Tomorrow 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. In the ashes of wildfires and the damage of hurricane laura. 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 build back 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 rihanna and george 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 we must give real meaning to its words. One nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty, and justice, for all. Justice. Lets talk about that. Because 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 more perfect union. And the time is now right 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. The numbers that define this crisis are staggering. We cannot look the other way or allow ourselves to become numb 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. The Quiet Desperation that has taken over sony lives in america. The family packing into their car at 5 00 in the morning, hoping the local food bank still has 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. The Small Business owners, 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. Of their grandmother who has been in a nursing home and who they couldnt even visit over 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. That is the reality of america right now. A reality completely absent from this weeks Republican National convention. Because unlike the democratic convention, which was very clear eyed 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. And on that measure donald trump , has failed. You see, at its most a sick level, at its most basic level, 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. As a lawyer and advocate, when i would rise to speak in a courtroom i would say the , following words. Kamala harris for the people. That is why a stand today to speak for the people. Because we know the truth. Donald trump has failed at the important job of a president 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 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. Make it impossible to live normally and with a sense of certainty. 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, a 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. First, he was fixated on the stock market. Over fixing the problem. He tweeted about it consistently. That if hisnced administration focused on this virus, it would hurt the market and hurt his chances of being reelected. That mattered to him more than saving american lives. Second, right at the moment we needed donald trump to be tough on the chinese government, he caved. On january 24, he praised the transparency of the chinese government. He said he said china has been can unitedd to states greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency. It will all work out well. They were not being transparent. They blocked Public Health from our cdc from getting access and information they needed to protect american lives. Donald trump stood idly by and and it was a deadly decision. Instead of rising to meet the most difficult moment of his presidency donald trump froze. , he was scared. And he was petty and vindictive. On a call of governors across the country on march 16, he told him it wasnt his job to get personal protective equipment to front line workers. He said respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment, try getting it yourselves. Had about 5000 cases as a nation. Today, we have nearly 6 million. Months intome eight this crisis, donald trump still will not take responsibility. He still 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. As president , joe biden will put a plan into effect on day one, develop and deploy rapid tests with immediate results, make sure treatments and ultimately, a vaccine, reach all americans, including communities of color, who have historically been left behind. Manufacture the medical supplies and protective 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. In joesd, words, 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. Here is the truth. Barack obama and joe biden had a program called protect. Called predict, that tracked emerging diseases in places like china. Im going to repeat that the program tracked emerging diseases in places like china. Trump cut it. They detected a team and created that team in the National Security council to Global Health and security, dedicating them to the work of Global Health and security and bio defense. Donald trump eliminated it. They implemented standards for Nursing Homes to improve infection control. Donald trump is erasing them. Before the virus hit, trump made our country vulnerable. Failedt was struck, he 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 buy your 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. Now, President Trump wont 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. But, we have a chance to right these wrongs and put america on a better path forward. One where the leaders we elect 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 in his acceptance speech, we have a choice between the light and the dark. I believe america will choose the light. Thank you. Our campaign 2020 coverage continues with candidates campaigning and debating. Cspan, your unfiltered view of politics. View of politics. PenceVice President campaigns for the gop in duluth, minnesota, a state President Trump narrowly lost in 2016. After that, our cspan cities tour features prominent u. S. Politicians of the past. Then President Trump towards recent hurricane damage in louisiana and texas. Journal,s washington every day taking your calls live on the air on the news of the day, and we will discuss policy issues that impact you. Sunday morning, a senior elections analyst Discusses Campaign 2020. Then a Foreign Policy analyst and author talks about his latest book on the importance of american dominance in space. Watch washington journal, live at 7 00 eastern sunday morning