schweitzer -- schweizer . friday saturday night at 8:00, here a brooklyn college classroom lecture on the revolutionary war and how individual personalities, supplies, and fatalities often affected the outcome of major wars. and a look back at actor and performer joe brown. a nationwide search for old circuit wagon -- circus wagons and an effort to restore them. get the complete schedule at www.c-span.org. the president of brazil is in talks with president obama in

washington. this afternoon, the two spoke with reporters at a news conference at the white house. this is an hour. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and the president of the republic of brazil. >> please have a seat. good morning, everybody. good afternoon. it is a great pleasure to welcome my partner and friend president rousseff back to the white house. this is another opportunity for me to reciprocate the extraordinary hospitality of the

dilma and the people of brazil showed me when we visited or so. i want to go back. i didn't get a chance to experience common law. -- vice president biden got to go to the world cup, not me. but the eyes of the world will be on brazil again when it hosts the olympics next year. that will be another reminder of brazil's remarkable rise both at home and on the world stage. as president i pursued a new era of engagement with latin america where countries were together as equal partners based on interest and mutual respect. him the united states is more deeply engaged in the region than we have been in decades. i believe the relationship between the united states and latin america is as good as it's ever been. we are focused on the future where we can accomplish together. a cornerstone of our engagement

with the region as a strong partnership with the sale. -- with brazil. i believe our two nations are natural partners in the america and around the world. best of the world's largest mockers easily understand the -- largest democracies easily understand aspirations of citizens to them that freedom. dilma, the sacrifices you've made in your own life right testament to the determination. after multiracial, multiethnic they are stronger and uphold the rights, in truth we reflected on yesterday when we visited the memorial to martin luther king jr. the world's largest economies we understand lasting prosperity and confronting the injustices of poverty and inequality could only come when we truly invest in our people, their education and their skills come in their ability to live and work with dignity. it is our enduring interests and values that bind us together. and now no relationship between

countries is about countries is about disagreements. the united states and brazil are no different. it is often tempting to focus on whatever challenges may be in the moment. and steps that don't make the headlines, the work of our nation has gone on and over the years president of rousseff and i have deep and firm promoted up the government to combating human trafficking to advancing development in africa. since i took office we boosted american exports by more than 50% and our bilateral trade has reached record levels surpassing $100 billion a year. we've expanded collaborations in science and technology and the ties between our people, especially young people as part of our 100,000 strong in the americas initiative to come to the united states and more american students go to brazil and that its real concrete progress we've made together. of course president rousseff the

-- and i believe given how close our national interest and i is the line, there is much more the united states and brazil can do together. dilma, thank you for your commitment for taking the partnership to the next level. that is what we say across the -- what we have done today across a range of areas. first we are announcing a series of new steps to boost trade and investment with results recent announcement on her structure in american companies will have -- and investment. with brazil's recent announcement on infrastructure in american companies, we will have more opportunities to compete for projects and highways, airports and railways. will make it easier for companies to hire workers in each other's countries that will do more to help our small and medium-size businesses and large partners connecting collaborating export them as leaders in science and technology we've agreed to increase partnerships between colleges and universities as we develop the next scientists and researchers.

second, as major economy, the -- as major economies the united states and brazil believe in climate change. since 2005 or two nations produce carbon emissions more than any other countries in the world. in brazil this includes efforts over the past decade to combat before his nation including the amazon which is some type called the lungs of the planet. together a countries are leaders in clean energy. we take important as fast as -- important steps as we work toward a strong global climate agreement in paris. i think our bazillion friends for their post-2020 target in reducing emissions including substantial post to eliminate illegal deforestation and restore forests. both nations that google is a clean energy beyond hydropower the united states and brazil aimed to increase the share of electricity from renewable energy to 20% by the year 2030. these are very ambitious goal, a near tripling for the united

states and more than doubled brazil's current output. following progress during my trips to china and india, this shows the world's major economies can transcend field -- can transcend some of the old divides and come together to confront the common challenge we face, something we have to work on for future generations and this will lead to a strong outcome in paris. third, we are working to deepen our defense cooperation under president rousseff's leadership to import agreements were approved last week and are now in effect. going forward it will be easier for our two militaries to train together to share more , information and technology and cooperate disaster response and peacekeeping. i want to thank you for making this progress. finally we worked together to

uphold democracy and human rights across latin america. i very much appreciate president rousseff support for the new opening towards cuba. i updated dilma including embassies in havana and washington and i believe brazil's leadership in the region as well as a journey in the market economy can make a partner as we create more opportunities and prosperity for the cuban people. in short i believe that is a -- this visit marks one more step in a new ambitious chapter in the relationship between our countries. we are focused on the future. dilma, thank you for friendship, partnership and progress have -- the progress we have achieved together. and in the year ahead we americans will cheer proudly for team u.s.a. we will be rooting for games with the sale of our host.

dilma did give me a very nice yellow and green sweatshirt, which says brazil on the back. i can't wear that in public. [laughter] because i have to root for the u.s.a. but at home at night it is very comfortable. i might slip it on. president rousseff, thank you. president rousseff: [speaking foreign language] >> translator: dear president, barack obama, grinning sideways -- greetings to a cabinet members at the two delegations. greetings likewise to all members, photographers cameramen and women. i would like to thank president barack obama and the u.s. for the hospitality for which they have welcomed me since i got here. and ever since i came through new york this morning and last evening president barack obama had protected meetings during

-- productive meetings during which we have celebrated in a -- an upward trajectory in our relations. we have also established a robust bilateral agenda in areas of trade investment climate change, energy, education, defense, science, technology innovation. we have reinforced our dialogue on topics such as the environment and sustainable development. factors that are indeed key and essential for the world we also focus on governing peace and security. the economic recovery in the united states is an extremely positive development for the world economy and certainly the brazilian economy are bilateral -- brazilian economy. our bilateral trade is very substantial and no-space-on

-- and there is no higher value added. we want to further expand and diversify exchanges inherent challenge consistent doubling our trade. the ultimate object that consists in building the conditions to ensure an ambitious trade relationship between brazil and the united states. in the short term we should remove especially the non-terrorist off the coast that -- the non-terrorists --non-t arrifs off the coast that are in place for investor good and agricultural goods. with splashdown bureaucracy red tape and do away with the very complicated permit restrictions and would also like of course the high-quality and brazil we do live knowledge. in the short-term our priority agenda will focus on two topics. number one, regulatory standards convergence, harmonization. number two, trade facilitation through a single window system

to streamline its simplified the -- to streamline and simplify the time frame involved in customs procedures. we would also like to cut the -- to simplify the u.s. patent office is. that the matter involves intellectual property is there a positive impact by these investments as we expand the degree of technology incorporated into brazil. the u.s. is the main investor in 2018 -- the total aggregate from 2013. the u.s. came to 160 billion. resilient investments in the u.s. have grown in 2013. the total aggregate amount in the u.s. came to 15.7 billion u.s. dollars. these figures do not truly represent the order of magnitude of these investments and it is

important to indicate between 2002-12 the growth of investment by brazil in the u.s. came to 221 between 2007 and 2012. we want to further expand the flow and we want them to be higher given the actual potentiality available to is -- available in our respective economies. that is one of the objectives of the efforts we have engaged in to further strength and are not economic policy for both resilient investments in foreign investment in brazil. we have also developed a macroeconomic agenda can therefore be of less regulatory risk expanding the processes and also the relations between companies also expanding the -- between companies and the government. we are also expanding the investment opportunity in one area where coordination by the government is not what the key

-- is absolutely key in terms of setting the right expectations. talking about the infrastructure area. we have launched an ambitious infrastructure program and we hope and thank president obama for his commitment and assuring the presence of u.s. investors in the process and the logistics development program. i would also like to say we have enjoyed a fruitful relationship between our two governments in -- and the business communities. the bilateral ceo for them with -- the bilateral ceo form with the important suggestion such as the establishment are setting up of an infrastructure inflation by coordinating and promoting investment projects as well as the suggestion of development and developing financial tools for investments in the long-term stimulating private sector involvement.

we also have a wide array of several opportunities and achievement in areas such as the defense arena, for example. we welcome the two agreement passed by congress. the defense and cooperation agreement will allow a very fruitful cooperation between the brazilian ministry of defense as well as the u.s. counterpart ministry of defense. the military information in agreement on military information will have the exchange of information in that area. biotechnology, aerospace technology. i would like to highlight one point that president obama and i discussed and one in which we have come to a decision which i view as very important.

i'm talking about climate change. climate change is one of the central challenges of the 21st century. we have one important objective which is number one to ensure that the image of our two countries will have a sufficient share. the decision has a great deal to do with the outlook and our involvement as part of the global initiatives agreement so that they are indeed in a -- so that we are in a position to materialize the agreement during the upcoming conference to be held in paris. the second area is very much related to the first one, which is the joint decision by our two countries to establish a 20%

goal in terms of expanding the renewable shares except for the hydro sources between now and 2020. i very much welcome the decision because it is extremely important in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and also it speaks to our clear-cut commitment in ensuring the environment and also after it to make sure the global temperature would not go up beyond two degrees as agreed. as countries we have the very important greenhouse gas emissions. -- emissions target. we attach a great deal of importance to reduce not only as we have done actually in brazil, but we at the commitment to come

to a zero deforestation, illegal deforestation rate and we also wish to turn the page as engaged -- and engage in a clear-cut reforestation that is an extremely important point for brazil and also reflects the commitment we ourselves have undertaken as part of the forest code in effect in brazil. the agenda in my view is absolutely essential or -- four cooperation in energy efficiency for example. we are committed to putting in smart grids as well as minimum education levels and also committed to establishing equipment and building. president obama and i discussed

the importance of education for budget with two games for social inclusion to make sure the games become permanent gain them a qualitative leap forward to the knowledge economy. and that is why we are most like to see our agreement on cooperation between the brazilian industry of education and the department of education. we are mostly about that -- most pleased about that agreement. we also wish to establish partnerships between the government research in each of our two countries to achieve scientific technological improvements as well as innovation. i would also like to stress the importance of using education technology as a means to move towards higher quality, more inclusive education. in that regard without a shadow of a doubt, the high-quality as

well as the ability of the united states to develop scientific and technological research in that arena has proved very. -- very important. may also state for the record that we attach a great deal of importance to the cooperation is part of the science program. the science without borders program. an important highlight is the fact that the u.s. has received the biggest number of resilient -- brazilian students the u.s. has become the main destination of brazilian students who are beneficiaries and may i thank president obama for having well -- welcome toed such a substantial

wave of brazilian grantees. i have often said time and again that it is our ambition to change innovation into one of the central topics on our agenda. we also want to make progress in our energy cooperation between the laboratory and the research center and material. tomorrow i will be in california and while in california i intend to hold a very instigating meeting with the information technology, biotechnology and aerospace companies. i'd also like to thank president obama because we have come to a decision to facilitate entry of frequent travelers from brazil in the united states as part of the global entry program. we have also signed a very important agreement with the brazilian population living and working in the united states

talking about a social security agreement that will allow the brazilians in the u.s. to be equally covered under the social security agreement. we also have a wide array of different initiatives. i would like to essentially highlight the following initiatives. the decision by brazil to join the global health security initiative. i think it is also important to -- to underscore that we have a wide array of joint initiatives that can be developed in third-party countries, particularly for the purpose of

fuel production. in conclusion, may i read or to -- may i referred to the importance of latin america during the decision made by president obama and president raul castro given the partnership with hope frances -- pope francis with the effect of opening up relations with cuba, a very decisive milestone in u.s. relations with latin america and putting them to the -- putting an end to the last lingering vestiges of the cold war and ultimately elevate the level of the relationship between the u.s. and the entire region. may i acknowledge the importance of that gesture to all of latin america and the world peace at large. it is an important example of relations to be followed.

in conclusion, may i reiterate to president obama to come to brazil for the 2016 olympics. of course the invitation is extended to the vice president that they are not able to be at the same time, at the same place abroad. but anyway, president obama has an invitation to come to the olympics in rio in brazil. he will be able to wear his green and yellow jersey which gives brazil and obama the chance and i'm sure you'll be -- which has "brazil" and "obama" on the chest. and i'm sure you will be applauded if you do so. i also believe -- this trip to the united states stands as the relaunch of our bilateral relations. i thank president obama and the u.s. people are the warm welcome -- for the warm reception and for the welcome. and we have indeed taken one

step ahead in the bilateral relations. thank you very much. >> we are going to take a few questions. i will start with jim koonin who i understand the amount his -- understand announced his retirement. you are kind of young to retire. we are going to miss you, but he will be here for a couple weeks, right? congratulations. appreciate it. >> you on the cusp of entering into a nuclear agreement with iran, but there are still a number of unresolved issues. in particular [inaudible] you in your administration raised the imprisonment of these americans but still you will sign likely an agreement with tehran in those issues will remain

unresolved. what do you say to the families about how you will deal with their loved ones? and i guess the bottom line, do you find the iranian leadership trustworthy? madam president, welcome to the u.s. you canceled the previous trip to the united states following the snowden -- do you need a translation? a little louder, certainly. you canceled your previous trip to the united states following the revelations by edward snowden by the nsa spying on you. are you still troubled by these revelations and have you received assurances and are you satisfied that the answers you have received from the administration? thank you. president obama: first of all with respect to u.s. citizens

who are held in iran, this is something that we continue to push hard on irrespective of the nuclear deal. it is a top priority for us to make sure that our people are treated fairly and on the face of it in the case of these individuals who have been held they have not been and they are not been afforded a basic due process and michael ray do we -- and legal rights that we afford visitors to our country. so we are deeply concerned about it. we spend a lot of time pushing on and we will continue to do so. there is no lessening of the sense of emergency. -- sense of urgency. when i talk to the families of -- we remind them of the fact that his admission that will continue and has been worked on

it consistently throughout their captivity. with respect to the larger issue of whether i trust the iranian regime, as i said before, there are deep-seated disagreements and divisions between the united states and iran. and those aren't going to go away overnight. the goal of the nuclear negotiations is not to rely on trust, but to set up a verifiable mechanism where we are cutting off pathways for iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. john kerry right now is down there with separate ceremonies -- with secretary of energy

moneys who one of the top is nuclear physicist in the world. they are deeply engaged in negotiations. my hope is they can achieve an agreement. the instructions of them have been extremely clear. the framework agreement that was established is one that is implemented if that ugly and -- if implemented and codified properly when in fact achieve my -- would in fact achieve my goal, which is iran not obtaining a nuclear weapon. there has been a lot of talk on the other side from the iranian negotiators about whether they can abide by some of the terms that came up. if they cannot, that is going to be a problem because i have said from the start i will walk away from the negotiations if in fact it is a bad deal. if we cannot provide assurances that the pathways for iran obtain a nuclear weapon are

closed, if we can't verify that and is the inspections and verification regime is inadequate, then we are not going to get a deal i would've -- get a deal. and we have been very clear to the iranian government about that. the good news is that our p5+1 partners in these negotiations feel exactly the same way. so there's still some hard negotiations that take place at -- but ultimately that will be up to the iranian to determine whether or not they make the requirement that the international community has set forth to be able to fairly and accurately and consistently assess whether or not they have foreclosed the possibility of obtaining a nuclear weapon. and given past behavior on the part of iran, that can't simply be a declaration by iran and if

-- and a few inspectors wandering around every once in a wild. that has to be a serious breaker as verification mechanism. that is going to be the test as to whether we get a deal or not. president rousseff: [speaking foreign language] >> translator: yes, that is true. i did cancel my previous trip to the u.s. at that point in time. some things have changed are the changes particularly to president obama and the u.s. government has stated on several occasions that david now longer -- that they would no longer engage in the act to friendly countries. i believe president obama. furthermore he has told me that

if he ever needed to, he would pick up the phone and call me. so yes i am certain that the conditions to date have become very different. at this point i'd like to call upon the global news network. >> if brazil is played somebody -- president obama: if brazil plays someone else. but if they are playing the united states, i'm sorry. >> president obama, you were talking and then transfer mentioned when purcell canceled

this chip because of the matter -- and then it was mentioned when brazil canceled this trip because of the matter of trust and now in the middle of a very political and economic. can you trust one another in this moment? president rousseff: [speaking foreign language] >> translator: it views itself in the world and the usa's original play. how do you reckon i'll are -- reconcile these two issues? president obama: i'm going to answer in part the question you just asked the president. we view brazil not at the regional power but as a global power. if you think about the free imminent economic forum for coordinating between major economies that she 20, brazil is a major voice in that.

-- the g 20, brazil is a major voice in that. the negotiations that are taking place in paris around climate change can only succeed with brazil as a key leader in the announcements that have been made today about their goals on renewable energy is indicative of brazil's leadership. brazil is a major global player and i told president dilma last night that the united states is -- the united states, as powerful as we are and as interested as we are installed in a whole range of international issues recognizes we can't do it alone on issues like global health, we are not going to succeed unless we are working with brazil and other major countries so we can identify where there might be the outbreak of the disease, how we prevent it from turning into a pandemic. if we want to be successful on

climate change countering , terrorism and making sure we reduce extreme poverty around the world, all the major countries have to be involved in the process embers though we -- in that process. and refill we consider to be an absolutely indispensable partner in these efforts. with respect to trust i will say president rousseff -- have had -- president rousseff and i have had an excellent relationship since she took office. i trust her completely. she's always been very candid and frank with me. about the interest of the brazilian people and how we can work together. she has delivered on what she has promised. when we met in panama we discussed for example the for -- the defense cooperation agreements that were just mentioned. she got those through congress. as somebody who knows something

about congress, i know that it's never easy. for her to use political capital to get that done i think is indicative of the kind of reliable partner that she is. and so, we believe that this meeting that we've had this week builds on a series of steps that continue to deepen cooperation between our two countries. there are still going to be differences occasionally, but that is true with every one of our close friends and allies. no country will have identical entries. there will always be some friction. but our common values, strong people and the relations we have, the fact we are the largest countries in the hemisphere with similar histories, all of that means we should be very strong partners

for years to come. president rousseff: [speaking foreign language] >> translator: i believe part of my answer was given by president obama. and i'd like to thank him for that. i would like to make the following remark. countries do go through crisis and difficulty is natural. -- and difficulty. it is just natural. and the difficulty is and/or crisis should not entail a lesser role because they can -- lesser role for any country. especially because they can only be said to be a great country if they are successfully applied to -- able to overcome difficulties and have people with braveness to overcome difficulties and challenges and still sustain the people and country.

it also applies to relations with countries such as the u.s. and the rest of the world. these are essential relations. i think brazil and the u.s. have a great deal in common. we are two countries that with our history and something we actually had to fight to overcome. talking about the blemish of slavery. we have large black populations. we have a very significant ethnic and multicultural variety in our makeup and that is a major asset in our population. the same is true for the u.s. we have two strong democracies. brazil, as in the case of the united states, i have been congratulated president obama for having overcome the crisis the country in 2008 and 2009.

brazil will overcome the current trend and we will do so decisively. more than that google uphold all -- more than that, we will ensure all of the achievement we have established in the past 12 years. and we will make sure these gains multiply into the future. we truly want to build a middle-class country. i think the efforts to reduce inequality are a major gain. >> thank you, mr. president. i hope you don't mind a faster -- if i ask a multipart question the first one being on greece. i would be remiss if i didn't ask about the financial crisis in europe. in layman's terms and language that americans can understand, i want to laugh simply as a -- to ask simply is a financial crisis in greece capable of

bringing down the global economy ? and separately i wanted to ask you what some people are calling your best week ever last week. you had two supreme court decisions supported by the affordable care act and gay rights and you also delivered a speech in charleston that was pretty warmly received. it seems you've built up some political capital for the remaining months of your presidency. i'm curious how you want to use it. what hard things do want to to tackle at this point. president rousseff, you asked to join us at the olympics in rio next year. the terrorist group isis has shown a willingness and capacity to carry out terrorist attacks around the world. what preparations are you making to ensure the olympic games are safe and are you concerned about that happening in rio? thank you very much, madam president. >> on greece, this is a situation we have been monitoring throughout the year as i think most people are

aware, there has been an ongoing crisis in greece dating back to 2009, 2010 and something i've been deeply involved with periodically working with european partners. it is an issue of substantial concern. it is an issue primarily of concern to europe. essentially what you have is a country that has gone through some difficult economic times, and needs to find a path towards growth and a path to stay in the eurozone. what we have been encouraging both the greek government and our european partners to do is

to continue to negotiate and find a pathway towards a resolution. it is also important for us to make sure we planned for any contingency and that we work with the european central bank and other international institutions to make sure that some of the bumps that may occur in the markets and authority -- in the financial markets that have already occurred are smoothed out. in layman's terms for the american people, this is not something we believe will have a major shock to the system, but obviously it is very painful for the greek people and they can

-- and it can have a significant effect on growth rates in europe. if europe is not growing the way it needs to grow, that has been -- has an impact on us and an impact on brazil. those are major export markets. and it can have a dampening effect on the entire world economy. it is something we are monitoring and something we spend a lot of time on. jack lew has been on the phone consistently over the last several months. i have spoken to my european counterpart and encouraging them to find a path towards resolution. so it is something we take seriously, but it is not something i think should prompt overreactions. and so far i think the markets have properly factored in the risks involved.

in terms of my best week, my best week i will tell you was marrying michelle. that was a really good week. malaya and sasha being worn, -- being born excellent weeks. ,[laughter] president obama: there is a game where i scored 27 points. [laughter] that was a pretty good week. president obama: i have had some good weeks in my life i will tell you and i am blessed to have had those. i think last week was gratifying because number one we were able to get a package of trade legislation that i believe will serve the american people, american workers and businesses as well going into the future.

the opportunity to negotiate high standard agreements that have enforceable labor and environmental provisions. it was a tough fight because there are lot of folks in my own party who viewed this as accelerating some of the damaging or frightening trend around globalization that have taken place over the last several decades. my argument has consistently been we are not going to stop globalization. we have to shape it in a way that helps people and these are tools that will help us do that. being able to get baghdad was -- get that done was very important. the affordable care act as i've

said before the results speak , for themselves. we have the lowest uninsured rate since we started keeping records. it has worked better and it costs less than supporters anticipated. if we can get some governors that have been holding out and resisting expanding medicaid, primarily for political reasons , think about what they can do for their citizens who don't have health insurance but can get it very easily to state governments acted, we could see -- can get it very easily if state governments acted we could , see even more improvement over time. my remarks in charleston were heartfelt. it was not a celebration. it was a reflection on the

consistent challenge of race in this country and how we can find a path towards a better way. i was gratified to see not only the incredible response of the families that had been affected by this tragedy, but by the response of people like governor haley and how they viewed the issue of the confederate flag. as i said on friday, it doesn't solve all of our problems, but it does signify a sense of empathy and recognition that is always in the start of progress. in many ways, last week was the culmination of a lot of work we've been doing since i came into office. how am i going to spend whatever political capital i have built up? you know, the list is long and

my instructions to my team and my instructions to myself have always been that we are going to squeeze every last ounce of progress that we can make when i -- as long as i have the privilege of holding this office. we announced overtime rules that will -- i'll be talking about more this week that will give a race to 5 million people -- give a raise to 5 million people potentially in this country who really deserve it. i want to see if we can get bipartisan worked on with congress about rebuilding infrastructure. brazil just talked about the rebuilding of highways and roads and ports and bridges. we've got the same work to do and we need to put people back to work there. i'm really interested in the possibility, the prospect of bipartisan legislation around the criminal justice this time -- justice system something that

i think really speaks to some of the teams i mentioned on -- themes i mentioned on friday and we have seen some really interesting leadership from some unlikely republican legislators very sincerely concerned about making progress there. i want to keep on making progress on job training and making sure that the idea of two years of free community college starts taking root. the list is long. we will keep hammering away at all the issues i think we'll -- that i think are going to have an impact on the american people. some of them will be left undone, but we are going to try to make progress on every single one of them and i've always said one of the things i've learned in this presidency is that there

are going to be ups and there are going to be downs. but as long as my focus and my team's focus is on what is going to make a difference in the lives of ordinary americans are we going to give them more opportunity so if they work hard they can get ahead. are we going to make this a more inclusive, a more fair and just society, and if that is our north star and we keep tacking in that direction, we will make progress. i feel pretty excited about it. i might see if we can make next week even better. i love press conferences. it is my pressing that is always holding me back. [laughter] -- my press team that is always

holding me back. [laughter] president obama: i want to talk to you guys every day. [laughter] president obama: sorry, josh. president rousseff: [speaking foreign language] >> translator: we take the issue, there is or so. -- it is a very serious issue. we take the question of security in large-scale very seriously. which means that we involve all of those agencies that can't and will ensure proper security. -- that can and will ensure proper security. this includes the armed forces the federal police service, and all of the state level police in the state of rio de janeiro. last year we organized the world soccer cup. we had to provide security not only to just one city, whether we had to cover the whole -- but we had to cover the whole country there was not one single

place not control. thereby establishing a very effective control system by means of command and control center as well as centers coming -- as well as monitoring control centers covering the displacement of athletes as well as high ranking government officials and authorities. so we followed up on proper security conditions to all those steps. and that is why i am certain that we will be in the position to ensure absolute security during the olympics, just as was the case during the last year world soccer cup. i actually believe that the upcoming 2016 olympics to be held next june-july will be a unique and special occasion

because it will bring together the joy of the brazilians and the beauty of rio. each country thinks that the -- things that they have the world's best city but i do believe it is the most beautiful, most beautiful city. of the letter to bring together excellent organizational capabilities. those will be wonderful ability to welcome and receive visitors and athletes, and all of those who wish to come. to get a standing invitation to come. we will make sure you'll be able to enjoy beautiful and great celebration. i would like now to call upon our daily newspaper reporter. >> [indiscernible]

has been soon i many american investors lost millions of dollars, it being investigated by the department of justice regarding allegations of corruption. is it an issue of concern? [speaking foreign language] president obama: i make any it a policy not to comment on active cases that are working their way through the justice system. partly because of the people here in the united states know that lawyers work for me and i want to make sure that we appear impartial. i'm not familiar with all the details in the case so i will decline to comment on the specifics. i will make a general statement, that i have had the opportunity to work with president rousseff on the open government initiative that we've been

trying to mobilize internationally, and brazil has been a great partner in that process, that the more we can create accountability and transparency in our government systems, the better off we are going to be. and that takes work, it takes time, but brazil has been a strong partner with us in that process. and i hope that both countries can continue to make progress on that front. president rousseff: [speaking foreign language] >> translator: i would like to highlight the fact that petrobras is indeed one of the major oil-producing and oil exporting companies in the oil industry. it has more than 60,000 employees.

some employees working for and did engage in corruption therefore the investigation of course that is going on, it has been going on by the federal prosecutor's office and they're being sued by that office. but circumstantial evidence that is available from the prosecutors are pretty substantial, the evidence is pretty essential. -- pretty substantial. what i'm trying to say this all legal measures that may possibly be taken against against petrobras will take into account that acts of corruption were practiced within petrobras, yes, but it does not involve hundreds in the country. at all staff members. so, therefore, it follows that those who did practice acts of corruption be held accountable and be punished your the people -- be punished. the people who actually engaged in these acts of corruption

should know what will happen in terms of -- the good news about petrobras is it is a strong company, well managed today with proper governance, processes and compliance processes are well placed and properly adjusted. were that not the case, how could you possibly understand that it has a production level of 800,000 barrels a day could -- a day? furthermore this year who supported the so-called oscar of the oil industry, oil and gas industry by the innovation granted to the petrobras president issue. the tournament as a corporation -- petrobras is a corporation that is at full blast, fully operational company. as regard to your second question, i have never appointed or have i dismissed ministers that may have been appointed or

dismissed by the press or by the media. that's been the case, i will wait until all facts and events be properly looked into and disclosed before come to an assessment. but at least in principle i think it is important and necessary that all of us have access to the same information. the brazilian government does not have access to the court records. strangely enough there was selective leakage of information supposedly or allegedly stemming from the court records. people are free to say whatever they want, and those who are accused have no way of defending themselves because they don't know exactly what they're being charged with. we are a country marked by democratic process. we were able to put an end to all of the arbitrary arrangements and violation of rights of the past. we have a very strong military dictatorship a given our track

record we should really enshrine the right to defend the we should stick to the principle of sentencing once all the evidence that's available. not the other way around. people have the right to proving their innocence. those who are accused are the ones who should provide evidence of guilt. it's the underlying basis people of western civilization that we all should. that's a we talk about when we talk about democracy, people's right to a fair defense. the burden of proof among the accusing party. they should be of course grounded type of evidence, not just allegation, speculation that does not ensure acts to all of the court records. that would be medieval, send us back to the middle ages. that's what we do in brazil today. president obama: last week i had , a chance to do the rose garden celebration of the court decision around same-sex marriage.

i didn't have a chance to comment on how good the white house looked in rainbow colors. president obama: that made it a really good week, to see people gathered in evening outside on a beautiful summer night and to feel accepted and they feel that that was pretty cool. that was a good thing. that was a good thing. the only bad part was i could not go out and peek at it myself because i would have to clear out all the people or the secret service would. that is a moment worth saving. thank you very much, everybody. [indiscernible] president obama: we did.

>> in addition to meeting with the president of brazil, president obama spent time on the export-import bank which is set to go out of business at midnight because congress did not reauthorize the bank's charter. president obama was scheduled to host a conference call with people involved in average to reauthorize the bank. among those on the call, local elected officials, as owners, and labor leaders. they support continuing the operations in the bank because it makes loans to foreign companies that buy goods manufactured in the united states. just a few of our featured programs for the three-day holiday weekend. on c-span friday night at 8 p.m. eastern, radio personalities and

executives at the annual talkers magazine conference in new york. an interview with arthur sulzberger, junior and executive editor on the future of "the times." sunday night, members of the church committee, former vice president walter mondale, and former senator gary hart on their efforts to reform the intelligence community. on both tv on c-span 2, friday night at 10 eastern author martin ford on how the increasing use of artificial intelligence could make good jobs obviously -- obsolete. and why the bill of white -- rights was created. and sunday live at noon, join the three-hour conversation with gao president peter schweitzer. he wrote three books.

and friday evening, the 70th anniversary of the u.n. with keynote speakers, california governor jerry brown, house minority leader nancy pelosi and you and secretary general ban ki-moon. saturday night at 8 p.m., here he lecture on the revolutionary war and how individual personalities, supplies, and timing often influence the outcomes of major battles and that 4 p.m. sunday, a look back in 1960 film featuring actor and performer joe brown about search for old circus wagons and the circus world museum's efforts to restore them in time for it july for parade in the walkie. get our complete schedule at c-span.org. new jersey governor chris christie announced he is running for president, becoming the 14th republican candidate in the race. he made the announcement in northern new jersey at

livingston high school where he graduated in 1980. his wife and children were beside him on stage when he made the announcement. >> ♪ governor christie: thank you. thank you, new jersey. thank you. thank you to the extent. people have asked me over the course of the last, i hear? everything started for me.

the friends and family and love i have always felt foreign from this community when i decided to make this announcement. there was not any choice. i had to come home and livingston's home for me. [applause] and i want to thank dear friend of my moms's and a wonderful representative of this town for welcoming us here today. and i want to think my friend -- this is, some of you may be confused. it may be you thought she was being booed by her high school classmates. she was not. for reasons i will not explain. her nickname in high school was "the juice." hence it is not a boo, it is

"the juice." i am here because this is where my family raised me. you will hear a lot and have heard a lot about my mother and father. all of us know that good and for bad, where we come from is from our parents so you heard sheila and lynn talk about my mom today and i were because all those years ago mother father he came the first -- became the first of either of their families to leave the city and come here and make their home. my mom's not here but i feel her and my dad is here with me today and i am privileged to have him. [applause] they raised my brother and i and

brought us here to livingston when i was four years old and two years old and my sister joined us a few years later. this is where we grew up. these are the fields we played on. these are the playgrounds we played on. this is the school we built our friends with and came and learned with. up until i left to share a room with mary pat, i shared a room with todd the entire time. it was a smith transition. in my sister and todd are as big a part today is anybody else and they are both here and i love them both. thank you. everyone thinks i am the politician in the family. we did a coin flip when we got married. i called tales.

i am the guy who ran but the politician just as good as me is the woman i met all those years ago at the university of delaware, from a family of 10 people. people say why aren't you share -- shy in a crowd and i say you should see the family i have an married into. she is largely responsible for the amazing people you see standing with her. ever since i have been governor i have been happy to use the veto at home. so far, so good. i have not been overridden there either. i am glad they are here today and for andrew and sarah and

patrick and bridget, i could not be prouder of four children that i am of them. i told you my parents moved to livingston and they moved to make this part of their fulfillment of their dream. of their version of the american dream. they both lost their fathers at a young age. they were raised by extraordinarily strong women. under really difficult circumstances, my dad, one of the best is in his high school class admitted to columbia university because his father passed away. he could not go. they did not have the money. he went to work and he got drafted into the army and came home. and went to work at the breyers ice cream plant in new jersey

and then decided after he met my mom that it was time for him to make more with his life and he went to school at night at records for six years while working at those jobs during the day to get his degree in accounting and my mother, one of the proudest pictures she had is the one she called our first family picture. it was my mom and dad on the day he graduated from rutgers in june of 1962. the first person in either of the families to get a college agree and it was the first family picture because she was six months pregnant with me. the smiles on both their faces that they were indicative of not what they had accomplished but what they saw coming ahead of them. their smiles were about the fact they thought that nothing was out of reach for them now. they had each other, they were building a family, they work

together, and with the help of both of those strong women, they gave them $5,000 each, probably all the money they had in the world to put a down payment on a house in this town to give their children a chance to take the dream they have started to build and to make it even bigger and better. so i not only think about my mom and dad today, i think about my rent others. women who raised children on their own, women who knew how to card and knew that hard work would deliver something for their children and i know that both of them are watching today and part of today is the fulfillment of their dream, too. i would -- i am thinking about both of them. one of the things my mother always used to say all the time was if you work hard enough, you can be anything.

she said god has given you so many gifts. if you just work hard enough you can be anything. and that story is proof, it is proof parents who came from nearly nothing except for that hard work. parents who brought little to their marriage except for their love for each other and that hard work. and that hard work not only produced a great life for me and my brother and sister but think about how amazing this country is that one generation removed from the guy who was working on the floor of the plant at the breyers ice cream place, his son is the two-term governor of the state where he was born and raised.

that is not only what my parents have done for me but that is what new jersey has done for us. this place that represents the most ethnically diverse state in the country, the most densely populated state in the country we are all different and we are on top of each other like you are on top of each other in this gym. and what has come from that is the absolute belief that not only can all achieve what we want to achieve because of the place we live and we cannot only do it together, we have no choice. this country needs to work together again, not against each other. when i became governor six years

ago, we had a state that was an economic calamity, and $11 billion deficit. estate that had the -- a state that no longer believed that any one person could make a difference in the lives of the people so we rolled up our sleeves and we went to work and we balance this budget and we refused to raise taxes on the people of this state for six years. we made the hard decisions that had to be made to improve our education system. we reformed tenure. we made the difficult decisions to reform pensions and health benefits and continue that fight today. we have stood together against each and every person, every cynic who said why are you

wasting your time, this state is not governable. we proved not only can you governor the state you can lead it to a better day and that is what we have done together. and now we face a country that is not angry. when i hear the media say that our country is angry i know they are long -- wrong. i met people in every corner of america and they are not angry. americans are not angry. americans are filled with anxiety. because they look to washington d.c. and they see a government that not only does not work anymore, it does not even talk to each other. it does not pretend to try to work. we have a president who ignores the congress and the congress that ignores the president. we need a government that remembers you went there to work

for us, not the other way around. [applause] both parties have failed our country. both have stood in the corner and held their breath and waited to get their own way. both parties have led us to believe that in america, a country that was built on compromise that somehow compromise is a dirty word. if washington and adams believed compromise is a dirty word, we would still be under the crown of england. and this dysfunction, this lack of leadership has led to an economy that is weak and has not recovered the way it should. it has led to an educational system that has the 27th in the

industrialized world in math and 24th in science. it led us to weaker leadership around the world where our friends can no longer trust us and our adversaries do not fear us. this weakness and indecisiveness have sent a wave of anxiety through our country but i'm here to tell you that anxiety can be swept away by strong leadership and decisiveness to lead america again. we just need to have the courage to choose. we have -- need the courage to stand up. we have two coarsening have. american knows that new. it must start with this. we must tell each other the truth about the problems we have

and the difficulty of the solution. if we tell each other the truth we recognize that will lead to growth and opportunity for every american in this country. we have to a knology government is not working. we have to say it out loud and acknowledge it is the fault of our bickering leaders who no longer listen to us and no longer know that they are supposed to be serving us. we need to acknowledge that all of that anxiety and those failures are not the end, they are the beginning. the beginning of what we can do together. what we need to decide is that we can make a difference. that we can stand up and make a difference in this country.

that is why i love the job i have. that is why i love my job as governor. kids ask me all the time they ask me to questions, what is your favorite color always. second, they always asked me what is your best part of your job? and i tell them i wake up knowing i have an opportunity to do something great. i do not do something great every day. i human but every morning i wake up with an opportunity to do something great. that is why this job is a great job and that is why president of the united states is an even greater job for a greater number of people. i have spent the last 13 years of my life as u.s. attorney and

governor of the state fighting for fairness and justice and opportunity for the people of the state of new jersey. that has not made me more wary it has make -- made me stronger and i am way to fight for the people of the united states of america. america is tired of handwringing and indecisiveness and weakness in the oval office. we need to have strength and decision-making and authority back in the oval office and that is why today i am proud to announce my candidacy for the republican nomination for president of the united states of america.

[applause] and now as livingston and new jersey transit's gaze to the rest of america today, what do we see and what do we have to confront? we need a campaign of ideas and hard truths and drill opportunity for the american people. we need to fix a broken entitlement system that is bankrupting our country. we have candidates who said we cannot confront this because if we do we will be lying and stealing from the american people. the lying and stealing has already happened. we have to get it back in and we can only do it by force.

way it to get our economy growing again at 4% or greater. we have to make this once again the country my mother and father told me it was. that it is -- as hard as you work, that is as high as you will rise. that is not the case anymore. we cannot look at our children and say that to them because we have an economy that is weak and does not present them with the same opportunities that mary pat and i were presented with in the mid-1980's when we graduated from college. we did not worry about getting a job create we worried about picking which job was the best for us create we did not worry about if we were going to be successful. this country and its leadership does the same thing to my children and yours and i am ready to give it to you.

we need a tax system that is simplified and will put cpas that my dad out of this this. we need to get the government off the back of our people and businesses and encourage businesses to invest in america again. invest in our country and people. and in a world that is as dangerous, as frightening as any time i have seen it in my lifetime, there is only one indispensable force for good in the world. it is a strong, unequivocal america that will leave the world and not be afraid to tell our friends we will be with unit matter what and to tell our adversaries there are limits to your conduct and america will enforce limits to that conduct.

i heard the president say that the world respect america because of his leadership. this convinces me, this is the final confirmation that president obama lives in his of world, known in our world, and the fact is this. after seven years of a week and feckless foreign policy run by barack obama we had to turn it over to his second mate, hillary clinton.

leadership matters. it matters for our country and american leadership matters for the world but if we are going to lead, we have to stop worrying about being loved and start caring about being respected again. i'm not running for president as a surrogate for elected prom king. i am not looking to be the most popular guy and tries to figure out what you want to hear, see it, and turn around and do something else. when i stand up on a stage like this in front of you there is one thing you will know for sure. i mean what i say and i say what i mean and that is what america needs right now.

or whether it makes you cringe. the campaign when i am asked the question, i am going to give the answer to the question that is asked, not the answer that my political consultants told me to give backstage. a campaign that every day will

not worry about what is popular but what is right because what is right is what will fix america. not what is popular. a campaign that believes. that believes in an america that is as great as the hopes and dreams that we want everyone of our children to have. not a campaign that tears down but a campaign that rebuilds america to the place where you and i grew up and where we want our children to grow up again and where we want free people around the world to grow up in in their countries as well. that is what america has stood for and that is what this campaign will stand for. [applause] all the signs say telling it like it is but there is a reason for that. we're going to tell it like it is today so that we can create

greater opportunity for every american tomorrow. the truth will set us free everybody. of 52 years i've spent in the state without people have prepared me for this moment. we have no idea where this journey ends but we know that it is only in this country, only in america where someone like me could have the opportunity to seek the highest office the world has to offer. only in america could all of you believe that your voices and your efforts can make a difference to change a country

as big and vast and powerful as this one. only in america have we seen time after time after time the truth of the words that one person can make a difference. the reason that is true is because it is the only thing that has ever made a difference in the history of the world. one person reaching out to another to change their circumstance and to improve the lot of their children and grandchildren. i do not seek the presidency for any other reason than because i believe in my heart that i am ready to work with you, to restore america to its rightful place in the world and to restore the american dream to each one of our children whether they live in livingston or

newark, or canned him patterson , or jersey city. no matter where they live, we need to make sure that everyone of those children believes they have a president who not only's asked to them but who hears them. and understands that their voices is what makes any american president great. if you give it a privilege to be your resident, i will wake up every day not only with my heart strong and my mind sharp, but with my ears open and my arms open. to welcome the american people the matter what party, no matter what race or creed or color to make sure that you know that this is your country. we are going to win this election and i love each and every one of you. thank you very much.

♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> president obama held a news conference with the president of brazil. he was asked about nuclear negotiations with iran and what some have called his best week ever in terms of the supreme court ruling upholding the affair to care act and gay marriage last week. he was -- he eulogized the pastor who was murdered at a historic lacked urgent south carolina. >> you are on the cusp of entering into a nuclear agreement with iran. there is a number of unresolved

issues. the fate of americans. you are continuing to [inaudible] but still you will sign an agreement with iran and those issues will remain unresolved. what do you say to the families about how you will deal with their loved ones and i guess the bottom line, do you find the iranian leadership trustworthy? and welcome to the u.s., madam president. you canceled the previous trip to the u.s. following the snowden revolutions -- revelations.

you canceled the previous visit. are you still troubled by those revelations and have you received assurances and are you satisfied with the answers you have received from the administration? president obama: first of all with respect to u.s. citizens u.s. persons were held in iran, this is something that we continue to push hard on irrespective of the nuclear deal. it is a top priority for us to make sure that our people are treated fairly and on the face of it in the case of these individuals who have an held, they have not been and they are not being afforded the basic due

process and legal rights that we afford visitors to our country. we are deeply concerned about it, we spend a lot of time pushing on it and we will continue to do so. there is no lessening of the sense of urgency. when i talked to the families we remind them of the fact that that is a mission that will continue and has been worked on consistently throughout their captivity. with respect to the larger issue of whether i trust the iranian regime, as i have said before, there are deep-seated disagreements and divisions between the united states and

iran. and those aren't going to go away overnight. the goal of the nuclear negotiations is not to rely on trust, but to set up a verifiable mechanism where we are cutting off pathways for iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. john kerry right now is down there with separate ceremonies -- with secretary of energy moneys who one of the top is nuclear physicist in the world. they are deeply engaged in negotiations. my hope is they can achieve an agreement. the instructions of them have been extremely clear. the framework agreement that was established is one that is -- if implemented and codified properly when in fact achieve my -- would in fact achieve my goal, which is iran not obtaining a nuclear weapon. there has been a lot of talk on

the other side from the iranian negotiators about whether they can abide by some of the terms that came up. if they cannot, that is going to be a problem because i have said from the start i will walk away from the negotiations if in fact it is a bad deal. if we cannot provide assurances that the pathways for iran obtain a nuclear weapon are closed, if we can't verify that and is the inspections and verification regime is inadequate, then we are not going to get a deal i would've -- get a deal. and we have been very clear to the iranian government about that. the good news is that our p5+1 partners in these negotiations feel exactly the same way. so there's still some hard negotiations that take place at -- but ultimately that will be

up to the iranian to determine whether or not they make the requirement that the international community has set forth to be able to fairly and accurately and consistently assess whether or not they have foreclosed the possibility of obtaining a nuclear weapon. and given past behavior on the part of iran, that can't simply be a declaration by iran and if -- and a few inspectors wandering around every once in a wild. that has to be a serious breaker as verification mechanism. that is going to be the test as to whether we get a deal or not. president rousseff: [speaking foreign language]

marrying michelle, that was an excellent week. there was a game where i scored 27 points. [laughter] that was a pretty good week. i have had some good weeks in my life. i am blessed to have had those. last week was gratifying because, number one, we were able to get a package of trade legislation that i believe will serve the american people, the american workers and american business going into the future. it gives us the opportunity to negotiate high standards agreements that have enforceable labor and environmental provisions. it was a tough fight because

there are a lot of folks in my own party who viewed this as accelerating [inaudible] my argument has been that we are not going to stop globalization. we have to shape it in a way that helps people and these are tools that are going to help us do that. but being able to get that done was very important. the affordable care act as i said before, the results speak for themselves. we had the lowest uninsured rate since we started keeping records. it is better to cost less than even supporters anticipated.

we can get some governors that have been holding out and resisting and expanding medicaid primarily for political reasons think about what they can do for their citizens who do not have health insurance but could get it very easily. if state governments acted transiently we could see more improvement over time. it was not a celebration. it was a reflection on the consistent challenge of race in this country and how we can find a path towards a better way. i was gratified to see not only

the incredible response of the families have been affected by this tragedy but by the response of people like governor haley and how they view the issue of the confederate flag. i think -- it signifies a sense of empathy chanterelle and that is always the start progress. in many ways, last week was a culmination of a lot of work that we have been doing since i came into office. how am i going to spend any political capital i have built of? my instructions have always been that we are going to squeeze every last ounce of progress we

can make and i have the privilege, as long as i have the privilege of holding this office. we announced overtime rules i will be talking about. i want to see if we can get bipartisan work done with congress around rebuilding our infrastructure. result talked about their rebuilding of highways. we have to put people back to work. i am interested in the possibility of the prospect of a partisan legislation around the criminal justice system. something that speaks to some of the themes i mentioned on friday. we have seen some interesting leadership from some unlikely republican legislators very sincerely concerned about making progress there.

i want to keep on making progress on job training and making sure that the idea of two years of free community college starts taking root. the list is long. we will keep hammering away at all the issues i think we'll -- that i think are going to have an impact on the american people. some of them will be left undone, but we are going to try to make progress on every single one of them and i've always said one of the things i've learned in this presidency is that there are going to be ups and there are going to be downs. but as long as my focus and my team's focus is on what is going to make a difference in the lives of ordinary americans are

we going to give them more opportunity so if they work hard they can get ahead. are we going to make this a more inclusive, a more fair and just society, and if that is our north star and we keep tacking in that direction, we will make progress. i feel pretty excited about it. i might see if we can make next week even better. i love press conferences. it is my pressing that is always holding me back. > in addition, president obama spend time on the export-import rank which is said to go out of business tonight because congress did not reauthorize the bank's charter.

president obama was scheduled to host a conference call with people involved in efforts to reauthorize the bank. among those on the call, local elected officials, business owners, and labor leaders. they support continuing the operations because it makes loans to foreign companies that buy goods manufactured in the u.s. >> book festivals from around the country and top nonfiction authors and books. we are live at the harlem book fair, the nation's flagship african-american literary event with author interviews and panel discussions. we are live from the nation's capital for the national book festival celebrating its 15th year. and a few of the events on book tv. >> the national sheriffs association has held it annual

conference in baltimore. they heard from several presidential candidates. jim webb addressed the group. he is considering entering the race for the democratic nomination for president. [applause] jim webb: thank you for coming to visit with me during these different discussions that are being held about where potential presidential candidates may view issues such as criminal justice reform in law enforcement. i would like to begin first day thanking all of you for the service that you are giving to your community and to your family and ultimately to our country by having chosen this

profession of law enforcement. there happen questions over the past year or so about the relationship between our law enforcement communities and the communities which many of them serve. i know from observation and personal experience how dedicated the great majority of our law enforcement community is and what a hard job it often can be on a daily basis. we used to have a saying a long time ago when i was in the marine corps. there were similar confrontations about those who were serving in the military in law enforcement. they were calling law enforcement people page in the saying in the marine corps was if you don't like a police officer, the next time you are

rub, collie hippie. -- robbed, call a hippie. the marine corps experience and work on -- as an attorney led me to have a strong feeling about how we structure law enforcement in our society. if you look at how the marine corps is structured you see that it combines discipline, meaning a sense of order, fairness meaning that everyone under that system must be treated fairly with a mission. how are we going to work together and overcome all these different boundaries that are so obvious when people come into the military and -- in her to get our job done and have harmony. at the same time we have discipline and fairness.

we will work together in terms of solving the problems that face us. it is essential that we maintain order. it is for the harmony of our society that we have trust and mutual support between the communities and our law enforcement entities. the best case scenario, the goal that we should look for is that our law enforcement community -- officials should be part of the community. solving crime becomes a function of the cooperation rather than having an adversary relationship. enforcement of the laws gives a community the assurance that there will be stability so they can live their regular lives. i have worked on this in many

different ways. anyone can read a speech and take a position during a presidential campaign. going into the prisons in talking to the wardens and people who worked as turnkey is

-- they only had 40,000 people in prison. here in the u.s. we had only 600,000 people in prison. these are different societies. one is ethnically and culturally homogeneous and has been working with each other and ours is a multicultural society where we have a lot of abrasion and differences that we have to resolve and resolve them as leaders. how do we get this sort of disparity, what is it in their system they are doing right and what is it we are doing wrong. the typical response i got from

-- what happened to you? we copied the american system in the 1890's. i started looking hard at system and we can take these numbers over the years in the 1980's and we had 600,000 people as a set incarcerated. by the time i was running for the senate we had 2.3 8 million people incarcerated in the united states. and things were not getting any better. i started raising this issue on the campaign trail when i was running for the senate. i was running against an incumbent who had gotten the highest number of votes for president in the conservative political action conference in march of 2006. we were 33 points behind in the polls. i did not have any money. i did not have a campaign staff

but i am going to go out and talk about the issues that we need to fix in this country and let the dice roll where they may. we won, by the way. nine months later. talking about this issue, the typical advice it was getting from political consultants was you can not talk about over-incarceration in virginia during a senate campaign. it will be political suicide for you to discuss this issue. everybody is afraid. this is not just about over incarceration. it is about the entire criminal justice system. one is the last time we took a hard look at it from point of apprehension to whether you decide to arrest and if so, what type of a court should you go into and what sort of a sentence should come out of a finding of guilty and what happens to someone when they are inside a prison, what is -- what does the

prison look like? you could not become award and an eight japanese criminal justice system as you started -- you would go through a national examination, year of training, and work your way up. similarly to what they do in the u.s. military. our system was random. there are some states where it was very advanced and there are other states where -- you are coming and watching for a week. it definitely affects how the system was being run. beyond the present administration, how do we prepare people who have been incarcerated and are going into supervision, how do we prepare them for reentry into society?

a large percentage of these people, all of you will agree want to reenter society. they want to put this experience behind them and move to become a productive member of our society and it is in the self-interest of every american that as many people who have been incarcerated as can be properly reentered into our society should be. it will save us money communities will be safer, you will have them back on the street doing other things. they do not have the training or profession to work and people will not be afraid of them. when i got to the senate we decided we would look at all these components. if you look at the u.s. congress in general, what happens is people will get tied up in one

specific issue or another sensing differentials crack versus powder cocaine. maybe that one issue can be resolved through the legislative process. we held two years of hearings. we did joint panels with groups like george mason university over here in fairfax, virginia. we got people talking across the lines on issues such as messing corporation -- mass incarceration. after two years of thinking we decided the best approach would be to put together a national commission bringing the best minds of america into the table and for the first time since 1965 to get the advice of people who have been out like all of you have been out into this world of law enforcement of all

different aspects of it and to come in and tell us what is the best way that we can remake our criminal justice system in a way that is fair, that can reduce the numbers in incarceration and improve the safety of our communities. we sat down from our office, not from a committee staff, from our office. we sat down with stakeholders from across the political spectrum and philosophical spectrum. we brought in people from the aclu, from the marijuana project, from the national bar association, from your organization, from the international association of chiefs of voice, we've brought in 100 different stakeholders, listen to them, got them to talk to each other, and put together a bill which i think was as good as any piece of legislation like

this could be. it was for 18 months, $14 million, that's like one helicopter. we could get these minds together and show us for the first time since 1965 how we can streamline and improve this law enforcement process. we finally got on to the senate for in october of 2011 having worked on this from us five years and we hit the great stone wall of filibusters that preceded the 2012 elections create we got bipartisan support but we had 57 votes we needed 60 votes to break the filibuster. we had four republicans including orrin hatch it was very -- a very strong supporter. we lost the legislation on the floor. the national review online which

is a conservative publication it had been insanity to filibuster this commonsense approach. we brought this issue out of the we brought this issue out of the shadows, into the place of public debate, where republicans and democrats, liberals and conservatives, could come together and talk about it. again, one of the reasons i wanted to come over here today was to express my appreciation to the national sheriffs association for having listened and contributed, and finally in february of 2011, deciding to some or this up roach, which i believe we still need.