Does that set up any particular advantages or roadblocks for you as you go about your campaign . There is no royalty in football and thats the way it should be. Im here just as a person to do the job because i love the sport and i grew up loving it in my country and working with my own Football Association in jordan. I got involved with them at a time i was the average age of our Football Player and, therefore, had a different perspective and always took their concerns to board meetings and not the other way around and thats the same philosophy that i go by today. There is no royalty in football. You get on with things and get the job done. One nonsoccer, nonfootball question here. You are a member of the jordanian government. What is jordan doing to diversify its economy during a volatile time for the region. Let me drill down in one specific area. I understand jordan is taking in an extremely large number of refugees having an effect on the country. How are you handling the influx of the refugees and how is that affecting the jordanian economy and life in jordan Going Forward . Im not a part of the jordanian government at all. I think jordan is going through a very difficult time in our region as are others in our neighborhood, lebanon and so on. Its a difficult neighborhood to be in. Regarding the refugees, we have done our tradition to do what we can for our neighbors and help them out as much as possible. It is a very difficult time for jordan, for its economy, but at the end of the day jordan being a country without any Natural Resources has invested itself to its people and thats where we have our greatest strength for education and to have a real hardworking community. Thats the direction weve always gone. Well do all we can to help our neighbors particularly right now the syrian refugees. On that note we have used football as a great tool to helping them out. As refugees when they first came into jordan you give them the basic services but you have all these kids and they are the majority on boys and girls who have nothing to do with their time so we teamed up with different governments, with ngos for football, boys and girls, as well as teaching them skills like Risk Awareness and so on. I think the unhcr will tell you its one of most successful programs that has happened to refugees anywhere in the world and, unfortunately, the situation arises, it will be emulated elsewhere. We are almost out of time but before i ask the last question, i have some housekeeping. The National Press club is the worlds leading professional organization for journalists and we fight for a free press worldwide. To learn more about the club go to our website press. Org. And to donate to our nonprofit journalism institute, visit press. Org institute. Id like to remind you about other events that are happening at the National Press club. Today, in fact, just down the hallway in the bloomberg room, the National Press club is publicly reading articles by Washington Post reporter jason for 24 consecutive hours. We began at 7 00 a. M. , we are continuing until 7 00 a. M. Tomorrow. The club is doing this to draw attention to the 501 days jason has unjustly been held in an iranian prison. Reading the articles is a reminder to the world that he is a reporter. Hes a journalist, and hes not anything else and he should not be in jail. On tuesday and, please, stop in the room on your way out. Its very interesting to sit and listen to a couple articles. On tuesday, december 8, the new secretarysonian institution will address a luncheon. I would like to present the world cup to our speaker. Thank you very much. [ applause ] that is very valuable and it travels very well as you go around the world and talk about your candidacy for the presidency. So final question, i understand that you are a dedicated arsenal fan. Thats the team in the uk league, is that right, in britain . Arsenal, go arsenal. Of course you are now running for president of fifa. Do you need to pledge and, if so, are you going to pledge today you will set aside your preferences for arsenal, no more rooting for arsenal because, as the president of fifa, you need to root for everybody. Is go going to be bye boi bye e arsenal . Look, uh [ laughter ] to run for fifa president i will promise to dedicate my whole self to the organization. Over my dead body will i give up my support for arsenal. Thank you. [ applause ] how about another round of applause for our speaker. [ applause ] i want to thank you for coming, your royal highness, and for answering so many direct questions. We hope youll come back soon to the National Press club. Youre allowed a new mug every time you come. A lot of people like to build a collection and we want to encourage you. I would like to thank the staff for organizing todays event. If you would like a copy of todays program or to learn more about the National Press club go to our website thats press. Org and, again, to learn about our nonprofit, the journalism institute, the website is press. Org institute. Thank you very much. We are adjourned. The house panel will examine the Financial Stability of the economy. Well hear from Mary Jo White and the head of the Consumer FinancialProtection Bureau richard cordray. Watch live coverage of the House Financial Services committee this morning at 10 00 a. M. Eastern here on cspan 3. And later the head of the smithsonian institution, dr. David skorton will talk about the future of the Worlds Largest museum complex. Live coverage at 1 00 p. M. Eastern also here on cspan 3. President obama awarded the nations highest civilian honor, the president ial medal of freedom, to 17 individuals at the white house last month. Among this years recipients are Major League Baseball hall of famer willie mays, singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan, u. S. Senator barbara mikulski, filmmaker Steven Spielberg, and violinist Itzhak Perlman. The ceremony is 50 minutes. Ladies and gentlemen, the recipients of the president ial medal of freedom. Larry berra accepting for yogi berra. Bonnie carroll. Accepting for the honorable Shirley Chisholm. Emilio estefan. Gloria estefan. Peggen frank accepting for billy frank jr. The honorable lee hamilton. Katherine johnson. Willie howard mays jr. The honorable senator barbara mikulski. Itzhak perlman. The honorable bill ruckelshaus. Steven spielberg. Barbra streisand. James taylor. Minoru yasui. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States and mrs. Michelle obama. Hello, everybody. Please, thank you. Thank you. Everybody please have a seat. Everybody have a seat. Well, welcome to the white house, everybody. Thank you. Thank you, mr. President. A bunch of people were saying i was pretty busy today, which is true. But this is a fun kind of busy right here. Today we celebrate some extraordinary people. Innovators, artists, and leaders who contribute to americas strength as a nation. And we offer them our highest civilian honor, the president ial medal of freedom. Let me tell you just a little bit about them, although i suspect people here already know their stories. Growing up in west virginia, Katherine Johnson counted everything. She counted steps. She counted dishes. She counted the distance to the church. By 10 years old she was in high school. By 18 she had graduated from college with degrees in math and french. As an africanamerican woman, job options were limited, but she was eventually hired as one of several female mathematicians for the agency that would become nasa. Katherine calculated the flight path for americas First Mission in space. The path that put and the path that put Neil Armstrong on the moon. She was even asked to doublecheck the Computers Math on john glenns orbit around the earth. So if you think your job is pressure packed, hers meant that forgetting to carry the one might send somebody floating off into the solar system. In her 33 years at nasa she broke race and gender, showing generations of young people that everyone can excel in math and science and reach for the stars. In the early 1960s, lawyer named bill ruckelshaus drove through indiana in a truck taking samples from streams choked with dead fish. He kacalled it a very good time. I think we have different definitions of a very good time, but it was all part of protecting americans from big polluters. And in 1970 when richard nicxon created the Environmental Protection agency, he made bill, a fellow republican, its first director. Under bills leadership the epa developed new clean air standards, banned the harmful pesticide ddt. Most importantly bill set a powerful precedent, that pr protecting our environment is something we must come together and do as a country. He became known as mr. Clean and lived up to that nickname when he resigned from the Nixon Administration rather than derail the watergate investigation. Hes never truly retired. Hes led the fight to protect puget sound and has urged his fellow republicans in combatting climate change. He spent his life putting country before party or politics. He reminds us how noble Public Service can be. And our air and water is cleaner and our lives are brighter because of him. Back in 1966 plans were laid for a highway straight through some of baltimores most diverse neighborhoods. B< the new road seemed to be a go until it ran into a young social worker. And lets just say you dont want to be on the wrong side of barbara mikulski. She stopped the highway and jumpstarted one of the finest careers weve ever seen. For decades barbara has been a lion, a lioness, on capitol hill fighting for working families, fight iing for high tech, high paying jobs, fighting for the prospects of americas women and girls. I couldnt have been prouder to have her by my side as i signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter payout. The first law i signed. And barbaras legacy [ applause ] barbaras legacy reflects her roots, a mom who offered store credit to workers on strike, a dad who greeted every customer with a friendly, can i help you . We are all lucky thats a question barbara has been asking and answering longer than any female lawmaker in it our history. There are people in our countrys history who dont look left or right. They just look straight ahead. Sh Shirley Chisholm was one of those people driven by a commitment to justice, she became the first africanamerican congresswoman, the first africanamerican woman from a Major Political party to run for president. When shirley was assigned to the House Agricultural Committee s despite her district was from new york city, she said apparently all they know here in washington about brooklyn is that a tree grew there. But she made the most of her new role, feeding poor mothers and their children. Shirley chisholms example transcends her life. When asked how she would like to be remembered, she had an answer. I would like them to say Shirley Chisholm had guts and im proud to say it. Shirley chisholm had guts. At its best lee hamilton once said Representative Democracy gives us a system where all of us have a voice in the process. A stake in the product. Lee hamilton was a faithful servant to that idea representing his district, his beloved indiana, and his country with integrity and honor. As head of the House Foreign Affairs and intelligence committees he helped guide us through the cold war and into a new era of american leadership, widely admired on both sides of the aisle for his honesty, his wisdom, and consistent commitment to bipartisanship. As vice chair on the 9 11 commission, lee remains a tireless Public Servant and trusted adviser and friend to many, and i am proud to count myself among them. We celebrate those who have stirred our souls and lifted our spirits as icons of the stage, screen, and song. Born in brooklyn to a middle classed jewish family i didnt know you were jewish, barbra. [ laughter ] Barbra Streisand attended her first broadway show at the age of 14 saying i could go up on that stage and play any role without any trouble at all. Thats whats called chutzpah and it helps when youve got amazing talent. All of which made her a global sensation, one whose voice has been described as liquid diamonds and whose fans have considered bronzing her used coffee cups. She has sold more albums in america than anyone in history. I couldnt believe she hadnt gotten this one. Off the stage a passionate advocate for Heart Disease and womens equality. Im getting all verklempt just thinking about it. In an interview violinist Itzhak Perlman was once asked what sound he loves. His eyes lit up and he replied the sound of onion sizzling in a pan. A man of large appetites who knows how to live. He also happens to be a pretty good musician and persevered through childhood polio to become not only a virtuoso but a powerful advocate for people with disablgts. He has played with every major orchestra in the world, conducted many of them. Taught generations of young musicians, has won grammys, emmys. Hes performed with all the greats, leonard bernstine, yoyo ma, telly from sesame street. What makes him the most beloved of all time, he approaches music the way he approaches everything in life with passion and with joy. He lays bare the soul of peace giving us a glimpse of something bigger than ourselves and by doing so makes the world a little more beautiful. Im proud to call the next honoree a friend as well. A lot of people say that about james taylor. Thats what happens when you spend four decades telling people, just call out my name. And ill come running. Thats the thing about james. You always feel like hes singing only to you. As a fan of his once said james can turn an arena into a living room. Thats why he became one of the driving forces of the singer Songwriter Movement and his honesty and candor about overcoming Substance Abuse has inspired not only his music but people all around the world. So come fire or rain, come carolina, mexico or a country road, james taylor is there to comfort us, to help us look within and to urge us all to shower the people we love with love. On a miami night in 1975, a young woman named gloria walked into a wedding reception and saw a handsome young man named emilio leading his band. He was playing do the hustle on an accordion. She said she found this sexy and brave. I mean, the brave part i understand. But it turns out he had a few other things up his sleeve. He brought her up to sing a few songs that night, invited her to join his band. A few months later emilio asked gloria for a birthday kiss. It was not her birthday it wasnt his birthday, but he got the kiss anyway. Emilio and Gloria Estefan have been partners on stage and off ever since. Some worried they were too american for latins and too latin for americans. Turns out everybody just wanted to dance and do the conga. And together their fusion sound has sold more than 100 million records. And theyve promoted their Cultural Heritage and inspired fans all over the world. A lot of people have gone to musicals to forget their troubles like they were dancing to the estefans music. Stephen sondheim is someone who is not interested in that. As a composer and lyricist and a genre unto himself sondheim challenge his audiences. His greatest hits arent tunes you can hum. Theyre reflections on roads we didnt take and wishes gone wrong. Relationships so frayed and fractured theres nothing left to do but send in the clowns. Stephens music is so beautiful, his lyrics so precise that he transcends them. We transcend them. Stephen reinvented the american musical. It has loomed large over six decades. With revivals from broadway to the big screen, he is still here pulling us up short and giving us support for being alive. Here is how Steven Spielberg once explained his process. Once a month the sky falls on my head. I come to and i see another movie i make. This soun painfds painful for s but it has worked out well for us. He has introduced us to extraterrestrials, killer sharks, hes taken us to neverland, Jurassic Park, but also the beaches of normandy and nazi concentration camps. Despite redefining the word prolific, a spielberg movie is still a spielberg movie. Somebody is calling to see if they can book him for a deal right now. They want to make a pitch. So theres this really good looking president. A spielberg movie marked by boundless imagination, worlds rendered in extraordinary detail, characters who struggle to seize control of their destinies. All of that reminds us so powerfully of our own lives and stevens films are marked more importantly by faith in our common humanity. The same faith in humanity that led him to create the Shaw Foundation and lend a voice to survivors of genocide around the world. His stories have shaped americas story and his values have shaped our world. So we celebrate artists, Public Servants, and two legends from americas pastime. What can be said about lawrence yogi berra that he couldnt say better himself . The son of an italian brick layer. They called him yogi because he sat like one while waiting to bat. He was born