information system. we still haven't done a good job in terms of broad band expansion, whether it's health i.t. information or just people being able to have the ability to have these new protchalkts have not reached rural america. and i know something about it because i was on the energy and commerce committee and we worked a lot on the telecom subcommittee and know that's something that will help enpower so many of our citizenry. if they have acsession it cuts down on other incidentles. sand going back to green jobs, cutting our dependency on foreign oil. making sure we can retool and retrain workers. and hopefully those jobs will stay in america and be a sustaining crotch of new jobs that will help -- crop of new jobs to help people say in the middle class. >> on behalf of the los angeles times and steve of the cleveland plain dealer thanks for joining us on "newsmakers".

>> thank you. >> as we continue the kferings, let me follow conversation, let me follow up to your question on california. what are you sensing and what role does labor have in >> the administration is really retsents. that's what wear hearing. they're really retiscent. they think it's going to up up a pan dora's box. we saw what happened with bailout money to the private sector and they are just not interested in deling into that area. there's 50 states out there, most of them have budget troubles. not all as bad as california. but they really do not want to go down that road. and i think you saw that the secretary was hesitent to give any indication they were going to do anything other than what they've been doing, which is money from the stimulus, to help with extended unemployment benefits, transportation projects, and the like but when it comes to helping states

borrow money or deal with their budget shortfalls, i think that the administration is just saying that's your problem at this point. >> you're talking about the state of california. your line of questioning with one community in ohio dealing with job loffs losses and budget cuts on a city by city level. >> these mayors are facing a difficult situation. they've relied on the tax revenue, very hefty tax revenue from these auto plants, the taxes the companies pay for years. all of a sudden they don't have it. how do you continue to maintain your schools, how do you still hire police officers and firefighters? that's difficult. and the administration hasn't really addressed that specifically. they have addressed and moved pretty quickly to address the worker concerns. unemployment, trade adjustment assistance, they made some announcements this week. they added about another $1.7

million just to help those workers in twinsberg, hoy. that t mayor says that's great but we have a tough time here. and they have that huge facility. the city doesn't even know how to market. they would like to bring in somebody new to do something with it but it's owned by chrysler and the old chrysler, not the new fee at chrysler. and so how do they negotiate? with whom? they're asking all these questions and they don't have the answers. >> where and when is the recovery? >> that's a good question. unemployment as the secretary mention sd a lagging indicator. in past recessions you've seen the recession end, economic growth start, and unemployment continue to rise for months if not a year or more. so there are, there's two type of recoveries, there's the high level market gdp, economic number recovery, and then there's the average person recovery, which is my company

is doing better, i can get a job. my friends or i'm not getting laid off. that's coming much, much farther down the road. >> but in cities like gary, indiana, cleveland, ohio, buffalo, new york, what are you sensing? >> i'm sensing people have grown up expecting a factory job. they don't have that factory job. they aren't quite ready for whatever new industry emerges. that new industry isn't hiring that many people yet and it's frustrated. and it has political ramifications for state and national politics. >> i think that's why you saw the obama administration last week dispatch secretary soles, a whole bunch of cabinet secretaries throughout the midwest to basically tell them we feel your pain and here's what we're trying to do to help. it's not enough, but i think that they are aware of the political ramifications and they want to show that they are on top of it, they are concerned. whether it's enough to get

people through the crisis is a big question. >> final point? >> again, how they deal with this could really have an impact in terms of the next governor's race in ohio, the next senate race in ohio, on down the line. this is starting to actually give the republicans, which was the party out of favor in ohio, give them some real ammunition for perhaps winning some seats in the next election. >> steve and jim, jent, thanks for being was on c-span's "newsmakers" program. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> watch "newsmakers" again with labor secretary hilda solis later today at 6:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. up next, president obama's

remarks on the middle east. the past week, general motors filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. coming up, a statement from president obama on general motor's future along with the remarks from the company's c.e.o. e on c-span.

[applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] >> thank you. thank you. thank you very much.

thank you. thank you. thank you so much. the afternoon. i am honored to be in the timeless city of cairo. i am being hosted by two remarkable restitutions. for over 1000 years, this us stood as a beacon of islamic light. for over a century, cairo university has been a source of aesops advancement. together represent the common between position of progress. i thank you for your hospitality and the hospitality of the people of egypt. i am also proud to carry with me the good will of the american people and a greeting of peace to muslim committees in my country.

[applause] we made at a time of great tension. that is between the united states and between muslims around the world. tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy. the relationship between islam and the west includes centuries of coexistence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. more recently tension has been fed by colonialism the denied rights and opportunities to many muslims. the cold war in which muslim majority countries were treated as proxies' without regard to

their own aspirations. the sweeping change brought by globalization led many muslims to believe the west as hostile to the traditions of islam. violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of muslims. the attacks of 911 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremist to a gauge in violence has let some in my country to view islam as hostile to america and western countries but also to human rights. all of this has bred more fear and more mistrust. so long as our relationship is defined by our differences we will empire those who sell a

rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the corporation that can help all our people achieve justice and prosperity. in this cycle of suspicion and discord -- it must end. i have come here to cairo to seek a new beginning between the united states and moslems around the world. one based on mutual interests and mutual respect. one based upon the truth that america and islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. instead they overlap and share common princles principles of justice and progress. tolerance and the dignity of all human beings. i recognize the change cannot happen overnight i know there

has been a lot of publicity over this speech, but no single speech can eradicating years of mistrust. nor can i answer in the time that i have this afternoon of the complex questions that brought us to this point. i am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts. too often it is said only behind closed doors. there must be a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground. as the core ron tells us, the conscious of god and speak only of the truth. [applause]

that is what i will try to do today. to speak the truth as best i can. humbled by the task before us and firm in my belief that the edges we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart. part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. i am a christian. my father came from a kenyan family that includes generations of moslems. as a boy and spent several years in indonesia. i heard the call of a one group of people at the break of dawn and at the fall of dust. i work in chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in the muslim faith. as a student of history, i know civilizations' debt to as long. it was as long and places -- it

was is lolam that led to innovation. [applause] it was an addition in moslem communities that developed the order of outer. a magnetic compass and tools of navigation, our mastery of pens and printing, our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. the islamic culture has given us timeless poetry interest music, elegant calligraphy, and places a peaceful contemplation. throughout history islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of

religious tolerance and racial equality. [applause] @@@@@@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ >> the first country to recognize my country was more oko. our second president, john adams wrote, the united states has in itself no character of emnitty against the laws, religion, or tranquility of muslims. and since our founding, american muslims have enriched the united states. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @r served in our government, stood for civil-rights, started businesses, taught in our universities, excelled in our

sports arenas, won nobel prizes, build our tallest building, and lit the olympic torch. when the first moslem america was elected to congress he took an oath to defend the constitution is in the same hole in dhahran that one of our founding fallers, thomas jefferson -- the same holy koran that one of our founding fathers, thomas jefferson, had in his library. [applause] i have known isislam on three continents. that experience? my conviction that a partnership between america and islam must be based on what it is not what it is not. i consider part of my responsibility as president of the united states to fight against negative stereotypes of

islam wherever they appear. [applause] but that same principle must apply to muslim perceptions of america. [applause] just as muslims do not fit a stereotype, america is not the crude stereotype of a self interested empire. the united states has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. we were born out of revolution against an empire. we were founded upon the idea that all are created equal. we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words. within our borders and around the world, we are shaped and

drawn from every culture and end from the earth. we are dedicated to a simple concept. out of many, one. much has been made of the fact that an african-american with the name barack hussein obama could be elected president. [applause] but my personal story is not so unique. the dream of opportunity for all people has not come true for everyone in america, but its promise exists for all who come to our shores. that includes nearly 7 million american muslims. in our country today who enjoy

incomes and educational levels that are higher than the american average. [applause] moreover, freedom in america it is indivisible from the freedom to practice once religion. that is why there is a mosque in every state of our union and over 1200 mosques within our borders. that is what united states government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the fabric. and to punish those who will deny it. so let there be no doubt -- [applause] let there be no doubt, islam is a part of america. i believe america hold within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share a common

aspiration, to live in peace and security, to get an education and to work with dignity, to let our families, our communities and our god. these things we share. this is the hope of all humanity. recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task. words alone cannot meet the needs of our people. these needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead. if we understand the challenges we face are shared and our failure to meet them will hurt us all. for we have learned from recent experience that when the financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is heard everywhere -- is heard everywhere. when a new flute index one human

being, all are at risk. -- when a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. when violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. when in a sense in bosnia are slaughtered, that is a stand on our collective conscience. -- a stain on our collective conscience. [applause] that is what it means to share the world in the 21st century. that is the irresponsibility we have to one another as human beings. is it difficult responsibility to embrace. human history has often been a record of nations and tribes and religions subjugating one

another in pursuit of their own interests. in this new age, such attitudes are self-defeating. given our interdependence, in the world order that elevates one nation or group of people over a another will inevitably fail. whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners to it. our problems must be dealt with through partnership. our progress must be shared. [applause] that does not mean we should ignore sources of tension. indeed it suggests the opposite. we must face these tensions squarely.

in that spirit, let me speak as clearly and as plainly -- plainly as i can about some specific issues that i believe we must finally confront together. the first issue that we have to confront is violent extremism in all of its forms. i made clear that america is not and never will be at war with islam. [applause] we will, however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who oppose a grave threat to our security. we reject the same thing that people of all face reject, the killing of innocent men, women, and children. it is my first duty as president to protect the american people. this situation in afghanistan

demonstrates america's goals. and our need to work together. over seven years ago, the devastates pursued al qaeda and the taliban with broad international support. we did not go by choice. whit because of necessity. -- we went because of necessity. there are some who would justify the offense of 9-11. al qaeda killed nearly 3000 people that day. the victims were innocent men, women, and children from america and many other nations who led done nothing to harm anybody. al qaeda chose to ruthlessly murdered these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale.

they have affiliate's in many countries that are trying to extend their reach. these are not the opinions to be debated, these are facts to be dealt with. make no mistake, we do not want to keep our troops in afghanistan. we see no military -- we seek no military bases there. it is agonizing for america to lose our young men and women. it is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. we would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in afghanistan and pakistan determined to kill as many americans as they possibly can. that is not yet the case. that is why we are pertinent with a coalition of 46 countries. despite the cost involved,

america's commitment will not weaken. none of us should tolerate these extremists. they have killed in many countries. they had killed people of different faiths and more than any other, they had killed muslims. their actions are irreconcilable with the rights of human beings, the progress of nations, and nations islam. the holy koran says whoever has killed the innocent has essentially killed all of mankind. [applause] whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind. [applause]

a the enduring faith of over 1 billion people is so much bigger than the nearest -- narrow hatred of a few. islam is not part of the problem combating violent extremism, it is an important part of promoting peace. we also know that military power alone is not going to solve the problems in afghanistan and pakistan. that is why we plan to invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to partner with pakistanis to build schools and hospitals, roads and businesses, and hundreds of millions to help those who have been displaced. that is why we are providing more than $2.8 billion to help afghans develop their economy and deliver services that people depend on. let me also address the issue of iraq.

unlike afghanistan, iraq was a war of choice that provoked strong differences in my country and around the world. although i believe that the iraqi people are better off without the tyranny of saddam hussein, i also believe that the events in iraq have reminded america and the need to use diplomacy and build a national consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible. [applause] we can recall the words of thomas jefferson who said i hope our wisdom will grow with our power and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it will be. today america has a dual responsibility to help iraq for in better future and to lead

iraq to iraqis. i have made it clear to the iraqi people -- [applause] i have made it clear to the iraqi people that we pursue no basis and no claim on their territory or resources. iraq's sovereignty is its own. that is why i ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next august. that is why we will honor our agreement with their democratically elected government to remove combat troops from iraqi cities by july. and to remove all of our troops from iraq by 2012. [applause] we will help iraq train its security forces and develop its economy. we will support and secure a united iraq as a partner and