English subtitles for clip: File:7-22-14- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Earnest: Good
morning, everybody.

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Don't start off too many
briefings by saying that.

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It's nice to see you all.

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We're doing this early today
to accommodate the President's

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travel and the speaking
event that he has a little

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after noon today.

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So we'll try to be quick.

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I do have one statement
quickly at the top.

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As you know, some of
your colleagues who are

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in the in-town travel pool
today are not here right now.

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They're with the President
who is visiting the Embassy

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of the Netherlands here in
Washington, D.C., to sign

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a condolence book honoring those
who were lost in the tragic

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shoot-down of Malaysia
Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine.

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So I don't anticipate that the
President is going to have

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any remarks there, but there
should be some footage that

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you guys will have access
to of the President signing

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that condolence book.

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With that, Julie, do you
want to get us started today?

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The Press: Thanks, Josh.

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Is there White House reaction to
the federal appeals court ruling

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this morning that basically
invalidates the healthcare

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subsidies for people in
states that haven't set

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up the exchanges?

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Mr. Earnest: I know that there
will be a statement coming

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from the Department
of Justice on this.

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They obviously are
representing the position

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of the United States government
and the administration

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for the D.C. circuit, so I'd
refer you to that statement.

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I do have a couple
of thoughts, though,

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you won't be surprised to hear.

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The first is it's important
for people all across

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the country to understand that
this ruling does not have

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any practical impact on
their ability to continue

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to receive tax
credits right now.

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Right now there are millions of
Americans all across the country

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who are receiving tax credits
from the federal government

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as a result of the
Affordable Care Act that

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is making healthcare more
affordable for them,

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and while this ruling is
interesting to legal theorists,

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it has no practical impact on
their tax credits right now.

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The second is there are four
different cases of making this

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point that are making
their way through

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the federal court system.

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Two of them have been dismissed
at the district court level;

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two of them are awaiting
their initial rulings.

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This, of course, is the
appeal of one of those cases.

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So there is decidedly mixed
legal opinion about this,

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but for those who
are keeping score,

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we're still ahead
two to one here.

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What I do anticipate the
Department of Justice will

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do is they will ask for a ruling
from the full D.C. circuit.

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As you know, this was a decision
that was issued just by three

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members of the D.C. circuit,
two of whom ruled against

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the federal government
and one agreed with

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the government's position.

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Now, it's important for people
to also understand that some

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of those district courts
that have thrown out

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this case have been
decided by judges who used

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some pretty strong
rhetoric in doing so.

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There's a judge in this case at
the district level who said,

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"There is simply no evidence in
the statute itself or in the

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legislative history of any
intent by Congress to support

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the claims that are
made by the plaintiff."

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In another case that was
making the same legal argument

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a judge wrote that the theory
propounded by the plaintiffs

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was "not a viable theory."

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The last thing that's important
-- and this is -- there's

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a lot of high-minded case
law that's applied here;

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there's also an element of
common sense that should

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be applied as well, which
is that you don't need

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a fancy legal degree to
understand that Congress

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intended for every eligible American to have access

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to tax credits that would
lower their health care costs

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regardless of whether it
was state officials

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or federal officials who are running the marketplace.

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I think that is a pretty clear
intent of the congressional law.

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This will work its way through
the legal process and we are

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confident in the legal case
that the Department of Justice

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will be making.

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The Press: Obviously, as
these cases do work through

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the legal system, there could
ultimately end up being

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a practical impact on people
who are receiving subsidies.

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Can the health care law work
effectively and continue

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to, as you say, be affordable
for Americans without

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the subsidies being
available in all states?

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Mr. Earnest: We are confident
in the legal position that

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we have that millions
of Americans --

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The Press: If that legal position no longer becomes

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tenable, can the law
work if these subsidies

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are not widely available?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, that is a
hypothetical we may be able

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to entertain at some point,
but right now we are

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confident in the legal basis
that supports our case.

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The Department of Justice will
litigate these claims through

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the federal court system.

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And again, our confidence
is rooted in the fact that

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it is pretty obvious what the
congressional intent was here.

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Their intent was for every
eligible American who applied

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for tax credits to make their
health care more affordable

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to have access to those tax
credits regardless of whether

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it was state officials or
federal officials who were

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running the marketplace.

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The Press: And if I could
ask on a separate topic,

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can you give us some context
on the President's decision

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to send Denis McDonough and
Lisa Monaco to Germany today?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, you've seen
the statement that has been put

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out -- I think the statement
originated in Germany where

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the Chief of Staff and Ms.
Monaco currently are.

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This meeting was the result of a
telephone conversation between

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the President and Chancellor
Merkel in the last week

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or so where they agreed that
Mr. McDonough and Ms. Monaco,

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who are the President's Chief
of Staff and his top

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Homeland Security Advisor,
respectively -- that they

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would travel to Germany to
meet with their counterparts

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to talk through some of
the issues that have

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been covered in the media.

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It was an opportunity for them
to meet and discuss in the

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course of intensive talks the
state of bilateral relations

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and future cooperation.

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There were a full range of
issues that were discussed,

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including intelligence
and security cooperation.

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Mr. McDonough and his
counterpart agreed to set

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up a structured dialogue to
address concerns of both sides

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and establish guiding
principles as the basis

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for continued and
future cooperation.

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The Press: Did McDonough and
Monaco bring with them any

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specific information or answers
for the Germans on these

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two allegations of
U.S. spies in Germany?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, I'm not
going to get into the substance

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of the talks.

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I would describe the talks as
productive and a useful trip.

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But as we've said a couple of
times as it relates to these

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reports, it is the view of the
United States that differences

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of opinion or differences of
perspective on these kinds

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of matters are best resolved
through established diplomatic

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and intelligence channels, and
that's exactly what we're doing.

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Steve.

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The Press: What does that
mean, structured dialogue?

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What does it mean?

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Mr. Earnest: I think it's simply
the basis of future discussions

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on these kinds of issues.

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And again, it is our view that
these kinds of differences

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are best resolved through
these private established

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channels and not litigated
through the media.

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The Press: President Putin is
saying Russia would use

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its influence to allow a
full investigation into

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the downed jet.

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Are you detecting a change
in tone from the Kremlin?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, there was
some news from that region

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that we welcome for a change.

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We welcome the news that most
of the remains of those who

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perished in Malaysian
Airlines Flight 17 as well

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as the black boxes
are now in the hands

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of Dutch and Malaysian
authorities.

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While that is one step
in the right direction,

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international investigators
led by the Dutch still

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need immediate and full
access to the site.

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As you point out, Russia did
say today that it will use its

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influence over the separatists
to get them to fully cooperate,

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and we intend to hold
the Russians to that.

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The Press: And so investigators
still don't have access, though?

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Mr. Earnest: They
don't have --

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The Press: Are there still
the intimidation tactics,

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the firing in the air and --

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Mr. Earnest: I think what
we have seen is we have

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seen conditions on
the ground improve.

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And that's illustrated by the
fact that we've made progress

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on a couple of -- those two matters that I addressed

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at the top.

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I don't think we've seen yet
the level of cooperation with

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international investigators that
we'd like to see to this point.

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This is a complicated issue and
one we anticipate that --

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we anticipate it's going to
require some work to get

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the kind of cooperation
that we would like to see.

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But time is of the essence here.

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And as the President
said yesterday,

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it is the least that
those separatists could

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do to cooperate with
international investigators,

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give them the access that they
need to that site so that they

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can conduct a transparent
investigation and determine

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what exactly happened.

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Jim.

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The Press: Anything
new on the evidence

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in the plane crash investigation?

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I know yesterday some senior
administration officials were

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telling reporters on background
that the black boxes were

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not perhaps as important
as the wreckage itself.

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And there are some reports about
burn marks on some of the pieces

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of wreckage at the crash site.

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Is that a promising sign?

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Any new evidence to present
that bolsters the U.S. case

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as to what happened?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, there has
been a lot of evidence

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that's already been
presented that paints

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a pretty compelling picture.

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If you'll indulge me
for a little bit here,

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I just want to
review what that is.

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We've been saying for months,
and in some settings the

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Russians have acknowledged, that
they're actively supporting

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the rebels, the separatists
in eastern Ukraine.

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In fact, some of the separatist
leaders are actually

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of Russian citizenship.

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We've seen reports of heavy
weapons moving across the

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Russian border into Ukraine.

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In fact, that was the reason
for the sanctions regime

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that this administration
anthnounced last week,

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was the continued evidence
of heavy weapons moving

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from Russia into Ukraine.

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We've seen evidence that
Russians are training

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separatists on how
to use those weapons.

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Those weapons include
anti-aircraft weapons.

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In fact, the separatists have
bragged in the last several

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weeks of shooting down
three different aircraft.

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And there's ample social
media evidence to indicate

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that the separatists
have access to the kind

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of SA-11 missile system
that is capable of reaching

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aircraft that are flying
at high altitudes.

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Now, the other thing
that we know is that

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the Malaysia Airlines Flight
17 was downed by a missile

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that was fired from the ground.

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That missile was fired from a
separatist-controlled area.

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And at the time, the Ukrainian
military was not operating

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anti-aircraft weapons in
that area at that time.

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After the plane was downed,
there were ample social media

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accounts to indicate that an
SA-11 system that appeared

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to be missing one specific
missile was being transported

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back across the border
from Ukraine to Russia.

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There were also social media
accounts of separatists talking

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about shooting down an airplane.

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So there is a lot of evidence
that's already been marshaled.

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The Press: Is it a
circumstantial case at this

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point, to use a legal term?

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Mr. Earnest: Well, there will
be a role for a more formal

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intelligence assessment
to be presented.

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I do expect that you'll hear
from intel officials later

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today who will have some
more data to present

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and some more evidence to
indicate -- I guess, some

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more evidence to
educate you about what

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we know so far about that
situation, but I will

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leave specific intelligence
assessments to them.

242
00:11:20,646 --> 00:11:23,848
They're the experts who can
analyze this data and can

243
00:11:23,849 --> 00:11:27,119
be more effective in drawing
a more conclusive case.

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00:11:27,119 --> 00:11:28,120
But I will leave that to them.

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00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,222
The Press: Apparently U.S. carriers are now making

246
00:11:30,222 --> 00:11:34,026
the decision to not fly
over parts of Israel

247
00:11:34,026 --> 00:11:36,694
because of the
violence down there.

248
00:11:36,695 --> 00:11:38,931
Does the administration,
I guess, support that?

249
00:11:38,931 --> 00:11:42,701
Was the administration
pivotal in making that

250
00:11:42,701 --> 00:11:44,703
change and asking the
carriers to do this?

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00:11:44,703 --> 00:11:47,305
Mr. Earnest: Well, as it relates
to the airspace in Gaza,

252
00:11:47,306 --> 00:11:51,310
it's my understanding that the
FAA has not issued any notices

253
00:11:51,310 --> 00:11:55,814
related to the ongoing violence
in that region of the world.

254
00:11:55,815 --> 00:11:57,817
I do think this does serve
to illustrate, though,

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00:11:57,817 --> 00:12:00,753
that it's individual carriers
who make the decision about

256
00:12:00,753 --> 00:12:03,689
their flight plans and whether
or not to alter specific

257
00:12:03,689 --> 00:12:05,891
routes based on
hostilities on the ground.

258
00:12:05,891 --> 00:12:08,026
The Press: Some people have
raised the question about

259
00:12:08,027 --> 00:12:10,062
Malaysian Airlines and should
they have been flying over

260
00:12:10,062 --> 00:12:12,064
that airspace in Ukraine.

261
00:12:12,064 --> 00:12:14,132
Does the administration
have a take on that

262
00:12:14,133 --> 00:12:15,301
as to whether that was --

263
00:12:15,301 --> 00:12:18,370
Mr. Earnest: Ultimately, it's individual carriers --

264
00:12:18,370 --> 00:12:20,106
in this case, Malaysian
Airlines -- who is responsible

265
00:12:20,106 --> 00:12:23,109
for determining the
appropriate flight path.

266
00:12:23,109 --> 00:12:23,375
The Press: Okay.

267
00:12:23,375 --> 00:12:26,312
And one question on the trip
this week that the President

268
00:12:26,312 --> 00:12:28,581
is taking out West to
do some fundraising.

269
00:12:28,581 --> 00:12:32,418
He, I guess, was going to go on
the Jimmy Kimmel Show but then

270
00:12:32,418 --> 00:12:36,722
that, I guess, booking was
canceled by the White House.

271
00:12:36,722 --> 00:12:39,525
Was the White House concerned
about the image that might

272
00:12:39,525 --> 00:12:41,861
be put out if the President
was there on a late-night

273
00:12:41,861 --> 00:12:43,529
talk show with
everything going on?

274
00:12:43,529 --> 00:12:45,531
Mr. Earnest: What
I can say, Jim,

275
00:12:45,531 --> 00:12:48,166
is that we had been in touch
with representatives

276
00:12:48,167 --> 00:12:50,169
of Mr. Kimmel's show
about the possibility

277
00:12:50,169 --> 00:12:52,738
of participating -- about having
the President participate

278
00:12:52,738 --> 00:12:54,140
in that program on this trip.

279
00:12:54,140 --> 00:12:58,744
We ultimately elected not to
have the President do that

280
00:12:58,744 --> 00:13:01,947
interview over the
course of this trip,

281
00:13:01,947 --> 00:13:06,619
and that is at least in part
related to the challenges of

282
00:13:06,619 --> 00:13:12,057
doing a comedy show in the midst
of some of these other more

283
00:13:12,057 --> 00:13:14,059
serious matters that the
President is dealing with

284
00:13:14,059 --> 00:13:14,760
in the international scene.

285
00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:15,694
The Press: This
wasn't a good idea.

286
00:13:15,694 --> 00:13:17,729
Mr. Earnest: Well, at this
point, we just elected

287
00:13:17,730 --> 00:13:20,166
not to do it.

288
00:13:20,166 --> 00:13:21,167
John.

289
00:13:21,167 --> 00:13:22,201
The Press: Thank you, Josh.

290
00:13:22,201 --> 00:13:23,269
Mr. Earnest: You're welcome.

291
00:13:23,269 --> 00:13:26,639
The Press: Getting back
yesterday to the U.S. being

292
00:13:26,639 --> 00:13:32,611
supportive of the European
Union also joining in sanctions

293
00:13:32,611 --> 00:13:35,948
against Russia, you're obviously
aware of the difference between

294
00:13:35,948 --> 00:13:39,218
Britain and France on the sale
of the Mistral helicopter

295
00:13:39,218 --> 00:13:40,853
carriers to Russia.

296
00:13:40,853 --> 00:13:43,454
Does the U.S. have a dog
in the fight, and does

297
00:13:43,455 --> 00:13:48,394
it believe that France and
all of the EU members have

298
00:13:48,394 --> 00:13:51,397
to be united in order
for sanctions to work?

299
00:13:51,397 --> 00:13:54,600
Mr. Earnest: Well, John, we have
said many times that we believe

300
00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,871
that sanctions would be
most effective when they

301
00:13:58,871 --> 00:14:01,507
are closely coordinated with
our international partners.

302
00:14:01,507 --> 00:14:03,876
That's why you've seen
intensive discussions between

303
00:14:03,876 --> 00:14:06,411
the President and
individual leaders,

304
00:14:06,412 --> 00:14:09,682
particularly in Western Europe,
about the sanctions regime that

305
00:14:09,682 --> 00:14:14,420
should be put in place to
further isolate Russia.

306
00:14:14,420 --> 00:14:17,423
So this has been a
months-long endeavor.

307
00:14:17,423 --> 00:14:19,992
And there have been important
steps that have been taken

308
00:14:19,992 --> 00:14:22,194
by the United States in
coordinating with our

309
00:14:22,194 --> 00:14:25,164
partners to impose
economic costs on Russia.

310
00:14:25,164 --> 00:14:27,733
There is ample evidence to
indicate that the Russian

311
00:14:27,733 --> 00:14:33,171
economy has suffered as a
result of those economic costs.

312
00:14:33,172 --> 00:14:37,776
As it relates specifically
to the proposed military

313
00:14:37,776 --> 00:14:41,380
transaction between the
French and the Russians,

314
00:14:41,380 --> 00:14:43,983
we have in the past -- I think
the President was traveling

315
00:14:43,983 --> 00:14:50,421
in Brussels in June and he
articulated some concerns about

316
00:14:50,422 --> 00:14:56,629
the sale of that military
equipment to the Russians.

317
00:14:56,629 --> 00:14:58,864
Again, this is a little bit
of a common-sense thing.

318
00:14:58,864 --> 00:15:01,634
We've seen ample evidence that
the Russians are flouting

319
00:15:01,634 --> 00:15:05,704
international norms, supporting
efforts to violate the

320
00:15:05,704 --> 00:15:09,275
territorial integrity of
independent sovereign nations.

321
00:15:09,275 --> 00:15:12,845
It seems like a suboptimal
time, if you will,

322
00:15:12,845 --> 00:15:17,883
to be transferring advanced
military systems to them.

323
00:15:17,883 --> 00:15:20,386
So we've made our
concerns known,

324
00:15:20,386 --> 00:15:23,088
and we will continue to work
in close coordination with the

325
00:15:23,088 --> 00:15:28,827
British, the French, the Germans
and others as we coordinate

326
00:15:28,827 --> 00:15:31,196
the effort to further
isolate the Russian regime.

327
00:15:31,196 --> 00:15:33,198
The Press: You made concerns
known to President Hollande?

328
00:15:33,198 --> 00:15:36,268
Mr. Earnest: Yes, I believe
that the President had

329
00:15:36,268 --> 00:15:40,105
the opportunity to say this
both privately and publicly.

330
00:15:40,105 --> 00:15:41,106
Olivier.

331
00:15:41,106 --> 00:15:43,108
The Press: Josh, I know
how much you love getting

332
00:15:43,108 --> 00:15:44,108
ahead of announcements.

333
00:15:44,109 --> 00:15:49,515
This intelligence presentation
-- to whom, what's the setting,

334
00:15:49,515 --> 00:15:51,483
who are the officials?

335
00:15:51,483 --> 00:15:54,386
And I definitely did not get
that impression from either

336
00:15:54,386 --> 00:15:58,257
the briefing yesterday or the
background briefing we had

337
00:15:58,257 --> 00:16:01,660
either that you guys felt any
sort of pressure or had any

338
00:16:01,660 --> 00:16:04,863
intent to lay out more
of an intelligence case

339
00:16:04,863 --> 00:16:06,865
than you already had.

340
00:16:06,865 --> 00:16:07,866
Obviously, I misread that.

341
00:16:07,866 --> 00:16:11,036
But did anything change in
the last 24 hours that made

342
00:16:11,036 --> 00:16:12,771
this decision necessary?

343
00:16:12,771 --> 00:16:15,341
Mr. Earnest: No, I don't
think that anything changed

344
00:16:15,341 --> 00:16:16,875
the calculus on that matter.

345
00:16:16,875 --> 00:16:19,411
In terms of the
logistics, I'd refer you

346
00:16:19,411 --> 00:16:22,281
to the Office of the Director
of National Intelligence,

347
00:16:22,281 --> 00:16:24,282
because I think they'll
have some more information

348
00:16:24,283 --> 00:16:26,819
about this later today.

349
00:16:26,819 --> 00:16:34,660
But, look, we want to be
as forthcoming as we can,

350
00:16:34,660 --> 00:16:37,329
understanding that there are
important intelligence equities

351
00:16:37,329 --> 00:16:42,867
to protect, about the evidence
of what exactly happened.

352
00:16:42,868 --> 00:16:49,375
This is something that we would
envision would be integrated

353
00:16:49,375 --> 00:16:53,412
with an ongoing forensic
investigation at the crash site.

354
00:16:53,412 --> 00:16:56,382
I don't want to leave you or
anyone with the impression that

355
00:16:56,382 --> 00:17:00,252
somehow whenever an intelligence
assessment is arrived

356
00:17:00,252 --> 00:17:04,522
at by the U.S. intelligence
community some way

357
00:17:04,522 --> 00:17:07,925
supersedes the ongoing work
that's being performed

358
00:17:07,925 --> 00:17:09,027
on the ground.

359
00:17:09,027 --> 00:17:10,194
That work is important.

360
00:17:10,194 --> 00:17:14,599
That work will also give us
important information about

361
00:17:14,599 --> 00:17:18,236
what exactly transpired in
this tragic circumstance.

362
00:17:18,237 --> 00:17:22,141
But we are working with the
international community to try

363
00:17:22,141 --> 00:17:25,077
to make sure that international
investigators have access

364
00:17:25,077 --> 00:17:27,746
to the site so that they can
conduct that investigation

365
00:17:27,746 --> 00:17:31,683
while, at the same time,
we're going to do our best

366
00:17:31,683 --> 00:17:34,253
to present the information
that we have already obtained

367
00:17:34,253 --> 00:17:37,656
or assessed about what
exactly happened last week.

368
00:17:37,656 --> 00:17:38,724
The Press: Are you in a
position to say whether that

369
00:17:38,724 --> 00:17:42,226
intelligence assessment has
been shared with, say,

370
00:17:42,227 --> 00:17:45,864
the Dutch and the Malaysians
and the Ukrainians?

371
00:17:45,864 --> 00:17:48,901
Mr. Earnest: I'm not in a
position to talk about how that

372
00:17:48,901 --> 00:17:52,137
intelligence has been handled,
but you can try to Office

373
00:17:52,137 --> 00:17:54,673
of the DNI and maybe they
will be able to share some

374
00:17:54,673 --> 00:17:56,842
additional light on that.

375
00:17:56,842 --> 00:17:58,377
Major.

376
00:17:58,377 --> 00:17:59,411
The Press: A couple
things, Josh.

377
00:17:59,411 --> 00:18:02,448
There are reports that the EU
is going to oppose a new round

378
00:18:02,448 --> 00:18:06,251
of sanctions against Russia
after consultations today.

379
00:18:06,251 --> 00:18:08,754
Do you have any confirmation of
that or any reaction to that?

380
00:18:08,754 --> 00:18:11,290
Mr. Earnest: I'm not in a
position to confirm that.

381
00:18:11,290 --> 00:18:13,826
I know that these talks
have been ongoing

382
00:18:13,826 --> 00:18:18,397
and are headed into the
evening hours over in Europe.

383
00:18:18,397 --> 00:18:20,832
We certainly would welcome
additional steps from

384
00:18:20,833 --> 00:18:23,068
the international community,
principally our allies

385
00:18:23,068 --> 00:18:25,737
in Western Europe, that
would impose additional

386
00:18:25,737 --> 00:18:27,172
economic costs in Russia.

387
00:18:27,172 --> 00:18:30,142
We, for rather obvious reasons,
think that those additional

388
00:18:30,142 --> 00:18:31,143
costs are justified.

389
00:18:31,143 --> 00:18:33,879
The Press: Is there a triggering
mechanism if the EU goes ahead

390
00:18:33,879 --> 00:18:36,715
and does another round and the
United States might then follow

391
00:18:36,715 --> 00:18:39,016
suit, or is the United States
government content with where

392
00:18:39,017 --> 00:18:41,954
it is in its own sanctions
application against Russia?

393
00:18:41,954 --> 00:18:43,322
Mr. Earnest: Well, "content" is
not the word that I would use.

394
00:18:43,322 --> 00:18:46,558
I think that we're continuing
to review the sanctions regime

395
00:18:46,558 --> 00:18:48,594
that's in place, and we are
going to continue to work

396
00:18:48,594 --> 00:18:51,096
with the international
community to coordinate efforts

397
00:18:51,096 --> 00:18:53,098
to impose costs on Russia.

398
00:18:54,600 --> 00:19:01,106
And our willingness to consider
adding additional costs

399
00:19:01,106 --> 00:19:03,442
is something that continues
to be a live option.

400
00:19:03,442 --> 00:19:07,880
The Press: You mentioned that
there's no practical effect

401
00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,149
of this federal appeals
court ruling today.

402
00:19:11,149 --> 00:19:13,685
Is there not a practical
effect in that it creates

403
00:19:13,685 --> 00:19:16,187
an atmosphere of uncertainty?

404
00:19:16,188 --> 00:19:18,190
Mr. Earnest: That's what
I was trying to clear up.

405
00:19:18,190 --> 00:19:20,225
The Press: Well, for those who
are in the health care industry

406
00:19:20,225 --> 00:19:24,996
itself who are trying to
comply, implement, follow,

407
00:19:24,997 --> 00:19:28,767
and are trying to understand if
they're going to have patients

408
00:19:28,767 --> 00:19:32,404
who have subsidies or don't,
doesn't that uncertainty itself

409
00:19:32,404 --> 00:19:35,374
have a practical effect
as the law is implemented?

410
00:19:35,374 --> 00:19:37,910
Mr. Earnest: I don't think
it does for two reasons.

411
00:19:37,910 --> 00:19:42,447
One is we feel very strong
about the sound legal reasoning

412
00:19:42,447 --> 00:19:44,783
of the argument that the
administration is making.

413
00:19:44,783 --> 00:19:47,351
The second is there's a clear,
common-sense case to be made

414
00:19:47,352 --> 00:19:50,455
there, which is that the intent
of Congress was to ensure that

415
00:19:50,455 --> 00:19:53,625
every eligible American who
applied for tax credits to make

416
00:19:53,625 --> 00:19:56,228
their health insurance more
affordable would have access

417
00:19:56,228 --> 00:19:58,564
to those tax credits whether
or not the marketplace

418
00:19:58,564 --> 00:20:00,566
was operated by federal
officials or state officials.

419
00:20:00,566 --> 00:20:03,735
The intent here is pretty
clear, and we feel confident

420
00:20:03,735 --> 00:20:04,735
about our case.

421
00:20:04,736 --> 00:20:07,039
The Press: Just to be safe,
is the administration

422
00:20:07,039 --> 00:20:09,408
considering any legislative
fix, if necessary,

423
00:20:09,408 --> 00:20:11,642
to clear up any ambiguity
the court noted

424
00:20:11,643 --> 00:20:13,178
in the legislative language?

425
00:20:13,178 --> 00:20:15,314
Mr. Earnest: The President has
said countless times that

426
00:20:15,314 --> 00:20:17,249
he's willing to work with
Democrats and Republicans

427
00:20:17,249 --> 00:20:21,286
in Congress to make
improvements to the law.

428
00:20:21,286 --> 00:20:24,790
But the prospects for that --
considering that Republicans

429
00:20:24,790 --> 00:20:28,427
have voted more than 50 times
to repeal the entire law,

430
00:20:28,427 --> 00:20:31,964
the prospects for the kind of
legislative fix that might

431
00:20:31,964 --> 00:20:36,601
actually improve the law
seem rather unlikely.

432
00:20:36,602 --> 00:20:38,904
The Press: We've asked you
about the structured dialogue.

433
00:20:38,904 --> 00:20:41,840
It sounds to me that there
will now be a formal channel

434
00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:45,276
of communications that did
not exist before between this

435
00:20:45,277 --> 00:20:47,679
administration and the Merkel
administration on these issues

436
00:20:47,679 --> 00:20:50,916
of intelligence and anything
else that might crop up.

437
00:20:50,916 --> 00:20:52,918
But since the precipitating
factor was intelligence,

438
00:20:52,918 --> 00:20:56,321
is that a fair understanding
of this somewhat opaque

439
00:20:56,321 --> 00:20:58,924
language actually means?

440
00:20:58,924 --> 00:21:02,094
Mr. Earnest: I don't know
that I would necessarily

441
00:21:02,094 --> 00:21:06,798
describe it as a new
channel, primarily because

442
00:21:06,798 --> 00:21:11,236
conversations between
Lisa Monaco, for example,

443
00:21:11,236 --> 00:21:15,407
and her counterpart in Germany
are not unprecedented.

444
00:21:15,407 --> 00:21:17,442
There was a robust
intelligence-sharing

445
00:21:17,442 --> 00:21:22,414
relationship that has existed
between the United States

446
00:21:22,414 --> 00:21:24,216
and Germany for quite some
time that even predated --

447
00:21:24,216 --> 00:21:26,418
The Press: You don't
send the Chief of Staff

448
00:21:26,418 --> 00:21:28,419
and the Chief Counterterrorism
Advisor of the President

449
00:21:28,420 --> 00:21:30,422
to Berlin when
everything is normal.

450
00:21:30,422 --> 00:21:32,057
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
do think that the --

451
00:21:32,057 --> 00:21:34,426
The Press: You would
agree with that?

452
00:21:34,426 --> 00:21:37,495
Mr. Earnest: Well, I would agree
with your observation that

453
00:21:37,496 --> 00:21:45,203
published reports indicate that
there were a number of things

454
00:21:45,203 --> 00:21:47,873
that needed to be discussed
in those private channels

455
00:21:47,873 --> 00:21:51,209
between U.S. officials and
our German counterparts.

456
00:21:51,209 --> 00:21:56,882
We value the close and ongoing
security cooperation and

457
00:21:56,882 --> 00:21:59,117
intelligence relationship that
we have with the Germans.

458
00:21:59,117 --> 00:22:02,187
As I mentioned before, that is a
relationship that significantly

459
00:22:02,187 --> 00:22:03,388
benefits the American people.

460
00:22:03,388 --> 00:22:05,456
It's also a relationship that
benefits the German people.

461
00:22:05,457 --> 00:22:08,727
So it's in the interest of both
sides to ensure that those

462
00:22:08,727 --> 00:22:10,095
channels remain open.

463
00:22:10,095 --> 00:22:11,196
They do.

464
00:22:11,196 --> 00:22:16,301
That security cooperation
relationship continues to

465
00:22:16,301 --> 00:22:18,303
function at a high level.

466
00:22:19,905 --> 00:22:25,744
That said, if it is necessary
for us to establish this

467
00:22:25,744 --> 00:22:28,647
structured dialogue to resolve
some of the concerns that

468
00:22:28,647 --> 00:22:31,015
have been aired publicly,
we're willing to do that,

469
00:22:31,016 --> 00:22:35,253
and that is a testament to
our desire to resolve these

470
00:22:35,253 --> 00:22:40,591
differences of opinion in a way
that both satisfies the Germans,

471
00:22:40,592 --> 00:22:43,428
but also in a way that
protects the private nature

472
00:22:43,061 --> 00:22:46,898
The Press: On the
President's trip this week,
0:22:43.428,1193:02:47.295
of the topic being discussed.

473
00:22:46,898 --> 00:22:49,434
apart from the Kimmel show,
could you address what many

474
00:22:49,434 --> 00:22:52,170
Americans believe is either
the trivial or unnecessarily

475
00:22:52,170 --> 00:22:56,108
distracting obligation of
Presidents, including this one,

476
00:22:56,108 --> 00:22:59,511
to raise money in the course
of conducting important

477
00:22:59,511 --> 00:23:00,445
matters of state?

478
00:23:00,445 --> 00:23:03,881
Mr. Earnest: I think the
critical standard that everyone

479
00:23:03,882 --> 00:23:06,118
-- that I would suggest that
people apply -- I think

480
00:23:06,118 --> 00:23:08,120
people can apply whatever
standard they'd like,

481
00:23:08,120 --> 00:23:13,390
but my suggested standard
would be whether or not those

482
00:23:13,391 --> 00:23:16,728
political activities interfere
with the President's

483
00:23:16,728 --> 00:23:19,598
constitution responsibilities
as the Commander-in-Chief

484
00:23:19,598 --> 00:23:21,633
of the United States of America.

485
00:23:21,633 --> 00:23:23,902
I think what was
demonstrated on Thursday,

486
00:23:23,902 --> 00:23:26,004
at least in the context of
last Thursday's schedule,

487
00:23:26,004 --> 00:23:30,408
that even in the midst of some
urgent international matters,

488
00:23:30,408 --> 00:23:33,378
the President was able to attend
to American interests around

489
00:23:33,378 --> 00:23:38,183
the globe while conducting
the political functions that

490
00:23:38,183 --> 00:23:40,218
go along with the job.

491
00:23:40,218 --> 00:23:42,120
We anticipate that that
will be the case this week.

492
00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:45,223
That's why there have been
no changes to the schedule

493
00:23:45,223 --> 00:23:46,858
announced thus far.

494
00:23:46,858 --> 00:23:49,027
But if we make some
changes to the schedule,

495
00:23:49,027 --> 00:23:51,863
they will reflect the need for
the President to be focused

496
00:23:51,863 --> 00:23:56,902
on -- they reflect the need for the President to rearrange

497
00:23:56,902 --> 00:24:02,040
that schedule to assure that
he can fulfill his functions

498
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:03,207
as Commander-in-Chief.

499
00:24:03,208 --> 00:24:05,210
Right now, we don't anticipate
that a change in schedule

500
00:24:05,210 --> 00:24:05,811
will be necessary.

501
00:24:05,811 --> 00:24:07,412
The Press: Before I let you go,
on behalf of the Correspondents

502
00:24:07,412 --> 00:24:10,148
Association, I just want to
lodge a formal complaint about

503
00:24:10,148 --> 00:24:11,882
the Apollo 11 event today.

504
00:24:11,883 --> 00:24:15,921
The astronauts, who are among
the most visible, televised,

505
00:24:15,921 --> 00:24:17,923
national heroes this
country has ever known,

506
00:24:17,923 --> 00:24:21,493
that entire program is financed
by the American taxpayers --

507
00:24:21,493 --> 00:24:24,929
stills -- a presentation of that
limits television coverage

508
00:24:24,930 --> 00:24:25,931
of that event.

509
00:24:25,931 --> 00:24:29,234
We believe that that is a
classic definition of something

510
00:24:29,234 --> 00:24:32,571
that should have the broadest
press coverage imaginable

511
00:24:32,571 --> 00:24:35,106
and we are therefore
lodging a complaint against

512
00:24:35,106 --> 00:24:36,675
your decision to keep us out.

513
00:24:36,675 --> 00:24:37,341
Mr. Earnest: Understood.

514
00:24:37,342 --> 00:24:37,976
I appreciate that.

515
00:24:37,976 --> 00:24:40,245
These are legitimate
American heroes -- on that,

516
00:24:40,245 --> 00:24:41,612
you and I can agree.

517
00:24:41,613 --> 00:24:43,148
Carol.

518
00:24:43,148 --> 00:24:45,917
The Press: Is there any concern
in the White House that

519
00:24:45,917 --> 00:24:50,589
if the EU or the U.S. were to move forward on sanctions

520
00:24:50,589 --> 00:24:52,557
against Russia at this particular time that

521
00:24:52,557 --> 00:24:55,660
that would somehow
complicate the effort to get

522
00:24:55,660 --> 00:24:59,965
President Putin to intervene
with the separatists to get

523
00:24:59,965 --> 00:25:03,735
access to the crash site?

524
00:25:03,735 --> 00:25:05,070
Mr. Earnest: I think
the hope right now,

525
00:25:05,070 --> 00:25:08,907
as the EU considers
additional steps,

526
00:25:10,141 --> 00:25:11,610
in concert with
the United States,

527
00:25:11,610 --> 00:25:13,945
to impose additional costs
on Russia would actually

528
00:25:13,945 --> 00:25:17,816
be to compel President
Putin to live up to his

529
00:25:17,816 --> 00:25:20,986
assertion that he will intervene
with separatists to allow

530
00:25:20,986 --> 00:25:22,587
access to that site.

531
00:25:22,587 --> 00:25:24,589
That would be part of that goal.

532
00:25:24,589 --> 00:25:28,793
I think there is a broader
goal in mind beyond just that

533
00:25:28,793 --> 00:25:32,831
immediate priority, which
is we do need to see Russia

534
00:25:32,831 --> 00:25:37,735
demonstrate some respect for
Ukraine's territorial integrity.

535
00:25:37,736 --> 00:25:41,606
We do need Russia to stop
supplying these heavy weapons

536
00:25:41,606 --> 00:25:43,909
to Russian-backed separatists.

537
00:25:43,909 --> 00:25:47,512
We saw the tragic consequences
of that ongoing effort

538
00:25:47,512 --> 00:25:53,018
to provide weapons last
week and, put simply,

539
00:25:53,018 --> 00:25:58,023
we need Russia to acknowledge
their commitment to basic

540
00:25:58,023 --> 00:26:01,826
international norms and to
the idea that it is entirely

541
00:26:01,826 --> 00:26:08,266
possible, even normal, for the
nation of Ukraine to have

542
00:26:08,266 --> 00:26:12,304
a strong, cooperative, even
close relationship with their

543
00:26:12,304 --> 00:26:19,511
neighbor, Russia, while at the
same time having productive

544
00:26:19,511 --> 00:26:22,013
economic ties with the West.

545
00:26:22,013 --> 00:26:24,215
Those two things are
not mutually exclusive.

546
00:26:24,215 --> 00:26:28,786
And if that is what the
Ukrainian people desire --

547
00:26:28,787 --> 00:26:30,755
and there are strong
indications that that is what

548
00:26:30,755 --> 00:26:33,491
they would like to see for
their country -- it is not

549
00:26:33,491 --> 00:26:38,229
appropriate for anybody,
including the Russians,

550
00:26:38,229 --> 00:26:41,967
to interfere with the
Ukrainians to make that kind

551
00:26:41,967 --> 00:26:44,269
of decision about the direction
of their own country.

552
00:26:44,269 --> 00:26:46,504
The Press: Are there any
plans for President Obama

553
00:26:46,504 --> 00:26:49,908
to personally make
the case to Putin?

554
00:26:49,908 --> 00:26:52,276
Mr. Earnest: I don't have any
phone calls to read out at this

555
00:26:52,277 --> 00:26:55,547
point, but we'll certainly
keep you appraised of any --

556
00:26:55,547 --> 00:26:56,348
The Press: -- any you
anticipate?

557
00:26:56,348 --> 00:26:59,050
I mean, all the other
leaders have spoken with

558
00:26:59,050 --> 00:27:01,119
him since this happened.

559
00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:05,023
Mr. Earnest: I'm not aware right
now of any scheduled telephone

560
00:27:05,023 --> 00:27:06,992
calls between President
Putin and President Obama,

561
00:27:06,992 --> 00:27:09,060
but if that changes
we'll let you know.

562
00:27:09,060 --> 00:27:09,661
Ed.

563
00:27:09,661 --> 00:27:12,697
The Press: Josh, on health care,
I understand what you're saying

564
00:27:12,697 --> 00:27:16,167
about the legal aspects, and it
seems like conservatives are

565
00:27:16,167 --> 00:27:18,136
even acknowledging that
the Affordable Care Act

566
00:27:18,136 --> 00:27:20,105
is likely to survive this.

567
00:27:20,105 --> 00:27:22,340
But will you acknowledge
that it could be a bit

568
00:27:22,340 --> 00:27:26,711
messier if 36 states don't
have these subsidies?

569
00:27:26,711 --> 00:27:27,779
Mr. Earnest: No.

570
00:27:27,779 --> 00:27:31,516
What I believe and what this
administration believes is that

571
00:27:31,516 --> 00:27:37,222
the legal basis for our case is
strong and we have effective

572
00:27:37,222 --> 00:27:39,491
advocates at the Department of
Justice who will be making that

573
00:27:39,491 --> 00:27:41,493
case before the D.C. circuit.

574
00:27:41,493 --> 00:27:44,129
It is pretty clear even to those
of us that don't have a fancy

575
00:27:44,129 --> 00:27:47,232
legal degree that the intent
of Congress was to ensure that

576
00:27:47,232 --> 00:27:50,502
every eligible American would
have access to tax credits

577
00:27:50,502 --> 00:27:51,668
that would lower their
health care costs.

578
00:27:51,669 --> 00:27:54,572
The Press: But legal experts
are also citing various Supreme

579
00:27:54,572 --> 00:27:57,841
Court decisions, one written by
Justice Scalia on the right,

580
00:27:57,842 --> 00:28:00,545
one written by Justice Kagan,
who was nominated by this

581
00:28:00,545 --> 00:28:04,883
President, that take dim views
of the idea of the government

582
00:28:04,883 --> 00:28:07,819
and government bureaucrats
rewriting laws that

583
00:28:07,819 --> 00:28:09,821
don't turn out as they expected.

584
00:28:09,821 --> 00:28:12,490
So given that's
out there as well,

585
00:28:12,490 --> 00:28:16,194
why are you so confident that
your legal basis is sound?

586
00:28:16,194 --> 00:28:19,531
Mr. Earnest: Well, the other
legal expert that I would cite

587
00:28:19,531 --> 00:28:22,434
is the district judge who
ruled in this case who would

588
00:28:22,434 --> 00:28:26,404
anticipate that the government
would implement the law

589
00:28:26,404 --> 00:28:28,373
in line with Congress's intent.

590
00:28:28,373 --> 00:28:33,178
And this judge -- who ruled in
this case at the district level,

591
00:28:33,178 --> 00:28:36,114
admittedly -- did say that
there is simply no evidence

592
00:28:36,114 --> 00:28:41,486
in the statute itself or the
legislative history of any

593
00:28:41,486 --> 00:28:43,855
intent by Congress to support
the claims that are made

594
00:28:43,855 --> 00:28:45,090
by the plaintiff.

595
00:28:45,090 --> 00:28:47,759
So I guess to put
it more simply,

596
00:28:47,759 --> 00:28:49,761
it's the view of
this administration,

597
00:28:49,761 --> 00:28:52,062
as agreed by this judge, that
the way that we have implemented

598
00:28:52,063 --> 00:28:54,332
the Affordable Care Act to
maximize the benefits for

599
00:28:54,332 --> 00:28:56,434
people all across the country
-- millions of Americans

600
00:28:56,434 --> 00:28:58,703
are benefitting from this
right now -- that that

601
00:28:58,703 --> 00:29:03,322
is cleanly in line with the
easily understood intent

602
00:29:03,675 --> 00:29:03,774
of the United States Congress.

603
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:07,011
The Press: I want to quickly
voice my support for what Major

604
00:29:07,011 --> 00:29:09,347
was saying about access, but
I will not belabor the point.

605
00:29:09,347 --> 00:29:10,615
I do want to follow up on --

606
00:29:10,615 --> 00:29:11,616
Mr. Earnest: Duly noted.

607
00:29:11,616 --> 00:29:12,584
The Press: Thank you.

608
00:29:12,584 --> 00:29:14,586
I want to follow, though,
on his substantive question

609
00:29:14,586 --> 00:29:16,588
about the President's
schedule this week.

610
00:29:16,588 --> 00:29:19,456
You gave kind of a clinical
response that the functions

611
00:29:19,457 --> 00:29:21,459
of being Commander-in-Chief
can be dealt with.

612
00:29:21,459 --> 00:29:23,461
And I understand the presidency
follows you whether you're

613
00:29:23,461 --> 00:29:25,463
going to -- this President
goes to Martha's Vineyard

614
00:29:25,463 --> 00:29:27,465
or the last President
went to Crawford, Texas.

615
00:29:27,465 --> 00:29:29,434
You can deal -- you can have
secure phone calls, et cetera.

616
00:29:29,434 --> 00:29:31,436
What about the President's time?

617
00:29:31,436 --> 00:29:33,937
What about the fact that there's
five work days this week and

618
00:29:33,938 --> 00:29:35,573
three of them he's fundraising?

619
00:29:35,573 --> 00:29:38,510
Mr. Earnest: Well, I will hazard
a guess that a significant

620
00:29:38,510 --> 00:29:40,612
portion of the President's
time each of those days will

621
00:29:40,612 --> 00:29:46,618
be to participating in the
presidential daily briefing,

622
00:29:49,087 --> 00:29:51,456
getting updates from his
national security team about the

623
00:29:51,456 --> 00:29:55,860
situation on the ground, making
phone calls to world leaders,

624
00:29:55,860 --> 00:29:58,062
consulting with his national
security officials who are

625
00:29:58,062 --> 00:30:00,231
traveling across the world --
whether it's his Chief of Staff

626
00:30:00,231 --> 00:30:02,400
traveling to Germany, or
his Secretary of State

627
00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:05,236
who is currently in
Cairo right now.

628
00:30:05,236 --> 00:30:07,238
The fact of the matter
is, the President,

629
00:30:07,238 --> 00:30:10,408
like most professionals, has
the capability to deal with

630
00:30:10,408 --> 00:30:14,044
more than one priority at
a time, and particularly,

631
00:30:14,045 --> 00:30:18,149
somebody who has the trappings
of the presidency alongside him.

632
00:30:18,149 --> 00:30:19,184
He's got his own airplane.

633
00:30:19,184 --> 00:30:20,918
He's got dedicated phone lines.

634
00:30:20,919 --> 00:30:24,889
He has senior advisors who will
be accompanying him every step

635
00:30:24,889 --> 00:30:28,025
of the way to make sure that he
has access to the information

636
00:30:28,026 --> 00:30:30,895
and technology necessary to
represent American interests

637
00:30:30,895 --> 00:30:34,065
in the midst of these
challenging international times.

638
00:30:34,065 --> 00:30:36,067
The Press: Right, and again,
I understand he has all

639
00:30:36,067 --> 00:30:38,336
the trappings, but there's no
concern about the image that --

640
00:30:38,336 --> 00:30:40,572
yes, he can have these
calls, but his schedule

641
00:30:40,572 --> 00:30:43,174
is basically dominated by
fundraising this week.

642
00:30:43,174 --> 00:30:46,543
Mr. Earnest: Maybe the public
schedule that you see,

643
00:30:46,544 --> 00:30:47,045
but what you --

644
00:30:47,045 --> 00:30:48,079
The Press: What other
meetings is he having that

645
00:30:48,079 --> 00:30:50,548
we're not seeing?

646
00:30:50,548 --> 00:30:51,516
Mr. Earnest: What will be clear
to you as the President goes

647
00:30:51,516 --> 00:30:56,554
through the next several days
is that he will be paying all

648
00:30:56,554 --> 00:30:58,623
of the necessary attention
to make sure that American

649
00:30:58,623 --> 00:31:01,659
interests are represented in
each of these circumstances.

650
00:31:01,659 --> 00:31:03,661
Again, he can do that
through phone calls.

651
00:31:03,661 --> 00:31:06,064
He can do that through
conversations with staff either

652
00:31:06,064 --> 00:31:08,866
in Washington, around the
globe, or traveling with

653
00:31:08,866 --> 00:31:10,368
him along the West Coast.

654
00:31:10,368 --> 00:31:12,370
That will be the
urgent priority.

655
00:31:12,370 --> 00:31:14,371
And I guess this is the
other important point.

656
00:31:14,372 --> 00:31:16,374
If it becomes clear that there
is something that the President

657
00:31:16,374 --> 00:31:19,444
is not able to do from the road
that is critical to advancing

658
00:31:19,444 --> 00:31:22,914
American interests, we will
alter the schedule to ensure

659
00:31:22,914 --> 00:31:25,984
that the President can fulfill
those responsibilities.

660
00:31:25,984 --> 00:31:26,985
Peter.

661
00:31:26,985 --> 00:31:29,320
The Press: Can I ask a question
following up on the Apollo 11

662
00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,589
anniversary, 45th
anniversary this week?

663
00:31:31,589 --> 00:31:34,058
We heard from a former NASA
administrator this week who

664
00:31:34,058 --> 00:31:36,160
said given the fact that
we now -- the U.S. relies

665
00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:38,630
on Russian rockets to
take our astronauts

666
00:31:38,630 --> 00:31:40,865
to the International Space
Station, he said,

667
00:31:40,865 --> 00:31:43,167
we are in a "hostage situation.

668
00:31:43,167 --> 00:31:45,736
Russia can decide that no
more U.S. astronauts will

669
00:31:45,737 --> 00:31:46,971
launch to the ISS.

670
00:31:46,971 --> 00:31:49,340
And that's not a position that
I want our nation to be in."

671
00:31:49,340 --> 00:31:51,809
Is that a position that
our nation should be in?

672
00:31:51,809 --> 00:31:54,312
And are there concerns given
the new hostilities between

673
00:31:54,312 --> 00:31:55,413
the U.S. and Russia?

674
00:31:55,413 --> 00:31:58,149
Mr. Earnest: Well, Peter,
as we've talked a number

675
00:31:58,149 --> 00:32:00,251
of times, the relationship
between the United States

676
00:32:00,251 --> 00:32:02,654
and Russia is multifaceted.

677
00:32:02,654 --> 00:32:05,223
We certainly do cooperate
closely with the Russians when

678
00:32:05,223 --> 00:32:06,724
it comes to our space program.

679
00:32:06,724 --> 00:32:08,760
But we're also closely
cooperating with the Russians

680
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:12,030
when it comes to dealing
with Iran in the context

681
00:32:12,030 --> 00:32:15,133
of the P5-plus-1 talks to
resolve the international

682
00:32:15,133 --> 00:32:18,503
community's concerns about
the Iranian nuclear program.

683
00:32:18,503 --> 00:32:22,572
We also are coordinating at a
different level as it relates

684
00:32:22,573 --> 00:32:26,944
to the situation in Gaza
and the Middle East.

685
00:32:26,944 --> 00:32:29,213
We have an important
relationship with Russia.

686
00:32:29,213 --> 00:32:31,416
The other example -- I
left out the best example.

687
00:32:31,416 --> 00:32:35,285
We worked very closely
with Russia to eliminate

688
00:32:35,286 --> 00:32:39,023
the declared chemical weapons
stockpile from Syria just

689
00:32:39,023 --> 00:32:40,024
in the last month or so.

690
00:32:40,024 --> 00:32:42,025
Currently those chemical
weapons are being destroyed

691
00:32:42,026 --> 00:32:44,228
aboard a U.S. ship out at sea.

692
00:32:44,228 --> 00:32:46,464
We have acted with the
international community,

693
00:32:46,464 --> 00:32:48,866
including the Russians, who
played an important role,

694
00:32:48,866 --> 00:32:50,868
to make sure that those chemical
weapons couldn't be used

695
00:32:50,868 --> 00:32:53,538
by the Assad regime and couldn't
be used by terrorists who

696
00:32:53,538 --> 00:32:55,540
were able to get their hands
on those chemical weapons.

697
00:32:55,540 --> 00:32:57,542
That made the world
a safer place,

698
00:32:57,542 --> 00:33:00,410
and that is the direct result
of close cooperation between

699
00:33:00,411 --> 00:33:02,413
the U.S. government and the
Russian government.

700
00:33:02,413 --> 00:33:04,415
What continues to
be true, however,

701
00:33:04,415 --> 00:33:06,818
is that Russia does have
important responsibilities as it

702
00:33:06,818 --> 00:33:10,555
relates to Ukraine to make sure
that they're adhering to broadly

703
00:33:10,555 --> 00:33:14,192
accepted international norms
about the right of sovereign

704
00:33:14,192 --> 00:33:17,562
countries to make their own
decisions about the future

705
00:33:17,562 --> 00:33:18,562
of their country.

706
00:33:18,563 --> 00:33:20,565
The Press: So simply put, you
disagree with the assessment

707
00:33:20,565 --> 00:33:22,567
that we are in a "hostage
situation" in terms of our

708
00:33:22,567 --> 00:33:24,569
ability to travel
in space right now?

709
00:33:24,569 --> 00:33:27,071
Mr. Earnest: I think what I
would say is that we have clear

710
00:33:27,071 --> 00:33:29,273
differences of opinion with the
Russians about the way that

711
00:33:29,273 --> 00:33:32,342
they've handled -- the way that
they've conducted themselves

712
00:33:32,343 --> 00:33:33,411
when it comes to Ukraine.

713
00:33:33,411 --> 00:33:35,747
But it doesn't prevent us
from accomplishing other

714
00:33:35,747 --> 00:33:39,183
priorities in cooperation
with the Russians.

715
00:33:39,183 --> 00:33:41,386
The Press: There's been a lot of
international outrage associated

716
00:33:41,386 --> 00:33:44,187
with the giant disparity
in terms of the number of

717
00:33:44,188 --> 00:33:47,358
casualties on the Israeli side
versus the Palestinian side,

718
00:33:47,358 --> 00:33:49,726
given the crisis taking place
in that country -- the number

719
00:33:49,727 --> 00:33:52,463
approaching 600 or more
on the Palestinian side;

720
00:33:52,463 --> 00:33:55,767
number just shy of 30, I think,
largely Israeli soldiers,

721
00:33:55,767 --> 00:33:57,235
on the Israeli side.

722
00:33:57,235 --> 00:33:59,404
The U.S. announced that it
would provide more than

723
00:33:59,404 --> 00:34:02,140
$40 million in humanitarian
aid to the Palestinians.

724
00:34:02,140 --> 00:34:05,543
The U.S. provides I think
it's above $3 billion

725
00:34:05,543 --> 00:34:08,078
in aid annually to Israel.

726
00:34:08,079 --> 00:34:10,348
Is there any concern in
the disparity in the aid

727
00:34:10,348 --> 00:34:12,350
that the U.S. provides, especially given the fact

728
00:34:12,350 --> 00:34:14,085
that supporting Israel's

729
00:34:14,085 --> 00:34:17,855
military efforts and at the same
time supporting efforts to help

730
00:34:17,855 --> 00:34:19,223
those victims on the other side?

731
00:34:19,223 --> 00:34:21,025
We're on both sides of this.

732
00:34:21,025 --> 00:34:24,629
Mr. Earnest: Well, Peter, I
think many people will agree

733
00:34:24,629 --> 00:34:28,299
that every single life that has
been lost in this conflict,

734
00:34:28,299 --> 00:34:30,501
when it comes to
innocent civilians,

735
00:34:30,501 --> 00:34:33,538
both Israeli and
Palestinian, is a tragedy.

736
00:34:33,538 --> 00:34:37,875
And our hearts go
out to the families,

737
00:34:37,875 --> 00:34:40,511
the Israeli families and
the Palestinian families,

738
00:34:40,511 --> 00:34:43,815
who have lost innocent loved
ones in this terrible conflict.

739
00:34:43,815 --> 00:34:46,050
That's why you have seen the
Secretary of State travel

740
00:34:46,050 --> 00:34:50,888
to the region to try to get both
sides to agree to the terms

741
00:34:50,888 --> 00:34:53,524
of a cease-fire that had
previously been in place.

742
00:34:53,524 --> 00:34:57,462
It's why you've heard the
President get on the phone with

743
00:34:57,462 --> 00:35:00,765
world leaders, including
the Israeli Prime Minister,

744
00:35:00,765 --> 00:35:05,203
to try to bring this
violence to an end.

745
00:35:05,203 --> 00:35:07,338
It's also why you've seen
the commitment of U.S.

746
00:35:07,338 --> 00:35:09,273
resources to organizations
on the Palestinian side

747
00:35:09,273 --> 00:35:14,612
to try to meet the basic
humanitarian needs --

748
00:35:14,612 --> 00:35:16,614
The Press: But is $40-plus
million enough to meet

749
00:35:16,614 --> 00:35:18,316
the humanitarian needs
of the Palestinians?

750
00:35:18,316 --> 00:35:19,484
Mr. Earnest: It
certainly is a start,

751
00:35:19,484 --> 00:35:20,985
and it will certainly
make a difference.

752
00:35:20,985 --> 00:35:23,754
But what will make the most
difference is both sides

753
00:35:23,754 --> 00:35:28,426
coming together and agreeing
to that cease-fire.

754
00:35:28,426 --> 00:35:32,964
And this has to start with Hamas
ending the barrage of rockets

755
00:35:32,964 --> 00:35:35,399
that they're firing aimed
squarely at Israeli civilians.

756
00:35:35,399 --> 00:35:37,401
I'll also point out that those
Israeli civilians are protected

757
00:35:37,401 --> 00:35:44,008
by an Iron Dome system that was
developed and implemented

758
00:35:44,008 --> 00:35:46,544
in cooperation with U.S.
officials to protect

759
00:35:46,544 --> 00:35:47,912
the lives of Israeli civilians.

760
00:35:47,912 --> 00:35:52,049
So you are right to assess that
there are a number of different

761
00:35:52,049 --> 00:35:54,585
ways where the United States has
intervened to try to protect

762
00:35:54,585 --> 00:35:57,622
the lives and welfare of
innocent civilians on both sides

763
00:35:57,622 --> 00:36:00,357
of this conflict, and trying
to get both sides to agree

764
00:36:00,358 --> 00:36:03,761
to a cease-fire to reinstate the
terms of the November 2012

765
00:36:03,761 --> 00:36:06,564
cease-fire is a continuation
of that effort.

766
00:36:06,564 --> 00:36:09,000
The Press: Finally, we've
litigated largely the situation

767
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,269
of the optics associated with
fundraising on the West Coast

768
00:36:11,269 --> 00:36:13,770
this week, but the President
does arrive in Washington State

769
00:36:13,771 --> 00:36:15,773
today for a pair of fundraisers.

770
00:36:15,773 --> 00:36:17,942
It's also a state that right
now is dealing with the worst

771
00:36:17,942 --> 00:36:21,445
wildfire in that state's
history -- 150-plus homes

772
00:36:21,445 --> 00:36:22,413
have been lost.

773
00:36:22,413 --> 00:36:24,815
Has the President been
involved in any conversations

774
00:36:24,815 --> 00:36:26,684
with the Governor of that
state, Jay Inslee?

775
00:36:26,684 --> 00:36:30,187
Does he have any intentions to
make a last-minute trip out

776
00:36:30,187 --> 00:36:32,723
there to visit with some
of those people who lost

777
00:36:32,723 --> 00:36:34,058
everything in the destruction?

778
00:36:34,058 --> 00:36:36,093
Mr. Earnest: I don't have any
updates to the President's

779
00:36:36,093 --> 00:36:38,162
schedule to announce, but the
President this morning did

780
00:36:38,162 --> 00:36:41,732
receive a briefing from his
homeland security team about

781
00:36:41,732 --> 00:36:44,402
the latest on the wildfire
situation that's raging

782
00:36:44,402 --> 00:36:46,404
in Washington State and
in some places

783
00:36:46,404 --> 00:36:47,805
in Western Canada as well.

784
00:36:47,805 --> 00:36:49,807
When the President
arrives in Washington,

785
00:36:49,807 --> 00:36:52,176
he will get an in-person
briefing from the Governor about

786
00:36:52,176 --> 00:36:55,712
the response to those wildfires
and to get an assessment about

787
00:36:55,713 --> 00:36:58,349
how local communities in
Washington State are being

788
00:36:58,349 --> 00:37:00,017
affected by the wildfires.

789
00:37:00,017 --> 00:37:04,321
I also want to point out that
included in the supplemental

790
00:37:04,322 --> 00:37:06,624
appropriations request that this
administration forwarded

791
00:37:06,624 --> 00:37:10,528
to Congress two or three
weeks ago were additional

792
00:37:10,528 --> 00:37:15,832
sums of money dedicated to
responding to wildfires

793
00:37:15,833 --> 00:37:17,201
throughout the American West.

794
00:37:17,201 --> 00:37:20,638
Unfortunately, we have seen
congressional Republicans

795
00:37:20,638 --> 00:37:24,674
indicate a willingness to
obstruct that funding.

796
00:37:24,675 --> 00:37:26,377
That is disappointing.

797
00:37:26,377 --> 00:37:29,413
But we're going to continue to
keep pushing on Congress to make

798
00:37:29,413 --> 00:37:32,583
sure we have the resources that
we can bring to bear to meet the

799
00:37:32,583 --> 00:37:35,920
needs of those communities that
are affected by wildfires.

800
00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:36,921
Roger.

801
00:37:36,921 --> 00:37:38,254
The Press: Thank you.

802
00:37:38,255 --> 00:37:39,256
Back to Ukraine.

803
00:37:39,256 --> 00:37:41,926
How much does the administration
believe what happened

804
00:37:41,926 --> 00:37:45,429
with the separatists in Ukraine
and the Malaysian plane

805
00:37:45,429 --> 00:37:50,801
is a reflection of Russia,
and how much a reflection

806
00:37:50,801 --> 00:37:57,975
of the risks of untrained rebels
having access to weapons?

807
00:37:57,975 --> 00:38:00,478
Mr. Earnest: Well, as
I pointed out, Roger,

808
00:38:00,478 --> 00:38:04,682
there are some basic facts that
we know about the situation

809
00:38:04,682 --> 00:38:05,683
on the ground in Ukraine.

810
00:38:05,683 --> 00:38:08,285
We know that for months now
heavy weapons have been moving

811
00:38:08,285 --> 00:38:11,455
across the border from
Russia into Ukraine.

812
00:38:11,455 --> 00:38:15,558
We know that the Russians have
been training Russian-backed

813
00:38:15,559 --> 00:38:17,695
separatists in the
use of those weapons,

814
00:38:17,695 --> 00:38:20,364
including anti-aircraft weapons.

815
00:38:20,364 --> 00:38:22,800
We know that the separatists
have claimed credit for shooting

816
00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:26,303
down three different aircraft
in the last several weeks.

817
00:38:26,303 --> 00:38:29,373
And we've seen the same social
media reports that you have seen

818
00:38:29,373 --> 00:38:35,346
that indicate separatists did
at one point on Thursday have

819
00:38:35,346 --> 00:38:41,585
possession of an SA-11 system
that is capable of reaching

820
00:38:41,585 --> 00:38:43,854
aircraft that are flying
at high altitudes.

821
00:38:43,854 --> 00:38:46,057
We also know that it was a
missile that was fired from

822
00:38:46,057 --> 00:38:51,962
the ground that downed the
doomed Malaysian jetliner.

823
00:38:51,962 --> 00:38:53,964
We know that that
missile was fired from

824
00:38:53,964 --> 00:38:56,033
separatist-controlled territory.

825
00:38:56,033 --> 00:38:58,703
And we know that the Ukrainian
military was not operating

826
00:38:58,703 --> 00:39:02,173
anti-aircraft weapons in
that area at that time.

827
00:39:02,173 --> 00:39:06,377
So we have expressed our concern
about these circumstances,

828
00:39:06,377 --> 00:39:09,313
specifically Russia's
willingness to provide heavy

829
00:39:09,313 --> 00:39:11,582
weapons to the separatists,
on many, many occasions.

830
00:39:11,582 --> 00:39:17,421
In fact, we explained that
one of the reasons that the

831
00:39:17,421 --> 00:39:20,825
President had decided to put in
place tougher sanctions against

832
00:39:20,825 --> 00:39:24,361
Russia last Wednesday, the day
before the jetliner was downed,

833
00:39:24,361 --> 00:39:29,033
was because Russia continued to
provide these heavy weapons

834
00:39:29,033 --> 00:39:31,301
to Russian-backed separatists.

835
00:39:31,302 --> 00:39:33,704
That clearly has had
dangerous consequences for

836
00:39:33,704 --> 00:39:35,206
the people of Ukraine.

837
00:39:35,206 --> 00:39:38,109
Unfortunately, it has had tragic
consequences for innocent

838
00:39:38,109 --> 00:39:40,578
civilians from countries
around the world now.

839
00:39:40,578 --> 00:39:44,215
So we're going to continue to
compel the Russians to shut down

840
00:39:44,215 --> 00:39:46,817
the border and to stop
providing heavy weapons

841
00:39:46,817 --> 00:39:50,387
and materiel to Russian-backed
separatists in Ukraine.

842
00:39:50,387 --> 00:39:52,857
The Press: Is there any training
going on that intel shows?

843
00:39:52,857 --> 00:39:55,359
Mr. Earnest: We have seen some
evidence that the Russians

844
00:39:55,359 --> 00:39:57,361
actually are training
Russian-backed separatists

845
00:39:57,361 --> 00:39:58,462
to use some of this equipment.

846
00:39:58,462 --> 00:39:59,396
The Press: Still training?

847
00:39:59,396 --> 00:40:01,932
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
don't have an up-to-date,

848
00:40:01,932 --> 00:40:04,401
up-to-the-minute
assessment to provide you,

849
00:40:04,401 --> 00:40:06,537
but we know that that
has happened with some

850
00:40:06,537 --> 00:40:08,439
frequency in the past.

851
00:40:08,439 --> 00:40:09,173
Jon.

852
00:40:09,173 --> 00:40:12,810
The Press: Josh, back to the
D.C. circuit court opinion.

853
00:40:12,810 --> 00:40:17,782
I understand you believe
you'll win on appeal,

854
00:40:17,782 --> 00:40:21,452
but if this opinion is upheld,
does it effectively gut

855
00:40:21,452 --> 00:40:26,457
Obamacare by eliminating
up to 5 million subsidies?

856
00:40:26,457 --> 00:40:29,160
Mr. Earnest: Well,
Jon, as you point out,

857
00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:30,795
there are millions of
Americans across the country

858
00:40:30,795 --> 00:40:33,397
who do benefit in a very
important way from

859
00:40:33,397 --> 00:40:35,232
the Affordable
Affordable Care Act.

860
00:40:35,232 --> 00:40:37,601
Millions of Americans are
eligible for tax credits that

861
00:40:37,601 --> 00:40:40,271
make their health insurance
more affordable for them.

862
00:40:40,271 --> 00:40:43,374
That is one of the hallmark
achievements of the Affordable

863
00:40:43,374 --> 00:40:46,477
Care Act, and it is clear that
the intent of Congress was

864
00:40:46,477 --> 00:40:49,446
to make sure that every eligible
American had access to those

865
00:40:49,446 --> 00:40:53,183
tax credits, whether or not
the marketplace was operated

866
00:40:53,184 --> 00:40:55,252
by federal officials or
by local state officials.

867
00:40:55,252 --> 00:40:57,955
So we feel very confident in
the legal case that we'll make

868
00:40:57,955 --> 00:41:00,357
before the court, and the
Department of Justice will

869
00:41:00,357 --> 00:41:02,793
be responsible for pressing
that argument and we feel

870
00:41:02,793 --> 00:41:04,562
confident in the argument
they'll be making.

871
00:41:04,562 --> 00:41:06,730
The Press: Okay, but that
didn't answer my question.

872
00:41:06,730 --> 00:41:08,732
I said if this decision is
upheld -- and you were just

873
00:41:08,732 --> 00:41:11,302
slapped down by a circuit
court -- if this decision

874
00:41:11,302 --> 00:41:14,205
is upheld, does it
effectively gut Obamacare?

875
00:41:14,205 --> 00:41:16,807
It means, for instance, that
you can -- the President can no

876
00:41:16,807 --> 00:41:19,343
longer say that people can have
access to health care for

877
00:41:19,343 --> 00:41:20,578
the price of a cell phone bill.

878
00:41:20,578 --> 00:41:24,114
I mean, this would wipe away
4.7 million right now --

879
00:41:24,114 --> 00:41:27,117
4.7 million people's subsidies.

880
00:41:27,117 --> 00:41:30,120
Mr. Earnest: Well, you and I
agree with the fact that there

881
00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:32,623
are millions of Americans
that currently benefit from

882
00:41:32,623 --> 00:41:34,458
this provision of the law.

883
00:41:34,458 --> 00:41:40,431
And we are confident that that
law has the kind of legal basis

884
00:41:40,231 --> 00:41:43,300
The Press: If it is upheld,
does it gut Obamacare?
0:41:40.431,1193:02:47.295
to withstand legal scrutiny.

885
00:41:43,300 --> 00:41:44,301
It's a simple question.

886
00:41:44,301 --> 00:41:46,303
Mr. Earnest: Well, I know
it's a hypothetical question,

887
00:41:46,303 --> 00:41:48,305
though, and one I'm not in
a position to entertain.

888
00:41:48,305 --> 00:41:50,274
We feel confident
in our legal case.

889
00:41:50,274 --> 00:41:53,277
We've already won two cases
at the district court level.

890
00:41:53,277 --> 00:41:57,848
We're going to the -- the
Justice Department will

891
00:41:57,848 --> 00:42:01,118
be pressing this case before
the entire D.C. circuit,

892
00:42:01,118 --> 00:42:03,654
and we feel confident about the
case that they'll be making.

893
00:42:03,654 --> 00:42:06,023
The Press: The law very clearly
states that the subsidies

894
00:42:06,023 --> 00:42:09,994
are available to those who
enroll through state exchanges.

895
00:42:09,994 --> 00:42:11,996
Does the letter of
the law matter

896
00:42:11,996 --> 00:42:13,230
to the White House on this?

897
00:42:13,230 --> 00:42:16,066
That is the letter of the law
-- it says state exchanges.

898
00:42:16,066 --> 00:42:18,903
Mr. Earnest: Again, I don't have
the fancy legal degree that I

899
00:42:18,903 --> 00:42:22,372
referred to earlier, but I do
think that what the courts are

900
00:42:22,373 --> 00:42:25,609
charged with doing is evaluating
the intent of Congress.

901
00:42:25,609 --> 00:42:29,013
And the intent of Congress in
this case I think is not just

902
00:42:29,013 --> 00:42:30,848
clear, it's transparent.

903
00:42:30,848 --> 00:42:33,984
Congress intended for every
eligible American to have access

904
00:42:33,984 --> 00:42:36,819
to these tax credits that
lower their health care costs,

905
00:42:36,820 --> 00:42:39,189
whether or not the marketplace
was run by federal officials

906
00:42:39,189 --> 00:42:40,857
or state officials.

907
00:42:40,858 --> 00:42:41,191
The Press: Okay.

908
00:42:41,191 --> 00:42:44,028
And I'd like to come back
to Major's point about

909
00:42:44,028 --> 00:42:48,899
the Apollo 11 that were here
at the White House today.

910
00:42:48,899 --> 00:42:51,201
Why the intense secrecy
around this event?

911
00:42:51,201 --> 00:42:53,203
Why not allow television
cameras into that?

912
00:42:53,203 --> 00:42:55,339
Mr. Earnest: It's merely
a scheduling matter, Jon.

913
00:42:55,339 --> 00:42:58,475
There's a number of things
on the President's schedule.

914
00:42:59,276 --> 00:43:02,011
We've had the trip to
the Dutch Embassy today.

915
00:43:02,012 --> 00:43:04,081
The President is making
remarks over in the EEOB

916
00:43:04,081 --> 00:43:06,317
with the Vice President to
talk about job training.

917
00:43:06,317 --> 00:43:08,319
And the President needs
to get on a plane

918
00:43:08,319 --> 00:43:09,320
at one o'clock this afternoon.

919
00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:11,655
So the President has a very busy
schedule and we weren't able

920
00:43:11,655 --> 00:43:13,223
to accommodate television
cameras this time.

921
00:43:13,223 --> 00:43:14,091
The Press: Just for the
record, the last pool spray

922
00:43:14,091 --> 00:43:15,025
took 38 seconds.

923
00:43:15,025 --> 00:43:15,759
Mr. Earnest: Understood.

924
00:43:15,759 --> 00:43:18,195
The Press: I mean, the
President's schedule -- couldn't

925
00:43:18,195 --> 00:43:20,364
he have been maybe five minutes
later for the fundraiser

926
00:43:20,364 --> 00:43:22,566
out in Seattle?

927
00:43:22,566 --> 00:43:25,468
You really couldn't accommodate
a few minutes for open

928
00:43:25,469 --> 00:43:26,303
coverage of this?

929
00:43:26,303 --> 00:43:27,337
Mr. Earnest: Not this time, Jon.

930
00:43:27,338 --> 00:43:28,906
The Press: I mean, let
me ask you,

931
00:43:28,906 --> 00:43:32,343
because I find that
explanation, frankly, a little

932
00:43:32,343 --> 00:43:34,345
hard to believe, given that
this is such a small amount

933
00:43:34,345 --> 00:43:37,647
of time to come in and
have a little bit of --

934
00:43:37,648 --> 00:43:39,650
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'll just
say that in the past that

935
00:43:39,650 --> 00:43:41,652
there have been some television
journalists who have

936
00:43:41,652 --> 00:43:43,654
complained about the small amount of time that was

937
00:43:43,654 --> 00:43:44,655
granted to some --

938
00:43:44,655 --> 00:43:46,657
The Press: Yes, and I think
I've probably been one of those

939
00:43:46,657 --> 00:43:48,659
-- complaining when 38
seconds maybe could

940
00:43:48,659 --> 00:43:49,660
be a couple of minutes.

941
00:43:49,660 --> 00:43:50,661
Mr. Earnest: Understood.

942
00:43:50,661 --> 00:43:53,998
The Press: But is it because
some of those Apollo astronauts,

943
00:43:53,998 --> 00:43:56,767
including Neil Armstrong,
shortly before he died,

944
00:43:56,767 --> 00:44:00,870
going to Congress, was very
critical of this President

945
00:44:00,871 --> 00:44:02,673
for the way he has handled
the space program.

946
00:44:02,673 --> 00:44:04,040
I mean, the words
of Neil Armstrong,

947
00:44:04,041 --> 00:44:07,311
who was a very private
person, as you know,

948
00:44:07,311 --> 00:44:10,114
before Congress saying that
the President's canceling

949
00:44:10,114 --> 00:44:12,483
of the Constellation
Program was "lamentably

950
00:44:12,483 --> 00:44:14,184
embarrassing and unacceptable."

951
00:44:14,184 --> 00:44:16,954
Is that why the President did
not want to see television

952
00:44:16,954 --> 00:44:17,955
cameras into this photo op?

953
00:44:17,955 --> 00:44:19,323
Mr. Earnest: Absolutely not.

954
00:44:19,323 --> 00:44:22,026
The President invited the crew
members of Apollo 11 to the

955
00:44:22,026 --> 00:44:26,263
White House to honor their
contribution to space

956
00:44:26,263 --> 00:44:31,435
exploration and to innovation
in the field of science.

957
00:44:31,435 --> 00:44:33,570
It's a genuine honor for the
President to have them here

958
00:44:33,570 --> 00:44:36,807
today, and he's proud about the
fact that they chose to come.

959
00:44:36,807 --> 00:44:39,942
I will also say that we are
proud of the policy that this

960
00:44:39,943 --> 00:44:43,647
President has put in place
to take our space program

961
00:44:43,647 --> 00:44:45,749
to the next level and we're
very optimistic about

962
00:44:45,749 --> 00:44:49,019
the future of the
American space program.

963
00:44:49,019 --> 00:44:51,622
The Press: You mentioned
the supplemental before

964
00:44:51,622 --> 00:44:55,058
on the border crisis
and wildfires.

965
00:44:55,059 --> 00:45:00,364
Today the Speaker said that he
believes that the supplemental

966
00:45:00,364 --> 00:45:03,667
is not going to pass unless
changes are made to the 2008 law

967
00:45:03,667 --> 00:45:06,870
and that the President
needs to push Democrats

968
00:45:06,870 --> 00:45:08,372
on the Hill to do that.

969
00:45:08,372 --> 00:45:10,908
So I wanted to know what your
response is to the Speaker.

970
00:45:10,908 --> 00:45:13,944
But also is there anything that
you can tell us about how

971
00:45:13,944 --> 00:45:15,712
the President is speaking to
Democrats on the Hill

972
00:45:15,712 --> 00:45:17,047
about that issue?

973
00:45:17,047 --> 00:45:19,049
Mr. Earnest: Well, I can tell
you that White House officials

974
00:45:19,049 --> 00:45:21,652
have been in regular touch with
Democrats and Republicans

975
00:45:21,652 --> 00:45:25,456
about the importance of
Congress acting to approve

976
00:45:25,456 --> 00:45:27,458
the supplemental appropriations
request that this

977
00:45:27,458 --> 00:45:29,259
administration has sought.

978
00:45:29,259 --> 00:45:32,062
The bottom line here is the
federal government needs

979
00:45:32,062 --> 00:45:37,034
additional resources to make
sure we are appropriately

980
00:45:37,034 --> 00:45:41,038
managing the urgent humanitarian
situation at the border.

981
00:45:41,038 --> 00:45:43,140
What we're seeking specifically
is funding for additional

982
00:45:43,140 --> 00:45:48,377
immigration judges, ICE
prosecutors and asylum officials

983
00:45:48,378 --> 00:45:51,915
who can more efficiently and
effectively process the claims

984
00:45:51,915 --> 00:45:56,920
that are made by those who have
been apprehended at the border.

985
00:45:56,920 --> 00:45:58,922
That enforcement of the law
is something that we have

986
00:45:58,922 --> 00:46:01,892
prioritized and something that
we need additional resources

987
00:46:01,892 --> 00:46:02,859
to do efficiently.

988
00:46:02,860 --> 00:46:04,995
The Press: But has the President
spoken to the Democratic

989
00:46:04,995 --> 00:46:06,897
leaders on the Hill
about it in recent days?

990
00:46:06,897 --> 00:46:08,999
Mr. Earnest: I don't have any
specific telephone conversations

991
00:46:08,999 --> 00:46:11,067
from the President to read out,
but I can tell you that a number

992
00:46:11,068 --> 00:46:13,303
of White House officials have
been in touch with their

993
00:46:13,303 --> 00:46:15,105
counterparts on Capitol
Hill about this matter.

994
00:46:15,105 --> 00:46:17,474
The Press: Just real quick, a
second -- I think that some

995
00:46:17,474 --> 00:46:20,144
people in the White House have
shot this down yesterday --

996
00:46:20,144 --> 00:46:21,211
just to get it out there.

997
00:46:21,211 --> 00:46:24,413
Has the President or anyone on
his behalf bought a house

998
00:46:24,414 --> 00:46:26,884
in California or planning to
buy a house in California?

999
00:46:26,884 --> 00:46:28,886
Mr. Earnest: I've seen
those reports, too.

1000
00:46:28,886 --> 00:46:29,953
Those reports are not accurate.

1001
00:46:29,953 --> 00:46:31,955
So, Mark, I'll give
you the last one.

1002
00:46:31,955 --> 00:46:33,056
I understand the President
is about to speak.

1003
00:46:33,056 --> 00:46:34,958
The Press: All right.

1004
00:46:34,958 --> 00:46:37,528
Josh, can you tell whether
President Obama enjoys doing

1005
00:46:37,528 --> 00:46:42,399
fundraisers, or does he regard
them as a distasteful chore?

1006
00:46:42,399 --> 00:46:45,602
Mr. Earnest: Mark, I can tell
you that the President enjoys

1007
00:46:45,602 --> 00:46:48,337
traveling all across the country
and meeting Americans from all

1008
00:46:48,338 --> 00:46:51,875
walks of life and talking to
them about the country that they

1009
00:46:51,875 --> 00:46:53,343
love and that he loves.

1010
00:46:53,343 --> 00:46:56,013
The President will have the
opportunity to meet over the

1011
00:46:56,013 --> 00:47:00,217
course of this trip to the West
Coast, if the schedule holds,

1012
00:47:00,217 --> 00:47:04,955
a variety of individuals and the
President is looking forward

1013
00:47:04,955 --> 00:47:06,857
to the opportunity that he'll
have to visit with them.

1014
00:47:06,857 --> 00:47:11,595
In terms of fundraising, it's a
responsibility that Presidents

1015
00:47:11,595 --> 00:47:16,799
in both parties for generations
have been responsible for.

1016
00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:19,136
And the President,
like his predecessors,

1017
00:47:19,136 --> 00:47:23,006
is interested in supporting
members of his party who are

1018
00:47:23,006 --> 00:47:28,212
on the ballot in 2014 and that's
part of what he'll be doing

1019
00:47:28,212 --> 00:47:30,447
over the course of this week.

1020
00:47:30,447 --> 00:47:31,415
Thanks, everybody.

1021
00:47:31,415 --> 00:47:33,483
The Press: Josh, it's 100
days for the Nigerian girls

1022
00:47:33,483 --> 00:47:34,985
since they went missing.

1023
00:47:34,985 --> 00:47:36,086
Any comment?

1024
00:47:36,086 --> 00:47:37,453
Mr. Earnest: Not from here,
but we may be able to follow

1025
00:47:37,454 --> 00:47:38,155
up on that.