English subtitles for clip: File:4-4-14- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Earnest: Good
afternoon, everybody.

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You may have noticed we
got a little special help

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preparing for the briefing
today from

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one of your colleagues.

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So it's nice to see you
on this Friday afternoon.

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I actually don't have
anything at the top, Jim.

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But in the spirit of
Opening Day,

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which they're celebrating just
across town here,

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I'll let you throw out the
first pitch here.

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(laughter)

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The Press:
That's a curve.

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(laughter)

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The Press: It's
a fastball right

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down the middle.

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Mr. Earnest: All
right, we'll take it.

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The Press: First, on the
Middle East, Josh, Kerry

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today sounded perhaps the
most pessimistic that

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he has during this whole
effort to restart talks.

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He said it was time
for a "reality check."

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Does the President
share that view?

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I wondered when the last
time he and Kerry

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spoke about this.

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And did the President
essentially encourage the

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Secretary of State that it
was time to focus more

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on other pressing issues
-- Ukraine, Syria, Iran

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nuclear talks -- because
this seemed to be stuck

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in a stalemate?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, Jim, as
you know, Secretary Kerry

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and the President traveled
together

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to Europe just last week.

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So they spent a decent
amount of time

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together over the course
of that trip.

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They were obviously
covering a range

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of topics, principally the
challenge of dealing

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with Russia and their
encroachment

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on the territorial
integrity of Ukraine.

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But they did have the
opportunity

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to talk about Middle East peace
a little bit on that trip.

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As Secretary Kerry himself
has said,

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that it is a good indication of
how critical the issue

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of Middle East peace is, that
when he does meetings

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with world leaders on other
topics,

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people will ask him specifically
about Middle East peace.

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Secretary Kerry has played
a very important

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role in trying to facilitate
conversations between

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the Israelis and Palestinians.

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He has done that not
because

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it was obvious that an agreement
could be struck.

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In fact, the reason that
he was involved

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and the reason that he was doing
so under the banner

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of the United States of America
is that it's been very

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difficult for generations
for the Israelis and

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Palestinians to try to
resolve their differences.

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So what Secretary Kerry
has done is worked

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tirelessly to travel to
the region frequently.

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I think he's been there 11
times now just in the last

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year or so.

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And he has been tireless
in his efforts to try

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to broker some common ground
between the

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Israelis and Palestinians.

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Ultimately, however, what
we have seen is that it's

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the responsibility of the
Israelis and Palestinian

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leaders to make these
difficult decisions,

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to take these difficult
steps on their own.

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The decisions that need
to be reached to pursue

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common ground cannot be
imposed by the

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United States or any other
country in the world.

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The difficult steps
that the Israelis and

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Palestinians need to take
to try to build some

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faith are not steps that can be
dictated by the

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United States or any other
outside entity.

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So yet, despite all of
those challenges,

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it is clearly within the
interest of the

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United States and the globe
for the Israelis and

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Palestinians to resolve
their differences.

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What we're aiming for is
the creation,

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or the -- the creation of a
circumstance in which

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you have a Jewish state of
Israel living side

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by side in peace and security with

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an independent Palestinian state.

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That is the ultimate goal.

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And reaching that goal is
in the clear interests

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of our strong
allies in Israel.

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It's in the clear
interests of the

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Palestinian people.

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It is in the clear
interests of restoring

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greater stability to
the Middle East region.

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And the outcome would have
clear benefits

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for the entire world.

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It's an indication
that the United States

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continues to be the
indispensable nation

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in the world that the
Secretary of State has

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devoted so much time and
effort to a task that

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is so difficult, to a task
that so many

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others have tried and failed
to achieve.

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So there is no doubt that
we have reached a point

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where Palestinians, the
Palestinian leaders

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and the Israeli leaders
need to spend some time

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thinking about their
commitment to making some

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difficult decisions and
taking

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some very difficult actions.

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And Secretary Kerry will
be returning to Washington

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in the days ahead, and I
would anticipate that

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a conversation with the
President

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is in the near future.

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The Press: So having said
that, that the next steps

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are clearly in the hands
of the Palestinians

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and the Israelis, is
the role of the U.S.

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as broker exhausted
at this point?

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Does the President feel
that it's exhausted?

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Mr. Earnest: No, we remain
committed to this task.

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We remain committed to
this task because

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the stakes are high, because
there

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is a clear benefit for our
strong allies in Israel.

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There is a clear benefit
for the Palestinian

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people, for nations in the
Middle East region,

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and for nations
around the globe.

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So we remain committed
to this task.

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At the same time, this
ultimate goal that

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we're aiming for is something
that can only

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be accomplished when the
leaders of the Israeli

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people and the Palestinian
people decide

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to make the very difficult
decisions

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that they alone can make.

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The Press: Is the
President disappointed

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that it's reached this
stage even after

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he so shortly ago had separately
Abbas and Netanyahu

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in the Oval Office?

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Mr. Earnest: I think the
President,

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even in the midst of those
meetings, was incredibly

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realistic about how difficult of
a challenge this is.

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For generations, American
Presidents and even the

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leaders of other countries
have tried to intervene

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in this dispute to
reach an agreement.

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And those efforts have
experienced some peaks and

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valleys but ultimately
have not reached

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the end state that I
described earlier.

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So the President is
very clear-eyed

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in his assessment about where
things stand and about the

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prospects of reaching the
kind of agreement that

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would be so clearly in the
interest of the world.

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But those difficult
challenges in no way

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diminish the President's
passion for trying

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to reach an outcome here
that is so clearly

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in everybody's interest.

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The Press: Yesterday, we
talked to Jay about

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that Cuba Twitter
story that AP had.

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And yesterday Jay said
that he was not aware

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of individuals here in the
White House

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who knew about the program.

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And I was wondering
whether that was just his

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own personal knowledge
or whether you can state

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flatly that nobody at the
White House was familiar

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with this program
as it was underway.

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Mr. Earnest: Jim, there's
no question

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that the President and his
administration support

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efforts to help Cuban
citizens communicate

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more easily with one another
and with

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the outside world.

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Our involvement would have
been the same

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in this instance as with any
other development program

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of this type.

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USAID kept the White House
apprised of its efforts,

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consistent with the way
that they have other

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programs of this kind
elsewhere in the world.

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The Press: This one in
particular, the social media --

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Mr. Earnest:
That's right,

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this one in particular, which is to
say that we certainly were

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aware of the policy goal
that USAID was trying to

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facilitate to create a
mechanism for greater

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expression of
ideas in Cuba.

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Now, as has been
well-documented, the Cuban

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regime has time and time
again been a repressive

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regime that has attempted
to squelch the expression

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of free ideas.

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So there is a -- this is a
clear effort

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by the United States to try to
meet that need.

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The Press: Do these kinds
of things especially rise

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to the level of the White
House when you're dealing

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with a "non-permissive"
environment

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like the one in Cuba?

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Mr. Earnest: It's my
understanding that

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a policy decision like this,
in this case to implement

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this program, is fairly
routine,

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which is to say that it's likely
that somebody at the

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White House would have been
aware generally

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of the efforts to achieve --
or to put in place

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an infrastructure that would
facilitate

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the free expression of ideas
but would not

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be fully informed of the
operational details.

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The Press: Can you tell
me who would have been

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particularly informed?

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Mr. Earnest: I don't.

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It's a little speculation.

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What I'm talking about
sort of is the principle

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that we would have been
aware of this

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policy objective that USAID
had set out,

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but not necessarily aware of the
operational details.

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Steve.

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The Press: Josh, just to
be clear, is

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the current phase of the Middle
East peace process over?

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Mr. Earnest: No.

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I think what I would say
is that we have reached

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a place -- and I think
Secretary Kerry

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spoke to this earlier today when
he was in Morocco --

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that we have reached a place where

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it's time for a reality check; where it's time for

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the Israeli leaders and the leaders of the

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Palestinian people to spend some
time considering their options

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at this point.

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Secretary Kerry observed
that there

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is a limited amount of time and
resources that can

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be dedicated by the United
States of America

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to an effort like this.

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And the reason that there
are limits,

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beyond the obvious limits of
time and physical space,

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is that there are a range of
challenges that are

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on the plate of the most
indispensable country

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in the world.

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The Press: Was there a
single incident

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that pushed these talks
over the edge?

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Mr. Earnest: I wouldn't
characterize

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it as a single incident.

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I think I would
characterize

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it as unilateral steps taken by
countries on both sides

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of this issue that have been
unhelpful, that have

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contributed to at least
some degradation

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of the trust that had been built
up through the course

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of these talks over the
last several months.

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The Press: And is
the release

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of Jonathan Pollard still
on the table?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, as
we've described

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to you earlier, Steve, the
reason that the release

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of Jonathan Pollard was on
the table was because

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this is something that

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the Israeli government regularly raises

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with the U.S. government.

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It is still true that the
President has not made

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any sort of decisions
about Mr. Pollard.

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He was tried and convicted
of very serious crimes,

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and is serving a
serious sentence.

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The Press: And lastly, in
conjunction with

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the visit of the Tunisian
President today,

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is there any plans for a loan
guarantee announcement?

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Mr. Earnest: I don't have
any details about

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any announcements that
may be forthcoming.

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I know that there will be
an opportunity

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for some members of the White
House press corps

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to be in the Oval Office and to
hear directly from

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00:10:56,300 --> 00:10:58,766
the President and his Tunisian
counterpart

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later this afternoon.

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So I would reserve any
announcements that

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00:11:02,633 --> 00:11:04,133
may be forthcoming until then.

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So let's move
around a little bit.

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Stephen.

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The Press: How does the
White House counter

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00:11:08,033 --> 00:11:09,800
the critique of a lot of
people that

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00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:12,032
in that sort of Middle East
policy community

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00:11:12,033 --> 00:11:15,100
that it was quite clear a year
ago that Israelis

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and Palestinians have not
built a political capital

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among their people or were
not prepared to make these

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kind of tough decisions,
and that therefore

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00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:28,333
John Kerry's investment of so
much time and political

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00:11:28,333 --> 00:11:31,233
capital could have been
better used elsewhere?

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00:11:31,233 --> 00:11:34,867
Mr. Earnest: Well,
Stephen, I think what

266
00:11:34,867 --> 00:11:39,733
I would say in response to
that is that the stakes

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in this situation were very
high; that the world would

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00:11:43,433 --> 00:11:47,667
stand to benefit
significantly from

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00:11:47,667 --> 00:11:50,200
the peaceful resolution of the
differences between

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the Israeli people and the
Palestinian people.

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And because the stakes
were so high

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and the challenges of reaching
an agreement were

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so difficult, there are not a
lot of people

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00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,567
volunteering to take on that
assignment.

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So what I think it is,
is indication

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of the influence around the
world that the United States

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00:12:09,934 --> 00:12:12,333
still wields; that the
United States

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is the one that's willing to
step into the breach --

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and in this case, principally
Secretary Kerry

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00:12:17,233 --> 00:12:19,467
who's been willing to step into
the breach here and try

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to broker an agreement.

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As I mentioned, he's
traveled 10 or 11

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times to the region in just the
last year,

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00:12:26,066 --> 00:12:27,600
or a little over a year.

285
00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:33,533
So the odds of getting
something like this done

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00:12:33,533 --> 00:12:36,400
-- I don't know if people
in Las Vegas are betting

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00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:37,500
on these kinds of things
these days --

288
00:12:37,500 --> 00:12:39,600
but I'm sure the odds, if they
were, the odds

289
00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:40,600
would be very long.

290
00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:44,834
But the benefits that
could be gained for the

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00:12:44,834 --> 00:12:47,666
world, the lives that
could be saved, the

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00:12:47,667 --> 00:12:49,867
stability that could
spread throughout

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00:12:49,867 --> 00:12:52,300
the region would be
significant.

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And there would be
significant benefits

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00:12:54,133 --> 00:12:56,133
for the two countries we're
talking about here,

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00:12:56,133 --> 00:13:01,367
a Palestinian state and a
Jewish-Israeli state

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00:13:01,367 --> 00:13:03,065
would be significant, but the
benefits

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00:13:03,066 --> 00:13:05,133
to the United States of America
would be significant as well.

299
00:13:05,133 --> 00:13:08,533
So this is why the
Secretary of State,

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00:13:08,533 --> 00:13:10,166
at the direction of the
President of the United States,

301
00:13:10,166 --> 00:13:14,300
has invested so much time and
effort in this endeavor.

302
00:13:14,300 --> 00:13:18,934
And our commitment and our
passion for achieving this

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00:13:18,934 --> 00:13:20,600
goal has not waned.

304
00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,500
But again, this goal will
only be achieved and only

305
00:13:24,500 --> 00:13:27,734
can be achieved if the
decisions

306
00:13:27,734 --> 00:13:31,934
that are required are made
independently by the

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00:13:31,934 --> 00:13:34,600
leaders of Israel and the
leaders

308
00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:35,600
of the Palestinian people.

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00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,033
The Press: So if those
decisions are made at this

310
00:13:38,033 --> 00:13:40,967
point, this critical
point, is that it for this

311
00:13:40,967 --> 00:13:41,967
administration?

312
00:13:41,967 --> 00:13:42,967
Do you sit there and say,
okay, we're not going to

313
00:13:42,967 --> 00:13:45,066
get involved in this until
you guys come back and

314
00:13:45,066 --> 00:13:46,066
tell us you're ready?

315
00:13:46,066 --> 00:13:48,400
Mr. Earnest: Well, that
presupposes an additional

316
00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:50,733
step here that at some
point somebody throws

317
00:13:50,734 --> 00:13:52,633
up their hands
and walks away.

318
00:13:52,633 --> 00:13:54,300
Secretary Kerry is
certainly not willing

319
00:13:54,300 --> 00:13:55,300
to do that.

320
00:13:55,300 --> 00:13:56,934
I think it's also notable
-- and I've not mentioned

321
00:13:56,934 --> 00:13:59,132
this yet -- I think it's
also notable that the

322
00:13:59,133 --> 00:14:00,834
designated negotiators on
the Israeli side and the

323
00:14:00,834 --> 00:14:03,367
designated negotiators
on the Palestinian side

324
00:14:03,367 --> 00:14:07,132
continue to assert their
willingness

325
00:14:07,133 --> 00:14:10,633
to participate in conversations.

326
00:14:10,633 --> 00:14:14,700
So as long as they're
willing to continue

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00:14:14,700 --> 00:14:16,834
to talk, that's something
that we're going

328
00:14:16,834 --> 00:14:21,165
to continue to try
to facilitate.

329
00:14:21,166 --> 00:14:24,033
But ultimately, those
talks will only lead

330
00:14:24,033 --> 00:14:27,867
to tangible progress if the
leaders of the two sides

331
00:14:27,867 --> 00:14:30,300
are willing to make some
difficult decisions.

332
00:14:30,300 --> 00:14:32,567
Again, these are decisions
that the United States

333
00:14:32,567 --> 00:14:35,700
cannot make for them;
these are steps that

334
00:14:35,700 --> 00:14:38,367
the United States cannot
impose on them.

335
00:14:38,367 --> 00:14:42,400
Ultimately, the two sides
are going to have to make

336
00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:45,567
these courageous decisions
on their own, certainly

337
00:14:45,567 --> 00:14:47,500
with the support of the
United States in our

338
00:14:47,500 --> 00:14:48,767
efforts to marshal
the support of the

339
00:14:48,767 --> 00:14:49,900
international community.

340
00:14:49,900 --> 00:14:53,100
But ultimately,
it's on them.

341
00:14:53,100 --> 00:14:54,567
Kristen.

342
00:14:54,567 --> 00:14:55,567
The Press: Josh, thanks.

343
00:14:55,567 --> 00:14:56,667
On Afghanistan, what was
President Obama's reaction

344
00:14:56,667 --> 00:14:58,967
to learning that one
journalist had been killed

345
00:14:58,967 --> 00:15:00,266
and another one wounded?

346
00:15:00,266 --> 00:15:02,400
And then, more broadly,
how much confidence

347
00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,132
does he have in the elections
that are set

348
00:15:05,133 --> 00:15:06,633
to take place this week?

349
00:15:06,633 --> 00:15:09,400
Mr. Earnest: Well, let me
start, Kristen, by saying

350
00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,500
that the thoughts and
prayers of the

351
00:15:11,500 --> 00:15:14,100
First Lady and the President go
out to the family

352
00:15:14,100 --> 00:15:17,166
of Anja Niedringhaus, who was
killed

353
00:15:17,166 --> 00:15:18,800
in Afghanistan overnight.

354
00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,300
The President and First
Lady also send their best

355
00:15:22,300 --> 00:15:26,967
wishes and their prayers
to Kathy Gannon,

356
00:15:26,967 --> 00:15:30,433
who was an AP reporter who was
wounded in that incident.

357
00:15:30,433 --> 00:15:32,900
There are journalists
who are currently

358
00:15:32,900 --> 00:15:34,834
on the ground in Afghanistan
covering the elections

359
00:15:34,834 --> 00:15:37,900
that are slated to start
tomorrow, who are risking

360
00:15:37,900 --> 00:15:39,800
their own personal safety
to tell

361
00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:41,967
the story about what's happening
in Afghanistan.

362
00:15:41,967 --> 00:15:44,333
These are journalists who
have traveled from across

363
00:15:44,333 --> 00:15:49,900
the world to cover what's
happening in Afghanistan.

364
00:15:49,900 --> 00:15:53,132
This group also includes
Afghans

365
00:15:53,133 --> 00:15:57,200
who have courageously made the
decision to tell the world

366
00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,533
about what's happening
in their own country.

367
00:15:59,533 --> 00:16:01,433
And I think it's
important,

368
00:16:01,433 --> 00:16:03,033
particularly on this day that's
marked by some sadness,

369
00:16:03,033 --> 00:16:09,834
that we recognize the ongoing
efforts and heroism

370
00:16:09,834 --> 00:16:13,233
of people both from
Afghanistan and people

371
00:16:13,233 --> 00:16:16,333
from around the world
who are trying to do the

372
00:16:16,333 --> 00:16:19,567
important work of
informing the world about

373
00:16:19,567 --> 00:16:20,900
what's happening
in Afghanistan.

374
00:16:20,900 --> 00:16:23,000
The Press: And given
this violence,

375
00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:26,100
how much confidence does he have
in the elections that

376
00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:27,667
are going to take place?

377
00:16:27,667 --> 00:16:29,800
Is he concerned about more
violence, corruption?

378
00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:31,666
Has the President or
any other

379
00:16:31,667 --> 00:16:33,834
top officials reached out to
their counterparts

380
00:16:33,834 --> 00:16:36,000
in Afghanistan in
the wake of this?

381
00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:37,000
Mr. Earnest: Sure.

382
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:38,467
Kristen, as we've said
before,

383
00:16:38,467 --> 00:16:40,000
we expect millions of Afghanistans

384
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:41,867
to go to the polls tomorrow.

385
00:16:41,867 --> 00:16:44,033
These are critical
elections, and the United

386
00:16:44,033 --> 00:16:45,800
States welcomes the
democratic process

387
00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:47,867
that's currently underway
in Afghanistan.

388
00:16:47,867 --> 00:16:50,599
This election process
is Afghan-owned.

389
00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:51,767
The Afghan security
forces

390
00:16:51,767 --> 00:16:53,467
are in the lead countrywide.

391
00:16:53,467 --> 00:16:55,199
The leaders and staff of
the electoral

392
00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:56,867
institutions are all Afghan.

393
00:16:56,867 --> 00:16:59,400
And the campaign period
over the past two months

394
00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:01,266
was full of open and
responsible

395
00:17:01,266 --> 00:17:03,400
debate among the candidates.

396
00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:05,000
But it will be up to the
Afghan people

397
00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,834
to choose the future direction
of their country.

398
00:17:07,834 --> 00:17:10,367
The Press: Even the
potential for a recount,

399
00:17:10,367 --> 00:17:11,966
the possibility of
corruption --

400
00:17:11,967 --> 00:17:15,133
some people are saying there
might not be a leader

401
00:17:15,133 --> 00:17:17,367
in place until this summer, until June.

402
00:17:17,367 --> 00:17:19,265
Does the President, does
the Pentagon

403
00:17:19,266 --> 00:17:22,433
have a timeline in mind by which
they need someone

404
00:17:22,433 --> 00:17:25,934
to be in place so that you can
move forward with

405
00:17:25,934 --> 00:17:27,666
the BSA agreement if that
were to happen?

406
00:17:27,666 --> 00:17:29,132
Mr. Earnest: We have not
established a specific

407
00:17:29,133 --> 00:17:31,567
timeline for the
resolution of -- or the

408
00:17:31,567 --> 00:17:33,166
adjudication of the
election,

409
00:17:33,166 --> 00:17:33,734
I guess I should say.

410
00:17:33,734 --> 00:17:38,332
It is our expectation
that this

411
00:17:38,333 --> 00:17:40,934
is a little bit different than
most elections that

412
00:17:40,934 --> 00:17:41,934
are conducted in the U.S.

413
00:17:41,934 --> 00:17:44,033
in which we find out the
results that night

414
00:17:44,033 --> 00:17:46,100
or the next day.

415
00:17:46,100 --> 00:17:47,632
But at the same time,
we're hopeful that the

416
00:17:47,633 --> 00:17:50,000
elections will be peaceful
and inclusive

417
00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,567
and broadly acceptable to the
Afghan people.

418
00:17:52,567 --> 00:17:54,967
A stable and acceptable
political transition

419
00:17:54,967 --> 00:17:57,200
is critical to sustaining
international

420
00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:58,633
support for Afghanistan.

421
00:17:58,633 --> 00:18:01,467
The Press: And just one on
something

422
00:18:01,467 --> 00:18:03,100
the President talked about this
week, the minimum wage.

423
00:18:03,100 --> 00:18:06,433
There are some compromise
pieces

424
00:18:06,433 --> 00:18:08,200
of legislation that are coming
together on the Hill.

425
00:18:08,433 --> 00:18:11,800
Would the President accept
legislation that increased

426
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:15,767
the minimum wage to, say,
$9 as opposed to $10,

427
00:18:15,767 --> 00:18:18,166
if that were to make it
through both chambers,

428
00:18:18,166 --> 00:18:20,300
if that were a viable piece
of legislation

429
00:18:20,300 --> 00:18:22,399
as compared to $10.10, which
doesn't seem like

430
00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:24,066
it stands a chance of passing
at this point?

431
00:18:24,066 --> 00:18:25,867
Mr. Earnest: Well,
Kristen,

432
00:18:25,867 --> 00:18:27,667
you covered the President's
remarks in Michigan.

433
00:18:27,667 --> 00:18:28,600
I saw you out there.

434
00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:30,300
The President is a very
strong advocate

435
00:18:30,300 --> 00:18:33,466
of raising the minimum wage
to $10.10 an hour.

436
00:18:33,467 --> 00:18:36,667
And I think it was earlier
this week we saw the state

437
00:18:36,667 --> 00:18:39,800
of Connecticut vote in the
legislature

438
00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:41,265
to raise their minimum wage to
$10.10 an hour.

439
00:18:41,266 --> 00:18:46,867
We've seen some steps
taken by private companies

440
00:18:46,867 --> 00:18:47,867
-- Costco and Gap,
and even some smaller

441
00:18:47,867 --> 00:18:48,867
companies -- around the
country take

442
00:18:48,867 --> 00:18:52,265
a unilateral step to raise the
wages of their workers.

443
00:18:52,266 --> 00:18:54,500
The reason that they do
that is not because they

444
00:18:54,500 --> 00:18:57,767
think that President Obama
will like it,

445
00:18:57,767 --> 00:18:58,867
although he does.

446
00:18:58,867 --> 00:18:59,934
The reason that they do
that is because they think

447
00:18:59,934 --> 00:19:01,533
it's good for business.

448
00:19:01,533 --> 00:19:02,766
They understand that
putting more money

449
00:19:02,767 --> 00:19:04,233
in the pockets of their workers
is good

450
00:19:04,233 --> 00:19:05,233
for their business.

451
00:19:05,233 --> 00:19:06,433
It's good for their
local economy.

452
00:19:06,433 --> 00:19:08,567
It reduces the cost
associated with training

453
00:19:08,567 --> 00:19:10,300
workers, because they're
more likely to stick

454
00:19:10,300 --> 00:19:12,000
around on the job when
they're getting

455
00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:13,000
a good wage.

456
00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:14,300
And, ultimately, what
we're talking about

457
00:19:14,300 --> 00:19:16,834
here is a core value that we
believe,

458
00:19:16,834 --> 00:19:19,533
and the President believes, that
hard work should be rewarded.

459
00:19:19,533 --> 00:19:21,132
And right now, based on
where the minimum wage

460
00:19:21,133 --> 00:19:22,133
is currently slated, that if
you're trying

461
00:19:22,133 --> 00:19:26,867
to raise a family of four but
working full-time making

462
00:19:26,867 --> 00:19:28,533
just the minimum wage, then
you're raising that

463
00:19:28,533 --> 00:19:29,667
family below the poverty line.

464
00:19:29,667 --> 00:19:31,800
So the President believes
strongly that Congress

465
00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:34,100
should take the kind of
action that we're

466
00:19:34,100 --> 00:19:36,667
seeing in states and in the
private sector all

467
00:19:36,667 --> 00:19:39,500
across the country and raise the
minimum wage to $10.10.

468
00:19:39,500 --> 00:19:41,233
The Press: But
realistically it doesn't

469
00:19:41,233 --> 00:19:43,800
seem to stand a chance of
getting through Congress,

470
00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:45,800
so why not support
something that does?

471
00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,567
And what do you say to
critics who say therefore

472
00:19:48,567 --> 00:19:50,333
it just becomes a campaign --

473
00:19:50,333 --> 00:19:51,967
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think

474
00:19:51,967 --> 00:19:53,166
you come by
your pessimism about

475
00:19:53,166 --> 00:19:54,700
congressional
action honestly.

476
00:19:54,700 --> 00:19:56,800
I think there's ample
evidence to indicate

477
00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:59,934
why you might feel that way.

478
00:19:59,934 --> 00:20:03,266
The President, however, is
not going to allow that

479
00:20:03,266 --> 00:20:06,166
inaction in Congress
to stand in the way

480
00:20:06,166 --> 00:20:07,633
of something that is really
important

481
00:20:07,633 --> 00:20:08,834
for the country and really
important

482
00:20:08,834 --> 00:20:10,600
for our country's economy.

483
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:14,100
So you saw that a couple
of months ago

484
00:20:14,100 --> 00:20:16,966
the President signed an
executive order mandating

485
00:20:16,967 --> 00:20:19,266
that federal contractors
would raise

486
00:20:19,266 --> 00:20:21,367
the minimum wage for their workers.

487
00:20:21,367 --> 00:20:23,633
The President hosted an
event in Connecticut

488
00:20:23,633 --> 00:20:26,533
where they did raise the minimum
wage to $10.10

489
00:20:26,533 --> 00:20:29,533
with several other governors
from New England,

490
00:20:29,533 --> 00:20:30,632
who also advocated raising
the minimum wage.

491
00:20:30,633 --> 00:20:32,300
So this is something that
the President is going to

492
00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:33,300
continue to talk about.

493
00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:35,033
I'll point out one last
thing, which is the last

494
00:20:35,033 --> 00:20:36,567
time the minimum wage was
increased it was signed

495
00:20:36,567 --> 00:20:37,900
into law by a
Republican President.

496
00:20:37,900 --> 00:20:40,066
So this is not one of
those scenarios where

497
00:20:40,066 --> 00:20:42,233
there has been a historic
partisan divide that

498
00:20:42,233 --> 00:20:46,000
is keeping us from taking a
common-sense step

499
00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,166
toward sound economic policy.

500
00:20:48,166 --> 00:20:53,300
There appears to be
something else motivating

501
00:20:53,300 --> 00:20:58,399
those who oppose a simple
policy decision

502
00:20:58,400 --> 00:20:59,867
that would reward hard work.

503
00:20:59,867 --> 00:21:03,533
I'll let you guys decide
what that might be.

504
00:21:03,533 --> 00:21:05,166
Roger, I'll give you
the question,

505
00:21:05,166 --> 00:21:07,166
because I understand you're celebrating

506
00:21:07,166 --> 00:21:08,166
an anniversary today.

507
00:21:08,166 --> 00:21:09,867
Today marks your 20th year
with Bloomberg,

508
00:21:09,867 --> 00:21:10,899
is that right?

509
00:21:10,900 --> 00:21:12,233
A little birdie
told me that.

510
00:21:12,233 --> 00:21:16,233
It's in my briefing book
here, so congratulations.

511
00:21:16,233 --> 00:21:17,500
(applause)

512
00:21:17,500 --> 00:21:18,734
So now that
you're sufficiently

513
00:21:18,734 --> 00:21:20,233
embarrassed, why don't you
go on with your question?

514
00:21:20,233 --> 00:21:23,466
The Press: Thank you.

515
00:21:23,467 --> 00:21:26,266
When the President was
still in Saudi Arabia,

516
00:21:26,266 --> 00:21:29,600
he took a call from Putin and
they talked about an hour.

517
00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:32,934
And the readout said that
among other things

518
00:21:32,934 --> 00:21:35,500
Putin wanted to discuss some
diplomatic way

519
00:21:35,500 --> 00:21:37,667
to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.

520
00:21:37,667 --> 00:21:41,065
So with that in mind,
has anything --

521
00:21:41,066 --> 00:21:44,266
and the President said he
wanted it in writing.

522
00:21:44,266 --> 00:21:45,767
So has anything
come in writing?

523
00:21:45,767 --> 00:21:46,767
Number one.

524
00:21:46,767 --> 00:21:49,367
Have there been any calls
between

525
00:21:49,367 --> 00:21:51,633
the two since March 29?

526
00:21:51,633 --> 00:21:54,767
And, three, has there been
any movement

527
00:21:54,767 --> 00:21:56,567
whatsoever between the two?

528
00:21:56,567 --> 00:21:58,667
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'll
say a couple

529
00:21:58,667 --> 00:21:59,667
things about that.

530
00:21:59,667 --> 00:22:01,466
I don't have any calls
between President Obama

531
00:22:01,467 --> 00:22:03,934
and President Putin
to read out to you.

532
00:22:03,934 --> 00:22:07,166
However, the action item,
if you will, from that

533
00:22:07,166 --> 00:22:11,332
call was for Secretary
Kerry and his counterpart,

534
00:22:11,333 --> 00:22:15,867
Foreign Minister Lavrov,
to have a conversation

535
00:22:15,867 --> 00:22:19,265
about trying to find
a diplomatic path

536
00:22:19,266 --> 00:22:23,533
to deescalate the tension in
Ukraine,

537
00:22:23,533 --> 00:22:27,466
or I guess along the border of
Ukraine as well.

538
00:22:27,467 --> 00:22:31,500
In terms of an update on
the conversations

539
00:22:31,500 --> 00:22:33,900
between Secretary Kerry and his
counterpart,

540
00:22:33,900 --> 00:22:37,367
I'd refer you to the State Department.

541
00:22:37,367 --> 00:22:41,100
But what hasn't changed is
that there

542
00:22:41,100 --> 00:22:44,766
is a clear path to deescalating
the tension in that region;

543
00:22:44,767 --> 00:22:45,934
that there is an
opportunity

544
00:22:45,934 --> 00:22:50,934
for the Russians to pull back
from Crimea

545
00:22:50,934 --> 00:22:55,033
and from the border along
Ukraine in which they have --

546
00:22:55,033 --> 00:22:56,533
where they have massed troops.

547
00:22:56,533 --> 00:23:00,433
There is an opportunity
for us to send neutral

548
00:23:00,433 --> 00:23:03,967
observers to the region
to ensure that peace

549
00:23:03,967 --> 00:23:08,567
and stability continues to
exist there,

550
00:23:08,567 --> 00:23:10,200
that we're not in a situation --
I know that

551
00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:11,367
President Putin has publicly expressed

552
00:23:11,367 --> 00:23:14,300
his concern multiple times that there might be ethnic

553
00:23:14,300 --> 00:23:17,633
Russians who are the victims of violence there.

554
00:23:17,633 --> 00:23:19,467
There's an opportunity for
us to send international

555
00:23:19,467 --> 00:23:21,934
monitors to ensure that
that's not happening.

556
00:23:21,934 --> 00:23:24,100
We haven't seen widespread
reports of that, for sure.

557
00:23:24,100 --> 00:23:27,600
But if President Putin's
confidence would

558
00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:30,367
be bolstered by sending
neutral international

559
00:23:30,367 --> 00:23:32,834
monitors to the region to
ensure that that's the

560
00:23:32,834 --> 00:23:34,734
case, we would be very
supportive of that.

561
00:23:34,734 --> 00:23:37,466
The Press: Has he said
anything about

562
00:23:37,467 --> 00:23:40,567
that or reacted to that
in any way?

563
00:23:40,567 --> 00:23:41,700
The neutral observers.

564
00:23:41,700 --> 00:23:44,100
Mr. Earnest: I haven't
seen his reaction to that.

565
00:23:44,100 --> 00:23:45,567
Let me say one other
thing, which is --

566
00:23:45,567 --> 00:23:47,266
and this is an important step
as well --

567
00:23:47,266 --> 00:23:49,633
that in order to resolve the
differences between Ukraine

568
00:23:49,633 --> 00:23:52,033
and Russia, it's important for
Russian leaders

569
00:23:52,033 --> 00:23:54,199
to meet with their counterparts
in Ukraine.

570
00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:55,667
The United States has
indicated a willingness

571
00:23:55,667 --> 00:23:57,899
to help facilitate those
kinds of conversations,

572
00:23:57,900 --> 00:23:59,867
but ultimately that will
be a critical step

573
00:23:59,867 --> 00:24:01,734
in deescalating the tension
that we're seeing there

574
00:24:01,734 --> 00:24:04,966
and trying to find a
diplomatic resolution

575
00:24:04,967 --> 00:24:05,967
to what's going
on over there.

576
00:24:05,967 --> 00:24:07,467
The Press: And
one other thing.

577
00:24:07,467 --> 00:24:08,834
Is there any U.S.

578
00:24:08,834 --> 00:24:13,300
evidence yet that troops
are being pulled back?

579
00:24:13,300 --> 00:24:16,800
Mr. Earnest: We've seen
the reports that

580
00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:18,934
President Putin has ordered the
withdrawal

581
00:24:18,934 --> 00:24:20,567
I think of one battalion of troops.

582
00:24:20,567 --> 00:24:21,367
The Press: Hagel said
yesterday

583
00:24:21,367 --> 00:24:22,533
he hasn't seen any evidence.

584
00:24:22,533 --> 00:24:24,300
Mr. Earnest: That
continues to be true.

585
00:24:24,300 --> 00:24:26,867
Jim.

586
00:24:26,867 --> 00:24:29,066
The Press: First of
all, happy Opening Day.

587
00:24:29,066 --> 00:24:29,667
Mr. Earnest: Thank you.

588
00:24:29,667 --> 00:24:31,800
The Press: And I wanted to
ask you to go back,

589
00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:34,934
if we could, back to the
Israeli-Palestinian

590
00:24:34,934 --> 00:24:37,966
conflict.

591
00:24:37,967 --> 00:24:41,033
And obviously when the
President decided to have

592
00:24:41,033 --> 00:24:43,766
the leaders here and then
to move forward after

593
00:24:43,767 --> 00:24:46,667
that, he must have thought
there was some reason,

594
00:24:46,667 --> 00:24:50,233
even though the challenge
was high, that there might

595
00:24:50,233 --> 00:24:53,667
be some reason there
could be some success.

596
00:24:53,667 --> 00:24:56,533
Has what he was told been
changed, or has there been

597
00:24:56,533 --> 00:24:59,367
any bad faith or lack
of good faith

598
00:24:59,367 --> 00:25:02,265
from the parties that has
changed things?

599
00:25:02,266 --> 00:25:06,000
Mr. Earnest: Well, let me
start by answering your

600
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:07,000
question this way.

601
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,500
One of the hallmarks
of these ongoing

602
00:25:09,500 --> 00:25:11,400
conversations that have
been taking place,

603
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:14,200
that have been facilitated
by Secretary Kerry and

604
00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,100
members of his negotiating
team that have spent

605
00:25:16,100 --> 00:25:18,500
a lot of time on the ground in
the region,

606
00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:22,600
has been to keep the content of
the talks confidential,

607
00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,332
that that is a way to
build some trust.

608
00:25:24,333 --> 00:25:26,734
And I know that it's
made covering these

609
00:25:26,734 --> 00:25:30,466
conversations challenging,
but they have been

610
00:25:30,467 --> 00:25:34,200
an important part of
preserving the ability

611
00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:36,567
of negotiators on both
sides to negotiate.

612
00:25:36,567 --> 00:25:39,033
So I'm not in a position
to divulge specific

613
00:25:39,033 --> 00:25:41,000
details or commitments
that may have been made to

614
00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:45,834
the President by
one or both leaders.

615
00:25:45,834 --> 00:25:47,500
I think it is fair to say
that over the course

616
00:25:47,500 --> 00:25:49,367
of the last six or seven
months there have been

617
00:25:49,367 --> 00:25:52,367
some courageous steps that
were taken by leaders

618
00:25:52,367 --> 00:25:53,567
on both sides.

619
00:25:53,567 --> 00:25:56,200
But in the last week or
so, we've started

620
00:25:56,200 --> 00:26:00,600
to see that cooperation break
down a little bit;

621
00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:05,433
that we saw the Israeli
government refuse

622
00:26:05,433 --> 00:26:08,667
to release the fourth tranche of
prisoners that

623
00:26:08,667 --> 00:26:10,699
was scheduled for
last weekend.

624
00:26:10,700 --> 00:26:12,367
It didn't happen,
obviously.

625
00:26:12,367 --> 00:26:14,700
The Palestinians, earlier
this week, signed

626
00:26:14,700 --> 00:26:16,233
instruments seeking
to join a number of

627
00:26:16,233 --> 00:26:18,533
multilateral conventions.

628
00:26:18,533 --> 00:26:21,800
Also, earlier this week,
the Israeli government

629
00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:26,700
announced 700 tenders in
East Jerusalem, which is a

630
00:26:26,700 --> 00:26:29,800
source of great
sensitivity on the

631
00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:30,800
Palestinian side.

632
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:32,934
So we have seen some
unilateral actions that

633
00:26:32,934 --> 00:26:36,966
have been taken by leaders
on both sides that have

634
00:26:36,967 --> 00:26:41,266
been not helpful at all
in trying to move these

635
00:26:41,266 --> 00:26:44,166
conversations along.

636
00:26:44,166 --> 00:26:46,399
Those are statements and
actions that have been

637
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:48,867
taken in public, and I
would point you

638
00:26:48,867 --> 00:26:56,300
to those as the reason for the
recent slowdown that

639
00:26:56,300 --> 00:26:57,500
we've seen in the talks.

640
00:26:57,500 --> 00:27:00,200
The Press: But without the
specifics of what

641
00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:02,000
may have been promised to the
President

642
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:05,433
in these meetings, was the
President in fact

643
00:27:05,433 --> 00:27:06,433
lied to in the end?

644
00:27:06,433 --> 00:27:09,033
And without saying what
he was lied to about,

645
00:27:09,033 --> 00:27:14,000
but were there agreements or
promises made that were

646
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,233
not acted out in good
faith by both sides?

647
00:27:16,233 --> 00:27:17,767
Mr. Earnest: Well, let
me tell you what

648
00:27:17,767 --> 00:27:18,767
we're focused on.

649
00:27:18,767 --> 00:27:20,200
What we're focused on
is we're focused

650
00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:22,900
on the Israelis and Palestinians
living up to the

651
00:27:22,900 --> 00:27:24,900
commitments that they
make to each other;

652
00:27:24,900 --> 00:27:27,800
that ultimately is what's
most important here.

653
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:29,233
And we've seen, as I
pointed out,

654
00:27:29,233 --> 00:27:32,033
in the last few days a breakdown
in some of the trust

655
00:27:32,033 --> 00:27:33,033
that had been built up.

656
00:27:33,033 --> 00:27:35,433
The President is
concerned about that.

657
00:27:35,433 --> 00:27:37,367
Secretary Kerry has
articulated his own

658
00:27:37,367 --> 00:27:39,066
disappointment about that.

659
00:27:39,066 --> 00:27:43,834
But the one thing that we
take some solace

660
00:27:43,834 --> 00:27:47,333
in is noting that negotiators
on both sides are still

661
00:27:47,333 --> 00:27:48,333
willing to negotiate,
they're still

662
00:27:48,333 --> 00:27:50,166
at the negotiating table.

663
00:27:50,166 --> 00:27:52,600
They haven't thrown up
their hands and said

664
00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:54,466
that they're walking away
from this process.

665
00:27:54,467 --> 00:27:57,633
So we are getting down to
the time where leaders

666
00:27:57,633 --> 00:27:59,900
on both sides need to make
some difficult decisions.

667
00:27:59,900 --> 00:28:01,967
Again, we can't make these
decisions for them,

668
00:28:01,967 --> 00:28:04,233
we can't impose these
decisions on them.

669
00:28:04,233 --> 00:28:06,265
They're going to have to
make these decisions

670
00:28:06,266 --> 00:28:09,400
on their own based on the
best interests

671
00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:11,333
of the people that
they're leading.

672
00:28:11,333 --> 00:28:13,467
It is our view -- and
I think this

673
00:28:13,467 --> 00:28:14,834
is a view that's been expressed by leaders

674
00:28:14,834 --> 00:28:17,100
in both countries --
that it ultimately is in their

675
00:28:17,100 --> 00:28:19,199
interest to resolve this situation diplomatically.

676
00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,767
But there's a lot of hard
work to go before

677
00:28:22,767 --> 00:28:23,767
we're going to get there.

678
00:28:23,767 --> 00:28:27,066
The Press: Let me just
try one more time.

679
00:28:27,066 --> 00:28:28,300
Mr. Earnest: Okay.

680
00:28:28,300 --> 00:28:31,734
The Press: Did Secretary
Kerry walk away because

681
00:28:31,734 --> 00:28:33,632
they were not getting
along with each other,

682
00:28:33,633 --> 00:28:36,400
or because things they had
told the United States

683
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:38,266
they would do
they did not do?

684
00:28:38,266 --> 00:28:42,467
Mr. Earnest: Well, I guess
it's possible to --

685
00:28:42,467 --> 00:28:43,734
I don't want to parse this
too much, again,

686
00:28:43,734 --> 00:28:48,567
because I want to protect the
integrity

687
00:28:48,567 --> 00:28:50,400
of the private conversations
that are ongoing.

688
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:53,767
But the source of
Secretary Kerry's

689
00:28:53,767 --> 00:28:58,467
frustration and President
Obama's frustration are

690
00:28:58,467 --> 00:29:02,700
the unilateral, unhelpful
actions that we've taken

691
00:29:02,700 --> 00:29:05,300
-- that we've seen taken
by leaders on both sides.

692
00:29:05,300 --> 00:29:09,600
And that has been a
disappointment,

693
00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:14,500
and particularly because there
had been some courageous

694
00:29:14,500 --> 00:29:17,300
actions that were taken by
leaders on both sides

695
00:29:17,300 --> 00:29:18,834
in the past few months.

696
00:29:18,834 --> 00:29:23,934
But again, Secretary
Kerry said that this

697
00:29:23,934 --> 00:29:26,867
is reality-check time, and
that is where we are.

698
00:29:26,867 --> 00:29:29,033
This is a time for the
leaders on both sides

699
00:29:29,033 --> 00:29:31,265
to evaluate if they're
willing

700
00:29:31,266 --> 00:29:32,266
to take these actions.

701
00:29:32,266 --> 00:29:33,266
Major.

702
00:29:33,266 --> 00:29:34,934
The Press: Just to follow
up on that -- it sounds

703
00:29:34,934 --> 00:29:37,500
and it looks as if
the Israelis and the

704
00:29:37,500 --> 00:29:39,000
Palestinians have
made decisions.

705
00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,433
They decided not to tell
the United States they

706
00:29:41,433 --> 00:29:43,433
were going to take these
unilateral actions.

707
00:29:43,433 --> 00:29:45,734
They decided to take the
unilateral actions knowing

708
00:29:45,734 --> 00:29:47,332
it would be inconsistent
with what they've

709
00:29:47,333 --> 00:29:49,633
committed to the other and
inconsistent to helping

710
00:29:49,633 --> 00:29:51,600
the peace process
move forward.

711
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:54,065
They've made decisions in
the last week that are

712
00:29:54,066 --> 00:29:56,767
hostile to what the United
States and Secretary Kerry

713
00:29:56,767 --> 00:29:59,367
have tried to accomplish
for the last year.

714
00:29:59,367 --> 00:30:01,633
Don't those decisions in
of themselves tell

715
00:30:01,633 --> 00:30:06,500
you what the status of these
peace talks are, and that

716
00:30:06,500 --> 00:30:09,967
it's fruitless to wait for
other decisions to be made

717
00:30:09,967 --> 00:30:13,300
to get them back to a
place where they were

718
00:30:13,300 --> 00:30:15,466
before when they've
already decided

719
00:30:15,467 --> 00:30:17,533
to do things to harm where
they were before?

720
00:30:17,533 --> 00:30:22,033
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
that anybody who knows

721
00:30:22,033 --> 00:30:25,433
Middle East history better
than I do, frankly,

722
00:30:25,433 --> 00:30:28,867
and is intimately familiar with
the kinds of conversations

723
00:30:28,867 --> 00:30:31,633
that have characterized
previous efforts

724
00:30:31,633 --> 00:30:33,400
to resolve the differences
between the Israelis and

725
00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:36,200
Palestinians understands
that there has been --

726
00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:39,300
that this has always been
a process that has

727
00:30:39,300 --> 00:30:41,734
been characterized by one step
forward,

728
00:30:41,734 --> 00:30:44,000
two steps back, sometimes.

729
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:50,867
And so there is nobody who
had the expectation that

730
00:30:50,867 --> 00:30:52,466
there would be a straight
line from

731
00:30:52,467 --> 00:30:55,500
talks to resolution.

732
00:30:55,500 --> 00:30:57,367
The Press: But everyone
understood that April

733
00:30:57,367 --> 00:30:58,367
was a crucial month.

734
00:30:58,367 --> 00:31:00,500
They were brought here to
discuss the crucial

735
00:31:00,500 --> 00:31:03,400
nature of the upcoming deadline
and the commitment

736
00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:04,500
to move beyond that.

737
00:31:04,500 --> 00:31:08,133
And in the context of
that, they took actions

738
00:31:08,133 --> 00:31:10,367
harmful to the process and
they didn't even tell

739
00:31:10,367 --> 00:31:13,734
the number-one interlocutor,
the irreplaceable country

740
00:31:13,734 --> 00:31:14,966
in the world, as you just
described it,

741
00:31:14,967 --> 00:31:16,834
that they were going to
do those things.

742
00:31:16,834 --> 00:31:19,000
I mean, isn't that a
breach that sort of tells

743
00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:20,600
the United States all it
needs to know about

744
00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:23,567
where this process is, and
that's its investment for

745
00:31:23,567 --> 00:31:25,667
the past year has produced
virtually nothing?

746
00:31:25,667 --> 00:31:28,899
Mr. Earnest: I'm not sure
that I would describe

747
00:31:28,900 --> 00:31:32,100
it as virtually nothing, but
I think that Secretary

748
00:31:32,100 --> 00:31:34,233
Kerry himself talked about
his disappointment

749
00:31:34,233 --> 00:31:37,500
in the steps that were taken,
and we've talked about this

750
00:31:37,500 --> 00:31:39,333
for a couple of
days here as well.

751
00:31:39,333 --> 00:31:41,400
But again, the --

752
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:44,100
The Press: So you said the process isn't over.

753
00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:45,500
What can continue under
these circumstances?

754
00:31:45,500 --> 00:31:46,500
I mean, Kerry is not going

755
00:31:46,500 --> 00:31:47,700
to keep coming back, is he?

756
00:31:47,700 --> 00:31:49,166
He's not going to
keep calling them.

757
00:31:49,166 --> 00:31:50,100
He's going to wait for
them

758
00:31:50,100 --> 00:31:51,300
to do something, right?

759
00:31:51,300 --> 00:31:53,033
Mr. Earnest: I don't
want to foreshadow

760
00:31:53,033 --> 00:31:55,699
what Secretary Kerry's
future steps will be.

761
00:31:55,700 --> 00:31:59,066
What he has said his next
step is is to return

762
00:31:59,066 --> 00:32:01,100
to Washington and have some
conversations

763
00:32:01,100 --> 00:32:02,132
with the President and other
members

764
00:32:02,133 --> 00:32:04,767
of his team about a path forward.

765
00:32:04,767 --> 00:32:05,967
There is --

766
00:32:05,967 --> 00:32:07,934
The Press: So
you could formally

767
00:32:07,934 --> 00:32:08,934
declare an end --

768
00:32:08,934 --> 00:32:10,266
Mr. Earnest: The
lead negotiators

769
00:32:10,266 --> 00:32:12,033
on the both sides, on the
Israeli side

770
00:32:12,033 --> 00:32:13,766
and the Palestinian side, have
indicated a willingness

771
00:32:13,767 --> 00:32:15,033
to keep talking.

772
00:32:15,033 --> 00:32:20,265
So as long as the two
people who are engaged

773
00:32:20,266 --> 00:32:21,900
in the talks are still
talking,

774
00:32:21,900 --> 00:32:23,567
it would be a little odd for me
to stand up here and say that

775
00:32:23,567 --> 00:32:24,567
the talks are over, right?

776
00:32:24,567 --> 00:32:26,433
The Press: Right, but they
would be talking

777
00:32:26,433 --> 00:32:28,800
about something that is worse
than it was before

778
00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:31,233
because of actions they
decided to take.

779
00:32:31,233 --> 00:32:33,300
Mr. Earnest: But
ultimately the way that

780
00:32:33,300 --> 00:32:35,700
we'll resolve these
disputes are not just

781
00:32:35,700 --> 00:32:38,300
through the talks, but
ultimately by important

782
00:32:38,300 --> 00:32:40,533
decisions and courageous
steps being taken

783
00:32:40,533 --> 00:32:42,433
by both sides -- steps that,
again, that we can't

784
00:32:42,433 --> 00:32:43,433
impose or dictate.

785
00:32:43,433 --> 00:32:45,033
The Press: On Ukraine, the
Russians said yesterday

786
00:32:45,033 --> 00:32:47,867
the United States needs
to get over Crimea.

787
00:32:47,867 --> 00:32:48,867
Is it going to?

788
00:32:48,867 --> 00:32:49,867
Mr. Earnest: No.

789
00:32:49,867 --> 00:32:51,433
The Press: And what's it
going to do to change it?

790
00:32:51,433 --> 00:32:55,200
Mr. Earnest: Our position
-- that Russia has

791
00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:58,333
violated the territorial
integrity of the nation

792
00:32:58,333 --> 00:33:01,600
of Ukraine by occupying
Crimea -- has not changed.

793
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:07,567
A result of those actions,
the United States

794
00:33:11,066 --> 00:33:13,233
has worked in concert with
our allies to impose

795
00:33:13,233 --> 00:33:15,033
some costs on the Russians.

796
00:33:15,033 --> 00:33:17,500
There's some indications
that are verifiable that

797
00:33:17,500 --> 00:33:19,500
those costs have exacted

798
00:33:19,500 --> 00:33:22,633
a toll on the Russian economy.

799
00:33:22,633 --> 00:33:26,100
And we stand ready and
are prepared to place

800
00:33:26,100 --> 00:33:28,533
on additional sanctions
if necessary.

801
00:33:28,533 --> 00:33:31,500
But it is our effort to
use those sanctions

802
00:33:31,500 --> 00:33:35,133
to try to get the Russians to
agree to a diplomatic

803
00:33:35,133 --> 00:33:37,166
process that would
deescalate the tensions,

804
00:33:37,166 --> 00:33:40,200
and that's the focal point
of our efforts right now.

805
00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:41,200
Ed.

806
00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:42,200
The Press: Josh, I don't

807
00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:43,200
want to be as pessimistic as Kristen was --

808
00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:44,200
(laughter)

809
00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:47,200
-- but on the jobs report, mixed bag.

810
00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,900
You can tout that you've
got over 190,000 jobs

811
00:33:49,900 --> 00:33:52,367
created in March --
nothing to sneeze at.

812
00:33:52,367 --> 00:33:54,800
But when you've got
long-term unemployed still

813
00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:56,966
very high, you've got
manufacturing --

814
00:33:56,967 --> 00:33:59,233
which the President highlights a
lot -- had its first downturn

815
00:33:59,233 --> 00:34:01,667
in jobs; small downturn,
but downturn,

816
00:34:01,667 --> 00:34:03,132
first one since July.

817
00:34:03,133 --> 00:34:04,133
Where's the recovery?

818
00:34:04,133 --> 00:34:05,800
Mr. Earnest: Well, Ed,
I'll tell you, as somebody

819
00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:07,834
who has stood up here for
a couple of years now

820
00:34:07,834 --> 00:34:14,467
and talked about jobs reports,
the timeframe in which

821
00:34:14,467 --> 00:34:16,900
questions about the jobs
reports are asked

822
00:34:16,900 --> 00:34:21,567
is a pretty good indicator of
how good

823
00:34:21,567 --> 00:34:23,166
or bad the jobs reports may be.

824
00:34:23,166 --> 00:34:25,567
It has been my observation
that when the jobs reports

825
00:34:25,567 --> 00:34:26,734
are really bad, a whole
lot of people

826
00:34:26,734 --> 00:34:27,967
ask about them right at the
beginning,

827
00:34:27,967 --> 00:34:30,433
and when they're pretty good the
questions about

828
00:34:30,433 --> 00:34:32,632
the jobs reports tend to come
later in the briefing.

829
00:34:32,632 --> 00:34:33,332
The Press: Mideast was
kind of exhausted,

830
00:34:33,333 --> 00:34:33,934
so I thought I would
ask --

831
00:34:33,934 --> 00:34:36,100
Mr. Earnest: Understandable.

832
00:34:36,100 --> 00:34:37,766
Here's what I'll say
about the jobs

833
00:34:37,766 --> 00:34:39,567
report: We actually think the
jobs report was pretty

834
00:34:39,567 --> 00:34:42,132
encouraging in terms of
what it says about

835
00:34:42,132 --> 00:34:43,667
our economic recovery.

836
00:34:43,667 --> 00:34:44,933
We're certainly
not satisfied.

837
00:34:44,934 --> 00:34:46,133
We continue to believe
that there's

838
00:34:46,132 --> 00:34:47,500
a lot of work that can and should

839
00:34:47,500 --> 00:34:50,632
be done to strengthen our
economy, to support the private

840
00:34:50,632 --> 00:34:53,299
sector as it leads our recovery.

841
00:34:53,300 --> 00:34:54,667
That being said, there are
plenty of reasons

842
00:34:54,667 --> 00:34:56,699
to look at this report and
feel good about it.

843
00:34:56,699 --> 00:34:59,633
As you point out, 192,000
private sector jobs

844
00:34:59,633 --> 00:35:01,232
were created just last month.

845
00:35:01,233 --> 00:35:03,367
That's 2.3 million private
sector jobs that

846
00:35:03,367 --> 00:35:05,266
were created over the course
of the last year.

847
00:35:05,266 --> 00:35:08,300
The other thing I'd point
out that has been observed

848
00:35:08,300 --> 00:35:10,633
by some is that if you
look back at the

849
00:35:10,633 --> 00:35:14,232
last 19 months of jobs reports,
18 of them --

850
00:35:14,233 --> 00:35:18,700
18 of those 19 jobs reports over
the last 19 months

851
00:35:18,700 --> 00:35:20,399
have been revised upward.

852
00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:23,200
So there's an indication
that these initial reports

853
00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:24,500
don't tell the whole story
about the strength

854
00:35:24,500 --> 00:35:25,500
of the economy.

855
00:35:25,500 --> 00:35:28,600
So what the President will
do is look to build

856
00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:32,133
on what we see is some -- is
at least

857
00:35:32,133 --> 00:35:35,000
a little momentum in our recovery.

858
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,600
And that's why the
President has advocated

859
00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:39,900
a whole range of things from
investments in research

860
00:35:39,900 --> 00:35:43,200
and development, to making
college education a little

861
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:45,332
bit easier for people to
afford -- the kinds of

862
00:35:45,333 --> 00:35:46,900
things that will create
jobs and strengthen our

863
00:35:46,900 --> 00:35:48,166
economy over
the long term.

864
00:35:48,166 --> 00:35:49,867
And the President is going
to continue to advocate

865
00:35:49,867 --> 00:35:50,600
for those things.

866
00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:51,799
The Press: Another thing
that's been noted

867
00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:54,934
in a positive direction is that
if you go back to 2010,

868
00:35:54,934 --> 00:35:58,533
there's now been created
I think it's 8.9 million

869
00:35:58,533 --> 00:36:01,232
private sector jobs, which
sort of wipes

870
00:36:01,233 --> 00:36:03,667
out the 8.8 million lost in the
recession --

871
00:36:03,667 --> 00:36:05,400
another positive sign.

872
00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:07,333
Nancy Pelosi said that
that suggests

873
00:36:07,333 --> 00:36:10,266
to her that we've wiped out all
the lost jobs from what

874
00:36:10,266 --> 00:36:11,934
she called the Bush economic
policies,

875
00:36:11,934 --> 00:36:13,100
the Bush recession.

876
00:36:13,100 --> 00:36:14,967
After more than five years
in office,

877
00:36:14,967 --> 00:36:17,633
can you go to the voters in
November, the midterms,

878
00:36:17,633 --> 00:36:20,265
and really say this is still a
Bush recession

879
00:36:20,266 --> 00:36:22,233
that we're coming out of after
the President

880
00:36:22,233 --> 00:36:23,333
has had over five years?

881
00:36:23,333 --> 00:36:23,900
Mr. Earnest: I think what

882
00:36:23,900 --> 00:36:26,266
most American voters understand
is that we didn't get

883
00:36:26,266 --> 00:36:28,667
into the worst economic recession since

884
00:36:28,667 --> 00:36:30,933
the Great Depression overnight and we're

885
00:36:30,934 --> 00:36:32,433
not going to dig out of it overnight.

886
00:36:32,433 --> 00:36:34,200
And clearly, that's
been the case.

887
00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:36,165
But because of the
persistence and grit

888
00:36:36,166 --> 00:36:38,767
of the American people, and
because of the efforts

889
00:36:38,767 --> 00:36:40,366
of this administration to
support the private

890
00:36:40,367 --> 00:36:42,834
sector in the recovery, we have
made a ton of progress.

891
00:36:42,834 --> 00:36:44,734
And I do think that it's
notable that

892
00:36:44,734 --> 00:36:47,033
over six years we finally dug
out of the hole,

893
00:36:47,033 --> 00:36:48,667
if you're counting private
sector jobs.

894
00:36:48,667 --> 00:36:50,734
But we're not going to
rest on our laurels here;

895
00:36:50,734 --> 00:36:52,266
that there is so much more
work that needs

896
00:36:52,266 --> 00:36:54,533
to be done to expand economic
opportunity

897
00:36:54,533 --> 00:36:55,866
for everybody in this country.

898
00:36:55,867 --> 00:36:57,800
And that will continue to
be, as it has been

899
00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:00,400
since his first day in office,
the top item

900
00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:02,367
on the President's domestic
policymaking agenda.

901
00:37:02,367 --> 00:37:03,367
The Press: I just want to
ask you

902
00:37:03,367 --> 00:37:04,734
on a different topic -- same-sex
marriage.

903
00:37:04,734 --> 00:37:07,567
The chief executive at
Mozilla resigned yesterday

904
00:37:07,567 --> 00:37:08,834
because there was this
controversy

905
00:37:08,834 --> 00:37:11,567
in the last couple of days that
several years ago

906
00:37:11,567 --> 00:37:14,967
he gave $1,000 to an effort to
ban same-sex marriage

907
00:37:14,967 --> 00:37:16,934
and the Prop 8 issue
in California.

908
00:37:16,934 --> 00:37:18,600
My question is that
there's been

909
00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:20,633
a lot of back-and-forth
about this because

910
00:37:20,633 --> 00:37:23,165
there was intense criticism of
people wanting

911
00:37:23,166 --> 00:37:27,633
to boycott the Firefox browser
because of his support

912
00:37:27,633 --> 00:37:29,200
of banning same-sex marriage.

913
00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:31,165
The President himself in
2008,

914
00:37:31,166 --> 00:37:33,967
when this person donated $1,000
to that cause,

915
00:37:33,967 --> 00:37:36,600
also was against same-sex marriage.

916
00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:38,000
Does the White House think
that there should

917
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:40,500
at least be tolerance on the issue, even though the President

918
00:37:40,500 --> 00:37:43,033
has evolved on this issue
and now supports same-sex

919
00:37:43,033 --> 00:37:44,567
marriage, that there
should be tolerance

920
00:37:44,567 --> 00:37:45,567
on the issue and that there
should

921
00:37:45,567 --> 00:37:47,033
be other views heard?

922
00:37:47,033 --> 00:37:49,133
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
certainly understand

923
00:37:49,133 --> 00:37:51,200
why an issue like this has
been in the news and

924
00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:52,265
why a lot of people are
talking about it.

925
00:37:52,266 --> 00:37:54,100
But I'm not going to be in
a position to weigh in on

926
00:37:54,100 --> 00:37:56,366
decisions made by a
private company like this.

927
00:37:56,367 --> 00:37:58,066
Michelle.

928
00:37:58,066 --> 00:37:59,667
The Press: I was going to
ask about jobs first,

929
00:37:59,667 --> 00:38:01,266
you just didn't call
on me first.

930
00:38:01,266 --> 00:38:01,800
(laughter)

931
00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:03,367
So it depends
on where you go.

932
00:38:03,367 --> 00:38:03,834
Mr. Earnest: I have
learned my lesson.

933
00:38:03,834 --> 00:38:04,366
(laughter)

934
00:38:04,367 --> 00:38:06,000
I have
learned my lesson.

935
00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:09,800
The Press: After some
really strong criticism

936
00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:12,333
over the last couple of
weeks over Ukraine,

937
00:38:12,333 --> 00:38:13,867
you might say the President
has had a really

938
00:38:13,867 --> 00:38:16,166
good week with the health care
numbers and

939
00:38:16,166 --> 00:38:18,133
now job numbers -- I mean,
definitely

940
00:38:18,133 --> 00:38:19,600
not a negative there.

941
00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:23,366
So why do you think
that these positives

942
00:38:23,367 --> 00:38:25,500
consistently don't
translate

943
00:38:25,500 --> 00:38:27,667
into positive poll numbers?

944
00:38:27,667 --> 00:38:29,033
And does the
administration feel

945
00:38:29,033 --> 00:38:31,066
like the message needs to
change

946
00:38:31,066 --> 00:38:32,899
at all going into midterms?

947
00:38:32,900 --> 00:38:34,800
I mean, we heard this
speech at the University

948
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:36,533
of Michigan this week
and the President seemed

949
00:38:36,533 --> 00:38:39,100
really fired up and
feisty, almost like

950
00:38:39,100 --> 00:38:42,767
that was going to be a
stump speech-ish type.

951
00:38:42,767 --> 00:38:46,933
Mr. Earnest: Did he seem
fired up and ready to go?

952
00:38:46,934 --> 00:38:47,934
(laughter)

953
00:38:47,934 --> 00:38:48,934
The
Press: Oh, no.

954
00:38:48,934 --> 00:38:50,233
(laughter)

955
00:38:50,233 --> 00:38:51,700
The Press:
What is the message?

956
00:38:51,700 --> 00:38:52,232
Mr. Earnest: We can go
back to that if we want.

957
00:38:52,233 --> 00:38:52,800
The Press: It was relaxed.

958
00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:53,000
He was relaxed a bit.

959
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:54,600
But how do you shape the
message to actually

960
00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:59,200
get what you call a positive
across to the public?

961
00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:01,667
Because in our view it
doesn't really seem

962
00:39:01,667 --> 00:39:02,866
to translate, does it?

963
00:39:02,867 --> 00:39:04,967
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'm not
sure I entirely agree

964
00:39:04,967 --> 00:39:05,967
with that assessment.

965
00:39:05,967 --> 00:39:08,934
The two things that you
cited that you would

966
00:39:08,934 --> 00:39:11,667
anticipate would have a
reaction in the polls

967
00:39:11,667 --> 00:39:13,165
only occurred three
or four days ago.

968
00:39:13,166 --> 00:39:15,633
So it may be too
early to assess.

969
00:39:15,633 --> 00:39:18,433
The Press: But these are
the numbers

970
00:39:18,433 --> 00:39:19,567
over four years.

971
00:39:19,567 --> 00:39:20,166
I mean, you're good at
putting these numbers out

972
00:39:20,166 --> 00:39:22,467
on social media -- 8.9
million jobs --

973
00:39:22,467 --> 00:39:24,200
but would the average
American know that?

974
00:39:24,200 --> 00:39:28,933
And what do you do with
the message from there?

975
00:39:28,934 --> 00:39:31,033
Mr. Earnest: Right, well,
what our strategy

976
00:39:31,033 --> 00:39:33,567
is and what it has been since
the beginning --

977
00:39:33,567 --> 00:39:36,333
and I think historians will evaluate

978
00:39:36,333 --> 00:39:39,433
our success at doing this,

979
00:39:39,433 --> 00:39:40,900
although the President's
reelection

980
00:39:40,900 --> 00:39:43,100
would certainly be an important
part of this.

981
00:39:43,100 --> 00:39:47,133
Our strategy has been
to focus on expanding

982
00:39:47,133 --> 00:39:49,133
economic opportunity for
everybody in this

983
00:39:49,133 --> 00:39:52,265
country with a particular focus
on the middle class.

984
00:39:52,266 --> 00:39:53,667
That is something that
animated the

985
00:39:53,667 --> 00:39:56,467
President's campaign in 2007.

986
00:39:56,467 --> 00:39:58,867
It was an important part
of the policies that

987
00:39:58,867 --> 00:40:02,433
we put in place to recover
from the urgent

988
00:40:02,433 --> 00:40:06,000
situation that was the worst
economic downturn

989
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:07,467
since the Great Depression.

990
00:40:07,467 --> 00:40:09,867
And over the long term, as
that recovery has started

991
00:40:09,867 --> 00:40:12,867
to gain some traction, the
President has been focused

992
00:40:12,867 --> 00:40:14,734
on trying to build on that
momentum and make

993
00:40:14,734 --> 00:40:17,866
sure that opportunity that
flows from that

994
00:40:17,867 --> 00:40:21,200
momentum flows to everybody.

995
00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:24,734
And that is why the
President worked

996
00:40:24,734 --> 00:40:28,633
so hard to pass health care
reform,

997
00:40:28,633 --> 00:40:31,600
because it will provide greater
stability and security

998
00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:33,734
to people all across the country.

999
00:40:33,734 --> 00:40:34,933
It will lower health
care costs

1000
00:40:34,934 --> 00:40:36,100
for small businesses.

1001
00:40:36,100 --> 00:40:38,165
It will lower the health
care costs

1002
00:40:38,166 --> 00:40:40,166
for the government and
reduce our deficit.

1003
00:40:40,166 --> 00:40:42,133
It will also and most
importantly,

1004
00:40:42,133 --> 00:40:47,332
many would argue, expand access
to quality and affordable

1005
00:40:47,333 --> 00:40:49,834
health insurance to
every single American.

1006
00:40:49,834 --> 00:40:51,399
No longer do people have
to go to bed

1007
00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:52,400
at night worried that they're

1008
00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,300
just one illness away from bankruptcy.

1009
00:40:55,300 --> 00:40:58,700
So that is one example of
how the President's

1010
00:40:58,700 --> 00:41:01,600
core focus on expanding
economic opportunity

1011
00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:07,767
has animated his efforts to
pass a domestic

1012
00:41:07,767 --> 00:41:11,000
agenda that he believes in and
that he campaigned on.

1013
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:12,700
And in terms of our
strategy

1014
00:41:12,700 --> 00:41:16,133
for the second term, our
priorities remain the same.

1015
00:41:16,133 --> 00:41:17,433
That's why you see the
President

1016
00:41:17,433 --> 00:41:19,300
strongly advocating for equal pay.

1017
00:41:19,300 --> 00:41:20,600
That's why you see the
President strongly

1018
00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:22,033
advocating for raising the
minimum wage

1019
00:41:22,033 --> 00:41:23,734
to $10.10 an hour.

1020
00:41:23,734 --> 00:41:24,967
That's why you see the
President strongly

1021
00:41:24,967 --> 00:41:28,266
advocating for more
investments

1022
00:41:28,266 --> 00:41:29,300
in research and development.

1023
00:41:29,300 --> 00:41:31,800
These are the kinds of
things that will create

1024
00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:34,734
jobs in the short term but
also lay a foundation

1025
00:41:34,734 --> 00:41:36,866
for our long-term
economic strength.

1026
00:41:36,867 --> 00:41:40,967
And ultimately that
is what our domestic

1027
00:41:40,967 --> 00:41:44,700
policymaking goal is, and
that's the reason

1028
00:41:44,700 --> 00:41:47,366
the President ran for office
and that is what

1029
00:41:47,367 --> 00:41:48,767
will continue to be
our priority.

1030
00:41:48,767 --> 00:41:51,100
Cheryl.

1031
00:41:51,100 --> 00:41:51,600
The Press: Thanks.

1032
00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:55,400
Here at home, the
President yesterday

1033
00:41:55,400 --> 00:41:57,367
signed a bill that would
eliminate public funding

1034
00:41:57,367 --> 00:41:59,800
of party conventions and
then of course

1035
00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:03,000
the Supreme Court ruled this
week on lifting

1036
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:05,200
aggregate contribution limits.

1037
00:42:05,200 --> 00:42:08,033
This puts a lot of control
or power in the hands

1038
00:42:08,033 --> 00:42:09,866
of a few wealthy donors.

1039
00:42:09,867 --> 00:42:11,633
Is the President concerned
that there's

1040
00:42:11,633 --> 00:42:15,799
too much influence on fewer
people, and can he do anything

1041
00:42:15,800 --> 00:42:19,867
to spread that out?

1042
00:42:19,867 --> 00:42:20,934
Mr. Earnest: Well, I would
say that

1043
00:42:20,934 --> 00:42:22,867
not everybody would agree with
that analysis.

1044
00:42:22,867 --> 00:42:27,000
I know that there are some
who have said that there's

1045
00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:32,600
a chance that reducing the
aggregate donor limits

1046
00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:35,933
could lead to a scenario
where there

1047
00:42:35,934 --> 00:42:39,934
are more admittedly wealthy
donors who are empowered.

1048
00:42:39,934 --> 00:42:45,734
So I think there's some
dispute about exactly

1049
00:42:45,734 --> 00:42:49,400
what the conclusions will be.

1050
00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:51,600
I, frankly, don't know
what the result will

1051
00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:54,033
be of the Supreme
Court's election.

1052
00:42:54,033 --> 00:42:56,100
I think it remains
to be seen.

1053
00:42:56,100 --> 00:42:58,799
As a general matter, let
me just say that

1054
00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:05,467
the President does believe
that special interests,

1055
00:43:05,467 --> 00:43:09,734
often using campaign
contributions,

1056
00:43:09,734 --> 00:43:12,333
wield too much influence in
Washington, D.C.,

1057
00:43:12,333 --> 00:43:14,333
and that one of the reasons that
he ran for President

1058
00:43:14,333 --> 00:43:15,700
was because he wanted to
change business

1059
00:43:15,700 --> 00:43:17,100
as usual in Washington.

1060
00:43:17,100 --> 00:43:19,967
So he's advocated for a
range of things,

1061
00:43:19,967 --> 00:43:22,100
including some campaign finance
proposals

1062
00:43:22,100 --> 00:43:23,834
that would do exactly that.

1063
00:43:23,834 --> 00:43:26,399
But in terms of assessing
the impact of this

1064
00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:28,700
recent Supreme Court ruling, I
think it's just

1065
00:43:28,700 --> 00:43:31,700
too early to tell exactly what
impact it will have.

1066
00:43:31,700 --> 00:43:35,600
Mike.

1067
00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:37,266
The Press: So in honor of
baseball,

1068
00:43:37,266 --> 00:43:39,333
this one is a little bit out
of left field.

1069
00:43:39,333 --> 00:43:40,000
Mr. Earnest: Nice.

1070
00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:40,533
Well done.

1071
00:43:40,533 --> 00:43:43,433
(laughter)

1072
00:43:43,433 --> 00:43:44,433
The Press: The
President, if I recall

1073
00:43:44,433 --> 00:43:47,266
correctly on a trip back
or to the memorial

1074
00:43:47,266 --> 00:43:51,033
for Mandela -- I'm not sure
if it was going over

1075
00:43:51,033 --> 00:43:56,033
or coming back -- saw
President Bush's

1076
00:43:56,033 --> 00:43:58,100
artwork on his iPad.

1077
00:43:58,100 --> 00:44:02,933
Given that the art is now
being displayed publicly

1078
00:44:02,934 --> 00:44:04,934
for the first time, do
you have any idea whether

1079
00:44:04,934 --> 00:44:10,800
President Obama has noted
or seen the artwork that's

1080
00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:13,400
being displayed and
whether he or the White

1081
00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:15,633
House has any reaction to
it and the world leaders

1082
00:44:15,633 --> 00:44:19,033
that are being portrayed
by a former occupant

1083
00:44:19,233 --> 00:44:20,433
of this building?

1084
00:44:20,433 --> 00:44:21,800
Mr. Earnest: I don't
know what the overlap

1085
00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:23,667
is between the works that are
being exhibited

1086
00:44:23,667 --> 00:44:25,467
and the works that were
contained

1087
00:44:25,467 --> 00:44:28,633
on President Bush's iPad.

1088
00:44:28,633 --> 00:44:31,066
The only thing I really
know is that, in private,

1089
00:44:31,066 --> 00:44:35,834
I've heard President Obama
speak about President

1090
00:44:35,834 --> 00:44:40,133
Bush's works in a very
complimentary fashion.

1091
00:44:40,133 --> 00:44:43,000
I think that's been the
reaction from a lot of

1092
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:45,667
people that I have seen
-- that people have been

1093
00:44:45,667 --> 00:44:50,033
impressed at his -- both
at his natural ability

1094
00:44:50,033 --> 00:44:53,299
but also at the way that he
has pursued an interest

1095
00:44:53,300 --> 00:44:54,266
that I think a lot of
people didn't

1096
00:44:54,266 --> 00:44:55,266
expect him to have.

1097
00:44:55,266 --> 00:44:57,500
The Press: Do you remember
any specifics that

1098
00:44:57,500 --> 00:44:58,700
the President has said?

1099
00:44:58,700 --> 00:44:59,899
Mr. Earnest: I don't.

1100
00:44:59,900 --> 00:45:01,633
Let's move around
a little bit.

1101
00:45:01,633 --> 00:45:02,633
Jared.

1102
00:45:02,633 --> 00:45:04,165
The Press: Does the White
House -- will the White

1103
00:45:04,166 --> 00:45:06,767
House have any guidance
for what the President

1104
00:45:06,767 --> 00:45:09,100
will fundraise on,
respective of McCutcheon,

1105
00:45:09,100 --> 00:45:11,266
before the 2014 cycle?

1106
00:45:11,266 --> 00:45:12,567
Is this something where
you're going

1107
00:45:12,567 --> 00:45:14,166
to be kicking out people who
have already donated

1108
00:45:14,166 --> 00:45:16,633
the maximum because you're
going to turn them away?

1109
00:45:16,633 --> 00:45:18,667
Will the President do
these fundraisers?

1110
00:45:18,667 --> 00:45:21,066
Mr. Earnest: Jared, I know
that you asked Jay about

1111
00:45:21,066 --> 00:45:22,633
this yesterday and I just
don't have anything

1112
00:45:22,633 --> 00:45:23,633
new for you on this.

1113
00:45:23,633 --> 00:45:26,533
The Press: In advance
of the November 2014

1114
00:45:26,533 --> 00:45:28,200
elections, will the
President

1115
00:45:28,200 --> 00:45:29,633
or will the White House or the
DNC have guidelines

1116
00:45:29,633 --> 00:45:31,799
for what the President
will be doing?

1117
00:45:31,800 --> 00:45:33,734
Mr. Earnest: If we do have
guidelines like that,

1118
00:45:33,734 --> 00:45:35,100
I will make sure you're
among the first

1119
00:45:35,100 --> 00:45:36,232
to know about them,
how about that?

1120
00:45:36,233 --> 00:45:39,834
The Press: And for the 591
people who donated the

1121
00:45:39,834 --> 00:45:41,667
maximum in the 2010 to
2012 cycle,

1122
00:45:41,667 --> 00:45:44,500
does the President feel like
it's a good thing

1123
00:45:44,500 --> 00:45:46,934
that they will have the ability

1124
00:45:46,934 --> 00:45:48,667
to donate more in the 2013 to 2014 cycle?

1125
00:45:48,667 --> 00:45:51,133
Mr. Earnest: That's a very
creative way of asking

1126
00:45:51,133 --> 00:45:53,799
that question, so I
compliment you

1127
00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:55,233
on your artistic ability as well.

1128
00:45:55,233 --> 00:45:56,100
The Press: Thank you.

1129
00:45:56,100 --> 00:45:58,066
Mr. Earnest: But, again, I
just don't have anything

1130
00:45:58,066 --> 00:46:01,066
more for you in terms of
the practical

1131
00:46:01,066 --> 00:46:02,633
impact of this week's Supreme
Court ruling.

1132
00:46:02,633 --> 00:46:05,133
But if and when we get to
a place where we have a

1133
00:46:05,133 --> 00:46:08,700
specific policy change
that governs the

1134
00:46:08,700 --> 00:46:11,000
President's fundraising
activities,

1135
00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:12,300
like I said, you'll be among
the first to know.

1136
00:46:12,300 --> 00:46:14,667
We'll go in the back.

1137
00:46:14,667 --> 00:46:15,667
Yes, way in the back.

1138
00:46:15,667 --> 00:46:16,667
Right there in the corner.

1139
00:46:16,667 --> 00:46:18,299
The Press: There was
a telephone call that

1140
00:46:18,300 --> 00:46:21,934
appeared on the Internet
this morning reporting

1141
00:46:21,934 --> 00:46:22,900
to show two Russian
ambassadors, both based

1142
00:46:22,900 --> 00:46:26,066
in Africa, talking in some
kind of tongue-in-cheek

1143
00:46:26,066 --> 00:46:29,966
terms about taking
over the world.

1144
00:46:29,967 --> 00:46:30,967
The question is
whether the

1145
00:46:30,967 --> 00:46:34,233
U.S. administration had any
involvement

1146
00:46:34,233 --> 00:46:36,467
or prior knowledge of either the
interception

1147
00:46:36,467 --> 00:46:38,133
or leak of that call?

1148
00:46:38,133 --> 00:46:40,899
Mr. Earnest: I have to
admit that I've seen those

1149
00:46:40,900 --> 00:46:44,000
-- I saw those reports
about the call but I know

1150
00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:45,467
nothing about them beyond
what

1151
00:46:45,467 --> 00:46:47,667
I read in those reports, so I'm
not in a position

1152
00:46:47,667 --> 00:46:48,667
to comment on them.

1153
00:46:48,667 --> 00:46:49,667
But we can certainly
take the question,

1154
00:46:49,667 --> 00:46:53,799
and if you want to consult with
one of my National Security

1155
00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:54,800
Council colleagues we can
look into it for you.

1156
00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:55,800
The Press: Sure.

1157
00:46:55,800 --> 00:46:56,800
The last time this was an
issue, with respect

1158
00:46:56,800 --> 00:46:58,300
to Victoria Nuland and Lady
Ashton --

1159
00:46:58,300 --> 00:46:59,300
Mr. Earnest: I remember.

1160
00:46:59,300 --> 00:47:00,367
The Press: Yes.

1161
00:47:00,367 --> 00:47:01,367
The White House --

1162
00:47:01,367 --> 00:47:02,367
Mr. Earnest: It was colorful.

1163
00:47:02,367 --> 00:47:03,367
The Press: It was, indeed.

1164
00:47:03,367 --> 00:47:04,367
And you expressed some
concern that these

1165
00:47:04,367 --> 00:47:05,367
calls were being made public.

1166
00:47:05,367 --> 00:47:07,567
Do you share similar
concerns about the leaking

1167
00:47:07,567 --> 00:47:10,100
of calls of diplomats
when they're Russians?

1168
00:47:10,100 --> 00:47:13,232
Mr. Earnest: I think as a
general principle,

1169
00:47:13,233 --> 00:47:15,800
yes, that we believe that the
diplomats should

1170
00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:19,333
be able to have those kinds
of conversations.

1171
00:47:19,333 --> 00:47:22,100
But, again, I hesitate to
just weigh in here because

1172
00:47:22,100 --> 00:47:23,700
I don't -- again, I don't
really know anything

1173
00:47:23,700 --> 00:47:26,332
about it beyond what I read
about it in the newspaper.

1174
00:47:26,333 --> 00:47:27,900
The Press: And I just
wanted to follow-up

1175
00:47:27,900 --> 00:47:30,166
on something kind of
unrelated, going back

1176
00:47:30,166 --> 00:47:31,700
to the Cuban Twitter.

1177
00:47:31,700 --> 00:47:34,899
I know Jay yesterday was
saying that this wasn't

1178
00:47:34,900 --> 00:47:36,367
covert because it
wasn't identified

1179
00:47:36,367 --> 00:47:38,400
as an intelligence program, but
it was,

1180
00:47:38,400 --> 00:47:39,433
in his words, discreet.

1181
00:47:39,433 --> 00:47:42,367
Given the extensive
efforts that were

1182
00:47:42,367 --> 00:47:46,000
undertaken to conceal this
program,

1183
00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:50,400
would you go as far as to admit
that it was secret?

1184
00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:53,233
Mr. Earnest: No, I
think I'll just --

1185
00:47:53,233 --> 00:47:55,767
in a variation on what Jay
said yesterday, if it was

1186
00:47:55,767 --> 00:47:57,100
secret, I wouldn't be
willing to talk to you

1187
00:47:57,100 --> 00:47:58,066
about it right now.

1188
00:47:58,066 --> 00:47:58,866
The Press: And if it
wasn't secret,

1189
00:47:58,867 --> 00:48:01,467
could you talk to us about any
other similar programs

1190
00:48:01,467 --> 00:48:04,000
that you have underway
elsewhere in the world?

1191
00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:06,500
Mr. Earnest: I don't have
any knowledge of them,

1192
00:48:06,500 --> 00:48:08,700
but if you wanted to check
with USAID I'm sure

1193
00:48:08,700 --> 00:48:10,767
they'd be happy to talk to you
about some of the other

1194
00:48:10,767 --> 00:48:12,033
development programs that

1195
00:48:12,033 --> 00:48:15,266
they have underway across the globe.

1196
00:48:15,266 --> 00:48:15,767
Chris.

1197
00:48:15,767 --> 00:48:17,734
The Press: Thanks, Jay
-- Josh, pardon me.

1198
00:48:17,734 --> 00:48:18,333
Mr. Earnest: That's okay.

1199
00:48:18,333 --> 00:48:20,900
It happens about once a
time when I'm up here.

1200
00:48:20,900 --> 00:48:21,567
(laughter)

1201
00:48:21,567 --> 00:48:22,834
It's okay,
you're the one today.

1202
00:48:22,834 --> 00:48:24,799
The Press: I want to
follow up on Jay's remarks

1203
00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:26,300
yesterday that an
executive order protecting

1204
00:48:26,300 --> 00:48:28,100
LGBT workers would
be redundant

1205
00:48:28,100 --> 00:48:29,667
if the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act

1206
00:48:29,667 --> 00:48:30,667
were in place.

1207
00:48:30,667 --> 00:48:32,033
A lot of groups who are
unhappy with that are

1208
00:48:32,033 --> 00:48:33,767
saying those views are
inconsistent with civil

1209
00:48:33,767 --> 00:48:35,433
rights protections for
other groups --

1210
00:48:35,433 --> 00:48:37,100
in fact, the LGBT group Freedom
to Work

1211
00:48:37,100 --> 00:48:38,266
is calling for a retraction.

1212
00:48:38,266 --> 00:48:40,100
Does the White House now
see value having both

1213
00:48:40,100 --> 00:48:42,000
ENDA and the executive
order in place?

1214
00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:43,900
Mr. Earnest: I know that
this, Chris,

1215
00:48:43,900 --> 00:48:45,333
is something that you ask
about quite a bit.

1216
00:48:45,333 --> 00:48:48,100
The fact of the matter
is our position

1217
00:48:48,100 --> 00:48:53,100
on legislation that would
codify into

1218
00:48:53,100 --> 00:48:56,232
the law that individuals can't
be discriminated against

1219
00:48:56,233 --> 00:48:58,500
at work just because of who
they love --

1220
00:48:58,500 --> 00:49:00,700
we strongly support that legislation.

1221
00:49:00,700 --> 00:49:03,332
We continue to urge
Congress

1222
00:49:03,333 --> 00:49:05,000
to pass that legislation.

1223
00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:06,967
And that is what
our position is.

1224
00:49:06,967 --> 00:49:10,266
That is our position not
just because

1225
00:49:10,266 --> 00:49:12,166
you ask about it every day,
but also because

1226
00:49:12,166 --> 00:49:13,600
this is a strongly held view of the

1227
00:49:13,600 --> 00:49:14,933
President of the United
States.

1228
00:49:14,934 --> 00:49:17,667
This is a priority of
his, and he continues to

1229
00:49:17,667 --> 00:49:19,633
advocate for its passage
along with a number

1230
00:49:19,633 --> 00:49:22,066
of allies on the Democratic
side in Congress

1231
00:49:22,066 --> 00:49:23,633
for the passage of this
legislation.

1232
00:49:23,633 --> 00:49:24,633
And that's something that
we're going

1233
00:49:24,633 --> 00:49:26,133
to continue to do.

1234
00:49:26,133 --> 00:49:27,834
The Press: But that
doesn't address

1235
00:49:27,834 --> 00:49:28,133
the issue of redundancy.

1236
00:49:28,133 --> 00:49:28,667
Does the White House also
believe that executive

1237
00:49:28,667 --> 00:49:31,200
order 11246 -- the
existing directive

1238
00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:33,100
that bars discrimination among
federal contractors

1239
00:49:33,100 --> 00:49:34,967
on the basis of race, religion
and gender --

1240
00:49:34,967 --> 00:49:36,867
is redundant under existing
civil rights law?

1241
00:49:36,867 --> 00:49:37,867
Mr. Earnest: I'll be
honest with you,

1242
00:49:37,867 --> 00:49:39,633
I'm not familiar with those
-- with that specific

1243
00:49:39,633 --> 00:49:41,633
executive order, but we
can certainly

1244
00:49:41,633 --> 00:49:42,299
look into it for you.

1245
00:49:42,300 --> 00:49:45,800
But in terms of the thrust
of your question, the

1246
00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:47,367
President's unwavering
support for ENDA

1247
00:49:47,367 --> 00:49:48,567
legislation has
not changed.

1248
00:49:48,567 --> 00:49:51,467
The Press: Josh, to be
more specific

1249
00:49:51,467 --> 00:49:54,500
on the Afghanistan elections, is
the President confident

1250
00:49:54,500 --> 00:49:59,734
that the Afghan security
forces can take care of

1251
00:49:59,734 --> 00:50:02,667
and keep at bay or
whatever those who would

1252
00:50:02,667 --> 00:50:05,133
bring fear and chaos to
this process that

1253
00:50:05,133 --> 00:50:06,600
they continue to try to do?

1254
00:50:06,600 --> 00:50:09,100
Or is there some sort
of plan B where the

1255
00:50:09,100 --> 00:50:11,533
international security
forces might raise

1256
00:50:11,533 --> 00:50:13,467
their profile during
a long process?

1257
00:50:13,467 --> 00:50:19,633
Mr. Earnest: There has
been a handover

1258
00:50:19,633 --> 00:50:21,633
of responsibility for
security

1259
00:50:21,633 --> 00:50:23,299
to the Afghan forces.

1260
00:50:23,300 --> 00:50:27,133
And that handover is not
going to be rolled back.

1261
00:50:27,133 --> 00:50:28,834
There are --
there continue

1262
00:50:28,834 --> 00:50:31,866
to be American troops on the
ground in Afghanistan,

1263
00:50:31,867 --> 00:50:36,200
but they are there merely to
support the Afghans as they have

1264
00:50:36,200 --> 00:50:37,299
-- are in the lead when
it comes

1265
00:50:37,300 --> 00:50:39,300
to the security responsibility
for their country.

1266
00:50:39,300 --> 00:50:41,934
That will continue to be
true over the course

1267
00:50:41,934 --> 00:50:43,967
of the elections, and we
are hopeful

1268
00:50:43,967 --> 00:50:47,900
that these elections will be
conducted peacefully

1269
00:50:47,900 --> 00:50:50,100
and in the spirit of the kind
of democracy

1270
00:50:50,100 --> 00:50:52,133
that the Afghan people deserve.

1271
00:50:52,133 --> 00:50:53,767
The Press: So the
President still has

1272
00:50:53,767 --> 00:50:54,500
confidence in the
Afghan security forces?

1273
00:50:54,500 --> 00:50:56,533
Mr. Earnest: Well, look,
there's no doubt --

1274
00:50:56,533 --> 00:50:58,633
and I don't want to minimize the
challenges that they face

1275
00:50:58,633 --> 00:51:03,000
-- there continues to be a
very pernicious element

1276
00:51:03,000 --> 00:51:06,400
in Afghanistan that I'm
confident will take some

1277
00:51:06,400 --> 00:51:07,467
rather extreme measures
to try

1278
00:51:07,467 --> 00:51:09,100
to disrupt the elections.

1279
00:51:09,100 --> 00:51:12,500
But at the same time, it's
fair to say that this

1280
00:51:12,500 --> 00:51:14,133
administration and I think
the American people

1281
00:51:14,133 --> 00:51:17,399
have been impressed at the
resolve of the Afghan

1282
00:51:17,400 --> 00:51:19,967
people and the courage
that they've shown to try

1283
00:51:19,967 --> 00:51:22,233
to influence the direction
and the future of their

1284
00:51:22,233 --> 00:51:27,767
country, and to do so in a
way that reflects

1285
00:51:27,767 --> 00:51:31,700
the kind of democracy and the
kind of ability

1286
00:51:31,700 --> 00:51:33,866
to influence the course of their
country that

1287
00:51:33,867 --> 00:51:35,000
they would like to wield.

1288
00:51:35,000 --> 00:51:37,100
So we are supportive of
their efforts and we stand

1289
00:51:37,100 --> 00:51:38,933
with them as they
participate in this

1290
00:51:38,934 --> 00:51:41,467
Afghan-led process.

1291
00:51:41,467 --> 00:51:45,600
The Press: Do you have
a week ahead, Josh?

1292
00:51:45,600 --> 00:51:48,767
Mr. Earnest: Indeed I do.

1293
00:51:48,767 --> 00:51:50,567
On Monday, the President
will travel

1294
00:51:50,567 --> 00:51:53,000
to Prince George's County,
Maryland to host

1295
00:51:53,000 --> 00:51:55,000
an event on the economy.

1296
00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:56,633
Following this event,
he'll return to the White

1297
00:51:56,633 --> 00:51:58,033
House where he will meet
with the commander

1298
00:51:58,033 --> 00:51:59,834
in chief and executive
director

1299
00:51:59,834 --> 00:52:02,466
of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

1300
00:52:02,467 --> 00:52:04,600
On Tuesday, the President
will host an event

1301
00:52:04,600 --> 00:52:07,299
on the economy at the
White House.

1302
00:52:07,300 --> 00:52:08,700
On Wednesday, the
President

1303
00:52:08,700 --> 00:52:10,500
and First Lady will begin a
two-day trip

1304
00:52:10,500 --> 00:52:12,233
to the Lone Star state. and the DCCC in Houston.

1305
00:52:12,233 --> 00:52:14,033
More details regarding the
President and First Lady's

1306
00:52:14,033 --> 00:52:20,000
travel to Houston
will be forthcoming.

1307
00:52:24,967 --> 00:52:28,367
On Thursday, the President
and First Lady will travel

1308
00:52:28,367 --> 00:52:30,567
to the Lyndon Baines
Johnson Library

1309
00:52:30,567 --> 00:52:31,567
in Austin, Texas.

1310
00:52:31,567 --> 00:52:32,767
The President will deliver
remarks at a civil rights

1311
00:52:32,767 --> 00:52:34,734
summit to commemorate the
50th anniversary

1312
00:52:34,734 --> 00:52:37,232
of the signing of the
Civil Rights Act.

1313
00:52:37,233 --> 00:52:39,100
The President and First
Lady will return

1314
00:52:39,100 --> 00:52:41,667
to Washington, D.C.
in the afternoon.

1315
00:52:41,667 --> 00:52:44,266
On Friday, the President
will travel to New York

1316
00:52:44,266 --> 00:52:46,600
to deliver remarks at the
National Action Network's

1317
00:52:46,600 --> 00:52:48,000
16th annual convention.

1318
00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:50,600
The Press: Is he meeting
with the other former

1319
00:52:50,600 --> 00:52:52,066
Presidents while
he's in Texas?

1320
00:52:52,066 --> 00:52:53,799
Mr. Earnest: It is my
understanding

1321
00:52:53,800 --> 00:52:56,734
that there will be a couple of
other former Presidents

1322
00:52:56,734 --> 00:52:59,066
in attendance, but I don't
have any specific

1323
00:52:59,066 --> 00:53:01,165
meetings to tell you
about right now.

1324
00:53:01,166 --> 00:53:03,200
The Press: Josh, the
fundraisers on Wednesday,

1325
00:53:03,200 --> 00:53:04,667
is it one or two?

1326
00:53:04,667 --> 00:53:06,100
Mr. Earnest: It's my
understanding

1327
00:53:06,100 --> 00:53:07,266
it's two separate events.

1328
00:53:07,266 --> 00:53:09,734
I don't know if it's two
separate events

1329
00:53:09,734 --> 00:53:12,033
both of which jointly benefit
the two different

1330
00:53:12,033 --> 00:53:15,633
committees or if it's one event
targeted to one committee.

1331
00:53:15,633 --> 00:53:17,500
So as we get those details
soused out we'll

1332
00:53:17,500 --> 00:53:18,500
get them to you on Tuesday.

1333
00:53:18,500 --> 00:53:19,700
The Press: There's talk of
a Fort Hood

1334
00:53:19,700 --> 00:53:21,466
service next week.

1335
00:53:21,467 --> 00:53:23,000
Would he be
attending that?

1336
00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:26,400
Mr. Earnest: I appreciate
the question, Peter.

1337
00:53:26,400 --> 00:53:28,367
I don't have any changes
to the schedule

1338
00:53:28,367 --> 00:53:30,233
to announce at this point,
but

1339
00:53:30,233 --> 00:53:32,400
if there are any changes to the
schedule we'll make

1340
00:53:32,400 --> 00:53:34,667
sure that you know.

1341
00:53:34,667 --> 00:53:36,232
Nothing at this point, but
if that changes we'll

1342
00:53:36,233 --> 00:53:37,233
let you know.

1343
00:53:37,233 --> 00:53:37,934
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1344
00:53:37,934 --> 00:53:38,567
Mr. Earnest: Have a good
weekend, everybody.