MS. PERINO: Hi, everybody. A couple of things to update to on. This morning, the President called British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy; he just finished up a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and we'll keep you updated -- Chancellor Merkel and President Bush speak often, and we'll give you an update on that when they speak again. In these conversations with our good allies and our friends, the President is discussing the various measures that the United States is taking to bring stability to the markets, as well as the importance for all countries to work together to coordinate our actions on finding solutions to the problems that are facing all of us.

In addition to that -- those conversations he had this morning on the economy, in about an hour the President will travel to Guernsey Office Products in Chantilly, Virginia. He will get a tour of the facility, have a chance to talk to the office workers there and hear firsthand about the difficulties that some of their customers are having getting credit. He will then make remarks about the economy and our financial markets. He will acknowledge the concerns and the anxieties that Americans are having about the funds that they've saved for college, or the funds they've saved for retirement, and the still volatile financial markets and the understandable anxiety that that has created over the past several weeks. He will explain how the credit freeze is a problem that could affect everybody up and down the economic food chain.

His chief concern is about the people who are the hard workers, the ones who have put this money away, and he will talk about that in particular today. He will also discuss other economic issues that continue to be important, such as our energy policy, low taxes, the free trade agreements. If there's ever a time to open up new markets to American workers and businesses, it's now. And there are three free trade agreements that are in front of Congress that they could deal with when they get back. And also we want to continue on the programs that we have with HOPE NOW, and the programs that are run out of the Housing and Urban Development Department to deal with unnecessary foreclosures. There are a lot of people who could stay in their home, and just with a little bit of help, by re-working that loan, they'll be able to keep it.

On a different topic, this evening Mrs. Bush will deliver remarks on the North Lawn and light the White House pink in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The United States is working with countries like the Middle East, Europe and the Americas to empower women to take control of their health, raise awareness about the importance of prevention and early diagnosis, and support collaborative research to find a cure for breast cancer.

As First Lady, Mrs. Bush has met with heads of state and survivors, health care workers, and members of the international media to help develop this awareness. And since breast cancer knows no borders, Mrs. Bush has invited members of the diplomatic corps to be a part of the effort, and so they will -- many of them will be here tonight. And they're also doing their own displays of the pink ribbon in solidarity with Mrs. Bush on that initiative tonight. And that happens, I think, at 7:00 p.m.

seen at 09:00, 7 October in Whitehouse Press Briefings. Email this to a friend.
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