what we should do is not just talk about laboratories of democracy, but mean it, do it. create measurements from the federal government. -- do not create resistance restrictions on how states create upper nobility. when people are stuck, their second poverty. the notion of some that somehow they want to be there, is ridiculous and wrong. in fact, we will never win elections if we folks on that. will become a minority party. i know people in this room do not believe that. if you start with the premise that the states, if they gotcha chance to do it in their own way as chris says, each community might have a different approach. are three big programs. the tennis program, the food stamp program and the housing assistance program to states, the state group federal relationship would be focus on outcomes. getting out ofre poverty, not how many people are staying in paris. right now, it is in effect.

you can mention the program i have a people is on the role. that is the mention of success. around.to turn that second, we need to have one income eligibility requirement. when i travel around, i see a lot of people not on government assistance. in fact, the majority of of americans are having our -- our two paychecks away from a life altering circumstance. they are working as hard as they can't. they might have two jobs. they might be an intact family are not. that does not matter. there should be equity between people receiving government assistance and those striving to live an independent life. the biggesto be requirement. no more waivers. there should be real work eligibility. that means we have to transform education and training. right now, we have a skills gap. it is great to give people a

job, if they do not have the first step it will not work. we need to revamp our education. host: what you think of what he said? guest: i sort of agree. i do not think local government is less bureaucratic and federal government. i would rather see it of all directly between the visuals between the g.i. bill. whethered this in 1943 or not helping veterans, we should send the rest of the institutions or send the veterans. congress of one vote, voted to give the money directly to the veteran so they can decide exactly what kind of education they need. we need to do something like that now. if you have a tax liability, rather than sending it to the federal government, descended to a nonprofit in these neighborhoods. so that anything that evolves more resources to individuals, i

support. host: fox reports that both president obama and speaker ryan would like to double the earned income tax credit 1005 per person. work? -- does it guest: we should always do anything that encourages work. we should help people in category two, who because they are afraid to take a promotion, because it will take them over a line of eligibility for charitable tax credit help, we need to help with that. it goes onto say that the odds that obama and run will come together and have a serious discussion about passing the plan are not particularly good. the survey agreed on how to expand the young tcp or they do not agree at how to pay for it. guest: that may be the case.

democrats are great about talking about free this and free that, but then when you ask where the money will come from, that is where things get confusing. ,ost: wanda is in hayward california. democrat. you are on. morning.ood mr. woodson, i appreciate the fact that you first mentioned that you do not understand what ryan republican stance on party would be. that probably would have been my first question. that -- haveg is you actually looked at paul ryan's budget tea is used? how he would have had to destroy social security and medicare. how, even at this point, they are trying to repeal obama care what sexually helps and lists

some people who are working at walmart and other corporate entities. they still have to get food stamps. rich onlyts to the poor, because,he take her instance missouri. -- take for instance missouri. the police department, because they can i get the tax breaks, what they're doing now is that they are doing fees and other things to collect on poor people. that is where they are getting their taxes from. host: i think we got your point. let's get a response. --st: first of all, i agree i think there is a myth that somehow poor people are poor because rich people are rich. i remember some years ago, with

tax on john kerry past a luxury items. cars and boats. what the rich people do is that they stop by and boats. guess what happened yet -- happened yet go -- happened yet go -- happened? inple stopped working factories. senators kerry quickly rescinded that tax break. there is another type of informal tax on the poor. for instance, my daughter lives in costa rica. i call her every day. it cost me nothing. if she was in prison, it would cost me one dollar per minute. taxes the families of inmates. it is a $1.2 billion industry. people who have people incarcerated pay crazy fees to companies.

the profit share by prisons. that is something we should look into that should immediately improve the lot and strengthen families without costing the government anything. i'm trying to convince others that we should look at prison phone calls. also, cash bail for people engaged in non-violent offenses. where people have to put up $500,000 of bail and they have to go to jail. they lose their job. these are the kinds of regulations we need to be changing. i think jerry brown in california business, i think that we have those kinds of taxes on the poor. are you in support of banning the box on employment applications go --? -- applications?

guest: yes. when we brought together the liberal and conservative legislature, that means if you were in prison, and you are an electrician or barbara, once your release, you lose your ability to work. your license is suspended. so, i think we need to take these kinds of barriers off of people who have served time in prison. let them come back and work. jail, you cannot get a drivers license. when you go to jail they take your social security card and drivers license. they toss them. when they get out of jail they are required to get a job as a condition of parole. if it takes somebody to get a drivers license six months. there are common sense barriers like these that we could change overnight. that is if people would focus attention on these kinds of small barriers that prevent people from assuming a normal life.

host: devon is in north carolina on the republican line. just as robert woodson. caller: yes. i appreciate you guys holding this poverty segment. mr. woodson very much and what he is saying. we need to get rid of the boxes on the applications. let somebody's character and mindset and work ethic go through the interview process, and prove that they are worthy of the job. at the same time, running for mayor in north carolina dealing with an inner-city african-american community, i understand what i read for on the republican ticket. it would be hard for me to advertise myself to the upper echelon of caucasians. it was not hard for me to do that. in there and characterize myself. i gave my mindset and my viewpoints. i was endorsed by many parties and conservative groups. i think that the stigma with the

black community is that republicans are all, greedy and selfish. out for themselves. do not care about anybody. it is about individual assist and personal responsibility. once the inner-city blacks get to that point of understanding is the responsibility getting to that point, going through obstacles, going to trials and tribulations, the mindset will get to the point where it is ok. i can strive and make a good point of an opportunity. it is a minimum wage job works you to a higher juncker yes, education needs reform. i have african-american family members who are able-bodied citizens. they want to sit at home and collect a check. they want to sit at home and wait for a utility check, without going out to apply themselves to get a job. understand this. i am wishy-washy with paul ryan.

the transpacific partnership, it is losing jobs to the u.s.. of bill clinton are losing jobs. what we do to bring manufacturing jobs back? host: we will get a response. what did you do with the republican primary in greensboro? caller: i appreciate the knowledge meant. i live in a largely democratic district. for me, being an african-american, i tried to get theinto the projects and "ghetto" black people do not understand, this is what is going on. this is how we engage in the political process. we need to get people into these offices that want to strengthen us and give us an uprising so that we can make better of ourselves. not do that well.

it was my first time running. win, because a black man can go into the realm of the caucasian people and give institutions the idea that we need to start focusing on everybody not just one sort of people. not just the tax break. host: thank you so much. guest: i think it is refreshing to have a well-informed young man who was progressive to understand that conditions today are not what they were 50 years ago. we are not in the 1960's anymore. you are correct. he brings up another point. that is only things holding us back is that we are unwilling to practice moral consistency when it comes to the issue of corrupt officials. commitshite democrat either an illegal or immoral act, the expectation is that

other democrats will distance themselves. republicank or white , like the man in florida who was caught buying drugs, we expect other republicans to distance themselves. when a black corrupt official engages in corrupt or a legal action, there is either silence from the population, he or she is expected to run for re-office. for instance, will talk to -- has beencago, chicago in the second congressional illinois district. they have been representative -- represented by other politicians. jesse jackson junior, that 33 years of people representing the district that have engaged in corrupt behavior that sent them to prison or they were censored, but yet, jesse jackson got reelected when he was not even

showing up to work for five months. he was reelected overwhelmingly. it is most important for the we have fords that accountability of white elected officials, we need to do the same thing for black elected officials. we are not looking at the correlation between crime in the sheets and crime in the streets. any correlation between high crime areas in chicago and the fact that it has been poorly represented for 33 years by corrupt officials? that the blackem community must addressed internally. we must hold people accountable, and not let them use race to shield them from personal responsibility. host: sheila. virginia. independent. yes.r: i like talking about the issue. i have been working with an

yearszation for about two . they help i was down and out. people are not really realizing what is out there. people we aret of dealing with. sometimes 20 hours per week. a lot of corporations. they are out doing this. i'm sick of this. i mean, people are making billions of dollars. they cannot even see somebody 40 hours per week. they are coming to my food learn howey need to to use food stamps wisely. we have these drives. you name it, anything i can tonk of, we will send money make food stamps and money go farther. we are doing that. , theederal government legislatures, they forget about

it. it has been this way for years. host: thank you. we got the point. guest: i think we have to look to ourselves. in one out of 20 we support in indianapolis indiana, kurt more. he served 13 years of federal prison time. and is in the church. emmanuel missionary baptist church. programweston has a where they have hundreds of men coming out of jail where, he is teaching personal responsibility. what did kurt more do? did he complain? no. he started washing cars in the garage. after four months he started doing car detailing. within six years he has 20 employees working in the community. it is and what he high crime areas. now, we're helping him to broaden and grow. there are other people like him who understand that it is the

victim who has to get up. what he's asking for is a hands up, not a hand out. promote thebegin to whole spirit of self-help personal responsibility, your well-being is not just tied to how much money you make but what you do with the money you do have. that is a story from new jersey. there is a program called debt-free where he is going through hundreds of churches to try to help people to make better choices. he is saying debt is as bad as slavery. like alot of debt is high-tech sharecropping. when you get into debt, we really need to not just talk about poverty in terms of how much money we can get into the hands of the poor, but how can we make them -- help them make better decisions.

not just spent $50 per month on the lottery. host: george, jacksonville, florida. you're the last caller. caller: thank you. you are presenting good ideas. a lot of colors are talking about bringing jobs that. i agree with that. i want to point out a third thing. to talk toe for you one of the republicans come al i did a petition on usa funds. obama called it my ira. you talked about $800 billion going into poverty. to have amost enough 401(k) of retirement for $1 million for everybody. along with getting jobs, we need to look at what we will do with people in poverty after they retire. people out ofof

work. 94 million people. we can give them more jobs. we also need to look at getting people into the stock market. guest: i agree. some people, albert einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge. what we need to bring to the discussion of poverty, we need to stop the ideological combat over the issue. we need to bring people together with the best ideas. people are motivated to change when they are presented with victories that are possible. not injuries to be avoided. ishink that is what speaker -- ryne is trying to do. he is trying to use political celebrity to promote the whole notion that we must come up with new solutions. we need to go to a different source of that. they source is among those suffering the problem. be taking speaker ryan to dallas

>> awaiting vice president joe biden who will be holding a roundtable discussion on curing cancer. it was supposed to start earlier and has not gotten underway but we will take you there live when it does. the vice president making a call for action to fight cancer last year. president obama bringing up the subject again as one the u.s. can self during his final state of the union address. while we wait for the vice president at the university of pennsylvania, we will take a look at a department of defense reefing on an investigation into anthrax that took place earlier at the pentagon. >> thanks for attending today's press conference. i am brigadier general malcolm frost. i will be the moderator for today's briefing on the results of a army regulation,

investigation into the inadvertent shipment of life anthrax spores to labs in the u.s. and abroad from the proving grounds. it will be 30 minutes. please state your name and affiliation when asking your question. i will allow one follow-up to each question and that assumes your first question was not a three-year four-part question. -- a three or four-part question. his team included over 80 individuals from over two dozen organizations and agencies within the department of defense. paul astrowsky. general brianjor

line, commanding general of the army research and material command who will address components of the way ahead. >> thank you. good afternoon. in response to direction from the deputy secretary of defense and from the secretary of the army the army stood up a biosafety task force to look at biological select agents and toxins. incidentanthrax although that was the impetus for this task force, the task force openly made a number of wide ranging and comrades of recommendations which were approved by the secretary of army which will have a general benefit to the program as we go forward. -- a biological task force with members of all service. we had members of the navy and the air force honor panels.

we began in august and we will andsh this month transitioned the remaining work to the army surgeon general represented here by general line. our recommendations include the establishment of a department of defense executive agent who will perform technical review, harmonization of procedures and integrate the inspections for this program and the secretary of the army delegated that responsibility of the executive 's surgeonhe army general. review panellish a consisting of prominent scientists from within and outside the department of defense and that will review and validate procedures for working with biological select agents and toxins. we will put in place a process to screen and validate all requests for biological products from outside doj to see if they are valid and if we can

substitute a less dangerous product for what has been requested. will put in place a central process to track and monitor all requests and transfers including a new i.t. system so there -- request will be retained in a central repository. we have disestablished the office known as the critical office.ence -- reagent we have and are in the process of developing new dod procedures for the inactivation and testing of bacillus and traces which when the underlying research is completed and we expect that will take a year will serve as our single dod and center for disease control validated procedure for this procedure. we have transferred control of the biological laboratory at dugway proving ground from the army test and evaluation command

to the research, development, and engineering command and eliminated their mission of producing biological agents for export across our customers. that mission will the longer be onducted -- >> we take you live to the university of pennsylvania school of medicine for a roundtable discussion on curing cancer with vice president joe biden. in a sense this is taking you from the important work you're doing. and illins and i are here had an opportunity to speak with my friend, she really is my gutman.dr. i, like so many of you and members of the press and family ini am a full

that my family has been touched by cancer. some family members have survived area and some have not her,y mother, god love used to have an expression. a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. engaged with someone you love who is fighting for their life, you become acquainted with at least the parameters of what they are as thatwith and you will tell you, you do everything in your power to be able to learn as much about the fight that is underway as you can. i want to make it clear, when the president set up --

when i decided not to run for president, i had indicated in the rose garden that when i made had innouncement that been president, one of the things i would devote my administration to was a manhattan project, a lot of moon shots on cancer. the truth of the matter is i believe from my exposure over two years of my son fighting glioblastoma of the brain comics stage four, i became acquainted enough with the brilliant minds around this table and others to realize that we are on the cusp, you are on the cusp of some phenomenal breakthroughs. in my terms, not your medical terms, we are at an inflection point in the fight against cancer. if you think about i say the

media, this is everyone in this , i used totands this have a good friend named bob gold and i is to ask do you i overand, he would say stand you. everyone in the profession over stands what i am saying. and iamb noview expert here although i tried my best to learn as much as i can the last two years, it really yearst until before eight ago we began to challenge the typical way in which we treated cancer. everyone of you who have had a family member over the last 10 years with cancer, you learn the same thing. to remove acalpel tumor, there is chemotherapy, and radiation. it is a pretty brutal process. a lot of these docs and docs around the world, i met with

over 200 leading oncologists in clinicians, part of what moved these men and women, it is presumptuous of me to say is more humane treatment to do with this disease. and god willing in a decade we wel look act and say how did treat cancer in the 1950's the way we treated it? there is a lot of talk about the dream of a possibility of genomics. there was not on the horizon. long talk with the president and told him what my intention was and i am so flattered that my fellow congressmen are here. an irish guy who is a republican, you should we a

democrat, i kid him all the time, he is a great friend of mine and others that are here. committed as a government, as a congress, and there is not the cause of me. the only thing that got a spontaneous standing ovation was -- usnouncement of his taking a targeted approach. clear, i will it yield to dr. collins in a minute, this is not an nih program per se. this is not a federal initiative per se. and is using all the assets capacities of the government. we task every major agency to be

at my disposal and a literal sense and take from them the best they have in the areas they in theind of like i did recovery act and put together a team and happen executive weector where we become -- already are, i believe through nih -- value added. and are part of the process. where we break down where it is real, some of us imagined, where there are bureaucratic barriers where we can accommodate and speed up rationally and safely additional research and development. but one of the things i have found is there is a awful lot of stovepipe. i hope my medical -- medical friends here will not be have ad but i used to bennyather named ambers -- ambrose finney.

he's to say there is because of politics, church politics, union politics as in labor, and there is politics and he said they are difficult in that order. i hope you're not offended but there are four kinds of baltics. churchs cancer politics, politics, union politics, and politics. they are difficult in that order. it is not even intentional. intentional. there is a desire for everyone here to be collaborative. to beis a desire collaborative and you are working with other organizations , major cancer research hospitals, but as i go around the country and i have now met scores of folks, we have

the quilt coalition, the parker institute which you are part of here, the and college he research informational exchange network, the american society of agileal oncology, the gbm project which includes 170 international oncologists and researchers. there is the biotech industry organization, friends of cancer research, etc. and they all have particular expertise, none more than here at the university, and what i'm finding is that there still up that exist. more existed in the past, but today, they still exist. some of them are and i will be coming to my colleagues who are the leaders in the house and senate in both parties but for example, basic questions like when you do this -- they genomic

tests, who owns the genome, me or you who do the test? right now that is not so clear. you'd do not -- want the individual to own it, you want to own it. there are a lot of practical questions but by and large, what is exciting, i have noticed in the last two years the cost colonization that is going on now that did not exist before. all these doctors are in their own right exceptional. dr. juneppen to know and his repetition more than most. i mean it. he is internationally known as others of you are. when people think of dr. june they think of immunotherapy. but he is working closely on genomic and there is a lot of collaboration going on now in

virology. a whole range of things that 5, , we almost did not mix. there is even movement and i do not know enough to know whether how much catered there may be there but the neurosurgeon who theyiotomy's, had to go in twice to find a head of years ago, the the department of surgery at the university of virginia is talking about high-powered ultrasound. there is all kinds of things that are occurring in the field that, up until recently, other disciplines would save we are not going to invest in that but i find a much more collaborative atmosphere. will be, itmy role

may be above my pay grade. this is one of the most difficult and complex undertakings i have taken on in my career. in some time. strategicn expert on doctrine, nuclear weapons on the issue relating to arms control. do, i sat able to down with our laboratories and they sat with me over six months and taught me how to make a nuclear weapon. understood what a soviet silo was. so when i spoke i knew as much or more than anybody i had spoken with. hopefully i can be informed enough across a wide spectrum

that i can be and my colleagues, we can do two things. we can have the federal government and the american people step up in their contributions, financial contributions to the fight and investment in these technologies. as well as coordinate and collaborate all the agencies within the federal government led by dr. collins. so that we are partners, not impediments, we are partners with the private sector. lastly, madam president, there are some very generous people out there. i did not met with -- know there were so many billionaires in america, literally. i met with some extremely, parker who is free much involved with your efforts here, there are some really fine people including governor huntsman and others who have made enormous investments, charitable

investments and philanthropy to deal with this subject. and so my hope is that i can be a catalyst to overstate it, oversimplify it, to get everybody on the same page. breakers wewhatever can make in 10 years, my goal is to make sure we can do it in five years. my goal is that we find absolute cures but for some cancers we get to the point where i can manage them, they become chronic diseases. or folkswant the press out there saying biden is being naive and saying we are about to cure all cancer and we will do it tomorrow but we can find -- fundamentally change the life circumstances of millions of people around the world. worldwide. this is the biggest killer.

if the u.s. is nothing else, i xi, once asked by president we were having a private dinner and he asked, can i define america and i said yes, i can, in one word. possibilities. that is the uniqueness of this country. goodless possibilities for -- possibilities. have justdication we run this table. throughout the nation and throughout the world, this is a place where the united states can make a contribution that exceeds almost anything we could and will have done so far. to humanity. i was joking with my colleagues a moment ago, i was saying to my mother was here

she would look at you and look at you, dr., and say you're doing god's work area that is what this is about. we can do so much. with that, what i would like to do is yield for a moment to dr. collins and then i would like to open up and educate me. i would like you to talk about what you think i should most be doing as i put this task force together and my commitment is months. for the next 12 my commitment to do this and i have been stunned by the response worldwide. you have seen some of it. i have been stunned at the overwhelming response welcoming to be a facilitator and convener. i plan on doing this the rest of my life. [applause]

collins: you have heard from someone with a vision i think we all share. the vice presidents passionate, principled, and unplugged and on unscriptable speech. thate please to be in laboratory mode to speed up that discovery rate and take that inflection point which i think we all agree has arrived and move at an accelerated pace those opportunities into saving lives. we are on your team. i might ask before i see a couple words, maybe you could quickly identify the people at the table so everyone knows who is here. i will identify doctored douglas

-- dr. douglas lowy. here at aighted to be place we give a lot of money to and know that it is all very well spent. isthe reason i picked penn because my son went here, my daughter went here, my granddaughter is a senior here. nephew is coming here and my niece is coming here. i want to admit to the press my self-interest. i have a son-in-law who is one of the leading -- i can say this -- one of the leading surgeons in this country. put people flaps to back together after you take out the cancer. i am proud he is my son-in-law. to thank you for

being here and choosing philadelphia as a launching pad for your moonshot. over -- dr.is dr. our breastnd one of cancer researchers and sells big launchedand we just the center for precision surgery . he is innovating in an area where you can make cancer glow so you can take it all out. patientsve one of the in the audience. mr. biden: emily. >> and one of our top immunology

researchers who is very much into creating vaccines and other things for cancer in the you know dr. june does not need any introduction. as president has focused based on these many meetings he has had with leading oncologists on several areas of exceptional opportunity. i suspect those are the kinds of things we like -- might want to talk about. i can't help but mention that one but it is the case that cancer is a disease of the genome. we have the technology to discover why sell those bad. -- cells go bad. me istherapy if you ask maybe the area that shows the and muchrkable promise credit to people at this table and this institution.

coley tried infecting people considered that was a quick thing to do and it faded into the mists of time. steve rosenberg labored away at this for several decades, usually failing but occasionally succeeding and not quite sure why his melanoma treatment sometimes worked but the full flowering of this is in last few years -- in the last few years with people who have come up with check point inhibitors and with carl june and his colleagues' work on the therapy, taking immune cells and educating them about how to find those cancers. i like that metaphor. we'll had -- we all have immune cells, they are looking for things they need to react to but sometimes they miss stuff and sometimes they need education. carl and his gang have figured out how to take them to college and the results of that, emily

being an example are really dramatic. one of the things we might talk about is how we move that to the kinds of cancer that is working really well. breast cancer, prostate cancer, maybe they need to go to graduate school and we need to figure out how to go to the next step. every cancer is characterized by mutation. it has abnormal protein. we have to figure out how to make the more visible. that is a truly amazing moment where we have gone from what was a controversial area where some people said you are wasting your immunotherapy for cancer now being the breakthrough of the year. i think the third area that you have pointed to and rightly so is sharing data. there is a lot of data out there but it is not accessible to people who might be able to

learn from it. i can tell you from nih's perspective, this is one of our highest priorities. they need to make that data accessible. there are resistances there, a tradition of holding data to close, we need to break that down. people say how well you do that, it is like herding cats. maybe you can move their feet. we have a lot of food. we will use it wisely in that regard. together,ose things genomics, immunotherapy, and wider data access for all the clinical trials, we are at that inflection point that you have articulated just with your could, help, with your leadership, your visibility, your credibility, we could turn this into an

historic moment. we are on your team. we want to see this happen. why don't you if you would, go off of what dr. collins just said in terms of this immunotherapy now. dr. o'ro i will ask arke [inaudible] and segue into immunotherapy. >> i am sorry for your personal loss. it is terrible to have had to bear witness to this. i do not have to tell you how important getting a cure for glioblastoma is. i am glad you chose penn. we do have a collaborative

environment. table, it is the unique and it places us in a good position. let me tell you why i am excited about glioblastoma for the first time over the last 12 months or so. is at the -- is that the command center and privileged. we found that is not the case. i will get into that. this is a unique opportunity to identify what the relationship is between the immune system and the nervous system. it is huge question -- a huge question. glioblastoma and other neurological diseases. one of the basic research elements of our projects is to look at how those two systems

relate and interact. it is huge question. with glioblastoma, immunotherapy has become very much a hot topic. what we are doing that is unique is the [inaudible] approach. a mutation expressed in one third of the patients. we have taken sells out and engineered them to recognize that mutation and give them back, the cells like a pint of lead at the bedside -- blood at the bedside without side effects. the most fascinating and exciting moment for me a couple months ago was when we saw some of the early results where we were able to identify in the brain specifically activated cells that we had infused into the patient. not only that, we saw that the cells were active in the tumor cells which expressed that

mutation, eliminated the mutation and persisted in the body without giving side effects. and so, i do not want to oversell it or overstate it. i think your remarks are cogent but we have a template on which to build that. can i ask you a question and i think i know it is -- i know the answer but it is worth people hearing it. one of the things that surprised me in working with some of your in san francisco and at duke was that, as you pointed out, it works in one third of the patients. he goes back to the thing that -- it goes back to the thing that dr. collins said. we did not know why it worked when it worked. thato, could you speak to a little bit because as i

understand it and i am way above my pay grade, but as i understand it, different cancers, particularly glioblastoma because it -- the way it has a most tentacles the way it functions and grows, there are multiple cancer genes cell. a single cancer so it works for some and you have a targeted response. the criticism -- comments i get ists is you have to fire so many missiles at the cancer cell that you can find specific drugs and t cells you can target for certain of the elements of the cell but not all. so talk to me and might -- my colleagues about that. >> we are at the early stages. >> the vice president talking

with doctors and researchers about curing cancer. we will leave that for the republican retreat. paul ryan and others giving an update on policy talks, speaker ryan talking about some of the nationalcluding jobs, security, health care, and poverty. the briefing was 10 minutes. >> today is the anniversary of the packers first super bowl win. morning. we just completed a very conference. with everything that is at stake in 2016, we have been talking about how do we go on offense ideas and how do we make sure that we offer the country a very clear and compelling choice? they deserve that.

we want to earn their choice by offering an agenda that fixes their problems, because of we do not like the direction the country is going and we do not, we have an obligation to offer an alternative, so starting today, we are beginning to work on developing a bold progrowth agenda. this agenda will focus on five areas. first, national security. americans are very anxious right now, rightfully so. how do we go about making sure that we are secure here at home? how do we go about building a clay for century military and make sure that we are equipped to defeat isis and the threat posed by radical islamic terrorism? next, jobs and economic growth. our economy is far from reaching potential. wages are still stagnant. families are still hurting.

people are working harder than ever before but they feel that they are sitting behind. how do we fix our tax code? how do we rein in the regulatory state? how do we maximize our energy potential? third, health care. obamacare has taken us down the wrong path. higher prices, higher deductibles, fewer choices, restricted access. how do we not only repeal the law but what solutions lead us to lower cost and a truly patient-centered health care system? fourth, poverty and opportunity. there are 46 million americans living in poverty today. what solutions will help get people out? right now we have a safety net that is designed to catch people falling into poverty but what we need is a trampoline that gets people out of poverty into lives they want for themselves. how do we get them back into the workforce? how do we restore upward mobility? and itt piece of this,

is so critical to all the others is restoring the constitution. country founded on an idea, and our rights do not come from government, our rights come our rights are natural and the constitution is this beautiful system of rules, a beautiful system preserving liberty and freedom so we can exercise those rights, that we are sovereign and free. how do we restore the constitution because the president executive overreach has undermined the constitution and has damaged the people's trust. people more and more do not trust our government and it is because we have deviated from the constitution. so what do we need to do to restore the separation of powers constitutional liberties? these are critical questions. these are the ideas that we will be advancing. we will work with our colleagues

through our committee led task forces, that means every member and their constituents will have a chance to provide their input. a suspect we will have a complete agenda by the time we have a nominee. of ais nothing short generational defining moment we are in. the country is crying out for solutions. the country is crying out to be unified. the country is crying out for a positive vision that brings us all together. we want a confident america and now is the time to get to work. thank you. questions? --you have been circumspect in terms of how specific this agenda will be and you said that will be discussed at this conference. as tore a resolution whether this will be legislation

or something less? mr. ryan: we just launched the process. we're not going to predetermine everything. we are going to do this to do this together with our members but believe you me, the people of our country will know who we are and what we stand for when this is done and they will be given a choice in 2016 so when they go to the polls, when they vote for republicans, they will know what they are voting for. >> some of us talked to bill florez in the hall and he said republicans should develop a technology whoever winds of being the nominee. because it is unclear who the nominee might be, there is one person who that maye concerned, be the tail could wag the dog and influence them based on what you do in the house this year. worried aboutre

congress working. we're worried about the constitution. we are worried about solutions so we are putting out an agenda and rises to the occasion we are not sitting here thinking about who the nominee is going to be. we do not have time to think about that. >> that is not in the back of your mind? mr. ryan: no. >> how exactly are you interpreting this poverty program, how the administration would heckle poverty or how you envision a poverty program because it seems like it would be a completely different vision of how the administration would do it. i am curious as to how you envision it because your voters are thinking a poverty program, we are talking about billions of dollars of social programs. mr. ryan: the status quo which is the obama administration, they believe that measuring success in the war on poverty is

spending more money and having more federal programs and having washington dictate solutions to communities. reject thatally premise. we fundamentally disagree and so we agreed the more effective way of fighting poverty and combating the lack of upward mobility is to go at the root causes to break the cycle of poverty. we believe in freedom, liberty, self-determination. we believe in communities. we believe in federalism. so what does that mean? work works. washington does not work. we will take those principles that we have and apply it to one of the biggest problems we have in america. people living in poverty and a lack of upward mobility.

at the beginning of the portion the issue of senator cruz. mr. ryan: that is not worth the seconds worth of thought. thank you. appreciate it. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

[inaudible conversations] >> as we work towards this, we do not want to prejudge -- that.ence will decide >> will you elaborate the figure? >> because he does not want to go -- when you take those five different buckets. there are different committees. you look at health care, three different committees. tax reform, kevin brady. you hvaeave these different gros

of committee chairs working in these task forces. >> on the u.s. stock market. falling oil prices in china slowing economy. national nix of the right to work legal defense and then labor unions in the u.s. and what a potential supreme court ruling could mean for their future. plus, we'll take your phone calls, facebook comments and tweets on "washington journal" live tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. more road to the white house and the donald trump backyard barbecue in new hampshire hosted by scott brown. speak to supporters in portsmouth. you can watch that live tomorrow morning at 11:30 eastern on c-span. then sunday texas senator ted cruz continuing his bus tour

through the granite state with a stop at a restaurant in milford. he will meet with voters starting at 5:00. we will have that right here on c-span. monday as martin luther king jr. day. and with congress not in session we have featured programs on all three c-span networks. on c-span at 11:30 a.m., live coverage of the british house of commons debate on whether to ban donald trump from their country. that debate expected to last three hours. our coverage will re-air at 8:00. it 6:30 p.m., university of wisconsin professor william p jones and his book "the march on washington, jobs, freedom and the forgotten history of civil rights." to reorganizet this march he had called off in 1941, everybody said you had better get martin luther king. and he went to martin luther king and martin luther king said, i will support you but let's expand the goals of the march. aboutrch is not just

winning equal access to jobs, fighting employment discrimination, it is also about winning the right to vote in the south. john lewis recalls his involvement in the civil rights movement in his book "march, book two." and on american history tv on anpan 3, at 2:00 p.m. international history professor at the london school of economics and political science on iran's cold war partnership with the united states. >> iran has to look to a third power to preserve its sovereignty against the imperial ambitions of britain and russia. looked to0's, iran germany to play that role. after the second world war, whole generation of iranian state may look to the united states is a country that had no imperial ambitions and no history of colonialism in the region. a at 8:00 on reel america,

1960 three interview with the referent martin luther king jr. on his approach to civil rights. his comments on president kennedy's civil rights bill and how gandhi influenced his work. for the complete schedule, go to c-span.org. next, today's white house briefing with press secretary josh earnest. he spoke about limiting the iran nuclear -- about implementing the iran nuclear deal and the administration's response to lead found in flint michigan. thingant to do one quick at the top before we go to questions and this is just in response to a number of questions we have received the last couple of weeks. about the implementation of international agreement to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. has madeare that iran important progress and for filling the obligation and commitments they made in the context of that international

agreement. to dismantle significant portions of their nuclear infrastructure. are important steps they have committed to take. be they will not receiving any sort of sank his relief until the iaea have been able to verify those steps have been completed and the iaea moving forward will preserve significant capability to monitor iran's nuclear program, to verify their ongoing compliance with the agreement. so, just as a quick reminder, it seems useful to walk through very briefly the steps that iran has committed to take before any anytions will be pr -- sanctions relief will be provided. this includes completely shutting down every pathway that iran has to acquiring enough fissile material to develop a nuclear weapon. that meant that iran had to

follow through with a commitment eliminate 98% of the uranium stockpile. we do actually know this is one element of their commitments they did fulfill. they shipped 25,000 pounds of enriched uranium out of the country over the holidays. they also made a commitment to stop spending thousands of centrifuges and to remove and replace -- to place into storage 13,000 of the centrifuges. those facilities will be monitored by the iaea to ensure that they remain there. and most importantly, there will be ongoing monitoring body iaea of iran's nuclear program. that is critical because we do have the ability, if we detect that iran is not fulfilling their commitments, we can snap sanctions back into place. that is written in the agreement as well. so, i don't have an update on

timing. that is a key question. i do not have an update for you on timing but we know that iran is making important progress. that ultimately the limiting factors are both iran's completion of these tasks and the ability of the iaea to verify those tests have been completed. that's essentially what remains to be done. underscores the significance of this agreement. critics of the agreement and critics of the administration get that iran will sanctions relief. the amount of that sentence relief is often exaggerated by critics. somehow they fail to acknowledge that when president obama took office the world was quite concerned that iran was racing their nuclear capacity so they could build a

nuclear weapon. in fact, because of the tough and principled diplomacy that was advanced by president obama, we've actually seen iran dismantle so much of their nuclear architecture that we have blocked every pathway they have to building a nuclear weapon. and this is substantial competent. -- accomplishment. it makes the world safer. the security of our closest allies around the world, particularly. israel and enhances the national security of the united states. that is where the president pursued it. without -- with that. >> when you say timing, do you mean waiting for the iaea to issue a statement of verification? >> i mean, i don't want to leave you with the impression that is the only thing we are waiting on. we are both waiting for iran to complete the steps that they sai d they would take and for the i

to verify those steps up and completed. it's important -- steps have be en completed. it is important not to separate those two things because it may be they have completed all the steps that we are not going to take their word for it. we are going to make sure we have independent verification by nuclear experts. they are two steps but we see them as inextricably linked as we were not going to take the it that' word for they have taken the steps they are supposed to take. >> that makes it sound like the iaea is what you are waiting for. iran has not taken the steps they are supposed to take it these are just inextricably linked. irannk the leadership in has made quite clear that they are working aggressively to fulfill their end of the bargain. and we certainly welcome the zeal with which they are

pursuing there for full men of their commitment. their fulfillment of commitment that we want to make sure they do not cut any corners. that is why independent verification has been in some ways the key part of this agreement from the beginning, because there is, based on her history, a lot of distrust about iran talked publicly about their nuclear program in particular. again, these, they are two steps but they are instantly linked. -- inextricably linked. >> the amount of sanctions they are going to get is often exaggerated. what is the accurate amount, or how would you describe what they are getting? >> my colleagues at the treasury department can give you more details on this. the number that is cited by critics is the deal is $150 billion. our experts indicated that is an exaggeration. the number i have heard is that it is closer to 50 or 100, not

150. and the reason for that is in lot ofat iran has a bills that have come due. so much of the sentence relief that they will receive will immediately be -- that sanctions relief that they will receive will immediately be to pay off the debt they have incurred. the second thing important for people to understand is that the sanctions relief that they ely allow themer to get access to their own money that is currently in the international financial system. it is not as if there is an impact on the taxpayers of the united states here. sanctionsessentially that were designed by the united states,, enforced by the world to essentially limit or outright prevent iran's access to their own money that was in the international system. the growth onting

that money as well? >> sure. look, i'm not suggesting that iran is not getting anything. i'm just suggesting they are not getting any financial resources from the united states. it is their own money. second, it is worth being accurate about what the amount of money that is. it is not $150 billion. for more precise regulation i would refer you to the treasury department. the reason i wanted to go through this exercise is it is often described by our critic as what iran is getting. note what the international community and the united states is getting and what impact that has on our national security. and what we are getting is verifiable confirmation that iran won't have a nuclear weapon and as recently as five or six years ago there was a real concern about what would happen to israel and to our

security interests in the middle east because of iran's aggressive pursuit of a nuclear weapon. it was not that long ago -- a year ago -- that assessment of the united states intelligence community that iran was within three months, essentially they had a three-month breaktout period. now we know that once that deal goes through, and hopefully that will be soon, that breakout extended to a year. and because of our verification measures, we will know right away once they have begun to take the steps. benefits for the united states, for israel, for our other allies and partners in the region when it comes to our national security are significant, despite the fact they are often overlooked by our critics. >> has there been, have there

been any discussions or is there a strategy to talk to israel, discussions going on -- i know there's that task force examining the overall aid package. but is there something specific going on with the israelis to reassure them as we approach this? >> you touched on the main part of that, which is the work that is ongoing between senior officials in the united states and senior national security officials in israel to just us the extension and expansion of the memorandum of understanding about u.s. military support to israel. and the president has talked the part commitment on of the united states to is really security is unshakable. hase minister none yahoo! himself observed that the kind of assistance that has been provided under the leadership of the barack obama to israel has been unprecedented. we're seeking to deepen that

kind of cooperation, the context of these discussions. and that is something they're working hard on. ok? i want to go back to darlene. i'm come back to you guys. >> the governor has michigan -- of michigan has asked president obama to issue a disaster declaration over the crisis of lead in the drinking water of flint. do you have a sense of how quickly the administration -- [inaudible] >> there is a formal process it fema for considering these kinds of request. that process is ongoing. those requests are consider expeditiously. just as a matter of course, this will be as well. i think it is important to note there are number of things the federal government has done to

respond to this ongoing situation. fema actually already are personnel that have been deployed to flint to serve as a liaison between the long-term recovery committee established by the governor and the agencies that may be able to assist with existing programs and funds. fema staff that was deployed to michigan to provide some logistical and technical support to the local, state and local officials on the ground responding to the situation. been somew there has physical supplies have been provided by fema to the state of michigan to respond to this situation, specifically bottled water. fema has a regular process where they stockpile commodities for use in responding to emergency situations. and just as a matter of course,

what fema will do is when those commodities get close to their expiration date, they often will donate those resources to charity. but in this case, that bottled water that was nearing its expiration date, they were prepared to donate to charity that has been redirected to this ongoing response effort in michigan. so, there are number of resources that have been dedicated -- to theby the federal government to assist state and local officials responded to the situation. what i did not mention is that both the epa and the department of justice have indicated they have taken a close look at, about taken a close look at the situation in terms of the signs and in terms of the impact that andn terms of the science in terms of the impact it could have on local populations. the justice department has taken a look at this decisions that

lead to this particular situation. -- led to this took the situation. there is a lot already going on in flint. the governor has made a request through the formal process, a request we will consider expeditiously. >> a decision as early as this weekend? >> the potential for that certainly exists. for an update on the timing, i would refer you to fema. >> [inaudible] indonesia, the other day -- what does it say about the strength of the islamic state group that they carried out the terrorist attack in indonesia which is kind of far away from -- ? >> there are a couple of concerns when it relates to the theiry of isil to spread violence, mayhem and murder of ideology. the first is concern about foreign fighters. these are individuals with have traveled from around the globe to take up syria

arms alongside isil. the concern is that these individuals could use their foreign passports to return to their home country and organizing carry out acts of violence. there are, there's a substantial number of individuals from indonesia who have traveled to iraq and syria to take up arms alongside isil. by the threat that is posed foreign fighters a significant, one that indonesians are keenly aware that. -- aware of. that's why almost a year half ago, the president convened a meeting of the national security council, or the united nations security council, to discuss how the international community could coordinate our efforts to combat foreign fighters. to share intelligence, to share information about individuals who are traveling. and that has enhanced the

security of nations around the world. obviously, there is more that we can do when it comes to information sharing to combat this effort. the second source of concern is actually a concern that is ac utely held in the united states, too, which is the way in which isil has capitalized on social media to spread their ideology and to try to radicalize vulnerable individuals. an so there obviously is aggressive effort we have mounted both here in the united states and around the world to try to combat their online radicalization efforts. and in fact, when the president was in southeast asia at the end of last year, he was in malaysia, he talked about how the united states was supporting the malaysians as they established a regional fusion center that could be used to coordinate the effort to counter isil's online radicalization attempts.

of wayse are a variety in which we are supporting the indonesians as they counter this threat. to leave you with the impression that we know exactly at this point or are prepared to talk publicly at this point about who carried out the attacks he referred to or outthey were able to carry those attacks. that is still under investigation. we have offered our support to them. as i mentioned yesterday, it certainly bears repeating that our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those indonesians who were affected by this terrible act of violence. ok. jeff. jeff: another big selloff on wall street today. how closely is the white house tracking this? are you concerned about it? is it any signal of maybe other problems with the economy? the president's optimism he expressed earlier this week -- always reluctant to talk

about day-to-day movements and the stock market. that reluctance continues today. i would note that there was, that most of the market indices highersomewhat yesterday. now they are down again today. obviously, these are market movements that are closely watched in the treasury department. they watch markets all around carefullyand are evaluating what sort of impact they could have on the broader economy here in the united states. i don't know the president has been briefed on the movements at all, but i think they highlight, i guess there are three things that come to mind. there are a lot of other data points to indicate the durability of the u.s. economy. we just got jobs numbers one week ago today that showed at the end of last year that 292,000 jobs were created just

in december of 2015. and that was the continuation of the longest streak of private-sector job growth in our nations history, 70 months now. north of 14 million jobs created over that period of time. that is an indication that the u.s. economy continues to be quite durable, despite the second point i wanted to make, despite the volatility we see overseas. there is noted 9 -- with other markets with whom we do extensive business is going to be ahead went for the u.s. economy. we are mindful of that, particular the as the international economy becomes more integrated. be sensitive to movements that we see in the economies of other countries. the third thing i'll say is president the continue to aggressively advocate in his state of the union for additional policies here in the united states that

would allow us to build on the momentum we are seeing in the job market but also allow us to strengthen the u.s. economy particular for middle-class families that could be vulnerable to some of the effects that we're seeing from weaknesses in other countries economies. the president has championed near-term solutions like investments and infrastructure and raising the minimum wage. it also encouraging congress to take the kind of steps now that will position our economy over the long-term to succeed. and these are investments in early childhood education, and other policies that would open the door to a college education to more students and workers and their families. so, the president has got a lot of ideas. i think even some of those who are concerned about the impact of the market volatility today on the u.s. economy should join ing overident in think the long term about what we can do to better prepare the country

to withstand that kind of volatility in the future. >> on a separate topic -- did the epa dropped the ball on this issue? this is something they have been aware of. is there any concern that they didn't fulfill their duties with this apparent crisis in michigan? quitethis point, i'm limited in what i can say about tributing any- at sort of blame for this situation prime really because the department of justice is taking a look at the question. the epa is obviously been involved, they're involved now therying to respond to situation. in terms of who could be to blame, what actions state officials took, both before this incident and its immediate aftermath, are questions that ultimately are being investigated and will have to be

answered by the department of justice. >> back on the iran deal. it's my understanding that his support,ed secretary of state kerry will sign up and that will trigger the process. does the president intend to read -- this iaea report before that happens? >> the president will get a briefing on the findings. but i also would not anticipate the need to review the iaea would lead to a significant delay in moving forward. part of that's because we are an ongoing -- in ongoing to medications about the -- with the iaea -- communications with the iaea about their work. >> all in one day? >> i do not have an update in

terms of what the timing would look like or how quickly we could turn it around. the state department may be able to give you a better assessment of that. i would not anticipate a lengthy delay once a finally iaea report has been issued, primarily because we continue to be in regular communication with them about their ongoing review. >> when you heard from the secretary of state this week, he stood up at a podium and said iran -- their reactor -- saying they shipped out uranium. the u.s. is independently verifying some of these things. so, i know that technically we are waiting on this iaea report the u.s. is saying we are full speed ahead going ahead with a steel regardless of that iaea report. that is just a technicality. >> i assure you that when this negotiation -- agreement was being negotiatedthis, the independent work of the iaea was

considered to be much more than a technicality. as i noted earlier, getting the iaea access to the information that they need to verify the initial steps that iran is taking and be positioned and have the access they need to verify their compliance with the agreement on an ongoing basis was a critical part of the agreement. and primarily that is because there's ample reason to discuss iran saysstrust what about their nuclear program. their track record on this is less than stellar. , we have created a system that will allow independent international nuclear experts, significant access into iran to verify their compliance with the

agreement. that was a critical part of these negotiations. that is why we are going to rely on those experts as we move forward to ensure iran is living up to commitment. withu have the incident the sailors. he also have iran testing missiles in the past few months. iran is also meddling elsewhere in the world. when you hear from the administration that implementation is just days away, it seems like a sure thing. it seems like no matter what behavior using iran, this deal is on. mr. earnest: we have been clear from the beginning for a deal was reached that negotiations were focused primarily on their nuclear program. that was our answer. it was also the concern of our allies in israel as well. reason that the united states,

israel, and the broader international community was concerned about the possibility of iran developing a nuclear irann is in so many areas is a pretty bad actor. iran supports terrorism. iran has an aggressive ballistic missile program that is under development. iran regularly notices israel -- menaces israel. that is why we made a priority. that is why our partners made it a priority. that includes u.k., france, germany, china, and russia. we have succeeded or hopefully will soon succeed in verifying that iran has taken necessary they to block every path have to developing that weapon. that does not eliminate the concerns we have with other behaviors, but it explains why we have made preventing them having a nuclear weapon a top priority. there are a variety of ways we

will continue to impress upon the iranians the need to address our other concerns as well. we have been clear about the fact that iran is potentially subject to get sanctions as the result of the ballistic missile testing that has been reported. so we will continue to apply pressure to them. ron mentioned the support we will provide our allies in the region, and that includes the israelis, but also our partners like saudi arabia and the other elf countries. -- gulf countries. the other notable thing is that the diplomatic engagement that has brought us close to this international agreement to prevent them from attaining a also helpingn is the united states in other ways. it is because of that

established diplomatic channel that we were able to promptly resolve the situation of the u.s. sailors that were -- that ended up in iranian territorial waters. i know that -- >> sanctions really just days away? again, let me explain why i brought this up. there are a lot of our critics who suggested rash and irresponsible reactions to this situation. one u.s. senator suggested the united states should delay the state of the union address. there was one u.s. senator who was on television last night who was apparently suggesting that in response to the situation that the president of the united states should have either bombed or invaded iran or both. it is unclear to me exactly how

either of those proposed responses would have resulted in a better outcome, because the outcome as we all saw was that these sailors, 14 after hours after they were picked up, were released unharmed with their boats. that the kind of diplomatic engagement that the president has pursued in the face of blistering criticism from our critics has i think itte clearly shown how advances our national security interests to pursue the approaches president has. and again, i think it is difficult for our critics to make an argument otherwise. >> you mentioned iran could be for it ballistic missile testing. are you saying the u.s. can now section iran were testing ballistic missiles once the

deals goes through? mr. earnest: we have never taken off the table the ability of the united states to impose based on ouriran other concerns about their behavior. >> [indiscernible] there has been significant discussion about the possibility that the united states could impose sanctions on ballistic missile program, and i would not rule out that is something that could be imposed at any time. is always an option on the table. we talked about how the nuclear agreement would not resolve the long list of concerns we have about their ballistic missile program or their human rights oford or their menacing israel. we have been clear this nuclear agreement did not in any way impair our ability to hold iran

accountable for those kinds of nefarious activities either. technicalities are done, would you anticipate the president might call president and ask for the return of the five americans still held? anyearnest: i do not have presidential phone calls to preview for you. -- i am not aware of any current plans for the president to telephone his iranian counterpart. americanstes to the who are currently and unjustly held by iran, we have in the context of these negotiations, secretary made clear every time they counterpart discuss the program, he made it a point to raise our ongoing concerns with

-- about these americans who were being unjustly detained. that is an indication we have made this a priority. you heard the president talk about how this issue is personal to him. i do not have an update for you for our ongoing efforts to , but weheir release certainly believe strongly and have made it a priority to tell the iranians that we are ready for americans who are being unjustly detained in iran to be released. >> you do not think the u.s. uses leverage on iran to get -- that by getting the sanctions relief and taking the pressure off? mr. earnest: it is our view -- we have always made clear that we would not and it would not be the best interests of those unjustly detained americans to make their cases somehow contingent on this nuclear

agreement. that is not automated easier for us to get -- to bring them home. we continue to have -- to make a strong case to the iranians that these americans are being unjustly detained in their country and they should be released. we have made clear that is a priority and it will continue to be until they are brought home. laura? >> [indiscernible] did you watch the debates? what was his reaction to -- saying america is a mess, it does not have any more influence over the world? mr. earnest: unfortunately, i did watch part of the debate last night. i regretted it deeply. i do not believe the president made that same mistake. rebuttal,esponse or a

the president had the opportunity on tuesday night to address the nation where he delivered his fundamentally optimistic and confident view about how the united states is the greatest country in the world, we have the most stable and durable economy of any nation in the world, we continue to have the greatest fighting force of any nation in the world, and we continue to have the capacity to advance our interests around the world. and we are using them. >> [indiscernible] no, primarily because we hear a lot of , but not arhetoric lot of facts to substantiate it. yet it think that was notable about last night for me is i never think i would time for the -- i would pine

for the days of herman cain. abc had a proposal and an agenda. -- he had a proposal and an agenda. you did not hear a semblance of a 9-1-1 plan. next all these guys on the state last night, herman cain looks like a policy wonk. again, the reason that that is disappointing is the president is working hard to implement a forward-looking agenda that is going to expand economic opportunity for the middle class, that is going to make america safer around the world, and we have made a lot of progress in the last few months with members of congress reaching the kind of legislative agreements that will advance that agenda. we reformed no child left behind in a way that will improve our system and not subject students to too much testing, we passed a

five-year transportation bill that will allow us to lock in some level of infrastructure funding. the president leaves we need to increase that level of funny, but locking in a five-year guarantee will allow state and local governments across the country to invest in the kind of project that are good for economy. there are other things that we have made permanent tax cuts for middle class families, and those families that are working hard to get into the middle class. we reached a budget agreement that will allow us to fund economic and national security priorities, $50 billion over the sequester levels that were advocated by republicans. we are having success in advancing it despite the opposition we see from the republicans who are the majority of both houses of congress. and is what leadership is, that is what the american people expect out of their president, and we do not see anything close to that on the state last night. >> does the white house -- [indiscernible] mr. earnest: not really.

i did not actually see the part of the debate that he delivered it, but i read about his remarks. there's no denying that people across the country and run the -- and around the world were inspired by the response of the people of new york city in the aftermath of 9/11. there is no denying that. doug? is the administration embarrassed that iran is using images of sailors on your needs with their hands behind their back for propaganda purposes? werearnest: what we foremost concerned about is that they were released probably and unharmed. and all that happened within 14 hours of there being taken into iranian custody when they drifted into iranian territorial waters. >> are you troubled or embarrassed by iran using these photos? mr. earnest: there's a reason

for anybody to be embarrassed. there is reason for us to be certainly relieved that our servicemen and women who are in a very america dangerous part of the world were released shortly after they were taken into custody. us what theell rules of engagement that the sailors were operating under in the persian gulf? mr. earnest: the department of defense can give you a better sense of the kind of instructions that they were given before their mission began. what the secretary of defense has said is they erroneously and it up in iranian territorial waters. the circumstances that led them to this particular situation are still being investigated why the department of defense which is conducting interviews with the soldiers involved. there is more we will learn about the particular situation. >> it seems like a lot of

cryptic blocking and information coming out. it has been well over 24 hours now. have instant indication. these soldiers have been interrogated by their superiors. i did pentagon or white house do precisely what went on, yet there are so many gaps. we had a senior pentagon official told us yesterday that the administration is blocking the effects from getting out. mr. earnest: that is not true. given transparent about this and transparent about the fact that if we follow the advice of some of the republican critics of the administration we probably wouldn't be in a bloody war with iran right now over our cereal or spirit the fact is our sailors are out of harm's way. they're both were released -- boats were released. it isn't clear to me that the security of the united states is advanced by starting a war. >> if their instructions are not

to do nothing, and from all appearances the a were apprehended by much smaller boats, to understand we are not in a state of war, which raises questions about iran's behavior, why are they are holding these guys. they are members of the fifth week. is the fifth fleet under instructions to do nothing? you would have to check with the fifth fleet. i feel confident they did not just do nothing. you can ask them what their response was. whatever it was, it was consistent with the president's strategy that led to the proper and safe return of the sailors forcing actors after they were taken into custody. j.c.? everyone is pleased, especially the sailors and the families, that they are returned safely and difficult diplomacy role today. mr. earnest: the only once unhappy about it are republicans. >> the fact is that this could

be very well seen as a violation of the geneva convention, where they were traipsed out in front of cameras, totally a violation, as prisoners under their jurisdiction. has anyone given that any thought, and will there be a particular protest to that, or are you pleased it is over and you are moving on? it isrnest: we're pleased over. we are pleased our sailors released unharmed and promptly 14 hours after being taken into custody and without shots being fired to secure their release. when it comes to the geneva convention, my understanding is it primarily applies to prisoners of war and obviously, as the noted, we are not at war with iran. based on what i've been told, the geneva conventions is not apply in this particular circumstance. , what we were focused on from the very beginning, from the earliest reports about this

incident, was the safe and prompt return of our sailors, and that is exactly what we secured, and we did that without delaying the start of the state of the union and without launching any sort of military action against the nation of iran. >> i do not understand how the visual effects -- there were guns, they were blindfolded -- war or not war, depends on your definition. mr. earnest: from that standpoint, we are not at war with iran. and i am not denying this is a dangerous situation. fairly, it is. for usit is a reason to be appreciative of the sacrifices the men and women in the military to keep a safe and free and to advance our national security interests in one of the most volatile regions of the world. i think it underscores the value

of responsible, mature residential leadership -- presidential leadership. the president to not start a war over this. the presence of the -- the president secured a diplomatic engagement. our sailors were released unharmed 14 hours after they were taken into custody in their own boats. think republicans would be hard-pressed to make the case that a better outcome was possible here. greg? yesterday -- [indiscernible] obama promisednt a review of what went wrong. i hope you can share some of the conclusions to that, and i'm sure you could have the opportunity to share the

conclusions with -- [indiscernible] mr. earnest: as the president stated last spring, there are no words that can fully describe the pain and sorrow that dr. weinstein's family must be feeling about his loss. that pain and sorrow is felt by the president himself who took theonsibility for counterterrorism operations that are conducted in that region of the world, including the one that claimed dr. weinstein's life. the president took the extraordinary step of directing his national security team to make public as many details as possible about that operation and to be forthright about the tragic loss of life. i should point out that dr. weinstein was not the only innocent civilians that was

tragically killed in this incident. there's another individual from porto, who was also killed in a counterterrorism operation, and we mourn his loss as well. people, is the american especially the one steam, deserve to know the truth about what exactly happened, and that is why the president directed his team to make this public as much as possible. out of respect for the family, there's not a lot of more information that i can discuss publicly. -- let me say it this way -- the handling of this particular case has allowed the government to develop some better to fools to more effectively engage with families who are in this tragic situation . over the summer, we announced a whole new set of reforms to the way in which the u.s. government to ensure that we

are effectively integrating the capabilities and information of a variety of government agencies that are responsible for trying to rescue american citizens. we want that process of trying to rescue american citizens to be as efficient and effective as possible. the other thing we wanted to improve was our ability to communicate with their families and to share as much information that we possibly could about what the united states government is doing to secure the release of their loved ones and to make sure that they are updated as recently as possible with reliable information. and we have put in place those reforms, and we're hopeful those reforms will allow us to do this more effectively, both in terms of rescuing more americans, but also in terms of being more sensitive and being more effective when communicating with their families back here at home. >> investigation into the strike

leads you to any conclusion? has that led to any changes in the way to prosecute that? changes in: for any policy, i think i would have to refer you to the intelligence community on this. obviously, over the last several years, the president has tried to government some reforms to our counterterrorism operation more broadly, to try to be more transparent. what is clear is there continues to be an incredibly high standard for avoiding civilian t's when carrying out counterterrorism operations. that has not changed. appliedndard has also to operations carried out by the united states military as well. i would note for your reference that earlier today central command issued a news release laying out a couple of incidents

in the context of our counter-isil campaign that led to some civilian casualties. that is consistent with the approach the president has prioritized to be as transparent as possible about our operations and to be as forthright when the civilian casualties that we work so hard to avoid are nonetheless sustained. ok, joe, icu. too.ou, is there no protest for the united states to file, or is the administration and the pentagon leaning in the direction of saying these were simply bad choices by the sailors? mr. earnest: they are still looking at exactly what circumstances led to these american sailors ending up in iranian territorial waters. and that aspect of this particular situation continues to be under investigation.

>> and you talk a little bit about the linkage between the sailors and the engagement with iran. how much of that was improved relations with iran that led to the release of the sailors, and how much of it was just a sense that this situation as it occurred might have thrown a wrench into the program as the broached?t mr. earnest: it is hard to fully assess the motivations of the iranians who ultimately made the decision to release these sailors promptly. disputewhat is beyond is the fact that effective diplomatic engagement from the earliest reports of this

incident was critical to our success in securing their prompt release. and that kind of diplomatic engagement, that channel of diplomatic medication, was established between secretary kerry and his running after part in the context of the protracted years-long negotiations over a iran's nuclear program. in his inaugural address in january 2009, the president talked about how the united states of america and our national security interests of the advanced by appropriately engaging through tough evenipled diplomacy, adversaries of the united states like iran. and that was subject to a lot of criticism, not just by republicans, by the way there is a debate about this in

the presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008. what we have seen in terms of our progress in getting iran to take steps to all but dismantled their nuclear infrastructure in a way that shuts down every have to building a nuclear weapon, and quickly incidentsdangerous like the ones we saw with the sailors earlier this week, is a powerful endorsement of that approach. o question.el chap interview,g stone" is there any sense as to whether that is true, and is there a feeling here that extraditing el chapo to united states will dismantle his organization? mr. earnest: you heard the white house chief of staff that that kind of brighton was discussing. bragging wasof

disgusting. the desire to capture mr. guzman was motivated by the since his capture could at least disrupt the ability of an international criminal organization to traffic a variety of things, including heroin and other narcotics through mexico and around the world. i do not think unfortunately that we can say that this kind of capture, while significant, will succeed in dismantling that organization. but we are hopeful that it will be harder for them to operate thato the damaging work they do without their leader. >> and you have been asked about the debate last night. the president has sort of renewed his push to try to create reconciliation among the parties at a time when he is being partially criticized by republicans -- partially resized

y republicans -- harshly criticized by republicans. will this turn into the president's work and getting out the votes for the election? mr. earnest: the president made commitment to do more and to redouble his efforts to try to bridge the start partisan divide that is displayed in the united .tates congress there are couple things to talk about. the first is sometimes that divide is exaggerated as i went to some of the things in ura's question, the budget agreement, locking in the middle class tax cuts. reauthorizingon the export-import bank, and

moving through imf form. these are priorities of the administration and all the more commerce in six weeks -- i accomplished in six weeks lasted year. the kind of doom and gloom along party lines is being advanced by a lot of republicans in congress and on the campaign trail. it makes some people peasant is our prospects for legislative accomplishments over the course of this year. over the last couple days, and talking about this a lot, this particular issue, it has become clear there are at least six things that this administration has made a priority that seem to be priorities shared by at least some republicans on capitol most cases a majority of republicans have identified these things as priorities.