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US Vice President Mike Pence had an extraordinary speech about how he stood on the inauguration stand in January thinking about his Irish heritage - but it was a picture of Hillary Clinton that earned the biggest cheer on the night.

In an extraordinary and almost emotional speech, Mr Pence said: "All the I am, all that I will ever be and all the service that I will ever give is owed to my Irish heritage.

"As I serve the people of this country I will do so with the faith, the determination, the cheerfulness, the humility and the humour that is characteristic of the great people of the Emerald Isle."

Donald Trump's number two is the grandson of Richard Michael Cawley who emigrated from Tubbercurry, Co Sligo in 1923 to become a bus driver in Chicago.

He told The Ireland Fund dinner in Washington last night that people regularly ask him what went through his head as he was sworn in as the Vice President.

"I just keep thinking of that day in April 1923 when Richard Michael Cawley stepped off the boat in Ellis Island.

"I can't imagine what the sight of the statue of liberty meant to him that day. The torch of freedom," he said.

But it was a photograph of US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that earned the biggest cheer of the night.

Ireland Funds ran a montage of all the dinner's previous honourees and the photograph of Mrs Clinton sparked a massive applause, as Mike Pence watched on.

In front of 700 guests including Taoiseach Enda Kenny, the controversial politician had described his family as "a small part" of the story connecting Ireland and the United States.

"As I stood on that inaugural stage I just kept thinking of that Irishman. I kept thinking of what he would be thinking about looking down.

"One, knowing me as well as he did, he'd be extremely surprised," Mr Pence said to laughter.

"And two, I have to think he just thought he was right. He was right about America. He was right to summon the courage as generations did before and since to come here and follow their dreams."

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He was presented with a special award by The Ireland Fund and a copy of the Tubbercurry National School enrolment book that contained his grandfather's name.

"The truth is that whatever I honour I receive over the course of my time as Vice Present, to receive an honour in the name of the Irish people and my Irish heritage will count as chief among them," Mr Pence said.

His sisters, Annie and Mary, attended the lavish event in Washington's Museum Building, while his mother who had been due to travel was unable to due to the storm sweeping the east coast of America.

During a 15 minute speech, Mr Pence also spoke about his visits to Doonbeg, Co Clare where he has relatives.

He also told the gathering that he was able to bring "greetings from my friend, the leader of the free world".

Mr Pence said Donald Trump knew of the contribution the Irish have made to America.

"Irish immigrants and their descendants have been proud patriots," he said, adding that the Irish were among "the strongest and most vibrant threads of our national fabric".

Mr Pence praised the Irish economic recovery and said the success was "a testament" to the "strong" leadership of Enda Kenny over the past six years.

"Many leaders around the world would do well to emulate your leadership," he told the Taoiseach.

In his speech Mr Kenny said: "The Vice President has joined the distinguished list of Irish Americans who have occupied the highest political offices in the United States.

"We take special pride in the fact that, for the first time in the history of this great republic, one Irish American has succeeded another in the office of Vice President."

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Mike Pence tried with extraordinary speech about Irish heritage - but Hillary Clinton wins the biggest cheer of the ... - Irish Independent

New York Times

'I Am an American Because of Him': The Journey of Pence's Irish ... New York Times It is difficult not to view the experience of Richard Michael Cawley, who came to the United States nearly a century ago, through the prism of current events. America is about diversity, George Mitchell warns Mike Pence | Irish ...Irish Examiner Irish Reception underway at the White House: VP Mike Pence opens with a storyYC A comment by US Vice President Mike Pence about Irish people on Twitter did not go down wellJOE Irish Mirror all 9 news articles »

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'I Am an American Because of Him': The Journey of Pence's Irish ... - New York Times

President Trumps proposed budget eliminatesthe federal governments funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The reduction signals whatOffice of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney calls the goal of ending federal involvement with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

One interesting dimension to this goalis that in 2014, the Association of Public Television Stations gave itsChampion of Public Broadcasting award to one Indiana Governor MikePence.

In his acceptance speech for the award, Pence, now the Vice President,revealed hesa huge Downton Abbey fanthere is to be no discussion or tweeting among our children about what happens with Edith, what exactly Mr. Bates is up to, or whether Mary will pick a new suitor, he said. He also loves Ken Burns and spoke fondly of meeting the filmmaker at the Capitol Hill Club when he was a member of the House of Representatives: Had to take a picture of that, he enthused. He also noted thatSuper Why made an appearance duringhis inaugural events.

Pence saidhe saw inhis statethe huge role public broadcasting played in early childhood education as well: Frankly, when we were going line by line through our budget proposal, when came to deciding whether to include funding for public television in our budget, I want to tell you, it was an easy call. Public television, he continued, plays a vital role in educating all of the public, but most especially our children.

When RonaldReagan left office, Pence said, he talked about how the nation had a good feeling, but it wouldnt count for much, it last very long if it wasnt grounded in thoughtfulness and in knowledge. He called on the American people then to embrace again informed patriotism. Pence again cited Burns as emblematic of the kind of civic education he said public broadcasting was uniquely situated to provide: You more than anywhere else seem to be the place that most authentically tells the American story to the American people.

Some conservatives have dreamed for years of the government getting out of theBig Bird business and forcing public broadcasting to find other sources of funding. At NPR, CPB funding accounts for about 1 percent of the annualoperating budget. But as Ben Mullin reports at Poynter, it comprises about 9 percent of revenue for public radio stations across America, and dues from member stations provided about 39 percent of NPRs revenue from 2014 to 2016.

A2012 study by Booz & Companydone at Congress request found that there is simply no substitute for the federal investment to accomplish the public service mission that Congress has assigned to public broadcasters and that the American people overwhelmingly support. In a statement, PBS says the cost of public broadcasting is small, only $1.35 per citizen per year, and the benefits are tangible: increasing school readiness for kids 2-8, support for teachers and homeschoolers, lifelong learning, public safety communications and civil discourse. And, of course, Downton.

This story is brought to you by the letters S, H, A, R, and E.

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Mike Pence Loves Public Broadcasting - Washingtonian.com

Vice President Mike Pence speaks Saturday at the Trane Parts and Distribution Center in Louisville, Ky. Pence said that the so-called Obamacare law had failed the nation and the Trump administration would need the backing of rank-and-file Republicans to pass their health care overhaul.(Photo: AP)

After the administration of former Gov. Mike Pence, who is now vice president, fought the release of a political white paper for two years, the contents of the document were released by officials from another state.

The six-page document discusses legal precedents that could be used to challenge former President Barack Obama's 2014 decision to defer enforcement of certain immigration laws.

"The focus of theproposed litigation is not immigration," said the document, written by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who was then attorney general. "Rather, it is the scope of executive authority."

The letter was an appeal to governors of other states to join inState of Texas, et al v. United States, a lawsuit filed after Obama announced he was taking new steps to "fix Americas broken immigration system."

Many Republicans objected to the administration's decision to deferenforcement of immigration laws for parents of children born in the United States, and for children who entered the United States before they were 16 years old.

Pence, whocalled the policy a "profound mistake,"hired Indianapolis law firm Barnes & Thornburg to join the lawsuit, with the blessing of then Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller.

In December 2014, Indianapolis labor attorney William Grothrequested information regarding Pence's decision to hire outside counseland the cost to Indiana taxpayers. The Pence administration produced the documents in the request but those documents included substantial redaction, according to court documents.

The 57-page response also included an email that Daniel Hodge, Abbott's chief of staff, sent to 30 recipients in various states asking them to join the lawsuit against Obama. That message included the attached white paper,which Pence refused to produce.

Wednesday, the white paper obtained from another state wasreleasedby a website called Rewire, dedicated to women's reproductive rights. Just hours later, attorneys representing the governor's office sent Groth's attorney, Greg Bowes, a copy of the white paper and filed a motion "Regarding Change in Circumstances," in an attempt to moot the case.

"Because the document is now in the public domain for the first time, it is now subject to disclosure under APRA," wrote attorney Joseph Chapelle to Bowes. Chapelle originally represented Pence, but under rules of civil procedure now works on behalf of current Indiana governor Eric Holcomb.

The white paper focuses on how"the unchecked expansion of executive authority wielded by President Obama threatens the constitutional balance of power."

Ironically, the Groth v. Pence case also touches on a question of executive authority.After Groth filed suit in Marion CountySuperior Court, a judgeruled in favor of Pence, saying the redactions the administration made to thepublic record were "proper."

The ruling left open thepossibility that the executive branch could claim that its redactions were nonjusticiable, a legal term that means not for the court to decide. That finding was based on an earlier Supreme Court rulinginCitizens Action Coalition, et al. v. Indiana House Rep.about redactions made by the legislature.

Groth appealed thedecision in April. This January, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled thatGrothdoes not have the right to view the political white paper, but disagreed withthe governor's contention thatit would violate the separation of powers doctrine for the judiciary tosecond guessthe redactions.

Pence's legal team argues to keep email secret

Mike Pence prevails in email secrecy suit

That was an important finding to advocates of government transparency, who feared a Pence victory in the suit could set a broader precedent that would embolden future governors to refuse to disclose or heavily redact public documents with no court oversight.

Earlier this year, Grothpetitioned theIndiana Supreme Court to take up the case, then attempted to remand the case back to the trial court in light of anIndyStar investigationrevealing that Pence used a private email account to conduct government business and was hacked.

Bowessaid the revelation of the white paper may affect how the court proceeds, "but this does not moot our case," he said.

"The revelation just supports ourargument that we made to the Supreme Court that Texas was obviously seeking other states to join the lawsuit," Bowes said."We feel an obligation for the case to continue."

Call IndyStar reporter Fatima Hussein at (317) 444-6209. Follow her on Twitter:@fatimathefatima.

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Pence document shows Republican strategy for fighting Obama immigration plan - Indianapolis Star

WASHINGTON

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny is urging President Donald Trump to help Irish people living in the U.S. illegally, saying they just want to "make America great."

Kenny spoke at a luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday as part of a series of events celebrating St. Patrick's Day, including a one-on-one meeting with Trump at the White House, where the two discussed immigration, trade and the Irish economy. In the evening, the pair participated in the annual shamrock ceremony, a decades-old tradition in which Trump was presented with a bowl of Ireland's famous greens.

On people living in the U.S. illegally, Kenny said: "We would like this to be sorted. It would remove a burden of so many people that they can stand out in the light and say, now I am free to contribute to America as I know I can. And that's what people want."

Kenny also urged Trump to consider providing more work visas "for young people who want to come to America and to work here."

Some estimates put the Irish natives living in the country illegally in the tens of thousands. Kenny has made a similar pitch on immigration in the past, but the current U.S. administration's position on illegal immigration has heightened the underlying tension.

Trump ran on a promise to curtail illegal immigration. His revised travel ban, affecting travelers from six Muslim-majority nations, was set to go effect Thursday before it was put on hold Wednesday by a federal judge in Hawaii.

Kenny also sought to impress upon Trump the difficulties Ireland will face as a result of Britain's decision to leave the European Union. During an evening reception at the White House, he described Ireland as "a committed member" of the EU.

Trump supported the British vote to leave the 28-country bloc known as Brexit saying earlier this year that it would "end up being a great thing."

Trump welcomed Kenny to the White House, proclaiming his love for Ireland. At the luncheon, he called Kenny a "new friend" and quoted an Irish proverb to remember friends that "have stuck by you." Trump added, "Politically speaking, a lot of us know that."

During the evening St. Patrick's Day reception, Trump hailed the relationship between the two countries and pledged to be "an ever-faithful partner and an always loyal friend."

Kenny was the first EU politician to meet with Trump after British Prime Minister Theresa May. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was scheduled to come to the White House on Tuesday, but that visit was moved back to Friday because of the snow.

The St. Patrick's Day event at the White House dates back to the 1950s and has become an important standing engagement for Ireland, which has strong emotional and ancestral ties to the United States.

Speaking after Trump at the luncheon, Kenny showed off his country's famed wit.

"They say the Irish have the capacity to change everything," he said. "I just saw the president of the United States read from his script, entirely."

But Kenny was also complimentary.

"Let me congratulate you, President Trump, on your election," he said. "You beat them all."

Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Jill Colvin contributed to this report.

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Irish leader welcomed by Vice President Mike Pence - Atlanta Journal Constitution