>> that's all for this edition of "dateline extra." i'm tamron hall. thanks for watching. . >> when i saw her, i mean, i lost concept of time. i reached in, pulled her out, started screaming help. >> please! emily, wake up. wake up! >> it was the worst seconds of my life. >> how was it possible? >> i would give anything if she were alive today. >> -- such a sweet young wife and mom, such a shattering

death. >> i cried all night long. >> he was downstairs with the kids. she was upstairs in the bath. then it happened. >> please, help me! >> how long's she been in here? >> i don't know. she was taking a bath! >> we didn't know if it was a tragic accident or something else. >> questions quickly swirled about a wife's secret. >> what did you do today? >> she did have an addiction to prescription pills. >> and a husband's story. >> she just flopped on the floor. >> was it an accident, or maybe murder? >> she said, i'm scared of you. >> the whispering started almost immediately. you're a murderer? >> when you're innocent, you don't think it can happen. >> just wait until the spell-binding moment in court. >> it is nothing i would have ever imagined in my life.

welcome to "dateline extra." i'm tamron hall. it starred as a love story in a small town, a beautiful woman from a well to do family, thought she had found her prince charming. but their story turned out to be anything but a fairy tale. love, children and a nice house turned into a fight against addiction, rumors and an accusation of murder. here's josh mankiewicz with "the quiet one." >> sometimes the fresh air of a small town can hide a lot of dirty laundry. >> my worst fear was all of a sudden true. >> sometimes sudden death with lay bare every secret. >> she had felt like she was abusing it. >> what happened in this small town would tear apart a marriage, and at the same time, separate two families that were once united by love. boone, iowa, on flat land just

north of des moines, is a company town, headquarters for one of the largest grocery chains in the midwest, fairway. it's a family owned company and rick beckwith is a third generation ceo. he and his wife indy raised a family of five here. their youngest daughter, emily. the sweet but quiet one. >> kind of a shrinking violet? >> well, the older sisters said that she never got spanked. >> she didn't. she just remained silent and looked at me with those big brown eyes and it was over. >> even though emily was from a prominent wealthy family, her friend lisa said she never flaunted it. >> everyone knew that emily was a beckwith, but i never felt less of a person in the presence of emily or anyone in our family. >> emily was the girl everyone

wanted to be friends with according to shannon and shera. a >> could have any boyfriend. >> all the guys were ga ga over her. ha she was gorgeous. you've seen pictures of her, even in high school, she was gorgeous. but it wasn't her thing to date. >> by the time she was 21, emily had moved to kansas city, missouri, working in a hair salon. salon. one night in 2001, she went to a fazzino spotted bar and a local boy named alex fazzino spotted her from across the room and it's one of those a-ha moments, i have to go talk to that girl. >> after a few days, he said he knew she was the one. what did you like about her? >> what didn't i? she was beautiful. she was very nice. she dressed impeccably. yeah, what didn't i? >> alex's mother joann knew something was happening when her son asked if he could bring emily to sunday dinner. >> he said i have met someone

and i would love to be able to bring her over so that you all can get to know her better. >> and you thought, here we go? >> yes, i did. >> back in boone, emily's family heard about the boy from kansas city. >> she called me up and said, i met this fellow. he's italian, and she said, you're going to love his family. they're louder than us. she fell in love with the whole family immediately. >> emily's sister aimee could see they were in love. her eyes sparkled. alex's eyes sparkled when they were together. just huge smiles on both of their faces. >> the girl who never dated was swept off her feet. emily and alex married may 10, 2003. >> how many people? >> i would guess at least 400. >> that's big. >> yeah, i mean for italian wedding, it's maybe mid size, but -- >> the couple had a son, nick.

and a year later, alex took up emily's parents on an invitation to move to boone. >> it was an open offer if he wanted to come and work for fairway. >> her father offered alex an opportunity as a family member to move way up the ranks, and at my husband's encouragement, he went. >> alex took an entry level job at a fairway store near boone. the beckwiths gave the couple this house, just a five-minute drive from their own. soon there were two more additions to the family, ricky and cocoa. >> all emily webber wanted to be is to have a family and be a wife and a mother. >> it all seemed perfect until the night of january 29th, 2012. it was close to the kids' bedtime. emily had gone up early to take her nightly bath, and alex was doing things his wife normally did. >> i was helping with laundry. i helped the kids with their bath.

>> alex says he heard emily start her bath, as he and the kids watched peter pan. there was a lot of sword fighting and things like that, and music, and it was really loud. and when it got quiet, i could hear the water still running. >> alex says the water was running for about 20 to 30 minutes, so he went upstairs to see what was taking so long and came upon a horrible scene. emily was submerged in the tub unconscious. >> i tried to -- as hard as i could, to get her out of that tub, as fast as i could. she slipped out of my arms. i started screaming help. i ran to the phone to call 911. and all i could say was help. >> 911, what is the location of your emergency? >> help! >> what's going on? what's going on?

>> it was the worst seconds of my life. >> but there was much more to come. two lives and so many secrets would soon be put under a microscope. >> coming up, what had happened upstairs in that bathroom? >> please help me. >> okay, how long has she been in here. >> she was taking a bag. >> what did you think this was? >> we didn't know if it was a tragic accident or something else. >> it's the addiction you know, it's the -- it's the addiction that did it into addiction? the mystery was just beginning. when "dateline extra" continues. doesour mouth often feel dry? a dry mouth can cause cavities and bad breath. over 400 medications can cause a dry mouth. that's why there's biotene. biotene can provide soothing dry mouth relief. and it keeps your mouth refreshed too. remember while your medication is doing you good,

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welcome back to "dateline extra." emily fazzin o's husband said he thought his wife was just upstairs taking a bath. what followed permanently

changed the course of two families and a closely held secret about emily's life was about to become very public. we return to be josh mankiewicz with "the quiet one." >> this should have been a routine night at home in small town usa, boone iowa. instead, alex fazzino was at thing a 911 operator how he just pulled his wife emily out of the bathtub. >> please. honey, wake up. wake up. >> it goss worse. the kids wandered in and saw their mother on the bathroom floor. >> kids, please, please. >> on the tape, you don't think there's much help of reviving her. >> of me personally reviving her, no, i didn't. >> you don't know cpr. >> no. >> but with the operator's help, alex tried. >> tilt her head back. okay. did you do that?

>> yeah. >> sergeant john we bold of the boone police department got the call and arrived at the house with two other officers. his body camera was rolling as alex led them to the bathroom. >> as we entered the master bathroom, emily was laying on the floor, face up, and she had a bluish tint to her. >> please help me. >> how long's she been in here? >> i don't know. she was taking a bath. >> could you tell whether she was still alive? >> i checked right away. i checked for a pulse and breathing, didn't feel any, so i instantly started cpr. >> how long? >> i don't know. she's freezings cold. >> blood? >> no blood. no blood anywhere. she did have a big bruise on her forehead. >> what was around? anything? the bathtub was full of water, and there were oil droplets on top of the water, like bath oil. there was music playing from an ipad on the sink area. >> emts loaded emily into an

ambulance and raced to the hospital. when her mother cindy got the call, she went straight there. >> and they told me she was in the emergency room, and then a fellow came in and hung his head and he said, she's gone. >> emily fazzino was dead at the age of 32, and no one knew why. >> when you went home that night, what did you think this was? >> i didn't really know. it was a suspicious death for sure. we didn't if it was a suicide or a tragic accident or something else. >> around midnight, police asked alex to give a statement at headquarters. >> i pulled her and she just flopped. you know, she just flopped on the floor. >> you went in in those initial interviews. you're not represented by an attorney? >> no. >> and you talked to the police and you handed over your phone? >> yes. >> almost as if you had nothing to hide? >> i didn't. >> he also told police something very few people knew.

his wife had a dependence on prescription drugs. alex said he was sure emily's addiction had killed her. >> it's really not my wife that did it, it's the addiction. >> what did you think had happened? >> i didn't know if, you know, she took a handful of pills. i was having a hard time trying to reconcile if she killed herself or if she just overdosed. >> you thought overdose, either deliberate or unintentional? >> yeah, i thought it was a reasonable assumption. >> reasonable because alex said he'd been dealing with his wife's addiction for more than a year, when he discovered she had stolen pain pills from his father. and then a few months later, alex's own doctor asked a strange question during a checkup. he says, and how's your shoulder. >> and i said, well, it's fine. why do you ask? he said, i wanted to make sure the vicodin i prescribed you are working. i said, excuse me?

and i mean, i started crying. >> you hadn't asked for any vicodin? >> correct. >> vicodin is an opioid, a powerful pain medication that can be highly addictive. emily had asked for the prescription, saying it was for alex, but he says she ended up taking the pills herself. alex says he confronted emily. >> i said, you're gonna have to choose between your family and this medicine. i said, i'm not going to stay married to you if you continue down this road. >> and she said? >> she said okay. she said it and she may have meant it, but alex says, in the months before she died, an emily would seem okay one day but not the next. >> i could see in her eyes, they -- like a glaze. she -- and then she would be fine for a period. >> finally, in december 2011, two months before her death, emily reached out to her mom for help.

>> did she say she'd become addicted to this painkiller? >> i don't know if she used the word addiction, but she had felt like she was abusing it. and alex was upset about it. >> emily's doctors had recommended in-patient rehab. instead, she decided to detox at her mother's house and to hide it from alex and the kids by saying she had mono. >> the reason is because they were scared of what it would do to their image. >> is the reason that you put out this cover story about emily having mono, is that because sending her to rehab would have been some kind of embarrassment to your family and you didn't want your name tarnished? >> absolutely not. we've always done the best thing for our children, and it was emily's desire to keep it from alex. >> emily went cold turkey. cindy says the first couple

of days an, her daughter hardly left her bed, suffering from severe headaches. but after only four days, emily went home. >> did you think she was clean, off drugs, that that problem was behind her? >> i knew that she was still tired. >> but no longer addicted? >> no. >> you were convinced that had been dealt with? >> yes. >> alex didn't find out about the detox till much later. but he says in the weeks before she died, emily still had a stash of pain pills. >> how many times did you say to your wife, if you don't get off the drugs, i'm going to have to leave you? >> at least three. >> but she wouldn't do it? >> she would fall back into her old habits. >> she would never agree to rehab? >> no. she told me that all her doctors are on the same page, everything is fine. >> so alex was telling everyone that his wife was a victim of her own demons. but soon, new evidence would emerge that would send this case in a more sinister direction.

coming up -- >> results came back clean. >> so it wasn't an overdose? >> it wasn't an overdose. >> what could it have been? what could have killed emily? >> she was scared. there was something wrong. >> when "dateline extra" continues. ments. flonase gives you more complete allergy relief. most allergy pills only control one inflammatory substance. flonase controls 6. and six is greater than one. flonase changes everything. ♪

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welcome back to "dateline extra." i'm tamron hall. emily fazzino was dead, and investigators wanted to know how and why. the secret of emily's addiction had been exposed. was this a suicide, an accident, or maybe even murder? evidence that pointed the investigation in a new direction was about to be discovered. more accusations and more suspicions. here again is josh mankiewicz with "the quiet one." alex fazzino had lost his wife emily. despite his grief, he still had to be strong for his children. >> what did you tell your kids? >> i remember hugging them, i remember just telling them that

mommy went to heaven and that she can't come back. >> as two families mourned and said goodbye, alex had to come to grips with the fact that he was now a single dad with three kids under the age of 7. >> it's sickening to know that if emily would have got the help she needed, she could still be here for my kids, and probably for me. >> while emily's family tried to cope with their loss, state investigator don snitker was operating on the assumption that her death was linked to her addiction. >> she did have a drug problem. she had an addiction to opiate medication, prescription pills. >> an overdose would mean no crime just a regrettable accidental death or even a suicide. but then, six weeks later, something that changed the entire focus of the investigation. emily's toxicology report came back. >> the results came back clean. she wasn't under the influence

of opiates at the time of her death. >> so it wasn't an overdose? >> it wasn't an overdose. >> trace of the opioid pain pills emily had been abusing. there was nothing in her system that would have killed her. there was no alcohol in her blood. so now investigators had to take a new look at the case, starting with the photos of the bruises on emily's body. remember, police saw a bump on her head, but during her initial exam, the medical examiner found more. >> she had areas of trauma to all four sides of her head. so the front of her head, both left and right side of her head and the top of her head. >> possible those injuries could have occurred while alex was dragging his wife out of the tub? >> i don't think so. >> and there were bruises on her neck. >> she had strap muscle bruising some muscles to her neck area that were of concern that maybe she was possibly held under the water by her neck. >> remember, alex said he tried

cpr on emily. >> those injuries couldn't be caused by somebody trying to do cpr, even somebody who didn't really know what they were doing with cpr? >> our feeling is no. >> how could emily have gotten those bruises? >> well, i know she hit her head when i was getting her out of the bathtub. or you would -- when i picked her up, i mean, i heard it hit. when i was pulling her out, her head hit. >> the side of the tub? the floor? >> i don't know. i was heaving her out -- it was so hard to get her out. >> would you have bruised her neck doing that? >> i don't know. >> agent schnitker wanted to know what might be going on behind closed doors in the fazzino marriage. he listened to another 911 call. >> and he's taking everything of mine and trying to take pills too. >> one week before her death, emily called 911 to complain

about alex. >> he's like, trying to take property that is not his. >> emily came home inebriated the night before and i'd had it. i'd had it. and i grabbed whatever pills i could grab, and i was going to flush them down the toilet. >> and she got angry? >> she got angry, she called 911. >> no one was arrested or charged in the incident, but it seemed to be the breaking point. the next day emily filed for divorce, then alex did the same. both asked for full custody of the children. and both were still living in the same house. a few nights later, emily called her father, rick. >> the words were saying one thing, the voice was telling me something different. >> what was the voice telling you? >> she was scared. there was something wrong. >> they hung up around 6:00 p.m. two hours later, emily would be dead. >> i will never forget that phone call.

because that was the last time i heard her voice. >> for investigator schnitker, a new picture was emerging. a marriage in shambles, a husband pushed to the edge. maybe this wasn't an accident or suicide. maybe it was murder. it seems hard to believe that alex would kill his wife, and his kids are just a couple of rooms away. >> but that's -- if you're thinking that this is well thought out, you know, oftentimes couples get in arguments and they escalate, and somebody dies. >> you had seen your wife endanger her life. you weren't angry at your wife's inability to kick her habit? >> no. i was disappointed in her. i was disappointed that this happened, but angry, no, never angry with emily. >> but emily's family and friends say they were angry at alex. the beckwiths and the fazzinos, once so close, were now splitting along family lines.

>> family divisions, secrets, finger pointing. none of it was getting investigators any closer to finding out what happened to emily fazzino. coming up -- >> they just kept saying over and over, he murdered her. >> you're a murderer? >> that's what they were saying. > that's not all they were saying. > did you say that alex and his family are in the mafia and that women who try to divorce them wind up dead? >> when "dateline extra" continues. dust and allergens get between you and life's beautiful moments. flonase gives you more complete allergy relief. most allergy pills only control one flammatory substance. flonase controls 6. and six is greater than one. flonase changes everything. ♪

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i'm richard lui with the hour's top stories for you. post tropical cyclone hermine continues making its way up the east coast. hermine is expected to gain hurricane force strength by morning. then in california, two fresno county sheriff deputies are in critical condition after being shot in the head and in the neck by a jail visitor. that suspect a convicted rapist opening fire after one of the deputies confronted him about

cutting ahead in the visitor line. he's now in custody. for now, back to "dateline extra." >> welcome back to "dateline extra." i'm tamron hall. alex fazzino said he found his wife emily submerged in a bathtub and that she must have overdosed, but the medical examiner's findings showed otherwise. how did emily die? there was much speculation within the family. and police had to confront alex with an odd question. here again is josh mankiewicz with more of "the quiet one." >> rumors were flying around the town of boone, iowa, right after emily fazzino's death. family and friends thought alex fazzino had killed his wife. >> they just kept saying over and over, he murdered her. he murdered her. >> the whispering started almost immediately. >> yeah. within a -- within a day. >> you're a murderer?

>> that's what they were saying. >> reporter: and not just a murderer. emily's sister, ammie, told investigators alex was also a mobster. >> did you say that alex and his family are in the mafia, in organized crime, and that women who try to divorce their way out out of the fazzino family wind up dead? >> that was information that emily had told me. >> ammie doesn't realize that of my mom's six siblings and my dad's one sibling there have been 11 divorces. >> those people all still alive? >> they're not all still alive, but none of 'em were killed. >> but they weren't murdered. >> right. >> so the fazzinos are not some hooked up organized crime family? >> no, and i resent her saying that. >> reporter: alex insisted the allegations were ludicrous, and that's also what investigators determined. >> did you pick up in your investigation any indication that the fazzino family is involved in organized crime? >> no. >> you didn't find any evidence

that that was true? >> no. >> or that that played any role in emily's death at all? >> no. >> reporter: to get away from all the finger-pointing, alex took his kids to kansas city and moved back in with his parents. >> we all suffered. our family as a whole suffered with the accusation that my son was a murderer. >> reporter: four months later, the investigation took another turn when the medical examiner released the final autopsy report. she ruled the cause and manner of death, undetermined, meaning she couldn't say how emily died. prosecutors dan kolacia and scott brown had been assigned to the case. >> the fact that you can't say for sure and the medical examiner couldn't say for sure, that makes this a bigger mountain to climb, doesn't it? >> this is a difficult case based upon the evidence. it doesn't mean that it didn't need to be prosecuted, just because we have an undetermined call doesn't mean we don't push forward. >> reporter: so, they asked a

different medical examiner to look at the case -- a south dakota pathologist, dr. brad randall. >> and dr. randall gave an opinion of the injuries are highly suggestive of a struggle and ruled it a homicide. >> reporter: homicide, and there was only one suspect. in april of 2013, 15 months after emily died, alex fazzino was arrested and charged with his wife's murder. >> they said, "you're under arrest." and i was in complete shock. when you're innocent, you don't think it can happen. you think they're gonna come to their senses, they're gonna see it. but, no. >> reporter: he spent three weeks in jail before being released on bond. >> the truth will come out. >> reporter: alex's sister, marguerite says her brother was charged with murder because of small town politics. >> what was it that you think kept the state sort of moving forward with -- with the idea of prosecuting? >> well, i think it was the

beckwiths. i think the power that they have in that community and i believe that they were putting political pressure on the state to prosecute this. >> the suggestion that there was some sort of political pressure that was put on my office to push this case forward or to charge it is absolute nonsense. it didn't happen. >> reporter: as alex waited for trial, things got worse. his 5-year-old daughter coco was diagnosed with cancer and underwent a bone marrow transplant. >> his daughter's illness took a huge toll on our family, but i will say this about my son. i saw him as very strong. you know, he was handling things that i don't think most people could. >> reporter: it had taken four years after his wife's death, his wife's death, but finally alex fasino went on trial for her murder. >> please rise. . >> because of pretrial publicity and the high-profile beckwith

name, the case was moved out of boone, 200 miles away, to decorah, iowa. where the fasinos and beckwithes were now separated -- breaking news, we take you to china where president obama making a joint statement with the british prime minister theresa may, let's take a listen. >> -- to be together before and in other settings but this is the first time that i had a chance to address her as madam prime minister. i'm glad that teresa and i could meet early in her tenure. the prime minister continues to be a steadying influence during a time of transition. . it was a wide-ranging conversation but it began with the basic premise that even as the uk pursues an orderly exit from the eu, together we reaffirm the very special relationship between the united

states and the united kingdom. it will not simply endure but it will continue to grow stronger with time. the vibrant economic partnership between our two countries will continue. as the uk gains further clarity on its new relationship with the eu. our two countries will be discussing ways in which we continue to sustain and strengthen our trade and investment ties. here at the g2 we will continue to pursue an agenda of concluesive and sustainable growth. when it comes to security issues the under prime minister may the uk has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the transatlantic security architecture. we are nato allies. we see the world in the same way. we will continue to oppose russian aggression in ukraine. we will continue to counter cyber threats. we will continue to work diligently to root out terrorist

networks and will work to destroy isil. at a time when the international order is under strain, i also emphasize the degree to which united kingdom's leadership on the world stage is essential. we are grateful for the uk's indispensable role in achieving landmark agreements on climate change, on issues of energy security and global development. we will continue to count on being able to stand together, stand strong with our british friends, to make sure that international norms and rules are enforced and are maintained. the bottom line is that we don't have a stronger partner anywhere in the world than the united kingdom, and despite the turbulence of political events over the last several months, we have every intention to making

sure that that continues. and so i look forward to our partnership. this is my last g20, teresa's first. but the continuity of the relationship between the united states and the united kingdom, that stretches back many decades and it will continue for many decades to come. >> thank you. thank you very much. i'm very pleased to be here at my first g-20 summit. and pleased to have had the opportunity to meet you, barack. as you say, the united states is a special partner for the united kingdom. a long-standing ally and a close friend. we share the same values of freedom, openness, and tolerance. we share intelligence and technology. our troops train, fight, and recuperate together. and together we do more together than any other two countries in the world. and i think that's as true now as it has ever been. and our discussions today have been wide-ranging. we focused on brexit, on the

threat from daesh, the situation in syria, on the need to do more to solve the migration crisis. i'd just like to say a few words on each of those. first, we have talked about britain's decision to leave the european union. the process now and what brexit means for the uk's relationships with our european friends but with other countries too. the uk's always been a strong partner for the u.s. and that will remain the case. we have a thriving economic relationship. british businesses export twice as much to the united states as they do to our next-largest market. the united states is the largest investor in britain with total american investments providing more than 1 million jobs. we need to build on that strong foundation as the uk leaves the eu. we're both strong supporters of free trade. and today we've discussed how to take forward consultations to ensure that the uk and the u.s. have the strongest possible trading relationship. and this reinforces my belief that as we forge a new global

role for the uk, we can and will seize the opportunities that brexit presents and make a success of it. we've also discussed the threat from islamist terrorism. the uk and the u.s. have been at the forefront of efforts to defeat daesh in iraq and syria and it's vital that we take action to degrade daesh abroad to help keep the streets of britain safe. and the coalition is making progress. daesh is losing territory in iraq and syria. its finances have been hit. it leaders are being killed. and fighters are deserting. and in recent weeks, thanks to u.s. efforts, daesh in libya have been forced backwards too. but we must not be complacent. we know these terrorists are intent on destroying our way of life. and the threat in the uk remains severe. so as we drive daesh out of one area, we must be alert to the risk they will seek a safe haven elsewhere. and we must work internationally to defeat their ideology of hatred and murder. and we need to support other

country in the region helping to protect them from the threat of daesh. and thereby protecting people home in bren too. we must also continue to strive for political situations in syria. the goal remains a negotiated settlement which delivers stability for all syrians and a government with whom we can work to defeat the terrorists. we welcome u.s. efforts to broker an end to the violence and to help protect moderate opposition forces. it's vital that humanitarian supplies get to innocent syrians who are in desperate need. and this afternoon i would urge president putin to do all he can to get the aid convoys in and to end the indiscriminate bombing of civilians. and next week the foreign secretary plans to host the moderate syrian opposition in london as we continue to support their hopes for a democratic, peaceful, and inclusive syria. we discussed the global migration crisis. across the world there are 244

migrants, over 20 million refugees. this growing crisis cannot be solved by the actions of one country alone. we need an international approach which better identifies those refugees who most need support, deals more effectively with economic migrants, does more to address the root causes of migration. this issue will be top of the agenda at the u.n. general assembly later this month and i hope we can make concrete progress to stem the flow of migration and help people in their home countries and regions. so we've had a productive meeting. it's been an opportunity to discuss how we respond to some of the great challenges we face. and i look forward to continuing our discussions at the summit, particularly on the global economy. we understand that many of our citizens are frustrated by the pace of globalization and feel they're not experiencing the benefits of international trade. we both believe this is an issue that we as g-20 leaders cannot afford to ignore. instead, we must all work together to spur economic

growth, to boost free trade, and build a fairer economy that truly works for all. >> we'll finish off with questions. >> thank you very much, mr. president. i have a question on syria, first of all. it seems like there is a deal with the russians within reach. i was wondering, do you not think there's a risk there's another short-lived agreement that doesn't end the war, but which allows the russians to deflect criticism at the g-20, here, and the u.n. general assembly? and secondly, what do you make of the kerfuffle yesterday at the airport? if f and for the prime minister you said brexit means brexit but i wonder if you could be more specific, could you categorically rule out the uk staying within the eu? thank you. >> with respect to syria, we have long been interested in finding a way to reduce the violence, improve humanitarian

access on the ground, as a precursor for a political transition inside of syria. it is a very complicated piece of business. you have the assad regime which has been killing its own citizens with impunity, supported by the russians and the iranians. you have a moderate opposition that has continuously tried to consolidate a position that would lead to april inclusive and representative government but is often outgunned. then you have isil and you have al qaeda in the form of nusra on the ground as well. and a range of other players from the turks and the gulf states to the kurds trying to

corral all of those different forces into a coherent structure for negotiations is difficult. but our conversations with the russians are key because if it were not for the russians, then assad and the regime would not be able to sustain its offens e offensive. and these are difficult negotiations. we have grave differences with the russians in terms of both the parties we support, but also the process that's required to bring about peace in syria. but if we do not get some buy-in from the russians on reducing the violence and easing the humanitarian crisis, then it's difficult to see how we get to the next phase. so john kerry and his counterpart, sergei lavrov, have been working around the clock,

as well as a number of other negotiators to see what would a real cessation of hostilities would look like that could provide that humanitarian access and provide people in places like aleppo relief? we're not there yet. and understandably, given the previous failures of cessations of hostilities to hold, we approach it with some skepticism. but it is worth trying. to the extent that there are children and women and innocent civilians who can get food and medical supplies and get some relief from the constant terror of bombings, that's word the effort. and i think it's premature for us to say that there's a clear path forward, but there's the

possibility, at least, for us to make some progress on that front. in addition, i should point out that the u.n. special rep stefan de mistura has been also coming up with a longer-term structure for a political transition. we are supporting his efforts as well. and those two things hopefully can operate in tandem. and the last point i would make is that none of this is slowing down our very aggressive efforts against isil. as we've seen in recent weeks, not only have we been able to clear out isil from additional territory inside syria as well as iraq, but we continue to systematically go after their leadership, including their head of external operations and probably the second-most prominent person in the isil infrastructure. so none of this is slowing down

very aggressive effort to go after what i think we all consider to be the principal threat that's emanating out of syria. and with respect to our visit here, so far it's been extraordinarily productive. it is true that not for the first time, when we come here, there ends up being issues around security and press access. and part of the reason is because we insist on a certain approach to our press pool, for example, that other countries may not insist on. we think it's important that the press have access to the work that we're doing. that they have the ability to answer questions.

and we don't leave our values and ideals behind when we take these trips. it can cause some friction. it's not the first time it's happened. it doesn't just happen in china, it happens in other countries where we travel. i think this time maybe as josh put it, the seams are showing a little more than usual in terms of some of the negotiations and jostling that takes place behind the scenes. and in fairness, you know, when delegations travel to the united states, sometimes there are issues about our security procedures and protocols that they're aggravated with but don't always get reported on. but none of this detracts from the broader scope of the relationship. as we saw yesterday, president xi and i continued what has been

a historic joint project to elevate climate change issues. the bilateral discussions that we had yesterday were extremely productive. and continue to point to big areas of cooperation. when i bring up issues like human rights, there are some tensions there that perhaps don't take place when president xi meets with other leaders. but that's part of our job. that's part of what we do. and so i wouldn't overcrank the significance of it. because as i said, this is not the first time that these things happened. and it doesn't just happen here, it happens in a lot of places. including, by the way, sometimes our allies. part of it is we also have a much bigger footprint than a lot

of other countries. and we've got a lot of planes, a lot of helicopters, a lot of cars, a lot of guys. you know, if you're a host country, sometimes it may feel a little bit much. you notice some chortling among the brits. they probably find it a little overwhelming as well. but the one thing i will say is we don't make apologies for pushing a little bit harder when it comes to press access. and that's been the case from my very first state visit here. and we don't always get everything that we'd like to see. but we think it's important for us to at least stand up for those values. >> along the question you asked me about brexit, brexit does

indeed mean brexit. the 23rd of june the people of the uk voted for the uk to leave the european union, the government respects that decision, we respect the wishes of the people, and we will put that into practice. there will be no second referendum, no attempt to turn the clock back, no attempt to try to get out of this. the uk will be leaving the european union. i think we have a question from jason gross from "the daily mail"? >> yes, jason gross, "the daily mail." mr. president, you came to london earlier this year and urged the british people not to vote for brexit and warned them they'd be at the back of the queue for trade deal if they did. do you regret making that threat or are you really going to punish us for taking a democratic decision? and could i ask just quickly -- [ inaudible ] >> i work for "the daily mail." could i ask just quickly whether you've got any advice for the prime minister this autumn when

she's got the pleasure of hosting donald trump in london? prime minister, can i ask whether you've had any trade reassurances from the president about your place in his queue? and could i also ask you quickly about hinckley point which you'll be discussing with president xi tomorrow? you said you'll look at all the evidence. does that include getting the national security council to look at the potential security implications? >> on the first point that you've raised, jason, we've had discussions about the importance of the trading relationship between the united kingdom and the united states. as you know, i've been very clear that following brexit we will be looking to establish new trading relationships around the globe. i think the real opportunities for the united kingdom, we will be going out and seizing these opportunities. we have a very strong, as i indicated in my own statement, with some of the figures that i gave, we have a very strong trading relationship with the

united states. and we will be looking to ensure that we can maintain that strongest possible relationship into the future. and on the question that you ask about hinckley point, i will be doing exactly as you said indeed in your question, jason, which is as you know, i'll be looking at all the evidence around the issue. the way i work is that i don't just take an instant decision. i actually look at the evidence, take the advice, consider it properly, and then come to a decision. i've been very clear that i will be doing that and will be taking a decision sometime this month. >> it is absolutely true that i believed pre-brexit vote and continue to believe post-brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the united kingdom's participation in the eu.

but i also said at the time that ultimately, this was a decision for the british people, and the british people made that decision. and i never suggested that we would quote-unquote punish great britain. as you will recall, if you were at that press conference, i was asked about the viability of immediately negotiating a separate trade agreement between the united states and the united kingdom. because i think the notion was that the consequences of brexit would be minimal and we would just go ahead and start lining up a whole bunch of free trade agreements separate and apart from the eu relationship. and my simple point was is that we've put great priority on first the transpacific partnership, which now that we have an agreement we want to put into force. that we are also negotiating

effectively with the entire eu around the transatlantic trade agreement. or ttip. and those negotiations are proceeding. and so it would not make sense for us to put those efforts asi aside, particularly at a time when my working assumption was that if, in fact, the people of the united kingdom decided to leave the european union, their first priority would be to renegotiate terms of trade with the economic unit that they sell half of their goods to. so that, in fact, is i think the approach that the prime minister is wisely taking. that in a prudent, well-informed

fashion, with consultations with businesses and stakeholders as well as her counterparts across the channel, they -- that the prime minister makes a determination about when to invoke article 50, how those negotiations should proceed, and we are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible. so that not just the people of the united kingdom but people around the world can benefit from continued recovery and economic growth. and what i've committed to teresa is that we will skuconsu closely with her as she and her government move forward with the brexit negotiations to ensure that we don't see adverse effects in the trading and

commercial relationships between the united states and the united kingdom. obviously we have an enormous amount of trade that already takes place. we have a lot of investment between british companies in the united states and u.s. companies in the united kingdom. and that's not going to stop. and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that the consequences of the decision don't end up unraveling what is already a very strong and robust economic relationship that can become even stronger in the future. but first things first. and the first task is going to be figuring out what brexit means with respect to europe. and our first task is making sure that we get first tpp done, but also that we move forward on the ttip negotiations in which we've already invested a lot of time and effort. okay? thank you very much, everybody.