Friday, July 11, 2014

FTC ALLEGES AMAZON BILLED PARENTS FOR CHILDREN'S UNAUTHORIZED IN-APP CHARGES

FROM:  FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 
FTC Alleges Amazon Unlawfully Billed Parents for Millions of Dollars in Children’s Unauthorized In-App Charges

No Password or Other Indication of Parental Consent Was Required for Charges in Kids’ Apps; Internal E-mail Referred to Situation as “House on Fire”

FTC Alleges Amazon Unlawfully Billed Parents for Millions of Dollars in Children’s Unauthorized In-App Charges
No Password or Other Indication of Parental Consent Was Required for Charges in Kids’ Apps; Internal E-mail Referred to Situation as “House on Fire”

Amazon.com, Inc. has billed parents and other account holders for millions of dollars in unauthorized in-app charges incurred by children, according to a Federal Trade Commission complaint filed today in federal court.

The FTC’s lawsuit seeks a court order requiring refunds to consumers for the unauthorized charges and permanently banning the company from billing parents and other account holders for in-app charges without their consent. According to the complaint, Amazon keeps 30 percent of all in-app charges.

Amazon offers many children’s apps in its appstore for download to mobile devices such as the Kindle Fire. In its complaint, the FTC alleges that Amazon violated the FTC Act by billing parents and other Amazon account holders for charges incurred by their children without the permission of the parent or other account holder. Amazon’s setup allowed children playing these kids’ games to spend unlimited amounts of money to pay for virtual items within the apps such as “coins,” “stars,” and “acorns” without parental involvement.

“Amazon’s in-app system allowed children to incur unlimited charges on their parents’ accounts without permission,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez. “Even Amazon's own employees recognized the serious problem its process created. We are seeking refunds for affected parents and a court order to ensure that Amazon gets parents' consent for in-app purchases."

The complaint alleges that when Amazon introduced in-app charges to the Amazon Appstore in November 2011, there were no password requirements of any kind on in-app charges, including in kids’ games and other apps that appeal to children. According to the complaint, this left parents to foot the bill for charges they didn’t authorize.

According to the complaint, kids’ games often encourage children to acquire virtual items in ways that blur the lines between what costs virtual currency and what costs real money. In the app “Ice Age Village,” for example, the complaint noted that children can use “coins” and “acorns” to buy items in the game without a real-money charge. However, they can also purchase additional “coins” and “acorns” using real money on a screen that is visually similar to the one that has no real-money charge. The largest quantity purchase available in the app would cost $99.99.

The complaint highlights internal communications among Amazon employees as early as December 2011 that said allowing unlimited in-app charges without any password was “…clearly causing problems for a large percentage of our customers,” adding that the situation was a “near house on fire.”

In March 2012, according to the complaint, Amazon updated its in-app charge system to require an account owner to enter a password only for individual in-app charges over $20. As the complaint notes, Amazon continued to allow children to make an unlimited number of individual purchases of less than $20 without a parent’s approval. An Amazon employee noted at the time of the change that “it’s much easier to get upset about Amazon letting your child purchase a $99 product without any password protection than a $20 product,” according to the complaint. In July 2012, as set forth in the complaint, internal emails again described consumer complaints about in-app charges as a “house on fire” situation.

The complaint alleges that in early 2013, Amazon updated its in-app charge process to require password entry for some charges in a way that functioned differently in different contexts. According to the complaint, even when a parent was prompted for a password to authorize a single in-app charge made by a child, that single authorization often opened an undisclosed window of 15 minutes to an hour during which the child could then make unlimited charges without further authorization. Not until June 2014, roughly two and a half years after the problem first surfaced and only shortly before the Commission voted to approve the lawsuit against Amazon, did Amazon change its in-app charge framework to obtain account holders’ informed consent for in-app charges on its newer mobile devices, as explained in the complaint.

According to the complaint, thousands of parents complained to Amazon about in-app charges their children incurred without their authorization, amounting to millions of dollars of charges. For example, one mother noted in the FTC complaint told Amazon that her daughter was able to rack up $358.42 in unauthorized charges, while others complained that even children who could not read were able to “click a lot of buttons at random” and incur several unauthorized charges.

The company’s stated policy is that all in-app charges are final and nonrefundable. According to the complaint, even parents who have sought an exception to that policy have faced a refund process that is unclear and confusing, involving statements that do not explain how to seek refunds for in-app charges or suggest consumers cannot get a refund for these charges.

This is the Commission’s second case relating to children’s in-app purchases; Apple, Inc. settled an FTC complaint concerning the issue earlier this year. The Commission is seeking full refunds for all affected consumers, disgorgement of Amazon’s ill-gotten gains, and a court order ensuring that in the future Amazon obtains permission before imposing charges for in-app purchases.

The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint was 4-1, with Commissioner Joshua D. Wright voting no. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The case will be decided by the court.




SECRETARY KERRY PLEAS WITH U.S. SENATE TO CONFIRM STATE DEPARTMENT NOMINEES

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

State Department Nominees

Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 10, 2014


Tonight I landed in Kabul where the United States is working intensely to help address an election crisis. I came here from Beijing after days of meetings on one of the world’s most important strategic relationships in the world’s most dynamic region. I am reminded every day as Secretary that the world demands our engagement more than ever before.
But we can’t lead if we are not present.

That’s why I want to make a personal plea to my friends in the United States Senate to please confirm the State Department’s nominees and confirm them now. This very minute, we have 58 nominees pending before the Senate, including 43 ambassadors. That means we’re going without our strongest voice on the ground every day in more than 25 percent of the world. This very minute, we have immensely qualified nominees for Assistant Secretaries for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance and International Organizations. They have waited 356 days and 254 days for a confirmation vote. That means we are not as strong as we need to be when rogue countries threaten proliferation regimes. That means we don’t have our full presence to defend Israel and our allies in multilateral organizations, or to seek ways to reform the UN. Finally, we have the Director General of the Foreign Service – a career diplomat and former Ambassador to Guatemala – awaiting confirmation for 276 days. If confirmed, he will manage the global deployment of our diplomatic corps. However, until he is confirmed not only are we weakened due to lack of ambassadors, we are weakened because we lack top leadership at home in lifting up the line officers of daily diplomacy.

Good diplomacy doesn’t tie one hand behind our back. I revere the Senate. Every member of the Senate wants America to succeed in the world. We have a Minority Leader who was my classmate in 1984 who I’ve seen firsthand work on and care about foreign policy very personally from South Africa in the 1980’s to Burma today. I know he wants America to be strong in the world. I think all of us agree that the United States should see its foreign policy professionals confirmed so that America is well represented.

But today it’s not happening. Between flights from Beijing to Kabul, I spoke with Leader Reid. We’re in complete agreement that world events demand that the Senate rise above political partisanship and confirm these nominees, and I was struck by Harry’s poignant and pointed comment on the Senate floor this morning that “we are being held up here as a country from doing the country’s work as a result of this stalling.”

I see it every day. It matters. It really matters. All of us were shocked when Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 school girls in Nigeria. Members of Congress rightly called for action and we acted. But guess what? We’d be stronger still if we had Ambassadors in two neighboring countries, Cameroon and Niger, where some of these victims could be held captive. There have been loud calls on Capitol Hill for action to stop the flow of unaccompanied minors from Central America, as well there should be. We’ve responded forcefully. But guess what? Our hand would be stronger in daily diplomacy if we had an Ambassador in Guatemala, one of the key sources of children sent on this dangerous journey.

I know the Senate can fix this. Just today, our nominees to Qatar and Kuwait, were confirmed. These are vital jobs. But it should not take a crisis to win approval. This is particularly true of the 21 remaining nominees on the floor who are career diplomats. As I proposed earlier this week, they should be expeditiously confirmed as a block, just the way we handle promotions of our military officers. Like our military, they dedicate their lives in service to country. We should treat them that way.

I know we can fix this problem. It’s not hard. We cannot lead if we are not there and we can’t be there if the Senate won’t confirm our best and brightest. This is a moment to show that we speak with one voice on American leadership and that our democratic institutions can still advise and consent instead of defer and delay.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

U.S. SAYS BERGDAHL-TALIBAN COMMANDER TWITTER PHOTO IS PROPAGANDA

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Bergdahl Photo ‘100-Percent Propaganda,’ Official Says
By Claudette Roulo
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2014 – A photo published on Twitter yesterday that appears to show Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl with a senior Taliban commander is 100-percent propaganda, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said today.

“He was a captive for five years. So, pictures that the Haqqani Network or the Taliban release are 100-percent propaganda and should be viewed that way,” Warren said.

The Twitter account that posted the photo is one allegedly affiliated with the Taliban and al-Qaida. The photo, which has yet to be verified, shows Bergdahl with Badruddin Haqqani, the son of Haqqani Network leader Jalaludin Haqqani.
According to Pakistani officials, Badruddin was killed in an airstrike in 2012.
“These are bad people, these are terrorists, these are thugs and these are killers who captured an American service member and held him for half a decade,” Warren said.

Bergdahl, who was released in May, is in the penultimate phase of the reintegration process at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the colonel said.

“With every day he's continuing his progress, he's continuing his reintegration and we look forward to the time when he completes Phase Three and moves on the final phase, which is returning to an Army unit,” Warren said.

There is no set timeline for the reintegration process, as each person’s experiences in captivity vary, defense officials have said.

West Wing Week 07/04/14 or, “Cynicism is a Choice… Hope is a Better Choice” | The White House

West Wing Week 07/04/14 or, “Cynicism is a Choice… Hope is a Better Choice” | The White House

PRESIDENT MAKES REMARKS ON U.S. ECONOMY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

Remarks by the President on the Economy -- Austin, TX

Paramount Theatre
Austin, Texas
12:48 P.M. CDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Austin!  (Applause.)  Hey!  Hello, Austin!  (Applause.)  All right, everybody have a seat, have a seat. 
 
It’s good to be in Austin, Texas.  (Applause.)  Can everybody please give Kinsey a big round of applause for the great introduction?  (Applause.) 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  That's because I love you.  (Applause.)  Everybody knows I love Austin, Texas.  (Applause.)  Every time I come here I tell you how much I love you.  I love Austin.  I love the people.  I love the barbecue -- which I will get right after this.  (Laughter.)  I like the music.  (Applause.)  I've got good memories here, I've got good friends. 
 
I was telling somebody the last time I walked a real walk where I was kind of left alone was in Austin, Texas.  (Applause.) Right before the debate here during the primary in 2007?  2008?  It must have been 2008.  And I was walking along the river and nobody noticed me, and I felt great.  (Laughter.)  And then on the way back somebody did notice me and Secret Service started coming around and -- (laughter) -- but that first walk was really good.  So let’s face it, I just love Austin.  (Applause.)  Love the people of Austin. 
 
I want to thank a proud Texan, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, for being here today.  We appreciate her.  (Applause.) 
 
It is great to play at the Paramount.  I think I finally made it.  I finally arrived.  (Applause.)  I've enjoyed the last couple of days, just getting out of Washington.  And we started in Colorado, in Denver, and then went to Dallas and then came down here.  And at each stop I've been able to just meet people and talk about people’s lives -- their hopes, their dreams.
 
I just had some coffee, as Kinsey may have mentioned, at the Magnolia CafĂ©, which is very nice.  (Applause.)  It was fun, too, because I had a chance to -- there were a bunch of folks there and some EMT folks were there on their break after the shift, and there were a group of high school kids who were getting together -- they were about to go on a two-weeklong service trip to Peru  -- which, by the way, reminds you, you should be optimistic whenever you meet young people because they’re full of energy and idealism.  And so they were going to do this service trip and they were going to go for two days, then, to Machu Picchu -- the old Inca ruins in Peru.  And I said, I always wanted to go there. And they said, well, you can come with us if you want.  (Laughter.)  And I said, I'm really tempted, but I think there are some things I've got to do.  (Laughter.) 
 
But I got them -- in exchange for a selfie with them, they promised that they would send me a picture of them when they get there.  So I'm going to hold them to it.  We got their email and if I don't get it I'll be upset.  (Laughter.) 
 
Anyway, so I was talking to Kinsey because she wrote me a letter and I wanted to reply in person.  Because, as some of you may know, every day, we get tens of thousands of letters or correspondence, emails at the White House.  And ever since the first day I was in office, what I've asked our Correspondence Office to do is to select 10 of them for me to read every night. And in these letters, people tell me their stories.  They talk about losing a job, or finding a job.  They talk about trying to finance a college education.  They talk about challenges because maybe they’re the children of immigrants and they’re worried about their status.  They talk about the hardships they’re going through, successes they’ve had, things they hope for, things that they’re afraid of when it comes to the future and their lives.  
 
Sometimes people say thank you for something I've done or a position I've taken, and some people say, “You're an idiot.”  (Laughter.)  And that’s how I know that I’m getting a good representative sampling because -- (laughter) -- half the letters are less than impressed with me.   
 
So Kinsey wrote me to tell me about her family.  Her mom was a preschool teacher, her dad was an engineer.  Together, obviously, they worked really hard, raised a family.  They were responsible, did all the right things, were able to put their kids through college.  Then they lost their jobs.  And because they lost their jobs as mid-career persons, a lot of their resumes didn’t get answered.  And their savings started to dwindle.  And Kinsey works to pay for school, but it’s not enough. 
 
And she told me that she’s always been passionate about politics and the issues of the day, but after last year’s government shutdown, all this stuff that's happened with her family, it doesn’t seem like anybody in Washington is thinking about them.  She wrote, “I became a disgruntled citizen.  I felt as if my government, my beloved government that’s supposed to look out for the needs of all Americans had failed me.  My parents have always supported my siblings and me,” she wrote, “now it’s my turn to help them.  I want to be involved.  President Obama, what can I do?”
 
So I wanted to meet with Kinsey to let her know that I had heard her, that I listened to what was happening with her family, and I was thinking about her parents and I was thinking about her and her sisters.  And I’m here today because of Kinsey.  And I’m here today because of every American who is working their tail off and does everything right and who believes in the American Dream and just wants a chance to build a decent life for themselves and their families. 
 
And you and folks like Kinsey are the reason I ran for President in the first place -- (applause) -- because your lives are the lives that I lived.  When I listen to Kinsey I think about me and Michelle trying to finance our college education.  When I think about somebody who didn't have health care, I think about my mom when she had cancer that would ultimately end her life at about the age I am now.  When I think about equal pay, I think about my grandmother working her way up at a bank with nothing but a high school education and becoming the vice president of the bank, but always being kind of passed over for the next stage by men who were less qualified than she was. 
 
So the stories that I hear in these letters, they're my story, and they're Michelle’s story, and they're the story that we had before I became senator -- worrying about child care, trying to figure out how to have a balanced life so that if Malia or Sasha got sick we could take time off, and how do you manage all that. 
 
So that's why these letters are so important to me.  And that's why whenever I’m out of Washington, part of what I want to do is just to remember and to connect with your stories so that you know that what I’m trying to do every single day is based on that experience.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you!  (Applause.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  And when you see the trajectory of Kinsey’s family, in some ways, it’s a little bit a story of what’s happened to America. 
 
The crisis in 2008 hurt us all badly -- worse financial crisis since the Great Depression.  But you think about the progress we’ve made.  Today, our businesses have added nearly 10 million new jobs over the past 52 months.  (Applause.)  Our housing is rebounding.  Our auto industry is booming.  Manufacturing is adding more jobs than any time since the 1990s. The unemployment rate is the lowest point it’s been since September of 2008.  (Applause.)  Kinsey’s dad found a new job that he loves in the field he was trained for.  (Applause.)  So a lot of this was because of the resilience and hard work of the American people.  That's what happens -- Americans bounce back.
 
But some of it had to do with decisions we made to build our economy on a new foundation.  And those decisions are paying off. We’re more energy independent.  For the first time in nearly 20 years, we produce more oil here at home than we buy from abroad. (Applause.)  The world’s largest oil and gas producer isn’t Russia; it’s not Saudi Arabia -- it’s the United States of America.  (Applause.)
 
At the same time, we’ve reduced our total carbon pollution over the past eight years more than any country on Earth.  (Applause.)  We’ve tripled the amount of electricity we generate from wind.  We’ve increased the amount of solar energy we have by 10 times.  We’re creating jobs across the country in clean energy.  (Applause.) 
 
In education, our high school graduation rate is at a record high; the Latino dropout rate has been cut in half since 2000.  (Applause.)  More young people are graduating from college than ever before.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Si se puede!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Si se peude.  (Laughter.) 
 
The Affordable Care Act has given millions more families peace of mind.  They won’t go broke just because they get sick.  (Applause.)  Our deficits have been cut by more than half. 
 
We have come farther and recovered faster, thanks to you, than just about any other nation on Earth.  (Applause.)  And so we’ve got a lot to be encouraged by, just as the story of Kinsey’s family makes us feel more encouraged.  For the first time in a decade, business leaders around the world have said the number-one place to invest is not China, it’s the United States of America.  So we’re actually seeing companies bring jobs back. (Applause.)  So there’s no doubt that we are making progress.  By almost every measure, we are better off now than we were when I took office.  (Applause.) 
 
But the fact is we’ve still got a long way to go.  We’ve still got a long way to go, because while we’re creating more jobs faster these first six months of this year than any time since 1999, we know there are still a lot of folks out there who are looking for work or looking for more full-time work or looking for a better-paying job.  Corporate profits are higher than ever.  CEOs make more than ever.  But you’re working harder than ever just to get by and pay the bills. 
 
So, as a whole, the country is doing better.  But the problem is, is that so much of the improved productivity and profits have gone to the folks at the very top, and the average person, their wages and incomes haven’t really gone up at all, and in some cases, haven’t kept up with the rising cost of health care or college or all the basic necessities that people need. 
 
And so, Austin, I’m here to say that this country is not going to succeed if just a few are doing well.  This country succeeds when everybody has got a shot.  (Applause.)  The country does better when the middle class does better, and when there are more ladders of opportunity into the middle class.  (Applause.) That’s the kind of economy that works here in America.  And that’s what’s at stake right now. 
 
Now, that’s why we’re fighting for an opportunity agenda that creates more good jobs and creates more good wages -- jobs in American manufacturing, jobs in construction.  We should be rebuilding infrastructure all across America, putting people back to work rebuilding roads and bridges and schools, creating a smart grid to transmit clean energy across the country more efficiently.  (Applause.)   
 
We can create good jobs in American energy -- (sneezes) -- bless me -- and innovation.  (Laughter.)  I’m okay, just haven’t had enough sleep.  (Laughter.) 
 
We’re fighting for an opportunity agenda that trains more workers with the skills to fill the jobs that are being created. I was talking to some folks from a community college before I came out here.  We’ve learned that if we reach out to businesses and help them design the training programs in the community colleges, then when somebody finishes that training, they know they can get a job right away.  (Applause.)
 
We’re fighting for an opportunity agenda that guarantees every child a world-class education from the time that they are three until the time that they graduate from college.
 
We’re fighting for an opportunity agenda that makes sure your hard work pays off with higher wages and equal pay for equal work, and workplace flexibility, and the overtime pay you’ve earned.  (Applause.)
 
We’re fighting for opportunity for all and the idea that no matter who you are and what you look like and where you come from and who you love, if you work hard in America, if you work hard in Austin, if you work hard in Texas, you can make it here.  (Applause.)  You can make it.  (Applause.)
 
So that's what we’re working for.  And the good news is, is that the things that we need to do are well within our capabilities, our grasp.  We know we can -- we know how to build roads.  We know how to put people back to work on infrastructure. We know that if we invest in early childhood education, every dollar we put in, we get seven dollars back, and fewer dropouts and fewer teen pregnancies, and fewer folks going into the criminal justice system.  (Applause.) 
 
We know that if we do some basic things, if we make some basic changes, we’ll see more jobs, faster economic growth, lift more incomes, strengthen the middle class.  They are common-sense things.  They're not that radical.  We know it’s what we should be doing.  And what drives me nuts -- and I know drives you nuts -- is Washington isn’t doing it.  (Applause.)
 
And let me be clear about why Washington is broken, because sometimes everybody says, well, you know what, all politicians are the same, he parties -- the Democrats, Republicans, it doesn't matter.  Look, Democrats are not perfect, I promise you. I know a lot of them.  (Laughter.)  And, yes, every member of Congress, they're thinking about, I’d like to be reelected and I’d like to keep my job.  That's human nature.  We all understand that.  But let me be clear.  On the common-sense agenda that would help middle-class families, the overwhelming number of Democrats are in favor of these things. 
 
They're in favor of minimum wage.  They're in favor of equal pay.  (Applause.)  They're in favor of extending unemployment benefits.  They're in favor of infrastructure.  They're in favor of investing in research and development.  They're in favor of making college more affordable.  They’ve got specific proposals. They're willing to compromise.  They're prepared to go forward. 
 
So when folks say they're frustrated with Congress, let’s be clear about what the problem is.  (Applause.)  I’m just telling the truth now.  I don't have to run for office again, so I can just let her rip.  (Applause.)  And I want to assure you, I’m really not that partisan of a guy.  My favorite President is the first Republican President, a guy named Abraham Lincoln.  You look at our history, and we had great Republican Presidents who  -- like Teddy Roosevelt started the National Park System, and Dwight Eisenhower built the Interstate Highway System, and Richard Nixon started the EPA. 
 
The statement I’m making is not a partisan statement, it is a statement of fact.  (Applause.)  So far this year, Republicans in Congress have blocked or voted down every serious idea to strengthen the middle class.  They have said no --
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo!
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Don't boo now, because what I want you to do is vote.  (Applause.)
 
They’ve said no to raising the minimum wage.  They’ve said no to fair pay.  They said no to unemployment insurance for hardworking folks like Kinsey’s parents who have paid taxes all their lives and never depended on anything and just needed a little help to get over a hump.  They said no to fixing our broken immigration system that we know would strengthen our borders and our businesses and help families.  (Applause.)
 
Instead of investing in education that helps working families, they voted to give another massive tax cut to the wealthiest Americans.  Instead of creating jobs by rebuilding our infrastructure, our roads, our bridges, our ports that help every business, they’ve decided to protect tax loopholes for companies that are shifting jobs overseas and profits overseas. 
 
The best thing you can say about this Congress -- the Republicans in Congress, and particularly the House of Representatives -- the best you can say for them this year is that so far they have not shut down the government -- (laughter) -- or threatened to have America welch on our obligations and ruin our credit rating.  That's the best you can say.  But of course, it’s only July -- (laughter) -- so who knows what they may cook up in the next few months.
 
So even as they’re blocking policies that would help middle-class families, they keep on offering these theories of the economy that have failed over and over again.  They say, well, if we give more tax breaks to folks at the top that's going to be good.  If we make fewer investments in things like education, everything will work out.  If we loosen the rules for big banks and credit card companies and polluters and insurers, somehow that's going to make the economy better.  If we shrink the safety net and cut Medicaid and cut food stamps, and make sure that folks who are vulnerable and trying to get back on their suffer more hardship, somehow that's going to improve the economy.
 
Now, they believe these things -- sincerely, I assume -- that if they -- if we do these things, if we just take care of folks at the top, or at least if we don't empower our government to be able to help anybody, that somehow jobs and prosperity will trickle down and we’ll all be better off.
 
And that may work just fine for folks at the top.  It worked fine for me.  I don't need government.  (Laughter.)  Michelle and I now are in a position where we can pretty much finance Malia and Sasha’s college education.  But I remember when Michelle’s parents couldn’t, they needed help.  And I don't know about you, but I don't believe in pulling up the ladder once I’m up.  I believe in extending it down and making sure that everybody has a chance to climb up.  (Applause.)
 
The status quo certainly works for the special interests in Washington who like things just as they are.  They’ll be fine whether Congress ever passes a bill again or not.  But it doesn’t help you.  It doesn't help your neighbors.  It doesn't help your friends.  It doesn't help your communities.
 
And what it does, is it just feeds people’s cynicism about Washington.  It just makes people think, well, nothing can happen, and people start feeling hopeless.  And we have to understand, in the face of all evidence to the contrary in Washington, we can do better than we’re doing right now.  (Applause.)  We can do better than what we’re doing right now.
 
We know from our history, our economy does not grow from the top down, it grows from the middle up.  It grows from a rising, thriving middle class.  It grows when we got ladders of opportunity for everybody, and every young person in America is feeling hopeful and has a chance to do what they can with the God-given talents that they have.  That’s what we’re fighting for.  That is what you should be fighting for.  (Applause.)
 
And I will always look -- I’ll always look for ways to get Republicans and Democrats together in this effort.  But I’m not  -- I can't stand by with partisan gridlock that's the result of cynical political games that threaten the hard work of millions of Americans.  I’m not just going to stand by and say, okay, that's -- I guess that's the way it is.  Whenever and wherever I have the power, the legal authority to help families like yours, even if Congress is not doing anything, I will take that opportunity.  I will try to make something happen.  (Applause.)
And that’s the reason -- that's the reason why my administration has taken more than 40 different actions just this year to help working Americans -- because Congress won’t.
 
Congress won’t act to make sure a woman gets equal pay for equal work.  So I made sure more women have the protections they need to fight for fair pay in the workplace -- because I think when women succeed America succeeds.   So we went ahead and did that.  (Applause.)
 
Congress won’t act to create jobs in manufacturing or construction.  Well, I went ahead and speeded up permits for big projects.  We launched a new hub to attract more high-tech manufacturing jobs to America.  I want to make sure the next revolution in manufacturing is right here in America; it’s an American revolution, not a German or a Chinese revolution.  I want it happening right here in Austin, Texas.  (Applause.)
 
Congress so far hasn’t acted to help more young people manage their student loan debt.  So I acted with my lawful authority to give nearly 5 million Americans the chance to cap their student loan payments at 10 percent of their income so they can manage it better, so that if they go into teaching, or they go into social work, or they're doing something at a non-for-profit, that they're not encumbered by mountains of debt.  I don’t want our future leaders saddled with debt before they start out in life.  (Applause.)
 
And Republicans in Congress so far have refused to raise workers’ wages with a higher minimum wage.  So I acted to require that federal contractors pay their employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour -- (applause) -- which would give hundreds of thousands of workers a raise.  I asked business owners and governors and mayors and state legislators -- anybody I could work with -- do what you can on your own, I told them. 
 
Since the first time I asked Congress to raise the minimum wage, Congress hasn’t done anything, but 13 states have gone ahead and raised theirs.  (Applause.)  And, by the way -- this is important to remember just because folks are always trying to run the okey doke on you -- (laughter) -- the states that have increased their minimum wages this year have seen higher job growth than the states that have not increased their minimum wage.  (Applause.)  And more and more business owners are choosing to lift the wages for their workers because they understand that it’s going to be good to have productive workers, loyal workers, invested workers. 
 
Just yesterday, before I came down to Texas, when I was in Denver, I met with Carolyn Reed.  She owns six Silver Mine sub shops.  She started her own business.  She was working at UPS and decided she wanted to be a business owner, got her first franchise.  Her and her husband mortgaged their house.  Eventually, they got an SBA loan.  Now, she’s got six stores.  A wonderful woman.  And today, she decided to raise her hourly employees’ wages to a minimum of $10.10 an hour.  (Applause.)  She just went ahead and did it on her own, because she realized that she’ll have less turnover and she’s going to have more productive workers. 
 
As long as Congress will not increase wages for workers, I will go and talk to every business in America if I have to.  (Applause.)  There’s no denying a simple truth:  America deserves a raise, and if you work full-time in this country, you shouldn’t live in poverty.  That’s something that we all believe. (Applause.)   
 
Now, here’s where it gets interesting.  There are a number of Republicans, including a number in the Texas delegation, who are mad at me for taking these actions.  They actually plan to sue me.  (Laughter.)  Now, I don’t know which things they find most offensive -- me helping to create jobs, or me raising wages, or me easing the student loan burdens, or me making sure women can find out whether they’re getting paid the same as men for doing the same job.  I don’t know which of these actions really bug them.  (Laughter.) 
 
The truth is, even with all the actions I’ve taken this year, I’m issuing executive orders at the lowest rate in more than 100 years.  So it’s not clear how it is that Republicans didn’t seem to mind when President Bush took more executive actions than I did.  (Applause.)  Maybe it’s just me they don’t like.  I don’t know.  Maybe there’s some principle out there that I haven’t discerned, that I haven’t figure out.  (Laughter.)  You hear some of them -- “sue him,” “impeach him.”  Really?  (Laughter.)  Really?  For what?  (Applause.)  You’re going to sue me for doing my job?  Okay.  (Applause.)   
 
I mean, think about that.  You’re going to use taxpayer money to sue me for doing my job -- (laughter) -- while you don’t do your job.  (Applause.) 
 
There’s a great movie called “The Departed” -- a little violent for kids.  But there’s a scene in the movie where Mark Wahlberg -- they’re on a stakeout and somehow the guy loses the guy that they’re tracking.   And Wahlberg is all upset and yelling at the guy.  And the guy looks up and he says, “Well, who are you?”  And Wahlberg says, “I’m the guy doing my job.  You must be the other guy.”  (Laughter and applause.)  Sometimes, I feel like saying to these guys, I’m the guy doing my job, you must be the other guy.  (Applause.) 
 
So rather than wage another political stunt that wastes time, wastes taxpayers’ money, I’ve got a better idea:  Do something.  (Applause.)  If you’re mad at me for helping people on my own, let’s team up.  Let’s pass some bills.  Let’s help America together.  (Applause.)   
 
It is lonely, me just doing stuff.  I’d love if the Republicans did stuff, too.  (Laughter.)  On immigration issues, we’ve got -- and to their credit, there are some Republicans in the Senate who actually worked with Democrats, passed a bill, would strengthen the borders, would help make the system more fair and more just.  But the House Republicans, they haven’t even called the bill.  They won’t even take a vote on the bill.  They don’t have enough energy or organization or I don’t know what to just even vote no on the bill.  (Laughter.)  And then they’re made at me for trying to do some things to make the immigration system work better.  So it doesn’t make sense.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I’m sorry, what are you yelling about now?  Sit down, guys.  I’m almost done.  Come on, sit down.  I’ll talk to you afterwards, I promise.  I’ll bring you back.  I’m wrapping things up here.
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I understand.  See, everybody is going to start -- I’m on your side, man.  Sit down, guys, we’ll talk about it later, I promise.
 
So, look, here’s what we could do.  We could do so much more -- you don’t have to escort them out.  They’ll sit down.  I promise, I’ll talk to you afterwards. 
 
We could do so much more if Republicans in Congress would focus less on stacking the deck for those on the top and focus more on creating opportunity for everybody.  And I want to work with them.  I don’t expect them to agree with me on everything, but at least agree with me on the things that you used to say you were for before I was for them.  (Applause.) 
 
You used to be for building roads and infrastructure.  Nothing has changed.  Let’s go ahead and do it.  (Applause.)  Ronald Reagan passed immigration reform, and you love Ronald Reagan.  Let’s go ahead and do it.  (Applause.)   
 
I mean, what changed?  I’m just saying.  (Laughter.)  That’s what made our country great, a sense of common purpose, a sense we’re all in it together as one nation, as one people.  We can debate the issues, we can have our differences, but let’s do something.  (Applause.)  Let’s rally around an economic patriotism that says, instead of giving more tax breaks to millionaires, let’s give tax breaks to working families to help pay for child care or college. 
 
Instead of protecting tax loopholes that let corporations keep their profits overseas,  let’s put some of that money to work right here in the United States rebuilding America.  (Applause.)  We can rebuild our airports, create the next generation of good manufacturing jobs, make sure those are made in America. 
 
Let’s rally around a patriotism that says we’re stronger as a nation when we cultivate the ingenuity and talent of every American, and give every 4-year-old in America access to high-quality education -- good-quality preschool.  (Applause.)  Let’s redesign our high schools to make them more relevant to the 21st century economy.  Let’s make college more affordable.  Let’s  make sure every worker, if you lose your job, you can get a good job training that gives you an even better job.  (Applause.) 
 
Let’s embrace the patriotism that says it’s a good thing when our fellow citizens have health care.  It’s not a bad thing. (Applause.)  That’s not a bad thing.  It’s a good thing when women earn what men do for the same work.  That’s an all-American principle.  (Applause.)  Everybody has got a mom out there or a wife out there or a daughter out there.  They don’t want them to not get treated fairly.  Why would you be against that? 
 
It’s a good thing when parents can take a day off to care for a sick child without losing their job or losing pay and they can’t pay their bills at the end of the month.  It’s a good thing when nobody who works full-time is living in poverty.  That is not radical.  It’s not un-American.  It’s not socialist.  That’s how we built this country.  It’s what America is all about, us working together.  (Applause.)   
 
So let me just wrap up by saying this:  The hardest thing to change in politics is a stubborn status quo.  Our democracy is designed where folks who have power, who have clout -- they can block stuff, they can keep things as they are.  It’s hard.  It’s even harder when Washington seems focused on everything but your concerns, Kinsey’s concerns. 
 
There are plenty of people who count on you getting cynical and count on you not getting involved so that you don’t vote, so you give up.  And you can’t give into that.  America is making progress, despite what the cynics say.  (Applause.)  Despite unyielding opposition and a Congress that can’t seem to do anything, there are workers with jobs who didn’t have them before; there are families with health insurance who didn’t have them before; there are students in college who couldn’t afford it before; there are troops who served tour after tour who are home with their families today.  (Applause.)   
 
Cynicism is popular.  Cynicism is popular these days.  It’s what passes off as wisdom.  But cynics didn’t put a man on the moon.  Cynics never won a war.  Cynics didn’t cure a disease, or start a business, or feed a young mind.  Cynicism didn’t bring about the right for women to vote, or the right for African Americans to be full citizens.  Cynicism is a choice. 
 
Hope is a better choice.  Hope is what gave young soldiers the courage to storm a beach.  Hope is what gave young people the strength to march for women’s rights and civil rights and voting rights and gay rights and immigrant rights.  (Applause.) 
 
Hope is what compelled Kinsey to sit down and pick up a pen, and ask “what can I do,” and actually think maybe the President might read that story and it might make a difference.  (Applause.)  And her voice rang out here in the Paramount Theatre.  And it’s her voice and your voice that’s going to change this country.  That’s how we’re going to make sure that we remain the greatest nation on Earth -- not by asking what we can do for ourselves, but what we can do for each other and what we can do for our country. 
 
And so, as President, I’m going to keep a promise that I made when I first ran:  Every day, I will keep asking the same question, and that is, how can I help you?  And I’ll keep treating your cares and your concerns as my own.  And I will keep fighting to restore the American Dream for everybody who’s willing to work for it. 
 
And I am going to need you to be right there with me.  (Applause.)  Do not get cynical.  Hope is the better choice. 
 
Thank you, Texas.  Thank you, Austin.  God bless you.  (Applause.) 
 
END
1:28 P.M. CDT

U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR JULY 10, 2014

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

CONTRACTS

AIR FORCE

Astrium Services Government, Inc., Rockville, Maryland (FA8814-14-D-0001); Harris Corp. Government Communications Systems Business Unit, Palm Bay, Florida (FA8814-14-D-0002); Space Systems/Loral, LLC, Palo Alto, California (FA8814-14-D-0003); Millennium Engineering & Integration Company, Arlington, Virginia (FA8814-14-D-0004); Surrey Satellite Technology, Englewood, Colorado (FA8814-14-D-0005); Orbital Sciences Corp., Dulles, Virginia (FA8814-14-D-0006); The Boeing Co., El Segundo, California (FA8814-14-D-0007); Exoterra Resources, Littleton, Colorado (FA8814-14-D-0008); Lockheed Martin Corp., Littleton, Colorado (FA8814-14-D-0009); Merging Excellence and Innovation Tech, Inc., Houston, Texas (FA8814-14-D-0010); ViviSat, LLC, Beltsville, Maryland (FA8814-14-D-0011); Intelsat General Corp., Bethesda, Maryland (FA8814-14-D-0012); SES Government Solutions, McLean, Virginia (FA8814-14-D-0013); and Eutelsat America Corp., Washington, District of Columbia (FA8814-14-D-0014), have each been awarded a $494,900,000 maximum firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract under the Hosted Payload Solutions (HoPS) program. The purpose of the multiple awarded HoPS IDIQ contract is to provide a rapid and flexible means for the government to acquire commercial hosting capabilities for government payloads. The contract is designed to create a pool of qualified vendors to meet the government's needs for various hosted payload missions. The HoPS IDIQ scope includes procurement of hosted payload missions and procurement of hosted payload studies. Procurement of hosted payload missions includes a fully-functioning on-orbit hosted payload space and ground system for government-furnished payloads on commercial platforms. In addition to the space and ground systems, the HoPS mission will also include related on-orbit support for data transfer from the hosted payload to the government end-user(s). The HoPS studies include those study activities related to enabling hosted payloads. This award is the result of a full and open competitive acquisition. The contract has a five-year ordering period from the date of award. Work will be performed predominantly at the contractors' locations mentioned above, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2029. A total of 19 firms were solicited and a total of 14 offers were received. This is not a multiyear contract. Fiscal 2014 research and development funds in the amount of $975,696 are being obligated at time of award. The Space and Missile Systems Center Contracting Directorate, El Segundo, California, is the contracting activity.

ARMY

MW Builders, Inc., Temple, Texas, was awarded a $47,777,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction services for a new five-story barracks/company operations facility, a common cooling tower with support facility, and associated site improvements. Work will be performed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, with an estimated completion date of June 21, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet with eight received. Fiscal 2014 military construction funds in the amount of $47,777,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Missouri, is the contracting activity (W912DQ-14-C-4009).
Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $15,581,037 firm-fixed-price multi-year foreign military sales contract (Australia, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, New Zealand, Norway, Oman and Taiwan) for Javelin Life Cycle contractor support for maintenance of command launch units and training devices. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of July 8, 2016. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $6,429,497, and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $1,207,760, are being obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-14-C-0127).

Carothers Construction, Inc., Oxford, Mississippi, was awarded a $13,543,293 firm-fixed-price contract with options for construction of the Bridgeport Army Reserve Center. Work will be performed in Branford, Connecticut, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 13, 2015. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Fiscal 2010 ($13,080,293) and fiscal 2011($282,000) military construction funds, and fiscal 2014 ($181,000) operations and maintenance (Army) funds, are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-14-C-0024).

Fortis Networks, Inc.*, Phoenix, Arizona, was awarded a $9,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract with options for military and civil works construction services in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Southwestern Division with an estimated completion date of July 9, 2019. Bids were solicited via the internet with 14 received. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (W912BV-14-D-0005).

Raass Brothers, Inc.*, Provo, Utah, was awarded an $8,898,317 firm-fixed-price contract with options for building renovation. Work will be performed in buildings 7416 and 7418, Fort Carson, Colorado, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 14, 2016. Bids were solicited via the internet with 12 received. Fiscal 2010 military construction funds in the amount of $892,148 and fiscal 2013 military construction funds in the amount of $7,091,169 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-14-C-0018).

Parsons Government Services, Inc., Pasadena, California, was awarded an $8,000,000 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery contract for architectural and engineering services for construction management support for the Mobile District and South Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with an estimated completion date of July 9, 2019. Bids were solicited via the internet with 97 received. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama is the contracting activity (W91278-14-D-0044).

NAVY

General Technical Systems,* Virginia Beach, Virginia, is being awarded an $11,825,274 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the development of a prototype Gatekeeper On The Move - Biometrics (GOTM-B) in support of reconnaissance and surveillance payloads, sensors, delivery systems and platforms. The GOTM-B system is an innovative, non-contact, on the move, multimodal biometric (3D Finger, Face, and Iris) identity operations and force protection capability. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia (80 percent) and Tampa, Florida (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2017. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation (defense-wide) funds in the amount of $3,312,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via a Broad Agency Announcement and one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-14-C-0183).
Triumph Gear System, Inc., Park City, Utah, is being awarded a $9,640,283 five year firm-fixed-price contract for the repair of a gearbox accessory in support of F/A-18 aircraft. Work will be performed in Park City, Utah, and work is expected to be completed by July 2020. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Fiscal 2014 Navy working capital funds will be obligated as delivery orders are issued. No contract funds will expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole source requirement in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). The NAVSUP Weapon System Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-14-D-025D).

CACI Inc.-Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, is being awarded a $9,423,610 modification under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00033-09-D-6503) with firm-fixed-price and/or firm-fixed-price level-of-effort task orders for systems development support services in support of Military Sealift Command’s Command, Control, Communications, and Computer Systems directorate. Work will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia (70 percent); Arlington, Virginia (5 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (3 percent); Ledyard, Connecticut (20 percent), and overseas worldwide (2 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2015. Fiscal 2014 working capital funds in the amounts of $9,423,610 will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00033-09-D-6503).

Defense Logistics Agency

CORRECTION: The contract announced on July 8, 2014, for BP Products North America Inc., Chicago, Illinois (SP0600-14-D-8542), for $25,706,502, was announced with an incorrect maximum dollar amount and an incorrect award date. The correct maximum dollar amount is $112,842,240 and the correct award date is July 9, 2014.

*Small Business

U.S. WELCOMES APPOINTMENT OF UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Appointment of Staffan de Mistura as UN Special Envoy for Syria

Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 10, 2014


The United States welcomes the decision by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to appoint Staffan de Mistura as the new UN Special Envoy for Syria. Special Envoy de Mistura is a distinguished diplomat who brings a wealth of experience to this pressing crisis from his work on Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan, and the former Yugoslavia.

We applaud his readiness to continue the important mission of trying to bring an end to the suffering and brutal violence inside Syria and to forge a path toward a political transition consistent with the principles of the Geneva Communique that ultimately leads to an inclusive government and fulfills Syrians’ aspirations for freedom and dignity. We encourage Special Envoy de Mistura to build upon the outstanding work of his predecessor, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, and expand upon UN engagement with Syrians from all strata of society.

We look forward to supporting Special Envoy de Mistura as he works to achieve a negotiated political solution, which we believe is the best way to address all dimensions of this crisis and to end the conflict sustainably.

REMARKS BY SECRETARY KERRY AT ECOPARTNERSHIPS SIGNING CEREMONY IN BEIJING, CHINA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks at EcoPartnerships Signing Ceremony

Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Great Hall of the People
Beijing, China
July 10, 2014


Well, State Councilor Yang and all of our ecopartners today who traveled so far in order to sign these landmark agreements, we are delighted to be here. I was sitting here, thinking, listening to the State Councilor -- the amazing journey we have traveled in very few years.
I was in Rio in 1992 for the first Earth Day for the Earth Summit, when we first began to discuss, globally, the challenge of climate change. And even five years ago, when I was in the United States Senate, I would not have imagined that we would have been standing here in Beijing, joining together in this kind of initiative. And the reason we are here is because the science is growing so significantly, and coming back at us not just with the truth of what was predicted, but coming back in greater quantities, faster than anybody predicted.

And so, it is no secret that China and the United States have a very special role to play together in combating climate change. Our words and our actions will set the tone. Either we create the momentum to galvanize global action in order to deal with this, or we risk a global catastrophe. That is the science. You can't be half pregnant on this. If you accept the science, and it tells you what is happening, you have to also listen to the people as they give us warnings about what will happen if we don't take action.

All of us in this room recognize that governments cannot meet this challenge alone. And that is why we are harnessing the ingenuity and the innovation of the private sector, universities, civil society, in order to promote economic growth, energy security, and environmental sustainability. And our EcoPartnerships program is a tremendous jumping-off point to help us do exactly what we need to do in those three objectives.

Some of you here are working on biofuels and battery storage technology. Some of you are focused on reducing air pollution in ports, and promoting low-emission cities, creating city planning that works on sustainability and efficiency, and also developing clean technologies. But all of you are turning a singular challenge into a moment of great opportunity.

The former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, my friend -- I had the privilege of serving with him -- Speaker Tip O'Neill, had a terrific saying, that all politics is local. Well, our ecopartnerships are applying the Tip O'Neill doctrine to climate. If you want to make progress globally, start locally.

And I will just share one example. The Center for Climate Strategies in the United States has been working very closely with the Global Environmental Institute in China in order to develop ideas for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And the Center has already worked with 36 states in the United States on ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and it is transferring these best practices to Chinese provinces. It is doing so directly. In the next three years, the partnership will develop 30 low-carbon plans across China. And that is exactly how we are going to make the most progress in this fight.

Now, it is easy to get caught up in the conventional wisdom that says no big change is going to be able to happen without big bureaucracies, big government, big decisions. But, frankly, a lot of us have learned in the last 20 years that you've got to begin somewhere.

I still remember participating, back in 1970, in the first Earth Day in the United States of America. On that day, 20 million Americans came out of their homes and demonstrated, because they didn't want to grow up drinking water that came from pollution from local dumps, or from toxic chemical sites, and so forth. We had no Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 in America. We had no laws preventing paint from being used in people's homes or on babies’ cribs that was lead and could do injury, if not death to those children. We had no one that was safeguarding our public drinking water. Polluters were even dumping medical waste directly into the oceans. And by 1970, our rivers were so dirty that, famously, one particular river in one of our states actually caught fire.

The explosion of our activism at that moment in time, on that very first Earth Day, was people-driven, local citizens demanding something better. And that first Earth Day led, ultimately, to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, signed into law by Richard Nixon; the passage of the Clean Air Act; the Clean Water Act; the Safe Drinking Water Act; the Marine Mammal Protection Act; the Coastal Zone Management Act; and the EPA, itself. So, I have seen the power of grass roots action, of local efforts becoming magnified and ultimately creating action at a larger, federal level. And I see that same kind of drive, that same kernel of innovation, and of demand for a difference right here, today.

What one country does with respect to the environment impacts the livelihoods of people in other countries. And what we all do to address climate change will now determine the kind of planet that our children and our grandchildren will live on. That is not a question about who wins and who loses. If you tackle climate change and you lead the way to a clean energy future, the fact is it is win-win-win: win for China, win for America, and win for the world. And today, these ecopartnerships are a signal to everybody that we are serious, we are on our way, and we intend to seize the opportunity. Thank you. (Applause.)

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS AT CEO ROUNDTABLE IN BEIJING, CHINA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks at Opening of CEO Roundtable

Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Secretary of Treasury Jacob Lew, State Councilor Yang Jiechi
Diayuotai State Guesthouse
Beijing, China
July 10, 2014




MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Special representatives, friends of the business community, (inaudible) joining us in the Strategic and Economic Dialogue through a cultural performance, then the roundtable is a routine program of this cultural show. So I will first give the floor to State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

STATE COUNCILOR YANG: (Via interpreter) Vice Premier Wang, Secretary Kerry, Secretary Lew, business leaders from China and the United States, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. First of all, let me warmly welcome all the business leaders from China and the United States at this breakfast. I’ve seen many old friends and new friends here today. So all of the four special representatives are here, and we also have the leading figures from important ministries and agencies of China, and I think this shows – the presence of them shows how much importance our two governments attach to our business relationship. And I’ll be looking forward to the remarks from all the business leaders as well as your insights.

And business is a backbone of China-U.S. economic relationship. Over the past 35 years, our bilateral trade increased by over 200 times. It was up from U.S. $2.45 billion in 1979 to $520 billion in 2013. Bilateral investment, which was hardly in existence, grew to U.S. $100 billion last year. So without your hard work, there would not have been such big progress in our bilateral economic relationship and trade.

The businesses also drive our cooperation. Trade and investment between our businesses’ leaders – businesses not only brings goods and jobs to us, but also mutual understanding and friendship among our peoples. Over the past 35 years, we have been expanding the areas of our cooperation and have seen a big increase in our people-to-people exchanges, and we ought to thank our enterprises for their hard work.

Finally, the business is also the pillars for our new model of major-country relationship, which is an unprecedented and innovative endeavor. We need to work very hard and work continuously. And we also look forward to the active support and participation of people from all sectors so that our companies and businesses play very important roles.

And I believe that the government departments from those countries will attach great importance to your views and your comments, and we will try our best to include them into the agenda of S&ED so as to remove the obstacles for cooperation between our two – between the companies of the two sides and create a better development environment for all of you. Thank you.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Secretary Jacob Lew please.

SECRETARY LEW: Thank you very much, Vice Premier. On behalf of President Obama and all of my colleagues in the States, I’d like to thank our Chinese colleagues for hosting this morning’s discussions, and to all the business leaders who’ve come (inaudible). As we all know, we’re in the middle of our sixth U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, and over the past five years, this has really become a foundation of our economic engagement.
I think that the dialogue itself is the government-to-government engagement. But what’s really driving a lot of what we do economically is the people-to-people engagement that goes on in the business world. I think it’s important to remember that before we had diplomatic relations, we did have commercial relations. They were small, and as the State Councilor noted, they’ve grown tremendously over the last 35 years. But it began with relationships in commerce and grew into government-to-government relationships.

Today, strengthening the commercial relationship remains an important task ahead of us. It’s a way of creating economic growth and jobs in our two countries, and it’s a way to help drive the global economy forward. You, the business leaders, are the strongest champions of the robust, fair and expanding U.S.-Chinese relationship.

The United States welcomes foreign direct investment. It has been the backbone of our economy for our entire history, and we look forward to discussions that will continue (inaudible) the next few years. Foreign direct investment from China in the United States has grown tenfold, and we hope that we can, through conversations like this, continue to identify opportunities (inaudible) in both countries.

Last year marked the first time that Chinese direct investment in the United States was greater than investment from the United States into China. Chinese firms are making important contributions to U.S. output and employment and are valued members of the communities in which they invest.

U.S. firms, which, I believe, are the most dynamic and innovative in the world, likewise are contributing to the Chinese economy. And they’re capable contributing to even more of China’s efforts to transform its development model, develop its services industry, deepen financial sector reform, and improve access to capital and boost domestic demand. It’s important that these firms are able to participate in healthy competition on a level playing field that will produce benefits to both our nations and the global economy.

And that’s where each of you, the business leaders here this morning, comes in. Each of your firms plays a pivotal role in helping to propel the U.S.-China relationship forward. And with that, I look forward to hearing your comments this morning about the successes you’ve had in the collaboration, and importantly, the challenges you face where we, as government officials, can perhaps play a role to help make things easier on both sides.

With that, I look forward to hearing what all of my colleagues on both sides – the government part of the table, but mostly what the business side of the table – have to say here this morning. Thank you very much.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Secretary Kerry please.

SECRETARY KERRY: Vice Premier Wang, thank you very, very much. Thank you very much for your generous welcome here over the last 48 hours. We’re really delighted to be here with so many high-level, extraordinarily successful, confident business leaders. And I’m very happy to be joined with a very strong American delegation. Our – in addition to the Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew, we have our Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, our Trade Representative Mike Froman, our Counselor to the President John Podesta, our ambassador – well, Senator Max Baucus. And we really have come here to listen to you. We want to hear your thoughts.

But I would just say as a preface to that, the State Department today is very clear that economic policy is foreign policy and foreign policy is economic policy. And all of our people – the people of China, the people of the United States, really the people of the world – are looking for their fair opportunities. That was part of the unrest that we see in certain parts of the world. Huge numbers of young people connected to everybody in the world, every day, all the time. So everything that happens anywhere is now known to everybody.

The fact is that it’s a world of rising expectations, but it’s also a world of rising possibilities. And nobody defines that more than your businesses. When half the world is still living on less than $2 a day and a large percentage of it on $1, there’s immense opportunity for growth and development. How we manage that is really what is going to define, I think, this century.
And the fact is that you’ve heard the figures. Thirty-five years ago, $2 billion of trade in goods; now, well over 500 and growing, with foreign direct investment moving in both directions – not yet even, but something we need to work at, but it doubled last year from China to the United States. We want to do better. We are in the middle of negotiating now a bilateral investment treaty. We’ll want to get that completed. We want to have an intellectual/technology trade agreement. We need to make sure we’re protecting intellectual property rights; make sure we’re creating transparency in the regulatory process; make sure that we are raising the bar for everybody in a sense, in terms of the standards by which we do business.

China and the United State represent the greatest economic alliance trading partnership in the history of humankind, and it is only going to grow. So this is a very important meeting and we really look forward to hearing from you your thoughts about how we, in the Obama Administration, can grow these possibilities, meet your needs, strengthen our countries, and strengthen the security relationship as well, which grows out of the economic relationship at the same time.

So thank you for coming today, and we thank the Vice Premier and the State Councilor for convening us.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) I want to thank the three special representatives for their opening remarks. Now I will open up the floor.

REMARKS BY SECRETARY KERRY, CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING AT GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks With Chinese President Xi Jinping

Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Great Hall of the People
Beijing, China
July 10, 2014


PRESIDENT XI: (Via interpreter.) A historical experience in our relationship is a valuable asset that both sides need to keep in mind. President Obama and I have agreed that we will work together to build a new model of major country relations between China and the United States. And from my words and the words of President Obama, people can see our sheer determination to do that. I hope through the joint efforts of both sides, we can make sure the China-U.S. relationship will make some progress in the right direction, and as we stress here, that China will continue to make unrelenting efforts in that direction.

When you go back, please send my best greetings and warm regards to President Obama and Vice President Biden. I welcomed President Obama to come to China in November for the APEC meeting and a bilateral visit, which will give us another opportunity (inaudible).
Now I’d like to listen to your comments please.

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Mr. President, first of all, thank you on behalf of President Obama and our entire delegation. We’re very grateful to you and your team for the excellent dialogue over these two days.

And thank you for your strong (inaudible) yesterday (inaudible) the dialogue. I think that it helped to raise the level of discussion, and I know that President Obama is very much looking forward to being here for the APEC conference. He wants that conference to be a success, and we hope that these two days have helped to provide the building blocks for that success.
As you know, Mr. President, that Secretary Lew led the economic discussion, and we were engaged with principally State Councilor Yang Jiechi on the security dialogue. And I would just say to you very quickly and I think Secretary Lew would like to say the same thing. President Obama wants to emphasize that the United States welcomes and wants a strong, prosperous, stable China.

And we mean what we say when we emphasize that there is no U.S. strategy to try to push back against or be in conflict with China. There were many, many issues that we discussed. We really covered the waterfront, as we say. But I do want to emphasize that we reached agreement that we need to both do more and we are prepared to do (inaudible) in order (inaudible) Korea on the subject of denuclearization. Secondly, we came to agreement that must press forward together in unity with respect to Iran’s nuclear program, and we look forward to continuing to cooperate in the P5+1.

And third, and I think very importantly, because of your directives last year, because of the meetings we’ve held over this past year, we have really made significant progress in defining our mutual leadership role on climate change. And we believe there’s an enormous opportunity to be able to help (inaudible) internationally , and we’re very grateful to you for your serious effort that your team has made with us to sign EcoPartnerships, to designate specific measures you will take, and to continue to work on that very challenging (inaudible).

NASA SCIENCECASTS: A SUMMER OF SUPER MOONS

EX-IM BANK CLAIMS IT'S OPENING DOORS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN CHINA

FROM:  U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK 
The Export-Import Bank Continues to Open Doors for U.S. Small Businesses to Export to China in 2014
Direct and indirect small business support part of record-high $1.8 billion authorizations for exports to China year-to-date


SHENZHEN, CHINA – As the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. (Ex-Im Bank) Chairman and President Fred Hochberg tours China to encourage the purchase of Made-in-America goods and services and participates in the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, new statistics reveal that Ex-Im Bank is on track to hit a new record for transactions supporting U.S. exports to China in fiscal year 2014. Already totaling more than $1.8 billion, Ex-Im Bank financing contributes to a more balanced trade relationship with China, where exports from American companies have nearly doubled since 2009.


”As the world’s second largest economy, and the third largest importer of U.S. goods, China represents an incredible opportunity for U.S small businesses,” said Chairman Hochberg. “Both through direct sales to China and supplying larger U.S. exporters, American small businesses, with the help of Ex-Im Bank are competing on a more level playing field while expanding their exports to China and creating jobs in the United States.”

Ex-Im Bank does not compete with private banks or lenders, but still continues to play a vital role in opening China’s vast market to U.S. small businesses through its loan-guarantee and trade-credit-insurance programs. That’s because, often times, small business exporters have shipments that are too small for commercial banks to deem worth their time. With just over 400 employees, Ex-Im Bank is nimble enough that there is no American small business exporter that is too small for Ex-Im to support.

“We are finding that the ability to talk about and offer a loan is critical to our success for fire apparatus and equipment sales in many parts of China,” said Peter Darley, vice president of W.S. Darley of Itasca, Illinois. “Due to the Ex-Im framework agreement, interested Fire Departments are able to purchase products from the U.S. and can spread out their payments, affording them the opportunity to purchase the right amount of equipment with the desired quality and technology. We have a lot of good people working for us that are employed because we are able to offer project financing that is backed by Ex-Im Bank.”

As a result of Ex-Im support, small businesses across the U.S. have been able to directly export to China in FY 2014, including:

Bassett’s Ice Cream – Philadelphia, PA. Bassett’s is a fifth-generation frozen dessert distributor and a Philadelphia tradition since 1861.

Cypress Creek Hardwoods – Austin, TX. Cypress Creek Hardwoods sells hardwood lumber to China.

Lions Gate Inc. – Honaunau, HI. Lions Gate exports Kona Coffee.

South Coast Products – Houston, TX. South Coast produces lubricants, greases, thread compound, sealants, lubrication equipment, and laboratory equipment and accessories used for testing/analysis of greases and lubricants.

Teledynamics LLC – Towaco, NJ. Teledynamics manufactures and supplies mail and material monorail systems for hospitals, libraries, and law firms.

W.S. Darley – Itasca, IL. Darley is a leading provider of firefighting equipment, rescue gear, tools and supplies.

READOUT: DEPUTY AG COLE'S TOUR OF BORDER STATION IN MCALLEN, TX

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Readout of Deputy Attorney General’s Tour of Border Station in McAllen, Texas
Deputy Attorney General James Cole made a return trip today to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s McAllen Station and processing facility to discuss steps the Department of Justice is taking to help address the influx of migrants crossing the southwest border.

Chief Patrol Agent Kevin Oaks and Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Raul Ortiz gave the Deputy Attorney General a tour of the facility and a briefing on the operations at McAllen.  McAllen staff discussed the numbers of migrants that are arriving each day, including the numbers of unaccompanied children, families and adults; and the reasons, including violence in Central American countries, that many are giving for making the dangerous trek to the U.S. border.  Cole also viewed the station’s processing facility, where migrants who have arrived in the past few days are housed.

During his talk with McAllen staff, Cole took the opportunity to highlight the Justice Department’s commitment to prioritizing adjudication of cases that fall into the following four groups: unaccompanied children who recently crossed the border; families who recently crossed the border and are held in detention; families who recently crossed the border but are on “alternatives to detention;” and other detained cases, including border crossers and significant public safety threats.  He also emphasized that the department’s intention to reassign immigration judges in immigration courts around the country from their current dockets to hear the cases of individuals falling in these four groups.

Cole noted that the department is also seeking new funding for as many as 40 more immigration judges and to provide technical assistance to Central American countries in identifying and dismantling smuggling operations that take advantage of migrants seeking to enter the U.S.  He also noted that the department has requested funding to provide technical assistance in combating transnational crime and the threat posed by criminal gangs.  Cole reiterated that the department continues to focus on investigating and prosecuting smugglers who exploit and victimize vulnerable migrants, including children, in partnership with DHS and foreign governments. The discussion with McAllen staff also included a productive exchange of ideas on strategic ways to combat smuggling.

The Deputy Attorney General was impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the McAllen staff and thanked them for their service.  Cole last visited the facility in November 2013.

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY MAKES STATEMENT ON INDONESIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Indonesian Presidential Election

We congratulate the people of Indonesia on the successful completion of their historic presidential election.  The high voter turnout, spirited campaign, and strong participation by Indonesia’s public, civil society, and media underscore the strength and dynamism of Indonesia’s maturing democracy.
As the world’s second and third largest democracies, the United States and Indonesia have many shared interests and values, including a strong belief in the importance of respect for human rights, inclusive governance, and equal opportunities for all people.  The Comprehensive Partnership that our two countries launched in 2010 is a long-term commitment to build on our common interests to broaden, deepen and elevate bilateral relations between the United States and Indonesia, as well as to promote mutual understanding and work together on issues of regional and global concern.  The President looks forward to continuing that important partnership with the new Indonesian President, as well as with the recently elected parliament.
President Obama and his Administration have valued the partnership with President Yudhoyono, who has worked closely with the United States to strengthen our bilateral relationship and our engagement with ASEAN. As President Yudhoyono nears the end of his term, he can look back on an important legacy of helping Indonesia achieve strong economic growth, strengthened democratic institutions, and a role as a regional and global leader. This Administration recognizes with deep appreciation his efforts to build greater understanding between Indonesia and the United States, and we look forward to continuing close ties going forward.

Search This Blog

Translate

White House.gov Press Office Feed