NEW YORK — ABC’s news president says the sense that the public is hungry for progress on race relations and policing led the network to quickly schedule a town-hall meeting with President Barack Obama in prime time.

The discussion will air at 8 p.m. today on ABC and simulcast on ESPN, the Freeform entertainment network, ABC Radio and various online outlets.

ABC pulled the event together following the shooting deaths of five Dallas police officers last week and the police shootings of men and Minnesota and Louisiana that sparked Black Lives Matter protests.

David Muir will anchor the event.