MORE OF THE INTERVIEW WILL BE BROADCAST ON

“FACE THE NATION WITH BOB SCHIEFFER” (10:30 AM-11:30 AM)

President Barack Obama discussed the ongoing talks with Iranian officials to halt their pursuit of nuclear weapons, race relations in America, efforts to combat ISIS and Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email account while she was Secretary of State in an interview with CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Bill Plante.

The interview was conducted March 7 in Selma, Ala., and a portion aired today, March 8, 2015 on CBS SUNDAY MORNING WITH CHARLES OSGOOD on the CBS Television Network. More of the interview will be broadcast today on FACE THE NATION WITH BOB SCHIEFFER (10:30-11:30AM).

“I think it is fair to say that there is an urgency because we now have been negotiating for well over a year,” Obama told Plante of the talks with Iran. “And the good news is is that during this period Iran has - sh - abided by the terms of the agreement.  We know what's happening on the ground in Iran.  They have not advanced their nuclear program. We have been able to roll back their 20% highly-enriched uranium during this period of time.  It's given us unprecedented access into - what they are doing.  So we're not losing anything through these talks.  On the other hand, you get to a point in negotiations where it's not a matter of - technical issues anymore, it's a matter of political will.”

Plante spoke with Obama on the 50th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday.” Plante covered the march for CBS News in 1965.

A transcript of the CBS SUNDAY MORNING portion is below:

PLANTE: Mr. President, When you look at this mural here- I’m reminded that you said here 8 years ago, that you’re here because somebody marched.

OBAMA: Not only would I not be here, because our society wouldn’t have changed as much as it has in 50 years, but this is also the source of inspiration that got me involved in public service in the first place.  Now, when I was young I didn’t have aspirations to be the President of the US, but by the time I was in my late teens early 20s, I’d started reading about the civil rights movement and it fascinated me. And the reason it fascinated me was the idea that ordinary people, humble people, maids, and domestics and Pullman porters, that that they could have the courage to take on some of the most powerful forces in our society and to see the concept of non-violence mobilized in this way. To bring about changes in the law that made America better. What an extraordinary gift that is.

PLANTE: As several people in the movement keep saying you can change the law but you can’t change peoples’ minds - how do you do that?

OBAMA: Well you know, I tell you – I think Doctor King was asked about that some time during the movement and he said well I might not be able to immediately change somebody’s heart and mind but if I can prevent them from lynching me that’s important too.  When laws change then attitudes begin to change. When I hear people say not much has changed that’s just not true.  Bill you were here - and you know how much it’s changed, it’s changed not just because we have an African-American President it’s changed in all kinds of daily interactions.

PLANTE: Mr. President, why is there such a disparity in the way blacks and whites see race relations?

OBAMA: Well, there's been honestly a different experience - of race relations in this country. And, you know, the good news is that -  despite, I think a lotta people saying that the country's divided around these issues, the truth is in the aftermath of Ferguson and what happened in New York—you’ve seen a pretty constructive debate, a pretty constructive conversation.

PLANTE: You talked-- urged Congress to do something to repair what the Supreme Court took away.  But at the same time you've got - a large majority of both blacks and whites in our polling who say voter ID, no problem, they're for it.

OBAMA: Well, you-- you-- you know, voter ID in and of itself is not the sole issue.  The issue is does the justice department have the tools to the Voting Rights Act to make sure that if a local jurisdiction is discriminating against a certain set of voters, black, Hispanic, white, Asian, that the justice department can actually get in there and fix it. And when it comes to voter ID - I think that the average person says to themselves, "Yeah, there's nothing wrong with a photo ID," until perhaps they get the information which is not always provided -  during polling that in some jurisdictions getting a voter ID might cost 75, 100, 150 bucks.  If you are somebody who is a senior citizen-- on a fixed income and you're not driving anymore and you don't automatically have a driver's license, that may be hard.  

NARRATION: I ALSO ASKED THE PRESIDENT ABOUT OTHER NEWS OF THE WEEK – PARTICULARLY HIS ONGOING NEGOTIATIONS WITH IRAN TO HALT THEIR PURSUIT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

PLANTE: The activity of the Secretary of State and his counterparts suggests to a lot of people, particularly I guess the Israelis, that a deal was imminent.

OBAMA: Yeah.  I-- the-- I-- I-- I think it is fair to say that there is an urgency because we now have been negotiating for well over a year.  And the good news is is that during this period Iran has-- sh-- abided by the terms of the agreement.  We know what's happening on the ground in Iran.  They have not advanced their nuclear program. We have been able to roll back their 20% highly-enriched uranium during this period of time.  It's given us unprecedented access into-- what they are doing.  So we're not losing anything through these talks.  On the other hand, you get to a point in negotiations where it's not a matter of - technical issues anymore, it's a matter of political will.

PLANTE: And you said that if there's no deal you're willing to walk away.  That's it.

OBAMA: Absolutely.  If there's no deal then-- we walk away.  If we cannot verify that they are not going to-- obtain a nuclear weapon, that there's a breakout period so-- so that even if they cheated we would be able to have enough time to take action-- if we don't have that kind of-- deal then we're not gonna take it.

NARRATION: ANOTHER OF THE PRESIDENT’S CONCERNS IN THE MIDDLE EAST: THE SO-CALLED ISLAMIC STATE IN IRAQ.

PLANTE: Right now Iran is-- allied with fighting alongside Iraq to-- take out the Islamic state near Tikrit.  And the U.S. is sitting on the sidelines.  Are you comfortable with that?

OBAMA: I don't think-- that the U.S. is sitting on the sideline.  We've got a lotta stuff going on in Iraq.  There's a particular campaign in one city-- in which Iraqi forces are working alongside-- Iranian forces.  We're not coordinating with them. And what we've been really clear about is that our top priority is making sure that ISIL is rolled back.  What is also true though is that the only way to maintain long-term stability inside of Iraq is if the Sunni minority feels invested in their country the same way that the Shia majority does.

NARRATION: THERE’S CONTROVERSY IN WASHINGTON AS WELL, WITH NEWS THAT HILLARY CLINTON IMPROPERLY USED HER PERSONAL E-MAIL ACCOUNT WHILE SERVING AS SECRETARY OF STATE.

PLANTE: Mr. President, when did you first learn that Hillary Clinton used an e-mail system outside the U.S. Government for-- official business while she was secretary of state?

OBAMA: The same time-- everybody else learned it through news reports.

PLANTE: Were you disappointed?

OBAMA: I-- let me just say that Hillary Clinton is and has been an outstanding public servant.  She was a great secretary of state for me.  The policy of my administration is to encourage transparency.  And that's why my emails through Blackberry that I carry around-- all those records are-- available and-- and archived.  And I'm glad that-- Hillary is-- instructed now-- those emails-- that had to deal with official business need to be disclosed.

           Rand Morrison is the Executive Producer of CBS SUNDAY MORNING WITH CHARLES OSGOOD. Mary Hager is the Executive Producer of FACE THE NATION WITH BOB SCHIEFFER.

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