Good afternoon everybody. Happy friday. I thought i would take some questions but first let me say a few words. This morning we learned that our economy created over 200,000 new jobs in july. Thats on top of about 300,000 new jobs in june. So we are now in a sixmonth streak with at least 200,000 new jobs each month. Thats the first time that has happened since 1997. Over the past year we have had more jobs than any year since 2006 and all told our businesses have created 9. 9 million new jobs over the past 53 months. Thats the longest streak of privatesector job creation in our history. And as we saw in wednesday the economy grew at a strong pace in the spring. Companies are investing, consumers are spending, American Manufacturing energy, technology autos all are booming. Thanks to the decisions we have made and the grid and resilience of the American People we have recovered faster and come farther from the recession than almost any other advanced country on earth. So the good news is the economy clearly is getting stronger. Things are getting better. Our engines are revving a little bit louder and the decisions we make right now can sustain and keep that growth and momentum going. Unfortunately there are series of steps we could be taking to maintain momentum and perhaps even accelerate it. There are steps we could be taking that would result in more job growth, higher wages, higher incomes, more relief for middleclass families and so far at least in congress we have not seen them willing or able to take those steps. I have been pushing for common sense ideas like rebuilding or the structure in ways that are sustained over many years and support millions of good jobs and help businesses compete. Ive been advocating on behalf of raising the minimum wage, making it easier for working folks to pay off their student loans, fair pay, paid leave, all these policies have two things in common. All of them would help working families feel more stable and secure and all of them so far have been blocked or ignored by republicans in congress. Thats why it might administration keeps taking whatever actions we can take on our own to help working famili families. Now its good that congress was able to pass legislation to strengthen the va and i want to thank the chairman and ranking members who were involved in that. Its good that congress was able to at least Fund Transportation projects for a few more months before leaving town although it falls far short of the kind of infrastructure effort that we need that would actually accelerate the economy. But for the most part the bigticket items, the things that would really make a difference in the lives of middleclass families, those things are just not getting done. Lets just take a recent example, immigration. We all agree that theres a problem that needs to be solved in a portion of our southern border. And even agree on most of the solutions. But instead of working together, instead of focusing on the 80 where there is agreement between democrats and republicans between the administration and congress, House Republicans as we speak are trying to pass the most extreme and unworkable versions of a bill that they already know is going nowhere areas they cant pass it in the senate and if it were to pass the senate i would veto it and they know it. Ive been trying to solve a problem. This is a message bill they couldnt pull off yesterday so they made their little more extreme so maybe they could pass it today. Just so they can check a box before they are leaving town for a month. This is on an issue that they all and says it had to be a top priority. Our efforts administratively so far have helped to slow the tide of Child Migrants trying to come to our country but without Additional Resources and help from congress, we are just not going to have the resources we need to fully solve the problem. That means while they are out on vacation im going to have to make some tough choices to meet the challenge with or without congress and yesterday even though they have been sitting on a bipartisan immigration bill for over a year, House Republicans suggested that since they dont expect to actually pass a bill that i can find that i actually should go ahead and act on my own to solve the problem. Keep in mind that just a few days earlier they voted to sue me for acting on my own and then when i couldnt pass the bill yesterday, they put out a statement suggesting i should act on my own because they couldnt pass the bill. So immigration has not gotten done. A student loan bill that would help folks who have Student Loan Debt consolidate and refinance at lower rates, that didnt pa pass. The transportation bill that they did pass just gets us through the spring when we should actually be planning years in advance. States and businesses are raising the minimum wage for their workers because this congress is failing to do so. Even basic things like approving career diplomats were critical ambassador posts arent getting done. Last night for purely political reasons Senate Republicans for a certain period of time blocked our new ambassador to russia. It raised such an uproar that finally they went ahead and let irs and ambassador pass it at a time when we are dealing everyday with the crisis in ukraine. They are still blocking our ambassador for sierra leone where there is currently in is currently an evil outbreak. Theyre blocking ambassador to guatemala even as they demand to stop the flow of unaccompanied children from guatemala. There are a lot of things we could be arguing about on policy. That is what we should be doing as a democracy that we shouldnt be having an argument about placing career diplomats with bipartisan support in countries around the world where we have to have a presence. The bottom line is this, we have come a long way over the last five and a half years. Our challenges are nowhere near as bonding as they were when i first came into office. But the American People demand and deserve a strong and focused effort on the part of all of us to keep moving the country forward and to focus on their concerns. And the fact is we could be much further along and we could be doing even better and that the economy could be Even Stronger and more jobs could be created if congress would do the job the people sent them here to do. I will not stop trying to work with both parties to get things moving faster for middleclass families and those trying to get into the middle class. When Congress Returns next month my hope is instead of simply trying to pass partisan message bills on party lines that dont actually solve problems, they are going to be willing to come together to at least focus on some key areas where there is broad agreement. After all that we have had to overcome, our congress should stop standing in the way of our country success. So with that let me take a couple of questions and i will start with roberta with reuters. I want to ask about the institution and why do you think israel should embrace a ceasefire in gaza when soldiers appear to have been abducted and hamas continues to use its network of tom most to launch attacks and also have you seen israel on your call protecting civilians . Well first of all i think its important to note that we have and i have unequivocally condemn hamas and the palestinian factions that were responsible for killing two Israeli Soldiers and abducting a third are most minutes after the ceasefire had been announced. And the u. N. Has condemned them as well. I want to make sure that they are listening and if they are serious about trying to resolve the situation that soldier needs to be unconditionally released as soon as possible. I have been very clear throughout this crisis that israel has a right to defend itself. No country can tolerate missiles raining down on its cities and people having to rush to bomb shelters every 20 minutes or half hour. No country can or would tolerate tunnels being dug under their land that can be used to launch terrorist attacks, and so not only have we been supportive of israel in its right to defend itself but in very concrete terms for example in support for the iron dome Problem Program that is intercepted rockets fired down on israeli cities. We have been trying to cooperate as much as we can to make sure that israel is able to protect its citizens. Now the same time we have also been clear that innocent civilians in gaza caught in the crossfire have to weigh on our conscience and we have to do more to protect them. A ceasefire was one way in which we could stop the killing, to step back and to try to resolve some of the underlying issues that have been building up for quite some time. Israel committed to the 72 hour for ceasefire and it was violated and trying to put that back together is going to be challenging but we will continue to make those efforts. Let me take this opportunity by the way to give secretary john kerry credit. He has been persistent. He has worked very hard. He has endured on many occasions really unfair criticism. Simply to try to get to the point where the killing stops and the underlying issues about israels security but also the concerns of palestinians in gaza can be addressed. We are going to keep working towards that. Its going to take some time. I think its going to be very hard to put a ceasefire back together again if israelis and the International Community cant feel confident that hamas can follow through on a ceasefire commitment. And its not particularly relevant whether a particular leader in hamas ordered the subduction. The point is when they sign onto a ceasefire they are claiming to speak for all the palestinian factions. They dont have control and just moments after ceasefire signed you have Israeli Soldiers being killed and captured, then its hard for the israelis to feel confident that a ceasefire can actually be honored. I am in constant consultation with Prime Minister netanyahu. Our National Security team is in constant communication with the israeli military. I want to see Everything Possible done to make sure that Palestinian Civilians are not being killed and it is heartbreaking to see what is happening there. I think many of us recognize the dilemma we have. On the one hand, israel has a right to defend itself and its got to be able to get at those rockets and those Tunnel Networks. On the other hand, because of the incredibly irresponsible actions on the part of hamas too oftentimes house these rocket launches right in the middle of civilian neighborhoods, we end up seeing people who had nothing to do with these rockets ending up being hurt. Part of the reason why we have been pushing so hard for a ceasefire is precisely because its hard to reconcile israels legitimate need to defend itself with our concern with those civilians. And if we can pause the fight, then its possible that we may be able to arrive at a formula that spares lives and also ensures israels security. But its difficult and i dont think we should pretend otherwise. Bill plante. Mr. President like that ceasefire you have called for Diplomatic Solutions not only in israel and gaza but also in ukraine and iraq. With very little effect so far. As the United States of america lost its influence in the world and have you lost yours . Look, this is a common theme that folks bring up. Apparently people have forgotten that america has the most powerful country on earth still does not control everything around the world. And so our diplomatic efforts often take time. They often will see progress and then step backwards. That has been true in the middle east. That has been true in europe. That has been true in asia. Thats the nature of world affairs. Its not neat and its not smooth but if you look at for example ukraine, we have made progress in delivering on what we said we would do. We cant control how mr. Putin thinks but what we can do is say to mr. Putin, if you continue on the path of arming separatists with heavy armaments that evidence suggests may have resulted in 300 innocent people on a jet dying and that violates International Law and undermines the integrity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of ukraine, then you are going to face consequences that will hurt your country. And there was a lot of skepticism about our ability to coordinate with europeans for a strong series of sanctions and each time we have done what we said we would do including this week when we put in place sanctions that have an impact on key sectors of the russian economy. Their energy, their defense, their financial systems. It hasnt resolve the problem yet. I spoke to mr. Putin this morning and i indicated to him just as we say we will do what we do in terms of sanctions will also do we say we will do in terms of solving this diplomatically if he takes a different position. If he respects and honors the right of ukrainians to determine their own destiny than its possible to make sure that russian interests are addressed that are legitimate and that ukrainians are able to make their own decisions. And we can resolve this conflict and some of the bloodshed. But the point is built that if you look at the 20th century and the early part of this century, there are lot of complex that america doesnt resolve. That has always been true. That doesnt mean we stop trying. And its not a measure of american influence on any given day or at any given moment. There are conflicts around the world that are difficult. The conflict in Northern Ireland raged for a very long time until finally something programs where the parties decided that it wasnt worth killing each other. The palestinianisraeli conflict has been going on even longer than you have been reporting. [laughter] and i dont think at any point was there a suggestion somehow that america didnt have influence just because we werent able to finalize the israelipalestinian peace deal. You will recall that situations like kosovo and bosnia raged on for quite some time and there was a lot more death and bloodshed than there has been so far in the ukrainian situation before it ultimately didnt get resolved. And so i recognize with so many different issues popping up around the world, sometimes it may seem as if this is an aberration or its unusual but the truth of the matter is that this is a big world out there and as indispensable as we are to try to leave it there are still going to be tragedies out there and there will be conflicts and our job is just to make sure we continue to project whats right and whats just and we are building coalitions of likeminded countries and partners in order to advance not only our core security interest but also be in just of the world as a whole. Do you think you couldve done more . On which one . On any of them. Well look, i think bill the nature of being president is that you are always asking yourself what more can you do. With respects to let say the israelipalestinian issue this administration invested an enormous amount to try to bring the parties together around a framework for peace and a twostate solution. John kerry invested an enormous amount of time. In the end its up to the two parties to make a decision. We can leave them to resolve some of the technical issues and to show them a path that they have got to want it. With respect to ukraine i think we have done everything we can to support the Ukrainian Government and to deter russia by moving further into ukraine. But, short of going to war they are going to be some constraints in terms of what we can do if president putin and russia are ignoring what should be their longterm interest. Right now if what we have done is imposed sufficient costs on russia that the objectively speaking, they should, president putin should want to resolve this diplomatically. Get the sanctions lifted and get their economy going again and have good relations with ukraine. But, sometimes people dont always act rationally and they dont always act based on their medium or longterm interest. That cant deter us though. We have just got to stay out of it. Wendell. Mr. President republicans point to some of your executive orders as a reason they say they cant trust you to implement legislation as they pass it. Even if you dont buy that argument do you hold yourself totally blameless in the ability it appears to reach an agreement with the republicanled house . Wendell, lets just take their the recent example of immigration. A bipartisan bill passed out of the senate cosponsored by not just democrats but some very conservative republicans who recognize that the system currently is broken and if in fact we put more resources on the border, provide a path which those undocumented workers who have been living here for a long time and advertise your are coming out of the shadows and paying their taxes, paying a fine, learning english, if we fix the Legal Immigration system so its more efficient, if we are attracting young people who may have studied here to stay here and create jobs here, that all is going to be good for the economy. Its going to reduce the deficit. It might have forestalled some of the problems we are seeing now in the Rio Grande Valley with these unaccompanied children. So we have a bipartisan bill wendell, a bipartisan agreement supported by everyone from labor labour to the evangelical community to Law Enforcement so the argument isnt between me and the House Republicans. Its between the House Republicans and Senate Republicans. And House Republicans and the Business Community and House Republicans and the evangelical community. Im just one of the people they seem to disagree with on this issue. So thats on the comprehensive bill. Now we have a shortterm crisis with respect to the Rio Grande Valley. Th