Transcripts For CSPAN Key Capitol Hill Hearings 20150217

Answers. It is a carl icahn began difficult. We do not historically have a great track record, the United States nor any other nation in the world. That said, al qaeda core, the group that struck us the into of 11 has been decimated. There has been some success along the way. Host here is a tweet from one of our viewers. And aumf is not a substitute for the declaration of war that the constitution contemplates and mandates. Are we at war . Guest we are at war. The president use that in his inaugural address. There is a big difference legally between being a Armed Conflict versus section eight where we declare being at war. Weve than a five times. International law has changed. This would be a long boring legal the session. The preferred venue today in these types of conflicts is an authorization for use of military force, not an article one, section eight congress declaring war. Host do you agree, jennifer . Guest absolutely. War has been declared five times. For better or for worse, this is the preferred method going forward. Host castling from chicago. Go ahead. Caller good morning. Host you on the air. Go ahead. Caller two points. First of all, what would make these people is here on stage think that president obama can win the war against the third world since this is been going on for thousands of years. It is funny how we can say here in so here and go in. But right here in this country you cannot even get a background check when that guy way in there and killed 25 babies in that school. That is what we should be focusing on. We are killing just like isis. You be heading just like them. No one comes over here. Take care of home for us. Mind your business. Then we would not have isis. Guest i think the caller raises an important point. The discussion of what is going on with isis is not substitute for conversation about what is going on domestically. There is a whole host of domestic issues that the Administration Needs to focus on. Including gun violence, and a whole host of things that require our attention. Host can any president win this war against the terrorist groups . Guest i think what we have seen when our nation has been attacked or is under us threat, for the most part, the American People galvanized behind the president. Whoever he is. Polls today suggest, as your previous guest said, people definitely support this country taking some type of military action against enemy. Doing on option. At the same time, to kathleens point, do we have kind we do have crime in this country unemployment, a lot of challenges. When youre the president , you do not get to choose just one thing and do one thing at a time. I have never been the president , i never will be. I assume he has 100 things he has to deal with any given day. And the various departments at across the government are operating at the best of their ability. He does not have the ability to just focus on one thing, he has to work on everything. Host fred from new york, democratic caller. Caller republican. Host ok, were listening. Caller if we ever have a major disturbance or attack on this country, we have not had one since 9 11. I think president bush to the right thing going in there and sending a message to the islamic terrorists, or what everyone called them, that we would not put up with it. We have not been attacked since. The only thing, you will drive them underground. We have to understand that if were going to get in there, we have to make them so afraid to make a move. What they are doing now is and we will not let them do it. Guest two points. There has not been an attack on the whole lives since 9 11, that is true. That is something we should applaud and be thankful for. It is hard to know what wouldve happened if strategies have been different. The question is as to what to do now, it still remains tricky. One of the reasons why a college pointed out earlier that the administration has been slow to lay out a strategy is because theyre still struggling with this. It is not obvious what to do. There are press. It is not the isil is in one small territory, you can send in Ground Troops go that territory. It is spread out. They are underground. They are populating various parts of the world. It is very tricky. Some of the actions of the u. S. Takes can actually backfire and augment recruitment. These are hard, difficult choices. I do not envy those in the administration who have to decide the appropriate way forward. Host charles, i will come back to you after we hear from roger in iowa. Caller good morning to you. I am a little concerned about all of this political talk. In world war ii, we had the nazis. If you read the newspapers from the 1930s im 74 years old what is going on now is what went on in the 1930s. If you look at world war ii, we declared war on japan. We never declared war on germany. Germany declared war on us. Yet, we fought germany. Isis is an Islamic Terrorist Group that has declared war on us. The fbi just said they have cells in 49 of the 50 states. Its simple. They want to kill us. We better kill them before they kill us. Host charles stimson, is it that simple . Guest i think to my fathers generation, my dad fought in world war ii, when you boil all of this down to the narrow thing that when there is a threat to your country and their try to kill you, you have to kill them. That is kind of like the American Youth those to a lot of people. That is what you do. It is more copper cavein that im afraid. Thats the fact that there is economic instability in the area. Oil prices have gone down. That has d destabilize some of the partners. Jordan has obviously doing the fight because of the horrific burning of the pilot. They have a great air force. It is an interconnected world. When you are at war with a nonstate actor people global action, and who are intent on n establishing Islamic State there are a lot of factors. Yes, we have to go in there and use military action. We have to operate on a lot of Different Levels if we will be the ideology over the long term. Host brandy and mississippi. Democratic caller. Caller i just want to remind everybody to do what you know until you know better, and then do better. That is directed to our congress. And to our partners. In the battle of the minds that we are facing now. I do not have all the answers, but your previous caller talks about the third world. I live in the second world. Issues are always addressed herein either. Host all right. Let he bring in the street from one of our viewers. This is a War Without End nnp ago can we also is a war terrorism in perpetuity question mark guest guest credit, i think it is appropriate because after three years they plan to revisit and consider where we are at that point. Have we made progress . Has the enemy morphed . So we should not be declaring war in perpetuity. Obama has been very consistent in saying that this nation should not be in a state of perpetual war. That is damaging to our nation and identity. And a whole host of other areas outside of the war fighting context. So no, we should not be in a state of perpetual war. How we get out of that state is not easy, but certainly we are going back to our initial discussion about authorization. That is why it obama is right to propose a sunset in this particular situation regarding isil. Host lets go about to that lets go back to 2002. Why cant we fund the kurds . Whats going on there, Cully Stimson . Guest they are very effective the fighters, but they will not be able to do it alone. Nor will saudi troops, and nor will moderate fighters that we can find in the area. I take a little bit of issue with my friend jen. I think our goal should be a win , the ideological battle. But you take your enemy as you find them. I am a military guy, been in the navy 23 years. I did not obviously fight in world war ii, but i know enough military people who know that what they want is a strategy for victory. The American People want a strategy for victory. Does that mean we should be in a perpetual state of war . No. One of the to good discussions we will have is whether this sunset . Which is not an ending, but lets get a report card of where we are, take an assessment of where the real threats are, and have they been degraded to the point where we need this wartime authorization, or can we rely on counterterrorism and other tools to beat back the danish king the diminishing threat. That is healthy in a democracy. Host do we have a report card on the health of isis . Saudi arabia you said there was a very effective air force going after them. Now egypt. The usled coalition, where are they . Because it does not seem that they are degraded and destroyed, as the president said. Guest one of the things that the three of us do not have access to our the classified briefings that i used to participate in as a player where the Administration Officials who have high security clearances cia people and others can go in and brief behind closed doors members of congress and give them the real no kidding, this is what is happening, brief. There has to be a level of trust in our country where politics stops and National Security rains and National Security reigns. We have to believe that when the head of the fbi, the National Security center, the head of the longstanding National Security apparatus steps forward and says this is the threat, we should take it at face value. I take president obama at face value when he says that this isis growing cancer is a threat to our country and our allies. We should take that at face value. Host by the way, the head of the National Defense counsel if you want to know more about the threat of isis, go to our website, cspan. Org. Jennifer daskal, i want to give you the final word to wrap up. Guest i want to clarify something that cully said. We need to win. I think we are saying the same thing. We need to win. We need to agree that the whole range of other counterterrorism tools at our disposal, a twit of which there are many, are adequate and we do not have to go to the first resort. We are in agreement on that. Congress has a chance to engage, and i hope i remain more optimistic than cully does and i hope that we get an authorization that will reflect the best the nation has to offer. Host former counsel to assistant attorney general jennifer daskal, and Cully Stimson, former Deputy Assistant [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2015] plus your phone calls, Facebook Comments and tweets. Washington journals d live tomorrow and every morning at 7 00 eastern on cspan. February is black History Month and the cspan bus is on the road. Visiting the top historically black colleges and universities, to speak with their faculty and discuss Public Policy issues and to highlight their role in americas Education System. And tomorrow morning at 9 15 eastern, during washington journal, well meet with brian johnson, president of tuskegee university. And then on friday well visit exavier university in louisiana and talk with its pro voast. The white house today announced the administration will allow the sale of armed drones for the first time to allied nations. The Washington Post reporting that it marks, quote, a step toward providing allied nations with weapons that have become a cornerstone of u. S. Counterterrorism strategy, but whose remotely controlled power to kill is intensely controversial. The new policy they write, announced today after a long interim review is a significant step for u. S. Arms policy its also scrambling to secure a greater share of the global drone market. You can read more on washingtonpost. Com. Also at the white house today, Vice President biden kicked off a summit on combating terrorism in the u. S. And abroad. He gave these remarks at the start of a round table discussion with local and local elected and foreign officials, Community Leaders and religious figures. Thank you very much. First of all, welcome. Particularly to our friends from belgium and the netherlands. Who have come a long way to be here. We appreciate it a great deal. But thank you all for being here. Especially in this, quote, snow emergency. Now, those of you from minnesota know this is not much of an emergency. I understand that. But in washington, when youre here, snow is coming, everything shuts down. But we did have some snow last night and i appreciate you all making the effort. Particularly those of from you boston who probably view this as visiting the caribbean. [laughter] so thank you all so very much. Look were here today because we all understand that in dealing with violent extremism, that we need answers that go beyond a military answer. We need answers that go beyond force. Countries, all of us including the United States, need to work this from the ground up. We need to work from the ground up and engage our communities and engage those who might be susceptible to being radicalized. Because they are marginalized. Societies have to provide an affirmative alternative for immigrant communities, a sense of opportunity, a sense of belonging, and that discredits the terrorists appeal to fear isolation, hatred, resentment. And we also have to police have to build partnerships within religious and business and civic communities. But weve also brought along all those folks. We have religious leaders here, we have the business community, civic leaders, all with one purpose in mind. How do we counter the appeal of radicalization . In september president obama convened the u. N. Security council, as some of you might remember, and led in the passage of a resolution committing countries to take on the scourge of foreign fighters, foreign terrorist fighters but we need more needs to be done that what has already been done. Leader after leader explained that its not enough to take on these networks of extremists who wish use itered who wish to do us harm. We also have to take on the ideology that attracts fighters from all around the world to join them. In this meet something a continuation of that effort. Over the next three days well hear from leaders from government, from Civil Society from communities in nearly 70 countries around the world in this threeday conference, about how they believe we can make good on the collective commitment to build from the ground up here. And id like to thank again those from belgium and the netherlands who are dealing with the most recent man necessarytations of manifestations of this challenge. We asked you both to be here today because youve been active had and innovative. I conscious active and innovative. I just had a chance to meet with the European Council and parliament. The topic of discussion in our closed meetings was about what to be done in europe now. Theyre asking me we discuss what had some of the things we have done. Both of you have been leading. Were anxious to hear what you have to say. The focus of todays events are on making sure that violent extremism never finds a home in the communities of the United States here. Were going to hear from representatives from los angeles, minneapolis st. Paul, as well as boston. As well as u. S. Attorneys from each of those locales, who have been leading in this effort as well. Your cities were chosen because of what youve already done. What youve already done. Reverend brown and i go back a long way. I wrote the socalled crime bill in the United States, which everybody thinks put 100,000 cops on the street, but it voted devoted more money to prevention than any program weve ever engaged in the United States of america, so represent rand brown, youve been at this so reverend brown, youve been at this for a long time. Im not talking about radicalization, im talking about communities being left behind. And how to deal with violence. In minneapolisst. Paul, youve been working to build relations with the east african immigrants who have made your city their home. As the same folks have made my city a home on a smaller scale. A very large identifiable somali community. I might add, if you ever come to the train station with me, youll notice that i have great relationships with them because theres an awful lot of them driving cabs and are friends of mine. For real. Im not being solicitous. Im being serious, so starting in 2007, the minneapolisst. Paul, youve trained over 600 officers in the somali language and culture. Youre actually stepping out to try to engage. Youve invited hundreds of teens from the community to your police stations for sporting events and swimming and im sure you have palpolice athletic associations and the like in your city. And i know you have much more to talk about. Weve asked los angeles to be here because youve reached out to the communities. Youve reached out, youre Building Networks to try to connect the needs of your citizens with access to help everything from providing Mental Health resources to coming up with strategies for other interventions. Sitting with us today is the head of the Muslim Public Affairs council who came up with a program called safe spaces initiative. Teaching Community Leaders, religious leaders and counselors how to deal with violent extremism in the city of los angeles. And in boston, you are planning to provide forms and platforms for Community Leaders in every community. The Muslim Community, all minority communities, for people to be able to advocate for nonviolence and be able to express themselves online, as well as in person. This is not something new to boston. As i said all the way back in 1992, reverend brown started the 10point coalition,ify remember correctly, reverend if i remember correctly, reverend. Where a group of ministers worked to change the relationship between kids and police and kids on the street. And i might add im very proud , as Vice President of the United States, to see how boston responded to the crisis that occurred in the marathon. It did not turn its venom, its anger, its frustration against any community. It resolved to pull the communities together. I think that was something that , as least i personally could take no credit for it, but i was very proud of i had the opportunity to speak on the oneyear anverse and be there for the second marathon. I was proud, i was proud of the way the bostonians stood up and moved on. I want to make it clear, though, im not suggesting to the press or any of our guests that i think america has all the answers here. We just have a lot more experience. By that i mean we are a nation of immigrants. Thats who we are. That is not hyperbole. We talk teach our kids were a melting pot. The gods truth is, we are a melting pot. It is the ultimate source of our strength, it is the ultimate source of who we are. What weve become. It started all the way back in the late 1700s. Theres been a constant unrelenting stream of immigration. Not in little trickles but in large numbers. I had an opportunity to be in singapore with the former president who is now 93 years old and i was talking to him on my way to china, to meet with the president and i said, hes known as sort of the Henry Kissinger of asia, for real. A very wise man i said to him i said, what are the chinese doing now . He thought because we were talking about how rapidly the man ive come to know relatively well, the president has consolidated power. And he said to me and speaks perfect english, he said, theyre in america looking for the buried black box. And i looked at him just like youre looking at me, like, whats he talking about . He said, theyre looking for that secret that allows america to constantly be able to remake itself. Unlike any other country in the world. I said i can presume to tell you whats in that black box mr. President. Im old enough now. I said one is that there is in america theres an overwhelming skepticism for orthodoxy. From the time a child, whether theyre naturalized or theyre nativeborn, they think about it a child never gets criticized in our Education System for challenging orthodoxy. For challenging the status quo. I would argue its unlike any other large country in the world. Theres a second thing in that black box. An unrelenting stream of immigration. Nonstop, nonstop. Folks like me who are caucasian, of european descent for the first time in 2017 well be an absolute minority in the United States of america. Absolute minority. Fewer than 50 of the people in america from then and on will be white european stock. Thats not a bad thing. Thats a source of our strength. So we have been we havent always gotten it right. I dont want to i dont want to suggest we have all the answers. But we have a lot of experience. Of integrating communities into the american system, the american dream. A generation from now, as i said things will change even more. Its not merely that were a melting pot but were proud to be a melting pot. With that weve made a lot of mistakes, but weve also made a lot of progress. Weve learned a lot of hard lessons. But the most important lesson weve learned, we dont always practice it, is that inclusion counts. Let me say that again. Inclusion counts. Inclusion counts. Being brought in and made a part of the community, whether as my irish ancestors with signs, no irish need apply, and the anticatholic movement of the nonothingings in the late 1800s, straight through to how some respond today to the number of folks in the United States of america that are his spanic of background. Weve hispanic of background. Weve always ultimately overcome. It but its always been about inclusion. Being a part of the whole. We still have problems but im proud of the american record on culture and economic integration of not only our muslim communities but african communities, asian communities hispanic communities and the wave still continues. Its not going to stop. Nor should we want it to stop. As a matter of fact, one of the things i think we can be most proud of. The truth of the matter is when i say we have to be able to see one another, im not talking about surveillance, im not talking about cameras. Im talking about being able to look at one another and see one another. See who we are. Understand how similar we are. Its about recognizing the dignity that every person in america is entitled to be afforded. Without exception. Every person in america. Immigration excuse me, immigrant or nativeborn. Because at the end of the day, its about treating each other with respect and although we need technology, technology cannot replace contact. Technology cant replace contact. That was the principle behind the notion we had in that bill i wrote a long time ago called community policing. It wasnt about just getting tougher on the street. It was about making sure that the policeman got out of his car and knew who the local shop owner was, knew his name. Muhammad, my name is officer shmedlap, heres my card no literally. Literally. Not figuratively. We did community policing, the police around this table can tell you. Violent crime in four years dropped over 19 in the United States of america. It was because the Police Officers went to the community meetings, they showed up in the church basements. They were engaged. And the guy who said it best is a friend of mine, who occasionally gets criticized, but his name is bill braten. Former commissioner up in boston and los angeles and new york, boston, new york l. A. , now back in new york. And he said, joe, when i was out in los angeles he said an africanamerican woman who was an activist in the Community Came up and said to me something ive never forgotten. She said there is an african saying by a large african tribe centered just north of south africa. And they said, the phrase is and she said, the phrase is, we see you. We see you. Folks, were not going to make a lot of progress unless we can actually see one another. We see you. Bill braten was correct. Its important when the Minority Community understands that Law Enforcement faith leaders, social workers like my daughter, Mental Health officials, athletic associations wmcas, ywcas are all working together. Thats where it works, as the communities can tell you. Thats where it works. When everybody is in the game. It cant be done without that kind of community building. But the efforts, the initiatives that we hope will arise from this summit are those designed to bring together coalitions to help solve the problems. But mainly so every child and every Minority Community in america, particularly now in the Muslim American community, is able to feel like we see them. We actually see them. Who they are. Carmen ortiz said it best, he said, our goal is to really promote Public Safety and to have a community to be part of our National Security. National security flows from a sense of community. It flows from a sense of community. So if youre dealt out, if youre not treated with respect, if youre not understood, if i cant see you, then it wont work. Its not easy. We have some significant experience in the past and i hope we can expand on it. So, let me say to all of you since and i apologize for taking as long as i did, but this is the opening sal voof this threeday salvo of this threeday conference and i want to make sure were on the same page what have were trying to do and tryinging to figure out why all of you leaders have been invited, because thats been your business. Youve been trying to see see. Not hide from, see what the problems are. And respond. And its not going to be easy. But its necessary. And i know from my discussions in belgium last week, all of europe is tryinging to figure this out right now. Because again although theres been a good deal theres been a significant amount of immigration over the last 40 years, 50 years into europe from all over the world, it is a newer phenomenon. Theres a lot we can do together i think. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2015] the white house summit on combating terrorism in the u. S. And abroad continues tomorrow with remarks by president obama, Homeland Security secretary jay johnson and others. Our live coverage gets under way at 2 45 eastern here on cspan. Late this afternoon president obama announced that his administration will appeal an order from a federal judge in texas that temporarily blocks his program, the ruling gives a coalition of 26 states times to pursue a lawsuit that permanently aims to stop the immigration orders. President obama said the law and history are on his side in a legal dispute over the executive order to protect millions of immigrants from deportation. He told reporters at the oval office that hes confident he was well within his authority to make that order. Meanwhile, outgoing attorney general eric holder called todays ruling quote, an interim step in a Legal Process still playing out. He made these remarks at an event hosted by the National Press club here in washington. He also talked at length about the criminal Justice System. His comments and questions from reporters about an hour. Eric holder, the 82nd attorney general of the United States is one of three original members of president obamas cabinet still in office. He is among the longestserving attorney generals in history. When he took office in 2009 as the nations first africanamerican attorney general, it was a tough time to begin. The nation was debating how to collect intelligence and prevent terrorist attacks without infringing upon civil liberties. States were fighting the federal government over voting rights, marijuana legalization, immigration, and samesex marriage. Under holder, the Justice Department aggressively fought new voter identification laws that he characterized as both overt and subtle forms of discrimination. The Justice Department under holder also stopped defending defense of marriage act cases. He addressed the intersection of new technology in u. S. Law, such as the use of drones in targeted killings when the u. S. Killed a terrorist suspect, an american citizen and top recruiter for al qaeda. Critics accused the u. S. Of sanctioning assassinations. Holder said that he sought to strike a balance between a nation at war and a nation of laws. In his final year as attorney general, the deaths of two unarmed black man, eric garner and Michael Brown, caused many to question whether all citizens could trust police to protect them. In meetings and speeches, older holder has sought to confront these issues, convening a series of discussions around the country. Holder announced his departure from the office he holds late last year, pending confirmation of his successor. He has begun to reflect on his six years in office. He might have summed it up best with something he said back in 2010. He put it this way. I quote, one of the things i have learned over the last year is that it is simply not possible as attorney general to make everyone happy. As we would say here, spoken like a true journalist. Join me in welcoming mr. Eric holder. [applause] thank you for that kind introduction and for your leadership and stewardship of this really event natural institution. Id also like to thank the past president for inviting me to be here this afternoon. The National Press clubs officers, and really your entire board of governors for their critical work in all of the journalists, both in and beyond this crowd, who contribute so much to our national discourse. We dont always agree but we have good conversations that i think is ultimately good for our democracy. It is a pleasure to stand among so many distinguished members of the Fourth Estate and im humbled to follow in the footsteps of the really remarkable men and women who have addressed this Organization Since its founding over a century ago. Before we open the floor for questions, i have to give you a commercial. Id like to take a few minutes to discuss the latest developments in the Justice Departments ongoing efforts in the field of criminal Justice Reform as well as the significant and extremely promising results we are beginning to see, just 18 months after the launch of our smart on Crime Initiative. When i took office a little over six years ago i am the third longest serving attorney general in history, you should all go out and try to figure out who number one. Is thats a very interesting story. I came to this job having seen americas Justice System really from a number of angles. Primarily as a prosecutor. But also as a judge. And as an attorney in private practice. Id had the great honor of serving alongside and learning from countless dedicated lawyers, great men and women in Law Enforcement, and leading criminal justice experts. I served under administrations led by president s of both political parties. Despite the progress of lowering the crime rate, real and daunting challenges remain before us. I understood that few of these challenges were more pressing than to strengthen the federal Justice System and to reduce americas overreliance on incarceration. After all, the u. S. Comprises 5 of the worlds population. We incarcerate almost a quarter of its prisoners. 25 of the worlds prisoners are in american prisons. The entire population has increased by about 1 3 since 1980. The federal prison population has grown by 800 over the same period. On the day i took office, as a result of well intentioned policies, nearly half of all federal inmates were serving time for drugrelated offenses. As many of you have thoroughly reported, this state of affairs not only had serious financial ramification for our country, occupying roughly 1 3 of the Justice Departments budget in recent years, it exacted also a human and moral toll thats impossible to calculate. Studies show that the policies that impose these costs have not had a Significant Impact in making our communities measurably safer. The persistence of the status quo demanded that National Criminal justice leaders really closely examine our institutions and reorient our practices. To create the more Perfect Union that our founders imagined and the more just society that all americans, wherever they live whatever their color, that all americans deserve. With these aims in mind and under president obamas leadership, we began to push for serious change. In 2010, as a result of our efforts and the Close Partnership of leaders from both parties, both parties, on capitol hill, the president was able to sign the fair sentencing act. Which reduced the inappropriate and i think unjust 1001 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. Over the years we have also worked to strengthen reentry policies, to advance targeted improvements. In early 2013, i took these efforts to a new level by initiating an unprecedented , exhaustive and targeted Justice Department review of the federal criminal Justice System as a whole, to identify obstacles, inefficiencies and inequities and to address ineffective policies. Now, this review culminated about 18 months ago with the launch of smart on crime. It was a catchall term for a range of reforms that we implemented simultaneously in the summer of 2013, each one of which was significant in its own right. We made major changes to the departments charging policies related to nonviolent drug offenses. We pp we put sensible limits on when it was appropriate to seek formal sentences based on prior criminal records. We took steps to improve reentry processes to reduce the chances that incarcerated individuals reoffend after they exit prisons. Taken together, these reforms reflect the departments ageold commitment to the criminal Justice System that is fair, that deters serious criminal conduct and holds people accountable for their crimes and utilizes incarceration wisely, to punish, deter, and rehabilitate. Not merely confine and forget. Over the last year and a half, as my colleagues and i have implemented more Crime Prevention efforts for Effective Community policing and promised diversion and reentry strategies, i spoke extensively about the changes we have made and the vision that has driven us forward. I pointed to the favorable results we have seen on the state level, in places like kentucky, texas, ohio, and pennsylvania, where governors and legislatures of both parties have provided models for others to emulate by directing funding away from prison construction and towards programs designed to reduce presit similar. I placed emphasis on two recidivism. I placed emphasis on two vital reforms at the heart of the initiative. The prioritization of cases and the critical changes in charging processes. We began compiling data to help us measure the impact of our criminal Justice Reforms. The data is preliminary, but it shows that the smart on Crime Initiative is working exactly as it was intended. It is having a real and measurable impact on the decisions made by federal prosecutors from coast to coast. The changes we have implemented are firmly taking hold. The key reforms appear to be successful by every measure that we have taken and seen so far. The numbers are particularly encouraging in three areas i would like to discuss with you today. First, among the central components is an effort to reduce unnecessary incarceration by asking federal prosecutors to exercise their discretion and to make smart and targeted decisions about which cases warrant federal prosecution. As i said in a speech to the American Bar Association in august of 2013, not every drug case should be brought to federal court. Accordingly, i directed the u. S. Attorneys to develop specific, locally tailored guidelines, consistent with National Priorities for determining when federal charges should be filed and when cases should be handled at the state or local level. Today, im pleased to report that our federal prosecutors are heeding the call and are being more selective in bringing certain drug prosecutions. Between 2013 and 2014, the number of defendants charged with Drug Trafficking offenses declined by nearly 1,400 individuals. This is a reduction of more than 6 . Second, i instructed the prosecutors that in the course of weighing which type of drug cases merit federal prosecution, they should focus on the worst offenders and crimes. The data from last year proves that as a result of this shift today, our prosecutors are focusing their attention and resources on the most serious cases. In 2013, before smart on crime was implemented, the average guideline minimum for federal drug prosecutions, the average suggested minimum prison term for an individual being charged for a drug crime was 96 months. A year later the number of Drug Trafficking prosecutions has dropped. The average guideline minimum has actually risen to 98 months. This demonstrates that the most serious drug crimes are now attracting the highest scrutiny. And that our limited resources are being used in ways that provide the greatest possible benefit to Public Safety. Third, in august of 2013, i also ordered a modification of the Justice Department so that people accused of lowlevel nonviolent drug offenses face sentences appropriate to their individual conduct, rather than excessive individual mandatory sentences. The change was founded on the belief that by reserving mandatory minimum sentences for the cases where they are warranted we can better promote deterrence and rehabilitation while making our expenditures smarter and more productive. Its clear were making significant progress toward this goal. In the year before the policy took effect, roughly 64 of federally charged Drug Trafficking offenses carried a mandatory minimum sentence. Last year, the new policy brought the number down to approximately 51 , a reduction of 20 relative to the prior year. Put another way, we have gone from seeking a mandatory minimum penalty in two out of every three Drug Trafficking cases to doing so in one out of two. That is a major reduction. It is historic. The Sentencing Commission confirms that these numbers show that federal prosecutors sought mandatory minimum penalties at a lower rate in 2014 than in any other year on record. This figure, perhaps more than any other, shows the Significant Impact policy reforms are having. All other factors may play a role in the drop we are seeing in the overall number of drug cases, a decline this pronounced and the rate at which our prosecutors pursue mandatory minimum sentences, can only be attributed to the changes announced in 2013. These are extremely encouraging results. They demonstrate that since we launched the smart on Crime Initiative, the federal criminal Justice System has begun to operate more efficiently, by reducing its involvement in lowlevel criminal activity. More effectively, by targeting the most serious crimes. And more fairly by ensuring that those who are convicted of crimes receive sentences that are commensurate with their conduct. Now, some have suggested that reducing our reliance on mandatory minimum sentences might negatively impact the ability of our prosecutors to elicit cooperation from federal defendants. They asserted that without the threat of a mandstory minimum sentence, a defendant in a drug case would have substantially less incentive to provide information or testimony about others who might be engaged in criminal enterprise. Some critics even worried that prosecutors would be less able to obtain guilty pleas and Court Documents would overflow with defendants who might have previously pleat pleaded guilty to asloid a mandatory minimum sentence. But suddenly had less incentive to shorten the process. I never considered these concerns persuasive. Like anyone who is old enough to have served as a prosecutor in the days before the sentencing guidelines existed and mandatory minimums took effect, i knew from experience that defendant cooperation depends on the certainty of swift and fair punishment, not on the disproportionate length of a mandatory minimum sentence. With or without the threat of a mandatory minimum, it will always be in the interest of defendants to cooperate with the government. Im gratified, but no means surprised, to announce that the smart on crime approach has been vindicated by the data we have gathered. Even though mandatory minimums have been charged significantly less frequently under the new policy, the percentage of cases in which we receive substantial cooperation from defendants has remained exactly the same. It also holds true of the ability of the prosecutors to secure guilty pleas in these cases. In the year before smart on crime took effect, our prosecutors won guilty pleas in billiony 97 of Drug Trafficking cases. A year later again, despite significant reductions in our uses of mandatory minimums, this percentage stands at 97. 5 . The notion that the smart on Crime Initiative is somehow robbing us of an essential tool is contradicted not only by our history, but by clear and objective and empirical facts. We can confront over incarceration at the same time we continue to promote Public Safety. Already in miss itcal year 2014, we saw the first reduction in the federal prison population in 32 years. Meanwhile, since president obama has taken office, we have presided over a continued decline in the overall crime rate. This marks the first time that any administration has achieved sidebyside reductions of both crime and incarceration in more than 40 years. All of this progress is remarkable and all of it is noteworthy. These concrete results illustrate the tremendous and real promise of the work that smart on Crime Initiative possible. It signifies a paradigm shift in the way our nation approaches vital questions of fairness and justice. In the preliminary data, criminal Justice Reform is an idea whose time has finally come. Now, the years prior to this administration, federal prosecutors were not only encouraged, they were required to always seek the most severe prison sentence possible for all drug cases. No matter the relative risk they pose to Public Safety. Now, ive made a break from that philosophy. Old habits are hard to break but these numbers show a dramatic shift is underway in the minds of prosecutors handling nonviolent drug offenses. I believe we have taken steps to institutionalize the fair more practical approach such that it will endure for years to come. I think we can all be proud of these efforts. And encouraged by the steps were taking to strengthen americas Justice System really across the board. Thanks to the work of my dedicated colleagues, the valor of our brave men and women in Law Enforcement, and leadership of the u. S. Sentencing commission and the partnership of republicans and democrats in congress and so many state governments, the goals and values of the smart on Crime Initiative have been codified and put into practice at every stage of the criminal justice process. From sentencing to rehabilitation and ultimately to reentry. The work we have done is nothing short of groundbreaking, but, this is no time to rest on our laurels. Significant challenges remain before us. A great deal of work remains to be done. Our prisons are still overcrowded across the country. Far too many people remain trapped in cycles of poverty criminality, and incarceration. Unwarranted disparities are far too common. Law enforcement is distrusted in far too many places and cops are not appreciated for the tough job they do so well. If we hope to build on the record we have established so far and make the smart on Crime Initiative not only successful but permanent, we must Work Together to ensure that all of this is just the beginning. From critical improvements to the juvenile Justice System, we must continue to advance promising, Bipartisan Legislation to make our communities safer and treat individuals more justly and allow more efficient use of Law Enforcement resources. Our efforts over the last six years have laid a Strong Foundation for a new era of american justice. Congress can help us build on the foundation by passing important Bipartisan Legislation. Like the smarter sentencing act, which would give judges more discretion in determining sentences for people convicted of certain federal drug crimes. Going forward with measures like this one and the tireless work of our u. S. Attorneys and their colleagues, strong leadership of our Outstanding New attorney general and new Deputy Attorney general, and robust engagement of u. S. People, i believe there is a good reason to be confident of where this work leads us. In the coming weeks, my time with the Obama Administration comes to a close. Even now as i prepare to open a new cap ter in my life with pride in all that my colleagues and i have accomplished and deep gratitude for the opportunities ive been afforded, i know that for me, this effort will continue. Whatever do i next, and wherever my own journey may take me, i will keep seeking new ways to contribute and remain engaged in the effort to improve our institutions and build trust in those who serve them. Though i will soon leave the Justice Department i love, i will never leave the work that has become the mission and the single greatest honor of my professional life. Building a Brighter Future for the country i love. I want to thank you all once again for the opportunity to speak to you this afternoon and the work that you do every day to strengthen our democracy and inform our national dialogue. I look forward to handling your very easy questions. [laughter] [applause] we have some questions on the breaking news of the day on the texas judge issuing an injunction to block president obamas executive orders. This questioner wants to know if you will go to the fifth Circuit Court of appeals to try to stop this injunction and what is the practical effect of this ruling on the president S Immigration order. How much of a setback is it . We are looking at the opinion and trying to decide what steps we might take next. The solicitor general will make that decision in consultation with me. I think we have to look at this decision for what it is. It is a decision by one Federal District court judge. I expect i have always expected this will be a matter that will be decided by a higher court, if not the Supreme Court than a federal court of appeals. It has to be seen in that context. I would view as an interim step in a process that has more to play out. You talked about the sentencing guidelines that have been reformed and a few of the things going forward. What would you prioritize as the next biggest thing thats needed in sentencing reform . Well, as i said in my prepared remarks we have set kind he we understand in terms of the numbers we have seen, the proposals we have made, the work that has been done in the states. I think Congress Needs to Work Together in a way that they have shown an ability to before, to make federal law that is consistent with the steps that we have done. And i would encourage the other states to look what their state counterparts have done. To spread more widely. More sensible approaches to dealing with the criminal Justice System. And overreliance on incarceration has proved not to be effective. In some ways, i was u. S. Attorney here in washington, d. C. And it was considered the murder capital of the country and the tactics we used then are not the ones we need to use now. With the declining crime rates we have seen and they are at low levels, we have earned a peace dividend and ought to base our procedures in the 21st century on the reality we confront and not have it tied to a past that no longer exists. Several questions about marijuana and the under the controlled substance act, the administration has the power to reclassify marijuana with no further congressional action needed. Do you think that is something that the president should consider in the next couple years . Im not sure that that question the underlying premise is true. Hopefully congress has to do that. This is a topic that ought to be engaged in by our nation, informed by the experiences that we see in colorado, in washington. There is a legitimate debate to be had on both sides of that question, where marijuana ought to be in terms of its scheduling. And take into account all the evidence that we can garner to see if it is as serious a drug that would warrant, you know, class 1 cat gorization or should it be some other place. But this is something that would be well informed by having congressional hearings and congressional action reformed by a policy determination that i think the administration would ultimately be glad to share. Last year, president obama directed the Justice Department to review problems with the death penalties application. What have you found in that review so far . Well, all i can say that review is still under way. We have looked at federal Death Penalty, to think what processes we have in place, how it is administered, ask questions about whether or not there are inhe can itees. I dont think it will be completed during my time as attorney general. Specifically about the oklahoma system, the Supreme Court has agreed to review to the system of legal lethal injection. Should there be a National Moratorium on lethal injection until this case is reviewed . Now, speaking personally, not as a member of the administration, so somehow separate yourself here. I think there are fundamental questions that we need to ask about the Death Penalty. I have not been shy in saying that im a person who is opposed to the use of the Death Penalty. Our system of justice is the best in the world. It is comprised of men and women who do the best they can, get it right more often than not, substantially more right than wrong. Theres always the possibility that mistakes will be made. Mistakes and determinations made by juries, mistakes in terms of the kinds of representation that someone facing a capital offense receives. Its for that reason that i am opposed to the Death Penalty. It is one thing to put someone in jail for an extended period of time, have a new test leaving due to determine a person was innocent, there is no opportunity to correct a mistake where someone has been executed. That is from my perspective the ultimate nightmare. I disagree with justice scalia, that that has never happened in our history. I think its inevitable. Its inevitable that we will find an instance that that has occurred. I think fundamental questions about the Death Penalty need to be asked. Among them, the Supreme Courts determination as to whether or not lethal injection is consistent with our constitution is one that ought to occur. From our perspective, i think a moratorium until the Supreme Court made that determination would be appropriate. Last month you barred local and state police from using federal law to seize private assets, such as cash and cars without warrants criminal charges. What impact have you seen since the end of the socalled equitable sharing program, and how the Police Departments who have often depended on the money reacted to this, and what do you hope to achieve by barring this program . Its probably too early to see what the impact has been. I think we need more time together data and see how that has affected both the way in which Police Apartment conduct themselves, and also a look at with the monetary impacts our. The hope would be that we would use that tool in only ways that were appropriate. I was concerned about some of the abuses that i certainly had heard about. I have to say that the Washington Post in its really, i thought very good series brought to the for in addition to the other things that we were looking at, i thought it was an appropriate time given the limited amount of time that we had left to try to make a policy determination about federal adoption. We have also introduced some new rules with regard to how one can consider whether one can consider a task force to be a joint one, a federal one or not. I think all of these steps, plus the ongoing review which sally and loretta will continue to conduct will ultimately put us in a better place when it comes to what is a very powerful tool, but that ultimately can result in justice in injustice. Where there is no finding of guilt, and yet you lose property for some reason. The potential for abuse their is too great for it to not be examined and i think ultimately reformed. This questioner says it has been reported that you hope to announce a decision on the civil rights investigation of Michael Browns death before you leave office. Could you update us on the progress of the ferguson civil rights investigation . It is my intention to announce our determination, the decision we have made both with regard to the individual officers conduct in the shooting of Michael Brown as well as the pattern of practice investigation we have done into the ferguson leased apartment. My hope is we will do this before i leave office, im confident that we will do that. Ultimately its up to congress as to when i actually leave office. You would actually think that her process would be speed up given their desire to see me out of office. Be that as it may, logic has never been necessarily a guide up there. In any case, my hope would be as i said to make these determinations before i go. The reviews are underway. I was briefed on both of them just last week. Im satisfied with the process the progress we have made and im comfortable in saying i think im going to be able to make those calls before i leave office. Critics, including some former Law Enforcement people in st. Louis say you have unduly influenced the Justice Department patterns and practices investigation of the Ferguson Police department. In particular within october 29 statement in which you noted the need for wholesale change in the department. Was it proper for you to declare a need for this before the doj actually concluded its probe . I had to think the Washington Post reporter jonathan k hart for that question that elicited that response. I dont think that response was inappropriate. The reality is that i had been briefed all along on this matter. Nothing i say in response to a reporter is going to have an impact on the career people who are looking at whether or not, what action we ought to take if any in regards to the Ferguson Police department. I think everybody will see when we announce our results that the process that weve engaged in as as i said, the time i went to ferguson, independents, thorough, and based only on the facts and the law. Im confident that people will be satisfied with the results that we announce. You have called for better tracking of police use of force incidents. Why is that, and what do you think the Justice Department and local police to do with that information . This is something i called for a few weeks ago. And that director we also raised in his remarks just a couple of days ago. In what i think was a gutsy, important speech. By Law Enforcement official who ive had a great deal of respect for for a number of years. I knew him when he was an assistant u. S. Attorney in the Eastern District of virginia, and have been able to follow his career. I think that our nation should watch, lead, and have a conversation around the issues that jim raised in that speech. He talked about the need for gathering data, as i talked about a few weeks ago. We have this sense based on these incidents they get huge amounts of attention, stir the nation, we have a sense that that things are amiss. But we dont have a real good sense of what the nature of the problem is. Both to the force the police are using, and the kinds of violence that is directed at the police. I think the gathering that information, in both ways, how are police using force, what kind of force are police having to deal with, what is being directed against them . That kind of data should began at. Should began at. We encourage state and local counterparts to share that with us. And by grants that we make with the requirements of data be shared with the federal government. We can have a much better sense of what the problem looks like in our country. And then base policy based on the empirical evidence we were able to gather. You have publicly questioned the use of militarized tactics by local Law Enforcement in many situations, including the protests in ferguson. Yet the Philadelphia Police commissioner, head of the Administration Task force defends the practice of giving surplus military hardware to local Law Enforcement. What is your take on this should log a lawenforcement have access to combat military agreement that was originally designated for the battlefield . It depends on the kinds of acquittal you are talking about. Certain military equipment i think can be shared with state and local counterparts. Then the question is, what time of training what type of training to they have, in regard to how it should be deployed . I think getting into the underlying investigation of the deployment of some of that military hardware and ferguson exacerbated what was a pretty difficult situation. On the other hand, if you are in new york city, and you have to deal with the terrorist incident, i think that some of the military equipment that has been made available to state and local authorities in fact can be useful. Again, it depends on the kind of equipment. Abrams tanks i dont think should be shared with our state and local counterparts. Its hard for me to imagine a situation in which that would be useful. But armored carriers and things of that nature, i think can be useful if deployed in appropriate ways. Theyre even fundamental things about how these things get painted, what did it look like . If it looks like the military is in fact occupying american streets during civil disturbances, that i think is not a good thing for the American People or for the world. Necessarily, to see. Theyre a number of questions that have to be worked through. I wouldnt really disagree with chuck ramsey from philadelphia. I think there is the need for it, we just need to use and deploy this equipment in a way better than we have in the past. What concerns you have about isis linked foreign fighters who returned to the United States, and the Justice Department possibility to find and prosecute these people . That is the thing as i leave office that ive often said keeps me up at night. The notion of worrying about people who have left the United States to join the fight, and then who tried to come back. I think we do a good job of monitoring those people, stopping them where we can through the use of a variety of techniques, including undercover techniques. To stop them from getting there. And in monitoring them with the use of our allies once they are there and trying to stop them when they come back. The ultimate concern is about those people who remain here in the United States. And through a variety of means become radicalized. Either they are in pritikin prison and become radicalized, as weve seen in denmark. Or in their basements and online. Listening, watching. Isil related propaganda is totally inconsistent with the reality that people who go to join the fight face. We have to do a better job of getting that message out, about people who go there and want to leave, because they have been mistreated, they are horrified by the things that, that they have been called upon to do. Its a real serious problem. We have an countering violent extremism summit next week at the white house, where we have experts from around the world, its held at the ministerial level, where we are discussing these issues. This whole question of self radicalization, radicalization of people who never leave the country is something that we have to focus on. Im confident about the abilities of the fbi, dhs working with our joint Terrorism Task forces to do a good job. We also have to understand that the ultimate solution to this is to make sure that the young men who might be attracted to that siren song have to be dealt with. It have to be made to feel a part of our communities, if we do a better job, perhaps other nations in integrating those people might be attracted to the isil call. We have to redouble our efforts given the notoriety in the publicity that these heinous barbaric acts that isil has taken. This questioner notes that the Muslim Community has expressed concern about how they are being characterized as the administration begins at summit on violent extremism. I know that on the other side, the administration has been criticized for not calling it religious extremism in some of these cases. It sort of come on both sides. Could you tell us your thoughts process, and when you talk about this issue of religious extremism, how do you do you try to nail that right down the middle so that you are not going too far, but also you want to call it what it is, i imagine. Whenever youre getting criticized by both sides, it means you are probably getting it right. We spend more time, more time talking about what you call it, as opposed to what do you do about it. I mean really. If fox didnt talk about this, they would have nothing else to talk about, it seems to me. Radical islam, islamic extremism, im not sure an awful lot is gained by saying that. He doesnt have any impact on our military posture, it doesnt have any impact on what we call it. When the policies that we put in place, what we have to do is define it not by the terms that we use, but my the facts on the ground. I dont worry an awful lot about what the appropriate terminology on to be. I think that people need to actually think about that, inc. About will we be having this conversation about words as opposed to what our actions on to be . This is a difficult problem. Its going to be an ongoing issue. This is something that requires us to think as a nation how we are going to deal with the domestic issues that i was describing in my previous response, and how are we going to deal with the Foreign Policy consequences of some very, very Serious Problems that our allies face, that we face, particularly in a part of the world. The terminology, it seems to me little to no impact on what ultimately we have to do. The Obama Administration has prosecuted a diligent whistleblowers under the espionage act, more than all previous president ial of ministrations combined. What justifies this more aggressive posture toward leakers president ial administrations combined. What justified this more aggressive posture toward leakers . I would say that we have not it has been a great concern by members of the press about these prosecutions. I understand that sensitivity. We had a series of meetings at the Justice Department over the course of the summer, we talked about changing the way in which the Justice Department would view these cases. The policies that underlined how we would interact with members of the media. I think we have come up with some new policies, new procedures that i think have been generally well received. What i have said is we have to continue to look at these policies to make sure that they are kept uptodate, and make sure that we are meeting the needs we have in the Justice Department, while being sensitive to the real role come of the Important Role the members of the press play. I think that, we have more than other administrations. But that leaves us with a total of five or six that this administration has brought over the course of six years. I dont think him as you look at those cases individually, but there was anything inappropriate about the cases that were brought. I think if you look at the last case involving mr. Rison, the way in which that case was handled, after the new policies were put in place, as an example of how the Justice Department can proceed. When you have people who are disclosing, for instance, the identities of people who work in our intelligence agencies, thats the kind of case that i think we have to bring. I also think theres a question for you all, for members of the press. Because weve asked ourselves when it comes to national surveillance, sibley because we have the ability to do certain things, should we . Members of the press have to ask that question. Simply because you have a source of information, you have the ability to expose that to the public. Should you . Im saying it is for you to decide. Its not for the government to decide. But it is for you to decide. I will use an extreme example, perhaps unfair. In world war ii, is a reporter found out about the existence of the manhattan project, is that something that should have been disclosed . We are not in a time of war, and im saying thats an extreme example. But theres a question the numbers of the press should ask. About whether or not the disclosure of the information has a negative impact on the National Security of the nation. We have tried to be appropriately sensitive in bringing those cases that warranted prosecution. We have turned away, and i turned away substantially greater number of cases that were presented to us, and where prosecution was sought. Is there a realistic chance that president obama will be able to close guantanamo before the end of his term . If so, how can we expect this to play out over the coming months . There is a realistic possibility. It would require the cooperation of congress to lift some of the restrictions that they have placed on the administration. There is no question that the closing of guantanamo would be a good thing. It costs us an excessive amount of money, if you look at the amount of money we spend to house one person in guantanamo for one year, as opposed to what it would take to house that same person in a super max, in the United States, the costs are just dwarfed. We pay a Foreign Policy price, it is something that is used as a recruiting tool for those who we are currently engaged with. Theres a whole host of regions reasons why guantanamo should be closed. We made a substantial amount of progress in the last year or so. I think ultimately it will require the car operation cooperation of congress to reduce the population to zero. Has the administration entered into any discussions with any times with legal representatives of Edward Snowden about the possibility of a plea deal in this case . I will say no comments. Several questions about the wall street aftermath in prosecuting banks, both large and small. One questioner compared it to the snl, and so many more prosecutions came out of that than they are seeing in the wake of the last one. Has the Justice Department done enough to go after both large and small banks . If you look at the institutions that have played a part in the financial debacle of 2008, 2009, you are looking at a relatively small universe as opposed to the snl prices, where you dealing with thousands of banks. I think it terms of scale, there are not quite the same. We have extracted record penalties from banks. Who we found to engaged in inappropriate practices. Ive said, and identify making news now are not, but i asked the u. S. Attorneys who made those cases, and were still involved in these arent bs over the next 90 days to look at their bases and to try and develop cases against individuals and to report back in 90 days with regard to whether or not they think they will be able to successfully bring criminal or civil cases against those individuals. That will ultimately be given to loretta to make determinations about whether further action is appropriate. I think that what weve done has been appropriate. As i say, we have this ongoing examination of whether individual cases ought to be brought. But it is to the extent that individuals have not been prosecuted, people should understand its not for lack of trying. These are the kinds of cases that people come to the Justice Department to make. Young people who want to be assisting u. S. Attorneys in the Southern District of new york and Eastern District of virginia, san francisco, live for these big cases. The inability to make them at least at this point has not been as results of a lack of effort. Before i asked the final question, i just wanted to give a couple important reminders. First, i want to remind you about upcoming speakers. We have fda commissioner Margaret Hamburg here on march 27, and vince cerf, chief internet evangelist for google will be here on may 4. Second, i would like to present our guest with the traditional National Press club mug. Let me say, of all of the remembrances you will of had from all of your time as attorney general, i doubt there is a better one than this. Thank you. Ok. Question. A recent video shows you shooting a perfect jumpshot at the will amaze boys and girls club in san francisco. Now that you are leaving, please evaluate your basketball skills as compared with president obamas. Well, i would first ask everyone, and certainly all those who are within camera range to go online, go to youtube, and put eric holder basketball, and really examine that sweet jumper. Viewed in isolation, it is clear that i still have it. I mean, i had on a time, i had on the shoes, it was sweet. And with every telling of the jumpshot, he goes back, it was now like 24 feet, by tomorrow it will be a three pointer. I was asked that same question during my confirmation hearing. Im not sure but which senator. But i think i will paraphrase that answer. Im from new york city. The home of vascular players like nate archibald, kareem abduljabbar, julius the dr. Irving, connie hawkins, chris mullin. The president is from hawaii. Now, im just saying thats his background. Hes a good ballplayer. Hes got a real good lefthanded. He has the ability to drive. Hes 10 years younger than i am. Hes in better shape, hes still my boss. When i become a civilian, he will still have access to all things about me that you all are written about, i suppose come i will now be worried about. Im simply going to say hes a great ballplayer. A great friend, and i will leave it at that. Thank you, mr. Attorney general for coming here, particularly on a snow day when the federal government to shut down. You are still here at the National Press club, and that is wonderful. Thank you all for coming today and i have a request that you stay in your seats until the attorney general has left the room. Please see in your seats after a bring down the gavel. I would also like to thank the National Press club staff, including its Journalism Institute and Broadcast Center for organizing todays event. If you would like a copy of todays program, or to learn more about the National Press club, go to our website, press. Org. Thank you, were adjourned. Cable satellite corp. 2015] national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] your phone calls, Facebook Comments and tweets washington journal live tomorrow morning at 7 00 eastern. The cspan citys tour takes book tv and American History tv on the road, traveling to u. S. Cities to learn about their history and literary life. We partnered with timewarner cable to visit north carolina. After months and months of cleaning the house, charles was making one small walkthrough and he saw an envelope with a green seal on it and walked over and noticed the date was 1832 document. He removed a single mail from a panel in an upstairs attic room and discovered a trumping, books and portraits stuffed under the eves a there was this treasure of Dolly Madisons things. Different items are displayed, but trying to include her life story. Some of the items that we have on display a calling case that has a card inclosed with her signature with her neice anna. Small cut glass perfume bottles and silk slippers that have tiny ribbons that go across her foot. And the reproduction of a peach silk gown that she wore early in life and red velvet gown which has intrigued and lasted and was part of this collection and also a legend that is now accompanying this dress. Watch all of our events from greensboroo on book tv on saturday and sunday. And we heard a minute ago, president obama announced this afternoon that this administration would appeal the order from the federal judge in texas that temporarily blocks his executive action on immigration. 26 states are trying to pursue a lawsuit that aims to stop that immigration order. The president told reporters that quote, the long history is on our side and predicted the case will be resolved in his favor. To read those comments at a meeting. Cbs news tweeted out this photo. Vice President Biden sworn in the secretary earlier today. [indiscernible conversation] hello, everyone. Welcome to the roosevelt room. Dr. Carter, stephanie, william carter, where is william . Hey, man. How are you . Welcome. Daughter ava couldnt be present today, but the deputy secretary who has been running things, its been a great asset to the department. General marty dempsey, chairman of the joint chiefs, as well as admiral james wouldve filled, vicechairman, and members of the carter transition team. I said as i walked in, tash, if anyone is made for this job, if theres a Job Description that that the person, this is the guy that fits the Job Description. Its kind of fitting that we are here the roosevelt room, a lot of renaissance men, from teddy to franklin. They get sworn in in this room. Ash, you are a scholar of Strategic Military affairs, and Nuclear Weapons policy. A profoundly capable manager demonstrated time and again with universal respect and affection of the people you work with. Reflected in a near unanimous vote in the United States senate. We have to talk more. I tell you what, they used to be the good old days. Im glad you got us back and harness, got the senate back in harness. A physicist with a genuine expert on the acquisition and technical capabilities that are going to help guarantee the United States military is second to none in the world. This man has a driving intellectual force behind all that he does, and all this in administration has been doing. Strengthening our nations nations cyber security, and deepening defense cooperation with india. Even when you were allegedly gone, we never let you go. I dont how many times i was on the phone with you for your advice after you had left. The president didnt like it when you work here, when you werent here, ash. Im glad you are back. Most importantly, you have been a fighter like the men and women in uniform, have been a fighter for the women and men who served in uniform. Our incoming secretary of defense, like his predecessor, understands that while this country has many obligations, it only has one truly sacred obligation, many obligations but one truly sacred one. And thats to equip and protect those we sent to war, and care for the families while they are there, and them and their families when they come home. Years ago, when we learned that what improvised explosive devices were, its hard to believe that 15 years ago, people were talking about we didnt know what ieds work on it wasnt part of the vocabulary. They are responsible for upwards of 60 of the death and injuries to our troops in iraq and afghanistan. And ash carter was the guy who left into action to honor that sacred obligation taking care of our troops. He was then undersecretary of defense of Acquisition Technology and logistics. And then as deputy secretary, he works like the devil to get our troops mine resistant ambush protected vehicles. They have saved lives and limbs, and countless numbers for american women and men. I can remember, ash, i spoke at the time on the senate with the commandant of the marine corps. We had a universal opposition to spending money at the time it, as you are member. Even some Division Within the Defense Department on whether we should spend the money. That was 23 billion we were trying to get that year. To begin to build these. Its faced not only bureaucratic opposition, but there was opposition on the floor of the United States senate. I have a great privilege of leading the effort to get this money put in the budget. And remember before we went in to the debate, going around quoting you, referencing your report. And then in the middle of the debate, why was told by democrats and republicans, leaders in the house in the Senate Armed Services committee, this was not a priority for the United States military, i called up then the commandant of the marine corps. I left the floor, i suggested the absence of a quorum, left the floor, and went back into the cloak room. And he referenced your report as well, and said he believed, im paraphrasing, his highest moral obligation was to get these bills. And so, guess what . We did. But then the argument became a rebuilding too many are we building too many . I member saying is a little like Franklin Roosevelt saying how we built to many Landing Craft . Because we are not going to be able to use than after this, we wont need the very much. That was the argument of the time. We shouldnt build as many because were not going to need them. Were not going to need them why waste the money . In the end, we sent more than 24,000 two iraqi in afghanistan, and your binary work was was saved thousands of lives and limbs. I remember my next trip to afghanistan, after this. Two iraq, they were in falluja and the battle had been run. There was a group they wanted to show me. It was a meeting going on. They wanted to show me one that had just been blown up. Two young sergeants in an armored humvee got out of their vehicles and showed me how this one was blown up. I forget how many pounds of explosives, but it blew the entire vehicle up higher than a telephone pole, it brought down wires. But they all survived. They had all of the soldiers there survive because the internal portion of the vehicle was preserved. If you did nothing else in your career, that was a pretty important thing to have done. But thats just one example of the way he cares for the troops. The also led the effort to develop this is not a joke, protective undergarments. Earned him a pair of signed bulger funderburk, but enduring gratitude from writers whose bodies were broken run broken because of what he rushed into the field. Ash and stephanie my deceased wife used to say you want a measure of a man or a woman, look at what they do if no one was looking. If no one was looking. Almost every saturday, when no one was looking, ash and stephanie were out at walter reed, no cameras, no publicity, no advance. They just became regulars. They got to know the families of those women and men, they looked after their children, they saw these warriors heal. And they formed Lasting Bonds with hundreds upon hundreds of these young women and men. Thats what endeared the most to you, ash and stephanie. He didnt just do these things, he wrote eloquently about the lessons of his experience of the next time, we could do a lot better. In other words, ash carter is a thinker and a do or. He gets things done, hes famous for Holding Meetings while walking briskly in the pentagon with aides struggling to give up. They hope you stay in the Bigger Office and dont wander as much. And woe to the person who runs carter runs into ash carter having not finish a project. Theyre probably staffers over there thinking of the things they told you you would do before you left. Where is that memo, did i get it all done . Many tough missions as you know as well as any of the men or women in here lie ahead, from the fight against isil, to the asiapacific rebalance, to maintaining a technological edge, to the continuous efforts to make the most out of every dollar we invest in defense. As you know now, after your vote, not only to the president and i, and the chiefs, but the United States senate are counting on you to keep holding yourself and all in your charge to the highest possible standards required for our ideals. Never stop demanding and delivering the best for the men and women in uniform. And dr. Carter, as you take leadership of this greatest military in the history of mankind, that is not hyperbole. That is an absolute fact. In all of human history, there has never been a military as capable as this. You do so with confidence of everyone in your building, confidence in the United States senate, the confidence of president obama and me. And so many other people who admire your work. So, god bless your mission old buddy, and may god protect our troops. With your permission, im going to administer the oath, and you and i are going to have to sign a few documents here to make it official. And then im going to turn it over to you. You walk up to her, and he raised her hand. Put your left hand on the bible. I, state your name. I, ashton carter, do solemnly swear, that i will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, that i will their true faith to legions of the state. But i take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of invasion. And i will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office of which im about to enter. So help me god. Secretary, thank you. You and i have to sign this, ash. And then the podium is euros. Let me make sure i sign the right place. Sign there, and ill get out of the way. Well, thank you as Vice President. I think you know how much it means to me to have you swear me in today. I thank you. And for me, this is the highest honor, to be the 25th secretary of defense. Im grateful to the president , and the Vice President for your trust and confidence, and to the u. S. Senate as well, for their trust and confidence. Ive got a lot of banks to give out here, first and foremost to my perfect wife stephanie. My wonderful sun will, and my daughter ava, already mentioned. A number of folks who were part of my transition team, and helped me get to where i am, without whom i would not be where i am. I wont name each and everyone of you, but im looking at you. And i appreciated it. It was a time when i really needed help. And i got help from you all. And to join, my wonderful deputy bob lark, my fantastic chairman, marty dempsey, ive known and worked with you before. Its wonderful to rejoin the team with you. I have some special friends here, deputy secretary of Energy Leader sherwood, im very grateful that you would come today and take your time to be with me. All the rest of my team to be, eric, ron, thank you all very much for being here. I am honored to rejoin the men and women of the Defense Department in what is the highest calling, which is the defense of our country. Starting today, i want to make three commitments to them, and to the country, and to the president , and to the Vice President. And my fellow citizens. The first is to help our president make the best possible decisions about our security and the security of the world. And then, to ensure that our department executes those decisions with its long accustomed competence and effectiveness. And while we deal with the challenges to our National Security, i also want to make sure that i help our leadership grab hold of the wonderful opportunities that lie before this great country. And to make the world better place for our children, and to create a safer world. My second commitments is to the men and women of the department of defense, whom i will lead to reflect in everything i do, and to honor the commitment and dedication that brought them into service. To protect their dignity, their safety, their wellbeing. To make decisions about sending them into harms way with the greatest reflection and care. And third, i have a commitment to the future. To building a force for our future. That involves not only securing the resources we need, but making sure that we make the best use of the taxpayers dollar. Make sure that we embrace change so that years from now, and decades from now, we continue to be a place where americas finest want to serve. A place that the begin to the rest of the world, a place that has the best in the way of technology, and in the way of caring for our own people, and people around the world. We are entering the Fourth Quarter of this president s president s tenure. These commitments i think will help me help him come and help the Vice President to ensure that those years are productive, and that they leave our countrys future in the best possible place, in the best possible hands. So thank you, once again, for this honor and privilege, to lead and serve alongside the members of the finest fighting force the world has ever known. Thank you. White house coverage continues tomorrow with the senate on combating terrorism u. S. And abroad. Homeland security secretary johnson and others. Live coverage gets under way at 2 45 eastern here on cspan. Book tv and American History tv are in prime time, beginning tonight at 8 00 eastern, cspan 2 book tv, war on terror with conversations on the report on torture, the green beer as and guantanamo guantanamo diary and World Affairs and chinas secret plan to replace the u. S. And emerging crisis in europe. Politics and the white house from our after words programs. And then on friday robert lee and joseph stalin. And on American History tv on cspan3, interviews with former korean p. O. W. s. On wednesday, the 100th anniversary of the film birth of the nation. The showing of the 1915 film and reair of our callin program with jones and leher. And social changes of the 1970s. And friday, japaneseamerican internment during world 22. This week in prime time. The cspan citys tour takes book tv and American History tv on the road, traveling to u. S. Cities to learn about their history and literary life. This weekend we partnered with timewarner cable with a visit to greensboroo, north carolina. After months and months of cleaning the house, charles who was given that task was making a walkthrough and he looked over and saw an envelope with a green seal on it and waugged over and noticed the date was an 18 2 document. He removed a single mail from a panel from an upstairs attic room and discovered a trunk and books and portraits stuffed and there was this treasure of Dolly Madisons things. We had this story available to the public. Displayed different items from time to time, but trying to include her life story from her life until her death in 1849. Some of the items that we currently have on display, a card, ivory calling card case that had the card enclosed with dollys signature as well as her neice. Small cut glass perfume bottles and a pair of sillic slippers that have tiny little ribbons that tie across the arch of her foot. And the two dresses are the reproduction of a peach silk gown that she wore early in life and the red velvet gown which has intrigued and lasted and was part of this collection and also a legend that is now accompanies this dress. Watch all of our events from greensboroo. Saturday at noon eastern on book tv and sunday afternoon at 2 00 on American History tv on cspan3. Now part of the annual conference in san francisco, featuring venture capitalists. Talking about startup struggles, Court Battles and all programming note, some of the language contained in this event may be why is the press so hard on you . When people start to perceive you as the big guy you are not allowed to be scrappy. If you are the little guy that is cheered. That is lauded. That is the heroic startup story. Like, i turned nothing into something on my last company and foremost people they would call it a walk or a single. For me it felt like a home run. But again, as you get to a place where people perceive you as the big guy or the man, you have to approach things differently and communicate differently, and we are not there yet. We want to be there, and we are going to get that her, but those are the things, those are the challenges we are facing and those are the things we are