Housekeeping to let you know that the lab captioning for todays event is available at american progress. Org live captioning. We have a tremendous conversation ahead of us with the california governor, gavin newsom. A fantastic discussion with our panel. I well get into the introductions a bit later, but i really want to provide some words of context to the conversation. On the final day of the Democratic National convention, it is only fitting to look forward and consider how we can correct the course of this country. The Trump Administrations response to the pandemic, black lives matter, frankly dangerous and reckless of our democratic framework has made it abundantly clear that right now, under this administration, we are on the wrong path. We are not just on the wrong path, we are heading backwards, dangerously backwards. So, that is why this conversation is so important, because we want to make sure that we are moving forward. And what is really critical to this conversation is learning from the great work that has happened at the state level, because we do not want to reinvent the wheel or start from the ground up. Many administrations have paved the way for progressive values and innovative policies, policies that have contributed to the platform on the National Stage and leading the charge is california, when it comes to paid family leave, sick days, Environmental Justice and criminal justice reform. California has been a beacon of hope in a time when the country as a whole feels like it is in a very dark place. It is a shining example of the fact that you can invest in people and also have incredible Economic Growth. Before the pandemic, californias Unemployment Rate was 4 , gdp over 3 trillion. Its its one of the largest economies in the world. Its really the philosophy, again, of investing in people to drive Economic Growth. That has been at the forefront of Governor Newsoms agenda and his success. So, we are thrilled to have Governor Newsom kick off this conversation with us. Well have a Group Discussion then go to our panel afterwards. With that, ill just start asking you questions. [laughter] first, id like to talk about the coronavirus. California has had some challenges, but its now stabilizing. I wanted to ask you, the states have been on their own with the virus. We have 50 states dealing with a virus that in other countries, essentially, they have a National Framework and a National Plan. How has it major job more difficult, the fact that we dont have a National Plan . How is it affected the people of california . Gov. Newsom thats a great question. Its a question that governors ask among themselves almost on a daily basis. If there is a byproduct of a lack of National Leadership as it relates to resolve on testing and ppe, on broader strategies on Contact Tracing and the like. Its the relationships that have been formed across party lines at the state and local level that will manifest think well into the future beyond just the pandemic. The relationships not just of the governors and mayors but the staff. Offices of emergency services, procurement that is taking shape across jurisdictions, across the lines. We just had our weekly call with our chiefs of staff of all the western states. Every week now, the chiefs are engaging and engaging beyond just this issue. Theres a byproduct of optimism. The spirit of your introduction is the spirit that enlightens me. That is if you dont like the way the world looks when youre standing up, stand on your head and go local. Think of the metros across this country. There are still remarkable things happening at the local level. And were very proud of this state. We had a 3. 8 average gdp growth over a five year period. We paid off over 30 billion of debt. We were able to put aside the highest reserves in the states history. We actually used part of our surplus last year to start paying down pension obligations. I dont know of another state that has reserves to pay down pension obligations. All of that changed. In january, we announced another budget surplus. In january, a few months later, we had a balance and we just did a 54. 3 billion shortfall related to covid. Covid has devastated the economy of this state. We were the first ones to do a statewide stayathome order. Whenever experienced the peaks of other states. We were stabilized. We were able to extend that curve out. We started to modify our stayathome order. What happened was people sort of reverted back to their original form. While we had protocols and processes and modification requirements, we didnt necessarily see that adopted as we had hoped for. As a consequence, we learned a valuable lesson about that. And so we had to go back into a modified stayathome again and weve never broken 8 positivity. This is with florida, arizona, texas. Never broke 8 positivity. About 6. 6 on the 14 day right now. Were at 6. 3 on the seven day. Were moving in the right direction right now. Were going to modify this time with an understanding of Human Behavior thats what we all have to want to go back to the way things were and be much more judicious, much more thoughtful. Ill close with this. California is a self starting state. Theres an entrepreneurialism. That defines the best of this state. Rather than pointing fingers and talking about who is to blame, our mantra has been alright, we have to figure out what to do. We purchased billions of dollars of ppe from overseas. We actually sent 17 Million Masks to four other states because this state was able to procure more masks. We still have almost 300 million in our stockpile. Weve been able to figure out our testing. We are averaging over hundreds 3500 tests per day. I guess its the spirit of accountability, responsibility, and the need or desire to assert ourselves which is clearly something we look forward to resolving itself when joe biden is sworn in next january. Neera yeah, i think that i do want to emphasize the Positivity Rate in california has definitely been much lower than some of the states where were seeing real surges. Also, every state is dealing with the fact that there has been mixed messaging at the federal level about basic safety protocols like masks. Thats just a challenge every state has had to deal with. I also want to ask you, going forward, as we come out of the pandemic, how is california making sure that support reaches all income levels, especially those communities most in need of assistance . At the federal level, there has been a whole conversation about issues and the fact that we have no package, no legislative package that its a real burden on states. Can you address how youre solving that problem with the lack of support youve gotten so far . Gov. Newsom the experience of california, we were able because of the good economic times, that we all inherited, we had 119 consecutive months of net job creation. We talked about the reserves. We were able to draw down on the reserves, able to put things together, a lot of onetime solutions to get through these extraordinary shortfalls. Next year is going to be profoundly challenging for cities and states. And thats why this new stimulus, this new cares act, is so foundational, so fundamental. Not to bail out states that have actually been managing their state very effectively. Its about social responsibility in what is the United States. What is the purpose of the federal government to provide for that in a way that can soften the edges to instill a sense of wellbeing, but moreover get is healthy again, which is the most important thing in terms of getting this economy moving again. Let me say this. You talk about inclusion and equity. Thats front and center of everything we do. We talk in terms of growth and inclusion. As a nation, weve forgotten the second part of the equation, growth and inclusion. Im here in california, in the worlds most diverse state in the worlds most diverse democracy. California is a majority minority state. 40 latino. 27 foreignborn. And if theres anything i want to express, and that is a point of consideration that needs to be highlighted in the national discussion. America today is a lot like california in the 1990s. America today reminds me of california in 1994. The xenophobia, the nativism, one side versus the other. We got rid of affirmative action in 1995. Infamous here in california with the governor running for election, who was going to announce shortly thereafter, and did, his own desire to be president of the United States. That marked a moment that also marked this moment in california. The politics have radically shifted in this state. Its no longer part of the conversation as it relates to republican president ial aspirants. Its not an play. And it really marked that moment and i really believe this. That the Republican Party in the state of california has a third party status now. It is a cautionary tale for the national Republican Party. It should sober every republican in this nation. Theyre walking off the exact same cliff that they walked off here in the state of california. Be i say that not patronizing, not to even be political, but objectively, there are real lessons and considerations and caution flags that should be considered as we look forward to next weeks republican convention. Neera right, and if you think about 1994 and 2016, they did when in 1994 but then they lost for a while. Just to follow on that and to put a pen in what youre talking about, there has been a discourse among conservatives that theres a real tradeoff. The best way to get Economic Growth is not to invest in people, its to cut social services and cut spending. Part of whats happening with the change in california has been not just a policy exchange but big investments, more investments in education. You invested in childcare and early learning. Youre investing in climate response. And its not hurting growth. Its increasing growth. This is also an essential conversation were going to have over the next several months. The experience in california is so central to this because as youve invested, its not that california has declined. It has led the country in Economic Growth. Id love for you to talk about some of the investments you have made and how that is building inclusion, but not at the expense of growth. Its actually going handinhand with growth. Gov. Newsom that reminds me of a wonderful book called built to last. I recommend it for everybody. In politics, in business, in life. But theres a chapter called the tyranny of war. Our capacity to grow our economy was not done at the expense of the environment. Quite the contrary. The reason california enjoyed 3. 8 average gdp growth substantially outperforming the National Economy is because, not despite our progressive policies. We were able to create policy that created accelerants in terms of investment in the green space. Were in the process of radically changing the way we produce and consume energy and it stretched our system in the last week where weve had this world record heat. 130 degrees in palm springs. Weve had 376 fires because of lightning strikes. Weve been dealing with rapid acceleration where hot is getting hotter and drier is getting drier. Climate change is at the forefront of our consciousness. Also at the forefront of our policymaking. We have more Clean Energy Jobs than fossil fuel jobs. We have more innovation, more nobel laureates, more folks in venture capital, more investors in the space, and entrepreneurial spirit that is still alive and well. Theres anxiety at the moment. We all have anxiety related to covid and everything on your screen every afternoon. Theres Something Dynamic about this economy. Its absolutely because of progressive policy. We have the lowest population of inmates in california. Were aggressive in terms of cash. Were going to shut down two prisons, we just announced, in our state. Were reforming a number of prisons and cohoarding people in an energetic effort to reimagine rehabilitation in the state. The income weve provided over 3. 6 million families over the last month by improving our earned income tax credit to over 1 billion is second to none. Were investing in zero to three, not just preschool. Were beginning to develop longterm strategies across the spectrum in terms of addressing achievement gaps, which are really readiness gaps. We have a different mindset, a different approach. Situationally, were challenged like the rest of the nation. In this moment, perhaps more challenged than we have been in many years in the state with a confluence of things stacking on top of each other. We are committed to these progressive policies. Neera plus, you talked about climate. I want to drill down a little bit on that. In some ways, youre facing california faces the most dire impact from Climate Change. We just talked about the fires that have been ongoing. Now, annualized events. On the other hand, youre leading the country, not just operating as a state, internationally as a state across borders to address climate. Thats kind of innovative thinking we dont see a lot of. I wonder if you could drill down a little bit more about what you are doing on climate and where you see that going over the next year. Because i do think your examples have also really informed the joe biden strategy of how to invest ourw to climate challenges as a country. Gov. Newsom its progressive federalism. Despite the headwinds, were not victims. We can shape the future. Decisions not conditions determine our fate and future. With all due respect, might biggest critique of the trump my biggest critique of the Trump Administration is the victimization of everything. We have a different mindset. We take accountability. We take responsibility and we try to fix things and work to change the environment conditions, literally and figuratively. Theres a construct, we pulled out of the paris agreement. The governor of california pulled out of his driveway and flew to beijing and met with president xi to basically double down on the paris accords. Only california and a california governor, governor brown, couldve done that leading the charge with nations around the world to sign up on these protocols. Were doing the same thing with other states. Weve done low carbon vehicle emission standards. And that became the obamabiden standard. Trump rolls back. My only point is, we have capacity that is unlimited. As long as we allow ourselves to think beyond the constraints that we think limit our daytoday activities when it relates to our formal authority. We have the ability to exercise moral authority and thats a renewable resource. Those who exercise this formal authority every day, this command and control, it diminishes. The abundance, the mindset, not scarcity but the abundant mindset that has always been part of the frontier spirit of california, thats an opportunity to bring that mindset back into the national frame. So, im enlightened by that. Theres an entrepreneurial spirit of competition between states and governors and mayors and in that Entrepreneurial Energy is innovation. And thats what this state is all about. Neera great, and id like to followup on another point you made, which is on the transformation of the criminal Justice System. Referencing the 1990s, most of the campaigns were run on law and order. And i think california is ahead of the rest of the country. And i think its an innovation in itself to be able to is prisons and reform the criminal Justice System and move away from that. Given the conversation the country has been having on Police Brutality and the overreliance on the criminal Justice System essentially to solve problems. How are you looking at these challenges moving forward . Id love you to drill down on what youve done but also where youre heading in terms of Mental Health services criminalization, and whether youre seeing whether you can serve People Better and save money by less reliance on policing for issues that are Mental Health or social welfare problems. Gov. Newsom so, this state led the nation in an aggressive mindset to lock folks up and throw away the key. Three strikes. As i said, 1994 determines. I keep bringing up governor brown, sitting in his old office here at the governors mansion. Its hard not to be reminded of his leadership. But when he was first governor, and he was in his 30s, we had about 30,000 plus prisoners. Were now dropping below 100,000. Whats happened the last seven or eight years, we had many propositions past. Our Marijuana Legalization efforts, i was proud of that to be put on the ballot. Because of those reforms, we have been able to reduce our total prison population in a way that we have not seen a physically meaningful increase. Theres been some episodic, some regional increases, but not the aggregate of increase in violent crime. Again, any one criminal act is going to be exploited and is on a daily basis. Trust me, daily basis. But the trendlines are favorable. So, its a different mindset. And that mindset is bringing in that we have to commit ourselves. We led the nation and screwing it up. Now we have to lead in fixing it. The idea of even getting a budget passed, i never imagined it even two years ago. I never imagined that i would put a budget in that marked the moment where we shut down two prisons. Neera i know, its amazing. Gov. Newsom 20 prisons we built and only one new university. You cant make this stuff up. Now, were getting smarter, more resourceful, and were learning from best practices across the country. Were humble about what we know and what we dont know. We had the head of the Prison Guards union fly out. They were in finland and stockholm. Going out there saying maybe this is better for my members. That we have a rehabilitative mindset and not a command and control mindset. In terms of what we are trying to achieve here, knowing that 90 plus percent of these folks are going to be on the street. How do we prepare them for that . Were barely scratching the surface, but were making real progress. The great thing is climate. The public gets it. Independent republicans get it. Its a new mindset. But i think the vast majority of people get it because they dont want to pay the taxes. They dont want to see the same old, same old. Theyre looking for something new. We want to be safe, protected, obviously, but theyre giving us the room to try new things. Neera and i think thats really an important point across a number of investments youve made. When we spend less on the criminal Justice System, it doesnt cost as much and sometimes when you address the problem from a social safety or social welfare perspective or a Mental Health perspective, it just costs a lot less money than having someone criminalizing your Mental Health concerns. Or, if you invest in prek, and kids then are doing better all through k12 and can make it into college, they end up paying taxes at a higher level. I think, you know, are you seeing that other governors are learning from your success . Or are they picking up other issues . Because i do think that this framework is making the investments we need to make in peoples a critical one from the joe biden campaign. They have the largest investment in childcare and childcare salaries of any president ial candidate ever. They have the largest investment in climate than any administration ever, any president ever. So, these are areas where they are definitely learning from your success. Are there other states that are learning from your success, as well . Gov. Newsom yeah, and im learning from theirs. Were humble about this. If we were to write a blog, it should start with humility. There are incredible things. Im serious about this. I dont wake up every morning, its not my mindset and wasnt the way i was raised, to put a crowbar in the spokes of the wheel of the other party. Ill leave that to others. Thats a game for others. Its not my thing. Im passionate about ideas and innovation. I come from a private sector background. I started 23 little Small Businesses, created jobs. Thats not to impress any of you. Its the Small Business mindset, where you take pen to paper and make things happen, dont explain, dont complain, just make things happen. Weve seen that from other states. Ive stolen ideas from republican governors, democratic governors. Like i said, success leaves clues. We talk about laboratories of innovation, laboratories of democracy in cities and counties. We need a president that gets that and understands that. And i really think the platform that joe biden will build is a platform of integrating and collaborating in a way that clearly, demonstrably is absent over the last four years. And so that stewardship, that learned this learnedness, that executive and legislative experience he brings to the table is going to be a family impactful in terms of advancing the larger cause. Neera well, i have to say weve only been able to scratch the surface, as you said, the policies and proposals you have put forward have been thriving in california. But i cant think of a better conversation to really move forward past the Democratic Convention and into the next couple of months because as we look to whats happening in 2021, it will be, on a base level, refreshing to have an administration that isnt attacking states. [laughter] not attacking people who are trying to solve problems but actually trying to be partners with those states. And i think a really crucial you mentioned, how do we have an administration that is learning . The ideas are going back and forth, not just with the administration. The administration is learning from governors and the governors are learning from other governors and governors are learning at the federal level so we can make progress. But i have to say, as someone who worked on the aca and other federal policy, having this at the state makes making National Policy is so much easier. So, i really want to thank you, not just for your time, for which im grateful, but for making california a leader from which the nation can draw policies that will improve the lives of everyone, not just californians, but the whole country. So, im really grateful and i cant think of a better conversation for the day and going forward. So thank you so much, Governor Newsom. Gov. Newsom its an honor to be with you. Take care. Neera alright, were going to bring the other panelists up now. I assume we are. Hello . Congressman jeffries i think were waiting for congressman leven. But i guess well get started. I am really honored to have you in this conversation, which is really about where we go from here. What are the policies we need to make progress for the country and i will start off with a brief introduction of our panelists. And go from there. So first, i am thrilled to have with us congressman hakeem jeffries, who represents the eighth district in new york, areas that include large parts of brooklyn and queens, one of the most diverse districts in the country, probably one of the most diverse areas in the whole world. He was sworn in 2013 and served on the house judiciary, house and hes the chair of the House Democratic caucus. Hes the leader of setting the agenda for the entire house and he served as one of the house impeachment managers. We also have congressman ruben gallego, who represents the seventh district in arizona. He was first elected in 2014 and before that, he was a member of the house of representatives. He was a marine corps combat veteran, having been deployed to iraq in 2005 and now is a member of the House Armed Services committee and House Committee on Natural Resources. And finally, we have congressman mike leven, who represents the 49th congressional district, which includes much of san diego. He was first elected in that great class of 2018 and has , throughout his career, and been committed to environmental protection. Hes served on the Natural Resource committee and the committee on climate crisis, so were thrilled to have all of you here. And ill start off with you, chairman jeffries, by asking you about where you see the house of representatives on the issue of coronavirus. The virus is still raging throughout the country. The house passed a bill. I would like for you to discuss how the bill would address the challenges were facing, but also the deep economic inequality weve seen with the virus itself. The virus is obviously hitting communities of color and lower income americans really disproportionately. Some of us think the fact were not seeing action in the senate or from the white house is because of the lack of concern about that disproportionate impact. But id love for you to talk about that as a member of leadership. Rep. Jeffries well, thank you so much. Its great to be with two members of the house of representatives, of course ruben and mike, and i look forward to seeing them as we return in a few days for an emergency assessment to deal with one aspect of the crisis that we confront in this nation as a result of our Long National nightmare, which has been with us since november of 2016. As you point out, neera, we passed the heroes act on may 15. Thats over three months ago. It was a 3 trillion plus intervention, an external intervention because this is an extraordinary crisis. At this point, over 170,000 americans dead, more than 100,000 Small Businesses permanently closed, more than 5 million americans infected by the coronavirus and counting. More than 5 million americans who have lost their employerbased Health Insurance and, of course, a situation where over 50 million americans are in the course of this and this pandemic, filed unemployment claims for the first time. A lot of pain, a lot of suffering, a lot of death, and inaction from the white house. The heroes act would insure another round of direct stimulus payment to Everyday Americans of up to 6,000 per family to help people deal with their daytoday living expenses. It would extend the emergency Unemployment Insurance benefit of 600 per week into next year because thats whats necessary. The crisis is not over, as you pointed out. Its just getting worse. We set aside 175 billion in direct assistance to renters and homeowners, low income renters, homeowners, working families who are struggling to pay off that mortgage or to pay that rent or are at risk of being put out into the street. And the last aspect id mention is we set aside approximately 1 trillion in assistance for state and local governments. Because we recognize if the state and local budgets are devastated as theyve been, and are not repaired, it will result in draconian cuts, which will hurt the most vulnerable amongst us, particularly in black and and immigranties communities which, as you point out, have already disproportionately suffered adversely from the coronavirus pandemic. Those will be cut to public health, public education, public safety, public transportation, public housing, the provision of the public good in every aspect of american life. And so one of the reasons why weve held the line on state and local stabilization is because we know how important it is for all americans, yes, but certainly for those communities that have been impacted the most , those communities of color. Neera thank you so much for that. And congressman gallego, id like to follow up on this, which is were in this crisis now, which is disproportionately affecting committees of color. And this is happening at a time the country is really diversifying. As we go forward, were seeing right now that this pandemic hit and it hit communities of color, latino communities, African American communities, indigenous communities really hard. Its setting things back at a time when the country is diversifying. From your perspective, how we go forward to build an inclusive economy, postthe virus. Obviously, we need to pass this legislation. But as we move forward, as today is last day of the convention and think how do we move an agenda, not just now but into 2021, what are the issues you think are central to ensure the Latino Community isnt left behind, all of our communities arent left behind, and low income communities are not left hind . Rep. Gallego usually its black and latino communities that are last to come out of recession. And if you look at the 2008 recession, it hit all americans equally, but it took longer for the black and latino communities to come out of that recession. We were barely coming out of the recession just about a year ago in terms of the link back the of Building Back the wealth we had lost in that time. But it still wasnt sufficient, even in the African American community. In terms of homeownership, percentagewise, there are less homeowners now than before passing the equal housing act. Back in 1965. So, there was still institutional racism, more africanamerican homes that have homes than they have now. The system we have doesnt necessarily benefit black and latino communities and ill give you an example. Many small latino businesses are started on home equity. They use that to start their business and they dont necessarily have direct access to other types of creditors. Well, that can be difficult to start these latino businesses or start businesses when they dont even have the ability to get a loan for a home. You have a lot of small minority businesses that want to be able to expand, but they probably took a huge credit hit during this crunch. So as we hopefully come out of this recession and start reengaging with banks, if they dont have a good banking history or good credit history, its going to be very difficult for those institutions to expand or Small Business to expand. So, what we need to do is help these communities not just survive for the time being, we need to get them help in thriving and push out as far as possible. We need to work with our banking institutions, we need to work with other institutions, chairman jeffries can tell you what we learned from the ppp program, a lot of the small momandpop minority shops were not able to get any loans from our big banks. So, a second round, a second time around, we made sure there were other Financial Institutions that particularly service to the Small Businesses, minorityowned businesses, that they were eligible to give out ppp. In arizona, for example, their average loan was 11,000. Pp loan. And these were the businesses that were ignored by the big banks. Now, its not that we have to go and tear down the big banks, but we have to work with all institutions to make sure they understand that, going into the future, these businesses are very vital to the Overall Health of the economy. And its really important in arizona, for example, the people that let us out of the recession led us out of the recession in terms of the highest growth were latinoowned businesses. We need to continue that. One of the things ive feared is something i saw when i was in the statehouse. As when recessions hit, and chairman jeffries talked about this, sometimes the most extreme elements use that as an excuse to start slimming down the size of government. And when we start slimming down the size of government, the people that are most dependent on investment from government are black and brown communities. And it particularly hits at times when we need this expansion, so in arizona in 2008, the recession hit and at the same time we had about 40 to 50 of our k12 students being of color. But then you had the people who were in charge, which were largely anglo, largely older republicans, and they used the recession to cut funding for schools, they cut funding for prek, they cut funding for medicaid. Anything they could get their hands on, they used it as a way to cut investment in those communities because i heard it all the time. Those arent my kids, thats not my school anymore. We have to make sure our position on the federal government. We cant allow that to happen. That disinvestment in those communities ends up its horrible. People want to invest in the workforce of tomorrow today. Were not going to have the workforce, we are going to have slower gdp growth in a weaker country. In general, its a bad investment policy. Neera i think this is one of the reasons chairman jeffries made the point that stabilization is so critical. Many states will basically cut the most vulnerable communities if left to their own devices. Thats why its so vital that the federal government really lay out funding for these communities, essentially, because they are relying on this funding the most. I would like to say the pandemic isnt the only crisis were facing right now. California, right now, is facing a serious fire threat throughout the state that is a product of Climate Change over the last that were all experiencing. Congressman levan, id like for you to talk with us about how you see the climate issue in 2020. Climate, like so many issues is one of the deepest differences between a donald trump and a joe biden. Donald trump has called a hoax. Joe biden has the most expensive climate plan. Climate was a central issue to your victory. A conservative part of california, orange co. , i would love for you to talk about how important the climate issue is and how, what kind of horizon in the country we can do to address it. Youre on mute. So, you have to unmute. Rep. Levin good . We got it, neera. Fantastic. First, i want to thank you for all that you do and everyone for the intellectual capital they provide. I want to thank hakim and ruben, and you just heard from our governor is navigating it a navigating at a difficult time for our state. So many challenges, we went from a 21 billion or flats to a deficit seemingly overnight. With these fires and other impacts of Climate Change, we see untold stresses on our system in california, but what i do know is that we are going to be strong and we are going to be accelerating the transition to a more Sustainable Future in the state and we are going to continue to demonstrate that you can grow the Clean Energy Jobs of the future and protect our environment at the same time. Thats what weve done. Before the pandemic, we had record per capita Economic Growth and we showed you could create half a million Clean Energy Jobs and have very low unemployment and that you can do it all without bankrupting the state or destroying anything. We have to go further in terms of resiliency and were going to need more largescale Battery Storage, for example. Im encouraged theyre building the largest Battery Storage plant in the world just on the outskirts of san diego. So were going to need more of that. The report i saw showed maybe 12 gigawatts more Battery Storage needed in california. But i am so proud of the work we have done in the 116th congress on this issue. And that i have been able to do, even as a freshman, where i hope everybody will take the time to at least read the executive summary of what we have done. Its a 500 plus page report. You can see it at climate crisis. House. Gov. And it provides solutions commiserate with the science, economy wide, zero net carbon by 2050. In the power sector by 2040. My bill with jeff merkley, 100 of new car sales, zero admission by 2035. So here we are at this incredible precipice, this crossroads for our nation, where weve got this Massive Public health crisis, this massive economic crisis, and the need to create millions of good jobs. We just saw, this past week, another Million People filing for unemployment. Now 21 weeks. I think the best was 960,000 people filing for unemployment. I think around 28 million have filed for unemployment. So, we have the opportunity to grow this sector and to lead the world again. We have abdicated our Global Leadership when it comes to Climate Change. As Governor Newsom said, jerry brown, his predecessor, had to go and create those multilateral partnerships with other countries. Thats what weve got to get back to again. And im so encouraged, neera, to see what the biden harris ticket is bringing to the table in terms of clean energy and in terms of our entire social safety net. What does trump forget . That before this pandemic, over half the market people could not afford a 400 emergency. You have 30 Million People who didnt have health care. 34 Million People who lack paid sick leave. 21 Million People who lack rod broadband access. How are you supposed to work from home or study from home or do an event like this if you dont have access to highspeed internet . So when joe biden says build back better, its more than a slogan. I think its a call to action for us all. For this election coming up, you all know how important it is, but our future is on the line. Neera weve now talked about a few crises, the pandemic, Climate Change, but obviously one of the greatest greatest gravest challenges we face is its own pandemic of Police Brutality and criminal Justice System that is not working for all people. In fact, it feels like we have a policing system that serves the few and polices the many. So congressman jeffries, youve lead on criminal justice reform, youve passed legislation on criminal justice reform, obviously. And this summer, the house passed the most farreaching policing reform bill in the congress ever, dead in the senate. But how do you see the policing issue, the justice issue, and a new congress . What are the parameters and how much of a priority do you think we can make it and hopefully 2021 if there is a Biden Harris Administration . Rep. Jeffries well, its an incredibly high priority. And as you pointed out, we passed the George Floyd Justice and policing act, the most Progressive Leasing reform bill in the history of the congress. And we basically recognized the need to bring about a shift in mindset from a warrior mentality as an approach that Police Departments across the country take, particularly with communities of color, to a guardian mentality. And at the same time, we want to show there is accountability when a Police Officer crosses the line. The majority of officers that i interact with here in brooklyn are hardworking Public Servants who are there to protect and serve. But there is a Police Violence problem, a Police Brutality problem, a Police Excessive use of force problem that cannot be denied. And in part, its wrapped up in the fact that systemic racism has been in the soil of america for 401 years. Its not to say we have not come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. And we can begin by tackling the Police Violence issue. Were still not giving up on the possibility that the senate may act. I know that tim scott and cory booker are in conversation. The American People are demanding it. But of course, neera, as you know, theyre also demanding a wide variety of other things like strengthening the Affordable Care act, driving down the high cost of script and drugs, fixing our crumbling infrastructure, and enacting universal background check legislation, raising the minimum wage to 15 per hour, passing the dream and promise act, all of which House Democrats have done and sent those to Mitch Mcconnells legislative graveyard. So, at some point, we have to draw the conclusion if the senate is not going to change its behavior, we have to change the people serving in the United States senate on november 3 and certainly we have to do that with respect to 1600 pennsylvania avenue. Neera thank you for that. Congressman gallego, id love to ask you about National Security issues. You were in the marines and fought in iraq. There are so many issues we could touch on, but i want for you to touch on with respect for the military itself and the fact that we have so many profound assaults, like the issues of russian bounties. And other issues. Really, a global perspective on how you see a different, more progressive Foreign Policy for National Security that would actually serve our military better than the one were looking at now. Rep. Gallego and you want me to do it in two minutes . [laughter] half would be a good. [laughter] rep. Gallego one of the things i discovered so far is the United States miss our ability to coordinate action and act on a global scale, reaction. One of the things ive seen and heard from some Foreign Ministers ive seen to is the profound sadness that we werent the world leader we couldve been when it came to covid19. We saw the Biden Administration deal with h1n1 and ebola and i talked to a lot of European Defense ministers and theyre worried about our potential abandonment of nato. The fact that theyre calling on a member of congress from arizona to talk about what they fear tells you they have no connection to this administration. Our support of nato and european determinants in general has gone through so many administrations, both democratic and republican administrations, and now, there is a profound doubt that we not may even honor our commitments to nato. We have the last tater in europe in belarus and yet people in this streets protesting and you have no leadership in the white house trying to push back against putin trying to prop up this regime. The European Union is basically taking care of that but its gotten to the point where theyre creating their own European Defense forces. Thats not the way we want to go. We want further integration across the atlantic and the pacific. I talked to some of my south korean friends and they consistently are worried about that they will be sold out to north korea for a pretty penny. Or for a photo op. You know, the government right now, the u. S. Government is shaking down the south koreans for next to 3 billion for basing our troops there. So, we need to get back to the point where we understand that we, as a country, are stronger with alliances. We may have the best military in the world, but the reason we are profoundly stronger than china and russia is because we have friends and they are friends that are willing to fight with us, but theyre also willing to work with us. Right now, every day that goes on, we have this president who is deteriorating those alliances. He believes that somehow an extra Aircraft Carrier makes us stronger. No. Adding an extra montenegro is makes us much stronger. Making vietnam be closer to us than china makes us much or much, much stronger. And the policies and the thinking heads that used to think about that are no longer in the Trump Administration and are largely getting pushed out of the republican mindset altogether. So, Progressive International relations and Foreign Security is going to be one of interlocking friendships based on real interests that we all agree that is going to be led by a Biden Harris Administration. Fantastic. One of the areas where we have really abdicated our interNational Leadership is on climate. Really a wrap up question to you, chairman jeffries, but on paris and climate, this is obviously a first step, but how do you see americas ability to lead on climate again . Rep. Levin well, i had the opportunity to go with Speaker Pelosi to madrid and we were supposed to go to glascow, scotland five days after the november election and that would have been very interesting depending on the outcome of the election or the uncertainty. If results are still being decided. That has been delayed until 2021. But make no mistake, at that next cop, we are going to have two, hopefully with a new administration, renew our commitment that we will be with the world when it comes to Greenhouse Gas emissions and no other country can lead the world like the United States can do it. When you think of china with 28 of the admissions. Were second. India is third and russia is fourth. Just going around to all the Different Countries and seeing what they were doing in madrid, it was clear to me that our lack of leadership was a massive hole that has to be filled. We were there, the Trump Administration, the folks that we met with, were doing their job, but their role at madrid was to highlight innovation, which means highlighting exports of liquefied natural gas to the developing world. Thats what were now doing in terms of innovation. We ought to be leading the way when it comes to creating Clean Energy Jobs and im encouraged house plan that i mentioned, and the biden plan were going to do it in america. Were to create the next clean energy companies. Were going to manufacture these technologies and im convinced that in 20 or 30 years. Well be using a whole suite of new technologies related to how we consume electricity, how we build buildings, how we move goods and people. The question we have to ask is whether those will be american technologies, developed and manufactured here, or whether we will allow china and india and other countries to do it instead because they will and then we will be using the Technology Developed and manufactured in those countries and that is a massive missed opportunity. We too often talk about the cost of climate action, but we do not talk about the cost of doing nothing. According to a friend of mine from stanford, whos an economist there, were talking 25 trillion to 35 trillion in economic harm if we do nothing in the decades ahead. We cant have that happen. I know everyone will continue to spread the good word about making progress on this issue. Neera i do think the conversation with Governor Newsom and what youre making clear is that investing in climate is an Economic Strategy and someone is going to lead the world just like someone led the world on technology, someone led the world on aerospace, someone led the world on biotech. Its just the United States invested so those leaders were us. Congressman jeffries, you made a series of references to bills you passed, but i think this gets really lost, the bills the house has passed that in the past few years. This gets lost in the conversation, the house passed a series of bills that died in the senate. Id just like for you to talk about is what it would be like for the American People, just using the house bills as a baseline if you had a Democratic Administration who would sign the bills and a Democratic Senate who would passed the pass the bills, right . So if you could actually take this agenda, what would it mean to people . Because i think theres so little coverage on what the house has been doing and people dont really recognize just using just what the house has done, if you could walk us through that, that would be so great to finish us off. Rep. Jeffries thank you for that question and thank you for convening as an great, of course, to be with congressman gallego and congressman leven, as i mentioned, two extraordinary members of the House Democratic caucus. We are looking forward to the moment where there is a triangular alignment of values on behalf of the American People in the house, the senate, and the presidency. And we have passed, at this point, over 600 bills, the majority of which have been bipartisan in nature, almost all of which, in terms of making life better for Everyday Americans, have died in Mitch Mcconnells legislative graveyard. But those bills are ready to go on january 20. To do things like Lower Health Care costs, protect people with preexisting conditions, drive down the high cost of lifesaving prescription drugs for all americans, fix our crumbling bridges, roads, tunnels, airports, Mass Transportation system, Public School buildings, public housing, and ensure access to broadband across the country. Urban america, rural america, smalltown america. Weve done things like ensure that millions of dreamers who are part of the fabric of our society have a pathway toward citizenship and can continue to contribute to america. Weve expanded, through the equality act, the antidiscrimination provisions of federal law to the Lgbtq Community because we believe that love doesnt discriminate and neither should the law. Of course, we have passed the John Robert LouisVoting Rights act of 2020 to ensure that every single american can participate in our democracy consistent to the government is by the people and for the people. These are all designed to ensure we can have prosperity in every single zip code. That is the objective. And in the house, we fight for the people. Joe biden has said hes going to build it back better. We will combine the two. Build it back better for the people. Thats what were going to do. If we have that triangular alignment on january 20, lets go out there and when the day, win the week, when the month, win the election, and make life better for Everyday Americans. Neera i cant really think of a better way to end this than to build back better for the people. Thats a nice combination. Maybe the vp nominee i really cant thank you enough for participating and most important ly, i cant thank you enough for your leadership and each of you what each of you have been doing in the face of so much hostility, anger, chaos and divisiveness to focus on policies that make peoples lives better. Policy does make peoples lives better and if we have a government for the people, we will actually have a government that solves the problem. So, im so grateful for all of you for participating and we always look forward to working with you and making this country work better. So, thank you. Have a great Virtual Convention and really grateful for your leadership. Teen, i became the 75th postmaster general. I did that because i believe the Postal Service plays a tremendously positive role in the lives of the American Public and in the lives of the nation. I also welcome the opportunity to lead this organization, because i believe there is an opportunity for the Postal Service to serve the American Public and also to operate in a sustainabled manner. Congress established the Postal Service to fulfill a Public Service mission to provide prompt, reliable, and universal Postal Services to the American Public in an efficient and financially sustainable fashion. That is thatg of fundamental risk. Changes must be made to achieve sustainability for the years and decades ahead. Postmaster general louis on u. S. Stify today Postal Service operations during the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 election. You can watch the entire hearing tonight beginning at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. Announcer the house of representatives will return to session on saturday, as House Speaker nancy pelosi is calling members back to work on legislation concerning the u. S. Postal service. They gavel at 10 00 a. M. Eastern. Watch the debates live on cspan. Announcer sunday night on q a, the institute for political innovation founder with her book the politics industry. The division that we see and gridlock we see is a result of two who are in scented to work far apart from each other and to keep everybody else out, not toy are incented compromise ever, because it works better for them to leave a problem unsolved than to compromise and give a little on either side. They would rather just leave the problem unsolved, as i said, and keep it as an issue for the next election. Announcer sunday night on cspans q a. In 1952, the korean war continued. The u. S. Detonated the First Hydrogen bomb. I love lucy was the most popular tv show, and milk cost . 96 a gallon. This was the backdrop for the speeches made by Dwight Eisenhower and adlai stevenson. When Dwight Eisenhower decided to run for president , he was already a fivestar general and a war hero. During world war ii as Supreme Commander of the allied Expeditionary Force in europe, general eisenhower planned and did the invasion of normandy. After the war in