i have lived here all my life. i am down here working on the oil spill. i have done environmental work for the last four years. i'm down here cleaning up and we really do feel like we are making progress. we want to help. we want to clean things up. .

you shovel, back guitar -- bag tar. you make sure things are being disposed of correctly. when we are hired don, we are hired on to claim. any time we have a disaster like this with environmental work, you are here for the duration. you chiron.

rome -- you hire on. we have zounds through -- 2014. i work on some 14. -- you have zones one through 14. i work on 14. they are all wonderful people. the yellow buses take workers down to different zones, elmer's island and a different surrounding areas where we are working. they are worth of losses. they come in, pick you up, transport us. they dropped us off, pick us up.

>> what is going on? there are a lot of tense here. it seems to be a pretty robust operation. what is going on in the facility? >> they have everything. they have the chow hall, the tents for all of our supplies, and tools, everything. we go in, set up, clean up. it has been a good operation, i think. it really has. >> and do you think the government and bp are doing enough to clean up the oil spill? >> i think and they are doing within their power is everything. with a disaster, there are doing what they can do. they really and truly are. i feel they are. i know a lot of people do not think they are, but it is the

process of elimination. you do when you can do with what you have to do it with. we came down with the campers. we had of the campers is set up in the campgrounds here on the isle. we are not having to stay in a camp city which is set up for the workers. camp city is not bad, but if you have a camper down here that is a lot better. the hotels are full. this is a 7 mile long island so there are not many places to say. >> what has been the hardest part of the work? >> seeing the devastation. the ocean is in disarray, you know?

just seeing everything in disarray. everyone should pray, have a face -- have faith. >> as cleanup work continues in the gulf of mexico, here is a live picture from the ocean floor. bp continues tt try and get the leak stopped. these are courtesy of bp. you can find out more about the oil spill on our website, c- span.org. there are congressional hearings and the field hearings in the breezy and, briefings, speeches, and a live feed from the ocean floor all available on our schools across the u.s. have. news of successes, failures, and how the school laws are

impacting charter schools. allen is here to talk about a new report releasee by the department of education showing the impact of charter schools. let me read you a little bit of what they found. on average, charter schools were neither more nor less successful than traditional public schools in improving student achievement, behavior, and school progress. what is your reaction to guest:? -- what is your reaction? guest: this is what happens when you have one study looking at a narrow scope of schools. we believe the best and verifiable data on charter schools shows that they are succeeding, coming from state data. we do not have one, national

mode of comparison. the department of education would rather try to do the best they can making assessments nationwide. we are all upset with how things are going nationwide, and that is fine. if you look at the vast majority, charter school students outperform their public school peers by 1 to 1.5 years. host: of what are you looking at in this study? guest: there is a state test, thanks to no child left behind, that shows where kids came in and where they left after a year's time. based on data, we tracked students from year to year, compared to students who were not in those schools. where you started and will year

endedup is what you want to know, not some aggregate set of information. host: what is a charter school? guest: it is a public school that is free from most regulations. it is a public-school opened by choice, accountable by adults. if they do not meet the needs of their students, they do not get the students, or they are forced to close. they are baseand rated based one results. host: how are they funded? guest: it is funded by the people, similarly to how public schools are funded. in most states, it is about

$3,000 less.. they do not get capital facilities, and there is a huge battle about that. many of the students are at risk students who are not succeeding in traditional public schools. host: who teaches at charter schools? guest: public school teachers. every teacher has to be qualified in the same way the state requires for all other schools. host: they have grown since the early 1990's? guest: yes, there has been a 10%, 15% increase almost every year. the laws in every state are so varied. there is not one uniform charter school law.

some states allow school boards to open them. others allow universities to open them in colorado, you have a hybrid of state and local people opening up. some areas only allow for certain sizes. some say people money, equal students. a is a huge tapestry, if you will, and one that really embodies freedom and flexibility of states to prove -- pursue reform in the ways that they see fit. host: we have our traditionallines for you. we also have a line for teachers and students. we are talking about education, specifically looking at charter schools. while our charter schools necessary? guest: the great thing that

people need to understand about charter schools is, it is great that we have a choice, but when we first started, there was no alternative choice for parents whose kids were not being challenged properly. maybe they were being under challenge to come up over challenged, may be the composition was not right. we were not giving parents options to actually educate their own kids beyond traditional school, unless you had the money to go to private school. we were not holding schools accountable for results, so we were sending a bucket of money to these areas, regardless of whether schools open door now. charter schools were designed to

give more power back to authorities. send money to a local school and let the people there make a decision on how to best educate their students within a set of rules and standards that we all agreed to. charter schools use those things that we know work best in public schools. performance pay, more tauruses, more accountability, more school-based budgeting. host: it is education tailored for each student's interests, need to? guest: in most schools, you will have a variety of offerings that you can buy into. there are some schools that are technologically suited for kids, the online mechanism, but in

most cases, they will have a classical education. greek mythology, early american founding spirit you have some that are focused on the arts. you have some that are vocational, some have a focus on a drop of kids. -- on dropout kids. there tends to be high retention rates in charter schools, and therefore, more success, over time. host: next phone call. caller: i am a professor at the university of miami. one thing that has been have paired with my students is hair reading comprehension has been subpar. reading comprehension and math

skills are pretty poor. lots of my students came from public schools. there is a difference between the public schools and the ones that went to private schools. the ones that went to private school to cap -- tend to perform better. what is the problem with public schools? obviously, you are pushing for charter schools, and i agree with you, but where do the problems stem from that want us to turn to charter schools? hostguest: the issue is not just about charter schools. this is just one tool that we used to improve education in this country. what you are identifying about the kids that you get is something that has been plaguing our country for some time.

to many of our kids cannot read at a grade school level. we have a reading and comprehension problem. most kids are not being challenged to the point of where their potential could be. we often think about what is on paper, what is in a curriculum. it is because we do not challenge ourselves every year, we do not have the accountability and that allows us to report or fire a teacher or principal, based on how they perform. we have to tie everything we do to student achievement. host: c we have thisomment fom twitter -- our charter schools a way to get

around the unions? -- we have this comment from twitter -- guest: charter schools is all about parent choice. when teachers wake up in the morning and they go to school, they are being talked to one on one. union contracts specify where you go, how long you are in school, what you're selling the is. if you have a salary that says you are going to be here all day, so many charter schools allow teachers to be around all day long. charter school teachers get paid roughly the same.

the benefits that they bribed about, frankly, many of them come from the traditional system. your twitter guest, getting rid of the unions -- the issue is, the unions are grappling with a complete change in the performance gap. they do not want to say is ok to hire teachers one on one. they believe that they need to fight against this reform. host: how has raced to the top impacted charter schools? guest: that added tremendous support to reform. it allows yet another chorus of support in washington to say this is a good thing. there was a lot of dialogue in the beginning about race to the top, that if a state did not

have strong charter laws, they would not qualify. when they put print to paper, it only accounts for about 8% of a state court. the that as it may, it was held up as a carrot. some states did more than others, a new york raised its cap. but on the whole, it has been used to expand and strengthen the argument for charter schools. still lots of challenges come information. we welcome any time someone says this is great, but we need to do more. host: richard on the democratic line. norman, oklahoma. caller: my son and teaches physical education and my daughter is an rn. we all agree we do not have

enough healthy bodies to promote healthy minds. if you do not exercise the body, the brain goes to waste. we need to teach the children to exercise, reduce their weight, and cause them to be more influential to the teacher. host: let me ask you about physical education in charter schools. does it exist? guest: absolutely. not all of charter schools have the facilities. most do not, so they tend to find you need to buildings to have their activities in. some have access to a gymnasium, some have access to other buildings, others build buildings. some of them will contract the local karate provider. some may use a field in a park

in the city. they know having that activity is important. what they can do, though, is the flexible to their program and to reduce those things that are not paying off. i absolutely agree, the body is critical, but we need smart mind and body to understand. host: 1 study points to science and math results dwindling, and in this new study, it says in the analysis, lord achieving students had statistically significant positive effects on math scores. charter schools, those with higher incomes and private achievement, have a significant negative achievement on math test scores.

guest: i discount a lot of what is in that information because it is based on sample data, does not account for where the kids came in and where they are going. these are national studies from harvard, people who compare apples to apples. there is a child who enters or charter school in the fourth grade, there is another child who is not, compare them. overwhelmingly, charter schools are performing successfully. we survey schools every year. math and science comes out ahead in terms of focus point. there are high-tech, high technology schools. there are schools devoted to architecture. these kids are out in parks, rivers, streams. they are doing things that most public schools take three years

to get permission to do. science, technology, math, education, it is a huge emphasis. host: fayetteville, north carolina. a teacher on the line. caller: please make sure your guest answers my question. public schools, i want to know is it mandatory for private schools to take any, do they have the privilege of selecting the students in their program? also want to know, do they have special ed programs, something that all public schools are required to have. the whole world needs to know.

guest: thank you for the question. money goes to charter schools as public schools, and in need to be treated the same way. schools need to take everyone who gets into the school by lottery.. every charter school in the country is required to hold a lottery and there are more kids on list for that school. for example, healthy start in north carolina has hundreds of kids signing up who are african- american, low income. most of these kids are being taken from these lotteries, and they come with all of their issues, challenges, and once their kids are enrolled, will

never tell them that they have been education problem. so absolutely, yes, equity. they take that risk kids, and there are required to follow all the same rules. host: a tweet for you -- guest: is an interesting question about countries. i have not done that definitive work. it turns out most countries have most -- more choice than america, which is surprising, given the democracy that we have here. if you look at switzerland, chile, there are not only subsidies for a kit to go to public schools, but there are a wide variety of options. competition in our country seems

to be an anathema because we have school groups that somehow think it is threatening. we might be good to look to other countries. host: gilbert on the democratic line. caller: i have almost 40 years background teaching and i have worked with a charter schools here, and public. charter schools, in many cases, if they are doing this great job, the one that did the best was the one that got the smallest amount of money. i want to say this. if you want to get the best out of your dollar educationally, you must go with vouchers.

for the charter schools, the mere fact that parents are looking for something better for their children indicate they are looking into the educational facility of their children. this claim is nott something tht they deserve. with vouchers, it is really free enterprise education. let me explain vouchers.+ however much money you spend on public education, that money will travel to whatever school ttat child may go to. i think vouchers have become the answer. the education system has become a political quagmire there are people who have no business being there and they are supposed to cut the footsteps

of education for our children. guest: vouchers, scholarships do have the money following kids, which goes to the school of their chores. -- vhoice. vouchers play a role in charter schools in about the dozen states across the country. the moderate choice of both political parties happens to be charters. and a more joyous, the better. for cities like washington, d.c., boston come tulsa, tulsa,r we can do is critical. whether it is better standard, a teacher quality initiative, we just need to do better for our kids. the more money that goes to

local level, the better off we are. host: "for every local student that goes to a charter school, the local district loses $20,000, but the district still has the same fixed cost." guest: i will bet that that person is somehow associated with the school board association. both are all of the arguments that i have heard for 20 years, all due respect. the reality is, money in education, the money that we found our education system with is supposed to be for the education of kids. we should be funding each, individual child to get the best education available to them.

right now, until charter schools came along, we were fighting so many systems. those school districts have got to and learn how to spend their money for the kids that are in them. not just prop up a system. last year, there was a report that found the number of teachers being hired in the country over the 10-year period more than doubled compared to the student ratio than it warranted. that is why we have a bailout bill on the floor of the congress. we have fixed our money on people, not kids. host: what state has the largest charter school population? guest: california.

there are over 800 schools serving roughly 300,000 kids. across the board, california, arizona has almost 500 charter schools. 215 or so in texas. a couple hundred in new york. several hundred in florida. host: mountainside, new jersey. charles on the republican line. caller: please tell us of some of the disappointment that have been docummnted about charter schools. guest: there are lots of challenges that the charter school movement has had and has overcome, which is the good news. they are not stuck in a fixed system. the challenges, disappointment,

are actually phenomenally great lessons. we closed 15% of all charter " schools opened in the country because they were not meeting the demands of the people they were serving, they did not meet the demands imposed by their state. i think that is a phenomenal record to be able to say, we have been able to put out of business these schools that were not meeting expectations. one of my disappointments, frankly, is that there are kids every day that we are not educating and their arguments, as you heard earlier, that these charter schools are robbing the public system of something. these are kids who we should be educating. as long as they are performing to the same standards, can prove that they are spending their

money in the same responsible fashion, that should be the requirements. . . and introduced a bill that will divert money from both charter school funds and raced to the top which rewards states from doing somewhat innovative things. the bill and diverts money to pay ssates $10 billion to find teachers they claim they will have to lay off if they do not get that kind of money. the reality is that public education in america has never been a more funded yen we had $100 billion in the stimulus bill that went to subsidizing schools at a time when we should be rewarding schools, students,

and teachers for the good they're doing. they want to send money to schools whether or not they are succeeding because we have a lot more people than we have students to find them. host: another e-mail from a viewer. this person points to two stories in the media that came out in newspapers following the report that i cited at the beginning. the study was commissioned by the institute of education sciences. -- guest: that is correct. host: within the department of education. c -- charter schools sometimes face the same problems as public schools. guest: again, you can look at

this on a city by city basis, town by town, state-by-state. parents are absolutely going to face the same challenges educating kids at any schools. are they doing anything -- are they doing everything they can? am i doing everything i can? are the visual learners, auditory learners? do they get out enough? are they responsive to me? we have got to get away from this notion that there is a one- size-fits-all response. when we look at the charter school movement, when it talks about public education writ large and what we have to do, we have to treat all of our students in ways that best meet their needs, not create systems that supposedly meets everyone's needs. we can move out traditional%+ public schools f, and some of them are, more and more towards freedom and flexibility and

innovation that characterizes every other part of america. parents are going to learn how best to maneuver. host: the study also found that parents are perceived to be more satisfied with charter schools and public schools. our parents -- our parents' record be more involved? -- are parents required to be more involved? guest: when you have the power of the purse to come up and evaluate whether the school works for the child, you are going to be more satisfied. the other thing, frankly, is that i was involved in every additional setting and i experienced this when i was growing up. -- i was involved in a traditional setting and i experienced this when i was growing up. let's say i'm at the program is not working and you cannot do anything about -- about.

let's say a math program is not working and you cannot do anything about it. they don't have the ability to do that. there are rules and regulations for thousands of people and they cannot do that for every child. this allows you it within reason to make sure what can we do to get the child to square one and meet his or her needs. host: keith, good morning. caller: good morning, ladies. what did you do before this position? guest: i have been in this position for 20 years. host: what did you do before? guest: prior to that, i was with the department of education and on capitol hill and was with the think tanks. host: did you teach before? guest: i did not teach. host: what brought you to this position?

guest: my love of political science and my feeling that we were not teaching our kids what we need to know. we were not connecting with people locally and in states to teach the great ideas and different ways to do it. and the fact that i went to one of the best public high schools in the state of new jersey and i still love with an education that i felt was under serving a -- i still left with an education that i felt was under- reserving me. host: what administration to do work for? guest: i work for the reagan administration. host: james, you are on the air. all right, i'm going to put you on hold. you have to bring your television or radio down. all the ways we get feedback -- otherwise, we get feedback. let me ask you about teacher authority, that teachers have more authority to can you explain that more? guest: in traditional publicc school setting some teachers are beholden to a contract or set of

rules covered by contract, as well as by policies that are adopted locally by the school boards. it prescrrbes for the most part when teachers can come to work, when they leave, what they are all about and permitted to do in the school day, whether they can offer extra help, whether they can be available on weekends, wheeher they can do cafeteria duties. more importantly, in traditional public schools, they have little to say about the curriculum they have, standards they use, or how they apply the standards, some of the different to french agents and the classroom. in the charter school, when teachers by in and are hired, it is transferred from the get go, and they tended to involve not just in the teaching of the class, but the management of the school itself, they are consulted about what is happening, and they are considered professionals in a way that they are the first line

of authority for what to do about the kids in the classroom. host: let's see is a james -- let's see if james is ready on the teachers line in wisconsin. caller: the last caller, still my daughter or we learned about this lady's backggound, coming from the reagan -- this last caller sort of a possible whit - sort of stole my thunder, with this latest action,, forming the reagan administration did this race from the top by arne duncan is a continuation of the assault, were you based teacher pay on merit. i taught for 31 years and i work hard for a middle-class income, and i think that public schools are doing an amazing job in this country, considering the socio- economic conditions -- poor,, both parentsor,

having to work to put food on the tables. not set schools are to the same standard as public schools. host: let's take that point there. guest: i i do that they are held to a double standard, that they are having to demonstrate within five years or they are put out of business but they are restricted in terms of buildings and supply and where they can set up schools. that is very important. this is a phenomenal country where i can be working very closely -- in fact, people work for me on a daily basis. we have people from the reagann administration, bush administration, clinton administration, obama administration coming together over education. this is not about politics or partisanship. this is about our kids. when we recognize that what our

political hats down, one of the reasons i found the center, to bridge policy and practice across ideologies, and we had succeeded in educating more kids as a result. host: what is the center for education reform? how are you funded? guest: a national nonprofit education and advocacy group. our money comes from private donors and supporters across the country, thousands of individuals, middle-class, lower miidle class, and high-walled individuals keep us going. host: do you make your donor list public? guest: we published our donors every year through our annual report. host: columbia, south carolina, independent line, stephen. caller: good morning, jeanne allen. it's great to hear you talk about charter schools across

the country, particularly in south carolina. we are fighting the battle here and continuing to try to increase the number of charter schools we have, particularly among african-american groups to i want to thank the center for education reform for the work you have done in our state. earlier, speaking about creativity and innovation -- if you could speak to that a little more. in south carolina, our law requires that public school teachers serve on local charter school boards, and many of them become intimidated and frustrated because they are intimidated by local school districts when they're being asked by community groups to participate. but many of them have great%% ideas about what should happen in the classroom with regard to education. if you could speak to those issues, and thank you again for what you are doing across the country. guest: thank you, steven. teachers are the single best,

obviously, line of defense, and clearly, our weapon against bad education in this country but we just don't do enough to give them the authority and the ability to use their creativity in the classroom. when you invite teachers to come into a process that allows them to create schools to other -- create schools together, they take what they have learned in experience, not necessarily in ed school, and they put it to use. eight end up getting hired or boards. -- they end up getting higher rewards. the kind of creativity going on in charter schools today and the way they do the work and the amazing graduation rates coming up, or particularly for minority kids, is amazing in places like south carolina. host: it is the headline in "the

chicago sun-times" this morning, "teachers so good, they're gone." is the economic situation having an impact on charter schools, having to cut back and let teachers go? guest: it is. they are going to cut lots of things we would prefer they not cut. there are bills in every single state to cut charter schools, even though they are already under-funded compared to public schools. what is really at issue today is the pension liabilities, which are extraordinarily, if we can do eight and a great economic era -- if we can do it in a great economic era. teachers will have to face early retirement or cuts in the

pension, sadly, like every other industry. host: last phone call, republican line, shelby. caller: i am going back to school today. i am the school nurse at our charter school. we have 130 students and just graduated 100% of the senior class. we are a mix of cultures and races and achievement abilities. i think i did hear complaints from somebody that they wished we had more students in the middle category, because we had so any high achievers and then we have lower achievers. be that as it may, our building is an old store, and we are not supported by the local board of education to be our eyes state -- we are not supported by the

local board of education. we are eight local charter school. we finally got almost the right amount of funding, but i still the we get funded like the local schools do. -- still don't think we get funded like the local schools and to bring out director is out of a separate public education. i did not see students in sixth grade with all the same textbooks. i don't see that in our schools. but we have thousands of books. my mother taught 29.5 years in public schools, my sister is almost as long, and my daughter in law is teaching. i don't think that education for any child is going to be very good until we get the families back together, because you need a good family situation to support the child at school.

guest: next to a family, the research shows, and it is very clear, that teachers -- the family is the most important thing in a child's life, you are right -- it can make a bid of -- the teacher can make up the difference between what the family is not providing and what the student needs. charter schools in georgia are overwhelmingly successful. studies show >> at the white house today, president obama will spend hours with the israeli prime minister netanyahu. this is their fifth meeting. they held a brieffng to discuss what they talked about. here is what they had to say.

>> i just completed an excellent one on one discussion with prime minister netanyahu. i want to welcome him back to the white house. first of all, i want to thank him for the wonderful statement that he made in the honor of the july 4, our independence day. it marked one more chapter in the extraordinary friendship between our two countries. as the prime minister netanyahu has indicated in his speech, the bond between the u.s. and israel is unbreakable. it encompasses our national security interests, strategic interests, but most importantly the bond of two democracies to share a common set of values and whose people have grown closer

as time goes on. during our discussions, which covered a wide range of issues -- we covered a rwide range of issues. i complimented him on the progress being made on the ground and in gaza. it has moved more quickly and effectively than more people anticipated. obviously, there are still tensions and issues that need to be resolved, but our two countries are working cooperatively together to deal with these issues. the quartet has been helpful as well. we believe there is a way to make sure that the people of the cause of are able to prosper economically -- the people of

gaza are able to prosper economically. we discussed the issue of miron -- iran. as a consequence of some hard work internationally, we have instituted through the u.n. security council the toughest sanctions ever put on an iranian government. and in addition, last week i signed our own set of sanctions coming out of the u.s. congress as robust as any we have ever seen. other countries are following suit. we intend to continue to put pressure on iran to meet their international obligations. we want themmto seize the kinds of provocative behavior that has made them a threat to their

neighbors and the international community. we have had an extensive discussion about the prospects for peace in the middle east. i believe prime minister netanyahu wants peace. i think he is willing to take risks for peace. during our conversation, he, once again, reaffirmed his willingness to engage in serious negotiations with the palestinians around what, i think, should be the goal of the entire world which is two states living side by side in peace and security. israel's security needs will be met, the palestinians having a sovereign state that they can call their own -- these are the goals that have obviously escaped our grass for decades now. now, more than ever, it is the time to seize on that vision.

i hink that prime minister netanyahu is ready to do so. it will be difficult and hard work. when we have seen already with proximity talks taking place, my on boy, george mitchell, has helped to organize five -- my envoy has helped to organize five. we believe in direct talks and we believe israel is ready to engage in such direct talks. i commend the prime minister for that. there will need to be a whole set of confidence-building measures to make sure that people are serious and that we are sending a signal to the region and this is not just more talk and less process without action. it is also important to recognize the arab states have to be supportive of peace.

although ultimately this will be determined by the israeli and palestinian peoples, they cannot succeed unless you have the surrounding states having a greater investment in the process than we have seen so far. finally, we discussed issues that arose out of the nuclear non-proliferation conference. i reiterated to the prime minister that there is no change in u.s. policy when it comes to these issues. we strongly believe that, given its size, its history, the region that it is in, and the threats and leveled against us -- against it that israel has unique security requirements and they need to be able to respond to any threats in the region. that is why we remain on

wavering in our commitment to israeli security. the u.s. will never ask israel to take any steps that would undermine their security interests. i just want to say, once again, that i felt the discussion we had wws excellent. we have seen over the last year how our relationship has broadened. sometimes that does not that publicized. on a whole range of issuee, economic, military to military, issues relating to israel maintaining their qualitative military edge, intelligence sharing, how we are able to work together effectively on the international front. our relationship is continuing to improve. i think a lot of that has to do

with the excellent work that the prime minister has done. i am grateful and welcome him once again to the white house. thank you. >> thank you, mr. president. the president and i had an extensive, excellent discussion in which we discussed a broad range of issues. these include, of course, our own cooperation in the fields of intelligence and security. exactly as the president said, this was extensive. not everything is seen by the public, but it is seen and appreciated by us. we understand fully that we will work together in the coming months and years to protect our common interests, our countries, our peoples against threats. at the same time i want to

explore the possibilities of peace. the greatest new threat on the horizon, the single most dominant issue, for many of us is the prospect of iran acquire nuclear weapons. iran is purely -- brutally terrorizing their people and spreading terrorism far and wide. i appreciate president's statement that he is determined to prevent iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. that has been translated by the president into his leadership at the security council, has passed sanctions against iran, by the bill that the u.s. signed just a few days ago, and i urge other leaders to follow the president's lead and other countries to follow the u.s.'s lead to adopt much tougher sanctions against iran and those

against the energy sector. as the president has said, we discussed a great deal about moving forward the quest for peace between the israelis and the palesttnians. we are committed to that piece. i am committed to that piece. -- i am committed to that peace. this will better the lives of the israelis, palestinians, and will surely change our region. israelis are prepared to do a lot to get the peace in place. we want to make sure that after the steps we take that we get a secure peace. we do not want to repeat the situation where the territories are overtaken by iran's proxies and the use it for the tax. there are solutions we can adopt -- and use it for the tax.

there are solutions we can adopt, but we need to begin negotiations in order to end them. we have began proximity talks. we need to begin direct talks. with the help of president obama, we should engage in direct talks to reach a political piece coupled with security and prosperity -- a political peace coupled with security and prosperity. i think at the end of the day, peace is the best option for all of us. i think we have a unique opportunity to do so. the president says that he has a habit of confounding all of the cynics and the naysayers and those who conclude the possibilities. he has shown it time and time

again. i have had the opportunity to confound cynics myself. if we work together, with president habas, we can bring a great message of hope to our peoples, the region, and to the world. one final point, mr. president. i want to thank you for reaffirming to me in private and now in the public as you did the long standing u.s. commitments to israel in matters of vital strategic importance. i want to thank you, too, for the great hospitality and the first lady have shown my wife and i and our entire delegation. i think we need to redress the balance. we come here a lot. it is about time you in the first lady came to israel. thank you. >> thank you for your time. >> we have time for one question

each. i will call on stephen from the ap. >> what steps need to be taken? the thiik would be helpful for israel [inaudible] do think thaa these measures will help keep the program going? >> first of all, let me say that the israeli government working through layers of various governmental entities and jurisdictions have shown strength over the last several months that i think has been conducive to the prospects of us getting into direct talks. .

and sell, in -- and so, i want to make sure we sustain this over the next several weeks. i do think that there are a range of confidence-building measures that can be taken by all sides that improve the prospects of a successful negotiation. and i have discussed some of

those privately with the prime minister. when presidents of boss -- abbas was here, i discussed it with him. it is important palestinians do not look for excuses for incitement. that at the international level, they are maintaining a constructive talk, as opposed to looking for opportunities to embarrass israel. at the same time, i have said to prime minister netanyahu, and i do not think he-me sharing publicly, -- heat-meet sharing publicly, there have been significant things on the security front. and so, being able to widen the scope of their responsibilities in the west bank is something i think would be very meaningful

to the palestinian people. i think some of the steps already taken in gaza helped build confidence. if we continue to make progress on that front the palestinians can see in concrete terms what peace can bring. that rhetoric and of violence cannot -- and violence cannot win. people will have an opportunity to raise their children and make a living and buy and sell goods and build a life for themselves, which is ultimately what people in israel and in the palestinian territories want. >> i think the latest sanctions adopted by the u.n. creates the

digitization of for the nuclear program in iran. -- create delegitimazation for the nuclear program in iran. if other nations adopted similar sanctions, it would increase the effect. the more light-minded countries that joined -- like-minded countries that joined, i think the better we will be able to give an answer to your question. >> does someone want to comment? >> mr. president, [unintelligible]3

if i may, mr. prime minister -- [unintelligible] >> first of all, i entirely disagree with your question. if you look at every public statement i have made over the last year-and-a-half, it has been a constant affirmation of the special relationship between the united states and israel, that our commitment to israel for else security is unwavering. -- israel's security is unwavering. there is no statement i have made that would contradict that. in terms with my relationship with prime minister netanyahu, i know the press spoke in israel and stateside, they enjoy seeing

if there is news there. the fact of the matter is, i have trusted prime minister netanyahu since before i was elected president. and i have said so publicly and privately. he is dealing with a very complex situation in a very tough neighborhood, and what i have consistently shared with him is my interest in working with him, not at cross purposes, so we can achieve the kind of peace that will ensure israel's security for decades to come. that is going to mean tough choices. there will be times when, you know, he and i are having are robust discussion about what kind of choices need to be made. the underlying approach never changes, and that is the united

states is committed to israel's security. we are committed to that special bond. we are going to do what is required to back that up. not just with words, but action. we are going to continually work with the prime minister and the entire israeli government and the israeli people so we can achieve what i think has to be everybody's goal. which is, people feel secure. they do not feel like a rocket is going to be landing on their head some time. they do not feel that there is going to be a growing population that wants to direct violence against israel. that requires work and difficult choices, both at the strategic and tactical levels. this is something the prime minister understands. i think we will be able to work together, not just over the next few months, but hopefully for the next several years.

>> the president and i discussed concrete steps that could be done, in coming weeks, to move the peace process further along in a very robust why. this is what we focused our conversation on. in the next few weeks, but that is what we mean. -- when i say in the next few weeks, that is what i mean. let me make a general observation about the question forwarded to the president. i will paraphrase mark twain. "talks abouu the demise of the special u.s.-israel relations are not just premature. they are flat wrong." there is a debt -- depth and a

richness in this relationship that is expresseddevery day. the only thing that is public is you can have differences on occasion in the closest of families. that comes out. sometimes we disagree. what is not true is it -- what is true is we have an enduring bond with values, beginning with security and the way we share information and other things to help in the common defense of our common interests, and many others in the region who do not often admit to the beneficial effects of this cooperation. i think there is -- the president said that best in cairo. he said the bond between israel and the united states is unbreakable. and i can affirm that to you.

>> thank you very much, everybody. >> thank you. >> stay cool out there. >> thank you. [capttoning performed by nationaa captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> president obama and prime minister netanyahu working through lunch this afternoon. we will have further remarks if they become available. also today, queen elizabeth ii is visiting new york city. she is scheduled to give an address at the united nations in at just under an hour. we will have it live on c-span at 3:00 p.m. eastern. later, the queen plans to tour ground zero in new york. >> more british programming tomorrow at 7:00 a.m.. prime minister david cameron takes questions from his party and the opposition. that gets underway tomorrow at 7:00 eastern on c-span2.

>> c-span -- we can -- you can connect with us on twitter, facebook, and youtube and find our schedule alert e-mail's at c-span.org. >> a look now at a group of protesters offering opinions on the gulf oil spill. >> well, we just signed a wire for a protest. and it is a water balloon flight. i am very angry at bp. i would ike to express that in some way. there is not much way to do it right now through the political

process. >> do you think bp and the federal government are doing enough to clean up the oil spill? >> i do not think bp is, no. they are trying to hide it. they are trying to limit their liability. it is smart business practice on their part. it is killing us down here. >> hello, everybody. how are you doing? i want to thank everybody for coming. we are going to take care of that. we will have a water balloon flight. >> today, you know, there is a lot of competition and a lot of conversation about who this is for. the population in new orleans, you are not going to make bp of flange, but this is about letting them know -- your not

going to make bp flinch, but this is about letting them know where people live. they should not wait for other people to act for them. they should take direct action. it is a very important thing i want to say. this is not of violent action we are taking. it is emphatic and direct and organized. >> i work with the emergency committee to stop the gulf oil disaster. >> why did you come to the protest today? >> hour emergency committee is supporting -- we did not call this. another group called this. we are supporting all forms of political protest against this oil disaster. bp and the government's have proven unable and unwilling to deal with the disaster, and the people have to act. we have to stop the oil disaster.

we are trying to encourage support and magnified all the protest against this disaster. we issued demands that need to be met including a stop drilling, stop all means to stop this disaster. the true information has to come out. people need medical care. they need consultation from the law. so, we support them and are joining with the folks here today to say this has to stop. >> [inaudible] two, up three weeks -- they cannot recall. it started at 9500. here are several reasons why we,

the people, needed to demands to stop the dispersant now. stop the dispersant now. >> my name is kimberly. i am a resident of new orleans. this is my home. i am not leaving it. i am educated. i have been tracking the since the beginning. that is why i am here. i was in the french market as a vendor. business is dead, so now all my energies go into this. >> according to the cdc, i have a quotation -- "if you are exposed one time or several times, it can cause central nervous system damage, sleepiness, and a metallic taste in your mouth." ooh, i am excited.

[jeering] stop the dispersants now. >> i am sure bp is doing all they can do. this is not where bp lives. this is where we live. it should not be up to them how this is handled. it should be up to the environmental scientist to get in here and look at all the new technology. we will make mistakes anyway. we might as well make them for the right reasons instead of protecting how many gallons of bp will be fined for. >> we have to wake up. any entity that has any input into this, we have to demand that our resources be put into something positive because this is a nightmare. we are writing history. if we are going to write history, we darn well better write some good in there too.

this has to be a turning point. >> i cannot believe you already have water balloons. >> come on. what happened? >> we will get the latest on oil spill cleanup efforts in about an hour 40 minutes. . thad allen will hold a briefing. live coverage begins at 4:00 eastern here on c-span. you can keep peace -- you can keep pace with more information by going to c-span.org/oilspill. there's also a live video of the oil spill. last month, the obama

administration released its federal strategic plan to protect -- to end homelessness. a guest on washington journal talked about the plan. host: anthony love is the director of the u.s. interagency on homelessness. he is talking about a new plan to tackle homelessness by the obama administration. what is the plan? find is that we have a motivated and excited body in the administration who believe that no one should experience homelessness. we also found that the sense of urgency in india and preventing homelessness is critical. over six -- the sense of urgency in ending and provide homeless this is critical. -- preventing hhmelessness is critical. many communities are around the country are innovating solutions and are seeing reductions in the

number of those homeless in their communities. it would behoove the federal government to adopt the best practices and promote those in communities across the country. host: what is the economic impact adopting the best practices? why should taxpayers pay to shelter the homeless? guest: that is a very good question. taxpayers are right now paying unintentionally, through the use of emergency rooms, jails, hospitals, and so forth. for example, in ssates like oregon, what they saw was that they were spending roughly $40,000 per annum on individuals while they were homeless. the same person move into a prominent support housing, for example, reducing the cost by about $17,000. there is -- it is economically beneficial to those communities to adopt the best practices. solving the problem is much more cost-effective. host: there are six under 40,000

men, women, and children -- all but six water for -- 640,000 men, women, and children homeless in this country. how many of them are children? guest: the number is really a difficult one to grasp, especially among on accompanied youth. -- unaccompanied youth. host: let's lay out the bullet points of this plan. prevent an end homelessness among veterans in five years. set a path to ending all types of homelessness. let me ask about the money you need. what kind budget are you talking about? guest: right now, the president come in fiscal year 2011, as requested and 11.5% increase over what was requested last year.

you're talking roughly $4 billion to begin this process. as you may or may not know, the federal government annual budget expects the projections to go out word. we do not make the projections right now. host: $4 billion per year right now. how you spend that? guest: use spent the $4 billion on the evidence-based practices, on things that work. focus on committees that are getting results, instead of just finding of not per diem basis and terms of how long a person stays in a shelter. you fund the programs that are actually getting people into housing and keeping them house, so that you are more efficient and strategic and targeted with resources that you have. in a nutshell, that is how you spend it. then you spend it on stable housing mixed in with services like health care, education, and job support and training. host: the type of shelter were

yoo not only good bets, but health care as well -- not only include beds, but health care as well. guest: the emergency type of scenario where people go in and they are worked with accordingly. what we're talking about is permitted support with the housing, will -- prominent support with housing, where a person has a place to live, and they have support, whether it is 24-hour care for those who are most chronic and disabled, or, in scattered site, mixed in with the community, and there are services delivered to those individuals. host: of the 4 billion, are you using part of the money to build these types of infrastructures? guest: there are dollars for construction and rehabilitation within the department of housing

and urban development budget. by and large, in light of the housing will go into subsidies -- a lot of the housing will go into subsidies to utilize existing units within the community for families to go into so that they can integrate ,reintegrate into the community, just like everybody else. host: you are giving the -- money guest: you are giving a subsidy. the family of the individual would pay 30% of their income, whether it is from the job or some type of benefits they receive, anddthe subsidy would bridge the gap between the fair market rent and the 30% that day. hos -- the 30% that they pay. host: why is there a significant problem with the veterans being homeless? guest: good question. by and large, same reason as other people, lack of income to afford housing they currently

live in, area of conditions, problems that plague people, that forced them to spend all of their income, lack of being able to find a job, etc. veterans also suffer from issues, especially combat veterans, of a posttraumatic stress and brain injury, that causes the veteran to not be able to, without proper treatment and care, much as well as someone who does not suffer from the same conditions. host: first phone call comes from sue on the democratic line in wisconsin. caller: good morning. thanks for having me. i had a solution for this gentleman on how to finance the whole thing. stop the war in afghanistan and spending $9 billion and bring it home to the homeless. then he would not have a problem with posttraumatic stress syndrome and all the other

problems that the troops have. that is my comment. host: anthony love, you want to respond? guest: sure. thank you so much for your call. that is one solution. we are dealing with the issue right now and taking care of those soldiers who are coming home and the veterans who had served in previous wars at previous tours of duty in the military and trying to care for them now. host: david, independent line. caller: 94 c-span. -- thank you for c-span. we have homeless people who are down on their luck, and our government build a $2 million island in the middle of the illinois river, so i guess the homeless and hungry can watch it during the winter while they are almost freezing to death. i don't know why they based this money when they could be helping out everybody else -- yesterday

waste money when they could be helping out of a body else. i have a comment -- the government seems to be going anti-religion a little bit. without these religious-type, fifth base to help organizations, without their help, -- faith-based health organizations, without their help, there would be a lot more destitute and hungry in the united states. guest: thank you for your comment. as it relates to the government going anti-religion, quite the contrary. we know that faith based organizations and people of faith have been instrumental in topphelping those who have been down on the block and%% downtrodden. we are focusing on programs, religious or not, that getting results and helping men and women and children to exit homelessness as quickly as possible. host: cleveland, ohio, you are on the line. caller: hello, anthony.

my name is a gerald loeb. -- gerald love. taking care of everybody else in every other country but why don't we just take care of people here, please? guest: that is exactly what his plans to proposes to do. it not only proposes that we take care of individuals, but we give them the hand that they need to take control of their own lives and live at sufficiently. host: another objective of this plan is meaningful and sustainable employment for people. you talk about jobs training, but what types of jobs? what kind of training are you doing? guest: right now we have mainstream programs that help individuals find jobs. the individuals who have the most barriers to employment, those programs do not necessarily work for them. you bring that the scope of

those programs to reach out to those individuals that have the highest barriers to employment to help them get the training that they need to find decent- paying job to afford rent in communities that they live. host: atlanta, georgia, republican line, willie. caller: i would like to ask one question. how you get out when they say that subsidies foo rent -- they are not taking applications? guest: that is a good question. in many communities, there are subsidies and long waiting lines, waiting lists, for people to acquire this subsidies. one of the things that this plan it aims to do is to look at those waiting lists and units that turned over at how quickly they are turning over and how readily available to our individual -- howard obli --

how readily available they are for individuals. and so, you know, with additional funding and additional studies but fourth -- additional strategies put forth, communities can target those were strategically and get them to people who need them the most. host: kansas, independent line. caller: i am one of the new homeless. i am college-educated and never had trouble finding work, but in the past few years, it doeshas been a possible to find work where you live. my solution is simple -- we need to get rid of illegal aliens. i am a meeting people in laundromats, and i could have had a three jobs out there if i were not competing with illegal, mostly mexican men come up for wor -- mootly mexican

men, for work. they walked in the $11 to $12 now, plus taxes. when our congress and president obama -- until our congress and president obama decides to do something about it, which will consistently have this problem, exporting the mexican citizenry to the united states. guest: our focus is to deal with individuals who are homeless and try to exit on business. in the obama administration has called for congress to -- i know the obama administration has called for congress to adopt comprehensive immigration reform policies and that is where we are at this time. host: next call is john, and i understand you are homeless? caller: yes, ma'am. i'm a vietnam veteran, and i have a job.

and i am being treated, don't get me wrong. but my problem is, i can afford rent, but they want a deposit. but the time he paid a deposit -- by the time you pay the deposit, you just don't have the money. host: 10 i asked you how you are listening today? -- can i ask you how you are listening today? caller: i borrowed the phone from somebody. i'm staying at the salvation army shelter. guest: first of all, thank you for your service. we definitely appreciate that. last year, the obama administration provided $1.5 billion to communities for the homeless prevention and rapid rehousing program, and in communities across the country, some of those resources were used to go to individuals like yourself who have the means to pay rent, but the barrier is the

deposit that is needed. i would get with your case manager at the salvation army to identify where those resources go in the community that can help you get the apartment that you desperately need and deserve. host: part of the plan as the federal strategic plan is to look at best practices. what are some of the best practices with health care and the homeless? guest: 0, that is a very good question. communities like seattle and connecticut are utilizing health care in terms of making sure that people are well taken care of by getting the health care needs taken care of. states like massachusetts, who tend to be on occurred in terms of -- who tend to be had occurred under terms of medicaid in helping the imppverished and

most -- who tend to be ahead of the curve in terms of medicaid and helping the apartment and most desperate -- places like massachusetts and seattle and parts of connecticut are demonstrating best practices for people who are homeless. host: and enol from one of our viewers, who says that as the -- an email from one of our viewers, who says that their work tax credit -- there were tax credits available to wealthy investors for investing and subsidized housing during the 1990's. guest: those are practices that we will adopt and promote. we are required to review this plan annually and look at progress that is being made. if ideas like that are beneficial and working in communities, those are ideas that we want to embrace and promote.

host: here is an e-mail from a vietnam vet, was wondering how many of the homeless are vietnam -- was wondering how many of the homeless are veterans. guest: on any given night, there are 107,000 men and women who served in our nation's military that are without a home. host: democratic line, brian, good morning. caller: i think i have a couple of reasons why we have so many homeless. number one, during the wall street, banking industry took homes from everybody and then they bail out wall street to make up for all the lost wages on the homes. they got paid off on the homes and they got the back for foreclosure and sold them for profit. the other reason we have a lot

of homeless is laws regarding people's drivers' licenses but last year alone we had 1.5 million people lost their drivers licenses. in america, you need a car to do anything. most people almost live in their cars. i, for instance, used to own in $120,000 home and i work full time and at night i wws going to college full-time. on december 27, 2000, after i got my report card with all a's, i'd stop for a couple bottles of beer a local tavern and i got pulled over for going over a 35 mi. per hour to double blocks from my house and i have not had -- a license two blocks from my house -- i got pulled over two blocks from my house and i have not had a license but i had

to drop out of college, and i lost my house in foreclosure. i am walking the streets, and pretty soon i will be homeless. bachelet, by this weekend, i will be homeless. -- actually, by this weekend, i will be homeless. host: why this weekend? caller: my landlord here -- i just cannot get a job. if you look at all the jobs and it that i qualify for, you must have a driver's license. guest: if i am not mistaken, he said he was a veteran. host: the previous one, john. this one is brian. guest: there are organizations and agencies out there that good help you in this situation and could intervene for you, as well as talking to your lender about some type of payment plan for staying in wrong --, talking

to your landlord about some type of payment plan so you can stay in your home. the reason for the one-stop centers are to be as a resource for individuals who may struggle to find jobs on their own. i would recommend that if you could get to a one-stop center, get their and get them to help you with unemployment issues, as well as to work with some of the local homeless providers in your community and talk to them about how you maybe able to stay in your home or be able to get into another home that may be more affordable for you. host: maryland, republican line. the wake said. call -- go ahead. caller: i have one question. i noticed that mr. love is with the united states interagency council on homelessness. does that fall under any federal agency, or is he part of our

group that president obama has called in as a czar group to help him? another question -- doessthis work duplicate some of the things that other agencies in existence are giving aid to? guest: that is a very good question. actually, the u.s. interagency council on homelessness is an independent agency, comprised of 19 other federal agencies. the specific job the council is to coordinate the work of those agencies. as opposed to duplicating the efforts, our role is to make sure that every stick on the other federal agencies are coordinated, -- is to make sure that those efforts by the other federal agencies are coordinated. host: that may sound like a cz ar agency to some.

guest: it may, but it came about in 1987 as part of the official response to homelessness. host: what is the operating budget? guest: a little over $2 million, for one year. host: how much stuff you have? -- how much staff do you have? guest: 10 professionals out -- 10 professional staff. host: next call. caller: i would like to tell you this, that was the first part w -- the first at 4-profit but that ran a service for the new york city homeless services. they canceled the contract, but i would like to show one thing to you, sir, that the homeless

homeless, although they account how good a place homeless -- tout how good they place the homeless, it is a thing where you go into a system and you find your help. it is not the truth. the fact of the matter is that homelessness in new york city has steadily increased, steadily increased. now, i am not saying the obama administration has anything to do with this, but what i do know is that there should be some federal oversight by the obama administration, by the federal government, into the the new york city department of homeless services. how do i know that, sir? because i have been there. i have seee the people that work in the new york city dhs and i know those people. to be honest with you, sir, they

don't care one bit about the homeless. guest: well, the people that i actually know from new york seemed to be very caring folks. no doubt you have had some experiences that caused you to have those feelings. as it relates to federal oversight, our goal is to provide leadership as opposed to oversight. and to ensure that communities have the tools and resources needed to work with individuals and families who are homeless. communities are not fulfilling that role, that our job is to go in and identify with the gaps and problems -- then our job is to go in and identified the gaps and problems without try to tell local communities what their priorities should be and how best to address the issue. host: one of our viewers says --

is that something that you question when you are thinking about jobs training for the homeless? guest: not at this particular time. the department of labor may have hat information available. one of the strategies we use is to develop a research agenda to track those things that may have an impact on a person who is homeless and what may prevent them from finding a home. host: mary on the republican line in florida. caller: hello? host: you are on the air. caller: i just wanted -- i was just wondering why the vets -- hello? host: you need to turn your television down, that is the problem. caller: hello? host: we will go to utah,

independent line. steven, you are on the air with anthony love. caller: i have a long-term solution for solving the homeless, and it deals with education. it costs $24,600 a year in washington, d.c. per student, and $30,000 per year for college on average. if you took the money when the kit is about 1 years old and put it in a trust fund, monthly putting it in a trust fund, at 7000 he could later have a $35,000 and -- at 18,,he could later had a $35,000 income, and they could take money out of the trust fund to pay cash for the -phouse and still have a $60,00- a-year income. it is a comparison to the money we are spending on schools, what could be done with that. you could eliminate a whole list, he would not need social security and unemployment --

enter you could eliminate a whole list, you would not need social security and unemployment insurance. guest: thank you for your comment and thoughtful solution. we agree that agitation is a key component -- that education is a key component and conserve as a factor in preventing people from becoming homeless. the department of education is a major member of the u.s. interagency council. that is something that is definitely being taken into consideration as we deploy strategies to committees around the country. host: where can people read about your plan? guest: www.usich.gov, or www.hud.gov. host: one of the parts of the plans to develop a stability it cominn out of

the juvenile justice system. guest: you worked to devise effective discharge planning strategies for the young people who are "aging out of the system," to ensure that as they are, they are liquid appropriate housing services of -- and droppe -- to ensure that as they are, they aren't lin -- they are linked with the appropriate housing services. host: savannah, georgia, sodbuster on the democratic line. -- sylvester on the democratic line. ,aller: i'm a veteran approaching 62 years old. it is good to help people who are homeless, but when they come back, and when they are on the

verge of homelessness, why should a person have to be on the verge of homelessnees in a country -- [unintelligible] there are lots of things, and then decided to -- host: i apologize. i have to let you go. very difficult to hear you there. i do not know if mr. love -- guest: thank you, again, for your service to your country but celeste trichet note is that the core of this plan -- that you, again, for your service to country. what sylvester should know is that at the core of this plan, the best way to end homelessness is to prevent it from happening in the first place. host: next call. caller: good morning, mr. love.

the question i have, and i don't know how much this would go into your home, but in cases where i have a home and we make it month by month, it is a wonderful day, but the problem we have is that the insurance has gone through the roof. we are paying $600 a year on insurance, and now we pay $3,800 a year in insurance. you at your monthly mortgage payments, -- add that to your monthly mortgage payments, and it goes through the roof. it does not seem to be any relief. we had three several years ago. several years ago but it seems that insurance companies seem to raise the rates at a lot of people lost their homes due to that. and the subprime, of course, that we have had.

what can be done with that situation? guest: as it stands now, the one thing that can be done is to look at insurance for homes and so forth regulated by the states, to work with those stat% entities to look at what effect those policies are having on individuals in helping to stay in their homes, and working with those states to make sure that they implement policies were buying insurance for your home does not become a risk factor of you losing the home. host: and e-mail from viewer -- why not build new homes and apprtments which will create millions of jobs? guest: development of housing, as well as utilizing existing housing for people try to exit on business.

-- for people trying to exit homelessness. host: the know how much stimulus money meant to that? guest::i do not. host: next call. caller: the real-estate boom started in the 1970's, and it has just quadrupled, the price of real estate. the housing bubble has burst, but the price of rice has not dropped a bid -- prrce or rent has not dropped a bit. if you can reduce the rent, so people on minimum wage and paid on a quarter of the income, you could end homelessness overnight. host: mr. love, what about the historical comparison? guest: that is a good comparison. over the last several years, we have seen a great reduction in the number of affordable housing

units that been built, while at the same time we have seen the number of high-rent a per income units have increased. part of a strategy is that we put more affordable units on line and so forth, and then in the, as you said, w 1960's, we had a few homeless compared to now and there are a number of factors that contribute to that. to likely to get -- too lengthy to get into any one show. but one of the things that the plan institute is strengthened -- that the plan aims to do is make sure that people can find jobs that pay wages where they can live in their own homes. host: christopher, independent linn. caller: good morning, and thank

you for bringing thee informatin of homelessness to the american public eye and formerly homeless, and survived three years on the streets of los angeles and was put out of my apartment recently and took advantage of the services that new york city provides. mr. love, i did read your one before report on homelessness that was recently issued -- your wonderful report on hold since that was recently issued, but i have to question the actress and -- question the accuracy of the numbers but in los angeles alone, you have over 140,000 homeless. i would like to volunteer as an ombudsman, having been a previous federal employee. i made some bad decisions. i am lucky to be retired from the major university and the federal government, many years of service, and in the last

several months, a new apartment in new york. i want to thank those people in new york, contrary to me being -- contrary to the other caller, the new york city agencies have been patient. there is a process, and the process is a risk. -- process is rigorous. they screen you very well for your mental and physical and financial conditions and they do provide services that you all are trying to do in other cities. guest: thank you so much, and congratulations on being able to exit homelessness. i think that the best way that you conserve it is, based on your experience with homelessness, is to work with your local community. we firmly believe that the issue is local, but the federal government as a role in can play -- has a role as a template to help families and individuals exit homelessness -- has a role it can play to help families and

individuals exit homelessness. host: st. louis, missouri, republican line. caller: hi, mr. love. thank you so much for the information that you have been given. it is plain and simple and we know it is based on fact. my question is the link that your company or agency provides for children in foster care at that are getting out of foster care. ww're in ms. iraq and i have information on that -- where in missouri can i have the information on that? they get into junior college, or get into junior college and then into jobs. where can people like myself locate an agency where we can offer our homes for a period of time to these children? thank you.

guest: thank you. you are in st. louis, and depending on what county you are in, you can get with child protective services in that county and begin to work with them to let them know that you would like to provide some form of home for the children that are in foster care, and potentially become a foster parent yourself, to work with the county in st. louis. call the state of misery and the health and human services department, -- state of missouri health and human services department, and they can direct you to the right places. host: oakland, mary. caller: when you drive through little towns and cities, you see so many abandoned buildings that, with a little bit of work, even for the homeless people, to make apartments and places that

they could live in and give them at hand up. the don't want justtto be living on the streets. they need a hand up and then they can help themselves. i knew one that waso on heroin and within a couple of years i had him off of heroin and going to college in a different state. he was a wonderful miracle from god. if we are a nation of religion, then we should help out brother and do as much for each other as we want for ourselves. host: we will go to one last phone call here. annapolis, a republican line. caller: canapolis, north

carolina. host: sorry about that. caller: i have never called in on your line. i had a couple of comments. i see all this rhetoric about helping the homeless and one thing or another. i am about to be homeless. i'm a vietnam-era of better written. i am about to be homeless here. i have reached out to every agency i know. it seems that i cannot seem to find the help that i am looking for, because no one even knows of any programs out here that seem to work for the people that are possibly going to be homeless. i would like to comment from this gentleman as to where we find these agencies and how we can stay in a home and not become homeless. guest: as a vietnam-era veteran, again, thank you for your service -- you should be able to link up with the va hospital within your community.

if there's not one near canapolis, there shoulddbe a veterans' organization. i also encourage you to reach out to vietnam veterans of america, if there is a chapter in your community that can direct you to services that are close by good to our national websites that will go on and give you information -- if there to that can direct you services that are close by. there are national sites that will go on and give you information. you can linkk+ up with organizations and agencies. as a vietnam-era veteran, i would say that the first step would be to reach out to the va medical center in your area that is caused by or with the veterans services organization that has an operation close by. host: there is a twitter comment -- one keeps bringing up that many homeless don't want to put

in a shelter . guest: absolutely. for those that are most chronic, there is housing where someone can have a place of their own, their own space and own bathroom and own key, saying that this is their home to the idea behind a shelter, and emergency stop-gap -- what we aim for is a more permanent and targeted solution. permanent housing is not only more to maine, it is more cost- effective. -- not only more humane, it is more cost-effective. host: this congress need to approve this plan? guest: it was authorized by an act a

>> queen elizabeth ii visits new york city today for the first time in 35 years. she will address the united nations shortly. we will go live to the united nations.

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>> now that quinellas but has arrived, we expect her to address the general assembly shortly. -- now that queen elizabeth has

arrived, we expect her to address the general assembly. the last time she addressed the assembly was in 1957. >> your royal highness. mr. secretary general and distinguished delegates, it is not often given to a president to welcome here his own beloved of sovran. i had the honor to present to the assembly of her majesty, queen elizabeth ii. i now respectfully request her majesty to address the 12th assembly of the united nations. [applause]

>> the charter of the united nations was framed with a view to giving expression to these great [unintelligible] so fitting, a fitting memorial to the man and women whose toil and sacrifices turned those ideas into articles of faith for the nation's of today. time has, in fact, made the task of the united nations more difficult than it seemed when the terms of the charter were agreed in san francisco 12 years ago. when justice and respect for

obligations are firmly established, united nations will more confidently achieve the goals of a world of peace, law abiding and prosperous, for which men and women have striven for so long and which is the heart's desire of every nation here represented. i offer you my best wishes in your task. i pray that you may be successful. [applause] >> that was part of with the queen said in 1957 to the united nations. here we are live in new york city. the general assembly is expected to hear from the queen shortly here live on c-span.

[applause]

>> the meeting of the general assembly is called to order. this afternoon, we will hear an address by her majesty, queen elizabeth ii, on the occasion of her visit to the united nations. your majesty, you can have a

short statement. [speaking foregign language] >> and we are honored to hear your address to the general assembly today. as clean and the united kingdom and 15 other countries, -- as queen of the united kingdom with

54 member countries, you represent over 2 billion people from the asia, pacific, the americas, the caribbean, to the british isles. your majesty embodies the globalized world and shared humanity of which also defines these united nations and gives its purpose. your majesty, when you last addressed the united nations 53 years ago, the world was rebuilding following a devastating world war. cold war tensions and nuclear annihilation threatened the existence of all lived humanity. the quality and

nondiscrimination were still an unrealized dream of. women were expected to stay at home. since that occasion, you have presided over remarkable global transformations which saw the birth of a multitude of the independent nation-states based on the principles of equal rights and the self- determination of all peoples, a principles that are enshrined in the united nations charter. your majesty, today we have a world where upheaval and change are the norm. it is a world where the face of change -- where the pace of change has quickened. while there has been unprecedented economic prosperity, yet the world

remains blighted by extreme levels of inequality with billions living in absolute poverty. natural disasters occur more frequently and with greater devastation while and new threats and pressures have also emerged. when such disasters and tragedies make us confront our human frailty, you have lifted the spirits of those in shock. you let them know that they are not alone in their suffering. in times of horror from acts of terrorism, your words of comfort and your steadfast presence in the face of uncertainty has brought solace and reassurance. we at the united nations are

focused on making the world aa better place. we're focused on standing for justice and peace. we focus on relieving suffering and helping the poor get out of poverty. many times we come up short and do not live up to our commitments or meet the expectations that are laid upon us. through your sense of duty and tireless public serviie, you have demonstrated to those of us that the united nations that we must not waver from our purpose , that we must remain steadfast in our will and determination because the port, the disadvantaged, and the weak -- the poor do not have the

disadvantage of our failure. i think you. >> his excellency, ban ki moon. >> excellencies, mr. president, we are honored by your presence, your majesty. in a changing world you are an anchor for our age. your brain has spanned decades from the challenges of the -- your reign has spanned decades. from the television to twitter, through the years you have traveled the world and that people. you have become a living symbol of grace, constance a., and dignity.

-- grace, constancy, and dignity. you first visited this chamber in 1957. over half a century ago, you told the general assembly that the future would be shaved by more than the formal bonds that unite us. it would be shaped by the strength of our devotion, devotion to the hopes and great ideals of the u.n. charter -- peace, justice, and prosperity. with you at the helm, the united kingdom and the commonwealth have contributed immensely to the united nations. today, the four largest providers of that peacekeeping troops are commonwealth countries. around the world, you worked out -- you work with us to advance

human rights and promote global security. we gather to advance this mission by pushing for are developing goals. this is a blueprint to save lives of the poor and vulnerable, to combat hunger and disease, to promote gender equality, and it to provide education opportunities and the san work to billions of people. we will once again here in your record and devote our full strength to the ideals of our charter and to realizing a better world for all. your majesty, for your dedication to the united kingdom and the commonwealth, to the united nations and our common

values, we say thank you and welcome. we wish you continuing good health and we are happy to havee you today. thank you very much. [applause] >> i have the honor to invite your majesty, queen elizabeth ii, to address the general assembly. >> mr. president, secretary general, members of the general assembly, i believe i was last year in 1957. since then, i have traveled widely and met many leaders, ambassadors, and statesman from around the world.

i address you today as queen of the 16 united nations member states and as head of the commonwealth of the 54 countries. i have also witnessed a great change, much of it for the better, particularly in the science, technology, and social attitudes. remarkably, many of these about not because of government, committee resolutions,,or central directives, although all of these have played a part, but instead because millions of people around the world have wanted them. for the united nations, these subtle yet significant changes in the people's approach to leadership and power, that

foreshadows a layer and demise. instead the united nations have grown and prospered by responding and adapting to the ship's -- shifts. many important things have not changed, also. the aims and values which inspire the united nation's charter indoor -- endure to promote peace, security, and justice, to remove the plight of poverty, hunger, and disease and to protect the rights of every citizen. the achievements of the united nations are remarkable. when i was first here, there were just three united nations operations overseas. now, over 120,000 men and women are deployed in 26 missions across the world. you have helped to reduce

conflict, you have offered humanitarian assistance to millions of people affected by natural disasters and other emergencies. you have been deeply committed to tackling the effects of poverty in many parts of the world. so much remains to be done. former secretary general dag hammer shot once said that constant attention by goodness may be just as important as a major operation. they get better with practice, sadly the supply of patients never ceases. this september, leaders will meet to agree on how to achieve the millennium development goals. each nation will have its own distinctive contribution to make.

new challenges have also emerged which have tested this organization as much as its member states. one such is the struggle against terrorism. another challenge is climate change. a careful accounts must be taken of the response by smaller, more vvlnerable nations, many of them from the commonwealth. mr. president, i started by talking about leadership. i have much admiration for those who have the talent to lead. particularly in public service and in the diplomatic life. i congratulate you, your colleagues, and predecessors on your many achievements. it is, perhaps, always been the case that the waging of peace is the hardest form of leadership of all.

i know of no single formula for success, but over the years i have observed some attributes of leadership are universal. they are about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, talents, their insides, their enthusiasm and inspiration to work together. since i address you last, the commonwealth, too, has grown vigorously to become a group of nations representing nearly 2 billion people. it gives its wholehearted support to the significant contributions to the peace and stability of the world made by the united nations and its agencies. at last november, when i opened

trinidad and caboclo -- trinidad and tobago, i told them they had the pportunity to lead. today, i offer you the same message. for over six decades the united nations has helped to shape the international response to global dangers. the challenge now is to continue to share this care and leadership while not losing sight of your ongoing work to secure the security, prosperity, and dignity of our fellow human beings. when people in 53 years from now look back on us, they will down the field many of our practices as old-fashioned. it is my hope that when judged by future generations are

sincerity, our willingness to lead, and a determination to do the right thing will stand the in my lifetime, the united nations has moved from being in a high-minded desperation to being a real force for common good. that in itself has been a signal achievement, but we are not gathered here to reminisce. in tomorrow's world, we must all work together as hard as ever if we are truly to been united nations. thank you. [applause]

>> on behalf of the general assembly, i wish to express to her majesty, queen elizabeth ii, for her and inspired an important statement. our request a representative to be kind enough to remain in their seats while we accompany her majesty out of the general assembly hall. following which the meeting will stand adjourned.

>> we will have more coverage tomorrow of prime minister david cameron taking questions from the house of commons. that'll be live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span2. an update on the oil spill in the gulf from thad allen at about 4:00 p.m. eastern. you can log on to c- span.org/oilspill to see the light defeat of oil flowing in the gulf. -- live feed of oil flowing. >> tonight, a focus on the military at work.

in his collection of essays, "the father of us all," victor davis hanson asks why steady war tax his co-editor and contributors to a critical look at u.s. counterterrorism policies. jerry van dyke and his guides are taken by fighters and spend 45 days in captivity. "book tv" live in prime time all this week. c-span is available in over 100 million homes bringing in a direct link to politics, history, and nonfiction books as a public service created by american fox cable companies. -- american's cable companies. >> today's state department briefing.

>> good afternoon, everyone. welcome to the state department. sorry for the late start. we wanted to let the president and prime minister netanyahu speak. secretary clinton and special envoy mitchell attended the meeting today. secretary clinton will also meet with president netanyahu at blair house where there will be joined by mitchell, undersecretary burns, an assistant secretary for near eastern affairs feldman, as well as up cunningham. she spoke with them previously. the two discussed preparations for the meeting and review the

current state of affairs. the minister mentioned he would try to travel to washington soon and the secretary welcomes his visit. secretary clinton also spoke to tony blair in which they reviewed the current state of affairs including efforts to ease restrictions on goods to gaza. they talked about the controlled items list. we reconfirm our commitment to continue working closely with the israeli government and palestinian authorities. this new policy is hoping to improve the quality of life for the people in gaza while addressing legitimate security concerns. one more item. before taking your questions, the u.s. is disturbed by this eight year sentence and a 2000

r.m.b. fine. we remain concerned about his rights, due process under chinese law. we call on china to grant him humanitarian relief and immediately deport him back to the united states. the protection of u.s. citizens overseas is our highest priority. the government is deeply concerned for his well-being. with that, i will take your questions. >> this morning, our time, the chinese say this is none of your business. this is an internal affair. they are reacting to the statement yesterday from the embassy. i am wwndering if you care to respond to that and also to the timing of the whole sentence. do you read anything over this being a holiday weekend?

their controversial things dealing with america happen to do things during a time. where americans may be distracted. >> i can assure you we were not distracted over the weekend. as you noted, we responded to the embassy in beijing has been closely involved with this case since he was detained three years ago. the embassy has conducted 30 consular visits to monitor his welfare and deliver messages to his family. the most recent one was on june 17. we have also consistently, and will continue to, raise this case to the highest levels in terms of response. we will continue to raise this issue to the chinese authorities.

>> on russia? i am not sure if this is a state department or a department of justice issue. do you know if you crafted the consular access to the russian spies? >> when i can say is the defendants in the custody have beennnotified of their right to consular access. the counselors -- the counselors have been notified. proper procedures has been followed. >> what nationality -- what do you recognize them as? what is their nationality? >> some of them are russian citizens. i am not clear on that yet. >> some of them were naturalized as americans or at least claimed to be. >> i agree. >> does consular access apply in that? >> again, that is something for the departments of justice to sort out.

>> anyone who is a naturalized u.s. citizen, whether these are legally or illegally, it would seem to me that if you are a u.s. citizen that consular access would not apply. >> i am not sure if it applies to dual citizenship in the kind of case you are describing. i can check into it. the concept, i am happy to check into it. but as far as details, i refer you to the department of justice. >> i want to go back to china. they have said -- do have any comment? >> i am not aware of the statement. >> they said some chinese officials claim that south china is of national core

interest. they claim it is their territory and that there will be a conflict of territorial claim. >> i will look into that and see if we have a natural response. >> of the iranian negotiators made a response to action -- ashton whether some conditionn -- is this a step forward or not? >> i am always wary of characterizing things that come out of this. what i would stress is the 5 + one spoke in one voice and that is that the door remains open. if iran is serious about talking

to the p5 +1, i think there are willing to me. >> would they talk about the nuclear issue? >> we would evaluate the iranian offer. i assume we are, but again it is a two track approach and+ engagement always remains open. >> on the mideast, the list of the easing goods for gaza, as the u.s. study the list? does go far enough in terms of providing goods that the people in gaza needd >> go ahead. >> and does that mean yes? [laughter] >> i was preparing to respond, but thank you for clarifying. when we announce the new aaproach, we will commit and

noted however that implementation is critical. -- we've noted that implementation is critical. it is an important step to implementation of the new gaza policy. the flows of goods and material and the access to people have to those items should significantly improve. we have worked closely with the israeli government as they developed the list. we, as well as with the court's head representative, egypt, and other concerned parties will continue to work with israel. i believe it will help improve the quality of life for the people in gaza while addressing their legitimate security concerns. does it go far enough? it is a great step forward. we think it is very positive, constructive, and we will continue to work with israel. there is an infamous -- an

emphasis on implementation. >> can you speak to why the nasa administrator was doing outreach to the moslem community? there was an article over the weekend. >> i do not have an answer. i encourage you to talk to our nasa colleague. with the new space policy, it has a more global approach. today is tuesday. >> is that the role of the state department or nasa? >> i think it is an interagency cooperative effort. as to specific comments today, i think i saw on tv, but i did not listen to them closely to have a response. part of the new approach to space, this administration's approach from is to engage with international partners and that would include the muslim world.

>> anything on north korea? >> not that i'm aware of. i think the question is the incidence in south korea? i believe that is still being addressed. >> no sanctions? >> i would refer you to the u.n. mission in new york. as far as i am aware of, they are still continuing the investigation. obviously we support korea's effort to hold north korea accountable. >> secretary clinton visited countries last week. can you provide anything on her meetings to armenia and azerbaijani? >> there is information out there, so i hesitate to do a travel log of her trip.

it was very successful. she did do a broad tort beginning in kiev, traveling to krakow, and then went to armenia and azerbaijan and then to georgia after she returned home yesterday. in ukraine, she took part in the second meeting of the u.s.- ukraine organization. she held meetings at the kiev at pauley tech university. she gave a speech in cracow on democracy in the 21st century. sure is that a reception in gdansk. >> i thought you were not going to do a travelogue? >> the meeting was in krakow,

however. the first meeting was in gdansk. they had good discussions on bilateral issues and there are statements posted on all of these meetings. that is why i did not do a travelogue. do you have any specific follow- ups? >> i wonder if you can discuss the armenian-turkish relations in azerbaijan? there are some concerns. >> policy has not shifted. we support a sediments of the two. they are not mutually exclusive but are mutually supportive. >> let me clarify. when she was in krakow, she was there for the 10th anniversary of the signing of the what?

>> the protocol amending the ballistic missile -- the community of democracy. >> what was the name of the dow -- of the declaration? >> the warsaw decoration. not the gdansk declaration. >> technically speaking, she arrived this morning. >> thanks for keeping me honest, guys. i appreciate it. >> china expressed concerns about the joint south korea- >> that is the department of defeese. i believe nothing is scheduled. i cannot corroborate or bought for his remarks. all i know is that nothing has been scheduled. >> on three long come. there are -- on sri lanka.

they are protesting against the call for war crimes investigation. is the u.s. concern about the protests were about the way the u.n. is being treated? >> we support people's rights to free his version. we support a robust accountability process. -- we support people's rights to free expression. this has been a decades-long conflict. to that end, we welcome u.s. secretary's announcement of a panel of experrs to provide advice on relevann best practices for investigations into alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. >> the israelis announced a couple, a small number of soldiers, who will face some

kind of punishment or the possibility of punishment for things done during the operations in gaza. any comment? >> they re reviewing the allegations rising out of the fighting in gaza last winter. we support the need for accountability for anything that might have happened during the conflict. this is a domestic process. we believe the democratic institutions in israel should be given the opportunity to play themselves out. >> any new developments on the idea of an international investigatory panel for the [unintelligible] -- not that i'm aware of. >> there seems to be an impression in azerbaijan that nothing has been done. now that the secretary has been there and it can up as an issue,

will the state department be taking any new actions? do you accept that characterization? >> i do not. i think we continue to meet through the midst process -- for the minsk group. there are difficult issues which require a great deal of time. our ambassador is hard at work on these issues. that is reinforced by the secretary's visit to the region. >> what is the primary -- i wonder if this was on the agenda? >> i cannot say for sure. we raise freedom of press issues where appropriate. weight in the back. >> supporters in the u.s.,

including members of congress, feel that prime minister netanyahu was slighted on his last visit. what did they hope to send with today's visit? >> i would refer you to the rather copious remarks that both prime minister netanyahu and president obama's game over at the white house in which netanyahu paraphrase mark twain to say that the relationship has never been on stronger footing. cracks commerce secretary gary locke and other officials talked about u.s. exports of the white house today. we will watch that until the get a live update on the gulf oil spill in about 10 minutes. >> knock their stuff down.

is yours there? ok. >> thank you very much. we just concluded the meeting with the president of the export council. we reviewed our plans to double u.s. exports over the next five years supporting some 2 million jobs in the process. exports are now very large part of our nation's economy a grilling the number of jobs that come from domestic consumption. the president really believes that rican do better, we can do more. most advanced countries have a much more significant portion of their gdp coming from exports. the more we can help american companies sell their products and services around the world, the more they produce. the more they produce, the more jobs they create and support. we are very pleased that in the last several months we have had big successes in helping large

american companies like ge, pat whitney, and boeing sell billions of dollars of equipment overseas generating thousands of jobs here in the united states. we are focusing on small and medium-sized companies. that is what the national export initiative was about, focusing on all sized companies, large and small. this involves every agency of the federal government. it involves labour, agriculture3 import, and of course the department of commerce. land seized already had -- i am pleased to have already had 6000 visitors, buyers to the united states on buyer shows. we have generated several hundreds of millions of dollars of sales already on behalf of u.s. companies, sales of goods and services.

we already have some 40 trade missions planned for this year. that is an unprecedented number, about a 35% increase over previous years. i just came back from china about one month ago where we took 29 companies to china and indonesia, primarily small and medium-sized companies with great success. tens of millions of dollars of sales realized creating jobs here in america. we are not even waiting for the final plan of the national export initiative to be finalized nor are we waiting for additional dollars from the congress as part of the president's 2011 budget. we are reorganizing, every prioritizing within the department of commerce to really focus on the u.s. companies that really export to help sell their goods and services to two or three extra countries from the world. these are the people that

already export, know how to, understand currency cannot understand border customs, logistics, contracts. these are the ones that are most right in terms of increasing exports and creating more jobs immediately. we have a big focus within the department of congress -- department of commerce introducing them to additional countries.+ i would like to turn it over to tom milsack who helps create jobs in the agricultural exports. >> gary, thank you very much. i appreciate your leadership and the partnership we have had with the trade representative's office. this is a good story. since he announced his national exporttinitiative, we have looked at how we approach trade at the usda. we have looked at from a market standpoint. we have individualized our focus

and our approach based on their market status. we have seen a 19% increase in exports in the first quarter of this calendar year. if it was a little over $37.1 billion in exports. emerginn countries are a critical market for us. china, indonesia, korea are three of our key markets in the terms of increased. as a result of ron kirk's personal efforts we are opening markets in china and russia which will allow us to increase significantly trade opportunities. we anticipate, as a result of the president of the leadership, that we will have the second- best year of trade since we began keeping track at the usda. every $1 and spend for the trade shows that gary talked-about generates about a $35 return for taxpayers in return on investment. we have done 14 trade shows this year. most recently we went to iraq

and took 17 american countries pitching 150 different products. the trade promotion efforts have allowed us to expand about 2100 products internationally. it is about jobs, as gary indicated. for every $1 billion in trade we generate in the agriculture sector, somewhere between 8009 thousand jobs are created. -- december between 8009 thousand jobs are created. we cannot have done this without the leadership and efforts of ron kirk and i turn it over to him. >> tom, and secretary block, thank you for your leadership. let me speak briefly to underscore a couple points made by secretary vilsack and locke. the entire cabinet has come together under the leadership of our president to work together seamlessly to try and help grow

the american economy by increasing our exports with the express goal of adding 2 million jobs along the way if we can do so. underlying that is an understanding that 95% of the world boxing consumers live outside of the united states. whether you make something, grow something, or provide a service, if you are going to continue to grow, it will be important that we have access to those markets. our role at the trade representative's office is to do everything we can to make sure we have access to these emerging markets and some of the developed markets. we have the privilege of working in concert with the secretary of commercc and his international development team. we work hand in hand with the department of agriculture whether it is to reopen markets are closed to us after the h1n1 scare, getting our culture

products back on the market, but we're talking about billions of3 thousands of families in rural america. this helps to make your quality of life in the united states that much better we are spectacularly the most productive agricultural society in the world, but americans could not begin to consume everything that we grow. the reality is about one-third of what is planted and grown in this country has to find a market elsewhere. that is part of our effort, part of the president's rationale behind the announcement he made to the g-20 that he is directing our office to work more diligently now to see if we cannot bring the closure of that would allow us to bring the caribbean free-trade agreement forward to congress after his visit to korea in november. similarly, we have been engaged in discussions with our partners

regarding pending free-trade agreements with panama and colombia as well. we will do all of these in a manner to make sure we have a level playing field that reflects our values as a country as it relates to protecting the rights of workers, the environment, and we do so with the goal and the knowledge that the made in america brand is one of the most powerful in the world. we have to have fair access to those markets. that is what we're working towards. our message today is to underscore to you how seriously we take this mission, how much we are working together across the government to do this because this is a stimulus we do not have to budget for. we can grow the economy and put americans back to work and continuing to show leadership by trade around the world. i will stop it there and i would be happy to take your questions. please let us know who you are and if you want to direct your question to one of the specifically, ppease say so.

>> where do you expect exports to grow? how much do expect to grow by the end of the year? secretary o vilsack, you said already a 17% growth, but what you see for the general exports? >> i can tell you we are very bullish on agricultural exports. especially with the reopening of the pork and poultry markets in russia and china. it bodes very well for increased in numbers. we're looking at $104,000,000,000.100 $5 billion which would be up from last year. -- we're looking at $104 billion and $105 billion. we will work hard to break down these markets. as lebron indicated, it is $1 billion of opportunity for all of those people engaged in

processing those products and getting them to the market. >> i can just say we're looking at several billions of dollars in additional salesswithin the next few months. we have had good progress just in the last few montts as well with the announcements by boeing and sales of airplanes to turkey, the middle east, saudi arabia, and the recent announcements of sales to russia, pat whitney engines to malaysia and elsewhere. we are now really focusing on small and medium-sized countries. it will be harder to get you actual statistics, but we will know as the year goes through and we areevery eager. .

the progress on the relief wells continued. this is at a depth of 12,000 for under 57 feet. you have 264 feet left to go. they are currently conducting ranging runs right now where they will drill down at a certain number of feet and withdraw their bill but -- their drill bit. they will slowly close to the intercept point and in including the ranging.

going down. we are watching a trough using -- moving towards the yucatan peninsula very closely. that in combination will get of the wind up over 20 knots out of the southeast and that will panhandle area of florida. in an in particular, it will move to around the mississippi sound and as we have seen oil approaching the runway is that goes towards lake pontchartrain, we expected that there will be some movement of oil along the mississippi passes. as you know, yesterday we had

tarbell's cited on the coast of florida. these were tested and found to be associated with the wellhead itself. the weathering of the oillwas not consistent with that that had made a trip but nearly 400 miles. >> a and we are not ruling out any circumstances. i am here to meet with british petroleum officials. -- we are not ruling out any circumstances. the first thing we will to is we will put into the configuration. we are producing through the joke lines and we intend to take

the oil coming out of the kill oil. they are in the process of trying to look this up right now. they are partially part of cooking this up. this goes through a police system and a flexible line comes in to the riser. as you can imagine, you need some kind of stability to do that. they were looking to do that at about a 3 to 5 ft state. looking at the weather system moved in across the yucatan peninsula, we are finding out after the passage of the tropical storm and hurricane that a frontal assault on the well site does not neceesarily need to happen to produce an effect. there are simultaneous operations going on out there. these have various degrees of tolerance so we are watching

very closely this well and the waves that might be going towards that site. in my meetings later this afternoon, we will talk about the production capability at 53,000 barrels a day. we will also be talking about the opportunity to replace that cap with a more permanent cap that will be able to don. -- that will be bolted on. we have four different sources which could produce as much as 60 to 80,000 barrels a day. the goal in the plan is to produce four different systems that will allow us to have the capacity to deal with total outflow as we have estimated and to give us redundancy. there is a slight problem or we have lightning in the area, the

enterprise has to stop production and we had problems because of a lightning strike. what we will try o do is to put enough redundancy in capacity into the system so that we can continue to operate at full capacity. we will be having these discussions and we will look for the window of opportunity to put the containment cat on. at the same time we will go through a continuous drilling of the relief well. we will pump mud into the well bore and this will fill the well bore up. the plan is that this would overcome the pressure of the hydrocarbons going up and this will allow us to pump some met into tte well bore. we are glad to take your questions. >> on the relief well, thethey e

less than 300 feet away from the bottom. they coulddbe quicker it -- finished before was expected, will this be before the end of july? >> right now, we have a debt to distance -- depth to distance graft. this is this loews part. i'm sticking with the middle of august. i've learned that day overpromise and under deliver. >> as we know, the containment cap was pulled off due to wet their. do we have a time when that will be completed? >> as i have discussed with british petroleummofficials,

there is a partial hook up right now and it they can sustain that unless they have really severe c. states. they will wait for the weather to continue that connection. they are working as hard as they can to complete that connection. we did not know if they will be able to do that. currently, this is a work in progress. >> can you tell me how many boats are docked because of weather and how much oil has been skimmed despite the weather? >> there's not much going on because of the state of the sea. once you get above 3 feet-5 feet in the action of the waves, unless your skimmer is large, it will be problematic. we have task forces on shore.

>> can you say a couple of more words about the containment capped, if you will definitely choose to install that? >> first of all, we need to get the helix producer up and operating. when we do that, you will have a capacity of 53,000 barrels a day. this revolves around our flow rate estimates. we have centered in on a range of 35,000 barrels to 60,000 barrels a day. there are scientists involved to give us the range for those reasons. we are approaching 25,000 barrels a day but you can still see oil coming out. what we need to do is to finish cooking up the helix producer.

with the current contain that cap, this is not a perfect seal. there will always be a little bit of oil coming out the bottom of that. that will never be a perfect solution but it will never completely seal all of the wheel in. what we need to do is see whether or not the cat needs to be removed and that short piece of pipe is actually unbolted and to go to production. this will have to be a step-by- step suppressors of where you put the helix unit on line. -- prooess where you put the helix unit on line. the q-400 and the helix

producer will be working on the pipeline. we are positive about before. some of the conversations that we will have with bp are the timing of the threshold. >> how much oil is not being contained each day? that and what happens if the relief wells fail? >> if you take the flow rate they are estimating which is 35,000 barrels to 365,000 barrels a day, when we are up to 53, we will get a good idea of where we are on the flow rate. regarding the relief well, there are a couple of options related to that. there is a second relief well

being drilled as a back up and a risk mitigated to that. british petroleum has looked at their industry partners and the meeting was held at nearby wells where they are depleted and whether they are producing natural gas or oil, there could be another recovery process that would pump out of the wells and this would not need facile support from the top. we will have a reservoir someplace else and it would be basically hurricane proof because it would not have to be taken care of from the surface. we can take to the entire flow rate out of the well and this remains to be seen. you can effectively produce oil for some amount of time until you get the bottom killed or the relief wells done and executing. there are mitigation strategies that are associated and this is dependent on conditions at the

time. >> talk us through the next few days as you watch this weather system, what changes will you have to make? >> i have asked the noaa administrator to give us some projections on what kind of situations that we can expect at the well site. depending on what types of vessels are operating out there, some can stay out longer. during the last frontal passage, we had to stop from the discovery enterprise. we got to a point where they were completely at capacity. we could start lighter and again otherwise we would have to reduce production. >> some vessels start having

problems at 6 feet to 8 feet. some has tte ability to deal with it up to 12. this is really dependent upon the master who is responsible for the safety of the units. development driller three and two can withstand up to 20 feet because they are very heavy and they have confidence and they are supported and have a lot of stability. this depends upon the type of vessel. our discussions will be about thresholds'. we have this threshold which anticipates the offset of tel force winds. we ccn generate swells from a great distance away. -- we have this threshold which anticipates the onset of gale force winds. >> how do you feel about the level of cooperation your getting from british petroleum

and would you like to see anything change? >> you cannot be successful in an operation like this when you are talking about controlling the source at the well. if you have a burning, dispersant application, recovery. if you cannot coordinate, cooperate, you can call it trust. you can call it corporate friendship. there has to be a relationship there, you have to cooperate to be successful and communicate. we would like to in gender unity of effort not only from bp but across government -- we would like to engender unity of effort. if i need anything, they provide it. >> the system you are planning

with the four vessels and up to 80,000 barrels a day of capacity, a originally that had planned to be up by mid july. it is it fair to say that this would not be done by next week? >> no, that is dependent on relieving the current containment captain putting another one on. what is being done is the third production platform which will get us to 53,000 barrels a day. this is related to the production of the containment cap and the auxiliary equipment that needs to be put into the sea. we are out a week from that. can we get 53,000 barrels a day? what does it look like out there in terms of the cage? what about the timing that would affect the next steps. >> we are prepared to take

questions by phone. >> i have a question, i am curious -- i guess i have some questions about the cap. you said earlier that the helix producer needs to be in place before you will put the cap in place. it seems like the helix producer will not be in place until next week. is it impossible -- possible to get it on before next week? >> i am not sure if the question but let me restate this. there are two different operations that are proceeding but they are related.

the first one is to maximize the production capability with the well bore as it exists. one is through the riser pipe that was cut off and has a containment capped over it and choke and kill once. the riser pipe comes from the containment cap and we are producing out of the show klein. we intend to establish the helix producer at the production platform for the kill line which will collectively create a capacity of 53,000 barrels a day. we don't know how that relates to the current flow rate estimate. we do know that even if it was close, this does not give us redundancy incapacity or equipment unless we have a fairll low or some kind of mishap that has happened before. we have directed bp to provide us with a plan on how they would achieve redundancy in both the equipment and capacity so that

we could be assured of being able hhndle to if -- the flow rate. to that end, they have produced four production systems, penn. the two drill pipes are corrected by a coupling that will allow for production by plans to operate. if you are to lose one of those, three can continue to operate and you would have redundancy in your recovery effort. the equipment will be in place sometimes in the next seven-10 days. the question is do we want to wait and look at the production capability of the helix producer before we go to the next step which is to remove the current containment cap and allow the oil that is being recovered to be in the environment.

>> you seemingly addressed this already in a roundabout way but with all of these weather delays continuing to push things back, it will be a few weeks that we will be talking about the a fact in earnest. your meetings with british petroleum about the long-term containment gap, this will be rendered moot. the second riser is already under construction, we are not sure how this lines up wwth the overall design with four free- floating risers in play. >> i believe the current timetable can be available for production around the 17th of july. tte two remaining lines will be accomplished by using drill pipes and a flexible connector.

this is much less complicated and it does not involve a mooring system like the freestanding pipes do. in regards to your statement that this will approach the time where we can go ahead and do the bottom killed through the relief wells, there is a connection of the containment cap and the actual killing of the well. when we do this, we pump mud into the well bore until it kills itt if we have a containment cap on the top and are able to exert that pressure, that creates a more effective means to kill the well sir there is a linkage between the new system and our degree of success in killing the well with more presssre being >> ovee a month ago i made a

request for more information on what contractors are using on those pumps. i got a list of 14 companies without any identification. i have been blown off by british petroleum officials. i am wondering if it is possible if you give more information about the tens of thousands of contractors that are working on this response >> can you clarify the question. i'm not sure if you're asking about contractors and how they are working on response. >> i am hoping to get specific

information about what what they are doing on response. one example is trying to find out how many command centers have been provided, who is providing what services. i have not gotten any answers to these questions when i called the joint information center. >> i am not sure there's any problem providing information. these are done through normal procurement processes. i will work with people in the joint information center. >> i had a question in terms of

putting up penalties. can you tell us why that decision was made? we have a serious problee with vandalizing. >> i think there are questions regarding vandalism of the boom. iithink that there has been some misunderstanding about what the intent was. i issued a written order is a long time ago in the response that the media would have unfettered access to our sites unless there is a safety or security issue. what we have found are some instances of vandalism where a boom that has been damaged or a

boom that has been the subject of recreational boats running into it. we have created a zone around the bottom to keep boats away -- around the boom to keep boats away. we would like to have the press have access to this area. there are reports that we were constraining access but what we the boom and mooring.o preserve- these items are very varery scarce right now and we are ordering all but that is available in the country. we need to preserve it but we also need to make sure that the public operating in the water is safe. this will in no way defect

access of the media to this spill response. -- this will in no way to inhibit access to the media to the spill response. >> i was hoping you could clarify a couple of things. when you say that the helix is partially a attached, what does this mean? does this meannthat the hose is connected to the choke line? also, the storms and weather systems that are threatening, is there any concernn about these in regards to the relief well? does it take a long time to connect them if the storm affects them? has it been decided that the new

cap will telll fenty be replaced -- will definitely be replaced? >> first of all, on the helix producer -- in a very simplified way of describing this, the production pipe from the helix producer itself is actually connected to a system that is connected to a flexible line that is connected to the there are two of required connections. -- there are two required connections. they have the connection to the buoying system completed. they are trying to complete the

flexible pipe to the buoy. there is a part of the ship that has free access to the water and the sea states are getting up to 5 feet to 6 feet. it is up to the people on the ground to decide what they will do and also that of the masters on the ground. some ships can ride up to 12 foot seas without having to decouple. we have been watching the weather. we have been asking for information about the swells generated by the weather. once you get above 12 foot seas, that makes it problematic

for most of the vessels out there. the current contain a cap will never be 100% effective at containing the oil because it does not have a perfect seal because we created a cap to fit over that stub of pipe that was in elegantly cut by the massive shears. -- inelegantly cut by the massive shears. there are crystals that can be the result of the first cap actually floating away. we do not want those inside the cap. this will not be 100% effective in containing the oil.

a cap that is actually bolted on will give you 100% containment. the one thing we do not know is the amount of downward pressure it will place on the well bore. we will be very interested to see what the readings will be. some might be indicative of a problem with the well bore. that is something that you cannot know until the new campus put on. >> thank you. -- until the new cap is put on. >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright nationnl cable satellite corp. 2010] >> book tv continues all this week in prime time. first, an author discusses war.

then we will look at u.s. counter-terrorism policy. then, a reporter and his associates to spend 45 days as captives of the taliban. c-span is now available in over 100 million homes bringing you a direct link to history, public affairs, politics, and books, as a public service. >> authors of the new report in the drug trade in afghanistan argued that he current policy used by the u.s. and nato is helping rather than hurting. the former deputy attorney general shares his opinion on this subject. the discussion was hosted by the u.s. institute for peacee

>> good afternoon. today, we are here to talkkabout one aspect of the afghanistan issue. we have three ph.d.'s and a professor and a former deputy attorney general as well as a drug czar. you are a very well-informed group. you understand the importance of this issue, both afghanistan and the drug component of afghanistan.

we are coasting this with the center on international cooperation. they have done a couple of reports. one of these has already had an effect on policy in afghanistan. this has moved from eradication to a focus on the movement of drugs. we will have an opportunity today to listen to this new report being presented. in the words of the preface, this is even more radical than the first one. this is very timely today in that you read that the security forces killed 64 people in a raid on a drug facility.

this took three days and it they confiscated explosives, suicides tests. this is a very timely piece. the report is very interesting. this is more radical than the previous recommendations. "all efforts at eradication will only increase the size of the industry." there is a striking conclusions. alternative livelihood programs can reduce the resource base of the insurgents.

this will be an interesting presentation which i am sure he will join me in listening carefflly to. we have and pfizer it to the government of georgia on strategy development. we also have a researcher at ibm and at the rand corporation. we will be also discussing with the director policy research at the carnegie foundation. he also served as the founding member of the rand to spurred office. -- the rand pittsburgh office.

he will be followed by a director of public policy at the ucla school of public affairs. his latest book is "windproof force fails -- the wan jetblue to forc -- when brute force fails. we are also glad to have the formmr attorney general who has a lot of law enforcement aspects to make a presentation. we have the administration pause drugs are -- we have the

administration's drug czar. if you have cellphone's, please turn them off. >> for those of you that have tte handouts, i will try to alert you to the most important pages that have the useful data and figures. >> those of you who don't, you will have them by the end of the presentation. >> talking about options for counter not comics policy -- for

counter narcotics policy, we're here today because our current policy which is justified largely by concerns about funding of the insurgency is in fact profiting the taliban. this is not a tenable state of affairs this is a problem ffr afghanistan itself, its neighbors, and the region, and the rest of the world. where when is a source of corruption and a health crisis in many countries. for american interestt, this prooits criminals and terrorists and insurgents who do not have our best interests in mind.

on page four of the handouts, there are potentially four classes of options for counter narcotics policy. the first is going directly to eradication which is aerial spraying or -- this is the most immediate means of reducing production. law-enforcement, at all levels, whether they are going through smuggling or processing labs, it is an option. this is a carrot rather than a stick.

some smugglers are making in a decision that this is their best choice. we want to give them an alternative which is less risky. the fourth option is demand reduction and there has been quite little done in afghanistan. it is not clear how much we could gain in doing that. the u.s. and the coalition hass pursued some mixture of the four. there was policy gains last year in which we would cease eradication. eradication has been canceled in favor of law enforcement and

alternative development. at page four, some of the important data we need for understanding this. there is no indication that demand is decreasing. consumption is difficult to measure and protection is difficult to measure but we have a lot more reliable data. for the last several decades, global production has been increasing. the trend is certainly going down. today, total production is somewhere around 8,000 tons a year. there is a large amount that is being stockpiled. we do not know where but this is probably in the hands of our adversaries.

when you turn to page 6, all the years as production has been increasing, so have afghanistan's share of that production. let's say some 85%-90% of production comes from afghanistan. this does not mean that there is some law of nature that will make them the overwhelming dominant producer. they have the advantage of having a near monopoly and this tends to sustain itself. if you look at the next slide,

the majority of the opium in the world is consumed in asia. what is interesting is that there is little doubt the u.s. can do on the demand side. the u.s. consumes about 5% of the world's opium end of that, almost all of it comes from mexico and colombia. if we althe u.s. stopped using t tomorrow, this would not be noticed in aaghanistan. european demand reduction would have a greater disproportionate

effect on afghanistan. afghanistan does have serious problems with opium. this is a public-health problem with nearly 10% of the population affected which includes the attics and their families. this has been increasing rapidly in the past several years. this is also a significant distortion to the economy. the domestic revenues are possibly $3.5 billion. of the $3.5 bbllion, the farmers, who are not in any way

inherently our adversaries, get about half a billion dollars. all of that is taxed by the taliban. there is a very wide range of uncertainty going on there. as much money as there is, this is not the lion's share of revenue. there is still the potential for the taliban to earn more than they're currently getting. it is difficult to measure the amount of corrupt officials in afghanistan.

when we think about afghanistan, we have to realize that the situation is not uniform across the country. production is highly localized in one part of the country. that this is in the southern and western provinces which produce almost all. one province produces enough to meet the entire world's demand. this variation by region gives the opportunity for targeted counter narcotics. one size does not fit all. with limited resources, they can be deployed where they will be the most effective. we find that the insurgency and

opium growing are highly interrelated. or the government is in control, generally opium is not grown. you can see a selection of quotes from various officials or statements from organizations. what this illustrates is that the imperative is not just to stand there but to do something is very widely held. no one in a position of power would like to sit idly by and let this happen. what needs to be done varies in opinion depending on your perspective. iran and russia bear the biggest brunt of the heroin epidemic. iran has the world's largest

number of heroin addicts. the officials who do not necessarily have our best interest of hearts with a very legitimate concerns about heroin and opium coming from afghanistan. a strong case made by some of them is that in fact the coalition is profiting from the trade and is fomenting it in order to weaken russia and iran. the eu and the u.n. take a more comprehensive opinion that still called for a full spectrum counter narcotics measure. the new u.s. policy is consistently held across the

province state and the white house. the into some counter insurgency an alternative energy is with a hallmark of the new administration. -- and alternative energy is a hallmark of the new administration. >> drug markets are very complicated. afghanistan is extremely complicated. my job ii to give you the bad news. before i do that, i want to say that all of us have tremendous respect for the people lined risking their lives in fomenting these programs. we are not opposed to drug

control. that is not who we are, that is not our message. the message is afghanistan is different. we understand and respect of drug control in most context but this is turned on its head in afghanistan. someone said, follow the money. i think the point says that we should pay attention to the money. usually, when you think about drug policy, you think about the number of drug users and the quantity of drugs used because those are what drives the overdoses. you drive your policies arounn the amount of use. for us to talk about counter narcotics in surface of counter insurgency and there iss the money.

several billion dollars does not seem like a lot but this is a lot in afghanistan a few billion dollars in the wrong hands go a long way. the fundamental insight or punch line is that when it you shrink the amount of opiates that are produced and exported from afghanistan, you actually increase the money that is going to he cciminals in afghanistan. criminals of all sorts, some are rather old drug traffickers some of some our warlords, if none of them are people that we want to enrich. if you reduce production and export, you increase their revenues and that applies to many different aspects. most people say, if we eliminated all of the production

in afghanistan, then the revenue would go to zero and that is true but the point is the relationship is very nonlinear. is the money available to the bad guys, that relationship is shaped like a hill. if you start today with local production and you work hard and you are lucky and you cut this by 5% for 10% or everything falls in place may be to 20%, you are still on the right side of staff phil, pulling back actually increases the money various criminal elements in afghanistan.

whh do we have this non linear relationship? let me try to give you the situation in three different ways. the first is a whole new way to bargain. opium is an agricultural commodity. if you spent time in farming parts of the country, you know how farmers react to bumper harvests, they don't sell very good. the profits will drop and they will actually end up making less money than they do in a regular year. that works the other way, if there is below average harvest, prices go up quite a bit. some have studied economics so things can be spoken abbut in a much more direct way.

afghanistan has 9% of the market and they are the lowest cost producer and production tends to stay where it is already established. quantity which will affect the price. what opec tries to do is have all of the oil exporting countries limit their production in order to keep prices high because this is advantageous to them they struggle with ordination because it is hard for them to know what each other is doing and they have a ixed track record in competing. counter narcotics interventions in afghanistan are called ordination problems with the drug traffickers and increasing in revenue. you can think about this in

algebraic terms, the money is just the quantity and when it wanted he goes down, the price goes up. the price goes up by a larger percentage and than that of the time goes doww. the reason for that has to do with the tremendous escalation in prices as the drugs moved down the chain. normally the export price is about $2,000 a kilogram. suppose a that our plans were so successful that we drove that up to $5,000 a kilogram. this is a $2 a gram increase. the retail price varies enormously. it is lower in iran that it is in russia and lower in russia than it is in europe. the average is about $200a gram. maybe you are pushing the price

up by 10%, maybe you will give the benefit of the doubt that as these go through the distribution system, you have maybe a $4 a gram increase. economists have studied how drug users respond to increases and the good news is that they use less windy prices go up. this is good and bad because this means a 100% increase to those in afghanistan in goes to only a 15% reduction. that is kind of a good deal. that is the explanation for the relationship between production

and the revenue. if you can go all the way back to a limiting production altogether, this would eliminate the drug revenue. that is not plausible. that would be the theme most difficult thing to do in the best of circumstances and afghanistan does not present the best of circumstances. let me give it a couple of caveats. i am talking about a time horizon of three-8 years. if you eradicate the supply this year, the price goes up, the farmers react to that price. in the very short run, you can get some of these blips in operation. in the long run, who knows. 25 years down the road, they might be very low in corruption and perhaps the opium production could go someplace else.

the second is the supply is most directly to the opium production and distribution. the refining of opium gives more money and this is not so obviously impossible that you could kick the refining stage out of afghanistan and force it into pakistan. this is not even a victory if unfortunately, i have a little bit more. the two main problems are enforcement and entitlement. there are some rarely appreciated down sides. with eradication, the downside is that if you eradicate a farmer's field, they get angry and they will join to fight the government forces. we have recognized thattand

adapted to it but there are also problems with alternative development in high level in four seasons. one of the basic challenges or risks that is so frustrating is that some alternative development dollars to go directly into the pockets of the criminals that we would like no+ to enrich. payments to drive a truck down the highway or do something else, that is not going to responsible government parties. exactly who it goes to depends on the particular rovince and the context. some are worried about a 15%-20% tax on programs in some areas of afghanistan. . this is not so small compared to what we think the taliban is making. making.