Engineers to say these are the basic requirements and put our buildings together. So we could give you many documents, i think you have requested many of those already and were in the process of giving those, so im happy again to have our folks work with yours and to prioritize the list of things that youre asking for and to make sure that you get every single thing that youre asking for. This is sort of the recurring theme here. Were asking what was the plan for kabul, and there wasnt one. What is the plan for Design Excellence as opposed to standard embassy design, which was pretty fairly clearly defined. There are plans for both. And we can provide you documents for all of those things if we havent already. That would be great, because we have been asking for a long period of time. And we still havent got to that point where you could say, all right, now based on this, you should be able to understand everything were doing with Design Excellence. Thats what were trying to get to. Thats why we keep asking. Thats the goal. But i need your help in getting to that point. I understand. Mr. Starr youre involved in the construction of the new Embassy Compound in jakarta indonesia, correct . Have you conducted any blast testing for the facade of the jakarta facility . Not on that particular one. Weve done extensive testing on facades and blast facades and what levels theyll meet. Im confident that that Building Meetings or exceeds our blast standards. But it has been the practice to do an actual blast test on the facade that would be there in jakarta . No. In that case, it was within the Design Engineering parameters that the blast engineers felt comfortable that looking and reviewing the drawings, they said yes, this meets the parameters. We did blast testing on the london design because these were very harm and a different type of design but the parameters on jakarta fell within what the engineers were very comfortable with. Theyre very experienced and theyre confident absolutely, that it exceeds our blast requirements. And can you provide us that documentation . . Yes, i think we can. Its my understanding that we actually conduct actual blast testing, youre telling me we use the exact facade that has gone through the other physical testing . Is there anything, in other words, is there anything different about this facade or wall that is, that has not been used before previously . Let me take part of that question. So the curtain wall in the curtain wall used in jakarta is not dissimilar to the curtain wall used in london to the degree that those are curtain walls that have what we call an open light. As you know there were tests performed on the London Embassy and the performance, and those tests went very well. But there were several times where it did fail, correct . No. Youre telling me they didnt do any tests where they failed . . Im telling you there was one fullscale blast test and it passed. But there were previous tests on that wall that failed. There were component tests that were derived to provide nafgs for the final blast test, but there was one blast test of the full curtain wall and it passed. Okay. Thats not my understanding of it. I mean, i think we actually have video of it so be careful there, but i dont believe that the original tests that were done on the blast wall in london passed. There was one fullscale test of the curtain wall in london and it passed, and it passed with flying colors. Using the exact same wall in jakarta . . We are. Que are not use we are not using the exact same wall. There are variations. And it has been used for years. When they were comfortable from the results of the london test that this solution worked, they accepted the calculations many of these performance standards are met by calculation and by engineers who have done this for years. Ds and the engineers who developed the curtain wall were comfortable that they met all of the standards. Sir weve done a prmd amount of blast testing over the years. And what we do is test to find out what works and what doesnt work. In early stages we often find things that dont work and then we correct them and then we eventually get to the point where we think weve got a high level of confidence. And then we did the largescale test of all of the panels. And then that passed. So failure at an earlier stage in blast testing gives us the information to make the corrections and do the right things so when we get to that engineering point we know we have a product that works. And so how would you categorize where were at in jakarta and this blast wall . Sir, we wrote a certification to congress. Anytime we build a building, we tell you that that building is going to meet or exceed the Security Standards and be safe and secure for our people, our National Security activities and our information. And we sense that certification to congress and that building will pass everything. For the one in jakarta. Yes. Is the embassy current in jakarta currently scheduled to be delivered as its originally scheduled, or if its not on time, when will it be done . Right now our contract completion is 2017. As you might know jakarta was built on an existing Embassy Compound, so we were working with a very tight site. Had a multiphase project where the first phase had to was to move most of the embassy function off the compound to allow for the construction of the full embassy. We encountered some difficulties with the contractor in that first phase which has delayed the later phase. We are working with the current contractor who is a very strong contractor through the project to see what time can be made up for. But right now there are no final adjustments to the project schedule. So it will be on time, or you think it might be delayed, but you just dont have a date yet . I think it might be delayed, but we dont have a date finalized. But when we do contractually we can provide that. And how does it compare to the original budget . Do my knowledge right now, we are on budget. Are there any anticipated requests from the contractor for addition alimony to complete the jakarta facility . I would say until a pro wrebt is completed, we always anticipate that there will be requests for equitable ajustments from contractors, so i would say that we expect them like we do on any project and we work through them. We manage to our budgets to the best that we can, to include, beginning to cut things out of the budget of the existing building. So thats just an ongoing process of just managing to the budget. Are you aware of any upcoming requests for addition alimony to build and finish the Jakarta Embassy . I believe i already answered your question, but i can answer it again. Like with any contract im asking if you have any direct knowledge that theyre about to ask you for a lot of additional money . Do you or do you not . I dont. . Do you, mr. Starr . No, i certainly dont. I want to ask you just one more time. Contractor indicated any intention to request an equitable adjustment. Ms. Muniz . Ive answered this question a number of times. Im going to ask it because i obviously know something about this, and i want you to be direct and complete with you act as if its your money and there isnt going to be some sort of consequence here. Theres obviously a lot of information i have at my disposal, and i want to know if youre going to be truthful and honest with us because you have yet to show or demonstrate to the United States congress that you can produce a project on budget on time that is safe and secure. It hasnt happened. We keep seeing overrun after overrun after overrun. Mexico city, mozambique zimbabwe jakarta. The list is pretty long. London. I can go through if you want to have another hearing. Oh, were going to. Youre going to be a regular visitor up here. No doubt about it. Im happy to do that. Then provide us the documents we ask. And be forthright in your comments. . We have provided you with over 60,000 pages. I want to know what percentage. Im tired of the state department telling us weve been given a certain number of documents. We are asking for basic documenting, for instance your testimony by a certain time. Which was late everybody else was on time, except yours. Its unbelievable how you respond to us. And were not going to continue to stand for that. Youre right. We will continue to drag you up here. Wed rather not. Wed much rather have sfaf meeting and get this information. . And we have been having those staff meetings, and we have provided a great deal of information. Im happy to continue to do so. All of the questions and concerns that have been raised about the Excellence Initiative with respect to cost and schedule are valid concerns, but we have answers to all of those and im also happy to report that of the four Excellence Initiative projecting or five that you have requested which ones would we say are under excellence . All of them are being delivered on budget, on schedule. The only one delayed is because of a new msg activation and we had to extend a contract to build the marine headquarters after the initial contract. Everything is as it should be. What are those four . One minute. Intention, pair me bow, walk taun and thank you. Two more questions. In iraq you recall off the top of your head, granted the focus of this hearing is about afghanistan. The number of beds and desks built versus numbers of beds and desks occupied . Do you have that number . Or is that something you can provide this committee at some point . I think thats something we can provide. Its not something i have off the top of my head. Okay, i hope its not a difficult ask and we would expect and hope that you would get it to us sooner rather than later. Last question, set of questions here on cyber security. Are you aware of any Network Disruptions or cyber intrusions that have affected obo at the state department . We have not we have had network intrusions. They have not affected any of our databases and obo was not affected by them. They affected our emails at one point, but they did not affect any of our databases or our systems. Is there any indication that any systems containing Sensitive Information about our embassies physical security was either viewed or compromised, extracted or hacked into in any way, shape, or form . Im not aware of any information to that point. Nothing regarding your department ms. Muniz . Not that i know of, not that i know of. We could go back and look. And ask the appropriate people, but im not sure what youre referring to. Sir, through the years, and im going back quite a ways. There were incidents where some documents were improperly handled. Security violations were hand out and procedures were improved. I dont think, i dont believe theres been any cyber intrusions into this. Its just over the last 12 months, obviously. Weve had a number issues and incidents and some very highprofile intrusions. Were in a regular basis going to be asking departments and agencies as they come up here if thats been affecting them in any way, shape, or form. Its just sort of a general question that were going to be asking. Its been a long hearing thank you for your time. We do appreciate it. A lot of good men and women do a lot of good service. They care about their country, theyre working hard. Please we know and appreciate this is part of the process in the United States of america. Its what makes our country great. Its why our founders in their infinite wisdom set this up this way. And thats our role and responsibility under the constitution, and were going to fulfill it. And we appreciate you doing your jobs, and gone, we thank you for your time. This committee stands adjourned. Friday on cspan 3, a discussion about terrorism in the middle east and south asia. Military and Foreign Policy analysts will discuss efforts to fight isis in iraq and syria, and the threat al qaeda poses in afghanistan and pakistan. Live coverage begins at noon eastern time here on cspan 3. Heres some of our featured programs for this weekend on the cspan networks. With the upcoming release of harper lees new novel cspan focuses on the novelist. We talk about the impact on lees work to kill a mockingbird. Well also reair these programs sunday evening beginning at 6 30 eastern. Also hugh hewitt on Hillary Clintons second run for president. On cspan, saturday night, starting at 8 00. Congressional commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war with readings and remarks by members of congress. And gop candidate Carly Fiorina visits with New Hampshire voters. Saturday at 8 00 eastern on lectures and history the factors that led to the Great Depression and president roosevelts actions to help the American People and the economy. And sunday evening at 6 30 a bestselling novelist on general sherman and why sherman is not the villain of popular legend. Get the complete schedule at cspan. Org. Garrison keillor recently announced plans to leave the show at the end of the year. Humorist and author Garrison Keillor spoke at a National PressClub Luncheon recently and gave advice to the movers and shakers in town. This is about an hour. Welcome to the National Press club. My name is john hughes, im an editor for bloomberg first word the breaking news desk here in washington and im president of the club. Just for today i also want to mention i am a native minnesotan. [ applause ] so our guest today is minnesotas Garrison Keillor the greatest American Storyteller and host of the long running radio show. A prairie home companion. I want to introduce our head table. Each person should stand briefly as names are announced. From the audiences right, sam husseini Communications Director at the institute for public accuracy. Laura litvan, reporter from Bloomberg News. Al eisley a minnesota native. Former washington correspondent for night ritter editor at large for the hill and former press secretary for Vice President walter mondale. Martha craver, associate editor for the kiplinger letter. Allen bierga a minnesotan and agriculture reporter for Bloomberg News and former National PressClub President. Tameka smith, National Public radios wamu. Allison fitzgerald managing editor for finance at the center for public integrity. Skipping over our speaker for a moment, angela keen a minnesotan, a White House Correspondent for Bloomberg News, a former National PressClub President , and the Speakers Committee member who organized todays lunch. Thank you, angela. Menachem wecker, a tremendous reporter who covers art, religion and education. Elizabeth jia a multimedia reporter producer or cbs affiliate wusa channel 9. Verdoze al farouk medical reporter for the gray sheet. And devon henry a native minnesotan and energy and environment reporter for the hill. [ applause ] i want to welcome our cspan and public radio audiences. And remind you that you can follow the action today on twitter. Use the npclunch. And remember the public attends our lunches. Applause is not evidence of a lack of journalistic objectivity. Well Garrison Keillor is a storyteller, author, humorist and radio personality. Hes best known as the voice on the Radio Program he created 40 years ago. A prairie home companion is now heard by more than 4 million listeners each week. The program as we know is set in lake woe begin, a fictional town in minnesota. This is the place where children are above average, men are good looking, and women are strong. As a humorist, keeler is often compared with mark twain and will rogers. Like mr. Rogers, keillor has made multiple visits here to the National Press club. He spoke here in 1986, 1987, and he spoke again in 1949. After 21 years, we are so glad that hes back again and clearly he was waiting until minnesotans were more in charge of the place before he was going to come back. Keillor is in the Nations Capital for performances at wolf trap today and tomorrow, and this summer he hits the road for a prairie home companions america the beautiful. This is a tour of 30 cities in 36 days. His latest book, the keillor reader, just came out in soft cover and on july 4th, a prairie home companion will celebrate its 41st anniversary with a live outdoor broadcast in st. Paul at mcallister college. That was the location of the first broadcast of a prairie home companion on july 6th, 1974. Keillor is active in Democratic Politics so he may have a thought or two about that subject. Hes going to talk with us about 15 things that need to happen tomorrow. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm National Press club welcome to Garrison Keillor. [ applause ] thank you very much. John, youre much too kind. Dont make that mistake again. Youll be held to account. Honored to be here with you, and such a great honor that i have gone to the lengths of writing out a speech which i never, ever do. Reminds me too much of being in college. 15 things that need to change right away is the revised title of my speech. I came up with this because i was thinking about another speech i gave which also was a great honor. I was invited to give the baccalaureate address at princeton university. I was up in princeton earlier this week, and it all came back to me much too clearly. So i wrote this speech. I thought i should Say Something inspiring to these young graduates and something about, you know, life is adversity, and you know, its in struggle that we come to understand ourselves. And then i thought, no i should make it funny. And, so i worked on that. And i had a story in there about the first outhouse tipping that i experienced in minnesota. Which i was very much involved in as a victim. But you can change these things around. You know, and so i was going to do that. And then i wasnt sure that princeton graduates would know what an outhouse was. So, i revised that. And wound up in princeton with this speech in high pocket, and it was an academic procession through the campus, through these, you know, silent, you know, awestruck crowds. And all of these people with gorgeous academic robes and multicolored hoods, and sashes, and so on, from having gotten a ph. D. At oxford or cambridge or, you know, dubai, or the university of phoenix or wherever. And there i was in this plain black robe which seemed to say, vocational school. So i made my way into the great gothic chapel there and ive got this introduction even more fulsom than johns, which sounded so much like a eulogy. And then i made my way up to the pulpit. You have to cross over the nave, and you have to climb this steep stairway, twopart stairway, up to the pulpit, which is up against a wall, a stone wall. The applause lasted about halfway up. And so the first thing that the audience heard from me was heavy breathing. And i launched into this speech, which was funny. I mean, it was conceptually funny. And there was and there was nothing, people looked sort of studious and their eyes were closed, some of them. And there was a little bit of laughter way off in the corner. But not much. And, and it dawned on me about three minutes into this 20minute speech that my voice was bouncing around in all of this gothic grandeur, i could hear things i had said 15 or 20 seconds before. So that the people who are sitting out in front of me could not hear a single word i was saying they could hear a few words, but not whole sentences. And, i cut about ten minutes out of the speech by eliminating pages four and five, and shot to the end. And there was grateful applause. And i came down and through the crowd, and to a reception. And people walked up to me and said, good job. Nothing specific. Good job. You know, as you would say to a child who had had a bowel movement, and, you know, not that i disagree with that fourth point that you made. Which i hadnt made. And it dawned on me i thought at this reception and in the long, painful ride back home to minnesota, that as i look back on my career in broadcasting, nobody had ever complimented me on a specific thing. Nobody had ever quoted back to me some brilliant thing i had ever said. It was always general. We like your show. It really relaxes our children. We listen to it late at night. And it occurred to me that perhaps i had spent 40 years in radio as a sort of comforting baritone presence. And that nobody heard anything in particular that i had said. Im willing to accept that. Im a christian. We want to be of service. But today, i want to give a speech thats a little more specific. So that youll find things to disagree about. Its inspired by the feeling that i had when president obama announced back in december that the administration is going to pursue an opening to cuba. This was thrilling to me. It was like spring coming to minnesota in midjune. It was it was like it was like when the plane finally begins to move, youve been sitting on the tarmac for hours, perhaps days, youve lost track, youve heard one explanation after another, weather related, air traffic control, a flashing light in the cockpit, one pilot is depressed, i dont know what. But, and then finally you begin to move and you feel incredulity. Thats how i felt when the president announced that and things started to move forward. Somebody in washington was recognizing reality. And this, to the rest of us, is just astonishing. I was a college kid when this blockade of cuba went into effect. I was a poet. I was writing poems in all lowercase letters. And now i am on social security. Now people address me as sir. People say, would you like to use the stairs, or would you like to take the elevator . All of this time has gone by. And to see the government move on this is astonishing. Something happened. Something was done. And now you hear about a Ferry Service thats going to open up between miami, key west, and havana. The Minnesota Orchestra has gone on tour to cuba. They were thrilled. They came back ecstatic. These are musicians, they never get ecstatic. And things arent things are happening. Its just so utterly astonishing. The president recognizing reality. I felt the same way when he announced that he was going to take executive action to protect 5 million undocumented workers from deportation. Nobody was ever talking about deporting these people. Because they work. We need them. Theyre part of our economy. Perhaps 11 million undocumented workers. Nobody was talking about shipping them out. The work, the paperwork, just astonishing to think of what it would take and nobody wants to send them away so why not recognize them and give them some stability in our country so that people cannot pay them 0. 85 an hour and have the work 85 hour weeks. Why not . This was astonishing. Somebody in washington recognizing reality. And so my speech today. 15, numbered, 15 numbered things that need to happen that need to happen tomorrow. Washington has such a reputation for inaction and blockade and dysfunction that some of small symbolic thing would be a good first move and i think it is time to finally name the streets downtown the only have initial letters. I just everybody else names their streets. And why not . I think they should be named for philosophers just to give the city some tone, you know, some class. Only suggestions. But emerson, franklin, hagel, henry james, kierkegaard for k street, why not . Martin luther. Machiavelli, of course. And so on. Number 2. See how quickly the speech moves along . Number 2, i think we need to relax with the flag pins. I am not looking at anybody right now. It just seems to me its become a requirement for anybody running for Public Office in america to put a little flag pin on their lapel. It has become required that the president end every speech with God Bless America just so people wont question whether or not he loves his country and i think it is of bad way to go. This is a free country. It really is. I mean, its trying to be. And parts of it certainly are. And there should not be any requirement that we wear a badge or symbol in this country. This is not germany in the 1930s when you were required to wear an arm band and it had to and the swastika had to be the right size and you had to say and pronounce it correctly and your right arm had to be at the correct angle. Lets not go too far. I looked senator john mccains web site and there are pictures of him there and he has no flag pin in his lapel. So if he doesnt need to wear one, than neither do you. I think we should put out a cease and desist order on the announcements still heard in airports in this country to notify authorities if a person or persons unknown to you come up and ask you to carry something aboard the aircraft. Nobody has ever done this. Nobody. Nobody. Nobody ever will do this. This is fiction and it is not harmful to anybody to have fiction, but it gives young people the sense that authorities are not in touch with reality. And theres enough evidence of that already without adding to that. I also think we can continue the movement in this country to remove some of those fortifications, the barriers, the flower pots and so forth that were put up in Public Places to defend someone driving a truck loaded with explosives. They do not have a good purpose. Theyre more symbolic and anything else, symbolic security is dangerous and engineers told us that in the case of most of these barriers if a truck loaded with explosives pulled up alongside and was detonated, these barriers would be splintered and they would become flying missiles, and we dont need that anymore of that. Number 4, i think we should stop making dimes, nickels and pennies. I just think it is time. I see young people dropping small change in parking lots. I cant speak for you but i no longer bend over to pick up a dime. I just dont go there. The fundraiser for polio used to be called the march of dimes, but dimes dont march anymore. They just they dont. They are not worth enough. We used to say a penny for your thoughts. We dont say that anymore because it would be insulting. So i think if we leave the current supply of small change in circulation, it will gradually, you know, dissipate and disappear and these coins will in time become more valuable. So lets just try that. Number 5. We need to change the seating arrangement in the house and the senate. Mix democrats and republicans in the chambers so that members dont have to reach across the aisle. They can just turn to the person next to them and hold out their hand, if they wish. Schoolteachers know that when cliques or gangs form in the public school, you separate them. You dont let them all sit together. We need to do this in congress. No more red on one side, blue on the other. We should go for a checkerboard effect here. And seat them by seniority with the old ones way in the back and the young ones down front just so they get the idea. Number 6. It just makes no sense that people who work hard cannot support themselves let alone supporting a family. This is just part of the social compact in our country that if you work hard and you keep your nose clean youre going to be okay. But you cannot do this on the minimum wage as it exists right now unless your apartment is the backseat of your car and your car is up on blocks and you live on pet food. It just cannot be done. Los angeles did something about that this week and the rest of us should do something about it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. The way to do it is to do it. Number 7. Here is an item for which there will be no applause in this room. Not that there was any before. Radio and Television Frequencies are a public resource just like public grazing lands out in wyoming and they never should have been sold. They should have been leased. Maybe its too late, but when a frequency is sold one party to another, there ought to be a flip tax of 50 of appreciated value that goes into the public coffers. Radio and tv spectrums are public property and they should be required, radio and it have stations to provide commercial time without charge to political candidates. And its time to bring back the fairness doctrine which required stations to present a range of opinion on controversial issues. It didnt inhibit anybody, the fairness doctrine. It just meant that when top40 stations applied for renewal of license, they had to file reports to the fcc that at 4 00 a. M. On sunday they played something from the league of women voters and that is all they had to do. It was a ritual, and meaningless ritual. But it symbolized the fact that the station, the frequency is public property and that they had public responsibility. Number 8. Our u. S. Seventh fleet has been sent off to support japan in its defense of the Senkaku Islands in the South China Sea which are also claimed by china, the Senkaku Islands, which are at last word, unpopulated, nobody lives out there, which makes all of this rather meaningless. We should not expect men or women to die defending rock outcroppings in the middle of large bodies of water. Let the Nature Conservancy go out there and defend that. Let green peace and some people in boats. But not our seventh fleet. Number 9. The drought in california is simply meant to show people that you cannot have a nice green lawn in a desert. It doesnt work. In minnesota we dont have giant space heaters in our backyards to make it possible for us to sit in our backyards in february and barbecue. We dont expect that. [ applause ] so people in Southern California have to learn how to love gravel thats all. And they have to think twice about what they are growing for export. They are major exporters of almonds and alfalfa and avocados, all heavy wateruse crops. And those are just the ones that begin with the letter a. There are a lot more. California is exporting their precious water in the form of produce. And so the rest of us may need to accept that for certain periods of the year we will need to eat frozen strawberries and not fresh strawberries. That shouldnt be so hard. Number 10. Thanks to alaska and texas and north dakota. Our country is close to being energy independent. For this reason we need to take a deep breath and we need to back away from the middle east. These tribes of the middle east that european colonizers around the time of world war i packed into nation states are not happy with each other. They need to sort that out themselves. There is not much we can do to assist that. What we spend in iraq and afghanistan so far does not appear to have brought progress. And it could have gone a long way towards repairing our crumbling infrastructure in this country. You can call this isolationism, [ applause ] you can call it ice tea. Whatever. But the president s policy of dont do stupid stuff or cause no harm, is a sensible idea. Number 11. Rational conservation still had a long way to go in this country and we need to practice more of it. In minnesota we send electricity that is generated by coal. We send it to north dakota to run their oil pumps which create tons of natural gas, which they simply flare off as a byproduct instead of using it to generate their own electricity. Wrong, wrong, wrong. The era of coalfired power plants is over. So why not bring this gently to an end . And its time to think again about nuclear power, which was cheap and efficient