Tuesday Briefing

Debt-talks top the agenda in Carney’s session with reporters.

Highlights:

"If we were to default on our obligations who suffers?...Americans suffer."

"We have to acknowledge that maximalist positions will not prevail."

"August 2nd is a hard and fast and real deadline."

"This President has never taken a my way or the highway approach because he understands that he is not a monarch...It's an American challenge, and we have to do it together."

On Syria: "Our position is that President Assad is not indispensable" and that we had called on him to lead the transition. He clearly has not, and he has lost legitimacy.

"At a personal level, our prayers and sympathies are with the Karzai family during this difficult time." We don't know who is responsible, and we will work with the Afghan authorities on that.