kind of beat. he was plain and laconic and the charisma of grant was that he had no charisma. you know, the drama very often is he was not dramatic in different situations. he's no less fascinating, but he's kind of no less deep than hamilton but a very subtle character. in that respect reminded me much more of george washington, that george washington had a similarly kind of reserved and enigmatic quality to grant. >> sunday night at 8 eastern on c-span's q & a. british prime minister theresa may answered questions in parliament yesterday about allegations of sexual harassment against parliament, the terrorist attack in new york

city and russia's intervention in the u.s. election. i know that members across the house are appalled by last night's cowardly terrorist attack in new york. members on both sides of the house have been deeply concerned about allegations of harassment and mistreatment here in westminster. that is why my honorable friend, the leader of the house, has been meeting with her counterparts. i've written to all party leaders inviting them to a meeting early next week so we can discuss a common, transparent, independent grievance procedure for all those working in parliament. we have a duty to ensure that everyone coming here to contribute to public life is treated with respect.

mr. speaker, this morning i had meetings. i shall have further such meetings later today. >> dennis skinner. there's been some very powerful research done on the question of high speed rail. what he says is that in the leafy suburbs of the south, the first 140 miles, 30% of it has been dedicated to tunnelling to avoid knocking houses down. yet in the north, we are now told that the percentage is only 2% for the whole of the north. why? because hs 2 says it's too costly. knock the houses down. will she arrange for a meeting with people from my area in order to avoid another 30 houses being knocked down in newton.

isn't it high time that this government stop treating our people like second class citizens? knch >> i'm sure the department of transport will be happy to look into the question that he has raised. but of course hs 2, the reason why they're doing hs 2 is that it is important to increase the capacity of the railway lines going through to the north. this will be a very important contribution to the united kingdom economy. and i can assure him if he looks at everything this government has done with the northern power house, the midlands engine -- [ shouting ] >> the significant investment in infrastructure across all parts of the country, this is a

government that wants to ensure this is a country that works for everyone. >> i want to join the prime minister and add that my thoughts are with new yorkers. the shocking scenes in new york will have brought back awful memories of terrorist attacks here. as we degrade and destroy at its base, i urge our international partners to join with us in delivering the recent u.n. resolution to investigate and prosecute terrorists so we can hold them to account for their vile crimes. >> yes. my honorable friend raises a very important point. it is important that to ensure that we have a complete response to this issue of the threat of terrorism that does involve dealing with the problem at source. it also involves dealing with terrorism wherever it occurs. our message is very clear that our values will prevail, that the terrorists will not win. as we do this, we do need to

ensure that we work with international partners. we want to try to make sure that there is in syria and iraq, that we develop a safe spaces as they reemerge from this terrorist threat which has been on their streets but has also affected us here and elsewhere across the world. crucially in helping those actually in situ to gain evidence that can be used to ensure that anybody who is involved in the horrors of attacks that we see that anybody who's involved in horrors of attacks actually can be properly brought to justice. >> thank you, mr. speaker. on the question of the sex harassments allegations that the prime minister quite rightly referred to, just to put on the record i'm happy to meet with the prime minister and all party leaders to discuss this. we need better protections for all in this house.

this house must involve workplace trade unions in that. but it's also incumbent on all parties to have robust procedures in place to protect and support victims of sexual abuse and harassment. i join with the prime minister in sending our solidarity to the people of new york and their mayor bill de blasio. they boasted enormous good work at opposite ends of the u.k. to diligently represent their communities and constituencies. they'll be sadly missed by all of us, particularly in the labor party. mr. speaker, in 2010 the labor government intervened through hmrc to shut down aisle of man's

scheme used to import yachts into the european union and thus avoid tax. a similar scheme has recently been exposed relating to the import of business jets into the isle of man. can the prime minister ensure the house that hmrc investigates these new allegations diligently? >> the honorable gentleman has made a number of references in his question andly address all of them. on the first point, it is absolutely essential that we have processes that political parties have processes to deal with allegations of misconduct, also that obviously we have the ministerial code and proper investigations take place against the ministerial code where that is appropriate. but i believe it is also crucial for everybody working in this parliament, be they working for a member of parliament, for the house authorities or a journalist working in this parliament, that there are

proper processes in this parliament for people to be able to report misconduct and for that to be dealt with. and i think that is very important and i'm grateful for him saying he will meet with me and i hope other political leaders to look at this particular issue. and i also join him in paying tribute to both frank doran and candy atherton. he chaired the administration committee for five years, was a tireless campaign for the safety in the oil and gas industry. i'm sure everybody will recall the commitment with which he served in this house and join me in offering condolences to his family and friends. candy atherton served for eight years as a member of parliament.

once again, i'm sure members across the house will join me in offering my condolences to her family and friends. the right honorable gentleman talks about tax avoidance. i can assure him that where cases are referred to hmrc in relation to tax avoidance, they take those seriously and look into those measures seriously. we've secured almost 160 pounds since 2010 through number of measures we have taken to ensure we clamp down on tax evasion and avoidan avoidance. >> mr. speaker, 957 business jets in the isle of man seems a bit excessive for any island anywhere. and i hope it's investigated and due tax is collected from those people that are trying to avoid it.

estimates of the scale of tax dodging range from 34 billion, which is around the size of our school's budget, to 119 billion, which is the size of the nhs budget. the isle of man v.a.t. avoidance allegations are part of a wider leak from the bermuda based law firm said to be on a similar scale to the panama papers. will the prime minister commit the hmrc to fully investigate all evidence of u.k. tax avoidance and evasion from this leak and prosecute where feasible? >> i had given the right honorable gentleman assurance in my first answer that hmrc does take these issues very seriously, does investigate and does take action where appropriate and tax loopholes are closed. what is important is that if we look at the record that we have, i mentioned the 160 billion in

additional compliance revenues since 2010. we've announced or implemented over 75 measures since 2010 to tackle tax avoidance and evasion. the right honorable gentleman referred to one done by the labor government. we have been continuing to act on this particular issue. so we will be raising billions of pounds more as a result of that. but i think most people would recognize that hmrc actually does rather want to collect tax. that's its job and it does look to make sure it can do so as much as possible. >> mr. speaker, it's rather strange then that britain reportedly has blocked a french-led proposal which would have placed bermuda on the european union tax haven blacklist. perhaps the prime minister could explain why that would be the case. the panama papers exposed many wealthy individuals and big businesses who avoided tax

through offshore trusts. labor backs any necessary changes to toughen our laws against tax avoidance. just yesterday, mr. speaker, we tried to strengthen legislation on beneficial ownership of trusts with amendments we placed to finance bill. why did the government vote against them? >> can i say to the right honorable gentleman that he raises the issue of british overseas territories. in fact, this government has taken action in relation to those british overseas territories, action that was not taken by the previous labor government. so if he says to me that this whole question of tax evasion is something that needs to be constantly looked at and government needs to be prepared to act, then my answer is yes, we are and we will. >> mr. speaker, there's a

strange kind of patent here. -- pattern here. in 2015 alone, conservative members of the european parliament voted against five reports to introduce methods of fighting tax avoidance and evasion. and last week hmrc admitted that multinational companies avoid paying 5.8 billion taxes in 2016. and despite this, hmrc is currently cutting another 8,000 staff. so can the prime minister assure the house that in the upcoming budget, instead of more cuts to hmrc, they'll get more resources to tackle the scourge of aggressive tax avoidance and evasion. >> i have reassured the right honorable gentleman that hmrc is acting, has been acting since

this conservative party came into government in 2010 and will continue to act. but of course the right honorable gentleman in asking these questions might want to reflect on why it was before the dissolution of parliament earlier this year, it was the labor party that stopped and refused to support anti-tax avoidance and evasion measures brought forth by this government. his party stopped it. >> mr. speaker, my question was why conservative mps opposed what labor was proposing yesterday. so mr. speaker -- [ shouting ] >> last month's european

parliament committee of inquiry set up in the wake of the panama papers claimed that the u.k. is obstructing the fight against tax dodging and money laundering. and just last week the e.u.'s competition commissioner announced an inquiry into u.k. taxation rules that may have institutionalized tax avoidance by multinational corporations. isn't the prime minister concerned that vital revenue is being lost to fund schools and hospitals? will she change the rules in the budget? >> can i say to the right honorable gentleman, we have taken an extra 160 billion pounds in additional compliance revenue since 2010. and he says -- he comments on measures that were being proposed this week. as i said in my previous answer, we would have had more tax evasion, anti-tax evasion

measures in place if the labor party had not blocked them before the last election. this party in government, this party in government has been not just acting in the u.k. we have been working with the crown dependencies and we have been leading the world. it was a conservative prime minister that put this on the agenda of the g-7 and the g-20 for international action against tax avoidance and evasion. >> mr. speaker, if we are leading the world, perhaps she could explain how the amount of tax paid by the super rich in income tax has fallen from 4.4 billion to 3.5 billion since 2009. earlier this year, the accounts committee said the hmrc record of getting multimillionaires to

pay their taxes was, and i quote, dismal. and that the super rich were getting help with their tax affairs that is not available to other taxpayers. our school's budgets are being cut. more people waiting longer for treatment. >> order! we do tend to have large doses of this overexcitement every week. i'd like to get to the end of the order paper and to facilitate back bench inquiries as well. members are eating only into their own time. i've got all the time in the world. >> i must say it again. our schools' budget are being cut, more people waiting longer for treatment on the national health service, more elderly and

disabled not getting the social care they need. does the prime minister think it is acceptable that when it comes to paying taxes, there's one rule for the super rich and another for the rest of us? >> the top 1% of earners in this country are paying 28% of the tax burden. that is the highest percentage ever under any government. and once again, the right honorable gentleman is wrong. over the next two years 2.5 billion pounds extra is being put into our schools as a result of decisions taken by this conservative government. but i'll tell him. he talks about spending on schools and hospitals. i'll tell him where the real problem lies. today we spend nearly 50 billion pounds in payments on interest

to those we have borrowed from as a result of the legacy of the labor party. that is more than we spend on the nhs pay bill, it is more than we spend -- >> order! the prime minister's answer will be heard. as i indicated the question from the opposition would be heard. you are a senior denizen of the house. this excessive gesticulation is not good for you, man. calm yourself. >> we spend 50 billion pounds on debt interest every year, payments to people we've borrowed from. that's more than the nhs pay bill, it's more than our school budget, it's more than we spend on defense. that's a result of the economy we were left by the labor party

in government. what does the right honorable gentleman want to do? he wants to borrow 500 billion pounds more that would make the situation worse and mean even less money for schools and hospitals. >> mr. speaker, on august 22nd, 2015, in my constituency 11 men tragically lost their lives. over 26 months later no decision has been taken on criminal charges. the inquest has been delayed again until next year. the family of the victims have just had their application for exceptional case funding denied. will my right honorable friend agree to look at this case again and to meet the families to ensure that they have proper access to justice in this exceptionally tragic case which has a much wider public interest

for safety? >> can i say to my honorable friend he raises a very important issue and i can fully understand the concerns of the fami families. he talks about the timetable for decisions being taken. the department of transport has accepted the investigation recommendation and independent review and they're working with the air accidents investigation branch to determine the exact scope of the review. the civil aviation authority has accepted all recommendations. there is considerable work going onto learn the lessons from this disaster. we are also obviously committed to ensure where there is a public disaster people are able to have proper representation. this is an issue that i will ask the lord chancellor to look at in relation to the question he has raised. >> ian blackford knch. >> thank you, mr. speaker. when the prime minister talked about the zero tolerance there

has to be for bad sexual practices and behavior. i certainly commit my members to work with the government to make sure we can have a system that we can be proud of that will protect all members of the house of parliament. can i also pass on my condolences to the family and friends of frank dodd for his untimely death. can the prime minister tell the house how much a working single parent can expect to lose because of the roll out of universal credit? >> can i first of all say to the honorable gentleman that i'm grateful for him for agreeing that he wants to work across the house on this important issue. he referred to sexual misconduct. i think that is important is that any processes that are put in place don't just look at sexual misconduct, but look at issues like bullying as well because i think that is also important. he's raised universal credit with me before. he knows the reason we've brought into place universal

credit is that when people are in the workplace they are able to keep more of the money that they earn. i believe that's an important principle. it underpins what we're doing. >> mr. speaker, the reality is that working single parents could lose an average of 1350 pounds per year because of the cuts to work allowances. universal credit is fast becoming a poll tax. the prime minister has a habit of u-turning. will she u-turn one more time and fix the problems with universal credit? >> i've underlined the principle that lies behind universal credit, which i believe is a very important one. when we look at the support that is given to people, it isn't just about the support on universal credit.

it's also about support to help them to get into the workplace to ensure they can actually meet the requirements of getting into the workplace. and when they're in the workplace, they can keep more of the money they earn. i think that is an important principle. we will continue to roll out universal credit looking carefully at the implement take of universal credit as we do so because we're doing this in a careful way over a period of time. universal credit is a simpler system that ensures that people keep more as they earn more. >> mr. speaker, in chesham we still have areas that do not have access to high speed broadband. and with the advent of electric vehicles, we're going to need to install an extensive charging

network. could the prime minister tell me what further action the government could take to ensure the timely completion of our broadband infrastructure. so buckinghamshire residents can take advantage of the opportunities offered by modern technology. >> my right honorable friend is absolutely right. we want to be able to ensure that we take the advantages offered by the modern technology. that's why these are issues that have been addressed in our industrial strategy and will continue to be addressed. we recognize that when we talk about infrastructure in this country, broadband is part of that. it isn't just the physical roads and rails infrastructure. so we are investing in the project.

we are leading the world in the development of electric cars and we need to ensure that we have those vehicle charging points. so we have put in place and we're putting in place grants and policy measures to ensure that we see those charging points. >> if the prime minister is serious about building a country that works for everyone, why under 25s are not includes and the scandal of the national minimum wage -- >> we have the national living wage. it was this party in government that introduced the national living wage that has had an important impact on people and obviously the national living wage continues to increase. >> will the prime minister join with the local government minister's positive comments this week on the development of

some family hubs and will she encourage conservative councils to be supportive of these hubs which can improve the lives of vulnerable children by strengthening her families. >> can i thank my ron rabbhonor friend for raising this point. we all understand the values of strong families. she has championship championed throughout our time in this house. >> thank you, mr. speaker. my great city of dundee has been repeatedly in the news last week. it's now a center for pharmaceutical innovation. and the "wall street journal" listed dundee as one of the top ten places to visit on earth,

making it scotland's schoolest cit -- coolest city. can the prime minister tell the people of dundee what precisely is the u.k. government's date for delivering its full and fair share of the deal? >> i didn't hear the end of the -- i think what is important to the honorable gentleman -- he stands up and speaks, waxes lyrically about his city of dundee. he was asked about the dundee city of culture bid last week and made the point that of course a number of places across the u.k. may be putting in those bids. on the creative industry i'm -- the deal will be an important deal for dundee as other city deals in scotland have been for

those. >> tell the generals we want to see it preserved and enhanced. does my friend agree with me that local nhs managers must listen very carefully to the voices of my constituents and those in gloucestershire -- >> we're very clear that proposals should be developed at a local level by local clinicians but taking account of the views of local residents on those particular matters. it's important that local people are heard and to know that decisions are being taken in light of any concerns they raise. i understand any proposals for urgent care will in fact be subject to full public consultation in due course.

>> after five years, today's report signalled we wouldn't have to wait long for retribution. over women fleeing domestic violence don't have the luxury of time. will she commit to long-term funding that all women have somewhere safe to go when fleeing violence? >> can i say to the honorable gentleman that over the past few years we have taken steps in relation to funding in relating to domestic violence, that that funding is for a period of time so there can be a greater certainty for organizations working in this area. there is much for us to do because sadly we still see abuse taking place. one of the other steps we're taking is to bring in new

legislation in relation to domestic violence. >> thank you, mr. speaker. how we treat our found animals is an indication of our civility as a nation. and we in this country have a record of which we can be rightly proud. does my friend therefore share my concern that there have been reports that as a result of leaving the european union there may be a relaxation of those standards? can she take this opportunity to reassure me that that is not the case and that in fact we will seize the opportunity to improve standards and thereby enhance the reputation of british projects? >> i can agree with him that we are proud to have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and we want to continue to be able to have that reputation as a country where we have those high standards.

so leaving the european union is not going to change that. we remain committed to high animal welfare standards. indeed that may give us an opportunity to enhance those standards so we can further show people the reputation that this country has as somewhere where they can be safe and security in the knowledge of the conditions in which their food has been prepared. >> 4 million children in our country are growing up in poverty. and that number has risen. two-thirds of those children are from working families. does she still seriously believe that the introduction of universal credit will bring that number down? >> at least see that the number of children in poverty has actually come down under this government. but of course, of course we need to be aware of the impact of decisions that we have. we are looking carefully at the

implementation of universal credit. the point of universal credit is more straightforward and a simpler system and also it helps people to get into the workplace and ensures they keep more of the money they earn. i think that is important. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this government's industrial strategy makes the historic commitment for a fairer distribution of infrastructure spending across the regions. our roads, our railways and digital networks in advance of the white paper, would my friend confirm his commitment to rebalancing our economy by more investment spending in the regions, not least, mr. speaker, in yorkshire. >> i'm very happy to confirm to him that we will maintain that

commitment in our forthcoming industrial strategy white paper because we do want to see a fairer distribution of infrastructure spending across the country. we know that infrastructure investment is important to unlocking economic opportunities and economic growth and productivity in our towns, our villages and our cities. and we of course have backed this with ambition commitments to increase our spending on infrastructure over the next four years. i can assure him we will be looking at infrastructure spending across the whole country. >> i'd like to thank the prime minister for her opening words about the horrific revelations this week. can i say to her that three years ago i brought evidence to her in this house that whips had used information about sexual abuse to demand loyalty from . mps. i warned her at the time that unless real action was taken, we risked repeating those

injustices again today. on three occasions i asked her to act and on three occasions she did not. so can i ask her in this of all weeks for the fourth time will n to tackle this? >> i will of course look back at the questions that the honorable lady has said she raised with me in this house. she raised those with me when i was home secretary. i will say to her that i am very clear that the wits office, i hope this goes for all offices across this house to make clear to people that where there are any sexual abuse allegations that could be of a criminal nature that people should go to the police, it is not appropriate for those to be dealt with by wits offices, should go to the police. that continues to be the case. i will look at the questions she raised with me, but i am very clear we will take action

against those where there are allegations that we see and the evidence is there that there has been misconduct. can i just say to the honorable lady, i hope we will all send a message from this house today that we want people in this place to be able to feel confident to bring forward cases. and we need to ensure, we need to ensure that those cases don't -- we need to ensure that those cases are dealt with in a way people can have confidence on both sides but they will be properly investigated. that means i want to see a good process within this parliament so that people feel they do not have to go to a party political process in order to have their allegations considered. >> mr. speaker, my constituency is the home of the british army. home to many thousands of servicemen and women who are loyal, resolute and steadfast in their service to the crown.

will my right honorable prime minister agree when her very busy schedule allow to visit and meet with servicemen and women and to thank them for their services? >> well, can i personally reassure my honorable friend that we recognize men and women of armed services serve with great distinction and loyalty. and we are all grateful to them. and that's why we are committed to maintaining 2% of gdp being spent. he very kindly invites us to visit his constituency and i will be very happy to do so as allows. >> a few days ago chancellor told house the government could not afford to borrow 50 billion pounds to invest in housing because of the burden on the next generation. the community secretary says that the government must borrow 50 billion pounds because of the burden on the next generation of

unaffordable housing. adjudicate. >> there is no need to adjudicate on this matter. the government absolutely agrees that it is necessary for us to ensure we are building more homes across this country. we've already announced policies to enable that to happen. we've had a number of proposals in the white paper very pleased to announce the extra $2 billion pounds for affordable housing and the extra 10 billion pounds, genuinely house people to get their first foot on the housing letter. we are seeing more houses being built under this government and we will continue to see more houses being built under this government. >> chris david. >> thank you, mr. speaker. earlier this week in my constituency a horrific fire house claimed the lives of a father and five young children. this has had a devastating effect not just on the family but on the tight knit community that surrounds it.

would my honorable friend join me and the house in sending our sympathies to the family of the bereaved and also to the villages in the town. along with praising outstanding work of our emergency services who jumped to this appalling tragedy with true dedication and professionalism. >> well, i thank honorable friend that he's raised what i know is a very tragic case and i'm sure everybody will want to join with him in this house to join with him in sending condolences to family and friends of those affected by the fire. this was indeed a terrible tragedy that took place. and as he says it isn't just the families themselves affected by the tragedy but the local community. and i know emergency services did sterling work and pleased to commend the work they did for bravery and professionalism in dealing with this issue. while i have spoken to the

police, in coming days, spoken our emergency services do do an amazing job. they never know when they're going to be called out to such a tragic incident. >> mr. speaker, with today's news that the electoral commission is investigating aaron banks, the main financial backer of brexit, along with the significant british connections being uncovered by the american justice department special counsel robert mueller investigating russian interference in the u.s. presidential election, will she assure me that the uk government and all its agencies are cooperating fully with the mueller investigation or will do so if asked? >> thank you, honorable gentleman, we take very seriously issues of russian intervention or russian attempts to intervene in electoral processes or in democratic processes of any country. we would do so for any other states that were involved in

trying to intervene in elections. we do of course work closely with our united states partners. and i can assure him that as part of that relationship we do cooperate with them when required. >> mr. speaker, last month in the kurdistan region in iraq, u saw people bring independence and fresh start but subsequent military actions against the peshmerga by iranian backed militia and the iraqi army are wholly unjust and completely unacceptable. will the prime minister accept that the peshmerga and the kurdistan region to whom we owe so much when the iraqi army dropped their weapons and ran and also help keep our interests safe remain vital to our security and can she do all she can to encourage a resolution based on full respect for the iraqi constitution and the democratic rule of the kurdish people. >> can i say to my honorable friend that we are working and right we're working with

international partners to defeat daesh together with a global coalition. regarding territory the action that's being taken is having an impact on it. its leadership is being killed and its fighters are demoralized, but we do want to take political reconciliation in iraq and settlement to the syria conflict to deny daesh a safe place and prevent a reemergence. he raises a particular point in relation to iraq as to the kurdistan region. can i say to him that we've always been clear of the government that any political process should be agreed with the government of iraq. we want the political reconciliation. and we've been urging all parties to promote calm, to pursue dialogue and take this issue forward through dialogue. >> an hour ago the government published this report, the patronizing disposition of -- it's a report of which the prime minister has herself commissioned to ensure that the

pain and suffering of the hills bo ro family is not repeated. mr. speaker, given what we've heard in this session and given the events surrounding the grenfell tower disaster, i think that i worry that the pain and suffering of the families is already being repeated. so can the prime minister commit her to supporting both -- for all public officials and as this court requires an end to public bodies spending limitless providing themselves with representation which -- available for families. >> this house appreciates, i have to be careful what i say in relation because of the ongoing criminal proceedings. but i want to pay tribute to the work throughout the time his working chair in the impending panel, the work he did as vital on this issue and working with

family forum i think he's done an excellent job. and once again his report in the experience of the families which is being published today as the honorable lady says is important. and the government will need to look very carefully i think it's 25 points that come out of it. and we will want to do so because i've always been very clear that the experience that the hillsboro families had should not be repeated. that's why we are -- that's why we have looked and we are committed to the concept of the public advocate because we want to ensure that people have the support that they need. and it's important to learn the lessons from hills borough. i can assure her that we will not forget the hillsborough families who have been dignified throughout the many years they have been waiting for justice.

we will not forget them. we will not forget their experience. and we will ensure that we learn from that and learn from that to improve the experience of others in the future. >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. make another jarring suggestion -- if she could remain in the chambers for just a few moments after questions, she will hear my right honorable friend introduce his armed forces statute of limitations bill which would provide protection to those bright service personnel who served in northern ireland. like her i do and i'm sure the whole house wants to see the setting up of the northern ireland, but would she agree with me we cannot do that at the price of pandering and allowing witch hunt -- so bravely for so many years to uphold the rule of

law. >> i'm not trying to be able to satisfy -- i can assure him i'm aware of the proposed legislation that my right honorable friend mr. newbury is bringing forward. we all want bounds restored. and we do recognize that this question of legacy issues is one that has been throughout and continues in northern ireland. what i want to ensure is that any investigations that take place in the future take place in a fair and proportionate way. because our soldiers did pay for us bravely as my friend said in upholding the rule of law. but one thing we should never forget all those people who lost their lives at the hands of the terrorists in northern ireland. any investigation is conducted fairly and purely. >> thank you, mr. speaker. as the prime minister will be

aware, self-employed people are not eligible for shared parental leave. this places the burden of childcare on the mom, denying fathers financial support and bonding time with the child. has the prime minister seen the demands of the march of the mummy -- >> we will leave the remaining few moments of british prime minister questions time to go live now to the economic club of washington for a conversation with white house economic council director gary cohen talking about the republican tax plan being released today. on the panel is rubenstein of the president's club. >> let me introduce you, head of the national economic council. had that position from the beginning of this administration. he is by background a native of shaker heights and cleveland area. went to american university in this city.