last two years making sure that we see that. my presidency is entering the fourth quarter, interesting stuff happens in the fourth quarter. i'm looking forward to it. going into the fourth quarter, usually get a timeout. i'm not looking forward to a quiet timeout. family, i wantmy to wish everybody a merry christmas, happy hanukkah, happy new year. gets to spenddy some time with their families because we spend too much time away from them. and now, josh has given me a list of who has been naughty and who has been nice, and we are going to start with some questions.

>> north korea seems to be the biggest topic today. what does a proportional response look like and did sony make the right decision in pulling the movie or does that set a dangerous precedent? >> let me address the second question first. sony is a corporation. it suffered significant damage. there were threats against its employees. i am sympathetic to the concerns .hey faced having said all that, yes, i think they made a mistake. interconnected, digital , there are going to be

toortunities for hackers engage in cyber attacks in the public sector am the private sector. business isder of -- theset these tax attacks from taking place. when i first came into office, i security team to do what we could at the government level. but a lot more needs to be done. i hopethe things that congress will work on in the new year is stronger cyber security laws that allow for information sharing across private vector as well as the public sector so that we are incorporating best practices and preventing these attacks from happening in the first place. as we get better, the

hackers are going to get better to. be stategoing to actors. some are going to be nonstate actors. all are going to be sophisticated and many will do some damage. a society ine which some dictator someplace starts imposing censorship here in the united states. somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary they don't like or news reports they don't like. or even worse, imagine if producers and distributors and starting to aging and self-censorship because they

don't want to offend the somebody who of sensibilities probably need to be offended. that's not who we are. that's not what america is about. again, i am sympathetic that sony has worries about liability . i wish they had spoken to me first. do not gettold them into a pattern in which you're intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks. imagine if instead of it being a cyber threat somebody had broken into their offices and destroyed a bunch of computers and stolen discs.

is that what it takes for suddenly for you to pull the plug on something? engage not just with the film industry but with the news industry around these issues. i think all of us have to anticipate that occasionally there are going to be breaches like this. they're going to be costly. they are going to be serious. we take them with the utmost .eriousness but we can't start changing our patterns of behavior any more going toight stop football games because there is the possibility of a terrorist attack, anymore than boston did not run a marathon this year because there was a possibility somebody might try to cause harm.

that way oft into doing business. >> have you considered taking a symbolic step like watching the movie yourself? >> i have a long list of movies i am going to be watching. [laughter] i never release my full movie list. talk to the specifics of what we now know. wewas announced today and can confirm that north korea engaged in this attack. i think it says something interesting about north korea had the state announce an all-out attack on a movie starring seth rogen and

james franco. i like seth and james, but a notion that they are a threat gives you some sense of the kind of regime we are talking about. damage, andlot of we will respond. we will respond proportionally and in a place and time and manner that we choose. it is not something i will announce here today at a press conference. more broadly though, this should be caused to work with the international community to start setting up some very clear rules of the road in terms of how the internet and cyber operates. right now, it is the wild west. part of the problem is you have weak states that can engage in these kinds of attacks.

you have nonstate actors that can do enormous damage. again, this is part of the reason why it is going to be so important for congress to work with us and get the bill passed kind ofows for the information sharing we need because if we don't put them place the kind of architecture -- put in place the kind of architecture that prevents these attacks from taking place, this is not just going to affect movies, this is going to affect our entire economy in ways that are extraordinarily scary. and by the way, i hear you're moving to europe. where you going to be? >> brussels. >> excellent. congratulations. doubt thatre is no what belgium needs is a version

of politico. [laughter] the waffles are delicious there, by the way. cheryl. you have been naughty. go ahead. >> looking ahead to your work with congress next year. you mentioned a possible compromise on tax reform. i'm wondering, do you see a republican congress as presenting a better opportunity fractionally getting tax reform next year? will you be putting out a new ?roposal are you willing to consider both individual and corporate sides of the tax ledger and are you still concerned about corporate emergence? >> i think an all democratic congress would have provided an even better opportunity for tax but i think, talking to

speaker boehner and leader mcconnell, that they are serious about wanting to get things done. tax reform is one area where we can get things done. i think in the weeks leading up , therestate of the union will be some conversations at staff levels about what principals each side are looking at. i can tell you, broadly, what i would like to see. like to see more simplicity in the system. i would like to see more fairness in the system. with respect to the corporate , we know thesue companies are paying the full , 35%, higher than any other company on earth, and other companies are paying zero because they have better accountants and lawyers. that's not fair. there are companies parking

money outside the country because of tax avoidance. we think that it is important that everybody pays something if they are effectively headquartered in the united states. ,n terms of corporate inversion those are situations where companies really are headquartered here but on paper switch their headquarters to avoid paying taxes. i think that needs to be fixed. fairness. everybody paying their fair share. everybody taking responsibility i think is going to be very important. some of those principles i have heard republicans say they share. , the devil is in the details. i will be interested in hearing how they want to move forward. i am going to make sure we include some pretty specific or

postals, building on how we move .orward one other element i think is important, and i have been on this hobbyhorse for six years -- ofss you -- we have a lot infrastructure we have to rebuild in this country if we are going to be competitive. roads, water systems, sewage systems, airports. we are way behind. early on, we indicated that there was a way of lowering rates, eliminating loopholes so everybody is paying their fair transitionuring that providing a mechanism where we could get some infrastructure built. i would like to see us work on that issue as well. historically, infrastructure has not done a democrat or

republican issue and i would like to see us return to that. when you're administration was lifting sanctions on myanmar, use our commitments for human rights reform. with cuba?the same and do you have any indication that north korea was acting in conjunction with china? >> we have no indication that north korea was acting with another country. with respect to cuba, we are glad the cuban government has released slightly over 50 dissidents, that they are going to be a and allowing -- owing to be allowing the red cross and united nations to operate more

freely and monitor what is taking place. i share the concerns of dissidents and human rights this is still a regime the represses its people. as i said when i made the announcement, i don't anticipate overnight changes. deep in my bones is that if you have done the same thing for 50 years and nothing has changed, you should try something different if you want a different outcome, and this gives us an opportunity for a different outcome. suddenly, cuba is open to the world in ways it has not been before. it is open to americans traveling there in ways it has not been before. it is open to church groups leversg their fellow

inside of cuba in ways they haven't been before. it offers the prospect of telecommunications and the internet being more widely available in cuba in ways that it has not been before. and over time, that chips away at this hermetically sealed society, and i believe offers leading toospect of greater freedom, greater partdetermination on the of the cuban people. i think it will happen in fits and starts, but through engagement, we have a better chance of bringing about change than we would otherwise. -- at the end of your presidency? >> i think it would be unrealistic for me to map out

exactly where cuba will be, but change is going to come to cuba. it has to. they have an economy that doesn't work. they have been reliant for years subsidies from the soviet union, then on subsidies from venezuela. those can't be substantial -- can't be sustained. seemore the cuban people what is possible, the more they will be interested in change, but how societies change is country specific, culturally specific. it may happen fast. it will probably happen slower than i'd like. i have a number of questions on cuba as well -- >> i have a number of questions on cuba as well. >> do i have to read all these down?

-- to write all these down? >> when the clinton -- they shot down planes. they have a pattern of being provocative. >> general provocative activities. >> anytime you have reached out a hand to them. when you talked to president castro, did fidel have a role in the talk? did his name come up? did you ask about how he is doing? people have not seen him in a while. there is talk about lifting the embargo and changes.

are you getting involved in money on a new embassy. >> i have to cut you off there. with respect to sabotage. my understanding of the history of the plane being shot down, it is not clear that was the cuban government purposely trying to undermine overtures by the clinton administration. it was a tragic circumstance that ended up collapsing talks that had begun to take place. i have not seen anything in the historical record that says they shot the plane down specifically to undermine the clinton government. it is not precedent it for the

president of the united states of cuba tosident make an announcement at the same time that they are moving toward normalizing relations. there has not been anything like this in the past. that does not mean that over the can not years we anticipate them taking certain actions we may end up finding deeply troubling either inside cuba or with respect to their foreign policy. that would put significant strains on the relationship. that is true of a lot of countries out there where we have an embassy. the whole point of normalizing relations is that it gives us a greater opportunity to have influence with the government than not.

i would be surprised if the purposely tries to undermine what is now effectively its own policy. theyld not be surprised if take actions that a given time that we think are a problem. and we would be in a position to respond to whatever actions they take the same way we do with a whole range of countries around the world when they do things we think are wrong. the point is we will be in a to have antion influence and there may be carrots as well as sticks that we can apply. the only way fidel's name came up -- i think i may have mentioned this in the interview i delivered a fairly lengthy stamen at the

front end about how we are looking forward to a new future in the relationship between our two countries but we are going to continue to press on it on issuesit -- press of democracy and human rights .hat we think are important in my opening remarks, i took about 15 minutes, which on the phone is a very long time, and at the end he said mr. president, you are still young .an at the end of my remarks, i apologize for taking a long time , but i said i wanted to make where iwas clear about stood. he said you are still young man and you still have a chance to break fidel's record.

he once spoke for seven hours straight. then rubble castro delivered his owner -- then growled castro delivered his own remarks, which lasted twice as long as mine. and i said it must run in the family. but that is the only discussion we had. fidel castro. i sort of forgot all the other questions. >> how personally involved are you going to get -- congress, wect to cannot unilaterally bring down the embargo. that is part of the liver tot act. bertad act. there will be a time while congress to just sit. there are bipartisan supporters of this approach. people will see how the actions we take unfold and i think there is going to be a healthy debate

inside of congress. i think ultimately we need to pull down the embargo, which has been self-defeating. that don't anticipate happens right away. i think people will want to see this move forward before there is any serious debate about whether or not we would make major shifts in the embargo. we will go to brampton. thatwanted to follow-up on by asking under what conditions would you meet with president castro in havana? would you have certain pre- conditions you would want him to meet. on a hack, i know you said you will not announce your response, but can you say whether you're considering additional economic

sanctions on north korea? i am going to leave it where i left it. we just confirmed that it was north korea. rangee been working off a of options. they will be presented to me. i will make a decision on those based on what i believe is and appropriate to the nature of this crime. , we are not to cuba where mee here visiting cuba or president castro coming to the united states is in the cards. i don't know how this relationship will develop over the next several years. i am a fairly young man said that i -- so i imagine that at in my life i will have a chance to visit cuba and

enjoy interacting with the cuban people, but there is nothing as far string to target a visit on my part. choline nelson. there you are. >> you spoke about 2014 being a breakthrough year and you ended the year with executive actions on immigration, cuba, and climate change. saidlican lawmakers have they are less inclined to work continue toyou pursue executive actions so aggressively. have you concluded it is not possible to break the fever in washington? >> i think there are real opportunities to get things done and i take speaker boehner and

mitch mcconnell at their word that they would like to get things done. the question is going to be are we able to separate out those areas where we disagree and those areas where we agree? if republicans seek to take health care away from people who , they will meet stiff resistance from me. if they try to water down consumer protections that we put in place in the aftermath of the financial crisis, i will say no. i am confident i will be able to uphold vetoes of those types of provisions. but on increasing american exports, on simplifying our tax system, on rebuilding our my hope is that

we can get things done. i have never been persuaded by this argument that if it weren't for executive action they would have been more productive. there is no evidence of that. so i intend to continue to do , whichhave been doing is, when i see a big problem and the opportunity to help the american people and it is within my lawful authority to provide that help, i am going to do it. and then i will reach out to members of congress and republicans and say i would rather work together. is a classic example. i was really happy when the senate passed a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration bill. and i did everything i could for a year and a half to provide ,epublicans the space to act and showed not only great

patience, but flexibility, saying to them look, if there are specific changes you would like to see, we are willing to compromise. we are willing to be patient. we are willing to work with you. ultimately, it was not forthcoming. going to be,ion is i think, if executive actions on areas like minimum wage or equal pay or having a more sensible are importantstem to republicans, if they care about those issues and the executive actions are bothering them, there is a very simple solution, and that is passed bills, and work with me to make sure i am willing to sign those bills. both sides are going to have to compromise on most issues in order for their initiatives to .ecome law i have to sign off on them which

means they have to take into account the issues that i care about just as i have to take into account the issues that they care about. i think this is going to be the last question. julian. the first bills mitch mcconnell said he would pursue was the keystone pipeline. when you talked about this in , you are concerned about the entire metal risks. -- also, giveno the precipitous drop in oil prices recently, does that ?hange the calculus >> i don't think i have minimized the benefits. i think i have described the benefits. is note in keystone

american oil. it is canadian oil. drawn out of tar sand in canada. that oil is currently being shipped out to rail or truck's, and it would save canadian oil companies and the canadian oil industry and enormous amount of money if they could simply type -- type it all the way through the united states down to the pipe it all the way through the united states into lf, where it will be sold into the world market all around the world. say no, but there

is very little impact, nominal , on u.s. gas prices, which the average consumer cares about, by having this pipeline come through. sometimes this is sold as if it is going to lower gas prices in the united states. it's not. oil crisis.lobal canadian oilfor companies and the oil industry, but it is not going to be of huge benefit to u.s. consumers. it is not even going to be of nominal benefit to u.s. consumers. the construction of the pipeline itself will create a couple thousand temporary jobs. there are probably some

additional jobs they can be created in the refining process in the gulf. those are not completely but when you, consider what we could be doing if we were rebuilding roads and , weges around the country could probably create hundreds of thousands of jobs or millions of jobs. there are better ways to create well-paying american construction jobs. with respect to the cost, all i if in fact the project goes forward that it is not adding to climate change which does impose serious costs

on the american people, some of them long-term, but significant nonetheless. more flooding, more wildfires, more drought. there is a direct economic impact. as we are rebuilding after hurricane sandy, we have to consider how to increase preparedness in how we structure , and soucture, housing forth along the jersey shore. process, a nebraska judge is still determining whether or not a new path of the pipeline is appropriate. , the states resolved department will begin in all the information it needs to make a decision.

give some to perspective is there has been a tendency to hype this as some magic formula to what ails the u.s. economy and it's hard to see on paper exactly where they are getting the information from. of oil prices and how it affects the decision, i think it will not have a significant impact except perhaps in the when gas prices they may be less susceptible to the argument that this will lower gas prices. it would never lower gas prices because the oil goes into the world market. >> is this something where you clearly say you're not going to let congress force your hand. >> we will take that up in the new year. >> any new year's resolutions?

>> thank you mr. president. last question, again. six years ago this month, i ofed you what was the state black america and you said it was the best of times and the worst of times. you said there had never been more opportunities for black americans to receive a good education and the worst of times in unemployment and the lack of opportunity. we are entering 2014. what do you say to those black americans about those issues and race relations? like the rest of america, black america is better off in the aggregate than it was when i came in to office.

jobs of been created. people have gotten health insurance. housing equities have been recovered. 401(k) pensions have been recovered. a lot of those folks are african-american and they're better off than they were. the gap between the income and wealth of white and black america persist, and we have more work to do on that. i have been consistent in saying this is a legacy of troubled racial past, jim crow, slavery. that is not an excuse for black and i think the overwhelming majority of black people understand it is not an excuse. toy are working hard, trying get an education, trying to send their kids to college, but they start out pretty far behind in the race.

we should be willing to provide people a hand up, not a handout, but help folks get a good juror -- get a good early childhood education. graduate from high school and afford college. if they do, they will be better able to succeed and that is going to be good for all of us. we have seen some progress with the education reforms we have initiated. they're showing measurable results. we have the highest high school graduation we have seen in a long time. we're seeing record numbers of .oung people attending college in many states that have initiated reforms, we are seeing progress in math and reading are african-american and latino students as well as the broader population, but he still have more work to do. we areviously how thinking about race relations right now has uncolored by ferguson, the garner case in new

has been colored by ferguson, the garner case in new york and a growing awareness in the broader population of what people of color have understood for some time, and that is that there are specific instances at law enforcement doesn't feel as if it's being applied in a colorblind fashion. the task force i formed is supposed to report back to me in 90 days, not with a bunch of musings about race relations, but some concrete tactical things that police and law enforcement agencies can begin implementing right now to rebuild trust

between people of color and the police department. , as soon as is to get those recommendations, to start implementing them. congressionalire action. some will require action on the part of state and local year it -- state and local jurisdictions. but i think it has been a healthy conversation we have had. these are not new phenomenon. the fact that people have been able to film would have just in the past been stories astana around the kitchen table -- passed on around the kitchen table allows people to make their own evaluations and assessments, and you're not going to solve the problem if it is not being talked about. we have beenme, moving forward on criminal justice issues more broadly.

this is the first time in 40 years were the federal prison population and the crime rate have gone down at the same time, which indicates the degree to which it is possible for us to think smarter about who we are incarcerating, how long, how we deal with nonviolent offenders, how we deal with drug offenders, diversion programs, drug courts. job and saveetter some of initiating these reforms, and i have been very pleased to see republicans and democrats in congress who are interest did in these issues as well. asinterested in these issues well. one thing i will say -- and this will be the last thing i say -- -- i -- one of the great things about this job is that you get to know the american

people. you meet people from every facet of life in every region of the country, every race, every faith. it isen i don't think always captured in our political debates is that the vast majority of people are just trying to do the right thing. people are basically good and have good intentions. sometimes our systems and our institutions don't work as well as they should. sometimes you have a police department that has gone into bad habits over time and hasn't conquered some hidden biases that we all carry around. practicalare solutions. this is not a situation where people feel good seeing somebody i -- and die.

i think that troubles everybody. there is an opportunity for all of us to come together and take a practical approach to these problems. my general theme for the end of the year, which is we have gone through difficult times. it is your job, press corps, to report on the mistakes that are made, the bad things that , and i the crises understand that. but through persistent effort and faith in the american people, things get better. the economy has gotten better. our ability to generate clean energy has gotten better. we know more about how to educate our kids. problems.

ebola is a real crisis. you get a mistake in the first case because it's not something that has been seen before. we fix it. we had some unaccompanied .hildren at the border it may not get fixed in the timeframe of the news cycle, but it gets fixed. hope, as we i reflect on the new year, this should generate some confidence. america knows how to solve wereems and when we together, we can't be stopped. and now i am to go on vacation. ahalo.l

[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> president obama wrapping up his last conference of 2014, 52 minutes. we want to find out what you thought. a quick reminder, we will show this again at 9:10 p.m. eastern here on c-span. have -- by the way, we have posted a news conference on facebook and twitter. president began talking about the economy, his changes in immigration policy in the recent announcement this week on a change in relations with the

country of cuba. and among the first questions he was asked about the fbi report today that the country of north the hacking at sony entertainment. the president was asked whether sony made a mistake in withdrawing that film, the interview, from release, from opening this weekend. the film with seth rogan headlining. said sony made a mistake. he is finding some agreement with the chairman of the house foreign affairs committee, ed royce of california, who said that the decision to pull the in north korea victory and an attack on our freedom. asked about cuba, about immigration, about the keystone pipeline. we know from mitch mcconnell

that will be the first topic when they gavel in. let's go to the first call. this is the independent line. go ahead. this is regarding the oil pipeline. -- if wehat the winter were to have an executive action pass to migrate people from the winter states to the sunbelt so that we don't have to have much point to make.id americans could move to the sunbelt and consume less energy. that's my two cents. to the democratic line. this is less. guest: it seems to me -- and i doe the republicans watching

something besides just obstructing. we could get rid of some of these tax loopholes on the super rich people and use that money to start rebuilding this country and get people to work. pass the minimum wage. with eachnd work economy goinghe instead of just dragging your and, standing in the way slow playing everything. let's get going. let's get this thing rocking. you know what i mean? merry christmas. thank you.00 colleen says very disingenuous attack.yber mark says that --

taylor says -- we want to hear what you have to say about the president's news conference. on the republican line, dakota in oregon. go ahead. to be honest, listening to the president gave his news interview, i have mixed feelings. but to be honest, i am most grateful that the president has taken the leap in the past 50 years that his predecessors have not, to open relations with cuba. know cuband, we all was not the best of neighbors 50 years ago. i think -- and i don't normally say this because i disagree with a lot of things the president he has taken think the first step in making sure our neighbors 90 miles away can work together with us. i hope if he sticks with this

that our elected leaders in congress can work with him. the news from cuba garnered some mixed reaction. marco rubio was very critical. the president has made a move to with the relations country. rand paul released a series of tweets today. no responding tweets so far from marco rubio. here is paul in myrtle beach, south carolina, democrat line. i think opening up to cuba is the best thing he ever did. it never would have happened if knocked out the dictator they have been allowed the mafia to move in and big companies to come in and rate

the people the way they did. we would've had relations with them. we lost a lot of good things and then happened. texas on the independent line. first i would like to say thank you for providing a venue for ordinary people to talk and give their opinion. i listened to the president's speech. therel, you have to think are two competing powers against republicans and democrats in the senate and house of representatives. what he saide throughout the speech, you believe he has the countries het interest at heart, but is a lame-duck president. his hands are really going to be tied. executive orders might be his

only option to get his ideas. cuba is only 90 miles from the united states. maybe it can become part of the united states. happy holidays, everybody. president was asked about his lame-duck status. he said i am entering the fourth quarter and a lot of interesting stuff happens in the fourth quarter. cheryl on the independent line. preparation for the 2016 presidential election, obama has been very busy. he is now flooding the immigration offices of people trying to get naturalized so they can vote in the 2016. they are flooding in so many that they are not even doing background checks. our attorney general has spent six years cutting off any

states actions of trying to prevent noncitizens from voting, all in preparation for the 2016 election. it is an absolute scandal, the actions the president has taken giving legal status to millions of illegals in preparation for 2016 because the states will not be able to determine who is a citizen and who isn't. the president sounded a victory that the surge of undocumented children at the border, that those numbers have diminished. we are taking your calls and comments on the president's final news conference of the year. host: for democrats. .202) 737-0001

.or republicans, (202) 737-0002 and for all others, (202) 628-0205. next is rick in washington. caller: the thing that is interesting about cuba is what obama can not say. what he cannot say is that what we have done for the last 33 years is insane. another thing he cannot say is bet the castro's won't around forever. they may not be around much longer, given their age and health. , not only are the immigrants going to be new democratic voters, but the u.s. gain aitizens, he will

ton, i am sure. thanks for taking my call. some tweets from members of congress. linda sanchez of california. she may mean the 100 14th congress, which begins on january 6. that is from jim langevin of rhode island. jeff flake accompanied alan gross back from havana the other day. david is in indianapolis. what did you think of the president's comments? caller: i thought he made some good points along the way, but the one position i am mostly concerned with is the issue with the grand juries and the ferguson situation and the new

york situation, and many others around the country. i think it is long past time -- and i am hoping the president in theep in with this changes being made in the training of police officers. this is a training issue and the hiring issue. over the years, police departments needed personnel. of course, they have some standards, but i would like to see better standards set. you don't see this at the federal level with fbi agents. with the cuba issue, all i can we about the cuba issue is should've done this 20 years ago. there is no reason for us to carry on these hostilities with our neighbors. we should've been friends with cuba a long time ago. the president ending his

news conference, 45 minutes on an optimistic note. this from the new york times online. i thought the press conference was a disaster. like most of obama's press conferences, they seem vague, but in essence they are meaningless. obama has proclaimed himself the gator. he thinks he is the poor man's castro. guy think he is? executive action is nothing the code for lawlessness. he should be impeached. this castro thing isn't going to get anywhere because he cannot and embargoes. i don't know where he thinks he is. second of all, he cozies up to dictators and islamic terrorists. his mideast policy is in the

tank. look at syria. look at egypt. palestinian's, who are bloodthirsty. obama is incompetent and he should be impeached now. to daphne, alabama, and bolton is on the democrat line. say i: i just wanted to agree with two collars ago -- with the caller before the last caller that the police need to be sanctioned and watch what it is crazy from what i have been hearing on the news. also, the president talking about how north korea is going to be dealt with at the right .ime in the right place i think if we wait too long we will end up with another 9/11 on

our hands. [indiscernible] the wall street journal says the fbi says north korea is behind the sony hack. the action was intended to inflict significant harm on u.s. is mrs. andrea press the right and- u.s. businesses repressed the right of americans to express themselves. republican line. caller: i am a little bit scared. number one, we have a president taking the side of small, lawless, civilian factions against his own police force. i have never heard of that and it really scares me because the last time i checked we were hiring these young men and women to defend us in our neighborhoods. i am pretty sure if you don't police arey the doing their job, you can vote

differently. you can apply for a police job yourself and be a part of the change you want to see. the other thing is, he gave no mention to the war in afghanistan for the ongoing wars in iraq, syria. the troopsntioned coming home from afghanistan. 1300 are coming home today. he mentioned that during his news conference. my run independent line. go ahead. i just want to say that i feel like obama is a really reasonable man, especially on the whole cuba situation. i ink it is really long overdue. we should have been trying to open that up a long time ago. i his address to the police, like how he was not blaming the force, but just specifically talking about some biases that they have.

thank you so much. for your call. a quick note about the press conference itself. a tweet from sarah at the national journal about the questioners. it was 45 minutes. we will show it all to you tonight at 9:10 p.m. eastern. today reflecting that the president will give the state of the union on tuesday, january 20. we will have live coverage for you here on c-span and of course on c-span radio. >> up next, the final news conference of 2014 from president obama. >> hello, everybody. we've really got a full house

today, huh? well, all i want for christmas is to take your questions. . first, let me say a little bit about this year. in last year's final press conference, i said that 2014 would be a year of action and would be a break-through year for america, and it has been. yes, there were criesees that we had to tackle around the world, many that were unanticipated. we have more work to do to make sure our economy, our justice system, and our government work not just for the few but for the many. but there is no doubt that we can enter into the new year with renewed confidence that america's making significant strides where it counts. the steps that we took early on to rescue our economy and rebuild it on a new foundation helped make 2014, the strongest year for job growth since the . 90's

almost all the job growth that we've seen have been in full-time positions. much of the recent pick-up in job growth has been in higher paying industries. in a hopeful sign for middle class families, wages are on the rise again. our investment in american manufacturing have helped fuel this best stretch of job growth also since the 1990's. america is thousand the number one producer of oil, the number one processor of natural gas. we're saving drivers about 70 cents a gallon at the pump over last christmas. and effectively today our rescue of the auto industry is officially over. we've now repaid taxpayers every dime and more of what my administration committed and the american automotive industry is on track for the first time since 2005.

we've created about a half a million new jobs in the auto industry alone. about 10 million americans have gained health insurance this past year thanks to the affordable care act. enrollment is can beginning to pick up during the open enrollment period. the uninsured rate had a near-record low since the law passed. we've cut our deficits by about 2/3 since i took office, bringing them to below their 40-year average. meanwhile, around the world, america's leading. we're leading the coalition to degrade and ultimately destroy isil. a coalition that includes arab partners. we're leading the mission to check the russian immigration in ukraine. we're leading the global fight to fight ebola in west africa and we are preventing an outbreak from taking place here

at home. we're leading efforts in climate change. we're writing a new chapter in our leadership here in the americas by turning a new page on our relationship with the cuban people and in less than two weeks, after more than 13 years, our combat mission in afghanistan will be over. today more of our troops are home for the holidays than any time in over a decade. still, many of our men and women in uniform will spend christmas in harm's way and they should know that the country is united in support of you and grateful not only to you but also to your families. the six years since the crisis have demanded hard work and sacrifice on everybody's part. but as a country, we have every right to be proud of what we've accomplished. more jobs, more people insured,

a growing economy, shrinking energy. booming take any metric that you want. america's resurgence is real. we are better off. i've always said that recovering from the crisis of 2008 was our first order of business, and on that business, america's outperformed all of our other competitors. over the past four years we put more people back to work than all other advanced economies combined. we've now come to a point where we have the chance to reverse an even deeper problem, the decades-long erosion of middle class jobs and incomes and to make sure that the middle class is the engine that powers our prosperity for decades to come. to do that we're going to have to make some smart choices. we've got to make the right choice. we're going to have to invest in

things that secure faster growth and higher paying jobs for more americans. i'm being absolutely sincere when i say i want to work with this new congress to get things done, to make those investments, make sure the government's working better and smarter. we're going to disagree on some things, but there are going to be areas of agreement, and we've got to be able to make that happen, and that's going to involve compromise every once in a while. s we saw in this lame duck session we see that lame duck may be coming to the fore. i'm energized, i'm excited about the prospects for the next couple of years. i'm certainly not going to be stopping for a minute in the effort to make life better for ordinary americans. because thanks to their efforts, we really do have a new

foundation that's been laid. we are better positioned than we have been in a very long time. the future is ready to be written. we've set the stage for this american moment, and i'm going to spend every minute of my last two years making sure that we seize it. my presidency's entering the fourth quarter. interesting stuff happens in the fourth quarter and i'm looking forward to it. but going into the fourth quarter you usually get a time-out i'm now looking forward to a quiet time-out, christmas with my family. i want to wish everybody a merry christmas, a happy hanukkah, a happy new year. i hope that all of you get some time to spend with your families as well, because one thing that we share is that we're away too much from them. and now, josh has given me the who's been naughty and who's

been nice list and i'm going to use it to take some questions. y re going to start with ter brown at politico. >> thank you, mr. president. north korea is the biggest topic today. what does a professional response look like to the sony hack? and did sony make the right decision in pulling the movie? or does that set dangerous precedent when faced with this kind of situation? >> let me address the second question first. sony's a corporation. t suffered significant damage. there were threats against its employees. the concernstic to that they faced. having said all that, yes, i think they made a mistake.

in this interconnected digital world, there are going to be opportunities for hackers to engage in cyber assaults both in the private sector and the subsector. now, our first order of business is to make sure we do everything to harden sites and prevent those kinds of attacks from taking place. when i came into office, i said up a cyber security agency, team, to look at everything we could do at the government level to prevent these kinds of attacks. we've been coordinating with the private sector, but a lot needs to be done. we're not even close to where we need to be, and one of the things in the new year that i hope the congress is prepared to work with us on is strong cyber security laws that allow for information sharing across private sector platforms as well as the public sector, so that we

are incorporating best practices and preventing these attacks from happening in the first place. but even as we get better, the hackers are going to get better, too. some of them are going to be state actors, some of them rt going to be nonstate actors. many of them are going to be sophisticated and many of them can do some damage. we cannot have a society in which some dictator some place can start imposing sensorship here in the united states. because if somebody is able to to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that they don't like or news reports or even don't like

and , imagine if producers distributors and others start engaging in self censorship because they don't want to offense the sense abilities of those whose sense abilities probably need to be offend. so that's not who we are. that's not what america's about. again, i'm sympathetic that sony as a private company was worried about liabilities and this and that and the other. i wish they'd spoken to me first. not d have told them, do get into a pattern in which you're intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks. imagine if instead of it being a

cyber threat, somebody had broken into their offices and stroyed a bunch of computers and stolen discs and -- is that what it takes for suddenly you to pull the plug on something? not just ngage with the film industry but the news industry and the private sector around these issues. we already have. we will continue to do so. but i think all of us have to anticipate occasionally there are going to be breaches like this. they're going to be costly, they're going to be serious. we take them with the utmost seriousness. ut we can't start charging our patterns of behavior any more than we can stop going to a football game because there might be the possibility of a terrorist attack, anymore than

boston didn't run its marathon this year because of the possibility that somebody might try to cause harm. bay 's not get into that of doing business. >> inaudible inaudible responsive, would you consider taking some sort of symbolic step like watching the movie yourself or -- >> i've got a long list of movies i'm going to be watching. >> would this be one of them? >> i never release my full movie . st let's talk of the spevks of what we now know. the f.b.i. announced today -- and we can confirm -- that north orea engaged in this attack. it says something interesting about north korea that they decided to have the state mount

an all-out assault on a movie studio because of a satirical movie starring seth rogan and james flacco. i love seth and i love james, but the notion that that was a threat to them, i think, gives you some sense of the kind of regime we're talking about here. they caused a lot of damage and we will respond. we will respond proportionally and we'll respond in a place in time and narn we choose. it's not something that i will announce here today in a press conference. more broadly, though, this points to the need for us to work with the international community to start setting up some very clear rules of the road in terms of how the internet and cyber operates.

right now it's sort of the wild west. part of the problem is you've got weak states that can engage in these kinds of attacks. you've got nonstate actors that can do enormous damage. that's part of what makes this issue of cyber security so urgent. again, this is a part of the reason why it's going to be so important for congress to work with us and get a actual bill passed that allows for the kind of information sharing we need. because, you know, if we don't put in place the kind of architecture that can prevent these attacks from taking place, this is not just going to be affecting movies. this is going to be affecting our entire economy in ways that are extraordinarily significant. by the way, i hear you're moving to europe. where you going to be? >> brussels. >> brussels.

>> i'm going to start a new adventure. >> congratulations. >> this is a new beginning. >> i think there's no tchute what belgium needs is a version of politico. [laughter] > the waffles are delicious. >> shell, you've been naughty, go ahead. >> thank you, mr. president. looking ahead to your work with the congress next year, you've mentioned an area of possible compromise, tax reform. so i am wondering, do you see a republican congress as presenting a better opportunity for actually getting tax reform next year? will you be putting out a new proposal? are you willing to consider both individual and corporate side of the tax ledger there? and also, are you still

concerned about corporate inversion? democratic all congress would have provided an even better opportunity for tax reform, but i think talking to speaker boehner and leader mcconnell that they are serious about wanting to get some things done. the tax area is one area where we can get things done, and i think in the coming weeks leading up to the state of the union, there will be some conversations at the staff level about what principles each side are looking at. i can tell you broadly what i'd like to see. i'd like to see more simplicity in the system. i'd like to see more fairness in the system. with respect to the corporate tax reform issue, we know that there are companies that are paying the full freight, 35%, higher than just about any other company on earth, if you're

35euing 35%. and -- 35%. and there are other companies that are paying zero because they've got better accountants or lawyers. that's not fair. there are companies that are parking money outside the country because of tax avoidance. we think it's important that everybody pays something if, in fact, they are effectively headquartered in the united states. in terms of corporate inversion, those are situations where companies really are headquartered here but on paper, switched their headquarters to see if they could avoid paying their fair share of taxes. i think that needs to be fixed. so fairness, everybody paying their fair share, everybody taking their responsibility, i think is going to be very important. some of those principles, i've heard republicans say they share. ow we do that, the defensively's in the the

details. -- devil's in the delills. i'm going to make sure that we put forward some pretty specific proposals building on what we've already put forward. one other element of this that i think is important is -- and i've been on this hobby horse now for six years -- bless you -- we've got a loft from structure weave got to build if we're going to be competitive. infrastructure we have to build if we're going to be exetive. we are way behind. early on we indicated that there is a way of us potentially doing corporate tax reform, lowering rates, eliminating loopholes so everybody's paying their fair share and during that transition, also providing a mechanism where we can get some infrastructure built.

i'd like to see us work on that issue as well. hasorically, infrastructure not been a republican or democratic issue. so i'd like to see us return to that. >> julie pace. >> what do you think dissidents r democracy advocates inside cuba could give the castro -- youabout -- when your saw commitments of reform on myanmar. do you have any indication that north korea was acting in conjunction with another country, perhaps china? >> we've got no indications that north korea was a abouting with any other country. with respect to cuba, we are glad that the cuban government has released slightly over 50

dissidents, that they're going to be allow the international committee of the red cross and the united states human rights agencies to monitor what is taking place. i share the concerns of dissidents there and human ights activists. this is still a regime that represses its people and as i said when i made the announcement, i don't anticipate overnight changes, but what i know deep in my bones is that if you've done the same thing for 50 years and nothing's changed, you should try something different if you want a different outcome. this gives us an opportunity for a different outcome, because suddenly cuba is open to the world in ways that it has not

been before. it's open to americans traveling there in ways that it hasn't been before. it's open to church groups believers eir fellow inside cuba in ways they haven't been before. it offers the prospect of telecommunications and the internet being more widely available in cuba in ways that it hasn't been before. and over time, that chips away t this hermetically sealed society. and i believe offers the best prospect then of leading to greater freedom, greater self-determination on the part of the cuban people. i think it will happen in fits and starts, but true engagement, we have a better chance of bringing about change than we would have otherwise.

>> [inaudible [being at the end of your presidency? >> i think it would be unrealistic to map out exactly where cuba will be, but change is going to come to cuba. it has to. they've got an economy that doesn't work. they've been reliant for years first on subsidies from the soviet union. then on subsidies from vens. those -- venezuela. those can't be sustained. the more the cuban people see what's possible, the more interested they are going to be in change. how societies change is country specific, culturally specific. it could happen fast. it could happen slower than i'd like, but i think this change of policy is going to advance that. leslie clark. >> thank you, sir. i have a number of questions for

you as well. >> ok. >> appreciate that. >> do i have to write all these down? the numbers sounded intimidated. >> quick as i can. >> ok. >> i want too see if you got any assurances from the cuban government that it would not revert to the famous habit of sabotaging the deal when we've made similar overtures to the government. >> what do you mean? >> when the administration made overtures, they shot down planes, they had a pattern of doing provocative -- >> ok. so just general provocative activities. >> provocative activities. i wanted to see what is your knowledge of whether fidel castro, did he have any role in the foxx? -- talks? when you talked to raul castro,

did raul castro's name come up? how is he doing. from lifting the embargo, any of the changes you're doing, are you going to personally get involved in terms of stalking to them about efforts that they on a do to block money new embassy >> ok. this is taking up a lot of time. >> all right. >> all right. so with respect to sabotage, i mean, my understanding of history, for example, the plane being shot down, it's not clear cuban at was the government, it was a tragedy circumstance that ended up collapsing talks that have begun to take place. i haven't seen a historical record that suggests that they shot the plane down specifically

in order to undermine overtures by the clinton government. think the -- it is not precedented for the president of the united states and the president of cuba to make an announcement at the same time that they are moving towards normalizing relations. so there hasn't been anything like this. in the pars. that doesn't mean that over the next two years, we can't anticipate them taking certain actions that we may end occupy either deeply troubling, inside of cuba or with respect to their foreign policy. and could put significant strains on the relationship. but that's true of a lot of countries out there where we have an embassy. and the whole point of

normalizing relations is it gives us a greater opportunity to have influence with that not, so i would be surprised if the cuban government purposely tries to undermine what is now effectively its own policy. i wouldn't be surprised if they take at any given time action that is we think are a problem. and we will be in a position to respond to whatever actions they take, the same way we do with a whole range of countries around the world when they do things that we think are wrong. but the point is that we will be in a better position i think to actually have some influence and there may be care rots as well as sticks that we can apply --

carrots as well as sticks that we can apply. i think we mentioned in the david muir interview that i did. i delivered a fairly lengthy statement at the front end about how we're looking forward to a new future in the relationship between our two countries, but that we are going to continue to press on issues of democracy and human rights, which we think are .mportant my opening remarks took about 15 minutes, which on the phone is a pretty long time. at the end of that, he said "mr. president, you're still a young man. perhaps you have the -- at the end --" at the end of my remarks i apologized for taking such a long time but i wanted to make sure that before we engaged in the conversation, we -- he was very clear about where i 1250d.

he said, "don't worry about it, mr. president. you still have a chance to break fidel's record. he once spoke for seven hours straight." and then president castro began to deliver his own preliminary remarks that lasted at least twice as long as mine. i was able to say obviously it runs in the family. that was the only discussion of fidel castro that we had. i sort of forget all the other questions. >> i have a few more. how personally involved are you going to get -- >> well, with respect to congress, we cannot unilaterally bring down the embargo that's bill.ed in the liberatade i think there's going to be a process where congress digests it, there are bipartisan

supporters of our new approach. there are bipartisan detractors of this new approach. people will see how the actions we take is going to unfold. i think ultimately we need to pull down the embargo, which has been self-defeating. but i don't anticipate that happens right away. i think people will want to see this moves forward before there is any serious debate about whether or not we would make major shifts in the embargo. all right, we will go to brampton. >> i wanted to follow up on that by asking under what conditions would you meet with president castro in havana? would you have certain pre-conditions you would want

him to meet? on the hack, i know you said you will not announce your response, but can you say whether you're considering additional economic sanctions on north korea? can you rule out the use of military force? >> i think i am going to leave it where i left it. we just confirmed that it was north korea. we have been working off a range of options. they will be presented to me. i will make a decision on those based on what i believe is proportional and appropriate to the nature of this crime. with respect to cuba, we are not at a stage here where me visiting cuba or president castro coming to the united states is in the cards. i don't know how this relationship will develop over the next several years.

i am a fairly young man, so i imagine that at some point in my life i will have a chance to visit cuba and enjoy interacting with the cuban people, but there is nothing specific where we are trying to to target a visit on my part. colleen nelson. there you are. >> you spoke about 2014 being a breakthrough year and you ended the year with executive actions on immigration, cuba, and climate change. you did not make much progress with your legislative agenda. republican lawmakers have said they are less inclined to work with you if you continue to pursue executive actions so aggressively. are you going to continue executive branches -- actions,

and have you concluded it is not possible to break the fever in washington? >> i think there are real opportunities to get things done in congress. and i take speaker boehner and mitch mcconnell at their word that they would like to get things done. the question is going to be, are we able to separate out those areas where we disagree and those areas where we agree? there will be tough fights on where we agree. if republicans seek to take health care away from people who just got it, they will meet stiff resistance from me. if they try to water down consumer protections that we put in place in the aftermath of the financial crisis, i will say no. i am confident i will be able to uphold vetoes of those types of provisions.

but on increasing american exports, on simplifying our tax system, on rebuilding our infrastructure, my hope is that we can get some things done. i have never been persuaded by this argument that if it weren't for the executive actions they would have been more productive. there is no evidence of that. so i intend to continue to do what i have been doing, which is where i see a big problem and the opportunity to help the american people and it is within my lawful authority to provide that help, i am going to do it. and will then i will reach out to members of congress and republicans and say let's work together, i would rather work together. immigration is a classic example. i was really happy when the senate passed a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration bill. and i did everything i could for

a year and a half to provide republicans the space to act and showed not only great patience, but flexibility, saying to them look, if there are specific changes you would like to see, we are willing to compromise, we are willing to be patient, we are willing to work with you. ultimately, it was not forthcoming. and so the question is going to be, i think, if executive actions on areas like minimum wage or equal pay or having a more sensible immigration system are important to republicans, if they care about those issues and the executive actions are bothering them, there is a very simple solution, and that is pass bills and work with me to make sure i am willing to sign those bills, because both sides are going to have to compromise

on most issues in order for their initiatives to become law. i have to sign off, and that means they have to take into account the issues that i care about just as i have to take into account the issues that they care about. all right, i think this is going to be the last question. julian. >> one of the first bills mitch mcconnell said he would pursue was the keystone pipeline. when you talked about this in the past, you minimized the benefits and you are concerned about the risks.

what will you do, and also, given the precipitous drop in oil prices recently, does that change the calculus? >> i don't think i have minimized the benefits. i think i have described the benefits. at issue in keystone is not american oil. it is canadian oil. that is drawn out of tar sands in canada. that oil currently is being shipped out through rail or trucks, and it would save canadian oil companies and the canadian oil industry an enormous amount of money if they could simply pipe it all the way through the united states down to the gulf.

it will then be sold into the world market all around the world. so -- i won't say no, but there is very little impact, nominal impact, on u.s. gas prices, what the average consumer cares about, by having this pipeline come through. and sometimes this is sold as if it is going to lower gas prices in the united states. it's not. there is a global oil market. it's very good for canadian oil companies and the oil industry, but it is not going to be a huge benefit to u.s. consumers. it is not even going to be of nominal benefit to u.s. consumers. now, the construction of the

pipeline itself will create a couple thousand jobs, temporary jobs. there are probably some additional jobs that can be created in the refining process in the gulf. those are not completely insignificant, just like any other project, but when you consider what we could be doing if we were rebuilding roads and bridges around the country, something congress could authorize, we could probably create hundreds of thousands of jobs or millions of jobs. there are better ways to create well-paying american construction jobs. then with respect to the costs,

all i have said is i want to make sure that if in fact the project goes forward that it is not adding to climate change, which does impose serious costs on the american people, some of them long term, but significant nonetheless. if we got more flooding, more wildfires, more drought, there are direct economic impacts. as we are rebuilding after hurricane sandy, we have to consider how to increase preparedness and how we structure infrastructure, housing, and so forth along the jersey shore. that is an example of the kinds of costs you can impose that have a dollar figure on them. in terms of process, a nebraska judge is still determining whether or not a new path of the pipeline is appropriate.

once that is resolved, then the state department will begin in all the information it needs to make its decision. but i want to give some perspective is there has been there's a tendency to hype this as some magic formula to what ails the u.s. economy and it's hard to see on paper exactly where they are getting the information from. in terms of oil prices and how it impacts the decision, i think it will not have a significant impact except perhaps in the minds of folks when gas prices are lower maybe they are less susceptible to the argument that this will lower gas prices. but it was never going to mean

lower gas prices because the oil goes into the world market. >> is this something where you clearly say you're not going to let congress force your hand? >> we will take that up in the new year. >> any new year's resolutions? >> april, go ahead. >> thank you, mr. president. last question, again. six years ago this month, i asked you what was the state of black america in the oval office, and you said it was the best of times and the worst of times. you said there had never been more opportunities for african-americans to receive a good education and the worst of times in unemployment and the lack of opportunity. as of 2014, what do you say to

those black americans about those issues and race relations? >> like the rest of america, black america in the aggregate is better off than it was when i came in to office. jobs of been created. people have gotten health insurance. housing equities have been recovered. 401(k) pensions have been recovered. a lot of those folks are african-american and they're better off than they were. the gap of white and black america persists, and we have more work to do on that. i have been consistent in saying that this is a legacy of troubled racial past, jim crow, slavery. that is not an excuse for black folks, and i think the overwhelming majority of black people understand it is not an excuse. they are working hard, trying to

get an education, trying to send their kids to college, but they start out pretty far behind in the race. we should be willing to provide people a hand up, not a handout, but help folks get that good early childhood education, help them graduate from high school and afford college. if they do, they will be better able to succeed and that is going to be good for all of us. we have seen some progress with the education reforms we have initiated. they're showing measurable results. we have the highest high school graduation we have seen in a very long time. we're seeing record numbers of young people attending college. in many states that have initiated reforms, you are

seeing progress in math and reading scores are african- american and latino students as well as the broader population, but he still have more work to do. now, obviously how we are thinking about race relations right now -- by ferguson, the garner case in new york -- has been colored by ferguson, the garner case in new york and a growing awareness in the broader population of what people of color have understood for some time, and that is that there are specific instances at least where law enforcement doesn't feel as if it's being applied in a colorblind fashion. the task force i formed is supposed to report back to me in 90 days, not with a bunch of abstract musings about race relations, but some concrete

practical things that police departments and law enforcement agencies can begin implementing right now to rebuild trust between communities of color and the police department. and my intention is to, as soon as i get those recommendations, to start implementing them. some will require congressional action. some will require action on the part of states and local jurisdictions. but i think it has been a healthy conversation we have had. these are not new phenomenon. the fact they are not surfacing because that people have been able to film would have just in the past been stories around the kitchen table allows

people to make their own evaluations and assessments, and you're not going to solve the problem if it is not being talked about. in the meantime, we have been moving forward on criminal justice issues more broadly. one of the things i didn't talk about was this is the first time in 40 years were the federal prison population and the crime rate have gone down at the same time, which indicates the degree to which it is possible for us to think smarter about who we are incarcerating, how long, how we deal with nonviolent offenders, how we deal with drug offenders, diversion programs, drug courts. we can do a better job and save money in the process by initiating some of these reforms, and i have been very pleased to see republicans and democrats in congress who are interested in these issues as well. one thing i will say -- and this will be the last thing i say -- [laughter]

is that -- i -- one of the great things about this job is that you get to know the american people. you meet people from every walk of life in every region of the country, every race, every faith. and when i don't think it is always captured in our political debates is that the vast majority of people are just trying to do the right thing. and people are basically good and have good intentions. sometimes our systems and our institutions don't work as well as they should. sometimes you got a police department that has gotten into bad habits over time and hasn't maybe surfaced some hidden biases that we all carry around.

but if you offer practical solutions, people want to fix these problems. this is not a situation where people feel good seeing somebody choked and die. i think that troubles everybody. there is an opportunity for all of us to come together and take a practical approach to these problems. i guess that is my general theme for the end of the year, which is we have gone through difficult times. it is your job, press corps, to report on all the mistakes that are made, the bad things that happen, the crises, and i understand that. but through persistent effort and faith in the american

people, things get better. the economy has gotten better. our ability to generate clean energy has gotten better. we know more about how to educate our kids. we solve problems. ebola is a real crisis. you get a mistake in the first case because it's not something that has been seen before. we fix it. you have some unaccompanied children who spike at the border. and it may not get fixed in the timeframe of the news cycle, but it gets fixed. and part of what i hope, as we reflect on the new year, this should generate us some confidence. america knows how to solve

problems, and when we work together, we can't be stopped. and now i am to go on vacation. mahalo. thank you, everybody. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] show you the entire news conference again on c-span eastern.t 9:10 we welcome your comments on social media. what do you think about the president's news conference? arry says here is wishing you wonderful holiday season, mr. president. thank you for your competence. -- confidence.

interviews with retiring members of congress, dave camp and buck mckeon. their thoughts on congress in the future. in this preview, congressman camp recalls calling president ford. buck mckeon talks about the regulatory word faced buys -- the regulatory burden faced by businesses today. >> i want hard on welfare reform and trade issues. at that time the steering -- you knew what you were in a government process. it was a campaign and about the votes on the committee who determines who gets a seat on the committee. you are talking to every member and there was a particular member that i was not -- that was not for me, and i do not know what to do, and out of the blue, i dialed the president's

office. i had met him a few times. i knew him. his secretary answered the phone and said, hold, and he got on the phone, and said, dave, how are you? he said i used to the leader, and they only a favor. that persons that anybody who gets the president to call me, i am for. i told susan ford that wants. it was a changing moment for me and he was very gracious and the fact he was in his office and took the call when i have not scheduled to call, i called him out of the blue, it was very much a hail mary pass. >> some ways we need to go back and make things a little simpler. when my dad first went into

business, he had been wanting for a company selling off of a truck meat. he saved enough money and he bought a used fish truck, and he and my mom worked all weekend to get the smell out of that truck. early monday morning, the war had already started and the meat was being rationed. abled some friends, he was to buy enough meat to fill up his truck, and then around trying to sell it. one weekend i think he was in business. one day he could have been out of business. at the end of the day, he found somebody who want everything he had, and that is how he got started. now you got to go get different it this, permits, organization, that organization, everything is tougher. the taxes that come with all these things. while this is the greatest country in the world, we got lots of challenges. >> see both of those interviews

beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. your are some of the programs you will find this weekend. seth discussing politics and humorrogen. the perception of hype hypocrisy of liberals with their warm on women -- more on women rhetoric. saturday, the argument that the top universities are missing the mark on education and student learn how -- need to learn how to think critically. visitsmorning, book tv west lafayette, indiana, to

visit literary sites. saturday, the life of irish american soldier patrick cleburne. sunday afternoon at 4:00 on real america, a 1974 investigated these by san francisco's kron on the history of police retaliated in oakland. find a complete schedule at www.c-span.org and let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. call us, e-mail us, or send us a .reat >> in his annual reader and news conference, vladimir putin answered several questions on

relations with ukraine and the state of his country's economy. external powers for the decline of the economy, but told reporters he thought the economy would be back on track within two years. he said new sanctions imposed by the u.s. and others were wrong and illegitimate. here is a 90-it portion of yesterday's news conference. >> good afternoon. i am glad to see you all here. in a good mood. the desire to ask questions, as he did lester, i will begin -- as we did lester, i will begin by giving you result of our work for the year. i will try to answer

your question. thing, thethe main economic perimeter, including -- that growth, the gdp for the 7% or10 months has been 0. 0.6%. yesterday we had a meeting with my colleagues, and the trade balance surplus has grown by $13.3 billion. after the blaster, we have had some increase in our industrial production. growth was 1.7%.

unemployment is quite low. it was even less than 5% before. now it is 5.1%. the growing industrial, let's is l conference is continuing to develop. as you know, this year we had a 104 million tons n, is like the --ket this year [indiscernible] that means that incomes will be 1.2. r than spending by

trillion rubles. the --sure that year outcome of the year in the social news sphere is, of course, a positive demographic dynamic. natural growth of population for are 37.110 months thousand people. the death rate is decreasing now and the birth rate is increasing which is a very good trend. we must do everything in order to keep it. as we promised, we are continuing to impact the capital . ,408 rubles.was 429