i'm contessa brewer  caught on camera, teens pushing drugs on a toddler. >> to think that people would still do that to a young child is amazing. >> a car crashing into a diner. >> i just knew somebody had got killed. >> a man trashing a supermarket in his birthday suit. >> this is the first time i ever had to handcuff and shackle a nude man, and hopefully it's the last time it has to happen, too. >> an innocent passenger violently attacked with a hammer. >> his intention was to kill. >> stories that are shocking. >> somebody detected a small pulse in his leg and said, this man is not dead. he is alive. >> behavior that is strange.

>> he threw the bag out, the marijuana out on the table. nonchalantly, like, i want to bet this. >> acts that couldn't be more sinister. >> that one shot hit the ground. and then he shot another time. >> "caught on camera: sinister, strange, shocking, 2." welcome to "caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer. these days, it seems like everyone has a video camera and is eager to share their private moments online. but the video you're about to watch was never meant to be shared. it's a video that wound up as evidence only by chance. and it's a good thing. the scene it recorded is disturbing and illegal. >> you want to smoke? >> no! >> i just couldn't believe

somebody could do that. >> it was pretty shocking. i mean, i've seen a lot of things, but that was a first for me. i couldn't believe that this would happen, especially here in pataskala. >> pataskala is a small city in ohio about 20 miles east of columbus. the population, less than 15,000, but it suffers from an unusually high crime rate. >> you know, we get this small town feel, but we have big-town problems here. >> here. >> but even the most jaded residents here can't believe their eyes in april of 2008 when this shocking video surfaces. it shows two teens forcing a toddler to smoke marijuana. >> people were outraged about the video. they just -- nobody likes seeing anything done to a child. >> the video is discovered when it's left on a camera sold to lev's pawnshop in nearby columbus.

manager shannon sprouse is checking the camera before putting it on sale. >> all right. what have you got, steve? >> i don't know. >> at first, everything seems normal. >> i was looking at the camera and i was just playing with the volume to see -- make sure the volume worked and then basically going through all the functions and options of the camera. >> luckily they were doing their job and they looked through everything to make sure there was nothing on the tapes or memory cards, and that's where they found this. >> the footage shot two years earlier starts innocently enough. it shows two teenagers melvin blevins and angel daley baby-sitting for a bunch of kids. but then the video takes an awful turn when a young toddler enters the scene. >> i just couldn't believe what i witnessed. it's just something i do not want to see again. >> here. >> the child sat on ms. daley's lap and at one point in the video, the male asks if the toddler wants to hit the bowl.

>> join us. >> want the bowl? >> at that point the female held down the toddler and the male put the marijuana pipe into the toddler's mouth. [ coughing ] >> he's basically taking a glass bowl and forcing a child to smoke pot through it, trying to, you know, put it to the baby's mouth. and you know, a little smoke is coming out. you see the pipe actually glow so you know the baby is inhaling it. >> she appeared to inhale and then coughed. >> then you see the baby choking and then you're just like, i can't believe this. >> then they gave her a drink and said, hey, you're good, right? you're good. >> this is good stuff. >> take a drink of your water. >> she legitimately doesn't want to be there, and they make sure for their entertainment she's there and doing what they want her to do.

>> here. >> i really don't know what they were thinking. i mean, i know they knew what they were doing because they were holding the camera doing it. so i don't know. i don't know really what they were thinking. >> it's over. you're the blame for it, babe. >> no, i'm not. >> all i thought was, first thing, we have to let the authorities know about this video because what i'm witnessing is child abuse and a crime. >> the pawn shop owners call the columbus police department and help them identify the person who sold the camera. melvin blevins of pataskala. they call in the pataskala police department and soon it's revealed the video is of blevins and his 16-year-old girlfriend, angel daley with blevins' 18-month-old niece. >> the first reaction i had was shock.

>> after the police department took the camera, later on we were watching it on the news that they were being arrested for the footage that was on the camera, and we were just amazed that it happened that quickly. the police department wasted no time. >> two teenagers at the center of a disturbing, even horrifying form of child abuse. a 16- and 18-year-old were accused of forcing a toddler to smoke marijuana. >> at first, blevins, the baby's uncle, and daley both plead not guilty. blevins even claims the incident never happened. >> i do recall him saying he didn't remember -- that maybe it was possible but he didn't remember doing it. until he got on video and it's hard to dispute that. >> angel daley is charged with corrupting another with drugs and endangering a child and she's sentenced to a minimum of six months in juvenile detention. >> angel changed her plea to guilty and she is serving six months or until she's 21. i think it's based on good behavior.

melvin blevins is in federal court right now. >> it's discovered blevins is no stranger to law enforcement. he's already in federal custody for a separate incident, charged with possessing ecstasy with intent to distribute. >> it's being dubbed one of the largest cash and drug seizures who himself was arrested with his brother, tim in april of 2008. daly winds up being sentenced to ten-year sentence for his and it turns out blevins and angel are not the only teens guilty of sharing drugs with behind bars this morning, >> in march 2007, police in a

sentenced to seven and eight people who see these tapes are you're supposed to be more mature than what was shown on would see anything or find anything like this, that that's >> i just knew somebody had got

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he number on your screen to learn more. kenneth anderson is  enjoying an evening cup of joe and the day's paper when in a split second everything changes. >> no one seen the car coming whatsoever. one of my waitresses said it sounded like a bomb went off. >> all i heard was a loud bang. oh, my god, i was like, what happened? >> it's not every day a car drives into the wall of a building but what's even more unbelievable is that the suv that crashes into this wall is moving at the speed of 55 miles an hour and the victim on the other side walks away.

>> it's just really shocking how he just got up and moved. i think he was just totally shocked. >> the story made its way from the coffee house in wilkesboro, north carolina -- >> this is "today" -- >> -- to the national airwaves. >> and now to the most dangerous meal one man will ever have. kenny, good morning to you. and first off, how are you doing? >> i'm doing good considering what happened. >> what happened can only be believed because the diner's surveillance cameras caught the entire event as it played out. the coffee house is known for its delicious waffles and fresh brewed coffee, and it's a place where locals feel at home. >> it is like a family. most of the customers here are regulars. most of them we know by name. the waitresses about know everyone by name. >> kenneth anderson has been enjoying a hot cup of coffee here for as long as he can remember. >> i've been coming here since the doors opened, really.

>> july 16th, 2008, about 8:00 p.m., kenneth is in his favorite booth as he always is. >> it's called number 8 booth and mr. anderson, he's always there. you know, it's his seat. >> i just had walked out and got a newspaper and came back and sit down, opened it up and started to read. >> outside, an elderly woman has just lost control of her car. >> she was coming from town and she was coming up through the road. and they say that some cars behind her said that she was kind of weaving a little bit. >> as she enters the restaurant hits a vehicle ready to pull out of the bp station. right next door. >> she hit another vehicle sitting in the parking lot of the coffee house. then she comes through the windows of the building. >> the car crashes into the booth where anderson is sitting and he's thrown across the diner. >> i didn't realize what was going on at all. i didn't see anything. >> the vehicle pushed the booth all the way up under our counter.

he went through two of our rotating chairs. he went through them. >> next thing i knew, everything was on top of me. >> i didn't even see kenny. i just couldn't see him. >> i just knew somebody had got killed. >> but anderson is alive. >> i couldn't breathe at first. and i was trying to get up. and a lady helped me -- she came across the counter and helped me get up. but like i say, i didn't realize what had happened till i did get up. >> after he was pushed up against the wall, kenny just politely reaches down, picks his hat up, puts it back on his head and he starts climbing out. but he's looking for his cigarettes. he wants to know where his cigarettes is at. >> i never did find my cigarettes. >> miraculously, his injuries are just minor. >> well, the doctor, he checked me three times. he couldn't believe that i didn't have a broken bone. he said it's just amazing.

but they did x-rays and a c.a.t. scan and everything, but they never found any broken bones. just cuts and bruises. >> i was really shocked he wasn't hurt at all. the good lord was looking after everybody that day. >> the driver was also very fortunate. >> the lady that come through the building wasn't hurt. i mean, it was just amazing neither one of them were hurt. she hit three vehicles and wasn't hurt and come through a brick building and she wasn't hurt either. >> she was cited for speeding and for failing to stay in her lane. >> she thought she was pushing the brake and was hitting the gas is how she come through the building so fast. >> as for anderson, his survival is still a surprise to everyone. >> i was pretty shocked. i really thought he was dead. >> they really feel if he had seen it or heard anything and moved, it would have probably hurt him really bad, if not killed him. >> the diner, on the other hand, has substantial damage, estimated at close to $20,000.

>> we started cleaning on thursday morning and we cleaned till sunday at 2:00 at night. >> the coffee house re-opens five days later and kenneth anderson is there as if nothing ever happened. >> kenny was here at 5:00 in the morning, sat down in that same booth and sat there. and i was like, i can't believe he sat down in the same spot and drunk his coffee like normal. he said, this is my seat and this is where i'm going to sit. >> anderson receives free coffee for the weeks following the accident, but he's lucky just to be alive. next, a crime so blatant it leaves even the police amazed. >> what exactly were you thinking at the time? >> i don't know. >> you don't know what i'm talking about? okay, that explains a lot. and later, a man rampages through a market in his birthday suit. >> i had gloves on, but that's about all you can do at that point. >> when "caught on camera, sinister, strange, shocking 2"

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jump on a video chat with my friend. he's a real fan boy, so i can't wait to show this off. picture is perfect. i got mine at verizon. i... didn't. it's buffering, right out of the box he was impressed. i couldn't be happier. couldn't see him, but i could hear him making fun of me. vo: you waited this long for the s6, so why settle for anything less than verizon. what exactly were you  thinking at the time?

>> don't know what you're talking about. >> you don't know what i'm talking about? well, i just saw a video of you placing down a couple of buds as part of your bet. >> fresno, california. a regular walks in and sits down at the black jack table. >> i actually dealt him a couple times before that. he was a nice guy. he was calm and never acted up. >> he's a model black jack player. never once got upset about losing. never. 2 1/2 years. >> but on the night of april 12, 2006, he doesn't need to worry about losing money. he's decided to bet with his own quite unusual form of currency. >> so he comes up. he pulls a bag of marijuana out on the table nonchalantly, like, i want to bet this. what it was in i said, you can't bet that. it was total shock. what are you doing? are you crazy? i was like, put that back in

except for their facial that was more like a smiley drunk and high or whatever he and he was like, is that too he said, can i bet this? too much marijuana, he couldn't beat that much, like that was a actions to put an end to the situation before it gets out of didn't know what was right from and maybe he could just leave without getting in trouble, you >> but when none of his efforts seemed to be working, the dealer

>> that gentleman in the black i was kind of shocked like so i asked him what was he just committed a crime right in things, he on something major or he ain't playing with a full deck. >> as the dealer tries to keep the black jack going, security guard jimmy jones takes control of the situation. >> i know that i can't get him away from the table and leave

his marijuana behind. so i get his marijuana up first while he's watching. because i couldn't remove him without removing the marijuana first. those two have to stay together. >> it took jimmy about maybe two minutes to pull the pot off the what was he thinking, is he that >> officers from the fresno >> they talked to him a little nothing that he said. >> nothing at all happened?

had at least an ounce >> they also discover the reason the man is behaving as if he's do. >> are you like frequent flyer >> but his cannabis card was he got it off the internet, which a real cannabis card, you >> he truly believed that that cannabis card was going to make it okay for him. the only reason that was so is because of whatever he was on. because if he was straight, he never would have tried that, even with a real cannabis card. >> the criminal is taken into custody and is charged with possession. and because he tried to bet with the pot he may face additional charges of possession with intent to distribute. >> after they put him in the car and locked -- and handcuffed him and everything, he still thought

he did nothing wrong. >> what exactly were you thinking at the time? >> i don't know. >> you don't know what i'm talking about? i just saw video of you placing down a couple of buds as part of your bet. you don't know what i'm talking about? okay, that explains a lot. >> this is the craziest thing i've seen here. yeah, i've never seen anything like this. >> breaking into our regular programming to take you to a news conference. president obama is holding at the summit for the americas. let's listen in. >> and all the pan mannian people for people such excellent hosts at this summit of the americas. given its strategic location, a place where cultures and commerce of our hemisphere have long intersected. panama has often been called the crossroads of the world and with their leadership, our nations have come together to focus on the world, on the future, and on

what we can build for the 1 billion people of the americas. this has been my third summit of the americas and my eighth visit to latin america and my trip reflects as i mentioned earlier a new era of u.s. engagement in the region. over past few days, we've advanced our engagement across the board. in keeping with the interamerican democratic charter we continue to stand up up strongly for democracy and human rights. this was the first summit of the americas to include a formal role for civil society. as i said at yesterday's forum, the united states will continue to deepen our support for civil society groups across the americas and around the world. i'm pleased that there was widespread agreement among the nations here that civil society groups have a permanent role in future summits. and the united states will support this work through the new innovation center we're creating to empower civil society groups across latin america. how to proet greater opportunity

for the cuban people was a focus of my meeting with president castro, the first between leaders of our two nations in more than half a century. i told president castro in private what i've said in public, our governments will continue to have our differences and the united states will continue to stand firmly for universal values and human rights. at the same time, we agreed that we can continue to take steps forward that advance our mutual interests, will continue to work toward re-establishing diplomatic relations, reopening embassies in havana and washington and encouraging greater contacts and exchanges between our citizens. i'm optimistic that we'll make progress and that can be a turning point not just between the united states and cuba but for greater cooperation among countries across the region. second, we continued our work to create more prosperity and opportunity for our people. at our meeting yesterday, central american leaders

reafirmed their commitment to the economic reforms needed and i will work with congress to secure the $1 billion i proposed for our engagement with central america. yesterday's deal between boeing and copa airlines will support jobs in the united states in panama and across the region and i think is representative of the commercial opportunities that allow both north and southern hemispheres both north and south america as well as central america to prosper if we deepen those tradetise. i was encouraged by the support of many leaders for the trade facilitation agreement which would boost regional trade and for the transpacific partnership with its high standards for trade and strong protects for workers and the environment. thanks to panama's leadership the summit included a special program on how countries can expand access to education. our partners pledged to continue

their support of our 100,000 strong in the americas it initiative to encourage more exchanges between our students. the nearly $70 million in investments that i've announced in jamaica will expand education and training and employment programs for young people across latin america and the caribbean, including the marginalized communities. and the young leaders of the americas initiative that i launched will help young entrepreneurs and civil society leaders across account entire region access the training and the resources and connections they need to start new ventures including the small businesses that create so many jobs in the region. final we took new steps to invest in clean energy and combat climate change. the new fund i announced with you're partners will help mobilize private sector investment and clean energy projects and reduce carbon emissions across the region and our new energy task force will identify additional steps we can take together. a number of our countries committed to doubling our

collective share of nonhydrorenewable energy by 2030. i reaffirmed through our $3 billion pledge to the green climate fund, the united states will continue to help developing nations deal with impangts of climate change and i reiterated our commitment to insure all countries in the hemisphere have open access to climate data as we meet the challenge together. so continued progress on cuba, new commitments to help lift up young people in the region, new partnerships to protect this beautiful land, and our planet. as i said this morning, the united states is more deeply engaged across the region than we have been in decades and i believe the relationship between the united states and the americas is as good as it has ever been. we're focused on the future. and what we can build and achieve together. and our engagement with the peoples of the americas and the country is going to continue throughout the remainder of my

presence. with that, let me take questions. i'll start with jim. >> thank you, mr. president. >> reporter: sir, you head back to the united states with the task of convincing the american people and congress on two major foreign policy initiatives. the framework for a nuclear deal with iran and likely soon, the decision to remove cuba from a list of state sponsors of terror. recent remarks by ayatollah khomeini have raised doubts by some as to whether that deal can occur in. and senator schumer wants congress to have the right to vote on removal of sanctions. presidential politics are likely to play a part in this cuba decision inevitably. i'm wondering if it would take a lot of political capital just to get one done let alone two. have you bitten off more than

you can chew? >> no. you may be surprised by that response, jim. let me take them in turn. first of all, with respect to cuba, there is majority support of our policy in the united states and there's overwhelming support for our policy in cuba. i think people recognize that if you keep on doing something for 50 years and it doesn't work, you should try something new and so the american people don't need to be persuaded that this is the right thing to do. i recognize that there are still concerns and questions that congress may have. we've got concerns and questions about specific activities that are taking place in cuba and human rights and reform. and there were two members of the cuban civil society that were in attendance at the meeting that i had yesterday who expressed much of what they have to go through on a day to day

basis. they were supportive of our policy of engagement with cuba. and so i don't think it's so much we have to persuade anybody. the issue of the state sponsor of terrorism list as you know, the state department has provided recommendation. it's gone through our interagency process. i'll be honest with you, i've been on the road and want to make sure i have a chance to read it, study it, before we announce publicly what the policy outcome is going to be. but in terms of the overall direction of cuba policy, i think there is a strong majority both in the united states and in cuba that says our ability to engage to open up commerce and travel and people to people exchanges is ultimately going to be good for the cuban people. now, with respect to iran, i have always been clear, we are

not done yet. what we were able to obtain was a political framework between the p5-plus-1 nations and iran that provided unprecedented verification of what is taking place in iran over the next two decades that significantly cuts back on its sentry futures, that cuts off pathways for it to obtain a nuclear weapon. and that calls for in return the rolling back of sanctions in a phased way that allows us to snap back if iran violates the agreement. that's the political framework that was not just something that the united states and iran agreed to but iran agreed to a political framework with the other p5-plus-1 nations. now, what's always been clear is

that iran has its own politics around this issue. they have their own hard liners. they have their own counter veiling impulses in terms of whether or not to go forward with something. just as we have in our country. and so it's not surprising to me that the supreme leader or a whole bunch of other people are going to try to characterize the deal in a way that presentings their political position. but i know what was discussed at -- in arriving at the political agreement. what i've always said though is that there's the possibility of back sliding. there's the possibility that it doesn't get merplized in a way that satisfies us that we're able to verify that in fact it, iran is not getting a nuclear weapon. and that we are preserving the capacity to snap back sanctions in the event that they are breaking any deal.

and that's why the work is going to be so important between now and the end of june to memorialize this so that we can all examine it and we don't have to speculate on what the meaning of a deal is going to be. either there's going to be a document that iran agrees with the world community about and a series of actions that have to be taken or there's not. part of the challenge in this whole process has been opponents of basically any deal with iran have constantly tried to characterize what the deal is without seeing it. now, if we are able to obtain a final deal that comports with the political agreement and i say if because that's not yet final. then i'm absolutely positive that that is the best way to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. and that's not my opinion.

that's the opinion of people like ernie moniz, my secretary of energy who is a physicist from m.i.t. and actually knows something about this stuff. that's the opinion of a whole bunch of nuclear expert who's examined the deal. of very rarely do you see a consensus, consensus is too strong a word. a large majority of people who are experts in the field saying this has actually a realistic, plausible, meaningful approach to cut off the pathways for iran getting a nuclear weapon and that it is more likely to succeed not only then maintaining current sanctions or additional sanctions but more likely to succeed than if we took a military approach to solving the problem. again, that's not uniquely my opinion. that is talking to people who are not affiliated with the administration some of whom were

skeptical about our capacity to get a deal done and have now looked at it and said if we're able to get what was discussed in the political framework, it's absolutely the right thing to do. now, there's politics and political pressure inside of the united states. we all know that. the prime minister of israel is deeply as opposed to it. i this i he's made that very clear. you know, i have repeatedly asked what is the alternative that you present that you think makes it less likely for iran to get a nuclear weapon and i have yet to obtain a good answer on that. and the narrow question that's going to be presented next week when congress come back is what's congress' appropriate role in looking at a final deal. and you know, i've talked to not only bob corker but i've talked to ben cardin, the ranking member on the democratic side and i want to work with them so that congress can look at this deal when it's done.

what i'm concerned about is making sure that we don't prejudge it or those who are opposed to any deal whatsoever try to use a procedural argument essentially to screw up the possibility of a deal. last comment i'm going to make on this. when i hear some like senator mccain recently suggest that our secretary of state, john kerry who served in the united states senate, a vietnam veteran, who's provided exemplary service to this nation is somehow less trustworthy in the interpretation of what's in a political agreement than the supreme leader of iran, that's an indication of the degree to which partisanship has crossed all boundaries. and we're seeing this again and again. we saw it with the letter by the 47 senators who communicate

directly to the supreme leader of iran. the person that they say can't be trusted at all warning had i am not to trust the united states government. we have mitch mcconnell trying to tell the world, oh, don't have confidence in the u.s. government's abilities to fulfill any climate change pledge that we might make. and now we have a senator suggesting that or secretary of state is purposely misinterpreting the deal and giving the supreme leader of iran the benefit of the doubt in the interpretations. you know, that's not how we're supposed to run foreign policy. regardless of who's president or secretary of state. we can have arguments and they're legitimate arguments to be had. i understand why people might be muss trustful of iran. i understand why people might oppose the deal although the

reason is not because this is a bad deal per se but they just don't trust any deal with iran. and may prefer to take a military approach to it. but when you start getting to the point where you are actively communicating that the united states government and our secretary of state is somehow spinning presentations in negotiation with a foreign power particularly one that say is your enemy, that's a problem. needs to stop. jim acosta. i'm sorry. where is jim? >> right here. >> there you are. >> thank you very much, mr. president. i was wondering if you were struck by raul castro's warm words for you today. he said he admired you, said he had read some of your

autobiographies, described you as an honest man. i'm just curious what you thought about that and do you feel that raul castro is an honest man and can be trusted. and i would be remiss if i didn't ask you about another secretary of state, hillary clinton, who is expected to announce her campaign for the presidency tomorrow. do you foresee being involved in her campaign and do you hope that she runs on your record? thank you very much. >> it was a cap did and fruitful conversation between me and raul castro. i can tell you that in the conversations can i've had so far with him, two on the phone and most recently face to face, that we are able to speak honestly about our differences. and our concerns in ways that i think offer the possibility of moving the relationship between our two countries in a different and better direction.

we have very different views of how society should be organized. and i was very direct are him that we are not going to stop talking about issues like democracy and human rights and freedom of assembly and freedom of the press. not because we think we are perfect and that every country has to mimic us exactly but because there are a set of universal principles for which we stand. and one of the goals of my administration is to some consistency in speaking out on behalf of those who oftentimes don't have a voice. and i think during his speech in the plenary session, he was pretty clear about areas of u.s. policy he doesn't like and i suspect he's going to continue to speak out on those. what's been clear from of this entire summit though is the

unanimity, the leaders of latin america think this is the right thing to do because what they see is the possibility of a more constructive dialogue that ultimately benefits the cuban people and removes what too often has been a distraction or an excuse from the hemisphere acting on important challenges that we face. so you know, i am cautiously optimistic that over the coming months and coming years, that the process that we've initiated at first announced in december reafirmed here at the summit of the americas will lead to a different future for the cuban people and a different relationship between the united states and cuba.

with respect to hillary clinton, i'll make my comments very brief. she was a formidable candidate in 2008. she was a great supporter of mine in the general election. she was an outstanding secretary of state. she is my friend. i think she would be an excellent president. and i'm not on the ballot. so you know, i'm not going to step on her lines when he she makes a decision to announce, i'm confident that she will be very clear about her vision for the country moving forward if she announces. and you know, in terms of her relationship with my administration, she was focused and working on really important foreign policy initiatives and

you know, the one thing i can say is that she's going to be able to handle herself very well in any conversations or debates around foreign policy. and her track record with respect to domestic policy is i think one that cares about working families. you know, if she decides to run and shoo makes announcement, she's going to have some strong messages to deliver. jim avilla. >> thank you, mr. president. first of all, on cuba if i could, two questions. the cuban government has frequently said that it cannot allow more political or personal freedoms or press freedoms because the united states has used both covert and otherwise actions to try to overthrow the castros. and does your new era, in fact, end regime change efforts by the united states and should the

cubans then respond by allowing free elections and tolerance of the -- because of the changed policy? second on the issue of hillary clinton? vice president biden of course, said that the democratic race is wide open. the polls seem to say otherwise. what is your opinion on that? is the race still wide open? >> not only have i run my last election, but i am not in the business of prognosticating future elections. that is your job. and there's no shortage of people who are happy to opine on that. i will not be one of them. on cuba, we are not in the business of regime change. we are in the business of making sure the cuban people have freedom and the ability to participate and shape their own destiny and their own lives and supporting civil society. and there's going to be an

evolution regardless of what we do inside of cuba. partly it's going to be generational. you know, if you listen to president castro's comments earlier this morning, a lot of the points he made referenced actions that took place before i was born. and you know, part of my message here is the cold war is over. there's still a whole lot of challenges that we face and a lot of issues around the world, and we're still going to have serious issues with cuba on not just the cuban government's approach to its own people but also regional issues and concerns. there are going to be areas where we cooperate, as well. you know, cuban doctors deployed

during the ebola crisis made a difference. cuban activity in haiti in the wake of the earthquake made a difference. so there may be areas of collaboration, as well. but what i said to president castro is the same thing that i've said to leaders throughou the region, we have a point of view and we won't be shy about expressing it. but i'm confident that the way to lift up the values that we care about is through persuasion. and, you know, that's going to be the primary approach that we take on a whole host of these issues. primarily because they don't implicate our national security in a direct way, and i think that we have to be very clear, you know, cuba's not a threat to the united states, that doesn't mean we don't have differences with it.

but, you know, on the list of threats that i'm concerned about, i think it's fair to say that between isil and iran getting a nuclear weapon and activities in yemen and libya and boca horam, russian aggression in ukraine and the impact on our allies there, you know, i could go down a pretty long list. climate change, you know. so, our -- i think our approach has to be one of trying to work with the region and other countries and be very clear about what we believe and what we stand for and what we think works and what doesn't. and so often when we insert ourselves in ways that go beyond persuasion it's counterproductive, it backfires.

you know, that's been part of our history and which is why countries keep trying to use us as an excuse for their own governance failures. let's take away the excuse and let's be clear that we're prepared to partner and engage with have been to try to lift opportunity and prosperity and security for people in the region. major garrett? >> good afternoon, mr. president. allow me if you will to correct -- to quote the supreme leader directly. >> yes. >> united states activity since the announcement of the framework has been deceptive, it is lying, it is devilish and on two particular points he said, direct quotes, iran's military sites cannot be inspected under the excuse of nuclear supervision and all sanctions should be removed when the deal is signed. is it your opinion, mr.

president, that this is pure posturing and it should be disregarded by your government and by you and your secretary of state? and if so, could you help me understand to whom the supreme leader would be posturing? because under my limited understanding of iranian politics that's not a job description usually applied to the supreme leader. >> that was a well crafted question, major. and let me just suggest even a guy with the title supreme leader has to be concerned about his own constituencies. and the issue is not whether i have to -- the works and if that is his understanding and his position in ways that can't be squared with our concern about being able to embark on vigorous inspections to assure that iran

isn't cheating under any program, and that we don't have the capacity to snap back sanctions when we see a potential violation, then we're probably not going to get a deal. so, you know, part of the -- part of the concern that i have in this debate here, major, is i don't understand why it is that everybody's working so hard to anticipate failure. the opponents of the deal don't seem to be focused on how do we get to a good deal as much as they're focused on how can we show that it's not possible to get a good deal. and my simple point is, let's wait and see what the deal is. and then we'll be able to look. and if, in fact, we're not satisfied that it cuts off the pathways for iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, then we won't sign it. if on the other hand it does,

then, i will strongly argue, and i believe the american people will support and the international community will support, that it's far preferable to the other alternatives. now, major, it's not going to be perfect in the sense of, you know, if you asked prime minister netanyahu or some members of the republican caucus or even some democrats, if you ask me would i prefer that iran never had -- never did have, will never have even a single nut, bolt, anything related to nuclear power, don't have any nuclear scientists, don't have any capacity to develop it, that would be great, but that's not possible. that's not achievable. that's not achievable through sanctions. it's not achievable through military means. they're going to have some form of peaceful nuclear power, and

that will then pose a challenge for the international community, which is why the political agreement calls for unprecedented framework of inspections that allows us to assure that it's not being used or diverted in ways that could be weaponized. but we're going to have to see whether or not we can get a deal or not. my only question is, why do we keep on trying to short-circuit the actual negotiations. when they are -- nobody's -- we're not disarming. we're not getting rid of our nuclear weapons. we're not getting rid of our navy. we're not giving anything up. we are simply waiting to see what it is that the negotiators come up with, and if, in fact, we are able to come up with something that works, then we'll know. and, you know, with respect to the supreme leader, yes, it's a

pretty important title. it's, you know, seems a little more clear-cut than president. on the other hand, there may be ways of structuring a final deal that satisfy their pride, their optics, their politics, but meet our core practical objectives and that's what we've got to give the negotiators room to determine. last question. karen deyoung. where is karen? there she is. >> thank you. just to belabor the point on that question, mr. president, your people have said that the framework agreement, that's what in it stands, that they are not renegotiable points, although the implementation of them can be renegotiated in some way.

and i wonder how within that framework that's already been agreed, how we can come up with something that satisfies the kinds of concerns that he raised. no inspection of military sites. immediate lifting of all sanctions the day that the thing is signed. and also on cuba, i wanted to ask as you discuss the state sponsor of terrorism list with president castro, the cubans have raised some issues about the 45-day waiting period. i wonder if that came up. i know that your government is eager assuming that the recommendation is approved is to remove it and is approved by you that we move ahead quickly with embassies. cubans have raised concerns about that 45 days and how something could go wrong in those 45 days, and it really doesn't give them access to the kinds of things they think they can have once if and when they're removed from the list.

did that come up? and is it your belief that once they're removed from the list then there is no impediment to go ahead with opening embassies once you approve their removal from the list? >> so, i'll make one last run at iran here. there's a political framework. the outlines of which were established between iran and the p-5 plus one. in some cases there was great specificity. iran, for example, the reduction of the need to take place in the number of centrifuges or the conversion of fordoa into a facility that does not permit the potential production of weapons-grade uranium. and in other cases, there were -- there was language of intent, but the details matter. and how those details are

interpreted are going to be subject to negotiation. so, it's not accurate to suggest that -- and i don't think my team has ever suggested -- that somehow everything's all done and it's just a matter of writing it up. this is a situation in which we have a framework that is, if implemented powerful, and will achieve our goal of making sure iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon. but the details make a big difference. how they're structured. and i guarantee you there will be some tough negotiations around that. and that's what i said the first day when we announced that we had an agreement, and that's what we've continued to say. so, there's really no contradiction here. and keep in mind that when we started this process off, even with the interim agreement, when we signed the jpoa