The program grew out of a desire to address a gap identified after 9/11 ... The program does not involve the NSA examining the phone records of ordinary Americans. Rather, it consolidates these records into a database that the government can query if it has a specific lead - phone records that the companies already retain for business purposes.

When it comes to crime, the violent crime rate in America has been lowered during my presidency and any time in the last three, four decades.

I will work every single day to make sure that America continues to be the greatest nation on earth.

Andrew Cuomo own story taught Andrew Cuomo that as Americans, we are bound together as one people, and our country's success rests on the success of all of us, not just a fortunate few.

I think same sex couples should be able to get married.

When this crisis began, crucial decisions about what would happen to some of the world's biggest companies - companies employing tens of thousands of people and holding trillions of dollars in assets - took place in hurried discussions in the middle of the night. We should not be forced to choose between allowing a company to fall into a rapid and chaotic dissolution or forcing taxpayers to foot the bill.

Let's remember that our leadership is defined not just by our defence against threats, but by the enormous opportunities to do good and promote understanding.