Hello, everyone. Welcome to your White House briefing. Trying to get this one done a little earlier in the day today.

And with that, I go to the Associated Press.

Oh, I hope not. The President hopes not. There is a long list of things that could be achieved working -- if Congress comes together in the way that...

Well, there is work to be done to ensure that construction workers stay on the job, fixing and building infrastructure projects across the country....

Well, I’m not going to get into a public discussion about the private discussions going on with regard to a venue for these talks. We’re waiting...

Well, the President’s answer to this question is yes. He believes -- his personal opinion is that women should be admitted.

Well, I don’t know that -- I happened to have a discussion with him about this, so I know that that’s his answer. But it’s obviously up to the...

Well, two things. Let’s be clear -- the JOBS Act leaves alone -- leaves in place the core post-.com bust conflict of interest protections from the...

It leaves untouched the core post-.com bust conflict of interest protections. In addition to this, the SEC will have ample room to further clarify and...

Well, I would refer you to Treasury, perhaps. I don't have a study handy for you. I think it is a pretty well-accepted fact of the American economy...

I'm not saying that's true at all. I'm just not -- I don't have a study here. I would refer you to folks with the business degrees and the wherewithal...

I'm not saying that, Jessica, at all. For all I know, there are 10 studies.

By?

We disagree. And I'm making clear to you that in addition to leaving in place the core post-.com bust conflict of interest protections, under the so-called...

Well, they're mid-level.

Look, they are not -- they are mid-level members of directorates at the National Security Council. They're excellent people and experts. They probably...

It is part of our conversations with all the diverse and emerging political actors in Egypt our belief in the need for Egypt to abide by its treaty...

Well, I don't have an answer to you on the specific mechanisms by which funds like this were released or might be released. What I would say to you...

Well, she's a pretty high-ranking official, but the --

So I would -- for details on the decision about how to proceed, the State Department might be the best place for those details. The overall assessment...

No, I'm sure -- I don't doubt that at all, Jake. My point is that, again, as you pointed out, we share the same goals, and I don't think we're -- there...

Because we believe that that kind of -- the kind of engagement that we are participating in with Egypt and with its post-revolution leadership and with...

Well, the answer is, because we think it's the best way to go.

Well, you can make a variety of assessments speculating about how things might have turned -- might turn out if you took a different approach. The overall...

Well, again, you can make an assessment.

Well, I think I'm giving you an answer. We think this is the best approach.

Because we -- as I said before, we're engaged with Egypt's new actors to try to work with them as they -- during this historic transformation, post-revolution,...

Ed, by that -- you’re saying that anything that has to do with women has political -- so anything that has to do with growing the economy, because...

Well, stay tuned. Ed, that’s kind of a silly question.

This administration has engaged in a number of policy approaches designed to address women in the economy, including the very first bill that the President...

So why are we focusing on small businesses with a Small Business Job Creation Act? Are we discriminating against big businesses? We’re focusing on...

Well, you can choose words however you like. What Professor Tribe said is that the President clarified, and he did, and he expanded on his remarks of...

What I accept and what I think I acknowledged yesterday --

-- is that in speaking on Monday, the President was not clearly understood by some people. Because he is a law professor, he spoke in shorthand.

He referred to things like -- well, what Laurence Tribe said is that he did not say what he meant, because Laurence Tribe clearly knows that the President...

The President believes that the Supreme Court has a final word on matters of judicial review, on the constitutionality of legislation. He would, having...

The President -- look, Bill --

As your colleague --

No, no, Bill, I am acknowledging -- you're sharing in the righteous indignation here that your colleague --

The President spoke, in answer to a question, relatively briefly, and in the context of this case, made the statement that there is no judicial precedent...

No, no, look, others -- look, others --

I'm just saying that there's a lot of -- it's kind of ridiculous to believe that the President wasn't talking about the context of the case. But I completely...

You guys -- it's your job to come up with clichés like "game on" and things like that. But I'm not going to engage in that.

Scott.

I'd have to take that question. I'm not sure about that.

Oh, we talked the other day about "The Ides of March," which I just watched. I thought it was pretty good, actually.

Yes. "To Kill a Mockingbird" -- as you know, the President is screening or hosting a screening of and will make brief remarks at the beginning of the...

I have to -- I'd be shocked if she wasn't, but I'll find out for you.

I talked to him today about the Masters. I did not talk to him about that, so I don’t know.

I didn’t have that conversation with him. The President answered quite clearly to me, which I conveyed to you, that he believes Augusta should admit...

Well, it’s a big government, so I would hesitate to make any blanket statements. But what I can tell you is that on his first day in office, President...

If excessive spending is brought to our attention or the -- I assume they're obviously independent -- but the IGs, the President's reaction here, the...

You have to fly out to find her and ask her -- or him. (Laughter.)

We have held signing ceremonies -- there are a lot of moving pieces here in terms of getting legislation that's passed from the Hill here; sometimes,...

It is news to me that Republicans in Congress were eager to appear next to the President. That had not always been the case. But we're happy to say...

Well, I don’t have a readout for you or details of it. I think that this is part of, again, regular engagement with the emerging political actors...

Not that I’m aware of. But again, I think I made clear that this is part of an ongoing process of engagement. Bill Burns has met with members of the...

Sure, Connie.

I think I made clear, Connie, in several answers to this question that we will judge all of those that we engage with on the political scene in Egypt...

Again, I don’t have readouts on that, but we are very candid in all of our discussions with actors on the political scene in Egypt and elsewhere about...

I don’t have any scheduling announcements to make. We have had a heck of a lot of conferences over the three-plus years that we’ve been here, and...

Well, I can -- I don’t have with me the variety of initiatives that this administration has undertaken and continues to undertake either directly...