break. the senate's back monday at 3:00 p.m. eastern. senators vote later in the week of the nomination of president biden's nominee to serve as director of the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives and also michael barr, chair of supervision. the house resumes tuesday, members planning to spend most of next week on defense department programs. what live coverage of the house on c-span, the senate on c-span two and you can watch on our free video app c-span now or online at c-span.org. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more, including cox. >> homework can be hard, but squatting in a diner for internetwork is even harder. that is why we are providing lower income students access to affordable internet. so homework and just be

homework. cox connect to compete. >> cox along with these other television providers, giving you a friend row seat to democracy. >> and now, president biden towards the presidential medal of freedom. among the recipients, his late friend senator john mccain, former congresswoman gabby, it's come a former senator alan simpson's and olympic gymnast simone biles, among others. this is about an hour. >> ladies and gentlemen, the recipients of the presidential medal of freedom. simone biles. father alex karloutsos.

lorraine jobs accepting on behalf of steve jobs. congresswoman gabby gifford. ♪ khizr khan. sandra lindsay. ambassador cindy mccain, accepting on behalf of senator john mccain. richard trumka junior, accepting on behalf of richard trumka. megan rapinoe. diane nash.

dr. julieta garcia. brigadier general wilma vaught. fred gray. ambassador raul yzaguirre. and senator alan simpson . -- senator alan simpson.

♪

♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. ["hail to the chief" being played] pres. biden: please be seated. good afternoon, and welcome to the white house. i know this is kind of an old place for some of the guys that

come here, but thank you all very much. and to other cabinet members and elected officials that are here, and former elected officials like joe lieberman, my good friend is here. and so many critical and important people. i want to thank vice president harris and the second gentleman for allowing us to join them. [laughter] it is a pleasure when you get to hang out together. on monday, we celebrated the independence of our nation, a nation that is always a working progress in the creation of opportunities in fulfillment of promises. that is the american story. it is not a simple one. it has never been a simple one, but fourth of july reminds us what rod us together long ago and still binds us, binds us at our best, what we strive for -- we the people, doing what we can to ensure the idea of america,

the cause of freedom shines like the sun to light the future of the world. that is the soul of our nation. that is who we are as americans. and that is what we see in the extraordinary group of americans up on this stage that i am honored to recognize today with the presidential medal of freedom, our nation's highest civilian award. [applause] simone biles, the most decorated american gymnast in history, wherever one stops everything every time she is on camera, just to watch. [applause] when we see her compete, we see unmatched power and determination, grace and daring. a trailblazer and a role model, when she stands on the podium,

we see what she is -- absolute courage to turn personal pain integrator purpose, to stand and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. today, she adds to her metal count of 32. i don't know where you are going to find room. [applause] 32 olympic and world championship metals. -- medals. [applause] at age 25, the youngest person ever to receive the metal of freedom. -- medal of freedom. [applause] as she has so much more to give. a fellow elite athlete, megan rapinoe. [applause] megan is one of the most accomplished soccer players in the first to receive the medal of freedom.

beyond the world cup title and olympic medals, megan is a champion for an essential american truth, that everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. everyone. [applause] along with her incredible teammates of the u.s. women's national team, and by the way, my son hunter and daughter-in-law are here, his daughter is a great high school athlete and was so excited to be with you when you won the championship. you are walking off the field and we said hi to you and she said, i was busy. [applause] when she wins again, i hope she will say, i think i know that guy. [applause] maybe. depends. [applause] megan did something really consequential.

she helped lead the change for perhaps the most important victory of anyone on any soccer team -- equal pay for women. [applause] megan, lex simone, i hope there is room for this metal between all the other awards you have seen during your remarkable career and your play. i have watched you. you are good, kid. [laughter] simone and megan would be the first to acknowledge they stand on the shoulders of those who came before them, like air force colonel brigadier general retired wilma vaught. [applause] wilma is one of the most decorated women to serve in the u.s. military. she enlisted in 1950 because she wanted to be a leader. she did that and more, becoming

the first woman in almost every leadership role she held in nearly 30 years in uniform. shattering conventions, creating a new tradition of our military. and she couldn't stop after retirement. she led to the creation of the women's military service memorial at the gateway to arlington, the first museum of its kind, so that we may be inspired by not just her story, but by the stories of millions of women who served this nation in uniform. [applause] and a 23-year-old student, diane nash, received a phone call from one of attorney general robert kennedy's top deputies, warning of violence at the next stop on the freedom ride she organized across the south. she replied, quote, we all signed our last will and testament before we left. we know some will be killed, but

we cannot let violence overcome nonviolence. [applause] think of that. unmistakable courage and unshakable courage and leadership. diane nash shaped some of the most important civil rights efforts, a key architect of the movement in national -- nashville left her for little girls were murdered at a church in birmingham, she called for a nonviolent movement that became the selma campaign two years later. her activism echoes the calls for freedom around the world today. and yet she is the first to say the medal is shared with hundreds of thousands of patriotic americans who sacrificed much for the cause of liberty and justice for all three by the way, she asked me to add that because she did not want to take all the credit herself. [applause]

from rosa parks to john lewis and other giants of our history needing a lawyer in their fight for freedom, they called a guy named freddie gray. [applause] -- fred gray. one of the most important civil rights lawyers in our history, fred's legal brilliance strategies desegregated schools and led to the right to vote. an ordained minister, he imbued a righteous calling that touched the soul of our nation. and at 91 years young, he is still practicing law. [applause] and he is still keeping the faith, in the best of america.

and the best of america includes raul. your something else. you really are. raul is the son of a father who fled violence in mexico and a mother who was a multigenerational texan. raul dreamed the american dream from san juan, texas in the lower rio grande valley. he served with honor in the u.s. air force and then turned a small civil rights route into one of the most important -- civil rights group into one of the most important ones. in over 30 years as chief counsel for la raza, raul was in undaunted leader, challenging the powerful on behalf of the powerless. born in brownsville, texas, julieta garcia became a professor at a local community college. i know i am biased jill is a community -- biased since jill

is a committed to college professor, but community college professors are the best. [applause] it isn't what she or jill do, it is who they are. it is to julieta is. she transformed her college at the university of texas in brownsville where she became the first hispanic woman to serve as a college president in american history. [applause] believing education is a cornerstone of democracy, she created a culture of excellence, affirmation and intellectual curiosity for generations of students, many who were the first in their families to go to college and to see their american dream because of her. one of the biggest impact on my life where the nuns at holy rosie -- holy rosary and the sisters of st. joseph in delaware. you think i am joking, i am not. [applause]

nuns never forget a thing. never. [applause] i was doing villanova's commencement and one of my nuns from school was getting her doctorate degree. i presented it to her and she said, pretty good, joe, but she said you instead of me at the time. [applause] i used to stutter badly. they gave me confidence that i could do anything. they really did. for so many people, sister simone campbell was a gift from god. [applause] for the past 50 years, she has embodied the belief in our church that faith without works is dead. and you will know me for what i do, and what you do to the least of the you doing to me. that is sister simone. the nuns were simply, simply remarkable.

they told me not to do this, i am going to anyway, i am going to tell a story. i went to see pope benedict in his last couple of months. we did not know it at the time. we had a long conversation, a great conservative theologian. my avocation is theology. my house, there is a whole wall of theology. we finished the conversation, he was generous and put his hand across my and said, can i ask you a favor? i was vice president and he said mr. vice president and i said of course, always. i said it would be presumptuous of me to give advice. and i said one piece of advice, i would go easy on the nuns. they are more popular than you are. [applause] six weeks later, he retired. i don't know. [applause]

but sister, you are standing up as a big deal, a big, big deal. coming a lawyer to represent the poor and the left behind a decade ago as our nation was debating the affordable care act and the values of our budget, there she was, leading a group of nuns on a nationwide bus campaign. to make the moral case that health care is a right in this country, not a privilege, and the obligation to help other people most in need. compassionate and brave, humble and strong, sister simone remains a beacon of light. she is the embodiment of the covenant of trust, hope and progress in our nation and i am happy to call her my friend. thank you, sister. [applause] another dear friend of mine, the reason why it delaware i was known as joe bidenopolous,

father knows i am not joking. roman catholics breasts ourselves to the left shoulder, greek catholics go to the right shoulder. i find myself being more greek sometimes, getting me in trouble. i love father karloutsos. for more than 50 years, your leadership in the greek diocese of america has metric to every prelate in the greek church. a man of deep moral clarity, he has advised generations of presidents and parishioners with unmatched humility and grace. i traveled the country and world with him, including father alex's homeland increased, to strengthen the bonds between nations founded on the belief that democracy is the way. on more than one occasion, father alex and i had the occasion to visit his patriarch

bartholomew. is a great honor. this is the 100th anniversary of the greek orthodox church and we honor one of the most dedicated leaders, my dear friend, father alex. [applause] congresswoman gabby giffords, keeping the faith. [applause] and the power of public service. elected by the people of her hometown of tucson, arizona, because they trusted her. they still trust her. they believe in her. and they learned what the whole nation has learned, that she is the embodiment the most of a single, significant american

trait -- never, ever give up. my grandfather used to have an expression, never bend, never bow, never yield, never give up. just get up, joey. proof to that we will not grow numb to the epidemic of gun violence in this nation. proof we can channel the pain and sorrow we see too often in america into a movement that will prevail. [applause] with her husband, u.s. senator mark kelly, the astronaut you remember, she is more consequential, i acknowledge. [applause] but they are helping to power that movement. on monday, we celebrate the most significant gun safety logging 30 years because of them in families like theirs across america. gabby is one of the most courageous people i have ever known. [applause]

one of the most decent, standup, genuine guys i have served with, and i have served with a lot of senators, is -- is alan simpson, the real deal. we served in the u.s. senate for nearly two decades. one of the great things about alan is, he never takes himself too seriously, nor takes me seriously. [laughter] all kidding aside, this is one of the finest men i have ever worked with. at his core, he's always believed in the common good and what is best for the nation. we did not agree on everything, although we agreed on a lot. he never allowed his, i don't know, his party or state or anything get in the way of what he felt was right.

he allowed his conscious -- his conscience to be his guide. he believed in forging relationships on the other side of the ox -- other side of the aisle, proving what we can do when we work together as the united states of america. we need more of your spirit in united states senate, on both sides of the aisle. 2 khizr khan -- khizr khan studied the u.s. constant -- u.s. constitution as a law student in pakistan. he emigrated to the u.s. with his wife and family. the youngest son enlisted in the u.s. army with dreams of being a military lawyer, but ultimately sacrificed himself to serve his fellow soldiers. we all watched as the oldest and darkest forces of hate emerged in new ways, only to meet the

strength, goodness and decency of this gold star american family. in november 2016, i invited the khans to the vice president's residence for a reception. a muslim goldstar family at a reception observing a hindu holiday, that is the america we know. that is the america he and i and most of you, i pray to god, believe in. we were parents united by the pain of losing a piece of our souls, and finding a way to live a life worthy of them. after today's ceremony, the medal of freedom will rest next to his son's bronze star and purple heart. and khizr khan, you will continue to carry a copy of the constitution. i imagine it is still in your pocket as a reminder of the charge that has to be kept.

[applause] since she was 18 years old, -- when she was 18-year-old when she was 18 years old, sandra lindsay emigrated to new york from jamaica to pursue her career as a nurse. during the height of the pandemic, she poured her heart into helping her patients fight for their lives and to keep fellow nurses safe. she was the first person in america to get fully vaccinated when the time came, outside clinical trials. sandra, if there are any angels in heaven, they are nurses, male and female. they really are. many of you who have spent a lot of time in the hospital, you know doctors let you live. nurses make you want to live. vaccination card, hospital

scrubs from sandra are part of the smithsonian exhibit on covid-19 could today, she receives our nation's highest civilian honor. [applause] a man who could not be here today, but wanted to become a denzel washington. one of our greatest actors in american history -- academy awards, golden globes, tony awards, wide acclaim from audiences and peers around the world. he could not be with us today, but i will be getting into this award at a later date when he is able to get here. i will now turn to the medalists who are being awarded posthumously. to the families, i know receiving this award on behalf of their loved one is bittersweet. it is an honor, but brings back everything. and it is hard. it reminds you of the day that

you lost them. but i know, and i appreciate your willingness to be here. we are seeing more technological change in the last 10 years that almost ever before in history. we are going to see a lot more change in the next 10 years and much of that is because of steve jobs. [applause] not just because of his innovations and inventions that revolutionized personal computing and our way of life, it is for his embodiment of a core american character that he believed was within each of us, character that tested setbacks and failures, character that is true in perseverance and darren, character defined by what we leave on this earth when our time comes -- perseverance and doering, character find by what

we leave on this earth when our time comes. steve left us with something substantial. and lorraine powell jobs, who i had the honor of working with when i was doing the cancer moonshot in the previous administration, they took his legacy for doing big things to do the biggest of all, helping us and cancer as we know it. because it matters. [applause] it matters to people who need help. it mattered to steve jobs. richard trumka said about unions, "we do america's work." no one did more work for american workers than he did. [applause] rich, is work was synonymous with the word that defined his

life -- dignity. dignity. a good paying job that builds a good and decent middle-class life, and his work was fierce, always trying to do the right thing for working people. fighting for and protecting their wages, their safety, their pensions that they earned and deserve. fighting for worker power and for america herself. in more than 30 years of friendship, he was always honest and fair, tough and trustworthy, a guy you want in your corner. i was in cleveland yesterday announcing one of the most mythic and efforts to protect pensions in 50 years. barbara, rich junior and the family, we felt him there with us that we talked about him. and we feel him here today. richard trumka was the american worker. [applause]

when i was a young man, too young to serve in the senate, but old enough to get elected, you can't be sworn in until you turn 30. i got elected 17 days before that and i had the great honor because of a guy named mansfield, majority leader of montana, me on a coveted committee, the foreign relations committee. that is when i met john mccain a couple of years later. he was a navy liaison in the u.s. senate, a liaison to our committee. when we travel, which rocco with navy liaison personnel. john and i traveled the world together. we became friends. we agreed on a lot more than we disagreed on and as my navy liaison, i turned to him for advice lots of times when talking about foreign policy issues. but the two things that we never

talked about, we never talked about his imprisonment, nor the death of my wife and my daughter. the pain was different, but somehow seemed to understand one another. it was a long time ago. we both wanted to make things better for the country that we loved, and that never wavered. in fact, i had to admit to my democratic friends, i am the guy that encouraged john to run for office. because i knew what incredible courage, interlocked -- courage, intellect and conscience he had. we would argue on the senate floor and then go down and have lunch together afterwards. we ran against each other, which i didn't like, on tickets for the highest office of the land. i was a candidate for vice president, he was a candidate for president.

i never stopped admiring john, never set a negative thing about him in my life because i knew his honor, courage and commitment. that was john mccain. in the code he inherited from his family that served before him is passed on jay's brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren today. cindy, madame ambassador and the family, i am honored to have you accept this metal on his behalf -- this medal on his behalf. john was staffing me on a trip to asia in the late 1970's and we stopped in hawaii. cindy, i think you were there on vacation and you were talking to my wife jill, and john kept looking at her. and he talked about her. so, jill and i did something

presumptuous, we make sure they introduced one another. he still owes me. [laughter] i think it is the best thing we ever did for each other, the very best. [applause] that is true, that is what he talked about when we left. and didn't take long to call you when he got back. [laughter] my fellow americans, please can graduate -- please congratulate this year's presidential medal of freedom winners. [applause] now i'm i -- now, i'm going to ask our military aid to read the rest of the citations.

please be seated. >> simone biles. [applause] overcoming great odds, simone biles is the most decorated american gymnast in history. a former foster child who became a once in a generation athlete, transforming her sport that reimagined what is possible. with courage and honesty, she expands the legacy of our greatest champions who challenge the powerful and speak up for justice. leaning on faith and god and family, simone biles is an inspiring symbol of grace, strength and pride in those three letters, usa. [applause]

[applause] >> simone campbell. [applause] inspired by nuns in catholic school, sister simone sample has dedicated her life to the suffering in the searching. for nearly 50 years as a nun and attorney, she has led organizations that provide free legal services to the poor and advocate for workers and immigrants. her courage helped pass the affordable care act and guided the nuns on a bus tour across

america to protect the impoverished. with humanity and fearlessness, sister simone embodies the blessing of faith and god in our obligations to one another as fellow americans. [applause] [applause] >> julieta villareal garcia. [applause] born in a texas border town, dr. garcia became the first and her

family to graduate from college and the first mexican-american woman to lead an american college or university. over two decades, she transformed university of texas brownsville into a center of excellence. a trailblazer and mentor, dr. garcia is one of our top university administrators who understands the power of education is the great equalizer in america. [applause] [applause] >> gabrielle giffords.

[applause] [applause] a daughter of tucson, arizona, former u.s. representative gabrielle giffords and epitomizes public service. voters elected her five times to state and federal office. even after the january day in 2011 that shocked our nation's conscience, she summoned courage to keep serving. she learned to walk and speak and write again. with support of her husband, u.s. senator mark kelly, she's turned pain into purpose is one of the loudest voices to end in violence in america.

because of her, lives will be saved and america will be safer. [applause] [applause] >> fred david gray. [applause] when rosa parks fused to move to the back of the bus, fred gray

represented her in front of the courtroom as he did for martin luther king jr. and countless marchers for justice. risking his own safety, he helped secure voting rights, desegregate schools and when other battles for the soul of our nation. a patriarch of a family and a movement, fred gray as a lawyer by trade and preacher by heart follows the command to hate people, love [applause]

>> lorraine powell jobs accepting on behalf of steve jobs. [applause] >> few people in history and body the american spirit like steve jobs. the adopted son of high school educated parents, he redeemed soda bottles to pay for his meals after dropping out of college. at every turn of life, he dared to think different. as the cofounder of apple, he created one of the most important companies in history, bringing computers into homes and dribbled -- revolution lightning -- revolutionizing our way of life. a beloved husband and father, steve jobs embodied what happens next. [applause]

>> alexander. [applause] >> the former vicar general of the greek orthodox archdiocese of america, he is a humble servant of god and an embodiment of the idea that binds to great nations, democracy. through love of pride -- love and pride of the greed community, -- of the greek community the man known simply as father alex to presidents and professionals alike inspires us to believe in the power of we the people. [applause]

[applause] >>'s ear con -- kazir khan

a son of farmers in pakistan, he studied law inspired by the u.s. constitution, he met and married a college classmate and together they immigrated to america. he watched their three sons follow their american dream, including their middle son, who enlisted in -- college and pay the ultimate sacrifice in iraq. the father of a gold muslim family, he turned pain into purpose to become the defender of ideas in our constitution and an embodiment of ideas. -- an embodiment of its highest ideals. [applause] >> sandra lindsay -- sorry -- sondra eliza lindsay. [applause]

>> an immigrant from jamaica, she is a nurse in queens new york in the first american to be vaccinated outside of clinical trials. at the height of the pandemic she directed a team of nurses , as they worked tirelessly to save the lives of patients as they risked their own lives. by the covid-19 vaccine became available, she was a rate of -- she was a rate of light in our nation's darkest hour and continues to champion -- champion the mental health for health-care workers in america. she represents the best in america. [applause] [applause]

>> cindy mccain, accepting on >> cindy mccain, accepting on behalf of john mccain iii. [applause] >> john mccain was a giant among americans from a family of genuine hero who endured unspeakable torture as a prisoner in the war of vietnam. elected twice to the u.s. house of representatives and six times to the u.s. and its of the people of arizona and nominated for the presidency by the republican party, respected around the world to come when he was a eternal optimist who believed in consensus, character and putting countries first. his legacy continues to challenges integrity to serve

diane j >> she did more to drink then dream of a better america. she helped build one. as a founder of the -- in the 1960's. she led some of the most important civil rights campaigns that inspire activism to this day. activism around the world until

this day. for her strategic savvy and absolute courage, diane nash for helping forge a path toward a more perfect union. [applause] [applause] >> megan rapino. [applause] world cup champion, olympic gold medalist, named the world's best

woman soccer player, she is one of the -- one of america's great athletes. she also leads off of the field. champion protecting the rights of fellow lgbtq plus americans , she has led the u.s. women's national team in perhaps the most dominant of any team in any in their successful fight in equal pay. making challenges and inspires millions of other people who believe in themselves and the possibilities of our nation. [applause] [applause]

>> allen k simpson. [applause] >> an army veteran and public servant, alan simpson served with conviction and integrity for 18 years as a republican u.s. senator from his beloved state of boiling. despite increasing polarization, he brought people together with wit and wisdom to find common ground. never afraid to stand up for what he felt was right. he worked on pressing issues, like campaign reform and marriage equality. alan simpson exemplifies our national ideals of civil

discourse, and public service. [applause] [applause] [laughter] [applause]

>> richard trumpka junior, accepting on the behalf of richard l trumka. [applause] >> the son of a coal miner, he followed his father into the minds to later become the president of the united mine workers and president of the afl-cio. he never forgot where he came from and always fought for the dignity of working people. he built worker power by speaking truth to power. knowing that middle-class america the unions and unionists built america. no one did more to build unions then richard trumka did. he was the american worker. [applause] wilma l vaugh. [applause]

>> retired air force brigadier general is one of the most -- retired air force brigadier general vaughn is one of the most decorated women in the history of united states military. enlisting in the 1950's, over the next 28 years she would serve in vietnam, europe and across america, continuing to rise in rank to become the first woman to hold every job she has ever had. she was awarded the merit. honoring 3 million women who have served in uniform, further cementing her face in american -- her place in american history. [applause]

[applause] >> raul yzaguirre. [applause]

>> born to a mexican-american family in the san juan valley, raul is a guerra saw a better world beyond the life in segregated south tagus -- south texas. he became one of our nation's preeminent civil rights leader as president of the national council. over 30 years, he has worst progress on voting rights, education and work to deliver the promise of america to millions of latino americans. in service to our nation, he has helped to ensure that america remains a land of possibilities. [applause]

[applause] >> this is america. [applause] [applause]

pres. biden: folks, this concludes this event. but we have a reception. , i hope you will stay and enjoy it. again, thank you all. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seat as the president will vice president metal recipients depart the east room. thank you. [applause] [indiscernable chatter] ♪

[applause]

>> all this week we have been bringing you to -- bringing you arguments from the supreme court's most recent term. friday it is biden versus texas in which the court ruled in favor of bidens -- overturn of the remain in mexico policy of trumps administration. you can listen to it all online at c-span.org. >> c-span is an unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these companies and more, including sparklight. >> at sparklight, it is our home too and we are facing our greatest challenge. that is why sparklight is working around the clock to keep you connected.

>> sparklight supports c-span as a public service along with these other television providers. giving you a front row seat to democracy >> fox news host joined a semafor global news media forum that explored the public's trust in media. among the topics discussed were misinformation, media bias, politics and social media. this is about an hour and 40 minutes. ♪ >> good morning, everyone.