RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

New York - 28 July 2017

1. Various of President Donald Trump arriving on stage for speech

2. SOUNDBITE (English) President Donald Trump:

"For many years they exploited America's week borders and lax immigration enforcement, to bring drugs and violence to cities and towns all across America. They are there right now because of weak political leadership, weak leadership, weak policing and in many cases because the police weren't allowed to do their job. I met police, that are great police, that aren't allowed to do their job because they have a pathetic mayor or a mayor that doesn't know what's going on, but..." (CHEERING)

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) President Donald Trump:

"They have transformed peaceful parks and beautiful, quiet neighborhoods into blood stained killing fields. They are animals, we cannot tolerate as a society the spilling of innocent, young, wonderful, vibrant people."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) President Donald Trump:

"One by one we are liberating our American towns. Can you believe that I'm saying that? I'm talking about liberating our towns, it's like I see in a movie, they are liberating the town, like in the old Wild West. Right? We are liberating our towns, I never thought I would be standing up here talking about liberating the towns on Long Island, where I grew up, but that is what you are doing."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) President Donald Trump:

"But I have a simple message today for every gang member and criminal alien, that are threatening, so violently our people, we will find you, we will arrest you, we will jail you and we will deport you." (CHEERING)

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) President Donald Trump:

"We need more resources from Congress and we are getting them. Congress is actually opening up and really doing a job. They should have approved health care last night, but you can't have everything. Boy oh boy, they have been working on that one for seven years, can you believe that? The swamp, but we will get it done. We are going to get it done. You know I said from the beginning, let Obamacare implode and then do it, I turned out to be right, let Obamacare implode." (CLAPPING)

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

7. SOUNDBITE (English) President Donald Trump:

"And when you see these towns and when you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just see them thrown in, rough, I said please don't be too nice, like when you guys put somebody in the care and you are protecting their head, you know, the way you put your hand over, like don't hit their head and they have just killed somebody, don't hit their head, I said you can take the hand away, okay." (LAUGHING and CHEERING)

8. Cutaway

STORYLINE:

President Trump is calling on Congress to dedicate more funding to illegal immigration and violent crime, but also reminding them of their failure on health care.

During a speech in Long Island, New York Friday, Trump said Congress should have approved legislation to repeal the Obama-era health law after working on it for seven years. But he says "you can't have everything."

Trump says he said from the beginning to "let Obamacare implode" and then repeal it.

He says "I turned out to be right."

Trump has made cracking down on MS-13, also called Mara Salvatrucha, a top priority of his administration.

The gang, which is believed to have originated in immigrant communities in Los Angeles in the 1980s and then entrenched itself in Central America when its leaders were deported, is infamous for its violent tactics, including torturing victims and hacking them with machetes.

The Trump administration blames the gang's recent resurgence in certain areas on illegal immigration and believes policies like building a wall along the southern border and cracking down on so-called "sanctuary cities" will eradicate the problem.

Critics see the focus misplaced and argue resources could be better spent on other enforcement efforts.

Trump also appeared to advocate rougher treatment of people in police custody.

He spoke dismissively of arresting officers who protect suspects' heads while putting them in police cars in a speech in front of law enforcement on Long Island.

He said: "You can take the hand off," drawing cheers from his audience.

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On March 5th 2018 the British media reported that the Zizi restaurant in Salisbury had been closed as a precaution in connection with an incident in which 66-year-old former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was left critically ill by exposure to an unknown substance.

The media is quoting Wiltshire Police.

Skripal, 66, who was convicted in Russia on charges of spying for Britain and sentenced in 2006 to 13 years in prison.

He was freed in 2010 as part of a US-Russian spy swap.

The discovery of the two people led to a dramatic decontamination effort.

Crews in billowing yellow moon suits worked into the night spraying down the street, and the Salisbury hospital's emergency room was closed.

***

There was a heavy police presence on March 6th near a shopping mall in a town in southern England where a former Russian spy was found after ,it is said, he suffered exposure to an "unknown substance".

The Kremlin said Russia has not been approached to help in an investigation over how and why the former spy was found critically ill on a bench near Maltings Shopping Centre in Salisbury.

A woman was also found unconscious on March 4th in Salisbury, about 90 miles (145 kilometres) west of London.

Dimitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, said March 6th that there has been no request for help but that "Moscow is always ready to cooperate."

***

On March 7th ambulances and emergency vehicles rushed to central Salisbury in England amid jitters following the collapse of a former Russian spy and his daughter there.

An eyewitness says emergency services escorted two women on March 7th from a building near a restaurant that had been cordoned off by police searching for clues as to what prompted Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia to fall ill on March 4th.

Police and ambulance services declined to comment and it was not immediately clear if the incident had anything to do with the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile British counter-terror police cordoned off a new site in the case of the former Russian spy and his daughter.

London's Metropolitan Police secured Solstice Park, a business park in Amesbury near Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument and world heritage site.

Amesbury is about nine miles (14 kilometres) from Salisbury, where Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found collapsed on a bench on March 4th.

Lloyd Ridley, who works nearby as a mechanic, told the Associated Press on Wednesday that some 40 firemen stood outside as the area was cordoned off, adding there were four people "dressed up in hazmats going inside and retrieving stuff in these boxes and putting them outside in the cornered area."

British counterterrorism specialists have taken control of the case from local police trying to unravel the mystery of what happened to the pair.

The matter has not been declared a terrorist incident.

Police are also asking members of the public to come forward if they had visited a Salisbury pizza restaurant or pub where the couple were last seen on March 4th.

***

Britain's armed forces arrived in Salisbury on March 9th to help police investigate the nerve-agent poisoning of a former spy.

Counterterrorism detectives asked for military help to remove vehicles and objects from a number of scenes related to March 4th's attack.

In a statement on the deployment, the defence secretary said the armed forces had the "right people with the right skills" to assist in the investigation.

More than 100 personnel from the Royal Marines, the RAF and chemical teams are said to have been sent to Salisbury.

***

A large-scale investigation continued on March 11th in Salisbury as forensics experts wearing protective gear searched for clues after a Russian ex-spy and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent.

Authorities said earlier that small traces of contamination have been found in a restaurant and a pub in the English city of Salisbury.

Hospital officials in Salisbury also said there is no evidence of a wider risk beyond the three people hospitalized since the March 4th attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Ex-spy Skripal and his daughter Yulia reportedly ate at a Zizzi restaurant before falling critically ill.

A British police detective is also hospitalized in serious condition.

Among the sites they are searching are the Zizzi restaurant, which is closed to the public, and the gravesites where Skripal's wife and son are buried.

Skripal's house has also been extensively searched for clues and traces of the nerve agent.

Authorities haven't revealed how or where the Skripals were exposed to the nerve agent. It's not known if it happened in a restaurant, a pub, Skripal's house or elsewhere.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said on March 10th it is still "too early" to determine who is to blame for the attack.

Senior government officials have vowed to respond robustly if the Russian government is found to be responsible.

Rudd said more than 250 counterterrorism officers are on the scene evaluating more than 240 pieces of evidence and interviewing about 200 witnesses.

They are backed by roughly 180 military personnel providing logistical support, including the removal of ambulances feared to possibly be contaminated by the nerve agent.

***

Russia will only cooperate with Britain on the investigation into March 4th's poisoning of an ex-Russian spy and his daughter if it receives samples of the nerve agent that is believed to have been used, Russia's foreign minister said March 13th.

Sergey Lavrov spoke in response to the British government's demand for an explanation of the use of a military-grade nerve agent produced in Russia in the attack in the English city of Salisbury.

Lavrov told reporters on March 13th Moscow's requests to see samples of the nerve agent have been turned down, which he called a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which outlaws the production of chemical weapons. He insisted that Russia is "not to blame" for the poisoning.

He said Moscow is willing to cooperate with the probe but suggested that London would be "better off" complying with its international obligations "before putting forward ultimatums."

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Russia's involvement is "highly likely" and delivered a March 13th deadline for a Russian response.

Officials said March 13thPrime Minister Theresa May is reviewing a range of economic and diplomatic measures in retaliation for the assault with a military-grade nerve agent.

The poisoning left 66-year-old Sergei Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia in critical condition.

***

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd chaired a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee on March 13th to discuss the response to the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter.

Rudd reiterated Prime Minister Theresa May's deadline of midnight on March 13th for Moscow to explain how the Russian-made nerve agent Novichok came to be used on British soil.

Rudd said that until that response she would not be commenting on what action the UK would be taking against Russia.

Authorities say the pair were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent and that Russia is "highly likely" to be behind it.

May is demanding an explanation.

***

British counterterrorism police on March 13th took charge of the investigation into the death in London of a Russian businessman because he was connected to a prominent Kremlin foe.

The death of Nikolai Glushkov, confirmed by his lawyer in Russia, came a week after former spy Sergei Skripal was left critically ill from nerve agent poisoning in the city of Salisbury.

Police said there was no evidence to suggest a link to the March 4th poisoning of Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Attorney Andrei Borovkov told Russian media outlets that Glushkov had died, but said he was unaware of the time and circumstances. Reports in British and Russian media said Glushkov, who was in his late 60s, was found dead at his home in southwest London.

London's Metropolitan Police force said it was investigating the unexplained death of a man found at a house in the New Malden area late March 12th. It didn't release his name, saying formal identification had yet to take place.

Police said counterterrorism detectives are leading the investigation "as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had."

Glushkov was an associate of Boris Berezovsky, a Russian oligarch and Kremlin critic who died in London in 2013. An inquest failed to determine whether he had killed himself or died from foul play.

Glushkov told The Guardian newspaper in 2013 he didn't believe Berezovsky's death was suicide. "I'm definite Boris was killed," he said.

Glushkov was arrested in 1999 and put on trial for embezzling 7 million US dollars from Aeroflot.

In 2004, he was sentenced to three years and three months in prison, but released because of time served before and during his trial.

Russian media reported that Glushkov was granted political asylum in Britain in 2010.

***

On March 15th President Donald Trump pointed the finger at Russia in the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Great Britain, saying he had spoken with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

During a meeting with Ireland's prime minister in the Oval Office, Trump said it's something "that should never, ever happen."

March 15th, the U.S. joined the Britain, France and Germany in a joint statement blaming Moscow for the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy who was living in England.

The list of Russians now under sanction includes the 13 indicted in February by U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his Russia-related investigation into alleged election interference.

Altogether, 19 Russians were cited. Also sanctioned were five Russian companies, including the Internet Research Agency, which is accused of orchestrating a mass online disinformation campaign to affect the presidential election result.

The Treasury Department announced the sanctions amid withering criticism of Trump and his administration for failing to use its congressionally mandated authority to punish Russia. Trump himself has been skeptical of the election accusations.

The sanctions are the first use of the new powers that Congress passed last year to punish Moscow for meddling in an election that Republican Donald Trump won over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The accusations and accompanying sanctions are some of the strongest actions to date by the administration to punish Russia for hacking and other efforts to sow discord in the American democracy.

The Trump administration is also accusing Russia on March 15th of a concerted, ongoing operation to hack and spy on the U.S. energy grid and other critical infrastructure, and separately imposed sanctions on Russian officials for alleged high-tech interference in the 2016 American presidential election.

U.S. national security officials said the FBI, the Homeland Security Department and American intelligence agencies determined that Russian intelligence and others were behind the attacks on the energy sector.

The officials said the Russians deliberately chose U.S. energy industry targets, obtaining access to computer systems and then conducting "network reconnaissance" of industrial control systems that run American factories and the electricity grid.

The U.S. government has helped energy businesses kick out the Russians from all systems currently known to have been penetrated, according to the officials.

The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security information, left open the possibility of discovering more breaches, and said the federal government was issuing an alert to the energy industry to raise awareness about the threat and improve preparation.

***

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on March 19th that Russia had the "capability", motive and intent" to poison a Russian ex-spy and his daughter and that the attack was "part of a pattern of behaviour by Russia across Europe".

Britain has accused Russia of using a military-grade nerve agent to poison former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, who have been in critical condition for two weeks.

Britain has announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats, and Russia has responded in kind.

Asked to comment on weekend newspaper reports about the possible exhumation of Russians who died in the UK in suspicious circumstances, May said that would be a matter for the police.

She said the focus of the investigation at this stage was on the Skripals' case.

May added that officials from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were expected to arrive in the UK on March 19th and would discuss with police taking samples of the nerve agent in order to conduct an independent verification.

British police have contacted other Russian exiles in the last few days to discuss their safety in light of the recent attacks.

The Kremlin says Britain will eventually have to offer proof to back up its claim of Russia's involvement in the poisoning or apologise.

00:00:00

UK restaurant closed after former Russian spy exposed to unknown substance

4142885

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salisbury - 5 March 2018

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Various of restaurant exteriors

00:07:14

Police cordon off area where former Russian spy was taken ill

4142914

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salisbury - 6 March 2018

2. Bench believed to be where Skripal was found unconscious, police cordon

3. Media near Maltings Shopping Centre

4. Police outside Skripal's home in Salisbury

00:21:04

Latest from scene of "poisoning"; graves of Skripal relatives

4143219

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salisbury - 7 March 2018

5. Tent covering bench where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Julia were taken ill

6. Gravestone of the wife of Sergei Skripal, flowers

00:28:24

Troops at hospital in Salisbury where poison victims treated

4143568

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salisbury - 9 March 2018

7. Troops standing next to support vehicles in car park of Salisbury District Hospital

00:32:24

Military remove potentially-contaminated vehicles in Salisbury

4143756

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salisbury - 11 March 2018

8. Police car being lifted onto truck

9. Police cars and forensic officials

10. Trucks leaving

00:44:24

Lavrov: Russia is 'not to blame' for poisoning of ex-spy

4144005

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Moscow - 13 March 2018

11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister:

"Russia is not guilty, Russia is ready to cooperate in the framework of the Chemical Weapons Convention only if the United Kingdom takes the pains to fulfill their legal obligations according to the same document."

01:01:20

UK emergencies committee meets to discuss Salisbury nerve agent case

4144037

UK POOL

London - 13 March 2018

12. British Prime Minister Theresa May leaving Number 10 Downing Street to attend Cobra meeting (a cross-departmental crisis committee that is formed to respond to national emergencies) meeting

01:06:12

Detectives busy at house of dead Russian businessman

4144116

ASSOCIATED PRESS

London - 13 March 2018

New Malden, London - 13 March 2018

13. Various of house belonging to Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov with police tents outside

01:14:21

Trump points to Russia in poisoning of former spy in UK

4144428

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 15 March 2018

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President

" It looks like the Russians were behind it, something that should never, ever happen, and we're taking it very seriously, as I think are many others. "

01:24:24

May: The Russian state is responsible for nerve agent attack

4144999

UK POOL

Birmingham - 19 March 2018

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, British Prime Minister:

"I set out clearly in the House of Commons last week why it is that we believe the Russian state is culpable for the incident that took place, for the acts that took place, for the use of this nerve agent on the streets of Salisbury.

It was a few days before the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration and a Lebanese-American businessman was on his way to Mar-a-Lago.

George Nader, an international fixer whose long history included intrepid back-channel mediation between Israel and Arab countries - and a 15-year-old pedophilia conviction in Europe that has not been previously reported - was transiting through Dulles International Airport outside Washington.

It was hardly his first far-flung journey to see top aides of the world's most powerful leader, as Nader had met the U.S. president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and chief strategist Steve Bannon in the days before they stormed the White House.

But he encountered an altogether different scene awaiting him at the airport.

There, special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators stopped Nader, people familiar with the case said. His electronics were seized and he was then allowed to go to his lawyer. Nader later agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigation, said the people with knowledge of the case as it pertains to Nader. They weren't authorized to speak publicly on the case and demanded anonymity.

Mueller, whose team has spent the last 10 months investigating possible Trump-related wrongdoing connected to Russia, is interested in high-level get-togethers Nader participated in after the presidential election, according to three people familiar with the case.

The first took place in Trump Tower in New York in December 2016 and brought together Nader, Kushner, Bannon - whom Trump fired last August - and Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates. The second occurred a month later in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Seychelles and involved Nader, bin Zayed, former Blackwater boss Erik Prince and Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian banker close to President Vladimir Putin.

For Nader, it was the latest brush with the law in an eventful, globe-trotting career.

Many of Nader's former contacts and onetime friends have noted in recent weeks how they lost touch with him in the early 2000s.

On Wednesday, an official in the Czech Republic told The Associated Press that Nader is a convicted pedophile and served time in a Prague prison around that time.

Nader was convicted by Prague's Municipal Court of 10 cases of sexually abusing minors and sentenced to a one-year prison term in May 2003, said Marketa Puci, the court spokeswoman. She said the crimes occurred between 1999 and 2002.

Nader's legal problems in Prague appear unrelated to his role in Mueller's probe in the United States. But they contribute to the portrait of a man who has led a shadowy existence as a go-between across numerous Middle East capitals and who gave testimony to Mueller's Washington grand jury earlier this month.

Nader had worked in recent times as an adviser to bin Zayed, one of the most powerful men in the Middle East, according to people who know Nader. The questioning of Nader in the Mueller probe suggests possible interest in UAE relations with Trump's transition team or his administration.

Puci, the court spokeswoman, said Nader was convicted of "moral corruption of minors, sexual abuse and impairing morals," after abusing underage boys.

In one case, Nader requested oral sex from a 14-year-old in a room at the Hilton Hotel in Prague, Puci said. After the boy refused, Nader masturbated in front of the boy and paid him 2,000 koruna - worth about $100 today, she said.

The verdict cites other examples of Nader providing money, jewelry, cellphones, clothes and accommodation for sexual services. The AP was able to see a copy of the verdict, which gives Nader's birthdate as May 15, 1959. Nader was separately accused in Washington, D.C., of child pornography infractions in 1985, but those charges were later dropped. A criminal docket sheet obtained by the AP shows the same birthdate for Nader.

Two people with knowledge of the case say it involved the same Nader now cooperating with Mueller.

Puci said it wasn't clear how much of the one-year sentence Nader served in the Czech Republic. He was ordered expelled following his time served.

Kathy Ruemmler, who previously served as White House counsel to President Barack Obama, is among the lawyers representing Nader. She declined to answer questions about her client.

But Sandeep Savla, another lawyer for Nader, said: "This is nothing more than an orchestrated, disgusting scheme by those who are trying to intimidate Mr. Nader into silence. It won't work. Mr. Nader will continue to answer truthfully questions put to him by the special counsel."

Nader's connections with Trump confidants include Elliott Broidy, a top Republican fundraiser who co-hosted a Tuesday night event attended by the president in Beverly Hills, California.

Earlier this month, several media organizations, including the AP, obtained emails belonging to Broidy, a California-based venture capitalist and the Republican National Committee's deputy finance chairman. They show Broidy emailing Nader with a summary of Broidy's talks with Kushner and Trump in the White House in October 2017, touching on matters including the UAE's bitter dispute with fellow Persian Gulf country Qatar.

Broidy accused Qatar of hacking his emails. The Qataris denied the charge.

"Your government's actions against U.S. citizens will jeopardize your nation's relationship with the United States," Broidy wrote in a public letter to Qatar's U.S. ambassador.

In response, the Qatari government called Broidy's "baseless accusations" a "diversionary tactic."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Prague - 14 March 2018

1. Portion of court verdict and sentence with George Nader's name on it and stating he is a citizen of the United States

2. Various, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson, Marketa Puci, holding court verdict and sentence

3. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Marketa Puci, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson:

"I'm holding a verdict by which an American citizen, George Nader, together with Czech offenders was in 2003 convicted, for crimes that I will now read to you. The court sentenced him to one year in prison and to an indefinite deportation."

4. Shot of first page of court verdict and sentence reading, "judgment on behalf of the Republic"

5. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Marketa Puci, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson:

"According to the then valid law, Mr. Nader was convicted of moral corruption of minors, sexual abuse and impairing morals."

6. Shot of first page of court verdict and sentence reading, "judgment on behalf of the Republic"

7. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Marketa Puci, Prague Municipal Court Spokesperson:

"At that time was (the victim) was 14-years-old. He (Nader) requested oral sex and after the boy refused, he with the boy's consent, pulled out his private parts and masturbated in front of him and for that mister Nader paid the boy 2000 Koruna. And there have been 10 similar cases like this."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 15 May 2017

8. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with President Donald Trump in Oval Office

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 13 June 2013

8. Various, then-FBI Director Robert Mueller being sworn in

9. STILL Image Mueller in committee hearing

POOL

New York - 17 August 2016

10. Various views, then candidate Donald Trump meeting with advisers in Trump Tower, including Stephen Bannon and Paul Manafort

POOL

New York - 15 December 2016

11. Wide, Trump Tower lobby

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 11 November 2016

12. STILL Image, Stephen Bannon leaving Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 9 December 2016

13. STILL Images, Steve Bannon speaking on cellphone outside Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 14 November 2016

14. Mid, Jared Kushner arrives in lobby of Trump Tower

POOL

New York - 6 December 2016

15. US President-elect Donald Trump walks out of elevator at Trump Tower

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald J. Trump, President-elect: ++SHOT CONTINUES FROM PREVIOUS++

"Good morning, how are you? Everything fine? We have got some great people coming in today. You'll see them."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dulles, Virginia - 6 October 2014

17. Wide, zoom Dulles airport

On April 9th 2018 about 600 remaining participants in the migrant caravan that drew US President Donald Trump's ire made a last stop in Mexico City to give thanks to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The migrants travelled by bus to the Basilica of Guadalupe, which is dedicated to Mexico's patroness.

The largely Honduran migrants gave thanks on April 9th to the Virgin for having made it this far.

The caravan started about two weeks ago near Mexico's southern border.

Though it once numbered as many 1,500 migrants, the caravan itself was never intended to reach the US border.

The largely symbolic caravan was meant to draw attention to the dangers faced by migrants.

The group planned a couple of days' more activity in Mexico City, visiting international and human rights organisations.

***

With the deployment of 1,000 additional Texas National Guard soldiers to the US-Mexico border, quiet border towns have new guests along the Rio Grande.

Freddy Guerra, the assistant city manager of Roma, Texas, welcomes the additional manpower for border security, but says the uniformed personnel are really more "for perception," than functional service.

He adds that they're not in the way of anything the city or its approximately 10,000 residents, but hopes nothing disrupts the harmonious trading relationship Roma has with their neighbors to the south.

A half-dozen national guard soldiers bivouacked their Humvee and tent underneath one of Roma's historic bluffs overlooking the river. Across the river is Miguel Aleman, a small city in Tamulipas State, Mexico.

***

Packed into five old school buses, hundreds of Central American migrants arrived at the U.S. border April 29th for a rally, to be followed by a planned mass attempt to apply for asylum in a direct challenge to the Trump administration.

The migrants, many traveling with children, left a downtown Tijuana shelter where they had been staying.

The arrival at San Diego's San Ysidro border crossing, the nation's busiest, marked the end of a monthlong journey by foot, freight train and bus for the migrants, many of whom said they feared for their lives in their violence-wracked home countries.

But the travelers faced an uncertain future as they prepared to turn themselves in and ask for asylum. U.S. immigration lawyers warned them they face possible separation from their children and detention for many months.

President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet have been tracking the caravan of migrants, calling it a threat to the U.S. since it started March 25th in the Mexican city of Tapachula, near the Guatemala border.

***

Following the arrival of a caravan of Central American asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, Vice President Mike Pence made a trip to a U.S. Border Patrol station in California, stressing the administration's commitment to border security.

"We have to close the dangerous loopholes," said Pence," and our entire system that essentially entice people or entice people that would take advantage of vulnerable families, to encourage them to make the long and often dangerous trip up to our border."

About 200 asylum seekers were not being allowed to turn themselves in to U.S. border inspectors for a second straight day on April 30th.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said a San Diego border crossing facility has reached capacity and that it will resume processing when it has more space and resources.

***

While railing against California for its so-called sanctuary immigration policies, President Donald Trump referred to some people who cross the border illegally as "animals."

Trump's remark at meeting with local leaders was in response to a complaint about gang members.

"We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in -- and we're stopping a lot of them," Trump said during the immigration roundtable after a sheriff commented about gangs. "You wouldn't believe how bad these people are. These aren't people. These are animals."

Trump was joined at the May 16th White House meeting by mayors, sheriffs and other local leaders from California who oppose the state's immigration policies and who applauded his administration's hard-line efforts.

***

Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families over a six-week period in April and May after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the new "zero-tolerance" policy that refers all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution.

Prior procedure had limited prosecution for many family entrants, in part because regulations prohibit detaining children with their parents since the children are not charged with a crime and the parents are.

Texas Congressman and Democrat, Filemon Vela, who represents a district encompassing Brownsville, Texas invited fellow congressional Democrats to visit facilities where immigrant children were separated from their parents.

This happens after a parent has been charged with unlawful entry into the US and is subject to deportation proceedings.

Some of the US representatives who visited child holding facilities operated by the Department of Health and Human Services, said they held and played with infants and toddlers.

Rep. Joaquin Castro and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, both Texas Democrats, said they held one baby boy who was no more than eight months old and had been in the facility for almost two months.

Castro urged President Donald Trump to change his policy.

***

As criticism sharpens of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance policy" toward immigration and separation of families, migrants from central America still arrive in a familiar rhythm in McAllen.

Migrants who are detained for unlawfully crossing into the United States, are processed into the federal system in the Texas town.

Prior to the Trump administration they were released and given a court notice to appear.

Now, the federal authorities are detaining parents with children, charging them in immigration courts and subsequently separating the children into facilities run by the Department of Health and Human Services.

***

US President Donald Trump on June 19th hugged an American flag positioned on the stage, following a speech in which he said he would detain family units together, instead of separating the children.

***

Three-year-old Genesis Gonzalez Lopez giggled excitedly as she played with her father at a sunny Utah park, zipping down a slide again and again into his arms.

The happy scene this week in Provo, south of Salt Lake City, was a far cry from what the pair experienced on Thanksgiving, when U.S. immigration authorities took Romulo Gonzalez Rodriguez into custody at the U.S.-Mexico border and whisked away the frightened girl, with no explanation of where she'd end up.

Gonzalez had fled Guatemala with the then-2-year-old after kidnappers held him captive, ripped out his right eye and forced his family to pay a $13,500 ransom for his life. He traveled by bus and train to a San Diego port of entry to seek asylum in the United States and was separated from his daughter for seven days.

"It's painful to be running away and come to where you think they're going to rescue you, and they take the measure of separating children," the father told The Associated Press in Spanish on Tuesday. "You fall again into fear and the same anguish that you're leaving behind."

Gonzalez's experience offers a window into the distress and uncertainty parents endure when they are separated from their children at the border, even though it happened before President Donald Trump's administration in April adopted a "zero tolerance" policy in which all unlawful border crossings were referred for prosecution.

The policy led to a spike in family separations in recent weeks, provoking a national uproar and pressure from Trump's allies. In a dramatic reversal, the president on Wednesday signed an executive order ending the practice, keeping families together while they're in custody, expediting their cases and asking the Department of Defense to help house families.

In Gonzalez's case, it's unclear why he and his daughter were separated since he surrendered at the border and is not being prosecuted for illegal entry.

It has been longstanding practice for Homeland Security to separate adults and minors at the border when it's unable to confirm they're related or if it believes a child is at risk. But Gonzalez has no record criminal record, his attorney Mari Alvarado Tsosie said.

Gonzalez has a brother in Provo who sought Alvarado's advice after Gonzalez was held for ransom in his home country. Gonzalez followed her instructions, arriving at the San Ysidro Port of Entry with his daughter Nov. 23 and handing U.S. immigration authorities a Guatemalan police report about his kidnapping.

Authorities shepherded his young daughter into another room while Gonzalez answered questions. He thought they would be reunited when he was done, but he was instead taken to a detention center without his daughter, Alvarado said. When he asked where she was, they wouldn't tell him, he said.

Gonzalez said he then spent seven days at a cold facility where the lights never turned off, wondering if his daughter was safe and if he would ever see her again. In Guatemala, his kidnappers had threated to dismember the child, and he suspected corrupt authorities were involved. His mind raced with worries U.S. law enforcement was corrupt too.

"It's tremendous anguish because you don't get any answers from authorities," Gonzalez said at his attorney's office in Provo, his daughter sitting on his lap. "They don't give you information, and you don't know the laws. ... You're wondering: Where is she? What is she doing? Such a small child."

Parents who surrender at U.S. ports of entry have occasionally been separated from their children with no formal explanation since long before the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy, said Dan Kowalski, editor of Bender's Immigration Bulletin, a national journal focused on immigration cases and law. He believes it's because of a lack of training, leadership and standard operating procedures that allows border agents to make up rules as they go.

If they suspected Gonzalez was abusing the child or trafficking her, they would have sent the case to prosecutors, Kowalski said.

A spokesman with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no immediate comment on the case.

After learning of Gonzalez's situation, Alvarado began calling every ICE facility in Southern California looking for him and the child. It took her three days to find Gonzalez at San Diego's Otay Mesa Detention Center and another four days to reunite him with his daughter.

To this day, Alvarado doesn't know where Genesis was held, though she believes the girl was somewhere in San Diego. All the girl has said is that she ate a lot of cereal.

The father and daughter are staying with Gonzalez's brother while they await word on the asylum request. A hearing is set for Oct. 22 at a Salt Lake City immigration court.

Gonzalez's wife and two step-children are in hiding in Guatemala and waiting until he can send enough money for them to make the journey north.

Genesis is too young to say what happened to her while they were apart or express how it affected her. But her father said she was sickly when they reunited, and seems nervous and clingier now. She starts therapy later this month.

On June 19th, Genesis looked like a typical, sweet toddler, hugging her father tightly and giving him kisses while he spoke.

Gonzalez is happy to be safe for now but said he's living in limbo not knowing if he'll be forced to return to the Guatemalan beach town that he once loved, where he now fears he'll be killed if he returns. He wears a glass eye following his attack.

Between that ordeal and the separation from Genesis, Gonzalez said he suffered significant trauma of his own that he has yet to deal with.

"It's a situation I don't wish upon any father or human being," he said. "It affects you a lot psychologically, emotionally. There are moments when I remember it all, and I start to cry for no reason."

***

A mother and child separated at the US border were reunited on June 22nd, just hours after the Justice Department agreed to release the boy.

Beata Mariana de Jesus Mejia-Mejia filed for political asylum after crossing the border with her seven-year old son, Darwin, following a trek from Guatemala.

The Justice Department agreed to release the boy after she sued the US government in order to be reunited with him following their separation.

The happy reunion took place at Baltimore-Washington international airport, from where the pair were expected to travel to Texas, where they will live while the mother's asylum claim is being decided.

01:57:12

00:00:00

'Caravan of migrants' reaches final stop in Mexico City

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mexico City - 9 April 2018

1. Caravan of buses carrying migrants arriving

2. Migrants organizing their belongings

00:08:00

US National Guard troops arriving at Mexico Border

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Roma, Texas - 11 April 2018

3. Wide, the international bridge from the bluff

4. Texas National Guard soldiers observing the reporter recording them

00:16:00

Caravan of asylum seekers head to US-Mexico border rally

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tijuana - 29 April 2018

5. Wide migrants' rally next to border fence

6. Various migrants sitting on top of the fence with signs

00:23:23

As migrants try to cross, Pence visits US-Mexico border

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POOL

Imperial - 30 April 2018

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Pence, US Vice President:

" But the simple reality is that this caravan, and caravans that have come before- are a result of individuals who are attempting to exploit the suffering of people in Central America to try and advance their agenda."

00:37:22

Trump: Some deported gang members are 'animals'

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 16 May 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in - and we're stopping a lot of them - but we're taking people out of the country. You wouldn't believe how bad these people are. These aren't people. These are animals"

00:50:24

Texas Democrats speak of their visit to immigration facility, urge change in policy

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brownsville, Texas - 18 June 2018

9. Various exteriors and surrounds of Southwest Key Casa El Presidente, a facility that holds infants and young children separated from parents who have been charged with unlawful entry into the US, after being detained by US Border Patrol

10. Facility gate opens, pickup truck driving out

01:01:12

Migrants Arrive at Texas Processing Facility

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

McAllen, Texas - June 19, 2018

11. Various, migrants exiting bus, entering facility

12. Migrants being processed

01:15:18

Trump hugs flag after immigration speech

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POOL

Washington, DC - 19 June 2018

13. U.S. President Donald Trump celebrates the end of a speech, hugs an American flag

01:21:05

Guatemalan man recounts separation from toddler on US border

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Provo, Utah - June 19, 2018

14. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Romulo Gonzalez Rodriguez, asylum applicant:

" It's tremendous anguish because you don't get any answers from authorities in that moment. They set you apart and you don't know anything. They don't give you information and you don't know the laws, you don't know anything. It's a tremendous anguish. You're wondering: Where is she? What is she doing? What is happening with her? Such a small child."

01:46:04

Mother and son reunited after separation at US border

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Baltimore-Washington Internation Thurgood Marshall Airport - 22 June 2018

15. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Beata Mariana de Jesus Mejia-Mejia, Reunited with son

(Question: What message do you send to the other mothers that are in the same situation you were few minutes ago?)

"They can fight the same way I did it. They have to fight to get out from there, to fight for their children. One has to win the battle."

SCRIPT

4 February 2009 Washington DC

PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESS SECRETARY ROBERT GIBBS

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

2:52 P.M. EST

MR. GIBBS: Good afternoon. Let me start by giving you guys just a quick readout from the President's meeting this morning with Secretary Clinton and with Senator Mitchell.

The President had a good meeting with Secretary Clinton and Senator Mitchell late this morning. Senator Mitchell gave an initial readout of his trip to the region, which included stops in Cairo, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Amman, Riyadh, Paris and London. He's now developing a specific set of next steps and the President looks forward to hearing more about that.

And as Senator Mitchell said yesterday, he remains convinced that patience and persistent American diplomacy can help advance the ball on these efforts. The President shares that view and looks forward to continuing to work closely with Secretary Clinton and Senator Mitchell.

And with that -- Ms. Loven.

Q Thank you. Two completely unrelated questions.

MR. GIBBS: I'm used to that. (Laughter.)

Q One on Judd Gregg. Apparently a former longtime aide of his is involved in the Abramoff scandal. I'm wondering if that came up in the vetting and how it was viewed here?

And then secondly, I wanted to -- I noticed in the President's remarks this morning that he talked about his election and it was kind of a subtle reference to the "I won" comment that we talked about, that came up in a private meeting he had. And the reports on the meeting the other night with the Democratic leadership sounded like he was a little bit tougher. Is he getting a little bit more aggressive in his rhetoric on the stimulus?

MR. GIBBS: Well, let me take your first question. I don't know about the vetting. I know that the Secretary-designate is not a target or a subject of any of the investigation about an employee that I think left his office in 2004. And I would direct you to them for additional statements on that.

Q But is this something that concerns you guys?

MR. GIBBS: I don't know if it was in that. I would -- again, I'd -- I think I would -- this obviously is somebody who has left his employment quite some time ago.

In terms of your second question, I think the President understands -- we've seen more statistics, more layoffs -- that our failure to act, our failure to take action that is bold enough to meet the challenges that our economy faces will simply result in far greater job loss for the American people.

Without a significant stimulus, over the next three years our administration estimates we could lose an additional 5 million jobs. Some economists as recently as a couple of weeks ago -- Mark Zandi, his estimate without a significant stimulus would result over the next three years in a loss, an additional loss of nearly 6.5 million jobs.

The President understands, and the American people expect us to take decisive and bold action to meet those challenges. Secondly, I think he said this in his remarks today, doing -- continuing the policies that got us where we are today aren't a recipe for getting us where we need to be tomorrow.

Q It looks like he feels a need to ramp up the rhetoric a little bit. Why is that?

MR. GIBBS: I don't -- I think he understands that the challenges are great. The expectations by the American people, that we act in a way that helps the economy and puts people back to work, weigh on him -- and I assume others in this town -- greatly each and every day.

Our failure to do something in size and scope commensurate with the challenges that we have, we'll find ourselves worse off than where we are now. We have to take those bold steps. I think that, and the President believes, that we're closer in agreement than we probably are in disagreement. As I've said here, many of the complaints, some of the complaints have been about very narrow sections of this legislation. The President met today with, and continues to meet with, Democrats and Republicans here. I'm not entirely sure what that music is, but -- (laughter) -- we appreciate that, as well.

Q Hold music. (Laughter.)

MR. GIBBS: We continue to reach out to find the necessary consensus to bring the two sides together. Again, that's our challenge based on the size and the scope of the problems that we have. But more importantly, that's what Americans expect us to do, to stop the meaningless back-and-forth, and instead get something for the American people that creates jobs, puts people back to work, puts money in their pockets, and creates lasting long-term economic growth for this country. To do anything less would be to fail the American people.

Jeff.

Q Robert, two questions on a related issue. First -- (laughter) -- in contrast.

MR. GIBBS: Extra -- you get extra for that. (Laughter.)

Q First, on the executive pay announcement today, is there any concern in the administration that this might backfire, that banks or other companies that actually should be asking for money or need the money would avoid asking because they don't want to follow these rules? And the second question, the President mentioned that Secretary Geithner will be announcing details next week on further financial regulation. Can you give us a flavor for what we can expect, specifically --

MR. GIBBS: Nice job. (Laughter.)

Q I mean, can we -- thank you. Can we expect a done deal, or are there things that he will be negotiating with Congress on -- will there be numbers --

MR. GIBBS: Let me take the second one first. Again, I'm not going to get ahead of Secretary Geithner on this. Obviously we're going to outline a series of proposals and principles and ideas that no doubt will be -- we will continue to work with members of Congress about. I think you've heard me say any number of times what a lot of those principles will be.

One of those principles is what the President and the Secretary spoke about today, which was how do the American people feel confident in a financial system where they become -- through extraordinary assistance -- a lender to a bank in order to stay healthy in this financial system.

The President and the Secretary spoke about the need to ensure that confidence in the American people by ensuring that as these banks come hat in hand to the American taxpayers, that the American taxpayers are reasonably assured that executive compensation isn't excessive.

As the administration officials that briefed you all earlier said, obviously there are a few tiers to this program, and that the correct balance they believe was struck in ensuring that banks that need that extraordinary assistance will get that, we will not see catastrophic changes in our financial system -- but when they do that, that there's a responsibility that they have to ensure to the American taxpayers that they're not wasting their money or that it's not going to line the pockets of people or executives that might have gotten a bank to the point that it is now.

At the same time we want to ensure that access to greater capital ensures that banks that are more healthy can lend money to the American people and to small businesses, and that that not be overly punitive. The policy I think stuck that right balance, and we believe will give the American people the confidence that they need in the financial system and as it relates to executive compensation.

We've all seen reports, we've all seen news stories, even in the last 24 hours, about banks that -- as they -- and the practices that they undergo.

Q But are you worried about backfiring? I guess that was the original --

MR. GIBBS: No, I think we've -- I think we've struck the right balance. I think the American people will have confidence. But I also think we've -- we've given banks the responsibility, but also underscored the ability for them to continue to do what they do and not be scared away. I think that was a balance that had to be struck. We don't want -- we don't want to -- we want to strike that right balance.

Q Robert, in some of the interviews last night, the President seemed to back off -- pardon me -- earlier commitments to "Buy American" provisions. Is he in favor of "Buy American" provisions in the stimulus, yes or no?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I mean, obviously, Ed, we've got laws on the books relating to "Buy America" -- and thinks that those provisions are important. But he also -- as he said in these interviews -- wants to ensure that -- make sure that we're -- that any legislation that passes is consistent with trade agreements and doesn't signal a change in our overall stance on trade in these economic times.

Q Well, you were just talking before about how these times are so important; these leaders need to step up, so the American people are listening. Where is the President on this? What balance does he want to strike, then? What does the President want?

MR. GIBBS: The balance he wants to strike is to continue to get our economy going by -- without -- without unnecessarily starting something with trading partners all over the world and global partners that will hinder getting our economy moving again. The President believes we can strike that balance in this legislation.

You've heard the President speak any number of times about we have to be coordinated in the strategies that we undergo, whether it's recovery or stability or regulation, not just here, but throughout the world, in order to meet those collective global challenges. Obviously the President has heard concerns, but believes that a balance can be struck that ensures the laws of our country are upheld, but we can also do that in a way that's consistent with the WTO and trade agreements.

Q I still don't know where you are, then. Does that mean he wants a "Buy American" provision in this bill or not?

MR. GIBBS: Again, I think a provision can be struck that --

Q And the current one does not strike that?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I'm not a trade lawyer. But I think that whatever bill passes the Senate and is ultimately conferenced and signed by the President will strike a balance that ensures that we meet our commitments in global trade agreements.

Jake.

Q Robert, two questions, one on the stimulus and one on the executive compensation rules. On stimulus, Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper said that the White House wants to keep the Speaker happy and the traditional Democratic leaders, but they've let them know privately they're not interested in all the pork. Have you guys let --

MR. GIBBS: Repeat that question one more time.

Q The whole thing?

MR. GIBBS: Yes.

Q Okay. Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper of Tennessee recently said that the White House wants to keep the Speaker happy and the traditional Democratic leaders, but they've let them know privately -- the White House has let the Democrats in the House know privately they're not interested in all the pork. Has the White House conveyed to the Democratic leaders in Congress that you're not interested in all the pork? And then I have a follow-up.

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think the President continues to meet with members of both parties to try to get the very strongest bill possible. I think he said yesterday in his interviews that no doubt that this legislation will undergo changes in order to get the strongest bill possible.

I'm not going to get into private conversations, every private conversation the President has. But suffice to say he wants a bill that will get the economy moving again and get the strongest bill possible.

Q Okay. And about the executive compensation rules, the Merrill Lynch bonuses, the Citigroup jet, the Wells Fargo retreat -- these rules would not prevent any of those from happening.

MR. GIBBS: I think that -- I will get ultimate clarification on this from Treasury officials, but there are provisions in the rules that ensure that some of the items that you mentioned are disclosed or are transparent. And I think in each one of the instances -- you mentioned jets, you mentioned --

Q The retreat, the Wells Fargo retreat, the Merrill Lynch bonuses.

MR. GIBBS: Right.

Q The point is you're saying that transparency will --

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think as it -- I have to check on the Merrill Lynch bonuses, but Citigroup's jet or planned jet purchase and the Wells Fargo retreat at the Wynn, both didn't happen because of the diligent work of many in the reporting of these -- and the outcry that ensued.

You don't have to have a rule or a regulation to ensure that the American people know what to get mad at. You don't need a regulation to have that transparency and accountability put pressure on the actions of companies and executives that change their actions. That's why the President put forward and talked about today a provision that gives shareholders an active voice in the pay and the compensation structure of the companies with which they hold stock.

Twenty-four hours ago we were talking about this retreat at the Wynn for Wells Fargo. The reason we're not actively talking about that today is because that outcry -- without a regulation -- killed the retreat. That by doing -- by having that accountability and that transparency, by putting those expenditures up on a web site for the news media and for the American public to see I think will have a great impact on the behavior of many in business.

Chip.

Q Thank you, Robert. On the stimulus, do you agree -- and does the President agree -- that if a vote were held today, he would lose; he would not get the 60 votes he needs? And is he now in a position of trying to -- with these one-on-one meetings -- trying to eke out a 60 or 61 or 62 vote --

MR. GIBBS: No, I don't -- there's people hired here to count votes differently than -- a job description that's different than mine. And I don't know hypothetically what might happen at any given moment.

The President -- as he's done throughout this process and even before he was sworn in -- wants to hear from members about any idea or any concerns they have about what's in any specific package. But I think the thread of what you hear and see from the President is that we have to have a stimulus package and a recovery plan that meets the size and the scope of the challenges that this economy faces. To do less would result in continued far greater job loss than what we're experiencing now.

My hunch is on Friday we're going to get job statistics that show -- without prejudging the numbers that I don't know yet -- you're probably going to see numbers similar to what you saw in November and December. That would be a million and a half jobs in a quarter over a three-month period of time.

Our failure to act and stimulate this economy to create the jobs that are necessary, to lay down those long-term investments, and to provide people with the money they need to meet -- to pay their bills -- if we don't do that, then we're going to see month after month after month continued hurting and pain in the American people. We have to work and act now to ensure that doesn't happen.

Q What inning are we in now? (Laughter.) And what are the chances of extra innings? (Laughter.)

MR. GIBBS: I actually practiced that answer a few days ago, and I forget what I came up with. I would say -- I want to say bottom of the fifth.

Q How many outs?

MR. GIBBS: Unclear yet if we -- if we're --

Q I didn't see them clean the infield, though --

Q Who's on the other team?

MR. GIBBS: The sausage race is the beginning of the next inning. So just stay tuned and we'll -- we'll get --

Q Starter pitcher, still?

MR. GIBBS: Absolutely. The starting pitcher is in there, and still throwing -- still throwing nice curve balls, and still got a lot of heat on the fastball. (Laughter.)

Chuck. He set me up for that. I didn't do that on my own. (Laughter.)

Q On executive compensation, most -- most -- you keep talking about accountability and transparency, and then you just brought up the examples of how the media seem to shame these folks in. And we heard this phrase, "name and shame" quite a bit today. That seems as if people that the President called "shameless" last week are being allowed to go on the honor system. I mean, what is the accountability? You said, accountability. What is the teeth? I mean, what happens if these people violate it? Do we yank the money back? Do we bankrupt the firms? Do we fire the executives? What is the "teeth" part of this executive compensation?

MR. GIBBS: Well, let me get -- I will get clarification from Treasury on that. But I don't -- I mean, first of all, the beginning and the end of these is not just putting something on a web site. There are real, discernible limits in executive compensation for CEOs and top management for banks that accept an extraordinary amount of assistance from the taxpayers. It caps their compensation. Any additional compensation would have to come in the form of restricted common stock that couldn't be cashed in unless or until the taxpayers are paid back with interest. That's a real deal.

Q If they violate it, I mean, that's what I mean --

MR. GIBBS: I'll check on whatever -- what the underpinnings of the policy are. But again, let's not minimize -- I don't want to minimize, also as you said correctly, the name and shame provisions in this.

Again, I go back to Jake's question -- the actions of CEOs coming from Detroit to testify about the help that they needed from the taxpayers in the auto industry, their behavior was changed not by some rule or regulation, but by the transparent viewing of their practices. The transparent viewing of the practices of businesses that are involved in receiving assistance from the federal government I think will have a tremendous impact, as it already has, in changing the behavior of individuals, the top management, in banks in general.

Q Do you feel like there's the -- I mean, because there's not going to be an additional regulatory aspect, it's the same regulators that are monitoring banks --

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think they said that they'd point you toward the regulators specifically on that. But again, the steps that we're taking will have real, discernible results. Allowing shareholders to have a say in the compensation of CEOs -- I think there's a reason that that has never gotten through both Houses in Washington before. I think people understand -- the rich and powerful understand that it's likely to have a meaningful effect on their compensation.

Q But then the retroactive -- there's a bipartisan Senate bill that is already -- supposedly making its way through the Senate that would make these rules retroactive to the first TARP. If that gets to the President's desk --

MR. GIBBS: I would -- I will check on that.

Q How would you compare the President's public tone on the economic stimulus -- the reference to the word "catastrophe," the reference to the elections -- with the private tone that he's using in his jawboning with the senators who have been coming down here?

MR. GIBBS: He doesn't say a lot to us or to others that he doesn't say publicly. I mean, there always has been a consistency in what he says. I think he has walked members through and senators through the price of that inaction; that in addition to the job -- additional job loss you'd see over a three-year period, that likely you'd see our economic output at a trillion dollars less in each of those three years than what our economy is capable of.

You know, we have talked about the size and the scope of economic stimulus packages, but a three trillion dollar gap over a three-year period and what is possible and what is -- what is possible and what will happen in our economy means millions of jobs lost. I think he's been very frank with everybody about the failure to act, the consequences that are involved and the expectations that the American people have related to the action that he expects Congress to take and give him something that he can sign.

Q How do you plan to deploy these unemployment numbers, the overall number and the state-by-state numbers between now and voting time?

MR. GIBBS: Well, you know, I trust that many people in this room Friday, at or around 8:32 a.m. will write stories based on the release of the numbers at 8:30 a.m.

Q I mean, do you plan to target districts, states --

MR. GIBBS: There's not a governor that comes to the White House, there's not a senator that comes to the White House that doesn't understand what's going on in their state.

I don't know if you all saw the interview that Charlie Crist gave to -- on TV yesterday. I mean, he understands -- he has an unemployment rate that exceeds the national number. And he has a difference between what -- no Republican has a different viewpoint than what you hear in this town about what's necessary to get this economy moving again; what's necessary to avoid laying off teachers and police officers and sacrificing education and public safety; cutting back on health care, and ensuring that the investment in a state like Florida leads to long-term economic growth.

I think he's -- he mentioned in the interview what the unemployment number was in Florida. I think everybody is aware. And if you look at -- if you look at unemployment numbers and see the change in those unemployment numbers over the course of a year, it's a pretty stunning thing. I was on my computer before I came out here -- I may have the numbers slightly off, but unemployment has risen in the last year in 363 of 369 metropolitan areas that are observed by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics -- 363 out of 369. If that was a base -- if that was a baseball metaphor, that player would likely be in the Hall of Fame.

Hans.

Q Just on executive compensation, is that $500,000 -- is that going to be indexed to inflation? And then --

MR. GIBBS: I saw that question asked during the background briefing, and we'll look into it.

Q Okay. And the second part we're just trying to clear up is that for the people in that exceptional -- exceptional category -- for the executives that come there, how many of them will be covered by the $500,000 limit? And who will decide how many executives? Is it more than five? Is it less than five?

MR. GIBBS: So I don't make a mistake, I'll get the answer to that. I don't remember if that's broadened or not to the top 20. But we'll -- I'll get those administration officials.

Q Okay, so it won't be -- okay, will be firm? It won't be an ad hoc kind of --

MR. GIBBS: I believe that's in the numbers. I just don't remember precisely what it is.

Major.

Q Thank you, Robert. One on the stimulus, and a follow-up on SCHIP after that, if permissible. You talked about the cost --

MR. GIBBS: Have I ever said no? (Laughter.)

Q I'll give it a go, we'll see where it leads -- (Laughter.)

MR. GIBBS: Fair enough.

Q You talked about the cost of inaction. I'd like to ask you a question about the cost of action. The CBO has come out with an analysis of the job creating potential of the Senate bill. You might regard these numbers as the upside of that: 2.8 million to 8.2 million jobs over three years. The cost side, that depends on the multiplier effect that CBO uses on the stimulative effect of the bill. It also says the cost on a per job basis would range from $100,000 to $300,000 for a job created. How valid a metric --

MR. GIBBS: Is that also over a three-year period?

Q Yes.

MR. GIBBS: That's divided by a three-year period?

Q According to what I've been -- what I've read in the CBO report, yes.

MR. GIBBS: Okay.

Q So do you consider that a valid metric? And is that a worthwhile cost for the American people to evaluate as they look at the -- not only the cost of this bill, but in the context of the cost of inaction?

MR. GIBBS: I would go back and look through -- I have not seen that CBO report. And I've seen different people do different math to suit the rhetoric that they said either before or after using those figures. The legislation that is going through -- went through the House and is going through the Senate the President believes is the basis for creating more than 3 million jobs, more than 90 percent of which would be in the private sector.

I think obviously we have advocated, and previous administrations have advocated, for instance, using tax policy to spur job creation. So I think obviously that's -- without getting into the exact numbers, I think obviously using that to create jobs and to lay down the important long-term investments is critical.

But again, I'd go back to -- I don't know that the CBO estimates precisely the cost of inaction. I do know that one of their reports said that you would have a significant -- the economic downturn would be even more significant with the absence of a significant stimulus package. And that's what the President believes has to happen quickly to get the economy moving again.

Q And on SCHIP, the President will sign the bill turning it into law later this afternoon. The funding mechanism is the $0.68 per pack increase in the federal cigarette tax. Two different government surveys show that that disproportionately falls on those who make less than $75,000. Since you obviously believe it's important to have a stable funding mechanism for SCHIP, how concerned is the White House that in a recessionary time, those who make less money will not buy cigarettes, which may have positive healthful effects, but may undermine the funding mechanism for the very program you're trying to expand.

MR. GIBBS: I mean, obviously this is a program that we have -- that is expanding. It's not a new program, it's something that we've seen work. I think the genesis is as far back as the mid to late '90s, the balanced budget agreement from 1997. So obviously mechanisms that are in place, policymakers are understanding of the ups and downs of these things, and we believe have calculated accordingly.

The President looks forward to signing that legislation. You'll hear him speak about the importance of the individual Act today in expanding the coverage for children. You'll hear the President underscore the need that we have to make health care more affordable and the need to invest in that affordability to ensure our long-term economic growth.

Q No concern about the ability to continue to fund this program with a tax of this -- an increase of this size?

MR. GIBBS: I think bipartisan -- strong bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate have spoken to the importance of this legislation and the soundness of the proposal.

Anne.

Q The President talked yesterday in his interviews about not wanting there to be two standards for people, to understand there shouldn't be -- how then should people understand why it was okay for Timothy Geithner to go ahead in his job, but not Tom Daschle?

MR. GIBBS: Well, as I said yesterday, obviously Senator Daschle made a decision to withdraw his appointment. And as I said yesterday, Mr. Geithner has gone through a process in the Senate that included passage through committee and passage through the full Senate with bipartisan support and is now the Secretary of the Treasury. So I don't --

Q Is there not a double-standard there? I mean, isn't --

MR. GIBBS: No, again, I -- there's a lot of -- we can look a lot of rearview-mirroring in different decisions, but I think the President probably did what many people don't here in this town a lot, and that's take responsibility and set a very high standard for himself and for this administration.

Jeff.

Q Robert, as you know, the President -- he said several times in those interviews that he screwed up or he messed up. What exactly does he believe that he screwed up?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think that -- taking, for example, the appointment for HHS, that obviously making health care more affordable is a, as you've heard him talk about a lot for many years, a very important issue to him. He worked on it in Springfield, he talked about it on the campaign trail, and hopes to make a significant impact on that important issue as the President of the United States. He found Senator Daschle, he believed, uniquely qualified to pursue health care reform that would meet many of the goals that he shared, despite making a mistake.

I think in the interest of getting those appointments, the President trumped the principles that he laid out in the campaign. And he took responsibility for that.

Q Going forward, has he outlined any new objectives or imperatives or ways for the advisors to find a replacement for this position? Will any of the fundamentals change in the job search basically for the new Health and Human Services Secretary?

MR. GIBBS: Again, I spoke yesterday that the President has confidence in the process. Obviously members of the team in this building and across the administration are undertaking the task of looking for a replacement.

Look, the President has set exceedingly high standards for himself and for this administration. You've heard me talk about from this podium the executive order that he outlined -- not my opinion, but the opinion of those that watch -- is a higher ethical standard than any group that's worked in this building in the history of this country.

I don't doubt that there are times that we might not live up to those lofty standards. And I can assume that when that happens, I'll come in here and you can get the sticks and I'll be the piñata. I think that's safe to say. But I will say this: The President believes that setting that standard and reaching high for that standard each and every day is far, far, far better than continuing the way this town has worked and continuing the politics as usual that we've seen for so long.

So he is going to -- he outlined those standards. He asks us every day to meet them. There are days that we won't. But to try to meet those every day far exceeds never trying at all.

Q Let me ask about the trip tomorrow, if I may, to Williamsburg. Presidents often say something at their first out-of-town presidential trip. President Clinton went to Detroit and did a town meeting. President Bush went to a military base. What is President Obama telling us about his priorities tomorrow?

MR. GIBBS: Well, Williamsburg has a lofty place in our country's history. I think what he is saying to, whether it's this trip to Williamsburg, or whether it's a trip to Capitol Hill to meet with Democrats or Republicans, that he's willing to go anywhere and talk to anybody in order to get a financial -- to get a recovery and reinvestment plan that moves this economy forward. That's his main priority right now.

I don't know that there's any great symbolism in this one, in particular, except that he's working tirelessly each and every day to get a consensus between the parties and to get something that will put the American people back to work, will meet the size and the scope and the challenges that we face, and live up to those expectations.

Q He's spending a lot of his time on this issue, talking to lawmakers. Is he planning to take it on the road, talk to average Americans outside of Washington?

MR. GIBBS: I don't -- I think he spoke to average Americans last night, sitting here. I think he'll continue to do that. I don't have a travel schedule for the next couple weeks. I know we'll go to Canada and we may take a trip before that. I don't think he -- the President doesn't believe you have to go any certain place to talk about a problem that faces each and every American, wherever they live and regardless of where he is.

Ann.

Q Is there still an Obama transition staff vetting of potential members of the administration, or is that White House Counsel's Office? And are they going back and looking again at anybody who might still be in the vetting process to see whether there are --

MR. GIBBS: I don't know the current confines of that process and whether it's housed -- where it's housed or whether it's in the Counsel's Office or not. As I said yesterday and today, the President has confidence in that process.

Q And so many of -- several of these individuals have had problems erupt after they've been nominated and after they've been seen by Capitol Hill. Is he still satisfied that each and every nominee that goes before the Senate for confirmation or walks into the White House as a new appointee has been adequately vetted?

MR. GIBBS: Well, obviously I won't speak to the myriad of qualified appointments that have been -- gone through the rigorous Senate confirmation process and spat out the other end, and placed hands on bibles and occupied jobs. I would refer you to any of the committee chairs with which that process has gone through.

Again, I would reiterate that the President sets a very high bar for anybody that works in this administration, works in this building, or works throughout it. I think he expects nothing less from us.

Peter.

Q Robert, given that the hardest work of this administration lies ahead in terms of energy and health care legislation, and the snags that we've seen with respect to the stimulus package, does the President need to retool or rework his legislative theme? Does he need to come up with a different legislative approach? I mean, are there any lessons learned --

MR. GIBBS: You guys are -- I just said it's the fifth inning, you guys want to change pitchers. (Laughter.)

As I said, the President didn't think that we were going to come in here and change everything about the way Washington worked in such a short period of time. You can rest assured that we understand that we've not yet marked off all of our to-do's.

But I think the process that the President is undertaking, whether it's stimulus recovery, financial stability, reregulation, energy, health care, any number of issues that are going to land on his plate -- that the process that he's used in reaching out to those, regardless of party, regardless of political philosophy, have served him well throughout his political career, and he means that in what he does right now.

Again, we found that the process has worked and is going forward. I don't -- Mark should be here, he'd tell me the exact day of this administration.

MR. BURTON: Sixteen.

MR. GIBBS: Is it 16? There you go. The amount that's already been done, particularly on a recovery plan, to get it to the process of being through the House and partly through the Senate in a 16-day period I think is something that's rather extraordinary.

No doubt much work remains. Some of the priorities that you mentioned, some of those long-term investments are contained within the recovery plan. And I think that the President will work -- continue to work on each of those over the course of the next four years. But I don't -- I would reject, I guess, overall the premise that somehow something is broken.

Q Robert, I just wanted to follow on Jeff's question, because the President said in one of his interviews last night that he intends to fix the mistake that he made, make sure it doesn't happen again. What does that mean? What is he going to fix?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I think he's going to fix -- to build off of what I said to Jeff and others -- in taking responsibility and ensuring that what you may do in this town doesn't trump the principles that he talked about before he got here. The standards that he set out for ethics and accountability are ones that mean a lot to him, and that he'll continue to ensure each of us meets throughout this process. I think that's important to him and it's important to us.

Q Was it a bad political judgment, or was it just getting overeager to get somebody --

MR. GIBBS: I think I've laid out pretty rigorously what the President was thinking when he made those statements and what he meant.

Yes, sir.

Q Robert, the James A. Baker Institute is recommending that the Obama administration defer another lunar shot, and instead focus on energy and climate change. Does the White House have a reaction on that?

MR. GIBBS: I don't have anything particularly from -- I would point you to folks over at NASA. I don't have any particular guidance on that.

Q Robert, just to get back one more time to the question of what would be fixed, without belaboring it, but --

MR. GIBBS: Why would a third question belabor it? (Laughter.)

Q Is it a sort of "you know it when you see it" kind of issue with respect to whether there's a particular problem with a potential nominee? Or has the President given specific instructions to staff that there may not be any taxes that haven't been paid ever in someone's career? Or is there anything --

MR. GIBBS: I don't think the President has to enumerate what he expects of us. Many of us have been with the President for quite some time, and I think those that have only been with him for a short period of time can understand the standards that he set out for them and for us and for all of this administration. I don't -- the President doesn't need to write his staff a memo. We understand.

Q How did the staff come to understand it, though, when it was okay --

MR. GIBBS: Clairvoyance. (Laughter.)

Thanks, guys.

END 3:37 P.M. EST