coverage of government, america's cable companies. c-span. 45 years and counting. powered by cable. get contact information for members of government right in the palm of your hand when you preorder your copy of his. congressional directory. with bio and contact information for every house and senate member of the one hundred 18th congress, important information on congressional committees, the president's cabinet, federal agencies and state governors. it costs $22.95 plus shipping and handling. and every purchase helps support our nonprofit operations. scan the code on the right or go to c-span.org to order your copy today. at the latest white house briefing, national security communications advisor

john kirby says the restriction was outraged and airstrike in gaza that killed several people working for rome central kitchen, and stretch a hit for is to do more to protect aid workers where the war continues. he also gave a brief summary of president biden's phone call with chinese president xi jinping. white house press secretary karine jean-pierre also took questions about the administration's decision to host a scaled-down event with muslim community members to mark ramadan. this is one hour.

>> good afternoon everybody. no bunny today. no bunny. just me, the admiral, and the team. ok. so, yesterday, the florida supreme court upheld the state's dangerous abortion ban, putting desperately needed medical care further out of reach for millions of women. what's worse, this ruling is also expected to trigger governor desantis's even more extreme ban that would prevent women from accessing care before many even know they are pregnant. we will continue to stand with the vast majority of americans support a woman's right to choose. president biden and vice president harris will continue to work to protect reproductive freedom and call on congress to pass a law restoring the protections of roe v. wade. second, starting this week, the white house will push congressional republicans to extend funding for the affordable connectivity program,

created as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law. the program is helping over 23 million americans save between 30 bucks and 75 bucks per month on high-speed internet cost, but funding for the program is set to expire. and millions of americans will lose this benefit in the coming weeks. six months ago, president biden sent a request to congress for $6 billion in supplemental funding to extend the program, but republicans in congress have failed to act. if congressional republicans continue to do nothing, tens of millions of their own constituents will see their internet costs go up and some may lose access to high-speed internet access altogether. additionally, and the president's agenda, we are prioritizing efforts enter the -- prioritizing efforts to counter the trafficking of illicit drugs to save lives. we are leading initiatives to

step up counternarcotics cooperation including with mexico and the prc and launch the global coalition to address synthetic drug threats which brings together more than 150 countries against cartels and illicit finance. working with our mexican partners, we have charged leaders of the sula cartel, and yesterday we charged 41 individuals connected to the jalisco new generation cartel. to date, we have sanctioned over 290 individuals and entities involved in the global illicit drug trade. a lot more work is needed, and that is why the president is pushing hard for the house to pass the senate's border security agreement, or for congress more broadly, because it didn't get out of the senate yet, for congress to push forth the border security agreement which would provide provide additional technology to stop

these illicit drugs. it is important to acknowledge when a mistake has been made and take responsibility for it. so, i want to recognize the "daily caller" for having the integrity to retract their story about the false claims that circulated this week about the easter egg roll. now i am quoting here, the retraction, "the ban of religious symbolism on eggs as part of the white house easter egg art contest has been long-standing, dating back decades, and the biden administration did not make any modifications to this rule." we hope others learn from their good example. i believe that there. finally i want to rita the president's call. he called chef jose andres to express that he's heartbroken by his by this news of the air strike that killed seven aid workers and to express and share his deepest condolences. the president conveyed that he

is grieving with the entire world central kitchen family. the president felt it is important to recognize the tremendous contribution that world central kitchen has made to people in gaza and people around the world. the president conveyed he would make clear to israel that humanitarian aid workers must be protected. now admiral john kirby is here to discuss the president's phone call with president xi of the people's republic of china. mr. kirby: good afternoon everybody. as you all know, president biden spoke by phone today with president xi jinping of the people's republic of china. the purpose was to build on the two leaders' meeting in woodside , california back in november of last year. over the course of about an hour and 45 minutes, the two leaders held a candid and constructive discussion on a range of

bilateral, and areas of differences. they encouraged continued progress on issues discussed at the woodside summit including counternarcotics cooperation , ongoing military to military communications, talks to address artificial intelligence-related risks, and continuing efforts on climate change and people to people exchanges. president biden also emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the taiwan strait, and reaffirmed the importance of the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the south china sea. he raised concerns over the china support for russia's defense industrial base and its impact on european and transatlantic security. he emphasized that the united states has an enduring commitment to the complete denuclearization of the korean peninsula. he also raised continued concerns about the prc's unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices which harm american workers and families

. he also emphasized that the united states will continue to take necessary actions to prevent advanced us technologies from being used to undermine our national security without unduly limiting trade and investment. the president also repeated his call for china to release u.s. citizens who are wrongfully detained or under exit bans. we believe that there is no substitute for regular communication at the leader level to effectively manage this complex and often tense bilateral relationship. both presidents agreed to pick up the phone and speak when needed. following the leaders' call, we will continue to advance our interests in cabinet-level diplomacy including visits to china by secretary of the treasury al-ayn and in coming days, secretary of state blinken . we were outraged to learn about the idf strike killed a number of civilian humanitarian workers yesterday from world central kitchen which has been relentless in getting food to those who are hungry in gaza

and, quite frankly, around the world. we extend our deep condolences to their families and their loved ones. we have seen the comments from prime minister netanyahu and from the israeli defense forces about their commitment to conduct an investigation. as we understand it, a preliminary investigation has been completed today and presented to the army chief of staff then we will look to see what the expected a -- chief of staff and we will officially look to see what they discovered. but we expect a broader investigation to be conducted and to be done so in a swift and comprehensive manner. we hope that those findings will be made public and that there is appropriate accountability held. more than aid workers have been 200 killed in this conflict, making it one of the worst for aid workers in recent history. this incident is emblematic of a larger problem, and evidence of wide distribution of aid in gaza has been so challenging. beyond the strike, what is clear is that the idf must do much

more than processes so the -- must do much more to improve de-confliction processes so civilians and humanitarian aid workers are protected. the u.s. will continue to press israel to do more as well to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and will continue to do all we can to deliver this assistance to palestinian civilians in gaza. thank you. reporter: do you have any queries regarding israel and gaza about the floating dock and how can aid workers be protected? reporter: what do you mean worries? obviously the temporary pier, it is done over the shore and it is on its way to the eastern military right now. it hasn't arrived yet. it will take time once it gets there to be assembled and to achieve what we call interim operating capability. we expect that will happen in the coming weeks. there is no concern in terms of our living and the skills needed to build it and to get it up and

running. what we are working with partners in the region on our two things, one is the logistics things. -- one is the logistics floor, getting maritime materials to the pier and then working with the israelis in particular about how that pier is protected and secured, and how the material gets from the pier into gaza and is further distributed. those modalities are still being worked out. reporter: do you expect to raise additional -- mr. kirby: we are under no illusion of the fact that gaza is always on. and protection of our troops will be first and foremost on the president mind as well as military leaders to make sure they can operate and assemble the pier in a safe way. believe me, we our well aware that gaza is a war zone and that is what makes it

challenging to get humanitarian aid. reporter: you said the white house is outraged or the strike that killed the world central kitchen workers. has the white house already conveyed that outrage to anyone in the israeli government? and what was their response? mr. kirby: i will not speak to their israelis. we have been clear about our feelings over this piculin strike and our expectations. reporter: have we provided for has the pentagon been able to gain any understanding of what happened? it sounds based on what jose andres has said that these workers were doing everything right, their vehicles were marked and they were in a safe zone. mr. kirby: it is devastating to see these images and to see the reports about the steps they tried to take to deck themselves, but the israelis have already said that this is on them and they are doing this

investigation. we obviously want to make sure that investigation gets completed and is as transparent as possible. there is accountability to be held here. reporter: question on china, what was the president's's message to the president when it comes to chinese misinformation campaigns or any effort by the chinese government or people associated with the chinese government to interfere in the 2024 election? mr. kirby: i will just say that we have been clear consistently even going back to the november meeting in california about our concerns about our own election security and efforts by certain actors, including some from the prc, to affect that. reporter: no new message in this conversation? mr. kirby: i have no new message to read out today. reporter: on the death of the world central kitchen aid workers which includes one american who was killed, netanyahu's reaction was, quote,

"it happens in war." what is your reaction to that comment from netanyahu? mr. kirby: i don't think it would be useful for me to get into a tit-for-tat here with the . and as i said that the that it will be transparent the results of it and that if there's accountability that needs to be had, it will be had. reporter: how can you take netanyahu at his word? as nancy was saying, this was a deconfliction zone. they had marked their car. they had even coordinated their movements with the idf. mr. kirby: as i said in my opening statement, this is incident, it is not the first one. there are issues of deconfliction that clearly need to be fleshed out and improved. reporter: so how can the u.s. continue to send aid to israel without any conditions?

mr. kirby: we are not sending aid to israel. we are sending aid into gaza, and that is -- reporter: how can the u.s. continue to send military aid without any conditions. is there no red line? mr. kirby: we have had this discussion, you and me, quite a bit. there is still -- they are still under a reliable threat of hamas. we are still going to make sure they can defend themselves. and the seventh of october doesn't happen again. that doesn't mean that it's a free pass that that we, that we look the other way when something like this happens or that we are not and have not since the beginning of the conflict, urged the israelis to be more precise, to be more careful. and, quite frankly, to increase the amount of humanitarian assistance that gets in. we have not been asked about it yet, but there was a discussion yesterday with our counterparts about rafah done virtually. we expect there will be an in person meeting here in a weeks time or so. the whole reason to have that meeting was to talk about concerns over a major ground

operation in rafah and to present viable alternatives for them to be more precise and more targeted. we are not paid attention to this is not that we are not paying attention to to the civilian casualties or the civilian suffering. it is just not true. reporter: these are verbal urgings, not commitments. mr. kirby: what i am telling you is we continue to work with the israelis to make sure they are as precise as they can be and more aid is getting in and will continue to take that approach. reporter: to follow-up, do you guys have confirmation of the nationality were killed in the strike? mr. kirby: i can confirm that one was a dual national american citizen. i could not speak with the authority about the nationalities of all of them. as i understand, there could be additional casualties coming. in terms of the current, i don't know? mr. kirby:? mr. kirby: do you know if there has been any contact with the

family of the dual national? mr. kirby: the state department has done outreach and i duly expect you will see outreach from us at an appropriate time. reporter: does the white house accept prime minister netanyahu's explanation that this incident was unintentional? mr. kirby: i think the investigation will bear that out. reporter: circumstances, is there a rule for some kind of protective force for aid workers given the threat of widespread famine and concerns about the -- you have already discussed the jaywalking and so forth, is there a rule that could be considered to try to protect aid workers with a neutral party security force? mr. kirby: that protective force are to be the idea. as we have said. as they conduct operations in an

urban, highly populated environment, the take care of the civilians living there and those, quite frankly, that are being moved about by the combat operations that are being conducted in a very confined space, they have that obligation. reporter: are you concerned that aid will be cut off for some period of time now because jose andres said there's a spending -- they are suspending operations for a period. the world food programme is having difficulties. it seems like this incident is exacerbating the crisis. mr. kirby: it certainly is not helping. there is no question about that. we obviously respect chef andres' decision not to continue operations for some time. we are not seeing a wholesale declaration of humanitarian assistance -- declination here of humanitarian assistance. but yes, that is a concern. the more violent it gets for

humanitarian aid workers and as i said, this is one of the worst in recent history, the less likely it is that going to be willing to take the risk, which means it is more likely that civilians will suffer. reporter: secretary blinken during his -- in paris did not condemn the airstrike, even though, as you confirmed, there was a dual american canadian citizen who was killed. the french foreign minister, who was at the same presser did. you say you were outraged. why is the u.s. not condemning the strike? mr. kirby: i think by saying that we are outraged, i think you can fairly characterize that as condemning the strike itself of course. i mean nobody wants to see this kind of violence happened to the humanitarian aid workers who as was noted earlier, or doing other writings. reporter: a follow-up to what was asked earlier about the floating pier, are you considering moving it off the coast of gaza?

mr. kirby: by definition it will be operating off the coast. reporter: how do you ensure that any private partners that the u.s. ends up partnering with to deliver aid is actually protected? mr. kirby: we are working on that right now. force protection for the troops and the people that are to be operating the pier will be paramount. there is going to be plans made plans with partners to do , everything that we can to ensure that that aid is safely assembled and collected at the pier and then safely distributed into gaza. it is going to be a multi step process. we will be responsible for some parts of that, but not all of it. it will take teamwork and we are working on that right now. reporter: quick clarification on something the secretary said against that iran delivered missiles to russia and they are being used moscow to target the ukrainians. penny confirmed that was the case and not just drone missiles, but ballistic missiles and if yes, since when has this transfer been underway?

mr. kirby: i am not aware of the specific verification that we can give to iranian missiles being delivered to russia for use in ukraine. they certainly continue to deliver drones and actually helping the russians manufacture iranian-designed drones. we know the russians have been using now for quite some time, ballistic missiles that they have gotten from north korea. but i am not personally aware of any verification that iranian missiles have been transferred and used. reporter: admiral, you said that there will be an investigation into the world central kitchen strike and you are reserving the u.s.'s judgment until that is completed. what is a reasonable timeframe for that investigation to be concluded? mr. kirby: we believe an investigation can be thoroughly conducted in a swift manner. now, what is swift? obviously we are not going to dictate a date on the calendar for the israelis.

but it is noteworthy that just before coming out here, i was informed that they have completed a preliminary investigation and are reporting that up the chain of command. that is good. that means that they have gotten some basic findings and some initial conclusions that they are willing to make. they have noted publicly that they were responsible here. that is another reason to suspect that there shouldn't to be a weeks long investigation, something like this could probably be resolved in a matter of days. reporter: does the u.s. expect iran to retaliate, and if so, how? mr. kirby: well, i can predict what the supremely there are -- and the irgc would presume to do or not. i don't know in terms of retaliation, i assume you mean against the united states.

let me make it clear, we had nothing to do with the strike in damascus. so the comments by the iranian foreign minister that somehow were to be held to account or that we were to blame, it is nonsense. we had nothing to do with it. we will, as we always have, take our force protection very seriously to protect our troops, our facilities in iraq and syria. as president biden has made very clear through the actions he has ordered, we will do what we need to protect those troops and facilities. reporter: on china, you said that the two leaders made a commitment to pick up the phone and call each other when needed. i am curious why it was needed now, why not next week, next month? was there a particular catalyst that they needed to have this phone? mr. kirby: not at all. they met in november and since then, the teams have been working a lot on fentanyl precursors, on climate change, on economic practices. on artificial intelligence. there has been a lot of staff level work and both presidents now, a few months later, was a good time to check in on one another, see how that's going,

and discuss the future. reporter: i just wanted to follow up with a question from the front row about the conditions of military aid. you said the questioner wanted you to hang some conditions over their necks, the israelis, you said wouldn't do that. why not? mr. kirby: i have already answered this question a whole bunch of times. we believe that the approach we are taking is working in terms of making clear to the israelis what our expectations are. i will not get ahead of decisions one way or another that we might take in the future. what i'm saying is right now we are continuing to support israel because they continue to need military assistance, because they continue to face a viable threat. reporter: but on the point of conditions, the president on february 8 issued a memo -- you already know this, but just for context -- it said it was the policy of the administration to prevent arms transferred that

risk facilitating or otherwise contributing to violations of human rights or international humanitarian law. is firing a missile at people who are delivering the israelis have already admitted mr. kirby: mr. kirby: that this was a mistake that they made. israelis have already admitted that. they're doing investigation. they will get to the bottom of this. your question presumes at this very early hour that it was a deliberate strike that they knew exactly what they were hitting, that they were hitting a workers . there is no evidence of that. i would also remind you, sir, we continue to look at these incidents as they occur. to date we have not found any incidents where the israelis have violated any international humanitarian law. and if you think we don't take it seriously, i can assure you that we do. we look at this in real-time. reporter: they have never violated international humanitarian law ever, in the

past five to six months? mr. kirby: the state department has looked at incidents in the past and has yet to determine that any of those incidents violate international humanitarian law. reporter: reporter: mr. kirby, the israelis have killed a senior hamas leader in beirut with precision weapons in an area where thousands of civilians were there. they killed senior iranian officials in the heart of damascus where thousands of civilians were there as well. doesn't make sense to you that a vehicle marked with "world central kitchen", after coordinating with the israelis? and doesn't this debunk your theory and defense of israel that it is difficult for them because hamas is embedded with the civilian population where they can go after hamas leaders in the heart of a civilian population in beirut and damascus? mr. kirby: to your second question, no, it is not my fury. just hang on a second now -- i have talked about this for months now, fighting in an urban

, highly populated and condensed environment like that is tough. but they have taken strikes, successfully taken strikes against hamas leaders in gaza. i can't speak to what happened in damascus. i can only tell you that the united states wasn't involved. so i'm not going to talk about the details of that whatsoever. a new they have taken precise strikes against hamas in gaza. they have also taken strikes that have been not precise. it looks very clearly that what happened yesterday is one of those examples. they will investigate that. our expectation is that they will come clean about what they learn, that they will be fully transparent and the people that need to be held accountable will be held accountable. reporter: there is another case of somebody who was allegedly murdering a young woman. at this time her name is ruben garcia. donald trump is out there now calling this biden's border bloodbath.

whether you call it? mr. kirby: first of all, i am not aware of this case. that is terrible news. our thoughts and prayers obviously go to the family of miss garcia. i mean that is that is kind of news no family ever wants to get ever. we would certainly defer to local law enforcement and investigative values to -- and investigative bodies to do the work that needs to be done to figure out exactly what happened to her and to hold the perpetrators accountable. why don't we let the judicial process play out here before we start making grandiose bumper sticker comments about what this says about the border? and peter, to folks that are concerned about border security, he agrees, the border needs some security capabilities. we need more border patrol agents. all that has to happen is for the speaker to do his job, but that supplemental on the floor, let's get a vote and let's get those 1300 additional border patrol agents down there to do their job. reporter: but everybody in this

room knows that the real you guys keep talking -- that the bill you guys keep talking about as a solution, is dead. mr. kirby: says you. reporter: it is dead. when is the vote? mr. kirby: ask speaker johnson. reporter: there are real problems at the border while the bill just languishes. the chief of border patrol says exactly 140,000 got away. if we don't know who is coming into our country and we don't know what their intent is that is a threat. does the president agree? mr. kirby: the president absolutely believes that along the border we have national security concerns that have to be met. you said something really good in your question, that while these concerns are going on, the bill languishes. so what is needed? it is not something from the president, what is needed is for speaker johnson to get the bill on the floor for a vote. they had a chance and decided not to act because certain people in the house republican

world wanted a problem, rather than a solution. reporter: as the person in charge of preventing a terrorist attack in the homeland, does president biden think that some of these border crossers could be in the united states right now plotting a terrorist attack ? mr. kirby: the president is confident that we are doing everything we can to be as vigilant as we can to ensure the safety and security of the american people here and at home. reporter: did that two of you speak about section 301 tariffs? mr. kirby: it did not come up. like semiconductors? mr. kirby: yes, they did talk about economic plans. we have significant difference of opinions over some up fair market practice that is the p.r.c. use that is puts american

workers and families at a disadvantage. she was very clear about that. reporter: are we clear to understand that the president did not warn president xi about election interference? mr. kirby: it was no new message today delivered on that. reporter: more than 280 aid workers died since the start of the year. could you tell us the time frame? mr. kirby: since the start of the war in october. i don't have -- that's our -- that's our stat over the course of the months. reporter: has the president reached to an high humanitarian organization before today? mr. kirby: i don't know. thank you.

reporter: you describe the strike as a possible mistake by israel. according to the israeli newspaper, it wasn't one strike, but three. the first one an interval in which eight workers got out of their vehicles,' moved the wounded and got into another vehicle which was struck and a third strike as they tried to move and escape in a third vehicle at which point all of them were dead. how would the second and third strikes of these marked vehicles be a mistake and why would the u.s. not more forcefully set conditions on the use of u.s.-made weaponry when it is being used to target aid workers if the first one was a mistake, the second too were targeted with the intent of killing everyone in that convoy. how do you respond to that?

mr. kirby: first of all, there's an investigation being done. why don't we let that get done and investigate what led to this outcome. if you don't like the word mistake, their error. they're investigate it. let them do that work and let them see what they come up with and let us go from there. reporter: one more. two years ago, the i.d.f. killed an al jazeera journalist. they said that that was a mistake. that she was wearing a marked press vest. mr. kirby: they released the findings which found that they were at fault. go on. reporter: but my question is, sir, in that case the israelis didn't initiate any criminal proceedings in this case if it was found that the marked convoy was deliberately targeted if not with the first shot but the second two shots, would the u.s.

support penalty penaltys? >> should there need to be accountable that the accountability would be properly in place for who ever might be response if. a lot of that depends on this investigation. reporter: this is the election year. does the president feel political pressure to act tough on china? >> mr. kirby, the president as commander in chief feels obligate and responsible for protecting the national security interest of the united states and much of his experience with president xi this morning which was candid and constructive, professional and business-like on the priorities that president biden holds so seriously. he did talk to him today, yes. reporter: have you talked to previous secretary about his plan without -- or do you accept this plan?

reporter: have we talked to mr. mnuchin about his -- no, not that i'm aware of. he -- he -- he can speak to that. he's a private businessman. >> the details about private conversations on tiktok? mr. kirby: the president made it clear to president xi that this was not a ban on the application but other interest in divetiture so that the data of the american people can be protect. >> is there progress? mr. kirby: is there progress? >> on the deal? mr. kirby: i know legislation hasn't reached his desk. and it's still on capitol hill. >> i have a question on ukraine and ramadan. president zelensky warns about a new russian offensive. while speaker johnson has been ignoring calls to out if the floor the senate approved

legislation and coming without a new ukraine aid. does that administration have a deadline which after you might consider emergency, some measures to support ukraine? mr. kirby: we've already executed some emergency measures. we have sent them $300 million in an emergency aid package. we're going to see what more we can do. but quite frankly our hands are very much tied here well need the supply mental. that's what will make a difference for ukraine. >> is there a deadline after you will try to do something more? mr. kirby: the deadline was weeks if not months ago when we needed the supply mental pass. the time is now. pass now. the ukrainian commanders on the ground are make difficult positions about what positions they're going to hold, what wents they're going to use. and the dumbass they are losing ground to the russians. it's way past time. >> ramadan -- why does the

president biden does not talk to the leaders and why it's not oppress as have been -- mr. kirby: that's a great segway for me to turn it right over. >> thank you. >> so just a couple of things on that question. look, you saw the president put out a statement very early on. last month about -- about ramadan and obviously respecting the religion and respecting the event. i will say about tonight that the president is going to continue his tradition of honoring the muslim community during ramadan. and so president biden will host a meeting with muslim community leaders to discuss issues of importance to the community. so he is going to be meeting with muslim leaders to your question. he will be joined by the vice president harris, senior muslim

administration officials and senior members of his national security team and to continue the white house tradition of honoring ramadan as he did just last month. after the meeting we will host a small breaking of the fast, prayer and stewart a number of senior muslim administration officials. so that is what the president and the vice president is going to be doing later today. reporter: why not the community leaders in >> the community leaders expressed the preference of doing a meeting, a working group meeting, if you will. they wanted to make sure that there was an opportunity to discuss the issue at hand. they thought it would be important to do that. and so we -- we did that. we listened. we heard and we adjusted the format to be responsive and so that we can get feedback from them. and that is request. this is actually a request from members of the community. this is what they wanted. and we understand that. they wanted to -- they want the president, the vice president

and senior administration officials obviously national security folks as well who will be joining the meeting to hear directly from them. so this is going to be seen as a work, working group meeting. and we are the president, the vice president, we are looking forward to having that -- that opportunity. ok. reporter: thanks, jean. -- on friday we're going to get job figures and it has shown that immigrants are hoping the u.s. economy. is the inflow of immigrants has strengthened the united states or hurt the united states? does it do more. >> i appreciate that the question. it's an important question as we're hearing clearly awful red rhetoric from the other side. but what we know -- what this president believes an you've heard this president say this before is that we know immigrants strengthen our country.

and our economy as well. it goes hand in hand here. think about the critical work eight immigrants were doing on key bridge when it collapsed, when it collapsed. while congress filed act on president biden's comprehensive immigration reform, remember he introduced that on his first day of his administration because he understand the importance of fixing immigration, a system that has been broken, that has been broken for decades. his administration has led the largest expansion of lawful immigration pathways in decades and we continue. we continue to work insure employers and they can effectively navigate the laws in plates. it only strengthens our economy. you hear our president talking about that about making sure that we have an economic that works for every one. making sure there's dignity and respect for everyone by doing that it boost our labor supply. it helped solve work force shortages and what ourebises are

facing -- that we see businesses are facing and we took a step forward. we spent two months working with the senate, working with republicans and democrats to try to figure out how do we deal with this broken system. we saw -- we put together what would have been put into law the toughest and fairest piece of legislation that we have seen in some time. but what we heard from the last administration from president trump and you heard me say this over and over again, you all reported this, that he told flounce reject that proposal because it would hurt him and help the president that's how this president sees this. this president sees the immigration system as an issue that the majority of americans care about and that we should fix. we should get to the bomb of this. so we're going to continue to urge congress, republicans, to move forward with that proposal. put it to the house.

get it out of the house. put it in front of the president. he will sign it. the toughest and fairest law that we have seen in some time. this is not about politics for this president. just to go back to the beginning of answering your question, we know immigrants strengthen our country and also strengthen our economy. reporter: just to follow-up on the tiktok question, the president brought it up with -- he did? has he also raised the issue with the senate majority lead chuck schumer because it hasn't been taken up by the senate. has he conveyed those same concerns about ownership, about, you folks in devestiju, are e to schumer? >> we are in communication including leaders schumer and others. and so i don't have a specific readout to give you about the

president's conversation on this particular issue as -- as my colleague as the admiral say. tiktok did come up and was raised top call with president xi. i think that's important. the president has always been very clear about his concern. he's been very public about that there's a real threat posed by certain technology services. and so operating in the united states put at risk american's personal information and broader national security. he's been clear about that including manipulation. he's been public about it. he brought it up to president xi. i just don't have anything specific to read out to you with any conversation with members of congress -- reporter: you want them to bring the bill to the floor? >> we support that bill. we do not see it as a plan. we see it as a divestment. we've been clear as well. we welcome that bill. we want it to go through the process.

we've been offering technical support as you heard us speak to -- you heard the national security adviser speak of this recently. you've heard me say that. and so we're going to continue to sup provide technical support and don't have conferses with members of congress. don't have anything else to share behind that? >> so during this call, the president talk to president xi about supplying components -- >> we've always been very clear. and the president did raise that we are deeply concerned obviously about the p.r.c. support for russia's war against ukraine and its efforts to help russia reconstitute the defensive base. i'm not going to go beyond that. but that did come up on the call. >> is there anything you can say about president's xi jinping's conversation? >> i'm not going to respond to

him. >> there's a readout of the call. ite i'm not going to get into reactions, personal reaction. i'm going to let president xi speak for himself. >> and the cost to attend new england colleges is topping $90,000 a year. >> we've been clear on how the cost of colleges have been crushing many, many familiar rhys. that's why one of the things that the president has been focused on is giving that student debt relief to many americans and families out there while we try to put forth something forward, republicans blocked it and the president continued to find ways to move forward in trying to find really comprehensive measures to make sure that we're giving relief to -- to americans so that they can -- you know, so they can start a family, so they can buy a home we've done that you've seen us announce a bunch of actions

which the president is proud of and is going to continue to find ways to give that relief. the department of education has -- has talked about the cost of college and certainly worked with students in figuring out ways for them to afford going to school. it's important if someone wants to be able to go to college, they should be able to do that. and they should be able to afford to make that decision. their families should be able to make that decision and not -- and not go into debt. add so the president has been very >> can clear about that. he's talked about his own experience. and so, look, we're going to continue to find ways to make sure that americans get a little bit of breathing room, get a little bit opportunity to move their lives forward to reach their dreams the way they they choose and so, yeah, you know, we're aware -- we're aware of -- how costly college can be.

reporter: the owner has denied responsible. they filed a federal lawsuit trying to limit the damages that they should have to payment where's the white house reaction to that lawsuit? is there going to be a reaction to force them to pay for damages? s.e.c. jean-pierre: the department of transportation is leading an investigation. want to be really mindful. not get ahead of that. and not going to talk to an active lawsuit as you just announced from from the ship owner. but look, i think it's important that we get to the bomb of this not just because of us but obviously for the people in baltimore, the people in maryland need to have an answer here. we're going to do everything that we can. they'll be an investigation. i want to be really mindful here. but sit always important to make sure that people areer held to account. for the president, he's going to do everything that he can, use the whole of government response as you have seen from this administration to don't make sure that we do the recovery to make sure that we rebuild that

bridge, make sure they reopen the port. and you're going to see the president on friday during that visit to baltimore. we'll have more details on that which is going to be really, really mindful. there's an investigation going on to get ahead on that. >> did he have any conversationswith congressional leader ahead of his trip to baltimore to talk about getting funding rolling knowing he will likely hear from local and state leaders about that? >> it's a good question. look, we have said that the federal government will fully refund rebuilding the bridge that's a commitment that the president is going to stand by. obviously, there potentially could be an opportunity or will be an opportunity for -- for congress to get involved and will have those discussion. we do -- we are having those conversationswith congressional members. i can't speak to what the president has on his calendar as far as peaking to congressional members ahead of friday. but i can assure you it is a conversation that members of his team are continuing to have and

will don't have as we move forward in making sure the people of baltimore, you know, the community gets back on their feet as it relates to getting this bridge back, opening up the port. it is critical it is important and we want to make sure we get that done rory the way you describe the celebration with the vice president and smaller scale working group. is that an acknowledgement that there's a great tension between the president and the muslim community and that you can't do it publically because you would be concerned about protests? sec jean-pierre: the community leaders expressed their preference here. they wanted to have a working group meeting. that's something that they asked for. we listened. we heard them senior officials have been, you notion senior white house officials been having really important conversations with member of. that community, the palestinian community because we understand

how pain nfl moment is for them. and we want to hear directly from them. that is request from them. they wanted to -- they wanted to have again, a private-working meeting. they wanted this meeting to be held private so we're respecting that. we're respecting the fact that they want privacy se. it is not the first time they requested a situation where it is private. and so that's -- it is what we heard during our outreach. and we're going to respect that. and this is what we're doing today. it doesn't take away -- it doesn't take away how we're going to continue to honor the tradition of the muslim community as we speak about ramadan, during ramadan. this is something that we're going to respect and continue to do so. but in this particular instance, they wanted a working group meeting. they wanted it to be private. and we're going to respect that. >> going back to bloodbath question, the foreman president used that terminology a week or two ago but talking about it again today.

what's the white house reaction to the use of that term bloodbath? >> i'm going to be really mindful because it's the president -- the former president is also a candidate here. so want to follow the law. with that. but we have to denounce our response. -- responses. we have to denounce any violent rhetoric that tears our country apart. it can tear our country apart and puts our fellow countrymen in harm's way. we have to denounce that i think if we think that the american people want to see the country coming together. that's what they want. they want to -- that want to make sure that we respect our democracy. they want to make sure that we respect the rule of law. that's what they want. and so that is what the president is going to continue to fight for. we're going to -- any type of violent rhetoric, we're going to denounce that it doesn't matter who it comes from. we're going to denounce that.

reporter: does the president believe there's a bloodbath take place or a wave of migrant crime? >> look, we've been very clear about -- i just laid out to josh when it comes to immigrants, how important they are to -- to the fabric of this country, how important they are to the strength of this economy. and that continues to be true, right? that's something that the president believes. and we've always called out any -- if there is any form of -- of violence that that could be caused by one person, right? that we may have seen. be call that out as welsh and that is always important to do. but in this instance, it is used to -- the way that this violent rhetoric is being used it is being used to tear this country to be apart. americans want to see us bringing the country together.

and -- and so that form of rhetoric it's not helpful to us. so we're going to continue to call that out. and we're going to be very, very clear about that. but you know, if -- if a violent act happens as we have seen and someone is killed, we want to make sure that -- that we want to condemn that. and we want to make sure that the law comes into place and that law enforcement deal with that. but to denuance entire community, we have to denounce that any type of violent rhetoric. >> quick point of clarification on ukraine. so when donald trump is talking about a bloodbath, it is violent rhetoric. what was it when joe biden said in 2020 -- what we can want let happen is let this primary become a negative bloodbath? >> so i'm going to be really mindful and careful about donald trump. but if you read because he is a

candidate. we're talking about the 2024 election. you should read what he said in its context. so you have to read -- >> i understand, bloodbath is an ugly word. >> you have to actually ask me the question in context of what it was said. what it was said when he said that, right? his remarks, right? that's being disingenuous. >> i'm reading a direct quote. what we can't let happen is let this primary be a negative bloodbath? >> he was talking about a group of people, a group of people. that's what he's talking about. what the president was talking about during the primary was not to allow it to be the words and -- and the primary and that election to become negative, two different -- two different things. they're not the same. they're not the same. and your question is disingenuous. i'm going to be really mindful here. i'm going to be really careful. we have to denounce violent

rhetoric, wherever it comes from. a foreman leader, we have to denounce that. because we saw what happened on january 6. we saw what happened there. when you have a mob of 2,000 people go to the capital because they didn't believe in -- the free and fair election that just happened, months prior because of violent rhetoric, you have to denounce that. that's not what leaders should be doing. all right. i think i have to go. go ahead. i rarely call on you. >> i rarely speak. on college costs, there are hundreds of thousands of family ace cross the country waiting to see if their students will be able to afford college due to the botched rollout of the fact that -- and just this week almost every day the u.s. department of education is denouncing another setback. it's -- it's april. and you know, wondering what -- what the white house is doing,

what the oversight looks like and what accountability will look like for these families particularly the one that is rely on financial aid to go to college? >> this is a really good question. and i just want to say that this administration is committed to ensuring that students have access to the maximum financial aid possible. so like with most major changes implementing this new system has brought certain challenges and we've been very honest about that. and we've been very clear about that yes, we have had some chance challenges. here. we don't want to forget over six million records have been processed and that's important and delivered to schools. and the department has an on-deck--- all hands on deck team and to make sure that students can access maximum financial possible. we understand how important it is to get this aid. we want to make sure that we get

this done. it's and all hands on deck scenario. we have had some challenges. we acknowledge that and we're doing every can we to fix that thanks, everybody. i'll see you tomorrow. announcer: c-span washington's journal, a live forum to discuss the latest issues and government politics and public policy. from washington, d.c. to across the country. coming up wednesday, morning. we'll talk with politico reported lara seli gman on the fallout of an israeli strike that killed five workers in gaza. and jason palmer discusses his presidential bid. also texas army veteran dustin ebey who changed his time in literally anybody else discusses hi presidential bid.

wade miller for citizens for renewing america on campaign 2024 and the campaign's policy agenda for a potential second term. c san's washington journal, live at 7:00 eastern on c-span, c-span now or online at c-span.org. >> on wednesday, a discussion of bipartisan proposals to help working families with young children. watch live from the brookings institution at 3:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. onofre mobile video app or online at c-span.org. >> we're funded by these response source including