he told senators go home until further notice. go home. we're going to put the senate on standby. no need to b be here doing the people's business. mr. president, the coronavirus is not on standby. the coronavirus is very much alive and well, and spreading throughout the country, more severe in some parts than others, but spreading throughout the country, and with it has, the spread of economic pain and economic harm. so covid-19 is not an standby and neither is the economic pain and fallout that it's caused. i here in the united states senate, the republican leader, majority leader has said go home and be on standby. mr. president, that is not leadership at any time. it is certainly not the kind of leadership that the american people need and should expect during a global pandemic and recession era unemployment levels. so why did the majority leader tell people to just go home and be onit standby? it'she because he wanted the trp administration to negotiate n an agreement. last i checked, mr. president, the united states senate was a separate branch of government with its own res

i've told republican senators they'll have 24-hour notice before a vote but the senate will be convening on monday and i'll be right here in washington. the house has already skipped town. but the senate won't adjourn for august unless and until the democrats demonstrate they will never let an agreement materialize. a lot of americans' hopes, a lot of americans' lives are riding on the democrats' endless talk. i hope a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. p. mr. portman: mr. president, i think we're all a little frustrated right now because the negotiations on the next covid-19 package seem to be at a standstill. and if you talk to the negotiators and you even read the press accounts, which are pretty open, what they say is that they're deadlocked. and one of the main reasons they're deadlocked is over this issue of unemployment insurance. now recall, back in the cares act there was an extension of a federal supplement to unemployment insurance. so we put in place a $600 federal benefit on top of the state benefit. at the time there were concerns about wh

senator kamala harris ran for president, on exactly the same schedule as senator barack obama. and took her first term on the presidential campaign debate stage in her third year as a united states senator. and then, today, after dropping out of the presidential race earlier than most of the major candidates, she came in second place. and is the democratic candidate for vice president of the united states. she did exactly what joe biden to become vice president. she set out to be president and, in the presidential campaign, she so impressed the winner of the presidential nomination, that he chose her as his vice presidential running mate. joe biden is a very careful man and a very careful politician. he tries to follow the best practices for professional politicians. and so, joe biden choose the united states senator as his running mate, as has every single democratic candidate for president since 1944. with the exception of, exactly, one, when walter mondell chose geraldine ferraro in a history-making choice in 1984. and so, every democrat who has actually won the vice-preside

senate. i would hope the administration would take action directed by and prevent any further erosion or disruption of the appropriate role between the u.s. senate and administration. i have the opportunity to talk with most of you previously and i want to thank you for our conversation, you have extensive experience as an investigator but you have never really had the experience as inspector general, which is a specific and very sophisticated operation. you served in many areas but you've never served in the military and you're being asked now to be inspector general for the proper defense. again, we acknowledge your skill but you will be leading 1600 professionals and jobs that transcend investigations and complex operations. also in 2008, we passed inspector general form act in one of the functions was the creation inspector general and integrity or it's called the cig i.e., one of their roles is to make recommendations to those positions in your is the only one not submitted for recommend

senator wicker: thank you very, very much, senator durbin and also senator young. we appreciate you spending time with us today and vouching for these nominees. thank you so much. at this point, i want to recognize the witnesses for opening statements. as is the custom, your full statements will be placed in the record at this point and we ask that you summarize your testimony in five minutes or under so mr. soskind, you're recognized for your statement. welcome. >> senator wicker, ranking member cantwell and distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. i appreciate your consent for placing my full statement in the record which i will summarize here. thank you all for arranging this hearing. consistent with public health guidance. thank you also to the president for nominating me to serve as inspector general of the department of transportation. it is a profound honor. i'd also like to thank senator young of my home state of indiana for his words of introduction. our great hoosier state always remains a place i l

mcconnell: for the information of all senators, after the senate adjourns today, we will have our regular pro forma meetings through the end of the state work period. if the speaker of the house and the minority leader of the senate decide to finally let another rescue package move forward for workers and for families, it would take bipartisan consent to meet for legislative business sooner than scheduled. as has been the case, the senators would receive at least 24 hours' notice before any unanticipated votes. the american people need more help. coronavirus is not finished with our country, so congress cannot be finished helping our people. republicans have been waiting and trying to pass bipartisan relief literally for weeks. i would hope our democratic colleagues will let the senate act sometime soon. i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 771. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomina

i hope a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. p. mr. portman: mr. president, i think we're all a little frustrated right now because the negotiations on the next covid-19 package seem to be at a standstill. and if you talk to the negotiators and you even read the press accounts, which are pretty open, what they say is that they're deadlocked. and one of the main reasons they're deadlocked is over this issue of

you, senator, went nowhere. host: go ahead. , alexandria look ocasio-cortez and i created a movement of millions of young people. they are on every campus, high school, middle school in our country right now, young people rising up demanding that we solve that problem. it is at the grassroots in our country. it has changed the whole debate in the way that people view this issue. biden has asked alexandria ocasio-cortez to advise him and now says the green new deal is the framework of the climate change legislation that we will pass next year. that is a movement that came from the grassroots of our country. it is a movement that i built with alexandria ocasio-cortez. it's why the sunrise movement is with me, the sierra club is with me, the national resources defense council is with me because i built a movement that is going to change our country and our planet next year with wins in solar, all electric vehicles, plug-in batteries, with an energy efficiency strategy that will create millions of jobs and do so wit

comes to the floor of the senate every morning and rcriticizes senator schumer and speaker policies were sitting in the room day after day after day trying to hammer out an agreement to help america in this time of need, while there are two and features of the table, kevin mccarthy, the house republican leader does not attend the meetings and sadly the republican leader of the united states senate is also boycotting these meetings. i can't rememberimn a time when this has occurred, ever. , no time in history when there was a critical, national decision to be hammered out between the parties and the leaders of the republican party in congress refused to attend the meetings. senator gives polished speeches on the floor criticizing senator schumer and speaker pelosi who should be polished, he has time to practice instead of going into the negotiations which could actually make a difference in the future of america. americans are genuinely concerned where they should be, we are facing a national health emergency, this pandemic sadly where the infections are spiking across america. it is

>> absolutely, senator. in my statement as i said i am very concerned and i want to be, what to ever find an advocate on behalf of of a lot of the committee's that will be affectedec by those moved away from these areas. most of them are rural o and sml communities. there may be opportunities for as i said class two and threes to get engaged and to assist in these areas, but you have absolute commitment to work with you, and again with the stakeholders and these communities to make sure the rail system that they rely upon continues t to exist, and actuay becomes more robust and responsive. >> thank you. i yield back, mr. chairman. >> thank you, senator baldwin. senator tester is next. >> thank you, mr. chairman. and i want to thank ms. feinberg and mr. koos for their comments to senator moran. i'm also going to focus on that. before i go there though i did have some questions for mr. soskin but i'm not going to ask them, and i'll tell you why. because after listening to your responses to senator blumenthal,

i've told republican senators they will have 24 hour notice before a vote but the senate will beconvening monday and i'll be right here in washington . the house has already skipped town what the senate won't adjourn for august unless and until the democrats demonstrate they will never let an agreement materialize. a lot of americans hopes, a lot of americans lives are writing on the democrats and was talk. i hope they're not disappointed. >> c-span has untruthful filtered coverage of congress, the white house and public policy events. watch all our public affairs programming on television, online or listen on our free radio comey app and be part of the conversation through washington journal or through our social media feed. c-span : created by america's cable televisioncompanies as a public service and brought to you today by your television provider . >> binge watch book tv this summer. saturdays at 8 pm eastern settle in and watchseveral hours of your favorite authors . a we're featuring books written by former first lady's including rosalynn carter, barbara bush, hillary clinton, lau

then won't to become a senator. someone who became a presidential candidate herself during the primary. she, of course, dropped out and then went on to almost immediately throw her support behind biden. now, in terms of the deliberations, there was some concern about that first debate. we all remember when she forcefully attacked joe biden. some of biden's closest allies, raise the question, would she be someone who could be trusted? not only on the campaign trail but if in fact they do win the white house, and i am told in talking to those close to this process, that harris made it very clear, once she dropped out, that she was supporting biden and that he could trust her. and she knew how important it was to convey that message moving forward. now we know that biden really underwent a very deliberative process. he considered a range of different options which also included the former obama nat national security adviser, susan rice, someone i'm told he has a very close relationship, as well as gingrichen whitmer, t

you senator blumenthal for being here . senator purdue as well. we have a number of our other members joining us virtually today. today the cyber security subcommittee welcomes the first time, collies to present the findings of the cyberspace solarium commission rate our friend senator king, from a rep. gallagher from wisconsin. they are joined by fellow commissioner and retired general john, professor of cyber studies at the u.s. naval academy and former deputy director of the national security agency. welcome to all. thank you for coming to discuss this important topic at today's hearing. i like to extend my congratulations as well to mike gallagher and his wife and by the recent birth of the baby girl grace. good luck on your greatest adventure yet in all of the amazing moments yet to come associated with it. i would also like to recognize former staff and policy director mark montgomery who served as executive director of the public commission. section 1652 of the fiscal year 2019 establish the cyberspace solarium commission to study alternati

senator cruz: senator lee. senator lee: thank you. mr. cuccinelli, what happens when you take a laser and point it into the eyes of a human being? mr. cuccinelli: there is a two-second look away reaction. there are several challenges, but one of the challenges is if you are not looking at the person assaulting you with the laser, you can't figure out who is performing the assault. so you think of it practically. you are trying to shield your eye and do your job. we have had a number of officers who had days' long blindness. so far, they have all kind of come back, if you will. but you also get what is called flash blindness. think of it as the old kodak cameras, where you get that blue spot, and you cannot entirely see in your entire field of vision for a period of time. senator lee: in addition to long-term or short-term damage, that it might do, it make it more dangerous for the officer , and the officer recoils, to step away. mr. cuccinelli: that is a clearly planned exercise. senator lee: and to be clear, a device like this one, which

senator sanders: all right. et me move in a different direction. i want to think of the future to envision a new america. health care a human right or is it a privilege? why? is it, rashida? s. tlaib: absolutely it's a right. health care -- let me tell y'all. the first month i was elected, i young woman came to one of came up tols and she me and said all of a sudden her mployer said that insulin wasn't preventive care, it wasn't preventive medicine. said, doesn't it prevent death? and i said, how much you pay? $2,800. before, i was only paying less than $300 which is still a lot. works for the auto industry. ok.id tell me which company it is. i know we're fighting for know.re for all, as you probably the closest we can get to universal health care. i used the power of my letterhead. the mission statement of the company on top. i said if this is your mission are you , then why doing this to your families that work for you, that help your and she told me a couple months later, i went to pick it up and it was less

senate. they're both members of the judiciary committee. senator marsha blackburn, republican of tennessee. senator, thank you for joining us. we just heard from a very prominent democratic pollster that the idea that kamala harris some kind of a liberal out on the left is completely absurd and that she's actually kind of right in the mainstream of american politics on the center-left. is that your experience? >> oh, not at all. she is one of the most liberal, consistently one of the most liberal members of the u.s. senate. he is for sanctuary cities, for open borders, she is not supportive of the second amendment, we've kind of joked about it and would confiscate your guns. she is for bernie sanders' socialized medicine. is she is for letting felons vote from prison. he is for the green new deal. and she's been out marching with the mob in washington d.c. she is solidly, squarely on the left, and she and joe biden are going to be the most leftist party nominees that the democrats have ever p

in the senate -- and the senate does nothing. mr. president, what everybody here should understand -- although i know there's some obfuscation about this -- but what everybody in america should understand is that over two and a half years ago -- two and a half months ago the house did its job. over two and a half months ago, the u.s. house of representatives did its job and they passed legislation responding to the enormous pain and suffering that the american people are now experiencing. they did their job, but the senate has not. the heroes act passed by the house in may, would extend the $600-a-week increase in benefits until january. i want everybody to understand that. i think sometimes there is confusion. the house did its job. under the house bill, if that bill were passed today here in the senate, people would continue to get that $600 supplement in their unemployment benefits. the house bill would provide over $900 billion to state and local governments to prevent the massive layoffs of teachers, firefighters, nurses, constr

fbi, were they basically telling the senate in march of 2018, senator, this is actually dated february 14, 2018 , that the sub source was reliable. tell us what these redacted documents tell us. >> well, here they are. it took me forever to get them. i want to thank attorney general barr for helping me retrieve them from the fbi but it was horowitz during his investigation of the warren application found information in 2018 where the fbi was called to the senate intel committee because people were getting suspicious about the subsource, the russian guy, at the senate intel committee level and the fbi was sent over to brief them, and this is the report they prepared before the briefing, and they did to the senate intel committee, the fbi did, what they did to the fisa court. they mislead the hell out of them. they said that there's no evidence from the sub source to suggest that steele fabricated anything in the dossier. actually the subsource said it was all bar talk, hearsay speculation and conjecture and the whole sexual activity of the president was made in so they completely misrep

senator brown. y you. >> thank you, senator. and thank you, director for participating in this meeting. across the country in big cities and small towns alike, americans are calling for their government to work for them. nearly everyone has had their lives upended by this pandemic. you know, ms. kraniger have seen worker see their while washington shovels more tax cuts. families expenses have only grown, the cost of housing, child care, prescription drugs, all those costs have gone up, leaving 40% of americans unible to come up with $400 innage emergency. black and brown americans have never had their hard work pay off like it should, and they live every day with systemic racism that threatants that are health and safety. from jim crow do redlining, you know black families have never had the same freedom and opportunity to choose where they live. the urban snunt said this, the gap in home ownership -- a gap in home ownership rate between black and white families in the u.s. is bigger today than it was when it was legal to refuse

senator harris leaving washington, d.c. earlier today for the trip via the suburban vehicle to get to wilmington, delaware and the remarks line on c-span. our phone lines are open. your reaction to the announcement by senator kamala harris run with joe biden as his running mate. you heard from the former vice president the criteria he took in place, including being the last person in the room, something he was asked when meeting with senator barack obama to serve as his running mate. tell us what you think about the selections and the speech tonight by the former vice president and senator kamala harris. we will begin with amelia joining us from california, democrats align. caller: good afternoon and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak up. i think it is good. there is not going to be no perfect candidate for vice president. everyone has their different kinds of packages. harris.d it is kamala i am from california, and i think joe biden made a good pick. oft: tell us about your view the former state attorney gen

that letter tonight from all the democrats in the senate helmed by senator klobuchar is going to join us in just a moment. the democrats in the house are pushing the same way now in this which was just sent to trump's post master general from the house tonight. they say, quote, it is always essential the postal service be able to deliver mail in a timely and effective manner. during the once in a century health and economic crisis of covid-19, though, the postal service's smooth functioning a matter of life and death and is critical for protecting lives and livelihoods and the life of our american democracy. quote, the house is seriously concerned you're implementing policies that accelerate the crisis at the postal service including directing post offices to no longer treat all election mail as first class. if implemented now as the election approaches these policy changes will cause further delays to election mail that will disenfranchise voters. and this may sound like a -- treating election mail as first class mail as opposed to not first class mail. but this is really big deal. i

absolutely, senator murphy. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> senator portman. >> thank you, mr. chairman. appreciate your having the opportunity to let us talk to the secretary of state today. this has been very helpful, very informative. i would say with regard to china and developing technologies with our allies we have a lot to do right here in the united states to get our own house in order. we're pretty good at pointing fingers at china and it's usually appropriate but we also aren't doing much here to protect ourselves. and i want to thank you because you have provided some great help from your career professionals with regard to our efforts to push back against china taking our technology. and in particular china has these programs. you mentioned you've been doing it for a while. you've been doing it for two decades where they come over here and find promising research and researchers and systematically target them and take that research up in china. and it is economic, health care, it's everything. and over the last couple of years we've worked hard on this with an inves

i've come to know senator harrison or four years in the senate through her service on then judiciary committee and the intelligence committee, her public-service track record is a significant one worthy of praise from her work as a district attorney in the line prosecuteds no untrained and in san francisco where she focused on trying to keep her community safe to services, california attorney general running the portfolio toe include environmental justice and consumer protection and her work tin the senate since 2016. what i find so compelling about senator harris to her track record of public service during her long career as her personal story raises the child into immigrants and jamaican father and indian mother as so many and raise the children of immigrants in a patriotic love of country, she is the first nominee african-american woman nominee to be on a ticket, she's the first south asian person in south asian descent to be on a ticket and on the year 2020 when we are commemorating the hundredthr anniversary of the amendment that guaranteed women the right to vote, i think of n

first up, senate republican leaders. [indistinct chatter] senator mcconnell: good afternoon. it will not surprise any of you to know that we spent the lunch with secretary mnuchin and mark meadows discussing their discussions with the speaker and the democratic leader, which will resume this afternoon. as all of you have already written, the pattern is they meet and then mnuchin and meadows come by my office and they talk about what transpired. i think they have said there's not a lot of movement yet. but a feeling that seems to have been expressed that we would like to get an outcome. i certainly hope we can. the coronavirus is certainly not over. it is still an enormous problem still affecting communities all across the country. and i think the american people would like to see us working together and getting an outcome, like we did in march and april. thanks, leader. we all know that back in -- i don't know exactly what month it was, but several weeks ago the house democrats passed their $3.5 trillion heroes act, which at the time it was suggested not just by us but by lot

the senate keeps referring to the republican leader, lacks the support of senate republicans, it cannot bring into the floor because so many of them will vote against it. the president himself called the republican bill semi- irreleva irrelevant, one of the few things that had some truth to it that he said about this crisis. it was not some possibility that democrats blocked, senate republicans spiked it, a moment it came out. why, maybe they thought that these executive orders would be a way out, so tied in a knot that they cannot legislate or even bring themselves to join us to meet in the middle, they were clinging to the hope that the president could do something on his own through executive order but as we have seen executive orders in general are not going to get the job done especially the competent ones issued over the weekends and the recent executive orders are so serious in terms of meeting the large needs of america as to be pathetic. take for example the payroll tax deferral, it makes no sense and even republican members of congress and according to reports, some members of

senator reed had been in the senate, and would be in the senate for 18 years. he had been the mayor of kansas city from 1900 to 1904 when the convention city burned and they rebuilt it through fast work. he made it very clear he was a irreconcilable. i will not vote for the treaty because he was a isolationist. but there is something else. he was a racist. and he was very direct that he was afraid that the league of nations, with it's dark skinned people, would eventually be able to outfit the white skin people, and impose a new order of racial equality at the international level. but i'm not using some of his more incendiary quotes because they are public quotes least with the n word. for some people of the story of james reid becomes a story of who opposed the treaty. it's provincial list bigotry. bigotry sank the treaty. that's not a good understanding of what happened here either. for example, in one of the best books about this. -- let's look at this for a minute. a lot of people think that cosmopolitans. people with foreign languages, those would be the p

senators have been told they will have a 24 hour notice. rich mcconnell and chuck schumer spoke about the current situation and the executive actions that president trump took over the weekend to provide economic relief to those affected by the pandemic. that this week the senate would be busy providing more coronavirus aid. the chairman and ranking members have been working overtime across the aisle to finalize another major pandemic relief package for the american people. after all, there are so many important ways in which american families need help and which democrats say our big priorities just like republicans do. a federal add-on to unemployment insurance, more schools -- mort wools for schools to safely reopen and access to testing and diagnostics. or resources to develop vaccines and treatments. of support to put money into families hands asap. another round of the hugely successful paycheck protection program that small businesses have relied on which is left out of the democratic proposal. all of these things and many more were

but senator lindsey graham doesn't seem willing to question any senators about how that all came to be, who the fbi briefer was to the senate intel committee. he wants to ask, rather, publicly who it was and see what the fbi says, i guess. and president trump once again putting americans first. president trump fed up with the radical dems' tactics, signing executive orders this weekend to provide support and relief to 18 million americans out of jobs and who need help -- supplemental unemployment payments. student loan relief through december 31st, eviction protection for renters and homeowners and payroll tax holiday for those making under $100,000 through the end of the year. president trump's move met with the usual disdain and drivel of the radical dems and rinos, some of them at least in washington. house speaker nancy pelosi and rino senator ben sasse harmonizing their resistance of president trump. both called the president's orders, quote-unquote, unconstitutional slop. president trump today responded on twitter, tweeting this in part: rino ben sasse has gone rogue again. this

take you live now to the senate floor. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. black, will open the senate with prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god, our star of hope, continue to be the light that enables us to see the way. lead our lawmakers to accomplish your work on earth making them your agents for justice, truth, and freedom. inspire them to be stewards of your will as you answer their cries for help. lord, listen to their fervent prayers as they wait expectantly for your deliverance. keep our senators on the right path of your prevailing providence and surround them with the shield of your love. defend them with your heavenly grace and give them the courage to face perils with total trust in you. we pray in your sovereign name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. mr. grassley: madam president? the presiding officer:

senator kamala harris as his running mate. reaction pouring in at this hour. senator harris and her first words. president trump responding, too. what he said just before we came on the air tonight. >>> also this evening, our reporting here. what went into this historic pick? the california senator and former presidential hopeful. she would be the first woman vice president, the first black vice president and the highest ranking asian-american in u.s. history if elected. tonight here, the moment joe biden asked her over zoom to join the ticket. the president moments ago was asked about the pick, how he responded. and tonight, former president barack obama and hillary clinton among those celebrating biden's pick. our political team standing by, mary bruce, linsey davis, jon karl all with late reporting tonight. >>> the other major news this evening, the coronavirus. and the growing number of children infected. just as millions of children head back to school. the 90% surge in child covid cases in ju

i was a staffer in the senate. there was a time when i actually used to wield the real power. thank you for letting me return to my roots. as senator king laid out, siberia -- cyber operations continue to -- in -- >> been what we know, the state of our defenses and adversaries intentions are a major cyberattack to critical infrastructure is almost something to be expected. i would say we have no choice but to hope for the best while planning for the worst. with this in mind come i would like to emphasize two of our critical proposals as we look ahead to the nda conference. king, i agree with senator on the importance of establishing a national cyber director. this is the right balance of authority, responsibility and necessary prominence. a senate confirmed -- within the --ice of the president that across the federal government in focusnion would bring the that cyber security desperately needs at the highest level of the federal government. second come i would like to highlight the necessity for continuity. we need

senator thune. i always think of my friend from delaware, the champion of bipartisanship. that proposal was based on senator coons -- excuse me, senator thune's thought that, you know, if unemployment is high, people need a benefit so they can make rent, pay groceries. and then senator thune said but you know, when unemployment goes down, the benefit should reflect that as well. he said that. and so senator schumer and i wrote the unemployment insurance bill to reflect that. the unemployment benefits would be tied to economic conditions on the ground. and yet, what we have seen is that somehow senate republicans can now leave in good conscience for the weekend, possibly the august recess, when the senate hasn't passed a bill to help all of those americans who are sick and jobless. our job is to legislate on the big issues, not to run home and campaign. our job is to sit down, negotiate, and find solutions. mitch mcconnell, the basis of this morning's newspaper, doesn't seem to even show up at the ne

i am senator rand paul

that is why would seen senators like senator blunt to i work with and have so much respect for has been stepping up and working with me and working with the administration to figure out how we can do this. by the way, this funny is not just for the envelopes and the postage something we can do immediately in the state, it's also for equipment for the poll workers on the day of the election. we have to train a new cadre of poll workers, young people to work in the election but that are going to be safer, that are not going to be as vulnerable to covid. we can do that in the last few months. and republicans and secretary of state's just like democrats are calling for that, keeping the polling places open for people who don't vote by mail so that people won't congregate at the same time. two there is a very strong argument even if the president doesn't like vote by mail including his own party. even if he doesn't like it, a significant portion of this funding will go to keep the polls open early and to keep our poll workers safe. and that keep our citizens safe. so that is this peace that

i will defer to you. >> thank you, senator young and senator menon does. i thank you to the witnesses. i have been viewing and hearing you for the last 40 minutes and it is just that i was not able to be seen or heard by you which is to your benefit. it's all a plus that i can see you and assure you you can hear me. anyway, the question that both the senators and meant have asked made it clear that it's good to see you again. i think we were together in the spring of 2019 and i just really want to follow up on one of the many tough issues dealing with venezuela and that is the challenges that venezuela opposed to columbia. to state the reason i'm asking, i think venezuela is almost the textbook case for the world that if you align with authoritarian nations like russia, china, iran and cuba here is what your life will be like. if you allow an authoritarian to run things into the ground and use the revenues of a frankly fairly wealthy nation to pad the pockets and then everybody else suffers and look what you will get and look who is aligned with venezuela.

i want to introduce you to my friend, the phenomenal senator from the great state of new jersey, senator cory booker. senator booker: i am grateful for your words and i want to .hare bluntly with everyone last night was really surprising they completely distorted a lot of the facts. that was the thing most frustrating to me. even before the covid crisis, donald trump was really mismanaging an economy and having challenges with the economy inherited from the obama administration. almost exactly 1.5 billion fewer jobs were created during trump's three years in office than during obama's final three years. trump's giant tax cut for the wealthy and well-connected showered almost 85% of benefits to businesses and those with incomes over $75,000. but tax breaks went more to stop buybacks then higher wages. again, so many americans are not involved in it. economic growth slowed in each year of trump's in office. trump was ranked the seventh amongst predecessors in terms of the economy, while building up massive deficits in a trump tax cut he said would pay for itself but clearly racked up the b

senator chester? >> i love this committee this is a great hearing i appreciate the commissioners i just want to make a statement. number one come i cannot believe how people are about textiles and electronics but yet we don't give a damn about the food we put in our body comes from. so labeling for food at least online and then second with commissioner rosen's point you are absolutely correct and with the food modernization act to exempt smaller companies guess you acted like the world would end? so the question is that deals with consolidation in the past industry and from that perspective. >> this is not the overstatement and they are going broke and it will change the food chain and from the consumer standpoint. and then to put forward some new rules and then they came back is not worth the paper it's written on. so what is your recommendation for folks and consumers? >> i just have to say in the commission to the usda i think that will legalize a lot of the worst practices that allow them to read

other senators for quite a while. he went home every night. all the others would eat and drink together and socialize together. all during the week. also the fact in the always is a teetotaler. just didn't have much to do with the social circuit. he bragged often that he never went any receptions. it's pretty much been the same now that he is vice president. a little more so he's been seen around washington a little more. but he and his second wife, jil jill, go back to their home in wilmington just about every weekend. what did other senators learn from this? it's what everyone in delaware do. biden had an uncommon commitment to the state to his family, to his catholic religion. i was a center of his life from the earliest days as a kid scranton, pennsylvania, blue-collar town. that's not a clichÉ to say that faith and family saw through biden in his early tragedies of his life. it has continued to be a main clutch for him throughout his career. >> were taking a look at books about democratic presidential candidate

senate judiciary committee. two moments that got a lot of attention, one when she was selected as joe biden's running mate. this from the 2018 confirmation hearing that justice brett kavanaugh in the issue of law firms and the president. let's listen. sen. harris: have you ever discussed special counsel mueller or his investigation with anyone? >> well, it is in the news every day. sen. harris: have you discussed it with anyone? >> with other judges, i know. sen. harris: have you discussed robert mueller or his investigation with anyone at the law firm founded by president trump's personal lawyer? be sure about your answer, sir. >> um, i am not remembering, but if you have something. sen. harris: are you certain you have not had a conversation with anyone at that law firm? the law firm founded by mark --cathowitz. by president trump's personal lawyer. have you had any conversation about robert mueller or his investigation with anyone at that firm? yes or no? >> is there a person you are talking about? senator ha

going to the senator first. senators first. what do you make of the ways in which the -- the contrast between the ways in which donald trump is talking about women, just this week, suburban housewives and what joe biden was able to do with his pick of senator harris? >> the president continues to show all of us what a misogynist he is, from the very beginning, and continues to attack strong women, can't handle strong women. he's called me nasty and vicious, that's what he does. in contrast, joe biden's pick of kamala harris is not just historic but acknowledgment of the leadership qualities, intelligence and skills she brings to the table. strong theme for them, supporting families and women. versus what donald trump is doing. >> errin, the interview you did today, congratulations on landing first interview with senator harris, big deal for yourself and the 19th. here's a clip. >> joe biden had the audacity to choose a black woman to be his running mate. how incredible is that, and what a statement that is about joe biden, that

senator kamala harris, teaming up with joe biden. the presumptive democratic presidential nominee, tapping his former rival to be his running mate. >> do you agree today that you were wrong to oppose busing in america? >> how the first woman of color on a major party ticket was shaped by her childhood. >> she was part of a global conversation around race and identity at an early age. >> her past, present and path to the white house. >>> plus, howhisri nomination may shake uh tp the polls as the nation ba pandemic and racial reckoning. could this pair topple their republican opponent? >>> "nightline" starts right now with byron pitts. >>> tonight, less than one week away from the 2020 democratic national convention, the big announcement by joe biden. putting past tensions aside to choose kamala harris as his running mate. rachel scott is outside the senator's home in d.c. >> reporter: the anticipation has been building for days, and tonight, frenzy outside kamala harris' apartment, television crews, cameras, reporters, all camped out.

i've heard on the floor senator mcconnell and senator cornyn say we've got to protect the doctors. we got to protect hospitals. we got to protect the nurses. that, of course, appeals to all of us because we feel such a debt of gratitude to the healthcare workers and what they are going through to protect us. i took a look and it turns out they compiled the statistics on the number of medical malpractice cases filed in america in the entire nation that mentioned coronavirus or covid-19. do you know how many mount practical cases have been filed during what they call a tsunami, a tsunami of frivolous lawsuits? how many do you think in the course of this year? six. in the entire nation of 50 states, six lawsuits. what a tsunami. and then the provision on medical malpractice goes further and says you don't have to prove that you are dealing with coronavirus to get the special treatment. you can state the coronavirus had some impact on you as a medical provider, some impact? that's it? what does that mean. coronavirus has had an impact on every single american. some impact? basically me

of >> thank you, senator kaine. senator cruz. thank you, : gentlemen, for your good work, your testimony. abrams, does maduro survive the year? can we do to maximize the chances that the answer to no? question is mr. abrams: well, we obviously he does not survive the year. working hard to make that happen. tot needs to happen for that occur, the venezuelan people against this action. of i ational support, think 59 countries, and we hope to add to that, have to reject a complete n as fraud. we need more sanctions, personal sanctions. the e.u., canada, the rio restrictions.vel here's a case where more is better because they put more ressure on the regime and we need to continue in the case of iran-venezuela to prevent to try it from growing. senator cruz: so do i understand correctly that maduro a plane, he was ready to eave, he had given it up, and the russians called him and convinced him to stay? right? and what changed in his calculus the plane? get off mr. abrams: i don't know if that's right. i heard several stories about it.

senate. she's also known, from what i understand, as being just about the most liberal person in the u.s. senate, and i would have thought that biden would have tried to stay away from that a little bit because with what they're doing is open borders and sanctuary cities where they're trying to protect them, which is also protecting large number of criminals, with all of the things that they're doing, second amendment. they want to take away your second amendment or modify it to a point where it's essentially no longer the second amendment. i would have thought he would have gone a different way. thank you very much. >> we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm jim acosta in "the situation room." we just heard from president trump in a news conference there that joe biden has chosen kamala harris as his running mate. we're breaking it all down with our political team. first, we want, a couple of thing frs the pres from the pree when he was talking abou

we are so proud about senator harris. i really appreciate this moment to spend with you. >> well, first of all, by the way, we see you with your pink outfit and green in the background. those in the sorority know what that means. i see you in your pink and green. let's go to president frederick. kamala harris grew in a mostly white world and then went to a black university in a black city and she has talked a lot about how being at howard university shaped her and what she learned there. your reaction to her selection by former vice president joe biden to be on his ticket? >> it's an extremely proud moment. she called me yesterday not to discuss this specifically, but just to have a conversation as we do from time to time. her humility, how, you know, calm she was, it almost seemed surreal. to be honest, i think the country needs to take a collective breath, the breath that has been denied to so many. we need to take a breath in this moment and really appreciate the moment that is upon us. this is a moment of historic sig

but senator lindsey graham doesn't seem willing to question any senators about how that all came to be, who the fbi briefer was to the senate intel committee. he wants to ask rather publicly who it was and see what the fbi says, i guess. and president trump once again putting americans first. president trump fed up with the radical dems' tactics, signing executive orders this weekend to provide support and relief to 18 million americans out of jobs and who need help quickly. the radical dems decided they didn't need help at all. the president's executive order provides $400 a week in supplemental unemployment payments, student loan relief through december 31st, eviction protection for renters and homeowners and a payroll tax holiday for those making under $100,000 through the end of the year. president trump's move met with the usual disdain and drivel of the radical dems and rinos, some of them at least in washington. house speaker nancy pelosi and rino senator ben sasse harmonizing their rhesus dance of president trump -- resistance of president trump. both calling the president's or

>>senator harris. she did began her political career after graduating from you see hastings law school and san francisco that was 1989 in 1990 she took the role of deputy d a in alameda county. 13 years later she was elected san francisco district attorney she served 2 terms and was then elected as california attorney general in 2010 harris began a second term and announced he was running for us senate she was elected in 2016. and in 2019 she announced that she was running for president and now she and twenty-twenty she has joe biden's running mate. in 2008 them san francisco da harris. did signed papers to become an official candidate for attorney general of california and kron 4 was there as she entered the race she told us she had big plans for the state of california. >>his district attorney kamala harris won't confirm whether or not jerry brown told her he isn't running for attorney general again, i'm running for attorney general with the assumption that it will be a vacant position she has said s

now live to the senate floor. no deal has been reached on the next cove in 19 relief bill despite talks on capitol hill last week. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell says lawmakers will get 24 hours notice to return to vote if a deal is reached. you are watching coverage of the senate on c-span2. dr. barry bla, will open the senate with prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god, who rules the raging of the sea, we seek your face in these turbulent times. lord, help us to so live that the generations to come will know of your mighty acts. today, give our lawmakers the hearts to seek, find, and follow your will so that their legacy will be exemplary. guide them in the path you have created, inspiring them with the potency of your powerful presence. may they trust your laws of sowing and reaping, knowing that they will receive a bountiful harvest if they persevere. keep them from underestimating the power of your great name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance