Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for being here. I’ll let everyone get settled. Today, ahead of the 2012 hurricane season, which begins on Friday,...

The briefing highlighted lessons learned from disasters ranging from Hurricane Andrew, which made landfall in the southeast United States 20 years ago...

I was able to attend the meeting. It was fascinating. But I brought along with me today a person far more capable of answering your questions as the...

Well, good afternoon, everybody. Just real quickly, some of the things the President was asking about -- lessons learned -- particularly, we saw earlier...

Private sector is a key component. Without jobs, without services it’s very difficult for communities to reestablish and be able to recover. So...

Well, the seasonal outlook -- I believe the National Weather Service and NOAA put out theirs calling for an average season. Of course, hurricane season...

Well, as far as us, we’re looking at this as we would any of the events that would lead to a state response. However, the states themselves have...

Are you familiar with Miami, Tampa and tourism? They always have large numbers of people. (Laughter.) So again, not to be flip, but the fact that...

Yes. Probably one of the lessons we’ve learned from Andrew and then most recently Katrina, that in a large-scale catastrophic disaster we have lots...

Well, no, it was just a lot of activity, not a lot of landfalls.

Have a plan. What I hate to have people do is go through hurricane season worrying all year about hurricanes. What I want them to do is find out about...

Sure. And we have actually learned this. Remember when we had the earthquake here last year and everybody got on their cell phones at the same time...

Specifically, what early warning measure? Because we've got a whole lot of new stuff that’s rolling out this year as we speak.

Well, I’m not excited about it. It’s happened, and I’m real excited that it happened. We have been working on the Emergency Alert System, trying...

That's just it. What specifically? Because we are funded to do these programs and to continue rolling out and improving these systems. So there may...

Well, I’m not a meteorologist. I’m not a climate scientist, and hurricanes are cyclic. I do know history. And if you look at history and you...

Thanks, everybody.

Should we get landlines again? (Laughter.)

Should we get landlines? Should they start making landlines again?

Thank you. With that, I will go to questions on other matters. Jim.

We are certainly speaking with the Russians, as well as other members of the United Nations Security Council about Syria. We were very clear about...

Well, the Annan plan is broadly supported by the United States and other members of the Security Council. The issue here is Assad’s refusal to comply...

The President misspoke. He was referring to Nazi death camps in German-occupied Poland. And as we’ve made clear, we regret the misstatement and...

I’m sorry, has the --

I’ll have to take the question. I don’t know the answer to that.

I don’t have any specific conversations involving the President to read out to you. But as we’ve said in the past and it continues to be true,...

I would simply make clear that the President and the United States have led on Syria as he and we have led throughout the upheaval known as the Arab...

Oh, not at all. I think the President -- I know the President looks forward to it. There is a --

Well, look, there are differences without question between his approach and the approach and the policies of his predecessor. That was certainly the...

I think a couple of my former colleagues have written a book about it, and I’ll give them a plug for The Presidents Club. But I think that -- I think...

I don’t think so. I think what has been the case and will be the case is that there is so much shared experience between, so far, the men and, one...

I can’t, because I don’t want to speculate or rule in or rule out what actions might be taken should the Annan plan fail, should Assad continue...

Well, I think there are a number of things that we have done that go beyond some of the things that you mentioned, and there are obviously other actions...

Always. (Laughter.)

I think it’s up to, as I mentioned yesterday, those who seek the office to decide how they will run their campaigns and what views they associate...

Well, I think so. Do you not?

Well, I think it is.

Yes, Mike.

You’re speaking like -- in a piece almost.

Europe -- Europe again in crisis. (Laughter.)

I remember that from my, of course, marital affiliation -- that they remove all the verbs and just deliver it without -- yes. (Laughter.)

Well, two things. One, we are being, I think, quite forthright in our consultations with our European friends in suggesting to them the directions...

Excuse me for my digression.

I don’t know what the specific schedule is. I think the opportunities to speak with formers are not limited to occasions like this. But I know that...

Cheryl, I confess I haven't looked into that. I would venture that my suspicion is that there may be a difference of opinion, but I will have to get...

Well, look, it was very collegial and friendly. It was not, of course, particularly long; I think the campaign put out a statement about it. The President...

I’m sure that we will abide by convention and tradition, but I don't have anything specific for you on that.

Well, you mentioned that it was done in the past.

I’m not sure. I think it is simply -- it is always the case that on national security matters in particular that there is something of a gap between...

I believe he did. Is that correct? We’ll double-check. I was in a meeting. But yes, I think so, because he came out -- I think it was -- was it...

That's impossible.

I don't have any calls to read out to you or preview for you. I think we made clear -- I made clear or the statement makes clear that this was a simple...

No, I understand.

I don't have anything new for you on it except what I just --

Well, not -- I just don't have anything for you on that. We obviously consult regularly with all of our allies, including Poland.

Yes, Jake.

I will have to take that as well. Been focused on other things. But I will get back to you.

Bill. I’m sorry -- Lesley, then Bill. Yes.

I don't know. I don't know that he did. But I think -- I don't have any additional comments beyond what others have said on that matter. I think...

Again, I don't -- I wasn’t even aware of that.

Bill.

You might ask the campaign. I’m not -- I’ll have to take the question. Not that I’m aware of, but I’ll take the question.

I think that there are issues obviously unique to that state and issues unique to the spending that's happened in that particular matter that would...

I believe it was when he was a senator.

I know what you're focused on -- (laughter) -- singularly, but actually, the President was a senator.

Yes, in the back.

Just that they had a very good conversation. He congratulated him on winning the nomination. He, I think, mentioned that he knows what -- how difficult...

Again, I don't speak for former Governor Romney, so I can just tell you what the President said. Thank you.

Yes.

Right. There have been some disagreements between the PolitiFact and all the different fact checkers, and I think what I was pointing to was an assessment...

Sure. I think those states will be challenging for the President in the general election.

You can address those questions to the campaign. Yes, sir, all the way back.

Well, those are two different questions, and I'll refer you to the campaign for questions about voter turnout.

I think the President's record...

I’m sorry?

Yes.

Well, look, I think, as I said in response to an earlier question, the President will continue to push Congress, both the Senate and the House, to take...

Thank you, Jim. Take care, everybody.