Acceptance speech in new york city. Good evening. Thank you stephen in the book critics circle for inviting me for Toni Morrison for the Lifetime Achievement award although she certainly doesnt need an introduction with celebratory tributes to the great novelist of their time. You have to rattle off her accomplishments to you tonight by and large you are deeply familiar and then to recognize the rising star in 1977 and that is from her book song of solomon. You dont need me to remind you hear the honorees and those other works. And i assume you dont want me to whittle away moments at the podium with the recitation of previous awards although it is tempting the 1988 Pulitzer Prize National Humanities metal and 2000 and the honorary doctorate from oxford among many others with the president ial medal of freedom. So literarily evil halle is heavily weighted in the favor and then has the crime see front and center with that poetic sensibility and the influence on discourse and the vernacul
Spent good evening everyone so glad to see you here in the auditorium tonights program give me liberty is a part of the shorts distinguished Speakers Series and thank you for your great generosity which enables us to bring so many fine speakers to the stage. I also want to think the Chairmans Council member who is in attendance and thank you for your support which enables us to do our work with that question and answer session as you enter the auditorium my colleagues are going up and down the aisles. Following the program there will be a book signing and they will be available for purchase. We are thrilled to welcome Richard Brooke kaiser at the National Review institute and the author of numerous books including Alexander Hamiltons americana. As our chief historian curator the blockbuster show Alexander Hamilton from 2004. We were way ahead of our time but it caught up with us. Richard Brooke Kaiser was is awarded the National Humanities metal in 2008 his newest book is the exception
Ladies and gentlemen the recipients of the National Humanities model. The Claremont Institute. Patrick oconnell, James Patterson. [no audio] [no audio] [no audio] ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States and mrs. Trump [applause] thank you very much. Please. The first lady and i would just like to welcome everyone to the white house, a special place, very, very special, no matter where you go in the world, this is one of those places that you never forget. This afternoon it is my immense privilege to present our nations highest honors for contributions to american art and culture, the National Medal of arts in the National Humanities model. Please join me in congratulating each of todays recipients on their truly phenomenal achievement. It is an incredible achievement and congratulations to all. [applause] with us today our Vice President mike pence, mike thank you very much, secretary steven mnuchin, secretary betsy devos, thank you very much that too. Chairman of the
Please join us all in the book tent where we will be signing books and please join me in thanking the panelists. [applause] that concludes live coverage of the 2013 texas book festival from austin. Thanks for joining us. If you would like to get scheduling and Program Updates from book tv, go to booktv. Org or collis andre utter at book tv is our trigger handle and also our facebook address, facebook. Com booktv. If you missed any of todays events, everything that you see today will air in its entirety tonight at midnight. You are watching book tv on cspan2. In october of 2006, Henry Louis Gates described the creation of the africana the encyclopedia of the african and africanamerican experience which includes over 3,000 articles. You can watch this one hour and a ten Minute Program next on book tv. 2013 marks book tvs anniversary that debuted on september 12th, 1998. Professor gates probably doesnt need an introduction to an audience of boston. But hes had an interesting history and i
Expense. If they live far from a va hospital, 40 miles is the agreedupon distance, you will secretary the. A. Ability to fire senior managers accused of mismanagement. They can obviously fire those who are ill performing. Timekes a very long because of federal rules about letting employees go and their process to appeal. This was one of the reasons the controversy started in the first place. V. A. More to come on this deal in the house and senate. Did address the immediate crisis of veterans being forced on the long waiting lines for health care. It strengthens the va so that we can put a permanent end to long waiting lists. It addresses the very serious problem of accountability and makes certain that this honest and incompetent senior officials at the va do not remain employed there and in addition and provide some other significant benefit for veterans and their families. Funding for veterans needs must be considered a cost of law, and appropriated as charges that they. Planes and t