restore this opportunity for this generation, this generation of people studying here and who are about to enter the workforce. it has four parts. something that i know many are interested in, more good jobs that pay good wages. we can't be satisfied recovering the jobs that were lost during the reception. we have to create an economy that is building a steady supply of good jobs today and well into the future. jobs in high tech manufacturing, energy, exports, american innovation. that's job number one. job number two, training more americans with the skills they need to fill those good jobs. so that our workforce is prepared for the jobs of tomorrow. part three, guaranteeing every young person access to a world

class education from pre-k all the way to college education like the one you're getting here that's why over the past five years working with the outstanding congressional delegation from connecticut, we've been able to make sure that grant dollars are going further than before. we're taking on a student loan system that gave tax dollars to the big banks, and we said let's get it to students directly to be able to afford to go to college. that's why we're offering millions of young people the chance to cap their monthly student loan payments at 10% of their income. you need to check that out. go to the website of the department of education and find out how you may be eligible for that. today more young people are earning college degrees than ever before.

of course, and i know your president won't disagree with this, but we need to do more to rein in the soaring cost of college and help those who are trapped by student loan debt. the bottom line, no young person should be priced out of a higher education. shouldn't happen. now, there is a fourth part of this agenda. by the way, i just noticed if you've got chairs, feel free to sit down. i know the folks here don't have chairs, but i don't want you--if you're standing up, make sure that you bend your knees so you don't faint. i just want to check on you.

now point number four, the fourth component of this opportunity agenda is making sure that if you are working hear--ifyou're working hard, yoe getting ahead. that means women receiving equal pay for equal work. [ cheers and applause ] when women succeed america succeeds. i believe that. rosa agrees with that. it means making sure that you can save and retire with dignity.

it means health insurance is there when you're sick and you need it most. [applause] and you guys are doing a great job implementing the affordable care act here in connecticut. if any of you know a young person who is uninsured help them get covered at healthcar healthcare.gov . the website works just fine now. they've got until march 31st to sign up, and in some cases it will cost less than your cell phone bill. so check it out. healthcare.gov . and wages and paychecks that let you support a family. a wage, a paycheck that let's you support a family. now, i want to be clear about this because sometimes in our debates with our friends on the other side of the political spectrum this may not be clear,

so let me repeat it once again. as americans we understand that some folks are going to earn more than others. we don't resent success. we are thrilled with the opportunities that america affords. our free market economy is the most dynamic on earth. we're thrilled with that. everybody agrees on that. but what we also believe is that nobody who works full time should ever have to raise a family in poverty. [applause] that violates the basic sense of who we are. that's why it's time to give america a raise. it is time to give america a raise.

now's the time. now is the time. a year ago i asked congress to raise federal raise. since that time six states have passed laws to raise theirs, including right here in connecticut on january 1st tens of thousands of folks across this state god a raise, and governor malloy is working to lift those wages even higher. [applause] hawai'i, illinois, maryland, minnesota, washington state, other states, counties, cities across the country are working to raise their minimum wage as we speak. the governor's here today, governor of rhode island,

governor malloy, governor patrick, and governor of vermont, and a governor who couldn't be here today, governor of new hampshire, are tall fighting to give hard-working folks in these great new england states a raise of their own. and they formed a regional coalition to raise the minimum wage. if they succeed new england will have some of the highest minimum wages in the country. [applause] they're not stopping. these four governors are here in support of raising america's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. $10.10. now waging raise citizen not just a job for elected officials. in my straight of the union

address i asked more business owners to do what they can to raise their workers wages. because profitable companies like costco has long seen higher wages as good business. it's a smart way to boost productivity and reduce turnover and instill loyalty in your employees. by the way, they do great. their stocks do great, and they're highly profitable. it's not bad business to do right by your workers. it's good business. [applause] it's good business. two weeks ago the gap decided to raise its base wages. that will boost wages for 65,000 workers in the united states. last week i read about jacksons, an ice cream parlor in florida that has been in business since

1956. they just announced they would lift workers' wages to $10.10 without cutting back on hiring. two weeks ago in atlanta a small business owner named darian sutherland wrote me to share a lesson his granny taught him. if you treat your employees right they'll treat you right. you gotta listen to your grandmother. that is some wise advice. i agree with these business leaders as well. i issued an executive order if you're doing business with the federal government, pay your employees a fair wage of $10.10, which will be good for america's bottom lines.

and let me tell you who was affected. when i was signing the executive order we had some of the workers who would be effected. we have people cooking the meals of our troops, or washing their dishes, cleaning their clothes, this country should pay those folks a wage you can live on. this is good for business, it is good for america. even though we're bringing manufacturing jobs back to the united states, creating more good jobs in healthcare services. there are always going to be hospital workers and retail sales people. hospitality workers. people who work their tails off

every day. people working in nursing homes lookinged a your grandparents or your parents. folks who are doing all the hard jobs that make our society work. every single day. they're not doing anything flashy out there, they're not expecting to get rich, but they do feel like if they put in back-breaking work every day, at least by the end of the month they can pay their bills. my goal is, and the goal of everybody on this stage is to help lift wages, help lift take

home pay. that's why i've done everything to lift wages for federal contractors, that's why i've asked business owners to raise their wages. i've asked for support from the local government to hand down hope and optimism for their kids. but i want to make one last point. if we're going to finish the job, congress has to get on board. congress has to get on board. this is interesting. this should not be that hard. because nearly three in four americans, almost half of all republicans support raising the minimum wage. the problem is republicans in

congress oppose raising the minimum wage. i don't know if that is because i proposed it. maybe i should say i oppose raising the minimum wage, they would be for it, that's possible. right now there is a bill in front of the house and senate that would boost minimum wage to $10.10. just passing this bill, it would lift wages of 2,000 people just here in connecticut. it would lift wages for $1 million new englanders. it would resist wages for 28 million americans across this country.

it would raise millions out of poverty. it does not require new taxes, spending or new bureaucracy. here's one last point. it turns out what happens if workers got a little more money in their pocket? they spend a little more money. which means businesses have more customers, which means they make more profits. which means they can hire more workers. which means you get a virtuous cycle, it's common sense. that's what i'm trying to say. that's all i'm saying, common sense. [ cheers and applause ] it's just common sense. that's all it is, it's just common sense. common sense. it's just common sense.

that's all i'm saying. right now republicans in congress don't want to vote on raising the minimum wage. some say they want to scrap the minimum wage. one of them said it's outlived its usefulness, i vote to repeal the minimum wage, what i'm saying is it's never worked. now, some even said it only helps young people. now, as if that's a bad thing. i think we should want to help young people. i would like to see them try putting themselves through college on a low-wage work study job. [applause] i would like to see people support a family on more than

$15,000 a year. many receiving minimum wage are not teenagers on their first job, but many are age 35, and the majority of low-wage jobs are held by women. these americans are working full time, often supporting families. if the minimum wage had kept pace with our economy productivity, they would be earning well over $10 an hour today instead of stuck at $7.25. every time congress refuses to raise it, it loses value because cost of living goes higher, and right now it's worth 20% less than when ronald reagan held office. and it's the equivalent of 200% pay cut. that's a month of groceries for

the average minimum wageworker. this is a buying deal and makes a big difference in the lives of a lot of families. so members of congress have a choice to make. it is a clear choice. raise workers' wages, grow our economy, or let wages stagnate further and give workers what amounts to another pay cut. fortunately, your senators and representatives are already on board. they're fighting the good fight. anyone who is watching at home you deserve to know where your elected officials stands just ask them. do you support raising the minimum wage to $10.10. if they say yes, then say thanks, great job.

we need encouragement, too, elected officials. if they say no, if they say no, you should be polite but you should say, why not? ask them to reconsider. ask them to side with the majority of americans. instead of saying no for once, say yes. it's time for $10.10--it's time to give america a raise. [applause] i want to close by sharing a story of a guy named doug, who is here today. where is doug. i'm going to embarrass doug. stand up. here is doug right here. [applause] doug had a chance to meet secretary perez in hartford last week. doug is the president of wades dairy down in bridgeport. his great grandfather, frank,

started the family business in 1893. in 1893. one of the secrets to their success is that they treat their employees like part of the family. so doug pays his own workers fairly. he goes a step further than that. he writes editorials and talks with elected officials to make the case for higher minimum wage for everybody. keep in mind doug spent most of his life as a registered republican. this is not about politics. this is about common sense. it's about business sense. doug, we were talking backstage, and doug showed me a pay stub because it describes his own story. when he was flipping burgers

back in 1970 his employer paid the minimum wage, but it went 25% farther than it does today. doug speaks from experience when he says things like the minimum wage raise the bar for everybody, and he's still got that paycheck. and it looks like a paycheck i got working at baskin-robbins. you know, the point that doug and his family and his business represents is we believe in hard work. we believe in responsibility. we believe in individual initiative, but we also come together to raise the bar for everybody. to make sure our fellow citizens can pursue our their own dreams as well. they can look after their kids and lift them up. we look out for each other.

that's who we are. that is our story. there are millions of americans like doug and like all of you who are tiredf the old political arguments ready to raise the bar a little higher. let's move this country forward. let's move it up. let's go further. that's what i'm going to do as president as long as i'm serving in this office, i need your hehelp. let's go out and give america a raise. >> you are listening to president obama. he's in connecticut at this hour. once again extolling what he considers to be the values of raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10. he has already done so for federal contract workers. he wants congress to do the same. his theme has been $10.10, and it's been that way since january. but the calm in connecticut standing in sharp contrast of what you're going to see on the other side of your screen, that being the diplomatic efforts in paris to resolve the crisis in

ukraine. secretary of state john kerry is there. he's meeting with other dig nears. we'll bring you his comments live. we'll take a commercial break right now. we will be right back. >> it's absolutely filthy...

>> every sunday night, al jazeera america brings you conversations you won't find anywhere else... >> your'e listening because you wanna see what happen... >> get your damn education... >> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america >> oh my... russia, as long as none of us are inside of ukraine trying to meddle and >> we're following breaking news at this hour. that is u.s. secretary of state john kerry. highways been meeting with his russian counterpart sergei

lavrov. questions being asked, though, it's believed that kerry would address reporters, but you can see nothing was said. we want to bring you up-to-date on what has been happening in ukraine. it has been another day of tense developments. we want to show you a scene outside of a cafe in simfe roopol. he waan u.n. member of the envoy robert surrey being detained, he was taken to the airport and boarded a plane to istanbul. we have received word from nick schifrin on the ground and phil

ittner, who is in kiev, is surrey is now headed bac back to kiev to continue his mission from the u.n. we just heard president obama speaking with raising the minimum wage. but all these efforts is being overshadowed by the international front. >> reporter: that's a good point, president obama going forward with these fundraisers virtually every night raising money for the democratic committee and those who stand chance of losing control of the senate, meanwhile, the president balancing that with this crisis in ukraine. he has mentioned it in passing, even at these fundraisers he has been talking about it. today he focused and stuck to

the script of minimum wage and other major themes that he has been striking coming out of the state of the union address only mentioning foreign intanglements in passing, only speaking of central europe, not even using the word ukraine, he said individuals just want a chance to make it if they try. but make no mistake the white house is very focused on this. secretary kerry in paris. he was scheduled to be in paris for meetings prior to all of this, but obviously it has taken on a huge importance as the secretarsecretary kerry trying e a cohesive front when it comes to sanctions. the notion of politics stopping at the water's edge is pretty much out of the window. mitch mcconnell, john boehner,

john mccain taking shots at the president yet saying they're going to stand behind the president on sanction bills that come to the floor, sanctions against russia as well as a $1 billion aid package that will be taken up late this week most likely next week by congress. so a lot of moving parts here, but i got to tell you everything on hold with all high eyes on ukraine. >> and it under scores the gravity of the situation with washington calling for the rhetoric to be toned down. but it's the portrayal of the feeling that politics stop at the water's edge, and in 20 seconds will that change? >> reporter: there is no question that the administration is focused on trying to de-escalate this and lower the temperature. the spokes woman didn't want to come anywhere near the situation with the detained u.n.

officials. they don't want to talk about any of that. >> we continue to follow all the developments from crimea, kiev, and of course from washington, d.c. where all eyes right now are on ukraine. i'm del walters from new york. thanks for watching.

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>> stories that have impact... that make a difference... that open your world... >> this is what we do... >> america tonight weeknights 9et / 6pt only on al jazeera america piegelman. >> i was trying to figure out as an incredibly self centered human, how did i get on this man it when my bairnts supposed to be dead. >> art spiegelman, had a brother he hadn't met. he had a brother that had been poisoned to not be found by the nazis.