reaffirm today with our american cousins the spirit ago, abraham s lincoln called the last best earth, openness, inclusion, responsible self government, freedom for all people. as important e today as they have ever been, them will promote together. on all these things, on economic on the environment, on building more inclusive and societies, canadians and americans agree. voice of translator: the special and i share a relationship, there is something often they don't realize. inspired by each other, but by the people whom we serving.privilege of

from the mother who devotes all time to pay the rent, buy new clothing for her daughter nd save a little money to help her parents, from the retiree who gives his time to teach the importance of protecting wetlands. that come together after a natural disaster, or who side-by-side and hand-in-hand to affirm the right one another. prime minister trudeau: these are the stories i will think of president ider obama's time in office. history books will record the policies, but i will remember what i hope we all will remember. are lessons you taught us not by but by example. accountable. [applause]

he lesson that we are accountable to each other, that we are stronger together than we are apart. that we are more alike than we different. and that there is a place in that is d for politics hopeful, hardworking, ambitious, and kind. mr. president, in your last state of the union address, you of the american people that hey are clear-eyed, big hearted, undaunted by challenge and optimistic. think of no better way to leader.e their canada. welcome to

foreign language] translator: ladies and gentlemen, the president of the america, barack obama. [applause] president obama: thank you so much. thank you. everybody.very much, [cheering and applause] thank you. much. you so thank you! thank you! a ase, please, everyone have seat. thank you. thank you, so much. good evening. bonjour. mr. prime minister, mr. speaker, of the house, members of he senate, distinguished thank people of canada, you for this extraordinary tempts me to just

shut up and leave. [laughter] because it can't get any better than this. [laughter] i'm grateful for the warm welcome. i'm extraordinarily grateful for the close working relationship friendship with your utstanding prime minister, justin trudeau and his extraordinary wife, sophie. but i think it's fair to say that much of this greeting is a reflection of the extraordinary alliance and deep andndship between canadians americans. thank you for your very kind words and for the new your and hope that leadership has brought to your as well as to the

alliance. my time in office may be nearing know that canada and the world will benefit from years to rship for come. [applause] so canada was the very first country that i visited as president. it was in february. [laughter] colder. i was younger. michelle and i refer to it as north.eat white and on that visit, i strolled market, tried ard a beaver tail, which is better than it sounds. [laughter] and i was struck

and i was struck then as i am again today by the warmth of canadians. i could not be more honored to be joining us in this historic hall. this cathedral of freedom. nd we americans can never say it enough. we could not ask for a better canada.or ally than [applause] we could not. it is true. nd we do not take it for granted. that does not mean we don't have our differences. i understand it, one of the easons the queen chose this site for parliament is that it was a safe distance from america's border. [laughter]

war of 1812, the american troops did some damage to toronto. some ect that there was people up here who didn't mind when the british returned the favor and burned down the white house. [laughter] in more recent times, however, forces crossing our borders are the armies of tourists and business people and shopping and re doing business and visiting loved ones. our only battles take place inside the hockey rink. even there, there's an uneasy peace that is maintained. americans, we too celebrate the life of mr. hockey himself, great gordie howe. [applause]

just as canadians can salute merican teams for winning more stanley cups in the nhl. [laughter] [crowd murmuring] >> i told you, i should have applause.ter the [laughter] ut in a world where too many borders are a source of conflict, our two countries are border of he longest peace on earth. [applause] relationship our so unique is not just proximity. enduring commitment to set of values, a spirit alluded to by justin that says where we who we are, come from, what our last names

practice, aith we here, we can make of our lives will.e he grit of pioneers and prospectors who pushed west across a forbidding frontier. generations, that were refugees, welcomed to these shores. runaway slaves who underground n an railroad. deep in our history of struggle, dr. martin luther king, jr., canada was the north star, freedom road links us together. bought should by the service of those who defended us at landers field, the beaches of

skies of the baltics and more recently in fghanistan and the training bases in iraq. sacrifice is reflected in the silent rows of arlington and above us and for gave their life for all of us. [applause] we're linked together as well by institutions that we've built to keep the peace. he united nations advance our

collective aspirations. nato alliance to ensure our security. norad, where americans and canadians stand watch side-by-side. santa on christmas eve. [laughter] linked by a vast web of commerce that carries goods from to end of this continent another. and we're linked by the ties of friendship and family. in my case, an outstanding brother-in-law, from burlington. had to give burlington a shout-out. our relationship is so precisely because it seems so unremarkable, which is why americans often are when our favorite american actor or singer turns canadian.

[cheering and applause] see ourselves e in each other and our lives are richer for it. president, i have deepened the ties between our countries, because of the progress we've made in recent years, i can stand before you and say partnership ring between canada and the united states is as strong as it has are more and we closely aligned than ever before. [applause] yet we meet at a pivotal moment for our nations and for the globe. from this vibrant capital, we an look upon a world that has

benefitted enormously from the international order that we helped build together. that same order ncreasingly strained by the accelerating forces of change. is, by almost every measure, less violent than ever it remains driven by old divisions and fresh hatreds. world is more connected than ever before, but even as it spreads knowledge and the of greater understanding between peoples, it also empowers terrorists who hatred and death, most ecently in orlando and istanbul. he world is more prosperous than ever before, but alongside lobalization and technological wonders, we also see a rise in and wage stagnation across the advanced economies, eaving too many workers in

communities fearful of diminishing prospects, not just or themselves, but more importantly for their children. rising he face of such uncertainty, it is not enough to aggregate growth rates r stock prices or the pace of digital innovation. if the benefits of globalization accrue only to those at the very democracies seem incapable of assuring broad-based growth and for everyone, then push back out of anger, or out of fear. politicians, some sincere cynical, will ly ap that anger and fear, harkening back to by gone days of order and predictability and argue l glory, ing that we must rebuild

alls and disengage from a haotic world or rid ourselves of that brought on by immigrants, all in order to lives. control of our we saw some of these currents at in the past week in the united kingdom's referendum to european union. despite initial reactions, i am confident that the process can prudent, orderly way. i expect that our friends on both sides of the channel will for how workable plan to move forward. equally confident in the transatlantic values that we all liberal market-based democracies are deeper and single event.any ut while the circumstances of brexit may be unique to the united kingdom, the frustrations

people felt are not. the short-term fall-out of brexit can be sensibly managed long-term trends of inequality, dislocation and resulting social division, those be ignored. how we respond to the forces of technological nd change will determine the international n order that ensures security and rosperity for future generations. and fortunately, the partnership the united states and canada shows the path we need to travel. for our history and our work together speak to a common set build on, proven values. prime minister spoke of in his introduction, values of pluralism and tolerance, rule of law, openness, global engagement and ommerce and cooperation,

coupled with equal opportunity nd an investment in our people at home. pierre trudeauter once said, a country, after all, something you build as the pharaohs build the pyramids standing there to defy eternity. country is something that is uilt every day out of certain basic shared values. what is true of countries is true of the world. and that's what i want to talk today, how to strengthen our institutions to advance hese commitments in a rapidly changing world. start with our shared economic vision. in all we do, our commitment to for all of our people has to be at the centerpiece of our work.

we are so fortunate because both so well untries are positioned to succeed in the 21st century. first hand ons know the awesome power of free innovation. canadians help run some of valley's most innovative countries. our students study at each ther's world-class universities. we invest in research and evelopment, and make decisions based on science and evidence. and it works. these at's created extraordinary economies of ours. but if the financial crisis and taught us ssion anything, it's that economies do better when everyone has a to succeed. for a long time, it was felt choose ntries had to between economic growth or economic inclusion, but it turns false choice.

if a ceo makes more in a day employee makes in a year, that kind of inequality is not just bad for morale in turns out, it's bad for the economy. that worker is not a very good for business. [applause] man in ohio can't pay is student loans or a young woman in ontario can't pay her bills, that has ramifications economy. it taps down the possibilities of growth. need growth that is broad nd that lifts everybody up, including tax policies that do right by working families, and who fall s for those on hard times. alvarez once h

of : the common denominator progress is our people. it's not numbers. it's not abstractions. people doing? of course, many who shared this inclusive vision can be heard now arguing that nvestments in our people, protections for our workers, fair tax policies, these things are not enough. for them, globalization is inherently rigged towards the 1%. and therefore, what's needed is n end to trade agreements and various international institutions and arrangements that integrate national economies. vision.derstand that i know why it's tempting. if we draw a line around our borders, that it will us more control, particularly when the benefits economic nd

integration is sometimes hard to take for granted. and the very specific and cations are obvious real. there's just one problem. restricting trade or giving in to protectionism in this 21st not work.onomy will it will not work. [applause] even if we wanted to, we can't seal ourselves off from the rest of the world. the day after brexit, people around and said, oh -- laughter]

-- how's this going to work? the economic weakness in europe own hina is having on our economies right now, speaks to the degree to which we depend, economies depend, our jobs, our businesses depend on selling the and services around world. of our domestic industries can sever what is now a global supply chain. and so for those of us who truly believe that our economies have work for everybody, the answer is not to try and pull from our interconnected world. it is, rather, to engage with shape t of the world, to the rules so they're good for ur workers and good for our businesses. and the experience between our the way.ns points

the united states and canada have the largest bilateral trade relationship in we are stronger for it. it means a company in quebec -- [applause] it means a company in quebec can reate jobs in north carolina and the start-up in toronto can attract investment from texas. problem is that some economies in many of the fastest-growing regions of the particularly the asian-pacific region, don't abide by the same rules. they impose unfair tariffs or workers' rights or they maintain low environmental for ards that make it hard our businesses to compete fairly. and with the transpacific abilityhip, we have the to not only open up these arkets to u.s. and canadian products and eliminate thousands tariffs, which,

to do ay, we ned because they're already selling here under existing rules, but as much as we ng should over there. but it also affords us the opportunity to increase workers and the environment and promote human rights. including strong prohibitions against human trafficking and child labor. way, our workers are competing on a level playing are , and our businesses less prone to pursue a race to the bottom. when combined with increased investments in our own people's and tion and skills training and infrastructure and esearch and development and connectivity, then we can spur the kind of sustained growth off. makes all of us better [applause] all of us. . [applause]

the point is, we need to look back ward.t look people trade and more can also help break down old divides. canada for its indispensable role in hosting negotiations with the cuban government and supporting a orts to set aside half century of foreign policies to begin a new chapter with the people. [applause] i know a lot of canadians like going to cuba. [laughter] they haven't ause had americans crowding the streets and the beaches, but changing. [laughter] and as more americans engage with the cuban people, it will more economic opportunity and more hope for ordinary cubans.

, us americans and canadians, that wealthy countries like ours cannot reach our full potential while others mired in poverty. that too is not going to change interconnected world. as there is poverty and disease conflict in other parts of the world, it spills over. to pretend e'd like that we can block it out. our commitment to new sustainable development goals, e have the chance to end the outrage of extreme poverty. --can bring more [applause] we can bring more electricity to

africa so students can study at businesses can stay open. we can banish the scourge of malaria and zika. we can realize our goal of the aids-free generation. [applause] we can do that. and we hin our grasp, can help those who are working to replace corruption with transparent, accountable institutions that serve their people. leaders in global development, the united states canada understands that development is not charity. our futureestment in prosperity. [applause] because not only do such help ments and policies poor countries, they're going to create billions of customers for

u.s. and canadian products, and they'll make less likely the of deadly epidemics to our shores and will stabilize he parts of the world that threaten the security of our people. in fact, both the united states believe our own security, and not just enhanced when we stand up for the rights of all in ons and peoples to live security and peace. [applause] and even as there are times when is necessary ion to defend our people, we believe wars n a world where between great powers are far less likely, but transnational terrorism know no boundaries. our security is best advanced nations work together. we believe the disputes that do nations should be

wherever possible resolved eacefully with diplomacy, that international organizations should be supported, that ultilateralism is not a dirty word. and certainly -- [applause] and certainly, we're more secure when we stand united against networks and ideologies that have reached to this hall.orstep of we honor all those taken from us extremists, including rizda and robert hall. [applause] del.s, canada's additional ontributions in training iraqi

forces are onmbat the offensive across iraq, and terrorist troy the group isil. we will destroy them. [applause] we'll continue helping local orces in sharing intelligence from afghanistan to the philippines so that we're ushing back comprehensively against terrorist networks. contrast to the hatred terrorists, of we'll work with partners around he world, including particularly muslim communities a better vision and a path of development and and tolerance, because they are and must be our

partners in this effort. [applause] meanwhile, when nations violate norms, tional rules and such as russia's aggression ukraine, the united states and canada stand united, along with our allies in defense our collective security. [applause] and doing so requires a range of like economic sanctions. and it also requires that we 21st ur forces ready for century missions and invest in new capabilities. ally and as your friend, let me say that we'll be more secure when every nato including canada, contributes its full share to security.n

[applause] are anadian armed forces really good. [applause] i can borrow a phrase, canada, d needs more nato needs more canada. you.eed [applause] we need you. in just as we join together our common defense, so must we diplomatically. war.cularly to avert and diplomacy results are rarely quick. it turns out, even the most ntractable conflicts can be resolved. here in our own hemisphere, just weeks, after w

half a century of war, columbia a historic achieve piece, and the nations of north --rica [applause] the nations of north america will be an important partner to going forward, including working to remove land mines. around the world, canadian and diplomats working together can make a difference, in syria, where the agony and the suffering of the syrian at our hearts, our two nations continue to be for rs in humanitarian aid the syrian people and although a true resolution of this conflict us, we know lluded that the only solution to this civil war is a political that the syrian people can reclaim their country and canadians ce and americans are going to work as hard as we can to make that

happen. [applause] nation, we affirm our commitment to keep the peacekeeping that saves lives the world. there is one threat, however, we cannot solve militarily, nor can we solve alone, and threat of climate change. now, climate change is no longer abstraction. it's not an issue we can put off for the future. now. happening it is happening here in our own countries. the united states and canada are both arctic nations and last when i became the first u.s. president to visit the effects could see the

myself. like canada's altabasca melting at alarming rates. tundra frost, it's not a conspiracy. happening. in a generation, arctic sea ice disappear in the summer. so skeptics can deny what's appening before our eyes, but the alaska natives that i met, sliding into are the sea, they don't have that luxury. they know climate change is real. not a hoax and from bangladesh to the pacific slands, rising seas are swallowing land and forcing people from their homes. around the world, stronger and more intense droughts crises ate humanitarian and risk more conflict. issue. not just a moral

not just an economic issue. of s also an urgent matter our national security. we've heard ong, that confronting climate change eans destroying our own economies. but let me just say, carbon emissions in the united states re back to where they were two decades ago, even as we've grown our economy dramatically over same period. alberta, the oil country of hard to s working reduce emissions while still promoting growth. [applause] so if canada can do it and the united states can do it, the world can unleash economic growth and protect our planet. this!n do . [applause] we can do it! do this! we can help lead the world to meet this threat.

already, together in paris, we achieved the most ambitious greement in history to fight climate change. now, let's bring it into force this year. [applause] with our agreement with mexico hat we announced today, let's generate half the electricity on this continent from clean energy sources within a decade. achievable. [applause] let's partner in the arctic to the give its people opportunity they deserve while conserving the only home they know. idea that g on the began in montreal three decades dangerous bring down hfc greenhouse gases. this is the only planet we've got, and this may be the last shot we've got to save it, and are going tocanada need to lead the way. we're going to have to lead the way. [applause]

just as we're joined in our the tment to protecting planet, we are also joined in of commitment to the dignity every human being. we believe in the right of all people to participate in society. right of all the people to be treated equally, to have an equal shot at success. that is in our dna. he basic premise of our democracies. i think we can all agree that far from acies are perfect. they can be messy. and they can be sloppy. and they can leave all sides of unsatisfied. getting started. [laughter] o in case you hadn't figured

that out, that's where this gray hair comes from. [laughter] ut more than any other system of government, democracy allows findost precious rights to their fullest expression, the hard, through painstaking work of citizenship our ntinually make ountries better, to solve new challeng challenges, to right past wrongs. and prime minister, what a message of reconciliation it was here and around the world when your new nment pledged a relationship with canada's first nations. [applause] democracy is not easy.

it's hard. living up to our ideals can be difficult even in the best of times, and it can be harder when the future seems uncertain, or in response to legitimate fears and frustrations, there those who offer a politics a politics s them", that scape-goat others, the the refugee, someone us.seems different than mentality call this what it is, a threat to the we profess, the .alues we seek to defend it's because we respect all eople that the world looks to us as an example. the colors of the rainbow flag parliament hill. they have lit up the white house. that is a testament to our work thatbut also the

remains to ensure true equality for our fellow citizens who are bisexual or , transgender. [applause] our muslim friends and neighbors businesses and serve in our governments and in our armed and are friends with our hildren and play on our sports teams, we've got to stand up slander and the hate those who look or worship differently. that's our obligation. that's who we are. that's what makes america special. that's what makes special.

[applause] here in canada -- [applause] in canada, woman has already risen to the highest land.e in the in america, for the first time, a woman is the presumptive a major party in the race for president. [applause] issues, iased on these but our work won't be finished until all women in our country paid equally, created equally, given the same opportunities as men. when our girls have the same opportunities as our boys, we need to be. [cheering and applause]

and let me say this, pause i particularly politically correct on this issue, i don't believe these are canadian alues or values or western values. justin believes, and i hope all of you believe, and are universal values we must be bold in their defense at home and around the world and not shy away from speaking up on of lf of these values pluralism and tolerance and equality. [cheering and applause] i fear sometimes that we are timid in defense of these

values. that's why i will continue to inalienable those rights here in our own hemisphere, in places like cuba, n venezuela, and also in more distant lands. for the rights of citizens in civil society to speak their mind and work for change. for the rights of journalists to report the truth. for the rights of people of all aiths to practice their religion freely. those things are hard but they're right. they're not always convenient, they're true. in the end, it is this respect dignity of all people, especially the most vulnerable more thanthat perhaps anything else binds our two countries together. american dian, being is not about what we look like or where our families came from. our commitment to a

common creed. why together, we must ot waiver in embracing our values, our best selves. and that includes our history as a nation of immigrants. and we must continue to welcome people from around the world. [applause] the vibrancy of our economies by the addition of new striving immigrants. of this is not just a matter economics. andgees escape barrel bombs torture, and migrants cross deserts and seas seeking a life. we cannot simply look the other way. as ertainly can't label

possible terrorists vulnerable people who are fleeing terrorists. [applause] we can insist that the process is orderly. insist that our security preserved. borders means something. but in moments like this, we are ourselves in see others, because we were all once strangers. weren't a stranger, your grandparents were strangers, great-grandparents were strangers. their dn't all have papers ready. language, ed with

faced discrimination, had that didn't fit. point, somewhere, your outsider. an so the mothers, the fathers, the children we see today, us.'re and we can't forsake them. as americans and canadians, we will continue to welcome we can ensure that e're doing so in a way that maintains our security. we can, and we will do both. applause] do both.nd we will we're increasing our support to entral america so that fewer families and children attempt the dangerous journey north. fall at the united nations,

e'll host a global summit on refugees because in the face of this crisis, more nations need o step up and meet our basic obligations to our fellow human beings. and it will be difficult and are tight, and there are not imate issues, and everybody is going to be helped. but we can try. and e of good will compassion, show us the way. islanders pulling families to shore and germans handing out at railway grants stations. invitingue in virginia syrian refugees to dinner. nd here in canada, the world has been inspired, as canadians across this country have opened homes.r hearts and their we've watched citizens knitting tuks to keep refugees warm in the winter. [laughter] your prime en

minister welcome new arrivals at the airport and extend a hand of say, you're safe at home now. feele see the refugees who that they have a special duty to give back and seize the new life.y of a the girl who fled afghanistan by camel and jet plane and who remembers being greeted handss country by helping and the sound of robin singing nd today, she serves in this chamber and in the cabinet, home.se canada is her [applause]

something you t build as the pharaohs built the pyramids. country is something that is day, over certain basic shared values. true that is. blessed we are to have day-by-day, e us brick-by-brick, build these extraordinary countries of ours. how privileged we are to have the opportunity to now, ourselves, build this world anew. what a blessing. and as we go forward together on that freedom road, let's stay true to the values that make us canadians and

mericans, allies and friends, now and forever. thank you very much. thank you. [cheering and applause]

crowd chanting] prime president, minister, madam trudeau, mr. speaker of the house of commons, excellencies, honorable senators, members of the house of commons, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. language] oreign translator: mr. president, it is for me to thank you for being here today and to address our parliament >> i want to thank you for being today and for addressing this joint session of our

parliament. obvious enthusiasm with which you have been received has far more oken eloquently than anything i might add about the admiration which you.ave for [applause] >> as our two countries both seek to advance the same principles that you have already mentioned, we share the same hopes and dreams, not only for for that and our brother nations as well. ecause of the shared belief in upholding these principles, canadians from across this great country have followed your presidency closely, and we have watched you face many challenges. through it all, you have persisted with calm, with with an unwaivering clarity of purpose. the result has been an extraordinary legacy for the american people and for the

hole of the international community. [applause] the great american philosophy nd war veteran philip haily when writing about the turmoil in the world said that, we are, in the eye ofving a hurricane. the destructive and cruel power in both the nature of our fellow human beings is us.ays swirling around but in the center, in the eye of the hurricane, there can be eace and calm and our job, individually and collectively, is to do our best to push out eye of that f the storm to expand the calm, to the reasonable and the good that is and can be in the

world we live in. mr. president, in a world that has so often seemed driven by anger and destruction, by unimaginable acts of violence control, s beyond our you have stood tall. you have stood tall for the reason over passion and principle over politics. own words, you have cautioned us -- [applause] in your very own words from the you have f hope, cautioned us that we will need to remind ourselves, despite all differences, just how much we share, common hopes, common all, a bond bove broken.ll not be [applause]

president, on . behalf of all of my parliamentary colleagues and, of all on behalf canadians, i thank you for the very inspiring words you shared your years of for leadership in the world and most especially for your very strong enduring friendship with our canada.ountry thank you. [applause] >> mr. president, prime mr. speaker of the honorable ellencies, senators, senators of the house of commons, distinguished

guests, ladies and gentlemen. [speaking foreign language] translator: mr. president, on behalf of all of us who are in chamber, i want to thank you for addressing us today. it's really nice to be back in able to receive you when the city's at its loveliest. >> the last time you dropped by in february of 2009, the weather cooler.dedly so all of ottawa still remembers cold to stoped the in at a nearby bakery and pick for me maple leaf cookies your daughters. [laughter] now, sir, you mentioned the few flebbi flecks of gray you have in your hair. but when prime minister trudeau isited you in washington, you very kindly prepared him for the graying of leadership, by you ng him if, in fact, plan to keep your dark hair, you'll have to start dyeing it

early. [laughter] now, it could be worse. [laughter] imbedded an inscription in granite on the international friendship memorial that marks opening of the st. lawrence eaway and power project dedicated by vice president nixon near prescott ontario in 1959. it reads as follows: this stone to the common purpose of two nations whose rontiers are the frontiers of friendship, whose ways are the whose worksdom, and are the works of peace. [speaking foreign language]

much ator: it would take too long to count the ways in which canada and the united states have come together to for their tter life own people, but also for humanity. however, over the years, several have respective leaders commented on the close two dships between our countries. >> almost 40 years ago, former pierre trudeau remarked in a speech to congress, the friendship between is so basic, ies has n-negotiable, that it long since been regarded as the standard for enlightened relations.nal [applause] and when you last visited us in 2009, sir, you echoed those saying as neighbors, we are so closely linked that

ometimes may have the tendency to take our relationship for granted, but the very success of our friendship throughout demand we renew and here in r cooperation century. and as a good neighbor, here you are again doing just that. president thank you for your visit, for your friendship, and or strengthening the enduring ties of family that bind our two nations together. foreign language] translator: thank you very much home.ave a safe trip [applause]

k-d fund [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] earlier today, the new york times tweeted this story, the to campaign for the likely democratic nominee, clinton, on tuesday, july 5, in charlotte, north carolina. e had been scheduled to campaign with mrs. clinton in wisconsin two weeks ago but that

event was canceled after the shooting in orlando. here's a look at our prime time schedule on the c-span networks 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, more from president obama as he takes part in a news conference with canadian prime minister justin mexican president enrique pena nieto. the senate adjourns on c-span 2, ways to combat the zika virus and c-span 3, testimony from education secretary john king on the "everyntation of student succeeds" act. waur"washington journal" live. egan, professor at american university will join us to discuss the ongoing economic diplomatic fall-out from britain's fall-out last week to

eave the european union and rachel roubein from the national will be on talking about the legislative efforts to act.l the affordable care bade, from politco, n the select committee on benghazi. investigated the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. responses by the white house and former secretary of state hillary clinton in her presidential campaign. be sure to watch c-span's washington journal" gipping live at 7:00 eastern thursday morning. join the discussion. yesterday, 172 british labor members backed the no confidence their party's leader eremy corbyn and asked him to resign. earlier today, british prime

it'ster david cameron said not in the best interest for mr. corbyn to stay. a look. >> government figures released yesterday show the number of poverty has ng in jumped by 200,000 in a year to, disgraceful total of 3.9 million children in this country living in poverty. does he not think he should at he very least apol utilize -- apologize to them and the and parents he has failed do something about it to reduce the level of child poverty in this country? to deal with the figures, let me give them to him. gone down uality has averaging at their fastest rate 2001. he asked about poverty. there are 300,000 fewer people poverty since 2010. in a million euro people

absolute poverty since 2010. he is looking for excuses about were on ide he and i about the referendum, frankly, he should look somewhere else. to the honorable gentleman, he talks about job security and my two months to go. might be in my party's history for him to sit there and t's not in the national interest, and i would say, for heaven's sake, man, go. announcer: that was part of today's question time from the commons in london. you can see it at midnight eastern on c-span or anytime at c-span.org. >> on july 1, 1976, the air and an national space museums opened its doors to the public with gerald ford dedication. the friday marks the 40th museum and of the live coverage starts at 3:00

3.. eastern on c-span we'll tour the museum, including apollo lunar module. ofs live events at the front the building. we'll talk to general j.r. jack and the e director chair of the museum's space history department. you can join the conversation as taking your e-mails, calls and tweets. anniversary of the national air and space museum on on american history tv. ia director john brennan sat down today for an interview with judy ws hour anchor woodruff on the council of foreign relations. range of issues, including the attack at the airport and the ongoing dangers of isis. this is an hour.

and i am judy woodruff, am delighted to introduce our speaker this afternoon. don't think there could be a better time or moment for us to of the m the director central intelligence agency. without further ado, please brennan.director john [applause] director brennan: thank you very much, judy, and good afternoon, everyone. it is indeed a pleasure to be at the council to compare notes on a remarkably complex scene,amic international and i very much look forward to talking with judy and council many topics the that are in the headlines, but i would first like to offer some kickoffening remarks to the conversation today. now, whenever i administer the

ath of office to new officers at our headquarters in langley, virginia, i tell them that they are coming aboard at a critical our agency's history. in the 36 years since i first government, i have never been witnessing a time with such daunting array of challenges to our nation's security. notable among those challenges is that some of the institutions relationships that have been post-cold war international system are under serious stress. the united now, kingdom voted last week to leave the european union. f all the crises the e.u. has faced in recent years, the u.k. well o leave the e.u. may be its greatest challenge. brexit is pushing the e.u. into speculation ntro hat will pervey virtually everything the e.u. does in the weeks, months and coming years ahead. skeptics around europe,

including denmark, france, italy netherlands are wanting their own referendums on multiple issues. make decision making in the e.u. much harder. o member state has ever left the union so europe is entering uncertainty as the u.k. and the e.u. take stock of begin staking nd out their negotiating positions. discussing how an exit will work the agenda in the months ahead. the negotiations for the exit agreement will not begin until formally minister notifies the e.u. of the u.k.'s intention to leave, which prime said willavid cameron occur under his successor. .u. and member state leaders excluding the u.k. will be meeting in the coming days and laying the in groundwork for those negotiations. regardless of what lies ahead, i this like to take opportunity to say that the brexit vote will not adversely affect the intelligence united hip between the states and the united kingdom in the months and years ahead.

indeed, i spoke to my in london early monday morning and we reaffirmed that the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our services are only grow stronger in the years ahead. these ties are, and will always be, essential to our collective security. i presume a few of you have questions about terrorism and the so-called islamic state of labonte. i look forward to addressing them in the question answer session. i know our collective heart go out to the families of the of the terrorist attacks perpetrated by isil, the despicable attack at istanbul's international airport yesterday and injured ozens many more bears the hall marks of isil's depravity. moments to sayew a few words about some lessed discussed and very important cia and at we at the our colleagues throughout the intelligence community are

watching closely. overarching ith the challenge of instability which sections to grip large of the globe. global instability is one of the defining issues of our time and implications are hard to over state. as instability spreads, terrorists are finding sanctuary in ungoverned spaces. supplies are being destructed. political reform is suffering, s too many governments opt for authoritarian measures at the expense of democratic principles human rights.r most devastating of all, though, attendant to oll instability. nations , the united reported that the number of people displaced by global nstability and conflict had reached 65 million, the highest figure ever recorded. easthost of countries from asia to the middle east to west are under ernments stress and are struggling to

and de basic services maintain law and order. as governments in these regions ecede from the center of national life, more people are shifting their allegiances away rom the national state and towards subnational groups and societies. societies that once embraced national identity to ethnic and ng sectarian lines. i have ast, a region studied closely for much of my professional life. years ago, i here liked to walk through neighborhoods and villages to observe the rhythms of daily life. i remember seeing people of different backgrounds and beliefs living side-by-side, isecular and about. today, the divisions are often marred and suspicion and and even outright hostility. extremist groups have are played key role in fuelling these tensions, luring impressionable young men and women to join false ause and spreading new year tavs meant to divide and enflame.

in some areas, a whole growing up in an environment of militaryism without developing the skills to or even engage in modern-day society. the underlying causes of these complex and difficult to address and the long-term these ences of developments are deeply troubling. global instability is an issue countries, from russia to china to the united states, and it must be met by collective response from the international community. i am certain that this issue ofl loom large on the agenda the next administration. strategic challenge is dealing with the tremendous power, potential, opportunitys and risks residents in the domain. no matter how many geopolitical rises are seen in the headlines, the reliability, security, vulnerability and the ange of human activity taking place within cyber space are constantly on my mind. on the cyber security front, of all kinds are under constant attack from a

range of actors, foreign governments, criminal gangs, extremist groups, cyber activists and many others. new and relatively nchartered frontier, speed and agility are king. malicious actors have shown that a network andrate withdraw in very short order, plundering systems without anyone knowing they were there after the damage is already done. white house, e cyber was part of my portfolio, and it was always the subject bith headachggest headache. cyber attackers are determined adaptive. they often collaborate and share expertise, and they come at you n so many different ways with an ever-changing array of tools, tactics, and techniques. moreover, our laws have not yet adequately adapted to the mergence of this new digital frontier. most worrisome from my perspective is that there is no political or national consensus on the appropriate

government, law enforcement, homeland security, and intelligence agencies in security, the the reliability, the resiliency, and he prosperity of the digital domain. the intelligence community is making great strides in but ering cyber threats, much work needs to be done. as we move forward on this we know is that private industry will have a huge role to play as the vast is in y of the internet private hands. protecting it is not something the government can do on its own. right up there with terrorism, global instability and cyber security is nuclear proliferation and the accompanying development of both tactical s, and strategic, to make all too real the potential for a nuclear event. unsurprisingly, top of my list of countries of concern is north authoritarian and brutal leader has wantingly pursued a nuclear weapons threaten regional states and the united states,

taking care of the imporerrished and politically repress men, women and children korea.th so what else is there besides terrorism, global instability, cyber security and nuclear that worries the cia director and keeps cia fficers busy around the clock and around the globe? well, as a liberal arts guy from generation, the rapid pace of technological change during my lifetime has dizzying.ly moreover, as we have seen with just about every scientific leap often , new technologies carry substantial risks to the they hold that tremendous promise. nowhere are the stakes higher for our national security than biotechnology. recent advances in genome great that offered potential for breakthroughs in public health are also cause for concern. could the same methods be used to create genetically warfare ed biological agents. and though the overwhelming

majority of nation states have to be rational enough to refrain from unleashing a menace with unpredictable consequences, a subnational terrorist entity such as isil would have few wielding such a weapon. the scope of the bio threat as well as potential measures to were laid out very clearly last october in the ipartisan report of the blue ribbon study panel on bio defense chaired by former and or joe leiberman homeland security secretary tom ridge. the brl community's response to issue lags behind the technology driving it. effectively countering this requires the development of national and international trategies, along with the consensus, laws, standards and authorities that will be needed. cia officers and their ntelligence community colleagues work hard to protect our country on the darker side f technological change, we are mindful of how even beneficial advantages can have

destabilizing effects in the long run. agency analysts drawing from academic studies and other elements of the ever-expanding global open-source information seek to offer our national leaders early warning of the potential challenges that arise from the advances we are seeing today across the pectrum of technological endeavors. as former defense secretary and cia director bob gates is fond saying, when intelligence officers smell flowers, they coffin.ound for a that remains a pretty good depiction of our intelligence mind-set. [laughter] taking a e, again, page in the bio tech and life sciences sectors is how a wide ange of breakthroughs that potentially could extend life expectancy such as new methods and a greaterncer understanding of the aging process, could reinforce the populations older in advanced nations. ome of the world's leading economies and even the lesser economies, could face stronger ead winds from having significantly larger proportions of retired people and older

to working age citizens. another example is the array of often referred to collectively as geoengineering that could potentially help reverse the warming effects of global climate change. one that has gained my personal stratospheric erosol injection, or s.a.i., a method of seeding the stratosphere with particle that is can help reflect the sun's in much the same way volcanic eruptions do. could limit global temperature increases, a risk associated with higher the ratures and providing world economy additional time to transition from fossil fuels. this process is also relatively inexpensive. the national research council fully deployed s.a.i. program would cost about $10 billion yearly. as it may be, moving forward on s.a.i. would raise a number of challenges for our government and international community. on the technical side,

greenhouse gas emission still have to d accompany s.a.i. to address other climate change effects acidification because s.a.i. alone would not remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. on the geopolitical side, the alter ogy's potential to weather patterns and benefit certain regions of the world at regions se of other could trigger sharp opposition by some nations. others might seize on s.a.i.'s benefits and back away from to carbon tments dioxide reductions. and as with other break-through norms and s, global standards are lacking to guide that deployment and and mentation of s.a.i. other geoengineering initiatives. i could go on and on and on bout the things that fascinate me, but rather than talk about them, i thought i'd stop here nd start the conversation with judy and then i can take some of your questions. very much appreciate the invitation to come back here on

the council on foreign relations and as i say to all the groups i speak to, it is a tremendous honor and privilege every day to the director as of the central intelligence agency. i lead an organization full of who take men and women great risks and put themselves on the front lines in order to keep their fellow americans safe and to do what they can to keep this country's security secure. much. you so [applause] judy: thank you. i think we're all impressed with array of challenges and issues that you deal with on a brennan.asis, director but i do want to come back back and i do want to come to what's in the news right latest that is this attack on istanbul. what the administration has been saying, and i think you just now, is that it has the earmarks of isis.

how much is known about who's behind this and why does it point in their direction? mr. brennan: well, to my knowledge, there is no credible responsibility at this point. but that is not surprising instances, if t not all, isis has not claimed and responsibility for attacks perpetrated inside of turkey. what they do is carry out these to gain benefits from it in terms of sending a signal to at the ish partners but same time maybe not wanting to potentially alienating some of those individuals inside of still be t they may trying to gain the support of. pull why are they able to off these attacks with what seems to be great regularity the ability to prevent time? head of mr. brennan: i think there's a variety of reasons. first, when individuals are carrying out these attacks, these so-called suicide

ttacks that kill and maim so many people, they really don't have to worry about an escape route. t makes carrying out their attack so much easier because what they do is just want to make sure they're able to enetrate whatever sort of perimeter defense there might be and a lot of these civilian areas, there is no perimeter of what anhat's part open society is and also, hands able to get their on weapons, automatic weapons, whether they be legally procured or through thees black market and others and also, they're able to take advantage of the technologies allow them to communicate quite securely without having security intelligence agencies to understand what it is that they are plotting. fabricate a to plot, carry it out among a small roup of individuals, one, two or more, it is unfortunately a times that isil, in particular, has been etermined to carry out these attacks. judy: is it something that the rest of the world has to get

used to? brennan: i think we should have to get used to it. i think we should have to to uble our efforts to try uncover what they're doing, stop them from carrying out these attacks and also go to the which is those who are directing and orchestrating attacks and isil, most of the attacks are either directed incited by their external operations group, which is the syria. judy: in several news interviews recently, director brennan, you've made a point of aying, or you have said that our efforts have not reduced isis's capability in global reach. there's a frustration that seems -- you through in your don't -- not that there's an expression on your face, but it? -- what is i mean, what does this mean to you as somebody who's been so ing in this area for long? mr. brennan: well, any

security law r enforcement professional who has the responsibility to try to prevent these attacks from involved in ose counter terrorism for quite some time, are interested and we canned to do whatever to destroy these organizations that give birth to these as i've attacks, and said recently, we've made i think some significant progress coalition the partners in syria and iraq where members are sis resident right now. but the isis's able to continue propagate its narrative as carry out incite and these attacks, i think we still have a ways to go before we're made o say that we have some significant progress against them. need for better intelligence? is it better -- do we need more resources? the money poured into effort? what is it?

mr. brennan: the challenge with than which is different al-qaida. al-qaida at its height had a couple of hundred individuals at core. isis has tens of thousands of individuals that are scattered not only in the middle east but africa, southeast asia and beyond. so there's the scope of the problem, number 1. 2, they have very sophisticated use of systems, and in order to protect and revent -- protect their communications as well as prevent the authorities from having insight into what they're doing. fed upon the 've instability that has racked the middle east. the spring. that in al-qaida and isis had nothing to initiation arab spring but have taken advantage of the collapse of some and government spaces and the movement of people and goods in this 21st entury world, i think in many respects, can facilitate what it is that isis is trying to do. so we've seen that they don't have to reach out and touch somebody. the horrific attacks in orlando,

who was able to access the material. but also you have individuals able to guide and direct and deploy. challengesa range of that intelligence security agencies have. but also, it's sharing nations aroundng the world, and we saw that in the aftermath of brussels attack in paris. we're trying to work with our european partners. there are 28, soon to be 27, members, and they have different legal systems, different structures. how are they going to share a rapid and n timely fashion in order to stop individuals who we may have a on? f data judy: and speaking of that, with the brexit vote, you said it's ot going to affect the u.s. partnership with great britain with the u.k. but what about members, give, 28 or take? can it not affect your ability, the ability of the cia and other members of the ntelligence communities in the u.s., to deal with every one of these different entities in

these other nations? mr. brennan: well, that's what we do right now. much of our interaction is with the intelligence security and bilevel channels. e're trophying have multilateral sharing arrangements whereby we can all use the information that we individually collect and have access to. been an has not operational element of the counterterrorism effort. t's more of a policy and governance structure so i don't see our ability to work with the brits and the e.u. on the counterterrorism front. udy: so you've seen seamless corporation with the partners that the u.s. needs to have intel sharing? like i said, seamless. i said that the adversely affect how

we deal with the brits. i think there is a lot of work to be done to put together a mission architecture that will allow europe as a whole to share information in a timely fashion. working with the brits and the rest of europeans. european issue. it's a middle eastern and african country. we'll be be a journey on quite some time. judy: here in the u.s., with the and what you mentioned happened in san bernardino, do a feel this puts you in better position to understand what to do to prevent or to get into the minds of these young people, mainly young men, who are carrying out these appear to ed -- what be isis inspired? mr. brennan: i think there are a take-aways. one is this country has done a job since 9/11 making the land much more difficult to penetrate, because of the things like the watch ist and the very close cooperation between law enforcement intelligence. we see the most recent examples of those who are here and who incited to carry out these

attacks. tremendous respect with the fbi's cables, interacting with jim on a regular basis. the fbi has a real challenge because there are individuals who could be in their home, will >> what is the cia's role? i working with our partners, think we do a very good job of showing as much debt information as possible. anything we have overseas, we

make sure despairs -- shared with our partners. isiswant to come back to in syria and iraq. there has been some progress as you said, but it is frustratingly so. -- slow. you are dealing with the iranians playing a role and to a lesser extent syria. d.c. the iranians being -- do

you see the iranians being supporting, the supportive role or you see them as being opposite? >> yes. [laughter] there are things they can do and have done in order to address the threats they face which are similar to the ones we has been distances things that isis is the strong shiite element. because of the years with the sunni community felt as though she had -- shia dominated. baghdad was not addressing the needs. they are very-- concerned. are both all -- they part of the problem but they with the growing influence of some of the more

moderate elements and the romney yournment that we may see run -- iran to the community of nations and the phone its role of responsible. continuing to provide support to terrorist organizations like lebanon and other groups, there is there a problem with iran. >> what is the level of communication? >> i do not communicate with iran. i do not have any interaction iran. >> does the agency? >> the agency does not. out here canng present better -- praise it better.- phrase it

>> but we know them very well. just saying. [laughter] >> president assad does not seem extent,e can to some but is hanging on and not much evidence that he is budging from his position. how do you weigh where the conflict stands now? >> lester at the time, he was on the ropes. that was what prompted moscow to try and send several thousand russian military personnel, aircraft, tanks, you name it, in order to pop up the regime. the downward trajectory was reversed as a result of the engagement of moscow. solid as partt a

of the problem. is part of the problem, not the solution. the atrocities he perpetrated on the people that he has lost all legitimacy in terms of ruling the country. that is also one of the reasons why we have so many syrian people up in arms against assad in the government of damascus. we, we are although content to push the russians because they play critical role in this. there will be no way forward on the political front without active russian cooperation as well as true and genuine russian interests and try to find a political path because this is not good to be resolved on the battlefield. >> do you see any drivers on the front? -- progress on the front? >> i have had numerous conversations with moscow and

believe they can do more. i don't believe they have lived up to the commitments as far as honoring the cessation of hostilities and getting the trajectory of the syrian conflict on a better course. particularly on the political transition front. >> so how do you turn that around? the determination led by john kerry continues to work with others, we have interaction with our counterparts on the russian intelligence side to try ofhave a common appreciation what the situation is inside of syria. i have no doubt that the russians are motivated in part by their investment of syria out of the concern of the growth of isis and terrorist forces there. whether it is isis or al qaeda or syria, they are determined to

crush those forces and at the same time, we have to recognize that these forces have grown because of t problems that have existed in syria. then weast question will open it up to the audience, i was struck that you said the greatest nuclear proliferation threat still comes from north korea. is there any progress in terms information,ce, communication with the north? is still chiefly through china? >> that is another one of the more frustrating aspects of our international agenda. you have someone by kim jong-un it is pursue nuclear capabilities and with respect to what people need. too not believe he has yet

come to realize that the international community is going to remain united against the nuclearization of the cream peninsula. we will not accept north korea as a nuclear state which is what he is demanding and i think the international community wants to be able to bring korea out of its isolation, but there needs to be a better appreciation of kim jong-un that his continued pursuit is only going to undermine his long-term prospects. >> you don't think the message is getting through? >> he seems to be exceptionally stubborn and not a very good listener. [laughter] >> with that, i want to invite all of you to ask questions. i'm told that this meeting is on the record. i think we already knew that.

we have microphones and we will bring them to you. raise your hand and stand up. tell us who you are, give us your affiliation and the ask you foreep it to one question can get to as many of you as possible. who has the first question? >third row. gentleman in the middle. atlantic council, i want you to comment on the rivalry and how his plans might help or hurt? >> the long-standing rivalry that predates mohammed samand, the current leadership in the current government. this rivalry between persian and arabs, sunni, it has undermined the efforts of the past to bridge that gap. unfortunately, the continued problems existing inside of iraq

and syria do not help to facilitate a productive dialogue and there are sharply different views about what the future of syria and iraq should look like. it is important for two very large and influential countries. the gulf region. motiveble to find some and i think we are hoping that some of the more rational actors inside of iran will recognize that the needs to be some type of accommodation with the saudi leadership and saudi governments and my engagements with the , they are interested in pursuing that if they feel as though the iranian leadership is genuinely interested in pursuing something other than antagonistic relations.

>> is that something the u.s. trying to persuade them of? >> i think one of the real motivating factors behind the jcpoa. in the pursuit of the nuclear program and to decrease the tensions rising as a result of the program quickly open aim of having the gulf states, the ones in the region, find a better way to communicate with one another first of all and secondly, to see whether or not there could be some repairing of the relations. in the past, there have been different leaders were able to work together. there are areas where i think there is quite a bit of interaction. the iranians have decided not to send pilgrims to mecca this year because of security concerns and because of his antagonism --

this antagonism and we are encouraging this type of clamping down of tensions. you only improve relations with dialogue. john sullivan, george mason university. there has been a number of excellent articles recently talking about the erosion of the democratic trend around the world and the revival of the authoritarian or autocratic tendencies. that was not one of the factors listed, but i wonder in your major overarching concerns, to what degree do you worry about this fracturing of democracy and increase of authoritarian revival? >> we will make my marks and i do say in that that a lot of these governments and regimes have opted for authoritarian measures at the

expense of democratic principles. i do think, unfortunately, some of these governments feel as though they are being overwhelmed by the security challenges they face and they will resort to some of the traditional measures of suppressing these challenges. thatso have to recognize western-style democracy which has taken several hundred years to take root and is continuing to be a journey for us that it is not a light switch that can be flipped. going from very traditional , there still socially and culturally a politically very unfamiliar with the practices and democratic principles that we hold so dear.

i think we have to be understanding that this is going to take some time. at the same time, we need to u.s. government and cia are very clear and the types of behaviors and actions that we will not tolerate. that type of suppression. rights, wef human have not only threaten to cut off that, we have information that they practice, we have cut off relations. we have to keep the pressure on them but we also have to make sure the navigation of the shoals between them and the governments today and democracy are significant and i think we have to help them navigate that. one of the real concerns i have is that the economic challenges that these countries face are overwhelming. when i think about the suffering

taken place in yemen, still limits of active fighting -- mi active fighting, the reconstruction that will be required to but the country by together and syria and iraq and libya and economic reform that will have to take place are also significant. make these structural changes both on the economic front and political front while you are dealing with some of these insidious threats that some individuals who purport to democracymonstrate are not really interested in a flourishing democracy, interested in bringing down one authoritarian regime to put up another one. ? the middle east is wracked by number of problems that will be front and center for this government for many years to

come. >> in the back. with the council, you mentioned in recent testimony that isis would have to lose a material, and, manpower before we would really see them on the back foot. retireossibly time to phrases like on the back foot or retreat because all these different groups over the past 15 years have seemed to just change names but the ideology switches to a new group. >> terrorism has been with us for millennia. it is for all of sorts of political and ideological purposes. the sad fact is that carrying out these acts of terrorism can be relatively expensive. they can be easy to fabricate

and put together and carry out and when you have a motivational toine like isis that is able encourage as well as'tis a tight in this-- participate makes the potential greater and serious. when i commented in recent testimony that we have made rutgers on the battlefield and still a ways from saying that we are able to thwart their growth. generated by been what has happened, the phenomenon within the syria-iraq theater. it has the momentum carrying it forward. we need to have emerson designed to go up stream where the external plotters are. we need to be attacking the networks in terms of the flow of individuals and the flow of the

narrative in the poison that goes out as well as working down stream to stop the attacks. it needs to be a collective effort, combined effort to tackle all these different areas. the ice concerned that is generated engine of foreign terrorism outside of syria and iraq still has a lot of omentum -- momentum that we cannot rest et al.. we have to increase efforts. i was struck after giving the testimony that a lot of members of the media were trying to highlight how my comments differed from the white house comments. i'm hard-pressed to think about where president obama and i differ on this issue in terms of what we have been able to accomplish inside of syria and iraq. at the same time the concern about the locality that isil can lethality that i so can

bring to our committees. -- isis to bring to our society. we share a similar view on the fortunes.isis's >> the very back. hand up. thank you. thank you. nbc news, in an interview you said you would be surprised if isis was not plotting and a sandaltile attack -- and stanbul style- i attack in the united states. oute have seen isis carry and insight an array of region,t attacks in the beyond the region, directly, indirectly.

i would be surprised if they are not considering carrying out these attacks in the near brought in the park ride. the nine states, we are leaving the coalition to try to destroy as much of this poison inside of syria and iraq as possible. it would be surprising for me if toell -- isil is not tried hit us both in the region as well as in the homeland. i think you see in the propagation of their material, to have a magazine, that says exactly that. thatybody here believes the u.s. homeland is sealed and that isis would not consider that, i think i would guard against that. >> do you think we are more

sealed then we were after 9/11? >> absolutely. we have gone to great lengths and we have reached our foreign partners about how we have learned from painful lessons as a result of 9/11. the intelligence and law enforcement and homeland security working together better today than ever before. there is a tremendous volume of information and data out there. some of it accurate, some of it bogus. trying to make sense of it all and put the different puzzle pieces together is challenging. i think we're less vulnerable to the penetration. as we have seen from the internet and ice is taking of technologies that allow them to indicate in a very secure fashion is certainly worrisome. >> second row. author, in your list of

challenges you did not mention china although there are several areas like cyber for example where it might seem to fit in one way or another. where does it fit in your list of challenges? >> i could have gone on and on and on about all the charges. i do not mature in ukraine, a lot of issues related to russia, china is a growing power of great economic, political, and increasingly military influence. clearly as a look at what is happening in the south china sea there is a reason for the united states to pay attention to what china is doing on a number of fronts, which we are. asiais why the two the two asiaking sure -- pivot two

or making sure our allies feel that we are not neglecting the area. a few weeks ago i was out there and i met with the heads of the services from those countries as well as with my chinese counterparts as a way to maintain the dialogue that the united states treats this region of the world area seriously and we have very important national security interests that we will not step away from. if anyone things we are, they are sadly mistaken. on all to keep our eye the balls. this is not an effort that try to contain china. it is an effort to try to insert u.s. national interests are protected as are the interests of our allies and partners in the region. obligationsll particularly in the area of freedom of navigation. >> second row over here. >> thank you for being here today. another one on the wrong --

iran. given the blessing of the sections, we are singing a bit of a challenge of investment to iran because european banks are saying that the financial system does not look free of corruption. dynamic, are you seeing the moderates and politics surviving until such time as those financial benefits come through and what event could tip the scales in one way or another? >> we are going through a transition period from the time when iran was sanctioned across the board and that financial institutions and companies adapted to the framework that they were prevented from engaging with iran. now with the new environment in is an adjustment that is to be made.

i know that u.s. officials and others are working with the iranians as well as third parties to make sure it is understood what is permissible and how these things can be done. anytime you will make a major adjustment like that, do i think the moderates will survive? absolutely. among some ands iran, they were quite high. there would be immediate relief as well as immediate dividends as a result of this. there were some. iranians a lot that the central government had to do in terms of taking care of those structural, strategic, macroeconomic issues that they need to do. the effect and impact on individual iranians to take place over time and we are hoping that that impact is going

to be felt fairly soon as a way to validate the course that the president is on and this ago to take a bit of time. i'm sure some people maybe frustrated at this. i know our government is working to fulfill the obligations that are attended to the agreement. this is taking a bit of time. >> third row. forgive me, years ago i heard you say that there was a need for more language training in the agency. have you advance in that direction? as a go around the world, i encounter your people and they don't seem to speak the local language.

wanted to do it come i'm curious to know what has been done. as a way to hide our presence, we want to do to income to those people. [laughter] stations to our folks overseas and they are proficient in a variety of linkages. we have a lake which initiative -- language initiative where we provide incentives and awards for individuals who are able to enhance their language and expand the repertoire of languages. it is critically important. i take your point and i have made the point that we need to capabilityr lingwood but i would say -- language weability but i was a that

have a global coverage that we need to fulfill in the list of issues we have to do with continues to grow and grow. finite.s are we need to spread them around. but having a lingwood capability is going to -- language capability is good to give us .he need it is currently important. to have the ability to interact with individuals that you want to be able to. >> this gentleman in the fourth row. scott hailed from the rand corporation. i wonder if you could come back to china, we have had a new election in taiwan that brought to power the dpp in taipei. there try to make the relationship or difficult.

i was wondering if you could describe your sense of the growing threat if you perceive one between china and taiwan? >> i think the president has a strategic vision of what he was to a company. -- accomplish. relationship he wants with their countries and others in the region. i think the relationship with taiwan is a very big one and important one and whether or not there is going to be an adjustment and that is going to be dependent on how base wing -- beijing uses taiwan and vice versa. given that there is a rather important dynamic going on in the region with how china is flexing its muscles, i think this is also a time of transition. i think there is the diamond is him. and used it in a

special way. i think it has aspirations to further solidify the relationship between mainland china and taiwan. i think this is part of the there ist and i think sometimes campaign rhetoric that take place here and in the states that once the reality to come in and sometimes those views are tempted as far as the nature of interstate relationships. tonight on c-span, president obama attends a summit of north american leaders and hold the trilateral news conference with the canadian prime minister and the president of mexico. then president obama address of the canadian parliament. then later an interview with the cia director and then vice president jose summit