We are using this time to reach out to our senior phallus, friends and constituents to talk about the important issues and ethics in public life that are at the heart of the councils work. So thank you all for joining us. Todays topic is democracy on the verge, leadership in times of crisis. This title is a play on the title of the new book, lincoln on the verge, 13 days to washington, written by our good friend and carnegie fellow ted widmer. Great to see you ted. Thank you its good to be here. Im going to let ted described the book i will set the outset it is really a thriller. The book is cinematic, its philosophical, it is a great story. And for me it is inspirational. Like all of teds work, lincoln on the verge, uses the path to enlightenment future and suggest a better future. This is not a bad formula for an entrant understanding the intersection of ethics and Public Policy for this and many other reasons im grateful to ted for his own leadership in our field. In addition to his