>> you know, we cannot control the price of oil. i checked the price of oil every day because i care. it is a painful time for the american people. i don't think anyone can speculate what can happen with respect to oil and gas prices because they are set on the global economy. what we see happening today are the influencing -- influences first of unrest in places like the middle east and iran, which disrupt the markets and allow the futures market to play on what they see -- the on reston romney world. secondly, the huge demand that you see in china, india, and brazil where you have a lot of people -- just like people in the ninth states, they want to be able to drive their vehicle. so, the unsettled nature of the middle east and what is happening with respect to the global economy really is what has led to the price hikes that we have seen here today. so, where it will all end, nobody knows. but what i do know is this -- that the fall of the above energy framework is what we need to stay the course, in order for us to be able to avoid the kinds of appeals that we have seen since the formation of opec, since gulf war one and two and so many events that transpired really since the 1970's. >> i am told this is breaking news -- the justice department makes its first reston the bp oil's bill. a bp engineer. do you expect more to be brought to justice? >> breaking news. i have been up here with you. let me just say the united states has been committed from day one to make sure we are holding bp and others accountable for what happened in the gulf of mexico. the justice department obviously is involved in the criminal part. we are involved with the civil and, with the justice department as well. what i can assure the people of this country that attorney general hold their and our teams that have been working on making sure bp and other companies are held accountable will in fact be held accountable. there are laws and regulations that are on the books. it that are reports have shown, including the joint investigation between our department and homeland security -- there were a number of laws and regulations that were in fact broken. so people, and companies, will be held accountable. >> bp had at least three criminal felony convictions for safety and environmental crimes and are facing more for the 2010 gulf oil spill, but yet it come -- you allow the company to drill in the u.s. waters. should there be a three strikes and you're out law for companies like there is for individuals? >> our approach is to hold companies accountable, making sure that they are meeting the standards that we have imposed. if you looked at what happens in the oil and gas world, especially depot -- deeper waters, we have a approach based on a three-legged stool. first, prevention. nobody wants to see blowout like we saw before. the second is containment. if something like the mcconnell though well below what would happen again, -- macondo well below what happens again, that it can be contained. third -- response. if you have an oil spill, we want to make sure we have the ability to respond effectively. so, working with industry and companies that have now been formed, we have made huge progress in terms of preparedness on oil spill response as well as containment, led largely by our agencies and the ocean energy advisory committee. we are moving forward to make sure that we have good laws that can be followed and we will keep people accountable for them. with respect to the question on bp, our expectation is bp will be held accountable for what it has done in the past. in the future, bp will be held accountable for meeting standards, the rules, and the permitting process of the department of the interior. >> what would you do differently if there was another oil spill? >> we would move with the same sense of urgency. production -- in our oceans at depths of 5000 or 10,000 feet are not risk-free. there was always a risk. but the components of the plan we put in place i think would give us an ability to respond very quickly because now you have, for example, contained in caps that are readily available that can come in and can be used to stop a well -- and out of control one. we are much better prepared today than we were before. part of our effort also has been to try to make sure the lessons we have learned here are lessons that the rest of the world can also look at and hopefully follow because the oil and gas world is a global industry. so what is happening today in brazil, what other countries are doing in the arctic circle, what is happening off shore in nigeria and other places around africa -- there are huge reserves of oil in deep water. it is important that the deep -- standards and efforts we have underway in the united states are also learned by other nations. we have worked to make sure that we are engaged in the international world to assure that of the kind of disaster that the bp oil spill brought to the station is not the kind of disaster we will see again. >> since the deepwater horizon disaster, are you being more strict in denying drilling permits based on safety and environmental concerns? >> yes, we have new sets of regulations that have been put into place. permit reviews are rigorous. we make sure that any company that is going to be operating in the waters of the united states is complying with the rules that we set out. so, we are in a much better place today than we were before the macondo well blowup. >> how confident are you that show that a judicial's plan in arctic waters will go through since the plan has been approved? >> we are still in the process of moving forward with the evaluation of application to drill shell in two of the sezs in the arctic. we will make those decisions soon and in a timely manner. if the decision is made not to move forward, it would be because of the fact that we don't find compliance with the requirements that we imposed at the department of interior. the bureau of safety environmental enforcement. and energy management -- two agencies which i created. on the other hand, -- moving forward with the exploration of those arctic seas, it will be done under the most cautious and watched for exploration program in the history of the world. we need to recognize we have already seen close to 30 exploratory wells drilled into the seas. in my view, if we move forward, part of what will happen is we will be gathering additional information about the arctic seas and then we as of the american public and make the decisions on how to best move forward. >> senator david they're blocked a pay raise for you because he said you were not approving enough water drilling permits -- do you believe this is attempts at extortion? [laughter] >> you know, senator vitter and i came into the senate at the same time in 2004. i don't know what his motives are. but i can just say to anybody want watched that debate that i don't do this job because of the money i get paid. i do this job because it is singularly the best job in the united states of america on this cabinet. and i enjoy fixing problems for the american people. and we have made tremendous private -- progress the last years and that is what i focus on every day. >> the interior department has been promising new regulations for hydraulic fracturing of public lands for months but the rules have yet to materialize. what is the correct status for these regulations and how -- why has it taken so long for them to be released? >> natural gas is a very important component of america's energy future. the president has endorsed natural-gas even in the campaign of 2008. he spoke about the importance of trying to move forward with the alaska natural gas pipeline in meetings we had early on with the administration. so we are strong believers of the future of natural gas and the way it powers our economy. we know and believe we have an american supply that is not as expensive as oil today which can power the economy of the united states for the next 100 years. we will move forward and continue to cheerlead and push forward for a robust natural gas agenda for the united states. at the same time, as we move forward for the natural gas agenda in the u.s., it is important people understand that unless we do it safely and responsibly, we could essentially create the achilles heel of this great promise of the united states in terms of domestic energy supply. common sense rules -- and they are very common sense -- are the rules that there have been hearings all over the country on, there have been tribal consultations and there will beat disclosure, so people know what is being injected in the underground. it will be involving integrity so there is no contamination of water quality for drinking water supplies. it will involve making sure the water -- the back water, that there are monitoring requirements. the fidelity of the rules have not yet been achieved. we are in the process of working on the final details. but we are not the only ones who have been involved in making sure that hydraulic fracturing is one that can be done in a safe way and has the support of the potentially affected public. if you look at the state of colorado, we now have a new set of rules that require disclosure. if you look at the state of wyoming, the republican governor of wyoming, moving forward with a common sense of hydraulic fracturing rules. so, we will move forward with common set of rules once we complete the refinement of those rules, which the director and assistant secretary and others have been working on. >> we are almost out of time, but before asking the last couple of questions we have a couple of housekeeping matters to take care of. first, i would like to remind you of upcoming lunch speakers -- mike rizzo, general manager of washington nationals, may 30, -- chief executive officer of girl scouts of usa talking about 100 anniversary of girl scout income and june 4, the gerald r. ford journalism awards with chris matthews will be here at our club. second, i would like to present our best with our traditional npc mug. [applause] and a couple of quick last questions. do you know when the washington monument will reopen for visitors? [laughter] >> we are working on a very hard. i think it will be maybe a year or so out by the time the construction takes place. >> since he once said he didn't want to be in politics, do you sometimes wish you did not go beyond that one year? >> i think my family might have the opinion that i would of been home more than i am if i hadn't gotten into the public world. i will say this -- at the end of the day now -- i could speak with allison and debbie and teresa -- the fact is that we have so much to celebrate in what the united states stands for in the world and what we stand for here in our own country. i was just back home celebrating my brothers and 90th -- mother's 90th birthday, she had a tough tenor 12 years. and she had a smile on her face. i think back of her generation and how wonderful the work. at the age of 19 she found a way to get on the train to work here in washington at the war department for years, my father served as a staff sergeant in the war and he made sure we buried him in his uniform in world war ii because he was so optimistic about what this country could do. so, i think in these times of great vision and polarization of our world, that we ought art -- ought to hearken back to that generation that did so much and gave us the opportunity to become really the weekend and hope of opportunity for all of america, all of humanity. it really is so much of what hangs in the balance today. we deal with people who are wanted to deal with the imaginary world and on real world of politics, and those of us in the trenches trying to make the world a better place. so, my answer to the question is that i am very proud of the decisions that i have made and i am very proud of my state of colorado who connected me twice to serve as the attorney general of that state and who elected me as a u.s. senator -- and beat -- in a very story collection of 2004. [applause] >> thank you all for coming today. i would like to think the national press club staff, including the journalism as the to and broadcast center for organizing. a reminder -- you can find more information about us on our website and if you would like to get a copy of today's program w check outww.press.org. thank you. we are adjourn. >> coming up on c-span, presidential candidate mitt romney talks to supporters after last night primary victories. then today's "washington journal." later, live coverage of the u.s. house. today, members will be considering reforms of the u.s. postal service. born in a north korean war camp, it is the only world he had ever known. also the only one to have ever escaped from camp 14. >> his first memory at the age of around four was going with his mom to a place near where he grew up in the camp to watch somebody get shot. shooting -- public executions in the camp were held every few weeks. and they were a way of punishing people who violated camp rules and of terrorizing the 20,000 to 40,000 people lived in the camp to obey the rules from then on. >> sunday, author baleen harden journey out of north korea, 8:00 on q&a. an may 6, look for our interview with robert caro, coinciding with the release of "the years of lyndon johnson." now, to mitt romney, the winner of all five of tuesday's primaries. after the polls closed he talked to supporters in manchester, new hampshire. he is joined by his wife ann romney. this is a half an hour. ♪ >> it so good to be back here. oh. new hampshire. it's good to be here. it was just a little over a year ago that mitt and i sat down in the living room and talk about this campaign. and i admit, i was hesitant. four years ago we had been through a tough primary and i told him then that i would never do this again. i was pretty emphatic. and i was pretty certain. but he reminded me that i said that after every pregnancy. it and you know i have five sons -- so that it didn't work out that well. but i knew our country was in real trouble. and i knew we needed real leadership to turn things around. so i asked mitt one simple question -- can you fix it? he said, yes. and that is all i needed to know. [applause] i said if you can fix it, we need to do this. and we launched this campaign a few weeks later. i have been on the trail with mitt a very long time now, nearly a year. we have been to 35 states. and after speeches like he will give tonight he goes and shake hands and answers questions and you like i go to the other end of the line where i get a chance to talk to people. they tell me about the tough times they are going through. they share their worries and fears. many of them are concerned about the deficit and the economy. almost all of them are worried about their jobs or their children's student loans. and then the most amazing happens -- people tell me they are praying for us. and i got to tell you, that is so touching for me. despite all of their worries and their concerns and their troubles, they are thinking about us. in moments like those, i realize that there is no limit to the good of the goodness of the hearts of america. and there is no question that we can get this country back on track. so, tonight, to all the people who went out in this primary and voted for reston who got up every morning and volunteered for us, i want to thank you so much. i know you believe as we do that this election will been the most important vote of our lives, and because of you, a better america begins tonight. [applause] and now, i'd like to introduce the man i know will lead our party to victory and tarnation back to prosperity -- ladies and gentlemen, my husband, ned romney. -- mr. romney. mitt romney. >> thank you pennsylvania, delaware, rhode island, connecticut and new york! and [applause] tonight i can say thank you, america. after 43 primaries and caucuses, many long days and more than a few long nights, i can say with confidence -- and gratitude -- that you have given me a great honor and solemn responsibility. and, together, we will win on november 6th! [applause] we launched this campaign not far from here on a beautiful june day. on a farm in new hampshire. it has been an extraordinary journey. americans have always been eternal optimists. but over the last three and a half years, we have seen hopes and dreams diminished by false promises and weak leadership. everywhere i go, americans are tired of being tired, and many of those who are fortunate enough to have a job are working harder for less. for every single mom who feels heartbroken when she has to explain to her kids that she needs to take a second job for grandparents who can't afford the gas to visit their grandchildren for the mom and dad who never thought they'd be on food stamps for the small business owner desperately cutting back just to keep the doors open one more month -- to all of the thousands of good and decent americans i've met who want nothing more than a better chance, a fighting chance, to all of you, i have a simple message: hold on a little longer. a better america begins tonight. [applause] tonight is the start of a new campaign to unite every american who knows in their heart that we can do better! the last few years have been the best that barack obama can do, but it's not the best america can do! tonight is the beginning of the end of the disappointments of the obama years and the start of a new and better chapter that we will write together. this has already been a long campaign, but many americans are just now beginning to focus on the choice before the country. in the days ahead, i look forward to spending time with many of you personally. i want to hear what's on your mind, hear about your concerns, and learn about your families. i want to know what you think we can do to make this country betterand what you expect from your next president. and i'll tell you a little bit about myself. i'll probably start out talking about my wonderful wife ann -- i usually do -- and i'll probably bore you with stories about our kids and grandkids. i'll tell you about how much i love this country, where someone like my dad, who grew up poor and never graduated from college, could pursue his dreams and work his way up to running a great car company. only in america could a man like my dad become governor of the state in which he once sold paint from the trunk of his car. i'd say that you might have heard that i was successful in business. and that rumor is true. but you might not have heard that i became successful by helping start a business that grew from 10 people to hundreds of people. you might not have heard that our business helped start other businesses, like staples and sports authority and a new steel mill and a learning center called bright horizons. and i'd tell you that not every business made it and there were good days and bad days, but every day was a lesson. and after 25 years, i know how to lead us out of this stagnant obama economy and into a job- creating recovery! four years ago barack obama dazzled us in front of greek columns with sweeping promises of hope and change. but after we came down to earth, after the celebration and parades, what do we have to show for three and a half years of president obama? is it easier to make ends meet? is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? have you saved what you needed for retirement? are you making more in your job? do you have a better chance to get a better job? do you pay less at the pump? if the answer were "yes" to those questions, then president obama would be running for re- election based on his achievementsand rightly so. but because he has failed, he will run a campaign of diversions, distractions, and distortions. that kind of campaign may have worked at another place and in a different time. but not here and not now. it's still about the economy and we're not stupid. people are hurting in america. and we know that something is wrong, terribly wrong with the direction of the country. we know that this election is about the kind of america we will live in and the kind of america we will leave to future generations. when it comes to the character of america, president obama and i have very different visions. government is at the center of his vision. it dispenses the benefits, borrows what it cannot take, and consumes a greater and greater share of the economy. with obamacare fully installed, government will come to control half the economy, and we will have effectively ceased to be a free enterprise society. this president is putting us on a path where our lives will be ruled by bureaucrats and boards, commissions and czars. he's asking us to accept that washington knows best -- and can provide all. we've already seen where this path leads. it erodes freedom. it deadens the entrepreneurial spirit. and it hurts the very people it's supposed to help. those who promise to spread the wealth around only ever succeed in spreading poverty. other nations have chosen that path. it leads to chronic high unemployment, crushing debt, and stagnant wages. i have a very different vision for america, and of our future. it is an america driven by freedom, where free people, pursuing happiness in their own unique ways, create free enterprises that employ more and more americans. because there are so many enterprises that are succeeding, the competition for hard-working, educated and skilled employees is intense, and so wages and salaries rise. i see an america with a growing middle class, with rising standards of living. i see children even more successful than their parents -- some successful even beyond their wildest dreams -- and others congratulating them for their achievement, not attacking them for it. this america is fundamentally fair. we will stop the unfairness of urban children being denied access to the good schools of their choice; we will stop the unfairness of politicians giving taxpayer money to their friends' businesses; we will stop the unfairness of requiring union workers to contribute to politicians not of their choosing; we will stop the unfairness of government workers getting better pay and benefits than the taxpayers they serve; and we will stop the unfairness of one generation passing larger and larger debts on to the next. in the america i see, character and choices matter. and education, hard work, and living within our means are valued and rewarded. and poverty will be defeated, not with a government check, but with respect and achievement that is taught by parents, learned in school, and practiced in the workplace. this is the america that was won for us by the nation's founders, and earned for us by the greatest generation. it is the america that has produced the most innovative, most productive, and the most powerful economy in the world. as i look around at the millions of americans without work, the graduates who can't get a job, the soldiers who return home to an unemployment line, it breaks my heart. this does not have to be. it is the result of failed leadership and of a faulty vision. we will restore the promise of america only if we restore the principles of freedom and opportunity that made america the greatest nation on earth. today, the hill before us is a little steep but we have always been a nation of big steppers. many americans have given up on this president but they haven't ever thought about giving up. not on themselves. not on each other. and not on america. in the days ahead, join me in the next step toward that destination of november 6th, when across america we can give a sigh of relief and know that the promise of america has been kept. the dreamers can dream a little bigger, the help wanted signs can be dusted off, and we can start again. and this time we'll get it right. we'll stop the days of apologizing for success at home and never again apologize for america abroad. there was a time -- not so long ago -- when each of us could walk a little taller and stand a little straighter because we had a gift that no one else in the world shared. we were americans. that meant something different to each of us but it meant something special to all of us. we knew it without question. and so did the world. those days are coming back. that's our destiny. we believe in america. we believe in ourselves. our greatest days are still ahead. we are, after all, americans! god bless you, and god bless the united states of america. -- and god bless you good people. thank you very much. ♪ i was born free ♪ ♪ "born free"] ♪ ♪ ♪ [george strait's "heartland"] ♪ ♪ ♪ "]odney atkins' "it's america ♪ >> i seem to have earned a certain place where people listen to me and i always cared about the country. and the greatest generation in that book -- writing the book, gave me a platform that was completely unanticipated. i thought i ought not to squander that, that i ought to step up not just as a citizen and as a journalist but as a father and a husband and a grandfather. and if i see these things, i ought to write about them and tried to start this dialogue, which is i am trying to do about it -- with this book, about where we need to get to next. then in his latest, tom brokaw urges americans to redefine the american dream and sunday, may 6, your questions for the former anchor and managing editor of nbc nightly news. in his half dozen books, he has written about the greatest generation, the 1950's, and today -- in depth sunday may 6, live at noon eastern on c- span2's book tv. >> rosie o'donnell was the president's first choice to be here this evening but she withdrew, citing a nasty and brutal confirmation process. [laughter] choice, even the second dennis miller was the second choice but second choicehung out by an illegal nanny technicality. but isn't that what the confirmation process is all about here in washington? weeding out the truly qualified to get to the truly available? then i must say, mr. president, i thought when you got into office -- >> i must say, mr. president, i thought when he got into office you would make an end to but best of all pick a plan. come on -- first black president lying best of all. that is one step forward, two steps back. and really -- are you really good? i bet you think your game is really nice right now, don't you? you really think you got good moves? nobody is going to give the president a hard foul with the secret service standing there. >> jon stewart and wanda sykes i adjusted the comedians at the annual white house correspondents' dinner. this weekend, c-span will again offer live coverage of the event saturday night. c what other comedians have said at the vendors online at the c- span video library, archive and searchable at c-span.org /videolibrary. this year's studentcam competition asked students across the country what part of the constitution was important to them and why. today's first prize winner in middle schools selected the first amendment. >> every night millions of americans said down in front of their tv to watch the news. they read the morning newspaper with a cup of coffee or base in the internet for the most recent updates. the first amendment is one of the most cherished freedoms americans have. it is essential to the well- being of our democracy. what challenges does it face in the 21st century? ♪ ♪ >> freedom of the press is one of the bedrocks of the u.s. constitution, of our democracy. >> jefferson and the founding fathers were really understood that the government without a vibrant press was alternately going to become a government not of and for the people. >> it in fees is a layer of transparency into the entire process of democracy. it is the way the public and keep tabs of what is going on in the legislature and in the executive and judicial branch. >> journalism is basically the watchdogs over society, in addition to reporting on it. and it's a very important role. >> without the press, i think what you would tend to see is people would exercise power on the basis of self interest, profit, more maintaining power, rather than on the basis of the best ideas for everyone. >> if you have lawmakers and executive officers who know that nobody is keeping an eye on what they are doing, the whole idea of power corrupts will come into play. >> the ability for people to question and challenge their government, to do that in paper or electrons on a computer screen -- >> all around the world there are enormously courageous journalists who at great risk to themselves are trying to shine a light on the critical issues that the people of the country face. >> the most important thing to the country is to have an informed populace. an informed public. >> do you think the american media is doing a very good job? >> that is a pretty complicated question. >> did you know there could be something there that could harm or even kill your kids? >> are your kids being brainwashed? >> the end of the world -- >> with respect to media, i think we have in the course of democracy, a lot of the ways we see me and operation. >> a new gallup poll showed media credibility at its lowest point in decades. 55% of respondents say they either are not very much confidence or none at all in the media's fairness and accuracy. >> i think pbs does a good job, i think other news organizations and not do a very good job informing the public. >> people find it news sources to confirm their beliefs. >> americas these days see it -- for support, rather than elimination. more and more people are turning to news sources that are essentially echo chambers to support their own beliefs. if you are conservative, you get news from fox news. if you are of another world view, you get your news from msnbc. >> people will just plug in to people who agree with them. >> that our people who would rather be entertained than actually learned. >> the media would just give us whatever we want to see. they just want to bring in as many viewers as the possibly can. >> advertisers will pay a premium to reach a smaller audience but actually people who have a defined profile. >> there is a financial incentive to go to the extremes that we are seeing with fox news and increasingly with msnbc. >> straight news content has given away to celebrity and crime is. stories with public policy content decrease -- conflict and sensation take their place. >> the stories which should get reported, or should give more attention, like stories about money in politics or corruption, things like that, don't get as much attention. >> advertisers may have to much influence over content of newspaper or new station because the media outlet is concerned about whether revenue comes from. >> the people who have disparate -- free speech of the people who owned the press. >> media companies are not having trouble staying in business. they are having trouble staying in journalism. >> as a final question to everyone i interviewed i ask -- if you could change one thing about the american news media, what would it be? >> i think what really needs to changes us -- the public. >> news outlets are businesses so they are just going to behave like businesses and they are just going to give -- they are just going to supply whatever it is the demand. >> chart a different pathway to our future. and i think younger people and people who can see these challenges -- you know, the older generations, including me -- need to get really deeply involved in challenging the status quo and challenging -- >> ultimately the people prevail. optimally they will demand their rights. >> if we keep demanding, then we are going to keep getting from them. >> on journalism, i want stories to be told. i once that to live. >> we want to encourage vigorous and robust debate on all issues that affect our society. >> we have to have this conversation. you have to talk to people who don't agree with you. >> in the 21st century, the basic principles of freedom of the press face many challenges. but we can overcome them. what kind of news media do you want in this country? your answer may very well dictate the outcome. >> don't accept that the way things are are the way things have to be because it has been that way. >> go to studentcam.org to watch all the winning videos and continue the conversation about a documentary on our facebook and twitter pages. here is what we are covering today on the c-span network. on c-span, u.s. house coverage begins at 10:00 a.m. eastern time with the general speeches. today's senate session begins at 9:30 a.m. on c-span2, and they are scheduled to work on the reauthorization of the violence against women act. on c-span3, homeless security secretary janet napolitano will testify at a hearing of the juice -- senate judiciary hearing. live coverage at 10:00 a.m. next, we will discuss this and spending with representative adam smith of washington, ranking member of armed services committee. representative michael mccaul, a texas republican, will talk about cybersecurity -- he chairs the homeland security subcommittee on oversight. we will take your questions about the future of the postal service. and we will be joined by our and we will be joined by our