Receive as many written questions as necessary to by the end of Business Today so you can review them and have your answers returned so that we can get your confirmation to the floor early next week. If not, as you know the week after that were in a recess so well try and get it accomplished accomplished. I heard a door close. I just simply want to thank you for the service of the nation and thank you, mr. Chairman, for a very productive hearing. Thank you. Well, i just cant hold the witness any longer senator mccain, i think hes running around the ante room to this entrance. I would expect him to pop through in about ten seconds. Senator lee. Welcome. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Youve been very patient today and answered a lot of questions and i just wanted to talk to you briefly about religious freedom within the military. I think the ability to believe according to ones own belief system and to express those views appropriately is of utmost importance to the morale ofto all o
It is good being with you. Let me first go on record saying i wholeheartedly agree with the president s change in direction. I think it is clear that over 50 years nothing has changed with the policy we had. Time says if you dont do the same thing over and over again and you get the same result. I wholeheartedly agree. I should also say that i do feel the passion of, for example, my good friend the Ranking Member of the western hemisphere, listening to his opening statement. And i would hope the kinds of questions just because the passion he has is for the people of cuba. In his opening statement, some of the quest as he has, hope it is that kind of dialogue that goes forward with some of the questions he has a trying to make sure there is a better day for the cuban people. And so in that regard, ive been down all of been to cuba several times in other places in latin america and the caribbean. And i have found that one of the major obstacles we have had in the region is on cuban polic
Naval base . That issue is not on the table with the would the it could be on our table. Would you object . I dont know the answer to that, as a matter of executive policy. Let me go on to mr. Smith. We have the cuban solidarity act that doesnt allow us to deal with Certain Properties that have been seized by americans. Youve got new regulations on travel credit cards, etc. How do you plan to make sure that american travelers arent making breaking the law from staying in hotels violating the cuban american solidarity act . One thing i should say about that, the act, what that does is you cant provide a loan or credit or provide financing to further those transactions involving confiscated property. It doesnt say you cant stay at a hotel or engage in any kind of does the Credit Card Company extend a loan when you use a credit card to pay for a hotel stay at a confiscated property . The Credit Card Company may extend the loan to the traveler. Facilitate staying at the hotel, you think th
How do you see the governors race playing out in louisiana . In terms of my timeline, it will be the next few months. My wife and i continue to think about it. As we were saying earlier, i think everybody is thinking about this. Who is the next president is not as important as what the next president does. We face serious challenges. This is an election that will be a series election, not just about who can tell the best jokes or deliver the best speech. This is a consequential election about the future direction of our country. I am not just thinking about the election but the issues and giving serious thought to where our country needs to go on energy, education, Foreign Policy, health care, and a number of other areas. I strongly encourage anyone else to do that. I dont know how you get into a race this important without giving serious thought to the issues. That is part of what im doing at this time. Trust me, when i do make a decision it will not be a , secret. Im happy to tell yo
And we start with that breaking news, the coldblooded execution of two new York City Police officers shot to death by a suicidal gunman bent on revenge for killings by police. The assassination immediately condemned by president obama and the attorney general drawing a fierce reaction from police in an atmosphere already so highly charged after ferguson and staten island. Abcs linsey davis is on the scene in brooklyn. Good morning, linsey. Reporter good morning, george. Police are calling this murder even though the suspect in this case will never have his day in court. And two Police Agencies are saying new yorks mayor has blood on his hands. Last night officials put the ambush of two new York City Police officers here in stark terms. They were quite simply assassinated, targeted for their uniform. These officers were shot execution style. Reporter according to the nypd, officers wenjian liu and rafael ramos were sitting in their marked patrol car in brooklyn when 28yearold Ismaaiyl B