Today on road to the white house, the conversation with likely democratic president ial candidate jim webb. He discusses global growing up in a military family and his service in the it no, politics and what he likes about campaigning. I enjoy facetoface campaigning. I enjoy getting out in town Hall Meetings in talking to people and listening to their thoughts. What i dont enjoy his campaign finance. I said that when i announced the exploratory committee. One thing i can say is that i will never oh anything to anyone if im elected. It is a tough proposition to be able to raise enough funds in order to conduct a viable campaign. Jim webb, today at 6 35 p. M. Eastern on road to the white house 2016 on cspan. President obama is calling the Current Partnership between the u. S. And germany one of the strongest alliances the world has ever known. The president opened his german visit by appearing with gensler angela merkel. Chancellor angela merkel. Leaders will discuss trade russia ukraine, but extremism violent extremism and climate change. The president will meet with the president of iraq tomorrow. There are expected to combat isis. On thursday, Hillary Clinton spoke at Texas Southern university in houston. She called for automatic universal vote registration for all 18yearolds. This is about 30 minutes. Thank you so very much. I cannot tell you how personally honored i am to be with all of you. Let me start by thanking president rightly, everyone at Texas Southern university. It is a treat to be here, to have heard briefly from others about the incredible programs and progress. The fact that you graduated more than 1,000 young people into the world not so many days ago. This institution is the living legacy, the absolute embodiment of the long struggle for civil rights. And for me, to be surrounded by so many here in houston, texas and indeed from across our country, who were part of that movement is especially touching. I am delighted to be here with my friend, Sheila Jackson lee, she has been \[applause] ms. Clinton shes been a tireless champion for the people of the 18th district and the state and the country. I have to say, though, i expected her to tell you the most Important News coming out of the congress, and that is, she is finally a member of the grandmothers club. [applause] and a member of now a little over eight months, it is the best club youll ever be a member of, sheila. I also have to confess, i was excited about coming here and to talk about an issue that was important to Barbara Jordan and should be important to all of us, but to do so in front of dr. Friedman is a little daunting. I mean, anyone who knows what this man has meant, not just to Barbara Jordan but to so many who have studied here, who have been in any way affected by his brilliant teaching of elocution and delivery would be a little daunted too. I notice that both dr. Rudley and sheila got off before dr. Freedman came up. I also want to say my thoughts and prayers are with the families in houston and across texas who have been affected by the recent terrible flooding. And i am confident that this community will embrace them. I remember very well coming here after katrina with my husband and in fact we invited to come along a young senator from illinois by the name of barack obama. And with sheila and other leaders in the community, we toured the facilities that houston had provided to those who were fleeing that horrific storm. I saw how people opened their hearts and their homes. This is a city that knows how to pull together and im confident you will do so again on behalf of those who are suffering from this latest terrible disaster. And it is also a special moment to be here, knowing that Barbara Jordan was succeeded by Mickey Leland and the 18th district was so well represented for so long and im delighted to be here with allison and to remember the pioneering work he did on behalf of children and the poor and hunger so many issues that he was champion of. I want to thank i want to thank Rosemary Mcgowan and all the friends and loved ones of Barbara Jordan here today. [applause] this is such a particular honor for me because the award is in memory of one of my true personal heroes. A woman who taught me and so many others the meaning of courage and determination in the pursuit of justice. I first met Barbara Jordan when i was a young attorney and had been given a position working for the house of representatives judiciary committee, investigating richard nixon. And it was such a profound moment in American History, and there wasnt anyone who was a more effective, eloquent inquisitor than Barbara Jordan. As a 26yearold fresh out of law school, as some of you are perhaps now, having graduated from the Thurgood Marshall school here at t. S. U. , i was riveted and not a little intimidated, to tell you the truth, by this unstoppable congresswoman from texas. I got to talk with her, which was thrilling. I got to hand her papers, which was equally exciting. But mostly i got to watch and listen to her. At a time of shaken confidence, she stirred the entire nation with her words. Remember what she said. My faith in the constitution is whole, it is complete, it is the total. It was that passion and moral clarity that took Barbara Jordan from t. S. U. And the halls of the Texas Legislature all the way to congress. The first woman, the first africanamerican ever elected to represent texas in the house of representatives. [applause] and she defended and continued the civil rights legacy of dr. Martin luther king jr. And her friend and mentor, president lyndon johnson. And in particular, she was a staunch advocate for the Voting Rights act, which had helped make it possible for her to be elected. In 1975, in the face of fierce opposition, Barbara Jordan led the fight to extend the special protection of the Voting Rights act to many more americans including hispanic americans native americans, and Asian Americans as well. [applause] and like every woman who has run for National Office in this country in the last four decades, i stand here on the shoulders of Barbara Jordan and so does our entire country. [applause] and boy, do we miss her. We miss her courage, we also miss her humor. She was funny. I remember talking to her and ann richards one time and between the two of them, forget trying to get a word in at all. And they were telling me about how they loved to go to the university of texas Womens Basketball games. And barbara would be there, by that time, in her wheelchair on the sidelines, ann would be Holding Court right next to her and barbara would be yelling directions like she was, you know, the coach. Why are you doing that . Jump higher thats not a pass all of those kinds of sideline comments. And so ann was telling me this, with barbara right there and ann said, i finally turned to her and i said, barbara, encourage these young women. Dont just criticize them. Barbara turned around and said when they deserve it, i will. [laughter] we sure could use her irresistible voice. I wish we could hear that voice one more time, hear her express the outrage we feel about the fact that 40 years after Barbara Jordan fought to extend the Voting Rights act, its heart has been ripped out. And i wish we could hear her speak up for the student who has to wait hours for his or her right to vote. For the grandmother who is turned away from the polls because her drivers license expired. For the father who has done his time and paid his debt to society but still hasnt gotten his rights back. Now we know, unfortunately barbara isnt here to speak up for them and so many others. But we are. And we have a responsibility to say clearly and directly whats really going on in our country. Because what is happening is a sweeping effort to disempower and disenfranchise people of color, poor people, and young people from one end of our country to the other. Because since the Supreme Court eviscerated a key provision of the Voting Rights act in 2013, many of the states that previously faced special scrutiny because of a history of Racial Discrimination have proposed and passed new laws that make it harder than ever to vote. North carolina passed a bill that went after pretty much anything that makes voting more convenient or more accessible. Early voting. Sameday registration. The ability of county Election Officials to even extend voting hours to accommodate long lines. What possible reason could there be to end preregistration for 16 and 17yearolds and eliminate voter outreach in high school . We should be doing everything we can to get our young people more engaged in democracy, not less. [applause] in fact, i say it is a cruel irony but no coincidence that millenials, the most diverse tolerant, and inclusive generation in American History are now facing so much exclusion. And we need look no further than right here in texas. You all know this far better than i, but if you want to vote in this state, you can use a concealed weapons permit as a valid form of identification but a valid student i. D. Isnt good enough. Crystal watson found out the hard way. She grew up in louisiana but came to marshall, texas, attend Wiley College. And crystal takes her responsibilities as a citizen to so seriously that not only did she register to vote in texas where she was living and would be for a number of years, she even became a Deputy Registrar to help other people vote as well. But, this past year, when she showed up at her local polling place with a Wiley College i. D. , she was turned away. Experts estimate that hundreds of thousands of registered voters in texas may well face similar situations. And while high profile state laws like those in texas and North Carolina get most of the attention, many of the worst offenses against the right to vote actually happen below the radar. Like when authorities shift poll locations and election dates, or scrap language assistance for nonenglish speaking citizens. Something Barbara Jordan fought so hard to provide. Without the preclearance provision of the Voting Rights act, no one outside the local community is likely ever to hear about these abuses. Let alone have a chance to challenge them and end them. Now, its not a surprise for you to hear that studies and everyday experiences confirm that minority voters are more likely than white voters to wait in long lines at polling places. They are also far more likely to vote in polling places with insufficient numbers of voting machines. In south carolina, for example theres supposed to be one machine for ever 150 voters but every 250 voters, but in minority areas, that rule is just often overlooked. In richland county, nearly 90 of precincts failed to meet the standard required by law in 2012. Instead of 250 voters per machine in one precinct, it was more than 430 voters per machine. Not surprisingly, people trying to cast a ballot there face d massive delays. There are many fairminded, wellintentioned Election Officials all over our country , but this kind of disparity i just mentioned does not happen by accident. Now some of you may have heard me or my husband say one of our favorite sayings from arkansas. Of course i learned it from him. If you find a turtle on a fence post, it did not get there on its own. [applause] well, all of these problems with voting just didnt happen by accident. And it is just wrong. Its wrong to try to prevent undermine, inhibit americans right to vote. Its counter to the values we share and in a time when so Many Americans have lost trust in our political system, its the opposite of what we should be doing in our country. This is the greatest, longest lasting democracy in the history of the world. We should be clearing the way for more people to vote, not putting up every roadblock anyone can imagine. [applause] yet, unfortunately today there are people who offer themselves to be leaders, whose actions have undercut this fundamental american principle. Here in texas, former governor rick perry signed a law that a federal court said was actually written with the purpose of discriminating against minority voters. He applauded when the Voting Rights act was gutted, and said the law upon protections were outdated and unnecessary. But governor perry is hardly alone in his crusade against Voting Rights. In wisconsin, Governor Scott walker cut back early voting and signed legislation that would make it harder for College Students to vote. In new jersey, governor Chris Christie vetoed legislation to extend early voting. And in florida, when jeb bush was governor, state authorities discovered a deeply flawed purge of voters before the president ial election in 2000. [applause] thankfully, in 2004, a plan to purge even more voters was headed off. So, today republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of american citizens from voting. What part of democracy are they afraid of . I believe every citizen has the right to vote, and i believe we should do everything we can to make it easier for every citizen to vote. [applause] [cheering] [applause] [cheering] [applause] i call on republicans at all levels of government, with all manner of ambition, to stop fear mongering about a phantom epidemic of Election Fraud and start explaining why they are so scared of letting citizens have their say. [applause] now, yes, this is about democracy, but its also about dignity. About the ability to stand up and say, yes, i am a citizen. I am an american. My voice counts. And no matter where you come from or what you look like or how much money you have, that means something. In fact, it means a lot. I learned those lessons right here in texas. Registering voters in south texas, down in the valley in 1972. Now, some of the people i met were understandably a little wary of a girl from chicago who didnt speak a word of spanish. But they wanted to vote. They were citizens. They knew they had a right to be heard. They wanted to exercise all the rights and responsibilities that citizenship conveys. Thats what should matter. Because when those rights are denied to anyone, were all the worse for it. It doesnt just hold back the aspirations of individual citizens. It holds back our entire country. Thats why as a senator i championed a bill called the count every vote act. If it had become law, it would have made election day a federal holiday. Aunt mandated early voting opportunities [applause] deceiving voters, including by sending flyers into minority neighborhoods with false voting times and places would have become a federal crime. And to Many Americans with criminal convictions would have finally gotten their Voting Rights back. [applause] well, today, with the damage to the Voting Rights act so severe, the need for action is even more urgent. First, congress should move quickly to pass legislation to repair that damage and restore the full protections that American Voters need and deserve. [applause] i was serving in the senate in 2006. We voted 980 to reauthorize the Voting Rights act, after an exhaustive review process. There had been more than 20 hearings in both the house and Senate Judiciary committees. There had been testimony from so many experts witnesses investigative reports documenting continuing discrimination in jurisdictions. There was more than 15,000 pages of legislative reference. Now, that is how the system is supposed to work. You gather the evidence. You weigh it. And you decide, and we did 980. We put principle ahead of. Politics. That is what Congress Needs to do again. [applause] second, we should implement the recommendations of the bipartisan president ial commission to improve voting. That commission was chaired by president obamas Campaign Lawyer and by governor mitt romneys Campaign Lawyer. And they actually agree. And they set forth commonsense reform, including expanding early absentee and mail voting. Providing online voter registration. Establishing the principle that no one should ever have to wait more than 30 minutes to cast your vote. [applause] third, we should set a standard across our country of at least 20 days of early, inperson voting everywhere. [applause] including opportunities for weekend and evening voting. [applause] if families coming out of church on sunday are inspired to go vote, they should be free to do just that. [applause] and we know that early inperson voting will reduce those long lines and give more citizens the chance to participate, especially those who have work or family obligations that make it difficult to get to the polls on election day. Its not just convenience, its also more secure, more reliable and more affordable than absentee voting. So lets get this done. And i believe we should go even further to strengthen Voting Rights in america, so today im calling for universal, automatic voter registration, every citizen in every state in the union. [applause] [cheering] [applause] everyone. Every young man or young woman should be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18. [applause] unless they actively choose to opt out. But i think this would have a profound impact on our elections and our democracy. [applause] between a quarter and a third of all eligible americans remain unregistered and therefore unable to vote. And we should modernize our entire approach to registration. The system we have is a relic from an earlier age that relies on a blizzard of paper records. It is full of errors. In fact, we can do better by making sure registration rolls are secure, up to date, and complete, so when you move, your registration should move with you. [applause] [cheering] if youre an eligible voter and want to be registered, you should be a registered voter, period. Now, oregon is already leading the way, modernizing its system and the rest of the country should follow. The technology is here. States have already allotted the data that is needed. Now, all of these reforms, from expanded early voting to modernized registration, are commonsense ways to strengthen our democracy. But all ill be candid here. None of them will come easily. It is going to take leadership on many levels. Now, more than ever, we need our citizens to actually get out and vote for people who want to hear whats on their minds. [applause] we need more activists working to expose abuses, educate americans about their rights and hold authorities accountable for protecting them. [applause] some of the worst provisions in recent laws have been blocked or delayed by tireless advocates raising the alarm and filing legal challenges, but they cant do it alone. We need more grassroots mobilization efforts, like the immoral monday and movement monday movement in North Carolina. Wed more justices on the Supreme Court who will protect every citizens right to vote. [applause] [cheering] i mean, the principle underlying our constitution, which we had to fight for a long time to make apply to everybody, one person, one vote. And we need a Supreme Court that cares more about protecting the right to vote of a person than the right to buy an election of a corporation. [applause] [cheering] [applause] but, of course, you know what we really need . We need more elected leaders from houston to austin to washington, who will follow in the footsteps of and will fight every day for the rights and opportunities of everyday americans. And we need to remember that progress is built on common ground, not scorched earth. When i traveled around as your secretary of state, one of the most frequent questions i was asked was, how could you and president obama worked together after you fought so hard in the campaign . [laughter] people were genuinely amazed. Which i suppose is understandable considering that in many places, when you lose an election or you oppose somebody who wins, you could get prisons exiled, or even killed. Not asked to be secretary of state. [laughter] and its true, i was surprised when the president asked me to serve. But he made that offer and i accepted it for the same reason we both love our country. [applause] [cheering] [applause] so, my friends, here at this historic institution, just let us remember, america was built by people who knew that our common interest was more important than our self interest. They were fearless in pursuit of a stronger, freer fairer nation. As Barbara Jordan famously reminded us, when the constitution was first written it left most of us here out. But generations of americans thought and marched and organized and prayed to expand the circle of freedom and opportunity. They never gave up, and they never backed down. And nearly a century ago, on this very day, after years of struggle, Congress Finally passed the 19th amendment to give women the right to vote in the united states. [applause] [cheering]