america, to do more than they're doing now. >> let's hair from an educator. jeff. from temple hills, maryland. >> caller: good morning. how are you? >> host: well, question or comment?co >> caller: i have a comment and aaggrieve with what your guest is saying. parents have to take a greater roll. i've gone from no cell phones in the classroom, to no coputers to digitalized columbias and there needs to be education in thech schools, and perhaps even need tops be classes taught on proper internet and -- and parents have to talk time to talk with the kids, again, at an earlage and talk to them about everything so they don't feel like they have to go into the digital world toa be heard, seen, accept led, and

i another major issue in turns of fake news, dealing with that issue with kids during the election.g it was bad enough with adults. here we are with kids on thee internet, they're having to deal with bullying issues, but also spending a lot of their time online and gobbling up the garbage that there is and there are no adults, no educational facilities to filter that. >> host: okay, jeff.sh want donna hughes. >> guest: i totally agree withig you and you're so right. certainly can't all be offered t the schools schools and the teas farce at sign safety curriculum, there are some. i it's in many schools across the country. i do think that should be partbv of the clickum. i agree.

i believe that internet safety and signer safety, and digital citizenship, start in first grade. they're often already usingad their parents' smartphone, right? i've seep it as young as two years old.re youtube videos, whatever, the instant baby-sitter to keep the child quite or amused. that's a key point, but kid are bringing devices into the school and that's something each school district needs to deal with themselves but i do agree for parents to start that cyber safety education as younge as they can. as soon as they allow their kids to use the internet or technology, you need to talk being the fact it's a privilege and not a right, limit screen time, right? i have seen this with my grandkids. you take that technology away, especially if they're used to

having it, there can be a scene, right? that can be a little hard. so, the other thing is you can't have as a parent the internetet safety conversation once. or twist. it's like you can't parent once or twice. right? so, parents need to understand in the digital world they have got to be a cyber parent all the type. just like being a parent. so it's not even a cyber parent or parent but incorporating their parents into the cyber vii world. >> host: paul next in virginia g beach good morning. welcome to the information. >> caller: yes, thank you for taking my call. a quick comment and question. my comment is i think it's a very important issue, very important we talk about cyber bullying and not only -- what i

think children get from the f parents, and my question is this. how does melania trump square with being concerned about cyberbullying where he husband is the main perpetrator of this? i mean, you can't have her make ends -- about cyber bullying and then have her husband tweet something and calling somebody dummy an idiot. >> host: there's an article in "the new york times." why twitter into not defendant trump -- defendant defend trump. as the president-elect criticize ed chuck jones, received a series of threatening

phone calls. last week, mr. twitter used trump to attack a college student who asked him a question. that woman has been barraged by threats and twitter is under no obligation to let mr. trump use the service. it can make rules and among the rules is using the service to insight harassment. >> guest: well, very interesting and the reason that twitter t wasn't invited to the big tech council yesterday when trump met with leaders of facebook and apple and others. i understand the caller's question, and i certainly can't answer for melania trump, but i do believe she has a right to choose the platform that she must cares about, and i heard -- i saw an interview she did, by the way, with her husband, and

they were asked about this. wife cyberbully and how are you deing with your -- dealing with your husband's use of twitter, for instance, and 4:00 a.m. tweets. she says we have those conversations and those well probably continue. many people have had those conversations with president-elect trump, and it's my hope and everyone's hope that while this served him perhaps well to some degree in the election and in the campaign and things can get ugly and bitter and did on -- will most over the candidates -- many of them but went down into the tubes real fast. but to use the technology at -- in a beneficial way. he does have a great opportunity to get his message out and do it

in a positive, constructive way, and i hope we'll be seeing much more of that as we go on. i think probably we will definitely being seeing that. >> host: in west hampton, new york, parent.y >> good morning and merry christmas to all. i'll make the statement and follow up on what another caller sid. if you have your future leader really the epitomy of bullying and his new wife, model, what kind of example you're giving to your children. would like your answer to that. >> guest: well, i hear a lot of angst after the election, not everyone is happy with the results, and i understand that, and -- but let me just take

melania trump and the nude picture. in a way, the media pulling those up from something -- things she did when she was much younger, european model, and i can tell you as former model it's very difficult in europe grump to the beach and women are -- you go to the beac and women are topless, so to bring those up to humiliate her, she knows what it feels like. she still has to be embarrassed from that about she at a great opportunity to leverage that and say, hey, girls, be careful about the decisions you make when you're younger. they can come back when your a mom or dad or adult. and one thing we teach kids and teach parents to teach their

kids, don't post or anything up there that could ever come back to heart you, that your grandparents would not be pleased about, or that your worth enemy would use against you. so if we start to help young people think about choices and the long term -- it's hard abuse we leave in a media gratification, instant food, you name it it and she has a great opportunity to do that. >> host: how did you come to this? >> guest: that's a great question. i started in '94-prior to the internet being commercial, and i had moved to washington to get married and i thought what am i going to do? i was out in california. and i met the ceo of enough is enough and they were fightingife pornography and child porn

nothing ya and children proceed -- predatorration, and we saw the beginning of sexualss predators using the news groups to called child pornography. and it's still there and is a big, booming business. kids as young as infavres. we started to sea hard cor blacr market obscene porn and a half guy...ial. pornography. those laws are now in place, into the internet, and so we sas predators starting to talk about how to molest kids and we said, holly cow, this is already being

exploited by the bad guys. so we went to dong -- i went to barbara walter, an old friend. i said, this is what is going on, i'm ready to start talking. internet safety, and it was that conversation, she said i talked to my producers and they said i can't say pornography on the air. so, we started -- we were early pioneers and it as want exciting time. but i also really began to understand how in my own life ii have been hurt by predation and sometimes you minimize these things in your life, and i did, and i realized child pornography plays a role and that was in, 24 years ago. >> you mentioned barbara walters. some of our viewers rock nye

you, know your -- recognize you, know your name. is this related back in 1987, your affair with gary hart -- >> guest: alleged. >> host: you talked to barbara walter about it. is this related to your work you're doing now? >> guest: the reason i sat down with barbara walter. ones we had done in past, except for the first one in 1987 when she was a mentor after that. dear, dear woman. is that the one we did scent to that were really about where are we now and how did i journey through that time and take the high road. there are millions of dollars on the table, and i made a chose then to return back to my christian faith and my prayer was, how can this be used for good? i think this is the message that is so important when we look at

all these issues online even, and that is -- particularly when kits are getting bullied, how can i take the high road here, not lash back, not get into a twitter war or cyberbullying war and make things worse, and to do that, treat people those people who are hurt can you with kindness. for me, i was back to the goodba book and the golden rule and it works. it really does work. that's talks me back to what i said in the beginning. i'd like to see it -- this has been a quarter century for me -- our culture begin to change. this happens in other civilizations like in england, when william rober tort took on the trade to abolish slavery and

south sought to restore manners and civility in england and he did it. we're so -- police brutality and hates in streets. wait a minute, we're all human. let's switch over and start to apply the golden rule. >> host: elijah in tallahassee, florida. an educator. go ahead. >> caller: hi. can you hear me? >> we can. >> caller: thank you, for putting me on today. appreciate it and listen to you guys almost every morning. >> host: good. >> back to the focus. i'm an educator. i am an afterschool teacher, teaching for the girls and girls club and middle school and havana magnet school and focus s on first afraiders and second

graders and third graders but we can go up to 15-year-olds. deal with maybe every day, countless amounts of cyberli get bullying and it's getting to a problem. these kids are getting technology, getting social media accounts, and they're getting absolute permission to say and do whatever they feel like doing online. there's no parent guidance. especially with lower income families, or families with less education. no parent to -- are poor and less educated. the tend to allow the children to do pretty much whatever they want to do. so they buy them technology. the kids get on social media ans express whatever they feel and if there's stuff going on in the home they tend to express that through social media. >> guest: that's a great opinion.

this is a broader, systemic problem and that's the breakdown of families, and often times in the inner cities and what have you, especially where the boys and girls clubs are operating and thank you for serving there. they're a fantastic organization. and other groups like the ymca ymca and the wywa because kids need paraparent, and we can't make an absentee parent or bad parent become a good cyber parent. that is not what we can do. but we can help concerned parents and concerned, caring adults and teachers like yourself become better equipped to help these kids. >> host: yes. i wanted you to finish your p point. >> guest: yes. so, you're right, they're not getting the instruction at homee and often times, like i said earlier, the technology has become just a pacifier in some

ways and the kids are off and running. so -- there's broken homes and teachers have to bear a bigger responsibility, which is wife ii think teachers should be getting paid a whole lot more money because we're indebted to you, because it's about our kids and their future, and they're looking for guidance. i truly believe that they want someone to come in and help them set boundaries. and this is a great thing to do. but i would say try to get the cyberclickums. -- curriculums. c we do one ourself, a teaching series what the turned into a three-part tv series with pbs, and it has a workbook. we designed it for individual use and also use of small

groups, for ptas, not for kids, it's for adults to empower adults. even the good parents may feel intimidated by the technology and we need to say, you don't have to be a geek. one of the most point thing for a parent and teacher is to build an atmosphere of trust with the kids and keep conversation lines open. >> host: viewers can go to enough.org. we welcome the discussion from parents, students, teachers and administrator, to ted, north branch, minnesota. >> caller: i've been studying children all my life also, and the answer controlling children is simply to -- happens between the ages of zero and one.

a child's mind is like an empty bucket is going to fill up with trash such as noise, arguing, flashing lights, cell phone calls, wide-screen tv and if a child is not breast-fed and in a mother's loving arms you're going to have a thug. the newscasters have said that 96% of life-timers in prison do not know their abcs.st: >> host: okay. that's ted's thoughts in minnesota. want to get in randy as well. in texas, a parent good morning. >> caller: good morning. earlier caller stole my thunder about melania going to have her hands full with donald. to keep him from bullying. my other point is satellite providers have pay-per-view

movies, and each one has a description of the title of the movie, but down below it, a very graphic depiction of what is in the movie, and that's free. any child can scroll past that and read that.t. i just wonder, i could read the description to you over the airb but i'm sure -- >> host: i think we know what you're talking about. what about these companies, not just the cable companies but the tech companies, are they doing enough? i thi . >> guest: i thick they can do more. that's an important point there is oversight by the fcc over a lot of what happens on television, and even to some degree cable, which is good. that's a great starting point. whereas the internet, there isn't much. like i said he hard corp pornography that adults can't get in a axxxx score, the vast

majorie of kids have seen sex on tv and they're getting sex education from this information online. so, one of the thing wes asked for in the pledge is for greater cooperation with the government to encourage voluntary steps to deal with some of this stuff. the tech companies and the cable companies are dealing with child pornography but this other obscene material, they can get more aggressive on that. and what we're doing, we started two years ago, the national porn-free wi-fi campaign. keep in mind, what's ever kid carryingy, a tablet or smartphone? when the hop from the schoolyard to the love 7-eleven or the restaurant or the stadium to

watch a ball game, they're hopping on that wi-fi, the shopping mall.l. what we have done is we're goint to corporate america and started with starbucks and mcdonald's because they led the wi-fi movement in the united kingdom. this is a perfect example of the leader of the united kingdom saying i'm going to provide leadership at this level. this is voluntary. so we have done the same thing here. went to starbucks and monday monday. mcdonald's responded right away. they're starting in first quarter this past year,ltering filtering child porn porn nothing fry and -- and star starbucks never responsible until we put it on mcdonald's and shay said ex-we're going do it, too.

and corporate americans we say this is your best interests, protecting your brand, patrons, helping to avoid sexual harassment and your workplace and this is a win-win and not going to cost you anything. >> host: we go to seattle. a parent out there? what's your name? >> caller: it's tanya. >> host: go ahead. >> caller: thank you. i'm the paramount of a 16-year-old boy in high school, and through combination of work and life, he is a wonderful younge man and very respective of his friends and girls and i teach hitch it's not enough tont -- but stopping bullying. donald trump's behavior, it's not enough to say things gotno ugly during the election. i think when a person with one

tweet can cause a younge girl, a 19 -- now 19-year-old girl trying to engage the political process to literally receive death greats, i want to know when i'm teaching my son to treat girls with respect to call out his fellow high school boys to treat girls with respect and engage in the political process. how do i take something likess donald trump saying those things, you can't just -- if you're not going to brush them aside for kids, you cannot brush them aside for the president-elect of the country.p oh do i teach my son and his friends, here are all the things cannot do. and enthey hear their president-elect doing those things how much do i reconcile those things. >> guest: i understand. it's hard. it's just hard. and i do hope that we're going

to see great improvement with him here shortly and over time, and i think it's hard to reconcile that. i think the important thing is to say, this is really about you, and your choices and what is the right thing to do, and not everybody in authority is always going to make the best choices, and what i always do, no matter whether it is the situation with him or just a horribleness news story like a poor gnarl who shot herself in front of her parents because of sibber bullying has toes are negative but we can use them as teachable moments. so i would encourage you find a way to use that as a teachable moment, to say, how do you want to be -- i mean, this is what we expect of you and how we raised you and to help them understand

the importance of the golden rule some what it would feel like if you were on the other end. let met talk about empathy. we lose and our kids have a tendency to lose empathy when we are using technology because people say and put things out there they would probably never say to somebody's face. and what we have to help our people understand, and understand, there are consequences and they may be unintended. maybe it's suspicious or unintended consequences and they can go viral. >> host: ang here in there -- >> caller: i teach my candidate goss to did, getting education, do not call people different names. when i was 17 years old i encouraged my kid to go to

could. they can name-calling, calling kids all kind of names and stuff, that hurt the education.. i teach my grandkids do not look at the color, do not look at the skin color, treat them just like they self. i don't understand how a president goes out in the public and said down and talk about the other presidenting, then talk about a lady in the white house for a very long time, trying to keep the right going. disable kids and stuff, that's not right for him to go around saying names and calling people different names. because they're different races. >> host: i'm going too leave your comments there and get william, who is also a parent, in louisville, kentucky. hi, william. >> caller: hey. >> host: go ahead with your thoughts. >> caller: okay. well, this cyberbullying they

talk about on c-span, what i'm not understanding is this. it is a choice whether you get on the internet and do that. do things like that. it's not anything that is personal and anybody can do it, and use someone else's name and there's no way for you -- the individual can find out whether it's actually coming from that individual or not. >> host: okay, william. >> guest: that's a good point. what you're talking about imimpersonnation and this is a tactic of a bully. that's when someone pretends to be someone else and often times can use somebody else's password.th that's why we always say, always teach your kids not to give outh their passwords except for you, the adult. parents should have the their kid' passwords, not because you invade avoid their privacy but in case of an emergency.

but thing about middle school, mean girls, your best friend one day can be your worst enemy the next day, and that happens. if you shared your password, one girl can do go in and pretend she is you. we deal with cyberbugy and sexual predators, put this is something that happens, and that's one of the ways it can happen. let me say another thing about bystanders. i've child has not been sibbervl bulled or a bull i they have witnessed and an bystander. there are so much that the bystanders can do and part of it is to connect together as bystanders and stab up for theon person being bullied and let the bull you know, this is not acceptable. so if bystander do that together

they lose the fear factor that the bully will turn on them. >> host: if our viewers want to learn mow go to the webs, enough.org.rice donna hughes, president and ceo of the organization behind this effort. thank you for your time. >> guest: good to we with you. >> our conversation from earlier today about the incoming firstades peninsulas form. ... weekend schedule. >> washington journal continues. with stevee back bell flu is economic policy project senior director at the bipartisan policy center to talk about the federal reserve decision.

viewers whatw our janet yellen had to say after she announced this increase. [video clip] >> today the committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate by one quarter percentage point, bringing it to one half to three quarters percent. in doing so, my colleagues and i are recognizing the progress the economy has made toward our dual objectives of maximum employment and priced ability. year, 2.25 neutral jobs have been created. inflation has moved closer to our longer run goal of 2%. we expect the economy will continue to perform well. with the job market strengthening further and inflation rising to 2% over the next couple of years.

host: steve bell, confident that fed raises rates. that is the headline of the "wall street journal." guest: the economy is better. the economy is better and there are some pockets that might want to you can find it online suspended or as required to the state department for the daily briefing and remarks by secretary gary. >> i just wanted to bring you all up-to-date on what we've been trying to do with respect to the tragic situation in syria and, obviously, mostly focused or especially a level. i don't think i have two elaborate on going to certainly focus on the anger and the anguish that everybody feels or

most people feel about the continued relentless and inexcusable attacks that have been directed at the civilian population and aleppo, including women, children, humanitarian workers and medical personnel. and there's absolutely no justification whatsoever for the indiscriminate and savage brutality against civilians shown by the regime and by its russian and iranian allies over the past few weeks or indeed for the past five years. the position of the united states remains clear, and i have personally reiterated that position in conversations over the past weeks and especially over the past 24 hours with the yuan special envoys, in paris, with senior officials from russia, qatar, turkey, egypt, saudi arabia and other countries

in the region. what the united states is working towards and has been working towards for some period of time now under difficult circumstances where if some parties do not want to move in that direction, it remains very difficult to secure obviously a cease-fire, but what we want in a level right now which is the precursor to any ability to move to other things is an immediate and verifiable, durable cessation of hostilities, and that includes all attacks by the regime, its allies and other combatants in aleppo. all combatants in aleppo. and we've been working very hard on that. we worked on that in hamburg in my meetings with prime minister lever of, where we reached some measure of agreement. back in simple measure of agreement but were not able to secure every component of what

was needed in order to move forward. we want safe passage, core doors and evacuations which were beginning today to see perhaps take shape but we want to see those for both civilians and fighters who choose to evacuate the city. we want full access for the delivery of humanitarian supplies to people in need throughout syria, and with his steps we are convinced that the killing and the suffering in syria could stop, and it could stop very, very quickly if russia and the regime made the decision to do so. this morning, i was encouraged by reports that after a number of starts, got picked up on and continued conversations which by the way we were informed of by

russia and turkey were going to take place to build out of what we talked about, actually using the same template we had created, they are individual cease-fires being worked out and individual arrangements with armed opposition group commanders, and it appears for some period of time at least, we don't know yet if it will hold or where it is, that airstrikes and shelling have stopped, and that the cease-fire may, i emphasize may be, taking hold. buses, some of them in convoys are beginning to move. my understanding is the first group of 21 buses and 19 ambulances reached its checkpoint. this conflict includes more than 1000 people who were on the way to the turkish border. however, and this is a big however, we also heard reports that a convoy of injured people

was fired on by forces from the regime or its allies. we remain deeply concerned as well that we're hearing reports of syrian men between the ages of 18-40 who have apparently been detained or conscripted in the military service when trying to pass through government checkpoints and some who of these actually witnessing days or even weeks ago, and we still don't have families don't have their loved ones don't have accountability for what has happened to them. obviously these actions are despicable and their contrary to the laws of war and to basic human decency. now, more positively, we, we finally received pledges from russia that it will assist in the monitoring of evacuations that the international red cross and the syrian arab crescent

will also be allowed access and ordered to be able to try to help with the monitoring. the u.n. is prepared to receive evacuees in numerous sites, and emergency relief kits have been pre-position to try to help people. medical assistance is also going to be available. turkey is prepared to accept more evacuees for eight and treatment. so it appears that the necessary preparations have been made for the evacuation process that will eventually save lives but the implementation of that process continues to be dependent on the actions of the regime and its allies on the ground. let me emphasize. we are going to continue to do our part. the united states is going to continue to try to push the parties towards a resolution. as president obama said the other day in giving us all, both

his impressions as well as instructions about these next days, we are going to be trying every way we can to try to save lives and push this to where it needs to get you. to date we have provided more than $6 billion of food, water, medicine and other supplies to people who have been affected by the violence in the region. let me be clear. i said it wants, i'm i'm going to say it again. what has happened already in aleppo is unconscionable. but there remains tens of thousands of lives that are now concentrated into a very small area of aleppo, and the last thing anybody wants to see, and the world will be watching, is a vet that small area turns into another -- it is imperative that key actors step up and do their part. and i call on the entire

international community to join in exerting pressure on all parties to go forward with the process that has been laid out for some period of time now, to abide by the cessation of hostilities, and to bring the killing and the cruelty particularly starting with aleppo which lays the groundwork to be able to take the next steps, particularly in aleppo. now all of you know we've been engaged in a lot of talks over the period of, extended period of time now. and all those talks have been geared towards trying to end the war, the civil war in syria. in september after months of very tough negotiation, prime minister lavrov and i were able to stand up late at night and make an announcement in geneva that we had arrived at an agreement september 9. and that agreement required a number of days, as everybody knows, of calm in order to

indicate the seriousness of purpose and then we're going to have joint cooperation in order to move forward. regrettably, for a a number of different reasons, syrian troops that were accidentally bombed, humanitarian convoy that was not accidentally but purposefully destroyed by assad regime to start with and then by others who joined in, it fell apart. and everybody feels the pain of the lost moment, the lost opportunity for externalities that we did not have apparently control over. more than a year ago we agreed on a series of steps that could have and should have produced a lasting cease-fire and direct negotiations. that process is not succeeded mostly in my judgment because of the continued, constant unwillingness of the assad regime to live by those agreements, to always break out, to always tried to gain more

territory and to go out publicly, not reaffirm its willingness to go to geneva and negotiate, but always affirming publicly in one brash statement after another its readiness to take back the whole country, to crush the opposition and to do everything without regard to the real underlying concerns of many people who want to be part of a legitimate government, part of of a legitimate process but fear that assad is not going to be their leader and they will never be able to unite the country. that's what's kept it going. so we have arrived now at another critical point, another critical juncture. if aleppo calls completely and people are slaughtered -- falls -- in the small area, it will be even harder to be able to bring people around. and it will not end the war.

the fall of tranfive, should it happen, does not end the war. it will continue. there still isn't the challenge of government and the challenge of reuniting the country and the challenge of rebuilding the country. and how many countries will step up and rebuild it for the policies that are being executed today? so provided we are able to stabilize the situation in aleppo, it is essential that we move forward at the earliest possible moment with a syrian led political process aimed at ending the war and transitioning to a new and more representative government. and without that meaningful transition of power in which the voices of the syrian people are heard, the opposition will continue to fight. terrorists will continue to be drawn to the country, and millions of the syrians will continue to be forced to flee their homes. so here i want to emphasize that every single party i have spoken to in recent days, in paris last

week, and from here in washington this week week, as recently as this morning, every stakeholder tells me they are ready and willing to get back on the path to geneva. and that includes the legitimate syrian opposition. it includes turkey and qatar and the arab states. the only remaining question is whether the syrian regime with russia's support is willing to go to geneva prepared to negotiate constructively. and whether or not they are willing to stop this slaughter of their own people. so let's be crystal clear about who bears responsibility for what we have seen and what we are seeing, and continue to see in syria. we are seeing the unleashing of a sectarian passion, allowing the assad regime, not allowing, the assad regime is allowing, the assad regime is aiding and

abetting. the assad regime is actually carrying out nothing short of a massacre. and we have witnessed indiscriminate slaughter, not accidents of war, not collateral damage, but, frankly, purposef purposeful, a cynical policy of terrorizing civilians. so we believe this is a moment where the syrian regime and the russian military have an opportunity to make the decision to become a strategic decision i might add, for peace. one that will make it possible for a cessation of hostilities all across syria which could flow right out of this. every minister i talked to says we are for a cease-fire countrywide. but you have to be able to deal

with aleppo to get to a countrywide effort. in addition to that, everyone has reconfirmed to me their readiness to go to geneva for discussions aimed at putting an end to this horrific war. so that's the only way that anybody i've talked to with any common sense and with any strategic vision says you can in this war. it will take negotiations. and they haven't taken place in all of these years, any real negotiations. but all of the parties have now told me, with the exception of what we haven't heard from assad insult and his willingness to go out and actually negotiate in good faith and tried to bring syria back together. as the only way to make progress towards a united and peaceful syria that is reflected in resolution 2254, as well as in the iss g statements which

include russia and iran. so hopefully people will put actions where the words have been. >> thank you, sir. spirit thank you very much. thank you. [inaudible] spirit to them directly involved in election related attacks? do you think the administration should come out before the election more boldly with hard intelligence about these attacks? >> well, look, i am not going to start taking comments at this point. i haven't commented on this publicly because of the job i do, but let me say today that i'm not going to comment on anonymous reports from intelligence officials that are

not identified, that have quotes about the concept of intelligence officials. i just am not going to comment on that. let me comment specifically on your question about earlier. folks, we sat in the situation room, i remember, in the white house with president of the united states, at the present made the decision based on the input that was carefully carefully vetted by the intelligence community and presented to everybody that he did have an obligation to go after the country and give a warning. and he did so back in october, the president authorized the director of national intelligence, and the department of homeland security together to make a very clear statement to this nation, to our nation. and they said unequivocably that they assess with high

confidence, that's what we said in october, with high confidence that the russian government directed compromises of e-mails from u.s. institutions, including political organizations, and that these thefts and disclosures were intended to interfere with our election process. so the patient understood and made clear its a serious matter. it was a serious matter then. it's a serious matter now as even more information comes out. i'm not going to comment on it further except to say that people need to remember that the president issued a warning but he had to be obviously sensitive to not being viewed as interfering on behalf of the candidate against a candidate, or in a way that promoted unrealistic assessment about what was happening. i think the president did that, and now we have to get at the facts and i'm confident we will in the months ahead. thank you all very much.

[inaudible conversations] >> that was my opening statement. i don't think i anything to talk on that so we will get right at it. [inaudible] >> he said that we want, you want to go back to the geneva, i assume that's geneva one -- >> is he talking about -- that's where -- >> the talks that have occurred. that was back in 2012, which stipulate certain points to get the process going. i assume he's talking about that. what i want to specifically say

is if you talk about a political process and a united syria, if bashar al-assad used to be a part of this process and run in a fair and transparent election and so on, would he be elected? you guys have committed yourself in the past to the fact that he lost the legitimacy to govern. student i think we still believe that. as we've said before, those are exactly the sorts of issues that need to be hammered out in political tax is what this transition looks like and what an election looks like. that's what it's so important to get the regime and opposition together to talk spivak i understand, but -- >> we are not going into this prescriptive and laying it would also look like before they got a chance to talk. >> it is obvious that the regime, not necessarily bashar al-assad, but the regime represents a good portion of the syrian people. there are minorities that look to them for leadership.

there's a large portion of the sunni population, many other, christians and so on. so they would want that kind of political entity to represent them. should they be allowed as part of any political process? that is there and transparent? >> should to be allowed? >> the regime. about this regime at syria. >> there's a question that in political talks should we get to that point that the regime would be represented in that. you can't have a political talks and a solution without the regime represented, as they were in the first two rounds. you talked about a large part of a serene population that may be supportive of the regime. let's also talk about the much larger portion of the syrian population that has been killed, injured, named, forced to flee their homes and businesses. in fact forced to flee the country. some four point eight, maybe

more, billion people have been sent outside syria. one of the things we have said throughout our discussions about what the transition process should look like and how it elections ought to be held is that we believe it's a very, very important that that the aspera, those that of influence outside the country because of the brutal of their own government ought to have a chance to cast their ballot, to let their voice be heard. so again we are not going into this prescriptive leap idq. that's the whole reason you want to have talks. >> i can't help but feel like we've been here before. do you have any reason to believe that as long as the words of the secretary and the rest of the world fall on deaf ears in damascus that there's anything at the dynamics on the ground that will make this any different than what we've heard weeks ago and the months ago? >> certainly i think we're all michael and i think you would hear it in the secretary today, we are mindful that we have said

these things before. we have made the same arguments. we have urged the same sort of restraint and dignified approach on both the regime and its backers to little avail. we are exceedingly frustrated by where we are. nobody wants to see what we see coming out of aleppo specifically. but as to your exact question, can i predict a change? no. no. and i wouldn't even attempt to. but this much is clear, carol. if things don't change, if we can't get back to discussions in geneva about a political transition, a peaceful transition to some sort of democratic government in syria, then the war goes on. and sadly, regrettably we we might be up here talking about

another committee, another city that's facing slaughter. that means more extremist are going to be drawn to syria. it means more refugees, more internally displaced people as well as refugees out of the country which will continue to strengthen the resources of nations like turkey and jordan and europe. and it means that the opposition will continue to fight. the civil war will not end. and i can't, it's hard to imagine how that can be seen, that outcome, those outcomes i should say, can be seen as in the interests of anyone, including bashar al-assad. >> is there anything happening on the ground? is there any reason to believe that this time might be different? is, you know, say nothing or forever hold your peace? >> it's not going to be forever hold your peace if they don't get to a better outcome. i think you know secretary kerry well enough that for every

second that he's in the chair he's going to be continue to try to get to a political transition in syria on the way. there's absolutely no question about that. but, i mean, i think, i think we just have to take this, you know, one day at a time. now. now, talking about this day, as he said to you, there has been some positive movement, and it would be remiss of us not to recognize the fact that there are buses that have moved into aleppo to move people out. and indications are that the first to move out with those who were injured, hurt, sick and not necessarily mobile. they were monitored and escorted by red crescent personnel. that'that's not, that's worth recognizing, that today we did see some people get out safely and securely. we need to see that continue. more critically what we need to

see is a cessation of violence in aleppo. because as soon as this cease-fire was announced just or to eight hours ago it was almost immediately broken. so we've seen some positive steps today -- 48 hours -- we just have to stay at it. >> john, pulling up on what you said that there will be more cities where this happens, are there any plans underway for preventing the some happening wherever it is that people are being removed from a lap or heading? >> if you mean we're engaging our partners in relevant parties to this conflict to try to forestall that kind of thing, yes, of course we are. i can't predict. i'm just saying that's the logical outcome. because aleppo is not -- even the dictator assad said that, that taking back aleppo wasn't going to end the war, except when he says that it has a much more, obviously a much more dark connotation.

i don't know, but what we do know is that unless we can get back to the table to try to get some sort of political transition in process, to try to offer a way through, to end the war diplomatically, it will continue. since we believe that you have to assume that it will continue on the streets of other cities, other towns, other communities. i just don't know where or when that might be. spin that the secretary mentioned everybody is on board for negotiations, except the regime. you also now are saying the same thing, but who has approached the regime? have you talked to russians? has the regime rejected an offer to be on board, or is it still up in the air?

had they been approached formally by russia? >> of course they have been approached to russia. we don't have direct communication with the assad regime but russia does. they have the most influence on them and yes, we have pressed upon them, to press upon the syrians to come back to the table and to try to some kind of meaningful political transition. as of the secretary said they havare thus are not only proven unwilling to do that but proven all the more brutally willing to kill their own people. >> do you have any direct medication for the troops left in the small part of aleppo? >> i don't know what the status of direct communications are with the opposition of the fighters in aleppo. i don't think i have that a clear picture. we obviously have contacts with and communication with some opposition groups. there are other nations in the region that are an closer communication with yet other groups. i don't know exactly how many or who the opposition are left in

aleppo delivery difficult for me to answer that question. >> said to clarify your position, secretary kerry said if aleppo falls. do you believe that there is still passionate opposition groups to hold this small part? >> the secretary is right, i think we now have, we don't believe the entire city has fallen yet, but it is certainly on the brink of doing that. we are magnetic about that. -- pragmatic. that's why because we are where we are, that's why we have been working to get civilians as well as opposition members out of there safely and securely. i can't predict when that small enclave may or may not be taken, or what that's going to look like or how hard it's going to be fought for. but by all, by just about any

measure, aleppo has almost completely been taken back. >> as first understand -- the fall of aleppo. the fighters and the civilians in the small parts means -- >> i think we're all facing the reality that's what's going to happen. i'm not sure i understand what the point is. i think we all recognize, nobody is looking at what's going on in aleppo with rose-colored glasses. the city is almost totally now been taken by the regime. we recognize that and the assad regime was able to do that without a external actors including russia and iran. there's no disputing that either. and sadly, hundreds of thousands of people have suffered. many of them innocent people, men, women and children.

and that's why because of where we are with aleppo, because the situation is so dire, first of all it's one of the reasons why the secondary cannot to talk to you directly because of the situation we're in right now because of the need to try to say whatever life are left in aleppo that can be saved. .. the status of fighting in a small area but we had reason to believe that there could be opposition as well. we like to see that we can get

those people out safely and securely. what the regime will do i cannot possibly predict. >> it may not. these fighters on or state where they are which is in contradiction with the terms of the cease-fire as we understand it. >> i do had perfect visibility. aleppo for all intensive purposes has been taken back by the regime. our focus right now is more on trying to save the lives that yet can be saved in trying to get people out that they can indwell get out safely and securely to into securely to other locations. to aid and assistance with food water and medicine that is waiting for them. >> i just want to follow up on something. hopefully people will put actions where the words are

done. a lot of indignation. they want to take action aside from calling for political talks to halt the violence. >> what sort of action are you referring to. is a the u.s. prepared to take action. hopefully people will put actions where the words had been. he's referring to the actions in the responsibilities that are incumbent on the regime. those are the three parties here who have in the past said that they favor a peaceful solution that they favor diplomacy and they have proven quite the comp -- they proven quite the contrary. that is where the failure of leadership is.

the short answer is yes the united states will continue to act to do whatever we can to try to get that into syria and get returned to political talks. and we will do that through the support of the international community. i get the implication. the discussion of military options and while the options always remains alive issue inside our government those sorts of options have been carefully considered. and even at the request and the advice and counsel of our nation's top military leaders the decision has been made that those are not options that will get us to the end we

seek. either in terms of risk and resources and cost and also to the outcomes and consequences that could be actually be worse for the syrian people. it's not like they don't continue to be thought about. as a president said there are no options that are better than a diplomatic one. and one that involves getting the opposition to the table to try to talk about a political transition. i just want to be clear. i'm not picking on you. but when you say act we are acting. we had been waiting. and it doesn't necessarily had to mean anything other than diplomacy although it can. we very much have taken a leadership role.

it was the united states to who led efforts inside the un to get that resolution into place. it was the united states to try to work this out bilaterally and when that failed it was the united states who fashioned together a smaller multilateral effort that we were talking about in recent weeks. we're definitely can stay committed on this. he compared it to that. if a member and samantha power wrote the book on the responsibility to protect. doesn't believe does it believe it has a responsibility to protect the people in aleppo x. >> we definitely want that. and we had been acting on that responsibility for more than

five years. for the last 18 months to two years we try to get a peaceful solution to the conflict. coming from my background and then coming here diplomacy is action. diplomacy is a choice. it's often a more painstaking choice. and as i witnessed myself being in these discussions can be in many ways a much more challenging choice to make. it does connote leadership. the united states has been leading in this effort. to be fair i think you can hear it and secretary carey's voice no one is happy thus far. diplomacy has not done us where we needed to go. we recognize that this diplomatic approach has fallen

short of the outcomes that we wanted to achieve. that doesn't mean it should still be pursued. it doesn't mean that we shouldn't still lead and act and discuss and debate and try to get better outcomes better decisions and some of the parties and the way forward. as i said is difficult to see that the alternative which is the inability to make the right decision is in their actual long-term security interests. what happens is the word just continues. and extremist continue to be drawn in. just this past week. it was retaken by the islamic state. a city that have been the

braided back and they lost it. i think that says something about their state of commitment to defeat them on their own soil. we believe that through our diplomatic leadership we are acting on behalf of the syrian people i want to get this up to the international community as well. they will continue to shoulder and bear that. we are very much aware of our responsibility here to continue to lead these efforts.

>> when the secretary spoke with a foreign minister it's the most we've talked about aleppo. can you tell us about what was said and if it was leverage. i'm not at liberty to read out specific discussions with the foreign minister right now obviously the sanction act was the court topic. how do you make that analogy. i think it is an obvious analogy to make given the level of slaughter that we've seen. in the brutal manner in which

innocent people have been executed right in the streets no historic knowledge is perfect but i think i can definitely see i was alive to remember that. there are parallels in terms of the brutality of one group to another. along in with their influences. >> this is regards to the situation in the iraqi kurdistan. senior officials including the arg prime minister today have complaint about the continue pkk presence in sin jar. it is blocking them from returning to their homes and rebuilding their communities. what is your view of that situation. will be difficult to provide a

specific comment on it. what i can tell you is that we continue to believe that the u.s. designated born terrorist group. it is there to the eternally displaced people. we want them to facilitate political reconciliation. the traumatized communities can rebuild. we urged continued close cooperation between the central government in baghdad to defeat them. >> if i have representatives coming through. you are accent essentially an agreement with them. i have not seen this

comments. i was stating to you what our policy is with respect to the pkk in sin jar. there was a report released. indicating that they are directing an insurgency in a kind state we have a statement earlier today from this building referring us to that report not taking any contentions. they were also telling them that this concurs with their intelligence. i wonder if you could elaborate on the reaction to this and if this is happening and being directed at of saudi arabia do they bear some responsibility and looking into this.

>> we are aware of the report. we are reviewing it right now. it would be inappropriate and premature to make any judgments or statements about individual findings. in general obviously we work routinely every day with allies and partners and friends all over the world to counter violent extremism. and the threat wherever it is is something all governments can and should attention to to try to combat. again, i'm not in the position right now to make any comment on specific findings in the report. >> there is a group you mentioned about the pkk presence there there is a group that is using the name of sindjar protective agency.

you see for example those as two separate groups. in sindjar it's the same organization you call them pkk. >> they should not had any role in sindjar. our assessment of the pkk hasn't changed and i have no updates to give you in terms of our view. >> they are using the names of tran were -- sindjar professional units. you see them as pkk is a terrorist organization we don't believe they should have

any role in sindjar. i will get into intelligence assessments were analysis about how they may be organizing themselves or branding themselves. >> i'm just trying to understand the two different ones. >> they agreed to start two plus two talks with their foreign ministers. and they agreed to talk about some economic cooperation between those northern island. do you have any reaction to the meetings do the geek in a row to the front. sovereign nation states determine their foreign-policy schedules. were not in a position to pass judgment on this meeting or

the content of it. i think it is for the leaders of those nations to characterize what they discuss whatever decisions or joint priorities that may have come out of that. we believe it's important for nations certainly pacific nations in both of them are to have meaningful dialogue and discussion and improved bilateral relations. although is for the betterment of the safety and security of the region. i will leave it to those foreign leaders. to make a couple of days ago i ask you about two hospitals that were on the verge of closing down because they aren't paying up their obligations. i wonder if you have any comment or information on that.

we are concerned about that situation. in fiscal year 2015 the unit states contributed to the $5 million towards the east jerusalem hospitals. i just don't have an exact amount at this time. i think i will leave my statement as it is. thank you everybody. have a great afternoon. if you missed any of the briefing from the state department you can find them online at c-span.org. well had more life coverage tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern. as a national archives foundation marks the 221st anniversary of the ratification of the bill of rights.

that is life here on c-span two at 7:00 eastern. we are checking in life inside the lobby of trump tower. they continue to arrive for meetings. we will take a moment to observe the scene outside the lobby elevators. [indisernible conversations]

[indiscernible conversations] our camera is live in the trump tower lobby they continue to observe life. peter king was one of the people visiting the trump tower tower following the meeting he spoke to reporters.

[inaudible] i have not heard anything from the cia. to me what happened seemed disgraceful. whatever conclusion that they want to come up with is wanting. there is no cia conclusion. they tell us they have no idea what the intent was. it was just to disrupt the election. and cast a cloud over the winter. -- winner. super -- certain elements are really doing that work. they create the uncertainty over the election. i had been in briefing after briefing. they have all said they don't

know what the motive is. it was not to control one candidate over another. and to have it appear the intelligence community has concluded. people in the intelligence community are using the tactics against the president-elect of the united states. the fact that they would not even show up today for the committee briefing to say who was saying the things and who's not it's a disgrace. i was there to discuss different ideas i have on homeland security. and also fortunate for us vice president mike pence was there. >> are you all interested in a job or are you just trying to

get insight. >> i made that clear. no job just insight. it's a very active agenda. i just wanted to give him some ideas that i have as to what to do with the house. >> they've gone from day one of this campaign. it is important that congressman king was here today. obviously this is one of the foremost experts in homeland security in the country i cannot concur more that what's going on now is an injustice to the american voters. donald trump has been elected president of the united states. he will be sworn in in january. i look forward to what i believe will be the one of the breast -- one of the best presidents in the united states. security and national security

and international security are the number one issues that this country faces right now. we have the right men and women on the job it was a great meeting. very productive as congressman king said. we look forward to more in the future. we discussed national security issues and like i said from way back in the early months of this year i had been coming in and out of trump tower a little bit less confusion in the lobby when i used to come in here. mister trump has always been that type of person. he likes to hear it from the street. he likes to hear what's really going on in america. we had continued to have an awesome relationship and very fortunate for that. i hope he feels as fortunate for my advice and counsel as well.

what we have to do to have a justice department i suggested a program similar to what mr. kelly did here in new york. i focused on the fact that we still have to be on the lookout for attacks from overseas. they are the ones that are can be carried out. we have to be more aggressive in trying to stop them. he also has a mind when it comes to understanding politics. i said my district sort of leads democrats.

donald trump carried by five points. that was a nine-point turnaround in the district a district that has a democratic morality. it was accommodation of down-home politics and also talking about world issues. and in the middle of it all vice president pence comes in. it could've been better. my daughter also joined us. right now here in new york. it was very aggressive and forward leaning when it came to trying to estimate and determined where they're going to be coming from. various programs that mr. kelly head which unfortunately the new york

times didn't like. but they were very effective in stopping terrorism. [inaudible] >> i do think that they weren't involved. i'm not certain they were as far as that. i do know that all of the intelligence agencies have said that they do not know what the motive was other than to just disrupt the election. so that no matter who won it would be a cloud over that person. the media and certain democrats in congress had certain elements are doing what they wanted them to do. and that was to put that there. i would say the same thing if

hillary clinton would have been elected. actually we discussed that briefly. the fact that he has ties to russia. he has of dealings with russia. the fact that he was build a relationship that could be used to our advantage. they discuss the foreign relations committee. i do think that could be weaknesses that they have. having someone understands the russian mentality. i have no problems in the house. it will be fine.

i was talking last week with the leading diplomat from one of our very closest allies he thinks this is a time when the united states that we can negotiate we can actually make progress in dealing with the russians. if i may say donald trump said from day one in this campaign that he wanted to bring the best and brightest minds from the private sector into government to help solve our problems. whether it's in homeland security or secretary of state. that is as someone has a tremendous reputation he has dealt with the world leaders from corner to corner of this globe not as a politician but as a businessman and this is what donald trump said he's

can i do. he was in good to professionalize this government. i think a lot of people are over blowing of the relationships of course he's can do business with putin and russia. he's in the oil business. the quality of this man could be second-guessed by no one. i'm absolutely sure of that. [inaudible] >> who's doing it and why didn't they tell the house intelligence committee. why go to the washington post and the new york times under the law they have to go to the house intelligence committee. and it's a crime. where there was a democratic senator and he's giving out. any and permission you get

well lead there. it is going through all of that. could they find a time number two to tell the house committee on intelligence. all i know i'm sure john will agree president-elect trump is almost obsessed with the poor treatment that the veterans get in this country. [inaudible] >> he was basically taking it all in. he wants to do whatever he has to do to protect the american people and then i was i was talking and he was nodding. these are my views. thank you.

>> follow the transition of government on c-span. as president-elect donald trump selects his cabinet and they prepare for the next congress we will take you to key events as they happen without interruption. watch live on c-span. or listen on our free c-span radio app. there is a new candidate the hill tweeting and reporting on the entry into the dnc race saint he is shaking up the campaign that has so far been dominated by minnesota congressman keith ellison and highlighting the split.

he appeared yesterday with one of the senators endorsing him senators endorsing him in the dnc race. they both addressed the group our revolution last night at an event hosted by the american federation of teachers this is about one hour and 20 minutes. [inaudible conversations] >> hello everyone. my name if you don't know is randi weingarten. i want to welcome you here. in the first job is that i want to play a video message from former secretary of labor who was unable to be on this

coast with us today but wants to make it crystal clear for her support for keith ellison. [applause]. i am pleased to tell you that i am in strong support of keith ellison are congressmen and so many who had chaired the progressive caucus. it has been a pleasure to know him into knowing that he know that he cares so deeply about all of the concerns of all of our citizens and residents in the united states. he has been one of those individuals who had worked so hard to gain so much support. i know he is there with you now with my good friend randi weingarten. i know some of our key leadership in the senate and house are supporting him. i just want to cast my vote in

support of him as well. i had known him for many years. when he came to the congress he asked me to come out and help him talk about the needs of immigrants and a talk about healthcare coverage. i know he's going to fight hard on the minimum wage. he will help protect workers rights. he can make sure that we take care of our environment. these are all important elements that most importantly what i think he brings to the table is a fact the fact that he represents the midwest. i know he is a coalition builder. he can raise money. i know he can energize our party the way we need to and he will start at the local level lifting up our democratic parties around the country and helping to invest to do more voter education and also to fight the good fight.

when he comes out and says he wants to deport another million immigrants he knows he will be there to stop that. when trouble comes out and says he wants to build borders around to keep mexicans out for two call out muslim americans i know he will be right there. corporately he is a fighter and he's a friend. they will make sure that they have a good foundation to begin the movement to take back our country and to take back our community. neighborhood by neighborhood. i've no doubt that he will be up to speed and be able to do it and carry through. i want to thank everyone. i want to wish everyone a happy holiday. thank you so much.

>> so as i said my name is randi weingarten and i welcome all of you to our house. you are always welcome because this is the house of fight back and fight for our communities. i am delighted to spend a couple of minutes before i introduce our next speaker that i want to spend a couple of minutes talking about keith and why i personally endorse him why lee saunders personally endorses him. for any of you who don't know keith he is an organizer he is a fighter in the democratic party of which i am a member

and a proud member needs that kind of fighter each and every day in each and every neighborhood in each and every community in america. we need to reengage in rebuild our party to ensure that our most valuable asset many of him in this room fit that our grassroots activists are engaged and engage others so we elect champions of work and family at every level of government. that is what keith can lead us to do and that is why i am so impressed with him but i am willing to follow follow him everywhere. we need to get back to that trust in the engagement. you saw what trumpet did. he found a way with the volume

of lies to underline the trust and every in every insulin tuition that we believe in and he did it over and over again to create caste and confusion so no one would trust anybody. you know what that leads to. fifty years of progress may go down the tubes in the first hundred days of this person's elevation to president since when you lost the popular vote by 3 million votes. it's hard to call some of the actual president. having said that. keith understands that to win gift engage with people. he can tell that he truly believes what he's talking about just by spending three and half nanoseconds with him.

talk to anybody in his district. talk to people in minnesota you see the connection that they have. anyplace in this country and frankly i think keith will be able to unlock the door as bernie did so well to small donor fundraisers and it gets the resources resources into our state parties which is critical for the success of the democratic party. i can go on and on and i can talk about all of those issues but every issue that i had been involved in in my adult life whether it is labor, whether it is education whether it is human rights or civil rights, whether it is environment or any issue you can think of keith is not in

the back but he's in the front of that fight standing up for all of us. that's fine i support educators support nurses support, college professors support that's why we all support keith ellison. so our next speaker who is a federal contract worker for the federal emergency management agency as well as let's hear it. i want to thank latoya for her tireless efforts and i want to bring latoya up to also tell

you why keith is the right choice. good evening everyone. my name is latoya williams and i'm honored to stand here tonight with keith and bernie has last week they stood with me and thousands of other striking federal contract workers. i work at a call center for the federal emergency management agencies. which you may know as fema. every day i'm on the front lines helping victims when a hurricane hits americans call me to hell. -- call me to help. i'm proud how people that are homeless to get out of jim's

and shelters but here is the irony i was home -- i was homeless myself for two years because a federal contract worker that i work for still thousands of dollars from a paycheck not only was i homeless i had thousands of dollars in medical debt and i have to rely on food banks to feed myself. last week when i told my story keith encouraged me to keep fighting and keep organizing. he said every worker deserves a great union job. that is why as a worker organizing with a communication of workers and the jobs nation i'm proud to say that we support keith as the next chairman of the

democratic national community. we all need to come together. in our unions in our churches and our mosques in temples. and in our communities. to fight for change as keith said when we fight together we will win together. it is now my honor it is now my honor to introduce another good job defender. he also believes that when millions of us organize together nobody is going to stop us. give it up for senator bernie sanders.

thank you. let me thank latoya for all of the great work that she does and for the wonderful introduction. and let me also think the tens of thousands of americans in fact we think perhaps hundreds of thousands of americans from every state in this country who are joining us this evening. thank you all and let me also think congressman keith ellison for his willingness to serve as chair of the dnc the democratic national committee and i want to thank the many grassroots organizations consisting of millions of americans who are actively supporting keith including a

revolution the cwa the american federation of teachers the national nurses united union. union. democracy for america. people's action. people for bernie. why not. in free speech tv. i also want to thank the many members of the united states senate and the house of representatives who are supporting keith. the current democratic leader. the new democratic leader chuck schumer is strongly onboard. al franken. chris murphy. i want to thank all of them. and there are many colleagues of keith in the house.

many of them who are supporting keith. i also want to thank mayor bill deblasio came on board. and i want to thank president randi weingarten. thank you very much. although right now that the think is are all done. let's get to the meat of the issue. what we are doing tonight is not sexy, and it's not going to make the headlines in the newspapers all of the country but it is unprecedented for the democratic party and for the long-term future of our country and it is of enormous

consequence. at a time as you all know when millions of americans are demoralized politically and are sick and tired of establishment politics and establishment economics we are gathered here tonight not only in this building but all of america to begin the process of transforming american politics and creating a government which works for all of the people not just the 1%. that is what we're here to do. the first step is to transform the democratic party from a top-down party to bottom-up party.

to create a grassroots organization of the working families of this country will tell you having been all over this great nation of ours the incredible idealism encourage a millions of young people who believe in this country who love this country into our prepared to fight to make this country all that we have become. i want to also thank and urge all americans regardless of income regardless of their race, their national, their sexual orientation to jump on in the political process and to make it a democratic party with a small deed not just a

d-uppercase-letter. in the chair of the dnc is not a personality contest. they are decent people who want to improve the democratic party and want to see us become victorious. the key difference here and what this election is really about whether we continue the status quo or whether we bring forth a very different vision for the future of the democratic party. that is what this election is about. and here's why we need to go forward in a very different direction the painful truth and the truth we have got to recognize the painful truth is

that despite his strong victories in 2000 and eight and 2012 the democratic party has lost enormous political ground over the last eight years. that is just the truth. running against the most unpopular presidential candidate in history the republicans have just won the white house. they now control the united states senate they now control the u.s. house of representatives. republican governors now control almost two thirds of the state houses in this country and over the last eight years democrats had lost some 900 legislative seats from one end of america to the other. that is a simple indisputable truth clearly, whatever the

leadership of the democratic party has been doing over the last many years has failed and we need fundamental change. unbelievably in this really is quite unbelievable when you think about it despite competing against an extreme right wing party is so out of touch with the needs of ordinary americans a party, the republican party that advocates cutting social security. the american people want to expand social security these guys want to cut it. they want to throw 20 million americans off of health insurance they now had. they want to cut medicare and medicaid.

despite competing against a republican party that in the midst of massive income and wealth inequality

to become chair. as i know many of you are aware of he is currently the cochair. and has been one of the leading progressive voices on all on the major issues facing the middle class. he has been there on picket lines he has been upfront and out front. in terms of the need to create a healthcare system that guarantees healthcare to all people as a right. he has been out in front on women's rights. on the need for immigration.

and the need for real tax reform. for many many years, keith has been there not as a follower but as a leader. unlike some of the other candidates running for chair keith knew from day one that the tpt was a disaster for working families and helps us defeat. he is by nature a grassroots organizer. he is not a creature. he is a person who lives in the real world and feels

comfortable in the real world and is going to bring the real world into the democratic party. as i mentioned when i began keith already has the support of the sum of the some of the strongest grassroots organizations in trade unions and we have the support of many progressive officials. but we have something even more important than all that. right now we have the support. a more than 600,000 men and women in every state in this country who had signed petitions that demand in urge that trade to become the next chair of the democratic party. our goal together and i urge

all people who are watching this lifestream to get involved in this process let it take the 6,000 number and make it a million americans who want keith as the next chair. please get your friends and coworkers involved. please go to our revolution.com and get your friends to sign up. brothers and sisters we are in a peerless in momentous moment in american history. you all know that. and we are gonna need a political party that has the guts to stand with working families and has the guts to take on the big money interests are economic and political life. it is my great privilege to introduce to you someone who i believe is going to be the next chair of the democratic na