it's a foreign national on a foreign base, there needed to be a level of consultation with the german government so it took a little time for that process to work. to work its way time for that process to work its way through. ofthere have been a couple cases of people in africa right now who have ebola. >> there was concern. again, the body was tested before, for communicable diseases, and none were found. >> is the lead on the investigation the german authorities? is, aunderstanding combination. i would refer you to european command. >> in addition to being a tragedy for this young person, this is also a security breach. supposedese aircraft's regarded at all times? accent will be part of the

investigation, looking at security implications for how a young man could get inside the wheel well of an aircraft. i think it is not lost on anybody, and should not be lost some of the in airfields where these aircraft have to operate, by nature of the jobs we are doing and the locations that they are flying in and out of, airport security, airfield security, is not in every case up to the same standard we observe here in the united states, or in many other countries. is a combat cargo aircraft, designed to take off and land in austere locations, short, unpaved runways. i do not know where it operated from. the aircraft is rugged, designed to operate in austere locations. it should not come as a surprise to anybody that the security at some of these fields is not going to be at the same level. i am sure it was a surprise

to everybody that there was a stowaway. >> absolutely. security is going to be looked at. obviously it will be. we should not expect that the everyty environment in location these aircraft operate is going to be at the same standard, the same high standards. >> but there are u.s. forces, usually, who guard the aircraft. isn't that normal procedure? oni am not an expert aircraft security. tohink, certainly, we try provide as much security as we can for our aircraft, operating in remote locations. this will be part of the investigation. we will learn what happened here. if there is corrective action that needs to be taken, we will take it. >> is this the same aircraft that had to make the emergency landing a week or two in africa? >> i do not know the tail number. >> is there the same type of host flight inflections -- post

flight inspections at the other stops? or is it a different type of inspection? >> my understanding is that this was a more detailed inspection. i do not know what prompted them to do a more detailed inspection than they normally do. what i have been told is that the body would not have been found in a normal pre-or post flight inspection. what prompted them to do a deeper look, i do not know. few moments, president obama announces new sanctions on russia. minutes, secretary of state john kerry discuss the conflict with russia. congressional progressive caucus speaks about minors who entered the u.s. illegally. then, a hearing examining the citizenship and immigration service.

>> sunday, former republican congressman from texas and presidential candidate ron paul has written more than a dozen books on politics and history, with his latest, the school revolution, on america's education system. he takes your calls and e-mails live for three hours at noon eastern. and tune in next month for marion frances berry. in october, a supreme court expert discusses court sessions past and present. andst-selling author historian is our guest in november. in december, arthur brooks. book tv -- television for serious readers. eu ander the headline " u.s. announce new sanctions on russia over ukraine," reports that the sanctions targeting energy and banking sectors marked the start of may new phase in the biggest conflict

between moscow and the west since the cold war. merkel,hancellor angela who had been reluctant to step up sanctions because of trade ties with russia, said the latest measures were "unavoidable." president obama made his announcement at the white house. this is 10 minutes. >> good afternoon, everybody. netherlands, malaysia, australia, and countries around the world, families are still in shock over the sudden and tragic loss of nearly to re-hundred loved ones. in ukraine.

these grieving families are our friends and allies. amid our prayers and outrage, the united states continues to do everything in our power to help bring home their loved ones, support the international investigation, and make sure justice is done. shootdown, russia and its proxies in the ukraine have failed to cooperate with the investigation, and to take the opportunity to pursue a diplomatic solution to the conflict in ukraine. separatistsn-backed have continued to interfere in the crash investigation, and to tamper with the evidence. continued to shoot down ukrainian aircraft in the region. because of their actions, scores of ukrainian civilians continue to die needlessly every day. meanwhile, russia continues to support the separatists and encourage them and train them and arm them.

satellite images, along with information we have declassified in recent days show the forces inside russia have launched artillery strikes into ukraine, another major violation of ukraine's sovereign trade -- sovereignty. and we have information russia continues to build up its own forces near the ukrainian with military equipment including armored vehicles and defense equipment transferred across the border to the separatists. since the beginning of the crisis in ukraine, united states has worked to build a strong international coalition to support ukraine, its sovereignty, its territorial integrity, it's right to determine its own destiny, and to increase the pressure on russia for actions that have undermined ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and ability to make its own decisions.

the core of that coalition is the united states and our european allies. in recent days, i have continued to coordinate closely with allies and partners to ensure a unified response to the malaysia airlines flight 17, and russia's continued arming of the separatists. times withen several the prime minister of the netherlands and the prime minister of australia. toterday, i had a chance speak with prime minister cameron of the united kingdom, president hollande of rants, chancellor merkel of germany, and prime minister renzi of italy. we are united that the situation in ukraine ought to be resolved diplomatically, and that a sovereign, independent ukraine is no threat to russian interests. what we have also made it clear, as i have many times, that if russia continues on its current path, the costs on russia will continue to grow. today is a reminder that the

united states means what it says. we will rally the international community in standing up for the rights and freedom of people around the world. today, building on the measures we announced 2 weeks ago, united states is imposing new sanctions on key sectors of the russian economy -- energy, arms, and finance. ofare blocking the experts specific goods and technologies to the russian energy sector. we are expanding our sanctions to more russian banks and defense companies. and we are formally suspending credit that encourages exports to russia and financing for economic development projects in russia. at the same time, the european union is joining us in imposing major sanctions on russia. the most significant and wide-ranging sanctions to date. the eu is cutting off certain financing to state-owned banks in russia. sector, the eu

will stop importing significant goods and technologies to russia, which will make it more difficult for russia to develop its oil resources over the long term. sector, the eu is prohibiting new arms imports and exports, and halting the export of sensitive technology to russian military users. and because they are closely coordinating our actions with europe, the sanctions we are announcing today will have an even bigger bite. russia's actions in ukraine, and the sanctions we have already imposed, have made a week russian economy even weaker. foreign investors already are increasingly staying away. even before our actions today, nearly $100 billion in capital was expected to flee russia. russia's energy, financial, and defense sectors are feeling the pain. projections for russian economic growth are down to near zero. major sanctions we are

announcing today will continue to ratchet up the pressure on russia, including the cronies and companies supporting illegal actions in ukraine. isother words, today russia once again isolating itself from the international community, setting back decades of genuine progress. and it does not have to come to this. it did not have to come to this. it does not have to be this way. russia andhoice that president putin in particular has made. there continues to be a better choice, the choice of de-escalation, the choice of joining the world in a diplomatic solution to this situation, a choice in which russia recognizes that it can be a good neighbor and trading partner with ukraine, even as ukraine is developing ties with europe and other parts of the world. i am going to continue to engage president clinton and our

european partners in pursuit of such a diplomatic solution. it is important for russia to understand that meanwhile we will continue to support the people of ukraine who have elected a new president, who have deepened their ties with europe and the united states, and that the path for a peaceful resolution to this crisis involves recognizing the sovereignty, the territorial integrity, and the independents of ukrainian people. of ukraine, iple hope, are seeing once again that the united states keeps its word. we are going to continue to lead the international community in support for the ukrainian people, and for the peace, security, and freedom they very richly deserve. thanks very much. it is not a new cold war. it is a very specific issue related to russia's unwillingness to recognize that ukraine can chart its own path.

i think if you listen to president poroshenko and the ukrainian people, and they have consistently said they seek good relations with russia. what they cannot accept is russia arming separatists who are carrying out terribly destructive activities inside of theine, thereby undermining ability of ukraine to govern itself peacefully. that is something that no country should have to accept. the sooner that russians were recognized -- russians recognize the best chance for them to have influence inside of ukraine is by being good neighbors and maintaining trade and commerce, rather than trying to dictate what the ukrainian people can aspire to, rendering ukraine a vassal state to russia, the sooner president putin and russia recognizes that, the

sooner we can resolve this crisis in ways that does not result in the tragic loss of life we have seen. >> so far, we have not stopped vladimir putin. our sanctions enough, or have you considered legal aid to ukraine? ask the question is not ukrainian capacity to out fight the separatists. they are better armed than the separatists. the issue is, how do we prevent ukraine? in eastern we are trying to avoid that. the main tool we have to influence russian behavior at this point is the impact it is having on its economy. the fact that we have seen who have real legitimate economic concerns in severing certain ties with russia, stepping up the way they have today, is an indication of

both the waning patience that europe has, with nice words from president putin that are not matched by actions, but also recognition, as a consequence of what happened to the malaysian airlines flight, that it is hard to avoid the spillover of what is happening in ukraine impacting europeans across the board. we think that the combination of stronger u.s. and european sanctions is going to have a greater impact on the russian economy than we have seen so far. obviously, we cannot, in the putin seepresident more clearly -- alternately, that is something president putin has to do on his own. we can make sure we have increased the cost for actions i

think are not only destructive to ukraine, but that ultimately are going to be destructive to russia as well. >> the bbc analysis of the u.s. and eu sanctions on russia says that europe's leaders were moved to act by the outrage at the way investigators had been blocked from access to the crash site of civilian aircraft, and that russia has moved heavy weapons across the border of ukraine. secretary of state john kerry hosted the ukrainian foreign minister to discuss the conflict. this is a little more than a half-hour.

>> good morning, everybody. thank you for being here with us. it is my pleasure to welcome the foreign minister to washington. this is the second time he and i have had a chance to be able to meet and thoroughly discuss the , thes of ukraine challenges of the region. i deeply appreciate his making time today at a critical time in the region. we meet today, less than two weeks after malaysian airlines 17 was tragically shot out of the sky in the separatists-controlled territory of ukraine. the victims of that crash and aeir families clearly deserve thorough international

investigation that is unimpeded in any respect, so that people have access to the site, so that the families can no that their loved ones are being treated with the decency that any family anywhere in the world could expect in these circumstances. the united states supports a thorough international investigation into this heinous act area and we support the efforts of the malaysians, dutch, and australians to help the ukrainians in order to secure the site, so that those investigations can take place now. they are overdue. and it is absolutely important for the separatists to stand back and admit this access to take place. the work of the investigators is absolutely critical. it has been 10 days since this plane went down. investigators have still not received full, unfettered access

to the crash site. without this access, they have debris, and noct way to collect other evidence from the scene, in order to be able to provide the kind of examination that is necessary. they still cannot even ensure that all of the victim's remains have been removed. that is an unsupportable burden for any family to have to bear. and it is an unacceptable standard for behavior. off.ite has to be cordoned the evidence has to be preserved. and russia needs to use its considerable influence among the separatists in order to be able to help ensure this basic approach of common decency. well beyond the crash site, the

fighting is continuing. as president poroshenko has made clear repeatedly, and as foreign klimkin reiterated a few minutes ago, the ukrainians are ready to accept a unilateral cease-fire, and have proposed a that includeslan substantive dialogue with the russian-backed separatists, with international participation, because they understand that is the only way this crisis is going to come to an end. morning, i talked with foreign minister lavrov and raised these concerns. there is a way to try to put some very specific proposals on the table to try to move forward. but the russians and their so-called volunteers are continuing to ship arms, funds,

and personnel across the border. we see this. there is clear evidence of it. we now have clear evidence of artillery and rocket fire from russia into ukraine. and while the russians have said they want to de-escalate the conflict, their actions have not shown a shred of evidence that they really have a legitimate desire to end the violence and the bloodshed. as a result, the russian backed separatists refused to lay down their arms and be part of the political process. they continue to fire on ukrainian forces. even in the area just around the crash site. and they have displayed an appalling disregard for human decency. evidently, separatists will continue to do so unless they can feel some pressure, something real, from the russian backers.

putin can make a huge difference here, if he chooses to. and we and our european partners will take additional measures, and impose wider sanctions on key sections of the russian economy, if that is what we must do. we hope that it will not be necessary, and if russia continues to go down this path, russia will leave the international community with new -- with no choice. ukraine haslding in already gone on for far too long. it is well past time for the violence to stop and for the people of ukraine to begin the process of rebuilding their country. thatebuilding it in a way can have a relationship with russia, with the west. i think foreign minister klimkin

will confirm today that we are not asking them to choose between the two. i think ukrainians understand that they have strong ties to russia. they are prepared to have a relationship with russia. and they understand that the future of ukraine depends on having a strong relationship with russia. so it is well past time for this violence to stop. and they understand thatthat ise president biden announced a nearly $7 million in rapid assistance for humanitarian and rebuilding purposes to be deployed immediately. specifically, these funds will go toward rebuilding eastern ukraine, including the cities of and others, where people celebrated in the streets when they were liberated from separatist control. we are also asking congress for approval to provide financial support and mentor them to small businesses throughout ukraine.

through mechanisms like the public-private partnerships and export promotion initiatives, we are hoping to inject additional resources into ukraine's economy, so that together, all the ukrainians can rebuild their lives, along with their cities. the ukrainian government has taken a number of steps to try to bring about a better future for its people, and to reform the government that failed them so much in the past. including signing and historic association agreement with the european union, and also the vital standby arrangement with the international monetary fund. we strongly urge ukrainians to continue the process of evenming their democracy, if not particularly in this moment of crisis, because this

is a troubling time when everyone is looking for those reforms to be implemented. you can make a huge difference in rebuilding confidence, and providing a sense in russia that the concerns expressed by the fact being are in listened to and being incorporated into the political process of ukraine. stands readyates to support our ukrainian partners in this effort. a strong democratic government and a strong economy are the keys to providing the ukrainian people with the stability and prosperity that they want and that they deserve. i want to thank prime minister plimpton for joining me -- klimkin for joining me for this meeting. we will work closely together. we are talking about the possibility of when we can find time for a visit to continue

this discussion more directly with the prime minister and president or a shadow. i think we share high hopes for ae possibilities of what resolution of this crisis with the separatists and with russia could bring. a strong ukraine. the respect for their sovereignty. and the possibilities of stability for the region. mr. foreign minister, please. >> good morning, everyone. state.retary of foruld like to thank you your commitment, for your solidarity, and also for your personal leadership. and also for your commitment to democratic, united, and european ukraine.

it is my first visit. it is a pleasure to be here. and to discuss all issues of bilateral agenda. foremost, their .ngoing development in ukraine i am glad we have the same regional development. and i feel a real commitment and a real solidarity here. we have, in ukraine, clear commitment to the settlement of the situation, and the peace ukrainethe president of . give peace a chance. it includes three main

dimensions. it is about the escalation, and that reaching a cease-fire. secondly, it is about humanitarian dimension. and restoring their disruptive on, the ground. of course, it is about political damage. --t caps on what is critical bilateral cease-fire with the aim of restoring the territorial integrity of ukraine. of course, we need political progress. we need a breakthrough on hostages. we hope to release hostages as soon as possible. it is also the issue of human dignity.

we need the osce observers to be from then the ground very first moment of cease-fire. the commitment to humanitarian people woundedh -- unilateral cease-fire was broken 100 times. now, it is about bilateral cease-fire. it is about a presence on the ground. it is also about closing down the border. it has also involves stopping the influence of money, arms, and heavy weaponry across the because it is a critical condition for region stability.

course, it is also about humanitarian dimensions. it is about restoration of all disruptive infrastructure, because we have been trying to restore disrupted electricity, water supply, gas supply. we have been trying to bring .ormal life back to the people and i am particularly grateful to the secretary of state, to for urgentstates help, for urgent assistance to the people, which should be aimed at restoring infrastructure. believe it was symbolic, but also extremely important. and of course, it is about

political process. it is about settlement. we are ready to give more power to the communities, to the district's, to the regions. it is about giving people more freedom, but also more responsibility, political responsibility and economic responsibility. not playing up any sort of issues, like using the russian language. it would be up to every community to decide what language should be spoken. it is about clear ideas. can visit dash cam de-escalate the situation on the ground. because we are ready for local actions.

we are ready that the real representative, real askesentative since don't -- the real representatives should take responsibility of the situation on the board -- on , on de-escalation, on social and economic development. solidarity, we feel with the united states. and we also have clear and targeted assistance. under difficult conditions on the ground, we have been working round the clock on securing access to the crash site. we have been working on ensuring the possibility for fully transparent and effective investigation of the tragedy

with the plane of malaysian airlines. course, for us, it is about human dignity. ofis about the possibility recovering all bodies and body fragments from the crash site. back to thegiving friends and loved ones any sort of personal belongings. it is not just a priority. it is an absolute priority for ukraine at the moment. we feel continuous support by the united states. of course, we have touched upon also a number of issues on our bilateral agenda. thate will be working on extremely closely. i used the chance to invite the secretary of state to visit kiev

and to chair the next meeting of our strategic partnership commission, where we are able to discuss all the issues of bilateral interest, and all the issues of bilateral agenda. >> the first question will be from andrea mitchell of nbc news. >> i want to ask you about ukraine and the sanctions on flood america can. first, let me ask you about the sanction in the middle east. 2 u n officials have been reported killed in gaza. israel has hit the electric utility, the only source of electricity for much of the strip. media hasraeli unleashed a fierce attack on you personally, from the left and the right, unprecedented in

hardly any of our experience. there is a quote of a senior official saying that your diplomacy has been "a strategic terrorist attack on israel." aners say that if there is escalation, you are responsible for the unceasing bloodshed. there is also a report of a new palestinian initiative from the palestinian authority, perhaps with hamas joining in. there is a report that you have launched a new initiative as well. if you could clear some of this abilityt hurting your to be a mediator here, with officialseli attacking you so vociferously? and is there a way out through some new cease-fire that the palestinians may be promoting today?

on ukraine, you said that vladimir putin has a choice now. does he still have a choice? we were told the united states was going to be imposing sanctions today. are you giving him yet another chance to prove himself, after everything that has happened? or are these sanctions going to finally be implemented? could you respond to credible reports from the region? we are told government forces have fired back at russian forces who have fired across the border. thank you for taking all of this. >> ready to take the second part first, and then back to your first question. ukraine, we are in the process of preparing additional sanctions for europe. that is accurate. what will happen will happen.

of course, president putin still has a choice going forward. his ability to be able to have an impact on the separatists. that is a choice that will be there tomorrow, the next day, and in the weeks ahead in order to resolve this. separate the two. europe is working on the sanctions. we are working with them. we anticipate those additional sanctions. forth with. in point i am making is that the long road ahead to resolve -- the gasf issues has been cut off to ukraine. to resolve the movement and flow of weapons and people across the border. the issue of firing from russia into ukraine -- all of these issues, whatever happens with sanctions today or tomorrow, those issues remain, and they are remaining to be the choices

that president putin has to make. today about a political road ahead, the ways in which ukraine could contribute to an effort to try to make it clear to president putin that the agreements originally arrived at in geneva about the political process are indeed being fully implemented. raised, on as number of occasions, significant questions about whether or not that road has been sufficiently explored. i think the foreign minister and i agreed that there is more we think can be done there. and we are going to talk about it in the days ahead. of israel, i have talked to prime minister netanyahu 4 times a day in the last days. last night, we talked, and the prime minister talked to me about an idea and the possibility of a cease-fire. he raised it with me, as he has

consistently. he has consistently said that he cease-fire that permits israel to protect itself against the tunnels, and obviously not be disadvantaged for the great sacrifice they have made in order to be able to protect themselves just far. that we areine is working very carefully and i think thoughtfully with our israeli friends, in order to be able to find a way to reduce the civilian loss of life, to prevent this from spiraling whichrd into a place from sides have, both difficulty finding a way forward, in order to address the underlying kinds of issues. -- no one in one

the united states, no one i know the idearld condones that israel ought to be somehow subject to attack from these tunnels. we have supported, from day one, israel's writer defend itself, right to take action, right to live free from rockets and from tunnels that threaten it. but all we have suggested and has hadsident obama several conversations with the prime minister about is the need to try to find, if you can resolve any of those issues through a legitimate negotiation , and ultimately with less loss of life everywhere. i have taken hits before in politics. i am not worried about that. this is not about me. this is about israel, and israel's right to defend itself, and our strong support for israel's right to defend itself, but about whether or not there is a way forward that can avoid

the loss of soldiers from israel and the loss of civilians everywhere. table, int on the fact, allowed israel -- let me make this clear -- allowed israel to continue to deal with they weres, even as in a short-term cease-fire to try to see if there was a way to reach a sustainable cease-fire. has called for this. the international community has called for this. prime minister netanyahu himself has said that he is prepared to embrace it, providing it does not prejudice israel in its way of protecting itself. and we have made certain that we guarantee that it does not. let me just finish quickly. the fact is that because of our able to get ae short-term 12 hour cease-fire, which then was expanded to 24.

because of confusion over the 12 hours, it did not hold. that does not mean that the right approach is not to try to have an appropriate way to come to the table in order to see if a negotiation to take place. itselfemphasize, israel accepted a cease-fire under the egyptian formula with no preconditions, cessation of hostilities, negotiations to take place in cairo. that is exactly what we have been talking about. no variation. no deviation. we have been in touch with the egyptians. we have honored the egyptian concept. if there is a negotiation, it would be in cairo. it would be entirely without preconditions. it would not prejudice israel's ability to defend itself. i think there is a little bit of

energy being expended unnecessarily. i do think we will continue to work with our very close friend and ally. i am not going to worry about personal attacks. i think that president obama has it right, and the international community has a right. appropriate tore try to resolve the underlying issues at the negotiating table then to continue a tit-for-tat of violence that will invite more violence and perhaps a greater downward spiral, which would be much more difficult to recover from. >> do you think it is still possible to get a cease-fire? -depends entirely on the parties at this point. to,an, we -- we are trying very carefully, without, as i said, diminishing israel's legitimate right to defend itself against tunnels and

rockets, but to find a way to see if we can spare the people of israel as well as palestinians the possibilities of, at any moment, something going currently wrong when one of those rockets hits a major school in israel or a major population center, lots of people dying. the effort is to find whether or not -- i cannot vouch for it. president obama cannot vouch for it. but we know that we owe it to everybody to see if you can find that way. table, ityou get to a proves that there is absolutely left and to honor basic defensive needs of israel, to deal with the rockets, to deal with the tunnels, to deal with other things, then at least you know you have made that effort to try to find a legitimate way forward. that is our job, to try to do that. and we think we are doing it in a way that completely reinforces

israel's rights. i have spent 29 years in the united states senate. i have a 100% voting record pro-israel. take a second seat to anybody in my friendship or my devotion to the protection of the state of israel. but i also believe, as somebody who has been to war, that it is better to try to find a way, if you can, to solve these problems before you get dragged into something that you cannot stop. it seems to me that this is a reasonable effort, fully protecting israel's writes and interests, and prime minister netanyahu himself sent to me, can you try to get a humanitarian cease-fire for this time? and if it were not for his commitment to it, obviously, the president of the united states and i would not be trying to make this effort. either i take his commitment at face value, or someone is

playing a different game, and i hope that is not the fact. >> on this report, i have such a showing, notes of just artillery fire, but also rocket propelled grenade fire from the russian territory, or cases of russian helicopters intruding into ukrainian airspace. back. never, never fight not to provoke the situation, but first and foremost because we are fully committed to international law. we have our legal and political commitment.

and in the sense of united nations, -- united firing from another state consists of an act of aggression. we are fully committed to international law. we never fired back. and there were also many cases when the terrorists tried to position themselves exactly near the border, and fire and ukrainian forces. we also exercised extreme restraint, trying not to fight her, not to provoke the situation, and not to break our obligation under international law. so all reports on us firing back into russian territory are not true. >> the final question will be

(202) 737-0001 -- our final question will be from [indiscernible] mr. secretary, what is the united states going to do if russia invades ukraine? we collect what was the first part? >> what is the united states going to do if russia invades ukraine? >> the president has made it clear that there are many different options. but that would be taken, , as not just a violation of all notions of international law, but an exceedingly dangerous action which would wind up with the

most severe possible kinds of isolation and sanctions possible, and germany, france, other countries in europe would clearly join into that. be a profound impact on the russian economy. i believe that president putin understands that, that the risks are enormous. that alliances -- it depends whether you are talking in legal terms or in other terms. we are a partner. we are a strategic ally now. and we are working very closely, already providing advice and ukraine, as well as other countries doing the same thing. working very, very

hard to see if we cannot find the political key to be able to provide redress for the grievances that president putin keeps talking about through the political process, in a way that will recognize that russia has a legitimate interest, which even ukraine has acknowledged. interests about ethnic connection, historic connection, about the religious and historical foundations of russia, all of which can be traced back to kiev and many battlefields in ukraine and so forth. all of that is understood. what ukraine is looking for is a respect for its sovereignty, and hopefully the political process that is unfolding now will address the concerns in a way that will strengthen that sovereignty, and address the

concerns president clinton has expressed. who have signed and association agreement are firmly committed to the sovereignty and independence and stability of ukraine, and we will continue to do the things we're doing, in furtherance of that policy. >> thank you, everyone. >> thank you all. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> the house of representatives on wednesday will consider a republican-sponsored resolution -- authorizing a lawsuit against president obama. we spoke with a reporter covering the issue.

>> we are joined by mike liles of "the hill." why does speaker boehner montesquieu the president? >> this plays into the republican narrative we heard for three years, ever since house,as taken the white that he has abused his executive authority, that he has stepped out of bounds of the constitution, and boehner said, we have had enough. we are going to sue him. they are pointing to a provision of obamacare, the health care law the democrats passed without any republican support. and they are saying that a certain delay in one of those provisions is outside of the law . congress did not approve it. we are suing you because of it. >> what does this resolution do? say it passes the house. what does it mean? >> it authorizes the actual chamber to sue the white house. over the one facet of

this debate is whether or not they even have standing to do so. a lot of legal scholars say they do not. others say they do. this is going to be tied up in the courts for a long time. you are not going to see any decisions based on this suit pre-election. but just the fact they are going through these motions, certainly, it is red meat to republicans, and democrats have been fundraising on it as well. it is political fodder for both sides, and certainly an exciting debate for us. wille speaker tweeted, we debate and pass the resolution. the response been by the white house and by democrats generally? >> predictably, they say the republicans do not have standing. they say this is another instance of republicans focusing on undermining a president they simply do not like, rather than doing other business, rather than focusing on the economy and

other issues people care about more. again, this plays into the republican narrative that obama has exceeded his executive authority, and that is going to rally the republican base. the democrats have the flip side, and that is going to rally their base. they are fundraising on it. how is this going to affect independents? we will not know until after the election. x this is a house resolution, so the senate gets no say in it. after the republican conference a day, speaker boehner met with a number of reporters and "the hill" headline sums it up. mainer impeachment is a democratic scam. he said it is all a scam started by democrats at the white house. thisid this grow out -- comment come out of this talk about the lawsuit? >> another interesting facet of all this.

huge disagreement. you will be shocked to hear there is a partisan disagreement over where the debate began. "christianr was at a science monitor" breakfast on friday, and mentions the lawsuit is a first step toward impeachment. this did not come from nowhere. sarah palin, former representative allen west of florida -- these guys have been pushing an impeachment resolution for a long time. republican leaders have not yet gotten on board. there is a distinction between some of these tea party conservatives, in and out of congress, and the leadership. when boehner says he is not going to do it, he is pushing back on some of the sarah palin types, who have been pushing to impeach obama for quite some time. >> there have been news reports to indicate the talk about impeachment has driven fundraising for the democrats. >> it certainly has. kick begandraising last thursday, when the rules committee passed the lawsuit resolution. when pfeiffer mentioned the

impeachment thing, they jumped on board with the impeachment thing. you have seen e-mail blasts. count.t the last probably approaching $.20 thursday, mentioning the lawsuit, asking for money from democrats. they have raised over $2 million in a matter of days. the greatest four-day haul in this election cycle. it is working for the democrats. they are still beating the drum. >> can the same be said for republican candidates? is it working as a fundraising tool? >> i have not seen direct evidence. you can imagine it would be. in a lot of conservative districts, they agree with boehner and the republicans that obama has exceeded his executive authority, and they will jump on board. they want to see boehner suing the president over what they feel is executive overreach. >> read more at thehill.com. thank you for the update.

house passed its bill to replenish the highway trust fund, it provided $11 billion to next may. the senate was expected to pass the bill unchanged. however, senators amended the house-passed version tuesday evening, sending it back to the house with only a couple of legislative days left before the august recess. the senate amendment would provide funding through the end of the year. if no legislation is passed and approved by president obama by friday, the transportation department when russian trust fund payments to states for roads and bridges projects. here is some of the senate amendment debate. >> let me just, if i could, lay out what is happening here today. today that is a short-term extension. mr. president, i don't know if you know this or not but this will be the 11th short-term extension since 2008. let me say that one more time.

this is the 11th short-term extension that has occurred since 2008. this is the fifth time, mr. president, that we've taken money out of the general fund -- taken money out of the general fund to fund the highway trust fund, which is supposed to be funded through user fees. so for what i'd like to say to my friends on this side of the aisle, this is the fifth time for the highway trust fund that builds the highways and bridges around our country that we're engaging in generational theft -- generational theft -- where we take money out of the general fund -- everyone knows it's not paid for -- we use gimmicks to pay for something that the constitution says we're actually supposed to deal with. so the house has sent over a bill -- and there's been a lot of consternation on the floor about that -- they use $6.4 billion worth of pension smoothing. everybody in this body knows it's not a real pay-for.

all it does is move revenues up a dec decade. and because it uses $6.4 billion worth of pension smoothing, it has a $5 billion budget point of order against it. let me say that one more time. a $5 billion budget point of order against the house bill that's coming over. and so there's been some consternation, people have said, well, if we don't take up the house bill, then the road program's going to fall apart and we're going to go home for august recess and everybody's going to be blamed. well, fortunately -- fortunately speaker boehner today said, no, if the senate sends something over, we're going to send something right back. so everybody ought to be relieved. so it doesn't matter today that many of our finance committee members that serve with chairman wyden, they've made commitments to him that we're going to get on the senate finance committee and they should all know that that's not a problem now. the house today said they're going to send something right back. so the first vote that's going

to take place today is a vote to go -- to strip out the house bill, which has $6.4 billion worth of pension smoothing, a total gimmick -- everyone knows it's not a pay-for. it loses money. loses money. and the senate finance committee bill is going to be -- the first vote is to replace the house bill with the senate finance committee bill. by the way, which was done under regular order, done the way bills are supposed to be done. now, unfortunately it also is a short-term fix. i've never voted for a short-term fix for the highway trust fund because i -- i can't believe -- it's so simple for us to resolve. onlthe only issue is we haven't been willing to address itment there'it.so i'm going to votega