***Live Updates*** Biden Delivers First Prime-Time Presidential Address

President Joe Biden signs the American Rescue Plan, a coronavirus relief package, in the O
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Tony Lee

President Joe Biden will give his first prime-time presidential address to the nation on Thursday evening a day after Congress passed the $1.9 trillion Coronavirus stimulus package.

Biden signed the legislation earlier in the day, and his address will also mark the one-year anniversary of the Coronavirus pandemic in America.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said earlier in the week that Biden “will discuss the many sacrifices that the American people have made over the last year and the grave loss communities and families across the country have suffered.”

“The president will look forward, highlighting the role that Americans will play in beating the virus and moving the country to getting back to normal,” she said.

Stay tuned to Breitbart News for live updates.

All times Eastern.

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8:45 PM: Chattering class gushing over Biden’s “compassion” and “empathy.”

8:26 PM: CNN’s Anderson Cooper praises Biden for being the “Commander-in-Grief” tonight, remembering Americans who died due to the Coronavirus. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow calls the address “moving” and praises Biden’s “empathy.” Maddow says Biden is a different type of man than Trump, and he says all of Trump’s public pronouncements about Coronavirus were all about himself.

8:23 PM: Biden says he will be traveling across the country with his administration to highlight details of the rescue bill that just passed.

8:22 PM: Biden hypes the rescue plan. He says “rescue checks” will be directed deposited and unemployment benefits will be increased. He says the the relief bill will create “millions of jobs” and cut child poverty.

8:17 PM: Biden says he needs “every American” to do their part and get vaccinated and help friends and families get vaccinated. He says there is a good chance that people can have cookouts again on July 4 with their families/small groups. He says that will make this Independence Day truly special, saying American can start to declare independence from the virus. Biden urges Americans to wear masks as recommended and warns there could be new restrictions if the virus starts spreading again. Biden says it’s never a good bet to bet against the American people, and “America is coming back.” He calls the development of the vaccine a “true miracle of science” and talks about the Mars Rover.

Biden says his message is: “Listen to Dr. Fauci.” He says he has assured us that vaccines are safe and have gone through rigorous scientific testing.

8:15 PM: Biden announces that he is directing all states and territories to make all adults to be able to vaccinated no later than May 1. He also announces a website people can use to find vaccination sites. He says with the passage of the stimulus bill, school re-openings can be accelerated. He says his administration will issue guidelines on what people can and cannot do once they are vaccinated.

8:10 PM: Biden talks about Johnson & Johnson working with Merck to make vaccines, coming together for the good of the nation. He says they should be applauded for it. Biden then talks about vaccinators who will administer shots and establishing more places where people can get shots. He says he is working with governors and mayors in red states and blue states to set up vaccination centers. He talks about serving the hardest hit underserved communities.

8:09 PM: Biden says the only way to get our lives back on track is the “beat the virus.” He says this is “one of the most complex operations” we have undertaken as a nation. He says he us using every power he has as president to put the country on “war footing” to “get the job done.” He says the country is making “real progress” now on the Coronavirus.

8:08 PM: Biden talks about listening to scientists and says government is not some distant force in a foreign capital. He talks about the need for a common purpose and tells the story of a woman in Philadelphia who owns a small business who told him she “just wanted the truth” about the Coronavirus.

8:07 PM: Biden says too often we have turned against another because of masks. He speaks about vicious hate-crimes against Asian-Ameriacns who have been scapegoated. Biden says so many on the front lines are forced to live in fear just walking the down the streets. He says it’s un-American and wrong and must stop.

8:04 PM: Biden says he carries a card in his pocket with the updated COVID death count in America, which he says is currently at: 527,726.

Biden says so many had to make the same walk upstairs this year that his dad had to decades ago when he lost his job. He talks about a generation of children who may be set back a year or more because they have lost a year of learning. He talks about grandparents who haven’t seen their grandchildren and not being able to do the things that used to fill us with joy.

8:02 PM: Biden says he wants to talk about where we are since “everything stopped because the pandemic.” He says a year ago the country was hit with a violence that was met with “silence.” He blames the Trump administration of “neglect.”

7:55 PM: Biden will deliver his address from the White House’s East Room:

7:50 PM: Biden expected to deliver more remarks in the Rose Garden on Friday morning hyping his administration’s Coronavirus relief bill.

7:45 PM: Biden to make vaccine announcements. He is expected to speak at the top of the hour.

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The lesson progressives learned from the most recent stimulus process/debate–“seeing Republican cooperation is a path to nowhere.” Expect more calls for filibuster reforms, including a push for talking/standing filibusters, that will cause “obstructionists” to feel more “pain.”

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