surrounded tall stand that was their tribute to her for being there for them. we see that legacy honored, all the things she did with kosovo, withit bosnia, we see it in so many ways. today we have the president, prime minister and former prime kosovo here. we have the foreign minister of bosnia and herzegovina. it took us until the slaughter of srebrenica but finally got together enough to do what's being done in a different way to try to save ukraine.

from the day she entered you in until thehe day she left, she tried to stick up for people who were leftfo out and left behind and in spite of all of its imperfections and wets all know them, i'm very grateful that the peace is held in bosnia for now more than 26 years. b we see her legacy honored here by the presence of the vice president ofre colombia where madeleine believed being a good neighbor was dealing with a country that was the oldest democracy in south america where the land was then under the control of the narco traffickers with plan colombia and just a few years later, the 50th anniversary of the inter-america development bank was held inte medellin, formerl

the drug capital of the world. she believed in that.al she believed in the integrity of all the former republics of the soviet union and i believe the president of i georgia is here todayen and i'm very grateful f that. i'm grateful that she was an aggressive voice, supporting vice president gore and we were trying to soundor the alarm on climate change, and we didn't always win in case you didn't notice. for example, when al flew to japan to get the kyoto accord the first ever international agreement on climate change, the senate voted against it 98-0 belief he got off the airplane home. but madeleine thought it was the right thingbu to do and she kep

banging the drum. and i think time has proved her out. the secretary of state's job as i came to learn firsthand as a traveling job, i was fortunate to travel many miles with her. when i first heard that she passed away the very h first thg i did, i was home in new york, was to go into the kitchen and look at these two beautiful paintings from haiti that madeleine gave hillary and me because she knew how much we cared about what happened there. and there are just so many things that i remember, i remember that in addition to colombia she was always interested in argentina not only because they were a very strong ally of the united states, but

because when i went on the state visit and she went with me, i went into -- with hillary, we went into a dance hall in downtown buenos aires and there was madeleine dancingdo a mean tango. rest of us were looking for lessons. she was looking for the dance floor. she was always about a half a stepal ahead on a lot of these things that matter a lot. i'm saying this all because she was a really fully developed woman, i mean her life was sort ofn a microcosm of the late 20 century in europef and the unid states,op family run out of the home first by hitler and then by stalin. she came to america still not

knowing the true story of her family and what they had done to survive. she was -- after she was secretary of state she finally learned that she was actually raised jewish and had three of her four grandchildren -- i mean grandparents die in the holocaust. but somehow in the middle of all that, we gave a distinguished czech diplomat and his family a chance to come to america as refugees and their daughter wound up becoming ambassador to theup u.n. and secretary of sta and doing lots of other good things. she made us laugh. she made us cry. some of us she made mad.

but she had a full, hopeful life because she knew what she believed in, she knew what she was for, she knew what she was against and she wanted other people to feel the same way and then to talk about it instead of kill each other over it. that's basically her simple political philosophy. today we see in ukraine all too tragicallye what madeleine alws knew, that the advance of freedom is neither inevitable or permanent and that in politics where the lure of power is strong and the temptation to abuse it is often irresistible there are no permanent victories or defeats. her book on fascism was one of many she n wrote. i personally loved the one she

wrote comparing the relationship of religion and politics in different countries. she justn was curious. i want you to remember that. she was a great secretary of state. there's 20 other things i could mention. but the most important thing is, god gave her a fine mind, a wealth of experience for anybody who was willing to pay attention to it and she made the most of it not just for herself but for other people. she loved this country more than you will ever know. and one of my proudest, sad moments was when we went together to vaclav havel's funeral and i believe that his wife dagmar and high officials of the czech government are here today too. madeleine spoke for the united

states. and we were in the national cathedral. it was freezing cold, and madeleine got up and started mourning and paying tribute to her friend in their native tongue. the impact on the audience was electric. she spoke about five languages, i think, four more than i do anyway. some would say five but anyway she -- the impact was electric. and i kept thinking, this is what america is about. that a hard working immigrant family could come here and it could come to this. so i ask you, madeleine said

once that we can't just be actors, we have to be authors of our own history. she was a great author. but will people read, remember, follow? this is what she would want me tos say today. i had a good life. i was happy. i was so blessed in my family and my work and friends. but freedom and democracy and the rule of law are not permanently enshrined just because we've survived 200 plus

years. now, think about the world you want for your grandchildren and work f for it. we love you, madeleine. we miss you. but i pray to god we never stop hearing you, just sit on our shoulder and nag us to death so we do the right thing. god bless you. thank you.

president biden, president and mrs. obama, president clinton,en vice president gore, secretaries of state, members of the cabinet, members of congress and friends from literally around the world gathered on thisld glorious day in this magnificent cathedral to celebrate the extraordinary life and service of madeleine korbel albright. to madeleine's beloved family, her brother john and sister kathy, her daughters, anne, alice and katie, her sons-in-law, her six grandchildren, thank you for sharing her with us all of these years. madeleine and i bonded over many things but in recent years we

bonded over the joy of being grandmothers. nothing made her light up like talking about all of you or as bill has said made her more determined to help build a better, freer, safer world. that mission which animated her entire life never wavered. in her last memoir, she shared the urgency that she always felt, she wrote, there is no shortage of worthwhile work to be done and no surplus of seasons in which to do it. that is the wisdom of a woman who learned too early in life

that life is fragile, freedom can't be taken for granted, democracy must be defended, peace must be won and there is no time to waste doing any of that. it is the resolve of the refugee who fled t tyranny twice before the age of 11, and it is the determination of a diplomat who knew war and worked to end it. i was privileged to know madeleine through many seasons of ourin lives and she was alwa in a hurry to do good. wedo first met in the 1980s at benefit for the children's defense fund here in washington.

she introduced herself as a fellow wellesley college graduate and the seeds of our friendship were sown. we called each other 59 and 69. she was ten 5 years ahead of men college, but in some ways it might have been a different century altogether. thent commencement speaker when she graduated from wellesley, a former secretary of defense, told the class of 1959 that their main responsibility was to get married and raise interesting children. now, madeleine did that, of course, but instead of resting

on her maternal laurels or even resting while her newborn twins were in the neonatal intensive care unit, she decided presciently it was time to learn russian at the local college. later as a professor herself, she inspired her students to share her spirit of urgency and action. silence may be golden, she told them, but it won't win many arguments. you have to interrupt. this came in handy when bill named her ambassador to the united nations in 1993 and then secretary of state in 1996. now, it's been said that i urged

my husband to nominate her as our first female secretary of state. unlike much that's said, this story is true. and i was thrilled when he agreed. when dictators dragged their feet or ambassadors filibustered, madeleine never hesitated to speak up. and just in case they didn't get the message, she would put on a snail pin to signal her impatience. a dozen times a day she would asks her team what's next? turning her boundless energy and intellect to yet another crucial

global challenge. she was irrepressible, wickedly funny,dl very stylish and alway ready for a laugh. she brought the same energy to her friendships as she did to her diplomacy. yes, it's true, she did teach the foreign minister of botswana the macarena at a u.n. security council meeting and snuck off early from an official event to do the tango in buenos aires. she was even invited to compete on "dancing with the stars" after she tore up the dance floor at chelsea's wedding in the arms, i would add, of a much younger, very handsome man.

she guest starred on tv shows like "gilmore girls" and "madam secretary." in fact, she and colin powell, a blessed memory and madeleine and i a were on that series which w all three loved and actually watched and madeleine was always makingd a point to the script writer, that wouldoi not have happened. and finally colin said, madeleine, it's fiction. it's a story. she said, i know but i want them to get it right. she took me on a memorable walking tour of her beloved prague in the midst of a driving rainstorm, which left us both laughing l so hard we hardly noticed and we spent a memorable evening together at the home of president and mrs. havel, just

the four of us having dinner and i got to listen to them talk about what it meant for their beloved country to be free. she met regularly with a group of former foreign ministers who were known as madeleine and her exes. and, yes, i just want to make it clear, she really could press, leg press 400 pounds. when that first came out, there were doubters, anyone who knew madeleine didn't, but not everyone had that great pleasure, and so she made it very clear by going to her gym as soon as the article came out to do it again so that people would know, yes, she did.

and she mentored the next generation of women leaders through vital voices, an organization that she and i helped to start back in the late '90s and the albright institute at her beloved wellesley college. shele relished her annual journ north to wellesley outside of boston each winter to meet with the institute's fellows. they came from all corners of the globe to hear from experts to think critically about our biggestou challenges and to prepare for central roles in solving them, and very often she would call me when she returned with just such enthusiasm in her voice about the young women that she had just spent time with and what they were going to do in

the future. she led the american delegation to the historical u.n. conference on women in beijing in 1995 and she urged me to push the envelope on women's rights in the speech i delivered there. she also came with us the next day about 45 minutes outside of beijing to where the nongovernmental organizations and the activists had been sent and where we in the midst of a driving rain, another driving rain with me and madeleine waded through the mud, trying to avoid the security from the chinese government who were not happy that madeleine and i were there in order to speak to those women who would go home across the world to spread the message that women's rights are human rights.

she never blinked. she just pulled herself up to her full height, which i never believed was five feet but, however high it etwas, she took every inch and every part of her spine was as straight as a steel bar and just looked at the security people and said, get out of our way, we're going to our meeting. she didn't just help other women, she spent her entire life counseling and cajoling, inspiring and lifting up so many of us who are here today. so the angels better be wearing their best pins and putting on theiran dancing shoes because i as madeleine believed there's a special place in hell for women

who don't support other women, they haven't seen anyone like her yet. [ applause ] and, yes, on top of all that, she continued to issue blunt warnings about the dangers posed by authoritarianism and fascism with undeniable moral clarity. until the end she was still in a hurry to do good. as bill said during the last phone call two weeks before she died, she talked about the importance of what president biden is doing to rally the world against putin's horrific invasion of ukraine and the

urgent work of defending democracy at home and around the world. she knew better than most and she warned us in her book on fascism that, yes, it can happen here and time and courage are of the essence. the bible tells us that to everything there is a season and a time and purpose under heaven. a time to weep and a time to laugh. if madeleine were here with us today she would also remind us this must be a season of action and, yes, once again we must heed the wisdom of her life and the cause of her public service. stand up to dictators and

demagogues from the battlefields of ukraine to the halls of our own capitol, defend democracy at home just as vigorously as we do abroad. live up to the ideals of the country that welcomed an 11-year-old refugee sailing into new york harbor on a ship called "s.s. america" and made her secretary of state. let us honor madeleine's life and legacy by being the indispensable nation she loved and served and let us live as she did in a hurry to do the most good we can with every season under heaven.

godspeed, '59. god bless you, dear madeleine. we will never ever forget you. [ applause ]

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president biden, president obama, mrs. obama, president clinton, p secretary clinton, speaker pelosi, leader mcconnell, mayor bowser, governor hogan, secretaries blinken, kerry, rice, leaders and friends from abroad, members of congress and the diplomatic

corps, bishop buddy, all those who are here and all those watching from afar, we speak for our entire family in thanking you for joining in this ceremony of celebration and remembrance. most of you knew madeleine albright as a colleague and government or business, a teacher or champion of democracy and human rights. to the world, these were the many hats she wore. but to our family she also wore others, that of devoted sister, aunt, grandmahmoud di and for the three of us the best mom ever. of course, even great moms have quirks. when we were little my sisters and i often awoke to the odd

maternal cry of up and at 'em said the molecule. usually mom had risen hours earlier to work on her ph.d. dissertation, fix our lunches and organize our backpacks. when we were at summer camp she constantly sentam us notes abou whatever was on her mind, the state of the garden, plumbing issues or whether we thought it would be okay for her to take a job on capitol hill. her handwriting was distinctive and indecipherable. her ms all looked like ws and so the signature on our library cards identified our mother as wadeleine albright.

now, some people in the lingo of our czech grandmother like to play it by the ears, not mom. she loved schedules and knowing the order of her day. she had boundless energy and was always planning for what came next. she described herself as an optimist who worries a lot and we can all attest to her worries. she was incredibly protective, but no matter how much she took on, no matter how much of the world was on her plate, we always knew that when we needed her she would take our calls, say here i am and come quick. of course, we worried about her too especially after she became u.n. ambassador and militants cursed and threw rocks at her in

the balkans. the resulting t-shirt i got stoned with madeleine albright made w us smile, but the realit did not and from then on we insisted that she tell us in advance where she was going, who she'd be with or otherwise we declared you'll be grounded. as we got older mom never tried to steer us in one direction or another. she just urged us to forge ahead to be whatever we wanted to be. for my sisters, that meant working globally and locally to help children and communities thrive. for me that meant being a public defender and family lawyer.

one night when i was with a client at the montgomery county jail and had to call my mother to cancel our dinner date, she thought i was in jail and almost had a heart attack. after i became a judge she drove to rockville to, quote, watch me in action. effective courts, she said, were essential to a strong democracy. mom's example meant much to me and my sisters. she said that if we or any other young women wanted to compete successfullynt with men, we hado make sure our ideas were heard and that meant being willing to interrupt. [ laughter ] [ applause ]

>> yes, interrupt. but when you do make sure you have your thoughts in order and yourr facts straight. this is a lesson that mom imparted not only to us but to generations ofs students at he beloved georgetown. during a teaching career that spanned almost 40 years, she never lost her enthusiasm. often when i asked her what she'd be doing over the weekend, she responded, getting ready for monday's class. when i replied, but don't you already know everything you need to know? she said, there's always more to learn. mom was devoted to her students and particularly looked forward to the now famous role play that showed students the realities of decision-making.

she taught through to the end of this past year when her health was already starting to fail. goingy to the hospital she too with her a large binder of student papers. i can still see her propped up in bed reading and grading. we often get asked, what kind of mother was she? she was the kind who usually called every day and sometimes twice. mynd timeet was 6:35 p.m. how are the boys? how is work? when is your next trip? are you going running tonight? don't forget it's dark out. she was also the kind of mother that tookhe family celebrations very seriously. and would never miss a birthday, a graduation, a wedding or an anniversary and often called days in advance to start planning. she surprised everyone at greg's

and my wedding which happened to be on halloween by outfitting the entire wedding party with elaboratear feathered masks. mom sparked an interest in all things international, especially for me. we grew up devouring czech dumplings and singing czech christmas carols, when anne and i were 12 and katie was 6, she and dad took us on our first trip across the atlantic to visit switzerland and france. she loved speaking french. one of the five languages that she spoke fluently and urged us to learn as well. for her this was a question of respect and a lesson about understanding perspectives beyond our own. as i started to work in international finance and development, mom was my best source of guidance. before my trips i often called

her with questions about the countries i was about to visit, which u.n. conventions were relevant, what she knew about political environment and, of course, where i could pick up an extra pair of red heels should i need them. p she was always happy to give advice ifld i asked, though sometimes it came with the worried tone of c a mother who knew too much about the security situation in some of the places where i was headed. mom had friends everywhere and there's hardly a place where i have landed where i have not been asked some version of, is madeleine your mother? how is she? and then always followed by, we just love her. mom took a particular interest whenever i let her know that i was visiting refugees or working to help girls get a better chance for an education. often her voice would grow a bit

deeper, the conversation slower and i could tell that she was reminded of being an 11-year-old immigrant girl who survived the blitz, moved around repeatedly, left her homeland and arrived in the united states in 1948 with her sister, brother and parents seeking refuge and wanting a better and safer future. even though she became one of the world's top diplomats, mom never forgot where she came from and how precarious her circumstances were when she first arrived in the united states. this explained why mom never took anything for granted and was always grateful for fu everything. she described herself as a grateful american and took enormous pride in representing the u.s. abroad.

now when i look at my watch, i know that 6:35 p.m. will never be the same for me and i will be forever grateful, mom, for everything you've given me. i miss you so much, mom and everything about you and will forever. >> i'm the youngest and tried my very best to take advantage of that by pushing the rules and boundaries. it didn't work. but mom also had rules for herself as anne mentioned and president biden, she would alwaysen pick up the phone whene called. but i still remember this one

day she didn't. i was in elementary school and mom hadnt recently started her professional career with her first job on capitol hill. when i called her office, i was told, your mother can't come to the phone right now because she's on the floor with senator muskie. [ laughter ] i had no clue what that meant. as mom tells the story, that night i ran up to her and i asked, what were you two doing on the floor? [ laughter ] she then aptly explained to her young daughter howla the legislative business of our country is conducted on the senate floor.

of course, everyone in our family has a favorite memory and many of mom. permit me to share a few more and i invite you to imagine them with us. picture mom sitting on the sofa with her feet up, glasses perched on her nose knitting.e knitting everything from little clothes forng our dolls to colorful, cozy woolen socks, think of her helping us to maneuver a little red wagon filled with girl scout cookies in the spring or campaign leaflets in the fall along the crowded sidewalks and cobbled streets of our neighborhood. with every step an unspoken lesson in hard work, giving back

and civic participation.or imagine mom swooping down the colorado ski slopes while wrapped in a purple parka and fuzzy hat, or more accurately snowplowing back and forth so cautiously that we teased her of inventing a whole new sport, uphill skiing. but skiing as in life, she always let us zoom ahead and beamed at our daring. think of her at a commencement ceremony, indeed, my own from that very pulpit decked out in her academic robes urging young people to help one another take risks, laugh often and never leave a friend behind.

or in her dark blue suit preparing for her historic confirmation hearing as america's first female secretary of state. of state. and what is she doing in the waiting room? brushing her hair and giving us each a tick tack. picture mom cheeks of bright pink, as president obama places the medal of freedom around her neck.ed after which she shares with us the pride she felt in her own parents in the delight her grandchildren, grandees, could witness the day. envision her leading our family along the magical streets of

prague. gleely recounting the legends that trolls and water pixies and guiding us through the historical exhibits where more than two dozen of our ancestors were imprisoned during the war because of their jewish faith and survived. with mom, the joys and the tears were never entirely separated. imagine hands that, like hers, were both soft and strong within hands that exchanged greetings with numberless heads of states, refugees, and fighters for freedom. handsge that congratulated graduates and new citizens. hands that tickled our toes when we were young, took our temperatures when we wereyo sic

and held our babies when newly born. and hands often joined together in prayer that people everywhere might live in peace. finally, see in your mind's eye, a king james bible, dog eared and worn, bound by a window she loved days after she passed with a handwritten note nearly indecipherable. it read, what does the lord require of you? but to do justly. love mercy.

and to walk humbly with your god. i believe this isyo truly how m tried to live every day of her life and tried to teach us to do the same. dying was never on mom's schedule. a hole has opened in our hearts that we lack the power to close, but the memory of her love and the resilience of her example will remain with us and with many of you until the end of our days. for that, mom, and for so much more, thank you. we love you.

>> and good day. i'm garrett haike in for andrea mitchell. presidents past and present and dozens of dignitaries pay tribute to former secretary of stateme madeleine albright at a time when authoritarianism is on the rise. she became the first female secretary of state in 1997 and champion for gender equality. she was a warrior for democracy and blazed a trail for future diplomats. the former u.n. ambassador died lath last month from cancer. she was 84. her life and accomplishments were celebrated today at a memorial service you've been watching at washington national cathedral. >> madeleine albright understood her story was america's story. there was nothing she loved more than swearing in new citizens for this great nation of ours. she would light up reminding

them that she once stood where they stood. from my perspective, there was no higher mission no greater honor than to serve this great experiment of freedom known as the united states of america. >> this is what she would want me to say today. i had a good life. it was happy.if so i was blessed in my family and work and friends. but freedom and democracy and rule of law are not just because we've survived 200 plus. i pray to god we never stop hearing you. just sit on our shoulder. >> so the angels better be

wearing their best pins and putting on their dancing shoes because if, as madeline believed, there's a special place in hell for women who don't support other women, they haven't seen anyone like her yet. >> mike is outside the washington national cathedral andsh joined by pulitzer prize winning presidential biographer paulen meecher. mike, obviously is a who is who of former government officials and f family members speaking he today. what stood out to you? >> reporter: whatever washington and the nation remembers there are two diematics at play. a tribute to them as a person. we heard it from her daughters

and secretary clinton, her reverent personality and fierce whit. but taking stock of that person's place in history and this moment in time. i thought it was particularly notable to hear the constant sort of references to her as not a native to this country but somebody proud to be an american and made us proud to be americans. and her fierce advocacy for democracy and warnings about autocracy. and president biden linking this moment to, of course, his past with her and advocating a stronger response. he's trying to do the fighting in ukraine. >> i want to talk about her legacy. i liked bill clinton know what you're for and what you're against. talk aboutre it. don't kill each other over it. what do you think her legacy is

going to be? >> her legacy as a tough defender of liberty. she's a refew agree who came to this country and wanted solis and liberty. instead of holding it for herself, she embodies a great human instinct to share it with others. i think it's important to the note the political and personal. it's freedom, it's democracy, it's the rule of law that enables you, as her daughter so beautifully put it, to pack your kids' backpack. to take temperature when you're sick. liberty matters and we have to stand in defense of that against those horses that will take it away. >> ambassador, you just spoke to secretary albright fairly

recently. what was your take away from today? >> i got to know her 30 years ago when she first came to the soviet union to do public opinion polling there. i think what john said, what she's known for is her passion for freedom and against autocrats. for me, she was an inspiration. we talk about two things. one, she wanted my take on zelenskyy.ak ion know president zelenskyy. we wereow talking about how wel he'll do in the upcoming battle that was about todo start. but, two, i know now i was on her to-do list to get crossed off before her death because she wanted d me to join the crew. the national democratic institute. a democracy promotion group she was the chair of for 25 years. retrospect, one of the last things she5 wanted me to do is join the board. i did and honored to do so.

>> a woman who got so much done and had a lot more left on that to-do list. thank you for your reflections here today. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." chuck todd starts now. if it's wednesday it's another moment for kevin mccarthy and theor house of republicans. the caucus meets today. unwilling to reckon with what happened on january 6th. russia cuts off gas supplies to nato members poland and bulgaria. and a major economic war as the biden administration orchestrates to free trevor reed. and the administration releases a long awaited plan to address the expected migrant surge when it ends title 42 restrictions at the southern bord