protesters accomplish nothing but annoy people and send no meaningful message to lawmakers. this is from susan saying i marched to remove the confederate flag from my states capitol building. this from diane, i was way under age but it was nonviolent on the protest part but not by the cops. a few of your comments from social media. hearing from you on phone line split my age, talking about protest, asking if you have participated in a protest, if so, what was the topic, didn't make a difference? as we showed you this story from the washington times. democratic mayor is moving to keep her testers miles away from the democratic national convention in the city this summer in august, blocking some pro-palestinian demonstrators request for permits. noting the mayor brandon johnson as part of this effort, more than 70 organizations have

formed a coalition come the largest protest for palestinian rights in chicago's history with tens of thousands of people -- >> happy belated money -- mother's day too many of you here. two things at the top and that i will turn over to our national security advisor. the president and vice president will hold a reception celebrating asian american, native hawaiian and -- to ensure the promise of america for all aapi communities including an executive order establishing the president's advisory commission and the white house initiative on its asian american native american hawaiian pacific islanders. the biden harris administration has delivered the most equitable, recovery on record with nearly 50 million jobs created including historic aan ahpi small business growth.

we are also working to ensure equal access to equality education, expand affordable health care for affordable families, combat heat, improve disaster recovery can preserve indigenous land and protect civil rights by advancing language access and data equity. you'll hear from the president directly on this work later today. finally today the biden harris administration is getting off this year's infrastructure week. i know you are are very excited about that. we are selecting historic process of president biden investing in america agenda which continues to create good paying jobs mongoose domestic manufacturing, strength and supply chains, and grow the middle out and bottom up. while infrastructure week began an empty punchline during the prior administration, president biden is delivering an infrastructure decade that will benefit communities for generations to come. to date, our administration has

announced over 56,000 infrastructure projects across the country and delivered over $450 billion from the infrastructure law. today, we released an updated map showcasing thousands of projects that are underway as well as new state-by-state fact sheets that spotlight investments and projects across the president's entire investing america agenda. this is infrastructure week. we are also calling out congress, republicans in congress to be more specific, who voted against president's law but are now showing up at groundbreaking events and ribbon cuttings. we are also calling on congressional republicans to extend funding for affordability, connectivity programs which has lowered internet bills to enable more than 23 million households to access affordable high-speed internet.

without congressional action, millions of americans will see their bills increase or lose internet access at the end of the month. with that, our national security advisor jake sullivan is here to give a middle east update. >> thank you. good afternoon, everyone. before i take your questions, i want to step back and make some comments on the latest development in the middle east. there's been a lot more heat than light in the recent coverage and commentary about the war between israel and hamas. i want to take a moment today to get back to basics and lay out the administration's view. here is how we see it. one, this is a war between the state of israel and the terrorist group hamas, whose mission is to annihilate israel and kill as many jews as they can. the war began on october 7 when hamas massacred 1200 people and took more than 200 hostages. there was a cease-fire in place on october 6.

they broke it. the president has made clear the united states was to see hamas defeated and justice delivered. there can be no equivocation on that. two, the palestinian civilians caught in the middle of this war are in hell. the death and trauma they have endured are unmanageable. their pain and suffering are immense. no civilian should have to go through that. this is on the presidents mind every day. three. israel has an unusual, even unprecedented burden in fighting this war because hamas uses hospitals and schools and other civilian facilities for military purposes and has built a vast network of military tunnels under civilian areas. that puts innocent civilians in the crossfire. it does not lessen israel's responsibility to do all they can to protect innocent civilians. four, we believe israel can and must do more to ensure the protection and well-being of innocent civilians.

we do not believe that what is happening in gaza is a genocide. we have been firmly on record by deck -- rejecting that. five, the united states will continue to lead international efforts to search unitarian efforts throughout the gaza strip because innocent civilians should never go without food, water, medicine, shelter, sanitation, or other basic necessities. active diplomacy by president biden has made a considerable difference in getting more aid into gaza. now we are redoubling that diplomacy to press the key actors including israel in egypt. i discussed this issue with my egyptian and israeli counterparts yesterday. six, the united states absent a massive amount of military assistance to israel to defend itself against all threats including hamas, hezbollah, and iran and its other proxies. we are continuing to send military assistance and we will

ensure that israel receives the full amount divided in the supplemental. we have paused this it meant of 2000 pound bombs because we do not believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities. we are talking to the israeli government about this. we still believe it would be a mistake to launch a major military operation into the heart of rafah that would put huge numbers of civilians at risk without a clear strategic gain. the president was clear he would not supply certain offensive weapons for such an operation were it to occur. it has not yet occurred. we are still working with israel on a better way to ensure the defeat of hamas everywhere in gaza including in rafah. this has been the subject of detailed conversation between our professionals and i discussed this again with my is really counterpart just yesterday. seven, military pressure is necessary but not sufficient to fully defeat hamas. if israel's military efforts are

not accompanied by a political plan for the future of gaza and the palestinian people, the terrorists will keep coming back and israel will remain under threat. we are seeing this happen in gaza city. so we are talking to israel about how to connect their military operations to a clear strategic endgame, about holistic integrated strategies to ensure the lasting defeat of hamas and a better alternative future for gaza and for the palestinian people. eight, israel's long-term security depends on being integrated into the region, and enjoy normal relations with the herbst states including saudi arabia. the advantages of strong partnerships were on display recently when a coalition of countries help israel defend itself against iranian missiles and drones. we need to consider the tactical battlefield situation in gaza in light of the bigger strategic picture. we should not miss an historic opportunity to achieve the

vision of a secure israel, flanked by strong regional partners, presenting a power forefront to deter aggression and uphold regional stability. we are pursuing this vision every day. nine, we are urgently and relentlessly working for a cease-fire and hostage deal starting with the first phase and building to an enduring calm. as the president said this weekend, there could be a cease-fire tomorrow if hamas simply released women, wounded, and elderly hostages all innocence. israel put a forward leaning proposal on the table for a cease-fire and hostage deal. the world should be calling on hamas come back to the table and accept a deal. the hostages include americans and citizens from around the world. the president is determined to bring them safe back to their loved ones. i met with the families of these american hostages again just this past friday. they know how hard the president

is working on this. 10, iran and its proxies have tried to take advantage of the war in gaza to launch attacks on israel. hezbollah is attacking every day. the threat posed by iran and its proxies to israel, to regional stability, and to american interests is clear. we are working with israel and other partners to protect against these threats and prevent escalation into an all out regional war. through a calibrated combination of diplomacy, deterrence, force posture adjustments, and use of force when necessary to protect our people and to defend our interests and our allies. we will not let iran and its proxies succeed. these are president biden's positions. they reflect his commitment to getting an outcome in gaza and across the broader middle east that protects israel's future security and paves the way for a future of dignity and security for the palestinian people as well.

rather than israel getting mired in a counterinsurgency campaign that never ends and ultimately saps israel strength and vitality. this is all consistent with president biden's long-standing view that ultimately a two state solution is the only way to ensure a strong, secure jewish democratic state of israel, as well as a future of dignity, security, and prosperity for the palestinian people. one last thing. no president has stood stronger with israel than joe biden. he was the first president ever to visit israel during wartime. it is protecting israel at the united nations. he mobilized a coalition to directly defend israel against an unprecedented iranian attack. he led the bipartisan effort to pass the supplemental to ensure israel's defense and military edge for years to come. his commitment to israel is ironclad. ironclad doesn't mean you never disagree, it means you work through your agreements as only true friends can do.

that's exactly what we've done over the past seven months, what we will keep doing. with that, i'll be happy to take your questions. >> a week ago, the administration sounded optimistic on the prospect of a cease-fire and hostage deal. can you provide an update? >> i have been quoting george mitchell of late, who negotiated peace between the warring parties in northern ireland. senator mitchell said quite famously that negotiations are 1000 days of failure and one day of success. right now, we are in the former days latter than the rat -- rather than the latter-day. these negotiations have had their ups and downs, ins and outs, twists and turns. what i laid out in my opening comments remains the case. there could be a cease fire tomorrow if hamas would release the elderly, wounded. we believe israel has put a proposal on the table, hamas has put a counter proposal on the

table. the world is calling for a cease-fire. those who are doing so should come to hamas and say work until we get a deal. i cannot predict when or if that will happen. i can confirm that we are committed to achieving that outcome on behalf of the american hostages and all the hostages, getting to an enduring calm in gaza. what exactly the next step is, we will see. this is a dynamic situation that involves the diplomatic element as well as the military element including operations that israel has taken in rafah. we will have to see how things unfold. >> you said it came down to language. what does it come down to now? >> in the and, when you are talking about a phased agreement that has multiple elements related to sequencing of hostages coming out, movement of military capabilities, surging of humanitarian assistance, movement of civilians, all of these are quite detailed. moving through those details is

what will be necessary to get this across the finish line. we believe there is a framework both sides could sign up to. it's really about the specifics of that framework, like that out that is necessary. language ends up being on a page but it is what reflects the implementation of those details. that is what we are working with , both with israel, and with qatar and egypt, who are in close touch with the representatives of hamas. we our intent and determined to get all the hostages home. we are intent and determined to pursue a cease-fire deal. >> i want to ask you about russia but first on this topic, in the readout, your call with israeli officials yesterday, said you would have this meeting again in person soon. is your expectation, one, when is your expectation that meeting will happen, two, that there will not be a rafah offensive until that meeting takes place? >> i expect it will happen in a

matter of days, not weeks. we have not announced it on the calendar but this is not logging the future. it is not just me meeting my counterpart, it is military intelligence and humanitarian professionals on both sides being a part of that conversation as well. what i expect as we will have an opportunity to talk about the best way to ensure hamas' defeat everywhere including gaza in the context of that conversation, and that opportunity was still be available to us when we show up for that conversation. >> zielinski's advisor today said these new russian government appointments including the defense minister show that moscow will try to rescale its war effort and its economy. is that your assessment as well? >> it is an opaque system run by one man, vladimir putin. he may move around professionals into various roles, but at the end of the day, he seems bound and determined to you to need to

inflict a brutal war of aggression on ukraine. we will take what comes, support ukraine alongside a coalition of countries, and see what happens. i don't have a specific comment on the nature of this changeup in their government. i have seen that speculation from the ukrainians. it is not unreasonable but i cannot draw any conclusions at this point. >> does the u.s. believe that sinwar or other top, leaders are hiding out in rafah? if not, why do israeli forces continued to push further into rafah, what reasons are they giving you? >> i have seen the public reporting on this both in israeli press and american press citing intelligence officials citing he is actually not in rafah. i will not comment on intelligence operations from the podium. i'm afraid i cannot go further in trying to answer your question. it's a reasonable question, if it were the case that he was not in rafah, but i cannot confirm one way or the other. >> why do they continue to push

forward in rafah? do you get the sense that they are taking the u.s. morning and threats seriously? >> they have taken the sustained conversation we have had with them about how to seek an interim defeat for hamas while minimizing civilian harm. i think they have been taking that seriously. we've had multiple rounds of conversations, professional to professional, president to prime minister. we will continue those conversations, we been clear on where we stand. we've also been clear that we are here to offer constructive ideas for how to proceed with this in a way that will ultimately achieve the objective. one of the points i made at the outset that i think bears repeating, any military operation, targeted operation, larger operation, the ground or in the air, has to be connected to a strategic endgame that answers the question what comes next? that is something that we are bearing in on with the israeli government, feel their need to be more attention on that piece of it, lest we end up in a

circumstance where israel conducts a military operation, kills a bunch of hamas guys, also creates some harm to innocent civilians caught in the crossfire, and then terrorists come back. as we have seen them in other places. we want to avoid that outcome. we want the page to get turned from hamas' terroristic reign over gaza and a better future for the palestinian people, security for the state of israel. >> previously, you have not wanted to talk about drawing redlines but israel is continuing to strike rafah, order the evacuation of large numbers of civilians. how will you assess when it has crossed over into that full-scale offensive from the current operations happening now? >> we are watching this closely as you are, consulting with the israelis, collecting our own assessment on what happened on the ground. israeli defense forces have indicated to us that the operation they are currently pursuing our targeted, not the

kind of massive military operation we have talked about. we will make our own judgment on that as we see things unfold. it will be based on a totality of factors, not a mathematical formula or mechanical determination, something that we will judge based on what we see. the president will then make his determinations. we have not seen that yet. >> you have said some of the stronger's yet about palestinians protecting their innocent civilians, as well as assuring their security and aid. what can your department, national security council, saidn the lead up i have not spoken with the folks at morehouse, would have to really what he said to them in their conversations. we are focused on the policy as

it relates to the ongoing war and the situation in the middle east. i have not been engaged in or involved in the preparation for the presidents commencement address. >> as there are people who are walking out on college commencement addresses, people are turning their backs, wearing scarves that represent palestinians. is this message important to get out for the upcoming commencement addresses that the president is delivering? >> the president called prime minister netanyahu the beginning of april, more than a month ago, to register his truck and turn about the need to get more humanitarian assistance in. he put out a strong public statement at that time. the premise of your question that i am now coming to speak about the issue of surging humanitarian assistance to protect civilians is not a premise, i'm afraid, i can accept. the president has been strong on this, secretary blinken has been strong on it, not just in what they say but the work that they are doing with egypt, united nations, and frankly through our own activities, including air

drops and the work to get this in place to search humanitarian assistance in by sea. when it comes to civilian harm and the question of trying to do everything possible to reduce the amount of civilian harm on the strip, this is something the president has spoken to quite actively over a sustained period of time as well, directly engaged with the israelis. >> there are people protesting the president's appearance at morehouse because of the palestinian issue. what do say to those people directly? >> i would say please read the remarks that i just gave to this room today. i think it tries to lay out -- i am not being flip. i am telling you, april. what i laid out here today encapsulates the president's position and something that is both simple and complex. it is simple because hamas is an evil terrorist organization that needs to be defeated, period. it is complex because doing that

in the context of what is happening in the gaza strip is a conflict military operation, and frankly, the regional situation makes it more complex. people of good faith have very strong views of this issue. we will engage with people across the board of folks who have come to this with their own perspective, their own world we view. i'll be can tell them is how we see it, where do we stand. what i've tried to lay out for you, step-by-step, is where we stand on a set of issues that raise questions of policy of course but are also deeply human. they are deeply human for the hostage families. they are deeply human for those that lost their lives in a massacre on october 7, loved ones lost lives. it is deeply human for innocent people caught in the crossfire, struggling to get access to basic necessities. we will keep speaking to that as we go forward, follow what we

believe is in the best interest, reflective of the values of this country. >> there is a new york times analysis that shows russian missiles breaking through ukrainian air defenses in far greater numbers than the past couple of months. interceptions down at the same time apparently russian forces gathering in the north. is any of this the result of getting delays, arms to ukrainians, what do you think it is? >> part of the fact is russia continuing to push the envelope when it comes to the brutality of its campaign. it has sought more targets across a wider range of ukraine, most of them civilian, frankly. trying to destroy the ukrainian electricity grid with an even greater determination this year than last year. part of it is about the need for us, the united states and our coalition of countries, to search more air defense in so that ukraine has it.

part of it is a six-month delay in getting assistance you ukraine. we have made no bones about that from this podium. we intend to move more. by week, i don't mean just the u.s., but the whole coalition. the president, secretary alston myself, working to coordinate those deliveries. to put ukraine in a position where you can better defend against what russia is throwing at them, and what they are throwing at them is quite considerable. >> how quickly is that need for new packages of military assistance arriving on the battlefield in ukraine, is the u.s. confident that they will arrive in time for ukraine to vent of advances in other regions? >> the same day the law took effect, two or three weeks ago, the president signed a billion-dollar package. some of that equipment is already on the battlefield. on friday he signed another

package. some of that equipment will get onto the battlefield this week. some of it has a longer lead time in terms of our ability to ship it, organize, get in. i don't want to suggest that all billion dollars of equipment are on the battlefield. but what you'll see is a steady flow week by week. it is not that we have to wait well into the future before stuff gets delivered. we will have another presidential drawdown authority package just in the coming days because we are trying to really accelerate the tempo of the deliveries, recognizing, as i said before, the delay put ukraine in a hole. we are trying to help them out as quickly as possible. >> weekly, as fast as possible? >> how we do the drawdown is a little bit less of the central issue than what the size of it is, sequence of actual deliveries. i will not suggest there will be a draw done every week. i will suggest a level of intensity being exhibited right

now in terms of moving stuff is at a 10 out of 10. i spoke this morning along with secretary austin, chairman brown, with our counterparts in the ukraine. we spoke for 90 minutes. it was a detailed conversation about the situation on the front , about the capabilities that they are most in need of, and a real triage effort to say, get us this stuff fast so that we can be in a position to effectively defend against the russian onslaught. at the highest levels in our government, we are engaged with the highest levels of theirs to ensure that we can do everything humanly possible, both ourselves and allies of surgical equipment, to the front lines. >> secretary blinken said yesterday that israel could be holding the bag and insurgency. i wonder if -- is there any

concern, are you concerned that israel's ongoing prosecution of the war, using u.s. weapons will help hamas cultivate a new generation of people who will be targeting u.s. interests, attacking americans? >> we have painful experience in counterinsurgency campaigns, fighting terrorists in urban environments, populated areas. we know it is not as simple as executing a military operation and calling it a day. as i said in my opening comments, military operation has to be connected to a political plan the day after, so there is a clear alternative, governance, security, all the steps you need to take to finally and fully defeat a hardened, entrenched terrorist photo. -- foe. yes, one of the risks of engaging in any insurgency campaign is the ability of the terrorist group to attract more followers as time goes on. this is something we have talked to the israelis about. one of the key points we've been

reinforcing is to step back just from a tactical military analysis of the situation, strategically ask how do we get to the common goal, the enduring defeat of hamas? that will require military pressure, yes. but more than military pressure, a political plan to get there. >> one of the big questions about rafah, why does the united states, the strongest ally of israel, biggest weapon supplier, seem to have so little clout with the netanyahu government? you said that they need a strategic endgame. they don't have one yet. netanyahu says they are going to go ahead and rafah no matter what. what is the evidence that the united states still has clout with the netanyahu government, is it too early to tell? >> you can look at the pattern of engagement the united states has had, for example, she

military assistance. engaging israel on the issue of civilian protection and harm, they have made adjustments. with the strategic endgame, that is not about american influence, it's about israel's strategy, what israel chooses to do. prime minister doesn't have to answer to us on that, he has to answer to the israeli people on that matter. he is ultimately having to deliver for them the long-term security and a clear answer to the question, how does hamas get defeated on an enduring basis, what comes after? sometimes this whole issue gets put too much into the frame of the u.s. and israel, not enough into the frame of these are sovereign is really decision they are making in a democracy. their leadership is choosing how to prosecute this more. they are going to make these decisions. we are a sovereign country, too, and as a good friend of israel, we will stand with them as they worked to defeat their determined enemy. but we will also offer our

advice and make clear where we stand on these issues as well. that is the most we can do, the most you could ask of anyone. we do believe it has borne results. we hope it will have more results in the period ahead. >> another question on secretary blinken, he said that even if israel were further into rafah, they would be thousands of hamas left. why are they saying they have to go into rafah to defeat hamas? >> i will leave that to the israeli government. the point that we have made through them is that israel has gone through gaza city, and you have seen terrorists emerge from the rubble because, from our perspective, there is not sufficient integration of a military plane with a political plan. we have concerns about that, we have raised those concerns not with rancor, but you want to see a successful outcome to the war. we want to see hamas defeated, see its leaders, justice delivered to its leaders starting with sinwar.

we will continue to talk to them about this. that question is best posed to the israelis who are formulating the military plan. >> what is the president's goal, review of those tariffs, do you expect any retaliation from china? >> i will not get ahead of the president on this. i've seen all the reporting on this. it is no secret the president, this administration has been concerned about unfair practices by the prc and harm american workers and businesses. the issue of overcapacity. the ways in which china has put in place a series of nonmarket, distorting practices in strategic sectors. he has said consistently, i will stand up and push back against that. that is the frame that he approaches this with. i believe the specifics to be announced in due course. i would say in short order.

>> you talked about humanitarian aid as a way to influence israel and clout in the west, but in gaza it has been locked, barely any aid coming in. there are some in the west bank. how can you make sure that actually the u.s. has that clout that you mentioned? second, many arab states said through their allies, they will not take part in the day after planning of gaza in any shape or form. netanyahu also says that he doesn't want the p.a. or a two state solution. what is your vision to the day after, how can you push the israelis into some kind of plan of action? >> on the first question, in the past few days since israel took the rafah crossing, we have seen difficulty getting aid to either rafah or -- and this is

something that we are working with with the israeli government and egyptian government and united nations. in the meantime, israel has opened up another crossing in the north. it has moved flour through that crossing. we have managed to get some fuel down through the south despite the difficulties. this is an urgent and critical situation. we have to get those crossings open to get more aid in. that has been eight issue of the past three days since these military operations, something we are working through with all the relevant parties. it is a total outrage that there are people who are attacking and looting these convoys coming from jordan going to gaza to deliver humanitarian assistance. we are looking at the tools we have to respond to this. we are also raising our concerns at the highest level of the israeli government, something that we make no bones about. this is utterly on inseparable

behavior. the day after we are having constructive conversations with arab states about it. what they do want to see is a political horizon. they want an answer to what is the long-term future look like for the palestinian people? that is something we are talking about with them, with the israeli government, as well. >> to put a point on that last question, is israel restricting the flow of humanitarian aid into gaza or is it not? >> first, i would point you to the findings of the state department report that just came out over the weekend. we believe there were periods over the past week where there were restrictions that had to be worked through. at the time we put the report forward, we felt there was sufficient work being done by the israeli government with respect to the facilitation of humanitarian aid, that we did not make a judgment that anything had to be done in terms of u.s. assistance. that continues to be our assistance today. >> [indiscernible] >> those are your words, not my

words. i'm not sure if that is the way you ask questions. >> seven months into the war in gaza, how confident are you that the remaining hostages will come home, a, and, b, that many do you think are still alive? >> i cannot give you a clear number of how many are still alive because we don't have total fidelity on that unfortunately. something that we watch every day. we know there are deceased hostages, we know there are living hostages. we know that with each passing day, the risk to those hostages goes up which only redouble our commitment to getting a cease fire in hostage deal possible. unfortunately, i'm not in a position to give you fidelity on those numbers because nobody entirely has it. we have our assessment, some of that is driven by intelligence. but to look you in the eye and say we know how many are alive, nobody can do that for you. >> how would you describe the

relationship right now between president biden and benjamin netanyahu? >> i would describe it as how it's been for the duration they've known each other. it is straightforward, direct, a relationship where the two of them can each share their views and perspectives. that is how it will continue going forward. one more. >> quick ukraine follow-up before i hit the middle east. ukraine's government is desperately asking for aircraft assets including patriot batteries. what is the plan, how would you get them to them? >> one of the things i do every day is talk to at least one ally if not multiple about getting more patriot batteries into ukraine. i think we recently had some good news from an ally about getting one in. we are working on more. that is just something that we will continue to try and procure. beyond patriots, we are looking

for other systems, as well, because we think there are a number of allies that have capabilities, ways that the united states could help them with their air defense needs as a backfill. that's an ongoing conversation, a matter of utmost priority. >> one or two at a time, not dozens, not a bigger number? >> dozens of patriot batteries i don't think is the right order of magnitude of what we are trying to get in. >> i will take you last. >> we are a package deal. >> egypt said they would support south africa's case to the icj against israel for genocide. how is that affecting negotiations, situation in general, what is washington's message to cairo about the decision on their part? >> i cannot say it is helpful to the discussions to sort out the humanitarian assistance, access issues. but i do know that israel,

egypt, the united states, united nations are all figure out a way to move forward. >> you said at the start of this you don't believe what is happening in gaza -- [indiscernible] what criteria are you using? >> we are using the internationally accepted definition for the term. it is not just me standing at the podium. in the context of this international court of justice case, the united states made a presentation backed up by legal analysis would invite you to read. >> presented one in march about three criteria she uses studying international law. israel's intent to destroy religious groups. serious bodily or mental harm on a group. physical destruction in whole or in part with imposing measures meant to prevent birth within the group. erasure of the palestinians. how can you say genocide is not being committed? >> as i told you, the best way

for me to answer the question is for you to look at the laydown -- >> are you saying this isn't happening? >> i would like you to look at the united states -- >> are you saying this isn't happening? >> do you mind if i finish answer your question before you interrupt? >> are you saying she is a lawyer? >> the united states has laid down at the international court of justice in writing its position on this issue. i would ask you to read it. thank you. >> thank you, jake. folks are leaving right now. ok. i have an effect on folks. i know there is a call happening in short order, so i know it's an issue that you care about, so feel free to step away from the briefing. i will not be up here too much longer. we will have a briefing tomorrow and the next day and the next day. >> at a fundraiser over the

weekend, the president began his remarks by talking about israel. he said it is up to hamas if they wanted to do it, we could end it by tomorrow. that he cut himself off and said i shouldn't get into all of this, i don't want to get going. can you finish the sentence for us? what exactly was he talking about? >> beasley, as i say often, i will if the president speak for himself. i think, jake sullivan, the national security advisor, came here and gave a good and detailed, in-depth ally out of where we are. it is very much where the president is. talked about human and hearing aid, the importance of getting that into gaza, how we want to make sure that we deal with what we are seeing their with the dire situation in gaza. talks about our continued

support, talks about our continued support for israel's security. that is ironclad, what we want to make sure they are able to defend themselves. all of that remains to be true. hostage deal, want to get to a cease fire, also create a situation where we can get more of that human and hearing aid, bring hostages home. all of that continues to be true. a word that you heard from the president's national security advisor is very clear on where the president is. i cannot speak beyond that. i think the president started out saying what was on his mind but more broadly where we are with the situation in gaza and israel have been very clear. we want to continue to lay that out. that is one of the reasons that jake came out here. >> the house is likely to vote on the security act this week [indiscernible]

a response to the president's comments over the last week. does that mean that the white house would oppose democrats who would make go with republicans on this? >> i just repeated basically what i wanted to say to this question which is this president have been very clear. his commitment to israel's security is ironclad, that has not changed. we share israel's goal of defeating hamas, will continue to stand with israel to make that happen. we've been very clear. as it relates to the announcement the president made in the interview last week on cnn, we have paused only one shipment, that includes 2000 pound bombs, which can be very destructive in densely populated urban environments such as rafah . you heard jake speak to this. regarding this bill, which you just asked about, we strongly oppose intends to constrain the president's ability to deploy a

u.s. security assistance consistent with national security objectives. it is our objective as well that we plan to spend every last cent appropriated consistent with legal obligations including in the recent supplemental, national supplemental that was just past, the president signed. we are committed to that supplemental. that has not changed. >> this week, president biden is going to commemorate the anniversary of brown recent board -- brown v. does this president or this administration believe that brown may have been weakened by the supreme court decision on affirmative action? >> as you stated in your question, the president will commemorate brown versus board and will also meet with the families that are going to happen on thursday. friday he will go over to the national museum of african-american history and

culture. he will be there on friday to give a really important speech. i don't want to get ahead of the president, but to your question about the supreme court's ruling , students for fair admissions versus harvard last year, the president reiterated that his administration will fight to preserve the hard earned progress we have made to advance racial equity, civil rights, expand educational opportunity for all americans. specifically the president called on colleges and universities, selecting among qualified applicants to gives consider us that series consideration to students that have overcome adversities, including where a student grew up, went to high school, personal experience of hardship and discrimination including racial discrimination that a student may have faced. as the president said last june, when this verdict came down, he strongly is agreed with the court decision, believes one of the greatest tren that

strength of america is our diversity. the president will speak about this on friday. i don't want to get ahead of him. we have made clear how we feel about this decision that happened almost a year ago. >> he believes it undermines brown v. board, this historic ruling that integrates schools, and we are actually seeing segregation of schools still in this country. >> totally agree with all the points you made. i laid out what we thought about that decision that came last in june. we have said, it is something that is concerning, incredibly concerning. the president will give a speech on friday. i will let the president speak for himself, he will address this. we are indeed commemorating the landmark brown v. board of education. we will meet with the families on thursday. you see a pattern here. the president will meet with the families on thursday, give

remarks on friday, speak to this himself. i wanted to lay down what we have said already about the ruling, admissions ruling versus harbor that happened last year. we have been very clear about that. >> [indiscernible] can you confirm a meeting with jake sullivan at the white house? >> i don't have anything for you. once we have something, we will share that with you all. >> warren buffett this month so that taxes will need to be raised to pay for the national debt, the government may want to decrease spending. we have had announcement after announcement of taxpayer money being doled out. is the federal government spending too much money? >> let me lay out a couple of things that warren buffett did so that we agree with. the wealthy are definitely under taxed in relation to the general population. which is why the president has

the plan to make sure the wealth used among us, billionaires and corporations pay their fair share. we have been clear about that. they pay their fair share in order to pay for his investment in america and cut the deficit by $3 trillion. buffett also said it doesn't bother him to pay taxes. it's been very clear, the president said he will not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000. that is what the president said. warren buffett pretty much agrees with us. we agree with him. this is very different than what republicans want to do. they put out their plan, what they want to do. they want to cut social security, medicare, medicaid, give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. we don't agree with this. we want to continue to make sure we are lower costs for american families, whether it is big pharma, fighting big pharma, lowering health-care costs, making sure we go after

corporations, as you hear us talk about junk fees. those are the ways that we want to move forward. >> increasing taxes to pay the debt? >> let's be clear, on billionaires and big corporations, who warren buffett himself said, as you asked me about warren buffett, he said that they are under taxed. that is something the president agrees on. he believes that if we can do that, tax corporations and billionaires, that would pay for his investments in america and cut the deficit by $3 trillion. that is something the president has been clear about from day one. >> one more thing on china and the terrace coming. july 2019, candidate biden said terrors are an abusive policy. as the president changed his mind? >> i will be really mindful. in due order you'll hear directly from the present, directly from us. i don't want to get ahead of that.

jake said it well when he was here. we've always had concerns on china's unfair trade policies. we've been very clear about that. the last administration, when they did a trade deal with china, it failed to increase american export or boost manufacturing. that is not something the president wants to see. he's been doing the opposite, making sure american manufacturing is created here in america. that is something he has been very focused on. he says he wants to protect american workers, american businesses. he spoke about this and he was in pittsburgh not too long ago, talking about making sure that we see fair business practices as it relates to american workers and businesses. i don't want to get ahead of that. we've been very, very clear on how we move forward on these types of practices, trade practices, but we want to see. that is the framework, as jake sullivan said moments ago, that

we move forward. >> do you believe terrace work? -- tariffs work? >> but we have been clear about is protecting workers, protecting businesses. we have called out china's unfair trade policies, so we will continue to do that. >> there is new reporting in the wall street journal that found that the fdic's director disrespected, disparaged, treated unfairly officials there and that he was known to not control his temper. [indiscernible] anyone who bullies or unfairly belittles a coworker. as the president seen those reports, if those reports proved to be accurate, will he take action? >> i don't have any and all space to make at this time. the fdic's chairman did apologize, spoke to this.

i would send you there. the fdic's and independent agency, so i would refer you to them as to anything else coming out from the fbi see on this particular matter. i don't have any personnel announcement to make at this time. >> i know you don't want to get ahead of the announcement, but can you more broadly talk about the role that -- trying to protect american workers versus consumers? tariffs are often attached to consumers. how can you assure americans that more tariff do not come with higher costs? >> i will let the announcement speak for itself, but what china has played, they play by a different set of rules. this is what we know to be clear. it has been unfair and anticompetitive practices. forcing technologies transfer, stealing intellectual property, stored in market forces with unrivaled subsidies, barriers,

flooding markets with artificially cheap products to wipe out the competition. that is what we have seen from china with their unfair trade policies. we have done the opposite here. what we have tried to do is come in our invest in america agenda, 860 billion dollars invested in their private sector. manufacturing jobs created here in the u.s. you see the president is investing in america. this is what his agenda has been all about. as i stated moments ago, the trump administration, when they went forward with their trade deal, what it did, it showed that that deal with china failed to increase american export and boost manufacturing. we have tried to reverse that. i want to be mindful, not going to get into an upcoming potential announcement. i will be really mindful there. we are all about, this president

has been clear, protecting american workers, american businesses. we will continue to do that under this administration. >> talk about the president's upcoming preparation for the commencement speech at morehouse, does he plan to address the concerns of students, faculty about being there? >> he will continue to work on his speech with senior advisors. he sees this moment as a very pivotal moment, important moment. a lot of these young graduates, let's not forget, some of these graduates missed out on their graduation from high school because of the pandemic. this is going to be a celebration for them, opportunity to have a commencement, have a graduation that they sadly missed out on. the president has done these kinds of commencement, two last year, done them as a vice president, senator. he knows how important it is not

just to the graduates but the families, the people that love them. you will see themes obviously in his commencement speech. people given uplifting remark on what is to come, what they can look forward to. but also acknowledging what is ahead, the difficulties that are ahead. look, as you started your question to me about how people are feeling, we have been very clear about that, too. we understand how deeply personal this moment is for many americans across the country. we have been very clear about that, we understand that. that is my we've had conversations with the community that have been affected by this. we've had conversations with muslim americans, palestinian americans, arab americans. the president has, white house officials have, traveled across the country to have those very important conversations, and will continue to do that. but also, this moment, the

commencement speech, is such a celebratory moment. we believe it's important in this instance, morehouse will hear directly from the president of the united states. i think that's a memorable moment as well. >> where deliberations stand on this potential white house plan to allow certain number of palestinian refugees into the u.s.? >> i don't have any updates for you. i know i've been asked this question multiple times about a conversation happening here. don't have anything to share. i've said this many times before, of what happened on october 7, we put in a plan, 1800 palestinian americans that were in gaza. we did everything we can to get them out, if they choose to. if that was something they wanted to do. certainly we were able to do that.

as it relates to a refugee program or anything of that nature, i don't have any announcement to make. i will just leave it there because i want to be mindful about getting ahead of that. >> a lot of democratic senators were warm on the idea, make it less likely on the idea that something would happen? >> i wouldn't confirm that either way. what i would say is we don't have any announcement to make at this time. obviously, we are going to look at everything. >> the u.s. has bomb shipments to israel. on friday, the state department sent a notice to congress, reports for the support for the administration, are they having second thoughts about it? >> say that one more time. >> the u.s. has sent bomb should mr. israel. >> just one shipment, 2000 bones

-- 2000 pound bombs. that is connected to what we have said, what we have made very clear about our public -- publicly and privately, our concerns about a major military operation into rafah. we have been very clear about that because of the more than 1.4 million palestinians who are there, who are seeking refuge. we have been very clear about that. we have paused one shipment. that is what the president spoke to last week, when jake spoke to moments ago. >> --reporter: does the report strengthen what they are doing? what do you think report does? ms. jean-pierre: i think jake spoke to that and talked about the findings of the report, how it would not change our policies, number one. this is an ongoing transparent

process. i do not have anything to add beyond that. when you think about the pause on these 2000 pound bombs, the reason why is because we want to be mindful. we understand that in rafah there are dense areas that have palestinians seeking refuge. we want to make sure those innocent civilian lives are protected. that is why we made very clear our concerns of a major military operation there. that is the focus, understanding that fact. we will continue to have those conversations. you heard jake talk about in upcoming days having an in person conversation with his counterparts, continuing these group meetings they have been having with the idf, israeli

government. those will continue and we will be clear about our concerns, as we have been publicly and privately. those conversations continue and the president is clear, there are 1.4 million innocent civilians in rafah now and we want to be careful and mindful. we would love to see a plan that speaks to, how is israel going to make sure those lives are protected? it is a pause of one shipment, and that is related to what we believe could be potentially an issue in rafah. reporter: recent polls, i noticed the president does not look at those, but have shown popularity eroding among young people and nonwhite.

it is not only related to israel. is he aware of that? is he going to try to refocus his messages to speak directly to the groups that have doubts left behind? ms. jean-pierre: it is about being mindful of the upcoming election, not going to comment on that or how these polls will affect the 2024 election. we believe young americans support the president's agenda more broadly, overwhelmingly. the president has stood with young americans on issues they care about. you said beyond what is happening in the middle east. when it comes to climate change, that is something he has been very clear about and the most progressive president on that issue. he will continue to do that.

we understand while the economy is turning around, and you heard me talk about the 15 million jobs created and what we did to turn around the economy, but instead, prices are too high and young people in particular a feeling that. we will continue to work on those issues and do what we can to lower costs. i talked about the situation in the middle east and how young americans are feeling about what they are seeing in gaza. we understand how painful this moment is for them. that is why we have been working hard to get a deal to lead to cease-fire, get hostages home, get that humanitarian aid. let's not forget the u.s. led the effort in getting humanitarian assistance into gaza. going to be super mindful about polling questions. we want to make sure we have an economy that works for young people, want to make sure we

listen to young people, continue to work on issues the president has talked about, whether it is student debt relief. it will not stop him from doing the work he has been clear about wanting to deliver for the american people, including young americans. reporter: [indiscernible] minorities? ms. jean-pierre: what do you mean specifically about that? reporter: voters. ms. jean-pierre: he will speak to hispanic voters. if you look at what the president has been able to accomplish for different communities, we have seen an economy he created, he has wanted to create, that is not trickle-down. it is very much bottom-up, middle-out. you have seen unemployment go down for the hispanic community. you have seen closing of the wealth gap, making sure we are

creating jobs for latino and hispanic communities. i think we have created more than 4 million jobs in this administration for that community. we have seen that for the black, african-american community. you have heard me lay out what we have done for asian americans with the president's economic politics. we are committed to making sure communities that are normally left behind are not, as it relates to the president's economic policy. you see that when he fights big pharma, lowering costs. that helps communities you are asking about. when we talk about junk fees, that helps communities you're asking about. when we talk about expandingaca, we aca, we expended that for dreamers, daca recipients. daca recipients, many are part

of our military. what makes this country great. those are actions the president will continue to take and have and message that. i have to go. i will be back tomorrow. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> today retired supreme court justice stephen breyer talks about his new book and his time on the high court in a conversation hosted by george washington university. watch the fifth and final installment of conversations with justice stephen breyer live at 4:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span now, or c-span.org. >> friday nights watch c-span's

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cabinet, federal agencies and state governors. it costs $32.95 plus shipping and handling and helps support our nonprofit operations. scan the code on the right or go to c-spanshop.org to order your copy today. >> the housel be in order. >> c-span celebrates 45 years of governing congress -- covering congress like no other. since 1969, we have provided balance, unfiltered coverage of government, taking you to where policies are debated and decided all with the support of america's cable company. c-span, 45 years and counting, powered by cable. >> a conversation on regulatory policy. our guest is a policy analyst at george washington university.

good morning.