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Five key questions Kamala Harris should answer during first interview

Published

1 year ago

August 30, 2024

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.”

Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she exits her campaign bus in Savannah, Georgia, on Wednesday. Harris has not spoken to the media since Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

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.

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Bill Clinton to testify before House committee investigating Epstein links

Published

3 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Bill Clinton to testify before House committee investigating Epstein links

Former president Bill Clinton is scheduled to give deposition Friday to a congressional committee investigating his links to Jeffrey Epstein, one day after Hillary Clinton testified before the committee and called the proceedings “partisan political theatre” and “an insult to the American people”.

During remarks before the House oversight committee, Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, insisted on Thursday that she had never met Epstein.

The former Democratic president, however, flew on Epstein’s private jet several times in the early 2000s but said he never visited his island.

Clinton, who engaged in an extramarital affair while president and has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women, also appears in a photo from the recently released files, in a hot tub with Epstein and a woman whose identity is redacted.

Clinton has denied the sexual misconduct claims and was not charged with any crimes. He also has not been accused of any wrongdoing connected to Epstein.

Epstein visited the White House at least 17 times during the early years of Clinton’s presidency, according to White House visitor records cited in news reports. Clinton said he cut ties with him around 2005, before the disgraced financier, who died from suicide in 2019, pleaded guilty to solicitation of a minor in Florida.

The House committee subpoenaed the Clintons in August. They initially refused to testify but agreed after Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt.

The Clintons asked for their depositions to be held publicly, with the former president stating that to do so behind closed doors would amount to a “kangaroo court”.

“Let’s stop the games + do this the right way: in a public hearing,” Clinton said on X earlier this month.

The committee’s chair, James Comer, did not grant their request, and the proceedings will be conducted behind closed doors with video to be released later.

On Thursday, Hillary Clinton’s proceedings were briefly halted after representative Lauren Boebert leaked an image of Clinton testifying.

During the full day deposition, Clinton said she had no information about Epstein and did not recall ever meeting him.

Before the deposition, Comer said it would be a long interview and that one with Bill Clinton would be “even longer”.

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Read Judge Schiltz’s Order

Published

13 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

CASE 0:26-cv-00107-PJS-DLM

Doc. 12-1 Filed 02/26/26

Page 5 of 17

and to file a status update by 11:00 am on January 20. ECF No. 5. Respondents never provided a bond hearing and did not release Petitioner until January 21, ECF Nos. 10, 12, after failing to file an update, ECF No. 9. Further, Respondents released Petitioner subject to conditions despite the Court’s release order not providing for conditions. ECF Nos. 5, 12–13.

Abdi W. v. Trump, et al., Case No. 26-CV-00208 (KMM/SGE)

On January 21, 2026, the Court ordered Respondents, within 3 days, to either (a) complete Petitioner’s inspection and examination and file a notice confirming completion, or (b) release Petitioner immediately in Minnesota and confirm the date, time, and location of release. ECF No. 7. No notice was ever filed. The Court emailed counsel on January 27, 2026, at 10:39 am. No response was provided.

Adriana M.Y.M. v. David Easterwood, et al., Case No. 26-CV-213 (JWB/JFD)

On January 24, 2026, the Court ordered immediate release in Minnesota and ordered Respondents to confirm the time, date, and location of release, or anticipated release, within 48 hours. ECF No. 12. Respondent was not released until January 30, and Respondents never disclosed the time of release, instead describing it as “early this morning.” ECF No. 16.

Estefany J.S. v. Bondi, Case No. 26-CV-216 (JWB/SGE)

On January 13, 2026, at 10:59 am, the Court ordered Respondents to file a letter by 4:00 pm confirming Petitioner’s current location. ECF No. 8. After receiving no response, the Court ordered Respondents, at 5:11 pm, to immediately confirm Petitioner’s location and, by noon on January 14, file a memorandum explaining their failure to comply with the initial order. ECF No. 9. Respondents did not file the memorandum, requiring the Court to issue another order. ECF No. 12. On January 15, the Court ordered immediate release in Minnesota and required Respondents to confirm the time, date, and location of release within 48 hours. ECF No. 18. On January 20, having received no confirmation, the Court ordered Respondents to comply immediately. ECF No. 21. Respondents informed the Court that Petitioner was released in Minnesota on January 17, but did not specify the time. ECF No. 22.

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Chicagoans pay respects to Jesse Jackson as cross-country memorial services begin

Published

15 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Chicagoans pay respects to Jesse Jackson as cross-country memorial services begin

James Hickman holds a photo montage of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson before a public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

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CHICAGO — A line of mourners streamed through a Chicago auditorium Thursday to pay final respects to the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. as cross-country memorial services began in the city the late civil rights leader called home.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson died Tuesday at the age of 84.

The protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and two-time presidential candidate will lie in repose for two days at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition before events in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, where he was born.

Family members wiped away tears as the casket was brought into the stately brick building. Flowers lined the sidewalks where people waiting to enter watched a large screen playing video excerpts of Jackson’s notable speeches. Some raised their fists in solidarity.

The casket with the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrives before a public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.

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Inside, Jackson’s children, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Rev. Al Sharpton were among those who stood by the open casket to shake hands and hug those coming to view the body of Jackson, dressed in a suit and blue shirt and tie.

“The challenge for us is that we’ve got to make sure that all he lived for was not in vain,” Sharpton told reporters. “Dr. King’s dream and Jesse Jackson’s mission now falls on our shoulders. We’ve got to stand up and keep it going.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks as Jesse Jackson Jr. listens after the public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.

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Jackson died last week at age 84 after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his mobility and ability to speak in his later years.

Remembrances have already poured in from around the globe, and several U.S. states, including Minnesota, Iowa and North Carolina, are flying flags at half-staff in his honor.

But perhaps nowhere has his death been felt as strongly as in the nation’s third-largest city, where Jackson lived for decades and raised his six children, including a son who is a congressman.

Bouquets have been left outside the family’s Tudor-style home on the city’s South Side for days. Public schools have offered condolences, and city trains have used digital screens to display Jackson’s portrait and his well-known mantra, “I am Somebody!”

People wait to enter the security checkpoint for the public visitation for the Rev. Jesse Jackson at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.

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His causes, both in the United States and abroad, were countless: Advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues including voting rights, job opportunities, education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders, and through his Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society.

Family members stand in front of a portrait of the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

How the Rev. Jesse Jackson transformed American politics

“We honor him, and his hard-earned legacy as a freedom fighter, philosopher, and faithful shepherd of his family and community here in Chicago,” the mayor said in a statement.

Next week, Jackson will lie in honor at the South Carolina Statehouse, followed by public services. According to Rainbow PUSH’s agenda, Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to deliver remarks; however, the governor’s office said Thursday that his participation wasn’t yet confirmed. Jackson spent his childhood and started his activism in South Carolina.

Details on services in Washington have not yet been made public. However, he will not lie in honor at the United States Capitol rotunda after a request for the commemoration was denied by the House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office.

The two weeks of events will wrap up next week with a large celebration of life gathering at a Chicago megachurch and finally, homegoing services at the headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Family members said the services will be open to all.

“Our family is overwhelmed and overjoyed by the amazing amount of support being offered by common, ordinary people who our father’s life has come into contact with,” his eldest son, Jesse Jackson Jr., said before the services began. “This is a unique opportunity to lay down some of the political rhetoric and to lay down some of the division that deeply divides our country and to reflect upon a man who brought people together.”

The family of the Rev. Jesse Jackson arrives as Yusep Jackson wipes his eyes before public visitation at Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago on Thursday.

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The services included prayers from some of the city’s most well-known religious leaders, including Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich. Mourners of all ages — from toddlers in strollers to elderly people in wheelchairs — came to pay respects.

Video clips of his appearances at news conferences, the campaign trail and even “Sesame Street” also played inside the auditorium.

Claudette Redic, a retiree who lives in Chicago, said her family has respected Jackson, from backing his presidential ambitions to her son getting a scholarship from a program Jackson championed.

“We have generations of support,” she said. “I’m hoping we continue.”