[inaudible] gov. Kasich pretty clear, isnt it . The lord has made everyone special for special reasons. I spoke earlier about the battle that we are waging against drug abuse and addiction. I know we have talked about this three times tonight, so i am proud to recognize the courageous work being done in that fight, right here in washington county. Makes larry minx, thank you, sheriff, for making youth Drug Prevention a big priority. Just on the road, we have another champion. That is dealt preschool superintendent tony dunn. This guy rocks it. You will get every superintendent to Start Talking, wont you . I know that you will. He has been one of the most active in the Start Talking program. The fight against addiction took on special urgency in this Community Last summer with the death of hunter burkey, a talented and energetic 17yearold. Hunter was just ready to begin his senior year at the high school with a promising future when it was tragically cut short by a heroine overdose. It. Nt know how they do me, buts it is beyond they are doing the best that they can to try to protect others. Hunters mother is also here tonight to share in this award. After her sons death, kelly nd the pain in the courage strength and the courage to rise above her pain, and the undeserved guilt too often felt by parents. Who have lost a son or a daughter to drugs. She is standing up and helping others in this fight. She is determined that no other mother should ever have to know the pain that she had to carry. Im honoring for their honoring them further individual efforts and courage, but for all those in ohio, thousands who are fighting against this deadly epidemic every day. The award will be displayed forever as a reminder of the futures that have been cut short, and our resolve to do all we can to fight addiction and abuse. Folks, please come to the stage. Ladies and gentlemen, please honor them and their work for allman. Age of kelly [applause] [inaudible] gov. Kasich their example inspire us within this creativity and leadership we need to go further and build on the strong leadership we have laid for our great state and restore our position as one of the nations greatest places. That is the vision i have for ohio. Have optimism and state will that our be a place of freedom and prosperity for everyone. We are getting there. It is happening. The changes that we have made together have taken us very far in a short time, but we are not done yet and we have more work to do. That together, we can keep moving forward. Why am i confident . Traveled all across this country and i reminded of one thing, again and again, there is no place like ohio, there is no place like home. [applause] i have noted sin i have known it since i was a young man, traveling across the , with mynia, ohio line uncle harry shouting. Johnny weir in the promised land. There is no other place with our resources, our strategic location. And as woody hayes said, our people. The great things that can be accomplished when people Work Together for a righteous purpose. Ohioans,e job done by and by recanted by rededicating ourselves to the mission and in the spirit of service leadership, we will keep lifting up our fellow buckeyes. Mr. President , mr. Speaker, members of the general assembly, lets tear down all the barriers, all the roadblocks in our way, and together, we can move ohio further down the path toward that vision of freedom, prosperity, and opportunity that we all share and believe in. Together, we can do it. God bless america, god bless ohio, and god bless our futures together. Thank you. [applause] cspan, Homeland Security secretary jeh johnson on combating violent extremism. Secretarygeneral on the future of the alliance. After that, road to the white house coverage with donald trump in bethpage, new york and Hillary Clinton at Carnegie Mellon university. This month. We showcase our studentcam winners. This years theme is road to the white house. Students were asked, what issues do you want president ial candidates to discuss . These students want president ial candidates to discuss lowering the voting age to 16 in their video titled, lower the vote, raise america. One of the biggest problems in american Politics Today is the lack of political participation. In 2012, only 58. 6 of eligible voters participated in the election. The abysmal turnout is a problem that should be on the forefront of political debates. In 1971, the 26th amendment expanded Voting Rights to those over the age of 18. However, those aged 16 and 17, 2. 62 of the population, are still unrepresented. More than 8 million people. Lowering the voting age to 16 will expand democracy, increase political participation, and foster a generation of habitual voters. In the United States, takoma park, maryland was the first u. S. City to lower its voting age. During president ial elections, takoma park has a very high turnout. 60 80 . In city elections, the turnout is closer to city elections. Turnout is closer to 20 . It is horrible turnout. People do not know there is an election. So, it is really hard to engage voters in that setting. In 2013, the city councilman proposed legislation to lower the voting age to boost local participation. The idea of 16yearold and 17yearolds voting came up one we were looking for ideas and scotland was considering a referendum and it became an idea where we said, why not . The Political Landscape has undergone positive changes in changes since the decision. I can see there is definitely a segment of young people who feel more engaged, who are interested in local politics, and the working of our city government. The few elections opened to 16yearolds and 17yearolds have already impacted the youth electorate. It is fun to have your voice count and to be a part of the big decision. It is about habitforming and seeing that you are participating and your community participating and continuing to it is about habitforming and seeing that you are participating in your community participating and continuing to have that habit. Having the voting limit at 18 has negative drawbacks in itself. If you are 18, moving somewhere new, trying to vote absentee back home, you are less connected to the issues, to the area, to the candidates running. If youre 16, you are more likely to have stable roots in the community and that aows you to care more and be more focused and be more interested about what is happening in the local area. The National YouthRights Association argues that people should have a voice on the issues that affect them personally. It is amazing how much of the debate is about education, schools, common core, testing, and people who are most affected are not involved in the discussion because they do not have the right to vote. Starting voting earlier has benefits in the long run, as well as immediate results. The Research Finds that you the earlier in your life that you cast your first ballot, the more likely you are to make it a habit the rest of your life. A common argument against lowering the voting age is that teenagers are too immature or unknowledgeable about politics. There is nothing magic about the year of 18. I do not think anyone can say that 18yearolds can make decisions and a 16yearolds cannot. I think the age groups are similar. In our city of takoma park, it has been shown that lowering the voting age helps to raise turnout in local elections. And it involves youth in politics. Having the voting age at 16 gives teens a chance to start voting at a convenient time and place. I think it is a problem and democracy depends on participation and activism is lifeblood of the democratic society. It is an idea that a lot of people are going to think about. It may be on a small scale at first. Then it could very well take off. It could make a substantial difference. Lowering the voting age will improve the political system, and is an issue that should be addressed by president ial candidates in the 2016 campaign. To watch all of the prizewinning documentaries and the winners of this years competition, visit studentcam. Org. President obama travels to chicago tomorrow to talk to students at the university of Chicago Law School about the judicial system. We have him live at 3 30 p. M. Et on cspan. Homeland security secretary jeh johnson said today that rhetoric spoke about countering violent extremism. He touched on the rhetoric in the 2016 president ial race is race. This is about half an hour. My name is tom wheelock of creative associates. Since the tragedy of 9 11, the United States and International Partners have been combating the threat of terrorism on multiple fronts. It is a threat that is neither constrained by International Borders or limited to a single ideology. President obama has said often that his most solemn responsibility is to ensure the safety and security of the American People. In 2010, he launched a National Strategy for counterterrorism. Last year at the white house summit on countering violent extremism, he outlined our nations approach, the major points being that we must confront and discredit extremist ideologies, address economic and political grievances that feed extremism, empower local communities, effectively communicate across National Boundaries and among religious faiths, all the while remaining true to our values. At its foundation, this strategy encompasses a whole of government approach, with the department of Homeland Security as a major contribute and implementer. Today, we are honored to have as keynote speaker the u. S. Secretary of Homeland Security, the honorable jeh johnson. [applause] since 2009, secretary johnson has been a critical member of the president S National Security team, and has a deep understanding of the threats and challenges facing the United States. As the pentagons general counsel, he helped design and implement many of the policies that have kept our country safe. Time and again, he has been in the situation room contribute into critical decisions affecting our National Security and Public Safety. As secretary, he has taken strong steps on both counterterrorism and countering violent extremism, and has led transformational efforts to make our nation a safer place. Some examples. Under his leadership, the department has taken aggressive measures to further improve aviation and airport security. This includes enhanced security at overseas airports and continuous background checks on airline and aviation personnel. He recognizes that americas first line of defense against terrorism is our local police, and accordingly last year the department of Homeland Security provided over 200 billion in Homeland Security assistance to state and local governments. In response to the growing use of social media by terrorist organizations for recruitment of followers in the u. S. , the department used social media to identify youth most susceptible to these messages. At the same time, the department is building bridges to diverse sets of communities, knowing that wellinformed families and communities are one of our best defenses against the lure of terrorist ideologies. We often do not hear about the outstanding work of the department, but in the realm of Homeland Security, no news is good news, and no news is the result of hard work, vigilance, and dedication by the professionals and staff of the department of Homeland Security. Mr. Secretary, during the difficult times, we thank you for your study and strong leadership of the department, ensuring the security of our nation. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you the secretary of the u. S. Department of Homeland Security, the honorable jeh johnson. [applause] secretary johnson thank you very much, tom. Thank you for the comments. You, you noted several things that are not just simply lifted off my wikipedia. [laughter] and you noted a number of things that have been significant, in terms of our departments activities over the last several years. I was reminded, listening to the introduction, of a 60 minutes segment on me about a year ago. During this time in the obama administration, leslie stahl in the leadin captured it as saying, in the first four years as the general counsel of the department of defense, giving the legal signoff too many counterterrorism operations, i was on offense. Now in the second term as secretary of Homeland Security, very often i find myself on defense. But there are various initiatives i have undertaken that we are very proud of, including our efforts at outreach and building bridges to communities to our newly created office for community partnerships, which i am proud of and i believe is reflective of who we are as a country, reflective of our immigrant heritage and the manner in which we hope to embrace communities, new ways of immigrants, and the like. And the diversity of our country. Now, i do have to just a part for a minute to reflect on the events of last night. People are wondering what im talking about. I am talking about detroit versus florida, the marlins game, season opener. I was there to throw the first pitch in florida. It was my third first pitch as secretary of Homeland Security. I threw out the first pitch at citi field in 2014, the first pitch at the nats game in 2015, and i had the privilege of throwing the first pitch last night in miami. Throwing a first pitch, though i used to play baseball, is the most stressful thing that i do. [laughter] it is more stressful than any speech, any congressional testimony. Because you only have one chance. You can warm up for 30 minutes in the bullpen, and what they tell you when you throw a first pitch, whatever you do, do not throw it in the dirt. Throw it over the backstop. Hit a fan. Totally wild pitch. But do not throw it in the dirt. I have been told that three times, repeatedly, before each of the three times i have done this. I practiced, practiced, practiced. It is stressful, because there are no do overs. When i create remarks for a speech, or create talking points, i create them and say, no, thats not right. I revise and work them over and massage them. I might even choose to massage a speech in the middle of the speech. But once the ball leaves your hand, there is no do over, no second chance. It is all in the hands of god. And so, the first pitch for the new york mets, in the dirt. I got the ball. It has the dirt mark on it. The second pitch at nats stadium last year was in the dirt. This is in front of 20,000, 30,000 people. Last night, i said to david samson, the president of the club, just before i ran out onto that beautiful mound, that beautiful field. I feel a strike. I feel a strike. I really feel good about this. Then i went out there. I did not even hit the dirt this time. I hit the infield grass. [laughter] so, i hope nobody sees that on youtube or espn or anything. It was not one of my more proud moments as secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you for being here today. This is one of our more important initiatives, for our government and for this president s administration. We are in, as all of you know, a new phase in the global terrorist threat, which includes not only the prospect and threat of terroristdirected attacks by operatives who are trained and equipped overseas, someplace, and exported to another country, but the prospect of terroristinspired attacks by those who are terroristinspired or terroristenabled, a new term we use now, terroristenabled, not just terroristdirected. Terroristinspired or terroristenabled. And those who would selfradicalized, in response to things terrorist organizations put out on social media, on the internet. It makes for a more complicated world. Because those who selfradicalize, as everyone knows, could strike with little or no notice to our Intelligence Community or our Law Enforcement communities. Yes, when yet when someone does selfradicalize, one or perhaps two or three people, there is somebody, almost always, who was in a position to know or who did know close to that person or persons. I also know from my experience in Homeland Security and my prior time at the department of defense, we can kill an enemy but not necessarily defeat an enemy. So our cve mission, as we refer to it inside the beltway, is as important as any of our current Homeland Security missions, basic security, aviation security, maritime security, cyber security. The work we do here is as important as any other mission we can undertake to keep the homeland, keep our homeland safe. In my view, building bridges to communities is essential, a central part of our mission. Im gratified to see that within the last several years, our efforts have expanded and grown, and there is growing interest in our efforts. This Conference Today is reflective of that. I look around the room and i see all the material outside, the content of the discussions. Im gratified that so many of us are now dedicated to this effort. Building bridges is key. Cve is not a Law Enforcement mission. Not a military mission. This is a Homeland Security mission, which is why i have personally undertaken, on my personal plate, a large part of this mission. I have personally been to boston, new york, brooklyn, columbus, dearborn, l. A. , houston, minneapolis, and elsewhere. I will be going to philadelphia the next several weeks. On our mission to build, to partner with communities through our newly created,