On the eve of the 57th march on washington, i will speak about recent events in kenosha, wisconsin, wildfires raging across the california coast and rocky mountain. The storm working its way through texas, louisiana, and the gulf coast, and most of all, who we are as a country. We are a nation at its best loves, protects, and helps fellow americans. Today, we see pain, hurt, and destruction. We encourage everyone to continue following guidance from local authorities to stay safe. Joe and i pledge to be there for those whose lives were turned upside down. Those who need help from neighbors, strangers, and our government to make it through, to restore your lives and community. We also see pain, hurt, and destruction in the aftermath of yet another black man shot by police. Jacob blake shot seven times in the back in broad daylight in front of his three young sons. Seven times, in the back, in broad daylight in front of his three young sons. As Vice President biden put it, the shots fired at mr. Blake pierced the soul of our nation. It is sickening to watch. It is all too familiar. It must end. Thankfully, he is alive today but he is fighting for his life when he should not have to be. My heart goes out to the family as they endure the ordeal that is tragically common in our country. Joe and i spoke with them yesterday. They are an Amazing Group of people with extraordinary courage, even as they seek justice for their son, they spoke about the need to end the violence and heal our nation. I have had conversations with far too many mothers and fathers. You will see and hear no one with more courage, more character, and more moral clarity. People are rightfully angry and exhausted. After the murders of brionna, and so many others, it is no wonder people have taken to the streets. I support them. We must always defend peaceful protests and peaceful protesters. We should not confuse them with looting and committing acts of violence, including the shooter, who was arrested for murder. Make no mistake. We will not let vigilantes and extremists derail the path to justice. Here is my promise to those mothers and fathers and those who stand with them. A bidenharris administration, you will have a seat at the table, in the halls of congress, and in the white house. We all grew up citing the pledge of allegiance but now, we must give real meeting meaning to his words. One nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty, and justice, for all. Justice. Lets talk about that. The reality is that the life of a black person in america has never been treated as fully human. We have yet to fulfill the promise of equal justice under law. We will only achieve that when we finally come together to pass Meaningful Police Reform and broader criminal Justice Reform and acknowledge and address systemic racism. We will only come closer to achieving that when we finally come together. We have come a long way toward building a Perfect Union but the time is now to take the next step forward. Even as they we have a reckoning with racial injustice, we must also confront another crisis. The pandemic that has torn apart so many lives. We cannot look the other way or allow ourselves to succumb to them. Nearly 6 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus. 180,000 lives lost. More than 50 million claims for unemployment this year alone. We need to see and hear what is happening in the country. Hoping food banks have something left when they get to the front of the line. The 50yearold store manager who has been laid off and knows he cannot pay the rent and the first of the month. Mothers and fathers stretched to the breaking point, working from home, while helping their kids with online classes. Trying to hold it all together. Economic engines of our communities who are shutting their doors every day. The nurse, getting ready for her afternoon shift, given so much suffering and death in recent months, wonders how much more she could bear to witness. The family grieving the loss of their mother. The family grieving the loss of their grandmother. They could not even visit in the last three months of her life. The alarming and disproportionate rate at which blacks and latinos and indigenous families are contracting and dying of covid19. That is the reality now. A reality completely absent from this weeks Republican National convention. Unlike the democratic convention, which was very clear id about the challenge we were facing and how to tackle them, the Republican Convention is designed for one purpose. To sooth Donald Trumps ego. To make him feel good. Heres the thing. He is the president of the United States. It is not supposed to be about him. It is supposed to be about the health and safety and wellbeing of the american people. By that measure, donald trump has failed. Donald trump does not understand the presidency. He thinks it is about him. It is not. It is about you. It is about all of us. The people. I would say the following words. Kamala harris for the people. That is why a stand today to speak for the people. We know the truth. Donald trump has failed at the most basic job of the United States. He failed to protect the american people. Plain and simple. Trump showed that we in the Legal Profession would call a reckless disregard for the wellbeing of the american people. A reckless disregard for the danger a pandemic would propose for american lives, for the devastation it would do to our to our economy. For the damage it would do to communities of color, who have been subjected to Structural Racism for generations. For the chaos that would upend our daily lives, make it impossible for our children to go to school. He never appreciated a president swears an oath before god and country to protect america against threats seen and unseen. It is his duty, it is his obligation to protect us. And yet he has failed, miserably. Here is the thing. Donald trumps incompetence is nothing new. That has always been on full display. In january of this year, it became deadly. That is when the threat of a virus that would endanger the world first emerged. Trump dismissed the threat, but joe biden sounds the alarm. It would be the beginning of a pattern that persists to this day. Trump telling us not to worry, that the virus will disappear, that a miracle is coming. Joe biden saying we need a plan, in national strategy, a president who is willing to lead, willing to be a role model for our nation, for our children. Trump still does not have a plan. He still does not have a plan. Joe biden released his first plan in march. And here is what you need to understand about the nature of the pandemic. It is relentless. You cannot stop it with a tweet. You cannot create a distraction and hope it will go away. It does not go away. By its nature, a pandemic is unforgiving. If you get it wrong at the beginning, the consequences are catastrophic. It is very hard to catch up and you do not get a second chance. President trump got it wrong from the beginning. Then he got it wrong again and again. The consequences have been catastrophic. Here is why trump has been so unwilling and unable to deal with the crisis. He was on fixating fixing the problem. He said it would hurt the market and hurt his chances of being reelected. That mattered to him more than saving american lives. Right at the moment we needed donald trump to be tough on the chinese government, he caved. On january 24, he praised the pit the transparency of the chinese government. He said china has been working hard to detain the coronavirus. The United States greatly and appreciates their efforts and transparency and it will all end well. They blocked Public Health inspectors from our cdc inning access and information that they needed to protect american lives. Donald trump stood idly by and it was a deadly decision. Donald trump froze. He was scared. And he was petty and figment it and vindictive. He told them it was not his job to give personal protective equipment to frontline workers. He says, respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment, try getting it yourselves. On that day we had about 5000 cases as a nation. Today, we have nearly 6 million. Even now, donald trump will not take responsibility and will not act. The tragedy in all of this is it did not have to be this bad. Just look around. It is not like this and the rest of the world. All we needed, guys, all we needed was a competent president. One who is willing to listen. Willing to lead. Take responsibility, have a plan. Do their jobs. Joe biden will be that president. He has got a national strategy. He is more than ready to lead. Every month since march, as the pandemic has unfolded, joe biden has updated steps he would take to save american lives and he has done it based on what every scientist, expert, and Economist Says we should be doing. Joe biden will put a plan into effect on day one, deploy rapid tests with immediate results, make sure treatments and ultimately, a vaccine, reach all americans, including communities of color, which have been historically left behind. Manufacture the equipment we need and make them right here in america so we are never again at the mercy of china and other Foreign Countries to protect our people. Joe and i will make sure schools have the resources to be open and safe and effective. Put politics aside and not silence the experts so public gets the information they need and deserve. And put in place a nationwide mask mandate. It is not a burden to protect each other. He says that because the thing about joe is, he knows we are all in this together. Donald trump says there is nothing he could have done to prevent all of this death. Barack obama and joe biden had a program called protect. The program tracked emerging diseases in places like china. Trump cut it. They created that team in the National Security council, dedicating them to the work in bio defense. They implemented stanzel standards to improve infection control. Donald trump is erasing them. Before the virus hit, trump made us vulnerable. He failed to do what was necessary. As it continues, he is making it worse every day. Just this week, the Social Security administration said a cut to Social Security like the one trump is proposing would end disability benefits within one year. And all benefits within three years. Let me be as clear as possible. If Donald Trumps extreme proposal goes into effect, the checks that american seniors are relying on, that you rely on, to pay your bills, to buyer medicine, to live, will stop coming. The very people who have suffered greatly in this crisis, it is unthinkable. In the middle of a Health Crisis made worse by his own actions, donald trump is in court right now, trying to throw out the entire Affordable Care act, including protections it provides for people with preexisting conditions. That means if you are fortunate enough to survive covid19, insurers could deny you coverage for treating any longterm effects. President trump will not tell you any of this at the Republican Convention tonight. We all know he is not changing. The president he has been is the president he will be. We have a chance to right these wrongs and put america on a better path forward. Listen to the experts and follow the best medical guidance to keep us and keep families safe. One where we take meaningful action against systems and traditions of oppression. One where we stop fanning the flames of hate and division and treat one another with the respect and dignity that each one of us deserves. As joe biden said, we have a choice between light and dark. I believe america will choose the light. Thank you. [inaudible] cspans washington journal, every day we are taking your calls. Coming up this morning, ellie for the correspondent nation Discusses Campaign 2020 and recent racial unrest. Mccoy talks about her new book the next pandemic and how the u. S. Can battle future pandemics without an economic shutdown. Watch cspans washington journal. The sure to join the discussion with your phone calls, Facebook Comments and tweets. This morning, National Security advisor Robert Obrien will be speaking at an Atlantic Council of event on u. S. Global leadership and pressing security challenges. Watch live coverage this morning at 10 00 or listen with the free cspan radio app. , live coverage of that get your knee off our neck march at the Lincoln Memorial to protest police brutality. The march commemorates the 57th anniversary of the march on washington with remarks from family members of several men and women killed by Law Enforcement including george floyd, eric garner, and breonna taylor. Listen live with the free cspan radio app. Today, the House Administration committee holds a virtual hearing on safely boating during the coronavirus pandemic. Live coverage begins at 1 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan two. Fromat acceptance speech President Trump concluded this years Republican National convention. Before the president spoke, voters and supporters also heard remarks from rudy giuliani, if ivanka trump and mitch mcconnell. Of the rnc, right now. America is great, because it is good. If america ceases to be good, it will no longer be [indiscernible]it is the goodness and americans that informs the great