not traditional in terms of how he speaks but he also connects the people in a way that most politicians never have, and he talks very bluntly in his own style, but i don't think that he would have won the presidency or the nomination if it were not for that style. and i think that there's always this balance with elected officials, which is they say all the right things but they don't necessarily get anything done and in the case of trump, there's a lot of getting things done and people say i didn't like this or how he interacted. i am a result oriented person. i look at how people are getting better, are they making more money or the country safer. i think most people would generally agree if we can get the right things done for the country, then that is a better place instead of just talking about the right things to get done.

>> speaking at a state of the conference on religious freedom, secretary of state mike pompeo talked about initiatives to protect religious minorities around the world. he is joined by sam brownback, the ambassador at large for international religious freedom. this is 20 minutes. >> good afternoon, everyone. this is the earliest president distracted his administration to advance and defend the rights of religious freedom at home and abroad because it is a universal god-given right which all people are entitled and also an essential building block for all

societies. ensuring religious freedom around wha the globe as the keer of the priority of the policy and to that and toda end today e concluded the first-ever ministerial to advance religious freedom. the success of this event was truly unbelievable. the level of enthusiasm for the groups and other governments was so high i've already committed to doing this again to holding the second ministerial year from now. this week we were joined by more than 80 foreign delegations and religious leaders all across the world worked closely with civil society groups often on the front lines reporting and responding to cases of religious intolerance and persecution. i want to thank the dozens of foreign dignitaries attended. i interact professionally with them every day in the course of diplomacy and as a man of faith, the presence is significant to me personally as well. number two, we had survivors and

religious persecutors sharing their stories and driving home why this work is so important. we had a chance to sit with a number of them and hear their stories to talk about why they were working in this and why it meant so much to them. also to the vice president gave a speech to give attention to the religious minorities of all faiths persecuted for what they believe often by their own governments. he also announced in the coming months the government will launch a genocide recovery persecution response initiative. this is a diplomatic and assistance effort to ensure communities of faith and local organizations take part in the solution in recovering from atrocities while focused first on the ongoing response to the genocide committed by isis in iraq our hope is that this program helps victim in different places. the department is proud to host

several other officials to speak this week including senior adviser to the president, omb director mulvaney and the administrator mark green. and tonight the un ambassador will be giving remarks. we at the state department are e undertaking several new initiatives to further the cost of religious freedom around the world. first come as the vice president announced we've created an international religious fund with other nations that will separate the work of religious freedom defenders to assist victims of religious persecuti persecution. second we've created new leadership programs to bring those working on the frontlines of these issues together, all different states from around the world to come to the united states. it's a project we will focus on providing religious pluralism protecting the rights of religious minorities. iif you're a champion of

religious freedom comedy on the lookout for announcements coming soon. third, in just a couple of months the state department will host a celebrity workshop called bold line to support innovative public-private partnerships to promote and defend religious freedom around the world. the open calls for the proposal is now on challenge .gov. first, we no persecution and violence are not constrained by borders. we look forward to the several countries have offered to host a with regional conference is to explore specific measures to the regions to promote religious freedom and finally, just a few moments we will release the declaration and plan of action. it is a formal affirmation that this is right up front the united states takes religious freedom seriously and we will work with others around the table is under attack and that we expect leaders around the world to make a fair priority as

well. the plan of action provides concrete ways the government can do more to protect religious freedom and vulnerable religious communities in their own countries. in closing i'd like to thank the ambassador and their staff for ththe staff fortheir work on th. what he will have dubbed this on his remarkable and an incredibly important moment in america's support for religious freedom. want to commend the state department for executing the right if every man, woman and child to worship as they please. there is internals of the kids in the work that we have done. i will now invite the ambassador for a few comments and to take a few questions. thank you. >> [inaudible]

we are still wrapping up. we've had so many participate in so many asked to speak were continuing to go through that so those will be wrapping up shortly but over the number of commitments to hold different events on the religious and freedom in their country several of them expressing support to try and find in a number of them talking to a particular statement of concern to re: what's taking place there and what we've already categorized as an ethnic cleansing and more reports to come out as the cleansing of the religious minorities. one final event will be at the holocaust museum. they distorted the weekend are endinorending at the holocaust m reminding people that if you don't deal with these issues to

be able to comment and testify. so we think it's been a spectacular success and we are delighted and we are getting a number of countries on board. we are very excited about it and i think we are at a moment where the iron curtain is coming down and you are going to see a burst of religious freedom around the world taking place. i believe we are at that moment in time and it will be a great thing. three fourths of the people live in countries where they have some more substantial religious persecution taking place and it's been bad. it is bad but i believe we are at the moment of changing it. this administration is very serious and we think this is a foundational rights that will help other places if we can get this one right. so this confidence is a big

kickoff of that and the launch of a partnership alliance with governments and nonprofits, community people and we think we have a lot of energy moving forward. happy to take some questions people might have. [inaudible] it may be closed by omb that under consideration that the refugee aids have cut and there doesn't seem to be much communication right now because

of the problems on both side from no communication between the administration and the palestinian people? >> let me take the first one. the second one i won't have a good informed comment that i will pass this on i think there are excellent concepts. this issue has been raised for some months now it's been raised in many forums by every level of government. the president has raised the issue with the turkish leadership as has the vice president, the secretary of state, as have i., members of congress, the senate has passed a resolution this has continued to build and build. turkey took a step. we've reviewed at length in depth and i believe that he will

be coming home now if the turkish authorities continue to keep them under arrest there will continue to be actions taken by the united states as it was announced today by the president and reiterated by the vice president. >> if we can go to the show from npr piece. >> a little bit following up on the refugee issue. how do you square away the effort to protect religious minorities with this administration's determination to limit the number of refugees but it accepts here in the u.s.? connect the religiouconnected rm issues we are pushing ar our ons that unite all of us is one thing i would put forth. if you sold the form saw the foe last couple of days, we had people of every faith and idea

and everybody was pulling together. we believe in religious freedom for everybody. everybody. you've heard several of the delegates say here today that we need to deal with the issue of religious freedom, and that that would help people in their home countries much more if they could practice their faith freely. and they think, many of the delegates have spoken about the need to have religious freedom as a way to have people be able to stay in their home countries as a very important issue so that we are trying to do, and this may not satisfy you that what you're trying to do is what we did with the bill when it past 20 years ago this is a speech that we agree on which is religious freedom for everybody everywhere and it's an important right that we haven't had the push behind it or put enough

energy or effort behind it to get accomplished because we have three fourths living in these restrictive atmosphere is. that's the focus and intent that we will stay on. >> glory, k. 24 please. >> thank you for this event. i'd like to ask about the visit to pakista kurdistan in northerq earlier this month. can you tell us your impressions particularly from the procession of the press and religious minorities? >> i am impressed with the resilience. they are moving back some of them in some areas quite a few into some of the other areas. it still wasn't sufficient security in the region.

there are still several thousand that are unaccounted for and are probably a being held in bondage somewhere else probably syria. we met in heartbreaking situations with a number of women that spoke about being sold three, seven, ten times and one woman talking about having a 15-year-old mentally challenged son ripped out of her arms. another would say i would sell my kid need to get my child bacd back but i don't know where they are now. it's really horrible but you do see the rebuilding taking place, much of it is privately financed and the government is working to get our financing more to help in rebuilding homes and communities, rebuilding

hospitals, water systems, all the thing things ice is destroyo i am heartened that people are moving back from those communities and i think the challenge remains getting the funding to rebuild which is the private sector groups and other governance. the second indicator remains the security question which is still insufficient and we met with the minister of iraq about and our military leadership about as well. >> i talked with you earlier on the first day of [inaudible]

you've said that they are focused on the concrete action so what would be the action you could free? >> we had a number of tibetan buddhists testify and speak here and people that have experienced in the persecution that's taken place for years. what we are working on doing and pulling together is an international consortium to press china about religious freedom and this is one of the position papers that have been put forward. it's tibetan buddhists, we are muslims, christian house leaders but there's a whole series and this has been going on for some period of time here trying to get international coalition together to push on the government to let people practice their faith freely as they see fit.

we are not asking for anything beyond a basic human right. basic human right into 48 treaty. this is your right to pick and worship as they see fit. we ha have a video presentationy the dalai lama at the seminar. it's getting older and more difficult to travel with him over the years we've met with him many times and he's probably one of the best spokesman in the world for religious freedom that we are going to continue to press this issue and build a series of allies like out of the group that's here today to press the chinese for this basic right for the rest of the people of china. >> this would be the last question. >> i was wondering how you work

on the separation of church and state even if you seek to have religious leaders and government officials around the world work on real inducing effect of reducing and if you have received any donations yet and if so how many countries or other organizations have said they're interestethey are interl give? >> on the second piece occurred during the delegation. the first question i didn't quite understand the character of it.

my intent is to do this kind of religious freedom. we believe the countries around the world and the role is to protect the right to religious freedom, that is the governments will stop tgovernment's role isk a winner or loser or say we favor this favor their faith or whatever the case may be. it's to protect the right. you have the right to religious freedom and to do as you choose your own soul, period and that is why we are pushing and we think that is consistent with separation of church and state that the governments role is to protect the right and that's what we are going to continue to pursue and it's also the safe space. we have studies coming out in the societies that protect this right and more economic growth and diversity that some would refer to it as a type of

spiritual capital where you have the groups that come in and schools. thank you all very much for being here.

i don't think it carried stories are sad and disturbing, downbeat and, whatever the. there are 14 now when will you introduce them to the idea that everything is perfect outsidnott outside of your all-white suburb. sosuccumb all of those factors i think form together to create the perfect mass censorship.

>> cory will be our guest on the in-depth fiction edition discussing his latest book walk away. his other books included down anand out at the magic kingdom, little brother plus 14 other novels. interact by phone, twitter or facebook. our series fiction edition with science fiction author cory doctorow a panel at the national press club in washington, d.c. discussed the u.s. relations with north korea and the state of negotiations over the nuclear program. panethe panel includes former u. ambassador to south korea kathleen stephens