that's all he had to pick from. everybody else, they ran out. host: ok. rick in los angeles, california, democrats line. caller: i agree with the last caller. the democrat party is a corrupt party. we can go back to president kennedy. he hired his brother as attorney general. they both had their way with marilyn monroe -- host: to william barr, what do you think of his legacy and tenure in the office? caller: i think he's going out as an empty suit. like the last caller said. empty suit. he worked at the pleasure of the president. i don't think he pleased anybody. eric holder was fast and furious. loicelerner -- >> washington jurem live every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. we'll leave this recorded segment and take you live to william which mington, delaware. where president biden introduces his pick for education secretary. president-elect biden: folks,

good afternoon. actually still morning. good morning. i'm joe biden. dr. joe biden's husband. just like educators everywhere, being an educator is what she does. it's who she is. once again during this pandemic we have seen who our educators are. they are selfless, dedicated, they are cut from a true cloth of character and commitment. they represent one of the most critical professions in america, and that's not hyperbole, that's a fact. from cradle to career they give people of all ages the confidence to believe in themselves. to equip them to succeed. and as joe says, any country that outeducates us will outcompete us. this critical moment of our nation's history it is essential that there is an educator serving as secretary of education. i want to make that clear. an educator. someone who has taught in the classroom. comes out of the classroom. today i'm pleased to announce

that such a nominee we have, dr. miguel car donnea. like -- car donna -- cardona. he's tested and he will join the biden-harris cabinet and it will be historic. railroad there are more people of color in this cabinet than any cabinet in the history of the united states. more women than ever. first openly gay cabinet member. it's a cabinet that looks like america. the best of america. it opens doors and includes the full range of talents we have in this nation. like the rest of the team dr. cardona is ready on day one. vice president elect harris and i were going through -- on this side. we are going through this and we were doing it on zoom hoe ho we were going to pick. we are getting all this advice. we looked at each other, said no, no. it's cardona. real easy. vice president elect knew we needed an education secretary who truly understands what it's

been like for educators, administrators, families, caregivers, and students this past year. they worry. they are under stress. they stretch local bubts that have left educators -- budget that have left educators out of work. mixed signals from the white house that left more confusion than calm. they left so many parents and schools feeling like they are on their own. but we also need someone who knows what it's like, what it takes to get through this crisis. reopening school safely will be a national priority for the biden-harris administration. early next year will i put forward before the congress -- i will put forward before the congress our plan what comes next. i'm sure it includes funding to keep educators on the job just like we did during the recovery act. and saved 400,000 education jobs. and the future of millions of children. it also includes asking congress to provide funding needed so we

can achieve the ambitious but doable goal of safely opening majority of our schools by the end of our first 100 days. we can do this. if states and cities put strong public health measures in place that we can all follow. for example, in our first 100 days i'll be asking all americans to mask up for 100 days. require mask in federal buildings, interstate travel, and the like, and on trains where i have the authority to insist that happen. we are also talking to governors and mayors and county executives of both parties to try to do the same in their cities and their states. we can do it if we get school districks, communities, and states the clear guidance and resources they need for so many things that aren't in their already tight budgets. they need funding for testing to help people reopen schools. more funding for transportation so students can maintain hinge shink on school buses. they -- social distancing on school buses. there is a need for school

buildings for additional cleaning services, protective equipment, ventilation systems. but to lead the national effort requires an education secretary with the skills to partner with educators across the country in states, localities, and tribal nations. and all across students and families as well. it also requires someone who understands the need to prevent the pandemic from further exacerbating the inequities in our education system that represents a compounding problem we are having. they hold back children. they hold back educators. they hold back our country from fulfilling its potential. take remote learning. how can it be in america that parents must drive to a parking lot of a coffee shop or library for a wifi that they they can't afford at home so their children can sit in the car, participate in class, and do their home work over the net. this gap of broadband technology and opportunity could some kids

cost them a full year. a full year or more of learning. that's unacceptable in the united states of america. we need to act now. it's only just a start. we need someone with experience to help us build back better with the biden-harris education plan. we need to make sure that every child in this nation has access to a good education regardless of the zip code. i know you are probably tired of me saying that, but it's critically important. i have been saying it for over a year. regardless of their -- any disability. that's why my plan triples funding for title 1 schools which serve the highest number of children from low-income families. need to make sure every child has access to high quality universal prek. i'm not talking about daycare, i'm talking about universal prek. that -- pre-k. starting at age 3, 4. pay teachesers what they deserve. -- teachers what they deserve. the work they do is an extreme

national importance and their salaries should reflect that. they can't do it alone. we are going to make an unprecedented investment to double the number of school psychologists, counselors, nurses, and social workers in our schools. when trained professionals are helping care for students, mental health, and behavioral needs, along with concerns around things like housing and food, it frees up educators to focus on teaching and the other critical work that teachers do in the classroom. we'll make sure students with disabilities have the support to succeed by fully funding the individuals with disabilities education act. upgrade school infrastructures to make sure classrooms are safe . build schools that are hubs of innovation and cutting-edge learning. we know that in the 21st century 12 years of schooling is not enough. and that young people are getting crushed by the burden of student debt. under legislation we are going

to be proposing, we are going to have a number of policies to provide affordable higher education to alleviate that financial burden. this includes anyone being able to get into community college and go there for free. public colleges, universities tuition free for families earning less than $125,000. we are going to cut student loan payments in half by using those income-based payments. if you are making $25,000 or less per year, you don't owe a dime of payment or interest while you are only at that level. if you make more than that, you only pay a small percentage of your income in order to be able to pay off your debt. our legislative plan also means if you choose to go into public service, whether a teacher, paramedic, counseling victims of domestic violence, or whatever else it's only right that our country wipe out your student debt all together over time. it includes forgiving debt for undergraduate public tuition if

you are earning less than $125,000 a year. it includes means immediately forgiving $10,000 in student debt in the midst of this economic crisis. also invest more than $70 billion for historic black colleges and universities and minority serving institutions to help prepare these graduates like our vice president-elect for good-paying jobs and industries of the future. there is so much we can do. so much. we can afford to do it. we can build an economy that eases the financial burden of the care giving crisis. make sure working families don't pay more than 7% of their income on childcare. for their young children. like we did during the obama-biden administration, we can come back, campus sexual assault under title 9, something the trump administration and current secretary of education have only undermined. the bottom line is we can achieve all these critical things, but we need someone who

gets that education isn't just what we do as a nation. it's who we are. it's who we are. it's the reason why we are one of the first nations in the world that have universal education. it was the reason why we got propelled in the 20th century to begin to lead the world economically. and that person who understands this i'm proud to announce is former secretary of education, now -- talking about existing job. it's not called education. the secretary of education we nominate is dr. miguel cardona, fourth grade public school teacher, the youngest principal in the state of connecticut. first official latino to serve as the education commissioner. i started to call him secretary of education. education commissioner. dr. cardona rose up the ranks to become an assistant superintendent. in the same school district he attended as an english learner student.

same district where he was born in public housing. theson and grandson of parents and grandparents who moved from puerto rico in search of new opportunities. he made it a point of taking new teachers on tours of his district's neighborhoods. the wealthy blocks where students grew up with every resource they needed to get ahead. and the block where families were struggling to get by. where a new calculator or nutritious breakfast weren't a given. he understands that the deep roots of inequity that exist as a source of our pestcies tent opportunity gaps. he understands the transformative power that comes from investing in public education. in our conversations dr. cardona talked about how public education was the great equalizer. it gave him a chance to reach the dream his parents and grandparents had for him. a place where high school teacher inspired him to be an

educator. public education helped mi dell become one of the first in his family to go to college. the first. the first to earn a doctorate. with that preparation and grounding, dr. cardona has brought his heart, his knowledge, and his passion for education bear on behalf of the students across connecticut. when that pandemic struck, he was ready. he helped secure more than 140,000 laptops, more than 40,000 connections for students who lacked them. because of him connecticut became the first state in the nation to ensure every single public school student was equipped to engage in remote learning regardless of family income. as the months passed, he followed health guidance and got the funding and the resources to provide mavericks and plexiglas and testing so schools -- masks and plexiglas and testing so schools could reopen and operate safely. that's the vision.

resolve and initiative that will help us contain this pandemic and reopen our schools safely and build back better. it's a standard of care that comes from having taught in the classroom. that comes from the hardworking family who found their way in america through public education. it comes from someone who knows from his core that our nation's children are the kite strings that lift our national ambitions aloft. he is a secretary of education for this moment. i thank him and his family for accepting this call to serve. i could not do this without them or him. to the career staff of the department of education, you'll have a fantastic and trusted leader. i hope you carry out the -- to help you carry out the department's mission with honor and integrity. the honor and integrity of an educator. and to the american people, to educators, families, caregivers, and students help is on the way.

i wish all of you a merry christmas and a happy holiday. may god bless you-all. may god protect our troops. i'm going to turn you over to the next secretary of education, dr. miguel cardona. . education, dr. miguel cardona. dr. cardona: mr. president-elect , madam vice president elect, thank you for this opportunity to serve. i know how challenging this year has been for students, for educators, and for parents.

i have lived those challenges alongside millions of american families, not only in my role as state education commissioner, but as a public school parent and as a former public school classroom teacher. for so many of our schools, far too many of our students, this unprecedented here has piled on crisis after crisis. it has taken some of our most painful disparities and wrenched them open even wider. it has taxed our teachers, our leaders, our school professionals and staff who already poured so much of themselves into their work. it has taxed families struggling to adapt to new routines as they balance the stress, pain, and loss this year has given. tryingtaxed young adults to change their dreams to advance their education beyond high school and carve out their

place in the economy of tomorrow. it has stolen time from our children. we have lost something sacred and irreplaceable this year despite the heroic efforts of so many of our nations educators. that we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, we also know this crisis is ongoing, that we will carry its impact for years to come, and the problems and inequities that have plagued our educational system since long before covid will still be with us even after the virus has gone. responsibility, it is our privilege to take this moment and to do the most , toican thing imaginable forge opportunity out of crisis, to draw on our resolve, our ingenuity, and our tireless optimism as a people, and build

something better than we have ever had before. that is the choice americans make every day. it is the choice that defines us as americans. it is the choice my grandparents .ade when they made their way from puerto rico for new opportunities in connecticut. born atud to say i was the yale housing projects where my parents instilled early on the importance of hard work, service to community, and education. attend insed to connecticut where i was able to expand my horizons and become the first in my family to graduate college and become a teacher, a principal, and assistant superintendent in the same community that gave me so much.

that is the power of america. i, being bilingual and bicultural, ms american as apple american as apple pie and rice and beans. for me education was the great equalizer. for too many americans your zip code in your skin color remain the best indicator of the opportunities you will have in your lifetime. we have allowed the normalization of failure to hold back too many of america's children. for too long we have allowed students to graduate from high school without any idea of how to meaningfully engage in the workforce, while good paying, high skilled, technical and trade jobs still unfilled. for far too long we have spent money on interventions and band-aids to address disparities instead of laying a wide foundation of quality universal

early childhood education and quality social and emotional support for all of our learners. for too long we have let college become inaccessible to too many americans for reasons that have nothing to do with their aptitude or aspirations and anrything to do with internalized culture of low expectations for some. for far too long we have worked ourilos, failing to share breakthroughs in education. we need schools to be places of innovation, knowing this country was built on innovation. , the teachingng profession has been kicked around and not given the respect it deserves. it should not take a pandemic for us to realize how important teachers are for this country. there are no shortages of challenges ahead.

no shortages of problems for us to solve. by the same token, there are countless opportunities for us to seize. we must embrace the opportunity better and evolve education to meet the needs of our students. --re is a saying in spanish we gain strength from joining together. in that spirit i look forward to sitting at the table with educators, parents, caregivers, students, advocated, state and local tribal leaders. there is no higher duty of a nation led to build better futures for the next generation to explore. , publicmany students aucation in america has been wilted rose. neglected, in need of care.

gardeners the master to cultivate it. we will work every day to preserve its beauty and its purpose. i'm grateful for the chance to take on this responsibility and i'm grateful to my own children, r. and my daughter selene, and to my wife and best friend marissa, herself a middle school family school liaison. i am grateful for the trust you have placed in me, mr. president-elect and madame vice president-elect harris i look forward to getting to work on behalf of america's children for the families and communities and nation that will grow up to inherit and lead. thank you.

v.p.-elect harris: my first grade teacher attended my law school graduation. classught our first grade with two teachers aides and 22 students in the classroom. she instilled in me a deep believe in the importance and significance of public education that i carry with me to this day. if we are going to fulfill our country's promise, we must be dedicated to a strong public education system. we must value it, we must strengthen it, and we must invest in it.

one of the most important gifts a society can give its young people is the gift of a world-class education. we also know that right now our , from earlystem learning centers to colleges and universities, is reeling from this pandemic. parents and educators are being stretched to their limits, and some of the cafeteria workers and bus drivers and custodians and nurses who keep our schools running. students at colleges and technical colleges now worry about losing credit, losing financial aid, and losing income from working on campus. all of this disruption is taking a heavy toll on the mental health and well-being of our students of all ages who are at risk of falling behind. at the same time, this pandemic

threatens to widen disparities between students of different races and backgrounds, making it harder for those who already were behind to keep up. first thing's first. we need to get the virus under control and reopen our school safely. that is why the president-elect and i are supporting funding for our education system in this reliefy passed covid-19 legislation. we will continue to fight for additional emergency relief for our educators and our schools, and even as we do, we must also build a public education system that lifts up all americans, regardless of race, background, or zip code. an education system that prepares them with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a 21st-century economy. we must make sure our children are given the foundation that is

so important for lifelong success. we must end the current status quo where school districts with the greatest need get the fewest resources. we must remove barriers to opportunity for poor and rural communities and communities of color. the leader we have announced today will help us do that and unlock the power of an education for all americans. dr. miguel cardona is not only a seasoned public servant, he is also a former public school teacher and administrator with the experience in the classroom, and he knows what our students, teachers, and schools need to be successful. he has dedicated his career to fighting for our children and dedicated his career to investing in their capacity.

he has a deep believe in the power of a world-class education to help every child everywhere over, barriers of race, gender, or income to reach their god-given potential. represents the very best of our nation and he is the kind of leader america's students, educators, and families deserve. i've always believed government has three functions. public health, public safety, and public education. over the course of the past few weeks, we have announced remarkable leaders who will help contain the pandemic and keep the american people safe and secure. under dr. cardona's leadership we will work together to put together an outstanding education system that will be in reach for everyone, breaking down barriers to equality,

opening new paths to opportunity, and helping to fulfill america's promise to all of our children. thank you, mr. president-elect. thank you. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> stay with c-span for our continuing coverage of the transition of power as president-elect joe biden moves closer to the presidency. with the electoral college votes cast from states across the country, join us on january 6 at 1:00 eastern for the joint session of congress to count the votes and declare the winner for president and vice president. finally at noon on january 20, the inauguration of the 46

president of the united states. our live coverage begins at 7:00 eastern curate from the statehouse to congress to the white house, watch it live on c-span, on the go at c-span.org, or listen using the free c-span radio app. an update on covid-19 vaccine distribution across the country. we will have live coverage of the operation warp speed briefing from the defense department at 3:30 eastern on c-span. also live online at c-span.org or listen on the free c-span radio app app. coming up tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span, a look at the political career of retiring new york congressman peter king. tv's year in, book review with a focus on business and economics.

and on c-span three american history tv, we mark the mayflower's 400th anniversary in a conversation with robert stone , director of the virtual mayflower project. he will show us how they used virtual reality to re-create the ship that traveled from plymouth, england to america in 1620. you are watching c-span, your unfiltered view of government. c-span was created by america's cable television companies in 1979. today we are brought to you by these television companies that provide c-span to viewers as a public service. pennsylvania governor tom wolf answered questions about additional financial assistance for businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. the governor