they said such things before in these protests have petered out. like it had ad flav it seemsor like it had a flavorf making it up as we go a long a little bit. >> i think that is fair. i was looking around yesterday for a comprehensive roster of everyone who had spoken and the answer i got back was we didn't know it was going to go long nough. hard to get those eight dditional votes. >> i think i figured out all by 11 members to have democrat

house caucus participated. host: how many -- guest: there were eight fewer. there were 188 at that time. a couple attending to family emergencies. a couple out of town for scheduled trips for other reasons. only a handful of members who are democrats who are also aligned with the n.r.a. ncluding the only two members, linda from texas on our ndependent line. host: your piece was titled inside the house, house's first social nonfilibuster. why isn't there a filibuster procedure available in the house? guest: it goes right to the very

heart of the civics lessons we all took in high school. the fundamental difference between the house and the enate. all the rules you and i think about every day when we pay attention to the house are designed so the majority can get what they want unless they misunderstand what they want and the vote goes against them. they have designed it to be a regular routine march through the legislative process. they organized how many amendments are going to be offered. it is all designed so that in the end they can manage it the way they want. two senators for every state. the whole system is designed to protect the rights to have minorities. host: you look at precedent in

the house. is there anything like this in house history that has approached this in duration and magnitude? half-century that i could find. ago,as only eight years the last time we were in the summer before an open presidential contest. nancy pelosi was this because the house and republicans were in the minority. they had a different idea of what the top legislative issue -- was.ed they were about lifting a moratorium on offshore drilling nancy pelosi at the start of the august recess gavel the place to a close around 11:00 in the morning and the republicans

refused to leave. hostage. the floor and stayed for about five hours that night. point the democrats which the lights in the chamber off dishes switched the lights in the chamber off. republicans came back the next week and use the floor to make speeches. didn't speaker ryan do some thing like that? guest: the only way to get more attention for this protest by the democrats would have been for speaker ryan to send his own law enforcement team in there to break it up. you have john lewis leading this protest command icon of the civil rights movement. you have elizabeth warren, tim kaine, harry reid, nancy pelosi herself. to send the police and there to

break it up would have raised the public's awareness of this protest. is with us,hawkings the senior editor with rollcall. we are talking about the house democrats in -- house democrat sit in. we welcome your comments and calls. republicans --r for republicans. 202-748-8000 for democrats. all others, 202-748-8002. first call is our republican line in buffalo, kentucky. good morning, james. caller: thank you for taking my call. here's the whole scenario -- first of all, they are a bunch for the most-- part, they sat there and talk

about we need to secure our guns -- the need to secure the borders and stop letting all these people in. with all thelicit we just had an illegal kill three people. you don't hear them on tv talking about we need to secure our border. they are two-faced. they want to secure our guns and place sono-fly list in control -- they will put everybody on it and nobody will be able to carry guns. if they don't want to be independent in this country, moved to russia. if we get invaded right now and we've got guns, we can protect ourselves. we can meet them halfway out in the fields. host: he talked a little bit

about immigration. by the supreme court yesterday, reaction from both the president and speaker ryan appeared where is that issue in congress? guest: it is nowhere in congress. the republicans were delighted at the outcome come this nine were decision by the supreme court. decision by the supreme court. a tie in the supreme court means the most recent appeals court ruling stands. the most recent ruling said the president could not move forward with this. is an issue that is on hold through this presidential election. the president has now stymied and it will be up to the next president to propose an immigration agenda. host: his nominee is on hold as well. guest: merrick garland is

definitely on hold. some people on the hill suggest should the presidential election be won by hillary clinton and should the -- the senate be one back for the democrats, the republicans would move to nominate merrick garland during the lame-duck session. you mention this, going back to the issue the house floor -- 2008, then speaker pelosi shutting down the debate. this was during a pro forma session for it back then, there was no facebook streaming, only some video we got from john culberson of texas. as the pro forma

session was ending. [video clip] >> historic day in the united states congress. republicans have taken the floor and have continued to debate after the house is adjourned. the democratic leadership has adjourned the house, turn out the lights on the mic and yet, the republicans are still talking about the need for an energy plan so we can drive down the price of gas. can tell, this has never been done before. let's all speak out on behalf of the american people and get .hese prices down all we are asking for is a vote. the speaker will not even allow a vote. he has a plan to cover all

energy sources. down.ive us a vote up or they are the majority. if all their members feel so strongly, they should not have -- many of our democratic colleagues also want a chance to vote. the cameras have been turned off. television cameras have been turned off, the microphone has been turned off. the only way we are able to do anything is through life streaming video through twitter accounts of people in the gallery. the technology has improved, but the tactics have not changed. host: it's remarkable to hear them say all we are asking for is a vote. guest: language you heard

hundreds of times during this week's protest. the republicans did get what they wanted -- there was a ban on domestic oil and gas drilling in the republicans wanted an end to that moratorium. the republicans got there up and vote.- up or down the ban was lifted and they won. that's what has happened the other two times, in 1995, before there were even the most visualve -- there was no could newt gingrich was the new speaker. they got into a big budgetary standoff with bill clinton. the government shutdown. felter gingrich famously

slighted by the president on a trip to israel for a funeral on air force one. the daily news made a famous cartoon of him as a crybaby dressed in an effort -- dressed in a diaper. the republicans gaveled the place closed for the evening, the democrats formed back on the floor and turn on the lights and got all the intention that attention of the print reporters turn ongot all the -- the lights and got all the attention of the print reporters. host: here is house democratic leader nancy pelosi from thursday from the overnight wednesday. this is the periscope video from scott peters. [video clip] pelosi: mr. speaker, turn

on this microphone. [applause] what is happening on the floor of the house -- i have a for --from jim begin i don't wantfford to read her letter without it being heard by everyone in the gallery. -- whats, our guests would be the reason the republican majority in the house are saying we will not turn on the microphone? [applause] there a rule that members cannot take pictures or

video on the house floor? guest: there absolutely is. smoking --ntions there can be no smoking or use of any electronic devices that might demean the decorum of the house. even when the house is not in session, which come as we know by now, the house was not technically in session. once in a brave while, members will bring their families onto the floor for a tour or hometown mayor and they will be allowed to take a quick photograph. even then, it is frowned upon. what speaker ryan did here by allowing the social media ing of this event was a more relaxed response then perhaps some speakers in the past. carolinais of north

said yesterday that if he had been back in the north carolina state house, he would have shut this down but quick. host: does it open the barn door for more of these types of things to happen? guest: the theme of our conversation this morning, turnabout is fair play. turnabout will eventually happen. time, we were talking my supreme court nominations, the someday the democrats will be back in charge and the republicans will be the minority and there's no reason to think otherwise that the republicans will take this tactic and try to ramp it up yet again. host: adam on our independent line. caller: thank you for taking my call. this vote on the house is just a distraction. with the democrats don't want people to know is that violent

crime in the u.s. is at a 50 euros low. -- 50 year low. thousands account for of deaths every year -- there are more people killed by clubs and other means. they are using this as a passed --n to get there are 30 million people out of work. we have a ballooning budget. we have all these other problems. they want to distract us and talk about guns are the major killer in the u.s. when we are having 50 year lows in violent crimes. that is my point. thank you very much. i think that it's interesting you say they are

trying to distract -- this is a diversionary tactic -- i suppose it may be, but it is certainly not from an issue that was in the american psyche since what happened in orlando a couple weekends ago. yes, the republicans have no interest in this discussing gun control what happened -- interest in discussing gun control before what happened in orlando. if nothing else, they were able to put back on the national political agenda and legislative agenda an issue that the majority did not want to talk about. diversionary tactic, but it has succeeded in changing the conversation in washington. week to doan unusual this because it is a busy newsweek in washington. the last few days of the supreme court plus term.

the vote in britain yesterday. and yet, they were able to get front-page coverage everywhere. host: it was a surprise to democratic leadership that they learned at that caucus meeting the other morning. guest: there was even a best miss of the clark and mr. lewis and the others organizing this thought actually keeping it from the leadership and they decided that was a bad idea. the leadership bought into it and said have added -- have at it. host: the senate did have a test vote on the susan collins proposal. guest: technically, the amendment survived. the motion to table her eminent. -- her amendment. 52 senators voted against tabling it.

senator collins and this had made good on best the republican leadership had made good on the promise to have this vote. 52 is short of 60. it is still alive, but it does not have the votes to get all the way through the senate. host: they will have to work hard to get those eight additional votes. guest: that is a lot of votes to move in the senate. host: david hawkings is our guest. in five minutes or so, we will break away from here for what we expect to be a short pro forma session in u.s. house. linda from texas on our independent line. caller: i support what the democrats are doing on the floor. when you could turn something into a constitutional amendment don't i wonder why they

do that and turn the boat over to the people. i guess what you're saying is the advocates of gun control could somehow propose a constitutional amendment that would alter the second amendment? that would be a much taller order than what is being discussed now. to get a constitutional amendment added to the constitution, two thirds vote in the house and senate. 37 of the states. the legislatures of the states. a constitutional amendment is not voted on by the country. it is voted on by elected officials, voted on by congress and the two thirds of the house and senate go for a constitutional amendment, it goes out to the states and 37 states have to ratify the

amendment. host: lewis on the independent line. -- the nra for having all the gun ranges -- i have to be a member of the nra to join any of these gun clubs. i disagree with their politics. i did that one year. host: how many gun ranges did you visit? caller: i called all the way from brunswick to portland to augusta. they all come of the criteria was you had to be an nra member to join the gun club. it takes money to be in the nra.

i get their calls during political seasons telling me who is going to take my gun away from me. it makes me mad because i know nobody is try to take anybody's gun -- it is a smokescreen to scare the american people. that's all it is. can you name any time in history that guns have been taken away from us? host: you can talk a bit about the impact of the nra on capitol hill. a couple of democrats did not participate in the incident -- in that sit in. guest: the nra is one of the most influential advocacy groups in congress. as the color just mentioned -- haver just mentioned, they

an extreme narrowly well organized not only fund-raising operation but also around -- also a ground game, a great ability to get her message out and spread it around. more -- inecome a part because of the membership of congress has changed, but they have become more partisan in their political giving. the nra gave time paying contributions to more than a dozen, two dozen members and now, only two democrats this time have received campaign money. you the graphic from opensecrets.org. you can find that at

opensecrets.org. the house is gaveling in momentarily here for what we expect will be a short pro forma session. but it is the house of representatives. you never know what could happen. [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. 2016]

the speaker's rooms washington, d.c., june 24rks2016. appoint to act as speaker pro tempo. the prayer will be father conley. >> let us play. thank you god for giving us another day. at the end of a contentious week let your spirit of peace descend upon this place and those who work here. as all americans prepare to celebrate the fourth of july, may we be forever grateful for

the benefits we share as citizens of a common nation with uncommon diversity. help us to work together to build a better communlt as a light for the world. may all that is done be for your greater honor and glory, amen. >> resolution 797. it is approved. >> the woman from north carolina will lead the house in the pledge of allegiance. >> i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indwibble with liberty and justice for all. the sir, upon reflection, i make official my resignation from the

u.s. house of representatives effective immediately. in a previous letter i indicated a later resignation date in order to provide for an orderly transition of my office after 21 years of service in the house. however out of respect and not to cause a distraction from the house's work for the people, i have changed my effective date. i am proud of the work we have accomplished during my teen your in the house. thatve passed legislations help families. hundreds of thousands of milies were able to staveoff foreclosure. across the policy, all children have access to a high quality education as a result to have work from the equity and splens commission, local and state governments have implemented licies because of the energy

con ver vegas block grant program and those who suffer from brain-related diseases have a hope for a cure or treatment because of the work being conducted under the neuroinitiate science initiative and the president's brain initiative. tens of thousands of families throughout the philadelphia region live in affordable revitalize housing. and the strong support of my family. i am honored to have had the privilege to serve. signed very yours truly, member of congress.

>> the chair announces that in light to have resignation for the gentleman from pennsylvania the house number is 444. rule one, the following bills were signed by the speaker on thursday. june 23, 2016. senate 2133 and senate 2487. >> the chair lays before the house, the following personal requests. leave of absence requested for thursday june 23. objection, request is granted. the house stands adjourned until 5:00 p.m. on tuesday june 28 2016.

the house wraps up a short proformer session. leaving congress immediately. he refused to leave so the house ethics committee geared up its own trial after he had been convicted back home in ohio and they went through their own motions and then he was expelled. what was happening here, i would just say that was probably the most ahis career and case had received in washington in some time.

although he had been -- he was considered a reformer when he was elected in philadelphia in 1994. he rose rapidly through the democratic ranks. he left a relatively small this nt and amazeingly, case got almost no attention. it got amention the philadelphia. it was a relatively dramatic case. 22 corruption kises. trying to pay off his political and personal debts with all sorts of schemes. he was convicted of all of them. his initial decision after the jury verdict came down was to try and time his resignation to be the day before he had been sentenced. the speaker said that's not good enough. we're not going to have this hanging over our heads.

they put pressure on mr. fattah to leave earlier than that. there was talk that the republicans would use their parliamentary tactics to essentially expel him during the protest. there was actually some talk that a republican would stand up and make a privileged motion to expel fattah during the so-called sit-in. at one point mistakenly majority kevin mccarthy sent out a press release saying he had been expelled. they call it back. all that by way of saying, mr. fattah's leave taking was more awkward and publicity generating than either his career or trial. host: david hawkings, senior editor at roll call our guest. nor comments and phones. largely focusing on the democrat sit-in. back to your comments. to stowe, ohio. go ahead with your question or comment. caller: yes, mr. hawkins. thank you for being there. however i don't know how old

you are but 35, 40 years ago there was an influx of people retiring in florida and people who -- they were instigating all people to go to florida, how wonderful it is. it worked. they had an influx of so many people going down there. however, the rate of costing these people, stealing, and sometimes even shooting had risen so far, so high, that the governor of the state then, which i don't remember, made a law that others, the regular people, of the united states were allowed to carry guns in florida. after that was instigated and all the rules that went with that law, the attacks, the shootings stopped. slowed down and stopped. i like some opinion on that, but i also want to say that everything is orchestrated from above the president and below

the president, things are planned. if we did not respond to the attack from japan on american property and nazism in europe, if we had this government in place then, we would all be speaking japanese and german. -- german. host: jerry next in tennessee on our republican line. you're up next. caller: yes. good morning. i want to say something real quick here. the reason people didn't hear about shacka fattah is it didn't make the news media. believe me, if it was a republican it would have made the news every night, and probably c-span several times. my main point is how the democrats talk about if we can save one life. if we can save one life. kate's law, who was murdered almost a year ago by a mexican in this country who was here

illegally, he was convicted five, six, seven times, and he should never, never been released. yet he was. he got a gun. and he was walking on the when -- on the pier when he killed this young lady. and the democrats, they would not even vote for that. yet they are so worried about saving lives. it was amazing watching them the other day. i'm surprised they didn't have their rivera t-shirts on. host: back to the issue of shacka fattah for a second, you mentioned, our producer tells us, it's july, 2002. you mentioned those hearings we covered, those ethic hearings on james traficant. why wasn't shacka fattah brought up on ethics issues. was the trial in effect? guest: that's a great question. what is the very, very regularly observed custom is that the house ethics committee does not get in the way of the justice department. if the justice department says

we're looking at a member of congress for criminal prosecution, the house ethics committee backs down. sometimes they will even announce we're not continuing our investigation of congressman jones because the justice department tells us that they are. essentially the house thinks that a criminal prosecution is trumps their own interest. that having been said, the house takes seriously its constitutional role as the governor of its own membership. so they do not automatically take a conviction as meaning that a member should leave. in this case it was pretty clear-cut they would have expelled mr. fattah had he not gone. host: as this democrat sit-in was getting under way on wednesday, the house speaker was unveiling their alternative to the affordable care act, obamacare, part of the packages of things that the speaker's been unveiling, his so-called better way platform, bloomberg

business has the problems with ryan's reforms and their analysis of regulatory reforms, it was announced by paul ryan -- last week. today, the speaker's going to unveil their tax plan along with kevin brady. what's behind all of this effort in terms of where the speaker wants these policies to go? why is he announcing them now? guest: he promised that he would do this right after he became speaker, last fall. and he was asked why are you doing this, won't you be stepping on the agenda of your presidential nominee, who at the time when we asked these questions, we had no idea who it would be. and he made clear that he wanted even then to sort of reassert the legislative branch's role in setting the agenda. he is a policy wonk as we call him, a thinker. but he also has an institutional interest in

restoring the house of representatives and congress as an agenda setter not a responder to what the president says. he's been following through ith this he has used this as one of the reasons he said he has come around to supporting mr. trump as the republican candidate for president because he says, he's talked about this agenda with mr. trump and he agrees on more issues than not. all of that by way of saying paul ryan, no matter who the president is next year, wants it known that he wants to be an idea driver. host: to moses lake, washington, greg, independence line. caller: yes. good morning. i'd like to give you a quick story about a sad day in my family's life. we lost my 13-year-old sister a few years ago. she was at a friend's house. got his father's gun out and was playing with it. pointed it at her as her hand was on the door telling him to put it away or she was leaving. pulled the trigger and it went

off and killed her. the saturday i seen the other day with the democrats using this as a point. no gun has ever jumped up and shot someone. there is always someone behind it. i, myself, am a gun owner. will never stop owning a gun. we just need to use the laws that are on the books to take care of this stuff. that's all i got to say. host: thanks for sharing that story, grelling. david hawkings. guest: yes, thank you for sharing that story. i think what many members of congress who favor gun control would say in response, is that they would agree with you that people -- it's people using the guns that are the reasons for the gun violence, but that if there were fewer guns available, there would be less violence because people would have less access to firearms when they felt impulsive or

angry, and keeping the number of guns down helps reduce violence because it just denies the angry or unstable people, the ability to carry out their violent impulses. host: i want to see if we had available, we had some video the other day that was all democrats speaking. we did hear from one republican and that was louie gohmert. i don't know if you saw this. i think we have this ready that he came on to the house floor. i wanted to get your thoughts on that. louie gohmert from the other night. >> radical islam! you don't think -- >> no fly, no buy. no fly, no buy. no fly, no buy. o fly, no buy. >> getting a gun. why do you want to let terrorists buy a gun? why do you want to protect

terrorists from buying a gun? why do you want to protect terrorists from buying a gun? why do you want to protect errorists from buying a gun? inaudible] >> don't let terrorists have a gun. don't let terrorists have a gun. don't let terrorists have a gun. >> no bill, no rights.

>> no bill, no rights. host: some of that facebook video from the other night. quite a different scene from the opening of the pro forma 15 minutes ago. guest: truly. i don't mean this flippantly. it was the one in a sense, it was the one moment of bipartisan exchange in the entire 25 hours. there were a few other republicans who came out to watch. but they held to the background. there were actually a couple republicans, to be fair, who came out on the floor to try and talk about maybe finding some bipartisan compromise. but they didn't take to the podium, to the floor the way mr. gohmert d there's actually some of those republicans who were sort of in the periphery of the house chamber during the protest are unveiling some legislation this morning with some democrats. there's actually supposed to be bipartisan announcement on the house side to mirror something

very close to what senator collins has been proposing this week. while mr. gohmert made a profoundly passionate point about what in his view and view of many conservative republicans was the real meaning of what happened at that orlando nightclub, which has become a rorschach test was radical ay rights, islam? gun control? hate crimes at home? domestic terrorism? isis? it's become the rorschach test of the year. host: thanks for hanging with us longer. one more call. danny in ohio. hi. caller: good morning. i have a couple comments. if i'm following the news right, the government let him buy the weapon. for not doing their job right. if someone's on a list like that, i mean maybe three days isn't long enough to wait. maybe 10 days would be better

so they could do their job better. it wasn't a gun haven't act, it was a terrorist act. and they flipped it over to the gun side of it. host: let you go there. we're about to wrap up. on the background check, what's been proposed. you just talked about the democrats' bill coming out, or this bipartisan bill on the house. what would susan collins' measure do? why has that got bipartisan support? guest: to be honest it's become a little bit of a blur her here. i do know what the house folks are proposing is if you're -- the government keeps more than one of these watch lists. i think one of the things that's in this bipartisan house bill is if you're on two different watch lists by two different agencies, then there is a restriction on your ability to buy firearms. obviously what the opponents of this are saying is that the government should not be able to essentially take away your rights with the presumption of

guilt. it's your right to due process is being taken away. if you're stuck on one of these watch lists, even while you're contesting t. you should be able to buy a gun. i think this is the middle ground that they are trying to look for. i do think that as father conroy said during the invocation, that during this 10-day recess things may calm down and some members may go back to their districts and find that they have judged it wrong and that maybe the country's attitude towards this and their encouragement to try to find a middle ground have gone up, gone down. we haven't seen. it will be fascinating to see what we learn on july 5. host: we appreciate hearing your input as eals always. david hawkings, senior editor at >> washington journal live every day with news and policy issues that impact you and coming up

this morning, european union ambassador to the u.s., david o'sullivan will discuss what britain's vote to leave the european union means from a diplomatic standpoint. and timothy healey. griswold will take a look at the referendum vote and what it means for u.s. interests. join the discussion. >> on american history tv on c-span 3, tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern, on lectures in history. >> by the end of the 1880's, you have a dramatic upsurge, a tremendous surge in veterans organizations, in the membership in these organizations and in

statutes that they create. many were the rull of campaigns by southern women during the reconstruction era. sunday morning at 10:00 on road to the white house rewind. >> back in 1976, mr. carter said trust me. and a lot of people did. and now many of those people are out of work. >> the republican alternative is the biggest tax giveaway in history. americansit reagan -- cannot afford. >> the 1980 republican and democratic conventions with ronald reagan becoming the g.o.p nominee and president jimmy carter accepting the democratic

nomination. on july 1, the space museum will commemorate its 41st anniversary. >> in 1976, we were wrapping up a golden age of human exploreation with the apollo missions to the moon and we were launching into the first golden ary exploreation. we're now in another golden age of planetary exploreation, particularly on mars. >> we learn about the story of human space exploreation from the moon to mars and at 8:00 on the presidency, james rosebush former deputy assistant to president reagan and author to have book "true reagan" what made ronald reagan great and why

it matters. >> i have come to see and this relates again to president nixon that a great leader of character is a person who has the ability to design the future and lead a people to it and through it. >> for the complete american history tv weekend schedule go, to c-span.org. labor secretary thomas perez was the featured speaker at a recent conference hosted by the national association of latino elected and appointed officials. part of his remarks focused on affirmative action and the president's executive orders on immigration. this is 40 minutes.

[speaking in spanish] how is everyone today. this is such a dynamic group and i feel so incredibly humbled to be invited to attend. but most of all, to see that i am among my brothers and sisters. speaking in spanish] it means so much to be able to congregate. i'm not thinking i'm more than anyone else. i'm 4-foot 11 inches so i stay away from the podiums of you can see me. so really quick, my background, i was invited to tell you about what motivates me as the first latino lieutenant governor not only in illinois but the whole country. what motivates me and also my story, but the truth is, my story is no different than all of your stories. my story is not typical but definitely very american. my father is a refugee from [speaking in spanish]. we have some representation in the house. it is one of the poorest countries in latin america.

that side of the family came to united states for freedom. my for freedom. my mother side of the family, she is from cuba. a place where there are no freedoms to be had just yet, let's wait five minutes. for that side of the family she tells me stories about having been chased, harassed, and lost her property rights and so on. so both families arrive to hialeah, florida. ou know where that is? that's where pitbull the wrappers from. schoolkids love it what i say that but when i tell them that i don't know pitbull that i'm out of it. my parents met an apartment complex in hialeah, florida and i came shortly after. mom chose to have me and keep me when she was only 15 years of age. that painted the backdrop to my life because i was a child raised by children. i remember always been one step ahead of the landlord. from an educational standpoint to about that in the neighborhoods i was growing up

in is disinterested and uninspired in my schools because i felt my schools were disinterested and uninspired with me. so i failed the first grade. but you know, i had a shero in my life, and she's my mother. and she always used to tell me to in this country you are going to rise like the phone. i believe her, i still believe her today. so she bought me a piano to give me of the streets. i learned how to play at the community center and then, and then an opportunity opened up like for me. there was a school in florida, a magnet school, brand-new and they a magnet school, brand-new and they told all of the students that if you have talent, you audition and get inside. by the time you graduate you will have the equivalent of an associates and arts degree for free. that was a big deal, that was a big game changer in my family because college was not really in my future. i did, i auditioned to get that school. those instructors saw promising me and let me in.

it was in those schools that i became inspired. i got to know who beethoven was, ho bach was, and mozart. i learned to love the sciences, all the academics and it stayed with me because i also said wow, this must be what the rich kids get in the nice neighborhoods. that is why i joined forces with the governor of illinois. he believes in education reform nd i do too. having come from my upbringing, i believe every child in illinois, every child in the country deserves a world-class education it should matter where your arents come from, what neighborhood they live in or how much money they are worth. we all deserve a world-class education. [applause]. so i was glad to get into the school. by the time i graduated i did have that equivalent of an associate of arts degree, but i also had an opportunity because then i was able to go to florida international university on a scholarship.

just because i had that when opportunity. i was later able to go to the john marshall law school where he served as an adjunct professor of law today. i was also able to learn in illinois that i was different. being from miami, florida it is a melting pot. we're very international. in illinois whether there was discrimination and i was able to serve at the john marshall or housing clinic to be able to help those who had been discriminated against and denied ousing on the basis of the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their race, and that was truly something that taught me how to be a leader. going forward after law school, i went and lived in a place called wheaton. it is a god-fearing community of 54,000 residents and i decided to run for the wheaton city council. i went to the door to door and was able to talk to families and let them know my plus fee of government. having been the first latina to

ever serve on the wheaton city council, a lot of people approach me and said you know what, illinois has another problem. latinos, where the largest minority group in all of illinois because what, most of us are not getting out there and voting and getting involved. when i heard that, i love being able to get involved in that regard. i love traveling the state as lieutenant governor, getting into these migrant farm working communities of these little girls and boys to see a lot of me and them so that they could e our next governor. and also get involved. i also loved talking to individuals and telling them the story about my great grandfather who left us at that late age of 96. i remember how he would get in front of the tv and argue with the news and he would say speaking in spanish] >> in this country, there is no liberty, only wrongdoing. i would oftentimes to my great father [speaking in spanish] when was last time you voted? you need to get out there to be

heard. we are the largest minority group in illinois and we know soon will be the majority. but if we do not make an impression by getting out there and voting, getting out there and running for office and going door to door to stand for those policies that we believe in. then, we'll never be heard. i love doing that as your lieutenant governor. so come in the future, speaking in spanish] have a great day [applause] >> thank you so much, lieutenant governor. we appreciate it. she may be small, but i think she's pretty fiery, what you think very well. they're going to continue with our program please, think our servers first of all we have to pause and recognize those who prepared our meal and are serving. [applause]

thanks them. [applause] i have the great honor to introduce, i'm playing point guard today, i'm just passing the ball, which is fun. collins as going through school, he was a trash collector. imagine that. [applause] i guess you could say that was his first entry into politics. -- he studied at brown. we have some brownnologist the house? as he was going through school, he was a trash collector. imagine that. [applause] i guess you could say that was his first entry into politics,

right? the other thing i learned about him was he talks about the oncept of dignitity of work. that in 2016, someone who lives and works full time should not live in poverty. he is a fierce advocate for raising the minimum wage. he is among the great academics minds charged with managing our federal government, the cabinet secretary sometimes operates a critical position, as secretary of labor, the honorable tom perez oversaw a campaign to increase minimum wage, historic nvestments in working training and the implementation of the bipartisan workforce innovation and opportunity act among many ther projects.

unemployment has continued to decline while the economy reestablishes itself on firm footing. secretary perez had a long and distinguished career at all levels. he was the first latino elected to the maryland city council, served on the labor and license and regulation, he is a former director at the health and human services and served as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the doj. it might be said he has already reached the pinnacle of his profession as an advocatinge for equality, justice and opportunity, we hear there may be greater things in store for his future as well. please welcome our guest, secretary of labor, thomas perez.

[applause] secretary! applause >> thank you. good afternoon. thank you. it is great to be here. may i ask you to give one more hand to the people who are serving our meal and working so hard for us? >> justin, thank you so much. it is an honor to be here with you and so many mentors. mentors like secretary cisneros,

great friends and the force of nature known as arturo and pauline, michele martinez, two examples of when women succeed, we all succeed. thank you so much for what you're doing. this isn't my first visit to the area. it is an honor to be with you and having been in local government i know that the rubber hits the road in local government. i know that when you are working in cities and counties and states you can't afford to be id -- idiological. you have to get job done. so i want to say thank you for everything that you are doing. when i think of naleo and all during my time in

naleo, i think of john lewis, who was a sit-in with a number of democrats. if you saw his hash tag it said #goodtrouble. keep causing him a lot of good trouble. now, i often go into a room and i have some understanding there have been events that occurred with our meeting because we live our world in real time. i cannot help but reflect on the events this morning at the supreme court because, you know, frankly the ruling on the case is certainly disappointing to say the minimum. frankly, it breaks my heart because i remember where i was when the president announced it. i was in maryland at a

remarkable non-profit i used to be the board chair of and i remember vividly the looks of hope and potential on the faces of so many immigrants who have been here working so hard. when i see what i saw today it undeniably breaks my heart, but it will never break my spirits nor should it break your spirits and strengths my resolve to fight for fairness and our resolve to fight for comprehensive immigration reform. that is a when question in this country. it is not an if question in this country. i have no doubt about it. i have no doubt about it. we need your help. we need to make sure mayor garland gets a fair hearing because they have time to vote against the affordable care act

64 times but don't have time for a hearing on eric garland and today illustrates the consequences of the broken republican leadership. we have to get on that, my friends. we do need your help. when i was reflecting on the decision of earlier today i thought of a guy named jose guterez. i have not had the privilege of meeting him but i have read a lot about him. he has inspired me. i think this story is so appropriate in the context of today's ruling. jose both saw and embodied the hope and optimism that embodies america. he was born into poverty outside guatemala city. he became an orphan at the age of eight raising himself on the streets of guatemala city. surrounded by violence and

abjebt poverty. but jose wanted more. jose and so many like him deserve more. so he set out for a better future. he came to this country, a 3,000 mile journey of scars and sacrifices and arrived in the u.s. undocumented, went into foster care. he wanted to be an architect and went to community college and so loved this country he joined the marines and on march 21, 2003 he was killed in a tank battle in southern iraq. one of the first casualties. he was an american in every way and received his citizenship and he is now an american citizen and he will always be an american hero. i have no doubt that the four million people who were told to

wait for some there are many more jose's among them. i have no doubt about it. [applause] >> and what i admire so much about jose and so many others like jose was that chronic optimism, that chronic sense of he can do better, the chronic impatience that comes along with the desire to do better. that is why, i come to you with unrelenting optimism about the future of our country. i see so many of you doing remarkable things. i cannot help but acknowledge one of my great friends here from the great state of maryland. fellow dominicana. she is an elected official in maryland doing great things.

i see ruben guiego and i speak with him with great frequency. a remarkable member in congress from arizona who is doing so much. all of you fuel my ptimism and so does the data showing that we're moving in the right direction. moving away from the worst economic mess of our lifetime. the latino rate in the deficit was 13 expect and now it is 5.6%. since 2000, latino high school drop out rates have been cut in half. since 2008 the rate of college enrollment among young latinos is up and 30% of young latinos are attending college. and today's affirmative action is critical to produce an america that looks like an america.

my parents taught me and my four siblings that education is the great equalizer. my father literally worked himself to an early death so he could provide for his five children and that is why we had the benefit of pell grants and other things producing and going into higher education. all of my siblings became doctors and i had to be a lawyer because i fainted at the sight f blood. education is the great equalizer. every parent tells that to their children. we know in terms of progress that thanks to the leadership of president obama the affordable care act has helped four million latino adults get coverage. and thanks to you because so many of you worked on enrollment fairs and were spreading the word about the importance of the affordable care act. a group that once had an uninsured rate of 40% has seen

it drop by 11 percentage points. underneath those statistics it is you working so hard. thanks to you millions of americans have gotten a raise. despite the opposition from the republicans to raise minimum wage you have taken the bull by the horn and led at state and local levels. people laughed at the fight for $15 movement three years ago but they are not laughing now because 20% of the nation now lives in state and local governments that are either passing $15, will soon pass it. thank you to california. thank you to new york. thank you to seattle and so many other places because you know nobody who works a full-time job in this country should have to live in poverty. and the businesses that i talk o know when you pay a decent

wage you retain workers longer and have more money in people's pockets and that creates a irtuous cycle. we know who is benefiting from these increases in the minimum wage. in california, for instance, latinos make up 55% of all workers who will get a raise as a result of the $15 an hour minimum wage. so thank you to all of you who have been working on these wage fairness issues across the country. i am sorry the republicans here in washington simply haven't gotten the memo. minimum wage has been a bipartisan effort. every president except two have signed an increase in the minimum wage. but the number one priority for all too many people on the republican side of the congress is to make sure president obama doesn't have a signing ceremony. the number one priority should be helping the american people and it all too frequently isn't.

thanks to you millions more americans no longer have to chose between the job they need and the family they love. i meet so many people, especially low income people, who are having a baby or a sick parent but because they don't have paid leave at work they have to make choices between the child they love and the job that they need. that is not right. once again we have tried to do something about this in washington. i have no doubt that paid family leave is a when question not an if question. but until it is a when question here in washington, you at state and local levels have been leading he charge. just yesterday, chicago became the 28th local jurisdiction to adopt an earned sick leave olicy. the reason i bring this up is because it is critically important for latinos who are much less likely to have access to paid leave. that is a fact. nearly 3-10 latino children live

with only one parent making access to leave that much more important. i want to say thank you as well because thanks to you 4.2 million people became citizens between 2009-2014 and that is because of your efforts. community leaders like you are helping people get across the finish line. we still have about 8.5 million people who are eligible to naturalize but haven't naturalized. [speaking in spanish] >> we have to remember that. your work in making sure that people who are eligible to vote is so critically important. i was born at night but not last night. while i'm an eternal optimist, i have seen america at its best,

day in and day out, i have seen america that needs to get better day in and day out. we have an undeniable list of unfinished business. we just continue to work on that unfinished business. i know that as we have done this throughout our nation's history i will tell you who has helped get the job done. it has always been immigrants. from the founding of our nation, immigrants fought and made the ultimate sacrifice in the revolutionary war. a frenchman, and i have been thinking about him a lot because i had the privilege of going to see hamilton on broadway. if you have not gone to see it, pay a thousand dollars and you will have to go see it t is a heck of a lot of money. lafayette, there is a great song with lafayette and alex hamilton where they are talking about the battle and they say immigrants. we get the job done. and you know what? they are right. because, you know, you look at what immigrants have

accomplished. they comprised 18% of the soldiers in the civil war. immigrants like my father and brothers earned their citizenship throughout service during world war ii. we saw so many other statistics about the importance of mmigrants. 17% of the labor force and 18% business owners are immigrants. immigrants are three times as likely to file patents than u.s.-born citizens. we are indeed getting the job done. but we have more work to do, my riends, because i was out with farm workers in california, and their challenges inspire me and keep me up at night but they get me up in the morning to help them. too many people who pick our

crops can't afford to put food on their own table. too many people who care for our loved ones can't afford to spend time with tlar own family. too many dreamers are continuing to dream and today's supreme court decision underscores the need more than ever for comp comprehensive immigration reform. we needed it yesterday. we have more work to do when fixing the immigration system. we don't have the luxury of ime. the legacy of jose deserve better. we see so many other challenges in this country. i still continue to watch joe get held in content by court in arizona. and some sheriff's think racial profiling makes communities safer. it does not make communities safer. thank you for standing up to rogue sheriffs who do nothing for public safety and everything for public division.

all too many states in this country have legislatures who believe that voter id is the key to making it harder for black and brown people to vote. let's call voter id laws what they are. they are a scourge on our nation. they are an effort to make it harder for latinos, hard for african-americans to vote. and frankly there have been some legislatures who have acknowledged that. a legislature from pennsylvania saying the purpose of voter id was to elect republicans by making it harder for african-americans and latinos to ote. we can do better. i saw this first hand when i was at the department of justice. i saw it too frequently.

these voter i.d. laws. i was so appreciative of the assistance i got from so many people in this room. the fact of the matter is we lost a critical tool to protect latinos and african-americans and others seeking the right to vote when the supreme court struck down the shelby case and as justice ginsberg put it throwing out section five of the voting rights act when it has worked to stop discrimination is like throwing away the umbrella in a rain storm because you are not getting wet. it has protected the rights of so many people. i was in arizona recently and if you read about their democratic primary or their primary generally a few months ago it was a mess. it was a mess because they reduced the number of places where you could vote. if the law had been in place they would not have been able to do that and guess where those

place got reduced the most? where latinos live. that is unconsciousible. we have to do more about it. we have to do more to address economic inequality. we have to do more to rebuild the infrastructure of democracy. but, my friends, this time that we are living in is more than simply about educational access or inequality or the minimum wage or the affordable care act. all of those critically important issues. i really believed we are living in a moment in time that is a debate about really who we are as a nation. it is the fundamental question of what we stand for as a nation. it is a choice, i believe, between reverting to the failed policies of the past, the past prejudices of the past, or marshling the collective hope

and optimism and the we are all in together approach that kept our nation so strong. the recent events in orlando are a stark reminder that all too frequently prejudices persist. as someone who headed up the civil rights division, that act of hate, that act of terror, was something i saw too frequently. we owe to those victims and values of a nation to celebrate our diversity and not be fearful of our diversity and make sure we build bridges not walls in this country. i will tell you, my friends, because i travel internationally the whole world is watching america. they are looking to see if we will indeed build bridges or whether we will build walls. will we marshall that collective

irit of can do or will we succumb to the demons of fear and isolation? we are at this moment i call a where are you moment. your grandchildren will be asking you down the road where were you when. i remember being able to ask my family where was my grandfather hen the horrible dictator in the dominican republic ordered the massacre of 20,000 haitians? the answer is he spoke up against it, spoke out against it, got kicked out and he was on the right side of history and i am so proud of my grandfather for doing that even though it was against so many forces in place. history will soon ask where we were in the face of unrelenting attacks on immigrants,

unrelenting attacks on our muslim brothers and sisters, unrelenting attacks on voting rights. history will ask if you spoke up for the rights of people that didn't look like you. as a pastor once said, someone who opposed nazi germany and hitler; he said the following which i think sings to the challenges of today. first they came for the socialist and i did not speak out because i wasn't a socialist. then they came tr the trade unionist and i didn't speak out because i wasn't a unionist. then they came for the jews and i did not speak out because i was not a jew. and then they came for me and there was nobody left to speak. we must always speak out for any unjustice unpp uninjustice nywhere. that has been naleo's d.n.a.

that is your d.n.a. every single day. we have seen this movie before, my friends. and that is why i have optimism. the know-nothing movement of the 19th century was anti-immigrant and anti-catholic and failed. because it was fundamentally un-american. in the 1880's, we passed the act and clusion interred japanese americans and you know what? that was wrong. we have to beat these things back. we have beaten these forces back every time whether it was from selma to the disability rights movement. we have been able to summon the three simple words the nation was built on. out of many one. it appears just above the eagle on the great seal of the united

states and in the marble in the highest court on the land and on every dollar bill in the strongest, most resilient conomy in the world. but i take comfort again from the story of another immigrant. a guy named albert einstein. my friend, walter isaacson who is a remarkable story teller, tells the story of albert einstein coming to the united states to flee nazi germany and wrote a letter to his son during the height of the mccarthy era and expressed fear. what is going on in the united states of america? these witch hunts for communists. what is going on with american values? this feels like hitler. then he wrote another letter a while later in which he talked about the united states' ability to course correct. and this is what he said to his son.

there is something amazing about america's democracy. it has a gyrooscope and when you think it is going off the cliff it rights itself. it rights itself, my friends, because of people like you. you are the gyro scope that ives us the collective power that makes sure we do live with [speaking latin] >> i continue to remain as optimistic as every because every time we confronted these challenges in the history of the united states we had the gyroscope we have had dreamers throughout the nation's history and dreamers are not simply a group of people seeking status and citizenships. dreamers are who we are as a nation. dreamers are the value of our nation. hat is exactly who we are. i'm here to tell you, we have

work to do. not only on our economic and democracy issues. we have work that the whole world is watching. our work is more important than ever before because the whole world is watching. we can summon our better angels and we will summon our better an angels for the better of america. as the civil rights song goes some days we fall down but we always get up. i have no doubt we may have fallen down today but that fall is brief because we will get up, we mean get up stronger, we will not only say [speaking in spanish] >> i have no doubt about that on immigration reform. i have no doubt about that on so many other issues of critical importance. so i am hear to say in closing don't ever get down.

get up. do what john lewis told you. what john lewis does every day, day in and day out, cause good trouble. that is what we have to do. that is the secret to our success as a nation. you have the gyroscope. let's martial the collective power to build an america that works for everyone. a land of opportunity, a land in which we say we do not make our candle brighter by blowing out our neighbor's candle. we make our candle brighter by making sure every candle in every zip code is lit. that is who we are as nation and who we will always be as a nation. let's go forward together. [speaking in spanish] [applause]

>> you realize this is something i would not only love to do but something i think could be really different from the kinds of books that have been written about mac arthur in the past and ways to rethink and re-evaluate who this person was, what his real significance was, what his virtues really were that made him the most -- one of the most adored anded alated figures in american history and also what were his flaws and what were his -- the things that made him in many ways unpleasant and even hated by millions of people. arthuray night on q & a, herman takes a look at the life of douglas mac arthur. >> that is one of the things about mac arthur that you have to say. he saw the future more clearly

than he saw the present, whether it was america's role in asia, the rise of china, the split between china and the soviet union, which he forsaw, but also perhaps the fate of american domestic politics. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's q & a. >> president obama said he is "confident" that the united kingdom will have an orderly transition in leaving the european union after thursday's referendum vote. he made the statement while speaking at a global entrepreneurship summit in california. it concluded with a discussion with them and face book founder and c.e.o. mark zuckerberg. this is an hour. president obama: thank you.

hello everybody. thank you. thank you very much. everybody have a seat. thank you. this is a good-looking group. thank you. well, first of all, let me thank the president for the introduction and the entire stanford family for letting us take over the campus for a few days. as some of you know, john is stepping down after 16 years as president of stanford. fortunately for me, i cannot do that to stick around longer than my term limit. john, i'm sure there are some people who want you to stick

around longer, but i'm confident that you are going to do extraordinary things. and we could not be prouder of john and stanford and the great work they have done. please give him a big round of applause. [applause] president obama: summer break, so all of you, stanford is not always this quiet. this school is unique. folks ride on bicycles everywhere. and athletes are also computer engineers. this is the place that made nerd cool. [applause] president obama: so we are thrilled to be here. i know i am not the first speaker you have heard from, but many of you have traveled here from a long ways. we got more than 170 countries

from every region in the world represented. some of you, this is the first time visiting our country. on behalf of the american people, not only welcome to our global entrepreneurship summit, but welcome to the united states of america. we are glad to have you. [applause] president obama: i'm not going to give a long speech, because what i want to do is have a conversation with some outstanding young people, but i do want to begin by offering some opening thoughts about the time in which we gather here today. and i'm going to start with the british people's decision to leave the european union, the vote that took place yesterday. just a few hours ago, i spoke with prime minister david cameron. david has been an outstanding friend and partner on the global

stage and based on our conversation, i'm confident that the u.k. is committed to an orderly transition out of the e.u. we agree that our economic and financial teams will remain in close contact as we stay focused on ensuring economic growth and financial stability. i spoke to chancellor merkel of germany and we agree that the united states and european allies will work closely together in the weeks and months ahead. i do think that yesterday's vote speaks to the ongoing changes and challenges raised by globalization. while the u.k.'s relationship with the e.u. will change, one thing that will not change is the special relationship that exists between our two nations. that will endure. the e.u. will remain one of our indispensible partners. our nato alliance will remain a cornerstone of global security and in a few weeks we will be meeting in wausau for the nato arsaw for the w

nato summit and an opportunity for all people. that will continue to unite all of us. and that is the work that brings us here today. the world has shrunk. it is interconnected. all of you represent that interconnection. many of you are catalyzing it and accelerating it. it promises to bring extraordinary benefits. but it also has challenges. and it also evokes concerns and fears. and so part of why this global entrepreneurship summit has been so close to my heart, something that i've been so committed to, is because i believe all of you represent all the upside of an interconnected world. all the optimism and the hope and the opportunity that interconnected world represents.

but it's also important in these discussions to find ways in which we are expanding and broadening the benefits of that interconnection to more and more people. that's what so many of you are going. -- many of you are doing. we're gathered here at stanford in the heart of silicon valley, which is one of the great hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship, not just for america but for the world. this is a place that celebrates our ability as human beings to discover and learn and to build, to question, to reimagine, create new ways to connect and work with each other. it's where two guys in a garage bill hewlett and dave packard, launched a global company. where student projects became yahoo and google. those were really good student projects.

my student projects weren't as good. [laughter] obama: it's where entrepreneurs like so many of you get an idea and work to make it a reality. you launch products and companies and entire interest is -- entire industries that transform the world. that's the power of entrepreneurship. and it's never been more important. in today's world where our economies have undergone dramatic shifts, where businesses don't stop at borders, where technology and automation have transformed virtually every industry and changed how people organize and work, entrepreneurship remains the engine of growth. that ability to turn that idea into a reality. a new venture, a small business. that creates good-paying jobs.

it puts rising economies on the path to prosperity and empowers people to come together and tackle our most pressing global problems, from climate change to poverty. when people can start their own businesses, it helps individuals and families succeed. it can make whole communities more prosperous and more secure. it offers a positive path for young people seeking the chance to make something of themselves and can empower people who have previously been locked out of the existing social order. women and minorities. others who aren't part of the old boys network. give them a chance to contribute and to lead. and it can create a culture where innovation and creativity are valued. where we don't just look at the way things have always been but rather say, how could things be. why not? let's make something new.

this spirit speaks to something deep inside of all of us. no matter who we are, what we look like, where we come from, you look out across this auditorium, you're all of different backgrounds and cultures and races and religions. some of you are from teeming cities, others are working in small, rural villages. but you have that same spark. that same creative energy, to come up with innovative solutions to old challenges. and entrepreneurship is what gives people like you a chance to fulfill your own dreams and create something bigger than yourselves. we live in a time when more than half the world is under the age of 30. and that means we've got to make sure that all of our young people around the world have the tools they need to start new ventures and to create the jobs

of the 21st century and to help lift up entire populations. and so many of you are already doing this. as i travel around the world, one of the extraordinary things that i had the opportunity to do is to meet young people. in every region. and to see the problem solving and the energy and optimism that they're bringing to everything from how to generate electricity in environmentally sound ways in remote places that are off the grid right now, to how do you employ women in remote areas who all too often have been locked out of opportunity. you just see enormous creativity waiting to be tapped. and part of our job, part of this summit's job, is to make

sure we are putting more tools, more resources, into the hands of these folks who are changing the world. and making sure that all of you know each other. so that you can share best practices and ideas. and spread the word. now, i know that the daily reality is not always as romantic as all this. turns out that starting your own business is not easy. you have to have access to capital. you have to meet the right people. you have to have mentors who can guide you as you get your idea off the ground. that can be especially difficult for women and young people and minorities and others who have not always had the same access to networks and opportunities. you deserve the same chance to succeed as everybody else. we've got to make sure that everybody has a fair shot to reach their potential. we can't leave more than half the team on the bench. that's why we've invested so much time and effort to make sure that america is helping to

empower entrepreneurs like you. so we held our first summit back in 2010. since then, we've brought entrepreneurs like you together in turkey and the emirates and malaysia, morocco, kenya, and all told, we've helped more than 17,000 entrepreneurs and innovators connect with each other, access capital, find mentors, and start new ventures. 17,000. [applause] president obama: i think the tanzanian startup that helps farmers minimize losses or the company in nepal helping health care. there are 11 cubans here today, the first cubans to join us in one of these summits. hola. mucho gusto.

they're ready to help create new opportunities for the cuban people. where are they? there they are. [applause] president obama: i want to thank antonio garza, a lead for the private equity and one of our presidential ambassadors for global entrepreneurship, because his support was critical in bringing these young cuban entrepreneurs here. that's deserving of a hand. [applause] president obama: i'm also pleased to announce we have a new group of business leaders signing on as entrepreneurship ambassadors, something we started as part of the summit and they have put their time, energy, effort, and in some cases their money behind entrepreneurs around the world. so our new ambassadors, senator blakely, c.e.o. of spanx.

[applause] obama: jane durbin, c.e.o. of dermalogica. the partner of draper fisher jergensen. and patrick collinson, the c.e.o. of spripe. now supporting entrepreneurs isn't just something we do around the world. it's also a key part of how we create jobs and fuel innovation here in the united states. that's why we're working with communities to streamline the process for launching a company. startup in a day. that's why we're expanding innovation corps, our program to equip more scientists and engineers with entrepreneurial skills. and it's why at this summit dozens of top tech companies are committing to make their technology work forces look like america, include big publishing data on diversity each year and

developing the tech talent of people from all backgrounds. we're very happy for the commitments they've made. give them a big round of applause for that. [applause] obama: here at the summit we're also building on our progress with new commitments from government and business and philanthropists. at last year's paris climate talks, for example, bill gates and other top global investors, agreed partner with government in cutting edge, clean energy solutions. today we're launching an initiative to connect these global investors with clean energy entrepreneurs from developing countries. we're also announcing the young transatlantic innovation leaders initiative, to bring 200 of europe's best innovators each year to the u.s. to develop their skills. and we've got organizations like endeavor which supports entrepreneurs starting a $100 million fund to invest in companies across latin america,

the middle east, africa, an southeast asia. investment firms like capria ventures which will help fund international startups. these are just a handle of the commitments and i suspect new ventures that will come out of this year's summit. all of you budding entrepreneurs, don't be shy while you're here. talk to the experts. make your pitch. network with potential investors. find that mentor who might help you navigate through a tough patch. connect with your fellow innovato. because ultimately the world needs your creativity and your energy and your vision. you are going to be what helps this process of global work in a way that is good for everyone and not just some. i've spoken about this before.

i believe we are better off in a world in which we are trading and networking and communicating and sharing ideas. but that also means that cultures are colliding and sometimes it's disruptive and people get worried. you're the bridge, you're the glue. particularly the young people who are here. who can help lead toward a more peaceful and more prosperous future that provides opportunity for everybody. and because this is about more than just this one event or for that matter this one president, we're going to make sure that the united states continues to help developing the next generation of entrepreneurs. we are very proud to announce that next year's global entrepreneurship summit will be hosted in india. [applause]

we've got thea: indian contingent in the house. i'll try to stop by if i'm invited. but the point is, i believe in you. and america believes in you. and we believe that you have the talent and the skills and the ambition not just to pursue your dreams, but to realize them, that you can lift up not just your own families, but communities and countries and create opportunity and prosperity and hope for decades to come. that's the promise that we see in all of you. and that is the promise that we see in our outstanding panelists you're going to hear from. mia medoc of egypt who started a company that is a one-stop online shop for people who organize events. john basco of rwanda, founder and c.e.o. of habona limited, a

company that uses biomass and waste to develop ecofriendly fuels used in africa. mayana, the found over laboratoria, that gives young women the education and tools they need to work in the digital sector. and if that lineup is not enough, you also have a guy you may have heard of who has done pretty well for himself, the founder and c.e.o. of facebook, mark zuckerberg. they're the real experts, let's welcome them on stage and we'll start a conversation with them. [applause] >> thank you. >> thank you so much mr. president. president obama: this is a good looking group.

and i could not wear a t-shirt like mark for at least another six months but i will take off my jacket so that i don't look too formal. it's going to happen soon. the -- so. sit down, everybody. relax. so these are some extraordinary entrepreneurs, some are just getting started, some seem to be moving along pretty well. but i thought this was wonderfully representative because it's from different regions of the world, it's companies that are at different stages, and maybe we can just start by having everybody introduce themselves, describe a little bit about what they're doing, and then we can have a

discussion about what's been easy, what's been hard, how can government policy, like the u.s. government policy, help in advancing some of these issues. how can other countries' governments, because we have 20 representatives from other governments participating in this summit, how should they think about encouraging entrepreneurship, and then most importantly, how can other businesses and venture capital, etc., think about some of these international opportunities? so maya, start with you. i was hearing some of the great work you're doing, tell us more about that. >> thank you. it's great to be here. [applause]

i'm a software engineer, one day i heard that the weekend is happening in cairo and i was not invited but i went anyway with my friend. i went with my friend, she was invited, and she turned out to be my co-founder. we were there just to learn about startups, meet mentors and other entrepreneurs but it was very hard to network and meet people because there's a gap between the organizers and attendees and then a week after, we attended one in cairo and had the same experience. we felt like there should be a better way for organizers to organize events. everyone is there for network, connecting people and sharing experience. so we did our research and we were very passionate about the idea, we felt like we can do something and we quit our jobs

and started working on this full time before even having the name eventis. now we have full engagement and networking platform for events, it's a very interactive app with 86% engagement in most of our events. so we are helping people get together during events. now we have a great team two offices in cairo and dubai and we're working with events in our region. when i look back on the journey, it wasn't easy at all. it was very challenging. very exciting as well. but this was full of ups and downs. we started before even the first exhibitor in egypt. we had few mentors back then. but now we have a number of amazing startups, a number of mentors and support organizations who are working to build this. i can see sometimes it's grown

very well but we still have a lot to do. president obama: that's great. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, it's an honor to be here. when i was growing up in rwanda, i used to spend hours in the forest collecting firewood for my parents. that was not just me, but dozens of other children in africa are facing the same challenges, they are involved in a number of activities to help their parents just to prepare their meal instead of going to school. so as i was growing up, i kept thinking about something that i can do to help these families have access to alternative fuels they can use to replace charcoal wood that they have been using for many years. so i came up with an idea

whereby we collect wood and turned turn them into an affordable, environmentally friendly product that people can use, it's a great cooking fuel which can improve health and sanitation in homes. it's been two years and we have employed more than 25 people, giving them jobs and we are trying to expand to other areas of the country so that we can continue to improve sanitation as well as providing these kinds of alternative fuels which can improve health and mitigate climate change in the country and africa in general. president obama: excellent. [applause] >> it's an honor to be here. i am still trying to get over

the fact that you just introduced me. i'm so happy. we are a social enterprise, i started it three years ago, we are now in peru, chile and mexico. what we tried to do is go out where nobodynt else was looking for it. so we looked for women who haven't been able to have the education they needed and make them great developer and connect them with job opportunities. something i realized is win -- when students join our program, most are completely unaware of their potential. they come in thinking it's going to be really hard to break this vicious cycle of low-skilled employment, underpaid employment or domestic work. but they soon start learning to code and it's such a powerful skill set. a few week into the program they start building their first website, their first app, their

games, and showing them to the world. it's so empowering and six months after joining they're ready to go out and join the work force. so we have students who get job offers from the coolest companies in town they go out, get to decide where they want to go and work, they triple their income so they significantly improve their economic circumstances and support their families and i think most importantly they start realizing that anything is possible if they work hard enough for it. we have students that have gone from working at a corner shop to working at the i.d.b. in washington as developer a few blocks from the white house. they are an example that anything is possible. they're changing not only their lives but their communities, their cities, and i think they are transforming the tech sector in latin america. they are bringing the diversity and the talent that the sector needs to really become a leading force in our economy. and i'm pretty sure as we continue to grow and reach thousands of women in the

region, they are going to change our country for the better and make sure that we can actually base our growth on the most important thing that we have, our young talent. president obama: that's great. [applause] president obama: when we were talking back stage, i'd been reading about this, and i said 60% of the women who have gone through this program now were employed and i was corrected, it's now 70%. i had old data, but i think it's important to point out that your success rate has been quite extraordinary already. that's wonderful. >> thank you. president obama: mark, there was a time when you were sort of in their shoes and -- but now, obviously facebook's success has been extraordinary. but i'm sure you still can connect with the stories that

are told here and some of the stories out there. how is facebook thinking about its own role in creating this platform for entrepreneurship around the world? i know that's something you've been thinking a lot about. >> well, it's really inspiring to be here with so many great entrepreneurs and you know, you hear about all the work they're doing, it's an honor system of -- it's an honor so thanks for having me. you know, to me, entrepreneurship is about creating change, not just creating companies. and you know, the most effective entrepreneurs who i've met care deeply about some mission, some change that they're trying to create and often they don't even start because they're trying to create a company. that's how i think about my connection to all of us here is, i was getting started, i wanted, i cared deeply about giving everyone a voice, and giving people the tools to share everything they cared about.

and bringing a community together and it started small, in one university, and i didn't think it was going to be a company at the time. as a matter of fact i was pretty convinced that at some point someone would build something like this for the world but i thought that that would be some other company that already had thousands of engineers and was used to building stuff for hundreds of millions of people around the world and you know, what ended up happening was, that no one built it. so we just kept on going. people said it each step along the way, you know what you're doing, maybe college students like it but no one else is going to like it. there's not going to be any money in doing this. all right, only really do it if you care, if you're passionate about doing it. then it started grow, people said it would be a fad, never be a good business. but you keep going because you care, not because you're trying to create a business. and then there was the shift to mobile, people thought it

wouldn't be a sustainable business. and you know, through each of these things, the entrepreneurs i think build things that last for a long time keep going because they care fundamentally about the change they're trying to create in the world and they're not in it just to build a company. and you know, i carry that with me today. so today, we have, we live in a world with more than seven billion people but more than four billion of us are not on the internet. and we talk about having an equal opportunity to be able to create change in the world, i think that's a hard thing to do if you don't have access to some of the basic infrastructure and technical tools that are necessary to build these kinds of technical products. i kind of think about what we're doing today. very similarly to how i thought about where we are at the beginning. you know, i get people all the time who come to me and say, all right, you're investing billions

of dollars in trying to put internet connectivity in places where, you know, we don't get paid for it. it's not something that we'll make any money from for a very long period of time, if it works out. but it's a deep belief that you're trying to make a change, trying to connect people in the world and i really do believe if you do something good and if you help people out, then eventually some portion of that good will come back to you. you may not know up front what it's going to be but that's just been the guiding principle for me in the work that we've done and i hope that some of the work we do can play a role in empowering you and help manager -- and so many entrepreneurs to build the next great companies. [applause] president obama: so for the three budding entrepreneurs, you've already had some success