With most battleground polls showing that Kamala Harris’s campaign is losing oxygen to Trump-Vance, the Vice President has stepped up her media presence, appearing in front of friendly interviewers for the last several days.
But her interview with Bill Whitaker of CBS News on 60 Minutes, a veteran journalist, was different in many ways. Yes, it was taped (as most 60 Minutes broadcasts are), but the questions were hard-hitting. Several times, Whitaker challenged her directly, even interrupting her mid-sentence, something that no journalist has done to date, preferring to let her get into the practiced delivery of her stump speech talking points.
And it was here that Harris failed miserably, showing that she either did not have the intellectual heft to discuss policy details beyond what she had memorized or refused to answer in a way that would make news. For those tied up in silly details of her life – such as which gun she owns and whether she has fired it (Answer: Glock, and yes, she has fired it at a gun range) – she made little news, and it was not newsworthy. Either way, she proved she was not ready to lead America, far less the Free World.
On the economy, her solutions were all hyperbole and had few chances of passing Congress.
Bill Whitaker: There are lots of signs that the American economy is doing very well, better than most countries, I think. But the American people don’t seem to be feeling it. Groceries are 25% higher, and people blame you and Joe Biden for that. Are they wrong?
Vice President Kamala Harris: We now have historic low unemployment in America among all groups of people. We now have an economy that is thriving by all macroeconomic measures. And, to your point, prices are still too high. And I know that, and we need to deal with it, which is why part of my plan—you mentioned groceries. Part of my plan is what we must do to bring down the price of groceries.
Just as the audience wanted to know more, it was Harris repeating her same old mantra: Get Congress to ban a federal ban on price gouging, get Congress to pass a $6,000 child tax credit (totally discriminatory against families that don’t have children or have children that are too old to qualify), and get Congress to pass a $25,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers (again discriminatory given that many people – such as those that live in the big cities – don’t want to buy homes).
When Whitaker asked how she would pay for her plan, which would cost the Treasury $3 trillion over a decade, Harris relied on an old trick of debunking the study that Whitaker was quoting and promoting her own: “OK, so the other economists who have reviewed my plan versus my opponent have determined that my economic plan would strengthen America’s economy. His would weaken it.”
It was a no-answer answer. Strengthening the economy with deficit spending is what American politicians have done for the last five decades.
Whitaker tried to interrupt her several times, but she continued with her talking points.
Bill Whitaker: But–
Vice President Kamala Harris: My plan, Bill, if you don’t mind, is to say that when you invest in small businesses, you invest in the middle class, and you strengthen America’s economy. Small businesses are part of the backbone of America’s economy.
Bill Whitaker: But—but pardon me, Madame Vice President, I– the– the question was, how are you going to pay for it?
Vice President Kamala Harris: Well, one of the things I’m going to do is make sure that the richest among us, who can afford it, pay their fair share in taxes. It is not right that teachers, nurses, and firefighters are paying har– a higher tax rate than billionaires and the biggest corporations.
Bill Whitaker: But—but
Vice President Kamala Harris: And I plan on making that fair.
Bill Whitaker: But we’re dealing with the real world here.
Vice President Kamala Harris: But the real world includes—
Bill Whitaker: How are you going to get this through Congress?
It was an extraordinary exchange in which a superb reporter outmaneuvered a candidate who thought she was above questioning.
Then Harris resorted to the biggest lie of all. She said she is a capitalist (her record for a decade or more has been one of a Marxist). And for a capitalist, she repeated the same old charge that the rich don’t pay their fair share in taxes, so she would quietly move Congress to raise taxes. President Reagan would be looking down, flabbergasted at such thievery.
Bill Whitaker: And Congress has shown no inclination to move in your direction.
Vice President Kamala Harris: I–I disagree with you. There are plenty of leaders in Congress who understand and know that the Trump tax cuts blew up our federal deficit. None of us, and certainly, I cannot afford to be myopic in terms of how I think about strengthening America’s economy. Let me tell you something. I am a devout public servant. You know that. I am also a capitalist. And I know the limitations of government.
So, left to Harris, she would allow all of the Trump tax cuts to expire, severely hurting the economy. On top of that, she would strangle the top 5% of income earners- who already pay more than 75% of all income taxes- even more, to the tune of $3 trillion.
The Senate is likely to come under GOP control under a new leader, most likely John Cornyn of Texas. Every tax proposal will likely be dead on arrival, more so because it would need 60 votes to break a filibuster.
On immigration, Harris frustrated Whitaker, who midway through the conversation said: But there was a historic flood of undocumented immigrants coming across the border the first three years of your administration. As a matter of fact, arrivals quadrupled from the last year of President Trump. Was it a mistake to loosen the immigration policies as much as you did?
Harris dodged the question again, four times in total.
Bill Whitaker’s questions were the most probing, balanced, and fair, but Harris refused to answer them throughout the interview. The interview showcased the low level of respect Harris has for the Fourth Estate and, by extension, the American people.
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Trump’s Momentum Is Building — Just Look At The Polls – Bruce Blakeman, The Daily Caller News Foundation
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Kremlin’s Secret Drones Project – TIPP Insights
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Israeli Military Says It Eliminated Commander Of Hezbollah HQ In Beirut Strike – Reuters
The Israeli military eliminated Suhail Hussein Husseini, the commander of Hezbollah’s headquarters, in a strike in the area of Beirut, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
If confirmed, the death of Suhail Hussein Husseini would be a result of Israel’s strategy of inflicting major blows by assassinating leaders and commanders of Hezbollah and its ally Hamas, which has been fighting Israel in Gaza for a year.
2. Israel Will Pay Price For ‘Genocide,’ Turkey’s Erdogan Says On Gaza War Anniversary – AFP
“It should not be forgotten that Israel will sooner or later pay the price for this genocide that it has been carrying out for a year and is still continuing,” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on X.
“Just as Hitler was stopped by an alliance of humanity, Netanyahu and his murder network will be stopped in the same way,” Erdogan said. He also criticized the international system’s failure to stop the conflict in Gaza and now in Lebanon and said: “Israel’s long-standing policy of genocide, occupation and invasion must now come to an end.”
3. Ukraine Says It Hit Oil Terminal In Russian-Occupied Crimea – Al Jazeera
“At night, a successful strike was carried out on the enemy’s offshore oil terminal in temporarily occupied Feodosia, Crimea,” the Ukrainian military said in a post on social media.
Ukraine’s General Staff said on social media that the oil terminal in Feodosia, located in Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula, has been supplying the Russian army with fuel and that the strike was part of an ongoing effort to “undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian Federation.”
4. Russian Court Jails U.S. Citizen For Nearly Seven Years On ‘Mercenary’ Charge – Al Jazeera
A Russian court has jailed a United States citizen for six years and ten months after convicting him in a closed-door trial of fighting for Ukraine as a mercenary.
Investigators said Stephen Hubbard, 72, originally from Michigan, was paid $1,000 a month to serve in a Ukrainian territorial defense unit in the city of Izyum, where he had been living since 2014. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Washington had limited information about the case because Russia had refused to grant Hubbard consular access.
5. U.S. Approves Sale Of Sentinel Radar Systems To Romania – RFE/RL
The four Sentinel radar systems and related equipment are worth $110 million. Congress must approve the deal, which is likely.
The Sentinel system alerts defense assets to incoming hostile targets. Romania has become an increasingly important ally for the United States in Southeastern Europe, bordering Ukraine and with a Black Sea coastline.
6. Ukrainian PM Tells Slovakia’s Fico That Russian Gas-Transit Deal Won’t Be Extended – RFE/RL
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico that Kyiv will not extend a gas-transit deal with Russia when it expires at year’s end. This move is likely to increase tensions between the EU and NATO member and Ukraine, which aspires to join both organizations.
Shmyhal said Kyiv understands the “acute dependence” of some states, including Slovakia, on the Russian gas supply but that eventual diversification of supply deliveries will overcome such issues.
7. Does China Now Have A Permanent Military Base In Cambodia? – BBC
Satellite images of Chinese warships berthed for most of this year at Cambodia’s Ream naval base seem to confirm growing fears in Washington that China is expanding its military footprint beyond the three disputed islands in the South China Sea that it has already seized and fortified.
The Cambodian government has repeatedly denied such a possibility, citing its constitution, which bans any permanent foreign military presence, and stating that Ream is open to use by all friendly navies.
8. China’s Latest Policy Support Stops Short Of Long-Awaited Stimulus Splash – Nikkei Asia
Chinese authorities have enacted measures to stimulate the sluggish economy but stopped short of announcing a large fiscal stimulus package that investors had anticipated.
In a news conference, Zheng Shanjie, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planning body, said that the government will frontload 100 billion yuan ($14.1 billion) from next year’s investment budget and another 100 billion yuan in construction projects. He also said the government will continue issuing ultra-long special government bonds next year.
9. China Stock Rally Fizzles As Stimulus News Disappoints – BBC
A stock market rally in China has fizzled out, as a highly anticipated announcement on plans to boost the country’s ailing economy disappointed investors.
Shares had jumped by over 10% as trading restarted after the Golden Week holiday but fell back after a news conference by the country’s economic planners. Investors had been hoping for more information about how the government plans to support economic growth but the announcement gave little details.
10. World Bank urges trade pacts to protect Asian exports from stricter rules of origin – Nikkei Asia
The World Bank advised that Asia’s developing economies deepen trade relations with export markets to prepare for tougher trade restrictions. It sees limits emerging to the benefits reaped by Vietnam and Thailand from supply chain shifts.
“East Asia’s development model – relying on open global markets and labor-intensive production – is being challenged by trade tensions and new technologies,” said Aaditya Mattoo, the World Bank’s chief economist for East Asia and the Pacific.
11. North Korea: Kim Threatens Use Of Nuclear Weapons Again – D.W.
Speaking at a defense university named after him, Kim also announced plans to accelerate North Korea’s military growth, including its nuclear capabilities.
This comes just days after the North Korean leader vowed to use nuclear weapons against South Korea “without hesitation” if his country’s sovereignty were threatened. Kim criticized South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who warned last week that any use of nuclear weapons by Pyongyang would lead to “the end of the North Korean regime.”
12. North Korean Farmers Risk Penalties If Too Many Potatoes Left In The Ground – RFA
The sources said the reason inspectors checked several collective farms appears to be that farmers are spending more time tending their personal fields than the collective farm’s lots.
In North Korea’s collective farming system, farmers are paid the standard government salary to work the land, and then all crops are collected by the state and distributed to the people. But since that salary is nowhere near enough to live on, farmers, like everyone else, plant their potato patches–usually on land surrounding their homes.
13. Two U.S. Scientists Win Nobel Prize In Medicine, Physiology For Discovery Of MicroRNA – UPI
U.S.-based scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the Nobel Prize for medicine and physiology for discovering microRNA molecules, which determine how genes behave.
MicroRNA molecules are crucial in determining how cells with the same chromosomes have different characteristics, essentially acting as an instruction manual. Ambros and Ruvkun probed a 1 millimeter roundworm that held many specialized cell types that are now seen as opening the door to such discoveries but at the time was essentially ignored in the scientific community in the 1980s.
14. Nigeria Reports More Than 350 Cholera Deaths Since January – D.W.
The death toll is more than three times higher than in the same period last year. Health authorities are supplying vaccines to the most affected states, which demand more to ensure adequate coverage.
The lack of drinkable water in rural areas and urban slums makes Nigeria especially vulnerable to cholera outbreaks, a waterborne disease.
15. Don’t Expect Human Life Expectancy To Grow Much More, Researcher Says – A.P.
A new study suggests that humanity is reaching the upper limit of life expectancy. According to researchers, advances in medical technology and genetic research are not translating into marked jumps in lifespan overall.
“We have to recognize there’s a limit” and perhaps reassess assumptions about when people should retire and how much money they’ll need to live out their lives, said S. Jay Olshansky, a University of Illinois-Chicago researcher who was lead author of the study published by the journal Nature Aging.
16. Marijuana Use Linked To Worse School Outcomes For Teens – HealthDay News
Generations of parental warnings may not be wrong: A massive study of available data finds teens who use marijuana have significantly worse outcomes at school.
Data from 63 studies involving almost 440,000 youths found “cannabis use during adolescence is probably associated with lower school grades; less likelihood of high school completion, university enrollment and post-secondary degree attainment; and increased school dropout rate and school absenteeism,” according to Canadian researchers.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
