President Joe Biden has announced that he will take part in his first town hall since taking office last month. Biden will sit down with CNN's Anderson Cooper on February 16 at Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "CNN Presidential Town Hall with Joe Biden" will be backed by an invitation-only, socially distant audience as well. The President will answer questions from voters regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, America's struggling economy and much more.
CNN did not indicate where or not the President will dedicate any time toward addressing the issue of police brutality during the event. However, the event will take place in a hotbed for this issue. In the wake of the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, much of the country shifted its attention toward the shooting of Jacob Blake Jr. in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Less than an hour away from Milwaukee, Kyle Rittenhouse was accused of fatally shooting multiple people during protests that followed the Blake Jr. shooting. Today, Blake Jr. is recovering, but it is unclear if he wil lever be able to walk on his own power again. Meanwhile, legal issues continue to arise in the Rittenhouse case. Over the last few weeks, Rittenhouse has been accused of fraternizing with known white supremacists and changing his address without notifying prosecutors. Biden reportedly spoke to the Blake family last fall, but he has not made any recent public remarks regarding Rittenhouse or white nationalism in recent weeks.
While Biden has not been asked to speak about white supremacy since the Capitol Hill riots, his Press Secretary was asked about the Proud Boys last week. Government officials in Canada designated the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization, which has prompted citizens to call on the U.S. government to do the same. It appears that the federal government will wait for the results of an ongoing investigation before issuing a decision.
"When it's concluded, I'm sure we'll have more to say about our view," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
Biden will have an opportunity to address these matters and much more on February 16 at 8 p.m. ET.
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