 Are you ready? Yes, sir. Gentlemen? Yes, sir. Congress here, members of the cabinet. All of you ladies and gentlemen. It's a pleasure to have you all join us here in the Rose Garden as we do efforts of Americans across this land a growing commitment to solving the problem of drug abuse in our society. It's a little bit like a story. I lined one out there and went down and found his ball was sitting right in front of an ants nest. Got out an iron and he took a cut at it. Didn't hit the ant nest. When he lined up for the third shot there were two ants down there and one of them said to the other, if we want to survive, we better get on the ball. It comes in handy, decriminalized or simply regulated. We now know what drugs are and we're not shy about saying it. Drugs are an evil, pure and simple. An evil that destroys lives, steals our children's future and undermines the foundations of our free society. Twelve thousand just say no clubs in schools across the United States. The most troubling of all is the testimony of our children themselves. We're just our college students or our high school students or even our junior high students. As early as the fourth, fifth and sixth grade students are already identifying drugs as a major problem on their school needs. No one I say has a nation. I mean just that. Combating this drug epidemic is the responsibility of every American. Parents, teachers, school administrators, employers, workers and union officials, public office holders and private organizations to that we're looking to our college administrators to become serious about fighting drug use on our nation's campuses. The time for excuses is over. Our colleges can no longer be neutral on the subject of drugs. Nobody has a right to say we must no longer be shy in demanding the right of our children, the right of all Americans to live in a drug free society. And the work of this conference will be a major step forward in initiating an high parent and as chairman of the conference. The boys has had a distinguished career and they've signed that statement there. Here as much as anyone else, I've sold you over and over again everything that I know about all that took place and I'm waiting to find out. Senator Noway says you ought to check your memory about your statement that you knew nothing about illegal fundraising within your administration, sir. As far as I know, who is everyone else I think knew that out there in the country there were people that were contributing and privately and in groups giving money to aid the countries. With weapons, sir? I don't know how that money was to be used and I have no knowledge that there was ever any solicitation by our people. Did you know what Colonel North was doing? Did you know he was coordinating this? No. What about the third country, sir? Why were they contributing money? You will find that within the law the law specified that the Secretary of State was to encourage our fellow democracies to give aid to the freedom fighters. Including for military aid? Are you willing to testify if asked? Are you willing to testify before the select committee if asked? The hearings are beginning, sir. What is your expectation? I'm finally going to hear some of the things that I'm still waiting to learn. But don't you know what you did? I mean, do you have to have someone else tell you what you did? Don't you know what you did? I know what I did and I have told all of you repeatedly what I did and now I'm going to quit. Should Senator Hart drop his bid for the presidency? What should Senator Hart do? What should he not have done before he did it? I appreciate very much, sir. I should say that warm memories of our home visit to your country. And I'm pleased that you're coming to meet with Secretary Weinberger here because of our commitment to peace and security in your country as well. I will long remember my visit to the DMC for one of our young men that day stood with me in tension and said, sir, we are on the frontier of freedom. Our meetings are going very well. First figure to 6.2 because that includes the military and I'm convinced they're working. They've got jobs. That's a drop of a full 3-tenths of a percentage point in a single month and it marks the lowest unemployment rate in more than seven years. And it's worth pointing out that these numbers exceed the expectations of most private forecasters and taken together with the healthy gains in employment during the first quarter of this year, these April statistics indicate that economic expansion and creation of jobs continues at a strong pace. End of statement. What happened to the unemployment reform minorities, Mr. President? Unemployment reform minorities? Well, I'm not going to take any questions except because you asked that one at this point. It is my understanding that for some period now the unemployment rate for minorities is dropping faster than the general unemployment rate. Mr. President, do you think that private persons carrying out your foreign policy should procure from it? Melinda, I can't take any... Have you been watching CQR? A little, but I can't take any questions here now. We've got to get down to some very urgent business. Is Karen Roth still a national hero, Mr. President? No questions. Unless you want to ask about any point of it. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Where's your partner? She's sleeping. Take that arm tool. That's terrible. I think your mother's going to be able to do it. You don't have to tell me. It's a good story, really. Yeah, it's a good story. Yeah, it's a good story. Thank you. What's that doing to the... The button. Six months later, I think. The question is what is the DNA of all of this? It's just me. Trade and... Yeah. Coming down to the day, I know you've got a good schedule up there. There are a couple of issues I want to discuss with you today with the hope that we can get together on our strategy. Because you know the house has passed an unacceptable trade deal. I understand the finance committee has locked up its trade reform proposal and we're anxious to have a detailed look at that one. I know that representatives of our administration were consulted throughout the finance process and a number of improvements were made in the bill, but we still have some very serious problems here and I hope we can work them out. I'd like to get a trade bill I can sign and I hope I can count on you and your colleagues to work with us to reach that goal. Bob, I'd like to hear your assessment of the finance committee's action with Jim Baker and Alan Woods for any comment they might have. Let me compliment first, Mr. President. Alan Woods. Well, thank you all for coming down here this morning. We discussed the debt ceiling. I know that we're the republicans. That's just wonderful. We love that. No, it's always a difficult time and it's something that both republicans and democrats have to face up to. We've been through this many times in the last few years, but this is a little different year. At midnight, May 15th, the temporary debt limit will expire. And unlike previous years, there are no administrative actions available that belong to the availability of cash. Without congressional action, therefore, as Jim has told us already, the United States government will run out of cash by May 28th and default on its debt. Now, we've never defaulted in 200 years and do so now would result in unthinkable consequences. Severe disruption of domestic and international financial markets as well as increasing interest rates. So let me stress that I understand the political dilemma faced by republicans on this issue. However, I believe the economic consequences of default present a far graver risk than voting for debt limit legislation. We really need your help on this one. I urge you to work with us for the prompt enactment of a clean, long-term debt ceiling increase. I'm going to ask Jim Baker to elaborate on the situation and we'll open it up for general discussion. Thank you, Mr. President. I elaborated that the most everybody here knows at some length the other morning for the conference and I suppose most everybody heard what I had to say and the questions that were directed my way. Let me just make one point if I might or maybe...