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Five key questions Kamala Harris should answer during first interview
Kamala Harris will sit down for her first unscripted interview with the media on Thursday—here are five topics Newsweek thinks she will be asked about.
The Vice President will be interviewed by CNN, alongside her running mate Tim Walz, in Georgia, where she is currently on a bus tour. The interview is with CNN’s chief political correspondent and anchor Dana Bash and will be aired at 9 p.m. ET.
This is a big moment for the Democratic campaign, especially as Harris has long faced criticism for not doing an interview with the media since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her as his replacement.
Harris’ willingness to do an interview with the media will likely be one of the main things she is asked about, along with the economy, the border and immigration, her policies on topics such as fracking and women’s issues and abortion.
Talking to The Media
The last time Harris did anything close to an interview with the media, was on June 24, 2024, when she spoke to MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss how the then-Biden campaign was preparing to go after Republicans on abortion rights. Newsweek has compiled a list of her media appearances since then here.
“This interview is pivotal for Harris precisely because she has been dodging the press for weeks,” Associate Professor of Political Science at London’s UCL School of Public Policy, Thomas Gift told Newsweek.
He said: “It’s a not unreasonable expectation that candidates should make themselves available to the media. The fact that Harris hasn’t raises the stakes of any interview she does give.
“Even after this evening’s joint appearance with Tim Walz, detractors will persist in claiming that Harris should be willing to face tough questions on her own. It’s hard not to think that Harris’s avoidance of the press reflects a lack of confidence in her ability to perform in unscripted settings.”
Some Democratic analysts and talking heads have argued Harris’ lack of interviews or press conferences is part of a specific media strategy.
“The vice president is showing all of us that you don’t need to do high-profile interviews or press conferences in order to get attention from the media or from voters,” Democratic strategist Christy Setzer told The Hill.
The Economy
Multiple polls show that the economy is an important issue for Americans, with 83 percent of respondents to a recent CBS News/YouGov poll saying they believe it is a major factor in this election.
Harris has revealed several of her proposed economic policies, which include raising the level of tax levied on corporations, ending taxes on tipped income and expanding current child tax credit provisions. Newsweek has broken down what she hopes to achieve with her tax policies here.
Earlier this month, Harris told supporters at a campaign rally in North Carolina that she wanted to build an “opportunity economy.”
“Building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency because I strongly believe when the middle class is strong, America is strong,” she said.
Harris has also unveiled a plan to offer $25,000 in financial assistance to first-time homebuyers, as well as build 3 million new homes over four years in an effort to curb inflation.
“Vice President Harris knows we need to do more to address our housing crisis and that’s why she has a plan to end the housing shortage” and will crack down on “corporate landlords and Wall Street banks hiking up rents and housing costs,” Dan Kanninen, the campaign’s battleground states director, told the Associated Press.
Critics have doubts about these ideas, with Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary calling them part of “Kamalanomics.”
Harris’ opponent, Donald Trump, at an August 19, 2024, rally in York, Pennsylvania: “She has no clue how’d she paid for $25,000 to every first-time homebuyer, including illegals.”
AP
The Border and Immigration
Immigration is another major issue for American voters, with Republicans often hammering Democrats for what they say is being soft on the border.
RNC spokesperson Taylor Rogers previously told Newsweek: “While failed border czar Kamala Harris adopts the Biden Basement strategy to hide from the illegal immigrant invasion created by her radical policies, President Trump will be visiting the southern border again.”
Republicans have branded Harris the “border czar,” despite her never being given that title. Harris was tasked by President Joe Biden with addressing the “root cause” of migration to the U.S. from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, which resulted in Harris securing $4.2 billion in private-sector investments for employment opportunities in Central America.
But Harris is also facing heat from the left, who fear the Democrats shifting to the right with their immigration policies.
She has promised to reintroduce the bipartisan border bill and be tough when it comes to enforcement and she has also said at recent rallies that she wanted to shore up paths to citizenship for immigrants.
Harris will likely be asked about a resurfaced video from October 2019, where she says she would close privately-run immigration detention “on day one.”
Policies in General
Harris will almost certainly be asked to clear up her position on multiple issues in general, especially environmental ones.
When Harris ran for the presidential nomination in 2020, she vowed to ban fracking and back a Green New Deal which would work to shift the U.S. to 100 percent renewable energy.
As video of these comments resurfaced, Harris’ campaign officials confirmed that she would not ban fracking—to The Guardian and several other newspapers.
As vice president, Harris has essentially toed the Biden administration’s line on fracking.
Just a few days ago, Trump wrote on Truth Social that it is “very difficult for her to defend her record-setting Flip-Flopping on absolutely everything she once believed in.”
Women’s Issues and Abortion
Women’s issues and abortion have been major topics in the campaigns running up to the November election, with Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, facing multiple controversies about his resurfaced comments.
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has also set the stage for candidates to focus on abortion, with the Democrats often warning about what a Republican White House could mean for abortion rights.
Harris has consistently supported women’s rights to an abortion and has been an advocate for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence throughout her career. Newsweek has laid out where she stands on some key women’s issues here.
Newsweek has contacted Harris and Trump via email for any further comment.
News
Chud the Builder, Known for Racist Confrontations, Charged With Attempted Murder
A streamer known for hurling racist slurs in public settings under the nickname “Chud the Builder” was charged with attempted murder after a shooting outside a Tennessee courthouse on Wednesday, the authorities said.
The streamer, Dalton Eatherly, 28, was involved in a confrontation with an unidentified man that escalated to gunfire outside the Montgomery County Court in Clarksville, about 50 miles northwest of Nashville, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Both men sustained gunshot wounds and were in stable condition, the office said.
In addition to attempted murder, Mr. Eatherly was charged with employing a firearm during dangerous felony, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, the sheriff’s office said.
Mr. Eatherly, who is white, has accumulated an online audience by livestreaming confrontations in which he uses racist language toward Black people in public.
Law enforcement did not provide any details about the second man involved in Wednesday’s shooting. Mr. Eatherly posted an audio recording online of paramedics treating his wounds in which he claims he shot the man in self-defense.
A video posted by the website Clarksville Now shows Mr. Eatherly on a stretcher with a microphone attached to his lapel.
Mr. Eatherly is being held at the Montgomery County Jail, pending arraignment, the sheriff’s office said.
According to court records, Mr. Eatherly was scheduled to appear for a court hearing on Wednesday morning in an unrelated case brought by Midland Credit Management, a collections agency.
A lawyer listed in court records from a separate harassment case in which Mr. Eatherly was a defendant in November did not respond to a request for comment.
On Sunday, three days before the shooting in Clarksville, Mr. Eatherly was arrested in Nashville. According to a police affidavit, Mr. Eatherly live streamed his meal at a restaurant, Bob’s Steak and Chop House, on Saturday even though the restaurant had asked him ahead of time not to do so.
When he was confronted, Mr. Eatherly “became disruptive and started making racial statements, yelling, screaming and otherwise creating a scene,” according to the affidavit.
He then refused to pay for his $370 meal. Mr. Eatherly was charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He was released on $5,000 bond.
News
Suspect in murder of University of Washington student surrenders to police
SEATTLE (KOMO) — Seattle police have arrested a suspect in the murder of a University of Washington student.
The student, a 19-year-old transgender woman, was found dead with stab wounds in a laundry room at the Nordheim Court Apartments – off-campus housing for UW students – Sunday night.
The arrest comes a day after the Seattle Police Department (SPD) released photos of a suspect described as armed and dangerous. SPD has not yet confirmed whether the man in the images is the suspect.
According to Seattle police Det. Brian Pritchard, a 31-year-old man turned himself in to Bellevue police before being transferred to SPD detectives.
The Bellevue Police Department said the man was arrested at 10:42 p.m. on Wednesday.
The suspect was booked into the King County jail for investigation of murder.
RELATED | UW students raise security concerns after deadly stabbing, report prior break-in
Anyone with more information is asked to call the SPD violent crimes tip line at 206-233-5000. Anonymous tips are welcome.
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This story is developing.
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South Carolina Governor Plans Special Session to Redraw House Maps
Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina, a Republican, plans to call the state legislature back for a special session that will be focused on redrawing the state’s congressional maps, lawmakers said on Wednesday evening. The effort could eliminate the state’s sole Democratic district, held by Representative James E. Clyburn.
Mr. McMaster’s decision came one day after five Republican state senators voted with Democrats to block a resolution that would have brought the legislature back to the State Capitol to consider redistricting.
That vote had seemed to close the door on the matter. Republican lawmakers had considered an agreement to extend their session only when it became clear that Mr. McMaster would not immediately call a special session himself.
But Mr. McMaster, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits, now appears willing to thrust South Carolina into the redistricting battles that have reached fever intensity, particularly in the South, ever since the Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Voting Rights Act last month.
President Trump has been clear about his wish for a G.O.P. sweep of all seven of South Carolina’s congressional districts, pressing Republican officials to draw new district maps before the midterm elections.
Mr. McMaster’s office declined to comment on Wednesday. Recently, he had said that he would let the Republican-controlled General Assembly decide the matter.
If Mr. McMaster calls the special session, lawmakers would face a time crunch. South Carolina’s primaries are on June 9, but early voting begins in two weeks, so Republicans would have to pass new maps before May 26.
The South Carolina House has proposed moving the congressional primaries to August to accommodate new maps.
There are also legal hurdles to consider. Hundreds of overseas voters have already cast ballots, which could prompt lawsuits if their votes are discarded to account for a change of date in congressional elections.
It is still unclear if new maps would pass in a special session, although Republicans control the legislature and would need only a simple majority to approve them.
Davey Hiott, the Republican leader of the South Carolina House, told reporters that his chamber was ready to get things rolling on Friday morning and vote on a map as quickly as possible, ideally next week.
Shane Massey, the Republican leader of the State Senate, who drew national attention for his impassioned speech against redistricting, was much more apprehensive about moving fast. He said public input was important and continued to voice opposition to the redistricting effort.
“I haven’t heard anything that alleviates the concerns, not just for me but for other people that I’ve been talking to,” Mr. Massey said. “The concerns are there. If anything, they’re only heightened.”
He also noted that there were other pressing matters for the legislature to consider in the special session, such as finishing the budget.
Unlike their counterparts in states like Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana, some South Carolina Republicans have been much more lukewarm about the idea of mid-decade redistricting, mostly because they are skeptical that a new map would guarantee one more Republican-leaning congressional district. Instead, they fear that Democrats could be competitive in the newly created districts as Republican strength in some current districts is diluted.
Mr. Massey said in the chamber on Tuesday that changing the maps was “extremely risky” and could allow Democrats to pick up a seat.
“Very candidly, you’re going to motivate Black turnout, and there will be repercussions from that,” including on local races, he said in that speech.
Mr. Massey and Mr. Hiott did agree that the redistricting debates were about to get even messier in Columbia, the capital.
“It’ll be like nothing we’ve ever seen,” Mr. Hiott said. “It’ll be long. It’ll be tedious. At times, hopefully, it’ll be respectful.”
He laughed when asked what he made of the governor’s change of heart on redistricting, adding, “I never thought it was out of the realm of possibility.”
Mr. Massey said Mr. McMaster had argued in a private meeting that calling the legislature back didn’t mean he was telling them what to do.
“My position on that is, if you’re calling us back, you’re telling everybody what you want us to do,” Mr. Massey said.
Mr. Massey described their redistricting dilemma as “a box within a box,” a “maze,” something he didn’t know how to escape. Sooner or later, he added, they would have to vote on new maps.
The debate over redistricting comes in the waning weeks of a crowded Republican primary battle for governor. All of the leading candidates have expressed their support for redistricting to increase Republicans’ chances of retaining control of Congress. Some of the candidates, including Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Alan Wilson, the state attorney general, have showed up at committee hearings, urging lawmakers to move ahead.
Mr. Trump has not yet endorsed anyone in the governor’s race.
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