RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 19 April 2017

1. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer walks to podium

2. Cutaway of reporter

3 . SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The president is directing an interagency review of the deal to review that, and we have 90 days before the next one comes up, and we'll have more. But, right now we're undergoing a 90 day review, and I think the statement the secretary of state made to Congress clearly stated that the president is directing the National Security Council to lead an interagency review of the plan and evaluate whether suspension sanctions related to Iran, pursuant to the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) are in the vital interest of our national security. The letter clearly lays out what the president is going to do to make sure they are living up to their agreement."

4. Reverse angle of Spicer at podium

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter, off-camera: "Is the president concerned that Iran may be cheating on the JCPOA? David Albright, the noted weapons inspector, says they're developing a new centrifuge which he thinks could be a violation.")

"And I think that's why he's asking for this review. If he didn't, if he thought everything was fine, he would have allowed this to move forward. He's doing the prudent thing by asking for a review of the current deal and what's happening."

6. Cutaway of reporter

7. Wide of Spicer at the podium

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter, off-camera: "The president has said that he would like to see the nuclear deal renegotiated with Iran. How specifically does he plan to get a new deal? Is that something he still wants to do?")

"Well, again, that's why we're undergoing this interagency review. Part of this is to get the entire team to look at it in the next 90 days, review that is required under the deal. So we will have recommendations presented to the president on where the deal stands and how to act further."

9. Cutaway of reporters

10. Wide of Spicer speaking to reporters

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"While we're on the topic of upcoming events, I'd like to note the president will welcome Palestinian President Abbas for a visit to Washington on May 3rd. They will use the visit to affirm the commitment of the United States and the Palestinian leadership to pursuing and ultimately concluding a conflict-ending settlement between the Palestinians and Israel.

12. Spicer exiting briefing room

STORYLINE:

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on Wednesday that the US administration is "doing the prudent thing" by conducting a 90-day interagency review of the Iran nuclear deal to make sure Iran is living up to its side of the agreement.

"Part of this is to get the entire team to look at it the next 90 days, review that is required under the deal," Spicer said. "So we will have recommendations presented to the president on where the deal stands and how to act further."

The Trump administration has notified Congress that Iran is complying with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by former President Barack Obama, and says the U.S. has extended the sanctions relief given to the Islamic republic in exchange for curbs on its atomic program.

However, in a letter sent late Tuesday to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the administration has undertaken a full review of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The certification of Iran's compliance, which must be sent to Congress every 90 days, is the first issued by the Trump administration.

The deadline for this certification was midnight.

As a candidate in the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump was an outspoken critic of the deal but had offered conflicting opinions on whether he would try to scrap it, modify it or keep it in place with more strenuous enforcement.

Tuesday's determination suggested that while Trump agreed with findings by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Iran is keeping to its end of the bargain, he is looking for another way to ratchet up pressure on Tehran.

Spicer also told reporters at the briefing that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was scheduled to visit Washington early in May and hold talks with Trump.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

The Trump administration is applauding the January jobs reports.

This comes as the President signs executive order taking aim at Dodd-Frank financial overhaul.

Last month's jobs report, which showed the U.S. economy adding 227,000 jobs and the unemployment rate at 4.8 percent.

The report also says that more Americans started looking for work, although not all of them found jobs immediately.

"Today's report reflects the consumer confidence that the Trump presidency has inspired," said White House press secretay Sean Spicer.

"President Trump campaigned on how to make America work again. Even before he took office, the markets knew he would deliver on that promise."

President Donald Trump also signed an executive order that will direct the Treasury secretary to review the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial overhaul.

It's Trump's first step at scaling back regulations on financial services.

Trump has called the law a "disaster" and said it failed to address some of the causes of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Washington DC - 3 February 2017

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The economy added more than 227,000 new jobs, significantly more than the 175,000 that had been expected. Today's report reflects the consumer confidence that the Trump presidency has inspired. According to a recent Gallup poll, economic confidence is at a new high and ADP showed strong private sector hiring. President Trump campaigned on how to make America work again. Even before he took office, the markets knew he would deliver on that promise."

++SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASH+++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The president's already taken significant steps to turn our economy around and he is looking forward to ensuring that every American who wants a job has the opportunity to find one. While the president's definitely pleased that the job growth has far surpassed expectations and that the labor force participation is rising, he also recognizes that there is a lot more work to be done."

++SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASH+++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The Dodd-Frank Act is a disastrous policy that's hindering our markets, reducing the availability of credit and crippling our economy's ability to grow and create jobs. It imposed hundreds of new regulations and financial -- on financial institutions, while establishing unaccountable and unconstitutional new agency that does not adequately protect consumers. Perhaps worst of all, despite all of this overreaching, Dodd-Frank did not address the causes of the financial crisis, something we all know must be done. It did not solve the too big to fail and we must determine conclusively that the failure of a large bank will never again leave taxpayers on the hook."

The Trump administration is applauding the January jobs reports.

This comes as the President signs executive order taking aim at Dodd-Frank financial overhaul.

Last month's jobs report, which showed the U.S. economy adding 227,000 jobs and the unemployment rate at 4.8 percent.

The report also says that more Americans started looking for work, although not all of them found jobs immediately.

"Today's report reflects the consumer confidence that the Trump presidency has inspired," said White House press secretay Sean Spicer.

"President Trump campaigned on how to make America work again. Even before he took office, the markets knew he would deliver on that promise."

President Donald Trump also signed an executive order that will direct the Treasury secretary to review the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial overhaul.

It's Trump's first step at scaling back regulations on financial services.

Trump has called the law a "disaster" and said it failed to address some of the causes of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Washington DC - 3 February 2017

1. Cutaway of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer walking in to press briefing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The economy added more than 227,000 new jobs, significantly more than the 175,000 that had been expected. Today's report reflects the consumer confidence that the Trump presidency has inspired. According to a recent Gallup poll, economic confidence is at a new high and ADP showed strong private sector hiring. President Trump campaigned on how to make America work again. Even before he took office, the markets knew he would deliver on that promise."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The president's already taken significant steps to turn our economy around and he is looking forward to ensuring that every American who wants a job has the opportunity to find one. While the president's definitely pleased that the job growth has far surpassed expectations and that the labor force participation is rising, he also recognizes that there is a lot more work to be done."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The Dodd-Frank Act is a disastrous policy that's hindering our markets, reducing the availability of credit and crippling our economy's ability to grow and create jobs. It imposed hundreds of new regulations and financial -- on financial institutions, while establishing unaccountable and unconstitutional new agency that does not adequately protect consumers. Perhaps worst of all, despite all of this overreaching, Dodd-Frank did not address the causes of the financial crisis, something we all know must be done. It did not solve the too big to fail and we must determine conclusively that the failure of a large bank will never again leave taxpayers on the hook."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"They did have a very productive and candid conversation. We have tremendous amount of respect for the people of Australia, for Prime Minister Trunbull and a followup on the call, but we are going to continue to work through this. We are going to honor the commitments that we made in some way, meaning that we are going to vet these people in accordance with the agreement that happened and we are going to continue to have further updates as we do."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The President is commited to peace, that's his goal and I think when the President and Prime Minister meet here on the 15th that obviously be the topic at that. At the end of the day the goal is peace. I think that is what you have to keep in mind, I think that is going to be a subject that they discuss when they meet on the 15th and that's as far as I want to go on that."

11. Cutaway

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I think the statement is very clear about that, we don't think the existence of current settlements is an impedement to peace, but I think the construction or expansion of existing settlements beyond the borders is not going to be helpful moving forward."

13. Spicer leaving briefing

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 19 April 2017

+++WHITE FLASHES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES+++

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The president is directing an interagency review of the deal to review that, and we have 90 days before the next one comes up, and we'll have more. But, right now we're undergoing a 90 day review, and I think the statement the secretary of state made to Congress clearly stated that the president is directing the National Security Council to lead an interagency review of the plan and evaluate whether suspension sanctions related to Iran, pursuant to the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) are in the vital interest of our national security. The letter clearly lays out what the president is going to do make sure they are living up to their agreement."

+++WHITE FLASH+++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"(Reporter) Is the president concerned that Iran may be cheating on the JCPOA? David Albright, the noted weapons inspector, says they're developing a new centrifuge which he says could be a violation.

(Spicer) And I think that's why he's asking for this review. If he didn't and he thought everything was fine, he would have allowed this to move forward. He's doing the prudent thing by asking for a review of the current deal and what's happening."

+++WHITE FLASH+++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"(Reporter) The president has said that he would like to see the nuclear deal renegotiated with Iran. How specifically does he plan to get a new deal? Is that something he still wants to do?

(Spicer) Well, again, that's why we're undergoing this interagency review. Part of this is to get the entire team to look at it the next 90 days, review that is required under the deal. So we will have recommendations presented to the president on where the deal stands and how to act further."

STORYLINE:

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer says the administration is "doing the prudent thing" by conducting a 90-day interagency review of the Iran nuclear deal to make sure Iran is living up to its side of the agreement.

"Part of this is to get the entire team to look at it the next 90 days, review that is required under the deal," Spicer said. "So we will have recommendations presented to the president on where the deal stands and how to act further."

The Trump administration has notified Congress that Iran is complying with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by former President Barack Obama, and says the U.S. has extended the sanctions relief given to the Islamic republic in exchange for curbs on its atomic program.

However, in a letter sent late Tuesday to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the administration has undertaken a full review of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The certification of Iran's compliance, which must be sent to Congress every 90 days, is the first issued by the Trump administration. The deadline for this certification was midnight.

As a candidate in the 2016 presidential election, Trump was an outspoken critic of the deal but had offered conflicting opinions on whether he would try to scrap it, modify it or keep it in place with more strenuous enforcement.

Tuesday's determination suggested that while Trump agreed with findings by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Iran is keeping to its end of the bargain, he is looking for another way to ratchet up pressure on Tehran.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, DC - 19 April 2017

1. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer walks to podium

2. Cutaway of reporter

3 . SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The president is directing an interagency review of the deal to review that, and we have 90 days before the next one comes up, and we'll have more. But, right now we're undergoing a 90 day review, and I think the statement the secretary of state made to Congress clearly stated that the president is directing the National Security Council to lead an interagency review of the plan and evaluate whether suspension sanctions related to Iran, pursuant to the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) are in the vital interest of our national security. The letter clearly lays out what the president is going to do make sure they are living up to their agreement."

4. Reverse angle of Spicer at podium

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"(Reporter, off-camera Is the president concerned that Iran may be cheating on the JCPOA? David Albright, the noted weapons inspector, says they're developing a new centrifuge which he says could be a violation.)

And I think that's why he's asking for this review. If he didn't and he thought everything was fine, he would have allowed this to move forward. He's doing the prudent thing by asking for a review of the current deal and what's happening."

6. Cutaway of reporter

7. Wide of Spicer at the podium

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"(Reporter, off-camera: The president has said that he would like to see the nuclear deal renegotiated with Iran. How specifically does he plan to get a new deal? Is that something he still wants to do?)

Well, again, that's why we're undergoing this interagency review. Part of this is to get the entire team to look at it the next 90 days, review that is required under the deal. So we will have recommendations presented to the president on where the deal stands and how to act further."

9. Cutaway of reporters

10. Wide of Spicer speaking to reporters

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"While we're on the topic of upcoming events, I'd like to note the president will welcome Palestinian President Abbas for a visit on May 3rd. They will use the visit to affirm the commitment of the United States and the Palestinian leadership to pursuing and ultimately concluding a conflict-ending settlement between the Palestinians and Israel.

12. Spicer exiting briefing room

STORYLINE:

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer says the administration is "doing the prudent thing" by conducting a 90-day interagency review of the Iran nuclear deal to make sure Iran is living up to its side of the agreement.

"Part of this is to get the entire team to look at it the next 90 days, review that is required under the deal," Spicer said. "So we will have recommendations presented to the president on where the deal stands and how to act further."

The Trump administration has notified Congress that Iran is complying with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by former President Barack Obama, and says the U.S. has extended the sanctions relief given to the Islamic republic in exchange for curbs on its atomic program.

However, in a letter sent late Tuesday to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the administration has undertaken a full review of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The certification of Iran's compliance, which must be sent to Congress every 90 days, is the first issued by the Trump administration. The deadline for this certification was midnight.

As a candidate in the 2016 presidential election, Trump was an outspoken critic of the deal but had offered conflicting opinions on whether he would try to scrap it, modify it or keep it in place with more strenuous enforcement.

Tuesday's determination suggested that while Trump agreed with findings by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Iran is keeping to its end of the bargain, he is looking for another way to ratchet up pressure on Tehran.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Tuesday that "there maybe some small increase in the price of lumber" after the Trump administration moved on Monday to impose a 20 percent tariff on softwood lumber entering the United States from Canada.

The move escalated an intensifying trade dispute between the two countries.

The president announced the decision during a gathering with conservative media outlets at the White House on Monday evening.

During the White House news briefing on Tuesday, Ross said he did not think "a trade war," would follow the Trump administration's actions.

The Canadian government, meanwhile, rejected the assessment, calling the duty "unfair and punitive."

Meanwhile, the White House is refusing to provide lawmakers with information and documents clearance and payments from organizations tied to the Russian and Turkish governments.

The White House was responding to requests made last month by the House Oversight committee.

The committee made six requests, and the White House cited reasons it could not comply with each of them.

Trump has said he fired Michael Flynn because of misleading comments he made to the vice president about his discussions with the Russian ambassador during the transition.

Flynn is among the Trump associates being investigated by Congress and the FBI for possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Washington, DC - 25 April 2017

1. Side, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at briefing room podium

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Wilbur Ross, US Commerce Secretary:

"There is roughly 15 billion dollars worth of hardwood, err, softwood lumber used in houses in this country and about 31.5 percent of that comes from the Canadians, so that is roughly five billion dollars a year. 20 percent tariff on that is essentially a billion dollars a year and the retrospective 90 day feature adds another 250 million to that on a one time basis. Softwood lumber, as they say, is the fundamental use in single family houses. We do not think that the price of lumber will go up by anything like the 20 percent, but there maybe some small increase in the price of lumber for the house."

3. Side, Ross speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Wilbur Ross, US Commerce Secretary:

"They are a close ally, they are an important ally. They generally are a good neighbor. That doesn't mean they don't have to play by the rules."

(Reporter off camera: "What do you mean by generally a good neighbor?")

"Well, things like this I don't regard as being a good neighbor, dumping lumber and there is a feeling in the dairy industry that they are a little bit abrupt in the action they took the week before."

5. Cutaway reporters

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Wilbur Ross, US Commerce Secretary:

(Reporter off camera: "Is there a risk this could provoke retaliation on the part of the Canadians we could see a trade war between the United States and Canada?") "Well, I know that that would be a stimulatory thing for all your readership, but we don't think that is going to happen."

(Reporter off camera: "I mean, this is isolated - this is dairy and softwood and ...") "We think so and we certainly hope so and we look forward to constructive discussions with the Canadians as we get into NAFTA."

7. Side, Sean Spicer at podium

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I will correct you on that. The committee sent a form letter to several agencies, including the White House asking to find those documents. The documents in question, the Department of Defense possessed and sent over to them. The documents that occurred before he worked here, would be up to him to turn over. So, my understanding is that the committee has the documents that they were looking for ..."

9. Wide, briefing room

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I understand that. And right now, to ask the White House to produce documents that were not in the possession of the White House is ridiculous."

11. Cutaway, reporters

The Trump administration is applauding the January jobs reports.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Friday addressed last month's job report, which showed the U.S. economy adding 227,000 jobs and the unemployment rate at 4.8 percent.

The report also says that more Americans started looking for work, although not all of them found jobs immediately.

Trump also signed an executive order that will direct the Treasury secretary to review the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial overhaul.

It's Trump's first step at scaling back regulations on financial services.

Trump has called the law a "disaster" and said it failed to address some of the causes of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Washington DC - 3 February 2017

1. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer walking in to press briefing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The economy added more than 227,000 new jobs, significantly more than the 175,000 that had been expected. Today's report reflects the consumer confidence that the Trump presidency has inspired. According to a recent Gallup poll, economic confidence is at a new high and ADP showed strong private sector hiring. President Trump campaigned on how to make America work again. Even before he took office, the markets knew he would deliver on that promise."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The president has already taken significant steps to turn our economy around and he is looking forward to ensuring that every American who wants a job has the opportunity to find one. While the president's definitely pleased that the job growth has far surpassed expectations and that the labor force participation is rising, he also recognizes that there is a lot more work to be done."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The Dodd-Frank Act is a disastrous policy that's hindering our markets, reducing the availability of credit and crippling our economy's ability to grow and create jobs. It imposed hundreds of new regulations on financial institutions while establishing unaccountable and unconstitutional new agency that does not adequately protect consumers. Perhaps worst of all, despite all of this overreaching, Dodd-Frank did not address the causes of the financial crisis, something we all know must be done. It did not solve the too big to fail and we must determine conclusively that the failure of a large bank will never again leave taxpayers on the hook."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"They did have a very productive and candid conversation. We have tremendous amount of respect for the people of Australia, for Prime Minister Trunbull and it was a follow-up on the call, but we are going to continue to work through this. We are going to honor the commitments that we've made in some way, meaning that we are going to vet these people in accordance with the agreement that happened and we are going to continue to have further updates as we do."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The president is committed to peace, that's his goal and I think when the president and Prime Minister Netanyahu meet here on the 15th that obviously be the topic at that. At the end of the day the goal is peace. I think that is what you have to keep in mind, I think that is going to be a subject that they discuss when they meet on the 15th and that's as far as I want to go on that."

11. Cutaway

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I think the statement is very clear about that, we don't believe that the existence of current settlements is an impediment to peace, but I think the construction or expansion of existing settlements beyond the current borders is not going to be helpful moving forward."

13. Spicer leaving briefing

The Department of Defense has presented its preliminary plan to defeat the Islamic State group. White House press secretary Sean Spicer says the plan was delivered to the White House by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. The president is expected to address some of the details of that plan in his address to Congress tomorrow.

Questions about Trump advisers' contacts with Russian intelligence agents were revived by revelations that chief of staff Reince Priebus discussed the matter with high-level FBI officials, despite an ongoing investigation into those contacts.

Washington DC - 27 February 2017

1. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"As you might already know the Department of Defense presented its preliminary plan to the White House today to defeat ISIS. This plan has been delivered by Secretary Mattis who is currently breaking the principals on the option presented today and seeking their input and feedback."

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The New York Times published a story about what they called 'contacts' between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials. The FBI deputy director was at a meeting here at the White House that morning. After the meeting concluded, he asked the chief of staff to stand back a second he wanted to tell him that the report in the New York Times was "bs." For viewers at home, I think we can pretty much figure out what that means. But I'll leave it at that. At that time the chief of staff said "thank you for sharing that with me, can we let other people know that's the story is not accurate?" Throughout the day they went back and forth to see what they thought was appropriate. Finally they came to the conclusion that they did not want to get into the process of knocking down every story that they had issues with."

3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter question off camera): "You don't think there is something strange, or something odd about the White House press secretary getting the CIA director on the phone to knock down a story about an investigation?"

(Sean Spicer): "No. No. But you see, respectfully, you are using words like "knock down." There was a story in the newspaper, hold on, no, no. There were reporters coming to us saying there is a story out there, "what is your take on it?" And our answer was we don't believe it is accurate. We don't believe it's false. But obviously that's our take on it."

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter question off camera): "Do you now categorically deny there were no contacts between the Russians and anyone on the campaign?"

(Sean Spicer): "I guess my point is is that you've had the intelligence community look at Russia's involvement in the election. You've had the House and the Senate both do the same. And so what I am trying to ascertain is that at what point how many people have to say there is nothing there before you realize there is nothing there?"

The Department of Defense has presented its preliminary plan to defeat the Islamic State group. White House press secretary Sean Spicer says the plan was delivered to the White House by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. The president is expected to address some of the details of that plan in his address to Congress tomorrow.

Questions about Trump advisers' contacts with Russian intelligence agents were revived by revelations that chief of staff Reince Priebus discussed the matter with high-level FBI officials, despite an ongoing investigation into those contacts.

Washington DC - 27 February 2017

1. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The New York Times published a story about what they called 'contacts' between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials. The FBI deputy director was at a meeting here at the White House that morning. After the meeting concluded, he asked the chief of staff to stand back a second he wanted to tell him that the report in the New York Times was "bs." For viewers at home, I think we can pretty much figure out what that means. But I'll leave it at that. At that time the chief of staff said "thank you for sharing that with me, can we let other people know that's the story is not accurate?" Throughout the day they went back and forth to see what they thought was appropriate. Finally they came to the conclusion that they did not want to get into the process of knocking down every story that they had issues with."

3. Spicer speaking

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter question off camera): "You don't think there is something strange, or something odd about the White House press secretary getting the CIA director on the phone to knock down a story about an investigation?"

(Sean Spicer): "No. No. But you see, respectfully, you are using words like "knock down." There was a story in the newspaper, hold on, no, no. There were reporters coming to us saying there is a story out there, "what is your take on it?" And our answer was we don't believe it is accurate. We don't believe it's false. But obviously that's our take on it. And reporters were saying to us "well is there anybody that you can point to substantiate this claim?" Now remember, this all started with the FBI coming to us, bringing it to our attention saying that the story in the Times was not accurate, in fact it was "bs." And all we did was simply say "that's great, could you tell other reporters the same thing you are telling us?"

5. Spicer speaking

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter question off camera): "Do you now categorically deny there were no contacts between the Russians and anyone on the campaign?"

(Sean Spicer): "I guess my point is is that you've had the intelligence community look at Russia's involvement in the election. You've had the House and the Senate both do the same. And so what I am trying to ascertain is that at what point how many people have to say there is nothing there before you realize there is nothing there? I cannot say unequivocally, all I am saying is the people who have done the investigating about Russia over all, and its activities in the United States, specifically now with respect to our election, haven't provided anything that lead me to believe, or should leave you to believe, and I continue to see reports coming from different media sources saying that when they checked in with law enforcement or intelligence community sources, there is nothing more then what has been previously reported over and over again."

7. Spicer speaking

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter question off camera): "Just to follow up on that, did you personally reach out to Pompeo?"

(Sean Spicer): "I'm not going to discuss what we did internally. I'm just going to say that when we shared, we did our job about making sure that when people had, reporters had questions, we let them know which subject matter experts were available to discuss the accuracy of a newspaper story."

9. Spicer speaking

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"As you might already know the Department of Defense presented its preliminary plan to the White House today to defeat ISIS. This plan has been delivered by Secretary Mattis who is currently breaking the principals on the option presented today and seeking their input and feedback. Finally I wanted to note the president continues to be deeply disappointed and concerned by the reports of further vandalism at Jewish cemeteries. The cowardly destruction in Philadelphia this weekend comes on top of similar accounts from Missouri and threats made to Jewish community centers around the country. The president continues to condemn these and any other form of anti-Semitic and hateful acts in the strongest terms."

11. Spicer speaking

The US Department of Defence has presented its preliminary plan to defeat the Islamic State group (IS).

White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday said the plan was delivered to the White House by Defence Secretary James Mattis.

The president is expected to address some of the details of that plan in his address to Congress tomorrow.

Questions about Trump advisers' contacts with Russian intelligence agents were revived in Monday's briefing by revelations that Chief of Staff Reince Priebus discussed the matter with high-level FBI officials, despite an ongoing investigation into those contacts.

Washington DC - 27 February 2017

1. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The New York Times published a story about what they called 'contacts' between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials. The FBI deputy director was at a meeting here at the White House that morning. After the meeting concluded, he asked the chief of staff to stand back a second he wanted to tell him that the report in the New York Times was 'BS.' For viewers at home, I think we can pretty much figure out what that means. But I'll leave it at that. At that time the chief of staff said "thank you for sharing that with me, can we let other people know that's the story is not accurate?" Throughout the day they went back and forth to see what they thought was appropriate. Finally they came to the conclusion that they did not want to get into the process of knocking down every story that they had issues with."

3. Spicer speaking

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter question off camera): "You don't think there is something strange, or something odd about the White House press secretary getting the CIA director on the phone to knock down a story about an investigation?"

(Sean Spicer): "No. No. But you see, respectfully, you are using words like 'knock down.' There was a story in the newspaper, hold on, no, no. There were reporters coming to us saying there is a story out there, 'what is your take on it?' And our answer was we don't believe it is accurate. We don't believe it's false. But obviously that's our take on it. And reporters were saying to us "well is there anybody that you can point to substantiate this claim?" Now remember, this all started with the FBI coming to us, bringing it to our attention saying that the story in the Times was not accurate, in fact it was 'BS.' And all we did was simply say "that's great, could you tell other reporters the same thing you are telling us?"

5. Spicer speaking

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter question off camera): "Do you now categorically deny there were no contacts between the Russians and anyone on the campaign?"

(Sean Spicer): "I guess my point is that you've had the intelligence community look at Russia's involvement in the election. You've had the House and the Senate both do the same. And so what I am trying to ascertain is that at what point how many people have to say there is nothing there before you realize there is nothing there? I cannot say unequivocally, all I am saying is the people who have done the investigating about Russia over all, and its activities in the United States, specifically now with respect to our election, haven't provided anything that lead me to believe, or should leave you to believe, and I continue to see reports coming from different media sources saying that when they checked in with law enforcement or intelligence community sources, there is nothing more then what has been previously reported over and over again."

7. Spicer speaking

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter question off camera): "Just to follow up on that, did you personally reach out to Pompeo?"

(Sean Spicer): "I'm not going to discuss what we did internally. I'm just going to say that when we shared, we did our job about making sure that when people had, reporters had questions, we let them know which subject matter experts were available to discuss the accuracy of a newspaper story."

9. Spicer speaking

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"As you might already know the Department of Defense presented its preliminary plan to the White House today to defeat ISIS. This plan has been delivered by Secretary Mattis who is currently breaking the principals on the option presented today and seeking their input and feedback. Finally I wanted to note the president continues to be deeply disappointed and concerned by the reports of further vandalism at Jewish cemeteries. The cowardly destruction in Philadelphia this weekend comes on top of similar accounts from Missouri and threats made to Jewish community centers around the country. The president continues to condemn these and any other form of anti-Semitic and hateful acts in the strongest terms."

11. Spicer speaking

"Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders made a surprise visit to the Apollo Theater on April 4th 2019 in New York for an event honoring Harry Belafonte and Tony Bennett.

It was the Jazz Foundation's 'Great Night in Harlem' annual gala, but the day also marked another significant anniversary.

""This is also a night that we remember the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and one of the great leaders in American history who died, as we'll never forget helping sanitation workers get some dignity in their lives,"" Sanders said.

King was fatally shot outside his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4th 1968 by James Earl Ray, He was sentenced to 99 years, and died in prison in 1998.

Sanders recounted the great strides Dr. King made toward racial harmony, but agrees that tolerance has lost steps over the past couple of years.

As for the reason, Sanders pulled no punches.

""We have a president, and I say this without any joy in my heart, who is a racist. It's hard to believe that we have a president of the United States who is in fact, a racist,"" Sanders said.

That's why Sanders claims eradicating racism is a high priority for him, if elected to the nation's highest office.

""As president of the United States, what I would be doing is bringing our people together to create a nation that works for all of us, and not just the one-percent. To deal with the racism and the disparities that exists, not only between the rich and the poor, but between whites and blacks. And that would certainly be a major priority of a Sanders administration,"" he said

***

Public at last, special counsel Robert Mueller's report revealed to a waiting nation April 18th that President Donald Trump had tried to seize control of the Russia probe and force Mueller's removal to stop him from investigating potential obstruction of justice by the president.

In a previously unreported episode, the report revealed that in June 2017, Trump directed then-White House counsel Don McGahn to call the acting attorney general and say that Mueller must be ousted because he had conflicts of interest.

McGahn refused, deciding that he would rather resign than trigger what he regarded as a potential Saturday Night Massacre of Watergate fame.

For all of that, Mueller said he could not conclusively determine that Trump had committed criminal obstruction of justice.

The Justice Department posted the report online April 18th, 90 minutes after Attorney General William Barr offered his own final assessment of the findings.

***

On May 6th President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer and fixer has left his Manhattan home before starting a three-year prison sentence for crimes including campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made on Trump's behalf.

Michael Cohen was expected to report later on May 6th at the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville, a prison 70 miles northwest of New York City.

He paused briefly outside the building and spoke to a media throng, saying he looks forward to the day when he can ""share the truth.""

Then he was escorted to a waiting vehicle and driven away.

***

Trade talks between China and the U.S. continued on May 10th in Washington despite new tariffs the U.S. imposed on $200 billion in Chinese imports and Beijing's vow to retaliate.

Negotiators are trying to resolve the standoff after the United States raised tariffs on Chinese imports, escalating tensions between the world's two biggest economies and rattling stock markets around the world.

Earlier in the week, top U.S. trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin accused the Chinese of reneging on commitments they'd made earlier, throwing the trade talks into disarray.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing is hoping the Trump administration will meet China ""halfway"" in the dispute over trade.

***

U.S. and Chinese negotiators held trade talks May 10th under increasing pressure after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods and Beijing promised to retaliate, escalating a battle over China's technology ambitions.

The Trump administration raised duties on nearly half of Chinese imports to 25% from 10%. China's Commerce Ministry said it would impose ""necessary countermeasures"" but gave no details.

The increase went ahead even after American and Chinese negotiators began more talks in Washington aimed at ending a dispute that has disrupted billions of dollars in trade and shaken global financial markets. The lead Chinese negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, left the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative about midday, but it was not immediately clear whether talks had ended.

***

On May 29th Chinese tech giant Huawei filed a motion in a US court challenging the constitutionality of a law that limits its sales of telecom equipment.

The motion is the latest action in the company's ongoing clash with the US government.

During a press briefing on May 28th in Beijing, Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping said his company had filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to rule on whether it is constitutional for the US to implement a military spending provision that bars the government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment.

Song accused US politicians of ""using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company.""

Two weeks ago, the US Commerce Department placed Huawei on its ""Entity List,"" effectively barring US firms from selling its technology without government approval.

Song said this action sets a ""dangerous precedent"" for other companies and could harm Huawei's three billion customers around the world.

Huawei relies heavily on US components, including computer chips, and about one-third of its suppliers are American.

The move has already affected the company's US partnerships.

Song also denied Washington's claim that Huawei threatens international cybersecurity.

***

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says President Donald Trump doesn't know right from wrong and is ""indifferent to law and any sense of ethics about who we are as a country.""

The top House Democrat said June 13th that when Trump says he's open to accepting information from a foreign power against a political opponent he is ignoring his oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution.

She said that ""it's a very sad thing, a very sad thing that he does not know right from wrong.""

Pelosi is one of Trump's leading antagonists. But she is taking a slow, cautious approach when many in her party are demanding an impeachment inquiry.

She says ""everybody in the country should be totally appalled"" by Trump's remarks to ABC News.

Trump told ABC on June 12th that if a foreign power were offering dirt on his 2020 opponent, he'd be open to accepting it and would have no obligation to call in the FBI.

***

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, whose tenure was marked by a breakdown in regular press briefings and questions about the administration's credibility, as well as her own, will leave her post at the end of the June, President Donald Trump announced June 18th.

Sanders is one of Trump's closest and most trusted White House aides and one of the few remaining on staff who worked on his campaign.

""After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the June and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,"" Trump tweeted just before she accompanied him to a White House event on prison reform.

Trump suggesting her as a future candidate for Arkansas governor. ""She would be fantastic.""

Under Sanders' tenure, regular White House press briefings became a relic of the past. She has not held a formal briefing since March 11th.

Reporters often catch her on the White House driveway after she is interviewed by Fox News Channel and other TV news outlets.

Her credibility has also come under question.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report revealed that Sanders admitted to investigators that she had made an unfounded claim about ""countless"" FBI agents reaching out to express support for Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey in May 2017.

Sanders succeeded Sean Spicer, Trump's first press secretary, in mid-2017.

***

US President Donald Trump kicked off his re-election campaign June 18th with a grievance-filled Florida rally that focused more on settling scores than laying out his agenda for the next four years.

Trump spent much of the first portion of his speech attacking the press, the political establishment and Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation into Russian election interference.

Trump complained he had been ""under assault from the very first day"" of his presidency by a ""fake news media"" and ""illegal witch hunt"" that had tried to keep him and his supporters down.

And he painted a disturbing picture of what life would look like if he loses in 2020, accusing his critics of ""un-American conduct"" and telling the crowd that Democrats ""want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it.""

The apocalyptic language and finger-pointing made clear that Trump's 2020 campaign is likely to look a whole lot like his improbably successful runs four years ago.

And he appeared eager for a re-run of 2016, spending considerable time focused on his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, who elicited """"Lock her up!"" chants, even though she is not on the ballot.

00:02:55:15"

"00:00:00

Sanders: 'We have a president who is a racist'

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, 4 April 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I) Presidential candidate, on racism and the president:

(Reporter: With all the strides we've made toward racial justice and harmony, a lot of that in the last couple of years has taken steps back. What would you do to make it better?)

"" It's hard to believe that we have a president of the United States who is in fact, a racist.

00:04:22

A redacted version of Mueller's report is released

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 18 April 2019

2. STILL IMAGE - Special counsel Robert Mueller's report

00:11:05

Michael Cohen heads to prison

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

++CLIENTS NOTE: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE CAN BE HEARD IN BROLL++

New York - 6 May 2019

3. Michael Cohen exiting apartment building to speak to media

4. Cohen making his way to a waiting car++EXPLICIT LANGUAGE++

00:30:08

China US trade talks resume in Washington

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 10 May 2019

5. U.S. trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin greeting Liu He, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China outside the office of the USTR, they all walk inside

00:37:03

B-roll of goods made in China

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 10 May 2019

6. Black + Decker drill

7. Made in China on drill

8. Medium of Apple laptop computers

9. Assembled in China on laptop

00:54:10

Huawei asks court to deem US law unconstitutional

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beijing - 29 May 2019

10. Wide of Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping walking to podium

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Song Liuping, Huawei chief legal officer:

""Just now, we filed a motion for summary judgement. By doing this we hope that the court can issue a judgment in the fastest and the most efficient way, declare restrictions on Huawei as unconstitutional

01:20:20

Pelosi: Trump doesn't know right from wrong

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 13 June 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

""Yesterday the president gave us, once again, evidence that he does not know right from wrong. It's a very sad and very sad thing that he does not know right from wrong.""

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

"" The intelligence community, with great confidence has put forth that the Russians interfered in our election. That's an assault on our democracy, an assault on our democracy. This president says, it's a hoax. He takes an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. But, I guess it doesn't include him in terms of being to be held accountable to obey the law.""

02:02:23

Sarah Sanders to leave White House

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 9 October 2018

14. President Donald Trump walking with Sarah Sanders on the White House South Lawn

02:11:03

Trump: Radical Democrats 'want to destroy you'

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Orlando, Florida - 18 June 2019

15. Wide shot of Trump on stage at rally

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

No collusion and the facts that led our great attorney general to determine no obstruction. No collusion, no obstruction and they spent 40 million dollars on this witch hunt, 40 million dollars.""

17. Crowd

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

"" Our radical Democrat opponents are driven by hatred, prejudice and rage. They want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it. Not acceptable. It's not going to happen.""

"

The Trump administration is working on a new set of directives on the use of school bathrooms by transgender students, the White House said Tuesday.

The announcement alarmed LGBT groups across the country that have urged President Donald Trump to safeguard Obama-era guidelines allowing students to use school restrooms that match their gender identity, not their assigned gender at birth.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer did not provide any details on the new guidelines that are being prepared by the Justice Department, but said Trump has long held that such matters should be left to the states, not the federal government, to decide.

The Obama administration's guidance, issued last May, held that transgender students can access restrooms and participate in school athletics according with the gender they identify with.

Schools were also instructed to treat students in line with their expressed gender identity without requiring any medical proof.

While the move was hailed by rights organizations, it was attacked by conservative groups, which called it federal overreach and an infringement on the personal space and safety of all other students.

A patchwork of state laws and policies on the issue is emerging.

Fifteen states have explicit protections for transgender students, and many individual school districts in other states have adopted policies that recognize students on the basis of their gender identity, said Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign. Just one state, North Carolina, has enacted a law restricting students' bathroom access to their sex at birth.

But so far this year, lawmakers in more than 10 states are considering similar legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.

Raleigh, North Carolina – 22 February 2017

1. Wide shot of North Carolina legislative building

2. Tight of legislative building sign

3. Wide of transgender man talking on phone

4. Tight of name tag

5. SOUNDBITE (English): Ames Simmons, Equality NC

"Just, my stomach feels cold with worry. Even walking out, I saw a large group of school kids leaving the North Carolina General Assembly and wondered, How many students who are trans or gender non-conforming in that class might be hearing that same message today, and feeling like it's less for them in school. And that makes me, that makes me feel really sad as a trans person. To think about a young person feeling a lack of hope because of what the folks in this building and in Washington, DC are doing."

6. Wide of school kids leaving legislature

7. Tight of foot walking past state seal with word "CONSTITUTION"

8. Wide of Tami Fitzgerald of NC Values Coalition walking out of legislature

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Tami Fitzgerald, NC Values Coalition

"When Congress passed the Civil Rights Act and Title IX, they never contemplated that sex would mean gender identity. It's not in the bill. It's not what the bill says. It's not what the law says. And so we think that the directive that the Obama administration issued about interpreting sex as meaning gender identity is wrong, and it should be repealed."

10. Tight of Fitzgerald's name tag

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Tami Fitzgerald, NC Values Coalition

"I agree with President Trump. This IS a state issue. And the federal government was engaged in gross overreach when it issued this directive that impacted every public school in the country."

12. Mid of sign for school groups touring legislature

13. SOUNDBITE (English): Ames Simmons, Equality NC

"We believe that this is a terrible message that the Trump administration is sending to some of the most vulnerable young people in our country today. That the president and the administration are not going to protect them from discrimination, no matter what Title IX says."

14. Tight of sign for school groups

15. Wide of woman and son outside legislature

16. SOUNDBITE (English): Tina Matthews, Visiting Capital with Son

"I think that everybody deserves an equal shot at being who they are, love who they want to love and be able to go into a bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity."

17. Wide of legislative building

18. Mid of fluttering American flag

19. Mid of North Carolina flag

The Trump administration is working on a new set of directives on the use of school bathrooms by transgender students, the White House said Tuesday.

The announcement alarmed LGBT groups across the country that have urged President Donald Trump to safeguard Obama-era guidelines allowing students to use school restrooms that match their gender identity, not their assigned gender at birth.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer did not provide any details on the new guidelines that are being prepared by the Justice Department, but said Trump has long held that such matters should be left to the states, not the federal government, to decide.

The Obama administration's guidance, issued last May, held that transgender students can access restrooms and participate in school athletics according with the gender they identify with.

Schools were also instructed to treat students in line with their expressed gender identity without requiring any medical proof.

While the move was hailed by rights organizations, it was attacked by conservative groups, which called it federal overreach and an infringement on the personal space and safety of all other students.

A patchwork of state laws and policies on the issue is emerging.

Fifteen states have explicit protections for transgender students, and many individual school districts in other states have adopted policies that recognize students on the basis of their gender identity, said Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign. Just one state, North Carolina, has enacted a law restricting students' bathroom access to their sex at birth.

But so far this year, lawmakers in more than 10 states are considering similar legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.

Raleigh, North Carolina – 22 February 2017

1. Wide shot of North Carolina legislative building

2. Tight of legislative building sign

3. Wide of transgender man talking on phone

4. Tight of name tag

5. SOUNDBITE (English): Ames Simmons, Equality NC

"Just, my stomach feels cold with worry. Even walking out, I saw a large group of school kids leaving the North Carolina General Assembly and wondered, How many students who are trans or gender non-conforming in that class might be hearing that same message today, and feeling like it's less for them in school. And that makes me, that makes me feel really sad as a trans person. To think about a young person feeling a lack of hope because of what the folks in this building and in Washington, DC are doing."

6. Wide of school kids leaving legislature

7. Tight of foot walking past state seal with word "CONSTITUTION"

8. Wide of Tami Fitzgerald of NC Values Coalition walking out of legislature

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Tami Fitzgerald, NC Values Coalition

"When Congress passed the Civil Rights Act and Title IX, they never contemplated that sex would mean gender identity. It's not in the bill. It's not what the bill says. It's not what the law says. And so we think that the directive that the Obama administration issued about interpreting sex as meaning gender identity is wrong, and it should be repealed."

10. Tight of Fitzgerald's name tag

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Tami Fitzgerald, NC Values Coalition

"I agree with President Trump. This IS a state issue. And the federal government was engaged in gross overreach when it issued this directive that impacted every public school in the country."

12. Mid of sign for school groups touring legislature

13. SOUNDBITE (English): Ames Simmons, Equality NC

"We believe that this is a terrible message that the Trump administration is sending to some of the most vulnerable young people in our country today. That the president and the administration are not going to protect them from discrimination, no matter what Title IX says."

14. Tight of sign for school groups

15. Wide of woman and son outside legislature

16. SOUNDBITE (English): Tina Matthews, Visiting Capital with Son

"I think that everybody deserves an equal shot at being who they are, love who they want to love and be able to go into a bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity."

17. Wide of legislative building

18. Mid of fluttering American flag

19. Mid of North Carolina flag

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Tuesday that President Donald stood by his son on the accuracy of his son's statement regarding a June 2016 meeting his son Donald Trump Jr. had with a Russian lawyer.

Monday night, The Washington Post reported that Trump himself had dictated the July 8 statement in which his son Donald Jr. described a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer.

The statement said Trump Jr. and other top figures in the Trump campaign "primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children" with the lawyer.

Emails released later by Trump Jr. showed that the meeting was suggested to the Trump campaign as a means to deliver damaging material about Trump's election opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Last week, Kushner met privately at the Capitol with members of the Senate and House intelligence committees.

He acknowledged four meetings with Russians during and after Trump's victorious White House bid and insisted that he had "nothing to hide."

Huckabee Sanders also said the White House was not involved in crafting a Fox News story that implicated a murdered Democratic National Committee staffer in the WikiLeaks scandal.

A lawsuit filed by an investigator who worked on the Seth Rich case claims Fox News fabricated quotes and coordinated with the Trump administration on its later-redacted story.

The investigator, a Fox contributor, also alleged meeting with former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

Sanders says she sees nothing wrong with Spicer meeting with members of the press.

She's referring questions to the parties involved in the suit.

Washington - August 1, 2017

1. White House briefing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

"The statement that Don Jr. issued is true. There was no inaccuracy in the statement. The president weighed in as any father would based on the limited information that he had. This is all discussion, frankly, of no consequence. There was no follow up. It was disclosed to the proper parties, which is how The New York Times found out about it to begin with. The Democrats want to continue to use this as a PR stunt and are doing everything they can to keep this story alive and in the papers every single day. The president, the American people, they voted America first, not Russia first and that's the focus of our administration."

(Reporter question off camera): "Can you clarity to the degree to which the president weighed in?"

(Sarah Huckabee Sanders): "He certainly didn't dictate, but like I said, he weighed in, offered suggestion, like any father would do."

3. White House briefing

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House Press Secretary:

(Reporter question off camera): "Does it disturb you that there is an allegation out there in a law suit. And Sean Spicer admitted to meeting with these two individuals, that this was discussed in your White House?"

(Sarah Huckabee Sanders): "That he met with members of the media? I don't find that to be of a strange thing. You guys are all members of the media."

(Reporter question off camera): "To push a story that was later retracted because it was false. He met with that reporter and he met with a campaign donor. Does it disturb you? Does it say anything about this White House that you would entertain that kind of story?"

(Sarah Huckabee Sanders): "It doesn't bother me that a press secretary would take a meeting with somebody involved in the media about a story. None of that was disclosed. They had a coversation and that was the end of it. You guys come to us with stories all day. I've taken meetings with the majority of people in this room. I don't always know the nature of the story of which you are coming to me about. But it's my job to talk to you, to listen, and I'm responding. The president didn't have knowledge of this story. The White House didn't have any involvement in this story. And beyond that it's ongoing litigation that doesn't involved anybody in the building and so I'd refer you to the parties that it does."

5. White House briefing

The White House on Monday defended President Donald Trump's decision to invite Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte to the White House, saying it's an opportunity for the US "to work with countries in that region that can help play a role in diplomatically and economically isolating North Korea."

Human rights groups and other critics have expressed alarm at the invitation to Duterte, who they accused of being a "mastermind" of mass murder because of his anti-drug crackdown in which thousands have died.

Asked if Trump was aware of the Philippine president's human rights record when he extended the invitation, spokesman Sean Spicer said, "the president gets fully briefed on the leaders he's speaking to."

Duterte said he has not accepted the invitation because of scheduled trips to Russia, Israel and other countries.

Spicer was also asked about Trump's comments to Bloomberg on Monday that he was open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Ung under the right circumstances.

Spicer said, "clearly the conditions are not there right now," for such a meeting to occur, but added if Pyongyang ratcheted down its provocative behavior and rhetoric, among other things, President Trump would be open to the idea.

Tensions with North Korea have escalated recently as US and other intelligence agencies have suggested the country was readying a possible nuclear test.

The Trump administration has said all options, including a military strike, are on the table.

Washington, DC - 1 May 2017

1. Sean Spicer walks into briefing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I think it is an opportunity for us to work with countries in that region that can help play a role in diplomatically and economically isolating North Korea. And frankly, the national interests of the United States, the safety of our people and the safety of people in the region are the number one priorities of the president."

3. UPSOUND: Reporter question:

"Did the president know about those comments and about his record of human rights abuses when he extended the invitation for him to visit the White House?"

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I mean, the president gets fully briefed on the leaders he's speaking to, obviously, but the number one concern of this president is to make sure that we do everything we can to protect our people and specifically, to economically and diplomatically isolate North Korea. And I think when you look at what he is doing in terms of building that coalition of countries in that region to do it, I think this is hopefully going to have... Well he knows, I mean, I'm not going to tell you every single thing that's in his brief but he's well aware when he speaks with a leader, he gets briefed a lot about what they're doing, what they've done, that's all part of the brief."

5. UPSOUND: Reporter question:

"Today the president told Bloomberg he was open to meeting with Kim Jong Un if the conditions are right. How does the president define the right condition to have this meeting?"

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Well there's a lot of things that go along with that and I think that's the key thing - 'under the right circumstances,' was I believe the phrase he used. And I think that is something in keeping with our, with, consistent with the policy expressed by Secretary Tillerson, as well. We've got to see their provocative behavior ratcheted down immediately, there's a lot of conditions that I think would have to happen with respect to its behaviour and to show signs of good faith. Clearly the conditions are not there right now. I think the president has made it clear, as Secretary Tillerson had the other day that if the conditions, if the circumstances present themselves, we would be prepared to but they are clearly not at this time."

7. Cutaway of Spicer at podium

The White House says conditions aren't right for President Donald Trump to meet with Korean leader Kim Jong Un despite Trump's openness to the idea in the future.

Trump told Bloomberg he'd be open to a meeting under the right circumstances and said that, if appropriate, "I would be honored to do it."

During Monday's briefing White House spokesman Sean Spicer was asked to elaborate on why the president had described Kim Jong Un during the weekend interview as a "smart cookie."

"I think his point was, and he went over this in the interview, that he assumed power at a young age when his father passed away and there was a lot of potential threats that could have come his way and he is obviously managed to lead a country forward, despite the obvious concerns that we and so many other people have," Spicer said.

Adding, "he is a young person to be leading a country with nuclear weapons."

Tensions with North Korea have escalated recently as American and other intelligence agencies have suggested the country was readying a possible nuclear test.

The Trump administration has said all options, including a military strike, are on the table.

Washington, D.C. - 1 May 2017

1. Side, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer walking into briefing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Well, (ABC Reporter) Jon (Karl), I guess because he is still a head of state. So, it is sort of. There is a diplomatic piece to this, but the bottom line is the president is going to do what he needs to do. Right now he is building a coalition to isolate North Korea both economically and diplomatically to get the threat, to take that threat down and so, that is his number one priority right now, protecting this country and our people."

3. SOUDNBITE (English) Jon Karl, ABC Reporter:

"What did he mean when he called him one smart cookie, or a pretty smart cookie?"

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I think his point was, and he went over this in the interview, that he assumed power at a young age when his father passed away and there was a lot of potential threats that could have come his way and he obviously managed to lead a country forward, despite the obvious concerns that we and so many other people have. He is a young person to be leading a country with nuclear weapons. And so, that set aside, I think the president recognizes the threat that he poses and he is doing everything he can to isolate that threat and to make sure that we bring stability to the region."

5. Side, Spicer at podium

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The key part of the president's statement was under the right circumstances and that is the key and those circumstances do not exist now. This is consistent with what Secretary Tillerson said the other day. But I think that if North Korea continues down a degree of provocative behavior, then those circumstances will never be there."

7. Cutaway reporters

The White House says conditions aren't right for President Donald Trump to meet with Korean leader Kim Jong Un despite Trump's openness to the idea in the future.

Trump told Bloomberg he'd be open to a meeting under the right circumstances and said that, if appropriate, "I would be honored to do it."

During Monday's briefing White House spokesman Sean Spicer was asked to elaborate on why the president had described Kim Jong Un during the weekend interview as a "smart cookie."

"I think his point was, and he went over this in the interview, that he assumed power at a young age when his father passed away and there was a lot of potential threats that could have come his way and he is obviously managed to lead a country forward, despite the obvious concerns that we and so many other people have," Spicer said.

Adding, "he is a young person to be leading a country with nuclear weapons."

Tensions with North Korea have escalated recently as American and other intelligence agencies have suggested the country was readying a possible nuclear test.

The Trump administration has said all options, including a military strike, are on the table.

Washington, D.C. - 1 May 2017

1. Side, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer walking into briefing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Well, (ABC Reporter) Jon (Karl), I guess because he is still a head of state. So, it is sort of. There is a diplomatic piece to this, but the bottom line is the president is going to do what he needs to do. Right now he is building a coalition to isolate North Korea both economically and diplomatically to get the threat, to take that threat down and so, that is his number one priority right now, protecting this country and our people."

3. SOUDNBITE (English) Jon Karl, ABC Reporter:

"What did he mean when he called him one smart cookie, or a pretty smart cookie?"

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I think his point was, and he went over this in the interview, that he assumed power at a young age when his father passed away and there was a lot of potential threats that could have come his way and he obviously managed to lead a country forward, despite the obvious concerns that we and so many other people have. He is a young person to be leading a country with nuclear weapons. And so, that set aside, I think the president recognizes the threat that he poses and he is doing everything he can to isolate that threat and to make sure that we bring stability to the region."

5. Side, Spicer at podium

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The key part of the president's statement was under the right circumstances and that is the key and those circumstances do not exist now. This is consistent with what Secretary Tillerson said the other day. But I think that if North Korea continues down a degree of provocative behavior, then those circumstances will never be there."

7. Cutaway reporters

The White House says conditions aren't right for President Donald Trump to meet with Korean leader Kim Jong Un despite Trump's openness to the idea in the future.

Trump told Bloomberg he'd be open to a meeting under the right circumstances and said that, if appropriate, "I would be honored to do it."

During Monday's briefing White House spokesman Sean Spicer was asked to elaborate on why the president had described Kim Jong Un during the weekend interview as a "smart cookie."

"I think his point was, and he went over this in the interview, that he assumed power at a young age when his father passed away and there was a lot of potential threats that could have come his way and he is obviously managed to lead a country forward, despite the obvious concerns that we and so many other people have," Spicer said.

Adding, "he is a young person to be leading a country with nuclear weapons."

Tensions with North Korea have escalated recently as American and other intelligence agencies have suggested the country was readying a possible nuclear test.

The Trump administration has said all options, including a military strike, are on the table.

Washington, D.C. - 1 May 2017

1. Side, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer walking into briefing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Well, (ABC Reporter) Jon (Karl), I guess because he is still a head of state. So, it is sort of. There is a diplomatic piece to this, but the bottom line is the president is going to do what he needs to do. Right now he is building a coalition to isolate North Korea both economically and diplomatically to get the threat, to take that threat down and so, that is his number one priority right now, protecting this country and our people."

3. SOUDNBITE (English) Jon Karl, ABC Reporter:

"What did he mean when he called him one smart cookie, or a pretty smart cookie?"

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"I think his point was, and he went over this in the interview, that he assumed power at a young age when his father passed away and there was a lot of potential threats that could have come his way and he obviously managed to lead a country forward, despite the obvious concerns that we and so many other people have. He is a young person to be leading a country with nuclear weapons. And so, that set aside, I think the president recognizes the threat that he poses and he is doing everything he can to isolate that threat and to make sure that we bring stability to the region."

5. Side, Spicer at podium

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The key part of the president's statement was under the right circumstances and that is the key and those circumstances do not exist now. This is consistent with what Secretary Tillerson said the other day. But I think that if North Korea continues down a degree of provocative behavior, then those circumstances will never be there."

7. Cutaway reporters

White House press secretary Sean Spicer says that the results of President Donald Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month "are paying off" with respect to North Korea.

The Trump administration has repeatedly called on China to increase pressure on North Korea to comply with U.N. demands that it halt nuclear and missile tests.

China is urging a return to negotiations over North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons after Vice President Mike Pence warned that the U.S. has lost its patience with the regime.

Pence said during a Monday visit to South Korea that the North needs to abandon its weapons program and stop testing ballistic missiles.

Spicer said that during his visit to South Korea, Pence reassured the U.S. ally that "under President Trump, our iron clad alliance will be even stronger."

A North Korea missile exploded during launch in the latest test on Sunday.

Washington - 17 April 2017

1. Various of White House press briefing

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"But, I think with respect to North Korea in particular, the president had a really good meeting with President Xi down in Mar-a-Lago where I think he's spoken extensively about the relationship that they made down there and that they continue to work to improve and the results of that are paying off. I think you see China playing a much more active role with respect to North Korea. Both politically and economically, they can continue to apply pressure to achieve results and I think we're going to continue to urge China to exhibit its influence in the region to get better results."

3. Various of White House press briefing

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, I think we've had a very productive direction that we've seen China move in and I think there's an agreement by everyone so far that a nuclear capable North Korea is not in anybody's best interest and I think we're going to continue to work with the Chinese, in particular, on this case."

5. Various of White House press briefing

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The Vice President is delivering a message to the people of the Republic of Korea on behalf of the president that even in these troubled times, the United States stands with them for a free and secure future. Under President Trump, our iron clad alliance will be even stronger. Our nations will be safer and the Asia-Pacific region will be more secure."

7. Various of White House press briefing

White House press secretary Sean Spicer says that the results of President Donald Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month "are paying off" with respect to North Korea.

The Trump administration has repeatedly called on China to increase pressure on North Korea to comply with U.N. demands that it halt nuclear and missile tests.

China is urging a return to negotiations over North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons after Vice President Mike Pence warned that the U.S. has lost its patience with the regime.

Pence said during a Monday visit to South Korea that the North needs to abandon its weapons program and stop testing ballistic missiles.

Spicer said that during his visit to South Korea, Pence reassured the U.S. ally that "under President Trump, our iron clad alliance will be even stronger."

A North Korea missile exploded during launch in the latest test on Sunday.

Washington - 17 April 2017

1. Various of White House press briefing

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"But, I think with respect to North Korea in particular, the president had a really good meeting with President Xi down in Mar-a-Lago where I think he's spoken extensively about the relationship that they made down there and that they continue to work to improve and the results of that are paying off. I think you see China playing a much more active role with respect to North Korea. Both politically and economically, they can continue to apply pressure to achieve results and I think we're going to continue to urge China to exhibit its influence in the region to get better results."

3. Various of White House press briefing

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, I think we've had a very productive direction that we've seen China move in and I think there's an agreement by everyone so far that a nuclear capable North Korea is not in anybody's best interest and I think we're going to continue to work with the Chinese, in particular, on this case."

5. Various of White House press briefing

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean Spicer, White House Press Secretary:

"The Vice President is delivering a message to the people of the Republic of Korea on behalf of the president that even in these troubled times, the United States stands with them for a free and secure future. Under President Trump, our iron clad alliance will be even stronger. Our nations will be safer and the Asia-Pacific region will be more secure."

7. Various of White House press briefing