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1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,001 Mr. Earnest: Good afternoon, everybody. 2 00:00:02,001 --> 00:00:04,771 TGIF. 3 00:00:04,771 --> 00:00:06,773 The fourth of four consecutive briefings this 4 00:00:06,773 --> 00:00:09,476 week, which has been a pleasure. 5 00:00:09,476 --> 00:00:11,478 I hope today's goes well, as well. 6 00:00:11,478 --> 00:00:12,512 The Press: Week ahead? 7 00:00:12,512 --> 00:00:13,913 (laughter) 8 00:00:13,913 --> 00:00:15,949 Mr. Earnest: I do have a week ahead. 9 00:00:15,949 --> 00:00:19,352 I'd be happy to jump right to it, if that's where we 10 00:00:19,352 --> 00:00:20,754 wanted to go. 11 00:00:20,754 --> 00:00:22,489 Let me do a short announcement at the top and 12 00:00:22,489 --> 00:00:25,892 then we'll take a least a couple of questions. 13 00:00:25,892 --> 00:00:29,561 On December 17th, President Obama announced historic 14 00:00:29,562 --> 00:00:32,399 changes to our nation's Cuba policy, beginning the 15 00:00:32,399 --> 00:00:34,701 process of normalizing relations between our 16 00:00:34,701 --> 00:00:36,035 two countries. 17 00:00:36,035 --> 00:00:39,038 The embargo remains in effect, but over the past 18 00:00:39,038 --> 00:00:41,340 year the administration has worked to enhance trade and 19 00:00:41,341 --> 00:00:44,711 commerce with Cuba, and published regulatory changes 20 00:00:44,711 --> 00:00:47,347 to existing Cuba sanctions. 21 00:00:47,347 --> 00:00:50,483 Today, the Departments of the Treasury and Commerce 22 00:00:50,483 --> 00:00:53,419 took additional steps to implement the President's 23 00:00:53,420 --> 00:00:55,688 new policy direction, announcing additional 24 00:00:55,688 --> 00:00:58,091 revisions to existing Cuba sanctions that will further 25 00:00:58,091 --> 00:01:00,560 advance our goal of empowering the Cuban people. 26 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,696 The United States remains committed to our enduring 27 00:01:03,696 --> 00:01:06,366 objective of promoting a more prosperous Cuba that 28 00:01:06,366 --> 00:01:08,401 respects the human rights and fundamental freedoms of 29 00:01:08,401 --> 00:01:09,669 all its people. 30 00:01:09,669 --> 00:01:11,704 We believe the regulatory changes announced today will 31 00:01:11,704 --> 00:01:15,708 allow the United States to continue to advance our 32 00:01:15,708 --> 00:01:19,145 interests and improve the lives of ordinary Cubans. 33 00:01:19,145 --> 00:01:21,414 So for more specific details about some of those 34 00:01:21,414 --> 00:01:24,350 technical changes, I'd refer you to the Department of 35 00:01:24,350 --> 00:01:26,553 Treasury and the Department of Commerce, respectively. 36 00:01:26,553 --> 00:01:30,690 But it's an important step in advancing the policy 37 00:01:30,690 --> 00:01:32,692 changes that the President announced at the end of 38 00:01:32,692 --> 00:01:33,693 last year. 39 00:01:33,693 --> 00:01:35,695 So with that out of the way, Darlene, let's go to 40 00:01:35,695 --> 00:01:36,696 your questions. 41 00:01:36,696 --> 00:01:37,697 The Press: Great, thanks. 42 00:01:37,697 --> 00:01:39,899 Staying on Cuba, could you talk a little bit about why 43 00:01:39,899 --> 00:01:42,068 the administration thinks that now is the right time 44 00:01:42,068 --> 00:01:44,838 to do what you're doing in Cuba in terms of easing 45 00:01:44,838 --> 00:01:48,741 travel and making it easier for American citizens to do 46 00:01:48,741 --> 00:01:50,176 business there? 47 00:01:50,176 --> 00:01:53,146 Mr. Earnest: Well, Darlene, this is part of the policy 48 00:01:53,146 --> 00:01:56,483 process that the President envisioned and kicked off 49 00:01:56,483 --> 00:01:59,552 back in December of last year. 50 00:01:59,552 --> 00:02:02,655 For more than five decades, the policy -- the United 51 00:02:02,655 --> 00:02:07,193 States had pursued a policy of isolation against Cuba, 52 00:02:07,193 --> 00:02:09,863 and the thinking behind the implementation and strict 53 00:02:09,863 --> 00:02:13,533 enforcement of that policy was that by isolating Cuba 54 00:02:13,533 --> 00:02:18,671 we could compel them to change their habits when it 55 00:02:18,671 --> 00:02:24,244 comes to the government's respect for basic human rights. 56 00:02:24,244 --> 00:02:28,248 And for more than five decades, the Cuban 57 00:02:28,248 --> 00:02:30,517 government essentially ignored the policy of the 58 00:02:30,517 --> 00:02:33,519 United States, freely engaged with a variety of 59 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:35,522 other countries around the hemisphere and around the 60 00:02:35,522 --> 00:02:41,661 world, and our efforts didn't have -- or didn't 61 00:02:41,661 --> 00:02:43,663 yield the kind of results we were looking for. 62 00:02:43,663 --> 00:02:45,865 And after five decades, or more than five decades of 63 00:02:45,865 --> 00:02:50,270 that policy, the President determined that it would be 64 00:02:50,270 --> 00:02:52,805 more effective for the United States to begin 65 00:02:52,805 --> 00:02:55,475 engaging not just the Cuban government, but also the 66 00:02:55,475 --> 00:02:56,743 Cuban people. 67 00:02:56,743 --> 00:02:58,845 And the goal of some of these policy changes is to 68 00:02:58,845 --> 00:03:00,813 deepen our engagement with the Cuban people. 69 00:03:00,813 --> 00:03:02,315 I'll just cite one example. 70 00:03:02,315 --> 00:03:07,453 And this is something you can get more detail from the 71 00:03:07,453 --> 00:03:08,454 Treasury Department on. 72 00:03:08,454 --> 00:03:12,225 But some of the policy changes enacted today relate 73 00:03:12,225 --> 00:03:17,530 to telecommunications and Internet-based services. 74 00:03:17,530 --> 00:03:19,532 Ensuring that the Cuban people have greater access 75 00:03:19,532 --> 00:03:24,037 to information is one way that we can give them 76 00:03:24,037 --> 00:03:26,673 greater opportunity, certainly more exposure to 77 00:03:26,673 --> 00:03:29,742 the kinds of values that we prioritize in this country. 78 00:03:29,742 --> 00:03:32,178 And we believe that will be in the best interest of our 79 00:03:32,178 --> 00:03:35,281 goal of empowering the Cuban people. 80 00:03:35,281 --> 00:03:38,651 The Press: What steps has Cuba taken or has told the 81 00:03:38,651 --> 00:03:41,321 administration it will take as part of this process of 82 00:03:41,321 --> 00:03:45,358 normalizing relations between the two countries? 83 00:03:45,358 --> 00:03:46,793 It seems like the U.S. 84 00:03:46,793 --> 00:03:48,928 is the one that's making all the moves. 85 00:03:48,928 --> 00:03:51,297 Mr. Earnest: Well, the U.S. 86 00:03:51,297 --> 00:03:53,633 is certainly capitalizing on opportunities to take some 87 00:03:53,633 --> 00:03:54,534 of these steps. 88 00:03:54,534 --> 00:03:55,802 Obviously the business community here in the United 89 00:03:55,802 --> 00:03:58,571 States is strongly supportive of some of these 90 00:03:58,571 --> 00:03:59,872 steps that have been announced by the 91 00:03:59,872 --> 00:04:02,175 administration, including some of these 92 00:04:02,175 --> 00:04:05,945 regulatory changes. 93 00:04:05,945 --> 00:04:11,351 So while our principal goal here is empowering the Cuban 94 00:04:11,351 --> 00:04:14,454 people, there's an intended benefit for the American 95 00:04:14,454 --> 00:04:15,455 people too. 96 00:04:15,455 --> 00:04:18,691 It advances our interests in the hemisphere, and it 97 00:04:18,690 --> 00:04:20,692 certainly opens up some business opportunities for 98 00:04:20,692 --> 00:04:23,863 American businesses that are interested in capitalizing 99 00:04:23,863 --> 00:04:26,866 on the markets that exist in Cuba. 100 00:04:26,866 --> 00:04:28,967 There's also the potential that some of these changes 101 00:04:28,968 --> 00:04:32,639 would ease travel restrictions and make it a 102 00:04:32,639 --> 00:04:36,442 little bit easier for individuals to travel to Cuba. 103 00:04:36,442 --> 00:04:40,913 The embargo hasn't changed; we still want Congress to 104 00:04:40,913 --> 00:04:43,349 take action to remove the embargo. 105 00:04:43,349 --> 00:04:45,718 But some of the regulatory changes would enhance 106 00:04:45,718 --> 00:04:48,254 people-to-people exchanges between the United States 107 00:04:48,254 --> 00:04:49,622 and Cuba. 108 00:04:49,622 --> 00:04:52,291 We believe that that's good for the Cuban people, but 109 00:04:52,291 --> 00:04:54,293 there are benefits for Americans, as well. 110 00:04:54,293 --> 00:04:56,929 And that's, again, a policy that would not have been 111 00:04:56,929 --> 00:05:00,900 possible had we continued to adhere to this failed policy 112 00:05:00,900 --> 00:05:04,303 of isolation that didn't advance our interests and 113 00:05:04,303 --> 00:05:07,940 didn't yield the kinds of changes on the island nation 114 00:05:07,940 --> 00:05:09,642 of Cuba that we'd like to see. 115 00:05:09,642 --> 00:05:11,711 The Press: By now you've probably seen clips on 116 00:05:11,711 --> 00:05:14,981 television of Donald Trump in New Hampshire, and the 117 00:05:14,981 --> 00:05:18,685 question he got from someone who said the President is a 118 00:05:18,685 --> 00:05:21,654 Muslim and is not an American. 119 00:05:21,654 --> 00:05:25,658 Are you surprised that that issue is still out there and 120 00:05:25,658 --> 00:05:28,961 still coming up after the President tried to put it to 121 00:05:28,961 --> 00:05:31,364 rest a few years ago by releasing his 122 00:05:31,364 --> 00:05:32,498 birth certificate? 123 00:05:32,498 --> 00:05:35,702 Mr. Earnest: It's funny the way that you've phrased 124 00:05:35,702 --> 00:05:37,336 your question. 125 00:05:37,336 --> 00:05:39,939 I had the opportunity to think through what my answer 126 00:05:39,939 --> 00:05:42,108 might be to this kind of question. 127 00:05:42,108 --> 00:05:44,143 (laughter) 128 00:05:44,143 --> 00:05:47,880 But I think my first observation is, is anybody 129 00:05:47,880 --> 00:05:49,882 really surprised that this happened at a 130 00:05:49,882 --> 00:05:51,517 Donald Trump rally? 131 00:05:51,517 --> 00:05:53,553 I don't think that anybody who's been paying attention 132 00:05:53,553 --> 00:05:59,425 to Republican politics is at all surprised. 133 00:05:59,425 --> 00:06:01,427 The reason for that is that the people who hold these 134 00:06:01,427 --> 00:06:06,065 offensive views are part of Mr. Trump's base. 135 00:06:06,065 --> 00:06:08,034 And Mr. Trump himself would be the first to tell you 136 00:06:08,034 --> 00:06:10,803 that he's got the biggest base of any Republican 137 00:06:10,803 --> 00:06:13,339 politician these days. 138 00:06:13,339 --> 00:06:15,675 Now, it is too bad that he wasn't able to summon the 139 00:06:15,675 --> 00:06:20,880 same kind of patriotism that we saw from Senator McCain 140 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:27,320 who responded much more effectively and directly 141 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:31,557 when one of his supporters at one of his campaign 142 00:06:31,557 --> 00:06:36,429 events about seven years ago raised the same kind of 143 00:06:36,429 --> 00:06:39,097 false claims. 144 00:06:39,098 --> 00:06:41,634 Now, what's also unfortunate is that Mr. Trump isn't the 145 00:06:41,634 --> 00:06:44,737 first Republican politician to countenance these kinds 146 00:06:44,737 --> 00:06:48,608 of views in order to win votes. 147 00:06:48,608 --> 00:06:51,177 In fact, that's precisely what every Republican 148 00:06:51,177 --> 00:06:54,480 presidential candidate is doing when they declined to 149 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:58,317 denounce Mr. Trump's cynical strategy, because they're 150 00:06:58,317 --> 00:07:01,087 looking for those same votes. 151 00:07:01,087 --> 00:07:03,089 Now, other Republicans have successfully used this 152 00:07:03,089 --> 00:07:04,423 strategy as well. 153 00:07:04,423 --> 00:07:06,459 You'll recall that one Republican congressman told 154 00:07:06,459 --> 00:07:07,460 a reporter that he was 155 00:07:07,460 --> 00:07:09,929 "David Duke without the baggage." 156 00:07:09,929 --> 00:07:11,931 That congressman was elected by a majority of his 157 00:07:11,931 --> 00:07:14,233 colleagues in the House of Representatives to the third 158 00:07:14,233 --> 00:07:17,470 highest-ranking position in the House. 159 00:07:17,470 --> 00:07:19,839 Those same members of Congress blocked 160 00:07:19,839 --> 00:07:22,141 immigration reform. 161 00:07:22,141 --> 00:07:24,143 Those same members of Congress oppose 162 00:07:24,143 --> 00:07:26,412 reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. 163 00:07:26,412 --> 00:07:29,715 Those same members of Congress couldn't support a 164 00:07:29,715 --> 00:07:33,518 simple funding bill because they're eager to defend the 165 00:07:33,519 --> 00:07:36,355 confederate flag. 166 00:07:36,355 --> 00:07:39,759 So those are the priorities of today's Republican Party, 167 00:07:39,759 --> 00:07:41,761 and they'll continue to be until someone in the 168 00:07:41,761 --> 00:07:45,064 Republican Party decides to summon the courage to stand 169 00:07:45,064 --> 00:07:46,499 up and change it. 170 00:07:46,499 --> 00:07:47,967 The Press: Should Donald Trump apologize to 171 00:07:47,967 --> 00:07:49,669 the President? 172 00:07:49,669 --> 00:07:52,238 Mr. Earnest: I'm not really -- I haven't seen any 173 00:07:52,238 --> 00:07:54,073 evidence to indicate that he's interested in my advice 174 00:07:54,073 --> 00:07:55,907 about what he should do. 175 00:07:55,908 --> 00:07:57,710 Ayesha. 176 00:07:57,710 --> 00:07:59,311 The Press: Hi. 177 00:07:59,312 --> 00:08:02,448 So I wanted to ask, Secretary Kerry said today 178 00:08:02,448 --> 00:08:03,849 in London that the U.S. 179 00:08:03,850 --> 00:08:07,553 believes that military talks with Russia regarding Syria 180 00:08:07,553 --> 00:08:09,455 are an important next step. 181 00:08:09,455 --> 00:08:12,291 And the Pentagon today said Secretary Carter spoke with 182 00:08:12,291 --> 00:08:13,993 the Russian Defense Minister. 183 00:08:13,993 --> 00:08:17,096 I wanted to ask, what are the plans for additional 184 00:08:17,096 --> 00:08:20,266 talks with Russia, and at what level do you expect 185 00:08:20,266 --> 00:08:21,701 them to occur? 186 00:08:21,701 --> 00:08:24,070 And what specific issues does the administration 187 00:08:24,070 --> 00:08:27,039 believe needs to be ironed out in these talks? 188 00:08:27,039 --> 00:08:31,010 Mr. Earnest: Well, we have hinted for a couple of days 189 00:08:31,010 --> 00:08:37,917 now that we believed there would be some value in some 190 00:08:37,917 --> 00:08:40,253 tactical, practical discussions with the 191 00:08:40,253 --> 00:08:44,624 Russians about how to advance the goals of our 192 00:08:44,624 --> 00:08:51,030 counter-ISIL operation, and to ensure the safe conduct 193 00:08:51,030 --> 00:08:53,299 of those anti-ISIL operations. 194 00:08:55,434 --> 00:08:57,435 Secretary Carter did have the opportunity to speak to 195 00:08:57,436 --> 00:09:00,506 his Russian counterpart today. 196 00:09:00,506 --> 00:09:02,507 And they agreed in the context of those 197 00:09:02,508 --> 00:09:06,946 conversations to discuss further mechanisms for 198 00:09:06,946 --> 00:09:11,384 de-confliction in Syria, essentially making sure that 199 00:09:11,384 --> 00:09:14,654 the actions of our counter-ISIL coalition don't 200 00:09:14,654 --> 00:09:17,757 come into conflict with any Russian military actions 201 00:09:17,757 --> 00:09:21,694 that they may have planned for Syria. 202 00:09:21,694 --> 00:09:24,563 I'll repeat one point that I think is something I've said 203 00:09:24,563 --> 00:09:30,269 before but bears repeating, which is that Russia has 204 00:09:30,269 --> 00:09:36,342 long had a military presence inside of Syria because they 205 00:09:36,342 --> 00:09:40,045 essentially used Syria as a client state in the Middle 206 00:09:40,046 --> 00:09:43,683 East and they were an important part of propping 207 00:09:43,683 --> 00:09:46,485 up the Assad regime. 208 00:09:46,485 --> 00:09:49,488 The fact is, we have seen the Assad regime become 209 00:09:49,488 --> 00:09:52,525 isolated, lose its legitimacy to lead that 210 00:09:52,525 --> 00:09:56,595 country, and according to many analysts, begin to lose 211 00:09:56,595 --> 00:09:58,831 its grip on power. 212 00:09:58,831 --> 00:10:03,302 That's why we've described doubling down on Assad as a 213 00:10:03,302 --> 00:10:05,338 losing bet for Russia. 214 00:10:05,338 --> 00:10:08,473 And we're going to continue to encourage Russia to find 215 00:10:08,474 --> 00:10:15,982 a constructive way to support ongoing counter-ISIL 216 00:10:15,982 --> 00:10:17,949 operations inside of Syria. 217 00:10:17,950 --> 00:10:21,454 The Press: On a separate issue, today a Chinese 218 00:10:21,454 --> 00:10:25,657 foreign ministry spokesman said that China is extremely 219 00:10:25,658 --> 00:10:29,061 concerned about the comments from Admiral Harry Harris 220 00:10:29,061 --> 00:10:30,663 that the U.S. 221 00:10:30,663 --> 00:10:34,266 should challenge some of China's claim for territory 222 00:10:34,266 --> 00:10:37,969 in the South China Sea by patrolling close to some of 223 00:10:37,970 --> 00:10:40,006 the artificial islands. 224 00:10:40,006 --> 00:10:41,173 China urged the U.S. 225 00:10:41,173 --> 00:10:44,076 not to take risky or provocative actions. 226 00:10:44,076 --> 00:10:46,746 What is the administration's response to these concerns 227 00:10:46,746 --> 00:10:48,079 raised by China? 228 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:50,249 Mr. Earnest: I didn't see the Admiral's comments so I 229 00:10:50,249 --> 00:10:51,984 can't respond to those directly. 230 00:10:51,984 --> 00:10:54,587 I can say as a general matter that we have long 231 00:10:54,587 --> 00:10:59,225 encouraged China to find a constructive, diplomatic way 232 00:10:59,225 --> 00:11:02,128 to work with other countries that have claims in the 233 00:11:02,128 --> 00:11:06,098 South China Sea to try to resolve the differences of 234 00:11:06,098 --> 00:11:07,366 opinion there. 235 00:11:07,366 --> 00:11:11,937 The stakes of resolving those tensions are 236 00:11:11,937 --> 00:11:12,838 not insignificant. 237 00:11:12,838 --> 00:11:20,146 The fact is, the South China Sea is a significant area 238 00:11:20,146 --> 00:11:22,415 when it comes to international trade; that 239 00:11:22,415 --> 00:11:24,416 there's a lot of international trade that 240 00:11:24,417 --> 00:11:25,684 moves through those waters. 241 00:11:25,684 --> 00:11:28,254 And it's in the interest of all the countries in that 242 00:11:28,254 --> 00:11:31,223 region of the world and it's in the interest of countries 243 00:11:31,223 --> 00:11:34,426 like the United States that have an impact on the global 244 00:11:34,427 --> 00:11:39,198 economy to ensure that those tensions don't interfere 245 00:11:39,198 --> 00:11:43,936 with the free flow of commerce. 246 00:11:43,936 --> 00:11:49,241 So what we have steadfastly urged the Chinese to do is 247 00:11:49,241 --> 00:11:51,510 to engage with other countries in that region to 248 00:11:51,510 --> 00:11:53,512 find a diplomatic resolution to some of 249 00:11:53,512 --> 00:11:55,046 these differences. 250 00:11:55,047 --> 00:11:58,284 And we are strongly supportive of the efforts of 251 00:11:58,284 --> 00:12:01,287 those other countries to find a diplomatic resolution 252 00:12:01,287 --> 00:12:03,155 with the Chinese. 253 00:12:03,155 --> 00:12:04,089 Jim. 254 00:12:04,090 --> 00:12:07,293 The Press: I know that with respect to Donald Trump and 255 00:12:07,293 --> 00:12:08,861 what happened at that rally, and the comments that you 256 00:12:08,861 --> 00:12:12,898 made, I know that you said that they are a reflection 257 00:12:12,898 --> 00:12:14,967 of what's going on inside the Republican Party and 258 00:12:14,967 --> 00:12:16,836 certainly at Donald Trump rallies. 259 00:12:16,836 --> 00:12:22,074 But I'm just curious if you think there's a more deeply 260 00:12:22,074 --> 00:12:25,210 rooted issue here, and that this has been going on 261 00:12:25,211 --> 00:12:28,614 inside this country ever since Barack Obama was 262 00:12:28,614 --> 00:12:29,849 running for President. 263 00:12:29,849 --> 00:12:33,719 And what does it say about political culture in 264 00:12:33,719 --> 00:12:35,087 this country? 265 00:12:35,087 --> 00:12:37,256 And is it disappointing to the President to hear that 266 00:12:37,256 --> 00:12:39,324 this is still going on, months before he 267 00:12:39,325 --> 00:12:40,860 leaves office? 268 00:12:40,860 --> 00:12:42,761 Mr. Earnest: Well, Jim, I think the first thing the 269 00:12:42,761 --> 00:12:47,065 President would say is that there is a long history 270 00:12:47,066 --> 00:12:53,506 throughout American politics of a robust and in some 271 00:12:53,506 --> 00:12:59,278 cases quite tough rhetorical debate on a range of 272 00:12:59,278 --> 00:13:01,480 political issues. 273 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:07,153 So it's not the toughness of the debate that the 274 00:13:07,153 --> 00:13:10,556 President is concerned about. 275 00:13:10,556 --> 00:13:15,895 I think more broadly the concern is that we've seen a 276 00:13:15,895 --> 00:13:21,500 variety of leaders in the Republican Party countenance 277 00:13:21,500 --> 00:13:25,871 offensive views just to try to win some votes. 278 00:13:25,871 --> 00:13:27,872 That's had a significant impact on the presidential 279 00:13:27,873 --> 00:13:32,178 race, but it's also had a significant impact on the 280 00:13:32,178 --> 00:13:35,814 ability of Congress to function effectively and to 281 00:13:35,814 --> 00:13:38,016 pass legislation like immigration reform that has 282 00:13:38,017 --> 00:13:40,586 broad bipartisan support across the country, would do 283 00:13:40,586 --> 00:13:43,822 good things for our economy, would reduce the deficit. 284 00:13:43,822 --> 00:13:50,729 But yet it's blocked by Republicans who countenance 285 00:13:50,729 --> 00:13:52,364 some of those views. 286 00:13:52,364 --> 00:13:56,535 And I think that's the point here is that this is a 287 00:13:56,535 --> 00:14:03,242 cynical strategy that too many Republican politicians 288 00:14:03,242 --> 00:14:07,146 have dabbled in because for some of them it's proved to 289 00:14:07,146 --> 00:14:08,680 be successful. 290 00:14:08,681 --> 00:14:10,683 But there are consequences for it. 291 00:14:10,683 --> 00:14:12,918 There are consequences for their ability to govern the 292 00:14:12,918 --> 00:14:16,755 country and there are consequences at the ballot 293 00:14:16,755 --> 00:14:19,024 box, too, because I'm confident that voters are 294 00:14:19,024 --> 00:14:20,025 paying attention. 295 00:14:20,025 --> 00:14:22,494 The Press: And apparently Donald Trump's campaign has 296 00:14:22,494 --> 00:14:23,796 said, well, he didn't hear the comment. 297 00:14:23,796 --> 00:14:26,332 What do you make of that? 298 00:14:26,332 --> 00:14:28,234 Mr. Earnest: That's not what he said. 299 00:14:28,234 --> 00:14:33,939 The Press: And Hillary Clinton apparently said at 300 00:14:33,939 --> 00:14:36,275 one of her campaign events that if the Obama 301 00:14:36,275 --> 00:14:38,410 administration doesn't hurry up with a decision on 302 00:14:38,410 --> 00:14:40,478 Keystone, she is going to let her feelings be known soon. 303 00:14:40,479 --> 00:14:43,549 What did you make of that? 304 00:14:43,549 --> 00:14:46,718 Mr. Earnest: Well, listen, in some ways these Keystone 305 00:14:46,719 --> 00:14:52,191 questions are some of the easiest ones that I have to 306 00:14:52,191 --> 00:14:55,361 answer because, fortunately, all of you already know the 307 00:14:55,361 --> 00:14:57,363 answer to them, which is that there is an ongoing 308 00:14:57,363 --> 00:14:59,365 process at the State Department, where this 309 00:14:59,365 --> 00:15:01,367 particular project is being considered, that's 310 00:15:01,367 --> 00:15:03,602 consistent with the way that these infrastructure 311 00:15:03,602 --> 00:15:05,603 projects have been considered by previous 312 00:15:05,604 --> 00:15:07,906 administrations and it's why -- and it's the way that 313 00:15:07,906 --> 00:15:10,041 this administration is considering this project. 314 00:15:10,042 --> 00:15:12,111 I would acknowledge that this project -- the 315 00:15:12,111 --> 00:15:14,880 consideration of this project has taken longer 316 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:16,282 than many previous projects. 317 00:15:16,282 --> 00:15:19,852 There are a variety of reasons for that, including 318 00:15:19,852 --> 00:15:25,691 that there are some -- litigation by some people 319 00:15:25,691 --> 00:15:27,693 would be affected by the construction of the pipeline 320 00:15:27,693 --> 00:15:31,230 that has delayed the consideration of this study 321 00:15:31,230 --> 00:15:33,899 that's being conducted by the State Department. 322 00:15:33,899 --> 00:15:36,368 But for timing in terms of when this review will be 323 00:15:36,368 --> 00:15:38,370 completed, I'd refer you to the State Department. 324 00:15:38,370 --> 00:15:40,372 The Press: Shouldn't she know that about the process 325 00:15:40,372 --> 00:15:42,373 since she was Secretary of State? 326 00:15:42,374 --> 00:15:45,978 Mr. Earnest: I think that she does, but I think that 327 00:15:45,978 --> 00:15:47,979 she is also articulating a view that I've heard from 328 00:15:47,980 --> 00:15:51,483 many of you, which is that you're eager to hear 329 00:15:51,483 --> 00:15:52,483 an answer. 330 00:15:52,484 --> 00:15:55,754 And as soon as we have one, we'll let you know. 331 00:15:55,754 --> 00:15:56,755 Mark. 332 00:15:56,755 --> 00:15:58,757 The Press: Can I follow up just about the 333 00:15:58,757 --> 00:15:59,691 South China Sea? 334 00:15:59,692 --> 00:16:00,092 Mr. Earnest: Sure. 335 00:16:00,092 --> 00:16:01,526 The Press: It's been -- I believe it was 2012 the last 336 00:16:01,527 --> 00:16:02,194 time U.S. 337 00:16:02,194 --> 00:16:05,030 warships passed through some of these disputed waters. 338 00:16:05,030 --> 00:16:08,766 And there was some suggestion at a Capitol Hill 339 00:16:08,767 --> 00:16:10,936 hearing yesterday that it's time for the administration 340 00:16:10,936 --> 00:16:12,371 to send some more U.S. 341 00:16:12,371 --> 00:16:14,139 warships through those waters. 342 00:16:14,139 --> 00:16:15,441 What's the response to that? 343 00:16:15,441 --> 00:16:17,309 Is it in consideration at least? 344 00:16:17,309 --> 00:16:20,279 Mr. Earnest: For those kinds of operational decisions, 345 00:16:20,279 --> 00:16:22,614 Mark, I'd send you to the Department of Defense. 346 00:16:22,614 --> 00:16:24,183 I'm not suggesting that -- The Press: For goodness 347 00:16:24,183 --> 00:16:25,417 sake, Josh, that's something that would not happen 348 00:16:25,417 --> 00:16:27,086 without the President's say-so. 349 00:16:27,086 --> 00:16:28,253 Mr. Earnest: I was just going to say, I'm not 350 00:16:28,253 --> 00:16:29,621 suggesting that the Commander-in-Chief wouldn't 351 00:16:29,621 --> 00:16:32,057 have a view on that. 352 00:16:32,057 --> 00:16:35,294 But at least for questions about the last time that 353 00:16:35,294 --> 00:16:37,930 this occurred, I don't have that information in front of me. 354 00:16:37,930 --> 00:16:39,931 The Department of Defense would have that. 355 00:16:39,932 --> 00:16:45,304 But what we have indicated is that it's important for 356 00:16:45,304 --> 00:16:49,507 these kinds of disputes to be resolved diplomatically 357 00:16:49,508 --> 00:16:51,810 among the parties who are directly involved. 358 00:16:51,810 --> 00:16:55,881 And the United States has a clear stake in the peaceful 359 00:16:55,881 --> 00:16:58,384 resolution of those disputes because there are 360 00:16:58,384 --> 00:17:00,919 significant economic consequences for some of 361 00:17:00,919 --> 00:17:03,422 those differences of opinion having an impact on 362 00:17:03,422 --> 00:17:04,790 global trade. 363 00:17:04,790 --> 00:17:08,860 And there are significant -- there's a significant flow 364 00:17:08,861 --> 00:17:10,396 of U.S. 365 00:17:10,396 --> 00:17:13,699 products from the United States to markets in Asia 366 00:17:13,699 --> 00:17:15,934 and other places around the world that traverse 367 00:17:15,934 --> 00:17:16,935 those waters. 368 00:17:16,935 --> 00:17:19,972 And we want to make sure that that flow of commerce 369 00:17:19,972 --> 00:17:20,973 is not interrupted. 370 00:17:20,973 --> 00:17:23,175 It would have significant consequences for the U.S. 371 00:17:23,175 --> 00:17:26,478 economy and that's the stake that we have in resolving it. 372 00:17:26,478 --> 00:17:29,615 But I don't have a policy position to share with you 373 00:17:29,615 --> 00:17:33,285 in terms of any upcoming operational decisions about 374 00:17:33,285 --> 00:17:34,586 the deployment of U.S. 375 00:17:34,586 --> 00:17:36,588 warships in that region of the world. 376 00:17:36,588 --> 00:17:38,590 The Press: You don't think it's a policy matter the U.S. 377 00:17:38,590 --> 00:17:40,591 ought to be sending warships through those waters to 378 00:17:40,592 --> 00:17:42,394 assert the right of freedom of navigation? 379 00:17:42,394 --> 00:17:47,199 Mr. Earnest: Well, again, at this point I don't have any 380 00:17:47,199 --> 00:17:50,436 additional details about what may be in the works here. 381 00:17:50,436 --> 00:17:51,437 Victoria. 382 00:17:51,437 --> 00:17:52,437 The Press: Yes. 383 00:17:52,438 --> 00:17:54,440 You've talked about the Trump-Muslim-Obama-non-Ameri 384 00:17:56,442 --> 00:18:00,112 can thing from a policy and political point of view, but 385 00:18:00,112 --> 00:18:03,515 I'd like to address it more from President Obama and how 386 00:18:03,515 --> 00:18:05,317 he feels about this personally at this point -- 387 00:18:05,317 --> 00:18:07,219 point of view. 388 00:18:07,219 --> 00:18:09,354 Does this annoy him? 389 00:18:09,354 --> 00:18:11,023 Does it irritate him? 390 00:18:11,023 --> 00:18:13,091 Does it amuse him? 391 00:18:13,091 --> 00:18:14,459 Does it flummox him? 392 00:18:14,460 --> 00:18:16,628 Is he upset about it? 393 00:18:16,628 --> 00:18:18,062 What is his response to it? 394 00:18:18,063 --> 00:18:19,465 It has gone on for years now. 395 00:18:19,465 --> 00:18:22,801 Mr. Earnest: Yes, well, I think that for that reason, 396 00:18:22,801 --> 00:18:26,271 because these are the kinds of questions that all -- 397 00:18:26,271 --> 00:18:28,774 many of us have had to answer in a variety of 398 00:18:28,774 --> 00:18:32,043 different settings, including on places like 399 00:18:32,044 --> 00:18:37,516 buses in Iowa, that I think we're all sort of long past 400 00:18:37,516 --> 00:18:41,420 being particularly concerned about them. 401 00:18:41,420 --> 00:18:44,456 I think that the bigger concern, and I think, 402 00:18:44,456 --> 00:18:49,026 frankly, the most relevant issue here is the frequency 403 00:18:49,027 --> 00:18:52,231 with which significant, influential players in 404 00:18:52,231 --> 00:18:56,902 Republican politics continue to countenance these views 405 00:18:56,902 --> 00:18:59,938 as they build political support. 406 00:18:59,938 --> 00:19:01,607 And that has consequences. 407 00:19:01,607 --> 00:19:04,042 It has consequences for the ability of a Republican 408 00:19:04,042 --> 00:19:06,745 majority in Congress to run the country, to pass 409 00:19:06,745 --> 00:19:08,813 common-sense legislation that has strong bipartisan 410 00:19:08,814 --> 00:19:09,882 support across the country. 411 00:19:09,882 --> 00:19:12,951 But it also has consequences in terms of the way that 412 00:19:12,951 --> 00:19:16,054 voters across the country view the Republican Party 413 00:19:16,054 --> 00:19:18,323 and view the candidates that are running under the 414 00:19:18,323 --> 00:19:19,324 Republican Party banner. 415 00:19:19,324 --> 00:19:23,495 The Press: Why do you think that the view that President 416 00:19:23,495 --> 00:19:27,533 Obama is a Muslim of 43 percent in this latest CNN 417 00:19:27,533 --> 00:19:32,737 poll among Republicans just seems to be if not growing, 418 00:19:32,738 --> 00:19:36,208 at least staying the same, that it just doesn't tap down. 419 00:19:36,208 --> 00:19:37,643 Why do you think that is? 420 00:19:37,643 --> 00:19:38,777 Mr. Earnest: I have no idea. 421 00:19:38,777 --> 00:19:41,213 I have no idea. 422 00:19:41,213 --> 00:19:41,980 Devon. 423 00:19:41,980 --> 00:19:43,415 The Press: Thanks, Josh. 424 00:19:43,415 --> 00:19:45,517 I wanted to ask about the other part of the 425 00:19:45,517 --> 00:19:47,386 Trump controversy. 426 00:19:47,386 --> 00:19:50,187 His campaign, as Jim said, says he didn't hear the 427 00:19:50,188 --> 00:19:53,492 question but also that the questioner, who is kind of 428 00:19:53,492 --> 00:19:56,595 in the spotlight here, mentioned Muslim terrorist 429 00:19:56,595 --> 00:20:00,699 training camps preceding his question, so they're saying 430 00:20:00,699 --> 00:20:04,336 that Mr. Trump was referring to wanting to get rid of 431 00:20:04,336 --> 00:20:07,406 these Muslim terrorist training camps. 432 00:20:07,406 --> 00:20:10,042 Does the White House have any view on these 433 00:20:10,042 --> 00:20:11,043 supposed camps? 434 00:20:11,043 --> 00:20:13,445 Are there Muslim terrorist training camps in this 435 00:20:13,445 --> 00:20:15,981 country, in your view? 436 00:20:15,981 --> 00:20:18,150 Mr. Earnest: Well, I haven't seen anybody produce any 437 00:20:18,150 --> 00:20:21,119 evidence to substantiate the claim that there are. 438 00:20:23,722 --> 00:20:27,259 So I guess you could say that I think the vast 439 00:20:27,259 --> 00:20:31,096 majority of Americans would take a rather dim view of 440 00:20:31,096 --> 00:20:32,064 those views. 441 00:20:32,064 --> 00:20:34,066 The Press: And Hillary Clinton today, she's 442 00:20:34,066 --> 00:20:35,434 campaigning in New Hampshire. 443 00:20:35,434 --> 00:20:37,002 She said a couple times talking about the economy 444 00:20:37,002 --> 00:20:40,305 that she believes the economy is stalled and it's 445 00:20:40,305 --> 00:20:41,506 stalled domestically. 446 00:20:41,506 --> 00:20:43,642 She used that word a couple times today for the first time. 447 00:20:43,642 --> 00:20:45,611 Is it the administration's view that the economy 448 00:20:45,611 --> 00:20:47,346 is stalled? 449 00:20:47,346 --> 00:20:47,980 Mr. Earnest: It's not. 450 00:20:47,980 --> 00:20:50,415 I think you heard the President talk about this at 451 00:20:50,415 --> 00:20:53,118 the Business Roundtable earlier this week that our 452 00:20:53,118 --> 00:20:57,322 economy has made really important progress since 453 00:20:57,322 --> 00:21:02,093 recovering from the worst economic crisis since the 454 00:21:02,094 --> 00:21:06,932 Great Depression; that we're in the midst of the longest, 455 00:21:06,932 --> 00:21:10,802 sustained stretch of private-sector job growth in 456 00:21:10,802 --> 00:21:12,838 the history of the country. 457 00:21:12,838 --> 00:21:17,109 And whether you evaluate our progress by looking at job 458 00:21:17,109 --> 00:21:20,512 creation, the unemployment rate that's been cut nearly 459 00:21:20,512 --> 00:21:25,817 in half since its peak five or six years ago, if you 460 00:21:25,817 --> 00:21:31,957 take a look at GDP growth, even despite the volatility 461 00:21:31,957 --> 00:21:34,660 in the financial markets, even the stock market has 462 00:21:34,660 --> 00:21:38,363 rebounded significantly from the depths of the 463 00:21:38,363 --> 00:21:39,965 economic recession. 464 00:21:39,965 --> 00:21:44,468 Now, what's true is that the President believes that 465 00:21:44,469 --> 00:21:46,905 there is a whole lot more than can and should be done 466 00:21:46,905 --> 00:21:49,875 to advance our recovery and make sure that more 467 00:21:49,875 --> 00:21:52,377 middle-class families are benefitting from it. 468 00:21:52,377 --> 00:21:53,912 There's no denying that. 469 00:21:53,912 --> 00:21:55,914 In fact, that's one of our principal arguments about 470 00:21:55,914 --> 00:21:57,916 why Republicans shouldn't follow through with 471 00:21:57,916 --> 00:22:00,217 threatening to shut down the government. 472 00:22:00,218 --> 00:22:03,088 But there's also no denying the significant progress and 473 00:22:03,088 --> 00:22:06,324 momentum that our nation's economy has built up. 474 00:22:06,324 --> 00:22:09,661 In fact, that's why our economy right now is the 475 00:22:09,661 --> 00:22:10,662 envy of the world. 476 00:22:10,662 --> 00:22:12,664 The Press: Does it trouble the White House, though, 477 00:22:12,664 --> 00:22:14,800 that she's out there saying -- pushing the view that's 478 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:16,234 so contrary to what you just said? 479 00:22:16,234 --> 00:22:17,034 Mr. Earnest: Not particularly. 480 00:22:17,035 --> 00:22:20,138 The Press: And real quickly, just on her comments on the 481 00:22:20,138 --> 00:22:22,240 Keystone pipeline. 482 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:24,042 Setting aside the whole process, her question, 483 00:22:24,042 --> 00:22:26,311 wanting to put the White House on notice so to 484 00:22:26,311 --> 00:22:29,447 suggest that it's your view, the White House view, that 485 00:22:29,448 --> 00:22:31,750 perhaps she show deference to the President before she 486 00:22:31,750 --> 00:22:32,784 announces her view. 487 00:22:32,784 --> 00:22:35,020 Is there any indication from the White House that she 488 00:22:35,020 --> 00:22:38,690 should wait to say what she thinks about this? 489 00:22:38,690 --> 00:22:41,460 Mr. Earnest: Oh, I've been, on a number of occasions, 490 00:22:41,460 --> 00:22:43,829 been given the opportunity to offer campaign advice to 491 00:22:43,829 --> 00:22:47,232 the Clinton campaign, and I have a lot of good friends 492 00:22:47,232 --> 00:22:49,401 and colleagues who are slaving away on that 493 00:22:49,401 --> 00:22:50,902 campaign and they don't need advice from me. 494 00:22:50,902 --> 00:22:53,438 The Press: But you're saying the White House doesn't have 495 00:22:53,438 --> 00:22:55,440 a preference as to when she makes her declaration? 496 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:57,909 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think what I'm saying is that she 497 00:22:57,909 --> 00:23:00,879 is entitled to make her own decisions about what she 498 00:23:00,879 --> 00:23:03,148 says in the context of her campaign. 499 00:23:03,148 --> 00:23:04,149 Justin. 500 00:23:04,149 --> 00:23:07,418 The Press: Your counterpart in Moscow today said that 501 00:23:07,419 --> 00:23:09,688 Russia would be willing to consider sending combat 502 00:23:09,688 --> 00:23:12,190 troops into Syria if they were requested by the 503 00:23:12,190 --> 00:23:13,759 Assad regime. 504 00:23:13,759 --> 00:23:17,195 And so I'm wondering, first, if that was an issue that 505 00:23:17,195 --> 00:23:20,298 was discussed directly in Ash Carter's phone call today. 506 00:23:20,298 --> 00:23:25,704 And then more broadly, kind of on this outreach effort, 507 00:23:25,704 --> 00:23:30,041 why sort of in light of what happened in Ukraine you guys 508 00:23:30,041 --> 00:23:32,944 find this dialogue with Russia helpful and why you 509 00:23:32,944 --> 00:23:37,949 think there is some reason for optimism in discussing 510 00:23:37,949 --> 00:23:42,020 with President Putin these issues and trying to get him 511 00:23:42,020 --> 00:23:44,322 to deescalate this conflict. 512 00:23:44,322 --> 00:23:47,225 Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't have more details about 513 00:23:47,225 --> 00:23:52,630 Secretary Carter's telephone call that I can share with you. 514 00:23:52,631 --> 00:23:57,068 I think it is notable that the kind of 515 00:23:57,068 --> 00:24:00,004 military-to-military cooperation that we're 516 00:24:00,005 --> 00:24:04,676 seeking to restart here is cooperation at a practical, 517 00:24:04,676 --> 00:24:08,879 tactical level. 518 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:11,249 That's obviously different than the kind of 519 00:24:11,249 --> 00:24:13,251 military-to-military cooperation between our two 520 00:24:13,251 --> 00:24:18,089 countries that was in place prior to Russia's 521 00:24:18,089 --> 00:24:21,025 inappropriate and unjust interference in 522 00:24:21,026 --> 00:24:22,928 eastern Ukraine. 523 00:24:22,928 --> 00:24:30,335 So our goal here is to pursue this practical 524 00:24:30,335 --> 00:24:35,507 cooperation to try to advance the interests of our 525 00:24:35,507 --> 00:24:39,544 anti-ISIL coalition and to try safeguard as much as 526 00:24:39,544 --> 00:24:45,317 possible the operations that are underway as a part of 527 00:24:45,317 --> 00:24:46,318 that mission inside of Syria. 528 00:24:46,318 --> 00:24:49,321 The Press: Switching topics. 529 00:24:49,321 --> 00:24:53,324 French diplomats have said that Ban Ki-moon and other U.N. 530 00:24:53,325 --> 00:24:55,527 officials are trying to organize a conference of 40 531 00:24:55,527 --> 00:24:58,330 world leaders, including the President, on the day before 532 00:24:58,330 --> 00:25:01,265 UNGA to talk about climate change. 533 00:25:01,266 --> 00:25:04,035 I know that you haven't formally the President's 534 00:25:04,035 --> 00:25:07,038 schedule, but I'm wondering if you can talk about 535 00:25:07,038 --> 00:25:08,406 whether the President would be attending that, and a 536 00:25:08,406 --> 00:25:10,375 little bit about if you see that as important in the 537 00:25:10,375 --> 00:25:12,110 buildup to Paris. 538 00:25:12,110 --> 00:25:13,378 Mr. Earnest: I don't have details about the 539 00:25:13,378 --> 00:25:15,447 President's schedule yet, but we should have more 540 00:25:15,447 --> 00:25:19,117 details on that soon. 541 00:25:19,117 --> 00:25:23,588 What I can say is that the United States, and certainly 542 00:25:23,588 --> 00:25:29,928 the President, does believe that the United Nations has 543 00:25:29,928 --> 00:25:32,664 played and will continue to play an important 544 00:25:32,664 --> 00:25:35,567 coordinating function in trying to bring the world 545 00:25:35,567 --> 00:25:38,270 together to make some significant commitments to 546 00:25:38,270 --> 00:25:39,170 fight climate change. 547 00:25:39,170 --> 00:25:41,273 And there are talks that are scheduled for the end of 548 00:25:41,273 --> 00:25:47,978 this year in Paris, where leaders or representatives 549 00:25:47,979 --> 00:25:50,815 of nations will come hopefully ready to make some 550 00:25:50,815 --> 00:25:52,017 serious commitments. 551 00:25:52,017 --> 00:25:57,088 And the United States, in coordination with China, has 552 00:25:57,088 --> 00:25:59,090 made some significant commitments. 553 00:25:59,090 --> 00:26:01,091 The Chinese have made significant commitments to 554 00:26:01,092 --> 00:26:03,261 reducing carbon pollution in the context of those talks 555 00:26:03,261 --> 00:26:04,329 as well. 556 00:26:04,329 --> 00:26:07,732 There are other countries, like South Korea and Mexico, 557 00:26:07,732 --> 00:26:11,770 that have also announced steps. 558 00:26:11,770 --> 00:26:17,375 So it's the policy of this administration that those 559 00:26:17,375 --> 00:26:21,813 talks in Paris could serve as a very important catalyst 560 00:26:21,813 --> 00:26:24,282 for eliciting commitments from countries around the 561 00:26:24,282 --> 00:26:26,717 world, thus making an important contribution to 562 00:26:26,718 --> 00:26:28,453 reducing carbon pollution. 563 00:26:28,453 --> 00:26:30,455 So there clearly is an important role for the 564 00:26:30,455 --> 00:26:33,224 United Nations to play here, and the United States has 565 00:26:33,224 --> 00:26:36,828 been playing, as you'd expect, a leading role in 566 00:26:36,828 --> 00:26:39,264 encouraging countries around the world to make 567 00:26:39,264 --> 00:26:42,434 significant commitments in the context of those talks. 568 00:26:42,434 --> 00:26:44,836 So we obviously are strongly supportive of the process 569 00:26:44,836 --> 00:26:47,005 that's being run by the United Nations. 570 00:26:47,005 --> 00:26:50,108 We are taking an active role to try to ensure its 571 00:26:50,108 --> 00:26:53,144 success, but there's a lot of important work that needs 572 00:26:53,144 --> 00:26:54,346 to get done. 573 00:26:54,346 --> 00:26:56,948 But we'll have more details on the President's itinerary 574 00:26:56,948 --> 00:26:58,516 in New York next week. 575 00:26:58,516 --> 00:27:00,585 The Press: After attending that after a couple of days 576 00:27:00,585 --> 00:27:04,089 -- after the meeting with Senator Reid and Leader 577 00:27:04,089 --> 00:27:07,425 Pelosi yesterday, you guys said that you'd back a CR. 578 00:27:07,425 --> 00:27:10,462 I'm wondering if a requirement for that CR 579 00:27:10,462 --> 00:27:13,231 would be reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank, if that's sort 580 00:27:13,231 --> 00:27:16,968 of the concrete principle that you guys are holding. 581 00:27:16,968 --> 00:27:18,536 Mr. Earnest: Well, at this point I don't have any 582 00:27:18,536 --> 00:27:24,275 contingencies to add on here. 583 00:27:24,275 --> 00:27:29,114 What we are seeking to do is to find a way to get 584 00:27:29,114 --> 00:27:32,317 Republicans in Congress to accept the invitation that's 585 00:27:32,317 --> 00:27:34,853 been on the table from Democrats for months now to 586 00:27:34,853 --> 00:27:38,256 engage in bipartisan talks to try to resolve the 587 00:27:38,256 --> 00:27:39,257 budget standoff. 588 00:27:39,257 --> 00:27:42,327 And we've taken what I think is merely a realistic 589 00:27:42,327 --> 00:27:46,297 approach to acknowledging the facts, which is that 590 00:27:46,297 --> 00:27:49,200 Republicans have put off these talks for so long that 591 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:51,636 it now is difficult to imagine that they'd be able 592 00:27:51,636 --> 00:27:54,439 to reach a bipartisan budget agreement before 593 00:27:54,439 --> 00:27:55,240 the deadline. 594 00:27:55,240 --> 00:28:02,113 So, that said, the President's opposition to 595 00:28:02,113 --> 00:28:07,152 locking in the sequester is steadfast. 596 00:28:07,152 --> 00:28:19,330 And that's why I would not envision a long extension of 597 00:28:19,330 --> 00:28:23,802 funding at current levels, but rather enough time for 598 00:28:23,802 --> 00:28:26,804 Congress to finally convene the talks, reach an 599 00:28:26,805 --> 00:28:29,707 agreement, and implement it, thereby avoiding a 600 00:28:29,707 --> 00:28:34,012 government shutdown but also ensuring that our national 601 00:28:34,012 --> 00:28:36,014 security and economic priorities are 602 00:28:36,014 --> 00:28:37,014 properly funded. 603 00:28:37,015 --> 00:28:39,050 The Press: One last quick one on Hillary, since she 604 00:28:39,050 --> 00:28:40,318 seems to be in vogue today. 605 00:28:40,318 --> 00:28:43,488 I noticed yesterday in the briefing you said that sort 606 00:28:43,488 --> 00:28:47,225 of what had been going on with the Syrian -- the 607 00:28:47,225 --> 00:28:52,230 training of Syrian rebels was an indication that those 608 00:28:52,230 --> 00:28:56,801 who had been kind of pushing arming the Syrian rebels was 609 00:28:56,801 --> 00:28:58,870 the solution to the process there had been wrong, and 610 00:28:58,870 --> 00:29:01,805 you said that it was time for them to sort of admit it. 611 00:29:01,806 --> 00:29:03,608 I'm wondering if Secretary Clinton is one of those 612 00:29:03,608 --> 00:29:06,177 people who you think should be kind of admitting after 613 00:29:06,177 --> 00:29:08,480 this that she'd been wrong on this issue. 614 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:09,948 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think the point that I'm making is 615 00:29:09,948 --> 00:29:12,350 that there are some -- and I would not put Secretary 616 00:29:12,350 --> 00:29:13,685 Clinton necessarily in this category. 617 00:29:13,685 --> 00:29:16,287 There are some who have suggested that this 618 00:29:16,287 --> 00:29:18,923 essentially the only necessary part of the 619 00:29:18,923 --> 00:29:21,059 strategy for success inside of Syria. 620 00:29:21,059 --> 00:29:26,297 And I'll let Secretary Clinton describe her 621 00:29:26,297 --> 00:29:30,068 position, but I think that she -- I feel confident in 622 00:29:30,068 --> 00:29:34,172 saying that she, while she was in office and serving 623 00:29:34,172 --> 00:29:37,609 under the President, was supportive of the kind of 624 00:29:37,609 --> 00:29:42,746 multilayered approach that we've been pursuing inside 625 00:29:42,747 --> 00:29:43,748 of Syria. 626 00:29:43,748 --> 00:29:48,153 And that's everything from airstrikes in support of 627 00:29:48,153 --> 00:29:54,659 operations on the ground; some support for opposition 628 00:29:54,659 --> 00:29:58,363 groups inside of Syria that have made important progress 629 00:29:58,363 --> 00:30:02,400 against ISIL there; trying to prioritize the 630 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:06,204 counter-financing operations to essentially shut off the 631 00:30:06,204 --> 00:30:11,609 strategies that ISIL uses to fund their activities. 632 00:30:11,609 --> 00:30:14,445 We've also been actively working with our allies to 633 00:30:14,445 --> 00:30:17,048 -- and our partners to try to stop the flow of foreign 634 00:30:17,048 --> 00:30:18,650 fighters to Syria. 635 00:30:18,650 --> 00:30:22,787 This is an important multifaceted strategy that 636 00:30:22,787 --> 00:30:24,455 we're trying to implement here. 637 00:30:24,455 --> 00:30:28,158 One aspect of that strategy has been a 638 00:30:28,159 --> 00:30:30,161 training-and-equipping operation. 639 00:30:30,161 --> 00:30:34,232 And as I mentioned earlier, that is something that has 640 00:30:34,232 --> 00:30:37,435 proved to be even more difficult than we expected, 641 00:30:37,435 --> 00:30:39,437 despite the important cooperation that we've 642 00:30:39,437 --> 00:30:42,139 gotten from some other countries in the region. 643 00:30:42,140 --> 00:30:45,210 So I think the reason that I have cited this is that we 644 00:30:45,210 --> 00:30:49,747 have frequently found that our most ardent critics when 645 00:30:49,747 --> 00:30:52,817 it comes to the situation in Syria have very little to 646 00:30:52,817 --> 00:30:57,255 say when asked about alternative policies that 647 00:30:57,255 --> 00:30:59,057 they think would work better. 648 00:30:59,057 --> 00:31:02,460 And the most frequently mentioned one is typically a 649 00:31:02,460 --> 00:31:07,465 backward-looking suggestion that we should have at an 650 00:31:07,465 --> 00:31:11,502 earlier date been more aggressive about providing 651 00:31:11,502 --> 00:31:15,240 arms to fighters, and seeking to train and equip 652 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:16,241 more of them. 653 00:31:16,241 --> 00:31:19,777 And the President's view is that it would have been 654 00:31:19,777 --> 00:31:24,482 unwise to provide that kind of assistance without 655 00:31:24,482 --> 00:31:27,552 thoroughly vetting and getting to know the 656 00:31:27,552 --> 00:31:29,553 individuals who would be receiving it. 657 00:31:32,423 --> 00:31:34,826 And there are good historical lessons to be 658 00:31:34,826 --> 00:31:40,965 learned about the value of being responsible when 659 00:31:40,965 --> 00:31:42,867 providing that kind of assistance. 660 00:31:42,867 --> 00:31:43,635 Byron. 661 00:31:43,635 --> 00:31:44,402 The Press: Thanks, Josh. 662 00:31:44,402 --> 00:31:46,437 There's an independent report out today that says 663 00:31:46,437 --> 00:31:49,907 the VA needs a "system-wide reworking." 664 00:31:49,907 --> 00:31:52,310 The report says that the VA has significant flaws, 665 00:31:52,310 --> 00:31:55,245 including the blow to bureaucracy, problems with 666 00:31:55,246 --> 00:31:57,248 leadership, and a potentially unsustainable 667 00:31:57,248 --> 00:31:58,683 capital budget. 668 00:31:58,683 --> 00:32:00,852 Can I get the White House reaction to this report? 669 00:32:00,852 --> 00:32:03,321 Mr. Earnest: Byron, I haven't seen the report. 670 00:32:03,321 --> 00:32:06,224 I've heard, though, that it's some 1,400 pages long. 671 00:32:06,224 --> 00:32:09,560 So I don't have a comprehensive response to 672 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:10,561 offer you. 673 00:32:10,561 --> 00:32:12,562 I will just say, as a general matter, the 674 00:32:12,563 --> 00:32:16,200 President has made it a priority to ensure that 675 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:19,270 America's veterans are getting the kind of health 676 00:32:19,270 --> 00:32:23,841 care and benefits that they have so richly earned. 677 00:32:23,841 --> 00:32:26,209 And the President and this administration have 678 00:32:26,210 --> 00:32:29,914 implemented a variety of reforms, including the 679 00:32:29,914 --> 00:32:34,052 nomination of Bob McDonald to the VA Secretary. 680 00:32:34,052 --> 00:32:36,521 He's somebody that had a particular experience in the 681 00:32:36,521 --> 00:32:39,890 private sector when it comes to customer service and 682 00:32:39,891 --> 00:32:44,228 understanding processes and operations to try to 683 00:32:44,228 --> 00:32:47,298 streamline and reform the processes at the VA. 684 00:32:47,298 --> 00:32:50,802 And the early metrics of the reforms that he's put in 685 00:32:50,802 --> 00:32:53,937 place are encouraging. 686 00:32:53,938 --> 00:32:55,273 We've made important progress. 687 00:32:55,273 --> 00:33:00,244 But the President, Secretary McDonald and other senior 688 00:33:00,244 --> 00:33:03,313 officials at the VA are not going to rest until we have 689 00:33:03,314 --> 00:33:05,316 accomplished our goal of making sure that all of our 690 00:33:05,316 --> 00:33:09,921 veterans are getting the kind of care and benefits 691 00:33:09,921 --> 00:33:12,190 that they deserve on time. 692 00:33:12,190 --> 00:33:15,593 The Press: I know you were asked about this yesterday, 693 00:33:15,593 --> 00:33:18,096 but we reported today that a transgender Catholic 694 00:33:18,096 --> 00:33:22,767 activist, an outspoken nun, and a gay episcopal bishop 695 00:33:22,767 --> 00:33:24,135 will all be here at the White House for the 696 00:33:24,135 --> 00:33:25,970 Pope's visit. 697 00:33:25,970 --> 00:33:28,439 Is the White House trying to make a statement by inviting 698 00:33:28,439 --> 00:33:30,508 these folks? 699 00:33:30,508 --> 00:33:34,145 Is the White House planning on raising any LGBT issues 700 00:33:34,145 --> 00:33:37,949 with the Pope when he's here? 701 00:33:37,949 --> 00:33:43,554 Mr. Earnest: Byron, I think the goal here is to invite 702 00:33:43,554 --> 00:33:47,291 up to 15,000 people to the South Lawn of the White 703 00:33:47,291 --> 00:33:50,395 House and the Ellipse to welcome the Pope to the 704 00:33:50,395 --> 00:33:51,396 White House. 705 00:33:51,396 --> 00:33:55,466 And there's been overwhelming interest in 706 00:33:55,466 --> 00:33:57,467 attending that ceremony. 707 00:33:57,468 --> 00:34:03,141 And we've worked with religious organizations, 708 00:34:03,141 --> 00:34:05,376 including some Catholic organizations, to distribute 709 00:34:05,376 --> 00:34:07,578 tickets to that event. 710 00:34:07,578 --> 00:34:12,617 And we would expect a wide variety of Americans, who 711 00:34:12,617 --> 00:34:17,155 are enthused about the opportunity, to see the Pope. 712 00:34:17,155 --> 00:34:22,693 And I think that reflects the Pope's stature and the 713 00:34:22,693 --> 00:34:27,165 significance of his visit, and the way that he has 714 00:34:27,165 --> 00:34:32,603 inspired so many Americans, including a bunch of us that 715 00:34:32,603 --> 00:34:33,938 aren't Catholic. 716 00:34:33,938 --> 00:34:38,843 So I would expect that there would be a diverse crowd on 717 00:34:38,842 --> 00:34:42,013 the South Lawn of the White House and on the Ellipse to 718 00:34:42,013 --> 00:34:44,014 attend that ceremony. 719 00:34:44,014 --> 00:34:46,917 And again, I think the diversity of that crowd 720 00:34:46,918 --> 00:34:50,455 reflects the diversity of people in this country that 721 00:34:50,455 --> 00:34:55,259 are moved by the teachings and actions of this Pope. 722 00:34:55,259 --> 00:34:55,927 The Press: One more. 723 00:34:55,927 --> 00:34:59,764 You've said that the power to determine oil export 724 00:34:59,764 --> 00:35:02,600 rules properly belongs at the Commerce Department. 725 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:03,334 Is that correct? 726 00:35:03,334 --> 00:35:04,000 Mr. Earnest: That is correct. 727 00:35:04,001 --> 00:35:05,837 The Press: If my memory serves, didn't the President 728 00:35:05,837 --> 00:35:07,872 propose eliminating the Commerce Department? 729 00:35:07,872 --> 00:35:12,210 And if he still supports that plan, what agency does 730 00:35:12,210 --> 00:35:15,913 he think that power belongs to, or should belong to? 731 00:35:15,913 --> 00:35:17,815 And why not Congress? 732 00:35:17,815 --> 00:35:20,017 Mr. Earnest: Byron, I believe what the President 733 00:35:20,017 --> 00:35:24,020 proposed several years ago is merging the Commerce 734 00:35:24,021 --> 00:35:27,391 Department with a number of other government agencies 735 00:35:27,391 --> 00:35:29,627 that have I think what you could call 736 00:35:29,627 --> 00:35:32,864 overlapping jurisdictions. 737 00:35:32,864 --> 00:35:37,635 And this is a process that I think got started over at 738 00:35:37,635 --> 00:35:39,804 OMB, I believe -- they started taking a look at this. 739 00:35:39,804 --> 00:35:44,342 But ironically we've run into some pretty stiff 740 00:35:44,342 --> 00:35:46,911 congressional opposition to putting in place what I 741 00:35:46,911 --> 00:35:48,913 think otherwise could be described at some pretty 742 00:35:48,913 --> 00:35:50,348 common-sense reforms. 743 00:35:50,348 --> 00:35:54,852 The goal of making those changes is not to shirk 744 00:35:54,852 --> 00:35:58,422 basic governmental responsibility, like 745 00:35:58,422 --> 00:36:01,225 determining the policies about oil exports, but 746 00:36:01,225 --> 00:36:04,295 rather to make sure that those policies are made and 747 00:36:04,295 --> 00:36:06,931 coordinated more efficiently. 748 00:36:06,931 --> 00:36:11,335 And that was the goal of that particular proposal, 749 00:36:11,335 --> 00:36:15,673 but it hasn't made much progress in the face of 750 00:36:15,673 --> 00:36:18,575 stiff opposition from Republicans in Capitol Hill. 751 00:36:18,576 --> 00:36:20,311 The Press: But under those common-sense reforms, where 752 00:36:20,311 --> 00:36:23,948 would the power to determine oil exports go, do you know? 753 00:36:23,948 --> 00:36:29,220 Mr. Earnest: Presumably it would -- I haven't looked at 754 00:36:29,220 --> 00:36:31,488 specific proposals in quite some time. 755 00:36:31,489 --> 00:36:33,524 I don't know if there was a proposal to move it to 756 00:36:33,524 --> 00:36:37,194 another existing agency, or if that authority would 757 00:36:37,194 --> 00:36:41,432 reside in the newly formed agency. 758 00:36:41,432 --> 00:36:43,167 Mark. 759 00:36:43,167 --> 00:36:45,369 The Press: Josh, you mentioned the Business 760 00:36:45,369 --> 00:36:48,406 Roundtable speech a little while ago. 761 00:36:48,406 --> 00:36:52,076 In that speech, President Obama stressed that the 762 00:36:52,076 --> 00:36:55,179 deficits have come down on his watch, but he didn't 763 00:36:55,179 --> 00:36:58,883 mention the extent to which the national debt has risen 764 00:36:58,883 --> 00:36:59,984 on his watch. 765 00:36:59,984 --> 00:37:02,086 In fact, he rarely mentions the debt. 766 00:37:02,086 --> 00:37:06,089 Is that an oversight, or does he not fear that is a 767 00:37:06,090 --> 00:37:08,392 heavy burden on the economy? 768 00:37:08,392 --> 00:37:13,598 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think, Mark, what most economists 769 00:37:13,598 --> 00:37:17,435 and the President are focused on is the 770 00:37:17,435 --> 00:37:20,605 sustainability of the debt. 771 00:37:20,605 --> 00:37:25,376 And that is why we have been so focused on driving down 772 00:37:25,376 --> 00:37:32,650 the deficit to try to get to a level that is sustainable 773 00:37:32,650 --> 00:37:36,053 compared to the overall size of the economy. 774 00:37:36,053 --> 00:37:38,154 And that's the case that we have regularly made. 775 00:37:38,155 --> 00:37:40,625 I know that case has often fallen on deaf ears when 776 00:37:40,625 --> 00:37:42,693 talking to some Republicans about this. 777 00:37:42,693 --> 00:37:46,964 But the fact is, the best way for us to pursue a 778 00:37:46,964 --> 00:37:49,866 responsible budget approach is to make smart spending 779 00:37:49,867 --> 00:37:54,705 decisions that reduces the deficit down to a 780 00:37:54,705 --> 00:37:58,109 sustainable level without shortchanging the kinds of 781 00:37:58,109 --> 00:38:00,277 investments that are so critical to overall 782 00:38:00,277 --> 00:38:01,545 economic growth. 783 00:38:01,545 --> 00:38:06,917 That overall economic growth is significant to preserving 784 00:38:06,917 --> 00:38:07,918 some fiscal stability. 785 00:38:07,918 --> 00:38:12,156 And we've made remarkable progress over the 786 00:38:12,156 --> 00:38:15,159 President's tenure in office in reducing the deficit by 787 00:38:15,159 --> 00:38:17,161 nearly two-thirds at this point. 788 00:38:17,161 --> 00:38:19,730 The Press: Does President Obama believe the debt 789 00:38:19,730 --> 00:38:20,498 is sustainable? 790 00:38:20,498 --> 00:38:24,669 Mr. Earnest: Well, at this point, Mark, what economists 791 00:38:24,669 --> 00:38:29,540 tell us is that getting the debt and deficit -- or 792 00:38:29,540 --> 00:38:33,277 getting the deficit down to this level below three 793 00:38:33,277 --> 00:38:39,216 percent does sort of put us on a sustainable trajectory, 794 00:38:39,216 --> 00:38:42,553 and will allow us to continue to make smart 795 00:38:42,553 --> 00:38:45,321 investments that we know are critical to economic growth 796 00:38:45,322 --> 00:38:48,592 while at the same time ensuring that we're making 797 00:38:48,592 --> 00:38:49,960 responsible fiscal decisions. 798 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:52,830 The Press: On another subject, in an interview 799 00:38:52,830 --> 00:38:57,101 this week with "60 Minutes," President Rouhani was asked 800 00:38:57,101 --> 00:39:00,671 about the oft used chant by Iranians, "death to 801 00:39:00,671 --> 00:39:03,607 America," and he said it's not aimed at the American 802 00:39:03,607 --> 00:39:05,976 people, but American policies. 803 00:39:05,976 --> 00:39:07,178 Do you believe that? 804 00:39:07,178 --> 00:39:09,212 Does that give you any source for comfort? 805 00:39:09,213 --> 00:39:13,184 Mr. Earnest: I haven't seen the entire interview at this 806 00:39:13,184 --> 00:39:15,653 point, so I think I'll withhold judgment on that 807 00:39:15,653 --> 00:39:17,754 until we get a chance to see the interview. 808 00:39:17,755 --> 00:39:19,156 But I think it's going to air on Sunday night, right? 809 00:39:19,156 --> 00:39:19,724 The Press: Right. 810 00:39:19,724 --> 00:39:21,625 Mr. Earnest: So there's the free plug. 811 00:39:21,625 --> 00:39:23,728 (laughter) 812 00:39:23,728 --> 00:39:24,662 Kevin. 813 00:39:24,662 --> 00:39:28,232 The Press: Josh, thanks. 814 00:39:28,232 --> 00:39:32,536 Just a quick one on UNGA, and you talked a little bit 815 00:39:32,536 --> 00:39:36,173 earlier about making agreements with China on 816 00:39:36,173 --> 00:39:37,274 climate change. 817 00:39:37,274 --> 00:39:40,144 Have you made any headway in conversations with other 818 00:39:40,144 --> 00:39:42,580 emerging economies, large economies, like Brazil and 819 00:39:42,580 --> 00:39:45,348 India, ahead of Paris, in particular? 820 00:39:45,349 --> 00:39:47,918 Mr. Earnest: I don't have an update on the status of 821 00:39:47,918 --> 00:39:49,920 deliberations in those other countries. 822 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:51,956 I think that we've been quite clear that when the 823 00:39:51,956 --> 00:39:54,692 President has met with the leaders of those countries 824 00:39:54,692 --> 00:39:58,395 this is an issue that rates highly on their agenda. 825 00:39:58,395 --> 00:40:00,865 The President traveled to India at the beginning of 826 00:40:00,865 --> 00:40:04,435 this year and climate change was among the topics that 827 00:40:04,435 --> 00:40:07,304 was discussed between the two leaders. 828 00:40:07,304 --> 00:40:09,807 And you saw at the news conference that President 829 00:40:09,807 --> 00:40:11,942 Obama convened with President Rousseff where 830 00:40:11,942 --> 00:40:15,279 they talked about the importance of continued 831 00:40:15,279 --> 00:40:21,152 U.S.-Brazilian cooperation when it comes to steps that 832 00:40:21,152 --> 00:40:23,387 would address climate change and reducing 833 00:40:23,387 --> 00:40:24,388 carbon pollution. 834 00:40:24,388 --> 00:40:27,658 So these issues are certainly on the agenda at 835 00:40:27,658 --> 00:40:31,395 the presidential level, and I know that there are other 836 00:40:31,395 --> 00:40:33,731 conversations between officials in our countries 837 00:40:33,731 --> 00:40:36,033 and those countries that you mentioned about this topic 838 00:40:36,033 --> 00:40:37,034 that are ongoing. 839 00:40:37,034 --> 00:40:39,036 The Press: I know we've also talked a little bit in here 840 00:40:39,036 --> 00:40:44,441 about so-called manipulation of intelligence information. 841 00:40:44,441 --> 00:40:46,442 Recently we heard from the head of the House 842 00:40:46,443 --> 00:40:48,612 Intelligence Committee that he believes that as far back 843 00:40:48,612 --> 00:40:52,650 as 2012, intelligence may have been manipulated. 844 00:40:52,650 --> 00:40:54,451 Any response to that? 845 00:40:54,451 --> 00:40:57,755 Mr. Earnest: Well, again, what we are focused on is 846 00:40:57,755 --> 00:41:00,858 dealing in facts and in evidence, and that's exactly 847 00:41:00,858 --> 00:41:03,928 what the Inspector General is taking a look at. 848 00:41:03,928 --> 00:41:06,964 And so I'm going to withhold judgment on that until the 849 00:41:06,964 --> 00:41:09,900 Inspector General's work has been completed. 850 00:41:09,900 --> 00:41:11,902 I'll just restate the principle that I've stated 851 00:41:11,902 --> 00:41:14,972 before, which is that this President and senior members 852 00:41:14,972 --> 00:41:18,342 of his team are not interested in cooked-up 853 00:41:18,342 --> 00:41:20,978 numbers or doctored facts; they're actually interested 854 00:41:20,978 --> 00:41:24,682 in ground truth because that is what will best serve the 855 00:41:24,682 --> 00:41:26,683 policymaking and decision-making process that 856 00:41:26,684 --> 00:41:28,686 the President takes quite seriously. 857 00:41:28,686 --> 00:41:30,654 The Press: And simply for the record, without 858 00:41:30,654 --> 00:41:32,723 qualification, no one in this administration exerted 859 00:41:32,723 --> 00:41:36,660 any pressure on anyone at the intelligence level to 860 00:41:36,660 --> 00:41:39,562 shade or create an environment that was in any 861 00:41:39,563 --> 00:41:40,564 way inaccurate? 862 00:41:40,564 --> 00:41:42,566 Mr. Earnest: Well, I'm certainly not aware of 863 00:41:42,566 --> 00:41:43,567 anything like that. 864 00:41:43,567 --> 00:41:45,569 Certainly the President wouldn't approve of anything 865 00:41:45,569 --> 00:41:46,570 like that. 866 00:41:46,570 --> 00:41:48,772 But again, I don't even think that's the accusation 867 00:41:48,772 --> 00:41:50,941 that the Inspector General is investigating at this point. 868 00:41:50,941 --> 00:41:52,877 The Inspector General, I believe -- it the Department 869 00:41:52,877 --> 00:41:55,312 of Defense Inspector General that is considering actions 870 00:41:55,312 --> 00:41:59,415 that may or may not have been taken by a range of 871 00:41:59,416 --> 00:42:02,119 officials inside the Department of Defense. 872 00:42:02,119 --> 00:42:03,787 I don't think there's any accusations that have been 873 00:42:03,787 --> 00:42:07,491 made against White House officials. 874 00:42:07,491 --> 00:42:08,926 The Press: And just two more, real quick. 875 00:42:08,926 --> 00:42:12,930 H.R.3504 says it would impose new legal 876 00:42:12,930 --> 00:42:16,533 requirements related to the provision of abortion 877 00:42:16,533 --> 00:42:18,801 services in certain circumstances which would 878 00:42:18,802 --> 00:42:21,939 likely have a chilling effect, reducing access to 879 00:42:21,939 --> 00:42:24,875 care -- that was part of a statement that you all made 880 00:42:24,875 --> 00:42:28,078 about the Born Alive Abortion Survivors 881 00:42:28,078 --> 00:42:29,246 Protection Act. 882 00:42:29,246 --> 00:42:32,383 I just want to ask you about your statement -- it would 883 00:42:32,383 --> 00:42:36,620 likely have a chilling effect on access. 884 00:42:36,620 --> 00:42:39,423 Do you have any empirical evidence to prove that? 885 00:42:39,423 --> 00:42:41,125 Or is there something that you're pointing to 886 00:42:41,125 --> 00:42:43,694 specifically and you can say that's what happened? 887 00:42:43,694 --> 00:42:45,729 Mr. Earnest: Well, I do think that is the assessment 888 00:42:45,729 --> 00:42:48,698 of many public health professionals who have taken 889 00:42:48,699 --> 00:42:51,936 a look at this, that essentially this kind of 890 00:42:51,936 --> 00:42:55,372 legislation could serve to put some health care 891 00:42:55,372 --> 00:42:58,107 providers out of business, and those are health care 892 00:42:58,108 --> 00:43:02,346 providers that many families rely on on a regular basis. 893 00:43:02,346 --> 00:43:07,985 So we can refer you to a health care expert that may 894 00:43:07,985 --> 00:43:11,155 have more specific explanation to describe to 895 00:43:11,155 --> 00:43:12,156 you if you would like. 896 00:43:12,156 --> 00:43:14,158 The Press: And because it's Friday, I always like to 897 00:43:14,158 --> 00:43:16,160 throw a sports question in there. 898 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:17,027 You're a Kansas City guy, right? 899 00:43:17,027 --> 00:43:17,761 Mr. Earnest: Yeah. 900 00:43:17,761 --> 00:43:19,930 The Press: So how about that loss to the Broncos last night? 901 00:43:19,930 --> 00:43:23,667 Any words for the down-trodden folks in Kansas 902 00:43:23,667 --> 00:43:27,304 City after suffering what had to be a brutal loss 903 00:43:27,304 --> 00:43:27,972 last night? 904 00:43:27,972 --> 00:43:29,039 (laughter) 905 00:43:29,039 --> 00:43:30,040 Mr. Earnest: I think "brutal" is the way to 906 00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:30,941 describe it. 907 00:43:30,941 --> 00:43:33,077 It was quite disappointing. 908 00:43:33,077 --> 00:43:36,680 I think what I would say is that I think it's after 909 00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:38,515 tough losses like that that character is revealed. 910 00:43:38,515 --> 00:43:41,819 And I think we're going to learn about this team in the 911 00:43:41,819 --> 00:43:44,321 next couple of weeks, and how they respond to it I 912 00:43:44,321 --> 00:43:47,124 think will give us a very good indication of how 913 00:43:47,124 --> 00:43:49,792 optimistic we can be about the rest of the year. 914 00:43:49,793 --> 00:43:51,795 So we'll be tuning in on Monday to see how they fare 915 00:43:51,795 --> 00:43:53,564 against the Packers. 916 00:43:53,564 --> 00:43:54,565 Next Monday, of course. 917 00:43:54,565 --> 00:43:55,566 Chris. 918 00:43:55,566 --> 00:43:57,567 The Press: Well, if that's how you measure character, 919 00:43:57,568 --> 00:43:59,103 as a lifelong Cleveland fan, I just want to say I have a 920 00:43:59,103 --> 00:43:59,470 lot of it. 921 00:43:59,470 --> 00:44:00,504 (laughter) 922 00:44:00,504 --> 00:44:01,538 But that's neither here nor there. 923 00:44:01,538 --> 00:44:03,607 Let me ask about the meeting yesterday, 90 minutes of the 924 00:44:03,607 --> 00:44:05,209 leaders and the President. 925 00:44:05,209 --> 00:44:07,310 When they came out, Nancy Pelosi suggested that she 926 00:44:07,311 --> 00:44:09,279 was still optimistic about a budget deal, and Harry Reid 927 00:44:09,279 --> 00:44:13,417 kind of joked that he's always on the other end of 928 00:44:13,417 --> 00:44:14,651 the spectrum. 929 00:44:14,651 --> 00:44:16,486 And I wonder where the President is -- is he closer 930 00:44:16,487 --> 00:44:19,590 to Nancy Pelosi right now, or Harry Reid on prospects 931 00:44:19,590 --> 00:44:21,325 for a deal? 932 00:44:21,325 --> 00:44:25,194 Mr. Earnest: Well, I would say that I think right now 933 00:44:25,195 --> 00:44:29,666 the President is in the mode of trying to find some cause 934 00:44:29,666 --> 00:44:30,834 for optimism. 935 00:44:30,834 --> 00:44:34,638 The Press: Successfully trying to find -- 936 00:44:34,638 --> 00:44:37,241 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think it's still a work in progress. 937 00:44:37,241 --> 00:44:41,845 The President is -- we know -- and again, when I say 938 00:44:41,845 --> 00:44:45,281 "we," I don't just mean the President and me; I mean 939 00:44:45,282 --> 00:44:47,284 that anybody who's been observing these sort of 940 00:44:47,284 --> 00:44:50,454 budget battles over the years, we know how to solve 941 00:44:50,454 --> 00:44:53,724 this problem and we know what it takes to avoid a 942 00:44:53,724 --> 00:44:57,961 government shutdown and to make the kind of bipartisan 943 00:44:57,961 --> 00:45:00,531 compromises that are so clearly in the best 944 00:45:00,531 --> 00:45:03,801 interests of the country and our economy. 945 00:45:03,801 --> 00:45:06,103 And the best way to reach those compromises is for 946 00:45:06,103 --> 00:45:08,972 Democrats and Republicans to sit down together in good 947 00:45:08,972 --> 00:45:11,075 faith and broker a compromise. 948 00:45:11,075 --> 00:45:15,511 And it will yield a compromise that I feel 949 00:45:15,512 --> 00:45:19,283 confident in predicting will have me saying things like, 950 00:45:19,283 --> 00:45:21,285 "this piece of legislation is not perfect, but the 951 00:45:21,285 --> 00:45:23,287 President is prepared to sign it because he knows 952 00:45:23,287 --> 00:45:24,087 that it's good for the economy." 953 00:45:24,088 --> 00:45:27,391 And my counterparts on the other side of the aisle can 954 00:45:27,391 --> 00:45:29,893 certainly say the same thing. 955 00:45:29,893 --> 00:45:32,963 That's what we're looking for here. 956 00:45:32,963 --> 00:45:35,065 We're not looking for the perfect piece of legislation. 957 00:45:35,065 --> 00:45:37,067 We're just looking for the kind of bipartisan 958 00:45:37,067 --> 00:45:39,703 compromise that prevents a government shutdown, that 959 00:45:39,703 --> 00:45:41,705 adequately funds our national security 960 00:45:41,705 --> 00:45:44,508 priorities, and makes sure that we're not shortchanging 961 00:45:44,508 --> 00:45:46,509 the kinds of investments that are critical to the 962 00:45:46,510 --> 00:45:48,512 success of middle-class families. 963 00:45:48,512 --> 00:45:49,513 That's the recipe. 964 00:45:49,513 --> 00:45:50,514 That's the package. 965 00:45:50,514 --> 00:45:53,250 And it shouldn't be too hard to find some bipartisan 966 00:45:53,250 --> 00:45:54,251 common ground on that. 967 00:45:54,251 --> 00:45:56,253 I would acknowledge that the devil is in the details and 968 00:45:56,253 --> 00:45:58,922 we're going to have some differences of opinion about 969 00:45:58,922 --> 00:46:01,024 how to implement those priorities. 970 00:46:01,024 --> 00:46:03,026 But if we're guided by those priorities and we're guided 971 00:46:03,026 --> 00:46:07,096 by the best interests of the American people, then a 972 00:46:07,097 --> 00:46:13,537 budget agreement should be achievable. 973 00:46:13,537 --> 00:46:15,571 So I guess that puts -- let me say, I think that at 974 00:46:15,572 --> 00:46:17,708 least puts me in the optimism camp. 975 00:46:17,708 --> 00:46:19,843 The Press: There are 12 days to go, though, and a lot of 976 00:46:19,843 --> 00:46:21,345 that time they'll just have -- the House is scheduled 977 00:46:21,345 --> 00:46:22,578 not to be in session. 978 00:46:22,579 --> 00:46:24,948 Do you have any doubt that this is going to go down to 979 00:46:24,948 --> 00:46:26,750 the wire, to the 29th or 30th? 980 00:46:26,750 --> 00:46:29,586 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think that is typical of Congress 981 00:46:29,586 --> 00:46:32,122 that they're going to wait until the very last minute 982 00:46:32,122 --> 00:46:33,123 before they make a decision. 983 00:46:33,123 --> 00:46:36,760 So I would not be surprised if we're a day or two before 984 00:46:36,760 --> 00:46:39,696 the deadline and we're still waiting on Congress to pass 985 00:46:39,696 --> 00:46:41,698 legislation to at least prevent a shutdown. 986 00:46:41,698 --> 00:46:45,134 But what we're interested in -- and as Leader Reid and 987 00:46:45,135 --> 00:46:50,374 Leader Pelosi indicated yesterday, we're willing to 988 00:46:50,374 --> 00:46:57,346 go along with a short-term CR to give members of 989 00:46:57,347 --> 00:47:01,985 Congress time to negotiate a budget agreement, but it 990 00:47:01,985 --> 00:47:03,987 shouldn't require that much time. 991 00:47:03,987 --> 00:47:06,356 And what it will require, though, is a willingness on 992 00:47:06,356 --> 00:47:08,592 the part of Republicans to actually sit down at the 993 00:47:08,592 --> 00:47:10,594 negotiating table with Democrats. 994 00:47:10,594 --> 00:47:12,596 That's something they've refused to do thus far. 995 00:47:12,596 --> 00:47:14,598 The Press: Just one on another topic. 996 00:47:14,598 --> 00:47:15,632 The President tweeted a couple days ago about the 997 00:47:15,632 --> 00:47:19,336 14-year-old Muslim boy and said, "Cool clock." 998 00:47:19,336 --> 00:47:22,973 And you stood at the podium and talked about people 999 00:47:22,973 --> 00:47:25,442 examining their conscience and unreasoned prejudice. 1000 00:47:25,442 --> 00:47:30,180 And I'm wondering -- not to overly conflate things -- 1001 00:47:30,180 --> 00:47:33,917 but in refusing to make any comment when the audience 1002 00:47:33,917 --> 00:47:37,988 member said what he said yesterday, last night, did 1003 00:47:37,988 --> 00:47:41,091 Donald Trump show prejudice? 1004 00:47:41,091 --> 00:47:44,661 Mr. Earnest: Well, again, I don't think I'm going to 1005 00:47:44,661 --> 00:47:45,829 opine on that. 1006 00:47:45,829 --> 00:47:50,133 I think what he did show is a willingness to countenance 1007 00:47:50,133 --> 00:47:52,202 the offensive views of at least one member of his 1008 00:47:52,202 --> 00:47:55,505 audience in order to try to win political support for 1009 00:47:55,505 --> 00:47:56,773 his campaign. 1010 00:47:56,773 --> 00:48:00,577 And we have seen far too many leaders in the 1011 00:48:00,577 --> 00:48:02,980 Republican Party successfully use that 1012 00:48:02,980 --> 00:48:04,982 strategy in a rather cynical way. 1013 00:48:04,982 --> 00:48:10,988 And pursuing that kind of strategy has consequences. 1014 00:48:14,124 --> 00:48:16,225 And it has consequences when it comes to trying to govern 1015 00:48:16,226 --> 00:48:21,231 the country, and it has consequences when your name 1016 00:48:21,231 --> 00:48:24,501 is on the ballot and you're being considered by the voters. 1017 00:48:26,536 --> 00:48:27,537 Jerome. 1018 00:48:27,537 --> 00:48:30,841 The Press: The President of France has now officially or 1019 00:48:30,841 --> 00:48:33,676 formally invited all world leaders for the heads of 1020 00:48:33,677 --> 00:48:35,912 state summit that will take place at the very beginning 1021 00:48:35,912 --> 00:48:37,547 of the climate conference in Paris. 1022 00:48:37,547 --> 00:48:39,516 Will the President attend that summit, which is 1023 00:48:39,516 --> 00:48:41,418 scheduled for November 30th? 1024 00:48:41,418 --> 00:48:43,687 Mr. Earnest: Jerome, at this point, I don't have travel 1025 00:48:43,687 --> 00:48:47,223 plans for the President to announce yet. 1026 00:48:47,224 --> 00:48:50,360 Obviously you heard me earlier when I talked about 1027 00:48:50,360 --> 00:48:53,297 important the President and the administration believes 1028 00:48:53,297 --> 00:48:56,767 those climate talks are, but I don't have any updates on 1029 00:48:56,767 --> 00:48:58,201 the President's travel schedule at this point. 1030 00:48:58,201 --> 00:48:59,236 The Press: Does he have reservations about the summit? 1031 00:48:59,236 --> 00:49:05,075 Mr. Earnest: No, I think the President is hopeful about 1032 00:49:05,075 --> 00:49:06,375 the prospects for the summit. 1033 00:49:06,376 --> 00:49:08,378 But it's going to require a lot of hard work. 1034 00:49:08,378 --> 00:49:11,348 It's going to require a serious commitment on the 1035 00:49:11,348 --> 00:49:13,984 part of countries around the world to this effort, and 1036 00:49:13,984 --> 00:49:15,986 there's still a lot of important work to be done. 1037 00:49:18,221 --> 00:49:20,223 But as it relates to the President's travel, I just 1038 00:49:20,223 --> 00:49:20,791 don't have any updates quite yet. 1039 00:49:20,791 --> 00:49:22,959 Steve. 1040 00:49:22,959 --> 00:49:23,894 The Press: Yes. 1041 00:49:23,894 --> 00:49:28,332 So Secretary of State John Kerry was talking about not 1042 00:49:28,332 --> 00:49:32,102 having a long-term presence of Assad as the 1043 00:49:32,102 --> 00:49:33,569 President of Syria. 1044 00:49:33,570 --> 00:49:37,341 I'm wondering if the President -- our President 1045 00:49:37,341 --> 00:49:42,946 -- would consider that to be anything -- if Assad is 1046 00:49:42,946 --> 00:49:45,649 still President of Syria when the President leaves 1047 00:49:45,649 --> 00:49:49,920 office in a year and a half, would that be long term? 1048 00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:53,190 Is there any scenario where he could countenance Assad 1049 00:49:53,190 --> 00:49:54,424 staying in office past him? 1050 00:49:54,424 --> 00:49:59,396 Mr. Earnest: Well, Steve, ultimately the view of our 1051 00:49:59,396 --> 00:50:03,400 policy position is simply that President Assad has 1052 00:50:03,400 --> 00:50:06,236 lost the legitimacy to lead that country. 1053 00:50:06,236 --> 00:50:08,971 He's lost legitimacy to lead that country because he has 1054 00:50:08,972 --> 00:50:12,642 shown a willingness, even a propensity, for using the 1055 00:50:12,642 --> 00:50:15,678 military might of that country to carry out 1056 00:50:15,679 --> 00:50:18,081 terrible acts of violence against the Syrian people. 1057 00:50:20,717 --> 00:50:24,154 The kinds of atrocities that we've seen are 1058 00:50:24,154 --> 00:50:25,155 stomach-turning. 1059 00:50:25,155 --> 00:50:30,494 And it has led to a whole domino effect of 1060 00:50:30,494 --> 00:50:34,297 consequences that have greatly destabilized that 1061 00:50:34,297 --> 00:50:35,799 region of the world. 1062 00:50:35,799 --> 00:50:40,303 We've seen extremist groups, including ISIL but not just 1063 00:50:40,303 --> 00:50:43,740 ISIL, operate much more freely in that country. 1064 00:50:43,740 --> 00:50:47,611 We have seen millions of Syrians flee their homes, 1065 00:50:47,611 --> 00:50:51,181 trying to escape violence. 1066 00:50:51,181 --> 00:50:53,717 Many of those Syrians are still inside of Syria; 1067 00:50:53,717 --> 00:50:56,253 they're just internally displaced. 1068 00:50:56,253 --> 00:50:58,255 Millions of other Syrians have had to leave the 1069 00:50:58,255 --> 00:51:02,726 country entirely in search of refuge. 1070 00:51:02,726 --> 00:51:05,729 All of those things, all those terrible things are a 1071 00:51:05,729 --> 00:51:08,564 consequence of President Assad's failed leadership. 1072 00:51:08,565 --> 00:51:10,634 And that's why, for years, the administration position 1073 00:51:10,634 --> 00:51:14,070 has been that he should leave. 1074 00:51:14,070 --> 00:51:16,573 That's also why the administration has readily 1075 00:51:16,573 --> 00:51:19,276 acknowledged that, for all of our military activities 1076 00:51:19,276 --> 00:51:23,580 inside of Syria, which are critical to our strategy for 1077 00:51:23,580 --> 00:51:25,582 degrading and ultimately destroying ISIL, and 1078 00:51:25,582 --> 00:51:29,986 critical to protecting the American people, we know 1079 00:51:29,986 --> 00:51:33,423 that ultimately the solution is a diplomatic one that 1080 00:51:33,423 --> 00:51:36,459 brings about the kind of political transition inside 1081 00:51:36,460 --> 00:51:38,695 of Syria that's long overdue. 1082 00:51:38,695 --> 00:51:46,069 Only by putting in place more stable, effective and 1083 00:51:46,069 --> 00:51:49,573 legitimate leadership inside of Syria are we going to 1084 00:51:49,573 --> 00:51:52,843 address the root cause of so many of these problems that 1085 00:51:52,843 --> 00:51:54,344 plague the Middle East right now. 1086 00:51:54,344 --> 00:51:58,682 The Press: Given that I've heard similar statements 1087 00:51:58,682 --> 00:52:01,350 from the podium for three or four years now -- 1088 00:52:01,351 --> 00:52:02,219 Mr. Earnest: It's true. 1089 00:52:02,219 --> 00:52:04,921 The Press: -- and the complete failure of the 1090 00:52:04,921 --> 00:52:09,725 train-and-equip mission and any sign that Assad is going 1091 00:52:09,726 --> 00:52:13,497 to leave, is there anything that gives this President or 1092 00:52:13,497 --> 00:52:17,701 this White House any confidence that come January 1093 00:52:17,701 --> 00:52:20,470 20th, 2017, Assad is not going to still be there, 1094 00:52:20,470 --> 00:52:24,207 still in power, propped up by Russia, while the 1095 00:52:24,207 --> 00:52:28,612 President is off with his library? 1096 00:52:28,612 --> 00:52:33,683 Is there anything that he is doing, any new look at 1097 00:52:33,683 --> 00:52:37,921 revamping his strategy that would get Assad out of power 1098 00:52:37,921 --> 00:52:40,123 before that? 1099 00:52:40,123 --> 00:52:42,893 Mr. Earnest: The President has readily acknowledged for 1100 00:52:42,893 --> 00:52:46,730 some time that our involvement in the anti-ISIL 1101 00:52:46,730 --> 00:52:50,233 coalition is a long-term proposition. 1102 00:52:50,233 --> 00:52:53,703 And he is mindful of the fact that we will make 1103 00:52:53,703 --> 00:52:55,705 progress and we have made important progress, 1104 00:52:55,705 --> 00:52:57,707 including on the ground inside of Syria. 1105 00:52:57,707 --> 00:53:00,243 But we've also sustained some setbacks. 1106 00:53:00,243 --> 00:53:04,314 And what we've been focused on is to try to take the 1107 00:53:04,314 --> 00:53:06,316 steps that we believe are immediately necessary to 1108 00:53:06,316 --> 00:53:09,519 protect the American people, to try to reduce the ability 1109 00:53:09,519 --> 00:53:14,323 of ISIL to project power into Iraq and destabilize 1110 00:53:14,324 --> 00:53:15,725 that country. 1111 00:53:15,725 --> 00:53:19,328 But we've also been very supportive of the U.N.-led 1112 00:53:19,329 --> 00:53:23,667 effort to try to facilitate political transition inside 1113 00:53:23,667 --> 00:53:25,569 of Syria. 1114 00:53:25,569 --> 00:53:28,071 There have been a number of starts and stops associated 1115 00:53:28,071 --> 00:53:32,107 with that diplomatic effort, and we haven't seen it get 1116 00:53:32,108 --> 00:53:34,511 the kind of traction that we'd like to see, but the 1117 00:53:34,511 --> 00:53:36,880 United States remains engaged in that process and 1118 00:53:36,880 --> 00:53:38,181 strongly supportive of it. 1119 00:53:38,181 --> 00:53:42,852 The Press: I have not heard any sort of tangible thing 1120 00:53:42,852 --> 00:53:47,390 that's different, that's new, whether it be we 1121 00:53:47,390 --> 00:53:51,861 finally found a rebel force that is a moderate force 1122 00:53:51,861 --> 00:53:54,931 that we can give arms that would change the facts on 1123 00:53:54,931 --> 00:53:56,733 the ground -- or the boots on the ground that you've 1124 00:53:56,733 --> 00:53:59,669 acknowledged that we need in Syria. 1125 00:53:59,669 --> 00:54:02,238 I have not seen anything that would give us clout or 1126 00:54:02,238 --> 00:54:05,375 leverage with Vladimir Putin, who is sending troops 1127 00:54:05,375 --> 00:54:08,578 and planes to Syria today that would get them to 1128 00:54:08,578 --> 00:54:09,980 change their calculus. 1129 00:54:09,980 --> 00:54:13,116 Is there anything tangible, or is the President asking 1130 00:54:13,116 --> 00:54:15,852 his team for give me some tangible thing that would 1131 00:54:15,852 --> 00:54:19,455 give us new leverage on the ground in Syria? 1132 00:54:19,456 --> 00:54:21,658 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think, Steve, that there have been 1133 00:54:21,658 --> 00:54:26,962 profound changes inside of Syria in the last year. 1134 00:54:26,963 --> 00:54:29,733 Over the last -- all within the last year, the President 1135 00:54:29,733 --> 00:54:33,370 built an anti-ISIL coalition of more than 60 nations. 1136 00:54:33,370 --> 00:54:36,473 That included four or five Muslim-majority nations in 1137 00:54:36,473 --> 00:54:39,375 the region that are carrying out airstrikes alongside 1138 00:54:39,376 --> 00:54:43,680 military -- American military pilots inside 1139 00:54:43,680 --> 00:54:45,015 of Syria. 1140 00:54:45,015 --> 00:54:48,718 We have seen effective coordination with Syrian 1141 00:54:48,718 --> 00:54:53,589 Arabs, Syrian Turks -- I'm sorry -- Syrian Kurds, 1142 00:54:53,590 --> 00:54:56,960 Turkomen, and other local fighters on the ground in 1143 00:54:56,960 --> 00:55:00,597 Syria that, when supported by the coalition, including 1144 00:55:00,597 --> 00:55:04,134 through military airstrikes, has succeeded in moving ISIL 1145 00:55:04,134 --> 00:55:08,905 off of some 17,000 square kilometers of area that was 1146 00:55:08,905 --> 00:55:10,940 populated that they'd previously controlled that 1147 00:55:10,940 --> 00:55:14,344 they now can no longer freely operate in. 1148 00:55:14,344 --> 00:55:17,280 There have been strikes that have been carried out by the 1149 00:55:17,280 --> 00:55:21,651 U.S. military, including one operation inside of Syria 1150 00:55:21,651 --> 00:55:25,689 that resulted in the death of a senior ISIL official 1151 00:55:25,689 --> 00:55:30,993 and the exploitation of large reams of information 1152 00:55:30,994 --> 00:55:33,329 that have given us more insight into operations 1153 00:55:33,329 --> 00:55:34,698 inside of Syria. 1154 00:55:34,698 --> 00:55:37,366 So we've made a lot of important progress in 1155 00:55:37,367 --> 00:55:39,536 building relationships inside of Syria, by working 1156 00:55:39,536 --> 00:55:43,373 closely with those that are operating on the ground, and 1157 00:55:43,373 --> 00:55:46,543 that has resulted in ISIL sustaining some significant 1158 00:55:46,543 --> 00:55:48,912 losses both on the ground and among the ranks of 1159 00:55:48,912 --> 00:55:50,379 their leadership. 1160 00:55:50,380 --> 00:55:51,948 The Press: Right, but I'm really asking about Assad. 1161 00:55:51,948 --> 00:55:55,317 And I'm imagining that Assad sees those reports and is 1162 00:55:55,318 --> 00:55:57,153 cheering them on, that's the reason why he is allowing 1163 00:55:57,153 --> 00:55:59,254 our planes to go in uncontested and he is happy 1164 00:55:59,255 --> 00:56:04,694 that we're bombing ISIL because they hate Assad, too. 1165 00:56:04,694 --> 00:56:08,264 I mean, you said yesterday that you're okay with Russia 1166 00:56:08,264 --> 00:56:12,602 taking on ISIL but not propping up Assad, but isn't 1167 00:56:12,602 --> 00:56:14,971 both things reality if they are going to join 1168 00:56:14,971 --> 00:56:17,540 the coalition? 1169 00:56:17,540 --> 00:56:19,609 If they are going to carry out bombing missions against 1170 00:56:19,609 --> 00:56:22,879 ISIL, isn't that de facto helping out Assad keep him 1171 00:56:22,879 --> 00:56:24,948 in power? 1172 00:56:24,948 --> 00:56:30,319 Mr. Earnest: And we've long acknowledged that there is 1173 00:56:30,320 --> 00:56:34,491 an impact or there's a connection between these two 1174 00:56:34,491 --> 00:56:36,493 policy goals that we've articulated. 1175 00:56:36,493 --> 00:56:39,261 The first policy goal is that Assad has lost 1176 00:56:39,262 --> 00:56:41,264 legitimacy leading the country and should leave, 1177 00:56:41,264 --> 00:56:43,266 and the second policy goal is to degrade and ultimately 1178 00:56:43,266 --> 00:56:45,001 destroy ISIL. 1179 00:56:45,001 --> 00:56:47,003 Those two things are not unrelated, and that's 1180 00:56:47,003 --> 00:56:49,339 something that we have readily acknowledged. 1181 00:56:49,339 --> 00:56:54,644 What is clear is that the most significant, urgent, 1182 00:56:54,644 --> 00:56:58,046 destabilizing aspect of this crisis situation inside of 1183 00:56:58,047 --> 00:57:04,287 Syria is the growth and continued violence that's 1184 00:57:04,287 --> 00:57:06,489 being carried out by ISIL. 1185 00:57:06,489 --> 00:57:09,592 And that's why you've seen such a strong focus on our 1186 00:57:09,592 --> 00:57:12,295 military actions, including military airstrikes against 1187 00:57:12,295 --> 00:57:15,665 ISIL, coordination with ground forces taking the 1188 00:57:15,665 --> 00:57:18,000 fight to ISIL, the efforts to shut down their financing 1189 00:57:18,001 --> 00:57:21,371 and to stem the flow of foreign fighters. 1190 00:57:21,371 --> 00:57:25,575 That is why that particular priority has attracted a lot 1191 00:57:25,575 --> 00:57:26,676 of interest. 1192 00:57:26,676 --> 00:57:30,647 But it has not diminished in any way our interest in 1193 00:57:30,647 --> 00:57:34,217 trying to bring about the long overdue political 1194 00:57:34,217 --> 00:57:37,287 transition that's needed inside of Syria because we 1195 00:57:37,287 --> 00:57:39,589 know our ultimate success in degrading and ultimately 1196 00:57:39,589 --> 00:57:44,194 destroying ISIL will require legitimate and effective 1197 00:57:44,194 --> 00:57:47,096 leadership inside of Syria that reflects the will and 1198 00:57:47,096 --> 00:57:48,398 ambition of the Syrian people. 1199 00:57:48,398 --> 00:57:49,732 The Press: Well, does the President bear any 1200 00:57:49,732 --> 00:57:51,367 responsibility for the fact that this strategy hasn't 1201 00:57:51,367 --> 00:57:53,269 worked for year after year after year? 1202 00:57:53,269 --> 00:57:57,372 Does he have some regret, have some sense that he 1203 00:57:57,373 --> 00:58:00,677 should have found a better solution, something that 1204 00:58:00,677 --> 00:58:04,614 would have created a situation where Assad would 1205 00:58:04,614 --> 00:58:05,982 have left by now? 1206 00:58:05,982 --> 00:58:07,817 Mr. Earnest: Well, again, Steve, I think that you're 1207 00:58:07,817 --> 00:58:09,586 highlighting one of the significant challenges here 1208 00:58:09,586 --> 00:58:12,421 -- that there is this desire on the part of a lot of 1209 00:58:12,422 --> 00:58:14,390 people, particularly the President's critics, to 1210 00:58:14,390 --> 00:58:17,560 suggest that the mess inside of Syria is somehow the 1211 00:58:17,560 --> 00:58:19,262 fault of the President of the United States. 1212 00:58:19,262 --> 00:58:22,632 But they do that without offering any sort of 1213 00:58:22,632 --> 00:58:27,070 recommendation about what the President can or should 1214 00:58:27,070 --> 00:58:29,339 do instead of what he's already doing. 1215 00:58:29,339 --> 00:58:31,441 The one thing that we frequently hear from people 1216 00:58:31,441 --> 00:58:34,042 is that, well, you should really have invested 1217 00:58:34,043 --> 00:58:36,880 significantly more in a train-and-equip operation. 1218 00:58:36,880 --> 00:58:40,750 And, frankly, pinning all of our hopes on a 1219 00:58:40,750 --> 00:58:44,087 train-and-equip operation was not going to be a smart 1220 00:58:44,087 --> 00:58:47,857 strategy, and that's why the President insisted that once 1221 00:58:47,857 --> 00:58:50,259 that strategy was pursued, that it be effectively 1222 00:58:50,260 --> 00:58:53,663 integrated with the other elements of our strategy. 1223 00:58:53,663 --> 00:58:56,866 And what the Department of Defense is continuing to do 1224 00:58:56,866 --> 00:59:00,870 is to evaluate that program and determine what sort of 1225 00:59:00,870 --> 00:59:03,873 changes could be made to the program so that we can get 1226 00:59:03,873 --> 00:59:06,776 some better results. 1227 00:59:06,776 --> 00:59:07,277 Richard. 1228 00:59:07,277 --> 00:59:07,977 The Press: Thank you, Josh. 1229 00:59:07,977 --> 00:59:10,812 I want to go back to Ahmed Mohamed, the teenager 1230 00:59:10,813 --> 00:59:13,082 invited to the White House. 1231 00:59:13,082 --> 00:59:17,053 There's another teenager who was more and more popular on 1232 00:59:17,053 --> 00:59:20,290 YouTube who criticized the President, claiming he has a 1233 00:59:20,290 --> 00:59:25,628 pro-Muslim bias, saying when cops are killed, their 1234 00:59:25,628 --> 00:59:27,096 families are not invited to the White House. 1235 00:59:27,096 --> 00:59:30,500 This woman in California was presumably killed by an 1236 00:59:30,500 --> 00:59:34,804 illegal immigrant, her family was not invited to 1237 00:59:34,804 --> 00:59:37,307 the White House, but in this case, oh, he's a Muslim, he 1238 00:59:37,307 --> 00:59:38,942 is invited by the White House. 1239 00:59:38,942 --> 00:59:42,245 How does the White House react to this kind 1240 00:59:42,245 --> 00:59:43,645 of accusation? 1241 00:59:43,646 --> 00:59:44,948 Mr. Earnest: Well, I haven't seen the video so I hesitate 1242 00:59:44,948 --> 00:59:51,154 to comment on it in any direct way. 1243 00:59:51,154 --> 00:59:55,558 As it relates to the families of police officers 1244 00:59:55,558 --> 00:59:57,894 who have been killed in the line of duty, you'll recall 1245 00:59:57,894 --> 00:59:59,962 that the President did speak at the Peace Officers 1246 00:59:59,963 --> 01:00:02,298 Memorial up at the Capitol earlier this year and had 1247 01:00:02,298 --> 01:00:05,033 the opportunity to greet many of the families there 1248 01:00:05,034 --> 01:00:07,003 that were honoring the memory of their loved ones 1249 01:00:07,003 --> 01:00:09,005 who had been killed in the line of duty. 1250 01:00:09,005 --> 01:00:11,741 The President was proud to participate in that 1251 01:00:11,741 --> 01:00:14,177 ceremony, as he has in years past. 1252 01:00:14,177 --> 01:00:18,414 The Press: Back to Trump's controversy yesterday again. 1253 01:00:18,414 --> 01:00:21,184 You repeated several times during the briefing that the 1254 01:00:21,184 --> 01:00:26,356 Republicans have successfully -- successful, 1255 01:00:26,356 --> 01:00:29,792 that's the last word you used, used that strategy. 1256 01:00:29,792 --> 01:00:33,395 So they're successful in using it just in how it 1257 01:00:33,396 --> 01:00:35,498 works, that somehow there's something right. 1258 01:00:35,498 --> 01:00:38,167 Mr. Earnest: Well, it certainly has for Mr. Trump 1259 01:00:38,167 --> 01:00:40,169 if you take a look at his polls. 1260 01:00:40,169 --> 01:00:42,171 Again, he'd be the first one to -- 1261 01:00:42,171 --> 01:00:44,506 The Press: But the American people feel 1262 01:00:44,507 --> 01:00:45,508 there is something there. 1263 01:00:45,508 --> 01:00:48,310 I mean, the administration hasn't been able to break 1264 01:00:48,311 --> 01:00:53,416 this impression that Muslims are gaining in the U.S., the 1265 01:00:53,416 --> 01:00:57,453 President is Muslim, and all this. 1266 01:00:57,453 --> 01:00:59,721 If they're successful, as you acknowledge, it's 1267 01:00:59,722 --> 01:01:02,258 because there is something that you haven't been able 1268 01:01:02,258 --> 01:01:03,926 to do to convince the American people that it's 1269 01:01:03,926 --> 01:01:05,528 not there. 1270 01:01:05,528 --> 01:01:07,763 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think what it is, is that we have 1271 01:01:07,764 --> 01:01:12,235 seen a variety of leaders in the Republican Party, 1272 01:01:12,235 --> 01:01:14,303 including the third highest-ranking Republican 1273 01:01:14,303 --> 01:01:17,306 in the House of Representatives, engage in a 1274 01:01:17,306 --> 01:01:22,345 cynical strategy to win votes. 1275 01:01:22,345 --> 01:01:27,517 And in many cases, by countenancing the offensive 1276 01:01:27,517 --> 01:01:31,953 views of a minority in this country have succeeded in 1277 01:01:31,954 --> 01:01:38,828 building large and durable bases of political support. 1278 01:01:38,828 --> 01:01:42,899 And that's a fact. 1279 01:01:42,899 --> 01:01:48,104 The problem is, is there are consequences for it. 1280 01:01:48,104 --> 01:01:50,705 And those consequences take a variety of forms. 1281 01:01:52,742 --> 01:01:54,744 One of them is in the approval rating of 1282 01:01:54,744 --> 01:01:56,479 Republicans in Congress. 1283 01:01:56,479 --> 01:01:59,749 Another is of the pieces of common-sense legislation 1284 01:01:59,749 --> 01:02:02,584 that the vast majority of Americans would be good for 1285 01:02:02,585 --> 01:02:05,655 the country that Republicans are not able to pass and, in 1286 01:02:05,655 --> 01:02:09,225 some cases, actively block -- like when it comes to 1287 01:02:09,225 --> 01:02:11,194 immigration reform. 1288 01:02:12,395 --> 01:02:16,699 And I know the truth is, the kind of people who can speak 1289 01:02:16,699 --> 01:02:21,137 to this probably more persuasive than I can are 1290 01:02:21,137 --> 01:02:24,373 the leaders in the Republican Party here in 1291 01:02:24,373 --> 01:02:27,844 Washington, D.C., at least one of whom actually 1292 01:02:27,844 --> 01:02:30,847 commissioned a report after the last election to try to 1293 01:02:30,847 --> 01:02:32,849 figure out how to solve these problems. 1294 01:02:32,849 --> 01:02:38,387 It may raise some questions about what impact that 1295 01:02:38,387 --> 01:02:42,592 report has had, but the fact is, there is an awareness 1296 01:02:42,592 --> 01:02:46,462 among some in the Republican Party of this significant 1297 01:02:46,462 --> 01:02:50,766 problem that they have; that this cynical strategy has 1298 01:02:50,766 --> 01:02:54,270 yielded some short-term benefits for some individual 1299 01:02:54,270 --> 01:02:56,305 leaders in the Republican Party. 1300 01:02:56,305 --> 01:02:58,274 But there are consequences for it. 1301 01:02:58,274 --> 01:02:58,774 Laura. 1302 01:02:58,774 --> 01:03:00,109 The Press: Just a follow-up on that. 1303 01:03:00,109 --> 01:03:02,178 You're saying that there's a cynical strategy to 1304 01:03:02,178 --> 01:03:03,513 win votes. 1305 01:03:03,513 --> 01:03:05,548 Is it a strategy of hate? 1306 01:03:05,548 --> 01:03:08,950 Mr. Earnest: Well, again, I think what it is -- it is a 1307 01:03:08,951 --> 01:03:13,156 strategy to countenance offensive views in an effort 1308 01:03:13,156 --> 01:03:16,826 to try to curry favor with some segment of the 1309 01:03:16,826 --> 01:03:17,894 voting population. 1310 01:03:17,894 --> 01:03:22,732 And it is clear that's what Mr. Trump was doing. 1311 01:03:22,732 --> 01:03:26,134 But it's also clear that's what his competitors in the 1312 01:03:26,135 --> 01:03:30,673 Republican primary are doing when they refuse to denounce 1313 01:03:30,673 --> 01:03:32,607 his cynical strategy. 1314 01:03:32,608 --> 01:03:38,381 So, again, there is a significant challenge that's 1315 01:03:38,381 --> 01:03:40,383 resting with the leaders of the Republican Party right 1316 01:03:40,383 --> 01:03:42,585 now and it's clear what their priorities are. 1317 01:03:42,585 --> 01:03:48,024 And at some point, if the leaders of that party or the 1318 01:03:48,024 --> 01:03:50,159 members of that party are interested in changing it, 1319 01:03:50,159 --> 01:03:52,161 it's going to require somebody to summon some 1320 01:03:52,161 --> 01:03:54,730 courage and stand up and speak out. 1321 01:03:54,730 --> 01:03:57,200 The Press: What's the view of President Obama of 1322 01:03:57,200 --> 01:03:58,768 Muslims all over the world? 1323 01:03:58,768 --> 01:04:02,705 Mr. Earnest: The President I think has spoken to this on 1324 01:04:02,705 --> 01:04:05,708 a number of occasions, including a speech that he 1325 01:04:05,708 --> 01:04:10,046 delivered in Cairo early on in his presidency. 1326 01:04:10,046 --> 01:04:14,884 I would note that even President Bush over the 1327 01:04:14,884 --> 01:04:19,722 course of his presidency went to great lengths to 1328 01:04:19,722 --> 01:04:24,193 make clear that the American people and the West was not 1329 01:04:24,193 --> 01:04:26,996 at war with Islam. 1330 01:04:26,996 --> 01:04:31,934 And there is some evidence that we have gathered from 1331 01:04:31,934 --> 01:04:34,403 some of the documentation that was recovered in Osama 1332 01:04:34,403 --> 01:04:39,908 bin Laden's compound that the successful -- that 1333 01:04:39,909 --> 01:04:43,212 successful messaging was undermining the strategy of 1334 01:04:43,212 --> 01:04:48,184 al Qaeda; that the strategy of al Qaeda was predicated 1335 01:04:48,184 --> 01:04:50,753 on starting a holy war between Muslims around the 1336 01:04:50,753 --> 01:04:53,289 world and the West. 1337 01:04:53,289 --> 01:04:57,326 And so that's why President Bush deserves credit, both 1338 01:04:57,326 --> 01:05:00,263 from a strategic perspective, but also from a 1339 01:05:00,263 --> 01:05:04,634 perspective of the values that the vast majority of 1340 01:05:04,634 --> 01:05:05,635 the American people share. 1341 01:05:05,635 --> 01:05:12,508 I mean, he won two national presidential elections. 1342 01:05:12,508 --> 01:05:19,448 But it's apparent that some of the leaders in the 1343 01:05:19,448 --> 01:05:22,952 Republican Party now are pursuing a different strategy. 1344 01:05:22,952 --> 01:05:23,586 Fred. 1345 01:05:23,586 --> 01:05:25,821 The Press: Just on the same topic. 1346 01:05:25,821 --> 01:05:29,325 You talked about the cynical strategy that panders to -- 1347 01:05:29,325 --> 01:05:32,828 among Republicans leaders. 1348 01:05:32,828 --> 01:05:35,096 And you mentioned specifically Donald Trump 1349 01:05:35,097 --> 01:05:36,532 and Steve Scalise. 1350 01:05:36,532 --> 01:05:40,369 If it's part of the party -- who are some of the others 1351 01:05:40,369 --> 01:05:42,905 that have engaged in this strategy? 1352 01:05:42,905 --> 01:05:45,841 Mr. Earnest: Well, again, I would ascribe some blame to 1353 01:05:45,841 --> 01:05:48,377 Mr. Trump's competitors. 1354 01:05:48,377 --> 01:05:51,447 The Press: The entire GOP presidential field? 1355 01:05:51,447 --> 01:05:54,950 Mr. Earnest: Well, at least those that have refused to 1356 01:05:54,950 --> 01:05:59,020 -- or declined to denounce his cynical strategy. 1357 01:05:59,021 --> 01:06:01,123 And the reason for that -- they're doing it for the 1358 01:06:01,123 --> 01:06:03,125 same reason that he is, which is they're trying to 1359 01:06:03,125 --> 01:06:03,993 win votes. 1360 01:06:03,993 --> 01:06:08,397 So that's -- as I mentioned earlier, that stands in 1361 01:06:08,397 --> 01:06:11,901 pretty stark contrast to the patriotism of somebody like 1362 01:06:11,901 --> 01:06:15,805 Senator McCain, faced with a similar situation in the 1363 01:06:15,805 --> 01:06:18,441 middle of a presidential campaign, in a town hall 1364 01:06:18,441 --> 01:06:22,544 meeting, there was somebody that popped up and started 1365 01:06:22,545 --> 01:06:25,014 saying to him the same things that Donald Trump 1366 01:06:25,014 --> 01:06:27,383 heard last night, and you'll recall Senator McCain had 1367 01:06:27,383 --> 01:06:28,651 the microphone taken away from that person. 1368 01:06:28,651 --> 01:06:32,388 And I think that's -- again, I think it's a testament to 1369 01:06:32,388 --> 01:06:35,257 Senator McCain's character, but I think it's also a 1370 01:06:35,257 --> 01:06:37,793 testament to the kinds of questions that are facing 1371 01:06:37,793 --> 01:06:39,028 Republican leaders right now. 1372 01:06:39,028 --> 01:06:41,029 JC, I'll give you the last one and then we'll do the 1373 01:06:41,030 --> 01:06:42,031 week ahead. 1374 01:06:42,031 --> 01:06:42,732 The Press: Thank you, Josh, I appreciate it. 1375 01:06:42,732 --> 01:06:43,766 Josh, how concerned is the President and this 1376 01:06:43,766 --> 01:06:47,970 administration that among the massive refugee 1377 01:06:47,970 --> 01:06:50,740 population that is now making headway through 1378 01:06:50,740 --> 01:06:53,808 Europe, that there could be, in fact, members of 1379 01:06:53,809 --> 01:06:58,881 al Qaeda, ISIL, or those who could be trained by those 1380 01:06:58,881 --> 01:07:01,884 organizations whose main objective is to get a 1381 01:07:01,884 --> 01:07:04,186 stronghold in Europe and do significant damage? 1382 01:07:04,186 --> 01:07:05,821 And I have a follow-up question. 1383 01:07:05,821 --> 01:07:08,290 Mr. Earnest: It's difficult for me to offer a specific 1384 01:07:08,290 --> 01:07:09,625 assessment from here. 1385 01:07:09,625 --> 01:07:13,129 I think our intelligence officials could give you a 1386 01:07:13,129 --> 01:07:17,500 better sense of how significant that risk would be. 1387 01:07:17,500 --> 01:07:20,936 I've made quite clear that in terms of the refugee 1388 01:07:20,936 --> 01:07:23,139 resettlement process that the administration -- or 1389 01:07:23,139 --> 01:07:29,211 that this country has long followed, it includes 1390 01:07:29,211 --> 01:07:32,247 thorough vetting of the background of these 1391 01:07:32,248 --> 01:07:38,220 individuals to ensure that the safety and security of 1392 01:07:38,220 --> 01:07:41,323 the American people is not put at undue risk by the 1393 01:07:41,323 --> 01:07:42,758 resettlement of these refugees. 1394 01:07:42,758 --> 01:07:44,859 The Press: May I follow up? 1395 01:07:44,860 --> 01:07:46,495 Mr. Earnest: Sure. 1396 01:07:46,495 --> 01:07:48,763 The Press: Significant sort of coming off the same topic. 1397 01:07:48,764 --> 01:07:51,767 There is some thought in Europe that the EU, the 1398 01:07:51,767 --> 01:07:54,803 European Union, because of what we talk about, the 1399 01:07:54,804 --> 01:07:58,808 basic premise of their existence is open borders 1400 01:07:58,808 --> 01:08:01,410 and open trade where people can go freely through one 1401 01:08:01,410 --> 01:08:03,946 country to another. 1402 01:08:03,946 --> 01:08:07,982 There's concern that that basic premise will no longer 1403 01:08:07,983 --> 01:08:11,220 hold and that the EU, in fact, its very existence, 1404 01:08:11,220 --> 01:08:13,756 could be in jeopardy, which could cause enormous 1405 01:08:13,756 --> 01:08:16,724 ramifications for the U.S., including trade. 1406 01:08:16,725 --> 01:08:21,797 Mr. Earnest: Well, JC, I've merely observed that the 1407 01:08:21,796 --> 01:08:24,966 scale of this challenge in terms of the hundreds of 1408 01:08:24,966 --> 01:08:28,737 thousands of people that we're talking about here is 1409 01:08:28,737 --> 01:08:30,973 not something that can be solved by just one country 1410 01:08:30,973 --> 01:08:34,743 in Europe; that we're -- in order to successfully 1411 01:08:34,743 --> 01:08:37,346 confront this challenge, the nations of Europe will have 1412 01:08:37,345 --> 01:08:39,915 to do what they've done in the past, which is to 1413 01:08:39,915 --> 01:08:42,618 effectively cooperate in terms of implementing 1414 01:08:42,618 --> 01:08:46,355 policies to ensure that they can deal with this 1415 01:08:46,354 --> 01:08:47,423 difficult challenge. 1416 01:08:47,423 --> 01:08:48,691 Hopefully they'll do that. 1417 01:08:48,691 --> 01:08:50,091 Julie, I saw your hand up. 1418 01:08:50,091 --> 01:08:51,326 The Press: I just wanted to go back to Cuba for a moment. 1419 01:08:51,327 --> 01:08:55,130 It seems like a lot of the regulations that have been 1420 01:08:55,130 --> 01:08:57,366 announced today will only have their desired effect if 1421 01:08:57,366 --> 01:08:59,435 Cuba actually takes a corresponding action to 1422 01:08:59,435 --> 01:09:02,271 reform its economy and, in fact, Secretary Pritzker 1423 01:09:02,270 --> 01:09:06,341 said today that economic reforms there are overdue. 1424 01:09:06,341 --> 01:09:07,843 So I wonder if the administration is going to 1425 01:09:07,843 --> 01:09:10,345 take the opportunity of issuing these new rules to 1426 01:09:10,345 --> 01:09:12,447 call on Cuba to do that now. 1427 01:09:12,448 --> 01:09:15,351 Given that you've said that engagement is more effective 1428 01:09:15,350 --> 01:09:17,920 than isolation, are you going to use that leverage here? 1429 01:09:17,920 --> 01:09:21,056 Mr. Earnest: Well, I think the -- I can answer that in 1430 01:09:21,055 --> 01:09:22,057 a couple of ways. 1431 01:09:22,057 --> 01:09:24,059 First of all, it sounds like that's what the Secretary of 1432 01:09:24,059 --> 01:09:26,061 Commerce did, and she should do that. 1433 01:09:26,060 --> 01:09:29,163 The second thing is that it is now clear that the Cuban 1434 01:09:29,163 --> 01:09:32,001 government and the Cuban people now have an incentive 1435 01:09:32,001 --> 01:09:34,436 that they didn't have before to start implementing those 1436 01:09:34,435 --> 01:09:36,804 reforms so that they can take advantage of the 1437 01:09:36,805 --> 01:09:40,175 opportunity that the United States has extended to them. 1438 01:09:40,175 --> 01:09:42,344 Now, this is not an opportunity that comes at 1439 01:09:42,344 --> 01:09:44,346 the expense of the American people; it's actually an 1440 01:09:44,345 --> 01:09:46,348 opportunity that the American people can benefit 1441 01:09:46,348 --> 01:09:47,783 from as well. 1442 01:09:47,783 --> 01:09:51,287 And so the United States government, through a 1443 01:09:51,287 --> 01:09:53,289 variety of officials, including the Secretary of 1444 01:09:53,288 --> 01:09:56,692 Commerce, will continue to press the Cuban government 1445 01:09:56,692 --> 01:09:59,795 to implement the kinds of reforms that we believe are 1446 01:09:59,795 --> 01:10:01,897 long overdue. 1447 01:10:01,897 --> 01:10:02,798 The Press: And what's your assessment now of what the 1448 01:10:02,798 --> 01:10:04,433 prospects are for Congress actually lifting the 1449 01:10:04,433 --> 01:10:07,102 embargo, which would obviously go a lot farther 1450 01:10:07,102 --> 01:10:08,971 than these rules today. 1451 01:10:08,971 --> 01:10:10,371 Mr. Earnest: Unfortunately, I don't think we've seen a 1452 01:10:10,372 --> 01:10:13,342 whole lot of evidence to indicate that those 1453 01:10:13,342 --> 01:10:17,879 prospects have significantly improved. 1454 01:10:17,880 --> 01:10:20,849 We continue to believe that Congress should lift the 1455 01:10:20,849 --> 01:10:23,886 embargo, but there are a range of policy changes 1456 01:10:23,886 --> 01:10:26,555 that, short of lifting the embargo, that the 1457 01:10:26,555 --> 01:10:30,192 administration can pursue that would make progress in 1458 01:10:30,192 --> 01:10:32,194 normalizing relations between our two countries, 1459 01:10:34,229 --> 01:10:38,267 enhancing engagement between our two governments and 1460 01:10:38,267 --> 01:10:40,269 between the people of the United States and Cuba. 1461 01:10:40,269 --> 01:10:44,506 Let me do a week ahead, and then I will let you get 1462 01:10:44,506 --> 01:10:46,408 started on your weekend. 1463 01:10:46,408 --> 01:10:48,911 On Monday, the President will attend meetings at the 1464 01:10:48,911 --> 01:10:49,912 White House. 1465 01:10:49,912 --> 01:10:51,914 On Tuesday, the President, the First Lady, the Vice 1466 01:10:51,914 --> 01:10:54,583 President, and Dr. Biden will greet His Holiness Pope 1467 01:10:54,583 --> 01:10:58,553 Frances upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews here in 1468 01:10:58,554 --> 01:11:00,322 the United States. 1469 01:11:00,322 --> 01:11:02,324 On Wednesday, the President and the First Lady will 1470 01:11:02,324 --> 01:11:04,360 welcome Pope Francis to the White House. 1471 01:11:04,360 --> 01:11:06,362 During the visit, the President and the Pope will 1472 01:11:06,362 --> 01:11:08,564 continue the dialogue which they began during the 1473 01:11:08,564 --> 01:11:12,201 President's visit to the Vatican in March, 2014, on 1474 01:11:12,201 --> 01:11:15,137 their shared values and commitments on a wide range 1475 01:11:15,137 --> 01:11:16,304 of issues. 1476 01:11:16,305 --> 01:11:18,741 These issues include caring for the marginalized and the 1477 01:11:18,741 --> 01:11:21,977 poor, advancing economic opportunity for all, serving 1478 01:11:21,977 --> 01:11:24,246 as good stewards of the environment, protecting 1479 01:11:24,246 --> 01:11:26,315 religious minorities and promoting religious freedom 1480 01:11:26,315 --> 01:11:28,450 around the world, and welcoming and integrating 1481 01:11:28,450 --> 01:11:30,818 immigrants and refugees into our communities. 1482 01:11:30,819 --> 01:11:32,821 The President looks forward to continuing his 1483 01:11:32,821 --> 01:11:34,823 conversation with the Holy Father during his first 1484 01:11:34,823 --> 01:11:37,326 visit to the United States as Pope. 1485 01:11:37,326 --> 01:11:39,395 On Thursday, the President will host a private dinner 1486 01:11:39,395 --> 01:11:41,597 for Xi Jinping, the President of the People's 1487 01:11:41,597 --> 01:11:43,264 Republican of China. 1488 01:11:43,265 --> 01:11:45,801 On Friday, the President and the First Lady will welcome 1489 01:11:45,801 --> 01:11:48,103 President Xi and Madam Peng to the White House for an 1490 01:11:48,103 --> 01:11:49,638 official state visit. 1491 01:11:49,638 --> 01:11:52,908 This reciprocates President Obama's state visit to China 1492 01:11:52,908 --> 01:11:54,643 in November, 2014. 1493 01:11:54,643 --> 01:11:56,812 President Xi's visit will present an opportunity to 1494 01:11:56,812 --> 01:11:59,048 expand U.S.-China cooperation on a range of 1495 01:11:59,048 --> 01:12:02,017 global, regional and bilateral issues of mutual 1496 01:12:02,017 --> 01:12:04,620 interest while also enabling President Obama and 1497 01:12:04,620 --> 01:12:06,789 President Xi to address areas of 1498 01:12:06,789 --> 01:12:09,491 disagreement constructively. 1499 01:12:09,491 --> 01:12:11,493 At the end of that long week, the President will 1500 01:12:11,493 --> 01:12:13,495 take Saturday off but then on Sunday, the President 1501 01:12:13,495 --> 01:12:16,465 will travel to New York City to begin participating in 1502 01:12:16,465 --> 01:12:18,834 the United Nations General Assembly. 1503 01:12:18,834 --> 01:12:20,335 So we'll have more information about his 1504 01:12:20,335 --> 01:12:25,307 schedule on Sunday and that next week at some point in 1505 01:12:25,307 --> 01:12:26,308 the next few days. 1506 01:12:26,308 --> 01:12:27,810 The Press: Press conference with Xi? 1507 01:12:27,810 --> 01:12:30,079 Mr. Earnest: That is the plan, yes. 1508 01:12:30,079 --> 01:12:31,580 There is a plan for a news conference here at the White 1509 01:12:31,580 --> 01:12:33,082 House with President Xi. 1510 01:12:33,082 --> 01:12:35,484 We'll have more details about timing and format. 1511 01:12:35,484 --> 01:12:36,685 The Press: Friday, right? 1512 01:12:36,685 --> 01:12:38,087 Mr. Earnest: Yes, on Friday. 1513 01:12:38,087 --> 01:12:40,956 Have a good weekend, everybody.