the fact that, as i have said that, there's a need to act with some urgency. europeans have it very much within their capacity to deal with this situation, and we have provided consistent advice and counsel based on our experience on how to deal with this and will continue to do so. >> how worried is the president about the -- >> i think he's very clear that he recognizes, as i said earlier, that europe is a very important trading partner to the united states and troubles in the european economies have an impact on the american economy because of that relationship. our financial systems are very integrated and trouble in the european financial sector can

have an impact on the american economy. this is the head wind that the president has talked about in the past. now, that's why we need to take the steps that we can take, that we can control entirely, here in washington, to insulate the american economy, to insulate the american people from these kinds of challenges posed by europe and elsewhere. >> and you mentioned he was closely engaged. if he was talking with other world leaders and presidents, you would read out those calls, correct? >> not necessarily. i think you might expect that he has conversations that we don't always tell you about. i'm not trying to be sly here. i would just say, you know, it certainly is the case and has been in the case, as long as i've been press secretary, that the president has conversations that we don't read out to you, either with, you know, american business leaders or members of congress or foreign leaders or others, so we don't read out every conversation the president has. yeah. >> jay, what are your

expectations for the upcoming friends of syria, next phase of that friends of syria process? >> it's part of a concerted effort to unify the international community around the notion that there needs to be a political transition in syria. to help the opposition in syria, to organize itself and to bring diplomatic pressure to bear on the assad regime as well as pressure through sanctions and other means to help facilitate that transition, and that includes -- and secretary of state has been very clear about this, as have others. that includes working with other members of the united nations security council in, particular russia, on the need to take steps to bring about political transition in syria, take steps to prevent assad from continuing

to brutally assault his own people, because there is not a whole lot of time available to the international community before that situation, at least potentially, devolves into sectarian civil war, a situation that could spill beyond the syrian borders and could involve other countries in the region. and that obviously is profoundly not in the interest of the syrian people, but it's not in the interest of the countries of the region. it's not in the interest of any member of the united nations security council, so that's why we need to work collectively to ensure that that does not transpire. >> are you willing to say that that is the last such meeting before it devolves into that? >> i'm not going to draw any lines in the sand. i simply will make the point that there is a need to act

urgently because the situation in syria demands it. okay. >> is the president monitoring the recall election in wisconsin, and if governor walker isn't recalled, what do you think that says about the mood of the country? >> i'm sure the president -- i know the president is aware of the recall election. i think he's got some other responsibilities, so i don't -- i know that he's not following it minute by minute, but he's aware of it. you know that he tweeted about it earlier and stands with the democratic candidate, mayor barrett, in -- in this race. i would simply say, not speaking for him, because i haven't had this conversation with him, but noting what others have noted in your profession and elsewhere, that a race where one side is o outspending the other by a ratio of at least 8-1 probably won't tell us much about a future

race. >> it looks like the highway bill conference is about to collapse. is the president prepared to make calls and invite members of congress in? obviously both republicans and democrats want to -- >> the president is prepared to make the case that we need to take action on the transportation bill and on infrastructure because this is an area that's been identified as a soft spot in our economy, an area where we can take steps to help improve economic growth and job creation, the construction industry, so, you know, i don't have specific action plan to read out to you, but it really is vital that congress get its act together and pass some of these important pieces of legislation that have in the case of surface transportation, in the case of the aforementioned student loan rate legislation and a host of others have enjoyed bipartisan support in the past, and there

is no reason why they should not enjoy that bipartisan support today and in the future. >> so we can expect him to get personal? >> again, i don't have an action plan to provide to you, but it is essential that congress do its job. yeah, jerry and then dave. >> last night president clinton said that the gop and mitt romney had adopted europe's policies. i was wondering if president obama agrees with that? >> well, i haven't had that conversation with president obama. i think others have made the observation that austerity alone is not -- at least is not the right prescription for -- and was not the right prescription for our economy. we're not in a position and do not want to lecture other nations about the steps they should take. we can provide counsel and advice based on our experience, and we are certainly not

satisfied with the pace of the recovery thus far, the pace of job creation thus far, but there has been economic growth, and there has been significant job creation. 4.3 million jobs in the last 27 months here in the united states, and -- and that is in no small measure. in fact, it is completely because of the initiatives that were taken to help stop the bleeding in terms of the cataclysmic economic decline that greeted this president when he took office and reverse it and create a situation where the economy began to grow again, where employers began to hire again and in some sectors of the economy, like manufacturing and the auto industry, where the economy really began to rebound in significant ways. it has been uneven, and it is far from complete, but it is a

picture of a response to a financial and economic crisis that i think bears review. dave. >> yes, on the student loan issue. secretary duncan said just moments ago he didn't want to negotiate from the electric turn but if republicans offered serious proposals the white house would engage. seriously speaking the republicans have offered proposals. does the white house believe they are serious? >> again, i'm not going to negotiate the particulars here. i share secretary duncan's optimism about the fact that this will be resolved despite the speaker referring to it as a phony issue, we think there are signs that the republicans think it would be a terrible thing for the 7.4 million americans that would be affect federal the loan rates were allowed to double and therefore they will take the necessary action. you know, i'm not going to get

into the nitty-gritty here of negotiating. >> what's the next step though with the white house involvement? >> well, we'll continue to work with congress and with the -- with the leaders on this issue to get it resolved, but i don't have specific elements of what that final outcome will look like for you. >> yeah. the white house has said for several years, a few years, that the health care law cannot stand without the individual mandate. is that still your position? >> well, i -- i would simply say that obviously the -- the individual mandate is a hugely important component to the affordable care act because it is what allows for in -- in many ways coverage of those with pre-existing conditions and others who might otherwise not be able to get insurance were the mandate not in place, so i think it is profoundly important, as it was say in

massachusetts and has been in its implementation in massachusetts. i'm sure that's why republicans in massachusetts and even at the heritage foundation thought that it was a good idea when they came up with it, but i -- i'm not going to game out for you what -- i know where you're headed, what a supreme court decision would look like if it were to come out this way or that way. you know, the president believes, i believe, i think a lot of lawyers believe -- i think a lot of lawyers believe who have studied the precedent here with regard to the commerce clause, that the affordable care act is very much constitutional, but it's -- it's up to the supreme court to render its judgment. >> but do you still believe that functionally, as a matter of policy -- >> i have no change in what my predecessor or others have said about -- about that, but, again, the question is based on an assumption about a decision that the supreme court has not made. yeah. >> earlier you said the service

members who were in afghanistan, the conflict there is simpler because the obama administration. do drone strikes make it less simple to the american people towns when these are secret and often done without really -- >> i won't talk about things i won't talk about from the podium, but i'll simply say the american people very much support the idea that our efforts in afghanistan, efforts that put the lives of american men and women in uniform at risk and well as other lives at risk, should be foeused primarily on disrupting, dismantling and defeating al qaeda. that is the policy objective that the president put into place, and -- and it's the right one, and it is the reason why we went to afghanistan in the first place. >> should it be supported if it's secret? >> again, i think you're conflating a bunch of things here that i -- i would love to tease them apart for you and i'm happy to do that at another time, but i think the president -- the president's

policy objective of defeating al qaeda is -- is one that does have the support of the american people. >> one more, jay. on the transit of venus, is the president expecting to spend any time today looking at the transit of venus? he's a nerdy guy. >> it's cloudy. >> my -- my colleague says it's clouding up out there. i wasn't even aware of it. i'm so focused on making sure i have the answers to your questions i knew nothing about the transit of venus. mr. dennis. okay. last one. that was it. thanks, guys. my audience is leaving.

offer the past four years pulitzer prize winning authored david marani is s has been writing the book "barack obama, the story." the research included traveling the globe and going to kenya and discovering his african ancestry on the shores of lake victoria. he toured the family homes and sites in kansas to find the origins of his mother's family. "barack obama the story" comes out in book stores on june 19 but we'll give you an early look including our trip to kenya as we traveled with the author on january 10. join us sunday at 6:00 p.m. eastern time and later at 7:30 that same night. your phone calls, e-mails and tweets for david maraniss on c-span 2's book-tv. a look now at some of our live coverage today on the c-span networks. the u.s. house is in session right now on c-span. members are considering a number of bills, including spending for next budget year on energy and

water projects. 17 months after electing republican scott walker as governor, wisconsin voters are reconsidering that decision today. he's facing milwaukee's democratic mayor tom barrett in a recall election. c-span 2 will have results tonight starting at sock eastern. and here on c-span 3 we'll be live tonight at 8:50 with a discussion between warren buffett, the head of berkshire hathaway and david rubenstein, the founder of the carlisle group, on the current state of the economy. tomorrow the senate banking committee looks into financial industry regulations. members are focusing on the rules being written by the securities and exchange commission to implement the dodd/frank law. the hearing will also examine the $2 billion trading loss at jpmorgan chase. can you see live coverage tomorrow morning at 10:00 eastern here on c-span 3. and thursday we'll bring you live coverage as federal reserve

chair ben bernanke gives his economic outlook report to congress. the joint economic committee hearing begins at 10:00 a.m. eastern. this is c-span 3, with politics and public affairs programming throughout the week and every weekend 48 hours of people and events telling the american story on american history tv. get our schedules and see past programs at our websites, and can you join in the conversation on social media sites. and now to boston for the 2012 cable show. the annual gathering of the national cable and telecommunications association kicked off with the keynote address by president and ceo michael powell. the former fcc chair talked about the state of the cable industry and new advances. this is just over ten minutes. >> welcome. welcome to the great city of boston and the 2012 cable show.

it's great to have governor patrick welcome us to this wonderful city. you know, when i joined ncta a year ago, i set out to wring more creativity and energy into this industry. our efforts are bearing fruit, and you will see it reflected throughout this gorgeous convention hall. our new ad campaign which is up in washington reflects the emotional connection we hope to get across in telling our story. let's take a quick look. ♪ ♪

>> cable is thriving. with new energy, new products and a very promising future. as the ad makes clear, cable is the platform that offers instant access to infinite possibilities to great programming, the web, friends and family and the hottest internet applications and devices. cable is how we connect to the world and to one another. now, americans, they adore television. we watch about 147 hours of tv per month, which may not be entirely healthy, but there is no escaping the immense pleasure we get from the tube. television is the original social medium. watching is a communal experience. sharing what was on last night, convincing a friend to jump on the bandwagon of your favorite show and to catch up quickly so that you can talk about it, the

joy we feel watching something inspiring, the laughs we share taking in a great comedy and the exhilaration we feel when our favorite team hits the winning shot at the buzzer. it's all available to us because the cable industry took a mediocre tv experience and made it better. once upon a time americans had only three channels that signed off at midnight to the sound of "the star spangled banner." there was little diversity of content and static riddled picture. cable delivered a technology that improved reception, expanded and diversified what we watch, and gave artists a better canvas for making quality shows. dramas like "homeland" and "mad men" and educational content from discovery and mystery, kids programming on nickelodeon, speenter and espn, cooking shows on food network and news and public affairs from fixtures like cnn, c-span, cnbc and fox

news. they have all made television a rich experience. the fact that so many americans stuck with cable during the recession is a testament to our value and our stability, but you know electronics communications does not stand still. the internet may be the most extraordinary advance in the history of information, ushering in an age of new an infinite possibilities. now, leaders, they take risks, and the cable industry's chose to bet big on the promise of delivering broadband. it was an ambitious and risky play, but one that is now paying off for consumers. over the doubts of many, cable got the job done. our stli hindustry has investedy $200 billion of private capital to build the infrastructure to get america online. the men and women who serve our

industry painstakingly dug, pulled and connected homes to the internet across the nation, and they did it without withou ready stimulus funds from the government. cable broadband -- that's worthy of applause, i think. cable broadband now reaches 93% of homes, rich, poor, urban and rural. but the industry has never stopped pushing forward. we have increased broadband speeds over 900% in a decade. and we're on the verge of deploying additional technology to reach speeds so fast the internet itself may be unable to deliver content to match cable's last mile. the incredible network makes it possible for us to tweet, friend and google, which are now household words. amazon was just a river in south america until national broadband

service made it the largest online retailer. last week, facebook launched the richest ipo for a tech company. we congratulate them and i'm sure the california department of revenue thanks them. that kind of extraordinary american success is only possible because of the rich and robust platform that supports it. we celebrate these successes in our progress, but there's more to do. many americans still are not online and that needs to change. cable is working to increase adoption by partnering with the fcc to launch a low-cost broadband service to low-income families across america. this is absolutely critical because a child without access to the internet will find life increasingly too difficult in the information age. for all cable has proudly done so far, we owe the consumer more.

consumers want an imagetive future. and this industry has never been content to rest on aging business models. it is looking to provide americans with the next exciting thing. too many have failed to keep pace with consumer preferences and disruptive technologies. but i assure you cable will not be one of them. we all know the challenges consumers face in today's dizzying marketplace. the experience should be simpler, easier to find the content we want, easier interfaces to control our experience and less reliance on clunky set top boxes. we want the ability to get the content that we have paid for, here, there and everywhere. we say to consumers we have heard your wish. and we're working to make it come true by delivering cable

content to ipads, xboxs and smartphones and whatever the next cool thing is that pops out. you should get greater value for what you pay, including content on or devices and content that cannot be found elsewhere. we have embarked on an exciting period of intense innovation. cable is experimenting with more portal services, fairer pricing models and more web integration. it's a work in progress. there will be adjustments along the way. and we face competition and that is healthy. wireless broadband is enjoying astronomical growth. telcos remain in the thick of the fight. and satellite companies continue to battle convinced by their commercials that you will end up in a ditch, sell your hair to a wig shop or have a grandkid with a nose ring if you don't get rid of cable. now, that may be over the top competition, but it's real. there is also a place for internet video providers to compete and complement the cable

model and yes, some consumers may even cut the cord. but at the end of the day, cable benefits from the competition. and will work even harder to compete fairly and effectively on value and consumer experience. as these changes unfold, you can expect critics to wail. compelling change rarely escapes the doom sayers chorus. we'll respect them and guide them exclusively by our commitment to ensuring a better experience for consumers. but some naysayers are carping because they don't like the u.s. private enterprise model. they prefer european-style regulation where the government effectively owns or controls the network. pumping taxpayer money into subsidizing service and managing competition.

they would like the government to have the last word on the pace and scope of innovation. this would be a disastrous course to take. confiscating private networks put our broke government on the hook to encoo it flowing into the network innovation. letting politics allocate the resources would kill investment and leave the internet in the state we find the post office, the electric grid or crumbling transportation system. a recent "washington post" article recently said our nation will need to spend $75 billion a year if you want to keep the lights on and your iphone charged. we'll need to spend money per year to keep the toilets flushing and the country needs to spend $262 billion. in stark contrast, broadband is thriving.

fuelled by the dynamics of the free market. broadband is an american succ s success. a light regulatory model that favors free enterprise, has led to a vibrant digital economy that's poem ---erring business owners and consumers no matter where they live. i hope you're as excited as i am we're holding the convention here in boston. this is a storied city with great people and a proud history. we hope to tap into the revolutionary spirit that gave birth to this great nation and continue building a great network worthy of the stars and stripes. thank you very much. thanks for joining us. have a wonderful cable show. warren buffett talks to the economic club of washington, d.c. tonight. we'll have live coverage as he talks about the economic issues

of the day with rubenstein. and this is primary day in six states including california, new jersey, where several congressional primaries are underway. wisconsin voters are going to the polls to decide whether to replace governor walker with tom barrett. we'll have the wisconsin results live at 10:00 eastern. finally on a personal note, america and i are grateful to the entire bush family for their guidance and their example during our own transition. george, i will always remember the gathering you hosted for all the living former presidents before i took office. your kind words of encouragement, plus you also left me a really good tv sports package. that was -- i use it. >> last week, portraits of

former president george w. bush and first lady laura bush were unveiled at the white house. it was their first visit since leaving office. >> in 1814, dolly madison famously saved this portrait of first george w. now, michelle, if anything happens -- there's your man. >> watch the entire event online at the c-span video library. our coverage of the 2012 cable show in boston continues in a moment with erin burnett from cnn. she sat down with tim armstrong and greg britt at this annual gathering of the national cable and telecommunications. this portion is just over 35 minutes. >> all right.

well, thanks, everybody for having us. we're thrilled to be here. i'm thrilled. it looks so packed in here. it looks like there's standing room only in the back. so that's fantastic. well, we wanted to talk about basically the way things are right now in an industry that's changing so quickly. i mean, especially with smartphones. guess you have more -- people have smartphones and dvrs and people get killed walking down the street because they're on their smartphones now. so i wanted to start off by asking each of you, what are -- how are things really changing when it comes to video? a few years ago it was reality television, that was the hot thing. video games now. what's the hot sort of next thing you're seeing in terms of people's use of video? we'll start with david and come this way. >> thanks, erin. good to see you. no question, things are changing and people are consuming content on more