this is bbc news with me clive myrie — the headlines. barack obama prepares for a final farewell. i'm at the white house where journalists have packed the briefing room for their last chance to question president obama before he leaves office. on a visit to india, britain's foreign secretary warns eu leaders not to penalise the uk over brexit. if mr hollande wants to administer punishment beatings to anybody who chooses to escape rather in the manner of some sort of world war ii movie then, you know, i don't think that is the way forward. meanwhile european commission presidentjean—claude juncker promises to seek a "balanced" brexit deal — but warns of difficulties ahead. we want a fair deal with britain and a fair day for britain but a fair deal means a fair deal for the european union too. thousands of gambians and foreign tourists flee the country due to political unrest after the president

refused to stand down. also this hour, record breaking temperatures for the third year in a row. scientists say it's due to climate change — and we're to blame. good evening and welcome to bbc news. it's just two days until donald trump becomes the 45th president of the united states. in the next few minutes, the current occupant of the white house, barack obama, will be holding his final news conference while in office. we will be bringing you that live. president obama is expected to use the news conference to defend his decision yesterday to shorten the sentence of chelsea manning, the former us

soldier convicted of revealing military secrets to wikileaks. our state department correspondent barbara plett—usher is in washington. the front part of the conference is likely to be dominated by the commutation of that sentence for chelsea manning. i think so, there have been questions about that and critics in the republican party have said it was the wrong decision and it was the largest leak of us classified material ever and it put lives and american interests at risk and to shorten the sentence and released chelsea manning sent the dangers message for those who also wa nt to lea k dangers message for those who also want to leak dangerous or classified material. president obama will likely be asked about that and is likely be asked about that and is likely to defend his decision. white house officials have said chelsea

manning went through a trial and was convicted and punished and spent time injailand has convicted and punished and spent time injail and has taken responsibility and expressed regret and should therefore be released. also taking into consideration her emotional and mental health, a transgender woman in a male person trying to go through a gender change for the game critics have said you should not treat a traitor like a martyr. that will take up a large chunk of it and you assume he will also be defending his record. he probably will, although he has done that quite copiously in the past weeks. he had a speech where he did that, a press conference in december, he has given many interviews to us and international news outlets so in terms of legacy issues i think many of the questions from journalists will be about this kind of hard news. but they will be

aware that this is their last outing with the president and that tomorrow is the last day that he and his staffers are cleaning up their desks. they have to be gone by midnight. to be ready for the new trump administration on friday. so there is a sense of the last moments with president obama and concerning questions about what they will face in the press briefing room if indeed there will be press briefings in the same way under donald trump. the press have been, they have had the ear of the president for the past eight years or so. it seems to be the case that president trump when he becomes president is not going to be itself forthcoming with his press conferences. do you expect president obama two are to that? he might do if he is asked about it. the obama administration ran a pretty tight ship on information and was not as transparent as promised. but he has

held some 163 press conferences. and regular daily press briefings with jealous in the white house, where they are able to speak to senior officials. the trump administration has been tossed around different ideas, we do not know exactly what is going to happen but we do know that mr trump has not liked to give press c0 nfe re nces that mr trump has not liked to give press conferences in the past. his tea m press conferences in the past. his team have said they would perhaps love the press to a nearby location amongst other things. so there is concern. it could come up today, we will see. thank you for that. we will see. thank you for that. we will of course be renewed that conference live. —— bring you. eu leaders meeting in strasbourg have been giving their first reaction to theresa may's brexit speech. the prime minister of malta, which holds the eu presidency, said any deal had to be inferior to the relationship britain enjoys at the moment.

with both british and eu politicians trying not to antagonise each other borisjohnson has been blamed for doing the opposite. he's been accused of comparing france's president hollande to a nazi. our political editor laura kuennsberg explains. watch out chaps, i'm worried about you falling over. watch out, foreign secretary, more like. it is his job to wins friends and influence around the world. on tour in india today. but as the delicate process of leaving the eu begins, rather indelicate words about our old friends and foes, the french. if mr hollande wants to administer punishment beatings to anybody who chooses to escape, rather in the manner of some world war ii movie, i don't think that is the way forward. i think it is not in the interests of our friends and our partners. from thousands of miles away, he was slammed as crass. not exactly what you would expect from a foreign minister, one diplomat told me.

awkward, when back home the prime minister is urging everyone to play nice. the point he made was a reasonable one, but the language has to be extremely careful in dealing with colleagues and friends. what does boris do? he comes up with these extraordinary phrases of which we should all be ashamed. borisjohnson‘s team says he was just making the point thatit makes no sense for the rest of the eu to treat britain harshly. but only yesterday, theresa may publicly reminded ministers here at home of the need for discipline and with a difficult deal ahead, britain needs all the friends it has. language matters, but it is the words and attitudes of european leaders that will prove vital. yesterday, the prime minister appealed to her eu counterparts, urging them to behave as good friends, even as we leave. the arch european jean—claude juncker, who leads the commission that will manage the deal was suing for peace. we are not in a hostile mood. we want a fair deal with britain and a fair dealfor britain, but a fair deal means a fair deal

for the european union. yet europe's leaders are in no mood to let britain divide and conquer. their goal right now is sticking together. we now have a clearer idea of what britain wants, angela merkel said, the most important thing is that europe is not divided. and in public and private, this is the reality. whatever the uk asks for, the rest of the eu will not do a deal where the terms of trade are as cushy outside as in. we want a fair deal for the united kingdom, but that deal necessarily needs to be inferior to membership. are you playing hardball? she may smile, her speech yesterday pleased most of her party, but theresa may is still under attack for not giving mps enough of a say. it is not so much the iron lady as the irony lady. i have a plan.

he does not have a clue. next tuesday it is over to the courts, who could force the government to give detail, more detail, to parliament, before the technical process of extricating ourselves from the eu begins. in these negotiations it will not always seem that ministers are in charge. our europe correspondent damian grammaticas is in strasbourg. it is interesting, the comments by borisjohnson, although some here see them as at best insensitive and at worst offensive, have not made a big impact because here the view is there are serious issues at stake and the important thing to be remembered is what they are saying is the uk needs to understand it is trying to achieve unprecedented things. theresa may wants a free—trade deal

and an unprecedented amount of time within two years and for that she needs goodwill on behalf of the negotiating partners here. what the maltese prime minister who will chair the eu countries said was that theresa may had made a political decision to prioritise stopping the free movement of people, and the uk leaving the single market would not achieve as good a deal outside. very clear on that. angela merkel clear, saying outside the eu, the uk could not cherry pick because from the eu perspective, any deal would not offer benefits that would make any other country want also to follow the same path outside the eu and from the eu point of view that is what would do greatest harm to their unity. thousands of british holidaymakers are on their way home

from the gambia after a state of emergency was declared there. the foreign office is advising people to avoid all but essential travel to the country, after its president refused to accept that he lost last month's election. it's not very good news. it's basically that we are going to evacuate everyone back home today. today? yes, today. about half the holiday—makers in the gambia are british. most are following foreign office advice to leave, even if some are reluctant. asking us to leave is unnecessary, i think, at the moment. but i understand that we need to do it. to me, it feels stupid, because this will all be over within 24 to 48 hours. but it's not just foreigners fleeing the capital, banjul. many gambians fear possible violence, as the president tries to cling to power, defying his election defeat last month. president yahya jammeh at first conceded that he lost, 22 years after seizing power,

and facing mounting accusations of torturing and murdering opponents. but then he changed his mind, and refused to step down. the man who won, adama barrow, fled to neighbouring senegal. he insists he will be sworn in as president tomorrow, and other west african states, including nigeria, are preparing their forces to intervene on his behalf. the foreign office stresses that one of its first duties is the protection of britons overseas. so ministers say they had no choice but to urge those in the gambia to leave. the americans took a similar decision, more than a week ago. ministers feel caution has to be the watchword. we have been putting a contingency plan together, should the advice from the foreign and commonwealth office change. and of course, that happened last night. and the advice, to stop all but essential travel, effectively translates into, you shouldn't go unless you have to, and if you are out there, you really ought to come home.

so now, charter aircraft are flying into the gambia empty, flying out full, as the tourist exodus accelerates. tonight, senegal is seeking un backing for west african states to intervene. its troops are already massing on the border. james robbins, bbc news. our correspondent in the gambia, umaru fofana, has been to banjul international airport to assess how holiday—makers on their way home are reacting to the news. thousands of european tourists are streaming out of the gambia, with special flights having been arranged for them. they are mostly from the united kingdom, which has nearly 1000 tourists in this country at present. but there are also others from france and from the netherlands. some of them have reacted negatively to having been asked to leave, but others say that it is safety first, therefore they are pleased to go back home, at the insistence of the governments and their families. all of this comes just a day after president yahya jammeh declared a state of emergency,

which was endorsed by parliament, which also extended its mandates, which should have ended at midnight tonight. all of this comes amid uncertainty as to what will happen next, with a massive troop build—up by particularly senegal and nigeria. to install adam barrow as the elected president of this country, something which president yahya jammeh has challenged. some news coming in, the former us president george bush senior who has beenin president george bush senior who has been in hospital in texas since the weekend, since saturday, he has a p pa re ntly weekend, since saturday, he has apparently been moved to intensive care. he is said to be in a stable condition after being treated for pneumonia. and he is 92 years old. his wife barbara has also been admitted to the same hospital as a precaution because of fatigue. so

the former us president george bush senior who has been in hospital in texas since last saturday has been moved to intensive care suffering from pneumonia. the headlines. president barack obama prepares to make a final farewell speech in front of jealous make a final farewell speech in front ofjealous of the white house with two days remaining of his presidency. a visit to india, britain's foreign secretary has warned eu leaders not to penalise the uk over brexit. thousands of gambians and foreign tourists are fleeing the country after political unrest, the president refusing to stand down after the elections last month. let's show you the scene live at the white house, where president obama with just a couple of days to go before standing down as president, journalists there

gathering for the final press conference of the obama administration. hundreds of journalists there. and one of the questions the president will have to a nswer questions the president will have to answer is why he decided to commute the sentence of bradley manning, the soldier who was responsible for the biggest league of classified information in american history. that is chelsea manning, she already served seven that is chelsea manning, she already served seven years that is chelsea manning, she already served seven years in jail but the president decided to commute her sentence. that will be one of the big talking points obviously. the president perhaps will be reflecting on the last eight years and perhaps what he thinks the next four years of the trump administration might look like. we're waiting for that press c0 nfe re nce look like. we're waiting for that press conference from the president. it's being hailed as a victory for disabled people. doug paulley, who uses a wheel chair, took legal action because he couldn't board a bus

in leeds, when a mother with a pushchair refused to make way for him. todayjudges at the supreme court ruled that the bus company's policy of "requesting" but not "requiring" other passengers to move was not good enough. our disability affairs correspondent nikki fox reports. it has taken almost five yea rs of legal battles to get to this point. how are you feeling? elated. but finally, doug paulley had his day in the highest court in the country. all sevenjudges agreed the bus company's policy of requesting and not requiring a person to vacate the wheelchair space was unlawful. today the supreme court has allowed the appeal of doug paulley, albeit toa the appeal of doug paulley, albeit to a limited extent. but it is not quite as clear—cut, because the judgment does go as far as insisting someone move from the space. i am really pleased with the result.

i am aware some won't be pleased. it has not gone as far as some people would like or it has gone too far than people would like. in the end, this is about disabled people's right to access, to travel on the bus, and, hopefully, today has been a step in the right direction. it began in 2012 when doug was unable to catch a bus because the space for wheelchairs was occupied by a mum and her pushchair. she refused to move which meant doug could not get on. first group admit that following the verdict, they might have to amend training they provide staff, but are pleased drivers will not have to force people off the bus. we really welcome the fact the court confirmed that a driver is not required to remove a passengerfrom a bus if they refuse to move from the space, which is important for drivers to have that clarity. the impact of the judgment will have much wider implications that span further than just buses. any service provider or company that has a dedicated space for disabled people, which could be a supermarket disabled bay,

or accessible toilet in a restaurant, they will have to make sure wheelchair users get priority. not all wheelchair users agree. i will not go on the bus and take the woman with the pram... i am disabled, but i am still a man and this just feels not right. what about mothers with babies? it is not quite as simple as wheelchairs versus pushchairs. it is better to remain a grey area for people to use common sense. however, nuanced, today's ruling paves the way for a closer look at legislation when it comes to prioritising access for wheelchair users. nikki fox, bbc news. it's official. 2016 was the hottest year since records began over a century ago according to nasa scientists. average global temperatures edged ahead of 2015 — and are now 1.1 degrees higher than pre—industrial levels. in fact, it is the third consecutive

year that the record has been broken — nasa say. scientists believe that the el nino weather phenomenon played a role — but increasing levels of greenhouse gases were the main factor in driving up temperatures. our science correspondent rebecca morelle has more. our planet is warming, fast, and the latest data suggests that 2016 was a record—breaking year. this winter, parts of the arctic have had a heatwave, temperatures were above freezing when they should have been far below. while australia's great barrier reef was transformed to this. vast swathes of coral were killed off, as the waters warmed. 2015 was the warmest year on record up until now, and 2016 has just beaten that. it's beaten it by about 0.1, 0.12 degrees celsius. which doesn't seem like a lot, but in terms of the yearly variations, it is actually huge. part of this rise was caused by an el nino event, a warm ocean current that disrupts

the world's weather. but scientists say greenhouse gases were the main driver. this shows how global temperatures have increased since the industrial revolution. the bigger the circle, the hotter the year. and the latest data, collected by nasa and meteorological agencies around the world, suggest 2016 is the third year in a row to break records. the global temperature is edging ever closer towards some worrying figures. scientists say a rise of two degrees celsius above pre—industrial levels could lead to dangerous impacts around the world. so a lower limit of 1.5 celsius was set by the paris climate agreement, a global deal that came into force last year. but with carbon dioxide at record levels, scientists say this is a temperature threshold we are on course to surpass. to tackle global warming, the world is being urged

to move away from fossil fuels, like coal. but in the us, donald trump has said he wants to revive the industry, and has threatened to pull america out of the paris climate agreement. the woman who brokered the deal is concerned. if the us chooses to exit the road and the path that has been pursued by every other country in the world, it is only going to damage itself, because it will become less competitive. we are moving toward a de—carbonised society. all eyes will now be on this year's data. already, scientists forecast that 2017 won't be as warm, because the el nino event is over. but they say longer term, unless action is taken, the earth will continue to heat up. rebecca morelle, bbc news. going back to the white house and pictures of journalists just waiting

for president obama to stand at that podium in the next couple of minutes 01’ so. podium in the next couple of minutes or so. we expect his final news conference shortly. our correspondent is just outside. he has had well over 100 news conferences, daily press briefings and so on. but the suggestion has been that this administration has not been as forthcoming as many people had hoped. he is at the moment fashionably late, he has not been as forthcoming as people might have hoped. there has been quite a lot of control of information in this white house even though he promised great transparency. they do send out briefings and notes about decisions they have made but they have also kept the limits and controls about what they release.

but they have had fairly good access in terms of a press briefing room, daily press briefings, as we said. quite a lot of press conferences and when mrobama quite a lot of press conferences and when mr obama comes to them he tends to talk fulsomely, he not only a nswe i’s to talk fulsomely, he not only answers the question but gives an explanation of why he believes what he believes or defends what he did. so we have had a lot of time of him talking to the press. just to cut you off, we are going to hear the president himself. let me start by saying i was sorely tempted to wear a tan suit today. for my last press conference. but michelle whose fashion sense is better than mine tells me it is not appropriate in january. i better than mine tells me it is not appropriate injanuary. i covered a lot of the ground i want to cover in my farewell address last week. so i am just going to say a couple of quick things before questions. first

we have been in touch with the family of president george bush and his wife being admitted to hospital with morning. they are not only dedicated their lives to this country, they have been a constant source of friendship and support and good counsel for michelle and me over the years. they are as fine a couple as we know. and so we want to send our prayer and our love to them. really good people. second thing i want to do is to thank all of you. some of you have been covering me for a long time. folks like christie and linen. some of you have just gotten to know me, we've travelled the world together, hit a few singles, a few doubles. barack obama at the white house with

the final press conference of his presidency. even when you complained about my long answer is, ijust want you to know the only reason they were long was because you asked six part questions! but i have enjoyed working with all of you. but of course does not mean i have enjoyed every story you are filed but that is the point of this relationship. you're not supposed to be sycophants but sceptics. us poster asking tough questions. you're not supposed to be complimentary, but you are supposed to cast a critical eye on folks who hold enormous power. and make sure that we are accountable to the people who sent us here. and you have done that. you have done it for the most part in ways that i could appreciate for fairness even if i did not always agree with your

conclusions. and having new in this building has made this place work better. it keeps us honest, makes us work harder. you have made us think about how we are doing, what we do, and whether we are able to deliver on what has been requested. by our constituents. and for example every time you have asked why you have not secured the ebola virus or why there is still a hole in the gulf, i go back to my team and ask, get this solved before the next conference! i have spent a lot of time in my farewell address talking about the state of our democracy. it goes without saying that essential to thatis without saying that essential to that is a free press. that is part of how this place, this country,

this grand experiment of self—government has to work. it does not work if we do not have a well—informed citizen. and you are the conduit through which they receive the information about what is taking place in the halls of power. so america needs you and democracy needs you, we need you to establish a baseline of and evidence that we can use as a starting point for the kind of reason and inform debates that ultimately lead to progress. and so my hope is you will continue with the same tenacity that you showed us, to do the hard work of getting to the bottom of stories and getting them right. and to push those of us in power to be the best version of ourselves. and to push this country to be the best version of itself. i've no doubt you will do so of itself. i've no doubt you will do so and i'm looking forward to being an active consumer of your work

rather than always the subject of it. i want to thank you all for your extraordinary service to our democracy and with that i will take some questions. i will start with jeff mason, apparently his time is not up! i thought we would be going out together. are you concerned that commuting the sentence of chelsea manning will send a message that leaking classified material to wikileaks is leaking classified material to wikilea ks is acceptable. leaking classified material to wikileaks is acceptable. and julian assange has now offered to come to the united states, are you thinking that or would he be charged or arrested if he came here. well chelsea manning has served a

tough prison sentence. so the notion that... the average person who was thinking about disclosing vital classified information would think that it goes unpunished i don't think would get that impression from the sentence that chelsea manning has served. it has been my view that given she went to trial, that due process was carried out, that she took responsibility for her crime, that the sentence that she received was very disproportionate relative to what other leakers had received.

and that she had served a significant amount of time. that it made sense to commute and not pardon her sentence. i feel very co mforta ble her sentence. i feel very comfortable that justice has her sentence. i feel very comfortable thatjustice has been served and that a message has still been sent that when it comes to our national security, that wherever possible we need folks who may have he jit may concerns about —— legitimate concerns about their agencies that they work through the established channels and avail themselves of the whistle blower protections that have been put in place. i recognise there is some folks that think they're not enough. and you know i think all of us when we are working in big institutions may find ourselves at times at odds

with policies that are set. but with national security, we are often dealing with people in the field whose lives maybe put at risk, or the safety and security and the ability of our military or our intelligence team or embassies to function effectively. and that has to be kept in mind. so, with respect to be kept in mind. so, with respect to wikileaks, i don't see a contradiction. first, i haven't commented on wikileaks generally. the conclusions of the intelligence community with respect to the russian hacking were not conclusive as to whether wikileaks was witting or not in... being the conduit through which we heard about the dnc e—mails that were leaked. i don't pay a lot of attention to mr

assange's tweet, so that wasn't a consideration. i referyou assange's tweet, so that wasn't a consideration. i refer you to the justice department for any criminal investigations, indictments, extraditions issues that may come up with him. what i can say broadly is that in this new cyberage, we are going to have to make sure that we continually work to find the right balance of accountability and openness and transparency that is the hall mark of our democracy. but also recognise that there are adversaries and bad actors out there who want to use that same openness in ways that hurt us. whether that's in trying to commit financial crimes, or trying to commit acts of terrorism, or folks who want to

interfere with our elections and we are going to have to continually build the kyne of architecture to make hewer the best of our —— make sure the best of our democracy is preserved. that our national security and intelligence agencies have the ability to carry out policy without advertising to our opponents what we are doing bs but do so in a way that keeps citizens up to speed with what their government's doing on their behalf. but with respect to chelsea manning, i looked at the particulars of this case, the same way i have the other pardons i have done and i felt that in like of all the circumstances that commuting her sentence was entirely appropriate. margaret brennen. reporter: mr president, thank you, the president elect said he would consider lifting

sanctions on rush y if they reduced their stock pile. given your own effo rts their stock pile. given your own efforts at arms control, do you think that is an effective strategy, knowing this office and mr trump, how would you advise his advisors to help him be effective when he deals vladimir putin and given your actions recently on russia, do you think those sanctions should be lifted? a couple of things. no 1, i think it is in america's interests and the world's interests that we have a constructive relationship with russia. that has been my approach throughout my presidency. where our interests have overlapped we have worked together. i did what i could to encourage russia to be a constructive member of international community and tried to work with the president and the government of

russia in helping them diversify their economy, improve their economy, use the incredible talents of russian people in more constructive ways. i think it is fairto constructive ways. i think it is fair to say after president putin came back into the presidency that an escalating anti—american rhetoric and an approach to global affairs that seemed to be premised on the idea that whatever america's trying to do must be bad for russians, so we wa nt to do must be bad for russians, so we want to try to counter act whatever they do. that return to anned a spirit that existed in the cold war has made the relationship

more difficult. and it was hammered home when russia went into crimea and portions of the ukraine. the reason we imposed the sanction recall was not because of nuclear weapons issues. it was because the independence and sovereignty of a country, the ukraine, had been encroached upon by force by russia. that wasn't our judgment, encroached upon by force by russia. that wasn't ourjudgment, that was thejudgment of that wasn't ourjudgment, that was the judgment of the entire international community and russia continues to occupy the ukrainianer ian territory and support military surrogates who have violated basic international norms. what i have said to the russians, as soon as you stop doing that, the sanctions will be removed. i think it would

probably best serve not only american interests, but also the interests of preserving the international norms if we made sure that we don't confuse why these sanctions have been impose d with a whole set of other issues. on nuclear issues, in my first term we negotiated a deal. i was prepared to go further, i told vladimir putin i was prepared to go further. they have been unwilling to go further. if president—elect trump can restart the talks, i think there remains a lot of room for our two countries to reduce our stock piles. part of reason we have been successful on our none proliferation agenda and

security is because we were leading by example. i hope that continues. but i think it is importantjust to remember that the reason sanctions have been put in place against russia has to do with their actions in ukraine and it is important for the united states to stand up for the united states to stand up for the basic principle that big countries do go around and invade and bully small countries. i expect russia and ukraine to have a strong relationship. they're russia and ukraine to have a strong relationship. they‘ re bound russia and ukraine to have a strong relationship. they're bound together in all sorts of ways. but ukraine is an independent country. this is a good example of the vital role that america has to continue to play around the world in preserving basic norms and values. whether it is advocates for human rights, on behalf of women's rights, or behalf of freedom of the press, you know the united states has not always

been perfect in this regard. there are times where we by necessity are dealing with allies or friends or partners, who themselves are not meeting the standards that we would like to see met, when is comes to international rules and norms. but i can tell you that in every multilateral setting in the un and the 620, multilateral setting in the un and the g20, the united states typically has been on the right side of these issues. it is important for us to continue to be on the right side of these issues, because if we, the largest, strongest country and democracy in the world, are not willing to stand up on behalf of these values, then certainly if china, russia and others will not.

reporter: you have been a strong supporter of the idea of a peaceful transfer of power, demonstrated not far from here and even as we speak, there are more than five dozen democrats that are going to boycott the inauguration of incoming president. do you support that and what message age would you send to democrats to demonstrate the peaceful transfer of power. i wants to ask you about your conversations with the president—elect and without getting into the personal side, were you able to use that opportunity to convince him to take a fresh look at some of the important ideas that you will leave this office with. maintaining some semblance of the affordable care act, some idea of keeping people in the country

without fear of deportation. were you able to convince him and how successful were you? i won't go into details of my conversation with president—elect trump. they are cordial. at times they have been fairly lengthy and they have been substantive. i can't tell you how convincing i have been, you had better ask him whether i have been convincing or not! i have offered my best advice, counsel about certain issues both foreign and domestic. and my working assumption is that having won an election, opposed to a number of my initiatives, and certain aspects of my vision for where the country needs to go, it is appropriate for him to go forward

with his vision. and his values. i don't expect there is going to be you know... enormous overlap. it may be that on certain issues, once he comes into office and he looks at the complexities of how to in fact provide health care for everybody, something he says he wants to do, or wa nts to something he says he wants to do, or wants to make sure that he is encouraging job creation and wage growth in this country. that may lead him to some of the same conclusions that i arrived at once i got here. but i don't think we will know until he has an actual chance to get sworn in and sit behind that desk. i think a lot of his views will be shaped by his advisors the people around him. that is why it is important to pay attention to these

confirmation hearings. i can tell you, and this is something i have told him, that this is a job of such magnitude that you can't do it by yourself. you are enormously reliant ona team. yourself. you are enormously reliant on a team. your cabinet, your senior white house staff, all the way to fairlyjuniorfolks in white house staff, all the way to fairlyjunior folks in their 20s and 30s, but who are executing on significant responsibilities. so how you put a team together to make sure that they're getting you the best information and they're teeing up the options from which you will make decisions. that is probably the most useful advice, the most constructive advice i have been able to give him. that if you find yourself isolated, because the process breaks down, or

if you're only hearing from people who agree with you on everything, or if you haven't created a process thatis if you haven't created a process that is fact—checking and probing and asking hard questions about policies or promises that you have made. that is when you start making mistakes. as i indicated, reality has a way of biting back if you're not paying attention to it. with respect to the inauguration, i'm not going to comments on those issues, all i know i'm going to be there, is so michelle. i have been checking the weather and it won't be as cold as my first inauguration. because that was cold! reporter: thank you, you said you would come back and fight for the dreamers, are you fea rful fight for the dreamers, are you fearful for the future of the young

immigrants witha fearful for the future of the young immigrants with a new administration and what did you mean when you said you could come back, maybe in co ng ress you could come back, maybe in congress and explore the political arena again. why did you take action arena again. why did you take action a week ago. let me be clear, i did not mean i was going to be running for anything any time soon! no, what i meant is that it is important for me to take some time to process this amazing experience that we have gone through. to make sure that my wife, with whom i will be celebrating a 25th anniversary this year, is ready to put up with me for a bit longer. i want to do some writing. i want to be quiet a little bit and not hear myself talk so darn much! i want to

spend pressure time with my girls. so those are my priorities this year. but as i said before, i'm still a citizen and i think it is important for democrats or processives who feel they came out on the wrong side of this election to be able to distinguish between the normal back and forth ebb and flow of policy and are we going to raise or lower taxes, are we going to expand this programme or eliminate this programme. how concerned are we about air pollution, or climate change. those are all normal parts of the debate. and as i have said before, in a

democracy, sometimes you're going to win on those issues, sometimes you're going to lose. i'm confident about the rightness of my positions ona about the rightness of my positions on a lot of these points, but we got a new president and a congress that are going to make the same determinations and there will be a back and forth in congress around thoseissues back and forth in congress around those issues and you will rrt that. there is a difference between that normalfunctioning of there is a difference between that normal functioning of politics and certain issues or moments where i think our core values may be at sta ke. think our core values may be at stake. i put in that category, if i saw systematic discrimination being ratified in some fashion. i put in

that category explicit or functional obstacles that category explicit or functional o bsta cles to that category explicit or functional obstacles to people being able to vote, to exercise their franchise. i would put in that category institutional efforts to silence dissent or the press. and for me at least, i would put in that category effo rts least, i would put in that category efforts to round up kids who have grown up efforts to round up kids who have grown up here and for all practical purposes are american kids and send them some place else, when they love this country, they are our kids' friends and their class mates and are now entering into community colleges or in seem cases serving in our military, that the notion that we would just arbitrarily, or

because of politics punish those kids when they didn't do anything wrong themselves. i think that would be something that would merit me speaking out. it doesn't mean i would gets on the ballot anywhere. with respect to wet foot/dry foot, we underwent a monumental shift in our policy towards cuba. my view was after 50 yea rs of our policy towards cuba. my view was after 50 years of a policy not working it made sense for us to try to re—open diplomatic relations, to engage a cuban government, to be honest with them about the strong disagreements we have around you know political repression and treatment of dissenters and freedom

of press and religion. but that to make progress for the cuban people, our best shot was to suddenly have the cu ban people our best shot was to suddenly have the cuban people interacting with americans and seeing the incredible sense of cu ban americans and seeing the incredible sense of cuban american community and engaging in commerce and business and trade. it was through that process of opening up these relations that you would see over time serious and significant improvement. given that shift in the relationship, the policy that we had in place with wet foot/dry foot, which treated cu ban in place with wet foot/dry foot, which treated cuban immigrant

different from people from other pa rt different from people from other part of the world, one that made a distinction between whether you got here by land or by foot, you know that was a carry over of a old way of thinking that didn't make sense in this day and age. particularly as we are open up travel between the two countries. and so we had very lengthy consultations with the department of homeland security. we had some tough negotiations with the cuban government. but we arrived at a policy that we think is fair and appropriate to the changing nature of the relationship between the two countries. nadia. reporter: i appreciate the opportunity and i wa nt to appreciate the opportunity and i want to wish you the best of luck in the future. you have been criticised

even personally attacked for the resolution that considered israe settle m e nts resolution that considered israe settlements illegal. how worried are you about the us leadership in the arab world and beyond. in retrospect do you think you should have held israel more accountable, like president bush senior did? i'm, i can't to be significantly worried about the israeli/palestinian issue. and i'm worried about it both because i think the status quo is unsustainable, that it is dangerous for israel. that it is bad for palestinians. it is bad for the

region and it is bad for america's national security. and i came into this office wanting to do everything i could to encourage serious peace talks between israeli and palestinians. and we invested a lot of energy, a lot of time and a lot of energy, a lot of time and a lot of effort, first year, second year, all the way until last year. ultimately, what has always been clear is that we cannot force the parties to arrive at peace. what we can do is facilitate, provide a platform, encourage, but we can't force them to do it. but in light of shifts in israeli politics and

palestinian politics, a right—ward drift in israeli politics, a weakening of president abassi's ability to move and take risks on behalf of peace in the palestinian territories. in light of the all the dangers that have emerged in the region and the understandable fear there is a israelis may have about there is a israelis may have about the chaos and rise of groups like isil and the deterioration of syria. in light of all those things, what we at least wanted to do, understanding that the two parties wouldn't actually arrive at a final status agreement is to preserve the possibility of a two—state solution. baz we don't see an —— because we don't see an alternative. i have said to it to binyamin netanyahu and

i have said it inside israel and to palestinians as well. i don't see how this issue gets resolved in a way that maintains israel as both jewish and a democracy. because if you do not have two states, then in some form orfashion you do not have two states, then in some form or fashion you are extending an occupation, functionally you end up having one state in which millions of people are disenfranchised and operate as second class occupants, or residents, you can't even call them citizens necessarily. and so the goal of the resolution was to simply say that the settlements, the growth of the settlements, are creating a reality on the ground that increasingly will make a two—state solution impossible. and we believed

consistent with the position that had been taken with previous us administrations for decades now, that it was important for us to send a signal, a wake—up call, that this moment may be passing and israeli voters and palestinians need to understand that this moment may be passing. and hopefully that then creates a debate inside both israeli and palestinian communities that won't result immediately in peace, but at least will lead to a more sober assessment of what the alternatives are. so we... the president—elect will have his own policy. the ambassador or the candidate for the ambassadorship has

very different ideas to me. that is their prerogative. my views are clear, we will see how their approach place itself out. i don't wa nt approach place itself out. i don't want to... i don't want to project today what could end up happening, but it is a volatile environment, what we have seen in the past is when sudden unilateral moves are made that speak to some of the core issues and sensitivities of either side, that can be explosive. and i, what we have tried to do in the transition is provide the context in the which the president—elect may wa nt to the which the president—elect may want to make some of these decisions. that is part of what we have tried to indicate to the incoming team in our transition

process is pay attention to this. because this is a volatile stuff. people feel deeply about this. and asi people feel deeply about this. and as i have said, i think many times, you know, the actions that we take have enormous consequences and ramifications. we are the biggest kid on the block and i think it is right and appropriate for a new president to test old assumptions and re—examine the old ways of doing things. but if you're going to make big shifts in policy, just make sure you have thought it through and understand that they‘ re you have thought it through and understand that they're going to be consequences and actions typically

create reactions and so you want to be intentional about it. you don't wa nt to be intentional about it. you don't want to do things off—the—cuff when it comes to an issue this volatile. chrisjohnson? chris johnson? lgbt writes. where is chris? we see a lot of achievements in lgbt writes. don't ask don't tell repeal, marriage equality nationwide, ensuring trans people feel respected. how do you think lg bt rights will feel respected. how do you think lgbt rights will rank in your legacy and how confident are you that it'll continue under the president elect? i could not be