is the burgeoning of lasting democracy something that will take time, that is laborious, that is intensive. it is something that the people themselves must carry out as they will following the rhythm of their own drum. history is full of studies of this sort. when i cast my mind back to the 1789, and i look back to the emerging french revolution under the slogan liberty, fraternity, and equality, we know that women certainly didn't get the vote. by the way, they got it after world war ii. so sometimes good things take time.

stability and a minimum of order certainly is essential to security. this is what will anchor a climate in which freedom and economic and social progress will flourish. having tried to paint a picture of the security situation in central africa, one that encompasses the very notion of security that must necessarily address the challenge of the democratization and development, i would like now to go to my third and last point in this set of remarks. and here i will hone in on the expectations of africa as to its cooperation with the united states of america. ladies and gentlemen, i call for a deepening, dare i say, a

re-grounding of relations between africa and the united states of america. it seems to me that africa and the usa are two continents that ignore each other rather than recognizing everything that should bring them together. it is time to change this anomalous state of affairs. and specifically to that end, i give to america five propositions. first, i invite the united states to intensify the training and he would king of african defense forces so that africa is in a position to ensure its own security. that is part one. secondly, i invite the united states to work with the whole of africa. i say this because i have said at some points that president

obama has spoken at certain countries that have been chosen. i say it is the whole of africa that should be the partner, not just the handful of countries. the whole of africa, of course, being aware of prejudice were over certification or any characters of anti- element. a broad partnership in the field of education between africa and the united states, because the best universities in the world.

i asked the u.s. to support and accompany our efforts to consolidate integration in africa. i invite the united states to become more present also in african economic affairs, now quite competitive. this country was so celebrates the spirit of competition, should surely face it where ever it may come from. the u.s. will find a very important and reductive place, perhaps a pride of place in africa which offers such promise and is rightly described as the continent of the future. distinguished guests, i would like to conclude these remarks by offering the three following messages. first, the necessary buttressing of security in africa is essential, not only for itself, but for its building partners.

second, security in africa is a matter much vaster than military security alone. it is multidimensional. third and last, america has a great deal to offer africa. but it also has a lot to receive from africa. madame president of the world affairs council, esther president of the national press club, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, let me thank you very much for your kind attention. [applause]

>> thank you very much for your speech.

we now will have our traditional question-and-answer session. we are just a few days away from the u.s.-africa leader summit. what do you think this gathering will achieve? >> well, i think i expressed that expectation in the five propositions that i made. let me certainly begin by stating that it is a deep honor for us to lead with president obama. we thank him for convening the summit in the framework of his ongoing efforts. but in terms of my expectations, per se, i really some them up in the general remarks i offered and the five proposals i made toward the end.

>> thank you. the african governments and the united states have a serious economic ownership that will allow for broader economic development and lower unemployment. what more needs to be done? >> well, in a brief answer, i would simply say that the african continent is in a sense the hope of the world. many have said that this is africa century -- africa's century. if we look at things closely and follow everything that analysts and observers say, it would appear that the set of measures that african leaders have taken and the growth that is

registered in the continent, the potential that is offered at present in africa, that would be true. i spoke of the wealth that africa has on its surface and underground, but i also spoke of its people. analysts say that by 2050, there will be 2 billion inhabitants in africa. this is the continent of the future, we believe. and a great powerhouse, i believe, as the united states itself is very that is my deepest conviction. >> recently, the republic of congo mediated a cease-fire between factions at war and the central african republic. what is the status of that agreement? what more needs to be done to end the violence?

>> we believe that, after three days of intense discussion where all parties were present, the agreement to sign an agreement to cease hostilities is certainly noteworthy. that was certainly the first step forward. all friends of the central african republic should certainly bolster the decision and help the country to respect its decision and stand by its commitment so that the organization of the state can in fact occur. the state in central african republic is quite weekend and needs help.

we also need to ensure that the free flow of people and goods occurs within the four quarters of the central african republic. all of this will certainly help the ngo's and other friends that are so inclined to come and lend a helping hand within the country and in the neighboring countries. i think above all, this should pave the way for the populations, the people's that were in strife for religious regions -- reasons to achieve a meeting of the minds, to come together yet again. we know the christians, the muslims, the others got along very well and lived in peace for many years. therefore, square one had to be a cessation of hostilities.

without it, it would be frankly quite difficult to imagine the holding of elections in the central african republic. i think a key part of the decisions taken recently will have to be rooted in the further work they have accomplished within the country all with efforts toward reconciliation. and eventually, a large vehicle is -- reconciliation forum could be held in bondi itself where all could participate. i urge all friends of the central african republic to rally round and help us see that they. this is a logic of peace and reconciliation. and i think it is offering some hope as it did in brazzaville. >> turning the subject to a subject that is on page 1 on newspapers around the world, it

seems inevitable that ebola will spread. have you or do you tend to meet with other african heads of state to create a comprehensive regional plan to address the disease? and what is congress plan to deal with a bullet if the virus spreads -- with ebola if the virus spreads? >> well, we have already had to face that challenge twice. the ebola epidemic has struck us. this is not something that may happen. it has already occurred. i believe that one faces such circumstances, it is essential that draconian measures be taken to render the area affected as secure as possible, to sanitize as best as possible the general

area and avoid the spread of the epidemic. as i say, we have in the past had to struggle with this specter. and at the time, we took draconian measures here in we isolated the area. we offered treatment to those who were afflicted and we eradicated the epidemic. not long ago, just before taken the plane to come here, my good friend was on the phone with me. i wanted news because, of course, there is a great deal of that every and they president in liberia and guinea our meeting to discuss the very thing you're a i do believe they are considering very serious measures to try to stop this as best they can.

i am quite certain and you are yourself, i'm sure, the entire international community must lend a hand during this is bigger than all of us. >> to congo domestically, congo has had robust economic growth. the latest imf report from congo was positive. tell us how you plan to invest more of congo's wealth to improve the health, education, and economic welfare of your citizens. >> let me say that, with regard to education, our country has always been very, very strict about improving the enrollment

of children at schools. and has always been at the top of the list of countries doing most to that end. we are at 100% of enrollment of kids in school. wherever children are in my country, they go to school. official education is offered free until the age of 16,. so free public education through the age of 16 to youngsters everywhere, wherever they are. from six years of age to 16 years of age. i think it is a fair point to say without exaggeration that, when we take a look at the state of our budget, this is a considerable achievement.

about 25% during i am talking about a fourth of our budget is earmarked for education. and we are strengthening the system. all right, we have 100% enrollment and that is fine and well. but now we are looking at the quality of the level. we are training the trainers, putting great efforts and improving the school infrastructure. there is a lot to be done. we are at present building high schools in every one of the provinces of our country, including charter schools, high-caliber, excellence level high schools. and we are building a university in brazzaville. our country has always made store by education. >> what are you doing to improve

the private sector in the country to make it less dependent on the west and more self-sustaining? >> let me say first that the government has been taking significant steps to improve the business environment to create an enabling business environment less red tape, less bureaucracy. our minister of finance is here. he always knows that i am very clear on how much i insist on him doing what he can to avoid the mushrooming of levees and access ring's that make our

businesses ever more difficult. we also have with us our minister of small and medium-size enterprises. they can tell you that we are very much aware of how critical it is to foster, enabling a business environment for small and medium-size enterprises, to set up a single window at the customs level, the one-stop shop as the color. and the government above and beyond that is setting up a fund, a guarantee find, -- a guarantee fund to assist the small and medium enterprises of the private sector to get going and to grow strong. this guarantee fund, we hope, will help the young particularly who are entrepreneurs, who have something to give, who are interested in doing something to

get the necessary loans from lending a citizens under the overall guarantee fund that the government is now offering to that end get let me say something to our external partners. the borders of the republic of congo are wide open and we have seen how business partners have come to us from very far away, as far away as australia and certainly europe, the united states, and are active in various sectors of our economy and we are all in favor of that. we are pleased to see it because it will spur the development of our smb's and -- our s&e's and the sectors of oil and iron ore and phosphate and numerous other important industries that exist in our country.

at the government level, we have set clear guidelines, set a clear course for the next 15 years such that a major investment will be made in the industrialization and modernization of the country. our vision of industrialization will be certainly also based on the development of agro industry and agriculture, both. >> you have been in office a lengthy period. according to term and age limits set forth in your country's current constitution, your second and final term as resident ends in 2016. there is talk of efforts to amend the constitution to allow you to serve a third term. do you support these efforts? if successful, will you seek a third term?

you have to realize that we are getting ready for our own american presidential election in a few years where there are term limits. a number of people are inquiring about your future plans. >> on the matter of constitutional reform, there is ongoing discourse in my country on the subject. that is no secret. and people are debating legitimately whether this makes sense whether the constitution should be reformed, not so much let me say because of me personally. the issue has to do with the limits that are set in the constitution.

this is not a question of one or another person. it is truly a constitutional issue. so the debate is being held. it is a free debate and people are giving the matter some thought. should the constitution be reformed to allow a further mandate? that is something that the people of the republic of congo themselves will have to decide. and then there will have to be a referendum to that effect. so it is entirely up to them. it will in any event be the people itself that will speak out. this cannot be in any way something that flows from any one individual who desires to cling onto power. this is a bigger and broader question.

it's an open question and one that really has to do with our future with the visage -- the vision that the country has of itself. so we will see you where it takes us. >> in my introductory remarks, i mentioned how you are devoting your government to protecting human rights. nevertheless, there are some human rights organizations, such as amnesty international and freedom house, who feel there are still restrictions on press freedom, the rights of assembly, and the rights of free expression. as you answered a previous question so thoroughly, i wonder if i can ask you what will you do to continue that such freedoms in your country?

>> well, these freedoms exist. i spoke earlier of countries in africa that have numerous different political parties. i think in the case of the congo, 4 million inhabitants, we have -- let me say, i think 150 political parties at last count, give or take. these are legally established, formally incorporated political parties that carry on their activities as they see fit. there are trade unions that are freely established and are certainly very free and conduct their business as they see it. the press is perfectly free in my country. we are in a sense a mecca for

the press. there isn't any freer pass -- freer press than the press and the congo. there is a law that has been voted upon in parliament that protects journalists. no journalist can be arrested or thrown into prison for his or her opinion. the freedom of the press, freedom of speech are absolutely guaranteed by law in the republic of congo. if 150 political parties are connecting -- are conducting their business freely and freedom of the press, too, i don't know a single person who has been detained for his or her opinion. the ngo's are free, as i say. there is freedom of assembly, freedom of speech.

i think it is a reach to think that there is a limit. i think there is quite abundant freedom, at least as far as i can tell. >> i thought it was important to ask the question and i am pleased you gave a very detailed answer. we are almost out of time. before asking the last question, we have a couple of housekeeping matters to take care of. first of all, i would like to remind you of our upcoming events and speakers. on monday, august 4, his excellency jacob zuma, president of south africa come a will be our guest of honor on the 20th anniversary year of mensa mel nella speaking at the national press club as president. and i am pleased to have with us today such distinguished guest, his excellency, ibrahim is will, the president of south africa. [applause] on september 17, john t stump, ceo of wells fargo will be with us.

and september 19, larry werner, president and ceo of cbs corporation. stay tuned for more speakers planned by our speakers committee for the remainder of the year. and now, i would like to present you, sir, with their traditional national press club mug, which we are always pleased to do with our distinguished leaders. i know you may have other mugs, but this one is very special. [laughter] and i would like to ask -- [applause] look at the photographer. i would like to ask any journalists who interview president sassou-nguesso in his office to report if they do not see the mug there. [laughter] >> i will take my morning tea in this mug.

thank you very much. [applause] thank you. >> our final question is generally in a lighter mood but this is a question not meant to be light or serious but a real practical issue. how often is your country confused with the democratic republic of congo and how do you answer, how do you handle such errors? >> what? >> how often is your country, the republic of congo, confused with the democratic republic of congo and how do you handle these errors? >> how often? all the time. and we would like very much for the drc to become zaire again.

that should do it. [laughter] [applause] >> i wondered whether i should ask that question. i'm glad i did. thank you so much, your excellency. and thank you for all for coming today. [applause] and thank you again to our partners in the world affairs council, d.c. we are adjourned. >> please return your receivers outside. >> please return your translating devices. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] as african leaders meet this week at the white house come aping go to facebook.com and

share your thoughts on the question -- should the u.s. invest more in africa? there are nearly 500 responses so far, including one from care and says that vital a resource as any loyal country is onlyyyes, america need budget money and safeguard all natural resources to save the world. keith says how about our own poverty first. you can weigh in. the african leader summit is meeting and washington, d.c. air the first of its kind in the white house. they're aimed at strengthening ties with the african continent and investment. we will have live coverage of remarks by jacob zuma today. that is at 2:00 eastern here on c-span. and the summit is a likely topic during the white house briefing. we will join a live at 12:45 eastern. before we head to the white house briefing, we will take a

look at some of the topics concerning the middle east. this is from "washington journal." host: my guest, tamara cofman wittes, now with the brookings institution as a senior fellow on middle east policy. the director of the summit. here with us this morning to talk about u.s. polls in the middle east on the facets and changes going on in the middle east, i thought i would start by asking you, i saw you speak before, i think it was through the -- the foreign policy back in october. about the time the syrian situation was really ramping up and you pointed out the three areas where the u.s. is having difficulty taking its attention, turning its attention away from the middle east. guest: right. host: you termed it an earthquake. you said america's relationship with key allies or actors in the middle east is changing and you

said the american public is becoming impatient with the changes in the middle east and our commitment there. guest: yes. host: that was back in october. have things changed that much? can you detail a little bit each of those three points and how that ties into what is going on in the middle east now? guest: absolutely. each of those three trends is stronger today than it was when i gave that talk last fall. over the last three years, we have seen the middle east undergo a political earthquake driven by some very long building trends. by some very l building trends. the rise of a large generation of young people who have very few economic prospects. not a lot of room for political participation. a lot of frustration and governments that are really struggling to respond. and now we have seen several of those governments lose power. however, we haven't seen in most places success where governments

come into play and in some places we have real turmoil, libya and syria, i think being the most egregious examples. that is going to take many years to play out before you have new institutions, new ways of doing things, new rules of the game that will return stability to a lot of countries in the region that have experienced upheaval. now what that means is that the united states is trying to figure out how to deal with this changing landscape and our major partners in the region are also struggling to deal with this, but we don't always agree on how to do it. we used to be on the same page, preserving a certain political status quo. now that status quo is gone. so there is a lot more attention between the united states and its allies and then the third piece of this puzzsl the american public and where -- puzzle is the american public and where we are in interpret s of society's role in the world. we have poll after poll about

americans' attitudes toward foreign policy, towards american engagement militarily the american public is less reluctant to make those investments today. host: your thoughts on u.s. policy in the middle east. ou wrote a book back in 2008 about america's role in building arab democracy. what is the state of arab democracy in 2014? guest: well much less certain, i think. on one hand, we see possibilities that exist today, opportunities that were not there when that book was published in 2008 because of the revolutions in tunisia, egypt and libya.

the national reconciliation process that is taking place in yemen. there is an opportunity for political changes on the ground that will make governments more representative, more transparent, more accountable to their people and create broader based opportunity for everybody. i think tunisia is the case i look at and i see the most hope because they have managed to go a long way down the road, excuse me, toward building a new democratic political system. host: that's where the so-called arab spring began. guest: in fact, it is where it began and we'll see whether tunisia can continue to be a model for the rest of the arab world in that regard. host: obviously secretary kerry is -- like a stove with a lot of pots boiling on it. he is going from one to another. clearly the conflict in gaza has to be among his highest priorities. israeli air strike kills 10 in gaza. the strike on reportedly another

u.n. school in gaza and the news this morning, the israelis are calling a seven-hour cease-fire. you were at the state department for two or three years. what has caused the situation in gaza to accelerate since that time? guest: you know, we have had since the very beginning of the obama administration, it is worth remembering when president obama took office there was a war taking place between israel and hamas in gaza. since then, we had another round in november, 2012. this is sword of the third round of con -- this is sort of the third round of conflict over the last six years. i think that speaks to the fact that while you can always identify a trigger or multiple triggers i think in this case, what we have here is an unresolved conflict and a very unstable situation on the ground. there is no status quo in the gaza strip or between israelis

and palestinians that will remain stable for very long. and so with the 1.8 million palestinians in gaza suffering from a lack of access to fresh water, a lack of economic opportunity, unable to export goods to the outside world through israel and with hamas there in control of the strip and also occasionally using the opportunity to law firm rockets at israeli civilians, it is going to be extremely difficult for us to see any improvement, long-term improvement in the situation until the underlying conflict between israelis and palestinians moves toward a lasting resolution. host: there was an article in an israeli newspaper last week and similar articles in the "new york times." the headline on this one, hamas has been looking for allies so far in vain. hebs receives normalous

financial diplomatic political support from iran and syria, hamas' economic pipelines have been blocked. this in turn marks another important difference. its participation syria's civil war has been crucial to its survival while it is dominance -- hamas inpolitics contrast has no regional political influence. the "new york times" again and others where about this lack of influence. what is the difference there and why can't hamas find any sort of political support to get them to the negotiating table? guest: well, part of the reason is that ham assist more or less boxed up in gaza and one of the dynamics that led up to this crisis and exchange of fire is that hamas was beginning to

rebuild its political operation and perhaps its military operation in the west bank after a reconciliation deal is struck with the movement. the other major palestinian political party and the one whose leader abbas controls the palestinian authority. hamas has the authority suddenly to re-emerge in the west bank and that made israel very anxious. when those three israeli teenagers were kidnapped back in june, israel went through the west bank trying to find them and in the process rolled up a lot of hamas activists and members across the west bank and this was a threat to hamas' ability to get out of the box in gaza it had been in for a number of years. that is one of the things that led to this current outbreak of violence. host: let's look at another problem. the islamic state prepares for

baghdad bombings, militants unlikely to break and take iraqi capital. this is again, the moves in fact, over the weekend of additional gains made by this group, isis. what happened to cause this group, isis to become so powerful and threaten now apparently larger portion of iraq? guest: well, of course we all remember that iraq went through a terrible civil war in the mid 2,000's. it was ultimately resolved by the american surge of troops and the military working closely with the iraqi military to build a unified iraqi army and push s.ck against sunni militia mostly because of spillover from the conflict in syria which has also become viewed throughout e region as a sunni/shia

conflict. unniists went back and forth a cross the border prment they controlled oil wells in syria. they gained funding and they have now take the bath battle to iraq as well in an effort to overthrow the shia-led government in iraq and baghdad. host: secretary kerry in dealing with all of these things in iraq and gaza, does the u.s. have strong partners outside of the middle east regime, outside of saudi arabia, i'm talking about russia, europe, that are assisting in this effort in terms of trying to negotiate hings that gaza and elsewhere. guest: you know, i think it is a tough moment internationally for the united states but for all the major global powers with interest in the middle east because, of course, all of these crisis we have been talking about in the middle east are not the only major crisis on the international scene. we also have ukraine. a outbreak in le

africa that you have been discussing earlier today. what that means is that a lot of global leaders' attention is diverted and also different interests in different areas. the u.s. and russia of course are at odds on you crained they have also been at odds on syria, but when it comes to iraq, that may be the limit of russia's willingness to see instability or chaos in middle east. so it is a question of probing to see where there is sufficient common interest that you can get other states engaged but particularly in iraq because the united states fought a war there and saddam hussein. the u.s. should take the lead on this. host: tamara

caller: brian on the independent line. caller:-- brian on the independent line. caller: the united states supporting israel right were wrong. it is obvious how stand is a part-time going on. april part-time. arab allies, tremendous pressure from the old population , parkside against israel. you cannot have a two state solution there if israel is going to continue to blockade and country from trading isolating them from the rest of the world. know, if a bank, you mexico national got murdered in san diego, and she'll want to, mexico, kidnapped five american citizens, i am pretty sure the united states would say, you

will return our citizens where else. that is an act of war. stupidly, i would say, because it responded with those rockets, which israel had to do notagainst -- they have a defense against israel -- call up martin luther king or gandhi. it is foolish to respond. still, it is an act of war and they responded. israel provoked that. host: we appreciate your input. brian, thanks. i think you are right to point to a long standing, underlying conflict between israelis and palestinians. that is at the heart of the crisis we are facing today. one of the big differences, of course, between the u.s. and and thexample you gave

situation as it exists today between israel and palestinians is that palestinians do not have an independent sovereign state, and the israeli military still operates throughout the west bank. situation of symmetry. it is a situation where israel is a sovereign state with a an electedd government that is responsible to its citizens, and palestinians do not have sovereignty, they do not have full control over their territory. they are divided into in the west bank and gaza. it is difficult for people to move between one and the other. and you have these militias like hamas who are committed to blowing up any possibility of between israel and the palestinian authority, which is the representative authority for palestinians in the west bank and gaza. hamas took over the gaza strip by force. back in 2007.

and they have essentially used their control over that military to advance a very extreme, very violent agenda. unfortunately, they have done that for the israelis and also toward their political opponents in palestinian society as well. host: the israeli ambassador to the u.s. was in the press -- was on "meet the press" today. here is the ambassador. >> i do not think so. you have to fight terror. you cannot embrace terrorists. that is what the president has done. do you think the solution of iraq is to have the iraqi government simply include isis as a member of the government? that is what the palestinian government adjusted two months ago. we were very much opposed to it and upset when the international community said it is a good thing for people. it is a terrible thing for people. solutionre a military to the hamas problem?

>> yes. israel right now is working hard to degrade ability. any action you have and unfortunately israel has many threats. this is not the only threat israel faces. we live in an unstable region. >> if israel eliminates the military threat, that would assume at some point they have to get to a political solution. theambassador critical of president there. who can they work with? guest:

>> the key point here is that these varying conflicts, where we had an attack on a sunni b order post. host: these are associated with isis? guest: they are linked. they are not separable. they tend to spill over. armed groups across borders -- and the other kinds of illegal whether oil or drugs, that tend to come along with these groups is very difficult to contain that these conflict.

at the same time, they are very difficult to resolve. the kind of international will and presents it would take to impose a political solution and make it work -- just think about bosnia for a minute. after a terrific civil war they are that led to some terrible war crimes with international community prosecuting. there is still a strong united nations presence on the ground in bosnia to help the sides get along and govern together. host: what about u.s. credibility on foreign policy? guest: certainly, in the middle east, this is a historic turning point. it is a generational turning point. strongest, most capable superpower would have trouble dealing with the degree of change and speed of change that we are seeing across the region. and the different regions that are emerging among the governments that we are used to

working with here. at the same time, this is not just any moment for the united states. we have an american public that has judged thety wars in iraq and afghanistan who have been failures. the economy is still hurting. people are reluctant to invest in foreign aid. and all that means -- normalbarely pass appropriations here in washington these days. it is very difficult for our government to have a foreign policy a broad one we cannot get basic decisions made here at home. that said, i think that the administration has done a lot to secure american interests using the toolset as available, particularly with sanctions. while sanctions take a long time to have effect, i think we are staying certainly in the ukraine case, that russia will be feeling a significant change in

the iranian case. the iranian economy is really on its heels right now because of years of american and international sanctions. so, there are tools that we can use in foreign policy that are not sending the marines or forget about it, there's nothing we can do. there is a big toolbox. a lot of that involves the slow building of international coalitions to constrain these factors. host: dawn on the democrats line. caller: hello? i have never called before. i wanted to talk a little bit about how to educate people. >> good afternoon everybody. nice to see you all, happy monday. the me due to quick things, then we will get to questions. first, we are pleased with the new be a secretary, bob mcdonnell, who was confirmed

unanimously by the senate last week. we look forward to his expertise at the va. no veteran should have to wait to receive the care they dese rve. i know that the president and bob mcdonnell want to build on progress. that is why he will travel to fort belvoir, virginia. thatll emphasize the work has been done and the work left , the by signing hr3230 veteran's accountability act of 2014. this new legislation passed with a partisan support. it will put in reforms and changes to meet the high standard of service that our veterans have earned and we will have more details on the next day or two. i have one other thing i want to do here before we move on. the president and his entire administration are pleased to welcome 51 leaders from across

the african continent to our nations capital for the u.s./ african leaders summit that starts today. this as a historic opportunity to strengthen ties with our african partners and highlight america's long-standing commitment to investing in africa's development and its people. the theme in investing in the next generation to bless us the common ambition to leave our generation better for future generations by leading gains in peace and security and economic development. this gathering followers are young african leaders summit last week. there has long been bipartisan support for u.s. engagement with africa. the summit will build on that record. you will hear more from the president and his cabinet as events unfold. julie, do you want to kick us off? >> the state department put out a statement over the weekend on the latest attacks on a u.s. facility.

it was about as tough as the administration gets with the israelis. i wonder if you can give us a sense of the administration and the president's level of frustration with the israelis and the casualties we are saying. do you see the u.s. being involved in any future cease-fire discussion? we do continue to believe that the violence in gaza should end as soon as possible. do continue our work with the israeli and palestinians and other parties in the region to try to bring both parties to the table to bring this violence to an end immediately. itwe have said many times, is not in the interest of either side that this violence continues. the tragic loss of life we have seen on both side of this conflict needs to come to an end. that tragic loss of life includes the many innocent palestinians who have been killed. it also includes the israelis

who have been killed by hamas rockets that have been aimed squarely at them. a need for both sides to come together and come to the negotiating table to end the violence and have a discussion and try to resolve diplomatically some of the very firmly entrenched differences that exist in that conflict. >> do you see a cease-fire is being a result listed thing now? it seems like the israeli position now is to continue this offensive until they feel that they have reached whatever their goal is here. >> ultimately, the parties themselves have to decide. >> the u.s. has not been involved in these activities? >> we are pushing for a cease-fire. it is not in the interest of parties on either side for this pilot to continue. we do continue our efforts to encourage both sides to bring

all the current violence to an and come to the negotiating table so we can resolve these long-standing differences. >> going back to the state department statement -- this was us tough as this administration gets when discussing israel. what went into that decision-making? >> let me say a couple of things about that. there have been a number of reports of the shelling of the u.n. facilities in gaza will stop i think there have been seven or so reports of that taking place. we have over the course of time expressed our concerns about the necessity of the israeli military to live up to their own standards when it comes to protecting the lives of innocent civilians, even palestinian civilians caught in the middle of this conflict.

what that statement from the state department makes clear is that the suspicion that militants are operating your body does not justify strikes that put at risk innocent civilians will stop there have been some -- there have been reports of hamas using innocent civilians as cover to protect weapons talk files or even to protect hamas fighters will stop that is a deplorable technique it is one wend have strongly condemned and continue to condemn. what we have also been clearer about and what that statement laid out in very clear terms is that suspicion that, spiders are operating in the vicinity of innocent civilians does not justify taking strikes that put the lives of those innocent civilians at risk. out abouts a report

the administration using young people under the cover of public health or civic programs with the goal of ginning up a rebellion there. i wonder if the administration thinks it's wise to use the public opinion as -- to further their goals will stop >> there has been a statement and the subjects of that report were related to the set -- the subject of that report was related to ongoing usaid programs. i refer you to usaid programs. thesee they using furtheringr political goals? >> are some aspects of those reports that are not quite accurate stop in terms of assessing out the true aims of these programs, the agency that runs them in this case is usaid. let's talk about immigration

for a second. house has defended unilateral actions, saying he has taken fewer actions that his predecessors. i want to address the issue of scope for a second. would the president be determined -- deterred from making an action as to providing as 5benefits for as many million people who don't have them. >> it's important to understand the context in which we are having this discussion. the united year ago, states is working closely with this administration and law enforcement community, the business community, the evangelical community and cobbled together a compromised piece of legislation that would bring about a wide range of common sense reforms of our broken immigration system. comp or my's proposal passed to the senate more than one year ago. we have seen house republicans

engage in a legislative strategy to prevent that bill from coming to the floor of the house of representatives. bill were that allowed to be considered by the house of representatives, it would pass with a bipartisan majority. parts of theme minority are not just opposing the compromise and not just willing to vote no on a common piece -- common sense piece of legislation, they are preventing their colleagues from casting a vote on this common sense piece of legislation. president has done is he has worked with republicans in the house over the course of the last year to try to convince them to drop their opposition. not necessarily to convince them to vote yes, but rather just to allow them and allow their colleagues to render their judgment on this compromise. president indicated a

willingness to work with republicans if they could identify some of their own priorities they would prefer to include. but despite the presence openness to having these conversations over the last 12 or 13 months, we have seen absolutely no movement on this issue among house republicans. said andpresident has concluded his he is no longer willing to stand idly by while house republicans block tom and sense reforms to our broken immigration system. so he directed his secretary of homeland security and attorney general to consider what kind of options are available to the president in the context of the current law to mitigate some of the problems caused by our broken immigration system. because that review is still ongoing, i'm not in a position to speculate about what that might group -- what that review might ultimately conclude. the timeframe is the end of the

summer and the president expects to carefully consider their review and act on a relatively quickly. -- ininternational topic regards to the ebola out rate, does the united states plan to the issue as financial institutions announced this morning? this outbreak occurred back in march, the centers for disease control was acting in close coordination with the world health organization and other organizations trying to confront this outbreak. to address the problem. that coordination continues. i know the cdc announced earlier today the appointment of additional resources to the region to try to stem the outbreak.

assessed, the cdc has it's probably the most damaging and dangerous outbreak of ebola we have seen so far. that is why it requires a significant international response, and that's why you've seen these actions taken by the cdc, world health organization and others to bring additional resources to address this problem in this region and africa. been some calls rattling around out there for the u.s. to block flights from countries affected by ebola. is that something the u.s. is considering more would consider if it gets worse? can you be specific about any actions dhs is taking at american airports? to give you a better sense of how we are confronting this problem

ensuring homeland may -- homeland remains safe. there is a screening process individuals will have to go through when they board aircraft departing where this outbreak has been reported. in thatals who started region started to bolster the screening efforts and the cdc has been involved in training officers who are on the front lines to make sure they understand and have been trained on the systems -- on the symptoms of this illness. it's important for the public to understand that it's important to identify the symptoms. you are not contagious unless you exhibit the symptoms of this disease and that is what differentiates it from the common cold or flu where individuals can be contagious before they start exhibiting symptoms. it is important to understand this disease is not transmitted

through the air, not transmitted through the water, would not be transmitted through food in the united states. that is why the cdc assessed there is no significant risk to the united states from this current ebola outbreak. because there are officers carefully monitoring passengers arriving from these countries, we are in a position to ensure public health is protected. if officers do recognize and individual who appears to be exhibiting some of these areas whereere are these people can be quarantined and evaluated by medical personnel? there are some questions about the u.s. africa leader summit hosted here in washington will stop there are some individuals from these countries where this has occurred. serviceed states secret

occurredred air off -- -- has insured air officers are trained and there have been briefings held with public health officials and medical specials and facilities here in the national capital region to again if an individual is starting to exhibit these symptoms that this individual can be quarantined and get the kind of health care they need. thatts at the cdc tell us health care workers are meticulous about meeting health care guidelines for protecting from bodilynd fluids and things that could lead to a transmission of the virus, then health care officials would be safe as well. there are in place a lot of precautions to ensure the safety of the american public and traveling public in this case. >> do you need to consider at this point stopping flights coming in from these countries? >> not at this point.

there are screenings in place before individuals board flights from where these flights originate but also after these individuals arrive in the united states, they are screened once again. there are facilities available and if an individual is the tech did exhibiting these symptoms, they can be quarantines and evaluated by a medical professional. >> the u.s. israel relationship right now, there's a lot of analysis about the difficulty in the relationship will stop there has been tough talk on israel as tough as like the talk can be, there's three little the u.s. can do. describe this situation and relationship as frustrating right now? >> i think right now the way i would describe it is tragic. we have seen and extort or a loss of life on both sides of this conflict. something people around is world right now recognize

terrible and something that needs to come to an end quickly. that's why you see u.s. diplomats and others working intensely to try to bring both sides gather. to theelates relationship between the united states and israel, israel continues to be one of those andtries strongest allies you saw that reciprocated in the remarks delivered by prime minister netanyahu over the weekend where he praised the united states for the level of support the united states is providing to our allies. terror andacts of the tactics of hamas to fire rockets at innocent israeli thelians -- he discussed military to military relationship that exists between the united states and israel and talked about our frequent expiration of support for

israel's right to defend itself and their citizens will stop and you heard the prime minister mentioned the close coordination inh israeli defense forces operating the iron dome system that has shot down scores of hamas rockets aimed at israeli civilians, thereby protecting the lives of countless israeli civilians. relationship our is strong and unchanged. cheryl? i've asked about the supplemental now -- will you try theegotiate that as part of cr? say couple of things about that. you may have noticed late on friday that the a just did make an announcement about the need to reprogram some of their funds to ensure necessary resources can be focused on addressing this problem.

we do continue to be , the failure of house republicans to act on a piece of legislation that would provide the government the resources that are necessary to deal with the problem many republicans themselves describe as a crisis. instead, we saw house republicans take what i thought was a pretty remarkable step to pass a piece of legislation that would not just tie the hands of the president moving forward but would attempt to undo some of the things the president has already done to address one of the most significant problems with our broken immigration system. the consequence of the measure passed by house republicans would actually take law enforcement resources that are currently directed to prioritize individuals who poses a threat or could poses threat to public

safety and the bird numeral -- never to away from that task and focus on supporting young people who are american in every way except for their papers. these are individuals who would be deported back to a country that many of them doesn't even remember. the fact that house republicans support diverting resources away from possible threats to the public and -- for public safety and targeting them at young people is an indication of just how wrong their priorities are for the country. this is not just my view. i notice the conference of catholic bishops put out a pretty strong statement on this measure. i'm quoting the bishops here -- they said it's a sad day for our country, the chamber of commerce is poised to send vulnerable children back to danger and possible death will stop it violates our commitment to human rights and due process of law and lessons us as a nation. i pray this legislation never

sees the right day. that is a strong statement from groupartisan group, a this administration has not always agreed with but i would certainly associate myself with this statement will stop >> what do you do now? how are you going to get these funds? >> it has been four or five weeks since we put forward a detailed proposal about what it is we got was necessary to deal with this problem. we would like to see congress take action on our proposal. we laid out in clear detail what was necessary and republicans in the house did not act upon it. ofy passed a different piece legislation and in the senate, we saw a republicans do everything they can do to block a democratic proposal patterned on the proposal that this administration put forward.

this is a piece of legislation i got votes in the united states senate be -- but because of the rules by center republicans to block that legislation, it won't actually pass will stop we are pretty disappointed that it adds even more conviction to the president hospira view that if congress is not going to take steps to address these problems, then he's going to consider what ever tabs -- whatever steps within the confines of law to address this problem on its own. if congress tries to return from their august recess after labor day and takes action to address some of these challenges everyone acknowledges exist, we would welcome that action. but the president is not going to sit around waiting for congress to act. to wallow along. politicals see a

advantage in differentiating yourself from house republicans on this issue? do you think voters will punish house republicans for what they have done on the border and immigration in the mid-terms or 2015 -- port 2016? >> what we are focused on at the white house is to put it lightly solving problems. this is a problem democrats and republicans acknowledge exists and that has not changed the posture of congressional republicans from trying to block every step they can be taken to address the problem. i know there are republicans concerned about the political impact of this. i don't often read the wall "wall editorial page -- street journal" editorial page but they say that they give the country the impression their highest priority is to deport as many children as rapidly as possible back to where they

came. they say a parties whose preoccupation is deporting children is going to alienate many conservatives and never mind minority voters. i think the "wall street journal" is concerned about the impact it could have and do so acknowledging that this is not just a move and a policy that will be a proper dealer with minority voters, it's going to be unpopular and alienate many conservative voters. >> you guys are may be concerned but is that an accomplishment for the president? to sort of consolidate the hispanic vote? guys areomething you actively interested in or working on? >> what we are focused on is

solving the problem will stop i know there are republicans who are suspicious of the president's political motives and i think that applies to just about any policy issue the president considers. they're certainly entitled to that point of view. that is why it is so significant the proposal the president is championing is legislation supported by republicans and by leading evangelicals across the country. they share the president's support for that compromise piece of legislation. communities packed necessarily with aggressive or even democratic voters but yet a support the proposal the president supports. i think the president alluded to this on friday where he says the debate right now is not between

congressional republicans and the president of the united dispute between congressional republicans on one side and the president on the same side as senate republicans the evangelical community business community, and that's an indication the president is not interested in playing politics, he's interested in solving problems. april? i want to go back to security. could you talk about what you when itut this effort comes to trying to defeat boko haram and deal with finding girls and the vice prime minister? >> you will note in the opening remarks i delivered, one of the

focal point is on security. many deep states has security ties with countries across africa and their are steps we have announced to deal with or coordinate with african countries you have the lead in dealing with some of these challenges. as you know, boko haram plays -- does post a significant threat of thesety in many countries in africa. that's why the united states, after the high-profile abduction of some 300 girls from a school in africa led the united states to commit some resources, including military resources, to assist the nigerian government and the search for those girls. we remain engaged in working with local governments in africa to confront the significant challenge. one of the goals of this conference is to discuss security issues.

i don't have any specific meetings or anything to read out to you in advance, but a thorough discussion of security is on the agenda for this week. security inomes to , isca beyond this summit this country working when it comes to dealing with terrorism? i have heard they are working individuals and have doubled the amount of [inaudible] israelica working with when it comes to the situation with local rom and the situation on the comp -- on the continent? >> i'm not aware of any conversations like that, but i

can say as a general matter we are interested in working with african countries to bring greater security to individuals in their countries will stop we recognize the significant threat andecurity boko haram poses we are interested to help them do a better job ensuring the safety and security of their people as they can rent the threats of these terrorists. up date onve an their status or with the latest assessment is. i think i would refer you to the state department. made a case here and we have heard it before that the american public supports immigration reform. is there support enough in congress? i wonder if the white house

assessment, that set of facts as you see them, does that affect the president's view of what he is able to do and permitted to do to act on his own? does that change the calculus given your assessment of popular support, more than enough support to pass in congress if it only were not being unfairly blocked and that would therefore give the president some broader powers of his own? >> the assessment of what powers the president can be wielded will be determined by legal experts. i do think as a practical matter, the president's desire to act where congress has failed is strengthened by the fact that there is such rod support all for trying tontry

impose commonsense solutions to a problem or some problems everybody acknowledges exist. the scope of potential executive actions that could be taken to address some of these problems is something that will be determined by the legal review that is still ongoing. >> the president several times from his podium and your predecessor several times when whyd by advocacy groups doesn't the president act alone for the wholedid spectrum or hold population of those in the country illegally? does the president still stand by the statements? does he think i've done what i can on my own and what needs to

happen now is legislative action? >> the president's view has not changed. really thing that has changed is that for some time that extended more than a year, there was an opportunity for congress to take action to address these problems. -- i would say it this way -- any of the potential actions the president could take would not be as enduring more robust as policies that could be put in place by congress. area would in this more far lasting impact on these problems than any sort of executive action the president would be able to take. that is why the president has been transparent about saying by the end of the summer, i'm going to consider a review that has

been conducted by the agn secretary of homeland security. i'm going to take what steps are within the confines of the law to mitigate some of the problems will stop if congress returns from their august recess and comes to their senses and decide they should actually consider a , then sense set of reforms president would be happy for that piece of legislation to supersede the executive actions to take care of this problem. this does not eliminate the need for congress to act, it is just him acting where congress has refused. one reformeckled by group who said if he could solve his problems on his own, he would. but we are also a nation of laws. the easy way out of this is to try to yell and pretend i can do something by violating our laws but i'm proposing we use the

democratic ross aziz to achieve the same goals you want to achieve. forthright saying i can't do it. it would be violating the law if i did on my own. congress has to act. but now that you have made the case congress is not going to act, does the president's view on that change? >> and has not changed. congress has the greater capacity to solve this problem and he resident does. there is more congress can do. are you reading from the transcript from the president event in san francisco? i believe that is from last wall and the president did -- i think it was a pretty emotional exchange and emotional outburst from someone in the audience. wherewas a time frame there was still an opportunity and republicans were signaling a willingness to look at the commonsense proposal that had passed the senate. anything the president is able

to do using his executive action will not be as powerful and as long-lasting as the reforms contemplated by this bipartisan proposal that has already passed the senate. the president has said even if i cannot do all of that because the law will not allow me, i'm going to ask the secretary and attorney general to figure out what it is the president can do within the confines of the current law. he's going to ask them to cast a wide net and consider a range of ideas and the president looks forward to acting on that quickly as soon as he receives the. >> you have heard the president say i can't do about what he's really saying i cannot do it. he's always believed he could not go down the road and use executive our. when he stated was a preference, not a limitation. >> there are limitations in the confines of the current law.

congress can do more to address this problem and the president can. what the president has said is i'm going to direct my secretary of homeland security to do what i can do under the current law. there may be some options to mitigate, but not as much as congress can do. they are receiving a temporary work permit that is executive fiat. that's the scope of executive power never seen on issues like this. i think people thought they heard the president saying is i can't do that would what he's actually saying is i'd rather not all stop >> i'm going to try this one more time. i think the president is saying i can i do what congress is talking about doing right now. have the authority under the current law to take the kinds of steps congress is debating right now. would haveteps that a far-reaching impact on our

broken immigration system. >> would you not agree 4.5 million work permits would reach that question mark >> the review of what the president is doing is still ongoing. it remains an open question whether these proposals floated by wide variety of advocates on this issue is something that all's within the president's authority to act upon. you rate your adjustment on that. the only thing i know right now is the options that would be presented to the president will not be as enduring or as successful as reforming the broken immigration system as a law passed in bipartisan fashion by the congress or senate currently being blocked by republicans in the house will does the administration determined the message from the state department yesterday from israel about tactical

determinations -- that is to say suspicion is no longer justification -- not something i believe i've ever heard the administration say as specifically as i heard them yesterday all stop is there a rhetorical limit you're trying to impose to prosecute this war? >> the limits imposed on israel possibility to tactically execute this war are the they have put into place. we are encouraging them to live up to those standards and in some cases do even more to live up to those standards. we resolutely defend israel's right to defend themselves and take the kinds of steps they assess are necessary to protect their citizens. they have a responsibility to do that. and in terms of the tactical execution, they have them placed very serious standards for the protection of civilians and the united states has been steadfast encouraging them to live up to the standards and do more to

ensure they are living up to those standards. >> has israel lived up to those standards? >> i think we have seen and i think we have said before that israel can and should do more to live up to the standards. -- >> we believe that israel can and should do more to live up to the standards they have -- they themselves have set. >> i want to follow-up on executive action. suggestident seemed to a barometer for this is how many executive orders do you wish? take in fewer executive actions than my prior republican counterparts are democratic counterparts before that. it is in the suggestion whether or not you're going around current law rather than the numbers? >> the other way to measure this is evaluating the record of congress. commentary lot of

over the weekend that indicated this republican congress fell setshort of the standard even by the do-nothing congress of the last century. what the president is dealing with is a congress reviews in to act on a whole list of priorities shared by republicans and democrats. the president has said the president will not allow congressional inaction to stymie the progress of this nation. the president has widely considered on a range of policy issues steps that he can take within the confines of the law and within the confines of his executive authority to try to make progress on behalf of the american people, in most situations, middle-class families. that's why you've seen the president take a number of steps to advance their interests. >> is it fair to say the trigger for executive action likely this fall or in the summer on immigration reform like other issues as house republicans fail to act as smart >> that is the

trigger. because house republicans are walking commonsense reforms that have already been passed to the senate, the president is not going to stand by and let any solution be put in place. he will consider what has been put into place within the confines of the law. the solutions will not be as far-reaching as legislation would allow but it could mitigate some of the problems that would cover the broken immigration system. >> the trigger is congressional inaction. why didn't the president take executive action in 2009 or 2010 one house democrats failed at that? >> because the president was committed to trying to work through congress. it's evidence the president is patient. >> the first two years of this administration -- the president vowed in 2008 by the end of my first year in office we will pass comprehensive immigration reform. they failed to act for two years. why did he not do anything that esther mark >> i will say a few things. at the time, there were many

things on the president's plate. are many things now. israel, gaza -- or many things now. >> the crisis in 2009 as it related to the financial system and our economy hemorrhaging jobs, that was understandably the focal point of congressional activity and also a lot of activity here at the white house. there is no doubt we would have liked to have seen immigration reform get done years ago. byt is something shared democrats and republicans. all the more reason it's unreasonable for house republicans to continue to block commonsense reforms with strong eye partisan support across the country. >> you have said several times you're focused on solving problems. you had a house, senate and white house in 2009 in 210. why did you not focus on solving immigration problems that? >> there were a lot of other crises the president was focused on at that point will stop what we are focused on now is trying

to find commonsense, bipartisan solutions to a problem that a wide majority of americans acknowledge exists at this point. roger? you used the phrase end of summer earlier. is that when the president is going to announce his decision or is that when the recommendations for cabinet members are coming question mark >> what we have said is that's what we anticipate this review being can acted by the secretary of homeland security and the attorney general will be received by the president will stop >> that would be about when? >> roughly the end of the summer. >> september? >> i acknowledge that timeframe is open to some interpretation. >> i'm just trying to get a little more specific. >> i'm not in a position to be much more specific about that from here. but i think we will do or to answer your question. we do anticipate we will receive the review around the end of i anticipate the

president will act on those recommendations shortly after receiving them. >> and a follow-up. to what extent has he limited his actions by lack of money? >> at the good restaurant. once the president is able to evaluate based on the recommendations of homeland security and the attorney general, the options available to him, and sure there will be discussion of resources and whether there are sufficient resources to take some of these steps. >> [inaudible] >> that highlights the points john and major were highlighting. congressional action to addressing this problem would be vastly preferable. they can ensure the necessary resources are there. there are obvious economic benefits to taking the kinds of

steps contemplated by congress. it would reduce the deficit, create jobs, expand economic opportunity. these are the reasons you see the business community be so supportive of immigration reform. for reasons that are not clear to me, many republicans do not find it to be particularly persuasive. manyere have been conversations between u.s. and israeli officials in the last couple of days. has the white house received any assurances to try to live up to those standards? position ton a reveal any private conversations . i did here in the remarks that the prime minister delivered over the weekend a commitment to ensuring the israeli military lives up to those standards and is doing the kinds of things that are tucked lives of

innocent civilians on the palestinian side. that stands in stark contrast to the tactics employed by hamas and other affiliated groups using rockets and aiming them squarely at israeli civilians in the hopes of revoking a wide range of casualties among the civilian population. their tactics are clearly -- the israeli prime minister in his remarks indicated not just a willingness, but a desire to live up to the standards we've been talking about today. days ofeen a couple of have you seen any indications yet that the russian backnment is pulling support for the separatists in ukraine or concrete economic from the sanctions?

>> i would refer you to the treasury department is more closely watching the economic impact of these tensions. we have over the longer-term indicatenge of data to there is an economic impact being felt by the russian economy. we've seen a central bank of russia spending billions of dollars to shore up their currency and the large number of capital flight and concern as to whether that's a safe place to try to investor money. impartialen a lot of evaluator's of the health of the russian economy revised down their projections for economic rose in russia. there are a range of indications that highlight the impacts this regime has had on the economy. interns of the -- in terms of its impact on the putin regime

as it relates to their activities in ukraine, we have not seen the kinds of actions we would like to have seen. russia notke to see engage in destabilizing activities along the ukraine border that has led to the escalating conflict. we would like to see them use their input with the russian separatists to abide by the cease-fire agreement. we would like to see them close transferders with the of heavy weapons but we have not seen the kinds of concrete steps we would like to see. thing, not the kind of the kind of policy that can be evaluated on 24 or 48 hours notice but can be evaluated over the course of weeks and months to stop >> a quick fustian about the african summit and anything you might have on any added meetings were sideline meetings that might be going on to address the ebola crisis.

>> i don't know of any specific meetings educated to the topic but i would refer you to the state department who may be able to shed some more light on that. >> and the executive orders as they relate to the order and the comments that maybe congress will come back from recess and do something -- is there any indication the president is likely to move before congress returns? >> i would describe the timing as fluid and the reason i worded it that way is even if the president does take some tocutive action prior congress's return, the president would be happy to have those bycutive actions superseded passing the common sense senate immigration reform bill that passed more than a year ago.

any steps the president could take would not be as far-reaching as that bill and when republicans come back from recess, even if they come to their senses of to maybe not support the bill but allow it to come up for a vote, the president would be happy to sign the bill into law and allow it to supersede any of the policy on sequences of the executive actions he takes. >> a quick one on the redaction on the upcoming report on the advanced interrogation techniques and the criticism from some democrats on the intelligence committee who say these projections which are about 15%, make the report unreadable. your comment on that? >> let me say a couple of things. it is important to remember the president perspective. this is an administration we're talking about. the office ofing the presidency, then senator obama was pretty forward leaning

in his criticism of some of the tactics reportedly used during that era. a weekking office within or so, the president took executive action to ensure those techniques would never be used and he has long advocated the declassification and release of this report because it would send a clear signal that we are willing to own up as a country we can occurred so that ensure even in difficult times that it does not happen again. veryresident has been forward leaning in trying to be as transparent as possible with the american people about what has occurred any international community so we can prevent it from happening again. we are talking about very sensitive information here.

it is important the declassification process be carried out that protects sources, methods and other information cripple to our security. the intelligence community has worked through very rigorous process to ensure those pieces of information are protected. about protecting sources and methods. it source material that makes it impossible to understand. of the report5% was unredacted and half the redaction's were in the footnotes. this is an indication there is a good faith effort made by the administration and national security professionals to evaluating information and make with the's consistent need to protect national security and consistent with the president's desire to be as

transparent as possible about this. that being said, this administration and the national security agencies have indicated a willingness to sit down with those who have spoken out about this in the last couple of days to try to find some common ground here and satisfy their concerns so we can get this report released as quickly as possible. >> could you comment on jim brady's family -- i wonder if you have any reflections given how new you are to the job about his passing. >> i have not seen that. that may have just happened. i was aware mr. brady was in failing health in recent days and i was saddened when i first learned that. he is somebody who i think really revolutionized this job and even after he was wounded in that attack on the president, was somebody who showed his patriotism and commitment to the

country by being very outspoken on issue that was important to him and he felt strongly about. he leaves the kind of legacy i isnk certainly this secretary and other future press secretaries will aspire to live up to. i anticipate we will have more to say about this on paper later today. i will give you the last one. the afghan elections seem to continue to have a bumpy process is this concerning to you? >> in terms of auditing the election results? >> we have not got it yet. but it did -- it did just start. the election audit has resumed and both candidates are participating with agents observing the process will stop the continues to be conducted by the afghan independent elections commission under the close

supervision of the united nations will stop secretary of state john kerry telephone abdullah abdullah to express support for the process and the framework for a government of national unity as agreed to on his last visit to that country and stressed the urgency of accelerating the postelection audit and implementing the political framework agreement. ishave said many times it important for the afghan people to have confidence in their electoral institutions. by conducting this audit, it's an audit of every ballot cast, so it's no small undertaking. it will only enhance confidence in the system in afghanistan and enhance our buttons that country's next leader. we are pleased both candidates remaining gauge in this house us and will be supportive of both candidates and that process in general as it works its way to completion. >> [inaudible]

couple ofthe past days. there have been conversations with the president and candidates but i do not have any recent calls other than the call placed by the secretary of state over the weekend. thank you. >> president obama is expected to be in bell -- for belfour and root -- in virginia. also this white house reefing taking lace in the brady briefing room named after former white house press secretary james rady who his family says has passed away. james rady was nearly killed and became permanently disabled during an assassination attempt on president ronald reagan in 1980 one. he became an ardent supporter of gun control. his family says he passed away after a number of health issues that touched the lives of so

many and they were proud of his many remarkable it compliments. james brady was 73 years old. members of congress out for five weeks, many easing their home districts. others traveling. sean patrick maloney tweet kicking off our made in new york tour with a visit to a press michigan representative john dingell, currently congress is longest serving member says looks like diggs started following me just in time for my townhall. why congressional list, go to twitter.com/c-span. in washington dc today, african leaders meeting with the white house for a u.s. africa summit. we will have remarks from jacob

zuma live from the press club in just a few minutes. 2:00 eastern time here on c-span. look at thise will morning plus "washington "washington journal" continues. host: joining us next in our studio in new york, jason riley, now up with his second book :alled, "please stop helping us how liberals make it harder for blacks to succeed." thank you for joining us on washington journal. what motivated you to write the book? the book because i think that a lot of the efforts to help black underclass have not been working. in many cases, they have been doing more harm than good. i thought the 50th anniversary of the great society programs was an opportunity to look back on what has been tried and perhaps thinking about reevaluating our efforts on this. host: how do liberal policies

make it harder for blacks to succeed? guest: one of the essential themes of the book is that blacks ultimately must help themselves by developing the same habits and characteristics and attitudes and behaviors that other groups in america have had to develop in order to rise socioeconomically. to the extent a government effort or program or social policy, however well-intentioned, interferes with that necessary self-development, i think it does more harm than good. that is what a lot of these policies have done. well-intentioned policies have put in place at incentives and have led to results that were not intended. host: tell us about your upbringing. you're now an editorial writer ." the "wall street journal you write about admiration for your dad. where did you grow up and what was life like for you? guest: upstate new york in

buffalo. that is where i went to college. i came down to new york after taking a job at the "wall street journal" 20 years ago now. i grew up somewhere in the working-class, lower middle-class, place on the sort of income spectrum. my parents were divorced when i was very young. my father played a very active role in my life. i had two siblings and he was very close to all of his children, saw us several times a week, holidays, so forth. i had a large extended family on my mother's died right there in buffalo. a very religious family. of myurch was a big part upbringing as well. in addition to my father and a role model there in terms of black men, i also had a lot of black role models on my mothers side of the family right there in buffalo growing up. host: did your operating feel typical to you?

-- upbringing feel typical to yo

welcome. at the george washington university school of media public affairs, former international bureau chief of " in 107thiated press" president of the national press club. the national press club is a world leading organization for journalists come in it -- committed to the future programming. with events such as this while fostering a free press worldwide . for more information about the national press club, please visit our website at press.org.