awe instilled in him by his brother jack. he waited years to deliver his first speech on the senate floor. that is no longer the custom. [laughter] it is good to see tom daschle. they remember what customs were like back then, and ted gave this speech only because he felt there was a topic, the civil rights act, that demanded it. nevertheless, he spoke with humility, oh where as he put it that a freshman senator should be seen, not heard should learn and not teach. some of us, i admit, have not always heated that lesson. unfortunately, we had ted to show us the road anyway, and no

one made the senate, live like ted kennedy. it was one of the great pleasures of my life to hear ted kennedy deliver one of his stemwinder's on the floor. rarely was the more animated than when he went leading the living museum that were his offices. he could, and he would tell you everything that there was to know about all of it. [laughter] and then there were more somber moments. i still remember the first time i pulled open the drawer of my guess. each senator is assigned a desk, and there is a tradition of carving the names of those who had used it before, and those names in my death included taft and baker simon gallstone, and

robert f kennedy. the senate was a place where you instinctively pulled yourself up a little bit straighter, where he tried to act a little bit better. being a senator changes a person, ted wrote in his memoirs. as vicki said, it may take a year or two years or three years, it always happens. it fills you with a heightened sense of purpose. that is the magic of the senate. that is the essence of what it can be, and who but ted kennedy and his family would create a full-scale replica of the senate chamber and open it to everyone?

we live in a time of such great cynicism about all of our institutions, and we are cynical about government and about washington most of all. it is hard for our children to see in the noisy and too often trivial pursuits of today's politics the possibilities of our democracy, our capacity together to do big things, and this place can help change that. it can help like the fire of imagination, plant the seed of noble ambition in the mind of future generations. imagine a gaggle of schoolkids clenching tablets, turning classrooms into cloak rooms, the issues of the day and the responsibility to solve it.

imagine their moral universe expanding as they hear about the momentous battle waged in that chamber and how they echo throughout today's society. great questions of war and peace , of table bargains between north and south, federal and state, and the original sins of slavery and prejudice and the unfinished battle for civil rights and opportunity and equality. imagine the shift in their sense of what is possible the first time they see a video of senators who look like they do. men and women, blacks and whites, latinos, asian americans, this or two great wealth but also those born of incredibly modest means. imagine what a child feels the first time she steps onto that floor, before she is old enough to be cynical, before she is told what she cannot do, before

she is told her she cannot talk to or work with, which he feels when she sits at one of those desks. what happens when it comes her turn to stand and speak on behalf of something she cares about and cast a vote and have a sense of purpose. maybe just not for kids. what if we all carried ourselves that way? what about politics, our democracy was elevated as purposeful as she imagines it to be right here? towards the end of his life, ted reflected on how congress has changed over time and those who

served earlier can have the same conversations. it is a more diverse and accurate reflection of america than it used me, and that is a grand thing, a great achievement , but ted grieved the loss of camaraderie and collegiality the face-to-face interaction. i think he regretted the arguments now may 2 cameras instead of colleagues, directed at a narrow base instead of the body politic as a whole, the outside influence of money and special interest and how it all leads more american to turn away in disgust and simply choose not

to exercise the right to vote. since this is a joyous occasion, it is not a time for me to suggest a slew of ideas for reform, although i do have. [laughter] maybe i will just mention one. what if we carried ourselves more like ted kennedy? what if we worked to follow his example of little bit harder? to his harshest critics who saw him as nothing more than a partisan lightning rod, that may sound foolish, but there are republicans here today for a reason.

they know who ted kennedy was. it is not because they shared ted's ideology or his position, but because they knew ted was somebody who bridged the partisan divide over and over and over again with genuine effort and affection in an era when bipartisanship has become so very rare. they knew him as somebody who kept his word. they knew him as somebody who was willing to take half a loaf and into her the anger of his own supporters to get something done. they knew him as somebody who is not afraid and the air so permeate our politics instead of hope. people fight to get in the senate, and then they are afraid.

we fight to get these positions and then they do not want to do anything with them, and ted understood the only point in running for office was to get something done. not to posture not just sit there worrying about the next election or the poll, to take risks. he understood the difference is the party or velocity could not become barriers to corroboration or respect. -- that differences in part philosophy could not become barriers to corroboration and respect. but in his personal dealings he answered admitted randolph's call to keep the senate a place to restrain if possible the fury

of democracy. i did not know ted as long as some of the speakers here today but he was my friend. i know him a lot. and as far as i could tell, it was never ideology that compelled him. except insofar as his ideology said you should help people that you should have a life of purpose, that you should be empathetic, be able to put yourself in somebody else's shoes and see through their eyes . his tireless this, his restlessness, they were rooted in his experience.

by the age of 12, he was a member of the old star family. by 36, two of his brothers were stolen from him in the most tragic, public of ways. at 41, he nearly lost a beloved child to cancer, and that made suffering something he knew, and it made him more alive to the suffering of others. when his son was sleeping after treatment, ted would wander the halls of the hospital and meet up with parents keeping vigil over their own children. they were parents terrified of what would happen when they could not afford the next treatment, parents working out what they could sell or borrow or mortgage just to make in a few more months, and then if they had to bargain with god for

the rest. there in the quiet night working people of modest means and one of the most powerful men in the world shared the same intimate, immediate sense of helplessness. he did not see them as some abstraction. he knew them. he felt them. their pain was his. as much as they might be separated by wealth and fame and those families would be at the heart of ted's passions. just like the young immigrant he would see himself in that child. they were his cause. the sick child who could not see a doctor the young soldiers sent to battle without armor

the citizen denied her rights because of what she looked like or where she came from or who she loves, and he quietly attended as many military funerals in massachusetts that he could for those who fell in iraq and afghanistan. he called and wrote each one of the 177 families in this commonwealth lost a loved one on 9/11, it he took them sailing and played with their children not just in the days after but every year after. his life's work was not to champion those with wealth or power or connections. they already had enough representation. it was to give voice to the people who wrote and called them from every date, desperate for somebody who might listen and help. it was about he could do for others.

taking them to hospitals in towns and cities and pushing people out of their comfort zones, including his colleagues, because he had pushed himself out of his comfort zone, and he tried to instill in his colleagues that same sense of empathy. even as they called him as one did, with wrong at the top of his lungs, and even if they might disagree with them 99% of the time. because who knew what might happen with that other 1%? orrin hatch was sent to washington in part because he promised to fight ted kennedy and they fought a lot. orrin was a conservative mormon from utah, and the other one was, well, ted kennedy. [laughter]

but once they got to know what another, they discovered something in common, about-face, a soft spot for health care very fine singing voices, -- about faith. orrin held the first hearing on the eighth epidemic, even hugging and a patient and incredible a very important gesture at the time. the next year, ted took over the committee and continued what orrin started and when orrin's father passed way, ted was one of the first to call. i was over at -- it was over dinner that they try to assure that the 10 million children did not have access to health care -- that debate hit roadblocks in congress as apparently debate over health care tend to do. ted would have his chief of staff celebrate orrin to court

his support. when hearings did not go ted's way, he might pop on a cigar to anoint orrin, who did not like smoking. when they did not go orrin' s way, he might threaten to call ted's sister eunice. but when there came a time to pay for the health insurance, ted pounced. offering a tobacco tax and asking argue for joe campbell and the marlborough man or millions of children who lack adequate health care tumor it was the kind of friendship unique to the senate, calling to mind when john calvin once said of henry. i do not like clay. he is a bad man, an imposter, a creator of wicked scheme. i would not speak to him, but by

god, i love him. [laughter] sure, orrin hatch wench -- once called ted one of the major dangers to the country, but he also stood up at a gathering in ted about it last month and said, i'm asking you all to pray for ted kennedy -- at a gathering in ted's last month and said, i am asking you to pray for ted kennedy. the something can need everything to a whole lot of people. it was common ground that led ted and orrin to forge a compromise that covered millions of kids with health care. it was common ground that led ted and chuck grassley to cover kids with disabilities and life

ted and peter michie to fight for americans with a mental illness, common ground, not rooted in abstractions or rigid ideologies but shared experience that led ted and john mccain to work on a patient's will of rights and to work to forge a smarter immigration system, a common desire to fix what is broken, a willingness to compromise in pursuit of a larger goal. a personal relationship that lets you fight like that on one issue and shake hands on the next. just cajoling or horsetrading or serenade. ted about your brand of friendship and kindness and humor and grace. what binds us together across our differences in religion and politics are economic theory, ted wrote in his memoirs, is all

we share as human beings, the weather we experience when we look at the night sky the gratitude that we know when we feel the heat of the sun, the sense of humor in the face of the unbearable and the persistence of suffering and one thing more, the capacity to reach across our difference to offer a hand of doing -- healing. for all of the challenges of the changing world and all of the imperfections of our democracy the capacity to reach across our differences is something that is entirely up to us. maybe all in our own lives set an example for the kids to enter the doors and exit with higher expectations for their country.

maybe all remember the times this american family has challenged us to ask what we can do, to dream and say why not, to seek a cause that endures, and sail against the wind in its pursuit and live our lives with that heightened sense of purpose. thank you. may god bless you. may continue to bless this country that we love. thank you. [applause]

>> following the dedication ceremony, vice president joe biden spoke at the kennedy institute in a room created to be a replica of the actual u.s. senate chamber. [applause] vice president biden: wow. we will come to order. the chaplain, the chaplain will please come and open up with a prayer. chaplain: let us pray. eternal lord god who alone spread out the heavens and rules the raging of the sea, you have

been our help in ages past. you are our hope for years to come. lord, what an amazing day this has been. we thank you for the life and legacy of a lion of the senate edward m kennedy. lord, you selected him from his siblings to run a legislative marathon that would bring deliverance to captives and provide hope for the lost, the lonely, and the least. we thank you for this full-scale replica of the united states

senate chamber that he loved so much. oh, god, maybe inspiration we receive from this -- ourselves. when our dreams come true simply because we have dreamed to you a little, may senator kennedy's believe that to whom much is given, much is required challenge us to feed the hungry, to give water to the thirsty, to visit the sick, to close the make it, to minister to the incarcerated, to take care of the strangers.

maybe laudable footprints edward m kennedy has left in the sands of time challenge us to tear more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery, where losing sight of land we will find your stars. push back the horizons of our hopes and lead us into a future fueled by faith, focus, and fortitude. we pray in your sovereign name amen. vice president biden: please

remain standing while we pledge allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the nations which it stands, one nation, under god, indivisible, for liberty and justice for all. please be seated. thank you, and welcome to this incredible full-scale replica of the united states senate chamber . along with the rest of my colleagues here, it is good to be almost home. this replica looks like the actual senate chamber, and it feels like the real one with reverend admiral black opening us, and once again sitting in

front of the senate parliamentarian who i looked to for guidance for so many years. there is a tradition in the senate. it is that the presiding officer, the senate pro tempore, the most senior member, does not preside all of the time. the majority party supplies folks on an hourly basis for you students to preside in the president's chair, and having been number 100 in senority, i remove her how i realized i would be absolutely totally lost but not for the fact this gentleman here to my right was sitting in front of me, telling exactly what to do when i presided, and even then, i thought some of it wrong, but i

would like to start with some acknowledgments. in the spirit of bipartisanship republicans and democrats are sitting next to another on both sides of the aisle rather than the traditional way with them rather sitting to my right and democrats -- republicans to my left. as a matter of fact, i never thought i would see barbara mikulski to my left in the chamber. [laughter] senator, in a great honor to see you. in the spirit of bipartisanship, i would like to ask senator stand and remain standing when i called their name. senator markey of massachusetts, senator debbie stapp and michigan, senator jim sasser of tennessee, senator william cowan of massachusetts, senator barbara mikulski of maryland senator angus king of may, senator kay bailey hutchinson of texas, senator kay hagan of north carolina, senate majority leader tom daschle of south

dakota, senator shelby white house of rhode island, senator amy klobuchar of minnesota senator carl levin of michigan senator don ringle of michigan senator gordon smith of oregon mrs. irene noa, wife of the late senator daniel inouye of hawaii, senator chris dodd of connecticut, ms. catherine states -- stevens, wife of the late senator ted stevens of alaska, senator bob graham of florida, senator paul kirk of massachusetts, ladies and gentlemen. welcome back to the senate. [applause] please be seated. i would like to ask members of the house of representatives

with us today, including the massachusetts delegation to stand as a group and be acknowledged. [applause] thank you all for being here. please seated, and i also want to acknowledge the government leaders from the commonwealth and from the city of boston that joined us today, the lieutenant governor, attorney general healy, state treasurer goldberg, state president stan rosenberg state speaker of the house, and the mayor of boston, marty walsh. [applause] and especially pleased to see so many future senators in our midst, and there are 50 students here today as their badges show from every state in the nation and they will or being here, and, of course -- of course, our thanks to the

kennedy family who made all of this possible. with the kennedys please stand up, all 370 of you? [laughter] [applause] thank you so much. and thank you for this honor. the united states senate chamber in which three kennedys have nobly served. the kennedys are the only family to send three brothers, john bobby, and teddy to the united states senate. the kennedy family has a remarkable record of public service, and i would like to recognize all of those in the family who have served ambassador jean kennedy smith, connecticut senator ted kennedy junior, congressman patrick kennedy, senator joe kennedy the second, senator joe kennedy the third, ambassador caroline kennedy, lieutenant governor

kathleen kennedy townsend, and maryland house of delegates mark schreiber. [applause] and finally, i would like to especially thank vikki and all of the family members who are with us today. vicki, this wonderful, wonderful occasion, thank you. [applause] you have done the nation a favor , with a tireless efforts to construct this incredible, incredible chamber, which brings me to some opening remarks i would like to make, with your permission. like my former colleagues in this chamber, i can remember vividly, vividly 41 years ago when i first stood to speak on the floor as united states senator. i was the least senior senator of not only that your but they

told me the least senior senator in all of american history to be elected to the united states senate. senate seniority is based on previous offices you held. i was a county councilman. then it was still a time, and you held the same office with whomever you were elected with that year, because you are usually elected on the same date, and then it got down to the size of your state, and i was from delaware, and it went on that, so you could not get less senior than i was, and as i'm close to speak, i was in the back row, second seat and, and as i rose to speak, a young man with a beard, i stood up, and as i did, there was the death i was flanked by left and right, i found myself putting my hands on the desk, and all of a sudden i say to distinguish -- sent to the distinguished senator, there

was a thunderbolt, that the desk to my right was the desk of henry clay, and the desk to my left was the desk of daniel webster, and it struck me -- i remember this like yesterday -- a sense of awesome responsibility that i felt, just standing there. i felt so unprepared, having been a student of the senate and application of mine like some of my colleague. i cannot believe i was standing literally in the footsteps of the location of some of the greatest senators that had ever served, and only a few seats down on the next row over here was the lion of the senate senator edward m kennedy.

i remember it -- i really do remember it like it was yesterday, having any the careers of senators who had gone before me. i had tried to keep that sense of awe and respect that i felt that day in my mind throughout my career, and to be honest with you as the senators have served your can tell you, it wasn't hard, because every time you walked into this chamber, i remember the first time i walked i remember the first time i walked in, i saw the senator from tennessee, how intimate it failed. i expected something different when i walked through those doors. i walked through six days after everyone else had been sworn in because i was sworn in late for other reasons, and i remember being ushered through that door by the sergeant at arms and thinking to myself, this is so personal.

it seems so -- i don't know how to say it. it seems to be so intimate, and 36 years later as i stood to make my farewell address to the united date set it, i still have the same as i that the senator from michigan, mr. levin, did, the same sense of what an incredible privilege it was to be in this chamber, but ted sent in -- said it best, when he said, and i quote, being a senator changes a person. something fundamental and profound happens to you when you arrive there. and it stays with you all of the time you have the privilege to serve there. it does change you. i suspect those of you students who are here as senators today

ask any of the senators who presently serve or have served before. they can give you incredible examples of watching people change. i ran for the united states senate because i stood against everything that senator strom thurmond and senator eastland and others stood for. yet, on the 100th birthday actually four days after the wondered birthday -- the hundredth birthday, senator strom thurmond was in the hospital dying, and i got a phone call from his wife saying, i just left the senator, and he has a favor to ask of you. mr. chairman. and i said, anything at all, and he said -- she said, he wants you to do his eulogy. the idea that 33 years later i

would be asked to do the eulogy of a man with whom i had such a profound disagreement, and i watched even him change. by the time he left the senate he had a larger black staff than anyone in the united states that it. he voted for the voting rights act. he changed in many ways. it is an enormous gift, so intimate place. people do change. i learned that women and men arrived in this chamber not only from different parts of the country but with very different perspectives, and they all come no matter what their ideology because they think they want to make things better, and if you get to know them, you begin to

understand that maybe your way is not the only way to fill the promise of the nation, and the interesting thing is you students who are here, and hopefully future senators, to understand that this is designed as a unique body. we are part of the congress, but we are designed to be a different place with a different function, different obligations than any other branch of the government. this body was intended to be a place that could withstand the popular storms and passions of the moment. six terms, not two or four. 1789, it demanded civil discourse, civil behavior, and

sanctions. rule 19, forbidding senators to ever refer offensively to another person's state or to personally impugn the integrity of another senator. not the stuff of ordinary parliamentary bodies. but all of this was intuitive to senator kennedy. the causes he was committed to. he never acted in a small way. senator kirk can tell you as his chief of staff for so many years, he was magnanimous. as a consequence of his

magnanimity, he elevated the discourse in this chamber. with that booming voice and big heart. he made the united states senate a better place. he helped this institution meet its responsibilities. even in moments of great national turmoil. and there were great days of national turmoil when this senator arrived in 1973. the nation, we are told, today is divided more than it ever was. that is simply, factually, not true. it was so much more divided in the days when the lion of the senate roamed this floor. the civil rights movement had

not been completed. shortly after, the march on selma. shortly after, the vicious fight to maintain the voting rights act. the nation was still divided. women's rights were just being articulated and debated. the equal rights amendment which drew vicious and divisive separations within this body. the environmental movement challenged by business and enterprise. it's contrary to our an economic system. stifling growth. vietnam was not only ripping the senate apart but families, the nation.

my whole generation. contentious judicial nominations. the outcome of which would more likely dictate the fate of america long after the senators voted on those nominations no longer served. every great senator out of the 315 with whom i've served, comedy was arrived at. consensus was reached. great senators like mike mansfield of montana. howard baker of tennessee. hubert humphrey of minnesota. mark hatfield. george mitchell, democrat from

maine. barry goldwater, republican from arizona. it danny elway from hawaii. bob dole from kansas. nancy kassebaum. barbara mikulski, democrat from maryland. this is a place where friendships were made. i will never forget hubert humphrey was literally on his last leg, dying of cancer. going through intense chemotherapy. we were about to recess. he died shortly thereafter. i remember barry goldwater walking up to him in the well and them and bracing for long -- embracing. for long period, both crying. the senate rising to his feet for sustained emotional applause. barry goldwater and hubert

humphrey. as a consequence, the senate functions as it was designed. the nation in the midst of that turmoil in those early years that i served arrived at consensus. and all of america was better for it. all those i mentioned including former senators and current senators are sitting with us today. they understood and understand that no one has a corner on the truth. no one's perspective is the only perspective. each of them understood that the actions in this chamber should ultimately reflect the decency the honor, and the capacity for the american people.

they were privileged to serve. thousands of young people, generations have stepped in to this chamber. the succeeding debates, they stand in those desks and understand the basic truths about what makes this institution the colossus of the constitution as john adams said. our hope is that each of you leave understanding that the one guarantee is your active participation. understanding the role of the most deliberative body ever conceived by man.

the institution in which you are sitting right now. that every former senator and present senator tell you what i told you. the greatest honor of my life, including being vice president of the united states, was to serve in this chamber. i was there at the behest of the people of my state. they trusted me in consecutive elections to represent them. i can think of no greater honor. i think you will find, the students, if they have time, take an opportunity to engage the senators here now. both currently serving and have served. my guess is they will tell you

something not fundamentally different from what i've said to you. this is the colossus of the constitution. i hope we got the same feeling. but it only functions and functions best when you understand that every major issue i've ever watched resolved only got resolved because of personal trust, personal confidence, and the senator on the other side of the aisle with whom you were dealing. that is the stuff that makes this bodywork. that makes this country work. ladies and gentlemen, in keeping with the tradition of the united states senate, i ask you to do almost what we did every new senator -- what we did. every new senator has an opportunity to lift -- you will

not be able to do this -- open the desk and literally carve their name if they so desire in the base of the desk. i had the great honor of having president john f. kennedy's desk. and a desk that had the longest consecutive serving family members in the senate. the baird family from the state of delaware. it matters. the closest thing we can do, and it matters because it will be recorded -- i ask you now to take some pride -- there we go -- take some pride that only senator daschle pointed out today that their were 1963

senators that signed their names and the desk. each of you have before you the ability to sign, but not on a desk. if you would take out your tablets and please sign your name on the tablet. do they all have these tablets? you do? just actual senators? i thought you were able to. do what you have done before. sign your tablet. and hit submit.

once you have done that, thank you all very much. and now, the senate has been a place of dialogue, debate, decision surrounding the most pressing issues facing the nation. as a assume the floor, their statements will -- i am pleased to recognize our future leaders who will be reciting our noble purpose. we will start with the first president of the united states senate. john adams. i recognize john adams. >> him more permanent than this will be necessary to defend the right, liberty, and properties of the people. and to protect the constitution of the united states of america.

vice president john adams, massachusetts, 1797. >> it is true, sir, that members of the house of representatives are elected for two years. the president for four years. and the members of the senate for six years. and during the temporary years. and during the temporary official term, these officers constitute what is called "the government." and when the people make their what is called "the government." and when the people make their well known, the officer will obey that will. wisconsin, 1917. >> let me say, mr. president that when the women of the country come in and sit with you, though there may be but very few in the next few years i pledge you that you will get ability.

integrity of purpose. you will get exhaustive patriotism. and you will get youthfulness. senator rebecca lattimore, georgia, 1922. >> we walked down the senate aisle. raise our right hands. we took on these very grave responsibilities. painful as it can be at times, we have to undertake them. with all the courage and conviction within us. senator edward brooks, massachusetts, 1970. >> it is with senators as individuals who are of fundamental importance. in the end, it is the institution of the senate. it is the senate itself as one of the foundations of the constitution. it is the senate as one of the

rocks of the republic. senator mike mansfield. 1963. >> the senate is the anchor of our republic. a morning and evening star in the american constitutional constellation. the united states senate has served our country so well because great and courageous senators have always been willing to stay the course through thick and thin. senator robert seaford, 2009. >> i got into politics fighting. in other countries, we put -- they put them in jail. in this country, they put them in the senate. senator barbara mikulski

maryland, 2013. [applause] >> i still believe, as we were brought up to believe, that is a noble profession. i am anonymously mindful every day of my life that the greatest public honor of one's life is service in the senate. it is for me. i always think the greatest contribution i would have made would be my children. but my greatest public honor would be service in the senate representing massachusetts. the state i love. it which has played such an extraordinary role in this nation. it from the revolution of this country to its members being involved in the constitutional convention. it to the strong support by the

abolitionist's ending slavery. the support for the slough jets -- for the suffragettes. the people of massachusetts have a high standard for progress to be made by their representatives. and it is one that challenges all of us each day. senator edward m kennedy massachusetts, 2015. [applause] biden: now that we have heard from the past, let's make a pledge for the future. i invite everyone in the entire chamber on the floor and in the gallery to please and and join me in making a commitment to the leadership in service this institute represents. please respond by saying, "i do."

we, the people of this hallowed chamber in order to strengthen the system of self-government, make the following pledge. do you solemnly swear that you will be an active and engaged citizen of the united states? do you pledge to show courage and compassion in your service to others? do you pledge to use your heart, soul, intelligence, and imagination to make america better? do you pledge to work together with anyone regardless of differences in background or belief to solve problems and make this a more perfect union? do you pledge to always strive to uphold the values of justice,

equality, and opportunity. and do you affirm that you will fulfill your duties as a citizen and proud american? >> i do. biden: the senate stands adjourned. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> the c-span cities tour is learning about literary life of tulsa, oklahoma. >> woody guthrie is the most famous. he was much more than that.

he was born in 1912. we are very proud to have his work back in oklahoma where we think it belongs. he was an advocate for people who were disenfranchised, for people who were migrant workers from oklahoma, kansas, and texas during the dust bowl. they found themselves in california starving. he felt this vast difference between the haves and have-nots. he became the spokesman through his music and dance. >> we have a listening station that features 46 of his songs in his own voice. that's what makes the recordings so significant and so important to us. ♪ this land is your land, this land is my land. from california, to the new york island ♪.

>> "washington journal" is next read we will look at today's news and take your calls. the head of the irs will be at the national press club at 1:00 eastern. we are getting questions on his negotiations with iran. at 8:00, live coverage of the chicago mayors debate. coming up, we will get the latest on nuclear talks with iran it. we will talk to a former state department official. we will look at the germanwings

plane crash and the mental health of pilots. you can also join us on facebook and twitter. ♪ host: good morning, it's tuesday , march 31, 2015 on the "washington journal." we will discuss the final hours of the iran nuclear negotiation ahead of tonight deadline for a deal. and we will also discuss the deadly plane crash last week in the french alps. but we begin with the dedication of a new institute honoring the late senator ted kennedy and the u.s. senate. former president james buchanan once called the senate the greatest deliberative body in the world. but yesterday, president obama and others worried it