-- a rather complicated clause. it effectively means that the stock units which were going to vest in new in august 2007 would continue to best in you, notwithstanding your resignation. do you see that? >> yes. >> as of that stage, did you also have stocked in news international, as opposed to news corporation? >> i had shares in news international, which i tnk i sold it before i left the company, before i resigned. there may have been some shares i had around this time that i may have sold immediately. >> can i be clear -- apart from the restricted stock units which would vest in august 2007, were

the shares or stocks either in news international or news corporation, up by may 2007, in your possession? >> i do not believe so. >> there is a provision that the employer will pay any reasonable professional expenses incurred by you in relation to certain matters. that clause, i think, is subject to litigation in a court of appeal. that is right. >> under the last clause, 7.1b, you agreed, in consideration of a small payment, you would not make or cause to be made, directly or indirectly, any statement or comment to any person, including without limitation to the press or other media, which might impugn the good name or character of the

employer, any of its newspapers, or any associated company, including officers, employees, or shareholders. has that provision in any way impacted on the evidence you are giving a specs >> -- giving us? >> no. >> when you resigned from head editor of "newof the world," did you receive any commiseratio from the star blair? >> sometime later, yes. >> mr. brown? >> yes. >> mr. cameron? >> i do not remember doing so. >> you were approached by mr. osborn in may 2007. this is in your statement.

it was in march 2007. >> which paragraph? >> herger 59. >> thank you. >> you met for a drink. he asked you, in effect, whether you would be interested in joining the team. it goes without saying that mr. osborn knew that your natural sympathies were with the conservative party. >> i do not know. you would have to ask him what his thinking was. certainly, he approached mei sae asset. >> i think it is pretty obvious that he did know otherwise he would have gone somewhere else. >> in a event, he was correct. >> did you know if anyone else's in the running for the job? >> no.

>> did you know if anyone else was later? >> no at a later stage after i started working for the conservatives i was told that there had been another bbc journalist to have been that had a discussion i think of mr. cameron quite some time that i was considered for the job. it did not work out. >> his name has come up in this context. what did mr. osborn say that you could offer the conservative party? >> the conversation was more around my views of how the party should organize its communications with the election. i gave my views.

>> what did you tell him tax c? >> i told him'd you needed to .e professional pee have a good relationship with as many media ones as general. i told him later the conversation with mr. cameron that my firm belief with the television would play a crucial part in any general election campaign. the might be more so than it had done previously. >> you had no more political experience, did you? >> no. >> didn't mr. osborn at least thought yout he might bring to the table?

>> i was the editor of a national newspaper. had managed the team. i had a hand in running a business i suppose in terms of the commercial aspects. i am sure these are considerations. >> i am sure this is the case that you were a good editor. you're taught from the you being the director of communications. >> i think this is a question for mr. osborn. the question was not this is why we think you're going to be great. i do not recall it that way at all picture it as a part did the

interview. at what point did you say are you interested in this job? >> i think it was clear that they were interested in hiring me. he said they were going to make changes to the professional set up. he will likely to meet mr. cameron. >> he identified you as the man? >> i didn't think he would have called me. >> this might have been an interview. let's ask him a few questions. we will go in and think of it. >> and did not know what was in georgia osborne's mind. >> you are a newspaper man. you're used to selling ideas and

stories. did do not see this conversation as selling yourself? that is what most people do and interviews. >> i went into it with a degree of reluctance. i was not really thinking about politics. once he met him, how did you would your view across the that it might be a good idea or maybe you did not? >> what i fell is that this is what the party needed to do to be elected. this touched on the print media. i remember very well saying to

mr. osborne that tevision is going to be hugely impoant. hardly a stunning observation. i was already thinking about the possibility ofhis. >> i presume you went along to think about it. why are they asking me to do this job? >> he said i want you to talk to and meet with mr. cameron. it went on anfrom then. >> your career in journalism,

you have the largest circulation in the united kingdom. now you're up to sending mpletely different. it doesn't pass through your mind what are they asking me to do this? >> something completely different. this is be on the stories you have alighted on. rain campaigns variate i came to be in tune with the leadership of the newspaper that is fast. those things i am sure were attracted. the route from journalism to politics, i was hardly the pioneer. there have been several people from their the history of politics that have gone from newspapers into politics.

>> even became director of human occasions. that may reject of human communications. -- he even became director of human communications. >> it is as appropriate. >> what about your connection to "news of tnews international?" >> there may well have been a conversation about the fact that i worked on "news of the world" and maybe wdiscussed some individuals in that regard. i do not really remember. i am sure the conversation would have touched o my previous employers in some way. >> you are close to mrs. brooks?

>> we are friends, yes. >> you also understood the viewpoints of the conservatives that had some sort of closing vote. >> that may have been a consideration, yes. >> they were ones which certainly passed through your mind. >> they would have done for mr. osborne. >> they did. i cannot tell you what he was thinking. in terms of my thinking, i went into the meeting.

i did not see it as a meeting. my initial reaction was slightly reluctant but i was intrigued. i have further conversation and decided that this was something i wanted to do. >> there were conversations. i want to ask you this simple question. did either france is more or and and llewellyn raise this case with you? >> and remember. it is possible. >> use said toward the end of may 2007, it day said the offer of this.

were you of for the job after the conversation which may have taken place? >> i think the conversation is the confirmation. it may well be in those conversation. in my mind, that conversation was the confirmation penn . >> he also ask me about the goodman case. can you remember the gt of

your answer? >> i was able to repeat what i said publicly. i said that thing about this case in terms of what they did. >> did the job follow that conversation? >> in terms of paper work, i cannot remember the exact time. >> can as the about the timing of their conversations with rebecca? if you said that that could be in may or earlier. >> i cannot remember the time. i know i told small number of

friends. i am sure she was among them. >> what was their reaction? >> i think she would have congratulated me. >> i do not remember her saying otherwise. >> >> do you know whether she had any influence over you getting the job? >> not that i recall. >> were there any conversations with her at any stage which might have indicated that she had an influence of you getting the job? >> not that i can remember. >> you say that he met mr. cameron, i am keen to understand this. appreciate this interview. by the time you're going to meet

mr. camon, we know exactly what w happening. did you formula in your mind and did you have to explain what it was the you were bringing to the parti? what skills to do actually bring to the parti? >> i am sure i tried to talk in the mo favorable light of myself. i am sure i try and to do this. >> what i'm keen to understand is what it was a year able to poinyoin your history make up. i understand boasting. i understand that. this could be a sensible move.

what was it? >> i think it was my experience. i stop working as a show business professor. i had worked for for nine months on the internet. i may well have mentioned that. there the conversation, the have been trying to tease o whether i was the right man for the job.

>> you save the background may have been considered useful. it does not specifically discussed as being an advante. >> it is my best recollection. i do remember explaining that my "news international" background was not suggested by either. it was introduced into the composition by me. my background should not therefore be seen as some sort

of guarantee of the paper >> in might be factor. >> my help in terms of connecting with "news of the world" readers, yes. >> also your personal connection. >> it would not hurt. i do not take the view that they would guarantee any kind of support. >> i am not talking about you expressing the view. i'm talking about the guarantee. >> my personal connections well beyond "news international." >> at this time, mrs. birk is becoming an influential person.

>> use influential before that. >> even before that? >> quite possibly. >> i did not know where she was in terms of for a career. >> i think it is fair to say, yes. >> piticians were keen to get close to her. >> it is fair to say that they want their message across. >> in order to get your message across, the best lightning rod was mrs. brooks. >> if you are a politician, you have the opportunity to talk to an editor.

you will take it. you'll try to sell yourself and your party in the best possible light. >> she has a personal personality. >> she has a strong peonality. >i think i would say strong. >> action "news of the world" you said that you would not get it from that paper. he said he was more sympathetic to the labor party. >> i never worked with him. i cannot say with any degree of certainty. certainly from what i knew of him, and i knew of him briefly, he worked for another rupert murdoch paper in new york. we with each other regularly.

he was more likely to be left- leaning. >> you are discussing likely support of different newspapers. the message you were getting is beth "news of the world" was not in the back. is that fair a? i much i used those words but that is the essence. >> is important about "news of the world" might go at the next election? >> i'm not sure that david cameroever sai we have a "news of the world" in the bag. this is a conversation i introduced. >> you felt that he

might benefit from your insight? >> it went further and we discussed other newspapers. >> it is not just "news of the world". it is also the son. i told him that he should not. he understands that he is not him. >> i started that conversation. >> it was for mr. cameron, yes? >> circulation. quest not just circulation, it

contained a significant number of others did and did? >> within its circulati, yes. >> in terms of the most important newspaper, the son would always be there. if you wanted to look at it yes.erms of circulation, esp other newsa number of anothe tippers we needed to work hard to gain support. i did not look at my working day and analyze and based on circulation. at the a lot of efft in trying to secure it. i did exactly the same. i put a lot of work into it the daily telegraph.

>> i am not sure i was suggesting that you lavished this. >> all i was suggesting is that it was the most important. are we in agreement that lets in terms of circulation, s. >> in terms of influence? >> i am not sure i buy the theory that aewspaper's endorsement will influence its readers directly in thatay. >> do you think politicians buy into that very? >> i think that is a theory that is becoming less and less popular with politicians. >> at the time we're talking about the 2010 election. do you think politicians are still buying into its? >> we wanted the support othe

sun and as many new savers as we possibly could. we did not know when the election was going toe. work has to be put into it. >> newspapers or not the only focused by any measure about communications. television was fundamentally important. we were clear. that is a mechanism for communication. television was going to have to be impartial. >> ps. >> newspapers do not have that limitation. >> the compositions you have with a newspaper are different than the ones you have with the bbc. in terms of planning a strategy, where are the people that you wanted to try to have good relationships with, the people you would spend your time

talking to and the way he would try to get the best possible light your policy, the television was crucial. i would say as we got closer, i would say even more so. >> planning your strategy in relation to the print media, they went to one side. there are two key elements. you have to do your best to secure the support of the sun. are we agreed? >> yes. >> in order to secure the support, at the best way in was the record books. >> i would not describe it in that way. i was keen and that we had the relationships throughout the paper. four otheroes throug

newspapers. these figures do not work that way. you cannot rely on this. what the war attempting to do is build a series of relationships that we had something positive to say, you give yourself the best possible coverage. it was a range of relationships from the newspapers. >> you do not wish to endorse any particular newspaper even the eiffel the causes. even mention the "guardian." >> i had good relationships. i probably would not include "the daily mirror" in truth.

more imporntly, david cameron to be viewed as we do this as possible. th had in el toro mountain to climb. we wanted to touch as many readerships as we could. >> " do you advise that he became as close as he could to mrs. brooks? >> no. >> did the work that out anyway? >> there is a family connection. burke is a constituent of his. they live relatively close. there is a fairly long established family connection.

that was the genesis of it. >> let's go back to the section about influence of papers having an outcome. above the second perception that there is supplied support that would be the director of favors tax there are issues and policies relevant to the issue. >> in the course of the election campaign, there were issues that a whole range of newspapers were considered to be important.

i will seek to maximize that. once in government, hgot on with the business of governing. politicians keep their promises. we ended upith a coalition of government that made that a more complex process. >> we all got to close to it? had expressed you before it july 2011? >> i do not remember him doing so. >> you said that he almost have to meet with journalists because it was so important that

you think he would have preferred to be enjoying in that at home with his family. did he ever expressed disgruntlement to you that he has spent so much time with journalists and editors? >> frequently. >> there is a deeper problem here. they're getting too close to one newspaper group. >> no. that i recall. >> it follows that he must have been surprised that we all but to close to "news international."

but it came after a chain of events. did not know what his thinking was. a was not there. -- i do not know what his thinking was. i was not there. >> i was asking what your thinking is or was. do you feel the politicians got to close to "news international" or what? >> i look from the perspective of what they're not there was improper conversations or a dump that sits or this idea. i never saw a conversation that to my mind was inappropriate in that way. >> try not to look at this too literally. he denied many times there were no express deals.

we're not talking about inappropriate conversations necessary trade-offs. this closeness is unhealthy. >> the word on help the implies impropriety. i'm not sure i agree with that. i have been out of politics for quite some time. things are going to change. things have already changed. i think the process may have even begun. we were the first government ever to be transparent with the media. maybe the process is already started to enter into people's minds. >> transparency was not

introduced until july 2011. i think that we make public some special meetings with the media. >> that was in 2010. >> can i ask you to go backs to 45? >> at some stage, we ought to have a break. >> let's go do that. we'll give him a few minutes. >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellllllll >> next, president obama the talks about his home ownership initiative in nevada and live at 7:00 a.m., your calls live on "washington journal."

mitt romney gives the commencement address at liberty university in virginia. he will be introduced by the university chancellor, jerry falwell jr. and that is live at 10:20 a.m. eastern here on c- span. >> i had my ambition to walk with john smith and pocahontas. this makes a rectangular space. pocahontas married john rolfe in this church in 1614. i guarantee you i am standing, exhibit -- a little deeper than she is, where she was. >> tore the jamestown island colony with the project director. the colony has yielded more than 1.5 million unique artifacts. take the tourists starting at 1:30 p.m. eastern.

joining the conversation live at 2:30 p.m. eastern, part of history tv. over the past year, the cspan local content vehicle city tour has taken book-tv and american history to be on the road from tampa to savannah, charleston to knoxville, birmingham to bachelor's and last month in oklahoma city. they have visited places that define a city's heritage and literary life. june 2 and 3, watch our programming from wichita, kansas. that is on c-span 2 m3. >> next, president obama concluding a two-day trip to the west coast visiting reno, nevada. the president is urging lawmakers to cut red tape so homeowners who have been paying their mortgages on time can

refinance at lower rates. refinancing applications have increased 50% since the president announced last fall. this is about 20 minutes. [applause] >> you guys can come closer. you don't have to stay way back there. good afternoon, everybody. thank you for arranging a beautiful day. this is just a spectacular afternoon and i'm thrilled to be here. we all know how difficult these past few years have been for this country but especially for this state. after the worst recession in our lifetimes, a crisis that followed the collapse of the housing market, it will take a long time for the economy to fully recover, more time than

any of us would like but there are plenty of steps that we can take to speed up the recovery right now. are things we can do right now to help create jobs and help restore some of the financial security that too many families have lost. now, i have to say that there are few too many republicans in congress who don't seem to be as optimistic as we are. they think that all we can do is try the things that have been done the past, things that have tried in the past. they want to cut more taxes especially for the wealthiest americans, they want to cut back on the roles we put in place for banks and financial institutions, they said they want to let the housing market hit bottom and hope for the best. that is it. we have heard those ideas

before. that is their economic agenda. i will be honest with you, i don't buy it. i think they are wrong. we tried their ideas for nearly a decade and they did not work. i refuse to sell this country short by going back to the exact same ideas that helped get us in this mess in the first place. our goal is to build an economy where hard work, responsibility are rewarded. you can find a good job, make a good wage, on your own home, maybe started business, send your kids to college. hopefully, their lives will be even better than ours. that is what i hope for melia and sasha and i know you feel the same way, those who have kids. that's where we need to go. i have been pushing congress to pass a few common-sense policies that we are convinced will make a difference. we even made a handy to-do list

for congress so they can check them off. it is a list like michelle gives me. paul is familiar with that list. he gets it from val. there are only five things on this list. i don't want to overwhelm congress with too much at once. that will help create jobs and build a stronger economy right now. first up on the list -- it makes absolutely no sense that we actually give tax breaks to companies that ship jobs in factories overseas. that does not make any sense at all. we have told congress it is time to end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and use that money to cover moving expenses for companies that bring jobs back to america. [applause] second -- instead of just talking about job creators,

congress should help small business and small business owners to create most of the new jobs in america. we want to give them a tax break for hiring more workers and paying them higher wages. the third thing on our to do list -- congress should extend tax credits for clean energy companies. these businesses are putting folks to work here in this state of nevada. last time i was here, i went to see a huge solar plant, solar energy plant, a lot of folks are working in the construction of and maintaining it. that is happening all across the country so we have to make sure that we are helping those votes because that helps break our dependence on foreign oil over the long term and help drive down gas prices and put people to work right now. it is the right thing to do. [applause] fourth -- congress should create

a veterans job corps so we can help communities hire returning heroes, our veterans, as cops and firefighters and employs a national parks because nobody fights for this country should have to come home and fight for a job or a roof over their heads. [applause] that four -- which brings me to the fifth -- the fifth thing on the list and that is why i am here today -- i am calling on congress to give every responsible homeowner the chance to save an average of $3,000 per year by refinancing their mortgage. it is a simple idea. it makes great sense and i know it will have an impact. last october, i was in clarke county where i announce new steps to help responsible

homeowners refinance their homes. at the time, congress would not willing to act so we did. we went ahead and did what we could do administratively without a new lobbying pass. as a result, americans who were previously stock in high- interest loans have been able to take advantage of these lower rates. they have been able to save thousands of dollars every year. it turns out that two of those people are your neighbors, paul and valerie keller. [applause] i just had a chance to visit with paul and valerie and look at their beautiful home and check out the grill out back. she says paul is a pretty good coach and i will take her word for it. the kellers have lived in this house for 14 years. val works nearby helping secure

loans for farmers and ranchers. paul is a retired electrical contractor who started a family business with their son. last year, with mortgage rates at historic lows, the kellers decided it would make sense for them to refinance. they thought it would be easy, since they're current on their mortgage, they make their payments on time. so this is an example of responsible homeowners doing the right thing. but when they tried to refinance, they were told they couldn't do it. because the kellers' house, like thousands of others in this state and probably some of the neighbors here, their house is underwater, which means that the price is currently lower than what they owe on it. so they were hit -- you were hit with a historic drop in housing prices which caused the value of the homes in their neighborhood to plummet. and a lot of banks historically have said, well, we're not going to refinance you if your

home is underwater. now, luckily, the kellers saw my announcement that i had made down in clark county. so i'm assuming it must have been val because whenever something smart is done, it's usually the wife in the house. so they called their lender, and within a few months, within 90 days, they were able to refinance under this new program that we set up. their monthly mortgage bill has now dropped $240 dollars a month, and that means every year they're saving close to $3000. now, val says that they've been talking to some of their neighbors -- maybe some of you are here today -- and you're saying, well, that sounds like a pretty good idea. and a lot of folks across the country recognize this is a

smart thing to do not only for homeowners but for our economy, because if paul and val have an extra $240, $250 a month, then they might spend it on the local business. they might go to a restaurant a little more often. they might spoil their grandkids even more. and that means more money in the economy, and businesses do better, and slowly home prices start rising again. so it makes sense for all of us. and the good news is, since i've made this announcement, refinancing applications have gone up by 50 percent nationwide and 230 percent here in nevada alone. that's the good news. people are taking advantage of this. [applause] that's what we want to see. but here's the only catch -- and this is where you come in, because you're going to have to pressure congress: the pool of folks who can refinance right now, when their homes are

underwater, is still too small. the reason the kellers were able to refinance is because the only thing that we could do without congressional action was to give opportunities for refinancing for folks with a government-backed loan, an fha- backed loan. but in order to expand that opportunity -- we want to include everybody; people whose mortgages aren't government- backed. [applause] and in order to do that we've got to have congress move. there's absolutely no reason why they can't make this happen right now. if they started now, in a couple of weeks, in a month, they could make every homeowner in america who is underwater right now eligible to be able to refinance their homes -- if they're making their payments, if they're responsible, if they're doing the right thing.

and think about all those families saving $3,000 on average a month year-- that's a huge boost to our economy. and for some of you who are underwater, you might say, instead of spending that money i can plow that back into equity in my home, and build that back up, which would further strengthen housing prices here in nevada and around the country. so it's the right thing to do. there's already a bill in the works. it's supported by independent, nonpartisan economists. it's supported by industry leaders. congress should pass it right now. and let me just say this -- maybe there are some members of congress watching. if you need some motivation to make this happen, then you should come to reno and you should visit with folks like the kellers. i'm not saying the kellers want all these members of congress up in their house.

and bad enough having me secret service in there. but at least they -- they probably wouldn't mind saying hello and talking to them here in front of their house. but they should talk to people whose lives are better because of the action that we took. all over the country, there are people just like paul and val, folks just like you, who are doing everything they can to do the right thing -- to meet their responsibilities, to look after their families, to raise their kids right, give them good values. you're not looking for a handout. you just want to make sure that somebody is looking out for you, and that when you do the right thing that you're able to keep everything that you've worked for. that's what folks are looking for, and that's what they expect from washington: to put the politics aside and the electioneering aside, and just

do what's right for people. so i need all of you and everybody who's watching to push congress on their "to-do" list. nag them until they actually get it done. we need to keep moving this country forward. send them an email. tweet them. write them a letter if you're old-fashioned like me. but communicate to them that this will make a difference. it's one small step that will help us create the kind of economy that all americans deserve. and that's an economy that's built to last. an economy where everybody has a fair shot, everybody gets a fair share, everybody is playing by the same set of rules. that's what made us great in the past. that's what's going to make us great in the future.

all right. thank you, everybody. god bless you. god bless america. and give paul and val a big round of applause. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> next, your calls and comments on "washington journal," than live at 10:20 a.m., mitt romney giving the commencement address at the graduation ceremony at liberty university in virginia. >> these men go through things and have scars that no one can understand except each other. >> the first thing that startled us is the relationship between harry truman and herbert hoover who were two such personally and

politically different men and two ended up forming this alliance that neither of them would have anticipated and ended up being enormously productive and formed the foundation of what became a very deep friendship. the letters between them later in their lives about how important they had become to one another are extraordinary. >> it made the most exclusive club in the world. the co-authors of "the president's club" from truman and hoover to george h. w. bush and bill clinton sunday at 8:00 on cspan's "q &a." this morning president obama's support on same-sex marriage. then we talk about the federal investigation as to who leaked information about an al qaeda plot on a u.s.-bound flight. plot on a u.s.-bound flight.