their strength is in conveying their ideas to the american people and that's what they want. the american people deserve that. >> a notable moment in that clip was when joe biden says that kamala harris is not going to try to distance yourself from his economic policies from bidenomics. i genuinely think she's going to try to do that and she will try to do that very soon which means that the dnc next week is going to be a very interesting we can do you do. >> assuming donald trump actually shows up as what, les says on september 10th. they will then do the vice presidential debate good i think it is pretty certain he will show up. he said so. >> i just want to point out. if the president just got off the phone with hostage negotiation, that a significant. >> we can't wait to have you back. what a wonderful first appearance on outnumbered. thanks to everyone. "america reports." >> any moment now los angeles authorities are expected to get

a major update in a criminal investigation. reporting the news conference is related to the investigation into the overdose death of hollywood actor matthew perry. >> tmz first reported a big break in the investigation earlier today. sources telling the outlet there have been multiple arrests made and they include at least one doctor. we have our all-star team of medical and legal experts standing by to cover this from every angle. dr. marc siegel and criminal defense attorney mark eiglarsh coming up. >> how much does it bother you that vice president harris might soon for political reasons start to distance herself from your economic policy? >> that was a short time ago on the south lawn. a short time from now president biden and vice president harris will appear on stage together for the very first time since he dropped out of the presidential race and endorse harris to be at the top of the ticket. hello and welcome, i am bret baier.

>> great to be with you brett. i'm gillian turner and washington. sandra and john are off today. this is "america reports." the president and the vp will be sharing the stage in maryland coming up to address the eco economy. there is reports that may say that harris might not be on the same page as a president. >> bret: telling axios that she wants to abandon by its economic agenda but just listen to harris in her own words. >> all that is called bidenomics. [applause] it is a term we are very proud of, i must tell you because it bidenomics is working. it is working. we are very proud of bidenomics. further evidence of how well bidenomics is working. and that my friends is called bidenomics. and bidenomics is working.

>> bret: we will take breaking news now to that news conference we mentioned. let's listen in. >> we charged five defendants in this matter. these defendants took advantage of mr. perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves. they knew what they were doing was wrong, they knew what they were doing was risking great danger to mr. perry but they did it anyway. in the end, these defendants were more interested and profiting off of mr. perry then caring for his well-being. i'm going to talk about the indictment, the allegations, and the charges in more detail. on october 28th 2023 mr. peery was found deceased in his home. an autopsy was conducted following his death. the autopsy showed that he had died due to the acute effects of ketamine.

ketamine is a controlled substance. it had some legitimate uses but it is also used legally. it is used by people seeking to disassociate from reality. it can cause serious health effects, serious health problems including loss of consciousness, including spikes in blood pressure, and including respiratory issues that can deprive the brain of oxygen. for that reason it is a drug that must be administered by medical professionals and the patient must be monitored closely. that did not occur here. this investigation focused on who supplied the ketamine to mr. perry. as many of you know, mr. peary struggled with addiction in the past. on many occasions, he sought help for his addiction issues. the investigation revealed that in the fall of 2023, mr. perry

fell back into addiction. these defendants took advantage to profit for themselves. the two lead defendants in this case are defendants salvador placentia and just being sonia. first i will talk about defendant placentia. he was a medical doctor working with another medical doctor mark chavez to obtain ketamine. he worked with matthew perry's live-in assistant. to distribute the ketamine to mr. perry. over two months from september to october of 2023 they distributed approximately 20 vials of ketamine to mr. perry. in exchange for $35,000 in cash. descendant placentia saw this as an opportunity to profit off of

mr. perry. he wrote in a text message incident number 2023 i wonder how much this will pay. he also stated that he wanted to be mr. perry's sole source of supply. he wrote in a text message that he wanted to be mr. perry's go to for drugs. as a doctor, he knew full well the danger of what he was doing. on one occasion, he injected mr. perry with ketamine and he saw mr. peary freeze up and his blood pressure spiked. despite that, he left additional vials of ketamine for you will masa to administer to mr. perry. of course the defendant had no medical training to speak of. plasencia knew what he was doing was harming mr. peary. he had spoken to another patient

mid-october 2023 and he told that patient that mr. perry was spiraling out of control with his addiction. nonetheless, defendant plasencia continued to offer ketamine to mr. perry. likewise, defendant simon knew what she was doing harming the defendants and also mr. perry. she took advantage of mr. perry by selling large amounts of ketamine to mr. perry over a two week period in october 2023. she sold approximately 5 miles of ketamine for $11,000 in cash. she worked with a broker and also the live-in assistant, defendant you will masa to distribute. sangha and the brokers on this as an opportunity to profit off their mr. perry and the broker

wrote i would not do it if there was not a chance of me making some money off of this. defendant sangha sold the batch of ketamine that resulted in mr. peary's death. officers later searched defendant sangha's home. they found what amounted to a drug selling emporium. they found 80 vials of ketamine, thousands of a house containing methamphetamine, cocaine, bottles of xanax and other illegally obtained prescription drugs and a drugs paraphernalia including scales and ledgers. as i mentioned, the defendants in this case knew what they were doing was wrong. they used coded language using terms like dr pepper or cans.

also defendants plasencia and sangha has medical doctors knew that this was not the proper way to administer ketamine and they talked about that in their exchanges. defendant sangha also knew that she was doing something to cause great risks to mr. perry. in fact, during the investigation we learned that several years before in 2019, defendant sangha had sold ketamine to another customer. that person died the same day. and the family member of that message sent a message to defendant sangha telling her the cause of death was ketamine. nonetheless, defendants b23 continued selling drugs including ketamine, including the ketamine that ultimately killed mr. perry. that other victim was a person named cody and the glory. he died in 2019.

results of this investigation we have filed a drug investigation card related to that de death. after mr. perry died, they try to cover up what they had done. on october 28th after reading the news reports of mr. perry's death, defendant sangha wrote a text message to defendant fleming saying delete all our messages. likewise, after mr. perry's death, defendant plasencia falsified medical records and notes to make it look like what he was doing was legitimate. it was not. we have filed numerous federal charges against the five defendants. these charges include conspiracy to distribute ketamine, distribution of ketamine resulting in death, maintaining drug involved premises for that

drug selling emporium that defendant sangha had, altering and falsifying records related to federal investigation for the full's medical notes and records that defendant plasencia made, and multiple other drug acc accounts. of course the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. the penalties these defendants face are very significant. with regard to defendant plasencia, the statutory maximum sentence he faces is 120 years in federal prison. with regard to defendant sangha, the statutory maximum she faces his life in prison. by filing these extensive and serious charges, we are sending a clear message. if you are in the business of selling dangerous drugs, we will hold you accountable for the deaths that you cause. this is nothing new for us. since 2020 to my office has

filed over 60 cases against drug dealers who caused the death of another person. these cases are known as death resulting cases. they are labor-intensive cases and we work with our law enforcement partners including ones represented here today to bring those cases. our office is a national leader in bringing those cases. they are very important because every victims wife counts. if we are in the drug selling business and yours selling dangerous drugs you are playing roulette with other people's lives. just like dated with mr. perry. defendants are in full notice at the products they sell could result in the death of another person. therefore, if you are in the drug business and despite these risks you continue to be in the drug business, if you are pushed by greed to gamble with other people's lives, be advised, we will hold you accountable.

i want to thank our partners in this case, los angeles police department, the drug enforcement administration, and the u.s. postal inspection service. these investigators did a phenomenal job digging into the case to develop a case, a strong case, against not only those who killed mr. perry but mr. mcclory. i want to note that these cases are important and we will continue to collaborate with law enforcement to bring them. and finally, i want to thank the prosecutors responsible for the investigation and the prosecution of this case. the assistant united states attorney's and show hands. and now i would like to introduce the chief of los angeles police department.

>> good morning and thank you. while it is tragedy that brings us all here together, i am happy to stand here knowing that these dangerous individuals are no longer on the streets and they will be able to harm anyone else peers los angeles police department and our partners here are committed to investigating all cases like this and it is regardless of someone's background or socioeconomic status and just with all of our cases, this investigation was done impartially. we let the facts drive this investigation and those facts lead us to a group of individuals who were responsible for supplying and distributing to mr. perry narcotics that led to his unfortunate and untimely death. the group standing here today is a prime example of how our partnerships and our collaboration can yield

meaningful results. i want to thank l.a.p.d., or homicide division who is standing in the back there, the u.s. attorney and his team, the d.a. and her team as well as the u.s. special service and their team for the hard work, diligence, and real patients. i know people think that this took a long time but there was a lot of work, a lot of investigative strategies that went in to make sure there's a solid case and that we can pursue this in the courts. our relationship with our federal partners helps us ensure that these criminals will have meaningful sentences and be an example for anyone that is willing to risk or jeopardize distributing and supplying unlawful narcotics to anyone. i just really want people to know that is the message. you cannot get away with this

regardless of your background or socioeconomic status. breaking the law is breaking the law and you are dangerous and were jeopardizing lives. so thank you all. all of my partners are being involved in this and thank you for bringing us where we are at today. at this time i would like to introduce dea administrator. >> good morning. today we announced charges brought against five individuals who together are responsible for the death of matthew perry. each of the defendants played a key role in his death. they falsely prescribed, sold, or injected the ketamine that caused matthew perry's tragic death. in the united states, most forms of ketamine are only approved by the food and drug administration for anesthesia. a nasal spray version is approved for treatment of depression but only in a certified medical setting.

here, matthew perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety and went to a local clinic where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine. when clinic doctors refused to increase his dose does, he turned to unscrupulous doctors who saw perry as a way to make quick money. dr. plasencia, dr. chavez violated the oath that they took care for their patients. instead of do no harm, they did harm so that they could make more money. without performing any medical evaluation or monitoring, data supplied matthew perry with large amounts of ketamine in exchange for large sums of mo money. charging perry $2,000 for a vial that cost dr. chavez approximately $12. as matthew perry matthew perry's ketamine addiction grew, he

wanted more and he wanted it faster and cheaper. that is how he ended up buying from steep dealers who sold the ketamine that ultimately led to his death. in doing so, he followed the ark that we have tragically seen with many others whose abuse disorder starts in a doctor's office and ends in the street. perry turned to his street dealer, eric fleming, who sourced his ketamine from a drug trafficker known as the ketamine queen, sangha. the ketamine supplied by sangha would ultimately be the dose that took matthew perry's life. sangha knew that what she applied would be deadly. she has sold ketamine cody mcclory who died at the age of 33. but despite this knowledge as she continued to sell ketamine and methamphetamine throughout

messages. matthew perry's journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abuse their position of trust because they saw him as a payday. and it ended with street dealers who sold him ketamine in unmarked files. the desperation that led perry to these individuals was not given help as it should have been from the doctors but instead it was met with exploitation. explication by those who should have guided him toward help. this betrayal of trust is at the heart of the strategy. since 2023, the dea has investigated nearly 500 drug poisoning and overdose cases just like matthew perry's. we run a national initiative known as o.d. justice where we work with our local state partners to conduct investigations after someone has passed away.

and it is important to note that the national model that we have of in every 50 states is based on the work that happened here in los angeles. we began this work with our partners in the los angeles police department and other local police departments and sheriff's office in california. today it stands as an international model. together as part of o.d. justice, we work for the lives and have been lost and to stop others from dying. regardless of the size or the scope of the drug distribution network, the dea will work nonstop to uncover and disrupt this illegal activity and in this case the deadly activity. i want to close by noting that matthew perry's death is not just a tragic overdose. after his 2020 book openly

discussed his struggles with substance abuse disorder, matthew perry told podcast host tom powered that he would prefer to be remembered for helping people rather than for his work on friends as chandler bing. perhaps what has happened in the tragic details that we are discussing today can help others and save lives. i want to thank the los angeles police department, the united states postal inspection service, and the united states attorney's office in the central district of california. for their tremendous partnership and their outstanding dedication to this case. i also have the privilege of serving every single day with men and women of the dea and today i want to particularly recognize the outstanding work of our los angeles field division as well as our diversion investigators who tirelessly worked on this case to deliver justice to the victims and their families. thank you. it is now my privilege to introduce the postal inspector

chief. >> bret: dea administrator there and we heard from the los angeles police chief and also the u.s. attorney. five people charged in the death of matthew perry for providing him with large amounts of ketamine. matt finn has been following this story reporting live from los angeles. matt, long time coming but this is a big development today. >> law enforcement going on the record saying that perry died from ketamine he obtained illegally. perry battled addiction for the majority of his adult life. at the time of his death last year he was legally using ketamine but he also turned to the legal dealers including a woman who was known as the ketamine queen who ultimately sold perry ketamine that killed him. law enforcement here says that perry purchased at least 20 vials of ketamine totaling $55,000 from these five alleged

drug dealers. the dea says perry was paying $2,000 for a vial of ketamine that would've cost a doctor 12 bucks. a text message were deferring to perry from one of these alleged drug dealers allegedly read i wonder how much this will pay. when one of these alleged drug dealers texted to another person when they learned that perry had died, they texted delete all of our messages. the u.s. attorney's office here in los angeles said at one point one of these drug dealers even injected perry with ketamine and at that point he had a medical reaction. they were using code words like dr pepper and one of the alleged drug dealers previously sold ketamine to someone who had died. these defendants are charged with a series of felonies including drug trafficking and they face a maximum of 120 years in federal prison. the los angeles police chief says an impartial investigation led to matthew perry's death. the chief saying he is happy because these dangerous people are off the streets today.

>> gillian: i'm curious as a reporter who has been following this story very closely if you were surprised by the charges that came about today. the u.s. attorney described this as a criminal gang enterprise. five individuals charge. did you have a sense before that news broke today that this investigation was headed in that kind of direction in terms of scale? i was surprised. >> a lot of the medical and legal experts on our air over the past year or so including our own dr. marc siegel said what really stood out was the fact that matthew perry had this amount of ketamine and his system that immediately prompted questions where did it come from, how did he get it because at the time of his death he was illegally getting treatment but his last treatment was a week and a half before he died. so where did the ketamine come from that was found in his system? that did generate questions of did he get this illegally. unfortunately we know that

matthew perry did a battle addiction for the majority of his adult life. he detailed that in his book. unfortunately when you hear someone who did pass away who had a history of addiction, your mind doesn't wander to did they start abusing again. >> bret: matt finn reporting live from los angeles. thank you. >> gillian: it has been three years now since the u.s. withdrew from afghanistan. the taliban remains in control of the government and it just marked their reign of terror with a military parade at what used to be bagram airfield. they are seen in a spate of videos touting what they claim our weapons that the u.s. military left behind. let's bring a retired four-star general jack keane sr. strategic analyst to talk about this. general, this is a grim anniversary but it is an anniversary no less. to me it appears the most

pronounced facets of the taliban rule so far have been there is a violent crackdown on women, violent crackdown on political dissidents, and this ongoing dual edged terror threat to the afghan people coming from the taliban and from isis inside the country. >> no doubt about it. this is a sad state of affairs to see the visuals that represent what took place. to clear up for our audience, the united states did not leave consciously any equipment behind. we destroyed the equipment that we did not want to take out. all the equipment you are seeing belonged to the afghan security forces. it was u.s. equipment we had given them an addition to training, munitions, everything else. that's the result of being on the losing side. the winners take the equipment. that is the deal in warfare. this is a horrible decision that was made and it has led to so many other things throughout the world as a result of it because

when our adversaries look at this they saw the united states as being weak. it wasn't so much the chaotic withdrawal that we all focus on and the horrific deaths that took place with our service people, 13 and 170 something afghans, it was the judgment of walking away from an ally that we were fighting side-by-side with for 20 years knowing, the president knew the possibility is that the taliban could rapidly take over given the collapse of the afghan security forces knowing without the united states they could not succeed. and he agreed to go ahead and do that. it was his decision. six nato countries who are participating with us who had 7,000 troops there, more than twice the amount we had wanted to stay but they could not stay without u.s. support. they wanted to stay because they were afraid that i says or al qaeda will threaten their people in their homeland and now

we have seen isis conduct an attack in russia and also radicalize people to potentially have an attack in vienna, austria. this is the reality of what took place here. it was the judgment of walking away from an ally of 20 years and surrendering a country, surrendering it to our enemy who is the very enemy that we deposed as part of 9/11. that is the issue and it has led to our adversaries being more aggressive as a result. >> gillian: the other major foreign policy story we and the whole world are tracking today is this presumption of teak cease-fire talks happening between israel and hamas being brokered by qatar. we have a presence at these negotiations. divine administration keeps saying if they can keep -- if they can broker a cease-fire deal this week they could stave off this mass iran attack

against the israelis. it's looking like there is hope. what is your assessment. >> given the evidence that we have seen and the last time we had cease-fire and negotiations was back in november. every time that we tried earnestly, multiple partners trying to get negotiations back and get a meaningful cease-fire and exchange of hostages and prisoners, it has failed miserably. it's unlikely this will succeed. i think the biden administration would've been far, far better in this situation to really go to the iranians and say if you're going to conduct a retaliation attack against israel for what took place there in israel, likely targeting hamas as political chief in toronto which is really the issue.

it's a location that's the issue more than anything else. if you will conduct a massive attack like you did on april 13th, then we we will ask you to pay the consequences directly. what the united states position is is do not escalate until the iranis that we will retaliate significantly. i believe it gives iran a free hand and we would not be in the same circumstance right now if this administration had a hands-on approach in dealing with iran as opposed to a hands-off approach and there has been no balance whatsoever. >> gillian: we know that the cease-fire talks kicked off a couple of hours ago and they could go until saturday. we will be watching those with a hot guy appeared we will have to keep in touch with you general. thank you so much. >> great talking with you.

thank you. >> bret: breaking now. any minute now as you look live in maryland there is maryland governor wes moore speaking but we expect president biden and vice president harris to tout their progress they say on lowering costs for the american people. the question is, are the american people really feeling that relief when they go to the grocery store, when they spend. we will bring you those remarks live from maryland and we will also have a panel analyze that as well. stay with us. >> god bless you all!

ah, these bills are crazy. she has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't know that if she owns a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more she can sell all or part of it to coventry for cash. even a term policy. even a term policy? even a term policy! find out if you're sitting on a goldmine. call coventry direct today at the number on your screen, or visit coventrydirect.com. >> bret: looking live in maryland there is maryland governor wes moore. he is the opening act to vice president harris and vice stomach president biden. talk about the economy and lowering prices. let's bring in the panel. alex casiano is a republican media consultant and jonathan caulkins for joe manchin.

this economic meeting, this rally if you will in maryland comes after this report in axios where it says vice president harris wants to break with biden on issues which he is unpopular. first up rising prices. this is part of a highly choreographed effort to define herself and in some cases redefine herself as a different kind of democrat. peter doocy asked the president about that a short time ago. take a listen. >> how much would it bother you if vice president harris might soon for political reasons it starts his distance herself from your economic. >> she's not going to. >> bret: not going to do it. what about that? it would be pretty tough for her to do it politically wouldn't it? >> it's pretty tough for her to do it but i think her campaign has discovered it is essential. right now she has almost looking at this as an opportunity to meet a total stranger. somebody she has never been in the same with, joe biden.

she would rather have a long-distance relationship with biden. this is like a vampire getting hit with a ray of sunlight paired she does not want to be the past that people do not respect and agree with on issues. she wants to be change but i do think it may be a short-term good move for the harris campaign in this sense. they may want to give biden a little hug this week so that they have to do less of that next week at the convention where she is really having her coming out debut party. >> bret: that's interesting. at the dnc in chicago. in the meantime, the former president jonathan is saying they are together. they are together on everything. take a listen. >> what she needs to explain is the president's suffering that she has caused along with joe biden. and by the way, they are a team. if harris wins this election, the result will be a kamala

economic crash. a 2019 style depression. >> bret: both campaigns want to talk about the economy. what about where things stand? >> the harris campaign half so to find themselves paired they are different than the biden-harris campaign. every politician who runs has their own ideas, their own agenda, and that's what she's doing right now. remember up until a month ago she was the vice president on the ticket with the president. that has all changed. she has to do something that no other politician has ever had to do. in a month she solidified support from the entire democratic party, she is winning over independents and republicans, she has picked a vp, she is planning a convention, and she is introducing herself to the country. so she will separate herself from president biden. where she thinks she has to be different from him but she's going to run on the agenda of lowering prices for seniors,

helping people provide infrastructure and a broadband to rural neighborhoods. stuff like that is very popular and she's going to continue to run on it but she has her own policies peered she's the only one out there talking about lowering rent prices which impacts millions of americans. that is something that personally impacts her from where she comes from. that's what you are seeing now. >> bret: she definitely is different than the person we met in 2019. the shifting stances that you could list here on this graphic. mandatory gun buyback become a national fracking band, decriminalize border crossings, eliminate private health insurance, federal jobs guarantee. she was for all of that and in 2020 for her campaign is put out statements that say she is not for it. there's another thing that i want to bring up and this is a statement that the harris campaign says if she is elected she would push for the first ever federal ban on food price hikes with sweeping new powers for federal authorities.

price controls which really has not worked before. what do you about that? >> if you want to crash and economy, that seems to be the way to do it. there is no record of that ever working anywhere. it produces shortages which would devastate economies but the scions at that rally say lowering the cost. what kamala harris is trying to do is lower the cost of the biden-harris administration record of failure and there is a real problem with flip-flopping so close to an election on every major issue. that list that you just showed makes you the one thing people -- democrat and republican agree that they hate. a politician. more of the same. too much of what people think is ruining the country now. and harris is trying to be the opposite. i am new, i am change, i am different. this flip-flopping at the last minute ultimately, the second most dangerous thing for her is

what she has been. dangerously little in her record. but the most dangerous thing is trying to not just do some little minor plaque disk surgery but cloning a whole new kamala. it will be perceived as false. spew and they the presidential seal there and we expect the vice president first and then the president. this is from "the washington post" about the price control story. they see mandatory price controls as a counterproductive form of government intervention that discourages firms from producing enough supply to meet demand. this is the first major policy thing that we have heard from the harris campaign other than i'm not going to tax tips which was really the trump campaign's first launch back in june. this seems like a risky bet on the first go. doesn't it? >> no. she's addressing a concern that millions of americans have peered she's been out there listening to people and they are

saying their food prices are too high. you are seeing companies constantly elevate food prices and reduce the amount of food you are actually getting in the items. it is called shrinkflation. senator casey has a bill on this. this is something she is hearing directly from people and she is addressing their concerns and this is a great policy position. she's going to have to iron it out and she's going to have to talk to economists. her no tax on tips is very different from former president trump's policy. that's what she's going to do. she is listening to people as she goes around the country. she is hearing her concerns and then she will roll out the policy positions on how it will impact them the best. >> bret: get me back to the tax on tips. how is it different? >> president trumps is based off of ted cruz's which would allow millionaires and billionaires to take all the money in tips and not pay taxes on it. hers has an income cap. hers is related to a lot of other issues that minimum wage stuff like that. hers is based solely on the workers that live off of tips.

his is one that is shockingly -- not shockingly a get out to millionaires that can reclassify how they get their paychecks. >> bret: we're waiting for the present here but both of these campaigns are focusing and on the economy. this is the biggest issue that people talk about. it's not close. immigration and abortion are half of from 38-14. it's driving the day. >> it's driving the day. pocketbook issues around the dinner table. people are out there outside of the washington bubble and outside of the media bubble, americans are hurting. americans are struggling after the biden years. and she is trying to get as far away from that as possible but for example the reason i think she is perceived as doing well on the economy, not as good as

president trump, is not because of what she is but because of what she isn't. she is undefined. she is hope and promise for something better but when you start talking about price controls like this, whatever happened to walz when he said mine your own damn business and now we have the government that will ration the supply of food. that's how they will control prices. the republican will be very different. it is. >> bret: it will be a big deal. it really is. we were hoping and they promised that they would be out by now but we will take a quick break and when we come back, we will see vice president harris and president biden in maryland. keep it here. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! where ya headed? susan: where am i headed? am i just gonna take what the markets gives me?

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we will be talking about prices and price control, it appears. we will see if we get some of that in the speech and this is maryland in front of a friendly crowd. let's listen in. >> vice president harris: good afternoon! good afternoon everyone! can we please apply judy? [cheers and applause]

i love you guys. it's good to see so many friends. it is good to see so many friends. i want to thank you -- thank you. thank you. i love you guys. [cheers and applause] thank you. thank you. thank you. and i know we all think judy for sharing her story. i think we all know it takes a very special person who has dedicated over 40 years of their life to do the work that judy has done as a nurse. to care about other people in a way that is about lifting them up and caring about their well-being. judy, we thank you so very much. [cheers and applause] i want to recognize the

incredible governor wes moore. [cheers and applause] who is here. i am so thankful to you for all that you do in service to our nation in so many different ways. and your friendship. but in particular, to share such a personal story. as you have and i know it takes a lot out of you to share that story. but to do it in a way that is about lifting up other people and helping, hopefully, others who are not in this room understanding how real people are impacted every day about this issue. [cheers and applause] i want to recognize that people of our administration including secretary becerra who is here. [cheers and a clause]

buccal sorrow is here. [close and applause] my dear friend and former colleague, representative paragon, the representative of the hispanic caucus, and representative and fomite for all of their years. and i want to recognize your next united states senator, angela also broke! [cheers and applause] and i have worked with her over the years. i'm telling you, you will do a great thing when you sent her to the united states senate. [applause] and of course i could speak all afternoon about the person i am standing on the stage with. [cheers and applause]

[cheers and applause] our extraordinary president, joe biden! [cheers and applause] he is going to speak in a minute. there is a lot of love in this room for our president. and i think it is for many, many

reasons including few leaders in our nation have done more on so many issues including to expand access to affordable health care like joe biden. [applause] and today we take the next step. thank you joe. forward and our fight. [crowd chanting "thank you joe"] we hear, we believe deeply, every senior and our nation should be able to live with security, stability, and dig dignity. and so in the united states of america, no senior should have to choose between filling their prescription or paying their rent. that is the subject of today. because we know for far too long, far too many of our

seniors have struggled to afford their medication and as a result, seniors have been forced to spend their time trying to figure out how they are going to be able to fill a prescription like insulin based on the doctor's prescription which is about saving their life or whether they would have to ration their pills to be able to make it stretch through month. and why, we all know, but let's all ask, why are prescription drugs so expensive? i will tell you. one big reason is for years big pharma has often inflated the price of life-saving medications. [boos] often charging many times what it would cost to make just to increase their profits. and millions of americans have

suffered as a result. my entire career i have worked to hold bad actors accountable and lower the cost of prescription drugs as attorney general in california i took on pharmaceutical companies for deceptive marketing and illegally inflating the cost of drugs. and we won billions of dollars. as the united states senator i fought to pass laws that would make health care more affordable and accessible for all amer americans. and as vice president, together with joe biden our president. [cheers and applause] we have finally addressed the long-standing issue that for years was one of the biggest challenges on the subject which was medicare was prohibited by law from negotiating lower drug prices. and those costs got passed on to our seniors. but not anymore. [cheers and applause]

two years ago we gave medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for the first time in history. and here is why that matters. it is nearly impossible for a patient to negotiate lower prices by themselves. just think about that. somebody who needs the medication, who may be suffering from a serious illness, that they would buy themselves be able to negotiate against a big trunk company to lower that price is virtually impossible. it's one person against a huge corporation. but medicare represents 65 million people. so medicare has collective bargaining power. and now medicare can use that power to go toe-to-toe with big pharma and negotiate lower drug prices. [cheers and applause]

thank you joe! [crowd chanting "thank you joe"] and this is to the benefit of not only tens of millions of people on medicare but also millions of americans on medicare who have long-term disabilities. and understand that as a result of our negotiations the government will also pay less than four prescription drugs and think about what that means in terms of paying and helping taxpayers save money. whether or not they take these medications. all of this is to say, two years ago as vice president i was proud to cast the tie-breaking vote that sent the bill. [cheers and applause] that gave medicare the power to

negotiate and let it get to the president's desk and i was proud when our president joe biden signed that bill into law. [cheers and applause] in the two years since, we have been using this new power to lower the price of life-saving medications and now to announce the results of those negotiations it is my eternal and great, great, great honor. i have to tell you. to serve with the most extraordinary human being and american and leader, our president, joe biden! ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] >> president biden: thank you,

thank you. ♪ ♪ thank you kamala. i love you guys too. i've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. first time i sponsored a bill letting medicare negotiate the price of drugs was in 1973 as a senator with a guy named frank church in the state of idaho. folks, i have an incredible partner. the progress we have made, she is going to make one hell of a president. [cheers and applause] and judy. thank you for sharing your st story. it's real for far too many americans. people like my dad used to lay in bed at night when he lost his

insurance with the company he worked for staring at the ceiling literally. you've all experienced and you have known people who have experienced wondering what in god's name happened if my wife gets breast cancer, if i get sick, if my children get seriously ill. what happens. what in gods name, how can we pay for the drugs? prescription drugs. these are discussions. you know it. do we have enough insurance? can we afford the medical bills? do we have to sell the house and get a second mortgage? there are discussions that took place in my house and in your house. kamala and i both get it. we know it isn't just about health care, it's your dignity. it's about your dignity. it's about peace of mind. it's about security. it's about taking care of your family. it's about giving folks just a little bit more breathing room