I know Donald's [Trump] trying very hard to plant doubts about it, but I hope the people out there understand: This election's really up to you. It's not about us so much as it is about you and your families and the kind of country and future you want. So I sure hope you will get out and vote as though your future depended on it, because I think it does.

I think that for most of our history, there was a nuanced reading of the Second Amendment until the decision by the late Justice [Antoine] Scalia and there was no argument until then that localities and states and the federal government had a right, as we do with every amendment, to impose reasonable regulation.

You know, we did a good job in containing the Soviet Union, but we made a lot of mistakes, we supported really nasty guys, we did some things that we are not particularly proud of, from Latin America to Southeast Asia, but we did have a kind of overarching framework about what we were trying to do that did lead to the defeat of the Soviet Union and the collapse of Communism. That was our objective. We achieved it.

Great nations need organizing principles, and 'Don't do stupid stuff' is not an organizing principle.

Racial inequality is a big problem.

I think that is a responsibility we all share as Americans. But as State Department employees, we have a special duty to guard ourselves and our sensitive information. Complying with department policies and being alert to potential threats will help protect all of us.

Probably my worst quality is that I get very passionate about what I think is right.