Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said “Kamala Harris’ open border” has “destroyed” the lives of American citizens in Springfield, Ohio, before having his mic cut by debate moderators.

In Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate on CBS, Vance claimed undocumented immigrants are pushing up home prices and overwhelming local schools across the country, at the expense of American citizens.

“In Springfield, Ohio, and in communities all across this country, you’ve got schools that are overwhelmed, you’ve got hospitals that are overwhelmed, you’ve got housing that is totally unaffordable, because we’ve brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes,” the Ohio senator said.

Springfield has been the center of a national debate on immigration since former President Donald Trump claimed in his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last month that Haitian immigrants were eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs. Local officials said they had “no credible reports” of that actually happening.

Vance, who initially raised the claim days before Trump amplified it, did not repeat it during the vice presidential debate.

But standing across from Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, Vance said undocumented immigrants are inflicting a major toll on Americans.

“The people that I’m most worried about are the American citizens that have had their lives destroyed by Kamala Harris’ open border. It is a disgrace,” Vance said.

The influx of migrants in Springfield has strained some local resources in the city. But most of the Haitian migrants there are there legally, and local officials have strongly disputed Trump and Vance’s portrayal of the city.

Local Republicans like Mayor Rob Rue and Gov. Mike DeWine have pushed back on Trump and Vance’s claims, saying that the Haitian migrants are looking for jobs, that they’re there legally, and that they have become a part of the community.

Trump has dismissed Rue and other local officials.

“The mayor of the town, I don’t know him, but he seems like a nice man, but he … doesn’t want to say anything bad. He wants to be politically correct,” Trump said at a news conference in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

At Tuesday’s debate, things grew heated around Springfield after CBS News moderators Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan interjected to note the Haitian immigrants in Springfield have legal status before trying to move on.

Vance objected, speaking over the moderators and preventing them from asking their next question.

“The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check. And since you’re fact-checking me,” Vance said, “I think it’s important to say what’s going on.”

Vance made an argument for why the Haitian migrants should not be considered legal, because their protected status was decided by the federal government after they arrived in the U.S. At recent rallies, Vance has said his interpretation of the law means they technically immigrated to the U.S. illegally.

Walz jumped into to add his own fact-check. But both were then cut off, when their microphones were muted.

The moderators had warned at the beginning of the debate that they reserved the right to cut the mics at anytime to uphold the debate rules.

News

Climatologist gives update on Mississippi, Ohio River levels

A climatologist says water levels along some portions of the Mississippi River have increased due to recent rain events stemming from Hurricane Helene.

Dennis Todey says the higher river levels could be beneficial for ag transportation. “Some of those heavier rainfalls out in the east going through the Ohio River Valley were going to push levels along the Ohio River and the Mississippi River south of Cairo, Illinois because of the heavier rainfalls leading to increased runoff.”

But he tells Brownfield, “The Mississippi is not going to be able to deliver much water again for a while because we don’t see a lot of precipitation coming. While there will be a short-term fix on the Mississippi, I would expect some river level issues to come back.”

The weather systems recently brought several inches of rain at the Ohio River and north of the I-70 corridor from Illinois to Ohio.

INTERVIEW: Dennis Todey, USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub

The Iowa Hawkeyes are in for a very difficult matchup this weekend against the No. 3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. It’s a game that will tell Iowa an awful lot about themselves.

Over the first four games of the season, the Hawkeyes have shown flashes of being a very good football team. However, they have also shown flashes of being a very poor football team.

In order to beat a team like Ohio State, they’re going to need to put together a complete and nearly perfect game.

Many of the offensive struggles have come due to Iowa’s inability to consistently move the football through the passing game. Cade McNamara has struggled to begin the year. He will have to take his game to another level this week.

RotoWire is not expecting him to be able to do that. They have released a dismal production for the Hawkeyes’ quarterback.

As of right now, they are projecting McNamara to complete just 11 of his 27 pass attempts for 136 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Obviously, the projections could have been worse. They don’t have him turning the football over. But, the numbers they are projecting would not do much to help Iowa’s case towards a win.

Kaleb Johnson has been the star of the Hawkeyes’ offense so far this season. They are going to need another big game from him against the Buckeyes.

While Iowa can usually expect good numbers from Johnson, they desperately need the passing game to take pressure off of him.

It seems very likely that Ohio State’s main defensive game plan will be to take Johnson away and force McNamara to beat them. With what he has shown this season, that plan should work for the Buckeyes.

That being said, if McNamara can put together a masterful performance and put up quality numbers, Johnson could get loose and make some plays. The quarterback truly will be the biggest X-Factor in deciding whether or not the Hawkeyes can hang with Ohio State or if they get blown out.