Politics
Kamala Harris faces political pressure — and opportunity — as Biden struggles
Vice President Kamala Harris wouldn’t bite.
“Joe Biden is our nominee,” she told a CBS News reporter outside a San Francisco fundraiser Tuesday night amid signs the president’s Democratic dam was breaking.
The reporter tried another tactic, asking if she was ready to lead the country if needed. Nothing.
“I am proud to be Joe Biden’s running mate,” she replied.
In the week since Biden’s disastrous debate performance, Harris has received more attention than at any time since her early, rocky days as his No. 2. Polls and party infrastructure give her an advantage over other possible Biden replacements, should he choose to step out of the race against former President Trump.
But Harris is in a delicate position — a magnified version of the political pressure she has faced throughout her tenure in office. She can’t afford to show even a hint that she is looking to replace Biden, the oldest president in history at 81. Yet she has to watch her back, to make sure others do not usurp her in the event Biden’s job becomes available.
“She absolutely, positively has to dance with the one who brought her, and any daylight that she shows between herself and the only person on Earth who could be called her boss would be seen as disloyal,” said one former advisor, who requested anonymity to avoid angering fellow Democrats with succession talk. “If ground keeps shifting … inevitably she’s going to be put in a position of potentially having to make a decision or maybe a decision’s being made for her.”
So far, she’s been earning relatively good marks from Democrats appreciative of her attempts to defend Biden, while Republicans continue to mock her public speeches as word salads.
“It’s been interesting to watch people who have been critical of her over the last three and a half years say, ‘Oh I’d support her,’” said an ally who is in regular contact with Harris’ and Biden’s inner circles, who asked for anonymity to avoid upsetting friends in Biden’s orbit. “People believe, and have always believed, she can prosecute the case.”
Harris went on CNN within minutes of last week’s debate, when most Democrats were still shell-shocked, offering the first version of Biden’s defense. She acknowledged what she called a “slow start” while insisting, “I’m not going to spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes when I’ve been watching the last three and a half years.”
Harris has made a similar case since then, traveling to speeches and fundraisers, including a Tuesday night event in San Francisco, in which she categorized the “elephant in the room” as both the debate and the prospect of another Trump presidency.
“She’s doing her job, and to suggest there is somebody waiting in the wings, somebody looking to get a jump-start on 2028 — no, that’s not Kamala Harris,” said Donna Brazile, an ally who wants Biden to stay at the top of the ticket.
Her sometime rival Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken a similar tack, positioning himself as a public defender for Biden, distancing himself from elements of the party who want the president to step aside. He was scheduled to visit the White House on Wednesday night to “stand with the president,” he said in a fundraising email.
Harris had her regular lunch with Biden on Wednesday. She also joined Biden on a campaign call in which he reassured staff that he was “in this race to the end,” according to a person familiar with the call who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We will not back down. We will follow our president’s lead. We will fight, and we will win,” Harris told the staffers, this person said.
Though Biden promised her weekly lunches when she took the job, the meetings have been inconsistent, an indication that Biden has often leaned more on longtime aides than on his deputy.
But if she were to run for president, she could campaign on the administration’s legislative successes, including its environmental and infrastructure spending bills.
Republicans would seize on her role as a key player in Biden’s immigration policy: Early in his tenure, Biden assigned Harris to oversee a strategy intended to bolster economic, security and political conditions in Central America to stem the “root causes” of migration.
But Harris has never been comfortable with the assignment, and Republicans have gleefully cast her as the “border czar” as they have attacked the Biden administration for record numbers of border arrests.
Harris gained political strength after the Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion in 2022, leading the White House’s response. She has been unable to change the law or to stop red states from passing extensive restrictions on the procedure, but she helped the Democratic Party use the issue to overperform in the 2022 midterm elections. Democrats are hoping to use the issue again if they can move beyond the concerns over Biden’s fitness for office.
A CNN poll released Tuesday found three-quarters of American voters believed Democrats would have a better shot at the White House without Biden. Among possible replacements, only Harris polled within 2 percentage points of Trump. Allies have long said her name recognition and control of the party apparatus would put her in a better position to lead than potential rivals, who include Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), who has been a pivotal Biden supporter, said Tuesday on MSNBC that he would support Harris as a replacement, but that his first preference is Biden remaining the candidate.
“But I want to support her going forward, sometime in the future,” he said.
But there remains deep concern about Harris in the party. Even the CNN poll showed her with ground to make up against Trump in a theoretical matchup, and that’s without the media scrutiny and Republican assault that would come with leading the ticket. And her early struggles in the job — which produced high staff turnover and low poll numbers — set a bad impression for many voters, though her average approval in polls has improved slightly in the last few months.
A March USA Today/Suffolk poll found that 54% of voters said she is not qualified to serve as president, compared with 38% who said she is. Focus groups shared with The Times by a pro-Biden Republican group earlier this year showed swing voters and even Black voters had negative impressions, some of which her allies believe were tied to her race and gender.
But even if Harris would have work to do, no other possible replacement has faced as much national scrutiny, possibly making them a higher risk for the party.
“She has been under that spotlight and has taken her lumps as a result,” said the former advisor. “No one can say she’s unknown at this point.”
Bierman reported from Washington and Wiley from San Francisco.
Politics
Trump Energy Sec pick to share American 'energy dominance' vision at confirmation hearing: 'Agent for change'
Chris Wright, President-elect Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Energy, is planning to tell senators in charge of his confirmation that he will focus on restoring American “energy dominance” at home and abroad.
Wright, a fossil fuel executive who in the past has been critical of the media blaming climate change for repeated wildfires, is expected to deliver his opening statement before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday morning. Fox News Digital obtained a copy of the statement in advance ahead of the hearing scheduled to start at 10 a.m. ET.
“I am humbled by the great responsibility this position holds,” Wright is expected to say in his opening statement. “America has a historic opportunity to secure our energy systems, deliver leadership in scientific and technological innovation, steward our weapons stockpiles, and meet Cold War legacy waste commitments.”
Describing himself as a “science geek, turned tech nerd, turned lifelong energy entrepreneur,” Wright will tell the committee how his “fascination with energy started at a young age in Denver, Colorado.” His opening statement discusses how he enrolled at MIT “specifically to work on fusion energy” and later started graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley where he worked “on solar energy as well as power electronics.”
TRUMP EYES AN END TO NEW WINDMILL PRODUCTION UNDER SECOND TERM, SAYS THEY ARE ‘DRIVING THE WHALES CRAZY’
“Energy is the essential agent of change that enables everything that we do. A low energy society is poor. A highly energized society can bring health, wealth, and opportunity for all,” Wright will say. “The stated mission of the company that I founded – Liberty Energy – is to better human lives through energy. Liberty works directly in oil, natural gas, next generation geothermal and has partnerships in next-generation nuclear energy and new battery technology.”
“Energy has been a lifelong passion of mine, and I have never been shy about that fact,” Wright plans to tell the committee. “Then again, I have never been shy about much. President Trump shares my passion for energy and, if confirmed, I will work tirelessly to implement his bold agenda as an unabashed steward for all sources of affordable, reliable and secure American energy.”
On Tuesday, committee Democrats led by Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico called for Wright’s confirmation hearing to be delayed by at least a week, citing how they had not yet received “the standard financial disclosure report, ethics agreement, or the opinions from the designated agency ethics officer and the Office of Government Ethics stating that the nominee is in compliance with the ethics laws.”
Chairman Mike Lee, R-Utah, has already pushed back the confirmation hearing for Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick for interior secretary, by two days until Thursday due to an OGE paperwork delay, but Wright’s remained on the schedule Wednesday.
If approved as secretary, Wright would manage energy policy and production in the United States, as well as the nation’s nuclear weapon stockpile. He would also work with Burgum on the National Energy Council, where they would develop Trump’s energy dominance policy involving increased production of U.S. oil and gas.
Wright has indicated that he plans to resign as CEO and chairman of his fracking company, Liberty Energy, if approved.
DEMS BLAME LA FIRE ON ‘CLIMATE CHANGE’ DESPITE CITY CUTTING FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET
In his opening statement, Wright identifies three “immediate” tasks that he would focus his attention on if confirmed.
“The first is to unleash American energy at home and abroad to restore energy dominance,” Wright will say. “The security of our nation begins with energy. Previous administrations have viewed energy as a liability instead of the immense national asset that it is. To compete globally, we must expand energy production, including commercial nuclear and liquified natural gas, and cut the cost of energy.”
“Second, we must lead the world in innovation and technology breakthroughs,” the statement continues. “Throughout my lifetime, technology and innovation have immeasurably enhanced the human condition. We must protect and accelerate the work of the Department’s national laboratory network to secure America’s competitive edge and its security. I commit to working with Congress on the important missions of the national laboratories.”
“Third, we must build things in America again and remove barriers to progress,” Wright will say. “Federal policies today make it too easy to stop projects and very hard to start and complete projects. This makes energy more expensive and less reliable. President Trump is committed to lowering energy costs and to do so, we must prioritize cutting red tape, enabling private sector investments, and building the infrastructure we need to make energy more affordable for families and businesses.”
Politics
Column: He lost everything in a wildfire. Here's one city councilman's practical advice
SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Jeff Okrepkie wants to make one thing perfectly clear.
Yes, his home burned to the ground after he fled a galloping wall of flames with his wife, their toddler, two dogs and the few items they managed to cram into their cars. But no, Okrepkie insisted, he is not a fire victim.
“I’m a survivor,” he said. “It seems kind of ticky-tacky, but it helps with my mental state to think of myself that way … I survived something that many people haven’t.”
Okrepkie and his wife lost their home and virtually everything they owned in the 2017 Tubbs fire, which turned a wide swath of the Wine Country — including Santa Rosa’s middle-class Coffey Park neighborhood — into a heap of cinder and ash. At the time, it was the most destructive wildfire in California history. Soon, it may rank a mere third, with the still-blazing Los Angeles County inferno topping the list.
Okrepkie, 45, a commercial real estate agent, was displaced through ill fortune. He was elected years later to the Santa Rosa City Council by popular vote. He became an advocate for wildfire survivors, their champion and a clearinghouse of recovery tips by choice and his lived experience.
“How can you have all this information and not share it?” he said during a conversation this week a few blocks from City Hall and a short drive from the subdivision where he returned nearly 2½ years after fire chased him out. “It’s almost seems selfish not to.”
The October weekend that forever changed Okrepkie’s life began in what now seems like blessed normalcy.
He and his wife, Stephanie, attended a wedding on Saturday, a welcome bit of alone time in adult company. Their son was nearly 2 years old and had lately “started scaling the walls,” so Sunday was spent converting his crib into “a big-boy bed.” After it was made up, Okrelie took a picture because they were all so excited.
The rest transpired in a flash.
Reports of a fire breaking out in Napa, 40 miles away. His wife nodding off in front of the TV news. Okrepkie falling asleep. His sister calling and waking him with word of another fire, in Calistoga, 16 miles distant and spreading on powerful winds.
Not much later, the flames leapt Highway 101 and its six lanes and bore down on Coffey Park. Stephanie Okrepkie drove away with her son, the family’s black Lab mix and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Jeff stayed behind, grabbing what he could, until a giant ember landed at his feet, spitting sparks. He took off.
He dispenses his wildfire wisdom in two parts, before and after disaster strikes.
Okrepkie suggested starting with a list of things to grab before you’re forced to go. Figure out what you can get your hands on in five minutes or less and start there, beginning with “the things that are crucial to your life” — passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, insurance policies, wills, trusts. Expand the list to items you can conceivably gather in 10, 15 and 30 minutes.
Focus, Okrepkie said, on things that are irreplaceable — “an urn with your parents remains, wedding rings” — or that have sentimental value. Clothes, shoes, underwear, pet food; those types of things can be purchased later.
Okrepkie particularly regrets leaving behind a photo of his grandparents, which his late grandmother carried with her everywhere. His wife lost the military fatigues her father wore when he was killed in Iraq, though the couple recovered his dog tags and “challenge coin.”
If you lose your home, Okrepkie went on, don’t wait to find temporary housing. “As soon as you get stabilized somewhere,” he advised, “start calling apartments.” And if it’s unfurnished, make do with used or donated items. “When you get back into your house,” Okrepke said, “that’s when you start spending on the dining room table … that looks nice in your home.”
Beyond that, he counseled patience.
Take as much time as you need to catalog your losses for insurance purposes. If you can collect, say, up to $700,000 and devote 10 hours to compiling a thorough list, that works out to $70,000-an-hour. “That’s a pretty well-paying job,” Okrepkie said. “Think of it that way.”
Also, he said, carefully document every interaction with your insurance company. You’re likely to deal with a number of adjusters, some of whom will move on before your claim is settled. It’s important to have written proof of what was said or promised, so you don’t have to start each time with someone new.
When it comes to rebuilding — if that’s your plan — don’t hurry. Yes, Okrepkie said, there’s an understandable urge to return home as quickly as possible. But he warned against making decisions in haste — in part because rules and regulations can change, affecting what and how you’re able to rebuild. “If you’re rushing, you could be doing something to fit into a box that all of a sudden just became bigger three weeks later.”
He was glad he purchased his new home from a “mass builder” — a developer that goes through the permitting and legal process, then offers buyers a range of floor plans and options — rather than going it alone with an individual architect and builder.
“Most people have never built a house,” Okrepkie said. “They just bought a house that already exists. And so they don’t know what goes together” — carpets, countertops, cabinets, tiles and on. “Whereas these guys were like, ‘Yep, we have this and this and this and this and this.’ It’s a lot easier to comprehend when you have limited choices.”
Through it all, Okrepkie said, building and nurturing a sense of community was vital.
“I can sit here and tell you my entire fire story,” he said over lunch at a cantina in downtown Santa Rosa, “and you’ll empathize with it.” But even the most caring and compassionate person can’t relate “in the same way as someone who’s going through what you’re going though.”
A friend started a gathering that jokingly came to be called “Whine Wednesdays,” where survivors got together — at first on camping chairs set amid the ruins — to drink beer and wine “and just talk to each other,” Okrepkie said. “Not bitching and complaining. Just having conversations.”
His activism on behalf of the burned-out neighborhood led to a seat on the city Planning Commission, which in turn led to Okrepkie’s election in 2022 to the Santa Rosa City Council.
As someone with experience on both sides of disaster — as a wildfire survivor as well as a government official dealing with its aftermath — he offered several suggestions for those in public office.
“Be careful with your messaging, because people can take things very personally,” Okrepkie said. “Don’t call people homeless … We have a home. It burnt.”
Be patient. Very patient. Even as months and years pass and the initial trauma has faded, you’re facing people still grappling with perhaps the worst experience of their life. “Be careful about being too dismissive,” Okrepie said, or coming across as unfeeling.
Don’t be afraid to act boldly if your action can hasten the recovery, he continued. “With electeds there’s always a fear of, ‘Am I going to piss off too many people?’ I don’t think there’s a more altruistic thing you can do than put your neck on the line for people that lost everything.”
Not least, don’t treat survivors as though they’re seeking anything more than they had before.
“We’re not asking to build mansions,” Okrepkie said over his taco salad. “If you have a car you really like and someone hits it, you’re not going to be like, ‘I want a Maserati.’ Just give me what I had … I’m not trying to game the system. There always bad apples that will try to. But most are good people in a crap situation.”
It’s pretty straightforward, he suggested. Be caring. Be kind.
Politics
Video: Democrats Question Hegseth About Misconduct Allegations
new video loaded: Democrats Question Hegseth About Misconduct Allegations
transcript
transcript
Democrats Question Hegseth About Misconduct Allegations
Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee called Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, unfit to serve. Meanwhile, Republicans praised Mr. Hegseth’s record and performance.
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“The totality of your own writings and alleged conduct would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of defense.” “Have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature? The fact is that your own lawyer said that you entered into an N.D.A. and paid a person who accused you of raping her a sum of money to make sure that she did not file a complaint. I have read multiple reports of your regularly being drunk at work. Will you resign as secretary of defense if you drink on the job, which is a 24/7 position?” “I’ve made this commitment on behalf of —” “Will you resign as secretary of defense?” “I’ve made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I’m serving —” “I’m not hearing an answer to my question. So I’m going to move on.” “You claim that this was all anonymous. We have seen records with names attached to all of these, including the name of your own mother. So don’t make this into some anonymous press thing.” “I’m quoting you from the podcast. ‘Women shouldn’t be in combat at all.’ What I see is that there’s a 32-day period in which you suddenly have another description about your views of women in the military, and I just want to know what changed in the 32 days that the song you sang is not the song you come in here today to sing?” “Senator, the concerns I have and the concerns of many have had, especially in ground combat units, is that in pursuit of certain percentages or quotas, standards have been changed.” “Our adversaries watch closely during times of transition, and any sense that the Department of Defense that keeps us safe is being steered by someone who is wholly unprepared for the job, puts America at risk. And I am not willing to do that.” “I know what I don’t know. I know I’ve never run an organization of three million people with a budget of $850 billion.” “Why do you want to do this job? What’s your, what drives you?” “Because I love my country, Senator. And I’ve dedicated my life to the warfighters.” “He is a decorated post-9/11 combat veteran. He will inject a new warrior ethos into the Pentagon, a spirit that can cascade from the top down.”
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