Delighted to have you here. I was terrified when i heard we were going to be hosting a president of a country the last week of august. I thought who the hell is going to be here . Nobody comes the last week of august. Im so glad to see all of you here. This is a very important conversation today. Im very flattered we have this opportunity to host president chaves as he is wellknown in washington. He has been here so many years, but we welcome you back now as president. One of his inaugural gifts was a cyberattack. It clobbered costa rica and became a catastrophe in the making. This became an opportunity. Crises frequently become opportunities, and it became an opportunity for us to work more closely with a crucial ally. This is a crucial partner country. When we had a problem of this scale, we were honored to work with them, so were delighted to have you here, president. We had a good meeting yesterday with President Biden. I dont know if you will get a question or two to figure out what you said. That is up to everybody on the audience. Im going to mention the other colleagues that are part of this program. Im going to next introduce the deputy secretary, we have grown up together. 35 years ago when we first met. He has held up a lot better than i have. He has had a fabulous professional trajectory. Was our ambassador in india, and now, the deputy secretary for management. Its a big job. We need to get a bigger foreign service. With everything going on in the world, more diplomats is the cheapest way for defense. This is the conversation we will have another date. Nate fick is an old friend. We met, it was 10 years ago when we last saw each other unfortunately but that is when he became rich and went off to a california Venture Capital company, so now you can afford to be a Public Servant again. He is at the state department. He is the ambassadoratlarge for cyberspace and digital policy. Anne neuberger is one of the most influential people in washington these days. Everything she has spent her life learning at the nsa she now has to operate the country for. Anne, were delighted to have you here. This morning, were going to first here from the deputy secretary. Then chaves, nate fick will come up for a conversation with all of you. Lets bring the secretary over. Then these other three will come up. Give a warm applause to all three of them. [applause] good morning, everybody. John hamre , thank you for that generous introduction. We did meet about 35 years ago when i was working for the chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee in the house of representatives. Every morning, he would say call hamre , we have a problem. John was the comptroller of the pentagon and were still calling him. You are an institution. Let me recognize anne neuberger, our Deputy National security advisor who was incredible. Our two ambassadors who are here. Ambassadors who are building the relationship between our two countries in such an incredible way. My colleague nate fick who is doing an incredible job leading our new bureau on Cyber Security and digital policy. Most of all, let me offer my sister tear sincere gratitude to the president for being here, our distinguished guest. Our extraordinary partner and a critical leader for costa rica and our hemisphere. It was an honor to join you in the meeting with President Biden yesterday in the oval office and to see the bond and friendship the two of you have an hour to countries have. Fidelity to democracy and human rights, our dedication to open society and markets, our commitment to innovation, and in our economies our cooperation across the board in so many areas. It was a terrific meeting. There is so much that defines the ties between the United States and costa rica. So much that touches on the Building Blocks of stability and security. Economic development. Public safety. Migration. And yes, cybersecurity. Let me touch briefly on these and i will speak quickly so you can hear from our group. Let me start with economics. Our trade relationship is deep and robust, covering over 17 billion in goods moving between our markets last year alone. The u. S. Accounts for nearly three quarters of Foreign Direct Investment heading into costa rica. And u. S. Companies have helped create nearly 130,000 jobs there. Meanwhile, exports from costa rica coming in our direction especially in medical devices and Semi Conductors are helping fuel our postcovid recovery. And those bonds are only growing, as we worked to secure regional and Global Supply chains, combat corruption, engage in the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity and collaborate even further in the technology space. But steady Economic Growth rests on the cornerstone of our Common Security and public safety. A taylor that week pillar that we reinforce every day. To give one exam will, costa rica is an energetic partner on in statedepartment led program which brings government and communities together to identify social risks, and prevent activities targeting the most vulnerable high crime areas in the country. This is part of an ongoing drive to approve Citizen Security in costa rica. That push is intensifying through our efforts to counter narcotic trafficking, to stop organized criminal networks from undermining the strong institutions that set costa rica part. And our deep cooperation on the fundamentals of a Healthy Society gives us the wherewithal to take on the toughest task before us today. Today, that includes irregular migration and displacement. The recordbreaking movement of people throughout our hemisphere, and how we better facilitate safe, orderly, and humane migration. And were grateful to the leadership of the president and because bruton government for standing up to the secure mobility office, a new initiative to create level pathways in the country. Let me give credit where credit is due. Costa rica has set the standard for leadership and supporting refugees, and ensuring their access to protection. Many embarking on a treacherous journey. Many fleeing persecution and fear. Finally, our countries are lockstep on the main topic of todays event. And the core focus of tomorrows generation. Cybersecurity. The intersection between democracy and the digital sphere. The explosion of the emerging technologies reshaping the way we communicate and learn, collaborate and lead, participate in our politics. And how we govern our people. The United States and costa rica appreciate the immense power of this space, but also the potential pitfalls, too. We know that sound and secure connectivity, a strong and growing advanced manufacturing sector, cyber, digital and tech talent and infrastructure, all key components of modern economies and a modern society. We see how costa rica has started to build out its 5g telecommunications service. An established itself as a regional hightech leader with, for exam, intels only Semi Conductor is simply operation in the americas. With thousands of jobs supported by amazon, bayer and Many Companies with a flourishing medical device manufacturing hub. We share an affirmative vision for the role of trusted and secure technology. Technology for good. Were cleareyed about the need for vigilance, Capacity Building related to incident response, for Critical Infrastructure protection and the development of the cyber workforce. For identifying trusted tech suppliers. Indeed even with so much hope and emerging innovations, we recognize the drawbacks. We recognize the rising risks and frequency of cyber attacks. The uncertainty surrounding technologies and platforms that are constantly developing, shifting, changing, evolving and our job as Public Officials is to do Everything Possible to ensure that the accelerating pace of digital progress expands pathways to innovation without escalating the possibilities of danger. That cyberspace remains an avenue to empower citizens and connect communities. Not incite violence, so division, or foment fear. But the Digital Ecosystem is a secure, resilient and rights respecting venue for pursuing our highest aspirations. And costa rica is already ahead of the curve on all of these issues. You are among our closest collaborators in a series of coalitions and initiatives designed to protect access. And to protect human rights. Were proud to stand with you, mr. President , and with costa ricas government in tackling the vast challenges that come with such giant leaps in cyber work and digital revolution. And so, doing this work is so critically important. Thats why we have delivered on a 25 million package to further build costa ricas digital defense capabilities in the face of malicious cyber activity, as well as partnering in so many other areas which i know the group will talk about today. So, doing this work and supporting cyber and digital resiliency within our countries and among our partners is an increasingly vital element of United States foreign assistance portfolio. These investments are critical to the security of our citizens, allies, partners. To the strengths of our economies and businesses, the enduring stability of the rulesbased International Order to a safe, open, reliable and interoperable internet that will remain an unquestionable facet of life for decades to come. Here is the bottom line. Cybersecurity, digital diplomacy, emerging technologies, just like economic development, regional security, migration and more, each hold a Common Thread. They all cross borders. They all impact the strength of our democracies. They all affect the lives of our people. And we cant address any of these challenges alone. In fact, we have no choice but to tackle them together. For friends like the United States and costa rica that comes naturally. That coordination will continue between our president s, our governments, and our communities. Thank you very much, thank you, john and mr. President. I hope you enjoyed todays conversation. [applause] fantastic. We all have to turn our microphones on. Pres. Robles hello. Good morning, everyone. Thank you very much for joining us, my name is nate fick, ambassadoratlarge for cyberspace and digital policy. Im pleased to share the stage this morning with my colleague and friend, our Deputy National security advisor, anne neuberger. And president chaves of costa rica, thank you so much for your generosity and time. Thanks for your leadership. Such a pleasure to be with you today. The pleasure is all mine, your excellency. Nate you are very kind. You are here in strength with an incredibly broad and diverse delegation from your government. I wonder if i might start just with hearing more on your goals for this visit to washington. Pres. Chaves thank you very much, madame neuberger, ambassador fick. John, thank you for the kind introduction. Mr. Verma, there was a wonderful summary of what i think is the reality were facing. As well as the common objectives of two countries very different in size, but with great common objectives and shared values. Let there be no doubt where this country stands in the world today. We are a small country but with a big voice. We think, precisely because of the things you said, more than 70 years ago there was a choice. Not defending our systems and information. All of todays information is an obligation. What are we trying to do today . Reaffirming historical, long relationship between what we call a big light on the horizon. Those famous words. We hold these truths to be selfevident. And we have seen how those values are being deteriorated. Are being eroded. The freedoms, even the openness to the world in our neighborhood. Costa rica is a great house in a neighborhood that has some complications. So, were very concerned about our security. We are concerned, obviously, as President Biden said they are the ones you this hard work in our country. And we took advantage of this kind invitation to come look at what are the common objectives that, as societies, we have in an increasingly complex world. How complex it is getting. So thats why were here. As mr. Verma said, i enjoyed the meeting tremendously, but only because of the substance of the meeting with President Biden. Not only because of the substance, but frankly, the connection that i was blessed to have with him yesterday. And its a connection based on what we want for our peoples. So, thats what were doing here. It is a rare opportunity for us to sit on a stage in a public setting to have a public conversation with a current head of state about a cyberattack. All of us would appreciate the opportunity to hear from your seat what it looks like. What it felt like. What you are thinking, doing, as you came into office and this attack was unfolding. Pres. Chaves i can tell you, it wasnt nice. [laughter] it wasnt pleasant. Not at all. I would like to give a little bit of context because there may be coincidences in life, but we say in costa rica think suspiciously, and you are likely to be right. When i was elected during the transition, and inaugurated as president elect, i believe i was the first one in latin america to say it actually, that russias invasion of ukraine was illegal. Was unacceptable, and frankly, i used the word criminal. I was taken to court by some post regions. Criminal court, costa rica ands. Costa ricans. They said i had violated the policy of neutrality. That would require a military and we have not got one. Brinkley, that was a frivolous action. Suddenly, very shortly after having been inaugurated, we were attacked. We were attacked affecting the backbone of the functioning of the state. Our tax system. Our customs systems. Electricity. Even our meteorological services. We didnt know if it was going to rain. They are never right anyway. [laughter] our ministry of transport. Our Health System was attacked. Thanks to the collaboration of partners like the United States, spain, we realized this was coming from russia. Coincidence . Possibly. Certainly, possibly probably from a group who had begun asking for ransom. We couldnt pay ransom. And we wouldnt pay ransom. But the effects were very important. Millions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of medical appointments. But here we are, reconstructed. It was at the beginning of the administration. But once burned, twice shy. I think you say that in this country, right . And we decided that the negligence of decades, obviously, everything is the fault of the previous administration. But decades of negligence protecting our information, our tax and Computer Systems had to come to an end. Thank you for helping us in doing that. Nate more than a year later, that help is organized and flowing, but i am the early days, anne, what did it look like from your seat in the white house as this attack was unfolding . Can you describe for us some of the initial support and how you think about ongoing support to allies like costa rica . Anne President Biden was deeply concerned when he heard about the attack, the timing, the extent of the impact on Critical Services in costa rica. The ability of costa ricans to make medical appointments to travel, etc. He directed us to ensure we were providing immediate relief. The Ambassador Team was a strong advocate. We had an fbi team on the ground within 24 hours at the governments request. We worked closely with your superb team and helped quickly recover. To your point, we looked together and said, what more is needed to ensure that costa rica can be a regional leader in cybersecurity as well . The support of 25 million from the state department to establish a Security Operations center. As well as more immediate nearterm virtual Security Operations center to provide hardware and software, the right cybersecurity monitoring. An additional 10 million from the department of defense to provide work on a Security Operations center for the ministry of public security. And ongoing support to really put in place the cybersecurity protections and regime needed as a first step for ensuring that those Critical Services are protected moving forward. And then, because of the link between cybersecurity and Digital Infrastructure, we started a conversation about your vision for 5g in costa rica. And how to ensure that that 5g was also secure in the proper way. Weve had an ongoing discussion regarding that to ensure that there are trusted providers available. We will talk more about that. The second part of our support is 300 million exit financing grant. As costa rica makes this transition to 5g, and he will describe that more, it can be with trusted providers to ensure that building upon the first stage of cybersecurity protection, the nations Core Foundation digital infra structure that everything r ides on, the economy and public security. The equity that every costa rican can access the internet and do Business Online is trusted and secure moving forward. Nate thank you for raising the 5g point. Our perspective has been that technology sits in ecosystems and risks are across ecosystems. We talk about security, we have to talk holistically not only about cybersecurity products in a for additional sense, but also cable and fiber and data centers. And wireless networks. President chaves, your government has made some very welcome and bold moves in this regard recently. Can you share with us your perspective right now on 5g security and what comes next in costa rica . Pres. Chaves of course. We learned the lesson, but we are going to stay the course. We want to develop connectivity access because we want more costa rica in the world, and more world in costa rica. We are opening up our economy at a time where some countries are restricting trade, access to foreign direct investors and the like. We are attracting foreign direct investors. They create fantastic jobs. We have 250 plus u. S. Companies. As a matter of fact, im going to tell you a small anecdote, or factoid. There are more americans in costa rica than costa ricans in america. I dont know many countries can say that in their neighborhood. And were delighted with that. So, instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, we want to make sure the environment is conducive, is high end, is state of the art. Then there is cybersecurity. So, after many decades we bit the bullet. We are optioning some of the frequencies for the private sector to actually provide 5g. We have a stateowned utility that provides communications. Our stateowned utility, Building Infrastructure required to provide 5g to all its clients, and the private sector having the frequencies. And then later on, making investments to provide 5g generally. We had issues. My minister of science and technology and i on friday issued a government decree that basically requires that the countries where potential vendors and providers may actually meet to adopt the principles of the agreement. And you know what that means. I dont need to go in detail. That means that costa rica, our stateowned utility, or telecom company. Eventually, all the providers private and public of 5g will be limited to purchasing Equipment Technology for 5g only from trusted vendors. Why . Is it because we like one and not another . The price differences are huge. If you are willing to take the risk. Potentially, other nontransparent benefits could be very high, but thats not what were looking or. Were looking at looking out. American companies, european companies. Your security in this country, nor connectivity with headquarters, with your clients is going to be fast, reliable, affordable and above all safe. Thats a tough decision. You know what that entails, the type of pressures we received and will receive. The day we sign it, there was a cyber on our childrens hospital. But we will stay the course. It has been done. There is no way back. Nate this is an important point you make. The decision is not only about price but many other factors including creating an attractive investment environment for Technology Companies to encourage the development of an indigenous innovation economy in costa rica. Anne, this is one of the argument that has been part of your vision, as you have been advocating on behalf of trusted vendors around the world. Can you tell us more about u. S. Vision and campaign in this regard . Anne it is really President Bidens vision. President chaves, you articulated every aspect beautifully. Digital access is the right of every citizen. No matter where they live in the country, in a rural part, at the center of the city, can have access to education, to jobs. And receive security and safety. That is both the president s vision in the United States and certainly with our closest international partners. That has underpinned the approach to say we want to ensure that Digital Infrastructure. But the u. S. Is a partner in making that available. Its a whole of government approach. It includes using financing tools like the export import bank, or the Development Finance corporation to finance safe and trusted Digital Infrastructure. It includes the state department advocating diplomatically on secure, responsible aspects of cyberspace. It includes usaid, who was doing training for open and trusted Digital Infrastructure around the world. And certainly includes a discussion we have had about workforce. Technical workforce. Were looking forward to costa rica leading regionally in the americas. In that way, what is so exciting about the Security Operations center in costa rica is, costa rica is already a regional leader. You were cohost of the summit for democracy because you are a regional leader of democracy. You rightly noted. As a result, were looking forward to this Security Operation Center being the first phase of becoming a regional Security Operations center where there are individuals from other countries sitting, learning how to maintain a network. How to detect intrusions. How to detect concerning behavior. How to quickly push back as your team even in the most recent cyberattack. Because it is such a priority for the president , because he knows it is a key partner in his element. We called the financing element, that the security aspect making teams available rapidly as a key partner to ensure that were executing in that way to help and partner with allies to ensure their citizens have secure, open and interoperable access. Nate thank you for raising the issue of talent and workforce. Mr. President , we have looked at your perspective on how do you develop technical talent . How do you attract nadella to government . Maybe most importantly, how do you keep nadella in government . Pres. Chaves i dont need to tell you about be war for talent. One company gave 150,000 bonuses to their engineers not to move to another company. Within the United States. Thats more than i make in a weekend. [laughter] but thats a sizable amount just to stay put. We are trying to develop, attract and retain talent. The thing is that the government and private sector, the private sector has more agility. And the ability to raise salaries competitively will depend on a little imf program. We are straight a students and produce the ratio by 14 points in one month. Thats one percentage point a month. But that doesnt allow us to spend as fast as we would like. Thats a big challenge. We do have, like every other country in the competing business space, have skills in the rapidly rising environment. So we are deploying, trying to solve the structural issue, which is, we need to produce more for the country, and thats a big fight with the public universities, with our learning institutes, we are doing it and we are finding little exceptions in our Single Service schools to attract the talents. Its not easy. The private sector is having better time now because of our efforts to produce engineering, i. T. Skills, but we are thinking about changing some of the Civil Service rules to attract these very specialized elements. But so far, so good, there are still some people who love, like here, public service, i think you have a higher opportunity like in the public sector, and you serve your country, but you chose to serve your country. I think the same about me and obviously about you. But we like public service, and some costa ricans are enjoying working for the government and i think its not a structured problem but its coming to everyone. Thank you for that. The policies weve been talking about this morning have been domestic policies inside costa rica, and yet, the challenges that they are trying to address is transactional challenges and the approaches that we take that form largely and multilaterally institutions like United Nations and in the United States. How do you think about improving cyber and digital capacity in costa rica and its effect on your ability to lead internationally on these issues . Pres. Chaves i used to have a very tough boss, the best boss i ever had. She was a lady who didnt have any patience for nonsense. And she used to tell me, impeccable administration is a question. If you cannot manage your shop, how could you change the world . How could we change the world if we cannot keep our things well counted . Its not something that i enjoy, but there are crucial questions, and this is one of them. You cannot provide a safe environment for your data, for your information, dont try to play that era changing the world and peoples lives, that comes after, its a necessary condition, but a necessary one. So i think that what we would like to do, you know, lead by example sometimes, and we are trying to be an example as we try to be an example on democracy protection of minority rights, freedom of the press. We will have municipal elections in 2024. It says that every party that wants to nominate a major has to have half females, half males across the entire we have already talked about it in congress. Half and half. There is no shortage of talent. So, this is the same type of bold action we would like to take. Lets lead by example. And if given the opportunity to Work Together with the other countries, we would be happy to do so. We would be happy. We are telling people its just a migration, we have to think different. And they stop the flows. Some people believe that that type of approach is practical and pragmatic. But the saying is, we want to be an example. If people consider work and contributions, we would be happy to share them in cybersecurity and everywhere else. The United States does that. He tried to prove the world, and we think that is keeping proportions in mind, we can do the same. Leadership by example. David and by action pres. Chaves and by action. In one of the regional hemispheric International Opportunities that might now flow from costa ricas leadership by example . Taking a step back, costa rica is already a regional leader. It was the reason costa rica was the summit for democracy because that example, costa rica showed that respect for human rights in a region, like as you said, where there are certainly complications. In the arena have cybersecurity, there is the credibility of having lived through a difficult experience, manage and respond quickly. I think that credibility, the establishment of the partnership , Security Operations under the ongoing Rapid Response to cyberattack positioned costa rica to be a regional leader in the space. To channel through which we do Capacity Building and the larger regions and other countries that are less mature and has much to learn from costa rica in the United States. We look forward to the stand up, the ribboncutting of the Security Operations center and building on that to make that a regional effort. Certainly, as you noted your courageous decision in the area of Digital Infrastructure in the way you structure that outline the requirement for spectrum, that is the second thing ever regional leadership, to show that its possible to provide citizens secure, open access on the critical, Digital Infrastructure they rely on. In the number of American Companies that ran through them the number of American Companies operating in costa rica highlight how they look to ensure their intellectual property is protected and that they can rely on secure, safe and resilient infrastructure for critical business operation. Certainly, your leadership on the regional workforce issue, potentially in the upcoming apex discussion is one that will really uplift the broader region region because everybody is trying to say how do we ensure the new job opportunities, the virtual training, the virtual jobs that all citizens can tap into, because thats ultimately, as government, the core commitment we have. So, we truly appreciate the courageous partnership and decision, and we look forward to partnering with costa rica and taking on the three areas. The last word is years, sir. Pres. Chaves whoops. Normally that means that you get the bill at the end, but thats ok. It has been a great pleasure to come. It has been a great pleasure to come back to washington, now in a different capacity. Talk is cheap. We need to walk the walk using various land in this difficult language. Costa rica is walking the walk in every sense. You know our efforts to fight International Crime in our reports. You know our efforts now to provide security and a safe place to do business for American Companies. You know that looking at our actions you see the evidence of a people. But be very honest, abandoned their place for a while, mostly because of negative, lack of decisiveness administrations like every democracy does, but now we are a country with a renewed interest to do well by doing the right thing. And thats something that the United States has shown the world for many, many years. Thats something that costa rica would like to think we are doing. It has been a great pleasure. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you everyone for coming out this morning. Im jim lewis. Im kind of like the sanitation truck at the end of the parade. First, a lot of people dont know about this thing called the counter ransomware initiative, which was involved in costa ricas experience. This is probably one of the most important diplomatic and cyber active decisions. Second, as we hear today, costa rica is a model for 21stcentury digital economy. Just amazing having been to costa rica over the past few decades, its an amazing example for others to look at. We need to think about consequences when it comes for malicious actions and people ask, what happened to the russians who did this and i dunno, maybe they had to trade in their lamborghinis or something. But, on that note, theres more work to be done, clearly. But there has been tremendous progress just in the last few years. Lets think about what we can do in 2024. President chaves, nate and deputy secretary, thank you very much for coming to cis today. Thank you. [applause] cspan, powered by cable. Host we are back with erin heaney and steve phillips, representing the white stripe project, and effort to attract more white voters back to the Democratic Party. Good morning. Thank you for joining us. Lets start with you. Tell us about your background and how you came to join the project. I am a director at showing up for Racial Justice. We work to undermine the power of the right and bring more white people into the fight for racial and Economic Justice. We understand race has been used since the beginning of this country to keep white people silent and separated from movements for justice that are fighting for a better world for all of us. Our organizing is to do work in White Communities and bring more white folks off the sidelines and into the multiracial coalitions we need to win on a range of issues. I have gotten to know steve through this work and im excited to be part of the white stripe project. Host steve, your political background . . Caller guest i did not know we have enough time to my full applicable background but i am a child of the Civil Rights Movement. They would not sell the house to my parents when we moved and because they were black. They got a white lawyer to buy it and deeded over to us. I grew up reading about Martin Luther king, worked on Jesse Jacksons president ial campaign that brought together the Civil Rights Movement and electoral politics. I think engaging in this public debate around politics and race and social and Economic Justice and i have written two books in that vein. That is what brought me to this project, trying to apply what i have been able to glean and learn about race in america, about the role of white identity in National Politics and the shortcomings in the progressive anti democratic ecosystem in terms of taking a data driven approach to understanding what is going on and how we attract support and what is a realistic expectation as well. Host tell us more about the white stripe project and how the group is involved. What is your Common Thread that brings you together for this initiative . Guest it is an effort aligning with showing up for Racial Justice. My organization, which has been active in progressive National Politics particularly in terms of working with progressive donors across the country and with the working families party, one of the largest, most progressive organizations in the country, and it really is about summoning the Progressive Movement and Democratic Party to up its game heading into 2024, given how profound the stakes are of what we are going to be facing and to really take a data driven approach to looking clearly and objectively at the question of what really we really know about white voters, how we attract them, what is a realistic expectation, at what point do we decide we have hit that limit, and what is that based upon. I wrote a book called brown is the new white cannot really focusing on making sure we Pay Attention to the political significance of voters of caller. We have been talking past each other. We also have white voters and it is true. The white stripe of the Rainbow Coalition is critical, so this is an opportunity to summon the Progressive Movement, the key stakeholders, to a candidate and data driven conversation. What works and attracting what support . What are the limits of that and the implications of that in terms of spending and strategy as we head into 2024, where we will spend 2 billion trying to hold the line against those who want to take the country back and make America White again. Host i want to go ahead and let our viewers know that the lines to call for your questions or comments or your thoughts about their efforts to attract more white voters to the Democratic Party. Democrats, 202 7488000. Republicans, 202 7488001. Independents, 202 7488002. You can also send us a text message, 202 7488003. How is this white stripe project being funded . This is a collaborate collaboration between the three organizations. We have come together and use existing resources to advance the conversation. We see this as a time contained project because the stakes are so high in this moment. I think the reason we are so committed to this is the other through line is all three of organizations are unapologetic champions of Racial Justice but we also believe we need to bring more white folks and because the stakes are higher, so we decided to partner at this important moment because of the way the country is headed. Host we heard steve talk about being data driven, and that is something the organization has made clear. Can you be more specific about what you plan to discuss and where the data exists now or how you plan to obtain data that will help you execute your plan . Absolutely appear last month, we brought together a group of practitioners from across the country who are doing work in multiracial communities or majority White Communities to ask folks to share data with us, so we are in the process now of compiling good data. There is good existing data that has not made its way into the hands of the people who need to make decisions based on that data, so that is one component. We are doing research now, doing electoral work this year in kentucky on the governors race. We are working in rural parts of the state to secure votes for governor andy beshear. We have partnered with the Sandler Phillips Center to take a close look at what is working. That will be part of what we find and disseminate up to the field. Guest there is a significant amount of data. Their exit polls going back to 1976 and after many state elections as well, broken out by race to see how people vote along racial identity lines in terms of elections where there has been progress and has not been, so that is a data set. There are National Polls done by political scientists after every election and polls done by different groups and organizations, so a big part of the effort is to gather in all of the data and look at it and to see what it actually shows. A big part of the problem is it is not clear. I have questions and doubts of how much progressive and democratic spending is driven by data as much as by instinct. If you look at the 2020 election where democrats are trying to take back the senate, the democratic side spent close to 200 million dollars. As of august 2020, they have spent 7 million in iowa and zero in georgia. What state flip for the democrats . It was georgia, so what was the dataset . If you look at prior election years, georgia was closer than iowa had been, so we need to have a clear conversation. Everybody bring your spreadsheets. Lets talk about what we really know around what works for white voters and former advisor to President Trump peter navarro