Complete deniability. If i was the United States or the iranians i would want to keep it that way. Mark, in your presentation you mentioned that in iraq and the United States and iran are kind of tacitly in alignment supporting the central government, perceived as a broader shiite government. In syria the interests begin to diverge over the future of assad. How do you see that tension playing out over time, particularly when you have u. S. Forces in iraq where you also have iranian forces. Some inadvertent action that run up against each other how do you see these issues getting worked out over time . He makes this intriguing prospect of American Forces in iraq somehow not fighting advisers there are going to be engaged in combat. That is very much a disagreement depending on whether you talk to someone at the pentagon are at the white house. Certainly the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff have indicated that the pentagon envisions they will be working with iraqi forces on the ground, calling in airstrikes. That raises some very interesting prospects for whatever they are doing to beat back isis in iraq. I think the real question that we cant answer at this point is to what extent does the syria what is the ground picture in syria . Ground. It is hard to imagine that he is going to go back on that. But a lot can happen in two years. The question is if there was a military presence in syria, who will they be fighting and to what extent does this issue of a collision course assad remains at the center of the picture. It is in my mind in the reporting ive seen i still havent quite figured out how whatever force that has been trained to be the boots on the ground, what they are going to do, and you they are going to fight, and how that is going to be worked out with either an american presence or the presence of another arab nation. If you can imagine iraq is actually an easier thing to envision in syria, which is a far more complicated prospect. Thank you. Lets open to the floor for questions and comments. If the speakers could please identify themselves. Thank you. It was announced earlier this week that they have agreed to construct eight new Nuclear Reactors in iran. What are the impacts of that announcement . David, you broke the story earlier this week about the possibility of fissile material going to russia, and now this new development that they could build reactors, because one of the issues has been iran this opens the door to the possibility there might be some practical needs for the fuel cycle program. Whats your take . Its an excellent question and i think that the upside of this for the iranians has been were enriching fuel for a set of reactors that do not exist. The russian supply it and will be supplying it through 2021. Now the agreement that was announced was a bit vague. It talked initially about two reactors, the possibility of moving up to eight. We know from our own experience here in the United States, we know from the japanese experience and the European Experience its a lot easier to announce reactors than to build reactors, although it would be interesting to see if a not in my Backyard Movement crops up in iran. That would be an interesting story. It creates a rational of sorts under which the iranians could justify going up to the supreme leaders 190,000 centrifuges as a rational for fueling these when they get built. It takes so long to build them, they would have plenty of time to do this. To that degree it helps. The other side is the iranians are inefficient producers of uranium. If they wanted to do this at a cheaper price they would buy the nuclear fuel on the open market. There is a glut oist, particularly after the japanese closed down so many of their reactors. But there was a glut before that time. And so it doesnt make a lot of sense for the iranians to be producing this inefficiently, shipping it to russia, having it fabricated into this specialty fuel to fuel these reactors. But if, in fact, it is a way of maintaining control and people can see what they are producing, if its regularly leaving the country, we have a high confidence level the russians are doing this correctly, then its a potential solution. And there is no reason that the iranians shouldnt be allowed to produce this assuming there is an understanding about what happens to the spent fuel so it doesnt turn into plutonium fuel. May i add my sympathies about michael. He was a member of our Iran Task Force and very helpful in that regard. To david, how important is it that this declarified are you surprised that obviously nothing would happen until november 24, is it necessary for the findings to be publicized at some point . Could they be kept quietly . Could this be a long process that does not lose face for the iranians who insist they never intended to build Nuclear Weapons . Very good question. This is i think in many ways the toughest issue for the iranians, because if you believe the intelligence, and there is a big if there, prior to 2004 there was something that resembled the manhattan project, if you believe the intelligence and we wont know that until you get that amount of data. There are three levels to answer your question. One is should they have to respond to this because its an i. A. E. A. Investigation and theyve said they would answer the questions. Secondly, and i think for my own personal view and as a reporter not that it makes a difference, if you are going to enforce those norms in the future against other states, i think giving somebody a pass is problematic because then you have to justify it the next time and the time after that. The second question is do you make it public . That adds to the embarrassment question. In a post wickileaks, post snowden world operating with an organization that has 180 some odd members whose own control over information has been bless them, a little bit he has than full. S than its been the mark and david employment act over the years and you too when you were a full time reporter. It is a very important source of information whether they intend to be at times or not, i cant imagine that information would stay secret forever. It boggles the mind to imagine that. And the third question is even if you dont reveal the history, do you want to make sure that the iaea is constantly interviewing the scientists who worked on those programs to make sure they are gainfully employed on something other than a Nuclear Weapons projects. And so far they have not been able to interview any of them and the iranians have made the point when their Scientists Show up in public some place the sticky bomb ends up on the side of their car. They have some good reasons to not want to reveal who their scientists are. We have an overflow room. Let me take a question from there. We talked about the muddle through scenarios. Lets talk about the politics of that both here and in iran. There is an interim deal that pockets whatever progress has been made and opens the door to future negotiations on outstanding issues, how will that play here and potentially there . It would be a delicate balancing act because on one hand youd want to maintain the sanction structure to maintain the pressure on iran but there would have to be something in it for iran to go along with it. And the politics here particularly with the changing congress are complicated on the iranian side. Its the politically loaded question weve discussed it to be. How do you see an interim option sort of playing out if thats the outcome on november 24 . I think this would be tough with congress because a partial deal by necessity will not have a lot of specificity about time lines and sharp measures so you are in the position of lifting some sanctions without complete clarity unless some complete clarity is announced about what the iranians do in return. For them it would be difficult as well because presumably the u. S. Position and the p 5 plus 1 position would be we cant discuss permanent lifting of sanctions until you have a permanent deal. Im not sure they want to live with a temporary lifting of sanctions that could be easily reversed. I dont know how the rest of the region would feel but i think they would be nervous. I think they would be very nervous. Any attempt by iran to read the u. S. Political situation would be quite difficult, like what it means for them, the republican takeover of the senate just as it is for our own political analyst to read the political situation. I think whether iran sees benefit or risk of the new congress, i think that they i think once again it goes to robs point of its important for them to realize the opportunity when they have it. I think well close it there. Ill turn to my colleague, the director of the middle east program for closing remarks. And i should add it was the middle east program that sponsored todays event and we thank holly for that. Thank you. Thank you to our speakers. You couldnt have done a better job. I wish michael had been with us to have shared his views. I know he would have loved the discussions. In the last piece he authored for breaking defense on may 19 of this year, he thought the two sides faced intractable differences and had run into a brick wall. When i read this the next day, i started arguing with him and i told him i think its a mud wall and not a brick wall. And neither i was able to convince him nor he was able to convince me. He was not 100 pessimistic but he was not hopeful about the possibilities of a deal by november 24. He was still a skeptic when rob and i and our colleague saw him shortly before he passed away. He was not interested at all to talk about his health. He was interested in talking about the Nuclear Negotiations and what was happening. Michael was intimately familiar with the details of the negotiations. He was present at almost all the meetings of the negotiators in europe. He knew and had talked to most of the principles. And i remember when he went there to talk to the foreign minister, i argued with him and i said you dont have to go just because he wants to talk to you. He said no, this is an opportunity i dont want to miss. Every time there was a negotiators meeting, he wanted to be there and was there and in the last six, seven months, i tried to talk him out of attending the meeting, especially the one in geneva which i think was his last meeting in july of this year but he went. Im certain if he were still with us he would be finding stories over the weekend. Michael was working on a book on the history of the iran Nuclear Negotiations at the time of his death. He showed me the first 60 pages because i constantly nagged him and i said i want you to show me something. So one day he walked in and gave me 60 pages. And he opened the book with his one and only visit to iran charting the difficult road that lay ahead. And he was hoping to complete the book by december. We at the wilson center, his colleagues will get hold of the manuscript, we will make sure to finish it for him. But book or no book, we at the center, his colleagues, friends and editors will always remember michaels measured insightful observations as the negotiations with iran go forward. So we are very thankful that you are all here. We are very thankful to the family who joined us this afternoon and please join us for a reception which is in the dining room. Thank you. [applause] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2014] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] in his weekly address, president obama discusses the Affordable Care acts new open Enrollment Period which began today. U. S. Representative Brad Wenstrup discusses the republican legislative priorities for the lameduck session and the 114th congress. Hi, everybody. Over the past year, more than 10 million americans have gained the Financial Security and peace of mind that comes with health insurance. More than seven Million People enrolled in affordable coverage by visiting healthcare. Gov, or going to the marketplace in their state. On average, theyre paying just 82 a month for coverage. For a lot of people, thats less than a cell phone bill or a cable bill. Insurance companies can no longer deny you coverage just because you have a preexisting condition, and they now have to cover free Preventive Care like checkups and mammograms. If you missed your chance to get covered last year, heres the good news. Starting november 15th, today, you can go online or call 18003182596 and get covered for 2015. And weve spent the last year improving and upgrading healthcare. Gov to make it faster and easier to use. If you already buy insurance through the online marketplace, now is the time to take a look at some new options for next year. You might be able to save more money, or find a plan that fits your familys needs even better than the one youve got now. If you havent signed up for insurance yet, this is your chance. Odds are, youll qualify for tax credits to help you afford it. But this window wont stay open forever. You only have three months to shop for plans, so its worth starting right away. And it might make a big difference for your familys bottom line. Last year, i got an email from a woman named amy williams, in augusta, georgia. She and her husband are selfemployed in the trucking business. For years, they paid about 1,200 a month for their health insurance. Then they checked out healthcare. Gov. They found a plan with coverage they liked, and it was way less expensive. She says that theyve saved around 13,000 on their premiums this year alone. Stories like amys are why we fought so hard to pass the Affordable Care act. To help more families breathe a little easier. In part because this law is working, Health Care Prices have grown at their slowest rate in nearly 50 years. And this year, insurance premiums for families who are covered through an employer grew at a rate tied for the lowest on record. So spread the word. Tell your friends and family members to get covered. Talk to folks in your church or your classroom. Tell them to take a few minutes to check out healthcare. Gov, cuidadodesalud. Gov, or call 18003182596 it can make a big difference in their lives. Let them know that its easy, its affordable, and that they have just three months, starting today, november 15th, to sign up. Together, we can make sure that even more of america gets covered in the year ahead. Thanks, and have a great weekend. Good morning, im dr. Brad wenstrup, and i have the honor of representing ohios second congressional district. In the days since the election, republicans have begun to make good on our vow to honor your trust by focusing first on jobs and the economy. On friday, the house voted to approve the keystone xl pipeline, which will help Lower Energy Costs and get people back to work. We ask president obama and Senate Democrats to finally give this project the green light that the American People have been waiting for. Well also work to pass the hire more heroes act, which will encourage businesses large and small to hire americas veterans the very americans to which we owe our security and freedom. Well take on obamacare and well propose that congress not the bureaucrats has the final say on all new major regulations. This is just a start on getting some important things done in the months ahead. Now, after the election, the president may have said i hear you, but by the looks of things, its just the opposite. On monday, he proposed a new set of rules to regulate of all things the internet, one of the few places innovation has thrived, even in a struggling economy. Then he agreed with the Chinese Government on rules that continue his misguided crusade against affordable, reliable energy. In this economy, we need relief from the epas grip, not more heavyhanded mandates that take away american jobs and squeeze middleclass families. The president also continues to raise the possibility of taking unilateral action on executive amnesty. Weve warned him that such action would make it that much harder to pass Immigration Reform and find common ground. Sadly, theres even more. Weve now come to learn that one of obamacares architects said the law passed because americans were too stupid to know what was happening. This is the same arrogance weve seen time and time again from this administration and its allies. This is insulting to all of us. They say one thing and do another. They spend money we dont have with little to show for it but more debt and broken promises. And they stay off course even when hardworking people are stuck earning less and paying more for just about everything. Americans deserve far better. You deserve a government that doesnt just hear you, but actually listens to you and puts your priorities first that focuses on securing more jobs and a Better Future for our children. Thats what you can expect from the new republican majority. Thank you for listening, and god bless the United States of america. Our takestys t american tv on the road to learn about history. This week and partner with Charter Communications to go to madison, wisconsin. Is probably the most important political figure in Wisconsin History and one of the most important in the history of the 20th century of the United States. He was a reforming governor, he defined what progressive medicine was. He was one of the first to use progressive to self identify. He was a United States senator, who was recognized by his peers and the five great senators in American History. He was opponent of war and war one and stood his ground and stood his ground that advocated for free speech. He was about the people. Ofspent the latter part 1890s giving speeches all over wisconsin. If you what a speaker for your club or group, bob would give the speech. He went to county fairs. He went to every kind