novichok saying the german government has not informed them of the finding. >> thank you for joining us today. see you back here tomorrow. busy news day. brianna keilar picks up our coverage right now. have a good day. hello. i'm brianna keilar and welcome virus here in the united states and around the world. it is september 2, two months until election day. six months into the pandemic, and as events move as a dizzying pace, here's perspective we we are. nearly 190,000 americans have lost their lives to the coronavirus in just six months. almost 30 million americans are out of work with no relief in sight, because the senate is on a month-long vacation, and congress can't compromise. a newly reveed document claims the president painted a rosy picture of the pandemic forcing

states to reopen after dire warning about the rap spread of coronavirus across america. the president of the united states is denying the death toll is as high as the official count that his administration refers to. >> i saw a specific come out the other day talking about only 6% of the people actually died from covid, a very interest, that they died from -- >> well, co-morbidities you've gotten criticized for because there are co-morbidities, italians showed, 70 something%, two or three morbidities that covid the key morbidity to hit them -- >> but it's an interesting statistic. >> he is a coronavirus death toll denier and his claim traced from a facebook post to the qanon group, satan worshipping celebrity and politician pedophiles who drink the blood of children to stay young. to an article on a conspiracy

website that a trump campaign adviser tweeted. >> the numbers that you've been hearing, the 180,000-plus deaths, are real deaths, from covid-19. let that not be any confusion about that. it's not 9,000 deaths from covid-19. it's 180,000-plus deaths. >> the president isn't alone pushing these lies. iowa republican senator joni ernst is giving life to the conspiracy theory, too. the senator says, these health care providers and others are reimbursed at a higher rate if tove id is tied to it. so what do you think they're doing? i'll tell you what they're doing -- caring for infected patients. they're getting a lot of americans to the other side of this disease alive. and watching a lot of americans die alone from covid without family members by their side in their final moments. and those health care providers are risking their health, their lives, as they do this heroes' work.

those health care providers didn't sign up to be deploys to a war zone, as senator ernst and an iraq war veteran did. these doctors and nurses, these patient transporters, hospital janitors, administrative workers, they answer the call anyway. senator ernst is disrespecting their service, accusing them of secretly fudging numbers to make hospitals more money. even as hospitals are losing $50 billion a month treating covid patients according to an industry group that represents them putting many at risk of bankruptcy. it's not like senator the doesn't noech the reality what covid can do. her state has highest number of cases per capita right now. her state is facing an impending crisis according to a warning from the white house coronavirus task force. even as her state's governor refuses to mandate masks. conspiracy theories have infected the senate. and propels candidates into the house of representatives. a qanon supporter in georgia is one step closer to congress expected to win her race for a house seat.

the president calls her a rising star, and even invited her to the white house for his convention speech. this threat is fueled by the most prominent conspiracy theorist in the u.s. government. the president himself. a sampling of the conspiracies he's pushed without evidence or basis in reality. birtherism. president obama spying on him. the uranium. and jfk's assassination. death tolls from disasters. widespread voter fraud. suggesting a tv host murdered someone, the cause of jeffrey epstein's death. windmills. climate change, vaccines, migrant caravans and social media companies plotting against him. in the cases of many those he teased new evidence to come to light based on anonymous source, but remember what the president himself has said about anonymous sources? "don't believe any article or story you read or see that uses anonymous sources."

he's even got a new conspiracy about his opponent joe biden. after biden received good reviews for his convention speech not long before the president teetered on his way to a podium at the new hampshire campaign stop friday he was on, a new question raised about about unusual trip made to walter reed medical center late last year. >> because i watched biden in the previous debates and he was horrible. i watched him in the bernie debate, he was normal. wasn't winston churchill but normal. he's on some kind of enhancement in my opinion and i say we should both take a drug test. >> the president can't even keep up with his own lies alleging thugs in dark clothing spotted on planes heading to protests at rnc and dark forces are controlling joe biden. then stead this -- >> on a plane -- i'll tell you sometime, but it's under investigation right now. >> the next day, this -- >> this would be a person you know. so i will see whether or not i

can get that person, let them know and see whether or not i can get that person to speak to you, maybe they'll speak to you. maybe they won't. >> what he's playing to is a conspiracy theory joe biden is controlled by people in dark shadows. what does that mean? what's he talking about? is this the deep state? is it the satan worshipping pedophiles qanon folks are taking over the world? our fact checker put it best. >> it's almost too stupid to fact check. fox's laura ingraham telling you sounds like a conspiracy theory. it's calmed a conspiracy theory. >> back to that mystery walter reed visit. mysterious because the president has made it so. explaining it this way in november, that he visited servicemen and went for a short visit to start -- to start -- phase one of his annual physical. fast forward to now. he says he went to complete his physical. but we still don't have a clear explanation why he went there in the a hurry a saturday afternoon

breaking a number of protocols for a routine medical visit. a new book by an acclaimed "new york times" reporter suggests whatever it was, it was serious enough that vice president mike pence was told to be on standby, to assume the power of the presidency. and he respondeds this way -- >> i don't -- i don't recall being told to be on standby. i was informed that the president had a doctor's appointme appointment. >> seems being on the verge of stepping into the role of leader of the free world is something you'd remember. right? but there was a clear pattern with pence when it comes to some of the critical moments of the trump presidency. whether the ukraine scandal or a contentious meeting in the white house. >> i -- i don't recall ever having met mr. parnas, la i've seen a couple of photographs apparently he was in my vicinity. >> well, as we've been clear, i made -- i made no comments in my meeting with president zelensky

concerning investigations, tying investigations to u.s. aid to ukraine and i have no recollection of any discussion with ambassador sondland before that meeting. >> i have heard it was in a briefing book. i have no recollection of having seen the transcript of the call. >> you know, i receive literally hundreds of transcripts over the time. i don't recall ever reading it. specific. it doesn't mean that i did. had i read it, wouldn't have mattered because the president did nothing wrong. >> i don't -- i don't recall him ever raising his voice or slamming his hand. >> the president's hospital visit has taken up a lot of bandwidth at the white house and among supporters. the president's former white house physician who is running in texas as a republican for a seat in congress was prompted to come to trump's defense. >> i will get into the president's health. i'm not longer his physician but i will comment. tell you that i was consulted regarding this trip weeks in advance. this trip was neither urgent nor

emergent nor have anything to do with his cardiovascular health. part of a routine planned preventive medicine workup to keep his healthy as president. >> as i mentioned, that visit to walter reed did not follow protocol of a routine presidential medical scexam. medical staff at walter reed did not get a staff-wide heads up. the president's physician rode with him in the motorcade, not typical. something god forbid happens in transit, his physician better be in a safe place to be able to attend to him. >> i can tell you furthermore as his physician for three and a half years prior to that -- >> that's just a lie. were jackson served as physician to the president for a year. a single year. then after his va nomination failed returned not as physician to the president but chief medical adviser for less than a year. >> the president is an

excellent, in excellent physical condition. he had a head to toe physical workup including extensive cardio workup putting him well with the top 10% of men his age from a cardiac standpoint. why is the left suddenly talking about this? >> that's just weird. in the white house memo at the time of the trip, the white house doctor said the president did not undergo any specialized cardiac or neurological evaluations. again, no specifics on what tests he received. >> the reason is, they're trying to defer and distract from the obvious mental, physical and cognitive issues with former vice president joe biden who is now their nominee for president. they're in trouble, and they're trying to fix it. >> a physician diagnosing joe biden with a cognitive problem without being joe biden's physician. >> so i can tell you two things. i can tell you number one, the president is in excellent mental and physical condition.

he will finish this term, and he will finish the four years ahead of him in his second term, which he will get. >> two things about that comment. ronny jackson is predicting the future again, and we have no reason to believe he's psychic. also, the president is clinically obese. he is not in excellent physical condition. cnn sanjay gupta ropted in 2018 the president has a common form of heart disease easy to address increasing cholesterol and keeps in shape. >> a guy eats mcdonald of and all of those diet coax never exercises is in as good of shape as you say? >> called genetics. i don't know. some people have, you know, just great genes. i told the president if he had a healthier diet he might live to be 200 years old. i don't know. >> it's a personal choice. wearing a mask. i don't particularly wanting my government telling me i have to wear a mask.

i don't wear a mask all that often, to be hon effort with you. >> the president is embroiled in creating doubt about his opponent's health and trying to distract about questions from his own instead of focusing on the health 69 nation and a national response to coronavirus. and two months from election day, he's not focused on the health of our upcoming election. even as alarm bells go off. for instance, the fbi tipped off facebook to a russian network targeting americans. the department of homeland security reportedly withheld an intelligence bulletin in july that warned law enforcement agencies of a russian scheme to promote allegations that joe biden is in poor health. one of the baseless conspiracy theories the president and his allies promoted. and the trump administration decided to end in-person briefings to congress on election security. congress will not be able to ask the experts questions about their findings. and the president is escalating false attacks on mail-in voting

even though he votes by mail and so will many american whose want to be safe casting ballots during a deadly pandemic. the postal service run by a trump donor under fire for changes that critics say will impact ballots. republicans are escalating their promotion of manipulated fake videos without regret or a consequence and guessing came what companies allow and don't. once again the president is declaring he won the popular vote in 2016, when he actually missed that mark by 3 million votes. >> i think i did win the popular vote in a true sense. i think there was tremendous cheating in california. there was tremendous cheating in new york. >> make like l, mr. president and let it go. it's fiction. even the white house commission failed to find it. but the president is very sensitive about his loss of the popular vote and accompanying suggests that russianal election interference in 2016 was to his advantage.

does he push back on russia? no. sitting by as vladimir putin trolls the u.s. just this past week a russian fighter jet followed a u.s. b-52 in danish air space nato called a significant violation of international law. on friday russian jets crossed within 100 feet of a b-52. a few days before that a russian submarine surfaced off the alaska coast, two days before that a russian armored vehicle sideswiped injures several american troops and it appeared to be a deliberate move. and what about here at home with racial tensions escalating across this country because of deaths or shootings of black men at hands of police, the president does not try to ease the tensions instead see as powder keg and lights a match. then falsely accuse the joe biden of not condemning violence and trump defends his sporders who shoot paintballs and bullets in the case of the 17-year-old in kenosha accused of killing

two people with an ar-style gun. >> you saw the same tape i saw. he was trying to get away from them, i guess. it looks like, and he fell. and then they very violently attacked him, and it was something we're looking at right now and it's under investigation, but -- i guess he was in very big trouble. he probably would have been killed. >> that suspect facing murder chargers is one were of his supporters. police say they chased him after he shot someone in the head. a man who would later die. and armed militias in his name to confront protesters. >> large numbers of people that were supporters but it was a peaceful protest and paint, and paint as a defensive mechanism, paint is not bullets. >> a lot of people are looking to what's happening to these democrat-run cities and they're disgusting. they see what's going on. and they can't believe this is taking place in our country. i can't believe it either.

>> he's against black violence. but he's fine with white violence. remember when he said this -- >> i am your president of law and order, and an ally of all peaceful protesters. >> b.s. and the president proves himself rock wrong as he keeps attacking nba players speaking out against racism and against him. a form of peaceful protest. ripping them for kneeling a form of peaceful protest. criticizing them for sitting out games. a form of peaceful protest. trump also spent a day in kenosha yesterday, but didn't mention jacob blake's name. nor the social justice reasons that americans are protesting in the first place. in fact, when two black pastors were asked whether police violence is systemic, the president answered for them. >> i don't want -- i don't believe that.

i think the police do an incredible job and i think you do have some bad apples. i think you would agree. every once in a while you'll see something. >> now, look. many americans do agree with that statement by the president, that there are bad cops and there are good cops. but this is how he describes the actions of police officers that have cost the lives and the health of black americans. >> they choke, just like in a golf tournament. they miss a three-foot. >> compares to to golf, that's -- >> i'm saying people choke. >> people panic. >> people choke. >> when you choke on a putt, you get a bogey instead of a par. you clock an extra stroke on your score card. this isn't a golf swing. this isn't a game. these are lives, and he should not be playing with them. as i mentioned, iowa's republican senator joni ernst is pushes the lie that deaths from the disease are grossly overreported just as her states

becomes the national hot spot for coronavirus. the white house task force just issuing a dire warning to the state for its skyrocketing increase in new cases. a 77% jump this week from the previous week. the highest rate of new infections per capita in the nation. out in the waterloo cedar falls courier reports ernst agreed with a man at a campaign event doubting this official tally's cases and deaths. ernst reportedly responded she was so skeptical of 9 numbers going on to say we mentioned before, health care providers and other reimbursed at a higher rate. what do you think they're doing? she later said this -- k. i have heard it from health care providers that they do get reimbursed higher amounts if it's a covid-related illness or death. so because of the additional expense for ppe and the treatment that might be

necessary for covid-19. >> do you think numbers are inflated because of that? >> that, i'm not sure. >> dr. glen hearst a family medicine clinician in western iowa and chair of the iowa democratic party rural caucus. doctor, just respond even that clarification where senator ernst says she's not sure if these numbers are basically being fudged. what's your reaction to that? >> i find it to be incredibly offensive. it's an offensive attack on some of the best iowans out there on the front lines. the people that one side she referred to as heroes, and the next side of her mouth accused of medicare and medicaid fraud. >> tell us what's going on in iowa right now? what is it like on the scene? >> so what we're seeing is just this, beginning of an x

exponential number of creases of increases, just as we saw in february and march in countries across the world, numbers doubling, we're starting to see the beginning of that curve here. as that curve goes up and up and up, we still see governor reynolds, and our administration, at republicans, supporting scaling back the precautions, which flattened us out up until memorial day. >> and tell us a little bit about what's happening at hospitals there? because as i understand it, hospitals are actually losing a lot of money. i mean, tons of money here as they are struggling to fight covid and not getting what are actually much more expensive procedures to do, than non-covid procedures? >> right. i would put her comments in the category that one of your peers used which was, too stupid to fact check.

these facilities are treating patients that have, you know -- incredibly severe consequences and severe presentations, and it requires more than what a normal pneumonia would take to take care of these patients. we are seeing our hospital beds having extended lengths of stay for covid positive patients compared to other forms of pneumonia and, yes, they should rightfully be reimbursed for that. it's just shameful she would even suggest that, that additional payment and additional funding which is minuscule, would be worth risking your license for fraud over. it's, again, it's -- it's shameful. >> no. a serious charge. right? it's like -- it's like if you're talking about a lawyer and they're doing something that they would be disbarred over. this is your medical license. you need it to practice your livelihood. >> and --

right. you would lose your medical license for defrauding medicare and medicaid. >> doctor, thank you so much for setting us straight. appreciate it. >> my pleasure. and good luck mine kn. i know iowa has its work cut out for it. in a moment, joe biden making a speech and will he take questions after it. plus, speaker pelosi under fire after video surfaces of her at a hair april appointment which violates the rules in san francisco. salons not open for indoor appointments there. her response. and the owner of the kenosha shop where president trump visited says he refused to meet with him and replaced by someone else who wasn't the owner of the business.

ok everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. whoo-hoo! -- felt across the united states of america, and jill and i have jut been briefed as you know in this room by our public health and education experts about what it's going to take to be able to reopen our schools safely and effectively. and back-to-school has always been a special time. it is indeed in your family as in mine but particularly in mine, because for all of the years jill and i were married, she was going back to school, too. as a teacher. jill's an educator and will be the first one to tell you that this should be a season of promise for our country. times when classrooms were crackling with the possibilities of the new year. students hopes and the, all

about the future. but this year we're facing the most difficult circumstances and we're seeing an awful lot of heart and a lot of grit our educators, our students and to try to rise to the occasion here. but our government hasn't come up to that bar, hasn't shown much grit at all or determination. let me be clear -- if president trump and his administration had done their jobs early on with this crisis, american schools would be open and would be opened safely. instead, american families all across this country are paying the price for his failures. and his administration's failures. like many of you, because you're all reporters, you also have a lot of friends and you have children and you probably are hearing the same thing i'm hearing throughout this pandemic. they're struggling to figure out how to do the right thing, but they're worried. they're worried, like the devil. they, what does it mean for my

kids? is this setting my child's education back beyond just a semester? what impact will it have? how is my child going to catch up? what if -- what if i'm not doing enough to help my child succeed? all of those questions, the self-doubt that's been engaged. president trump may not think this is a national emergency, but i think going back to school for millions of children and the impacts on their families and the community is a national emergency. i believe that's what it is. protecting our students, our educators, our communities, getting our schools open safely and effectively, this is a national emergency. but president trump still doesn't have any real plan for how to open our schools safely. no real plan for how to help parents feel secure for their children. he's offering nothing but

failure and delusions from the start to finish to american families and our children. they are paying the price for his failures. failure to take this virus seriously early on in january and february and it spread around the globe. failure to take steps we needed back in march and april to get this pandemic under control. the institute-wide spread testing and tracing to control the spread. failure to provide clear national science-based guidelines to state and local authorities. and failure to model even basic responsibility, like socially distancing and wearing a mask. and failure to make sure educators and administrators have the equipment, the resources and the training they need to open safely under the circumstances we find now. donald trump and betsy devos, education secretary betsy devos haven't stepped up and we're seeing the results.

millions of students are now starting the new school year in the same way they finished the last one. at home. at home. parents are doing their best, but more and more were finding themselves at wit's end. struggling to balance work and child care and education duties. educational duties. or worrying about their lost paycheck and how they'll make ends meet while trying to keep their kids on track with remote learning. educators are taking on countless hours of additional training to figure out how to learn remote learning tools so they can still be there for their students but they're worried about all the students who used to count on our schools. all of those children who need it so badly and particularly those children who need more than education. they provide their meals and safe places to spend the day. you know, we're all concerned about making sure covid-19

doesn't further exacerbate the disparities. the disparities that already have existed in our education system. for so many poor children and in so many communities of color, it's unacceptable. and it can't go on like this. we all want our schools to reopen safely. but the plan that prioritizes the health of our students and educators and staff alike. i laid out my plans back in june and july, a road map for how to open, reopen safely, and effectively. you can read them by going to joebiden.com. we need straightforward common sense solutions, but trump refuses to act. starving schools of the needed funding, funding they need now, now! they needed it beginning of the summer. now trump's fema director is cutting schools loose. just yesterday fema announced

after helping three districts, i think it was three, and they announced they're not going to help pay for cloth masks, other ppe for school settings. clean those basic health needs, sanitize everything from the laboratories to the classrooms. and safety costs for schools that don't qualify for emergency assistance. this is an emergency, mr. president. this is an emergency. and donald trump and his fema should treat it as one. if i were president today i would direct fema to make sure our kids k-12 get full access to disaster relief and emergency assistance under the stafford act. i'd make sure that ppe and sanitation supplies for schools qualify as emergency protective measures, which is a phrase they use. to fully be eligible for federal assistance. on top of that, i would be

working with leaders of congress now, today to pass emergency packages for schools so they would have resources they need in order to be able to open safely. money for ventilation. i heard that a lot when i had all of those health care experts up on the zoom. money for ventilation and other health measures. also, more money to hire more teachers. every recommendation we got was they're going to be, should be dividing into pods, smaller classes. smaller classes mean more educators are needed. keeping classes socially distanced. small. money for more psychologists, and counselors, and i introduced legislation a long time calling for, or proposed legislation a long time ago. we have one, one school psychologist for every 1,507

children in school and the health care. the mental health that our children need now. the anxiety they're feeling. at home -- in going to school -- not being able to go to school. the nation's superintendents of schools have estimated that they'll need at least $200 billion to support k-12 schools throughout the year for safe reopening. and we need the money to hire educators as well for our four-year universities. community colleges, acbu, minority serving institutions. democratic leaders are ready to get this done. they've already proposed such legislation. mr. president, where are you? where are you? why aren't you working on this? we need emergency support funding for our schools and we need it now. mr. president, that's your job. that's your job.

that's what you should be focused on now. getting our kids back to school safely. keeping schools safely able to remain open once they open. not whipping up fear and division. not inciting violence in our streets. get off twitter. and start talking to the congressional leaders in both parties. invite them to the oval office. the oval office. and stop your boast about never -- you can do anything. you always talk about your ability to negotiate. negotiate a deal. a deal for somebody other than yourself. now i'm happy to take questions you may have. i guess staff's going to call on whoever, follow, fire away. >> great. i'd like --

thank you, mr. vice president. two quick questions. ahead of your trip to kenosha, wisconsin, tomorrow, last week your running mate senator harris said that the officer who shot jacob blake based on what she had seen should be charged. do you agree with her and do you also believe the same for the officers who were involved in the death of breonna taylor? >> i think we should let the judicial system work its way. i do think there's a minimum need to be charged. the officers, and as well as breonna taylor, and i might add, by the way, i think what happened in, in portland, where a, one of the trump guys riding along in vans inciting response, shooting rubber bullets, i guess, or paintballs, apparently someone was shot by someone in the crowd, with a bullet, killed. i think that person should meet the legal requirements, whatever

that calls for. should be investigated and should follow through on what needs to be done. let the judicial system work. let's make sure justice is done. >> and just quickly on a different topic. there is a new book by the "new york times" michael schmidt says when president trump made an unannounced visit to walter reed hospital in 2019, vice president pence told to be on standby to take over in case president trump had to receive anesthesia. pence said he doesn't recall being told that. as vice president were you ever told to be on standby or given any kind of special alert when president obama was going in for a medical appointment? and also i wonder whether you have concerns about that walter reed visit president trump made didn't follow prior protocol about presidential visits for medical examination. >> i'm not going to speculate on what it means. i can say nothing this administration does is normal.

so i'm not being facetious when i say that. who in god's name knows what it's all about. i just don't know. i don't know and i'm not going to speculate. i'll let the experts do that. and so -- and the only time that i have been on notice is when the president's out of the country, and i'm in the country. that, not that i should wait for something to be immediately, immediately be aware of anything, but that that's something that might be called for. it wasn't called for. >> thank you. >> thank you, mr. vice president. on this visit to kenosha tomorrow, local democratic officials including the governor previously discouraged president trump from visiting, and just yesterday the president of the local naacp didn't want to see either candidates including

yourself visit. it's such a sensitive situation in the city. why is now the right time for you to go to kenosha and what do you hope to accomplish tomorrow? >> well, i have, we've spoken to all of the leaders up there, and although i have an outstanding call with the governor, with the staff, because -- and there's been overwhelming requests that i do come. because what we want to do is we've got to heal. we've got to put things together. bring people together. and so my purpose in going will be to do just that. to be a positive influence on what's going on. talk about what need be done, and try to see if there's a beginning of a mechanism to bring the folks together. we have to heal. this is about making sure that, that we move, that we move forward. and so i -- i've gotten advice from city members of the congress and the senate as well

to go. and that i should go. i'm not going to do anything other than meet with, and meetings with community leaders, as well as business people, and other folks in law enforcement and to see, start to talk about what has to be done. not, i'm not going to tell kenosha what they have to do. what we have to do together. the idea that we are saying, you know, the president's current people, retreat their corners and keep this, this moving is just a mistake. i spent my whole life including in this city you're in right now bringing people together. bringing the community and police officers together. bringing business leaders and civic leaders together. that's my purpose in going. >> and on the fact you're traveling to wisconsin at all, i believe this is only the third time in the last few months since the onset of the pandemic you'll be on the plane. you've talked about how you want

to make sure you follow all the advice of your doctors in terms of campaigning safely, but the question we keep hearing from voters, from others, why aren't you out there more? you may be aware the president was calling your campaign schedule today. how far are you willing to push the envelope to get your message out and be among the voters, speak to them directly? >> well, i think my message is getting out based on what the, all the polling dat ining data the millions who watched what i have had to say and the circumstances of which i said it, but i would like to get out more, but a think a president has the responsibility to set stamp examples. the right example hue to get out. wear a mask, not having large crowds of people standing next to one another. not wearing a mask, not being a cauldron for specific yououtbre of covid. so what i've done is i've met

with via -- i did this morning, with the medical experts, and so we worked out a protocol where how i get on the plane, what kind of are plane i get on, how it's sanitized. how i engage people. it's like when i'm engaging all of you wherever i go. always at a safe distance and everybody's wearing a mask and the vast majority of people that i'm meeting with have been, have come into my home and staff and the like, they're all tested as well. so i'm just trying to set the example. wearing the protective gear, a mask, which i have with me. i'm able at this distance to take if oft off. number one. number two making sure we proceed with adequate social distancing and do it the right way. >> last, quickly, they announced format and kristen welker batting cleanup for the last

presidential debate. anything that could dissuade you from participating and how have you begun to prepare? >> i've begun to prepare by -- by going over what the president has said, the multiple lies he's told. what i'd love to have is a crawler bottom of the screen. a fact checker when we speak. if we really wanted to do something, i think that would make a great, great debate, if everything both of us said was instantly fact checked by, by an agreed to group of people that we move forward, but that probably wouldn't get very far in the debate. i'm looking forward to debating the president, and i'm going to lay out as clearly as i can what i think we have to do to bring this country back and build it back better, and i'm looking forward to the debate. >> thank you, mr. vice president. one of the things i've heard a

lot from voters across the country is that a lot of them are worried and concerned about some of the ongoing violence we've seen in cities in this country. including the situation in kenosha, wisconsin, where you're headed. i'm curious obviously you're not president now and donald trump is. i'm curious, if you were president, what would you do to ensure that people are kept safe of you in situations like these? >> first of all, i wouldn't were incite violence. i'd condemn it when it occurred. i would move to -- look, the vast majority of police officers are good, decent, honorable women and men. they pin on that shield every morning and they have a right to go home that night safely. the vast majority. but just to those who are not good cops, i'm, all the police i've dealt with my whole life. i've been dealing with -- gotten overwhelming support from law enforcement through my whole career. they're the ones that want to get rid of the bad cops more

than anybody else, bought it reflects on them. number one. number two, i would make sure everybody understood if i were president, any violence, any violence, protesting is a right and free speech is a right, but to engage in violence, burning, looting, and the rest, in the name of protesting is wrong. and that persons should be health accountable for their actions. and so what i would be doing is, i'd be bringing people together in the white house right now. i'd have that police commission set up, law enforcements apartment the tame. the community at the table. i'd have people and saying, how do we get through this? what do we do to deal with this? because i believe the vast majority of the community at large as well as law enforcement want to straighten th een thing. not enflame thingses. this president keeps throwing gasoline on the fire every place he goes.

i didn't watch much but watched reports from all of you, from the press. when he was asked what should be done with regard to a young man shot in the back seven times in fronts of are his children. i didn't hear much of anything come from him. what should we be doing about, went on down the line. so i wish he'd take responsibility. as much as he'd like to be running against somebody else, he's running against me. joe biden. and the fact is that he is not acting very responsibly. >> mr. vice president -- >> go ahead. >> you've outlined. >> i'm sorry. over here. >> what as what happened in opening schools safely. millions akrot the country facing a very impossible task trying to work full-time and help children full time to learn

virtually. what is your message to these parents and what can you do to help them while you work to reopen schools? >> help it on the way. i've laid out a clear plan for child care. a clear plan for starting early education as well. so 3 and 4 and 5-year-olds are in schools they like. but i'm not president right now. what we should be doing, is providing for more help for people who, in fact, are trying to juggle the choice between, do i stay home with my 3, 4 or 5-year-old and take care of them in the middle of this covid problem, or do i go to work and earn a salary? what do i do? so that's why we have, i have a major initiative to deal with child care and elder care so people can be adequately paid to come and take care of folks, children, as well as the elderly that you may be taking care of, a parent, a husband or a wife maybe taking care of, as well as

making sure that those folks are able to get back to work. that's why focusing on day-care centers and making sure they're safer and healthy now is equally as important as dealing with, almost as equally important as dealing with schools, and we should be providing all of the ppe and all of the safety that is necessary and sanitary capacity to allow them to open. hundreds of them have been opening, because some states have gone in and done that. there should be universal guidance coming from the president of the united states of america. there should be basic standards to how, in fact, and what circumstances you can safely open a day-care center. you can safely open a child care center. and in addition to that, in the future, the idea this has brought home a number of glaring problems we have in america. this whole pandemic and what's happened in terms of jobs. the idea that we're in a situation where you have so many parents who have to make the difficult choice as a single

parent or both working parents to decide whether one gives up their salary and stays home with a child under the age of 5 or 6 and/or somehow leaves them with somebody that there's not particularly qualified and goes to work so they can earn a living is a choice that is not, we shouldn't be making. we're the only industrialized country in the world that makes us do that. no one should pay more than 70% of income to pay for child care and be able to go to work. this is a major element of my build back better program. but in the meantime, in the meantime, the most important thinking that can be done is have cdc issue really straightforward guidelines on under what circumstances you should be able to open up a, your day-care center, or your child care center now. and there should be clear standards. and states should have a wherewith all to be able to go

out and inspect those facilities, now. but you know, one thing i haven't mentioned and i think it warrants mentioning. one of the things we did. remember -- well -- when we inherited the great recession and we were going into the tank, heading off the cliff for, heading into a depression, i was able to convince three republicans to change their vote and we ended up with a so-called recovery act. spent over $18 billion in 18 months kept us from going into depression. what did we do? we spent billions of dollars making sure that states were able to maintain their essential workers. everyone from the fire departments, the schoolteachers, the doctors, nurses. public hospitals. now what's happening? this republican administration will not support that, and the republican leadership in the united states senate will not support it. so what's happening? we don't have that help.

it's not out there. and states are in real trouble, and to quote my good friend mitch mcconnell, he says, let the states go bankrupt. states have to balance their budgets under the law. communities, counties, cities. they have to balance their budget. there's a reason why the federal government is able to run a deficit. to compensate in times of real economic crisis. and what's happening? nothing. nothing. and guess what? we came out of that recession with the longest spurt of economic growth of any administration in american history. but these guys, i don't know -- i could go on. businesses. look at the money that was passed under the c.a.r.e.s. act. for businesses. small businesses, to be able to stay open. you've got tens of thousands of them going out of business. many permanently. why? because the money didn't get to to small businesses.

they're not open. we should be dealing with the businesses burnt out and damaged. we should be writing federal help for those businesses to get back on their feet. but this administration seems to think it's all of a sudden going to go away, like angel dust is going to be sprayed around. everything's going to be okay. i just don't get it. they have to know better. they have to know better! and we had an example just the last administration. how much good you can do and how much growth you can generate. i just don't get these guys. i really don't. not a joke. i've been doing this a long time. but i've never seen a president lack as much leadership on willing -- in ability to make a deal, and you got told the reason they can't get everything done in a republican congress is 20 members of the united states senate saying under no circumstances will they raise the deficit at all. well, that's wonderful. we're in a position we're in now. look at other countries.

they're doing one hell of a lot better, and yet we still have over, what's it up to? 186,000 dead? over 6 million? what is it 6 million 300,000, whatever the number is? that have contracted the disease? no end in sight. it's just irresponsible. talk about a no-nothing congress on the republican side and a no-nothing president. i just don't get it. but it's going to change, come january, god willing. >> what do you say to the teachers who are afraid to return the classrooms, even if the safety protocols you recommend are in place? >> i understand because so many of the teachers have preexisting conditions that if they were to contract covid-19, they would be susceptible, be in real trouble.

so, it's understandable why they're doing it. but the first thing to do is make sure that all the protective capacity we have available to us is made available. and then make choices about whether or not let the districts make choice about whether they open fully, rotate, and whether or not those teachers are able to teach from home and remote learning. but it's really understandable why -- look, look what's happened in this covid crisis so far. 100 million -- 100,000 people have died, who were above the age of 65. 100,000 out of the 200 and some that have died -- not -- it's 189 or whatever it is now. estimated, i heard today, estimates range from -- up to significant universities. one is as many as 239 and another one said by december, 312.

i don't know that but it's going to go higher. and so, i just don't -- i don't understand why it's a political problem. what is the politics about not being willing to go in and help provide the protective capacity for people to be able to go back to work and go to school? i just -- i can't fathom it. >> thank you, mr. vice president. you talked today about reopening schools. want to ask you something about the potential of having to shutdown the economy again. you were asked if you'd be willing to shut it down if your health experts would recommended to do so and you said, quote,

you would do whatever it takes and you would listen to the scientists. i'm wondering how you would balance that if you had economic advisors saying you do this again, you can put the country in a deeper economic crisis. >> well, look, i know you're tired of hearing me say this. i've been saying it since last january. the idea that you're able to get theconomy back on track without getting covid under control is completely counterintuitive. it's not there. can't happen. so, unless we're able to deal with the disease and drastically cut its impact on people's confidence of being able to go to work or walk in a business or do business, then it doesn't matter a lot. there's going to be no need, in my view too, shut down the whole economy. i took that as a generic

question if, am i going to follow the science? i am going to insist, and i insist now, without any authority, that every responsible person in this country, when they're out in public or not with the cohort they have lived with because they know they haven't spread it to their husband, wife, etc., that they wear a mask. that they wear a mask and keep socially distanced. you can take a mask off when you're 12 or 15 feet away. but i would really, really make the case. and by the way, when i find these folks talking about my freedom. i talk about patriotism. why do you wear a mask? to protect your neighbor. to keep someone else from getting sick and maybe dying. i

call that this is the united states of america. they make sacrifices to help others in moments of crisis. >> i would ask every person with authority -- there's a question whether or not they would mandate a mask and remember, all during the primary, i'd have a lot of people telling me -- i'm a constitutionalest. you can't do things the constitution doesn't allow you the power to do. i would put as much pressure as i could on every governor, every mayor, every county executive, every local official, and everyone in business. and make sure you wear a mask

and maintain social distancing. the vast majority of people will expect you to. >> your campaign in the dnc, record for monthly hall, apparently. how you going to spend it? >> you want to go to dinner? no. i tell you what? look, what i'm having to spend a lot of it on is countert the lis being told by my -- by trump's campaign and swift voters out there. but what i'm trying to do is spend most of that -- 40 bucks. we have over a million 600,000 people who contributed in the middle of the economic crisis, somewhere between 5, 10, $15. i'd say that shows some genuine

enthusiasm about wanting to make sure we have a chance at becoming president of the united states. and so, what i will spend most of it on is trying to explain to the american people how i want to unite the country. what i want to do to make the country better. and bring the country together and be in a better position than before this crisis occurred. because there's been so many fishers exposed as a consequence of what's happened that people are now realizing, my lord, i didn't know people in that circumstance didn't have that kind of help. i didn't know whatever. and so, i think we have an enormous opportunity to bring the country together. and once again we lead the world. not just by example of our power but by the power of our example. thank you.

>> hi. you said that you warned president trump in january of what needed to be done. if you anyhow that, why were you still posting crowded campaign rallied in march. i said you got to take this seriously. you've got to insist that we have access to wuhan. insist we have access in china. we had 44 people in cdc there. you cannot continue to talk about the president of china saying he's done a marvelous job. he's doing a great job. when it got to march, you'll remember, it was the first

person calling about the defense production act. we don't have enough -- it's amazing when you use a phrase like ppe and the public knows what that is now. but protective equipment gear and ventilators, use that authority and don't wait. and don't wait to talk about the need for us to have masks and don't wait to talk about -- that's what i talked about. then we actually had a conversation. i can't remember when it was. i think it was march, maybe april. in that range. he said if biden wants to help, i want to talk to him. i laid out what i thought we should to do reopen safely and he was very polite, he listened and said he'd think about it and that was the end of it. so, what i would began to become really clear is that, as the science began to show that this was able to spread much more easily than people thought, two issues.

was the pandemic coming? and how did it most -- what's the most way to the most damage? and as that became clearer and clearer, we concluded we can't continued to have these large rallies. here we are the rest of the world, the places that have done extremely well in terms of dealing with this covid crisis around the world. you know, we have the five largest countries in europe have a population larger than the united states of america. yet, we're in the mung of august losing 1,000 lives a day and they're losing 57 a day, combined, combined, all of them, combined. so, as we learn more and we did learn more and why, by march and april, we knew a heck of a lot more, why weren't we doing what needed to be