Ukrainian diplomat in that country, then theyll also hear from george kent, a Career State Department official. And on friday, theyll hear from marie yovanovitch, and a senior aide telling me the story on wednesday will be about what has occurred over the last several months. Theyll be able to tell the American People exactly what events transpired. And on friday, of course, yovanovitch will be able to tell her story about being ousted from her post. Jim and poppy . Lauren, you have this request list for witnesses from the republicans. I have in front of me eight, at least, that they want to hear from, some of whom have already testified behind closed doors. Some not. You have people like nelly orr, hunter biden, devon archer, former board member of burisma. Inthought it was interesting, we heard patrick moloney, a democratic congressman on fox yesterday saying, we can see calling some of them, obviously, not people like hunter biden or nelly orr. Where does this thing go . Reporter democrats have been very clear, they are not going to be calling the whistleblower, which has been a key point that republicans and democrats have been fighting about. And you know, its very interesting, because lindsey graham, who is the Senate Judiciary committee chairman, he said, look, if you dont call the whistleblower as part of your impeachment inquiry, this whole thing will be dead on arrival once you send articles of impeachment over to the senate. But republicans and democrats, obviously, are going to continue to be fighting about that witness list. Republicans, of course, can continue to fight about this process, saying, it hasnt been fair, they havent been given the witnesses that democrats tried to promise them as part of that resolution. Of course, the chairman has the ultimate say in who can be called as part of this inquiry. Poppy . Lauren fox on the hill, we know youre going to be there on wednesday. Thanks very much. This weeks impeachment witnesses expected to testify about a campaign to pressure ukraine into investigating the bidens while withholding crucial military aid in their war against russia. And now an associate of the man implicated in that campaign, the president piece personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, is backing those witnesses up. Lev parnas, who is now under indictment, we should note, says that giuliani directed him to threaten ukraine, warning that if the investigation did not happen, the u. S. Would freeze that military aid. And in addition, Vice President mike pence would not attend the ukrainian president s inauguration. Giuliani strongly denied that report. There are some contradictions from parnas own business partner, but as we know, the aid was frozen and pence dipped stay home. Joining me now to talk about this, cnn legal analyst, michael gearhart, hes a law professor at the university of north carolina. Michael, always good to have you on. Lets talk for a moment about lev parnas. Questions, i imagine, about his character, his credibility, and that hes under indictment now for past business dealings. That said, oftentimes, in cases like this, do you have people flip in this way under legal pressure . Well, flip, sometimes. But in this case, at least what were hearing so far from this person is quite consistent with Everything Else that weve been hearing from every other witness whose testimony has been made public so far. There is a very consistent, even coherent story thats emerged about the president putting together a systemic effort to pressure the ukraine leader, to make a Public Statement about investigating the bidens. Right. And that is the core, of course, that this is what the democrats will attempt to do, is match up all of this witness testimony to paint a consistent picture here. Public hearings are a big step in this case. I ask you this when you appear. Based on what youve seen now, particularly the transcripts that have come out since we last spoke, do you see sufficient evidence here from a legal and political standpoint to move forward with an article of impeachment on abuse of power . Theres certainly evidence to support that the president has committed an Impeachable Offense. This may not be the only Impeachable Offense that the house is looking at right now, but for the president to put together this scheme, so to speak, to pressure the ukraine leader again to make a Public Statement, to open an investigation into the bidens, to help his reelection, is a classic Impeachable Offense. Hes used power that only he has to put together this effort and everything, again, that were hearing so far is consistent with that. Theres at least a strong case for the house to look into this. Theres certainly a credible case for the house to formulate an impeachment article based upon all of this. Legally, and some of this is about the language here. You have some democrats saying, now, lets forget this whole quid pro quo, the latin phrase meaning this for that, lets call it bribery. And bribery, as you know, is cited specifically as an example of a high crime and or misdemeanor that would justify impeachment. From a legal standpoint, holding back military aid in exchange for an investigation that would benefit you politically, does that fit the Legal Definition of bribery . It fits the constitutional definition of bribery. Its important to keep in mind that Impeachable Offenses do not have to be actual crimes or felonies. Every example that the framers gave in the Constitutional Convention was not something that was an actually felony or crime, it was an abuse of power or a breach of the public trust. In this circumstance, we can think of very common language to capture what the president is doing. We dont need to use criminal language or the language of a criminal statute to do that. So bribery, as understood as an illicit exchange that the president has arranged in order to use his power for something that will help him purposefully or illicitly to help his election, that fits the definition of an Impeachable Offense. It might be a phrase that folks at home are more likely to understand as well. Mick mulvaney, seen as a loyalist to the president on this case and other issues, hes taken an unexpected step of joining a lawsuit by charles cupperman, deputy to john bolton, other witnesses who it seems actually want to testify, want to get kind of a legal pass to testify here, a judge ruling on this. Mulvaney seen as not actually wanting to testify. Tell can you read this as a lawyer here to understand what mulvaney is up to here . I think what mulvaney is up to is trying to find a way to delay his testimony and maybe even to avoid it. So theres been a pattern of people seeking judicial involvement to rule on whether or not they need to comply with a subpoena. Its very obvious they need to comply with the subpoena as a legal matter, but theyre seeking the courts advice, so to speak, or the courts declaration. And i understand that as simply an effort to delay, which actually works in the president s favor. Michael gearhart, thanks very much. Poppy . Okay. Lets bring in National Security commentator, former House Intelligence Committee chairman, mike rogers. Thank you, chairman rogers, for being here. And just for a moment, thank you, its veterans day, you served in the army, thank you for that, for this country. Thanks very much to all those veterans out there, absolutely. The ultimate sacrifice, thank you very much. Lets begin with john bolton. You have the same legal argument from his lawyer that mulvaney is now signing on to. Were not going to decide, the courts decide whos right, the president or the house. But what john boltons lawyer did on friday in that letter saying, my client was in really important meetings and he knows things that have not been testified about yet and the way that he ends it, i think, is so striking, the letter. He says, quote, if the house chooses not to pursue through testimony the testimony of dr. Cupperman and ambassador bolton, let the record be clear, that is the houses decision. Does that make it a more difficult argument for democrats to move forward and try to wrap this thing up before the holidays without hearing from bolton . Well, and you know, im a traditionalist due process is a really important thing. Especially if youre going to undo the votes of 60 Million People across america. So i wouldnt put an artificial date of the holidays. If it takes a little longer, the judge has said that he would review that case. If i were with the democrats, theyve got other you know, they can continue to bring witnesses throughout this week and into next week. They have plenty to do. I would wait. I think that no stone should be unturned in this, this notion that were going to pile it all on and show you our side of the story and then were going to say, were going to impeach. I think its really dangerous, just because its so splitting to america. If you believe you have the evidence that you need to do it, then present it and let the republicans have their say, as well, just as we would in any other due process where the government makes allegations against you. I just think its really important to get that piece right. So to your point about being a traditionalist and giving things time and due process, lets talk about Mitch Mcconnell and if this goes to a trial in the senate, how he would or should handle that. There was Something Interesting that we heard from hugh hewitt over the weekend that struck me. Listen to this. I dont think the senate should take it up. I think they should reject the motion to proceed and never touch it. Otherwise, we will have this done again in secret hearings, ex parte contacts. Just a bad president. I should note that in september, on cnbc, Mitch Mcconnell himself said the senate would have to and would take up an impeachment trial, if you will. But then he said, quote, how long youre on it is a whole different matter. How should mcconnell handle this . Well, listen, i think what hugh hewitt was describing was this notion that there are all of these other meetings, theyre not giving access to the whistleblower, who by the way, the ig did determine that there was political bias, but he thought the facts of the case overweighed that. Thats great, except that you should give access to republican investigators to make that determination, as well. So all of those Little Things give the republicans an opportunity to say, this wasnt fair. It was absolutely a railroad, blah blah blah blah. And thats why i think, do it right q theyre not on the whistleblower point, the whistleblowers lawyer offered republicans to bypass democrats and directly submit written questions to his client and didnt take him up on that. I would have taken him up on that, but i also would have requested access. They need to have the investigator now, i dont think that they should disclose the whistleblower, but i think investigators should get access to the whistleblower because of all the other context that they have. Any investigator would like that option to say, i want to know what other things that maybe we didnt talk about, that didnt fit in that 8 1 2 x 11 piece of paper in his complaint. Theres other facts there and i would like to know what those are. Again, my whole point of this, poppy, is to say, if youre going to do this, then do it right. Allow all of that. If you think your case is strong enough, you dont have to exclude access to the whistleblower, you dont have to seclude republicans from certain depositions. You dont have to exclude their witness list. Just do it right, present your case, allow a defense, and then make your vote. Okay. But you know the opposition to having the whistleblower testify in public is to the whistleblowers safety, which is a major concern right now. You can respond to that in a moment, but listen to what republican congressman will hurd said he thinks may be a solution to that. Here he was yesterday. So if you want to protect the identity of the whistleblower, i think its important for chairman schiff to answer questions about his interaction with him. Solution . Listen, i think the solution is and i didnt say that the whistleblower should testify. I did say that the investigators should get access to the whistleblower, so they can do their own deposition of the whistleblower in the context of an ongoing impeachment hearing, if you will, inquiry, that the house is doing. I dont believe, yet, that that whistleblower should be forced to testify. I do believe that whistleblower this, to me, is the solution. Give them access to republican investigators or members so that they can have a full accounting of that application by the whistleblower. It doesnt mean that that whistleblowers identity should be disclosed. What they might find is theres material case that later, because it was so material to the defense, that would require that person to come testify. But, again, i think theres a way to do this, to keep the whistleblower safe, but there are lots of questions. And thats my point, poppy. Lets get those questions aired out there. If youre going to vote to impeach and the railroad is blowing its whistle and leaving the station, i think we all do that. But do it right so americans can make an honest assessment. What theyre doing is giving republicans and half the country that thinks this thing is a little fishy, youre feeding into that split america down two again. And i think thats really unhealthy. Youve got so many people that have testified, corroborating what the whistleblower wrote in their complaint. Were out of time. You know youll be back. Thank you for coming and thank you for your service. Thanks so much, poppy. Enjoy it. You got it. Jim . Still to come, former Vice President joe biden focusing on hi his own Health Care Plan as he gets ready to take questions from iowa voters during a live cnn town hall tonight. Will that message resonate with voters there . And the president is set to speak in just a few minutes right there. Beautiful morning here in new york and thats where the president will be for this 100th anniversary of veterans day parade and ceremony in new york. Well bring you his comments, live. When you shop with wayfair, you spend less and get way more. So you can bring your vision to life and save in more ways than one. For small prices, you can build big dreams, spend less, get way more. Shop everything home at wayfair. Com for all of the heroes who serve us, tmobile is here to help serve them. Thats why were offering 50 off family lines for military, veterans and first responders. So they can stay connected, on our newest, most powerful signal ever. And now, we are also offering half off our top samsung phones for military, veterans and first responders. Our service is just one way we say thank you. For theirs. Theres a company thats talked than me jd power. People 448,134 to be exact. They answered 410 questions in 8 categories about vehicle quality. 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He wanted to make sure that the corruption that has been existing in ukraine for an awfully long time was reduced and president zelensky had the capability to do that. Joining us now to discuss this and other things, daniel straus, politics reporter for politico and ab stoddard. Whats interesting about that line from pompeo, hes basically owning it, saying, we did do this, but its justified, because we were trying to fight corruption. So the new thing is, as dana bash said earlier, its okay, but. Everyone says, this is what happened, but were cool with it. The problem is, what they asked for was for president zelensky to do an interview on cnn with fareed zakaria, announcing an investigation. The announcement was more important than the investigation. Which meant that the purpose of it was to dirty up his potential rival, the democratic nominee, joe biden, the former Vice President. It was always about that. He is not in front of the cameras been able to name another case of corruption in the ukraine that they were concerned about, or any other country. But mike pompeo has been so deeply exposed by this entire scandal that he has to Start Talking more bluntly about it. He goes on to say, then the president wants to make sure that Vladimir Putin wouldnt be able to inflict hardship on the people of ukraine, which is rich to say, considering, is it not, that you suspended crucial military aid to ukraine in the midst of a war with russia, to get this investigation on your political opponent. I mean, look, this is what Mick Mulvaney himself in that press conference made a similar argument, which is that things like this happen all the time in diplomacy. Its ugly, it is not the idealized version that you might see on the west wing, but these things actually happen. Thats the argument of the white house right now. It doesnt seem to be flying and theres a disconnect between that argument and why theres an impeachment inquiry anyway. Because it does seem like ran m ransom. To both of your points, listen to this from mac thornburry. I believe that it is inappropriate for a president to ask a foreign leader to investigate a political rival. Now it, leads to a question, if theres a political rival with a Family Member whos involved in questionable activity, what do you do . Just let them alone. But set that aside. I believe it was inappropriate. I do not believe it was impeachable. Will hurd, ab, went a little bit further yesterday on fox with chris wallace, saying, when he was questioned about whether its whether its impeachable, so, i guess the question becomes, what might change that from, it was wrong, but not impeachable, to, oh, yeah, this is really serious, in the public testimony that were going to hear this week. Thats a critical question in terms of both of those members, poppy, theyre both retiring. For will hurd whos been skeptical and at times critical of the president , and his misconduct, this is you know, a very strong defense, to say that it doesnt cross a line and he doesnt think that its illegal. Whether or not, i think, this week changes things for those republicans, i dont know. I think the testimony of someone like National Security adviser john bolton could be very much a game changer for senators who are taking a look at this and asking the question, not what President Trump is asking them to ask themselves, but the questions of whether or not the president violated his oath of office and abused his power and engaged in attempted bribery, which is impeachable by the constitution. I mean, one reason that boltons testimony is so important, because he clearly disapproved of what was going on here, he referred to it as a drug deal, but you have this case now, kuppeman asking a judge for permission. Mulvaney may be looking for a way out. Bolton may be looking for a way in. How long does it take for this judge to figure this out . Not long, i assume. You have to understand how shocked bolton and his aides are by the fact that mulvaney wants to get into this and wants to be involved in this testimony. And its pretty clearly a stalling tactic, i think. I dont think that there is any other reasonable argument here for why mulvaney would want to do that. He remains on opposite sides of john bolton. I have to say, also, jim, like, it is weird to have two very senior aides to the president in this situation, diverging in where their intents seem to be right now. Although you had other aides, like we learned, poppy, from nikki haleys book that were talking about removing him from office. Its an incredible reality were describing inside this administration now. 100 . Guys, thank you so much, daniel straus, ab stoddard, nice to have you. At any minute, the president is set to speak. Hes here in new york city. Of course, hes honoring our veterans. Woo well bring you his comments live. E heart of a family. At bayer, this is why we science. Well you remember what happened last year. You cant bring a backup thanksgiving to my sisters house. Its not like were going to walk in with it. Well bring it in as we need it. Phase it in. Phase it in . Yeah, phase it in. Plaque psoriasis uncoverth clearer skin that can last. In fact, tremfya® was proven superior to humira® in providing significantly clearer skin. Tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. 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He has performed the National Anthem on his harmonica across the country and has released a christmas album. I want to buy that. Im going to look for that. That was beautiful. Live pictures now from new york as well. This is where the city is marking the 100th veterans day parade. In just moments, President Trump will speak at a wreathlaying ceremony at the start of that parade. Our Jeremy Diamond is there. Jeremy, good morning. Beautiful morning in new york for this and great to see the millions of veterans in this country honoring. What will we hear from the president . Reporter well, thats still to be determined, of course. But we do know that the president has just arrived here for this 100th veterans day parade. You know, its interesting, because every u. S. President has actually been invited for each of those 100 veterans day parades. President trump is the first president to actually agree to speak and to attend this parade. And of course, thats also notable, because the president recently switched his residence, away from new york and moving changing his permanent residence to florida. But it seems that he simply cant quite quit this city. And he will be delivering remarks here in an interesting moment of brief political unity on this veterans day. We do see the new york city mayor, bill de blasio in the front row preparing for the president s remarks here. Eric trump, the president s son came in and shook his hands. Of course, President Trump and degra de blasio have both viciously criticized each other. An interesting moment on this veterans day. We also expect the president to be laying a wreath. There is a world war i memorial here in madson smadisons squar and that is what were expecting to see from the president. Moments away from the president s remarks. Poppy, jim . Well bring them to you live. Jeremy, thank you for being there, we appreciate it. As we wait for the president , the former Vice President , joe biden, is rolling out his alternative to medicare for all, calling it bidencare. Im sure youll hear more about that tonight in his cnn town hall right here. Celebrating a successful business trip together is easy, if youre staying at holiday inn. Here is the president speaking at the veterans day parade and memorial in new york city. Well, thank you very much, stanley. And thank you for your tremendous support of this wonderful parade. Today, we come together as one nation to salute the veterans of the United States armed forces. The greatest warriors to ever walk the face of the earth. Our veterans risked everything for us. Now, it is our duty to serve and protect them, every single day of our lives. It is truly an honor to come back to new york city right here at Madison Square park to be the first president ever to attend americas parade. To every veteran here with us, to the thousands preparing to march on 5th avenue, it will be really something. And to the 18 million veterans across our country, the first lady and i have come to express the everlasting love and loyalty of 327 million americans. I want to recognize department of Veterans Affairs deputy secretary, james burn for joining us. Thank you, james. Thank you, james. Great job. Pleased to report that our administration and all of the work that weve done, the veterans satisfaction with the va is at 90 , the highest rate ever recorded in the history of this particular program, and thats awfully good and were very proud of you and the secretary. Thank you very much. Great job. Also with us is new york city mayor, bill de blasio. Thank you very much, mr. Mayor. Thank you. Along with many other distinguished guests. Thanks, as well, to everyone at the United War Veterans Council for putting on this incredible event, including bill white, doug mcgowan, and a very special acknowledgement to someone who has devoted his life to this parade. Marine vietnam veteran, vince mcgowan. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thanks to each of you and all of the supporters whose generosity make this parade possible. Tremendous amounts of work has been done and tremendous amounts of money has been donated and we appreciate it and we appreciate stanle stanley. Were very glad to be joined by general david burger and the Sergeant Major of the marine corps, troy black. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Let us also show our profound appreciation to the 2019 grand marshals of the parade who have served no world war ii, korea, vietnam, the gulf war, and iraq. This morning is more than 30,000 patriot pick americans line the streets of manhattan, we carry on a noble tradition that began one century ago. In 1919, the people of this city filled block after block to welcome home general pershing and his 25,000 american soldiers after victory in world war i. Just a few years before, many of those soldiers had boarded ships, not far from here, at hoboken port. More than 4 million americans fought in the great war and more than 116,000 made the ultimate sacrifice. At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the armistice was declared. That war had come to an end and the allies achieved a great, great victory. Every year since, on november 11th, we have shared our nations deepest praise and gratitude to every citizen who has worn the uniform of the American Army navy, air force, coast guard, and marines. We are profound ly moved to hav with us veterans of world war ii, including one of the grand marshals, woody williams. Thank you. Thank you, woody. Thank you very much, woody. To each veteran of the war, the glory of your deeds will only grow greater with time. This city is graced by your presence. This nation is forever in your debt. And we thank you all. Were also pleased to be joined by veterans of the korean war, the vietnam war, the gulf war, and the war on terror. You are the reason our hearts swell with pride, our foes tr s tremble with fear and our nation thrives in freedom. Will you please stand so we can honor your heroic service, please. [ applause ] thank you very much. Thank you all. Each year this parade highlights one branch of our military. This year, we honor the elite masters of air, land, and sea, the legendary leathernecks. The feared devil dogs. The first to flight, the United States marines. Lets hear it. [ applause ] yesterday we celebrated the marines 244th birthday. Thats pretty good. The few and the proud are always faithful and they always win. Inal i also want to thank the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation who provides scholarships to families of our fallen heros. To every gold star family, we will stand by your side forever. It is very fitting that the veterans day parade begin right here in new york city. Since the earliest days of our nation, new york has exemplified the american spirit and has been at the heart of our nations story of daring and defiance. On july 2nd, 1776, the british ar armada sailed into new york harbor carrying more than 30,000 men. The british came here to snuff out what they thought was just a minor american revolution. Didnt turn out to be that way. But the red coats did know what they did know is that they were going to have a problem, but they didnt know that new york would meet them with the fearsome power of american patriots. In world war i, new york regiments like harlem hell fighters, the lost battalion, and the fighting 69th were revered all over the globe. During world war ii, 63 million tons of supplies and more than 3 million Service Members shipped out of new york harbor. On september 11th, 2001, the whole world saw the horror and responded to americas wicked enemies with unwaving courage, unbreakable spirit, and resolve that is deeper than oceans, fiercer than fires, and stronger than steel. Last week, i was honored to award the president ial citizens medal to an extraordinary american, rick rescorla. Rick had enlisted at the army at the recruiting center in times square, became a great war hero in vietnam, and then became head of security at Morgan Stanley in the world trade center. On september 11th, he saved 2,700 lives before giving his own. Today, we are immensely grateful to be joined by ricks son, trevor. Thank you, trevor. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. To trevor and every 9 11 family, we pledge to never, ever forget. The towering spirit of strength that we see in this city lives within the heart of every american warrior, from the snow of valley forge to the jungles of vietnam, from the forests of bellawood to the beaches of normandy, from the mountains of afghanistan, to the deserts of iraq, that spirit has helped our fighters defeat tyrants, conquer fascism, vanquish communism, and face down terrorism. Just a few weeks ago, American Special forces raided the isis compound and brought the worlds number one terrorist leader to justice. Thanks to american warriors, al baghdadi is dead. His second in charge is dead. We have our eyes on number three. His reign of terror is over. And our enemies are running very, very scared. Thank you. Thank you. Those who threaten our people dont stand a chance against the righteous might of the american military. In a few weeks, we will mark the 75th anniversary of the battle of the bulge, our nations bloodiest battle of world war ii. More than 47,000 americans were wounded and 19,000 gave their last breath for their country. We are proudly joined today by a veteran of the battle of the bulge, a native new yorker who is 94 years old and still going very, very strong, Corporal Jack foy. [ applause ] you look good, jack. You look good. Jack enlisted in the army right out of high school. He fought through brutal months of the campaign in northern france. On christmas eve, after marching nearly 100 miles in the snow in subzero temperatures, he arrived outside the town of bostion in belgium. For two weeks, jack fought under cease leartillery fire and helped push the enemy back from a critical road. At one point, a mine blew up and it destroyed his vehicle, badly hurting many. He was wounded three times, but he kept on fighting. After the allied victory at the battle of the bulge, jack fought for the remaining nine months of the war across the zigfried line, all the way across germany until he reached the gates of ordroff concentration camp, the first nazi camp to be liberated. That was number one. That was a big, big event. As jack has said about the battle of the bulge, when the chips were down and the situation was desperate, the american soldiers stood up to be count counted. For a brief moment in history, these men held our nations destiny in their hands. We did not fail. Thank you very much, jack. And corporal foy, we will forever be proud of what you and your fellow soldiers achieved for all of humanity. Also hear with us today is lauren mathews, the granddaughter of a battle of the bulge veteran who has since passed away. His name was Master Sergeant roddy edmonds. Like so many of our veterans, roddy never talked about the r war. Lauren never knew her grandfathers story until she embarked upon a School Project about ten years ago. Roddy was in the 422nd regiment, which was overwhelmed when the nazis launched their surprise assault. He and his men fought for three treacherous days before being taken as prisoners of war. After they arrived at a prison camp, the german commander sent an order over the loud speaker, the Jewish American soldiers were all told to step out of line during roll call the next day. Knowing the terrible fate that would come to his jewish comrades, roddy immediately said, were not doing that. He sent orders to have every american step out of line with their jewish brothers in arms. The next morning, 1,292 americans stepped forward. The german commander stormed over to roddy and said, they cannot all be jews. Roddy stared right back. He said, we are all jews here. At that point, the german put a gun to roddys head and demanded, you will order the jews to step forward immediately or i will shoot you right now through the head. Roddy responded, major, you can shoot me, but youll have to kill us all. The german turned red, got very angry, but put his gun down and walked away. Master Sergeant Edmonds saved 200 Jewish Americans soldiers that day. So proud to be jewish and so proud of our country. Lauren, thank you for being here today, as we remember your grandfathers unbelievable and exceptional valor. Lauren, please stand up. Thank you very much. [ applause ] one of the 200 Jewish American soldiers who was saved that fateful day is Staff Sergeant lester tanner. Lester is now 96 years old. [ applause ] boy, you guys are looking very good. 96. Lester youre really 96, lester . I dont believe it. Youre looking good. Thank you very much. Thank you also for your very Noble Service and for sharing this incredible story with the world. Thank you very much, lester. The men and women who have donned our nations uniforms are the bravest, toughest, strongest, and most virtuous warriors ever to walk on earth. You left your families and fought in faraway lands. You came face to face with evil and you did not back down. You returned home from war and you never forgot your friends who didnt return, including prisoners of war and those missing in action. Every day you think of them and pray for them, but your greatest tribute of all is the way you lived your lives in the years since. You raised your family, you endured the wounds of war, and you endured the pains of that memo memory. Yet you keep going, you keep serving, you keep giving, and you keep loving. You volunteer at your local veterans post and you keep in touch with your battle comrades, support our gold star families, you take care of our Wounded Warriors and stand alongside of our Service Members when they return from war. On veterans day, our nation rededicates itself to our most solemn duty. While we can never repay our warriors for their boundless service and sacrifice, we must uphold with supreme vigilance our sacred obligation to care for those who have born the battle in just a minute, we will have a moment of silence and lay a wreath at the eternal light monument. As we do, with god as our witness, we pledge to always honor our veterans and pay a mortal tribute to those who have laid down their lives so that we might be free. Together we must safeguard what generations of fearless patriots gave everything to secure. We will protect our liberty, uphold our values, and defend our home. We will ensure that righteous legacy of americas veterans stands as a testament to this nation, from now until the end of time to every veteran here today and all across our land, you are a americas greatest living heros and we will cherish you now, always, and forever. Thank you, god bless our veterans, and god bless america. Thank you. Thank you very much. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, at this time, the marine corps honor guard will carry the centennial wreath to the eternal light memorial. After the wreath is played, there will be a moment of silence followed by a rightful salute and the playing of taps. Please rise if you are able and remain standing throughout the ceremony. [ taps playing ] ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the centennial wreath laying and the visit by the commander in chief. Please remain standing until the official party departs, after which the Opening Ceremony will continue. There you have the president of the United States with some very meaningful remarks to our countrys veterans, the first lady right there, and always, every time i hear taps, it just it means a lot. Very special to hear. A day to honor veterans. The president doing so there in new york, noting hes the first president to attend the new york veterans day parade. Please stay with us. Well be back after this short break. For all of the heroes who serve us, tmobile is here to help serve them. Thats why were offering 50 off family lines for military, veterans and first responders. So they can stay connected, on our newest, most powerful signal ever. And now, we are also offering half off our top samsung phones for military, veterans and first responders. Our service is just one way we say thank you. For theirs. Hello, everyone. Im kate balduan. Thanks so much for joining me. We are now entering the most consequential week so far in the impeachment battle. Televised hearings start in just two days. And you will finally see and hear for yourself the testimonies about President Trumps dealings with ukraine. And the big question going into this is, did the president abuse his power by pressuring a Foreign Government to investigate top political rivals . And is it an Impeachable Offense . These are the three key these are the three key officials who will be testifying this week. Youre looking at them right there. The current top diplomat for the United States