What a beautiful place. We had a great time here. We did lots of great stuff. I want to thank you very much. This has been an incredible trip , and Great Strides have been made. My husband works very hard on behalf of our country. I am very proud of him. This trip has also been incredible for me as first lady. In saudi arabia, i visited and aen at local Schools Center with all call center i with allfemale employees. In israel, i spent time at a Medical Center along with mrs. Netanyahu. In rome, i was honored and blessed to be granted an audience with his holiness pope francis, followed by a special visit to a childrens hospital. Just hours after leaving, a received found out yet a new heart donor. Receiving that news is a moment i will never forget. I wish him a speedy recovery. In brussels, i met with the queen and participated in a forum on preventing the online exploitation of children, then pay a visit to the patients at a childrens hospital. This trip for me has been very special. I will never forget the women and children i met. Kids at the hospital that i visit said in a picture she drew for me, we are all the same. I also want to take a moment to thank you all for the sacrifices you make on behalf of our country. It is because of your selfless commitment that we enjoy the freedoms we have today and to the families who endure time of moves, our constant your sacrifices you not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Thank you and god bless you. [applause] now, it is my great honor to introduce my husband, the president of the United States, donald j. Trump. [cheering] usa, usa]usa, President Trump i have to get the lipstick off. Thank you, honey. Thank you both. That is great. I am tried to figure out who is in the helicopter coming in. It may be Prime Minister abe. It may be just in from canada. Great people. We made a lot of great friends this week. They are good people. America is very blessed with a lot of great diplomats, and i have to say this as she just walks over here, but i do not think the United States could possibly have a better emissary that our magnificent and wonderful person, or first lady, melania. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] President Trump the countries of the world have a large number of disagreements, but they all agree with me on that one. That i can tell you. Everywhere we go, it is the same old story. Great job. We have been gone now a long time. Everywhere i go, we have been gone for close to nine days, this will be nine days, and i think we had a home run no matter where we are. We are thrilled to be here right now. We are getting on a very big plane. We are heading back to washington and the United States, but to be with you at our great Naval Air Station is wonderful. I can think of no better way to conclude our first foreign trip than to spend time with you right here with the incredible men and women of the United States navy and with all of our brave soldiers, sailors, and marines, and our great civilians who support them, right . [applause] president a very proud nation salutes you. A very, very proud nation. Ill tell you what, we are very, very proud of you. Every single day you protect the safety and security of the American People and provide a symbol of hope, freedom, and justice to the world. To our friends and allies, you are the ultimate reassurance. To our enemies, you are the ultimate deterrent. You are the metal spine forged out of the fires of american strength. And do you notice how much stronger we are getting . Are you feeling it . Are you feeling it . All that new equipment is coming in. You saw what we did with our military budget. Way up. I took a little heat on that one but it is ok with me. You are the men and women who make up the most powerful military in the world, and under my administration, as you know, stronger and stronger every single day. [applause] i want to thank captain brent trickle for leading the american presence at the hub of the med. Captain trickle, considering everything your team has done to prepare for this visit and you really have done a lot feel free to sound liberty call as soon as wheels are up. Ok . Maybe i will stay down with you and celebrate together. Just wait. [applause] but before going any further, i also want to express, on behalf of the United States, our gratitude to our italian and nato allies here today. We have a lot of them. You are stationed at the crossroads of the mediterranean working sidebyside with americans to confront the threat associated with the tremendous violence, suffering, and instability across north africa and the middle east. To every Service Member from italy, from a nato country, we want to thank you for your friendship and for partnering with us in the fight to defeat terrorism and protect civilization. [applause] Better Believe it. Terrorism is a bad threat to all of humanity. Together we will overcome this threat. We will win. [applause] but none of what we achieved would be possible without our wonderful military spouses and families. Each of you makes these great sacrifices for our country, as well. Lets hear it for our military spouses, please. [applause] we will always support you, and we will never, ever forget you. That i can tell you. There is one more very special group i have to thank, and that is our eighth grade students right here. Where are they . Oh, here they are. I have been hearing a lot about you. In january, the eighth grade class came all the way from washington to march in my inaugural parade. Right . Look at you. They are also happy, young. You are going to have a great life, right . Great life. Thank you very much. Are you all glad you did it . Thank you, honey. It is an image i will always revert, youre Smiling Faces right out in front of the white house carrying that great, big, beautiful American Flag, right . Thank you, kids. You traveled all the way from italy to support my inauguration, so today i am glad to be here, and i traveled a long way to support you. And it is my honor. Thank you very much. [applause] military children also make great sacrifices for their country, and i want you all to know that america is so proud of you. As you know, i was here in sicily to attend a very important summit meeting, the meeting of the g7. It was a tremendously productive meeting where i strengthen america bonds. We have great bonds with other countries. And with some of our closest allies, we concluded a truly historic week for our country. Our travels took us to some of the holiest sites in the three abrahamic religions. And the gatherings of both americas oldest and newest friends. We traveled the world to strengthen longstanding alliances and to form a new Partnership Among nations devoted to the task of eradicating the terrorism that plagues our planet. [applause] and weve got the people that can do it, believe me. And i am now more hopeful than ever in the possibility that nations of many faiths and from many religions and many regions all over can join together in a common cause. The barbaric attack in manchester and the massacre of innocent young lives underscores the depth of the evil we face and the urgent need for us to join forces to absolutely and totally defeat it. I met with Prime Minister may and expressed the absolute solidarity of the American People. And just yesterday, Coptic Christians in egypt were viciously gunned down in another vile terrorist attack, one that took the lives of beautiful egyptian children and others. These murderous attacks grieve our souls, but they also steel our resolve. Together, civilized nations will crush the terrorists, block their funding, strip them of their territory, and drive them out of this earth. My first visit during my travels took me to saudi arabia, where i had the honor of participating in a historic summit with the leaders of more than 50 muslim and arab nations posted by king salman, a wide leader who expressed a strong desire to work with the United States not only to confront terrorism, but also the extremist ideology behind terrorism. The nations of the middle east have endured one terrorist attack after another, and i called on them to take on the burden of fighting this evil that has killed so many innocent muslims. During this unprecedented gathering, we opened a new center to combat extremist ideology, launched a task force to block funding for terrorists, and agreed to massive Economic Development deals the likes of which has never been, that will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the United States building the equipment that has just been ordered by saudi arabia. We also further isolated the Iranian Regime over its hostile and destabilizing actions, and reaffirmed that iran must never be allowed to obtain under any circumstances a nuclear weapon. [applause] you i was deeply encouraged to hear from the leaders of many muslim and arab nations that they are ready to take on a greater role in combating terrorism and providing young muslims in their region with a future of safety and a future of opportunity. Next, i went to jerusalem, where i reaffirmed our unbreakable bond with the state of israel. There we continued our discussion about fighting terrorism and crushing the organizations and ideologies that drive it. I went to the western wall, a monument to the perseverance of the jewish people. I also prayed at the church of the holy sepulcher and walked those sacred halls. I was awed by the majesty and beauty of the land, and the face and reverence of the devoted people who live there. All children from all faiths deserve a future of hope and peace, a future that does honor to god. [applause] i visited bethlehem, a city so in precious to so many, and met with the Palestinian Leader president abbas. He assured me he is willing to reach for peace with israel in good faith, and i believe he will. And israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu assured me that he, too, was ready to reach for peace. He is a friend of mine, and he means it. From israel we came to italy. In rome i was inspired by the beauty of st. Peters basilica, and even more inspired by meeting with pope francis. We had a great talk. It was truly an honor to meet the pope and to pray for peace on those hallowed grounds. Then i traveled to two summits with our key allies. First at a nato summit in brussels, where we assured funding from our allies, and to further confront the shared threat of terrorism. Other member nations must pay more. [applause] the u. S. Is currently paying much more than any other nation, and that is not fair to the United States or the United States taxpayer, so we are working on it, and i will tell you, a big difference over the last year. Money is actually starting to pour into nato from countries that would not have been doing what they are doing now had i not been elected. I can tell you that. Money is starting to pour in. [applause] it is only fair to the United States. We want to be treated fairly and we are behind nato all the way. But we want to be treated fairly. All of us will be more safe and secure is everyone fulfills their obligations the way they are supposed to come up right . Look at this man. He is agreeing with me 100 . Most people agree with me. Next i attended the g7 right here in sicily and made great progress toward very, very vital goals. I laid out my vision for Economic Growth and fair trade in support of good paying jobs and even great paying middleclass jobs and more. And i called for much greater security and cooperation on matters of both terrorism, immigration, migration to protect our citizens. From saudi arabia to israel to nato to the g7, we made extraordinary gains on this historic trip to advance the security and prosperity of the United States, our friends, and our allies. And we paved the way for a new era of Cooperation Among the nations of the world to defeat the common enemy of terrorism and provide our children with a much more hopeful future. You are going to have a great, great future. You are going to have a safe of Cooperation Among the nations future because of your parents and other people in this room. [applause] that is why i knew i had to conclude my trip right here with the dedicated Service Members who make the future so bright, so proud, because i am so proud of the future you are going to have. Are you all proud of the future you are going to have . You Better Believe it, right . Dad, mom, we are all proud of it. We are proud of our country. The men and women of the United States military have been the greatest force for peace and justice in the history of the world. I want you to know that you have a commanderinchief who will never, ever forget never ever you will always be remembered number one. Just remember that. Always. [applause] i will give you my complete and unshakable support. We have already made an historic investment in defense spending. You been reading about it. Because we believe and you know this what is the expression . Peace through strength. Peace through strength, right . You will understand that when you get a little bit older. Peace through strength, and that is what we are going to have. We are going to have a lot of strength, and we are going to have a lot of peace. We will buy the planes, the ships, the vehicles and equipment you need to get your job done and to come home safe and sound back to your families. [applause] i also know that the single greatest strength of our armed forces is you, all of you. The dedicated, really tough, and really disciplined servicemen and women who bravely fight in our name. You not only know the pain of sacrifice, but you also know the tremendous rewards of military service, of being part of something much larger than even yourselves. You know what it means to be part of a military team in which men and women are bound together in a sacred covenant of trust to serve together, to sacrifice together, and to fight together. And by the way, to win together, because you are going to win. You are going to do a lot of winning. [applause] you are going to do a lot of winning. And my pledge to you is that we will always protect those who protect us. You are protecting us. And we will always remember that, and we will always protect you. Americans fought and died to liberate europe from the evils of nazism and fascism. American military power helped to free the world from the oppression of communism. And today, americans like you are battling the Sinister Forces of terrorism throughout the middle east, north africa, and the world. American military history is rich with noble traditions, harrowing missions, and selfless heroes like your parents. But at its core, the moral of the story is always the same. It is the story of good overcoming evil. You have poured out your hearts, your souls, and even your blood for this nation, and we will pour out our gratitude to you in return. We will show our gratitude especially this monday on memorial day, when we pause to thank god for the heroes who have lain down their lives for our freedom. [applause] right . Among those heroes was a young navy sailor from omaha. His name was john joseph parl. Parl enlisted in the navy after the attack on a roll harbor, and soon ended up not far from here on pearl harbor, and soon ended up not far from here. In the waters of the mediterranean. On the night of july 9, 1943, he was among the tens of thousands of allied forces preparing for a surprise landing the next morning on the shores of sicily, right here, about 70 miles away. To be exact. It was to be a major allied offense on european soil, and it was important. On his ship, cloaked in darkness just six miles offshore, he and others noticed that a smoke screen device has caught fire in a small boat staged to support the landings. The boat was filled with explosives. He knew that if he didnt stop the fire, and explosion would light up the night sky, alert the enemy, all of his fellow comrades would be killed, and the invasion would be a failure. So paul rushed to the source of smoke, hardly able to breathe, breathing this smoke in, and without a thought for his own safety, picked up the burning device with his bare hands, ran to the side of the boat, and hurled it into the sea as far as he could throw. In that decisive moment, he didnt hesitate. He acted. And in that act, he helped ensure the success not only in the savings of his friends and those lives, but of the allied landing itself, which turned out to be a very, very important victory. So the allied forces were on to win the sicily campaign critical in their ultimate victory. But before that final victory, the young, brave, beautiful sailor who helped make it possible, died from the smoke that had damaged his lungs so badly. Parl had just turned 23. Yesterday would have been his 97th birthday. For his brave actions, he was awarded the medal of honor. This memorial day, we remember and there is no strength without those brave enough to protect the weak and the people that need protection, and there is no prosperity at home without those willing to shoulder our burdens overseas. That glorious American Flag represents the blood of patriots and defense of freedom. It represents the courage that burns in american hearts. It represents the unity that binds us all together as one, and it represents the freedoms bestowed upon us by almighty god. You are the protectors of that great American Flag. You are the patriots who keep the fires of liberty burning, and you are the ones who protect the godgiven freedoms that are the birthright of every single american child. I am proud to be with you today as your commander in chief. I am honored to have had this time to spend with you. I am excited for the Great Adventures and achievements that all of us will accomplish together. May god bless you. May god bless our Service Members. May god bless the United States of america. Thank you very much, everybody. [cheers and applause] pres. Trump thank you. Thank you very much. [applause] [cheers and applause] next, your calls and comments on washington journal. With vermontrs senator patrick leahy. After that, john brennan testifies at a house hearing on the investigation into allegations of Russian Internet errands in the 20 election. 2016 election. Interference in the 2016 election. I had a friend who was vaporized and it took three weeks to separate them all. War is not a game. Former Intelligence Officer malcolm nance on his career and most recent book. And hacking basis. How to destroy the cyber jihad. While we were writing it, we found there were two hacks that in france. Gainst one and another against germanys parliament. Which were attributed to isis. While we were studying that we learned the methodologies, the malware that was introduced and the servers that were stealing the information were certainly not isis. 28. Were a tp it was the name the Cyber Security company gave up for their interpretation of this malware package that belonged to Russian Military intelligence. Tonight at 8 00 on cspans q a. Harris,morning, holly executive director of the u. S. Talkse Action Network about attorney general Jeff Sessions call for stricter sentencing guidelines. Talks aboutparsi the future of u. S. Iran relations following the reelection of iranian president rouhani. Michael stratford looks at how the fy 2018 budget could impact the Education Department and policy. You can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. Washington journal is next. Last night, President Trump and the first lady returned to the white house back from his first overseas trip as president. We will talk about that this morning. We will start with the actions of a few as mayor, Mitch Landrieu of new orleans. Following through on his effort to remove confederate statues from that city over the last and addressing City Residents in a speech and we hope to show you some of this hour as well on the reasoning behind his decision to remove confederate statues from the