we understand that budgets are about priorities. thankful for the progress of the past eight years and this platform is to build upon the progress that in certain native americans in the programs are protected and expanded rather than rollback, yet again, as we have seen too many times in our history. i would like to thank the platform committee for listening to my comments and for doing the work you have been appointed to do. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. >> first of all, thank you for being here today and thank you for allowing us on your traditional territory and, i

, he, want to highlight brought the indian health care improvement act up and the need services.s we have been coming to the federal government since before i was born, long before, many years and we have asked for increased amount of dollars to protect and help our families become well. listen to the tribes in the state of washington, the amount of money we received for patient was $1111 per person per year. $1111, that was a horrific reality and that has been a concern for us for a very long time. i wanted to ask you, what does that look like?

what does health care improvement look like? what can we do to improve that, because coming to congress for so many years has helped a little bit, and we have taken small steps that many of our reservations don't have adequate health care facilities, dental, the issues are worth than three -- third world countries. it is a great concern and i would love to see the platform committee take a big, bold step to correct the injustices. can you add to that and let us know how we can do that? >> i had a say in it, i would say, you are mentioning how the united states sends money to third world countries, will they have third world countries like you said here in the united states alone. much, when we were established in may 1912, we had

48,000 acres. we were allocated 48,000 acres. in that same year, a september, 21,800 reduced down to acres. at that time during president taps administration. 'sstorical records -- taft administration. historical records said that was a minor adjustment. sometimes, we feel like we're just taking the handouts. we have gone to congress. we see increases, but when you look at the data, it is not much of an increase. something,t -- there you rob peter to pay paul, you are never able to address the situation. we have the new preferred purchase care program which is contract health and managed care and they keep changing the terms. i think it costs us money every time you change the terms. then we get less money, just

like your try. by tribe is small. -- my tribe is small. we receive services under the hell river indian community -- hill river in the community and for the purchase care dollars, it is never enough to cover the people. we make every effort to get our people under the medicaid program. insurance program to help offset the costs. sometimes it does not happen. my tribe is lucky enough, fortunate enough, to be able to supplement the funding at hill river or managed care preferred health care contract care services for our people. just a few tribes that can do it. there something that can't. if you read the recent news about the issues that are happening in the plains area, , where theosings

native people go there? some will have to travel hundreds of miles to get to a health care facility and probably will be turned away because they don't have the health insurance too. indian health is not have enough .oney to cover i don't know what the solution is. we can only hope for the best. of 24randmother grandchildren, i hope it is a lot better when they become full adult. it can keep going. there are baby steps towards that and are better than nothing. all we can do is just continuing to fight. again, you have heard the first, wee were here were here first and we gave up a lot of sacrifices to allow our neighbors, the newcomers to come in.

paid fort asking to be the sacrifices, we are asking for equal treatment for what we had to give up with our lands. all tribes persevere and continue than proud of that. we are still here. and we're going to be here. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. >> thank you so much. i hope you all will be able to cope with the heat. the cooling downnperiod until someday comes [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] down period until sunday

comes. >> her work includes identifying and supporting the state and federal legislation increases access to autism treatment and analyzing changes brought about by state autism mandates in the affordable care act. thank you for the opportunity to participate in the process. >> health care, rotational training, transportation, home and community-based services. these services are rarely secured without a battle. we must do more for people with disabilities because the personal and societal costs are too high. the democratic party has a proud

tradition of offering and passing landmark legislation to positively impact people with disabilities including the americans with disabilities act, individuals with disabilities education act and several others here at -- others. each of these has increased access to resources and communities that are foundational to ensuring that people with disabilities have the tools and support they need to fill their potential. the whole promise of these laws have yet to be realized. we must create a culture of enforcement that insurers lost translate from work on papers to better lives. there is work to begun. we urge -- be done. we urge you to strengthen and improve the enforcement of these laws and readout discriminatory practices. out discriminatory

practices. in our efforts to remove barriers, technology is unique in its ability to level the langfield across demographics by creating access to information, enhancing medication, and illuminating barriers. technological advances have given people with disabilities unprecedented opportunities to function independently in their communities. to school, careers, attend house is a four ship and fully integrate into the -- houses of worship and fully integrate into the community. and to protect and promote access. in addition to securing access to health care and technology, concrete steps to be taken to promote the work incentive to encourage people with disabilities to urge more money -- earn more money without compromising benefits. disabilitiesith

secure employment, they deserve the same workplace and wage protection as other working americans. in this era of a quality, we urge this community to promote efforts to ensure they have the thedom of exercise as can described as a fundamental right to marry without sacrificing benefit. whether people with disabilities have the resources and support they need to not be dependent on where they live, we commend the long-standing support of the democratic party on the convention for rights of disability. united states has served as a role model on many disabilities issues and an attempt to resume our leadership role. look toith disabilities the democratic party for leadership to provide a clear path to the milk labs through abundant opportunities -- middle-class through abundant opportunities and realized potential. we ask that the democratic platform reflective bodies of this equality, accessibility.

thank you. [applause] >> thank you. any questions. >> thank you very much. last witness. pam simon. townber of the every survivor network. the every town survivor network brings together americans who have been personally affected by gun violence to build a community of support and inspire them to become leaders in the gun violence prevention movement. represented of debra giffords outreach -- gabrielle giffords effort outreach.

was shot in the chest and hand and survived. thank you very much for being here. >> thank you, mr. chairman. it is a real honor to be a part of this and be allowed to testify on this issue. as you said, my name is pamela simon. i am testifying on the importance of including gun violence prevention and the democratic that form. poignantarticularly given the horrific events that happened in orlando last week, but we should also remember that if the one-year anniversary since the tragic event at mother emanuel in charleston. it does not seem to stop. that is why i'm here today. this is a critical issue to include into the platform. americans are occupied times --

are 25 times more likely to be killed by a gun than any other developed country. this is a national tragedy. 91 people a day are killed by gun. approximately 55 of those take their own lives with a gun. better percentage are in. children every day are killed by guns left unsecured. this is not only a safety issue, this is a social justice issue. at the chairman said on january 8, i joined an ever-growing club that no one wants to be in. i became a gun violence survivor. as you mentioned, i was on the staff of congressman giffords and on a beautiful january morning, we were setting up to do what you are supposed to do,

that is take representative democratic process to the people. we were in front of a grocery store for the congresswoman was just on her third term was going to meet with her constituents. she loved doing this. early thatingly , aning and my colleague young man with a bright future, our constituent service director, a gifted young man planning his wedding. they were going to look for the site where the wedding would take place that afternoon. he and i set up, set the chairs up and the flag if anyone wanted to have their picture, they always did. the congresswoman is a very friendly outgoing person. the congress woman showed up about 10:00 that morning. i had text her and said where a

warmer jacket does it was pretty because it was pretty chilly. she text back and said too late. with the first person he was a veteran who wanted to tell about his experience in afghanistan. man, hend person was a and his wife wanted to -- they were republicans that they wanted to comment her on her centrist votes. while they were talking to her, a young man who i later discovered had been in my junior i that i -- high that i taught in and he suddenly appeared and started shooting. for those that feel like you are more safe if you have a gun in your pocket, he was able to take dead, 13eople, six wounded in less than 15 seconds. that is not time to dry weapon.

yet another 30 round clip in his pocket. greater hadave been it not been for her wrote efforts on the part of two men who took him down and a very pricey woman who grabbed the magazine out of his hand as he tried to reload. y woman who grabbed the magazine out of his hand as he tried to reload. this plays out over and over in our country. since retiring from the congressional office, i've worked at a variety of advocacy groups to promote commonsense legislation to keep firearms out of the hands of those that should not have them. i'm currently a survivor fellow. the survivor network now has survivor advocates who turned the grief and pain into action. i have to say, it is one of the greatest privileges of my life to have met some of these

people. newtown,f children of but also mothers from chicago and detroit where the killer has never been found and never made the newspaper, it is just a common thing that happens in the neighborhood. their hearts break as much as those on tv. every town for gun safety now has the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with grassroots chapters in all 50 states. bipartisan coalition includes every town survivor demand action for gun sense, mayors against more than 3, and million supporters. we developed an advocate for commonsense safety measures that respect the second amendment and save lives.

our legal and policy experts develop and promote evidence-based policies that are advocacy teams run campaigns to pass laws that will reduce violence. in the past two years, we have had legislative wins in every region of the u.s. passing laws to reduce gun violence in states as varied as oregon, south carolina, vermont and wisconsin. i tell you this because i want to point out that gun violence prevention movement is growing. it is getting stronger by the day it is becoming a voice that is being heard by voters in by elected officials. polling indicates that 82% of gun owners and even 74% of nra members are in favor of comprehensive background checks. theuld like to encourage dnc to make gun violence

prevention a strong and important part of the democratic party platform. it is possible to protect the second amendment and to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. we can do this by doing some of the following, require criminal background checks on every gun sale in america including those sold at gun shows and those sold on the internet. we know that back on checks work. since 1998, the system has blocked more than 2.2 million sales of licensed gun dealers of those who are prohibited from owning arms. we know in 18 states that 46%ire background checks, fewer women are shot by the intimate partners. 48% fewerat 40% --

law enforcement officers are killed by guns. and those states, they have a significantly lower gun suicide statesan students -- without back on checks at gun shows. two, keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers by closing the loophole. buying astockers from possessing guns and making sure there are strong procedures in place to require prohibited abusers to turn in their guts. guns.-- three we must close the terror gap to block on sales to suspected terrorists. we know the senate has the opportunity to do this on monday. democrats must not accept a watered-down version that will still allow many to slip through the cracks. renewed need a amendment to a gun free zone and keeping guns off college campuses. but we need to require that anyone who carries the concealed loaded weapon in public to have

a permit. a clean criminal record and a strong, comprehensive gun training safety training. six, we need to strip away the special immunity that we have given gun manufacturers. these policies are not going to stop every shooting, but they an go a long way to making safer and a long way to making this the country we want, a much safer country. i strongly encourage the democratic national committee to adopt a robust point on gun violence prevention on the platform. a cue for this opportunity. -- thank you for this opportunity. [applause] >> any questions? yes. >> thank you. andk you for your testimony for your survival and your

commitment to ensuring that others will not endure the fate you and your colleagues did. i want to make a statement to you and to the staff and to the two campaigns who put this together, this has been an expert eric three days that we have had. day, i said the testimony can't get better and it just keeps getting better. stories that are so significant and challenges that are so great. even where we have differences, and there are differences, i'm convinced that we can square the circle. that we can find language that will be both aspirational and practical, that will find a way to state who we are, what we want for america, what our goals are, and the challenges that we face in getting there. i really want to think everyone -- think everyone for participating -- thank everyone for participating.

the witnesses have been extraordinary and we have learned a great deal. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. >> i will be brief. i want to build on his remarks about all the testimony we have heard. for your thank you activism, advocacy, your voice to us. it is touching that we ended your statement, your experience and i hope we will carry this through. i know that these are cynical can reallyi hope we issues, the your issues you raise to us. i know we do have leaders in the senate willing to spend hours after hours to bring attention

to these issues. i hope all of us in this room can use the voices with the senate over this weekend because there is an important vote on monday. i hope we can come together on a whole host of issues that are so important to the american people and draw the importance of our work here. reese.esentative >> i want to join with you and i don't want to take -- i don't want your testimony to be taken lightly. the fact that you are a gun violence survivor, i think the picture of elected officials trying to have a townhall meeting and not being safe, i thought after that that colleagues on the other side of the aisle, republicans, would have at least said our own colleague got shot. we should do something.

oweink we know it to you -- it to you in the families in orlando and trust in to have strong -- charleston to have strong language to reduce the theviolence that allows right to bear arms, but the rate for folks to be safe and make sure they are not in the wrong hands. i want to say thank you for your bravery to come here today and know that your testimony is not taken lightly in the lives that with theur not in vain democratic party platform. >> if i may say so been about the comment of cynicism, i speak at many places and i always want to tell people that there is hope. the movement is growing. it is growing stronger and the voices are growing

stronger and stronger. four years ago, there was no way for survivors to connect and now, we connect regularly, we support each other on a facebook locally as well as nationally and those voices are growing stronger and many others are getting involved. i think there is a great deal of hope in this issue. >> thank you very much. i too want to thank you for being here. very brave and old. -- bold. you could have not taken the next step in terms of trying to help ensure that this never happens again in terms of gun violence. working on gun violence are andioned strategies organizing around and violence prevention is so important and

it is so important that you do this and that we listen. i think the democratic party is listening. i think this committee, this drafting committee has heard you . i think what has been said earlier, i want to associate myself with the doctors remarked, i think what we heard today, commentating with your testimony has been profound, it has been very clear, i think it reflects the fact that our democratic party is a big tent party and we may disagree on certain issues on how to get to a certain place, but for the life of me, i don't see how we don't come out of here with a andform that is unifying speaks to the aspirations of all americans and today, it has convinced me that we can do that even more so. thank you very much.

love.abby our she's doing a phenomenal job and we miss her. the democrats hear you loud and clear and we are going to win this. [applause] thank you. i also want to thank you for joining us today. i agree with my colleagues. this is appropriate that we end with you. you're the latin witness -- last witness. the tragedy that seem to continue, i just want to say to our colleague that i too agree that this has been an amazing set of witnesses last week and now. i was struck by what one this is said -- witness said. a good admonition to all of us to look to find common and

higher ground. life is not lived as a silo of issues. they interact. they intersect with each other. all of the issues which we have heard about in these hearings intersect with each other and it is up to us to find how the intersection can make us better as a democratic party. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much. we have come to the end of the day. i would think all of you for sitting here so patiently and listening so carefully. i want to thank you ms. simon. you can come back. i want to tell you something. am part of the army you talked about. i lost my nephew who is a son to me five years ago. gun violence. never did find out who did it.

i often say that when you lose somebody like that, it is hard to get over it. it is hard to mourn. i want to return to figure out what happened, on the other side you are morning -- mourning for what could have been. there is no passion like a passion that comes out of pain. i do appreciate and all of us appreciate you. i think barbara lee said it a lot of pain comes the passion to do your purpose and we really do appreciate your. we do have to do some work. , when the things doctor was talking, i was taking this all day, i'm so glad i'm a democrat. i really am. [applause] ofn i look at the array

speakers that have come before us, i give the staff great credit. there were a lot of people that wanted to come. we screened people. look at the issues that we are dealing with that at the question, with the republican drafting committee be anything similar to this? i would venture to say no. people, we need to come up we spend a lot of concentratingn -- on who we are fighting against, that the people who came here today and the ones who have come any other sessions in d.c. and the ones that will come tomorrow, will remind us of what we need to be fighting for. not so much we are fighting against, but what we are fighting for. i told all of our committee members when we first met, i said, we are here for a reason.

this is a moment and we have the opportunity to make it a moment -- movement and we have the opportunity to change the trajectory of history. and change the trajectory of so many lives. i want to thank all of you for your patience and for being here and we're going to end tonight. withrow, we will begin campaign-finance and voting rights. about 1:00 sod people can get to their planes. we will reconvene tomorrow morning for members of the committee at 8:00 for breakfast and then we will joint session at 9:00. committee members are also invited to an evening reception .eginning now

we were supposed to stop an hour ago. at the restaurant and the hyatt regency located at 122 north 2nd street. if you need any direct and, -- it is by the- arizona democratic party. again, i what to thank the staff . the staff has been phenomenal. [applause] we will think the hotel staff tonight and again and all the security, but thank you very much for all that you have done. i will see later. -- see you later. [applause]

[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015]

>> tomorrow, our coverage of the democratic national committee platform continues. among those scheduled to be, former labor secretary and actress patricia arquette. live coverage from unix begins at noon eastern -- phoenix begins at noon eastern. at washington post.com and in saturday's washington post, ed o'keefe writing to dozens of republican delegates wanting a new push to halt donald trump. thank you for being with us. >> great to be with you. >> a key point, these are not talking heads, these are not party operatives. these are delegates. >> exactly did i think that is important for anyone who is rolling their eyes as they hear about this. evidencewe are finding

of the people who will be empowered to nominate any candidate taken it upon themselves to do something. we have heard so much from disaffected republicans saying why can't somebody else stand up and do this. what can we do something to at least slow his momentum? maybe for some concessions. a bunch of the delegates have been trying to do that over the last two weeks and they have finally found each other and they have started organizing a initial mirrors the activists, leaders of the tea party movement did to -- six years ago. they are mad as hell and will not take it anymore. we found that there are people in iowa, colorado, washington louisiana, who are now getting together and hoping to find enough delegates across the country to make something happen. >> has bigger paul ryan in an interview said he would never tell anyone to do something

contrary to our conscience. he had said that he will vote for donald trump. how significant were his remarks? chairmanthe official of the convention. he has to remain above the fray when it comes to all this. what he is signaling is that he will not put his bones on the scale one way or another which is to say, if you want to try to do something and you can build the momentum to do it, go ahead and do it. but you and the word artists, that has won the -- conscience, that has won the hearts of the folks what to do this. they are proposing a conscience clause or they will take you to the convention rules committee a week for the convention convenes and proposed that instead of being bound to the results of primary,tes caucus or the delegates should be allowed to vote for whoever they prefer. to vote their conscience. interpretations, that is

already it is supposed to be. rei previous have been -- nce priebus has been think that delegates are bound to the results of their states. if you have been paying attention, you probably seen explainers on how this works. roundsst 1-4 delegates are forced to vote. but some say they can do whatever they want the beginning. they choose, not voters. they were electing delegates after all, not at candidate directly to the convention. >> your piece includes a statement by donald trump saying he won almost 14 million votes. quote i have tremendous support and get the biggest crowds. which delegations are behind this effort and how would this unfold in terms of momentum? blown delegation

is behind this. there are members of every delegations who are. no state has decided en masse that we're going to do whatever we can to support a conscience clause. but you have members in cruzado, a state that ted used to organize supporters as early as last summer to go to the state convention and get him the delegates needed. they're one of the few states that did not hold a caucus, they relied on a convention. the team that won him the convention is essentially banded together to continue this in getting adding him -- trumped cannot be the nominee. the --ome base is colorado. the numbers will grow. the reason why they can now start to figure out who is who and who is supportive it this past monday, the states and

territories had to turn in their final list of delegates and alternates. the die is cast. it is now known who has to go. the problem is that the rnc at one point was saying they would with the delegates and alternates and i'm being told that they may not do that for whatever reason. this will require them to go out and call each state party to pass along the west and they will have to compile the phone numbers and e-mails that way and reach out to try and find people. if there was one master list, they can determine this monday morning. it will take a little while longer. incredibly, throughout this whole thing, you have people who tell me they have been fighting each other on facebook, fighting each other through direct messaging on twitter. try to do this in a very quiet way. scrutiny ofvoid fellow republicans or even

fellow members of the delegations. i had one delegate tomie the chairman of the delegation had threatened them that if they don't vote for donald trump, they will have the credentials removed and be kicked off the floor. the trump haste one. -- state trump has won. >> we are a month away from the start of the convention in cleveland, how significant have been the last two weeks for donald trump to him whether his remarks, comments or latest polling numbers? >> all of it is significant. it is getting to cause a lot of worry for the delegates. look, his numbers are taking. tanking. he has said and done things that suggest he's in for his own personal gain. i was struck that if you've them said they are disturbed about what they said -- he said about the federal judge.

he was raising concerns about the judges ethnicity but also because he was threatening to use his political power and use the power of the presidency to single out a judge because he does not like something he has done. to single this judge out not because the judge has ruled against the will of the people, but because he was ruling against the self-interest of donald trump himself. he is abusing his power in essence. the other thing, comes calls for new gun laws in the wake of orlando was a red flag to a lot of conservatives. to us, the second amendment is settled. nothing more needs to be done. don't touch it. they are very concerned by his comments. examine -- again exposing that he is not necessarily sufficiently conservative. all of this is inspiring people to do something and see if there is a way to take them at the convention. they are making very clear that

this is not on the behest of anguished opponents. they don't necessarily have a preference yet on who would be other than trump. they are eager to try to do something to stop him and feel they can do it in the next month. effort sot organized far. donald trump from becoming the gop nominee, the reporting of ed o'keefe, his work available online. acute for being with us. -- thank you for being with us. >> with clinical primary season over, c-span's road to the white house takes you to the summer's political conventions. watch the republican national convention starting july 18 with live coverage from cleveland. conventioninto the no matter what happens and i think we're going to go in so strong. >> and watch the democratic national convention starting july 25 with live coverage from philadelphia. >> lets go forward and when the nomination and in july, we're

going to fight. fight for social, economic, racial, environmental justice to philadelphia. >> every minute of the republican and democratic parties national convention on c-span, c-span radio, and c-span.org. at the state department briefing, spokesman john kirby to questions on internal metal -- memo signed by employees which calls for a more aggressive stance on syria. before that, an update on narcotic related violence in central america from assistant secretary of state. this is just over an hour. >> on going to welcome you to the podium william brownfield. assistant secretary of state.

role since 2011 big he'll pursue the bureau response will for leading programs that combat illicit drugs and organized crime and support law enforcement in the role of law. as you know, he appeared before the senate committee on foreign relations where he addressed the threat of transnational criminal organizations. today, he will focus specifically on inl support in central america. he will have a few comments at the top and then we'll get to some q and a peer to i will stand up to the side and moderate to a day -- q and a. >> thank you. this is a central america briefing, i am bill brownfield. i'm the assistant secretary for drugs and one force. i opposed the first and support the second. my real function is to keep you entertained for a couple of

minutes while you are stuck in this windowless room while procedurally the finest afternoon that washington will see this entire summer is occurring outside without our participation. we are at about the six-month mark from on the united states congress approved the appropriation of an unprecedented roughly $750 million to support united states government efforts in central america. for us toa bad time take a look at what is happening right now there. that amount which comes to me is about a third of that $750 million for security and law enforcement. that is one part of what the united states government writ large is trying to do with its three-part strategy in central america. developmentconomic and trade, governance, to make

the institution of government work in a way that delivers value for the people of central america and security by which we mean managing, reducing and ideally eliminating violence and violent crime which produces some of the push factor driving tens of thousands of citizens of central america to seek residence in other countries, including the nine states of america. our piece of this program is what we call the three-part, i'm bottom-ups today, which we are trying to support programs that community level that have an impact on people living in the community and work in the countries. top-down by which we mean reform of institutions, training, and

creating better performing law skillsment prosecutorial , courts and corrections and finally, support for operations. those units, those organizations that are in fact providing on a day by day jesus the actual enforcement of the laws, management, control, protection of the borders. control of sea ports and airports throughout central america. we have had some cool results in the last 12 months. we are working in an unprecedented way with u.s. a -- usaid. the strategy was developed in the city of los angeles in the southern part of california and cities like war is mexico and

columbia.- medillin we identify precisely certain zones in cities or even rural areas and provide a specifically targeted developmental and security approach to that zone. we have made some pretty cool progress in terms of effort to control gangs, both on enforcement efforts and efforts to provide alternatives to the particularly vulnerable youth in poor neighborhoods that are otherwise very susceptible to gang recruitment. least oneeen in at country, guatemala, on anticorruption effort can truly succeed. the organization is called succeed in we have been supporting it for seven years. for those of you who missed the story, at the end of last year, with the investigations,

virtually the entire previous government of guatemala was , noted due to allegations yet prosecuted, allegations of corruption. an impossible are to name in entirety number of special law enforcement units and task forces that provide enforcement on issues such as major crimes or special victims or border related issues or counter narcotics or gang units. in other words, we have not been sitting on our hands over the last six months since the congressional appropriation or the last seven years since the effort started here in the united states of america. thee we have engaged with strategy, homicides are down.

the entire government of what the mall has been replaced. in honduras, big chunks of the hunters national police have honduras national police have been purged because of allegations of corruption. more than 50 locations in guatemala and honduras and el salvador where there are model please precincts that will become the -- police precincts that will become the carrier of place-based strategies. the youth have gone through resistance education program or great to give them some protection from recruitment by the gang. that, ladies and gentlemen, is my summary of where we are and now i invite you to go on the attack. [laughter]

i can't top that. your yesterday, you mentioned a need for a shift from focusing on cocaine to focusing on heroin. can you elaborate on that? is this a shift in which the u.s. needs to change the ways it relates to countries that have been major producers of some of these illicit drugs? >> the shift is logical. it makes sense on the united states. over the last 10 years, cocaine consumption and united states has dropped more than 50%. over the last august, the consumption of heroin -- five years, the consumption of heroin has increased by more than 200%. if we are trying to have programs and policies that respond to our realities, our

problems come out crises, we had better shift, cocaine focus to a heroin focus. and we are. this is more complicated, however, tentatively saying we will address these issues in a different way in the united states of america. the sources of the product are very different. cocaine is found for the most part in three indian nations -- andean nations in south america, libya, peru, lumia. peru, colombia. of overwhelming majority heroin consumed in the net estate is grown and reduced in mexico -- united states is grown and produced in mexico. cocaine had central america as the issue because, for quick made, in order to get from south

america to north america, you central america. they are therefore, part of that problem. in thethat is produced neighboring country of mexico has no logical basis for working through central america. that was what i was intended to describe, perhaps unsuccessfully, to the senate floor relations committee yesterday. not that drugs are different, they are but the nature of the problem has changed and therefore, the structure, infrastructure, strategy, approach, techniques, technology that we bring to bear in this issue in an international context are going to be very different. say,e i stop, i did get to i also said yesterday, i'm optimistic about this. our dialogue with mexico is very good. we are in fact talking about the right things, the mexican

government is in fact moving in the right direction and i believe, our challenge is to ensure that we have good coordination of the above tried to do what we must do the united states side commanded the mind -- manage the demand and treatment ability should issue -- and rehabilitation issue and the cultivation site on the mexico side. and transportation to the border and across the border. this is not directly under your view, can you give us a sense of how demand for illegal our comics has evolved in the united states over the last few years and what effect, if any, of the legalization of cannabis and so interest actions is or is

not having on the demand for other narcotics? >> you have a bit of the demand answer from when i was just saying. part of the shift in the united each country is different, in the nine states of america the story of the last 10 years, probably five certainly is the demand for cocaine has dropped dramatically. the demand for heroin has increased dramatic way. coming with the heroin, and perhaps the biggest element in chemical, a is a drug thatychoactive is added to the heroin. it is called fentanyl. it is overwhelmingly produced in china and much of it enters the united states, most of it if the in mexico where it is mixed and combined with heroin. ladies and gentlemen, it is the

fentanyl that is killing us by the tens and thousands every year. not so much that heroin. the fact that the heroin users think he or she is just taking heroin and discovers that instead, it is that to know. a product that is 30-50 times more potent, powerful, and more dangerous than is the heroine. that is the challenge that we are dealing with right now. you after similar question to what the united state senator from colorado, one of the two, asked me about the impact of selective legalization of marijuana. in terms of our international engagement. may i preface my remarks by saying i have no rights, authority, no opinion on what the citizens of any individual state of the united states choose to vote for in the exercise of their constitutional

rights as they determine which laws they will adopt within the jurisdiction of the states. i take no position on the decisions of the people of colorado, washington state, oregon, or alaska in terms of marijuana legalization. yesterday, ai said competition my mission every time i go down to mexico and engage in conversation with authorities of the mexican government in terms of cooperation with this issue. and inabout legalization a sense, how can we ask for cooperation on this issue when it states in the united states of legalizing marijuana and cannabis. ? i would like to think i'm not an idiot. have an answer and it is not a bad answer. at the end of the day, it does complicated this discussion.

how is that selective legalization of cannabis affecting demand for other drugs within the united states? is there a substitute affect? people going for what is legal or going for illegal? is there any counsel affect -- causal effect? >> it may be. eventually is an area. that is a domestic question. it's a good one for dea. good one for the department of health and human services. i'm a brave man, but i take i will stay out of that one from this particular podium. >> deana whether the ship from cocaine to heroine was consumer driven or was it successful interdiction of cocaine or

marketing initiative by heroin? >> little bit of all three. particularly number three. there is clearly a foreign opponent. here is bill brownfields theory which i think is shared by a tremendous number of people in the drug control and abuse community. as he worked our way to the 1980's and 1990's, the american medical perfection, to their credit, responding to the needs and requests a demand of their patients on matters related to management, asked for and received from the non-black-market pharmaceutical industry, pain opioidson opium-based, to address pains of patients. years, this-20

medication was widely prescribed because patients were asking for it, not as some criminal conspiracy to create a dependency for opioid-based pain medication. as he moved into the 21st century, we then had a large segment of our society, a u.s. pacific response, -- specific response that developed into dependency if not addiction to opioid-based pain medication. as that dependency and addiction spread more broadly into communities, those who produce and market heroine spotted an opportunity to develop and market. what did they do? despite the fact that they are a criminal enterprise, they did what any good lawful enterprise

would do. identify the market, and offer their product substantially cheaper than the alternative if you were to say, which was a good gift, in order to get a black market opioid-based pill, you might pay 40 bucks the black-market. they can offer the same amount of buzz to heroine for $10. what then happens? those that have this addiction or dependency turned to heroine because it is much cheaper and to a certain extent, easier to obtain and 50 years later, we have ourselves a genuine authentic unquestioned heroine crisis in the united states. something we are not seen since the late 90 40's and early 1950's. the immediate aftermath of the second world war when huge

amounts of morphing hit the u.s. black-market at the conclusion of the second world war when it was no longer needed for combat purposes. that is how long it has been since we've had to do with this sort of crisis into a very considerable extent, that is how far behind the power curve we are in terms of how to do with it. i know you're good to throw out of your in just a second, i will say one group that was slightly ahead of this, if you will permit me to say this, inl. a beer with the department of state. during the last 50 years, when the rest of the world do not have a heroine issue, the terms of the world did and we have developed curriculum in terms of demand reduction, treatment, education which we are applied in places in latin america, afghanistan, pakistan, irma -- puta and we have had to

back from overseas to applied here in the united states of america. what goes around, comes around, i am now done. you may object me now. >> we will do one more. >> you talked about anticorruption programs and results largely in terms of officials and law enforcement officers that had been removed. i was wondering what kind of steps are being put in place to ensure that incoming replacements are not equally corrupt or succumbing to the same issue? >> when i say government officials in guatemala, i'm talking about the previous president of guatemala. they have both been formally accused, including vice president, in much of the cabinet. this was not a pro forma event. but youa valid question

have two different categories. in terms of law enforcement, in the professional members of any , prosecutors, investigators, community police, corrections officials, border guards importer personnel, who whoever itmay be -- may be, there are ways to bet the incoming -- vet the incoming personnel have institutions within the incoming personnel. they are called internal affairs divisions in the state. they could be called inspector general. they are those who have the responsibility of policing the police and ensuring those within the institution meet certain basic standards. there is as well, and we provide this in way of capacity building and training, they need to have prosecutors who in fact are both in and the trained

second thing to do, we have been quite successful in the effort is ensuring that there is statutory law in every country that makes it clear that these are criminal offenses. there are a number of countries still in the world, these are gray areas. in terms of how police officer or corrections officer enhances his salary through nontraditional sources of income. well, they could be traditional dependent on where you are. the answer to your question is yes. there are mechanisms, there are systems that can, when properly , ensure or supported

at least reduce the likelihood of continued corruption in the institution or the government. you mentioned a second club of people, that is government or government elected officials. that is different. most countries in the world have a constitution and that you like the government through the constitution process. say, if they choose to elect a criminal, the people are going to elect a criminal. if they choose to elect someone they believe is corrupt, they're going to like that human being. what we would try to do is ensure that there are bodies, institutions in place in the government to investigate, provide some degree of transparency in the event they discover certain activities that are happening though that most people standards fall into the category of corruption, and then

third, that the constitution itself permits some mechanism for adjudicating and if they should so decided to move him from office, those who have engaged in corruption activities or behavior. that come in many ways, is far trickier than purging corrupt officials in a police force. fortunately, there are far fewer senior elected officials in any government then there are members of they police force. i am backing away now. >> good luck to you. >> don't be easy on me. [laughter] >> they never are. i can't possibly [laughter] thank you for that. even going to attempt an

opening statement. does go to get to it. memoart on the internal that you and everyone else in ,he building is now aware of what can you confirm from the various news reports about it's content, subject etc.? we have thefirm dissent channel message. i can confirm that the principal topic is syria. it will surprise you that i'm not able to get into anymore detail as to the content or the arguments that were put forth. did it surprise that so many people have signed on to a document that, without getting into detail, that the sense --

dissents from what has been the ministry since policy to end the war for five years? >> it is unusual for dissent channel messages to have as many signatures as this one. aboutt does that tell you which we havelicy spent so much time on this week, this month, this year, this administration. hide] -- people an inside the building are so unhappy. >> it tells us several things. we have a unique process in place through which employees at the state department can offer candid and unvarnished views all the way to the top. syrials us clearly that matters a lot to the people who were here at the state department, as it should. it says to me that we need to

keep on working just as hard as we can for better outcomes. at the secretary and so many others are doing. no one is content with the status quo. we talked about this several days this week. too many people are dying due to starvation or being bombed. too many weeks have passed without getting a political process moving forward. too many violations of the cessation of hostilities. fewkly, -- frankly, far people are getting the food and medicine they need. people are taking a dangerous route outside the country to survive. we're going to explore options. obviously, our focus remains on movers in front of us. getting political tracts of talks. getting cessation of hostilities to be accepted.

more of the people, aid they need. we are, it would be imprudent for us not to. not to explore other options that may be available to us. we have talked very openly about the fact that we are doing that. back to this message. we welcome alternative views. we welcome input. we welcome dissenting opinions. before this week, i had never heard of a dissent channel. the more i learned about it, more in admiration i became of it. it is a unique tool. you don't see in government. it has been in place since 1971. allows people that work here at the state department to proper their views. especially, those these different from stated policy. it is a unique tool that the

secretary very much respect. respects. as you may have heard earlier, the secretary but forward -- looks forward to getting back and taking a look at this. >> how effective can you be in pushing your current policy when it is clear that some people directly involved in this policy don't believe in it? >> i never do speak to the content -- i am not going to speak to the content of this message. have always said that we have to work hard at getting the better icons in syria -- better outcomes in syria. we are to continue to explore our options in the policy we are welling as was options --

as options that may fall outside . we have to do that. as the president has said and as the secretary has said, as you look at other options, none of them are great options. the best option forward for syria is a political process that leads to a transition to a government away from bush are al-assad. we believe the political solution is the best solution. knowledge, has been any change in the obama administration policy towards syria not to attack the syrian government forces targets? >> no. change inexpect any the policy as a result of this dissent? >> i will not speculate one way or the other. tohas there ever been

knowledge, he said it is unusual for 51 people to sign a dissent message. at that the most that have ever signed? >> i don't know. i will promise you this, i will take the question, but i cannot promise that we can provide that answer. the vehicle has been in place since secretary of state dean , 1971.s in office i don't know there is a continuous record of every single dissent message that has been sent forward. i don't know if we will be able to answer the question. typically, these are sent forward by single individuals, or small numbers. >> when did it begin? i think he was gone by 69 with the nixon administration. i don't think he was --

>> my reading of the history said he has something to do it. i will not quibble. >> i just want to get it right. the most name is example i'm aware of of a dissent, it is not clear that it was in the dissent channel, the so-called arguedelegram 1971 which , from the u.s. consulate in argued that the u.s. government should have done more to prevent the genocide massacres against bengalis in east pakistan. it did not change the policy, but that was signed by 20 people and i'm interested in understanding if it is possible to get an answer if this really is the most that have signed something? >> we will take a look at i

cannot promise we will have that information. >> a couple more for me. sense, theyany disagree with the policy, you have any sense of the motivations of the people who signed it? the reason i ask is that normally, one dissents with policy when it is at an inflection or decision point and i don't sense we are at an infection point in the last 7-8 months. do you have any understanding as to why now? >> i don't. >> have the secretary yet seen it? >> no. >> he said in copenhagen that he planned to meet with some of the authors. do you know when that will happen? said was looking for to reading it into probably, or a potential meeting back here. i don't believe he said he had

intention to meet with the office. >> i misunderstood then. any idea when that will happen? >> i don't. if the authors of the dissent were confident that the dissent channel with the right place to put this, why did they also leak it to the new york times? >> i have no idea how this message made its way into the public domain. i have no idea. the diplomatic part of it, and mid-level employee what is the difference in definition? >> i will not speak to the identities of the authors were described are characterized the

employment at the state department. i think if you were to ask secretary kerry he would say that all of us at the state department our diplomats at her own right. i will not get into character is in each individual, what their job is and categorizing that in terms of diplomacy. >> they are all responsible? >> imac or to provide any additional information about the authors -- i am not going to provide any additional information about the office. striking.issue of what would be, what is the desired outcome? >> i will not talk to the content of the message that was sent forward. we continue to be focused on the core elements of the policy in syria which is to try and get the political

discussions back on track, cut to get a cessation of hostilities nationwide enforced and get humanitarian assistance and so many desperate people. we continue to believe a political solution is the best people -- solution for the people of syria. >> this came out a day after the statement of secretary kerry? >> no connection. >> how is the state department during the fact that this document was reached to the press?-- leaked to the are you ok with that or third investigation? >> we don't know how it ended up into the public domain. i can type that the authors of this particular dissent channel message said it forward through the dissent channel so we are treating it accordingly as they would any other dissent channel message. does the state department

do with the ramification of this memo being in the public arena from the foreign policy standpoint? especially in terms of relation with allies were also engaged in stereo. initial reaction from the russian foreign minister backed into the portion that showed support for strikes against the assad regime saying this would be absolute madness. whorank-and-file people were day-to-day on implemented the u.s. policy, vicious it -- this shows dissatisfaction on this level. have you go forward and do with allies with this out there. >> i'm not speaking to the content. that is in the public domain, it is beyond dispute. people can react as they wish.

is the secretary continues to be focused on making sure that we get food, water, medicine the people that needed. a cessation of hostilities that can be enforced nationwide and that we get the political process back on track. that is where his head is and that's where his focus is, and that is where it will remain. as i said, i don't know how many times earlier this week we continue to explore other options. would be responsible for us not to. i will not get ahead of that discussion in any way whatsoever. >> at the concern that the memo may undermine u.s. credibility allies? allies -- with >> you have to remember that this is not just about the united states. it is about the international series support group and the united nations come all of whom have signed up to the same approach that i just outlined to

you. it's not just this idea of a political solution in a cessation of hostilities. all of that is embodied in the un security council resolution. signed on not just by us, but by every other above the -- of the -- member of the issg. is not just about u.s. credibility, the international committee is focused on all that together. >> how widespread are the sentiments in the state department? >> i can't speak to that. >> are you concerned that doctors efforts could be undermined by new administration that would favor this kind of thing? >> would not speculate one way of the other. the american people have decisions to make this fall and they will do that. there will be a new president one way or another and it is up

to the new commander-in-chief to determine how he or she is going to approach the conflict in syria. , as long as this administration is in office and as long as secretary of kerry -- secretary kerry, he will be focused on getting a peaceful resolution through legal means to the conflict in syria. public? to make it >> no. >> official state response to the dissenters? therey typically is -- s.pically i there is a process by which to send messages are applied to. we will prepare the appropriate reply. >> since 1971, that was the

vietnam war, a big catalyst for dissent. the mechanism to do this, somebody drafted position? >> i do not know. the specific process by which was prepared. general, there exacted by a single individual or sometimes small group. there is no rule that says that there has to be a limit on the number of authors and how the abouts of the dissent crafting it in delivering their views is up to them. idea what the physical process is. >> couple more. the manual says that there should not be reprisal against people who avail themselves through the dissent channel to

register the disagreement with policy. to act against someone soon after this has happened. it is another thing if use of the dissent channel is used in subsequent administrations for years or decades to prevent people from rising. i want to know what the secretary thinks about the mere channelhe dissent should ever be used to prevent someone from getting a promotion or getting another sensitive job are moving up the hierarchy or becoming an ambassador. >> i think it is safe to say would nottary kerry

hold this against all in for the purposes of promotion or attempted, the right to use the dissent channel. against thely foreign affairs manual, it is against all standards of ethics, conduct and integrity and he would never abide by something like that. >> thank you for that answer. i at the question because i talked to two people in the building today already, talked about the fear that this could happen and because archer blood and wasde the best dirt systematically prevented from moving up as i understand it -- ambassador and was systematically prevented from moving up as i understand it. talks about in a public statement how these people have risk their careers by doing this. to the extent that there are exactly is -- anxieties after

that this is going to hurt these people in their careers. your view is the secretary would not tolerate that. >> not one bit. no one has risk anything -- ri sked anything by cementing a dissent message with respect to syria or any other policy. that is the purpose of the dissent channel. >> is it your understanding, my understanding that this was a memo andt the actual that it was leaked before it had gone to the classification process. is it your view that we can something flood is a draft before it has been classified as a violation of the letter of the state department rules even if it is of the spirit? speak to the process

by which this got to the public domain. we keep talking about leaks here. i don't know if that is what happened. we do not know. laura we particularly interested contents of this dissent channel message made its way into the public domain. ist we are gifted in doing preserving the sanctity and integrity of the dissent channel process through which this was submitted. it was classified by the authors . we will respect that, too. critically, we're going to respect the process by prepared the appropriate response as we should. ones, when did the department receive the dissent channel? yesterday? >> to the best of my knowledge, yesterday. >> you made the argument today and any days in the past that

the administration believes the political solution is the best solution and the only solution. >> indeed. >> there are people who argue that the ability to achieve logical solution is enhanced when there is -- political solution is enhanced when there is a credible threat of use of force. does a department believe there has not been, particularly since the decision not to carry through with airstrike in 2013 over the assad governments use of weapons, that there has not been a credible threat of the use of military force against the assad government and that the absence of such a credible threat has made harder to

negotiate to achieve a political solution? way toelieve the best achieve a lasting sustainable peace is through the political process. a political solution. seeking leverage their consequences, look no more than the continued devastation inside the country. it should be, although does not appear to be for the sod regime, readily-- assad regime apparent that you don't need any more reason to find a medical peaceful follow. -- political, peaceful follow-up. you look at the people starving and the ones have been gassed don't,rel bombed, you

just take 10 steps back from this issue and just looking at it in general. it is hard for any reasonable person to try make the case that you need more leverage in the current status quo. to,he question goes more less what is the horror of the status quo, more of whether you diplomacy to achieve a political solution would be more effective if the assad government, which is clearly unmoved by the anyway status quo, felt threatened by the possible use of military force? that is the question. >> without speculating to other potential options, none of which the president has it are great toons, it is puzzling

see. certainly discouraging to see not, forrussians are some reason have chosen not to use their considerable influence to get them to make the right decisions for their own people. and to move this process forward. we're going to continue to make that case and we will continue to press that even as we continue to look at other less desirable options that might be available to us. >> i know you are aware of the reports of what president clinton has said in st. petersburg -- putin has said anything. berg said he endorses -- st. petersburg says he endorses the proposal to add members of the opposition to the current government to the active government in damascus. is there any this proposal --

u.s. proposal for opposition members to join the assad government or government in which salt remains in power -- assad remains in power. embracedtary has not -- impress any policy -- and broached any policy? >> no. the assadng of benefit directly to us -- benefits isis? speculate what will or will not benefit daesh. there is a symbiotic between the assad regime and daesh. it is through his recounted that adesh has been able to grow --

daesh has been able to grow. we cannot talk about it recently, we understand -- we have not talked about it recently, we understand the future can include a solid, -- thed, as a work through process, we recognize that some institutions of government, this attorney forces, and some form of fashion have to stay intact. the cannot be a complete collapse. government were to fall, what would happen to steering christians -- syrian christians? i will not engage in hypotheticals about a situation we are trying to avoid. it is not about the fall of the regime. we are trying to get to a transitional process of government that preserves even

some of the existing and prospective going forward. at the end of the process, gets a to a government that is put in place by the same people with their voices being heard that does not include al-assad. >> one in the united states not to target al-assad. >> i have not seen that comment. toere is not any u.s. efforts target al-assad. that is not part of the calculus. i've been sitting appear for 15-20 minutes say we try to work through a political process or transitional process. that is the goal. that is still the goal. about the one thing channel memo. callsn affairs manual say fo dictionary -- calls for disciplinary measures. really know attempt made to find

out who leaked this memo indiscipline -- and disciplined them? and we are speak to not focused on how it made its way to the public domain. it came to us today. the dissent channel process. we're going to protect the sanctity of the process in our the moment it came to the dissent cannot process. it became a dissent channel message and is from that time on that we are focused in terms of protecting the sanctity of the process and the content of the material of the message. >> turkey. >> i never thought i would be glad to get to turkey. i did not understand. the secretary called this an important memo. but everything you're saying here is very similar to what has

been said for months. is there any chance that this memo will lead to a modification in u.s. policy? >> as i said, no one is content with the status quo. pursue we continue to what you guys have company referred to as -- commonly aferred to as plan a, political solution. even as we pursue that, we are, as we must, look at other options. and of those of their options -- none of those other options are better than the one we are pursuing. that does not mean we are not going to look at them and the potential for them. the secretary is contributing to the process in the cabinet .fficial

he continues to examine the other options and he will provide his advice and counsel for the president appropriately. obviously interested in looking at other views and other alternatives. in that vein, without getting into the content of the message, we welcome those views in being shared. regardless of the numbers and individuals, this is the purpose of the dissent channel as a valuable tool. the secretary respect this. he was not wrong to call important when you have your own employees using the special channel to provide their views all the way to the top. that is a special thing that he wants to respect and clearly. he looks forward to working his way through the message and where that takes us, if it takes us anywhere, i don't know.

it would not be proper for me to speculate one way or the other. follow-up on carol. you said -- >> your question on turkey is getting lost. [laughter] >> as you stated, no one is content with the way things are in syria and other options are being considered. is there a reluctance within the part of the administration to launch a dramatically different policy in syria so late in the administration? you wante, if something, it cannot be cured out until the next president took over. >> if you're asking if the secretary looking at the try new, not willing to

approaches or proposed new consider, to absolutely not. you know the secretary as well as anyone. you know how engaged in energetic he is on syria. has usually he takes the situation. of time and energy he has personally invested in diplomatic efforts to try and get a better outcomes in syria and i can assure you for everyday he remains as secretary of state, he will remain focused and fixed on trying to get the political solution in syria. it can be better for millions of syrians were still there and the ones who want to go home. he is to remain open and has remained open to different ideas and different approaches and alternatives. likely, not even new ideas from

the government, but he remains in close touch with all of the other foreign ministers of the nations in the u.n. continues to solicit views from them as well. who is a secretary of state come above all things, remains open-minded and i think you can be secure in knowledge that that will remain slow -- so. >> just today, the government of lgbttable declared that individuals have been banned from holding pride marches. it has been held for decades. coming off the orlando attack, do you have a comment?

>> we have seen the reports. the governor of the stable will not allow the pride parade. support, as you lgbti the right of individuals to celebrate the right of expression. we would like to see that in a stable. rights,er part of human turkey, how worried you are about the direction of turkey? >> we have talked about this before. we are troubled when we see turkish leaders make decisions that are not in keeping with the democratic principles that are enshrined in there on constitution.

ally. is a friend and we want to see them succeed. we believe the best way forward for the turkish people to succeed is to live up to those democratic principles. it concerns us when we see decisions like this and trends towards closing down freedom of expression as we have seen in turkey lately. deeply concerning. the government of artairs are getting fight with the border of ethiopia. is there any truth to these accusations? >> no. easy question. states continue to engage

with the ethiopians and eritrea to prevent escalation. each last week, the net nations report recommended national organizations insist on the implementation of the 2002 decision by the eritrea-yukio via commission on the delimitation -- ethiopian commission on the border. efforts, he can tell us about -- you can tell us to address u.s. concern. >> we are in touch with officials on both sides as you would expect. and confrontation -- consultation with the u.n.. >> quatar?

announce onew to the secretary's travel. >> according to the associated press, there is a fighting between the democratic party and islamic republic of iran and person or the. i would like to know whether you have any information on this and if you do, can you tell us in this regard? >> know and therefore no. i don't have information. no.o and therefore i don't have information. ukrainee and crimea -- and crimea. crimea.on of

what does it mean for the effort to restore borders of ukraine and postwar europe? >> we welcome the european unions decision to roll over sanctions. our own sections related to crimea will remain in place as long as the occupation continues. we are heartened to see that our friends and allies have decided to expand their own sections for another year. our view is well known. crimea is and always will remain part of ukraine. we cannot allow the borders of europe to be redrawn at the barrel of a gun. we call for immediate and the russian occupation of crimea. >> secretary carries plans to visit ukraine? there is a probability that the a secretary of state will visit ukraine in the near future.

could you confirm this plan? >> nope. nothing on the secretary schedule. when we do. this?e you working on >> i'm nothing on the secretary's travel. have a great weekend. newsmakers. two republican activist discussed the election and the anti-trump movement. newsmakers sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on c-span. now with a discussion on the

future of afghanistan with the afghan ambassador. this is about 40 minutes. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015] >> he is the afghan and banister -- ambassador to the united states. how would you describe the current state of u.s. afghan elections? >> in one word, good. the afghan and united states relations are mostly based on our strategic partnership agreement. in that context, the andtionships are firm instructed. expected --e unexpected, rain and things coming up. it's mostly mostly good.

lastrrently, and for the taking-15 years, we had troops in afghanistan mike riley have about 10,000. is that the right number? should there be none? 100,000? >> the afghan and united states have had a steady partnership based on mutual interest and mutual practices. situation,n the considering what the state of affairs is in afghanistan, and the threat levels, that would described -- decide threat levels. as you are aware, the afghan security forces have been developing and they have taken fully since 2014.

they are leading combat roles. with that, there is less dependency on the assistance, but there is still assistance required that the estates troops have been providing critical advice and assist where we needed. -- need it. it is the situation and the threat levels that defined level of support will be required at what time. >> recently, your quoted as war is notafghan yesterday's war. it is still very current. , that quotepeople was in the context of a suicide attack in couple [laughter] kabul that killed over 70 people.

the war is not over. it will be over when the attacks , but we are fully secure and not under threat of international terrorists like al qaeda and daesh. >> in a recent speech, the inspector general for afghan reconstruction said that afghanistan is not ready to stand on its own. self-reliance, the government has been working on self-reliance approach to be able to stand on are own. we are working on that. we would hope! we are making progres. to refrain and gets a cookie forces ready to be able

to take on full control which they have in terms of combat. there is still assistance and training required that is ongoing. >> the afghan ambassador to the united states is here as our guest of the washington journal. this is your chance to talk to him and talk about some of the strategies. talk about the war that is going on.

x there is a lot of religious diffusion and was recently reading a passage from genesis and i was wondering if you give me your thoughts. are you still there? is gone so we are going to go to rochester, new york, democratic line. i want to draw an analogy and i am wondering how the situation is in afghanistan. in america, the inner city who protecte people the criminals around the by not reporting to police and the police have to root through without much support from the community. move through without much support from the community. people who aref enthused by those in the country anrr