, wages across society. i think our baseline assumption has to be that that can continue if we have a policy framework in place that values work and says our priority will be an economy not where we mail checks to everybody, but one where we actually help connect people to work and make sure people have those opportunities and that people building the businesses want to use workers and that relationship is at the foundation of what makes our society work in a lot of ways. host: less than 10 minutes left with oren cass who is with the manhattan institute and the -- sanders: good afternoon. vice president mike pence at the request of president trump will participate in an honorable carry ceremony at joint base pearl harbor. hasleader of north korea

follow through on his kit of it to return the first set of remains of americans to our homeland. these brave souls deserve nothing but our honor and respect. of the soldiers have been waiting for more than 60 years for their loved ones to come home. we hope as remains were identified, families like those of commander john mckeel can find peace. ed while leading a dive bomb mission into north korea. -- explaining how his uncle was a special person a group of the great depression and wanted to serve his country. another letter from mary and pennsylvania tells the president missingncle who visit since september of 1951. mary has a picture of her uncle hanging in her living room as a reminder of his commitment and service to our country. both of these men and their families represent thousands of

proud patriotic american families. the president is committed to them and will work to bring in the closer they deserve. on another matter, we have seen all of those alarming images of the wildfires causing severe damage out west. the white house and fema have been monitoring the wildfires to ensure federal assistance is provided as quickly as possible. on saturday, the president declared an emergency exists for the california wildfires. fema has placed resources from eight different federal toartments and agencies support the efforts of local firefighters and relief organizations. the president will continue to initor this situation and sure the people of california receive the assistance they need to keep them safe and recover. our prayers are with the firefighters who recently lost their lives battling the fires in the grieving families. lastly, the president has an following the ongoing situation in turkey involving pastor

andrew brunson. hasave seen no evidence he done anything wrong and we believe he is a victim of unfair and unjust detention by the government of turkey. at the president's direction, the department of treasury is sanctioning turkey's minister of justice and minister of interior, both of whom played leading roles in the arrest and detention of pastor bronson. any property or interest in property of those ministers within u.s. jurisdiction is now blocked and he was persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. her anything further i would refer you to the treasury department. with that, i will take your questions. reporter: a quick note. have to press corps, last month there were only three briefings with you. at some point -- we would --reciate it

pressure to and the mueller program now. he said he will not intervene and the department of justice. does this mark a change by the president? sarah: it is not an order and it's the president's opinion. it's ridiculous about the dishonesty that is going on with the launching of the witchhunt watched this has process play out but he wants to see it come to an end. we look forward to that happening. reporter: on a different topic, you watched mentioned the transf these remains from north korea fulfilling north korea's commitment to the president. there was a report north korea is assembling icbms and it is not yet possible to verify the remains. [indiscernible] sarah: i will not comment on the

first part of your russian on any potential -- question on any potential intelligence matter. on remains, would have the best of the best that have been working over the last several weeks on this process. we will keep you updated on it but we feel comfortable in the assessment they have made up until this. john? reporter: on the next proposed tariffs against china, the figure initially was 10%. the president now wants to take it up to 25%. what is the reason behind increasing get from 10% to 25%, and in a tit-for-tat, policy with a falling tree or something else, who has more bullets? sarah: cap president firmly believes the united states certainly will have an update later today and it will be a call at 3:30 this afternoon to walk through the details of that update in regards to the

question you asked about 10% to 25%. the president will continue to hold china responsible for their unfair trade practices. this has gone on for long enough and he will do something about it. reporter: does the president that's the president made some headway with the eu in terms of lowering trade barriers, taking steps towards leveling the playing field. does the president and his team believe that is possible with china without some real punitive measures? sarah: we would like to see the playing field level. as both he and about 15 members of his administration have said repeatedly, we would like to see the unfair trade practices stop. the president will hold their feet to the fire and continue to pressure on china. he is not going to sit back and allow american industries and american workers to be taken advantage of.

dave? reporter: churches around the country, synagogues, evangelical leaders have been up in arms about last year's tax-cut law. they say there is a provision that will force them to pay 9021% of federal income tax of the benefits they get to certain employees. can you assure churches on the podium they will not have to pay a new tax? sarah: i will not make a blanket generalization about every church, with the goal of the tax cuts and reforms package was to provide the greatest amount of relief to the greatest number of americans. we feel it has done that. we feel the other policies the president has put forward when it comes to the economy have moved the ball forward and made our economy infinitely stronger than it was in decades. i think you can see that by all the numbers that come out over the last year and a half. connor? what is the president

prepared to do that makes you think either tax-exempt status? sarah: i don't have anything specific for you on that front. hunter? reporter: federal law says "all threatening letters or communication aimed at impeding a criminal investigation constant its obstruction of justice." rudy giuliani issued a statement saying he does not think this morning's tweak is obstruction -- tweet is obstruction. you just echoed that reasoning. is rudy giuliani the one giving the president legal advice on his tweets, and does it reflect the opinion of the president's legal team? sarah: the president is not obstructing. opinion andg his stating it clearly and expressing the frustration he has with the level of corruption we have seen from people like jim comey, peter struck, andrew mccabe. there is a reason the president is angry at most of america is an great and there's no reason

he should not be able to voice that it can -- voice that opinion. margaret? tesla spent $5 billion building in china. i'm wondering if the administration has concerns about those plans? sarah: we would like to see all american companies invest in here. i don't have anything specific on tesla but we would encourage all companies to build a plant in america, put their investments here and not engage in helping bolster a country like china that has continued to processof a very unfair and very unfair trading practices. john? reporter: there was a reaction to the president's tweets from some of his allies on capitol hill. senator hatch said i don't fully get what he is trying to do. another republican senator said

the mueller investigation needs to move forward and they ought to let them complete their work. do you agree with that sentiment expressed by senator coon that this investigation by mr. mueller all to be completed and not be cut off? sarah: we think it should be completed sooner rather than later. it has gone on for an extensive amount of time. they still come up with nothing with regards to the president. we would like to see it come to a close. we have said that a number of times. we agree on that front. cecelia? i'm sorry, we are tight on time. john, the are tight on time. i will try to get to as many people as possible. reporter: does the president believe people are voting illegally in this country? that's the basis for requiring voter id. sarah: it are 10 people voting illegally, it should not be happening.

the president was sisi the integrity of our election system upheld. he wants to mixer anybody that is voting is somebody that should be voting. i think that is something that should be celebrated, not discriminated. major? reporter: [indiscernible] sarah: i'm not sure what that matters. you go to the grocery store, i get to the grocery store. i have never had to show id when i go to buy groceries. sarah: if you go to the grocery store and buy beer and wine, he will show your id. he is not saying every time he went and. he said when you go to the grocery store, i'm pretty sure everybody has been to the grocery store that is purchased beer or wine had a show their id. if they didn't, that is a problem with the grocery store. reporter: to follow up on john's question, you want the investigation to end without any obstruction or interference. many have described the

president's tweet as blowing off steam. is that a fair characterization? it has nothing to do with his actual governmental control or supervision of this investigation? sarah: the president is stating his opinion. -- henot an order but he has been crystal clear how he feels about this investigation from the beginning. sarah? reporter: you said the investigation is corrupt. the mueller investigation, and you mentioned only indicate that -- comey and mccabe. sarah: it is based off of a dossier paid for by an opposing campaign and had a lot of corruption within the entity that was overseeing it, peter struck, james comey, andrew mccabe. we have laid without a number of times. we don't have to go through it every single time you're in here. reporter: why doesn't the

president use the powers he has to end it? sarah: the president has allowed this process to play out but he thinks it is time for it to come to an end. reporter: can you clarify this tweet from this morning. is it his desire for jeff sessions student not recuse himself? sarah: i have clarified this about 10 times. i don't have anything further. reporter: last night at the tampa rally the president pushed for creation of a space force, a new military ranch. the defense department missed its deadline to submit a report to congress about how this was to be structured. we are told the white house has now twice rejected drafts because the defense department does not want a space force. it would create a space command under the existing military structure. how is the president going to force the creation of a space

force? sarah: we are continuing to work with the department of defense to determine the best way forward, something the president feels strongly about. we will work with our team and figure out the best solution. reporter: i have requested about the president and his meeting with that secretary carson pushed policies that would raise the rent on poor people and slow anti-immigration initiatives. what is the president going to say to the inner-city pastors? sarah: that is the reason to sit down with these individuals and hear their concerns. the primary point of discussion today is to discuss prison reform. surprised if they raised those issues and that's why the president invited them subdeacon at ongoing conversations and determine how to help them in a number of different situations. reporter: are those policies raising rents on poor people and

slowing anti-segregation initiatives, are they helping inner cities? sarah: i would have to look at those policies and i would be happy to do so after the briefing. reporter: some are talking about the refugee resettlement program, which currently has 45,000 but there is talk to cut it as low as 25,000 next year. what does the president think it proper level is and what was the rationality? part of an is ongoing discussion and a policy decisions have been made. we will keep you posted as they are. reporter: does the president think there are too many refugees coming into the country? sarah: the president was to know who they are, why they are coming and that they pose no danger or threat to americans. that is the number one priority. we want to make sure we have the processes in place inability to vet any individual coming into this country. they would work in coordination

to determine the don't have the a certain number, the president would have concerns with that. the number one priority is national security and making sure with you the ability to properly vet and process any individual coming into the country. sarah: he said the president once the investigation completed, but he is not make the decision if he will sit down with bob mueller. when he tells you something personally, the you take it as a directive or as his opinion? sarah: on the first part ever for you to outside counsel on specific negotiations. on the second part, i'm sorry? reporter: when he tells you something as a member of his staff, have you know if it is a directive from the president were simply his opinion? sarah: the president makes it clear one having those conversations with him. said it was tweet time for the investigation to be stopped.

does the president of jeff sessions can't stop the investigation? he directed rod rosenstein to do it. sarah: he is welfare of the process works. he is stating his opinion. guns and 3-d plastic he spoke to the enemy about this issue? sarah: the department of justice made plans without approval by the president. he is glad the effort was delayed to review the issue. this administration supports the decades-old legislation on the books that prohibits the ownership of a plastic gun. reporter: has the president raised this directly with erduan?nt sarah: they have discussed this on several occasions. i think you can see in the actions of the president that he is not happy with turkey's decision not to release the pastor.

reporter: the possibility of a shutdown. does the president support restructuring the way capital gains are taxed and the possibility of a shutdown? is the president talking about potentially endorsing a government shutdown before november's election, after were both? sarah: this is something that has a lot of support from various people. no administration policies have been determined. the president asked the treasury department to look into it. on the second part in regards to the shutdown, the president is not focused on the timing of before or after, he is focused on the results. he has been talking about this for a year and a half. our immigration system is completely broken and he is begging for congress, particularly democrats to step stop kickingjobs, the ball down the field and work with and to fix our system. it is that system.

reporter: does the president have a personal opinion as to whether or not the current -- sarah: he is asking the treasury department to look into it . reporter: does the president incurs a supportive people who showed up last night in these qanon fringe groups? is the white house willing to say in view of what happened with one of our tv colleagues last night it is wrong for his most vocal supporters to be menacing journalist doing their jobs? theh: on the first part, president condemns and denounces any group that would incite violence against another individual and certainly does not support groups that would promote that kind of behavior. we have a clear about that a number of times, since the beginning of the administration. on the second part, the president does not support of violence against anyone or anything. we have been very clear every

single time we have been asked about that. when it comes to the media the president does think the media holds a responsibility. we fully support a free press but there comes a high level of responsibility with that. the media routinely reports on classified information and government secrets of but lives in danger and risks valuable national security tools. this has happened in our administration and passive ministrations. one of the worst was the reporting of the reporting of u.s. ability to listen to osama bin laden's satellite phone in the late 1990's. he stopped using that found in the country lost valuable intelligence. unfortunately it is standard to abandon common sense ethical practices. this is a two way street. we support a free press and condemn violence against anybody only ask people act responsibly and report accurately and fairly. trying tothey were

prevent a broadcaster from getting his broadcast out and yelling his network sucks. is that right or wrong? no one was being violent in terms of hitting anybody, and a broadcast was broadcasting state secrets. aey were doing a standup at public rally and people were trying to prevent them from doing their job and yelling their network sucks on live tv. do you support that are not? sarah: we also support freedom of speech. we think those things go hand-in-hand. aisha? reporter: you talked about this earlier but the president talked about paul manafort and comparing him to al capone. he is being treated unfairly. feel likehe president paul manafort is being treated unfairly? when he talks about solitary confinement and the fact that manafort has not been convicted yet, does this administration have a larger concern about the

policy being used for people being convicted outside of paul manafort? sarah: i am not aware of a specific policy position on that front. the president thinks paul manafort has been treated unfairly. two questions. one of indiana and one on pakistan. can you confirm the president has excepted invitation from the prime minister to be the special guest in india next year on february 26? sarah: i know the invitation was extended but i don't believe a final decision has been made. both secretary mattis and secretary pompeo will be traveling to india next month and will begin the dialogue in the process of potential discussion for a presidential visit later in the year. concerned.akistan is they had a historic election and

mr. khan ran that -- little good things to say about india and the u.s. but he is the premise are today. i will you deal with him? sarah: united states and india have a deep and abiding strategic partnership. we will continue to build on that partnership and advanced cooperation. i think you will see that at the meeting that will take place with the secretaries. reporter: does the president believe paul manafort is innocent of the charges he faces? sarah: i don't believe that is the president's role to play. he believes he is being treated unfairly. president said the attorney general should stop this witchhunt. as the president said it directly to jeff sessions at any point? sarah: the president is stating

his opinion. -- not that i'm aware of. reporter: the president's opinion that sessions should in the mueller probe. it is also his opinion it should play itself out. sarah: the president believes he has watched this process play out. he would like this you come to a conclusion. this is a going on for the better part of a year and a half and have found no collusion between the president. the president has an event starting in a couple of minutes. reporter: you said the presently seeking firing mueller. weak for him to say sessions should in the probe when rosenstein ends the program? -- probe? sarah: it is not weak for the president to express his opinion. thanks. theater today on c-span,

associate nasa administrator for the agency's science mission directorate is among the witnesses at a senate commerce and science committee hearing. that started 2:30 eastern here live on c-span. week inn this primetime, the 2018 national governors association summer meeting on transformation of the workforce by artificial intelligence. thursday at 10:00 p.m., the netroots conference from new orleans where cory booker and john federman. friday, more from the conference with senators elizabeth warren,, harris and deborah haaland. this weekend on c-span, c-span.org, and the free c-span radio app. >>