Biden-Harris V. Coronavirus: Day One; Kamala Harris's Story Reawakens The American Dream
VAUSE: The U.S. Democrat National Convention is just a few days away. And Joe Biden and his vice presidential running mate, Kamala Harris, are making the coronavirus pandemic a central issue in their campaign for the White House. Details now from CNN's Jessica Dean.</s>JOE BIDEN, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Be a patriot. Protect your fellow citizens. Step up. Do the right thing.</s>JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: . Joe Biden calling for governors to implement an immediate mask mandate. Saying it could save tens of thousands of lives.</s>BIDEN: Every single American should be wearing a mask when they're outside for the next three months at a minimum. Every governor should mandate mandatory mask-wearing. The estimates by the experts are it will save over 40,000 lives and the next three months.</s>DEAN: Biden has previously said if elected he would consider using his authority to mandate face coverings. Joined by running mate, Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democrat today pushed back on those who opposed such mandates.</s>BIDEN: It's not about your rights, it's about your responsibilities as an American.</s>DEAN: A day after their public debut on the Democratic ticket, Biden and Harris were briefed on the coronavirus pandemic and the economy by a host of experts. Including former federal chair, Janet Yellen, and former Surgeon General, Vivek Murthi.</s>BIDEN: I've been doing these briefings with two of the four docs up there.</s>DEAN: Today's events aimed at drawing a contrast with the Trump Administration, offering a vision of how a Biden-Harris White House would confront the crisis facing the country.</s>SEN. KAMALA HARRIS,  PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: That's what real leadership looks like.</s>DEAN: Harris continuing her indictment of President Trump's handling of the pandemic.</s>HARRIS: There may be some grand gestures offered by the current president about a vaccine. But it really doesn't matter until you can answer the question, "When am I going to get vaccinated?"</s>DEAN: The former vice president also weighing in on the president's comments Thursday saying he opposes additional funding for the U.S. Postal Service because he does not want it to go toward expanding mail-in voting.</s>BIDEN: Pure Trump. He doesn't want an election.</s>DEAN: The campaign's focus on policy today comes as it announced bringing in big money since Biden announced Harris as his vice presidential pick. Raising $34 million on Tuesday and Wednesday.</s>DEAN: Biden and Harris did not take questions on Thursday. But on Wednesday, they told my colleague, Arlette Saenz, that they would campaign together in the fall if science allows. Going back to the theme that we have seen from the Biden campaign that they really want science to lead their decisions. Jessica Dean, CNN. Wilmington, Delaware.</s>VAUSE: For Donald Trump, it seems, old habits die hard. He's back to a bit of birtherism now, he used that before with Barack Obama. Now he refuses to reject the same false claim about Kamala Harris who was born in the United States to immigrant parents. CNN's Nic Robertson takes a look at how her background influenced the presumptive Democratic vice presidential nominee.</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kamala Harris speaks passionately of her heritage.</s>HARRIS: My mother and father, they came from opposite sides of the world to arrive in America. One from India, and the other from Jamaica.</s>ROBERTSON: A daughter shaped by the world.</s>HARRIS: My grandparents were phenomenal. We would go back to India like every other year.</s>ROBERTSON: Her grandfather, an accomplished diplomat. A young Kamala Harris would walk the beach with him and his buddies.</s>HARRIS: They would talk about the importance of fighting for a democracy and the importance of fighting for civil rights. And that people would be treated equally regardless of where they were born or the circumstances of their birth.</s>ROBERTSON: Values Kamala's mother, Shyamala Gopalan, embraced and her parents indulged. Her brother, Harris's uncle, awed by her drive.</s>DR. GOPALAN BALACHANDRAN: Can you imagine 1959, a 19-year old girl who has done home science and B.A. in Lady Irwin College -- -- going to a PhD program in biochemistry at the University of California at Berkeley all by herself.</s>ROBERTSON: She met Kamala's father, Donald Harris, an economic student. Together becoming civil rights activists and marrying. They had two girls, Kamala then Maya, divorcing when Kamala was seven. Those early years, spending time with Jamaican grandparents too, her father well regarded in Jamaica.</s>RICHARD BERNAL, FMR. JAMAICAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: Professor Harris is a very urbane, thoughtful, calm person.</s>ROBERTSON: Although Ambassador Bernal never met his friend's daughters, he's sure they benefited from his country's qualities.</s>BERNAL: And it's this quality of self confidence -- and I am sure that the children would have imbibed some of that from a Jamaican born in Jamaica.</s>ROBERTSON: But it was her mother who would raise her and influence her the most.</s>HARRIS: She was a brown woman. She was a woman with a heavy accent. She was a woman who many times people would overlook her or not take her seriously. Or, because of her accent, assume things about her intelligence. Now, every time, my mother proved them wrong.</s>HARRIS: What's up, Oakland?</s>ROBERTSON: Like mother, like daughter, a trail blazer. And maybe all the way to the White House. Nic Robertson. CNN, London.</s>VAUSE: Just programming notes. CNN will be covering every angle of the 2020 presidential elections. Make sure to tune in for our coverage of the party conventions on August 17th, that will be the Democrats. And August 24th for the Republicans. Of course, our daily coverage on the election at the cnn.com website is available 24/7. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM. The World Health Organization wants each country to see a positive coronavirus test rate of less than five percent. What does that actually mean, and why is it not happening in the U.S? Also ahead. Jimmy Lai speaking out about his arrest. Why the media mogul says he does not want independence for Hong Kong?