with a potential 2020 rematch on the horizon, president biden is targeting donald trump. on capitol hill, no deal on preventing a government shutdown. there is an impeachment inquiry hearing into president biden and sources are telling cnn, the republicans don't think it is

going as planned. and one day after facing a j. senator bob menendez faces his colleagues. all coming into cnn "news central." president biden will issue a stark warning focused on the the republicans' presidential front runner and his possible opponent next november. specifically president biden will focus on the danger he says donald trump poses to american democracy. also new today, a house committee is holding its first impeachment inquiry hearing for president biden. we'll have more on that in a moment. let's begin with cnn's reporter live in tempe, arizona. that's where president biden will speak at an event honoring his close friend, the late senator john mccain.

the setting is very deliberate. >> reporter: yeah, it is. president biden will be here to talk about the late senator john mccain harkening back to an era of bipartisanship that the president has tried to promote in his own time in office. he's delivering this speech in arizona, a critical battleground state also at the center of donald trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. it is here where president biden is preparing to lay out his starkest warning yet of this election cycle about the threats that the former president and his movement pose to democracy. now, according to some experts, he is expected to say there is something dangerous happening in america. there is an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs of our democracy. the maga movement. he knows not every republican is part of that maga movement but he adds, there is no question that today's republican party is driven and intimidated by maga extremists. their extreme agenda if carried

out would fundamentally alter american democracy as we know it. the president is expected to add, we have to stand up for america's values embodied in our declaration of independence because we know maga's extremists have already proven they won't. we have to stand up for our constitution and the institutions of democracy because maga extremists have made clear they won't. history is watching. this is one in a series of speeches the president has delivered during his time in office warning about the threats posed to american democracy by the former president. he did so also heading into the 2022 mid-term elections. the president and his team have been taking a very careful and deliberate approach into how they've been addressing the former president as these indictments and these trials are beginning to play out. but now, we have really seen the president lean in a bit further as he is trying to make this contrast heading into a possible general election match-up. it was just a few weeks ago that the president in a closed door fund-raiser warned donors that

trump and maga republicans are determined to destroy democracy. so by speaking here in arizona, the president is hoping to elevate and further lay out the stakes of what a potential donald trump presidency could mean if he were to be reelected. it also comes at a time when president biden's own re-election prospects are uncertain. you've seen concerns in polling about the president's age and his handling of the economy and also, his handling of the job as president. one thing that biden's advisers believe is that these warnings about the threats to democracy, this is something that will resonate with voters and it is part of the reason the president is starting to make this case early as he could potentially be heading toward a general election match-up against the former president. >> live from tempe, arizona. of course, we will bring those remarks to you as they come. thank you so much. again, right now, house republicans are holding their first impeachment inquiry into president biden. already some inside the republican party say they are

frustrated. in fact, one senior republican aide calling the hearing a, quote, unmitigated disaster. with us now, cnn correspondent saraha murray. today's hearing not really playing out how some republicans had hoped, especially given what their own witnesses have been saying. >> yeah, it's interesting. the republicans on the panel are showing up like there aren't really outstanding questions when it comes to joe biden. they're saying he lied to the american people. they're taking it as a foregone conclusion that hunter biden profited off the family name and will joe biden knew about this and somehow benefitted from it as well. all these allegations related to joe biden are allegations. they have not been able to prove it or show that any of the money from hunter biden's business dealings or other family members' business dealings went to joe biden. and i think what is causing republicans so much angst who

are watching this play out is that the witnesses the republicans lined up for this hearing are saying, look, republicans have a lot of allegations. they have a lot of questions to ask. but they don't have hard facts to back it up. take a listen to what two of the republican witnesses had to say today. >> i do that believe the current evidence would support articles of impeachment. that is something an inquiry would have to establish. >> i am not whoer to even suggest that there was corruption, fraud or wrongdoing. in my opinion, more information needs to be gathered before i would make such an assessment. >> and again, these are the republican witnesses today. so this is the kind of hurdle the house oversight chairman james comer will face. he's trying to produce evidence to prove that joe biden was somehow involved in this. something he's been unable to do so far and he's doing it all against the back drop of this looming government shutdown. that's something that democrats on the panel have not allowed republicans to forget throughout

the course of the hearing today, boris. >> we'll keep an eye on it and get back to sara murray. a busy day on capitol hill. >> it certainly is. we're getting busier. bob menendez told his colleagues he will not resign, which is what he has been saying. he continues to repeat that. we have cnn's lauren fox on the hill. he just met them. it was a lunch. he had to face these 30 senators in his own party who vl calling on him to resign. tell us more about what you're learning. >> reporter: yeah. 30 senators who were skeptical of what they would hear from their democratic colleague when senator menendez addressed them. going into the meeting i talked to one of the members, peter welch, who said what can he tell us? there was cash and gold bars at his home. we are told according to senator joe manchin who just left this

meeting that senator menendez vowed he would not resign. he did not address his political future. he's up for re-election in 2024. our colleague also caught up with menendez as he left this meeting with his colleagues. he told reporters, quote, i will continue to cast votes on behalf of the people in new jersey. as i have for 18 years and i'm sure when you need those votes, they'll be looking forward to me to cast those votes. you can hear there some defiance coming from senator menendez as he has said over and over again, he will not step aside from his post. he will continue to serve the people of new jersey and this comes, as you noted, there are 30 democratic colleagues, including the democratic whip calling for him to be removed. senator ben cardin who is taking over as the interim chairman of the senate foreign relations committee. he told a colleague earlier today that he was still weighing whether or not he was comfortable with senator menendez remaining on the senate

foreign relations committee given the sensitive information that that committee has to handle. >> yeah, because one of the allegations is that he took sensitive, not classified but sensitive information about u.s. embassy staff in cairo and shared that through his wife with egyptian government officials. do we know if anyone said, hey, what's up with that? >> reporter: we asked if there was an exchange back and forth between senator menendez and his colleagues. senator manchin said no, there were not questions asked. it was simply senator menendez gave a statement and then left. and he actually stepped out for this portion of the democratic lunch. just to keep in mind, democratic senators have a lot of other issues to deal with besides senator menendez.

the senator went back in. that gives you a sense of how serious democratic colleagues are taking this. >> thank you for the details of that. still to come, as he leads in the polls with a wide margin, former president trump is sticking to his strategy and will not attend the third republican primary debate.

it's a three-peat, sort of. donald trump will not attend the next gop primary debate. the front runner skipped the first and second debates, instead taking his campaign to michigan where he attempted to cast himself as a fighter for union workers, despite a history of siding against unions, and he spent a lot of time griping about his legal troubles. listen. >> just like you're fighting for your rights and your american dream, i'm fighting for my rights and fighting for my freedom against the coordinated, corrupt, very politicized forces of evil. i've never seen anything like it. it is weaponized justice. we have a weaponized justice

system. >> notably his visit come a day after president biden made history in michigan, becoming the first sitting president to join a picket line walking alongside striking uaw members. joining us now, cnn reporter elaina, it seems like the general election has started before the primary has even ended. >> that's exactly right. michigan is not one of the early primary states that republican contenders are focused on. it shows donald trump is very focused on michigan. he knows it is a state that he needs to win over in order to be successful in 2024. of course, donald trump won michigan in 2016 thanks to the support of many people in the room last night. he lost it to joe biden in 2020. he's really trying to court these working class voters in states like michigan and wisconsin, ohio, in order to give off that general election perception, but also he knows he needs them to win in 2024. last night during that speech, he did try to show that he stands on the side of

autoworkers. he said that he opposes the swift transition to electric vehicles. something that biden has called for and that many workers worry could cost them fewer jobs. he also tried to recast a lot of his record from when he was in office. something many union leaders argue was antiunion, pro business. and donald trump as well had a message for a specific leader, shawn fain. let's listen to what he had to say. >> if you could speak to him, he's listening right now, i'm sure. endorse trump and you can take a nice two-month vacation, come back. you guys will be better than you ever were. the other way, you won't have a vacation, and in a short period of time you won't have a union. you won't have jobs. you won't have anything. >> so a few things here, boris. one is that the uaw has not yet

endorsed in 2024. they did endorse biden in 2020. as you mentioned, shawn fain was there on tuesday with president biden. he walked the picket line with him and he's had only really negative things to say about donald trump since then. trump advisers do tell us that they think there is a divide between the union leaders and union members in their support for donald trump. >> we should point out, some of those members were very frustrated when trump was president and told him not to move away from youngstown, ohio, because he would save their jobs sxult matly that didn't come to fruition. how is his message received last night? >> it's interesting. if you look at the people in the room, it was an invite-only crowd. that's why you heard the cheering. it was trump supporters. some autoworkers, some current and former union members, including some who are on strike. but it was a crowd that they wanted to have there. as for outside the room, i talked with many people, gop strategists, trump allies, and they told me they think that

this event that he held last night was far more of an effective counter programming event to the debate than his first in august when he sat down with tucker carlson. they said it is good to see him talking to voters they know he needs to win over. they think that was a good strategy on his part. >> he remains head and shoulders above the competition when it comes to polling. thank you. so. >> thank you. still to come, the u.s. soldier who ran across the dmz into north korea. he is back on american soil. we have details on his return, straight ahead.

the nation is on the brink and congress is failing to come

together in these final days. the federal government going to shut down here in less than three days if lawmakers do not pass a spending bill by 11:59 p.m. eastern on saturday when the current funding expires. the closure would mean nearly 4 million federal workers will get no paycheck after this weekend. many would still work. they would just not get paid. the fda and osha would limit or delay inspections. disaster relief funds could be halted. food assistant programs would be impacted and right now the louse and senate are pushing separate bills, neither of which has a chance of getting passed through congress at this point. joining us now is the democratic governor of new york, kathy hochul. thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. we do appreciate it. >> thank you. >> so this is obviously a big concern for states. what are your biggest concerns in new york about a shutdown? >> we have many concerns about this impending extreme republican shutdown. first of all, we have thousands

of military members in our state. people who are literally willing to put their lives on the line to protect our democracy. at the same time, their own elected representatives are undermining the foundations of our very country. i'm concerned about 400,000 children who will not get the food assistance that they need to fill their little bellies. i'm concerned about the safety of our passengers at our three regional airports. new york city is a major hub. we don't have the tsa and the air traffic controllers being paid. so there's just chaos. i have disaster projects that are not going to be worked on during this time of the shutdown. so we are very concerned here in new york. and what is so disingenuous, a lot of talk about the republicans but their plan actually cuts over 800 border patrol agents who are doing the job we want them to do. so they're so disingenuous.

they're so detached from reality. and states like new york and the nine republican governors i have in new york, their own constituents will be hurt by this. they need to know that. >> are you talking about wick or snap? >> both. >> i want to ask you about that. when it come to wick, we heard from the secretary of ag. he said there is really only a day or two for wick. snap will be, that is what people know i think colloquially as food stamps. that will be funded for much longer federally. i think it goes into october. when you're talking about wick, it really depends on what the state funding level is. how long does new york have before it is impacted? how many days, how many weeks do you have before those benefits stop going out to women, infants and children? >> well, this is what we're

deeply concerned about. they have gone as long as 35 days. >> i'm asking because the federal funds only have like a day or two. >> we can continue a little longer but i'll talk to my team. i don't think it will go a lot longer than the federal government resources are there. and why do they even have to bring us to this point where i have to worry about whether or not we'll have programs in place to take care of women and children? they don't realize that they're just wreaking havoc in the lives of people all across america, and it's not just in states like new york who benefit from programs like wic and the food stamp program. there is a lot of rural poverty. a lot of poverty throughout this country. and they're all constituents. these republicans who are ignoring, ignoring the collateral damage that will ensue because of their ignorance

and their inability to do what's right. there will be fallout. and i think they will pay consequences in future elections. they should be aware of that. everything they do is so politically motivated. they should be thinking about the fact that new york state, i have nine republican governors who are not standing up for their constituents and we'll make sure everyone is reminded of that. >> no doubt the stakes are very high for the neediest americans and we're seeing that. you are expecting for thousands of venezuelan migrants in new york to be allowed to work and i know you have questions about whether the shutdown will affect that. have you gotten some clarity from the biden administration on that? >> i'll tell you what i don't think will be good for us. the biden administration has sent 50, 60 personnel to work in their citizenship office to help us start the processing. so if they have to leave, they're not being paid, or they're not able to reach out to

a department of labor office or another social service office to make connections, it will stop our ability to get people out of the shelters which is exactly what president biden was trying to do when he granted tps, temporary protected status for venezuelans. this is all about giving them the opportunity to work. putting them to work in a country, in a state that needs the workers. so republicans don't even care about that. we have republican governor greg abbott in new york trying to tell us how the manage the crisis. i said go back to texas. talk to your 25 republican members of congress and tell them to get back to work and help us out here. so i'm just, it is very frustrating, as you can tell, for all of us who are being affected by the inability of republicans to do what's right in this country. >> you want migrants in new york and be just venezuelans. migrants to be able to work so they are not such a strain on taxpayer funded housing there.

social services. does that mean you want the biden administration to grant them temporary protected status? >> well, they do it country by country. and right now, it's been dramatically helpful for us to know that the venezuelan who's arrived before july 31st, that they will have the opportunity to work within 30 days. within a very short time. my department of labor stood up a portal so businesses can let us know what jobs they have available so we can match the skills, which is what we're surveying now, the skills of venezuelans. we'll have at least 15,000 people who can go to the 460,000 jobs i have open right now in new york, including 5,000 farm jobs as we speak. so i'm excited about this opportunity to help opening up the back door so people don't keep coming in the front door and staying for a year or longer. that they can be self-sustaining and be put to work as soon as possible. >> do you want, in order for

these other people to work, the way the venezuelans are working, they have this temporary protected status. do you want that then for people from other countries? >> for people who are already here, there are specific countries. you have to be very careful not to open it up to the entire world. that's not our objective here. a country where there's oppression and violence and political chaos, certainly venezuela fits that description. there are other countries in south and central america that i believe fit that description. so yes. it would be very helpful for us in new york state to have more people eligible to work sooner. in the meantime, those who are seeking asylum, they can work after 180 days. and our work is cut out for us to get them the applications, get them processed so they can also fill these jobs that are so desperate. we have republican businesses who are calling me saying, can

you let some of these individuals come to my business, my farm, my restaurant, my hotel, my nursing home. there are so many opportunities. but we have to be care. . our shelter system is overstressed right now. a lot of credit for housing 125,000 people over the past year. >> you have this worker shortage. you also though have an interesting sentiment, i think among some new yorkers. there's a reason the cnn college poll last month that says new yorkers overwhelmingly are saying the influx of migrants, 8 out of 10. democrats, it's everyone. upstate, downstate, they're saying the migrants are a serious problem in the state. then you have a majority who say also that new yorkers have done enough and that the flow of migrants should be slowed, and this is the key point here, rather than accepting new migrants and working to assimilate them into new york. working to assimilate them into new york.

they don't seem to want to work to assimilate them into new york. why do you think they're okay with getting these migrants working in new york communities? i know you're hearing that from some businesses. but there may be some other folks who are not okay with that. >> i'll be very clear about the values of new yorkers. we have always been a place that has welcomed immigrants. all of us have come from another place, our families, our parents, our grandparents. my grandparents were very poor immigrant who's found jobs working in the wheat fields of south dakota. migrant farm workers themselves. domestic servants ultimately worked in the bethlehem steel plant and that worked in the circumstances of my family. we'll always be that place. it is also a question of capacity right now. we have been welcoming. we have been gracious. we have been supportive. but we have to point out the

fact and make sure people coming across the border who think there are plentiful hotel rooms and services in new york city, we hit our capacity. so we're asking others to embrace these individuals. we're not going to compromise who we are as a state with the statue of liberty in our harbor. so that's what i want to be clear about. that's important. we'll retain that. we just need a slowing right now to help us manage the people who have already come and let people know it is not the way it was a year ago. we're at capacity. but getting people out of the shelters is our number one priority. full stop. we have to get them out through legal status to get work if they're venezuelans, get the asylum process underway if they're not. and also, just the state of the workers who are, the employers, help is on the way. i've had a twin crisis.

a humanitarian crisis. on the other hand i have a worker shortage crisis. we can marry the two together and take a challenge and turn it into an opportunity. that's what my administration has been laser focused on over the last year. >> governor hochul, thank you so much for being with us. we really do appreciate your time. i do want to ask you one quick question before i let you go. that is about this decision by a judge about this school on staten island. do you read this decision -- because new york has this right to shelter policy which is part of why migrants come and they receive this shelter. there's been a decision that has said the school cannot be used on staten island to shelter. you think the policy should be ended. do you read that as overturning right to shelter or no? >> it doesn't overturn right to shelter. and i support mayor adams and his efforts to appeal that decision. there is a decision that years ago, 40 years ago, that the

right to shelter means people should not be living on the streets of new york. that they'll be given support and housing. again, the way this has been interpreted lately as an unlimited universal right and obligation to shelter the entire world. that is just not sustainable. but on staten island, there have been other judges -- this keeps being litigated, other judges have determined that they can't stop the city from using a vacant school to house some of these individuals. especially women and children. i know staten island well and i believe that there are many people who have good hearts who are generous, who know where their families came from. so for a few individuals to challenge this, and protest and make these individuals feel unwelcome. that's not the majority of people on staten island. not the majority of new york. we have to make sure that those who are here have a place to stay temporarily. but immediately, as soon as

possible, get them into the jobs. that is our number one priority. >> governor hochul, thank you. so for being so generous with your time. we appreciate it. >> thank you. any moment now, here on cnn, president biden will be delivering remarks. a key speech about the threats to democracy. we are looking at live pictures here as we await him. we will have cnn special coverage right after a short break.

u.s. army private sking back in the u.s. he ran across the dmz into north korea. he arrived in san antonio, texas

overnight. you see him there as he arrived as a result of what u.s. officials are calling intense diplomacy. alex marquardt joins us. what are you learning? >> reporter: well, the focus for travis king is on his medical condition. both physical and emotional. there are, of course, major questions about what he could be facing in terms of discipline and punishment. for now, u.s. officials are saying that they want to give private king a chance to react recondition. he was taken to the biggest hospital in the defense department network. they have a internalized program that helps people like returning u.s. prisoners get reacquainted with normal life. this is where we saw others go to after their tough ordeals in russia.

that's not quite a fair comparison. griner and reid were held hostage by the russian regime. they were declared wrongfully detained by the state department. that is not something that happened in private king's case. this is someone who fled from the u.s. army. he was supposed to go back and face discipline for assault charges from south korea back in july. instead, he fled. he bolted across the border into north korea where he was then held for more than two months. intense diplomatic efforts to try to get him back involving both the swedish and then the chinese governments. so there will eventually be those questions about what he could face because he went awol. because of the assault charges. what kind of discipline, what kind of punishment could he face? a court-martial. these are questions being asked. the biden administration insisting they want to give him a chance to be reintegrated before the questions are

addressed. >> thank you so much for the latest. hey, stay with cnn as we take a look at live pictures of the stage in tempe, arizona, where president biden is set to give an historic speech in just moments. our special coverage is on the way.

you know i got two home runs. you got two jacks. and then my grand slam. i signed a ball for you. okay. and it says papa i love you. why did you do that? because you've taught me everything about baseball. oh hunny bunny, that's so sweet. (♪♪) (♪♪)

hello. i'm jake tapper. welcome to special coverage of president biden's upcoming address on democracy. in a remarkable sign of our times, mr. biden's speech will target his predecessor and future potential opponent donald trump and will make the case, or attempt to do so, that mr. trump poses a threat, an existential threat to american democracy itself. the speech should get underway in a few minutes. he will be talking to us from tempe, arizona, where president biden will also honor his friend, the late republican

senator john mccain who represented arizona in the senate. the setting and the tribute are a flood to an era of bipartisanship that seems to have been long-gone from washington. truth be told, there is still a lot of bipartisan legislation being passed. don't tell anyone though. there's a lot to discuss with my experts here. first let's go to arlette who is there covering the speech. what are we expecting to hear? >> reporter: well, jake, president biden is expected to lay out his starkest warning yet about the threats posed to democracy by former president donald trump and his extreme maga movement. we've seen the president talk about the issue of democracy throughout the course of his presidency. this will be the most heightened version of this speech that he is giving as the 2024 election is playing out. we've seen biden slowly over the course of the past few weeks

really lay into trying to sharpen his criticism against the former president, saying donald trump and the maga movement pose a direct threat to american democracy. this all comes at a time as the president could be ramping up toward a possible general election match-up against president biden. these arguments about the threat, against former president trump. these arguments about the threats poseded to democracy by trump and the maga movement are really what started as the bed rock as much of the general election argument. this comes tad when the president's own general election, there are concerns about his age and the handling about jobs and the economy. this is taking part in the state of arizona. this state will be critical in the next election and was one where former president trump tried to overturn the election results, including trying to pressure the state's former governor who is on hand here

today. he is here in his capacity of support for the mccain library. he said he will listen to biden's speech but he feel there are maga republicans around this country who do love the country. there are some notable figures who are in attendance for this speech, including john mccain's family. cindy mccain is expected to introduce president biden. some of his children are here as well. i'm told president biden was here working and putting the finishing touches of this speech until the last minute, including the flight he took yesterday from california to arizona. this is a speech that be had a planned for some time. the president has held strong views about how he wants to communicate this to the american public. in just a short while, we will be hearing more from the president as he could be laying out some of the general election arguments that could be, he could be waging against former president trump if he in fact becomes the republican nominee. >> all right. thank you so much. let's talk with my panel right now. scott jennings, president biden gave a speech on democracy last

year. it didn't go over well with a number of republicans. is there a republican audience that will be open-minded about a speech about democracy and bipartisanship? >> yeah. and it doesn't have to be that many people to make a difference in a close election. you think of it being decided in four states. and thousands of people could tip the balance to biden, or trump, either one. there were some republicans or republican-leaning vote here's voted for biden in 2020. these are the people he's trying to hang on to and convince to stay with him. those people, i imagine they're seeing in their research are really disillusioned with biden and his job performance. specifically on the economy. this is the strategic issue for biden. focus people in on democracy to a lesser extent for the republican audience, maybe abortion. and get them to think less about the economy and the speech is for them. >> we were talking about it yesterday. one of the republicans, cassidy

hutchinson, former super loyal trump aide with him through the end. a book out walled "enough." trump is unfit for office warning the country how donald trump pose as threat to democracy, wants to vote republican. she's looking for a republican candidate. not trump. i think in many ways she is who joe biden is speaking to today. >> absolutely. on the macro level, arizona is a battleground state trending more blue because of the grass roots organizing. >> barely. >> barely, but in 2022 the democratic, katie hobbs won governorship in daemocratic stae and running against those who didn't believe results in 2020 were accurate. on the day after a republican debate when it wasn't really even discussed, if you thought

the 2020 election results were accurate, in a moment like this, joe biden, our president, can go and deliver a speech and say democrats, we must turn out in high numbers this coming election to secure our democracy. independents, arizona has a large population. i need you to protect our democracy with a vote for me and republicans like cassidy hutchinson. there's a home for you here in the party. >> and the same day republicans in the house holding their first hearing regarding impeachment inquiry when it comes to president biden and two republican witnesses said that there wasn't enough evidence as of now to justifying impeachment. >> right. why the bar has been lowered, because they're starting an impeachment inquiry without evidence, which their own witnesses had to say, you know, this is not the time to do it. i think what biden is trying to do is to speak to those republicans and there have been

republicans who have said this is crazy. this impeachment inquiry. he's in a battleground state. very controversial. arizona last time. he wants to talk to those undecided republicans, who are potentially anti-trump republicans, independent voters and say, look. these are the stakes in this election. he's been out talking about bidenomics, and the polls show that the public is not responding. that they believe he's not doing a good job on the economy. this is something that is actually near and dear to his heart and very important. and so i think he wants to frame the election as something larger, and that's what he's trying to do today. >> john king, i think it's fair to say that there are a lot of democrats who worried katie hobbs, governor of arizona, ran a campaign in 2020 that was, shall we say, lackluster. she won, nonetheless, but won, also fair to say, i think, because her opponent republican

kari lake was a little bit nuts and anti-democracy. a big election liar. is that the card that joe biden is playing here? >> that same kari lake about to announce candidacy for senate even though says she was robbed last year. 2020, which she was not. arizona is your laboratory of democracy. the right place to give the speech. you make a great point and scott does. why did arizona go for democrats narrowly for governor and for joe biden. swing voters. don't call it middle anymore. swing voters, enough of donald trump and crazy stuff and went for democrats in that election. >> one republican along state lines was treasure. >> yes. >> not an election liar. >> correct. so can -- caned by -- biden wants to make the case normal adult leadership and make the case, be honest, arlette touched

on this. next november bigger things than anxiety about inflation, doubts about my age or stamina to do the second term. he's the incumbent. making it different. trump incumbent middle of a pandemic. now joe biden, white house has statistics, great economic statistics now. people still feel inflation. mortgage rates up again today, gas prices up again today. election not for many days, the president has time but trying to talk to the 75,000 voters in arizona, georgia, pennsylvania and wisconsin, decided the last two presidential elections. look, might be mad at me tired from coronavirus and everything else, this is a bigger case. this is democracy. can you make the case? that's the dig question. watching cnn's commercial coverage. squeeze in a quick break and we'll be right back.

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quarks welcome to cnn's special coverage's president biden's address on democracy said to happen at any moment out in tempe, arizona. i have my team of experts with me. scott, let me play some of what we've heard from donald trump when it comes to accepting the results of the next presidential election. >> will you commit to accepting results of the election regardless of the outcome. >> if i think it's an honest election i would be honored to. they rigged the presidential election of 2020 and we're not going to allow them to rig the