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good morning, everybody, it is 11:00 a.m. in the east. 8:00 a.m. pacific. i'm yasmin vossoughian. it's good to see you. in just a couple of minutes, the president is set to deliver remarks on this memorial day at arlington national cemetery. we're going to bring you that live, and you're seeing live pictures there. but first a major breakthrough on the bipartisan effort to raise the debt ceiling and save the economy from what would be a historic debt default. and now the race is on to get enough support from congress. we're going to talk to congresswoman jan schakowsky about that and much more. in south carolina a state judge has pressed pause on the state's restrictive new abortion ban. we're going to break down what's next in the battle over abortion rights, and then in turkey,

president erdogan has won an unprecedented third term in a hotly contested election. we'll take you live to ankara. we're keeping a close eye on arlington national cemetery where president biden is about to mark memorial day there by laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. in just a couple of minutes he will honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice when he delivers a speech in the cemetery's memorial amphitheater. we will bring you those events live when they begin. this is coming one day after the president and speaker mccarthy reached a deal that would prevent the u.s. from defaulting on its debt and avoid an economic catastrophe. it would increase spending on defense and veteran's health care while holding non-defense spending fairly flat, and it would expand the age at which adults would be required to work to receive food stamps from 49

years of age to 54. the big task now, the work ahead is for both leaders to sell it to the 435 house members and 100 senators who will need to approve it this week as two sources familiar with the planning tell nbc news the rules committee will meet tomorrow afternoon to process this bill. with us now to start us off, nbc news senior white house correspondent kelly o'donnell, and rachel bade, "politico" senior washington correspondent and playbook co-author. kelly o., let me start with you on this one, and really, the overarching question, which is how the president is selling this to the democratic party. >> well, the first thing that the president wants to do is talk about the fact that this would avert the kind of calamity that you were alluding to in your intro where if the nation defaulted for the first time ever, the cascade of negative effects, the volatility in the

stock market, also issues like what would happen if the government cannot in a timely way pay important benefits to veterans, to seniors, all kinds of things that would rock our economy and have profound negative impact on just about every american. so the first thing the president has to do is say that crisis could be avoided with a bipartisan approach, and having to sell compromise, which in our current politics is not always a sellable thing. governing as compared to campaigning usually requires compromise, but you've got people in both ends of the political spectrum, whether it's the progressive left or the far conservative right who will find things they don't like about this particular package, and that is the nature of compromise, and it's how much don't they like it, and where are the numbers. so in some ways you'll have house members, for example, who will vote their own views on this but may be aware there would be enough other votes to get it passed, so they kind of

split the difference, allowing this to move forward, averting that crisis, but retaining their own political argument. we might see some of that playing out. in a broadway, the speaker, the president, and the top democrats in congress have to deliver now, and it is not a certain thing. there are only a matter of days left to try to get this done. so if you thought getting the deal was the big hurdle. take a little deep breath because now the next piece of this fight begins. >> right, exactly right, and that's much of what i've been hearing as well. i want to remind folks while we're talking about this, while kelly o. is at the white house, the president is not. he's at arlington national cemetery on this memorial day holiday to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. i'm hearing the president has arrived there, so we're going to be watching his movement there on the ground. he's also going to be delivering remarks as soon as that gets up and going, we're going to bring that to you. rachel, let's draw a little bit on what kelly just said, which

is, okay, getting the deal, that was difficult enough. the uphill battle now both parties face, both leaders face i should say in getting the votes they need, and by the way, in time. >> yeah, that's right. i mean, what, june 5th is less than a week away at this point, and this really is going to be the harder part. so you know, kelly just talked about democrats and how the white house was trying to sell this to democrats saying, look, this deal you might not like it, but it is going to avert a default, make sure that can you not -- that doesn't happen. speaker mccarthy has been saying to his own rank and file democrats didn't want to negotiate, and look what i got. the problem mccarthy faces is he raised expectations for his rank and file members when they passed their republican debt ceiling bill a few weeks ago, he had told some of those members he was going to fight to try to

get more republican concessions than were actually in their own bill. a lot of rank and file members on the right, they're looking at this watered down deal saying this is not going to cut it. chip roy who is an influential from texas, he called this a turd sandwich. a conservative was tweeting a barf emoji. ron desantis just this morning on fox news said this deal is not going to cut it. this deal does reduce spending like republicans said they were going to do. in fact, it freezes spending for the most part, and i am curious to see what ron desantis, him weighing in, what does this do to donald trump. he's sort of a wild card in all of this. donald trump encouraged republicans to let the government default if they don't get everything they wanted. and they didn't get everything they wanted.

watch trump if he comes out and says this deal is a disaster, mccarthy could lose additional conservatives. that could be a problem for him. he promised that a majority of house republicans would back this, and if they don't, he's going to be in trouble with the right. so it's going to be tricky for him. >> this is interesting, i want to draw on this a little bit more. so you think at this point even someone like ron desantis who just jumped into the 2024 race is going to have some real kind of political pull? what are you actually watching for with him specifically? >> yeah, i think with ron desantis jumping in, trump obviously who sees desantis as his biggest threat in 2024, he could feel the need to go even further than desantis. he could of course take the opposite tact and say, look, desantis is saying this is a bad deal. i'm going to do the opposite is and say it's a good deal. if the base is saying they don't like this, we know that trump, he's not really a genuine fiscal

conservative. he sort of goes where the wind blows in terms of the republican party. he could move further to the right. i know kevin mccarthy is watching him closely, donald trump that is. he spoke with him over the weekend. and trump told him you better make sure you're getting a good deal here, and mccarthy does have a good relationship with the president, so you know, perhaps he can use that relationship to influence how the former president weighs in here. but again, like if trump is coming out against this, desantis is coming out against this, and you see more and more influential conservative voices blasting this, it could be trouble for mccarthy on the map, and he's got to get a majority of the majority or he's going to find himself potentially in big trouble. >> i've got one last thing for you, rachel. this is breaking in the last 20 minutes or so. senator tim kaine saying he's going to file an amendment to strip the expedited approval of the mountain valley pipeline project, and that's a key priority for west virginia senator joe manchin. how is that going to affect things here?

>> yes, joe manchin, as always finding a way to influence talks and get one of his top priorities tucked into this bill. i think a lot of democrats are looking at this and saying it looks ugly. why is this senator getting specifically something called out about something in his own state. why is he getting that and we are not, so i do think you're going to see some democrats try to strip that, obviously, tim kaine filing this amendment to do just that. the question i have is do other republicans follow along with this? because they're going to need, you know, 60 votes to potentially do that, and a lot of republicans know that joe manchin is up for re-election in 2024. if he can bring home the bacon, so to speak, with expedited approval for a project, that actually could help his own re-election campaign. i am going to be watching republicans actually specifically on that question, to they join with democrats to strip that language because they don't want manchin to have this

win for his own constituents lest it help him in 2024. >> rachel dade, thank you, kelly o., if you would stick with me for a moment, as we can watch this procession here together at arlington national cemetery. we're seeing the president arrive along with the vice president kamala harris of the united states there at arlington national cemetery on this memorial day holiday. let's listen in, guys. ♪♪ ♪♪

♪♪ ♪♪

>> present arms!

>> the wreath ceremony is now complete. the memorial day observance will begin momentarily. please move to your seats. >> so we just saw there the president, the vice president, secretary of defense austin as well honoring those that sacrificed everything at the tomb of the unknowns. an incredibly beautiful moment

to see with the first lady, the second gentleman behind them as well. we're also going to be awaiting remarks from the president on this memorial day holiday at arlington national cemetery. let's not forget this is a president whose son served in the iraq war as captain in the delaware army national forward, beau biden, whose anniversary of his death, eighth anniversary is on tuesday, and so certainly you can only imagine what the president was thinking today not only honoring those that sack ri sacrificed their life for this country over so many decades and so many wars that we have found ourselves in, but also thinking about his son who died of brain cancer eight years ago tomorrow. kelly o., i know you're still with me. we're awaiting the president to make remarks today on this memorial day holiday at

arlington national cemetery. talk to me about what you expect to hear from him. >> reporter: this is certainly one of the most solemn duties a president has, and when many american families are enjoying time together and barbecues and the kickoff of summer, of course this holiday is about this very deep and enduring tradition of honoring those who gave the full measure as abraham lincoln described it, of sacrifice for their fellow countrymen. we have veterans day where we honor the service of those in the military, memorial day is for those who put their life on the line and sacrificed, and for their families. so this is very solemn. it comes at a time where we've been talking about the political debate and the issues that are top on the agenda, but this is a time for really reflecting on what the sacrifice means. it comes at a time when the american government has also

been supporting ukraine in its fight -- defending itself against russia. so for a commander in chief like president biden, this is a very solemn and important ritual, tradition, and the opportunity for a message that we'll hear from arlington national cemetery in a short time from now. you saw other members of the cabinet were also present. it is a very powerful and meaningful day, and certainly it is also a chance for a president who bears that responsibility of sending men and women into harm's way. we see how this is still a part of the president's decision making when it comes to counterterrorism and other issues, when we see the debate over the defense bill and how much funding will go to that. all of this interconnects, but nothing more solemn than this day and what it means to our country. >> certainly a solemn day to watch the laying of that wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. kelly o., thank you for sticking with me on that. i appreciate it. we're going to keep our eyes on arlington national cemetery

awaiting the president's remarks there. as soon as they get started, folks, i'm going to bring that to you. but we do have a lot of other things going on there in washington. that is of course the deal when it comes to the debt ceiling, and i want to continue the conversation that we've been having with illinois congresswoman jan schakowsky. congresswoman, thanks for joining us on this. we appreciate it. i know you got a lot going on today as you are trying to get through all of the language on this latest bill, but quickly, if you will -- and i'm sure you just saw what we were just watching there at arlington national cemetery, weigh in, give me your remarks on watching the president, vice president, secretary of defense there, laying that wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. >> well, thank you so much for having me, yasmin. yes, it's a very, very solemn day at arlington cemetery, also a day of celebration for a lot of people, but i want to say it's a good day for veterans as well because the mccarthy and

the republicans actually would have in their effort to hold the congress hostage wanted to cut benefits for the veterans, and fortunately among the many things that it appears right now have been protected in the deal is benefits for the veterans, and so i'm very happy that that is the thing that we can celebrate on this memorial day. but you know, i want to tell you that, you know, the republicans and kevin mccarthy did their best to actually hold the americans hostage, to say that we are not going to give in unless we have huge cuts that are going to affect millions and millions of americans in a very devastating way, and yet from what i have heard from the briefings that i've had from the

democratic leadership that a lot of things actually have been protected, social security, medicare, medicaid, medicaid, which they really wanted to go after. student loans. there are so many things that actually have been protected including a lot of the bills we passed in the last session, the infrastructure bill, the bills that are going to have the chips and so many things that are going to be there for us. now, i'm not saying that it looks like everything is rosy, no way. but it looks like the devastation that kevin mccarthy was willing to wreak onto the american people may not be as bad as we thought, and in fact, probably not so different from what we would have gotten if we would have had just a normal

negotiation at the end for the -- of the session rather than this hostage taking. >> congresswoman, let me get into some of the details here. i know work requirements were a major sticking point, especially for the progressive caucus of your party, looking like they did concede a bit there increasing the age for food stamps from 49 to 54 if an individual is able bodied without children. what do you make of that? >> well, you know, i really don't like that. to even mess with food security in this country and to raise the age of people who have to have wok requirements, really? this is the richest country of the world at the richest moment of history, and we can't assure that all people, whatever their age are going to have the ability to get the help that

they need to put food on the table? most people that have food stamps are working, and if not, they are children, they are seniors, they are people with disabilities, and so, you know i just feel like there's a cruelty involved even in raising the age of people now who have to prove that they are working. but you know, i think that the compromise may be worth it. i'm not going to commit to voting for it until i see the actual words that are written, and when i see the text, then i'll make my decision. >> what questions, congresswoman, are still outstanding for you at this point as you're going to be inside some briefings throughout the day today and tomorrow as well, kind of combing through that text? >> i'm going to be looking for the things that are going to make sure that ordinary people, that everyday people, my

constituents who have been calling me and are very concerned about losing their benefits. i want to make sure that those aren't ripped away, and i have to tell you, that i'm not sure that the republicans, especially the more conservative, the more right wing are going to want to support this legislation. we have to get a deal. we only have a few more days, and yet, we're hearing from the other side that, no, they don't want to see those concessions that, yes, mccarthy has had to concede to. and so right now we don't have a signed, sealed, and delivered teal. >> congresswoman, i was speaking with your colleague, debbie dingell yesterday who was pretty upset that democrats were even in this position feeling as if they were being held hostage by the republican party, that had

really gotten to the end of the road as this negotiation was being made. how do you avoid this situation in the future, or is this just how washington works? >> well, it better not be because what we want to do, first of all, is to end this even opportunity for holding hostage. we should just have -- end the debate over paying the bills of the united states of america. that it should be automatic, that it should be like, you know, during the trump administration he passed a debt ceiling three times without any hullaballoo. we should just make it a rule like the 14th amendment of the constitution says, we have to pay the bills that are incurred and there should not be any vote. we should not have to have any vote. so when the democrats take the

house of representatives back, which i think we will in the next election, one of thefirst things we should do is to drop the idea of a vote on the debt ceiling and just make it automatic. >> how are you going to vote on this? do you know yet, congresswoman? >> i don't. i'm going to look at the actual words that are there in the -- and make a decision once i've actually read what the final view is, and you know, right now, though, i think we also have to look at what are the republicans going to do. are they going to actually vote in favor of making a deal so that we do pay the bills and that we don't have a default in this country, but i am not ready to say for sure that i'm ready to -- that i'm going to vote for it until i see it. we're going to have briefings

all day this day, and tomorrow and the next day, and hopefully we are going to arrive before the catastrophic default that could happen, and i can't imagine that the republicans want to do it, and yet, the far right, the maga republicans are saying that they're not so sure that they're going to vote for it. >> congresswoman jan schakowsky, we appreciate you joining us. i know you've got a lot ahead of you today and tomorrow and the following days, of course. it's certainly going to be an uphill battle to get this thing across the finish line, but we're thankful you're sharing some words with us today. >> thank you. we are watching, everybody, arlington national cemetery on this memorial day holiday. any moment now, the president is going to begin delivering those remarks there after laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. we will bring those to you as soon as they get up and going. we'll be right back.

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we are watching arlington national cemetery where a ceremony is underway honoring the nation's war dead. president biden is set to speak. we're going to bring you that as soon as it gets up and going. chairman of the joint chiefs mark milley just wrapped there. currently, i believe, they are singing "this land is your

land." as soon as the president gets up and starts speaking, we're going to bring that to you. let's actually take a moment and listen in on this if we could. ♪♪ >> the audio's not great, folks, so we are going to keep moving on here, but again, honoring those that made the ultimate sacrifice for this country on this memorial day holiday, and as soon as we see the president there, we'll bring it to you. meanwhile, just a month into the president's campaign for re-election, right, the president and his team, they're already building this robust network of allies to help secure a second term. nbc news learning the president's campaign is investing early to top the star power of the democratic party. the team is looking to repeat the success they had back in 2020 when biden ran a relatively low profile campaign amidst the

coronavirus pandemic with a reliance on surrogates. joining us now to talk more about this, is victoria defrancesco soto, the dean of the clinton school of public service at the university of arkansas and an msnbc political analyst. also with us is former republican congressman carlos curbelo of florida, he's also an msnbc political analyst. i'll just let you guys know, i might have to jump in there if the president begins speaking at arlington national cemetery. so excuse me in advance for that. carlos, let me start with you because we're having some connectivity issues with victoria, we're going to try and get her back up as soon as possible. what do you make of this plan of the president kind of tapping back into his network of surf surrogates to help rely on them really during this campaign process, especially in comparison to the time we were in during the last campaign. >> yasmin, this is important because joe biden's greatest strength can also be his

greatest vulnerability. one of the reasons joe biden was so successful in 2020 is because joe biden's vanilla. i mean, he's not a super, you know, interesting, charismatic candidate, but the american people were really in the mood for that after four years of chaos under donald trump. but at the same time, joe biden needs to excite the democratic base if he's going to get reelected, and bringing in a lot of these figures that are popular that get younger voters excited, minority voters excited, that's going to be an important part of his formula if he's going to succeed. we've seen the polling. we know that half the democrats in some polls have actually opined that joe biden shouldn't run for re-election, so he really does need some of these third-party validators insides democratic party to get out there, get on the stump and convince people that it's very important for them to participate in the next

election. >> victoria, if you would, expand on what carlos is talking about, this idea of tapping into surrogates for the 2024 election. this is not 2020, we're not inside of a pandemic. we're not all stuck at home, and you know, right, donald trump, you know ron desantis whoever will be the republican candidate for president will be out on the trail. >> yes, surrogates are great, and i think it's fantastic that the big tent that is the crack party is in full display, but beyond that, what i'm really looking at is direct engagement. it's door knocking. it's good old fashioned poly sci 101 politics. what we saw from the democrats in 2020 was because of the pandemic and because of the health concerns that the democratic party pulled back in terms of the door knocking, in

terms of the engaging with folks one on one, going into folks' living rooms. big names are great, but by themselves are not going to seal the deal. people need to feel that they are being heard, that they're being engaged, especially with low propensity voters. our latinos, for example, our voters lower on the socioeconomic spectrum. so you need it all, right? you need president biden out and about. you need great surrogates, but you also need the ground game in full effect, which we did not see in 2020. >> i want to read for you some reporting from "the washington post," victoria, because i find it fascinating. this is days after the new york grand jury found the former president liable for sexual abuse. "the washington post" went to pennsylvania and interviewed dozens of women. if the election were held today between trump and president biden, most of the women said they'd vote for trump citing a visceral dislike of biden and

economic woes as the reasons driving their vote. what do you make of this, victoria? >> i am not surprised. in looking at the pattern of female support, white female support for donald trump, it was pretty much unchanged between 2016 and 2020, and to be sure that president biden had one of the largest gender gaps in terms of women supporting him since 19 the 6, since president clinton got reelected. so president biden has a lot of support among women, but the devil is in the detail, and once we start parsing out by race, by ethnicity, by region, by education, then things get interesting, and if there's a truism that we've seen in the last several electoral cycles is that white women will lean more towards the republican presidential candidate, even though that's going to differ by education level. with women with college degrees,

white women being more likely to vote for the democratic candidate. but partisan goggles are very thick, and these are women who are entrenched in the republican party in that mind-set. whatever comes out in the news about donald trump is not going to sway their position. >> carlos, new hampshire governor chris sununu expected to decide if he's going to enter the 2024 primary race. how could that rock things, if at all? >> yasmin, i think the hope for a lot of these second tier candidates like governor sununu, senator scott, governor haley, they're hoping that this fight between donald trump and ron desantis gets so nasty and so toxic that republican primary voters start looking elsewhere, and that's the lane that they're competing for. so he's going to be, you know, a different voice. he's a centrist governor. he is going to be arguing that the party needs to move in a different direction. there doesn't seem to be a big market for that in the

republican primary right now, but again, what candidates like him are hoping for, assuming he gets in the race, is that people kind of get sick, turned off by the trump/desantis war and start looking for a fresh start, a different kind of republican candidate. >> victoria defrancesco soto, thank you, carlos curbelo, thank you as well. we made it through without interruption, of course except for those technical difficulties we had. we're taking a live look at arlington national cemetery where the president is going to be speaking momentarily. we're going to bring you that live as soon as it happens. and coming up, last minute travel tips if you're still looking to hit the road and make the best of this memorial day weekend, you are watching msnbc reports. we'll be right back. reports. we'll be right back.

welcome back, everybody. the president's speaking now at arlington national cemetery. let's listen in. >> standing in that rows and rows of marble stones, many of his own fallen soldiers among them, he asked what brought these men here. what high motive led them to welcome death, and he answered his own question. should our nation's life. my fellow americans, gil, vice president harris, second

gentleman emhoff, secretary austin, secretary mcdonough, secretary mayorkas, general milley, and most importantly, veterans, servicemen and women, and their survivors. today we once again gather in this sacred place at this solemn hour to honor fallen heroes, to once again stand amid the rows and rows of marble stones and bear witness for the brave women and men who served and sacrifice for our freedom and for our future. those who died so our nation might live. every year as a nation we undertake this right of remembrance, for we must never forget the price that was paid to protect our democracy. we must never forget the lives

these flags, flowers, and marble markers represent. a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a sister, a spouse, a friend, an american. every year we remember, and every year it never fetes easier. to all those here and across the nation who are grieving the loss of a loved one who wore the uniform, our gold star families, to all those with loved ones still missing unaccounted for, i know how painful it can be. how it can reopen that ripple and that black hole in the center of your chest. you feel like you're just

sinking into. bringing you back to that exact moment you heard that knock on the door or the telephone ring. the exact moment you had to tell your children and mom or dad would not be coming home. the hurt is still real. it's still raw. tomorrow marks eight years since we lost our son beau. our losses are not the same. he didn't perish in the battlefield. it was cancer that stole him from us a year after being deployed as a major in the united states army national guard in iraq. as it is for so many of you, the pain of loss is with us every day, but particularly sharp on

memorial day. still clear, tomorrow's his anniversary, but so is the pride jill and i feel in this service, as if i can still hear him saying dad, it's my duty, dad. it's my duty. duty. that was the code my son lived by and all those you lost lived by. it's the creed that millions of service members have followed from the fields of yorktown to the shores of normandy to the rice padies of pasan, to the valleys kandahar to the valleys of sinjar and beyond. many of whom never return home. throughout history, these women and men lay down their lives not

for a place or a person or a president but for an idea unlike any other idea in all of human history, the idea, the idea of the united states of america, this sanctuary honors that sacrifice and tells their story, and in turn tells our story, the american story, where everyone is entitled to certain inalienable rights, among them, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. the story of hundreds of thousands of soldiers who shed their blood to make these words real. the story of the brave americans who fought the forces of fascism

and died for preservation of democracy. as we're reminded by the hundreds of graves here in section 60 of arlington and across our nation, the story of the women and men who sacrificed everything to keep democracy safe and secure during the last two decades. each of them, each of them a link in a chain of honor that stretches back to our founding fathers in those days, unbreaking, unbending, not just in their duty and devotion, but something even deeper in their faith in us, their faith in us that we will be worthy of their sacrifice. our service members have always emboied the highest expectations of our democracy. they've always held faith in our country and all that we could be, a citadel of liberty, a

beacon of freedom, for our democracy is our strength. the wellspring of possibilities and the source of endless, endless renewal. it's how we've been able to constantly change and adapt through the centuries. it's why we've always emerged from every challenge we face stronger than we entered it. it's how we come together as one nation united, and why there's nothing we can't do in america when we do it together. it's the truth. we celebrate this year as we mark 75 years of a dissegregated military. 75 years of women full integration, 50 years when all volunteers force.

throughout the annals of history, our troops have fought for our democracy and if necessary, died for it, and today their service and sacrifice and that of their families echoes far beyond those silent stones out there. we see the strength of our nato alliance built from the bonds that we forever forged in the fires of two world wars. we see it in the troops still standing sentinel on the korean peninsula preserving peace side by side with our allies. we see it in every vessel. around the globe where our military proudly serves and stands as a force for good in the world. and just as they kept the ultimate faith to our country,

to our democracy, we must keep the ultimate faith to them. as a nation, and people have heard me say this for a long time. as a nation, we have many obligations. but i believe with every fiber of my being, we have only one truly sacred obligation. to prepare those we send into harm's way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don't. it's a sacred obligation not based on party or politics. but on a promise. a promise to unite all of us. there's nothing more important, nothing more sacred, nothing more american. together, over the last two and a half years, we worked to make good on that promise, passing more than 25 bipartisan laws to

support our service members. their families, care givers and survivors. that includes the pact act, most significant in our nation's history, to millions of veterans were exposed to toxic substances in burn pits during their military service. pits the size of football fields. that incinerate the waste of war such as tires, chemicals, jet fuel, and so much more. to many of our nation's warriors that have selflessly served only to return home and suffer from the permanent effects of this poisonous smoke. too many have died, excuse the personal reference like my son, beau, heath robinson, for whom the act is named. last year after i signed the

pact act, i handed the pen to his daughter. she and her grandmother are with us today. after i handed her the pen, this beautiful little girl sitting over there, thank you for waving, baby. lost half of her world, her whole world. held the pen in her hand and looked at me and said, thank you for my daddy. thank you for my daddy. god love you, honey. but i don't think she was just thanking me. she's thanking all of us. everyone who fought so hard came together to keep our promise to our veterans. to keep the faith of our heroes.

on this day, we come together again to reflect, to remember, but above all, to recommit to the future our fallen heroes fought for. that generation of service members who died were a future grounded in freedom, democracy, equality, tolerance, opportunity, and yes, justice. you use those words all the time. we've seen of late here and around the world that they have to continue to be fought for. not just for some but for all. this is more important than just our system of government. it's the very soul of america. a soul that was forged by our

nation's first patriots. a soul that triumphed over trials and testing less than centuries later. a soul that endured because of the sacrifices of generations and generations of service members ever since. together, we're not just the fortunate inheriters of their legacy. we must be the keeper of their mission. the bearers of the flame of freedom. that kept burning bright for nearly 247 years. that, that's the truest memorial to their lives. our actions every day to ensure that our democracy endures, our constitution endures and the soul of our nation, our decency endures. ladies and gentlemen, 155 years ago, our ancestors stood here and asked themselves what brought our heroes to this

hallowed ground. what high motive led these brave souls as general garfield said, to welcome death? today, we must ask ourselves what can we do, what must we do to uphold the vision in which they lived, in which they died. today, it's an all of us, all of us, to insure that sacrifice is not in vain. to work toward a more perfect union. one where all women and all men are created equal. we're the only nation built in the world built on an idea. every other nation is foreign based on things like geography, ethnicity, religion. we're the only nation in the world built on an ideal that we are all created equal. we haven't always lived up to it

but we have never walked away from it. and today, standing together to honor those americans who dared all and gave all for our nation, we can say clearly we never will. god bless all those who gave their lives so our nation might live. god bless their families. and may god protect our troops today and always. thank you. >> the president there addressing the nation on this memorial day holiday at arlington national cemetery. as we are all at home with our families, celebrating this day off of work with our friends, at backyard barbecues, going to the beach. reminding the people in this country what the ultimate

sacrifice was made by these soldiers. the people that lost their lives fighting for as the president put it, for democracy and for freedom. what this country stands for. recounting what he was told by his own son, an iraq war veteran who died eight years ago tomorrow of brain cancer who said to the president at the time, it is my duty. i want to bring in nbc news white house correspondent who's been standing by for us as well listening to the president address the nation. as you were listening to the president there today, ahead of the eight-year anniversary of the death of his own son, beau biden, what stood out to you? >> it's always stunning seeing the visual of the hundreds of thousands of american flags in front of the headstones at arlington national cemetery every memorial day. if you ever get a chance to see it in person, it's even more powerful and we saw the president arrive at arlington

national cemetery lay that wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier, salute the tomb as taps played in the background before delivering these remarks. and i thought it was particularly poignant when he mentioned obviously as you said, the death of his son. the eighth anniversary of beau biden's death that is going to be marked tomorrow. the president set to leave in just a few hours back to wilmington, delaware, to be in place tomorrow to mark that anniversary. and it's especially notable, somber, because we know even yesterday that loss was noticed. he attended the high school graduation of his granddaughter, natalie, who was beau biden's daughter. so we heard the president say in this speech, never forget, quote, we'll never forget what the flags, the marble posts represent, that each one represents a friend, a son, a daughter whose loss never gets easier. he talked about how that hurt

never goes away. how memorial day is a day of reflection, remembrance, but it is especially difficult for him especially today as he is set to remember that anniversary of beau biden's death tomorrow. as you mentioned, he died at the age of 46 in 2015 after battling brain cancer. the president has been very vocal about his belief that that brain cancer diagnosis was due to that exposure of toxic burn pits during his serving in iraq. the president also talking about how he's fought for veterans. almost a year ago now, he signed into law a bill to expand healthcare benefits for veterans. so a deeply somber day for the president and first lady as they mark memorial day. >> yeah. an incredible ceremony to see and certainly a solemn one at that. thank you. that wraps it up for me, everybody. enjoy your memorial day holiday while keeping those veterans in