ohio who will probably speak on his behalf and then they voted a close ballot. whether or not we know batali, the tally in the shuler vote was -- but this when we don't know if we will know if it's a tally at least not merely. >> host: we will look for your reporting on all of this mike lillis senior congressional reporter for the hill. you can. more at the hill.com. thanks for joining us. >> guest: thanks for having me. civil rights leaders held a press conference to call on president-elect trump to denounce racism. speakers included represents from the national council of la

raza muslim advocates the american federation of teachers and the leadership conference on civil and human rights. it was organized by the southern poverty law center. this is an hour. [inaudible conversations] >> good morning. my name is richard cohen on the present of the southern poverty law center. i'm joined today by brenda apta while charities program director for muslim advocates. jan at the present of the national council of la raza, randi weingarten the present of the american federation of teachers. wade henderson president of the leadership conference for several human rights. i'd also like to acknowledge the presence of two people who are important to us. gloria planned from moms rising.

thank you both for joining us. we are here today to release two reports that document that president-elect donald trump's own words have sparked incidents around the country that has had a profoundly negative effect on our schools. the first report called 10 days after harassment and intimidation in the aftermath of the election. it describes 867 incidents of hate that we collected from around the country into 10 days immediately following the election. i had no doubt whatsoever this was a tremendous, tremendous undercount. the incidents we are talking about have taken place in schools on public streets and parks and in retail establishments. many people have been targeted in their homes.

the incidents have been ugly. they have been aimed at people because of their ethnicity, their race, their religion, their sexual orientation and their gender. time after time the perpetrators have invoked mr. trump's name, his slogan for his words in their assaults. time after time, those who reported hate incidents to us said they have never experienced anything like that before. the level of hate that has been unleashed by the election they have told us is something entirely new. our second report is called after election day the trump effect. it is based on the first 10,000 reports that we have received from educators from around the country about the impact of the election on their students and their schools. that impact has been incredibly

disturbing. 80% of the educators and teachers who responded to us have reported heightened anxiety among the traditionally marginalized students. students who are recent immigrants are living in real fear. 40% of the respondents, 40% of the teachers who responded to us reported hearing derogatory comments direct it against students of color, muslims, immigrants and lgbt students. over 2500, 2500 specific incidents were reported to us where the teachers told us mr. trump's name had been invoked, where rhetoric from the election had been employed.

again, most disturbingly perhaps , 85% of the teachers who responded to us told us that they weren't worried about the long run. they were worried about the continuing impact of the election, mr. trump's rhetoric on their students. they don't think that this is going away anytime soon. since his election mr. trump has disavowed white supremacy. he has told the harassers to stop it but what he hasn't done is acknowledged in his own words have sparked a barrage of hate that we are seeing. instead what is he done quickly is feigned ignorance. he said that he is surprised that any of his supporters would be harassing or intimidating anyone. he says he has no idea why white supremacists would be energized by his election. really?

neither of these facts should be a mystery to anyone much less mr. trump. he has been singing the white supremacists on since he came down the escalator in his power and announced his candidacy calling mexican immigrants racists. instead of pretending to be surprised by the pervasive hate that has infected our country mr. trump needs to take responsibility for it and repair the damage that he has caused. he needs to speak out forcefully and repeatedly against bigotry. he needs to apologize to communities he has injured and demonstrate that they will be protected and valued in his administration. he needs to go to jersey city and apologize to the muslim community there for passing dispersing on their committee by lying about the 9/11 attacks pretty good needs to go to los

angeles to assure gamers there that he will not use any information from applications to deport them or their families. he needs to go to chicago to apologize to the black community for his grotesque stereo to pick descriptions of their lives and neighborhoods. and more importantly his words must be followed by concrete actions both in his policies and his appointments that will repair the wounds of division that his campaign has caused. 600,000 people have signed the petition on our web site asking him to do just that. if he does not, anything less, anything less than an apology repairing the damage is that he has caused reaching out to our communities and have its actions follow his words. if he doesn't do those things they hate that mr. trump has

unleashed during this election season will continue to flourish. i will be happy to answer a few quick questions in a few minutes but first i'd like to turn the podium over to my colleagues. brenda. >> thank you, richard, good morning. today we stand hand-in-hand with our fellow americans who reject racism, bigotry and thai muslim hate, anti-semitism and division the fbi reported 67% increase in hate crimes against muslims since 2015 and we expect an even more dramatic rise in incidents of hate and violence when the data for 2016 is tabulated and released. in fact muslim advocates have been tracking hate crimes since november 2015 and we have recorded nearly 175 hate crimes

against american muslims and those perceived to be muslim in the days leading up to the election. we are disturbed by the increased frequency of reported hate crimes and hate incidents since the election all across the country. president-elect trump's recent statement against hate violence and white supremacist groups that support his election is a step in the right direction but there must be more. we need him too strongly reject bigotry in all its forms unequivocally call on americans to stop the violence and ensure that his administration will prosecute perpetrators of hate crimes to the fullest extent under the law. furthermore president-elect trump must reconsider some of the selections he has made his top advisers to his administration. otherwise a selection of individuals like steve and lieutenant general michael flynn and senator jeff sessions

indicates that the bigoted and divisive rhetoric that we saw in the campaign will continue as a matter of policy and practice in the white house. america is hurting right now and all of us need to come together. children are getting bullied. women with headscarves are being attacked and bigoted rhetoric has become commonplace across the country. hate crimes have skyrocketed and american muslims like many americans are genuinely fearful. if president elect trump wants to bring america together and be a leader for all americans you will need to disavow the dangerous proposals and ideas to single out and demonize muslims and other community members. now's the time for president-elect trump to make changes in his rhetoric, his selections in the policies under consideration by his incoming administration in order to send a strong message of unity to all

americans. thank you. >> my name is janet murguia i'm the present ceo of la raza. less than 48 hours after election night the national council of la raza hosted at check-in call across the country that our affiliates are community-based organizations that provide health, education and economic and social service to millions of latinos and others every single day. many of them run charter schools are after-school programs. more than 100 organizations, nearly 150 participated in what we heard from them troubled us deeply. virtually all of these focused on the same issues. we asked them what were they hearing and seeing in our

communities even in those two days after the election? and what they said was the devastating impact of the election, its tone, its divisiveness, his harsh rhetoric and the outcome it was having on the children they know and serve. they reported on countless incidents of harassment, verbal and physical taunts, of widespread bullying and most tragically many students contemplating taking their own lives. they also stress profound anxiety and fear that if ripped these children about the future. they are deeply worried, these children are deeply worried about their parents and other family members due to the immigration status. these kids are frightened and with reason that their families

may be broken up by the policies of the incoming administration. they are left to wonder whether the draconian's dates of trump will be carried out. in short everything sblc chronicled in it's critically important report is corroborated by the calls and conversations we have had over the past several weeks. we are angered and saddened but not surprised by the fact that 90% of teachers have witnessed a negative impact on their students and that 80% noted how anxious their students are. this is unacceptable. nclr has already begun working with our affiliates to provide support including mental health services and teacher training to address bullying. we are working with partners like our friends here today to

combat these issues together and at a national level. we are grateful that sblc is document what is going on by issuing these reports and also for helping us document what is going on in our communities. for example the authority translated and made sblc's report form from spanish, from english to spanish and posted on our web site. but much more needs to happen and it has to start with the president-elect. he says he wants to be the president of all americans. we have heard precious little in response to what is going on especially when it comes to the impact it's had on children and young people. president-elect trump needs to reassure or at the very least a dress they anxiety and fear of

so many communities for whom he will now also be president. president-elect trump, we are asking you, we need you to protect and defend all americans and condemned the violence and hate being committed in your name. reach out to marginalized communities and repair the damage. thank you. >> thank you, richard, thank you brenda and janet and wade. my name is randi weingarten on the present of the federal -- we have the largest college union and the second-largest teachers union. i am here today not just to thank richard the sblc, the other speakers who all in big and small ways have been spending their adult lives

fighting hate and bigotry while at the same time increasing opportunity economic and educational opportunity for americans. this is not an either/or situation. this is a situation in these united states of america. i appreciate what splc has now done because we cannot live in an evidence free zone. during the campaign donald trump's rhetoric and policy proposals pitted americans against each other and created a culture of fear and division and unfortunately as the other speakers have said and as this report demonstrates, we have seen a disturbing and unacceptable surge in hateful actions all too often carried out in mr. trump's name particularly in schools. as the other speakers have said while mr. trump looked at the camera directly in a 15 minute

interview and said people who are doing it when asked a question he said stop it. his comments are sending a very different message. as teachers know you have to be consistent in your message if you want people to hear it. the nomination of jeff sessions the appointment of steve bannon and the appointment of mike flynn all have sent the message that white supremacy and anti-muslim conspiracy varies are in vogue these days. why am i here? because there is a tremendous amount at stake especially in our schools. pre-pay for university, public and private all of where the to be safe places of learning and acceptance for students or parents were communities and the educators who serve our kids. for her children to survive, for

them to grow so that they can thrive, they have to feel safe in school and they have to feel that their parents are safe. since his campaign and now since this election more and more do not feel safe. over the past year teachers have reported this disturbing trend. we then called mr. trump. we have story if her story of community college -- was brought to tears when verbally assaulted by anti-immigrant schoolers from students. one of our members who came to testify last week in twin cities in minnesota had lack students assigned think whites only. white america and the message with the n words painted on a storage story. in my hometown new york city last week five swastikas in chelsea. i whole life there was not more

than one swastika anywhere in that city. 11 days ago we sent a letter signed by 200 organizations cosigned by southern poverty law center and the ft to the president-elect asking him to denounce these actions that were done in his name. over 43,000 people signed that letter as well. we know he received it. since then, crickets, silence. mr. trump has claimed he will keep americans safe and he will stand up for the little guy but he refuses to speak up for the little guy, our children who are being taunted and bullied in schools by kids who use his name as a weapon. the president-elect knows how to use his voice. he has done so to denounce a broadway show, too -- media but

his lack of leadership in the hate inspired by his divisive campaign rhetoric is deafening. and don't tell me that others haven't stood up. look what just happened not just here but just this weekend even with delta delta where we saw one unruly trump passenger made more than 100 travelers uncomfortable. what did delta do? they not only to announce the bad behavior, they barred the man from ever traveling on a delta airplane. they apologized and reimbursed the victimized passengers. we have seen that kind of leadership from governor cuomo in new york and mayor de blasio nerx city from governor wilson pennsylvania and mayor garcetti in l.a.. it's time for our

president-elect to use his voice to effectively and unequivocally denounce the hateful acts that are done in his name. thank you. >> good morning everyone. first i want to thank richard cohen and the southern poverty law center for these important reports and for further important research and leadership. i also want to thank my colleagues who are here this morning to bear witness so powerfully to the challenge of our time in addressing issues of hate and violence triggered in large part by the presidential election we just experienced. my name is wade henderson. i serve as president and ceo of

the leadership conference on civil and human rights. the leadership conference is the nations leading civil and human rights coalition with over 200 national organizations working to build an america as good as its ideals. i'm honored to note that all of the organizations here today are members of our coalition. now throughout the presidential campaign as you have heard and especially in its aftermath, many of the communities that we represent have come to live in fear for their basic safety and well-being. as these reports have made abundantly clear that fear is unfortunately well justified. during the course of this campaign as we heard president-elect trump discussed the broad range of proposals that if implemented would

dramatically reverse our nation's progress on civil and human rights and in the process he has vilified innocent americans as, as terrorists, as criminals inciting neighbors and co-workers and classmates to turn against one another. the hate filled rhetoric of this campaign is shameful and divisive in ways that go well beyond the boundaries of political norms and traditions. but the vast majority of americans who voted for donald j. trump did not vote for hatred nor did they vote for violence, nor did they vote for terrorizing people for being who they are. the america we know, the america we celebrate, the america we strive to create is a nation

that honors and respects people people -- equal protection of the law. it embraces its diversity and strength and strives to be a place where all people can live and work and study and pray and love as free and equal americans. now the same nation that values these ideals and let's just be honest about it, it is itself an imperfect work in progress but a work in progress nonetheless. yes its public schools are notoriously unequal. it's young men and women of color are often profiled by police as are some in the muslim community or communities thought thoughts of the muslim plague seeks for example -- like seikhs often with irrational and racially disparate sentiments

but we know as the nation and as communities we can do better. but we won't do better with a president who fans the flames of bigotry or treats women with disdain or who responds to this outpouring of hatred and violence with indifference. now governors, state attorneys general, u.s. attorneys, members of congress have already responded to programs, initiatives and legislation which we celebrate our enhanced data collection and enforcement and calls for this kind of violence to end. the president-elect trump has thus far failed to do his part. president-elect trump u. have vowed to be the president for all of us. today we are calling on you to make good on that pledge. by disavowing the hate speech that has affected our public

discourse and by telling your supporters and all americans to stop committing these acts. you must lead by example in both word and deed. the nation in and the world are watching. i will close within one observation. several of my colleagues have noted the appointments that president-elect trump has made in the early days of this transition and indeed those appointments send a message that is unmistakable. that unmistakable message seems to reinforce the very issues that are at the core of our concerns today. we are concerned about the impact of jeff sessions at the department of justice, general mike flynn or steve bannon just a heartbeat away from the presidency. but the time to discuss these issues will soon arise on capitol hill. right now we are asking the

president to stand up and to be counted and honor the pledge that he has made to the american people to be the president of us all. thank you. >> thank you wade, thank you janet, thank you randi. we will take questions now. yes maam. i think we have a microphone if people can't hear. >> do you see this administration and this president has someone you can work with over the next four years or do you see yourself basically being the party in opposition for the duration of his presidency? >> i will let wade answer that but from our point of view mr. trump is the president. where there is common ground we are certainly not going to oppose him on issues just for the sake of doing so. what we are concerned about though of course is the precious

little common ground of the people he is appointed to lead or agencies such as the department of justice and the people he has indicated he will nominate are going to roll back policies, initiatives that are critical in issues in voting in issues in policing and the criminalization of poverty. in all of those kinds of issues i think the civil rights community will stand united against those policies. >> i think no more needs to be said. >> you know it's an important question and we are up here and we are trying to do our jobs. our job is to represent these constituencies. our job is to promote civil rights and the interests of these constituencies. so when we feel that is being threatened we need to call it out. i want to make it really clear we are also reaching out and

asking president-elect trump to hear us and to respond and to meet with marginalized communities and our leadership and give us a chance to either raise these concerns, provide more education and background or to hear him out. it's not fair for many of our communities to be kept in the dark, to not know and to have that uncertainty and to be a young child with an american citizen child and perhaps having an undocked and appeared or to be a dreamer and not know about your future. it is our job to do that and to call that out to the president-elect. so we want to do both. we want to make sure they are calling out the rhetoric and actions that we feel are threatening to our community but

we are also extending a handout to say we are wearing to work with you. you promised a new pledge to be president for all of us. we want to help you do that. >> at the end of the day if we can do things in a bipartisan way we want to do that. like janet and wade said our job is to create economic and educational opportunity in america. to ensure that we lift all boats to ensure that there is no hate and bigotry and to promote pluralism. we have asked mr. trump the rhetoric letter on november 18 to do this. he has not responded. a president of the united states , we need to find ways to have the president bring people together and just like when there is common ground like there was in the last congress

on the federal bill we all came together and we all said it was a good till. but at the end of the day this is first things first. president-elect has to create a climate that keeps americans safe, all americans those who voted for him and those who didn't vote for him so this is a really important test for the president-elect of whether he will keep all americans safe. >> yes, maam. >> thank you for doing this. i have several questions but i will stick to just one here. judging from his tweets he has said for instance that he wants to take -- from burning flags and that's a protected right of speech but are you hopeful since

he's been walking away from some of his campaign pledges that he made that he may consider some of the cabinet positions that he is named, i mean do you see hopeful signs that he will walk away from some of the rhetoric or hear you out and maybe make some adjustments? >> thank you. i am wade henderson from the leadership conference and thank you for your question which is really a follow-up to the first question about whether in fact we will work together. i was reluctant to speak initially because i wanted my colleagues who had organizations whose communities are being directly affected by these issues to speak first but i thought it was important as well to be clear about where we as a community in addition to the remarks of my colleagues also say. when maya angelou observed that when someone shows you who they

are, believe them, believe them. there is a standard that has to be applied both to the person currently occupying the white house and annie who would hope to replace him. we are deeply troubled that in the wake of what we have described as incidence of hate related speech activity and in some instances violence, this president-elect has chosen to adjust the issue only in the most superficial manner. what we are asking him to do is to provide the kind of thoughtful leadership that he made a pledge to all americans to provide and assuming he does that come, then we will take his actions for what they represent, a step forward in helping to bring us together. but i don't want to overstate the challenge that we face because the appointment of steve

bannon as a counselor and advisor a few steps away from the white house when he has supported and embraced organizations that take direct views that are anti-semitic, islamaphobia, anti-immigrant and racist or appoint as an attorney general someone whose record will suggest he will have great difficulty in enforcing civil rights laws including hate crimes laws on the book. that is a real challenge and so we are looking to have the congress of the united states and the senate do its job where it can to offer advisor and consent and in other instances to employer the president-elect to use his discretion wisely. reconsider the appointment of steve tannen, reconsider the appointment of michael flynn and

reflect the interest that we all are trying to promote. thank you. >> i'm going to try to articulate this as best i can. you know a lot of people are saying he is tweaking but he is a media guy so he is just messaging and he is really trying to keep people a little confused and maybe perhaps intentionally as part of his personality and tactics. i don't know if it's because he ran a reality show and i don't mean that in a disparaging way. the problem is that now he is president-elect and what he is messaging out there has an impact on young people's lives. these are children who are confused and concerned and in fear for their parents and their families. so while perhaps president-elect

trump thinks he is playing a messaging game and he is trying to create a new way of communicating and perhaps that's a tactic politically that he is using it's our job to call out that tactic and say you know what they were honorable people who are affected by that. these are young children. they are americans and students and everything minus the certificate. their lives are really affected. they are hanging on every word that is being said. i just am not sure that he understands that as he moves into this mode now a president-elect. it's important for us to try to remind him, to try to reinforce that real people's lives are affected by not just what he

does but by what he says. >> i would just add one point. one of our great posts at the southern poverty law center says mr. trump mightily disappointed the white supremacy and the white nationalists who are celebrating his victory now. some of the early signs are obviously not hopeful. the bizarre and disheartening meeting of mr. bannon is the chief strategist is a very unfortunate sign that we are not going to let him forget his pledge and we are going to keep pushing in the hopes that he does disappoint some of the people who bought in to it. yes, yes. >> to the point you were just making richard spencer seems to be beginning what he wants to call this danger to her praise

going to texas a&m and hoping to speak at the university of michigan following that. he seems to be so determined right now to take advantage of the trump effect and to get on campus and confront the aggression saves space point of view that every voice needs to be heard. he is taking a bandage of the public university texas a&m. if he can do that other public universities, how does your role change or what is your role in confronting what seems to be more than a nation white supremacist movement on some of our campuses? >> with a turn to someone who has members on each and every one of those campuses. >> you know we have a very activist union at michigan and other places. new york city.

at a&m we have some membership and community college, not a&m directly but what's happening is our membership is creating a circle of protection for our students that are the most vulnerable and for educators that are the most vulnerable. they will be out in force fighting, not fighting against free speech but fighting against the incitement and fighting for the right to dignity and inclusion in fighting against bias. we are organizing around the university university of michigan and organizing in several other places. this is part of what we believe it is our role in terms of as janet said really protecting our most vulnerable charges and that goes for universities as well as

for our pre-k elementary and secondary schools. we are working with trying to get the college administration to ensure that there are protections against incitement but we are also going to be out there fighting for pluralism and inclusiveness that we believe is necessary. >> there is so much going on right now, answer yes and what we have actually done at the southern poverty law center is we have a platform which is free for anyone. we have put a lot of materials on that platform, course materials and curriculum material about how to teach inclusiveness, how to teach against bias and trying to do it

in a way that is apolitical. there is lots of death is going around so yes we are going to use this as an opportunity to educate as well as an opportunity to protest but what we are not going to do is we are not going to take a page from them about suppressing the rights of an institution. >> thanks. just give me a sense of how systemic do you think this is going to be. the data is showing us 10 days after the election and now we are 20 days on produce the data show that the trend is continuing or is it declining or getting worse and disappointed how systemic this problem is? >> in the days after the

election we saw a lot of celebrations, lot of people acting out kind of the gloves are off because political correct this was out the window. we have seen that died down somewhat but to think that they hate is gone is quite naïve. we are going to see spikes again and again and around inauguration for example. we are going to see low-level harassment continuing. a study came out recently that said 35% of mr. trump's twitter followers also followed white supremacist sites and white supremacist twitter accounts. among all the white supremacist twitterers the most popular site for the most popular twitter handle was white genocide. the second most popular with donald trump so i think that this is not going to go away. it's going to continue to fester and continue to flourish until mr. trump takes decisive action

acknowledges his wrongdoing apologizes and reaches out repairs the damage and of course this is not going to be something -- it's going to fall to religious leaders, schoolteachers, people in their immunities to assist in repairing the damage. >> thank you. we started tracking hate crimes against muslims and those perceived to be muslim in november of 2015. we started tracking it at one point over 50% of the incidents were against houses of worship in particular. the way we have been tracking them and we have a map on our web site as well which you are welcome to look at is looking towards the federal as well as state law and what falls within the definition of a hate crime there. unfortunately with the

inauguration coming up we are concerned there may be another spike around that time as well. >> yes maam. >> hi i work for swedish news. we have daily children's news for children between 10 and 14. youth, you talk a lot about how children are affected and i was wondering if you could give me as you specific examples of children watching us can understand what other children specifically are going through. >> are reported report after the election date trump effect is filled with very specific examples of swastikas, graffiti, name-calling and bullying that we have seen. i know that the teachers in

randy's union could probably multiply what we have seen unfold. in the back of a report with recommendations for teachers for how they can set the tone in their classrooms, how they can do what they can within the confines of their four walls to make the world a better place for their student. brenda would like to add something. >> that's why my earlier remarks i gave you one of examples. if you are in the little boys room and a junior high school and you see written on one of the stalls something that says n , it's frightening and so what teachers in that school did because it was not just that, it was also several other places where they saw things written whites only, white america, what they did in that school is the educators came together and

created a plan, created things we call restorative justice circles had kids talk about their feelings, had kids talk together in a very diversified setting and try to deal with and create and understand the anxiety and try to create some semblance of security and safe space. that example is replicated throughout the country. in l.a. we have many, many kids and teachers who are what we call daca minted. people who have actually gone through the united states daca program that president obama has done and they themselves are scared to death as richard said that the new administration will use this information to not only

resend.gov but to deport them. kids have told their teachers that they are really afraid when they are in school that their parents will be taken away. muslim kids have told their teachers that they don't want to wear anything that shows that they are muslim. teachers are hearing this from all over. i have heard those stories in dearborn. i've heard stories in l.a.. i gave you a story about minneapolis. the report said splc put together for one of these 10,000 incidents in the airport has a story attached to it. >> do you take a position on the sometimes violent protests against trump being elected president? there are violence most protest too.

>> i will report also our work collected instances of anti-trump violence. i think we documented between 20 and 30 and we condemn those just as well. the same time we defend the free-speech rights of protesters so we did not ignore that at all. >> just a follow-up. you know there's a lot of talk about creating safe spaces and especially the dreamers but i'm wondering you are calling out the hate and beyond this topic phrases he used in the interview but i'm wondering when you look at social media seems to me following what people are saying on social media that they have become silent and people are not talking to each other. they are screaming past each

other and repeating whatever thought endpoints are in the left or the writer would ever. so i'm just wondering where do you get the optimism that somehow that will lessen because he says stop it or be a little more forceful. what you see in social media is being replicated from work choices and schools and other public spaces where people are not talking to each other. >> i think on this one leadership matters. we are in a time and moment where we need to see that leadership in this particular area. we all have talked about the challenges of the social media and the inability to filter what is true and not true. we we are going to have a long, long period here about how do we reconcile that and how do we

deal with that? it may well be in some of these schools these kids are just being kids. they are pranks but when you are in an environment of heightened anxiety we all have a responsibility to step in as leaders and to try to create a stable and unified environment. we are doing our part. we are trying to make sure as community leaders across the country we are giving our folks the tools they need. don't panic but try to educate our folks about what options they have an violence is never the answer. and schools teachers are being trained and given resources. we are seeing church leaders, faith-based leader stepping in to think about how they can step in. we need the president-elect and

our future president to also think about what he can do and say. it's not just on one person but that presidency is the most important role that we have in this country. he needs to do his part. he can't do it alone but we ought all trying to do our part is we need him to do his part. >> a question in the back. >> hi on the reporter and i am the father of two girls. my question is with all these comments and the anti-racist attitude from your president-elect how are we adults are parents supposed to

explain to the younger one's? how were we supposed to explain what's going on and lead them in the right direction? >> i think it's an incredible conundrum. one of the disturbing facts that we uncovered an hour earlier trump effect report that came out in march was that almost half of the teachers in the country have decided they couldn't teach about the election this time because they didn't know what to say about what mr. trump was saying. i think that is a problem for teachers. i think it's less of a problem for parents in the faith community. i think all of those folks have got to speak out. the first thing of course is to protect the victims, to surround them with love, surround them with caring adults but i think when the president is saying

things that are so -- with their most cherished values it's an incredibly hard job. >> janet touched on this a bit but trump has clearly been trying to confuse the media and confuse the public about what his policies will look like. he will plead a blatant lie and come back on that lie and float something like the muslim ban and then change his mind on it in time. how is this uncertainty specifically affecting the populations he works with and what does it look like when people are concerned about what's going to happen in the next few months? again i'm brenda and i will take a stab at that.

as a candidate we saw donald trump using divisive hateful rhetoric is singled out a number of different communities across-the-board in what is most concerning right now are his appointments. the appointments themselves are a signal that those policies that he tweeted that he said on the campaign trail everything from a registry for muslim immigrants, everything from concerns about a judge's ethnicity and being able to properly adjudicate cases as well as mass surveillance of mosques, all of that campaign rhetoric when you look at a campaign rhetoric and a look at the appointments they connect. our greatest concern there is really to take a stand right now against the bigotry and campaign rhetoric would call for president-elect trump to also change course when it comes to his appointments as well.

>> we will take one more question from the room and then turned to the phone. yes maam. >> i just wondered if you could talk a little bit about richard spencer a highly educated guy very polished. could you compare it to the extremism like the kkk and the people who are marginalized? >> spencer, that of the national policy institute is a committed racist. his words made that clear. he believes in and if no national state. he believes that men are created unequal and that there should be what he calls peaceful ethnic cleansing.

there have been other richard spencer's before. there have been a number of charismatic highly educated white supremacists. when it comes to mind the late actor william pearce the leader of the national alliance, the author of the book that was the blueprint for the oklahoma city bombing. dr. pearce was a physicist and also a follower of george link iraq while the former american nazi party. think it's naïve to think that all people in the white supremacist organizations are dimwitted. i think there are a number of highly intellectual and twisted people there so we have seen richard spencer in the past. think it's very important when the media interviewed him for them to confront him with his statements. richard spencer's is news

because steve bannon is news so i wouldn't say it is important to cover him because one might argue that sub nine is his alter ego. the reason i say that is because richard spencer is the originator of the alt-right in mr. bannon has said that his bright hard news site was the platform of the alt-right. >> give any suggestions for what ordinary americans can do to promote tolerance and inclusiveness and to fight the hate? >> just with -- one thing. there's one correction. there's no such thing as an ordinary american. they there are only those who have answered the call and those who have not. each and every one of us in our own way has a responsibility to push back against anything that

is contrary to our vows as a country. whether with your family, whether at work, whether in your house of worship, whether in a specific organization. people aren't powerless and the worse thing that one can believe is that individuals can't make a difference. that's always a self-fulfilling prophecy that individuals can make a difference and our history and civil rights work has shown just a opposite. don't mean to call you out on that ordinary american thing. we have a question on the phone as i understand it. spin that we have a question for minas kent faulk with a question. >> regarding the incident -- do you see a trend or anything that would indicate a blue state or red state or south, east or

west? >> it's good to hear you if only barely. he is from our state. if you look at the map ken you can see at least the distribution of the 807 instances that we documented that hate. my colleague martin costello the head of our program and the author of the trump effect -- what were you saying? ..

what the lens of the latino community i want to be clear that right now we know all children, latino children under the age of 1895% of them are american citizens. i think it's important to note that we are talking about citizen children for the most part. 95% are american citizens. many find themselves being taunted or terrorized and they are american-born. a lot of times, part of what happens in these environments is there is a broad brush painting

all of these communities together. it's why the unity matters here today, all of us coming together saying it's not about one particular group, it's about standing up for the principles of inclusion and equal protection under the law. >> i want to thank everyone for coming this morning. collectively our commitment is to hold mr. trump to the first commitment he made to find the division of the country. it has to be done with more than words and a pledge that he takes seriously that he works to prepare that and apologizes to the communities and that his policies reflect that commitme commitment. until he does it is a commitment that will be unveiled.

thank you very much. >> [inaudible conversations]

the level needs to be deteriorated into increased and so on you are talking about a show tha that valued the civil discourse and debate between the people that disagree with each other. the the path to peace a brief history of the negotiations in a way forward in the middle east. he's interviewed by jane harmon of the woodrow wilson center.

he'this accepted the rules resistance and has opted for the peaceful negotiation in the state. >> senator elizabeth warren called on colleagues to fight against th donald trump and sene republicans to change how the food and drug administration and the national institutes of health approved their drugs and medical devices. we will hear from the texas republican john cornyn. this is a half-an-hour.ts >> voters were deeply divided on whether they should be in charge and i in the vote by more than 2 million people. but there is one thing that americans were not divided on. one issue they send a message

loud and clear. they are owned by big companies and special interest and that 70% of everybody.pe republicans, democrats,s independents. they have their handouts for a bunch of special giveaways and s favors that are packed together. it is on track to get a vote in the house this week and then get through the senate. i've been taking a look at thees details here. when the american voters say congress is owned by big companies, this bill is exactly what they are talking about. so now we face a choice well this congress say it's paid for or will we stand up and work for

the american people? congress has been working on legislation to hold the advancem medical innovations in thepowerl united states. medical innovation is powerfully important in life spent as much time working on this issue as anything since i joined the united states senate. i've emphasized one obvious fact medical breakthroughs come from increasing investments in basic research. right now congress is choking off investments in the nih adjusted for inflation federal spending on medical research over the past dozen years hass been cut by 20%. most cuts take the legs out from the future innovation in a america. we could name a piece of legislation, a bill, but if this doesn't include significantnal t meaningful funding for theal national institutes of health

and the food and drug administration, it won't cure anything. and that's why months ago, the senate democrats said the legislation must have significant investment in research and publicly committedo to do exactly that now they have reneged on their promise and they hijacked the cure though. periods in the future years to fund those dollars.ea so why bother in the cures bill to give money to the opioids

because this funding is the political cover for huge giveaways to the giant drug there is more examples than i can count in the bill but i'm going to talk about three. it is against the law for the drug companies to market the drugs not approved by the fda. to show a headache pill is that your pushing treatment without scientific evidence that they work is fraud that can hurt people. it also undercuts theof development and that's why some of the largest law enforcement actions against the drug companies. they've paid billions of dollars

and penalties. one solution is to follow the law. but they preferred plan b., cozy up to enough people in congress to pass the secure bill. second giveaway, cover-up bribery. right now the law requires drug companies to disclose the circuits of doctors and hospitals to encourage them to prescribe certain drugs. it is by the way all coverage on the website you can look up your doctor and your hospital right now on line if you want to do that. the drug companies could have responded by ending the kickbacks but instead of a chosen plan b. to cozy up to enough people to pass this bill

that would let the drugec companies keep secret any gifts associated with the so-called medical education and make it harder for enforcement agencies to be able to treat those gras i've got to say i'm with senator grassley on this one. theithere's special deals to the campaign contributors. according to the news report, a major republican donor stands to benefit financially from selling regenerative medical therapies. if he had his way he would be able to sell to desperate people without a final fda determination that were either safe or effective. of course that would be against the law right now.

the cure offers to sell government favors. it delivers a special deal so that people can so these treatments without meeting the standards for protecting patient safety and making sure they do some good. people have already died during careful experiments on these types of treatments. congress shouldn't be in the business of selling fda favors to the highest bidders risking peoples lives to enrichublicans political donors. let's be clear what they are

proposing is corrupt and is very, very dangerous.or and there's more. republicans decide to hand out gifts for other special interests. a bill that is supposed to be about medical innovation, the bill cuts medicare funding.th if takes health-care dollars that should have gone to puerto rico and makes it hard to get dedicated services. there is a lot of bad stuff in this bill. a lot of that stuff. republican leaders are playing a crafty game trying to buy off democratic votes one by one by tacking on good bipartisan in proposals that senators in both parties have worked on in good faith for years. there is a bipartisan

mental-health bill protecting the genetic privacy of patients to get some limited funding for important priorities like the opioid crisis and there is a proposal to improve foster care. i've worked on these for years and even wrote some of them myself. there's no question that it will contain some accomplishments but i cannot vote for this bill. i know the difference between compromise and extortion. compromise is putting together, common sense proposals by most of the american people and extortion is holding the same

proposal hostage unless everyone agrees to special favors foricht campaign donors into giveaways to the richest drug companies in the world. compromise is when the senators and republicans find their way forward othe wayforward on issuo their constituents. extortion is telling the same senators to forget what your constituents want. we would do nothing with the cost of prescription drugs and nothing to increase medical research. instead, every important commonsense bipartisan bill on the opioid addiction and foster care and anything else will die today unless democrats make it easier to commit fraud and to get out of kickbacks and put patients lives at risk. this is enough to make me gag.bt

new cures should be celebratede along with the companies that support them. but let me be perfectly clear. what a seat at the table, they do not own the table.s i don't care how many lobbyists they send out. i do not care how many campaign contributions they dumped into the congressional pockets. i do not care how painful they can make life for politicians that oppose them. i will work for the hundreds of thousands who are committed to saving lives and committed to fund their work. i will work for the millions of families that have been touched by alzheimer's, diabetes, canc cancer. for those that are sick of it congress owned by the

corporations. republicans are taking over congress, they are taking over the white house. but republicans do not have the majority of support in this country. the majority supported democratic senate candidatesma over republican ones and the pres the am republican one. they didn't so we could come back to washington and play de dead. they sent us here to say no to the highest bidder and to stand up for what is right.ng now they are watching, hoping, waiting. when congress ignores the message of the american people and returned t return to the olf

doing business, republicans will control this government, but over to big corporations unlesso democrats roll over and allow them to do so. it is time for democrats and republicans who should be ashamed by this kind of corruption to make it clear whot they work for. do they work for the highest lobbyists and make campaign contributions or does the same network for the american peoplel who sent us here.de i yield and suggests the absence of a quorum. >> i came to the floor to talk about some of the nominations we are going to see come from the administration particularly while regarding one of our colleaguecolleagues, senator ses from alabama to be the next attorney general, and i amral.

somewhat taken aback by the comments i hear coming from the senator from massachusetts. i had to refresh my memory fromh the standing rules, which i thought prohibited the sort ofae ad hominem attack of the claims of corruption, selling legislation for campaign contributions. i thought the rules of the decorum prohibited that sort of demagoguery. but i'm not sure you can write a rule that would prohibit somebody is determined to defy the voters they claimed to be representing. claim to be representing. for the democratic colleagues that like the result that just occurred on november 8 i would say keep on with this ad hominem

attack attacking the motivation of people rather than talking about policy. i thought that's what the senate was supposed to be all about. no wonder the american people are turned off by what they see as politics as usual. i think what they told us on november 8 as they would like to see us accomplish some things. first, starting with listening to them not telling them what's good for them and if you like it you have to take it because the people in power, that he leads in america know better than you do what's good for you. so when i hear the senator froml massachusetts gave essentially g political speech not talking about the merits of the policy but rather making personal attacks against senators and people that suffer the policy s, i think that is is beneath the dignity of the united statesas

senate and i would hope we would rise to the occasion and this and say you know what, we can do better. the american people deserve better than what they've been getting coming out of washington and the only way we are going to be able to turn the country ni around this by first of all listening to what the american people are telling us and we know what they've said is we are not happy with the direction of the country and we are not happy with what is happening in washington. but to make the kind of speeches that i heard a moment ago is disturbing, disappointing. we are worthy of their support as he tried to guide the ship of state and pass laws that will improve the quality of their

lives by growing the economy and making it possible for people to find work so they can provide for their families to try to make sure the american people are safe and secure to provide for the common defense, those are the sort of things we should be focused on so it is a little distressing to walk into this chamber in the diatribe from the senator that we just heard from massachusetts. the reason i came to the floor is to make note of the fact he made his intention to nominate one of the own nation's top law prep senator sessions is qualified and prepared for this role as

the attorney general because the career he spent protecting the constitution and the rule of l law. if there's one thing we can do to help restore the public's confidence, it will be to reembrace equal justice and thel law and doubl it's a double stad by which people are judged for the powerful, the well-connectee and then the rules that apply to everybody else but rather if they apply to all of us, thepply same law applies to all the fuss and that is the bulwark in the constitutional democracy and frankly, i think the american people have seen in the last two attorney general's current one and the predecessor in the department of justice that wasn't worthy of the name

justice it should have been called the extension of the white house political operation because so much of the way they conducted themselve themselves h different modified the rules of law but by the political considerations. of the senator from alabama understands firsthand the importance of hard work. the sun at a store owner from alabama and he went on to get his law degree from alabama and served in the united states army reserve but as we know these service didn't stop there. guided by the sense of duty for the last five decades he's s dedicated his life to the state of alabama and to the united states itself, first as a federal prosecutor including 12 years as the u.s. attorne attorr the southern district ofer alabama, then as the state'sat

attorney general and now here in the united states where he was serving the distinction for the last decade plus. above all he's worked with the people in the state and the country with one purpose in mind and that is to uphold the rule of law. his career in the senate reflects this commitment to doht what is right, not as popular os popular or politically convenient, but to do what is right guided by the constitution and the law inspired by people he was elected to serve. he played a role insuring the health care they need. i understand the knives are already starting to come out against the nominees and our

colleague from alabama isn't going to be spared some of those attacks but i would ask some ofc the critics that don't know the record to consider a few years ago he teamed up with the senior senator from illinois for charges on crack cocaine. they disproportionately discriminated against communities as a bipartisan solution that adjusts the words to achieve fairness without impeding our ability to combat drug violence. the legislation requires the department of justice to keep track of these assaults signed into law by president george w.

bush. these were not the sort of actions taken legislative way pu that fit this distorted picture people are starting to withdraw about hitalkabout his record ine for his character as a man.co i've had the honor of working with him on the judiciary committejudiciarycommittee since senate, and i'm proud to call him a friend. c they are always engaged in seriousness into the kind of stability that this chamber could use more of a people to

solvencit he thoughtthe solvench of the arguments as he worked together with his colleagues to try to help us build consensus which is the only way that we would get anything done only byy building consensus can we move the country forward. we are going to miss senator sessions here in the senate when he moves on to the executive branch as the attorney general, but it is even more important i believe in a country's history in the constitution and rule of law and the department of justice have two health restore the reputation of the departme department.du as i said earlier, for years now during the course of the attorney general's tenure, and

unfortunately succeeded by the attorney general lynch, thethe n department twist of the constitutiotwisted theconstitute political agenda. i will just give you one example when the congress was performing its legitimate oversight responsibilities into the gunrunning operation gone wrong call fast and furious, they attorney general was called before the judiciary and the corresponding house committee and decide the oversight into the department of justice was doing. to be held in contempt of congress a sitting attorney general held in contempt of congress. so the obama administration unfortunately put politics ahead

of our national commitment in the rule otothe rule of law and unfortunately, too often sena protect us. i have every confidence that senator sessions is the attorney general of the united states, the head of the department of justice and the trump administration would defend the rule of law and use the expertise and the constitution to play and essential role in the cabinet. as a veteran of the department that understands better than most what needs to be done to help the department of justice refocus its responsibilities and priorities. but here is the bottom line. we need people in the highest w rungs of the government to ensure the edition is preserved, protected and defended and senator sessions is the next attorney general of the united states to do just that. n

while the president is considering additional nominees to fill his cabinet, we in the senate and working together with our colleagues have our own responsibilities to fulfill before the end of this year. most pressing i is the legislatn to fund the government, something that unfortunately has been hindered by our democratic colleagues slow walking the appropriations process and actually calling it a slow walking isn't so generous. what they did is block the normal process where the 12 separate appropriation bills would be voted out of the committee which they were on a bipartisan basis but then they would come across the floor of the senate where amendments would be offered and we wouldhe vote on them before sending them to the president to be signed into law but instead of the process that is transparent and

bipartisan it is in the best traditions of the senate for the opportunity to do that resulting in the need now to pass a year in continuing resolution taking the funding of the government over to sometime in the spring. strictly as a result of the gamesmanship of the colleagues that blocked the committee itself. despite those obstructions, we have tried to do some good work. we passed the first bicameral budget since 2009. and as i said, they vote out all 12 appropriations bills.he so i think despite the w obstructionism we've seen, i

would ask all of us to take stock of where we are given whah we saw happen in the historic election november 8 and i think the american people have made clear they want people to function and they don't have a lot of tolerance for the p gamesmanship or partisanship or obstruction but we can't move forward with other substantial legislative goals until we address for the remainder of thd fiscal year so while i'm disappointed that we find ourselves where we are today having to pass another or short-term resolution until next march or so, this kind of waiting until the last minute isn't a good way to do business. but i hope next year in the new administration and the leadership of senator mcconnell and with more cooperation we can

have a regular and open appropriations process, one that will serve the american people l much better and it will certainly serve the interest of for example the defense department and other people who need to be able to plan beyond the two or three months in terms of what they can do. ito set aside the disputes into the election itself as evidenced by what i heard when i came here for the senator of massachusetts that we need to pass a bill that will fund the government and allow us to move forward, and i hope we can do that. then we can come back in the new year with a new administration and congress and we commit

ourselves to doing the people's work in a consensusbuilding our bipartisan way that listens to what the constituents are telling us they want, not the call of the people that think they know better but to listen to the american people and forget about the work of passing legislation that promotes theut interest. second, to make sure that the economy starts to grow again. the people that wants to find work or want to better paying jobs so they can provide for their families and pursue their american dream.or tod

>> i come to the floor today ton speak on behalf of a resolution on the clause that seeks to uphold the values of one of the most secret documents the constitution itself. the founding fathers were clear in their belief that must never be put in the position where he or she could be influenced by the governmental actor.hall be it declares none shall be granted by the united states and no person with trust under them shall without the consent of congress accept any enrollment,

office of any kind whatever of any prince or foreign state. the head of the united states ought to have a profit or trust. upholding the meaning is clear t and evident. it is acting in their best interest and not because he orit she has received a benefit or gift from a foreign government. they need to know the president can make decisions about potential trade agreements, sending troops over based on

what is in the public interest and not because of the private interest. the concerns were neither abstract or baseless. alexander hamilton made references to these in the federalist papers while the constitution was being debated in america the commonwealth was being dismembered by her neighbors. on the corruption so that we may avoid the fate. the enrollment falls hasn't been a section of the constitution that has been a concern of this body in detailing its highest

offices of the executive branch this is because from george washington to burdock obama that have taken great pains to avoid with regards to the personal wealth and investments and ensuring that such never interfere in their duties as president of the united states. that is why president bill clinton, george w. bush all had their assets playing into the blind trust. he invested the majority of funds into the u.s. treasury bonds.ctice w i wish the practice would make it unnecessary to introduce the seat tube moved a resolution today. i wish president-elect trump would be inclined to the bipartisan tradition of thetr

presidential traditions. organ mr. trump said it's since becomw clear the president may not follow the establishment by the predecessors and that in so doing he may well for whatever reason place himsel please conse constitution in jeopardy as a separate and coequal branch of government the senate has an obligation to take over the i constitution. perso it is not the person or position that we swear the oath of offict and to the public virtues to flourish. we must do so because followinga the election it appears he may have changed his mind about the promises he made as he soughtd office.

they announced the organizationl would be placed into the trust managed by his older children t. donald trump junior and ivanka. the arrangement is by mr. trump and his lawyers we can't allow them to trick us were thet american people into thinking on the term. one is the arrangement where the official has no control over our communications about or knowledge of the identity of the assets held in the trust that operate independently. the arrangement described is non independent.

they can take action for such and the idea that they would be independent managers is notsurem credible.r. trump it's not for the enrollment clause of the constitution.ere i he has said there is no one likh him to becom become president oe unitepresident of theunited sta. at that point he may well be correct.rect. he may violate the constitution the day that he takes office and placed himself in the nation atm risk. c there is still time to avoid a- conflict. some may ask what anyone care. it's not hard to imagine circumstances where they would want to give gifts and hope to influence the decisions in the

way that benefit them when the decision should benefit the american people.gainst w precisely the founding fathers sought to protect against thees clause. the public has the right to know if they would put their soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that harms way tor-off c protect national security or some far off country and they have the right to know the trade agreements in the administration would benefit the american businesses, farmers, workers,ess consumers were trump companies or hotels.rld the organization has financial interest about the world and for includes those in the foreignr.p states.

they built a 33 story tower. there've been allegations that the companies he's connected to her more than a billion dollars worth of transportation contracts to the position and the transportation ministry. unr as the advisor to the director of the national intelligence for george w. bush of the deal and i quote, these are not business people acting on their own. there's a great many nations that control for that reason that legal counsel and the

department of justice are under the clause. we should be concerned when the president elect is connected to busine interested in doing business with president trump and the organization that bears his name. we run the risk of turning the united states of america and the legatothe legal system and final system and military into subsidiaries of then organizations.na it's already been reported that an it's been patronized by the dignitaries and diplomats because of the election. why wouldn't i stay at the hotel blocks from the white house. isn't it rude if i san say i'm staying at your competitors?

likewise the news reports suggest after a phone call permits review by the buildingna and they were suddenly approved. just days after, donald trump scored a victory over the right to use the name for the services and commercial and residential properties. the timing of the actions is th interesting. the organizations and the work of government has already begun. he stated it will have my children and executives from the company and i will discuss it with them. they named his children to theag executive committee.

in those positions they have the ability to offer counsel for which personnel are selected in the administration. ivanka reportedly has been present during the calls with the prime minister and the president of argentina. donald trump junior met with the russian politicians and humid with the real estate executives whose partners discuss the possibility of the real estate deals. the implications are deeply he wil that interest above and ensure that

they are not placed in the position that he might be vulnerable to be appearance. while they may say trust us let us remember what john adams said we are a government of laws and it was to recognize not all are angels and we place our trust in the constitution not thend individuals.re the business interests must yield to the united states constitution.ke us those interests make us realize in places like scotland, azerbaijan cannot help to be far from his mind in the policies of the foreign heads of state.se

it's not because he is any more susceptible to these organizations than anyone else but simply because the founding fathers recognized we are humans, not angels. at that precise fear articulated by the founders that receive thd the payments in the government may not act in the best interest of the american people. to quote an expert and adviser to george w. bush imagine where we would be today if they had apartment buildings and berlin. i'm extremely troubled by the remarks on the subject. the wall is on my site meaning the presidenside meaningthe prea conflict of interest. the typical sleight-of-hand shows the troubling account of disregard for the constitution and for the duties that he owes

to the american people.uperse they may act and carry out their duties and they do not supersede the constitution or frankly have anything to do with these in thc enrollment clause. the president elect isn't doing enough to avoid such conflicts and what brings me to the floor today according to one poll has nearly 60% of the people in the co country. the limited exception to the statute recognizes that there we are certain public officials whose authority to act should be held and questioned.thct the ability to act doesn't cure cons constitution. it's the ultimate law of the

land. the he doesn't appreciate the reason that it is untested is because previous presidents had the wisdom and be forbearance not to seek to put this question to the test. but we have tested the proposition that when the president does it means it is not illegal.the a congress and the constitution of the american people found that not to be the case. no one is above the law or the constitution including the president of the united states.i president elect trump also said prior to the election the interest of the properties all over the world this isd undoubtedly true that voting foo to excuse the potential future violation of the constitution of the candidate. president elect trump implies that the constitution doesn't apply to him. it would be disrespectful to tho constitution and to the american

people who are trusting thend livelihood and safety to the decisions he would make once he becomes president. if i could ask for three additional minutes. >> without objection. we must do everything we can to protect the constitution,f democracy and american people. the aim of my resolution is w straightforward. it takes the interpretation of the plain words and supports the traditional values of the practices adopted by previous presidents. it simply calls on president pri elect trump to converge theon assets to the holdings of buying trust managed by the independenm trustees with no relationship to mr. trump or the businesses.f hs calls upon the powers orelated t opportunities for any purpose related to the organization. and it makes it clear if he doesn't take the actions,

congress will have no choice given the oath to protect the constitution each and every member has taken for any dealings mr. trump has been the foreign governments or entities owned or controlled as a e mr. as observed it should send a that h his assets i and regard the dealings of the companies heor owns abroad and then as a potential violation of the enrollment clause unless he can prove it was the transaction. he makes it clear we care about the constitution and democracy and the american people are watching and we won't be c distracted from caring about these things. view some might be tempted to viewro

this in the politics and nothing could be further from the truth the transition between the obama administration and the trump administration have the support of the american people that when he deviates from his responsibilities or recommends policies that are contrary becau members have an obligation to speak out and act. to e is a obligation to ensure the president of the united states who so ever that this doesn't violate the constitution, acts i lawfully on the broad interest s in his or her own interests. my resolution is and to create a crisis but avoid once a president elect trump can put aside any impropriety and show the good work on behalf of the

american people. to make it very clear what the expectations are and why so we can avoid the constitutional a l crisis, such with not serve the best interest of the president, congress or the american people. i yield the floor. >> i decided to spend my time on the grant and spent a week at west point trying to understand how he could finish 21st of 29 and sometimes viewed by the biographers as an intellectual lightweight yet he said i must apologize i spent all my time reading novels. >> historian ronald whyte talks about the life and career in his latest book american ulysses the life of ulysses s. grant. he convened a meeting of the leaders and said to them i look

forward to the day that you can ride on a railroad car and eat at a restaurant and do so along with every other person regardless. it took 90 years for that day to come. we are hosting a discussion on the attack on pearl harbor. the 12 days to the attack and the countdown to infamy.

we're taking your questions. go to booktv for the complete weekend schedule. any klobuchar and james langford talked about the president elect trump and the incoming congress at an event hosted by george washington university. topics include the immigration policies, health care and the cabinet. the panel takes questions from college students and this is one hour and 15 minutes.

ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the george washington university auditorium. tonight, as with many that have taken place recently in the universities, homes, farms to veto clubs and places throughout the united states, tonight is an event of careful reflection on our future with guests as we move through history in the wake of the most recent election. as is the tradition of the university and the renowned

university and the renowned school of media and public affairs, we are the promoters of respectful dialogue and exchange and abuse of some of the most delicate issues of the time. the conversation series has a long tradition of bringing together some of the leading politics to engage in healthy debate and advance the civic dialogue. behind every headline is a story and there are ideas and actions. as an institution of higher learning our never ending quest is to penetrate these elemental levels in search of truth and understanding. the pillars of every society. ..

>> as we symbiotically melt the life of the mind with the real world at large, we are the home of value added education. where we strive to nobler citizens to be's leaders ready to tackle whatever the world may bring. with the highest ethical and moral compass and education can provide. the grand my a stroll of this evening's events and of our school of media and public affairs is frank says no, frank is the director of public

affairs at george washington university and he is a washington bureau chief, and current correspondent. he is an emmy award-winning journalist and creator of planet forward.org. a multimedia project that highlights innovations into sustainability. is passionate about storytelling when he is adamant that we need an informed public if we are to have a healthy democracy. it gives me pleasure to introduce tonight, frank. >> thank you very much and good evening. this is quite a crowd. a testament to how topical this is. before i bring out our guest for what is going to be a tremendously fascinating fascinating and unbelievably timely conversation or to couple of things. i want to thank special people

who are here. we are able to have this conversation and many other things we do at the school of meeting a public affairs and here generally because of the generosity and support on wavering friendship us special people, we have our national council and showers here, so to our national council members and to your support that helps make the sorts of things possible and i want to ask you to join me. [applause] so much of what we're able to do is done because of the generosity and philanthropy of people that support us and support you, the students in the room. i want to thank the college democrats on republicans who are cosponsoring the event with a spray there'd us publicize this and have done a good job.

thank you to college republicans and democrats and tour media in the room, who join us for this conversation, this is a conversation that's important and we're happy to share. we hope others can join in in real-time and will be able to watch and learn. john, chris, and betty are staffers and are very special leader here who help make this happen. the # this evening is now what s and pa. so as your tracking and tweeting please feel free to share it with your social networks and let's get a little positive conversation going. i like to introduce a remarkable panelist this evening, senator james lankford of oklahoma, senator chris chris coons of delaware, senator of minnesota and the one in only alumna dana,

[applause] thank you for coming how many students are in the room? and how many of you would consider yourselves politically active or politically aware? >> and how many predicted the president-elect to be the president-elect? >> go to the cameras i see about five hands. so what we're going to do this evening's talk about where we are, what is, what is changing, how a bipartisan group, democrat, and republican are going to interact and govern with a very unusual, unprecedented president-elect and president, the role of the

media and i'm going to invite my wonderful friend and journalist to join us as we go. we'll come to the audience for questions and then you will have an opportunity as well. let me start with a big, broad question. to the three senators and that is simply, what do you think it's going to be like? just on this day, president-elect is tweeting about flagburning and you should lose your citizenship and medical go to jail. he has named new nominees to his cabinet who are true to his campaign pledges wanting to replace, repeal obama care and move against certain other things that he talked about on the campaign. but we have never had anybody like this in the presidency. >> accept andrew jackson served his country before he was.

>> was a big change going to be? >> that's the unpredictable nature. i think that is the part that shaken everybody up is that no one really knows what to expect other than to expect things are going to be different. what do you expect? i do expect him to follow through on some of the campaign promises and then some that he's good to say when i can do that anymore. i think that's the nature of what we have seen. for instance i'm to prosecute hillary clinton knows come through and said no i'm not good to do that anymore. so there will be some of those that will come out for instance in trade he was very passionate about trade issues in the beginning but throughout the campaign he also set i like free trade. he's a businessman after all he said we should have better deals, nobody knows what the better deals are. but he said we should better deals but we should trade. so there's a little uncertainty

there. what you think the big change is going to be? >> verse that will have a president that is tweeting himself immediately all of the time. not necessarily -- in a middle of a meeting if you dislike what i think he'll call me up and say what you think about donald trump street? during the primaries and general election he demonstrated a remarkable ability to literally grab the steering wheel of the bus and shifted. to change the focus of a national conversation at whim. in some ways that demonstrates the power of social media, every time there has been a major shift in communications technology a president emerges who really grasped it and it was able to lead with it. this was our first real social media president. barack obama come our current president was kurt and agile with it. but this is taken into a new level. what i think will be like? i think the senate will matter more than it has before. i think the structure, the

fundamentals of our democracy going to be challenge in straight. i think the role of media is going to be more part and that ever before. >> i want to make one point that is important for the audience to know. we have two democrats when republican here. we tried we tried very hard and senator koontz thank you and your staff to get here calendars are tight and we were not able to add to the screw. but senator when he think of the change landscape and the change role of the senates which you are not a majority, what you anticipate? first of all i would agree to my colleagues that it is going to be an unpredictable time. we don't know exactly what this will look like. what we do knows

the senate the democrats in the senate will have power. it's because of a senate rule. >> democrats are going to have power? yes we have 48 emma craddick votes right now and senator mcconnell will's has said that he is going to keep in place the senate rules that he said at dinner that i attended. so if that is the case that we have the fact that you need 60 votes on most legislation for budgets and other thanks, there's exceptions for cabinet nominees and for judges, but not for the supreme court if that remains the same. we. we were taken that is the 60 vote margin and we assume that is what will happen with the republican majority again. so given that, we do have power. i think we have to be smart about how we use it. first of. first of all if there is, ground, i have never wanted to say simply because you don't agree with someone on a lot of different issues that you don't find that, graham. if it's good for the country things like infrastructure we can talk more detail about these things that maybe there'll be some agreement

and we can move forward. but then i think the main role as the senate and the congress as a whole will be to be a checks and balance on power. a check and balance on the administrative. but a check and balance of democrats in the senate because one party will now control the administration, the house on the senate. i. i think that it's going to be a very important role when it comes to trying to say no we need some compromises on this legislation or no, we're not not going to reverse this policy and go back decades on whatever the issue is? >> come to some of those over the filibuster, but as a journal journalist you have observed many different administrations and clearly one of the big differences here is the twitter president and that once upon a

time when the media set the agenda or so other people thought has been blown up by candidate and now president-elect who has been uncommonly successful at setting the agenda at three in the morning or seven in the morning. i was at cnn on 650 we're talking about his tweet that preceded us. >> what does that mean? >> we don't know. we know what it meant for the campaign which was you put it so well in a vivid way which is that he did take the steering will in turn a with his twitter feed. sometimes he did it to his detriment to the point where at the end of his campaign you remember his aides successfully somehow took his twitter away from him and he won. however, he also understands the power of social media and his twitter account in particular and he feels emboldened because he won.

>> it worked, campaigning is one thing and governing this quite different. if he is attacking my colleague for correctly pointing out that donald trump's tweet saying that there were 2 million illegal votes cast was not provable and probably not accurate is okay, that's probably not going to be stockmarkets, but it is possible that he could wake up one morning and send out a tweet that could shake the global economy depending on his mood that day. so i don't know the answer, none of of us know the answer. i actually wondering you don't get picked on but the one republican here, what you think. if donald trump called you on the phone right now and said, how do you think i should handle this twitter thing what would you say? >> i would say he needs to have somebody who's by them so he can say it out loud and say should i tweet that and someone else can say well.

just a couple was about to clarify. >> your time about adults and provision. >> it's just a person to be next to you. there is a difference between a candidate and a president. >> absolutely. i think you will are quickly that what he says as president of the united states the entire world listens. this. this is the most powerful office in the world. it can move markets and it can change the relationship of nato and it can change the relationships with people even within our country. >> so i would say it's not a bad thing to continue to communicate. because he is very authentic. people know this is really what he's thinking at this moment. also not a bad idea to set out loud have someone else say let's work on wordsmithing it. that's not unfair, quite frankly every press release that goes out from every president was not

written by the president it was written by someone else. they either ran it by him or the chief of staff of the president never saw. the spokesman typically speaks for the president. this is this very raw, the emotion of the president. >> lemanski adding something how many of you have felt or are fearful about the incoming president. >> again for the cameras if you can see, what would you say,. >> allots. 90%. >> so this is a serious issue. it's one thing to have political division, we've experienced that in the past with candidates when one of loss but it's but it's another thing and i have had students in my office interiors, i've had students tell me they have been called names that we do not accept as proper, acceptable discourse, it's about what we do and don't call one

another and how we think of one another. how should donald trump and the people around donald trump handle this now? and how pervasive do you feel this is? >> i think there's different reasons for failure if i could guess this. one is a a breakdown of our politics and what that is going to meet. i think a lot of that will depend on what's in his hands including on his phone how he treats people and remember he has a government that he is going to be running now so as jim mentioned he may have people negotiating agreements for him and then he tweet something and can undercut them. i just just think there's problems that he's going to have to work with the team that he has. the second piece is legitimate security fears. if depending on what his policies are.

a president has to make dozens of decisions a day that can affect people's lives that can affect the world order and he is going to have to take that very seriously. i think that is why president obama has been repeatedly meeting with him to convey that message. the third fear that i picked up my own state is immigrants and people that are concerned about their status. we have a lot of refugees in my state, we have somalia population and i have told them repeatedly and of course this doesn't apply to everyone in the country if you have dreamers and others that are here, but the laws bigger than anyone's tweet. the law is bigger than anyone's rhetoric. so a lot of this is going to depend depending on what his actions are on those of us that are involved in other parts of the government to be a check and balance. i think that's a big part of it. i would i would agree with danna, i'm like the campaign where it was like everyone went down in a vortex with whatever he said and then it all became that. i'm not certain at least my

party going forward is going to be doing that. were going to have our own agenda focused on the economy in working with republicans in congress when we can. i think you're going to see a different dynamic. >> wasn't going to be in the senate as a response? >> my hope is that we'll find each other and work together more than we have been able to. >> partly because of the dynamic between that amy points to. the one piece within congress were controversial bills and bills that don't necessarily command the broad support as they might get stopped. and and frankly because partly because of structure and intention. when institution that has six-year term. we were joking backstage the difference between 62 and six-year terms. part of our structural role is to be small enough and serve long enough that we get to know each other. all three of us are active members something that happens

every wednesday session focused on a broad range of religious and political backgrounds get together for an hour, there's nobody there were senators and the chaplain and we get to learn a lot. it's a very powerful experience. it is possible for us to agree to senators that we want to focus on infrastructure, on manufacturing and supporting our veterans, of things that we will agree can strengthen our country and that we want to downplay or marginalize the jerking the wheel back and forth effect that it has on our constituents of a nation that seems to be led nearly by women tweet. i think that gravity of the job is beginning to sink in with president-elect trump. i think the conversations he's had in intelligence briefings and with president obama.

>> what makes you say that? >> the temple of the tweeting's. and it's focused change quite a bit quite a bit after the night of the election. i'm choosing to be an optimist here. >> this is the beginning. >> it look, i choose to be hopeful based on the tender that he struck in his victory speech where he focused on veterans and infrastructure. and i choose to be optimistic about the number of his more outrageous, outlandish, or outlandish proposals from his campaign that he is already step back from. i have have no illusion that i'm going to agree with many of his cabinet nominees in his agenda or priority, but to the point just made a few minutes ago that 90% of this audience is genuinely scared of him as president i think a number the more outlandish things said in the

campaign are going to be put aside partly by senators working together to say hang on a minute were not going to some again have a bro man's with putin and set aside decades of alliance with nato. we are not going to ignore the illegal annexation of crimea. >> they have been very forceful and that. >> and that's another factor which is the number of republicans who of various issues whether it is mike lee and rand paul on some of the civil liberties issues, whether john mccain and lindsey graham on russia, or susan collinson lisa makowski and jeff leg and others who have taken more moderate positions on various issues. i think that will be a factor as well,. >> i just want to add what you're saying about trying to make 90% of the people in here who raise their hands and they're fearful. this is definitely a shock to

the system, but it's not a shock to the system is not necessarily a bad thing. as somebody who has covered you and genuinely believe that these individuals are phenomenal public servants to a person, there phenomenal public servants in a system that has been broken. voters got that. it hasn't worked. the gridlock, there's so so much blame to go around and it's unclear if the solution is going to work but voters wanted a disruption and they got it. i actually think there is reason to be optimistic that people like this and as long as those of us in the media hold their feet to the fire can find common ground, whether it's on infrastructure or fixing, the republicans, you guys have different points of view with the president-elect on how to deal with entitlements, but you

have to deal with them. you're not going to have them unless there.with. >> here's the issue. were not in a dictatorship that has a single leader that defines the land. i've heard up her longtime people say the president is the ceo of the country, but no, he's not. he is the leader of co-equal branch of three branches. he leads the executive branch, there's a legislative branch, there's a legislative and a judicial branch. the perception that has risen for the past couple of decades and somehow the president is the leader of all government is not true. he is a co-equal leader in many ways. it's been fascinating to me the week after the election and i chair i chair the subcommittee and regulatory affairs. so i work not just with right in the regulation but the process on how they come together. there's a regular process of how regular should come about i would tell you my committee, i work hard for the last two years

to be able to build coalitions and to say we have real problems without regulations are, now, the speed, the frequency, the way there, not how many are being overturned in the court. there's a problem with them in my democratic colleagues would not get on board and i kept saying to them in a presidential election, if there's a president trump you are going to want to have good boundaries on how regulations are done. so help me a week after the election democratic members were calling me and saying let's work on regulatory reform. >> as soon as possible and i smiled at them and said i'm still willing to work on this because regardless of whether it's a republican or democrat that's a coequal ranch that needs to have boundaries like everyone else does. and i agree on this, for those of you that are scared of a

president trump, this is america responding to a sense of frustration to a budget process that doesn't work and hasn't worked since 1974. there's been four times since 1974 the budget process has worked. this is a frustration people feel like they're not being hurt and not having engagement. with most elections the electorate when they look at who they're gonna vote for either look for arsonist or carpenters. these three folks here carpenters, president-elect trump is an arsonist. he's going to say this needs to change immediately. >> if you want to burn down the house, you hire they arsonist. that's exactly what just happened. >> but that's response of the american people but they're still a white house, there still house and the senate and a judicial branch. none of that has changed. >> i'm looking at the former prosecutor that prosecuted arson cases. i can't go there with you. [laughter] >> but were also talking about three senators here in the

senate is a deliberative body and the deliberative body is designed to slow things down but there are plenty of things. >> they do that well there's plenty of things president trump can do quickly and some fears i know relate to kit climate change. he is turned his transition team is led by someone who is essentially climate and i are. the person who he's turning to to the department of transportation believes that in lighting up the coal plants again and digging. that may be good for those areas and produce jobs but those who think climate is a big issue that shows the president can move quickly i can make rapid change. >> i remain optimistic that the economy has moved in a way that even if a new secretary of transportation wants to dramatically revive coal production in the united states,

most of the closing has happened because of fuel switching to natural gas. we have abundant natural gas because a fracking in this country. i don't think we're going to see a significant resurgence of coal mining and production in the united states. we will see. i frankly. i frankly think there has been more reduction in greenhouse gases because a fuel switching then there has been because of ventilatory impact on coal production and output. hopefully one thing that could happen is a new administration might really invest in sequestration and technology to make it lester to a more sustainable. but bluntly the private sector in the united states is overwhelmingly accepted the idea that climate change is real. >> what happens in washington will have less of a negative impact given that virtually every nature fortune 500 company says we've already invested in making these changes. our

regulatory agenda matters and what the epa does matters. but i'm trying to find some small reason to be less depressed when he talked to obama he suggested a bit and out and say it. >> he suggest in the new york times that he would reverse himself that he might not change. >> and i agree with chris that there's a lot of action the private sector and companies in the state that are very supportive, general mills moving forward on reducing greenhouse gases so there's also major businesses that see this is an issue going forward especially international businesses but if he were to step back from the agreements that we made with other countries which it does have an impact to me if we start

putting pressure on other countries, if we just walk away from i think that would be that would not be good for the future. >> because we have had some a political engage people in the world i can make reference of nixon goes to china could trump be that. >> yes. i absolutely agree this will be situate when it goes to china. if you go back to the early steers in the obama administration when all of the promises were made with immigration issues and it didn't happen and then the work the senate did, wasn't there at the time on immigration was not matched by the work of the house or the actions -- the senate did its job. >> it was not matched by the house of the white house and trying to engage in bring a real agreement together. you have to get all three parties to do that. this is a situation where trump could

stand up and say he has he can say immigration is a problem. where he has been effective us to stand up and say, this is this is a problem and he gets criticized by saying what someone says okay tell me what the solution is in his solution is i'm gonna hire good people, that's a a ceo mentality that says i don't have to fix that, i have to find good people that can fix the, i just know that's a problem and we need to commit resources to it. i wanted this on the security at the border, did not mandate a wall across the border is gonna be a combination of personnel but of course but it had a number of other things. >> so the point is i have

thought in my most pleasant moments that maybe there's a chance to move for a given the strong support we have in the senate with a bipartisan bill. >> and their other compromises brought up in the last. the point is, it's going to be elite with a behcet's behind him in the campaign and the immigrant community which is not quite to be very trusting of this. so this would be a major effort if he wanted to do the senate would be clearly there's people in congress who want to work, but on the democratic side it has to be a combination of not just order at the border, but also some kind of path to citizenship, documented workers, something that works for the people that are here that the people that are here that would qualify for that status. >> there's been an ongoing conversation about how to we do compromise in congress and how

to handle that. the lock on this has been that everybody will take parts they really hate to put it together. so we've just been in gridlock. there's a way to approach it and so building relationships. >> so we are ready have the relationships of that's okay. the issue is if you look at and say i really like amb, i think amb are good idea amy thinks b and c are good ideas she really hate say, by the way i really hate see, at some point we can say to compromise you have to do a little bit a that she hates, little bit bit to see that we hate, and that works it out. but your stock if you truck try to do it that way. is it easier to get unstuck if we say we both like be let's move on what we agree on and stop staring at each other and stop fighting and start moving

again. part of the challenge we have is everyone is trying to say you have to do a little bit that you hate. so we are doing nothing. >> it's easy to talk about what is a b&c, it's hard to talk about when it's obama care and a question of going to be required to have health coverage, if not he going to be fined as the federal government telling you to do that. what is the a the be the lessee. so let's take that because i was a specific and deeply held position of candidate trump throughout. >> you're talking about repealing obama care? >> interviews five or six not included the debate and you talk to him about obama care. >> yes i asked him question during the debate about obama care not just obama care but what he would put in place. >> a what you see taking place? i see that he will rely a lot on you guys. >> truthfully. may be that these guys but you.

>> i remember very clearly in one of the debates during the republican primary my line of questioning was about what would you replace obama care with in his first answer was i'm just gonna do with do away with the lines are on the state is a very core republican ideal that you allow more insurance to be sold across state lines. and that then i said well what else? they said would you do anything else? he said no. and and then of course this is just one example of how and if you, no offense it would be wiped out. you don't you don't have a healthcare plan but it didn't really matter, the flip side and positive side of that for you is that now he has put pricing for the democrats but he somebody who has some plants and he's done this and has come up with ideas and written it into legislative language and is a dr..

i think obama care is a perfect example of how he has got big idea. >> on the 30th of july of medicare this is a really interesting and i'm looking at my friend in terms of media bias all the reporting that i've seen today talks about conservative anti- obama care, tom price and how he has a quote about how medicare was the worst thing and

having government and medicare's source and having healthcare. but if you go back and read the entire paragraph here's what it says, as a physician i can attest that nothing has a graded negative effect on the delivery of healthcare than the federal government's intrusion to medicare. that's what i see quoted everyplace. because of washington's one-size-fits-all approach it has coverage rules of broken financing roles and seniors federal health spreading spirals out of control. in earlier he made reference to insurance companies. talk to a senior citizen about medicare. talk to a senior citizen about doctors who are not taken medicare patients anymore or the for the concierge service they have to buy. and may be medicare really broken, maybe they are really right. >> when you look at medicare itself it is actually been one of the best things that is happen for the seniors in a country when you look at the status of what their life was

like before and what it's like now and there's a reason they wanted to stay. do we look at reform? yes. i've been a longtime advocate for better delivery system reform. i don't actually think we did enough in the affordable care act being from a state that has always had high quality care and seen the money go down in a big transfusion tube to states that a less organized healthcare in charge medicare rates that are much higher than what we do in some states. that's not right. so i've been an advocate for some reform. at the same time, when you look at the need to make changes to the affordable care act i think you need to look at what's going to work and he can't make the changes in one day. you have the benefits people want, stand on your parents

interested in your 26, the donut hole that was close, the pre-existing conditions and then when i start looking at one by one changes i would like to see, clearly some changes to way the individual exchanges work clearly changes to pharmaceutical which no one in the senate ever wants to take on but it's huge, it's 20% of our healthcare costs when you include hospitals. senator mccain and i have a bill to bring in less expensive rotation drugs from canada. senator grassley and i have a builder together to stop and pay for delay where big farmer pays off genetics to keep competition off the market. look at what happened with epipen. that was just one example. the top ten drugs in this country for have gone up 100% in their price to consumers. insulin in their price to consumers. insulin has gone up three times. the opiate overdose medicine has gone up. i want reform. but i was said it's a beginning not a name. it's more than the carrot stepping back and looking at this. i was hopeful we could do a reform bill and make changes. not. not if the whole discussion is

going to be let's just throw it out and we'll figure out what were going to do later. that's not to work for the american people. >> i worked hard in the last congress to introduce and work on five different bills that were modest reforms to the affordable care act, will never forget there is a new republican senator physician from louisiana presiding over the senate and i came to the floor to give a speech on obama care the first half of the speech was three stories about three delaware people who lives have been saved through the affordable care act. and the other three stories were delaware's who are small business owners, contractors, or cut physicians where the increase in rates and costs have hurt them, for their business, cause them their business, cause them to drop coverage and stop providing certain care. and he was writing away when he looked at me and he said your

democrat aren't you? and i said yes i am in you just spent 15 minutes talking about the flaws of obama care. and i said yes. he was genuinely surprised. he didn't think there is democrats who think there's anything but perfect. i think there's many in our caucus that recognize it wouldn't by god it was written by humans and it has flaws. the challenge here is compared to what? if you simply follow the path that the house republican majority has and repeal it, wipe it out without any work together to find something that can achieve some of the same goals in terms of coverage, quality and cost reduction i think then republicans will rule the day because there'll be negative consequences. on the in hand, one of the core principles has been federalism, respect for states and their ability to reach a conclusion.

my hope is one of the things in the table will be those states who have really embraced the affordable care act and i put in place exchanges that have worked will have the option to retain much of the structure and rules that exist today and those who have rejected it and said this is not something that works for our state have an alternative path to achieving the same goals with market mechanisms and less government. >> a friend of mine who's a player in the healthcare i said, what should i ask and he said ask a republican given to the promises made to repeal are you committed to ensure that the 21,000,000 americans provided under the law will continue to be covered? >> i would say that's one of the conversations we have. when obama care was put in place many people had state base coverage or other coverage that lost her coverage. they had to get new doctors through new testing they had to do new shift. we don't want to see that again. those folks who are diabetics in cancer patients that's a very hard time the hope is to be able to have that and do a whole farm list and say

freeze with what you have a minute and then help with the transition. you look at it to states with the bridge in transition. the may make a few comments while going back to just the bias and tom price, that's the focus right now for every person that trumpets out, the first story is not trump, danna of course the first rays how horrible they are we respect 1973 and a, they made in a college meeting and they said this so there are terrible racist and there are an awful human being and they hate all people, they don't like any human beings. so what i get people coming to me insane these people are horrible individuals were you finding these instead of backing up and looking at people and say let's look at the whole of what they're doing and give them the opportunity to walk to the prospect. that's one of the things i think think there are people that are frustrated and

upset they lost the election they didn't wish it this way so i don't like him and i won't like anybody he likes. in many ways am catching people saying you're doing to him what you said you don't like he did to you. how do we fix that because that is a modeling issue and a shift that has to change. >> i think that's the modeling that we do in each individual does, i'm amazed that the number people who don't like the caustic nature of his tweets or what happens on social media but if you read their tweets, holy cow. trumps are g rated compared to some stuff i see that other people put out there and have caustic and angry on how things have become a social media. i tried asked folks to say look at your own stuff and evaluate what were doing an example were setting for the next generation.

on the healthcare issue the strong man that has been put up is democrats wanted take care of all people and republicans want to put people on the street. that's not true. it's a two different solutions. there is a passion to say how can state solve these issues? states are closer. in the past five years medicare i'm sorry medicaid has of the highest and proper payment rates of all government. $142 billion in improper payments in just medicaid, that's a state run programs that the federal governments trying to manage and can keep up with. if you move to states organizing and are more engaged, that regulator in oklahoma that's overseen under 4 million people, when there's fraud there down the street and we can check on it. it's 1200 miles from here. from here. so when you're managing fraud in relationships when you have a bad dr. and hospital they know about it in the state because there down the road.

>> there's multiple options but there should be more ability to monitor and control that on a state level. i don't have the belief that the only people in washington d.c. love americans. i think there are state leaders leaders who love the people in their state and care for what's happening in the state as well. what's your your response to that how we portray this? and this touches on a media thing and in five minutes will go to audience questions. so much we're not going to get to hear. the way a lot of this is pretrade through the media including cnn, certainly a lot of talk radio whether it's rush limbaugh or rachel on msnbc through the ideological prism. it's not as gentlemanly and womanly assist conversation and it doesn't focus on compromise and consensus focuses on conflict and headbutting. >> so one of the things that has frustrated me and my service in the last six years as i will get

asked of him available for show all get tentatively booked on that all get pumped for somebody who is more of a willing to throw a punch. >> smiling and nodding. >> repaid person who will do it and pretend they're not paid. >> if it didn't matter in our line of work whether we were ever wrong the sunday show her the cable show it would be easy to ignore as it doesn't matter but on some level our visibility to our constituents to her friends and supporters nationally depends on how often were on the shows they're interested in. >> so there is a feedback loop. i'll give you quick example to get back to your point about nominees. senator sessions have spent nominated to be an attorney a next attorney general. i have done a series of interviews and one of the things i did immediately was put out a statement and i've said it a few interviews and i told jeff

directly, give him credit for two things that we worked on well together that i did not expect to be a good partner on. when the federal defender service got savaged by the sequester, he's a real law and order guy and former prosecutor, he joined with me to make sure that funding got restored for the public defenders. i should have understood that as a principal prosecutor he understands if the defendant doesn't have a good lawyer the odds you're going to get a back conviction and it will get overturned on an appeal are higher. but i did not naturally grasp that. it was a good relationship of an. second when the obama administration cut funding for victims of child abuse act senator sessions worked with me to get the funding restored and reauthorize. in six years, those are the two

things we worked well together. there's a lot of other things i suspect i will disagree with him on, civil liberties, civil rights another issue. >> to hold him accountable to the statement he made, apparently in defense of soft peddling the ku klux klan but i think you made reference to decades ago? >> i promised him i will keep an open mind, will have a full and fair hearing, what merrick garland didn't get i think we'll him and every other nominee which is several daylong full hearing. i'm less concerns about statements decades ago than things he has done recently in the senate as a legislator. but i will look at the whole record. ultimately whether i will support him or not i haven't made up my mind yet. i don't think i should have made up my mind yet. >> any decision he has president-elect has made that you have made up your mind? >> i am waiting eagerly to see who he will nominate for secretary of state? >> what if it's corker? senator corker was the first

senator with whom i traveled overseas. as i think we discussed over four, joe mentioned mentioned bernie sanders, bob corker and me. >> if there is a camera crew in the back of a c-130 bouncer from pakistan to afghanistan we had some fascinating conversations. i knew senator corker least of the other three and i came back with a respect for him. he was the mayor, i think he and president-elect trump might get along well because they both have a background and develop many construction. he is a conservative republican. we do not agree on a lot of issues. but i find he someone whose earnest, honest, fair, honest, fair and he has managed the committee well, to meet those were recommended i. >> rudy giuliani? >> that be harder for me. >> i don't know rudy but i'm not afraid of him. only because of what i saw him doing his leadership in new york city.

he was fair, he was law and order, he engaged with all people and all parts of the community was passionate about helping the whole city when he was there. >> i'm just very concerned about some of the comments he has made during the campaign. unlike chris am going to look at each nominee on their merits. i think that's important. i did that when the two were nominated to the supreme court. that's what you do and that's what your job as a senator. >> any name your post right now? for the supreme court? chris coons. >> no. for the cabinet? >> know i'm just gonna see who he brings in. >> the me ask you a question of the senators who covered so closely. >> i think you are obviously a conservative and from a very red

state. >> that's why have red hair. >> but, where do you think that you, you talk about the prayer breakfast and so forth, where do you think that u.s. a republican along with democrats, along with president trump can actually get things done? >> i think there's a lot of various. >> in real terms that you think you can move through congress and guitarist us that with simon think okay maybe things are working? >> that's a tough one to try to think of the first thing, there so many priorities of what the first thing is. i mention precatory issues before but try to figure out how we function again. >> and it's important but it's not sexy. i jokingly say that i chair the nerdiest committee. >> highchair antitrust.

>> so that issues a big issue, i think will find more common ground on immigration and the people are willing to drop amb or ansi focus on the common ground i think we'll will be able to move on things and we have for decades now done nothing on immigration. their major problems there that we need to address. if we can focus on, ground areas and not fight about anc areas i think were were going to do okay. >> it because you tomorrow says i want to work on something with you, what you think we can actually do. >> i would say infrastructure because i think that's the best bet. by the way he call me tomorrow i would say don't step back on what obama has done on cuba. like i'm very concerned if we move backwards. >> they'll be the first thing you'd say. >> sr just say it. >> the first thing i would say.

>> probably hello. [laughter] to finish answering the question, the thing that i think think has the most potential based on what chris said was infrastructure. i live eight blocks from the bridge that fell down in the middle of the summer day in minneapolis, 355w bridge is not just a bridge, the highway. thirteen people died and i will never forget that. if he's willing to finance a major infrastructure development in this country, we've already passed the -- act which has led by mcconnell and boxer. it's not like were just making up for things, we actually could have a chance to do something on broadband, roads, bridges wastewater treatment plant any talk about a rule agenda in the state that's a role state, think that would be a big step we started working on that. how we pay for, there's some interest in overseas money,

trillions of dollars overseas, senator schumer, our leader leader has been devoted to this for a long time and i am as well. that's finding way way to bring that money back from overseas. it will be a bit controversial on our side of finding a way to bring the money back and then if companies voluntarily bring the money back with the rate that we have enough votes to pass you could then as part of the deal have a certain percentage of it go into either an infrastructure financing authority, i don't call it an infrastructure bank because that creates problems on your side. an infrastructure financing authority for straight into the highway fund. >> ethnic you should take more time to think about it. >> but he probably wouldn't listen that long to me so i would just put out there now because maybe one of the advisors is watching c-span.

>> and senator you obviously your passion in your mind portfolio is national security as republicans go he's not so hawkish. >> he is inches i would talk to him about manufacturing first. i've led along with senator baldwin the manufacturing for america. we put together 25 bill sutter on a wide range a wide range of issues, tax, trade, skills for the workforce, that are all around how to strengthen and sustain the growth the manufacturing. we have had 900,000 new jobs in manufacturing added over the last five years. we are winning again at manufacturing and there are things that we can do to accelerate the trend to move in the right direction. we can increase both employment and productivity. it's an area that puts people to work without for your university

degrees. it allows folks to have a decent life. >> and also talk about the middle east and africa and nato. >> we can invite people to come to the microphone for questions. what does the media need to change? >> nothing, were perfect mac when we start. look. we always put ourselves under the microscope and be reflective in this new world where you have a present tweeting and the inclination is to follow the shiny red object and the

inclination is also conflict is good tv. sometimes it's not just about conflict it's about compromise. working harder on that is important. >> really get your questions if you can keep them short will get as many as we can. i know we have to let you go because you have an interview and you have to go to. >> first thank you for being here tonight. i'm curious in general with the election cycle and now moving forward with the new president-elect, people people have been talking about the future of elections in the electoral college and things within the united states and i was wondering if you had any opinions or ideas about the future of these things and i know a lot of people and for the conversation? >> i would first will make it easier for people to vote in a

lot of states not harder. the voting rights reauthorize and that would be good, electoral college it turns out the facts despite what trump may have set on his tweets, hillary clinton did win the popular vote. i think that's worth looking at. i know that will be difficult. if i could do one thing is the campaign-finance eye. my new perches the ranking member roles. we have jurisdiction over that. i'll focus on it. citizens united decision has brought in so much of this outside money that candidates no longer control their own message or what they're doing and the money that we raise which is all reported his store by what comes in and major campaigns from the outside. i think it's very damaging to our democracy. >> good evening. with the with the president-elect celexa form policy is a zero-sum game with winning and losing only and how form policy has become more

unilaterally focused with actions from the present recent history, what you think the senate can do to russell back some of that power from the president as it looks like the president elect will not be diplomatic in any way. >> i don't know that he he won't be diplomatic but i will be nervous at the first state dinner. as he is so informal and how he speaks. he is not careful sometimes and how he does it. i think that is part of it seeking and that he's president of the united states and everything he says matters. he's a very smart businessman and he knows how to mission issues and he has traveled around the world. his passion for america to be first is not a bad position. the world benefits from a strong america. we are still a quart of the world's economy. if our economy continues to struggle the world economy continues to struggle. i don't think he's walking away

from nato, don't think he does. nato has not lived up to its military obligation. not a country but us in the nato alliance has kept their end of the bargain to maintain what is required to stay in the nato alliance. if pressure was put on to say we want to keep an alliance but you have to actually live up to your end of the bargain it's not necessarily a bad thing. while we don't know someone and we will know after he picks his secretary of state what direction he wants to go on form policy, again i'm not all that concerned. >> i have an article that just were not democracy that lays out five area where i think a senate in a bipartisan basis can it should make a real difference in form policy. i would disagree that there's never been a nato country that has met the spending goals or military commitment, we've we've been disappointed in several of our largest nato allies. >> that may be a positive

outcome, it may scare the daylights out of our nato allies , that would not be altogether bad. i will briefly say that we really have not stepped up her lived up to the constitutional war to declare wars. were conducting conflicts and a half a dozen countries based on the 2001, 2002 authorization of military force. they've authorization of military force. they been stretched beyond recognition of the original scope. on a bipartisan basis we should look at what were authorizing the president to do, and what geography, to a purpose, to what time and work in a bipartisan way to authorize the wars we are conducting today and do it in a way that doesn't have the leaking and nongovernment edges. >> thank you for being here. why question is for senator langford. this morning senator mccain and discussion with

reporters exasperated said i don't want any more questions about president-elect. that's my right as a senator. so my question is two-part. do you think that is your right is a senator and second of all, what is your advice to your republican congressional colleagues and fielding questions about the president-elect. >> are used in here? do we the best students? that's a great question. let me clarify for my position on the senate republican side we have the gauntlet that we walk through and they renamed it the trumped up month when we had to mean it because there's a line of reporters that line up the hallway try to stop us and catch us and ask ask a question about something trump said ten minutes ago. . .

they are trying to find a way to divide republicans to say this republican is battling that republican. it's a great story. >> to say i'm sorry we don't agree on everything, not all republicans think alike. i just have a question about immigration because it's been a huge driving the campaign for so

long. do you think that will be one of the issues where the senate can meet halfway, do you think that is one of the things to be negotiating. >> as chris and amy were saying before, it is a place they go to die. the house was going to pass something and the president elect will be engaged in the issue and the plac place the miy voice is always heard. there will be that dashing between and my hope is that the end of it we don't walk away and say we are going to do nothing but what progress can we make and move on mac. >> we also had a history we did work out a bill and had some sick to get support.

so there's a lot of people that are very knowledgeable about the issues and worked together before, and a lot of the same people are there but i think it is going to be hard to, given the rhetoric but facts are i do think there could be a chance, but it would be to do it immediately i am trying to picture. >> we serve on the judiciary committee together and we did three weeks of markup on the bill. we had literally hundreds of amendment with bipartisan senators that pieced it together. they made significant contributions. a lot of the architecture was already there. we need a president that is willing to take risks, needs in the middle and craft a bill that can gain support from both parties. >> as an observer of the

political system, if president trump makes conservatives happy with the supreme court pick and figures out a big win like reforming the obamacare, there will be a lot of tips that he can call in and i think it is possible. >> i think at the end of the day if it is about citizenship to people that are here, the whole thing falls apart. but there are so many other areas of immigration reform we can pull together. >> there is a difference of citizenship and legal status. that will be a lot of the debate. >> i agree you have to deal with all the basics first. if people are willing to say let's find an agreement, that will be one of those type of issues to say everyone demanded

we can't move on this unless you give everyone citizenship. >> next question. >> i want to ask about campaign finance reform. i wasn't a supporter of this election cycle but one of the things that appealed to a lot of people that did support him is the idea that he could be boug bought. really he self-funded a lot of his campaign in the primary in comparison to jeb bush who had $100 million in corporate money. how does donald trump . campaign changed to finance reform in the united states even if things like citizens united remain? >> he's made it a major theme and focus on lobbyists and those issues and i thin that i think e support on the democratic side of that.

>> i think he spent a third of what hillary clinton spent. >> he hasn't talked about putting the justice for citizens united for the amendment to change citizens united which to me is the way you put the control of the campaigns back in the hands of the candidates themselves. >> i am so sorry we can't take more of the questions that maybe therbut maybethere will be a che and they. >> let me ask each of you through the conversation which has been built around ten or 20 seconds what young people here should be watching for you thinking about as they experience washington. >> i think they should be looking at first of all getting

involved yourself. for those that are disappointed the last thing would be to throw your head under the covers and say i can't believe this happened i'm not going to be part of this. we need you urging us to action and we need people to volunteer in the system. i thought maybe people would be like that but they haven't been at all. they want to talk about issues and they've been coming up to me at diners and airports more than that for. i think that is what you have to do. >> i would say a couple things. if you are more interested in policies and politics a lot of people were fantastic in the campaign. be more interested in the job than the job interview. that will help a tremendous amount.

on a personal level i see some of you that are concerned, afraid, whatever it may be. in my state and oklahoma eight years ago when president obama was elected they said he's going to shut down this industry and this industry. there were conservatives in the other direction. it's still america and we are going to work this out. the final thing i would say if you are a person of faith, with your faith. that is one of the most deepest parts of who we are in for individuals that don't have a faith you can still be a great american and not have faith. live that out because that is the stabilizing force for most individuals and personal life. >> what we suggest you look to these two as role models. senator langford has an article he wrote with senator scott finding our way towards each other across racial divide that is worth reading and it reflects how thoughtful he is.

senator klobuchar was recommended by the school of journalism for being the leading senator in taking bipartisan bills and getting them signed into law. we have two great examples here of the folks who make a difference if i could offer some closing advice, be willing to be engaged, learn from people who are different than you. live your faith and make a difference in the world because then you will find things that matter to you. we have to have an electorate where democracy will work. it will be a rough couple of years as we try to find a new accommodation with a new president but it's still america. the lights are on it still works and democracy, that the media, the governance and the sense of community depend on you so thank you for investing your time and i hope we have offered some encouragement. >> i don't want to follow that.

[applause] i will end up where i started which is the systems may be broken, and for the two decades i've covered washington, to a person these individuals come to washington and run not because of the power of the grammar, it's not easy but because they want to get stuff done and because they believe in the ideas that drove them to public service. the optimistic about this because it's real. you've seen it tonight. >> raise your voice, make a difference. that's why you came here this evening. your voices are heard. i wanted us to have this conversation and i'm sorry we

have run a little over what it is worth every second and a part of this is because it is a media issue. we hear the same voices saying the same things. they don't get the chance to hear individuals relationships. you are not marching in lockstep behind donald trump and you didn't march in lockstep necessarily behind obama, though close. [laughter] but it's important for people to realize the men and the women that work in these jobs are three-dimensional human beings and they bring more than the soundbites that we often see in those jobs and the fac that is e of the dangers that we have seen in the campaign that was turned into simplistic soundbites and yet america rose up and said bernd house down, so now we burn the house down and we will start again someplace. there's a lot of work to do.

it isn't easy and it isn't a straight line and i think that is the lesson that we take from this. it doesn't end it just takes a different shape. please join me in thanking the wonderful panelists. watch on-demand at c-span.org or listen on the 360 radio app.

look for how he used his television program to look at arguments outside of his conservative circles that made him an early pundit. >> as the level seems to be deteriorating and increasing it seemed like a particularly important time to talk about a show that valued the civil discourse and civil debate between people that disagree with each other.

the palestinian authority have long since renounced violence and accepted the existence and have opted for peaceful negotiation to achieve the state. with donald trump elected as the next president, the next second for a numbe foreign-born first . learn more about the presidential spouses from first ladies the book is a look into

the personal lives and influence of every presidential spouse in american history and it is the companion to the well regarded biography tv series with 54 of ththe nation's leading first lay historians and archival photographs from each of their lives. first ladies published by publicaffairs is available wherever you buy books. and now available in paperback. on washington journal he talkewetalked to the democratic representative mcdermott about donald trump . health care agenda and the pick to head the human services department. he sits on the house budget ways and means committee. this is just under an hour. >> host: the first guest of this morning representative jim mcdermott of washington on the ways and means subcommittee. subcommittee. he's the ranking member of the

committee. he's also on the budget committee.oo thank you for joining us. the head of the budget committee is now to become the head of the health anthehealth and human seh directly affects the affordable care act. first what do you think about tom price in a position at what do you think about the future of the act itself? >> guest: tom price is a nicece band with his politics are so bad, it's going to be bad for the whole question of how we deal with health care in the country. he wants to peer out obamacare g and replace it with things that have been talked about for years but nobody ever put him on the deck before. so what we are going to see if he's going to be called to defend what he thinks will work. i don't think that it will work. >> host: given the sense of what these could be placed in the affordable care act as we know it. >> guest: health savings accounts. this implies you have a little bit of money to put aside to look for the future.

the subsidies and obamacare we know people don't have money for that.es insurance companies themselves across the state lines put out a policy and somebody in washington state by state when it doesn't pay for anything, who do they complain to, they can't complain to the commissioner in washington. he didn't approve it. do they go all the way to alabama for the complaint lacks. he's peering over the insurance commissioner system in the country for 50 individual states governing their own policies they sound good on paper but if somebody tells you that something is good in arkansas and you buy it in north dakota and the new look an then you loy there's nothing in here who do

you complain to? >> guest: people have done so through medicaid. what do you see about the future of the system, do they stay in tact if the affordable care acto is repealed? >> guest: it's hard to know what they are going to do. they will take the name of obamacare off the plan. then they are going to try to take everything that seems to make sense and then put trump care on top of it. so they will try to do some cosmetic stuff but it's stuff you can't take away. if you take medicare, the hospitals in the country i know what happens in hospitals where people are brought in from the r street. the hospital winds up paying fon them and medicare, medicaid has been delayed at the hospitals have had insurance to cover the people that are brought in.

>> if you want to ask questions about the topic of the future for affordable care here is your chance to do so, democrats, 202-748-8000, republicans, 202-748-8001, independent, 202-748-8002. i read about in washington state that there was a plan in place put in place by democrats to provide healthcare. >> guest: we put in an aide in washington and then required the insurance companies to cover everybody comes with a pre-existing condition problem is taken care of. one example she went on and

about the insurance policy and at the end of the delivery, she got pregnant again, got a policy went through the pregnancy and the company spent five times as much on her care. what happened in washington state as there was no individual policy sold. you coul could not by an indivil policy in washington until they got rid of some of that stuffd d and changed the way they put it together. that's what's going to happen here. they want to take out the individual mandate so we think we should have people writing oh the backs of other people in the country and i don't think that is america. you want to do your part, and i have to do my part. we buy it if we can and assist if we can't make it ourselves.

if you're not going to have it everybody can't won't work.we dn although injuries as an example of that. we don't let you get your license unless you have a certificate that had insurance on your car. because if you hit my car, who's going to pay for it? me, should i pay for it if you had any? you have to have insurance. so the mortgage companies require you to have homeowners insurance if your house catches on fire.e. it's not up to you if you modify your insurance or not. you have to have it if you have a mortgage on your house. but personal health, we say do whatever you want. don't worry about it. and that's not america. the american way is that we all do our part as we are able to.eg >> host: there were going to be increases in premiums and we

heard people talking up the cost for the couples and things like that. are those lingering concerns for the affordable ^-caret? >> guest: i have said since it was put in place that there were things that needed to be changed in the affordable care act, but the republicans would never tryy to make it work. they just wanted to get rid of it because if obama got credit for it, mike, thanks for the huge legacy for him to leave. but instead, they took away things and tried to bring it down. it's like the do dogs that chaso the bus. they've now called the bus and have to figure out what to do with it. >> host: anything theyll proposed so far will not work, and if that is the case, why do you see that so definitively? >> guest: because they never accepted the principle that in order to have insurance, yo' have to have everybody covered. you can't have a whole bunch off people who are not covered by

insurance. as i say, automobiles, homeowners, all that, we don't't let people opt out. and we all know we are going to get sick someday. you're going to get sick, i'm going to get sick, and it would be irresponsible for me not to i have insurance. and to just say i'm going to wait and let him pay for it. call pedro, you've got the money, you will pay for me. that's not the american way. and when they won't accept that basic principle, then they have got a real problem. the other one is how to control cost. the medicare law was written with doctors having the right to choose their customary fee. i'm sorry but we can't let doctors make the decisions on how we spend money on health care. sso there have to be some limits on that kind of thing.

thing. i'm a physician.ce i practice. but you can't let the doctor be the sole provider on that. >> we have calls lined up for you. the first one is from nathan and rowland's third new hampshire on the republican line. good morning. you are on with the guest. >> good morning and thank you for taking my call. i guess i have a couple of-time questions. i am a part-time worker, but it seems like ever since obamacare a lot of employers have cut back to part-time hours here. there's a lot of stuff likeob obamacare is so expensive for employers. i am 30-years-old and it seems like a lot of guys my age think the jobs are being cut back to part-time because of obamacare it seems like and i'm wondering

if you can shed some light ongu: that.u don't wa >> guest: you don't want half the workforce not showing up because they are sick. so they have a common interest in having good health and we say that the employer should have ty put some money into healthy sympathies and they should have to put some money and if we don't have enough money, we put in subsidies both for the work of the company and the workers sso they can buy insuranceif policies. if the numbers are not exactly right, we can change that and make it work. but the republicans never really wanted it to work. they didn't want requirement for an employer to look after his employees. in my state, microsoft and all the big companies, they all take

care of their people. it's the small companies operating on a thin margin that say i can't quite do it. we can do just that and make it possible because it is an air interest, both sides and in th'' country's interest to have healthy workers. tony fr >> host: tony from florida,on independent line, go ahead.lent >> caller: i want to say this is a perfect example of republicans they want tons prioritize healthcare. they care about the american people. they care more about the health insurance. why do they do that? it's simple. when they run into three or four years, [inaudible] the money goes to them so they

can be in power. they do not care about the poorr or the middle class or americans for that matter. all they care is power, corruption, that's all they ca care. >> you open up a whole subject t matter. they are like any company. they spend as little as possible producing a product and thenr they send their best to the stockholders. insurance companies want to pay as little loud a as possible ane in as muchin as possible so they have more to give to their stockholders. that's the system we have in the country and as long as you have the insurance industry buried in trying to deliver health care in this country, you are going to have a real problem because thea will take in as much as they can from the individual, payout as little in benefits and give the

most stockholders that they can. and my view is that insurance companies have to be limited. they have to be put under strict limits as to how much profit they can make. we tried it in the affordable care act and made them give money back to people because they were not paying out is much in benefits as they were sending off to their stockholders. we are in a struggle when you have the private sector and when you want to have free enterprise where the goal is making as much money as possible. when you have it at the service industry where you have healthcare and the question isn't how much money they can make off me when i'm laying in a hospital bed. the question is do i have the coverage necessary to give me well, to get me out. those two things, when you bring them together with the private sector in health care, you are going to have problems, and we still have them and will have more of them if he has his way.

>> right after the president elect indicated this was highlighted in the times, the one thing he might keep on the affordable care act is the idea of insurance keeping people with pre-existing conditions. what do you think if that is the concession and if it happens tce what do you think about that? >> guest: he understands what happened in washington. if you don't keep that, but people will be mad. if you do, the insurance companies are mad so he keeps it in the plan and doesn't protect the insurance companies, they are going to be really upset. you will have a fight over that issue. everybody likes some of the things mr. obama did, but they don't like the individual mandate and they don't like the mandate on employers and on individuals that they have to buy insurance.e you take those away an and you r the system apart.re >> host: they might keep letting kids stay on in their 20s. can you keep just two aspects

and jettison everything else? >> guest: if they cannot negate judgment about the person coming through the door, if you let anybody come through the door and say give me an say, insurance policy they will say we are through writing individual policies. so you either get it through your work or you are out of luck. >> host: kathleen from chicago when the democrats whin line. >> caller: when president-elect trump takes office in january will you all go back to washington and pull up all of president obama . policies that didn't get a chance to come to the surface because like you said a little while ago, they are going to take his name off of their and

this is what they will do for the other policies. it is a shame that this president has such good ideas for the american people but they never knew and democrats, you all didn't have a spine to come out like the republicans did and get in front of a microphone and talk to the american people. dumbed dumbed down by the democratic party. i love you all but you'd better get a better job. republicans are out to hurt people, not to help. clinton and obama deserves credit for a lot of these into some of it neve ever got to the surface because they wouldn't take it up in the house. i will get off here in a few seconds. put a blue ribbon or pink ribbon on them, put them in the cabinet somewhere and we are going to use [inaudible] >> host: kathleen, thank you. >> guest: first, let me be clear this is my last appearance on c-span because i'm retiring

from the congress. i served 28 years and i decided i'm going to do something else for the rest of my life.correct. but you are absolutely correctea there will be the need for people to speak up on behalf of the good things president obama did. he did good things in the area of healthcare. he did things in the area of climate change and in a variety of immigration areas where he protected kids and should be getting credit. >> host: ashlyn on the independent line. >> caller: yes, good morning. thank you for taking my call. i would just like to ask simply why in this country we cannot have a single-payer system. all this nonsense of insurance companies into somebody havingon to make money off someone else's

misery as far as i am concerned is nonsense. the rest of the world does this. why can't we, and i will take the explanation off the air. >> guest: i wasn't going to bring a single-payer like that, but i brought it up in 91 and i believe that it is the way to do it. as you say, every industrialized country in the world has a system that covers and it's paid for out of a common fund in one sort or another. they are all different. our resistance has been we always thought of single-payer healthcare in socialism or communism or something. so we can't have it in this country but it's the only thing that works. the canadians have a good healthcare system and nobody ever worries in canada about

being bankrupted by an illness. in germany can you go to germany and go to work and in 25 minutes, were on the system. they put everybody that comes in whether they are migrant workers were immigrants, whomever. everybody is paying every monthy so that everybody is covered. it's true in every country in europe and japan. it is the most efficient way and we are going to get to in this u country.ev right now we are trying everything else. you will see everything on the table and ultimately we will get to the single-payer system. >> host: most issues they are not exercising or dieting, you can go right on down the line.an

and then all of a sudden, we have to pay for their healthca healthcare? when i met the supermarket rival the people pay with a card and a bit on the other hand the government is paying for their healthcare. i do not understand. it is an insane system like the government creates a problem and then they want to create the solution. >> you are correct there is a lot we can do. whether we eat and exercise and all that kind of stuff there's an awful lot of medicine. most of us spent the last sixx months of life as people get to the indignity o end and they hat attack or a stroke, we spend an awful lot in this country keeping people alive when in

fact they are ready to go and we do not push people to the advance directives. if something happens to use you were in an automobile accident in this area and they take you to the hospital, they know what you want done to let them go into the afterlife.. if we don't do that, what we do as a doctor i have to keep you alive. so we spent 40% of the money in the last six months of life keeping people alive that are really ready to go. and i think there is a los lot t we can do to make the quality of our lives better.o but you have to have a system that covers people when they are unable to care for themselves.al >> host: do you envision a

scenario where obamacare in the affordable care act would be repealed but then delayed until a definite plan what legislation comes through to the republicans? >> guest: that would be the best political way to do it because if they took it out tomorrow, they would have a catastrophic problem. they can't come in the first of june or the first of may. they will clearly ended withav sebi will have a plan by the first of october or something. they will give themselves a sort of transition. have two do it in the order tha people it's going to be a huge change when they take awayaythee obamacare. i think they just want to take the name off of it. >> host: would he take a

direct hand at this?ryan is >> guest: i don't think it is a question that they are central in all of this. what they put through in the house, the secretary they can bring over anything they want but if paul ryan doesn't put it on the floor and it doesn't go to the commerce and energy committee, he doesn't go to the committee and say i want to buy it, that is what nancy pelosi did in the three committees, you've got to hand me a bill so they put one together. he wants to give people a voucher and say here's a voucher for $6,000. go outside and they will ensure you.

people my age have a hard time finding anybody that wants to insure somebody my age. they will end up having to pay for it so the voucher system isc going to be a real fight in the ,ouse. >> host: 202-748-8000 democrat 0 democrats, 202-748-8001, republicans, 202-748-8002, independent. acy pelosi stay >> guest: i like nancy and i would support her today. her views and my views are getting old. i'm going to be 80-years-old. 80-years-old. am i too old to be in congress, i don't know i decide i'm going to do other things. but if you decide on each othern that's an interesting thing. the younger people have no

experience and what you throw out when you start talking about getting rid of people like nancy pelosi is a huge amount of experience and she represents san francisco, she has to knowwh what is going on in a pretty progressive city. >> host: catholic university in usa today talks about nancy pelosi and makes the point democrats in the house of representatives haven't been in this number since 1929 they were expected to take ten or 20 more seats but instead they saw a dozen and lost more than 60 seats over the six years is that a fair statement? >> guest: yes it's a fair statement. politics is like the tide, it comes in and goes out. 1932 the house of representatives were republican and swept out and we had a democratic congress and

everything roosevelt did. it was tied in 1976 when nixon was out of office and the next, a huge number of democrats came in. mr. trump had a huge number of republicans at the moment. it's not the end of the world because the problems are still there and they have to fix themu or they will say out with you guys. in the short run i might not like what i see but i'm optimistic. >> host: on the independence line, good morning.y >> caller: i've contacted my representatives and going back with the homeowners insurance which you mentioned earlier it seems as though they all have

their healthcare aspect to them and cut their damages and all that as far as workers compensation and helps with our competitiveness and it doesn't seem like it is towards the healthcare part of that and it just seems like it is a triple pay for the consumer. >> guest: as i say, obamacare isn't perfect. there hasn't been a perfect set of rules written anywhere since the ten commandments i think. everything else has to be amended. and this bill that we put together in 2009 really had som changes, and workers comp is on of those areas. the republicans if they were really smart they would say we are going to fix this and make it work in the right way rather then we are going to rip it all

out and start again. they are going to have an awful time doing that because there-eg pre-existing condition questions and the kids staying on until they are 26 and that thing. it's going to be hard for them to do that and it would be much more straightforward to say there's this wrong and that's wrong and let's fix it. gentlem. >> caller: to questions and two comments. the houseyan was the speaker off the house ways he never in the house and what does he do all day? you should do a show on the electoral college and another on how to get term limits.

i will take my answers off-line: >> guest: the answer to why the congress works part time we worked coming in on a monday night flying across the country from the west coast to get here at 5:00. we would go home on the 5:00 plane friday night. republicans cut that down because they don't want -- basically you have the people in charge who do not want government to work and therefore they are not figuring out the democrats are always trying to figure out ways to make it work better, let's pass a law to do this and that. republicans say let's just wipe it all out. so it doesn't take very long too tear things down and that's why they don't want the american people to see them tearing things down. the speaker very seldom sits in

the chair. he appoints somebody called the speaker pro tem, that means forr the time. he has to go to meetings about what is happening on the committee and this sort of thing so he send somebody out to sit in the chair and do the job as the speaker running the house. it is appropriate, everybody is back to the first speaker of the house and mr. ryan is in my book he's done a good job of being speaker in the chair very well. so, to the question about term limits is that something that you would advocate? >> guest: absolutely not. these people coming in have no knowledge of what's going on. i have somebody replacing the end i'm trying to help her figure it out. maybe three terms are for terms it took to figure out how things

are put together. sma i'm a doctor i'm a very smart person but i get in there and i don't know what in the world i'm doing and it took me a while to learn and to throw people off as they do in california what you do is you turn the assembly into the job market. they see they are only going to be there six years, so they are looking around where am i goingy to find my job when i'm out of here. and in my view you want someboda there that thinking about the district idistrict in washingtom going to have to go back. and i can do that, i'm not against that. that's why we have a two-yearan. thing. you don't have to have a lawese that says -- that's like saying a school teacher has to quit

after they are 45-years-old. >> host: tell us about the person that will take your place. >> guest: she has worked in the community and ngo and she's smart, capable and will do a good job. >> host: we are talking with representative jim mcdermott. on the republican linux next. cocoa good morning. my question is ever since you've been speaking i keep hearing of those darn republicans. when obamacare was passed, there was a super majority in the house, senate and presidency that required no votes from republicans and then on top of that, any changes you want to see they are made from executive action so now the bill is a disaster, things are still not working right, the costs are still skyrocketing so how can you say that it's the

republicans fault with everything that's been done by democrats? >> guest: on the ninth ofnnell t january, 2009, mr. mcconnell said my job is to prevent barack obama from getting reelected and they've been undercutting him from the beginning. when we brought the bill out, the republicans used thebl filibuster in the senate to prevent any compromises being made. everything about this is a compromise and suddenly we are not going to give them anything. so that kind of attitude towards the legislative process has bogged us down for quite some period of time.

we lost the 60 vote that we have to compromishadto compromise wie republicans and they wouldn'tse. compromise. so the minute they stop compromising we had to run it through another mechanism and the reconciliation process was not as good as i if we had compromise between the republican. we would have a better bill. >> host: democrats line from florida. >> caller: i would like to

make a comment and ask a question on two issues, the healthcare system and electoral system that we have. a on the healthcare system this ie my resume, germany, italy, world war ii, we helped them rewrite the constitution. why can't we do that for our own people? it may be a longshot and difficult but it's a great system and as far as the electoral system goes, this is the second time in 16 years someone has won more votes and lost. when fred thompson was asked to represent the national popular vote movement, i'm paraphrasing,

he said i got tired of explaining to my grandson how someone could get more votes and lose and election. it is a movement that is making great progress and the time is now.e a good way to >> guest: i think it would have been a good way to go. the government provides the healthcare and senior citizens are taken care of. why can't we do that for people all the way down to earth. the electoral system i agree with you i have wanted to remove the anachronism from the way the compromise was sent when they

did the constitution and this day in age it produces these results where mrs. clinton wonon the election. in a few days they wil we will a meeting on the floor of the house where the votes are and counted and low and behold, she will not be the president. he will be the president because of the votes between smalles states in big states and the whole compromise that was put together. in the old days, virginia and new york were fighting. they were little state states tt the thing to happen to us. they put the electoral college and for that situation and it hasn't been looked at in 200 somebody years.

>> host: at about a recount by joel stein do you back that effort?gu >> guest: they have a right to do it and if they want to spend their money that way that's alright with me. all right with me.do i'm not sure that it's going to change. what's really strange is hearing mr. trump wailing at thoset people. then why don't you just do whatever you want with your money? he's accusing them and it's very strange. >> host: good morning. >> caller: house if the democrats always plain republicans but we have do democrats who don't do anything, we have a president that manando

hasn't done anything but for himself and we have this gentle man now how long have you been in congress, too long probably because you're not getting anything done. then we get this affordable carh act that make us the middle people pay and that's not work. you say it's the best thing.g. no it's not and you people don' even care. you stopped caring a long time ago. >> host: thank you. >> guest: i would take some exception with that. we do care. everybody has a responsibility to be responsible. if we have a parent who doesn't take care of their kids, that's too bad. we have a foster care system

where we take those children of a from the parents and there's a lot of situations in our society where we expect people to be responsible and if they are not, we have to force them to become more responsible. i personally think the healthcare thing the president tried very hard and it didn't get a perfect bill. you've never heard me say it was know perfect because we could neverhe get people to then sit down and say let's find a way to make this work. that's where we are right now. >> host: next is pete. i want to make a couple comments and i will get off the line. the delectable college was a

brilliant construct and i think if your listeners were to go on and read about it, they would understand why it's so important for the democracy we live in that is a representative democracy, not a pure democracy and i think it's an important point to make.limi on the term limits, i appreciate your time on that but thee amern american people want them and believe they need to be t shortened in some capacity. i think it is more than adequate to get the work done just as the framers intended them to do. >> guest: the society is a little more complicated when we put this thing together so if

you want somebody that works less in the congress, in 12 years you could learn quite a bit of there are things that are changing all the time you have a constant turnover. guy has let's get rid of him even though last year he scored 30 points every game and got ten rebounds. you would think your coach and your team were nuts if he forgot the guy that got the rebounds. so do the members of congress have to be decided by the people in the second district there see were 14 chances to throw me out. i stood up and made my case and

got reelected. why should somebody make a law that the people in the southern district can't have me after six terms were three terms. i will never be perturbed limitation. there you have six years or four years and by eight years theyyw. are all worn out. i can see that that's not where you are making the law because the congress is the central pa part. i we've been handed to the executive and it's his job to make sure it works and that job why would you want to make it turn limited?

.. area -- others. you do not play your star player for four years and let him go. however, i wanted to comment on one of their earlier callers about you guys not getting a lot done. the point you made was mr. mcconnell was very true. people seem to fail to see there are checks and balances and sometimes they are abused. >> my call and if you've already dressed and i apologize, i've been a little late, it's about social security, mike concern that i'm 59 years old in january, i'm working to be out of debt for my 60th birthday and i'm looking at an early retirement and to be able to