on your car and home coverage. call for a free quote today. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. >>> welcome back

forensics, blumenthal was hacked by three intelligence services, two unfriendly, russia, china, and one friendly. 367 when donald trump said she ex posed state secrets to hostile foreign intelligence and mrs. clinton denied it, we know beyond a doubt donald trump was correct, mrs. clinton was wrong. kennedy: she said unequivocally she was not hacked and she knows this for certain -- i don't know how she knows. >> i would say she knows she was lying because she knew of said - knew that sid blumenthal was hacked. so why is think it significant? one of the metrics the justice department used when see siding to prosecute. was there harm? we now know there is harm in this case. once secrets got in the hands of foreign intelligence agents. >> the difference is the f.b.i. detectivor said intent is a big ingredient in that stew, and you say you don't will to have intent some show there was harm. >> in my view you should have to show intent in every crime. but this is the rare time when congress says you don't have to show intents. you only have to show gross negligence. combative said she wasn'

blumenthal: thank you, mr. president. i'm honored to be here tonight with my very eloquent colleague, senator franken of minnesota, and also with two colleagues who will follow me shortly, senator schatz and senator markey. all of them are great champions of better, more affordable health care for all, the people who live in this kurntion the greatest country in the history of the world because we care about each other and we care about the common good. that's what the affordable care act represents. it isn't perfect. no great social reform ever is the first time around, including social security. but it can be repaired and improved without completely repealing it. and to repeal it without a replacement is the height of irresponsibility. the first order of business for the republican leadership during this session of congress is to tear down and rip apart the affordable care act, not to deal with job creation or economic growth. in fact, the affordable care act provides 3 million jobs in our country, and repealing it woul

senator blumenthal wanted to ask additional questions. >> i have just a few questions. as you know, one aspect of the very broad and very responsibilities that you would have if confirmed pertain to fighting boycotts of american companies that in effect refused to do business with companies, with countries. israel is one where action has been taken. your department has the authority which is tasked with prohibiting businesses with the u.s. president from boycotting countries like israel or at the request of a foreign government. in 2015 i wrote to the congress and was joined by a number of colleagues including several on the committee. we wrote in response to a number of claims in which travelers with israeli passports were denied and we wrote to the united states department of transportation which agreed the incidents wanted further inquiry. the department of commerce deflected our inquiry, providing little information or concern. that raises for me a very important overall issue, standing up to efforts to boycott israel or any other country in these kinds of business

thank you. >> senator blumenthal, thank you senator sessions. i was pleased to hear you dis-vow and dis-announce operation rescue. i want to ask about a couple other groups and individuals. in 2003 at an event called restoration weekend you gave a speech praising a man named david har wits as a man, quote, a man i admire. david horowitz has said among other things that quote, all the major muslim organizations in america are connected to the muslim brotherhood and quote 80% of the mosques are filled with hate against jews in americans. he's also made a number of statements about african-americans as in, quote, too many blacks are in prison because too many blacks commit crimes. you praised him as a man i admire. that statement was omitted from your response to the committee. did you omit it because you were embarrassed about praising david horowitz? >> no and i didn't know david horowitz had made those comments. i read his book but it was his transformation having grown up in a as he described it, communist family. he was editor of ramparts maga

blumenthal: thank you, mr. president. i ask that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. blumenthal: thank you, mr. president. as the presiding officer well knows, the secretary of state is one of the most important positions in the president's cabinet. he is the nation's chief diplomat, and he champions american values. he is the symbol, in a sense, the chief voice and advocate around the world of america. and the secretary of state is, in a sense, our representative to the world, embodying and promoting hopefully the best in america to billions of people around the globe, proving to the world yet again that america is exceptional, that we are the greatest country in the history of the world, and that we have a respect for the rule of law for human dignity and rights for all, including the right to live in a safe and free environment. past secretaries of state have changed history, averted and navigated wars, brokered peace, championed human rights and fought to make the world a better pl

blumenthal ony the political forces that shaped our 16th president's views on slavery. >> the fight must go on. because of civil liberty must not be surrendered at the end of one or even 100 defeats. >> for a complete schedule, go to www.c-span.org. >> "washington journal" continues. host: welcome back. we want to hear what you think about president donald trump's first week in office. democrats, please call 202-748-8000. republicans, call 202-748-8001. the independent line is 202-748-8002. the president signed some 15 executive actions this week tackling everything from rolling back the affordable care act to the southern border wall to temporarily stopping the refugee resettlement program. here's what he said this week in an interview with abc news on his views about illegal voting. [video clip] i said it and i said it strongly because what is going on with voter fraud is horrible. won the popular vote if i was campaigning for the popular vote. i would have gone to california, i would have gone to new york. i would have gone to a couple of places i did not go to. i would have one that

senator blumenthal? >> thank you. and thank you for conducting this hearing in such a fair-minded and deliberate way. i want to join you in thanking senator sessions for his public service over so many years and his family who shared in the sacrifices that you have made. so i am sure that my colleagues and i appreciate your service and your friendship. this experience for us is a difficult one. not only because you're a colleague, but i consider you a friend and someone who is well liked and respected in this body underably. and i know if you were sitting here, you would be tough on me. maybe tougher than me on you. but we have consent to ask those kinds of tough questions. and you and i have shared some experiences. both of us have been united states attorneys and attorneys general of our state and i want it thank you as well for thanking our law enforcement community which is so important to this nation. and it makes sacrifice answers those sacrifices are not only in time and forgone income but also in lives and i j

director clapper particularly, i'll add my voice to senators blumenthal and mccaskill in my admiration of the men and women in our intelligence agencies. i've had a chance to meet them here, at hearings, in their headquarters around the world. they don't get the credit they often deserve. the troops we help provide for in this community usually do because they wear uniforms and are known in public. but intelligence officers don't wear uniforms and are frequently undercover. interto respect my admiration and deepest respect and gratitude for what they do. we've heard a lot of imprecise language here today, and it's been in the media as well, phrases like "hacked the election," "undermined democracy," i want to be more precise here. director clapper, let's go to the october 7th statement. that says, quote, the recent compromises of e-mails from u.s. persons and institutions, including from u.s. political organizations was directed by the russian government. are we talking there specifically about the hack of the dnc and the hack of john podesta's e-mails? >> yes. >> are we talking about

blumenthal ony the political forces that shaped our 16th president's views on slavery. >> the fight must go on. because of civil liberty must not be surrendered at the end of one or even 100 defeats. >>

blumenthal of connecticut. mr. blunt of missouri. mr. boozman of arkansas. [inaudible conversations] >> you guys, step up. there you go. please raise your right hand. do you solemnly swear he will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic come that you will bear true faith in the same that you take this oath, this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and you will well and faithfully discharge of duties to the office on whicho. you're you are about to enter so help you god? congratulations. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> the clerk will call the roll to the next group. >> mr. burr of north carolina. ms. cortez masto of nevada. mr. crapo of idaho. of mrs. duckworth of illinois. [inaudible conversations] >> raise your right hand. do you solemnly swear he was supported within the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same compa

they died silently and swiftly.y >> and at 8:00, on the presidency, sidney blumenthal, of "a self-made man" forces thatlitical shaped our 16th president's views on slavery. must go on, he would write to a friend two , to digter his defeat las, in the 1858 senate race, civil liberty must not be surrendered at the end of even 100 defeats. >> for a complete american schedule, go to c-span.org. >> let me assert my firm belief have to only thing we fear is fear itself! >> you're looking at a newly digitized copy of a 1933 newsreel of franklin roosevelt's first inaugural onress, originally recorded 35-millimeter film. this and about 300,000 other of film are preserved at the national archives in college .ark, maryland american artifacts visited the archives to learn about new digital copies of some of f.d.r.'s most well-known speeches. >> my name is chris kovac, motionsor of the mcpicture lab at the national archives, archives ii facility in college park, maryland. >> and my name is matt hanson, the audio visual archivist at f.d.r. presidential library in high park, new york. the projectrtak

sidney blumenthal, offer of a self-made man, the the political life of abraham lincoln 1809 - 1849 about the political forces that shaped his views on slavery. >> the fight must go on he would write to a friend two weeks after his defeat to douglas in 1858 senate race. because of civil liberty, it must not be surrendered at the end of one or even 100 defeats. for complete american history tv schedule, go to cspan.org. next, south dakota senator looks at the future of the internet and ways to modernize the fcc. he currently serves as chair of the senate commerce and transportation committee. this is 25 minutes. >> all right. let's get started again for the final session of the day. i am very honored, i am head of global public policy for comcast and nbc universal. i'm very honored to be able to introduce south dakota senator who just arrived by what sounds like was a bumpy air travel. we are very glad he made it. he is beginning his second term as chairman of the committee on commerce senate transportation where he will continue to play a pivotal role in many of the issues that we have be

senator blumenthal. >> thank you, and thank you for conducting this hearing in such a fair-minded and deliberate way. i want to join you in thanking senator sessions for his public service over so many years. and his family who have shared in the sacrifices that you have made. so i am sure that my colleaguesing and i appreciate your service and your friendship. this experience for us is a difficult one. not only because you're a colleague but i consider you to be a friend and some one who is well liked and respected in this body, understandably. nd i know if you were sitting here, you would be pretty tough on me. maybe tougher than i'm going to be on you. but it's not personal, you understand, we have an obligation to advise and con stoent ask those kinds of tough questions. you and i have shared some experiences, we've both been united states attorneys and attorneys general of our state. and i want to thank you as well, for thanking our law enforcement community which is so important to this nation. and it makes sacrifices. and those sacrifices often are not only in time and forgone

. >> and at 8:00, on the presidency, sydney blumenthal, author of a self-made man, the political life of abraham lincoln 1809 to 1849 about the political forces that shaped our 16th president's views on slavery. >> the fight must go on he would write to a friend two weeks after his defeat in the 1858 senate race. the cause of civil liberty must not be surrendered at the end of one or even 100 defeats. >> for a complete american history tv schedule, go to c-span.org. >>> british prime minister theresa may is visiting the white house tomorrow for meetings with president trump. she'll be the first foreign leader to meet with mr. trump since he took the oath of office last friday. this morning prime minister may appeared before parliament where she was asked about that trip. >> will the prime minister, mr. speaker, also take this opportunity today to congratulate the 100,000 people who marched in britain last weekend to highlight women's rights after president

. >> and that eight on the presidency, sidney blumenthal, about the political forces that shape our 16th presidents views on slavery. >> the fight must go on you would write to a friend two weeks after his defeat to douglas in the 1858 senate race. because of civil liberty, must not be surrendered at the end of one or even 100 defeats. >> for our complete tv schedule go to c-span.org. >> c-span, where history unfolds daily. in 1979 c-span was greater as a public service by america's cable-television companies and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. spit in his annual state of the state address california governor jerry brown urged state lawmakers to oppose the policies of president trump a special on the issue of immigration. from the state capitol in sacramento, this is 20 minutes. [applause] >> thank you. [applause] thank you. i'm not sure what that reference to the calendar was. [laughter]

they died silently and swiftly.y >> and at 8:00, on the presidency, sidney blumenthal, of "a self-made man" forces thatlitical shaped our 16th president's views on slavery. must go on, he would write to a friend two , to digter his defeat las, in the 1858 senate race, civil liberty must not be surrendered at the end of even 100 defeats. >> for a complete american schedule, go to c-span.org.

we were speaking with connecticut'sry charred blumenthal and he intends to vote know. he is a democrat. we expect this to be a party line vote nn committee but that advantage republicans have would give jeff sessions the presumption of moving forward. but his appearance, i'm just checking, it looks -- okay, there are others down the hall. lots of running around here. that's the nature of the place. but richard blumenthal said he had great concerns about the actions that unfolded last night and it is moving toward a real constitutional question and he has great concerns. in his life prior to coming to the united states senate he was a state attorney general in connecticut and a u.s. attorney and has background on this, as many members of the committee do. so they understand these issues in ways that go beyond just a general knowledge. so we expect that there will be a lot of emotion around this and that for jeff sessions who has been expecting to go through this process thinking perhaps the worst issues had been behind him, with questions raised about his failure to ris

[applause] sidney blumenthal: well, thank you very much for those kind and generous words.

just going to listen in to senator blumenthal here. >> when things like not paying your social security taxes were enough to keep you from getting confirmed and now a series of nominees with some -- items and back grounds, whether it is the exxonmobil, russia stuff, or whether it is, you know, senator sessions -- whatever, are we -- is this changing the standard here of just -- or just the speed of it all. it seems like he's putting up people who i'm not even sure they fully vetted in the transition, doesn't seem like they have, but -- >> it has been completely inadequate vetting of the nominees. the standards of the past seem to have no application. they have been completely disregarded. by the trump administration. and that's a real tragedy because in the past, qualifications and merit have been much more effectively considered. and some people have been disqualified for reasons that now may be disclosed after a nominee has been sworn into office. >> and it is not just about paying them, it is about financial interests that may be in the billions of dollars. >> right. well, that's my

blumenthal was using that questioning to say if the secretary of commerce is trying to avoid conflicts and is separating himself from his massive wealth, shouldn't the president do the same thing? beyond that, there's been a lot of conversation about things like trade where he and trump ring the same bell sag that nafta is something they could look at right away. he explained why he opposed the trans-pacific partnership. also talking about things like rural broadband and infrastructure. donald trump wants to increase infrastructure. ross is saying that oppressed by republicans from ruraluaries that they would consider expanding access to the internet in places where it is not so readily available. i think the big things about wilbur ross are more about who he is and what he's done in his professional life than any big conflict between him and the president-elect. but because his role would focus greatly on trade, that, of course, was an issue that got donald trump through the whole election season. and that will make him a focus in the administration if he is confirmed. so wilbur ross