a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get nothing your backyard or neighborhood and have a cookout or barbecue and celebrate up independence day. july 4th is the goal. >> he also announced new measures to announce that every american who wants a vaccine can get one. >> i will direct all states, tribes and territories to make all adults, people 18 and over, eligible to be vaccinated no later than may 1. when every adult is eligible in may, we will launch with our partners new tools to make it easier for to you find the vaccine and where to get the shot. including a new website that will help you first find the place to get vaccinated and the one nearest you. no more searching day and night to get an appointment. >> tonight's speech on the second floor of the white house comes one year from today since the world health organization declared it a pandemic. the nba suspended its season until further notice. tom hanks announced he and his wife rita wilson had tested positive. the former president spoke to the nation from the oval office. >> the vast majority of americans, the risk is very, very low. >> in the gruelling 12 months since, we became the world leader in confirmed cases. now nearing 30 million. we also lead the world in deaths, well over half a million souls have been lost thus far. the trump white house deliberately down played the virus in the midst of fights how to contain it. shutting down the country led to an economic toll. this afternoon, biden signed the nearly $2 trillion rescue play that the house passed yesterday. americans should start seeing the $1400 relief checks in the next few days. >> people can expect to start seeing direct deposits hit bank accounts as early as this weekend. >> and starting monday, the president and vice president start a cross country relief tour. the democrats did this alone, not a single republican voted for it in the house of the senate today. their leading in the senate stuck to his story. this kind of help is just not needed. >> every indicator has suggests the economy is poised to come roaring back. none of the trends began january 20th. president biden and his democratic government inherited a tide that had already began to turn to decisive victory. senate reps led the c.a.r.e.s. act that got the country through the last year. >> a new poll shows 62% of americans surveyed approve how joe biden is handling the pandemic. yet, even as the president asks for help containing the virus, the attorney in texas, ken paxton, is making good to sue the city of austin to force them to get rid of their local mask mandates. texas yesterday rolled back nearly all of their restrictions including statewide mask orders. meantime back in washington, the u.s. finally has a new attorney general. merrick garland, who was denied a supreme court seat by republicans, famously, was sworn in today. and he assured employees the days of being pressured to attack the president's enemies and protect the president's allies are over. >> the only way we can succeed and retain the trust of the american people is to adhere to the norms that have become part of the dna of every justice department employee. that there not be one rule for democrats and another for republicans. one rule for friends and another for foes. one rule for the powerful and another for the powerless. >> the work ahead of the new man is vast. the justice department is now prosecuting hundreds of cases stemming from the capitol riot, and donald trump's acting pentagon chief is speaking out about that day. exacting defense secretary christopher miller pens the blame on that attack squarely on his boss. >> do you think the president is responsible for what happened on the 6th? >> i don't know. it seems cause and effect. the question is, would anybody have marched in the capitol without the president's speech, i think it's definitive that couldn't have happened. so yes. >> with that, let's bring in the lead-off guest for thursday night m jonathan lemime, and susan page, and eugene davis, back for us with politico, and good evening, welcome to you all. and mr. lemire. you were in the room when it happened and you get the associated press to write the first draft of history. talk about his approach tonight. and his physicality. leaning forward, changing the volume, tone, tenor of his voice and delivery. did it meet the moment in more than just the room where you witnessed it? >> brian, the president's goal tonight was to do two things. to blend a mix of remembrance and mourning those who had been lost in the year, and acknowledge how american society has changed. the norms of day-to-day life rewritten, and there is no american politician who speaks better on the topic of grief than joe biden. sadly, his own personal experience with the subject. we wanted to mix that subject with a note of hope. delivering good news in terms of timetables, and vaccine distribution, and it can return to normal, the patriotic july 4th. where we were, the print press pool just off to his right in the east room, he was almost hard to hear because he was so soft spoken at times. the way he was trying to directly connect with the viewer at home. and i do believe he met the momentum. this is perhaps not as powerful as the speech hoe delivered when he marked the 500,000th american death from the coronavirus pandemic. but tonight met the moment. he said what he needed to say. he was able to acknowledge the loss and turn the page, to say to indeed, better days were ahead, and america would find the light again at the end of the tout, and he is able to tout the vaktry to get there. >> susan, a new president who happens to be an old washington hand, as they say, did not have the benefit of a cooperative transition. 50 days in, manages to pass it. how do you sum it up in terms of modern era presidential achievements? >> i think joe biden has proven to be perhaps a sure footed new president in memory. maybe that should be a surprise. a year as vice president, being able to see how things work at the white house close-up. but you have to say that he's had a remarkable first 50 days. a slow start on some of his cabinet appointments, and conversations. and on the issue on which his presidency will be judged, getting control of the pandemic and dealing with the economic consequences, he has taken a giant step forward with a passive of the big legislation. interesting to me, in his tone tonight, was fire side chat like. it was very conversational. he did not tick through all the details of the legislation that he signed today. although that will follow. he tried to strike a tone. begin a conversation with americans that reassured them the terrible year we have all lived through is just about to come to an end. >> indeed, susan. tomorrow night is the anniversary of the first ever fire side chat with the banks falling all around. fdr took to the air ways to reassure a rattled nation. you saw mcconnell's straight face as he said literally, things were getting better before biden. we don't need this kind of help sprinkled across the land. we talk about the foot race in terms of getting the vaccine out before the variants. i have a different question about the foot race. biden getting his story out there before republicans begin to spin the bill. >> that is 100% such an important part of this. how biden and harris sold that graphic about how they are hitting the road, the things they are going to say. what is interesting about tonight, they didn't feel that was a part -- tonight was a part of that selling. he was -- like, jonathan and susan said, this is not about the bill. it's not about policy. he was talking b about loss. he was talking about moving forward and now, they are hitting the road. they have to sell it to the american people, and the thing they have going for them, not one republican signed on to it. republicans have not found a great way to counteract this bill. as it was going through the house, went to the senate, back to the house, and now on his desk. they have been talking more about mr. potato head. they have been focused on cultural war. immigration, things that have nothing to do with it. so they are not in a great place to get their story out there. so biden had a chance, he had it today, and you couldn't write it in a better way. he promised a $1.9 trillion bill. that is what he signed. it passes the day before the anniversary of the pandemic and he signed it on the day of the anniversary, and you couldn't have written it better. i have talked to the peoplein the white house and they have a huge job to do, to know what it means and what's coming next. >> jonathan, eugene raises a great point. not a sing the republican vote mind you in the house or the senate. republicans have spent the past week or so on mister/missus potato head. meghan mark lerks, dr. seuss. is this thing sustaining? is it the brand? >> right now, it's all the republicans have. i talked to a number of strategists and lawmakers who express frustration. and joe bind, approval well north of 50%, and how popular the bill was. lots of republican voters backed it and the white house is not shy about pointing it out. looking at polling. tomorrow, the white house, even though the bill was signed today by biden in the oval office, they will have a victory celebration tomorrow in the rose garden, and no olympic be there. this was not bipartisan bill. and they will use the bill to suggest that republicans are out of touch. they are not looking out for you, to vote for checks in your pockets. but they are trying to inflame the culture wars. the one piece of optimism is this. they feel like the train ahead is a little more friendly for them. the covid relief bill is popular. and infrastructure jobs and climate change bill. and something on imgrigs, and the biden agenda is ambitious. right now, the biden white house is convinced they have momentum. they are going on the road, and sell it. and they believe they can spring board them to more. >> susan, here is a big picture question, and i want to quote our mutual a acquaintance e.j. from the the washington state. the willingness of democrats to speed through a program of this size is the shrugging off of constraints, to shift away from the topdown supply side economics could not be more dramatic. susan, what is this the start of then? >> the end of the need that bill clinton felt to negotiate a third way between democrats and republicans, taking a more conservative stance than republicans were taking at the time. this is a very liberal bill. this has big expansion of the safety net. it doesn't have just covid relief. it has expansion to child tax credit. the subsidies for the affordable care act. this is a huge expansion of the role of federal government, and a time that americans really definitely democrats, but a lot of republicans are eager for this to happen. you didn't hear a lot of push back that the government shouldn't have a role in doing all those things. i think the crisis has really created a sentiment that this is something only the federal government can go, and we are seeing a shift in where the center of the american -- is when it comes to the role of the federal government. >> okay, ju eugene, if that's correct and bind has pulled out the giant united states of america american express card, this does have a big price tag. and guess what, biden wants more. this is also a matter of rebuilding our country. i drove across town in post apocalyptic manhattan and i forget to bring a spare ax. wrp do dwe talk about that. >> we will talk about the feign structure bill and when you hear from biden folks, they are not as focused on the deficit. they remind us as republicans find religion again, not to let it keep that in mind, over the trump years, that was not something that republicans -- that was a huge part of what they are doing, and still isn't. and now they are coming back to that. that big fight is going to matter. 24 bill was basically the easiest bill they're going to get done. there is a little drama at the end with joe manchin. but now they need 60 votes and now the tug of war on the price tag, on infrastructure, on voting rights, all these different things, like jonathan was saying, really ambitious agenda, and as they have kind of expanded the minds of people and what they think the government should be doing, that includes republicans. you know, this is a third check people have gotten and we were not thinking that people were -- i covered andrew yang in the 2020 primary. and it's interesting to see that is now a part of the main stream of not just the democratic party but the government that we have in this country, and as people get used to certain things in this country, they don't -- they want them to keep coming. and that is a mind set change that biden and republicans are going to have to deal with moving forward. >> we appreciate our big three, and a big night. eugene daniels, susan page, jonathan lemire. thank you. >> >> after staggering loss. there is hope. one of our favorite doctors from the city first hit from covid, standing by to talk to us. and putting biden's accomplishment, we talked about with susan. just 50dys in the presidency, in political perspective. two veterans of the politics side from each side of the aisle standing by to join us with shots on that matter as the 11th is just getting under way on this thursday night. guy fieri! ya know, if you wanna make that sandwich the real deal, ya gotta focus on the bread layers. king's hawaiian sliced bread makes everything better! ♪ (angelic choir) ♪ and here's mine! i'll be observing your safe-driving abilities. play your cards right, and you could be in for a tasty discount. 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(man) i'm a verizon engineer, part of the team that built 5g right, the only one from america's most reliable network. we designed our 5g to make the things you do every day better. with 5g nationwide, millions of people can now work, listen, and stream in verizon 5g quality. and in parts of many cities where people can use massive capacity, we have ultra wideband, the fastest 5g in the world. this is the 5g that's built for you. this is 5g built right. only from verizon. >> i feel like we put this past year. >> you don't think you would ever get to used to something like that. you think, that is routine. >> that gentleman is an rn in seattle. the devastating account is from one of the many heroic health care workers who battled the virus tirelessly in seattle. the nation's first hot spot. one year later, that city now has the lowest death rate of the 20 largest metropolitan areas in the country. "the new york times" put it this way. if the rest of the u.s. had kept pace with seattle, the nation could have avoided more than 300,000 coronavirus deaths. we are happy to have back with you dr. vin gupta, critical specialist in seattle. and the faculty of university of washington institute for health metrics and evaluations. it's great to you have. and seattle has its problems. though not for tonight's conversation. let's talk medicine. and their reaction. what did they as a city, what did you as a medical community do right? >> good evening, brian. well, there is a lot of credit i need to pass on to leaders, and number one, crisis communication. putting public health experts, the leaders statewide at the local level, at the forefront, and credit to the mayor and governor to have the humility to listen to them, to enact public policy, and a whole society approach. this is not the private sector, this is microsoft, amazon, others saying we need to act in unison to make sure the employees are working from home immediately. early action, and clear communication, evidence based approach. having the right communicators up front. that is why seattle flattened curve and did so well. >> we heard from our former presidents today in the form of a public service announcement. and we will listen to them, discuss on the other side. >> we have lost enough people and we have suffered enough damage. >> in order to get rid of the pandemic, it's important for our citizens to get vaccinated. >> i'm getting vaccinated because we want the pandemic to end as soon as possible. >> we urge you to get vaccinated when it's available to you. >> doctor, for me that is what we need to hear, from our former presidents, again, the outliar is the past are the. do you share, if we do anything right, we can sell brit defense day? . >> to your question, the answer is i do absolutely think that public trust matters. and leadership matters, communication matters. so i -- like you, i love that ad from our former presidents and the message they are sending. i think the team actually has hand a chart that i was hoping that we could show here of what we expect to happen. this is from the institute for health metrics and evaluation, and i want to draw your attention to the pink line at the very top. that is what happens if we listen -- if the country follows the path of -- what governor abbott is doing in texas. but if we do that country wide, that --'s the pandemic is still raging through the end of june and july. the other green lights f we do what president biden has messaged on tonight, and that is continue to buckle down for the next few months while we await vaccinations so we can get back and resume normal life. i'm optimistic we will do that. but caution to the wind here. if we follow the wrong track, we may not be out of it, and leadership matters. i'm optimistic. >> i have never hoped so much this a graphic is wrong. but as you point out, that is the worst case line we need to avoid. hey, our mutual friend and my colleague, katy tur. seven months pregnant. she got the vaccine today. she shared word she got the vaccine on social media. obviously, this is a judgment she and her husband arrived at. that is the latest best advice to pregnant people in this country? >> well, i will say all my colleagues in obstetrics and gynecology. congratulations on the wise decision for katy, for our colleagues. the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists say if you are pregnant, tack lack, so get the vaccine. katy, well done. that is the right thing to do, and the leading specials say the exact same thing. >> okay. we're happy for her and her team at home, dr. vin gupta, we can't thank you much for guiding us through the perils we have witnessed. we will be forever grateful. thank you for coming on again tonight. the message from the president. help is on the way and biden is on his way to tell americans, give them a preview of what's coming, and by the way, now comes the hard part. idelity, and fidelity will help her explore some different scenarios, like saving more every month. ♪♪ and that has carla feeling so confident that she can enjoy her dream... right now. that's the planning effect, from fidelity. in the coming weeks and months, i will be traveling along with the first lady, the vice president, the second gentleman, members of my cabinet, to speak directly to you. to tell you the truth about how the american rescue plan meets the moment. and if it fails in any stage, i will okay knowledge that it failed. but it will not. >> on tuesday, for starters, the president travels to pennsylvania to talk about the relief that is on the way. politico puts that it way, biden begins a title rope walk. selling recovery in a time when not everyone experiences its full for