tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. tonight, we will get an assessment overworking people stand with senator ernie sanders of vermont, one of the most outspoken advocates for living wage and campaign finance reform . will turn to a conversation with carla bruni. she recently released her fourth cd. we are glad you have joined this conversation with bernie sanders and carla bruni. ♪

♪ >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. tavis: please to have senator bernie sanders, who last week thought valiantly along with democrats on the floor of the senate against an effort by republicans to not increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. republicans won that fight, that

i suspect the fight will continue. senator sanders, good to have you back on this program. you guys thought to push this to $10.10 an hour? the republicans fought against it. you lost. tell me why and how. vote, 54 the majority votes. we have to deal with republican filibusters. we need 60. it is very clear to me that the republican party has moved toward being an extreme right-wing party. historically, they supported raising the minimum wage and now they don't. seven dollars 25 cents an hour, which is what the national minimum wage today is, is a starvation wage. you have millions of families finding it impossible to provide for their families.

in my mind, raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour does not go far enough, that it is an important step forward in giving a pay raise to some 28 million americans who desperately need it. these starvation wages. republicans disagree. what is at the epicenter of their argument against raising the minimum wage to a living wage? republicans,any and i do not think most americans know this, you have many republicans who not only do not want to raise the minimum wage, their view is that we should abolish the concept of the minimum wage. that means if you are in a high unemployment area and employer offers you three dollars an hour, that is what the wage will be. the bottom line for the republicans in general, it is

the same old story. they believe that we should give more tax breaks to the wealthiest people in this country and to the largest corporations and not magically trickle down economics will create millions of good paying jobs in america. history has suggested that is not the case. tavis: if you cannot get beyond this vote votes -- if is not a filibuster proof, how do we ever get around to the minimum wage to a living wage? does it mean that is not going to happen? >> their approach is going to be twofold. it is already happening around the country. the national minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. state after state has gone substantially above that. in vermont, we are close to nine dollars an hour. washington is higher than that.

seattle, last week, there city council decided to eventually move the minimum wage to $15 an hour. i think what is really going on here is the extreme right-wing, the coke brothers and other folks, exert in our mess influence -- enormous influence over members of the congress. at a time when the middle class is disappearing and we have more people living in poverty than ever before, what the republicans want to do is continue their efforts to go to war against working families and the middle class and provide everything they possibly can to the top one percent. >> what does it say about our national politics? the minimum wage increases that are happening are happening in states and cities across the country, but not out of washington. it is impossible to

get anything done in the senate unless you get 60 votes. we rarely get support from republicans on anything that is significant. the republican house is not going to do anything to hope working families. let me be very honest with you, what i believe -- if we do not get our act together, i believe this country will move toward an oligarchy form of society where billionaires and the big-money interest will control the economic life of this country and the political life of this country. as a result of citizens united, billionaires are able to provide hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in elections all over this country to defeat progressive candidates and to support right-wing candidates. unless we overturn citizens

united, unless we pass some form of public funding, i worry very much about the political future of this country. tavis: if you cannot get enough votes, surely we do not think at this moment, that we can overturn citizens united so that was millions of dollars more, given these recent supreme court decisions, being poured into political campaigns, what agency do the american people have to fight back against that kind of money? ofthe only thing i can think him what i believe from the bottom of my heart is that we have to educate, we have to organize, and we have to take the fight to the republicans. they are on the wrong side, not only from a public policy point of view, but politically. ask people all over america, should we raise the minimum wage, people say yes.

should we cut medicare and medicaid? and people say no. it is clear to me, and i hope to more and more americans, that the republicans are simply doing the bidding of the billionaire class and ignoring the middle income people of this country and working families. what we need to do is to educate and organize. what the pundits predict is that in this next election, november 2014, 60% of the american people will not vote. young people will not vote. low income people will not vote. that is not what democracy is supposed to be. -- tavis: you are preaching to the choir that we need to engage our democracy at the polls.

americanide, the people, the people you just listed, know that our democracy is dysfunctional and they know that the process is rigged. why participate in a system that is more of an auction that an election? you why. you do not have the luxury of not participating. families, working lower income people, young people, do not participate, we will look at a situation where climate change gets worse and worse and we have a political party who do not acknowledge the science. we will look at a situation where the middle class is disappearing and you have a republican party which is simply interested in the needs of the rich. i understand that the average american looks at washington and says, what is going on? why should i vote?

you have got to participate in a way you never have before. if you don't elect good people, if you don't hold them accountable, if you don't defeat the people who want to privatize social security, medicare, medicaid, food stamps -- massive cuts in food stamps -- if you do not organized against that agenda, this country is going to be in very sorry shape. group ine particular that larger group of working-class americans are veterans. you are the chair of the veterans affairs committee and this story is developing as we speak at a phoenix where we are told that the va hospital in phoenix falsified some white times and there may be as many as 40 people who have died -- wait times and there may be as many as 40 people who have died. >> those are serious

allegations. what we have done -- the v.a. inspector general is in phoenix and i just spoke to the inspector general a few days ago. they have the resources to do a thorough investigation, which is what they have to do. after that investigation, we will be holding one or more hearings on that issue to get to the truth of that situation. centers has 151 medical , 900 primary care facilities, and hundreds of thousands of employees. large,rge, -- by and v.a. is good quality health care. it is cutting edge in some areas. we will get to what is wrong. but we will not throw the baby out with the bathwater. tavis: good to have you on the program. a conversation with the former first lady of france and now for

time recording artist, carla bruni. stay with us. ♪ bruni first started writing songs over 30 years ago and she now has four albums to her credit. it still may be difficult for audience to see her just as a singer-songwriter. she was the first lady of france . she married nicholas our cozy during the second year of his presidency. sarcozy during thez second year of his presidency. >> ♪ [singing in french]

♪ tavis: you feel a lot for your these days? looks it is wonderful to be in america -- >> it is wonderful to be in america and to play my french music. your -- for for reer, we have time for the family, a lot less pressure. when mylso a great time husband was the president. tavis: what did you find most difficult? , the pressure from

the media, the public i. i was afraid to make a mistake, say something wrong. say something wrong to some other president. i became french when i got married. i became french at 40 years old. you are always afraid you are always afraid you were not good enough to do such -- it is not a job, it is a function. do something stupid being me now, it does not really matter. silly, unionething opposition, the whole country, 60 million go, -- the whole this is, 60 million go -- in front of the world. i feel much freer.

ands: i am listening to you what i am thinking the juxtaposition between being not wantingst lady, to make a mistake, and music is the exact opposite. what makes music work is that you are willing to take risks and try things. that is how you become a great artist. >> that is the story of life. course, show business is much lighter atmosphere, much lighter challenge. it is a challenge for some people. everybody has trouble. he do not need to be depressed and to have trouble. -- you do not need to be the president to have trouble. let's make it like an adventure. let's not fight it.

something really nice is that you can help people when you are in that position. people send your letters, they ask for help. i could raise money to give it to the people, a foundation. i could help by calling people and going to visit them in hospital. it was really nice. it was not the story of my personal artistic life. as a human being, you know, it was white experience. -- it was quite an experience. tavis: music has many languages and you sing in many of them. >> this album is a typical french songs. my lyrics are french. the music could be folk music.

so many talented folk players in america. cohen,ls will be leonard bob dylan. sitn come to your house and in your salon and play. it would not sound so different. i do not so many microphones or production. the old traditional type of songwriting, that is what i am trying to do. this album is french songs. that little french song is half in english. tavis: how does this -- for those who are just now coming to know that you really are an artist, this is your fourth cd, how does this compare to the first three? >> i feel like i am always writing the same songs. i write love songs.

i like love songs. tavis: if you are french and italian, you have to write about love songs. i really admire when people write social songs, and dancing songs. i really love to dance. melancholy, but also happy songs. they talk about tenderness. many songs are like dreamers songs. you can use it to go away when you are stuck somewhere you do not like. you can get into a day dream. this song does not have an historical meeting or anything. -- meaning or anything. it goes from my heart to yours. my way of writing is very songwriters who

try to tell a little story. tavis: i believe that what comes from the heart reaches the heart. love songs have a unique way of doing that. of all of the things that you could have written about, what does the fact that you write almost exclusively about love, what does that say about carla bruni? >> romantic. is notsessed with -- it only happy love, right? ust.an be l it can be a love that has not happened yet. i do not know where the inspiration is coming from, what when i write, i need to feel moved. also have a few songs about when you lose people, when people go.

love -- those are the two points of life. it is not really the point, but it is the only certainty. it is difficultit is not reallyt completely a read of it. i like writing about desire, writing about tenderness. to my baby girl. for are not songs very good -- i would not go jogging with my music. you written a lullaby for your baby yet? lullabiesre beautiful . classic lullabies.

thatt of single lullabies mothers have been singing to their kids. thateing the lullabies mothers have been singing to their kids. hope that if one listens to them, it is like a caress. tavis: you about a very successful u.s. tour. what have you made of getting out in our country? >> i was scared they would not come. , they willast minute not come. why would they come? usually when you come to america, being french, mostly the audience is french. yorkld feel in canada, new , and here in los angeles that the audience was not so french. that is a major challenge

because to make american people listen for one hour and a half of french songs. to me, it was a miracle. tavis: it is hard to find a more romantic language. we love romance. >> definitely. lust, we like a little too. the language is so beautiful. feel when they are french and when they are american. when i speak, i can feel the reaction. if i make a joke in french and there is no reaction, there is no french people. i said to myself, 1800 people

came. the traffic, the timing, and they did not get the address right. tavis: every night you walked out and there was a crowd full of people. your husband has been going with you? >> when he lost the presidential election the second time in 2012, i said, do you mind if i go on tour? i miss him. we are like a new couple. --m not a very good to ring touring type. our is notending t for me. i miss my husband, i miss my friends, i miss my dog. said, i amme -- i invited to america. this is such an occasion. 10 days away.

he said, ok, i will come with you. that changed it completely. tavis: i am glad you had a good time. her, you canissed get the project. go pick it up. harlow bernie, "little french songs -- carla bruni, "little french songs." for tonight.how thank you for watching. as always, keep the faith. >> ♪ french] in

♪ >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with marlo thomas. that is next time. ♪

>> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. pbs.

hello, welcome to "this is us." i'm becca king-reed. this week we are aboard the uss hornet a world war ii air carrier for a special program in honor of pearl harbor remembrance day. you will hear a dozen local pearl harbor survivors recount how their lives were changed forever on december 7, 1941, when the sea turned to flames, ships were sunk, friends were lost, and this nation was catapulted into world war ii. old men who were once young warriors recall a date which will live in infamy. and it all starts now. your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald.