austin: mr. president-elect, madam vice president-elect harris, thank you for your trust and confidence and for the opportunity to serve as the 28th secretary of defense. if confirmed by the united states senate, it will be my sincere honor and privilege to return to the department and to lead our great service members and civilians in accomplishing the mission of ensuring our nation's security. you know, back in 1877, a young man from the small town of thomasville, georgia, henry ossian flipper, became the first african-american to graduate from the united states military academy at west point. and after his commissioning, he was assigned to one of the army's all-black regiments, and he became the first non-white officer to lead the buffalo soldiers of the 10th cavalry. fast forward to today, nearly 150 years later. another native son of thomasville, georgia, stands before you as the secretary of defense-designate. now many people have paved the way for me and countless others over the years to

to lloyd austin. it is an important distinction and one i make with utmost seriousness and sincerity. so i come to this role, this new role as a civil ab leader. with military experience, to be sure, but also with a deep appreciation and reverence for the prevailing wisdom of civilian control of our military. i recognize that being a member of the president's cabinet requires a different perspective and unique responsibilities from a career in uniform. and i intend to keep this at the forefront of my mind. and i look forward to surrounding myself with experienced, capable civilian appointees and career civil servants who will enable healthy civil-military relations grounded in meaningful civilian oversight. as secretary of defense, my riority will always, always be the men and women, military and civilian, who make up the department and their families. i have seen what they're capable of. great americans like your son, sir, beau, and also our future first lady, dr. biden in her tireless work for milit

that's lloyd austin. he was the person president obama and i entrusted with the incredible task of bringing home america's forces. and redeploying our military equipment, safely, out of iraq. it was the largest, logistical operation undertaken by the army in 60 years. getting it done required much more than military know-how. general austin was a diplomat. it was not an easy task. he built relationships with our iraqi counterparts and with our coalition partners. he was a statesman, representing our country, with a skill at -- at -- that, you know, at tables that i've sat with him, with foreign leaders, and i wondered whether or not he was from the state department or from the defense department. both, military and civilians. i'm not exaggerating. he has a way about him. and always, above all, he's looked out for his people. that's why he was >>> in this time in the united states army, lloyd austin met every single challenge with extraordinary skill and profound personal decency. he's the definition of du

katy austin there. the new restrictions announced yesterday prevent people who live in tier 4 areas in england from leaving those areas except for limited reasons including work, education and childcare. the transport secretary, grant shapps, has tweeted saying ‘it‘s vital to follow the new guidance to protect others and our nhs. if you're in tier 4 you must not travel — or stay away from home overnight.‘ he also says that extra british transport police officers will be on hand at railway stations to enforce the rules. the announcements prompted a rush to london railway stations and by 7 o clock last night, there were no tickets available online from several london stations including paddington, kings cross and euston. this footage posted on social media showed large crowds at st pancras station waiting to board trains to leeds. italy has become the latest country to suspend all flights to and from the uk because of the new variant of coronavirus. earlier, the netherlands became the first countr

that is lloyd austin. he was the person president obama and i entrusted with the incredible task of bringing home america's forces and re-deploying our military equipment safely out of iraq. it was the largest logistical operation undertaken by the army in 60 years, and getting it done required much more than military know-how. general austin was a diplomat. it was not an easy task. he built relationships with our iraqi counterparts and with our coalition partners. he was a statesman representing our country with a skill at -- that, you know, at tables that i've sat with him with foreign leaders and i wondered whether or not he was from the state department or from the defense department. both military and civilians. i'm not exaggerating. he has a way about him. always, above all, he has looked out for his people. out for his people nap is why he needs some soldiers leader. in this time in the united states army lloyd austin met every extraordinary skill and profou profound. working to grow more inclusive

and that was general austin. >> schifrin: austin also served in the pentagon as the former army vice chief of staff. he ran the day-in and day-out staff business in the pentagon.a so he has in knowledge of things, at least on how the pentagon should wo >> schifrin: but as nomination has critics. he retired only four years ago, and would therefore need are coional waiver to serve as the civilian secretary of defense. congress has only approved thate waiver tfor former world war ii, five-star general george marshall, and for president trump's first defense secretary, james mattis, austin's predecessor at central command. in 2017, top senate armed services democrat jack reed supported mattis' waiver, but warned it was the last. >> waiving laws should happen no more than once ia generation. therefore, i will not support a waiver for future nominees. >> schifrin: today, reed kept his options open, during a windy interview. ve>> in all fairness, you o give the opportunity to the nominee to explain himself or that's what i think the principle is. >> the congress has, since the 1940s, requir

traverse surrounding austin as a general lloyd austin was one of the individuals who spearheaded the invasion of iraq in 2003 and was involved in the highly criticized war from beginning to end in addition austin played a key role in arming so-called rebel groups in an effort to overthrow syria's president assad when the program failed last an actively campaign to resurrect it austin built a personal relationship with joe biden which began in 2014 when the president elect was v.p. during that time austin was credited for initiating an international coalition against isis the same year he backed immunity for u.s. troops from war crimes prosecutions by the government of afghanistan right after retiring the former general took a seat on the board of raytheon technologies an arms benefactor which spends millions a year on lobbying the us government and is known for supplying weapons to saudi arabia which have been used against civilians in yemen austin is also a member of an equity fund which invests in defense contractors simply put lloyd austin has profited from war good or bad austin

austin was commander of central command formerly. and if confirmed by the senate, he would be the first black man to serve in that role. he will also need a congressional waiver to serve in this role. he's been retired for four years, federal law mandates you need to be out for seven years to serve in this role. those waivers are rare, but they did give one to james mattis during the trump administration. so the senate is going to have to work through that. but we are told that biden reached out with this job offer over the weekend, that austin did accept that offer, and that when it really came down to it, this was about biden's comfort level with austin, knowing him and having worked with him before. this is something we have seen with a lot of president-elect biden's picks. it comes down to his relationship with them and that has been certainly the sense here. we are expecting austin to be formerly announced sometime later today. we're getting indications that things are picking up. we're also expecting some economic announcements

and that was general austin. nick:al austi servein the pentagon, as the former army vice chief of staff. >> he ran the day in and day out staff business in the pentagon. so he has intimate knowledge of things, at least on how the pentagon should work as a senior lead. nick: but austin's nomination has critics. he retired only four years ago and wod therefore need a congressional waiver to serve as the civilian secretary of defense. coress has only appred that waiver twice for former world , war ii, 5-star general george marshall, and for president trump's first defense secretary james mattis, prstin's ecessor at central command. in 2017, top senate ar services democrat jack reed supported mattis' wabut warned it was the last. >> waiving laws should happen no more than on in a generation. therefore i will not support a waiver for future nominees. nick: today, reed kept his options open, during a windy interview. >> in all fairness, you have top give thetunity to the nominee to explain himself or herself. that's wh

to lloyd austin. it is an important distinction and one that i make with utmost seriousness and sincerity. so i come to this new role as a civilian leader, with military experience to be sure, but also with a deep appreciation and reverence for the prevailing wisdom of civilian control of our military. i recognize that being a member of the president's cabinet requires a different perspective and unique responsibilities from a career in uniform. i intend to keep this at the forefront of my mind. i look forward to surrounding myself with experienced and capable civilian appointees and crier civil servants who will enable healthy civil/military relations grounded in meaningful civilian oversight. as secretary of defense, my priority will always, always be the men and women, military and civilian, who make up the department and their families. i have seen what they're capable of. great americans like your son, sir, beau, and also our future first lady dr. biden and her tireless work for military families

katy austin, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: millions of people in england and wales are told to stay at home on the first day of tough, new coronavirus restrictions as action is taken on a new variant of the virus. the health secretary labels crowded scenes at london stations last night as ‘irresponsible' — the transport secretary says extra police officers will be deployed to enforce the rules the republic of ireland is to restrict air and sea travel with britain from midnight — and the netherlands, italy and belgium and germany ban flights between the uk — as concern grows over the new coronavirus variant. the new restrictions and the changes to the rules for christmas in england, wales and scotland have thrown many people's travel plans into disarray, and the new variant has led to many countries bringing in restrictions for the uk. the dutch were first to limit british arrivals, banning passenger flights. germany, belgium, italy, ireland, bulgaria and austria are putting in place similar m

biden's goal of creating a diverse cabinet austin would be the nation's 1st black defense secretary the 67 year old military man has been described as intensely private and research sharp an individual who has masterfully avoided the spotlight while leading some of the u.s. as largest military campaigns often spent 41 years in uniform most notably as head of the u.s. forces in iraq and between 20132016 he led the u.s. military central command which oversees troops across the middle east central asia and parts of south asia while his impressive resume may make the west point graduate look like the perfect fit for defense secretary to the dismay of progressives and antiwar activists there is plenty of controversy surrounding austin as a general lloyd austin was one of the individuals who spearheaded the invasion of iraq in 2003 and was involved in the highly criticized war from beginning to end in addition austin played a key role in arming so-called rebel groups in an effort to overthrow syria's president assad on the program failed last an actively campaign to resurrect it austin bu

to lloyd austin. it is an important distinction. >> we also have breaking news from the pentagon where in the last hour the officials expect 44,000 doses of pfizer's vaccine in the coming days

to lloyd austin. it is an important distinction. >> we also have breaking news from the pentagon where in the last hour the officials expect 44,000 doses of pfizer's vaccine in the coming days and active defense secretary miller will get one early. this as the time it takes for the u.s. to record another 1 million new cases keeps getting smaller and smaller. five days to go from 14 million to 15 million new covid cases in this country. we are well on our way to the next million as the death toll just topped 288,000 people. joining us now nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker and nbc news pentagon correspondent courtney cueby. the president-elect asked congress for a waiver to allow former general austin to serve as defense secretary but as we have seen some democrats are not on board with this. here's what illinois senator tammy duckworst said today. >> i will support general austin but not the waiver. i believe there needs to be civilian oversight of the military. >> to her credit she was

biden is explaining why he picked austin. tell us more. >> the president-elect wrote a detailed defense of his austin selection saying, in part, it's because general austin has proven to work well under pressure. the first pressure austin may face is getting confirmed by congress. retired four-star generally lloyd austin will be the first black secretary of defense if confirmed by the senate. president-elect joe biden selecting the general he has known for years. >> ladies and gentlemen, my distinct honor to introduce you to the vice president of the united states, mr. joe biden. >> reporter: but biden's first commander in chief decision to nominate austin may run into a political buzz saw on capitol hill. austin needs a congressional waiver as required by law because he has been out of the military less than seven years. the top democrat on the senate armed services committee put his marker down in 2017 after a waiver granted to james mattis, president trump's first secretary of defense. >> let me be very, very clear. i will

austin is a highly decorated combat veteran. much of his recent career focused on afghanistan and iraq, where he led the 2011 withdrawal. the deeply reserved one-time four-star now must become a public, political figure, dealing with russia, china, and convincing congress to cut defense spending. but a former battle buddy thinks he is very much up to the job. >> lloyd is a very introverted, thoughtful, ethical and courageous soldier and individual. he's smart as a whip. >> and in the latest political development, senator elizabeth warren, democrat of massachusetts, says she will not support a waiver for general austin, this very reserved general, very much suddenly finding himself on the national political stage. alisyn, john. >> barbara, there are very important discussions to be had about this waiver in general. and i think that general austin's record also will be something that will be discussed and dissected over the coming weeks. thank you so much for that reporting. it is an historic nomination, to be sure. >>> israeli pr

officially introduced another high-profile cabinet pi member, his pick for secretary of defense, lloyd austin. else the sixth african-american to reach the rank of four-star general in the army. >> he's loved by the men and women of the armed forces, feared by our adversaries, known and respected by our allies and he shares my deeply held belief in the values of america's alliances. >> austin's potentially historic confirmation would face some early challenges on capitol hill as some lawmakers are raising concerns that austin has not been retired from active duty long enough to honor the tradition and the law mandating civilian control of the military. indeed, his confirmation would require a waiver from that law. president-elect biden is also gearing up for a handful of other major announcements in the coming days, including two more cabinet members, tom vilsack, and marcia fudge as housing and urban secretary. the president-elect spent most of his speech today mostly defending austin and the unique qualifications that austin would b bring to the leadership. >> that's right, and he also a ad

military tells a different story lloyd austin the 3rd actually had the job of being the top commander of u.s. military forces in the middle east in 2015 he revealed that the united states had spent $500000000.00 to train forces in syria that would fight against the islamic state militants and after that they ended up with only a handful of competent fighters can you tell us what the total number of trained fighters remains it's a small number and. the ones that are in the fight is is is we're talking for 4 or 5 years is that still the goal to have about 12000 of them there is that still the goal what's the expectation then for them at the pace we're gone we won't reach the goal that we had initially established for shelves but even after leaving active duty general austin was not yet ready to say farewell to arms his civilian job landed him on the board of directors of raise the on a top military contracting corporation now raytheon has been in the spotlight during the trumpet ministration because it is actually a top supplier of the military hardware to saudi arabia in their relentle

calculated risks. >> reporter: so where does austin go from here? he says he wants to do a stunt like this one in a super bowl commercial or in an action movie. so dwayne "the rock" johnson, if you're watching, austin keen is your guy. >> thank you, will. i'm more of a lazy river type of guy. >> yeah, too much calculations. let's just skim right through >>> right now on "america this morning," the nasty nor'easter bearing down. the road conditions a nightmare. including a 60-car pileup. more than two feet of snow. heavy winds, power outages and coastal flooding expected. we time out what to expect. >>> vaccine number two under review. the crucial fda hearing today and breaking overnight a second allergic reaction to pfizer's covid vaccine. >>> plus, the growing crisis inside hospitals. some at 300% capacity. ambulances waiting six hours to drop off patients and what we're learning about the new covid relief package in washington. the stimulus checks that could be on the way. >>> wrong address.

also selected retired army general lloyd austin to become the next secretary of defense. are you satisfied with the number of african americans the president-elect so far has nominated to cabinet positions and senior positions in the white house? >> wolf, it is still early. i can say if true, congresswoman marsha fudge would be outstanding. she served as chair of the cbc, on the subcommittee of food nutrition, national president of a major sore sorority. if she's selected, if that's true, she would be excellent. i look forward to that confirmation. i am pleased that she will serve in the cabinet, if it is true, because she's an outstanding legislator. i know she would be a strong leader in the cabinet. >> we confirmed it at cnn, other news organizations are reporting it as well. derek, when you and i spoke the other day, you explained your desire for a meeting with the president-elect and vice president-elect, and it was more than just securing appointments but ensuring civil rights policies are a top priority for the incoming administration. did you get a solid commitmen

historic nomination, the president-elect picks four-star general lloyd austin for secretary of defense. why some democrats oppose his nomination. plus, hunter biden says he is under federal criminal investigation for his taxes. what we are learning tonight. will facebook break up? why 46 states and the federal government want the social media giant to split. demanding justice. police shot and killed a young black man on his own doorstep. tonight, we speak to the family of casey goodson. and, our series "profiles in service:" from west point cadets to rhodes scholars-- who they credit for their success. this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> o'donnell: good evening to our viewers in the west and thank you for joining us. we're going to begin with that breaking news because tonight the federal government is preparing to ship out nearly three million doses of pfizer coronavirus vaccine in hopes that the shots will be given emergency approval by the f.d.a. tomorrow. but just 24 hours after the first widespread use of the vaccine in engl

up my uniform for the last time and went from being gener lloyd austin to lloyd austin. it is an important distinctionak and one that i with utmost seriousness and sincerity. ros: canada has become the third country to authorize the use of the pfizeroronavirus vaccine, that follows the u.k. and barain. -- bahrain. medical regulators have recommended that people wh significant allergic reactions should not have the job after two nhs workers had an adverse response. they have both recovered and thousands of other people have received the vaccine without any issues. here is more from por health corrent. >> they have been together ever since they met wle working at a hospital or than five decades ago. returned to the plere theys have served for 40 years and where the covid vaccine offers some hope for better days ahead. >> life does not diminish whent you der. the in zaidis are there about catching something or doing something -- the anxieties are there about catching something or doing something. both of us want to have it done. >>ns as vaccinat continue, a warning from the

and here's the thing about austin. number one, he's incredible leader that commands high respect in the military. number two, over 40% of our active military are people of color. number three, he is not a show horse, he's a workhorse. and that's why he garners so much respect. he doesn't want a high profile tenure, he wants to be back-facing and get the pentagon back in shape. finally, i think it's really important to point out that he gets that what trump has done in the closing weeks of this administration is really clean out a lot of the civilian people at the pentagon and put in his cronies. you're going to need somebody really strong to stand up to those cronies. i think lloyd austin is the guy to do that. i think he'll be confirmed. >> i don't disagree, given the fact that he would be historic as a black man and the large number of people of color in the pentagon. i'm just saying, is he the best choice. admiral stavridis, let me point out jim colby, former special adviser to vice presidents joe biden and mike pen

why i chose lloyd austin as a second. in his more than 40 years in the united states army, austin met every challenge with extraordinary skill and profound personal decency. he is a true and tested soldier and leader. i've spent countless hours with him, in the field and in the white house situation room. i've sought his advices are seen his command and admired his calm and character. he is the definition of a patriot. and i guess my question is, it's a good reminder that has we kind of game out who's up and who's down in terms of these appointments, it's all about the incoming president's report a and -- rapport and relationship with the certain candidates and it's clear this is who he wants in this job, isn't it? >> no yquestion. >> there's been this chaos to include the national security in the government. lloyd austin is so easy to get along with. i've been bombarded by people with texts and tweets from people who work with him. part of his reason is to help, he has no ego, and a soft-spoken voice. >> geoff bennett, t

austin was previously the commander of u.s. central command, as you mentioned if he is confirmed by the senate he would be the first black man to serve in this post. he's also going to need a waiver from congress because he's only been retired for four years. federal law states it has to be seven. these are rare, but they did issue one to james mad dttis dug the trump administration so that will have to work its way through congress and the senate. we're told biden reached out to austin over the weekend offering the job. he accepted. he had become the top contender last week. what it came down to, like so many of president-elect joe biden's choices so far, is their relationship. biden, we're told, felt comfortable with him. trusted austin, and felt like they could work together very well. of course, that's a very important thing, relationships with joe biden in this case it turned out to be the same way. we are expecting a formal announcement of austin very soon. we're also told to expect more announcements throughout the week.

that is what austin did. he has only been retarded think for what, four years -- he is only been retired for what, four year he has made a ton of money. i found all ethically very troubling, even though i have good knowledge that what he did was not the glee wrong -- legally wrong and what some of them do. but it is indicative of this betweenus relationship defense contractors and senior members. ought to be uncomfortable with that, even though we have come to accept it as i guess the way things are. amy: i want to ask about the cost of war project at boston university that came out with us new study that showed the number of afghan civilians killed in airstrikes led by the u.s. and since have risen by 330% 2017. on 2019just reported alone, about 700 people were killed by airstrikes carried out by the trump administration. and just yesterday, the report out of jalalabad, the television journalist was assassinated with her driver as they were on the road. what is happening in eastern >> i think -- amy: i don't

have you decided whether you will support a waiver for general austin? >> i will support general austin but i will not support the waiver. >> well, without the waiver, how would he be able to serve? >> he would not be able to. but i suspect that the waiver will pass. i will not vote for the waiver. i believe very strongly there needs to be civilian control, civilian oversight of the military. and by reducing the wait times from ten years to seven years, we did that in 2007 without any input, and now again for our second secretary of defense in a row to request another waiver, i just can't support that on principle. i will tell you that general austin is an excellent officer, well-tested, very capable of leading the department of defense and i think he will be an excellent secretary of defense. but on principle i cannot vote for the waiver. >> from your conversations with colleagues, do you think he will be confirmed? >> i do think he will be confirmed, i think there will be enough folks to vote for the waiver that he will be confirmed, unless something h

not even his own caucus is happy with joe biden's choice as secretary of defense lloyd austin is back. and that is great. well john you're right you very much at all since i retired 4 star general and that has raised a lot of lefty eyebrows. since ignored the longstanding tradition of having a civilian at the helm of the most well unclipped fighting force in the world america the it's a great country we're drinking it is a group we're learning so austin actually needs a special waiver from cloned grass to take the job because the army retired in 2016 he hasn't been out of active service for the required 7 years no one seems to care that he spent the last 4 years on the board of a massive defense contractor called great. deal with the storage fundamentals of the most interesting thing about biden picking austin is that alston is the. one she employed to the world with. pres picking to be secretary of defense is a little bit bigger marriage by which i mean it's not progressive everyone expected find until point michel through and i as secretary and defend because she's actually experien

to lloyd austin. distinctionortant and one i make with utmost seriousness -- seriousness and sincerity. thiso i come to this role, new role, as a civilian leader. with military experience, to be sure. but also with a deep appreciation and reverence for the prevailing wisdom of civilian control of our military. i recognize that, being a member of the president's cabinet requires a different perspective and unique responsibilities from a career in uniform. i intend to keep this at the forefront of my mind. i look forward to surrounding myself with experienced, capable civilian appointees and career civil servants who will enable healthy, civil military relations, grounded in meaningful civilian oversight. host: react to what former general austin said there. guest: first thing is, i think it is a close call. i am not trying to suggest this is completely a nomination that should not be seriously considered. that said, he is a career military officer. a very distinguished officer. he worked his way up, gr

it is about 104 degrees here in austin, today. i am grateful for the chance to sit still and think about something other than what is going on out had my window. patrick asked me if i could get the ball rolling by talking a little bit about the lbj presidential library and museum. i thought maybe the best way to do this would be via a little show until. our building is closed these days, like all the 14 presidential libraries, but i would like to give you a virtual walk through to describe the scope of what is inside this building and, of course to show you some of the highlights of what you will be able to see one of these days when we can all go back to something like normal. here, this first image is the lbj library. that big rectangular building off the left side as you look at it. it sits on the edge of the campus of the university of texas at austin. just immediately to the right, i guess you would say, or maybe behind the library building in this slide, is another very distinctive building, that low building with all the wi

he says general lloyd austin is the right person for the job. but he is getting a lot of push back. >>> plus ahead of georgia's run off, the misinformation is getting to some trump sup porlters. >> who did you vote for? >> the greatest president we ever had, donald j. trump. >> and he lost. >> he didn't lose. >> he ain't gonna lose. >> are you kidding me? >> he ain't gonna lose. when i was diagnosed with dupuytren's contracture, i waited to get treated. thought surgery was my only option. but then i found out about nonsurgical treatments. it was a total game changer. learn more about the condition at factsonhand.com it was a total game changer. since you're heading off to dad... i just got a zerowater. but we've always used brita. it's two stage-filter... doesn't compare to zerowater's 5-stage. this meter shows how much stuff, or dissolved solids, gets left behind. our tap water is 220. brita? 110... seriously? but zerowater- let me guess. zero? yup, that's how i know it is the purest-tasting water. i need to find the receipt for that. oh yeah,

he says general lloyd austin is the right person for the job. but he is getting a lot of pushback. >>> plus ahead of georgia's run off, the misinformation is getting to some trump supporters. >> who did you vote for? if you don't mind me asking. >> the greatest president we've ever had, donald j. trump. >> and he lost. >> he didn't lose. >> he's going to win. >> are you kidding me? >> he ain't going to lose. can you tell me that story again? behind every question is a story waiting to be discovered. this holiday, start the journey with a dna kit from ancestry. this holiday, start the journey with a dna kit did you know prilosec otc can stop frequent heartburn before it begins? prilosec otc uses a unique delayed-release formula that works to turn down acid production, blocking heartburn at the source. with just one pill a day, you get 24-hour heartburn protection. take the prilosec otc two-week challenge. and see the difference for yourself. prilosec otc, 1 pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. save for being a new customer. save more for adding

he was the person president obama andi austin. he was the person president obama and i entrusted with the incredible task of bringing home america's forces and redeploying our military equipment safely out of iraq. it was the largest logistical operation undertaken by the army in 60 years, and getting it done required much more than military know—how. general austin was a diplomat. it was not an easy task. and here is the manjoe biden would like to be secretary of defence, lloyd austin. back in 1877, a young man from the small town of thomasville, georgia became the first african—american to graduate from united military academy at west point. and after his commissioning, he was assigned to one of the army's all— black regiments, and he was assigned to one of the army's all—black regiments, and he became the first non—white officer to lead the first non—white officer to lead the buffalo soldiers of the tenth cavalry. and so fast forward to today, nearly 150 years later. another native son of thomasville, georgia stands

let's begin by talking about lloyd austin. what is your thought on the choice of joe biden for his defense secretary? >> lloyd austin wasn't as well-known as some of the other candidates for the secretary of defense position, but he really is in line with what we have seen some of biden's other picks in terms his strong experience and his close working relationship with biden. he has extensive relationships in the middle east, was the u.s. commander in iraq during the surge, and also during the withdrawal, and served as the head of central command over the whole middle east and central asia region. it was during that time that he and biden worked quite closely together under the obama administration and had a strong relationship, and also ended up leaving on the efforts of isis. he brings a lot of expertise in areas that will continue to be central for the united states, including middle east engagement, afghanistan, counterterrorism, and brings a lot of logistical expertise to the position. marco: and he's black, which sends

so that is what austin's going through. austin will be okay. i also think, well, i have two thoughts. one, austin is not going to be the next silicon valley. austin will be austin but no other of these cities is going to be what silicon valley is, no matter how bad it gets for silicon valley. i also had a political thought -- jackie: why do you say that. if enough companies leave, silicon valley won't be silicon valley not at least as we know isn't. >> i totally get it but there is a volume gain. there are prominent companies moving to austin. some are old silicon valley companies. there are prominent venture capitalists, there is a good university there. for everyone ever those there is 100 startups, 100 megacap, sorry, a big important handful of megacap companies in silicon valley. there is stanford, berkeley and so on. i think the volume is too great. it will look bad for a while but it would take years to erode that lead. jackie: we'll be watching closely, adam. it is really interesting to see how this all plays out. we were talking a littl

that would be general lloyd austin. the president-elect just moments ago announced austin will be the pick for secretary of defense. fox news correspondent jennifer griffin at the pentagon with more on the general and some questions being raised about his nomination. reporter: connell, i would be make history as the first black secretary of defense. just like lloyd austin has broken barriers throughout the years. the choice is raising eyebrows on capitol hill from key democrats on the armed services committees suggesting austin may have trouble getting a waiver. austin retired as a four-star general just fours years ago. here is kathleen hicks, the head of biden's pentagon transition team testifying four years ago whether to give jim mattis a waiver. >> it is my view the principle of excluding retired commission officers from serving as the secretary of defense a prudent constitution maintain constitutionally grounded principle of control symbolically and practice. >> i believe such waivers would destroy the principle t

president-elect biden plans to announce lloyd austin. but his military background has some top democrats concerned. ♪ >>> welcome to tuesday. it's "meet the press daily." i'm chuck todd on a busy and historic bay in the battle against the coronavirus. december 8th will be known as the day we got the first shots in the western world. the very first vaccines were administered in the uk. hopefully it's kicking off the beginning of a long end to what has been a long pandemic. here at home later this hour, president-elect joe biden will introduce the health team he hopes will oversee his administration's response to the pandemic. that announcement will come at nearly the same time the white house hosts what it is calling a vaccine summit which appears to be designed for president trump simply to take a victory lap and try to claim credit for the coronavirus vaccine himself. the president is also expected to sign an executive order that's pretty meaningless. it's a symbolic attempt to show that he'll be prioritizing american access to the co

it's a bit more of a challenge for her to get to austin. but in normal times she is here multiple times a year and seems to be here for the big events. and her sister lucy lives in austin and is a regular participant in library events. both of them are active in the lbj foundation and deeply engaged in the life of the library. patrick: i can proudly say his granddaughter is on our board at the national archives foundation. so we have good connections. do you have a favorite document, and i'm going to add to that, or what's the most unusual item in the lbj holdings? mark: wow. most unusual item. so many things that come to mind. here's my, here's one of my favorites. i will confess to you, i did not know that the lbj library held this item until i came on board in director back in january. we hold the original art for dr. seuss's lorax book. everybody in my age group knows all about the lorax. and these beautiful original paintings that became that book are in our collections, and the story that gets told about that is that, you know, dr. se

do you expect lloyd austin to get this? >> this has been all the prognosticating in washington, d.c., today. will general austin get the waiver or not? my gut tells me he will, but i think there are some legitimate arguments against it. an exception once every 65 years is one thing, but the worry is breaking down the norm so that it's a standard thing for a general to be considered, that could really erode this idea of civilian control of the military. i think that the matters situation -- mattis and marshall situation were unique. president biden -- president-elect biden is set to bring the country back to some state of normalcy. there are a lot of people who would like to see him hold to that. >> great perspective there. thank you. we appreciate it. >> my pleasure. >> the trump campaign pinning its hopes on a lawsuit filed by the u.s. state of texas and backed by 17 other states to overturn the presidential -- election results which favored joe biden. it asks the supreme court to throw out the voting results from four bat