America Insider
"Kamala Harris Gets A History Lesson (It’s Embarrassing)"
Story by Joshua Riddle
26 AUGUST 2023
Kamala Harris made history by becoming the worst vice president ever with a record-low rating of 32%, according to NBC.
This is the lowest since the poll began in the 1930s.
The unpopular VP received a history lesson after claiming that Joe Biden will ban so-called “assault weapons.”
“Joe Biden has taken on the NRA and won."
"He can do it again,” Harris said on X.
The only problem is, Joe Biden and the Democrats actually lost to the NRA.
With help from the NRA, the gun ban expired in 2004 and AR-15 ownership increased roughly 3 million percent from 850,000 to 25 million.
NRA spokesman Billy McLaughlin said, “Vice President Harris should learn her history before going on social media."
"She’s referring to Biden’s 1994 vote for the ‘assault weapons’ ban as his big so-called victory.”
“Yet, thanks to the NRA, the ban expired in 2004."
"And, AR-15 ownership surged from 850,000 then to 25 million today,” he added.
Moreover, Biden’s so-called “victory” was also ineffective.
A Department of Justice study published in 1999 showed the gun ban “failed to reduce the average number of victims per gun murder incident or multiple gunshot wound victims.”
“Even President Clinton’s DOJ conceded the ban was ineffective,” McLaughlin said in his statement.
In 2004, another DOJ study admitted that the gun ban’s “effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”
During his time as a Delaware senator, Biden made a voting decision in 1994 to support the ban on semi-automatic firearms.
This ban was included as a part of a significant crime bill.
The bill was signed into law by former President Bill Clinton.
This triggered a 10-year ban on the manufacture, transfer or possession of “semiautomatic assault weapons” and “large capacity ammunition feeding devices.”
Former President George W. Bush and Republicans who controlled Congress in 2004 allowed the ban to expire.
Despite the proven ineffectiveness of gun bans, Democrats continue to claim gun bans will reduce gun violence.
Left-wing activist fail to understand the criminals, by definition, do not follow laws.
Gun bans ultimately strip law-abiding Americans from their God-given right to protect themselves, their families, and their property.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... acc6&ei=38
KAMALA HARRIS
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
The Associated Press
"Vice President Kamala Harris to face doubts and dysfunction at Southeast Asia summit"
Story by CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press
4 SEPTEMBER 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will deepen her outreach to Southeast Asia this week at an international summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she'll try to erase doubts about U.S. commitment to the region stirred by President Joe Biden's absence.
It’s Harris’ third trip to Southeast Asia and fourth to Asia overall, and she's touched down in more countries there than any other continent.
The repeat visits, in addition to meetings that she's hosted in Washington, have positioned Harris as a key interlocutor for the administration as it tries to bolster a network of partnerships to counterbalance Chinese influence.
This latest journey is another opportunity for Harris to burnish her foreign policy credentials as she prepares for a bruising campaign year.
She's already come under attack from Republican presidential candidates who say she's unprepared to step up if Biden — the oldest U.S. president in history — can't finish a second term.
John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, said Harris has “made our alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific a key part of her agenda as vice president,” and he described her itinerary as “perfectly in keeping with the issues that she’s been focused on."
But Biden's decision to skip the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, has caused some frustration, particularly because he's already going to be in India and Vietnam around the same time.
The president's proximity makes his nonattendance “all the more more glaring than would otherwise be the case,” said Marty Natalegawa, Indonesia’s former foreign affairs minister.
However, Natalegawa conceded that ASEAN is struggling to convince world leaders that it deserves to play a central role in the region.
That's even though the alliance represents more than 650 million people across 10 nations that collectively have the world's fifth largest economy.
The organization has not resolved civil strife in Myanmar, which saw a military coup two years ago and has been disinvited from meetings.
A peace plan reached with the country's top general did not lead to any progress.
Negotiations over territorial claims in the South China Sea remain bogged down as well, and ASEAN faces internal disagreements over global competition between the United States and China.
Some members, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, have sought closer ties with Washington, while Cambodia remains firmly in Beijing's orbit.
“We can complain all we want about other countries not respecting us or not coming to our summits," Natalegawa said.
"But ultimately, it is actually a point of reflection.”
Unless ASEAN becomes more effective, Natalegawa said, “we may end up with less and less leaders turning up."
Kirby, the national security spokesman, rejected the idea that Biden was snubbing the organization or the region.
“It’s just impossible to look at the record that this administration has put forward and say that we are somehow walking away,” Kirby said, noting that Biden already hosted the first-ever Washington summit with ASEAN leaders last year.
Ja-Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, said Harris' presence helps the U.S. cover its bases at an event that may not prove productive on key issues.
“You want to show that you’re paying attention, you send the vice president," he said.
Harris is scheduled to depart Monday morning and spend two days enmeshed in meetings in Jakarta.
Her office has not yet detailed her schedule, but she's expected to attend summit events and hold individual talks with some foreign leaders.
Soon after Harris returns from Indonesia, Biden is headed to India for the annual Group of 20 summit, which pulls together many of the world’s richest countries and is a staple of any presidents’ calendar.
Then he plans to stop in Vietnam, where he's focused on strengthening ties with a country that is an emerging economic power.
“I don’t fault the administration for the choice that they made."
"It’s just unfortunate that they had to make that choice,” said Gregory B. Poling, who directs the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Leaders are gathering in Jakarta amid heightened tension over the South China Sea after Beijing released a new official map that emphasizes its territorial claims there.
The map has angered other nations that consider the waters to be part of their own territory or international byways.
The South China Sea is a critical crossroads for global trade.
U.S. officials and analysts believe Beijing's aggressive approach to the region has created an opening for Washington to forge stronger partnerships.
“In many ways, the PRC is doing its work for us,” said David Stilwell, using the acronym for the People's Republic of China.
Stilwell served as the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs under President Donald Trump.
Although much of Biden's recent attention has been on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he's left no doubt that he considers China to be the top foreign policy challenge for the U.S.
He's described much of his agenda, both domestic and overseas, as an effort to deter Beijing from supplanting Washington as the most powerful worldwide force.
Sometimes his warnings take a darker turn.
During a recent fundraiser for his reelection campaign in Park City, Utah, Biden described China as a “ticking time bomb” because of its economic and demographic challenges.
“That’s not good because when bad folks have problems, they do bad things,” he said.
Harris has previously visited Singapore and Vietnam, Japan and South Korea, and the Philippines and Thailand.
Many of her travels have been geared toward the global rivalry with China.
Speaking from the deck of a U.S. Navy destroyer docked near Tokyo last year, Harris said China has “challenged freedom of the seas" and “flexed its military and economic might to coerce and intimidate its neighbors.”
Harris also became the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Palawan, a Filipino island adjacent to the South China Sea that has been a front line for the territorial disputes.
She said that Washington would support the Philippines “in the face of intimidation and coercion."
___
Associated Press writer Edna Tarigan contributed from Jakarta, Indonesia.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/vi ... 3a31&ei=33
"Vice President Kamala Harris to face doubts and dysfunction at Southeast Asia summit"
Story by CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press
4 SEPTEMBER 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will deepen her outreach to Southeast Asia this week at an international summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she'll try to erase doubts about U.S. commitment to the region stirred by President Joe Biden's absence.
It’s Harris’ third trip to Southeast Asia and fourth to Asia overall, and she's touched down in more countries there than any other continent.
The repeat visits, in addition to meetings that she's hosted in Washington, have positioned Harris as a key interlocutor for the administration as it tries to bolster a network of partnerships to counterbalance Chinese influence.
This latest journey is another opportunity for Harris to burnish her foreign policy credentials as she prepares for a bruising campaign year.
She's already come under attack from Republican presidential candidates who say she's unprepared to step up if Biden — the oldest U.S. president in history — can't finish a second term.
John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, said Harris has “made our alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific a key part of her agenda as vice president,” and he described her itinerary as “perfectly in keeping with the issues that she’s been focused on."
But Biden's decision to skip the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, has caused some frustration, particularly because he's already going to be in India and Vietnam around the same time.
The president's proximity makes his nonattendance “all the more more glaring than would otherwise be the case,” said Marty Natalegawa, Indonesia’s former foreign affairs minister.
However, Natalegawa conceded that ASEAN is struggling to convince world leaders that it deserves to play a central role in the region.
That's even though the alliance represents more than 650 million people across 10 nations that collectively have the world's fifth largest economy.
The organization has not resolved civil strife in Myanmar, which saw a military coup two years ago and has been disinvited from meetings.
A peace plan reached with the country's top general did not lead to any progress.
Negotiations over territorial claims in the South China Sea remain bogged down as well, and ASEAN faces internal disagreements over global competition between the United States and China.
Some members, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, have sought closer ties with Washington, while Cambodia remains firmly in Beijing's orbit.
“We can complain all we want about other countries not respecting us or not coming to our summits," Natalegawa said.
"But ultimately, it is actually a point of reflection.”
Unless ASEAN becomes more effective, Natalegawa said, “we may end up with less and less leaders turning up."
Kirby, the national security spokesman, rejected the idea that Biden was snubbing the organization or the region.
“It’s just impossible to look at the record that this administration has put forward and say that we are somehow walking away,” Kirby said, noting that Biden already hosted the first-ever Washington summit with ASEAN leaders last year.
Ja-Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, said Harris' presence helps the U.S. cover its bases at an event that may not prove productive on key issues.
“You want to show that you’re paying attention, you send the vice president," he said.
Harris is scheduled to depart Monday morning and spend two days enmeshed in meetings in Jakarta.
Her office has not yet detailed her schedule, but she's expected to attend summit events and hold individual talks with some foreign leaders.
Soon after Harris returns from Indonesia, Biden is headed to India for the annual Group of 20 summit, which pulls together many of the world’s richest countries and is a staple of any presidents’ calendar.
Then he plans to stop in Vietnam, where he's focused on strengthening ties with a country that is an emerging economic power.
“I don’t fault the administration for the choice that they made."
"It’s just unfortunate that they had to make that choice,” said Gregory B. Poling, who directs the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Leaders are gathering in Jakarta amid heightened tension over the South China Sea after Beijing released a new official map that emphasizes its territorial claims there.
The map has angered other nations that consider the waters to be part of their own territory or international byways.
The South China Sea is a critical crossroads for global trade.
U.S. officials and analysts believe Beijing's aggressive approach to the region has created an opening for Washington to forge stronger partnerships.
“In many ways, the PRC is doing its work for us,” said David Stilwell, using the acronym for the People's Republic of China.
Stilwell served as the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs under President Donald Trump.
Although much of Biden's recent attention has been on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he's left no doubt that he considers China to be the top foreign policy challenge for the U.S.
He's described much of his agenda, both domestic and overseas, as an effort to deter Beijing from supplanting Washington as the most powerful worldwide force.
Sometimes his warnings take a darker turn.
During a recent fundraiser for his reelection campaign in Park City, Utah, Biden described China as a “ticking time bomb” because of its economic and demographic challenges.
“That’s not good because when bad folks have problems, they do bad things,” he said.
Harris has previously visited Singapore and Vietnam, Japan and South Korea, and the Philippines and Thailand.
Many of her travels have been geared toward the global rivalry with China.
Speaking from the deck of a U.S. Navy destroyer docked near Tokyo last year, Harris said China has “challenged freedom of the seas" and “flexed its military and economic might to coerce and intimidate its neighbors.”
Harris also became the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Palawan, a Filipino island adjacent to the South China Sea that has been a front line for the territorial disputes.
She said that Washington would support the Philippines “in the face of intimidation and coercion."
___
Associated Press writer Edna Tarigan contributed from Jakarta, Indonesia.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/vi ... 3a31&ei=33
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
Radar Online
"West Wing War: Biden Sidelined VP Harris in White House Because She Makes 'Life Excessively Difficult by Imposing All Sorts of Constraints on Herself'"
Story by Joshua Wilburn
4 SEPTEMBER 2023
Vice President Kamala Harris has allegedly spent her time in office obsessing over her public image, frustrating aides with her demands, and struggling to find her footing in her high-profile assignments, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to the new tell-all book, The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future, written by Franklin Foer, the White House staff has allegedly been annoyed at Harris' sensitivity to criticism, with claims that she is aware of any negative news story or complaints about her management style almost immediately.
One source describes her as having "rabbit ears" for criticism.
"She let the criticism guide her," Foer wrote, adding that she has allegedly vexed Biden's Chief of Staff Ron Klain by "making life excessively difficult by imposing all sorts of constraints on herself."
"Whenever there was a hint of criticism of her — either in the West Wing or in the press — she seemed instantly aware of it," Foer wrote.
"Rather than brushing it aside, she wanted to know who was speaking ill of her and what they were saying."
The book also alleges that Harris has asked for assignments away from the spotlight, leading to a disjointed run as Vice President.
She has flip-flopped between failing to commit to high-profile assignments, such as her role as Biden's "border czar," and shunning the spotlight.
This has led to frustration within the administration.
According to the book, Harris has demanded to be distanced from 'women's issues or anything to do with race' while simultaneously wanting her office to be majority female with a black woman as Chief of Staff.
This contradictory stance has allegedly rubbed some of the administration the wrong way.
Despite the alleged struggles, President Biden is widely expected to keep Harris on the ticket for his 2024 reelection bid.
However, the book suggests that Biden's lack of a platform for success has contributed to her difficulties in finding her footing as Vice President.
"This dissension has led her to be 'guided by staff whom she didn't know and didn't especially trust,' and has u-turned on her image and amount of responsibility she wants numerous times," an excerpt of the book reads.
Foer also paints a picture of Harris as a neglected figure in the administration.
Unelected Biden aides like Ron Klain, Mike Donilon, and Steve Ricchetti are portrayed as more central to the White House's functioning than the VP herself.
In the past, VPs have played essential roles, such as key negotiators and behind-the-scenes figures.
However, Foer suggested that President Biden's promise to return American politics to normal may have contributed to the more traditional, less critical role of the vice presidency in the current administration.
Quotes and excerpts from The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future were obtained by the Daily Mail.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 3a31&ei=52
"West Wing War: Biden Sidelined VP Harris in White House Because She Makes 'Life Excessively Difficult by Imposing All Sorts of Constraints on Herself'"
Story by Joshua Wilburn
4 SEPTEMBER 2023
Vice President Kamala Harris has allegedly spent her time in office obsessing over her public image, frustrating aides with her demands, and struggling to find her footing in her high-profile assignments, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to the new tell-all book, The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future, written by Franklin Foer, the White House staff has allegedly been annoyed at Harris' sensitivity to criticism, with claims that she is aware of any negative news story or complaints about her management style almost immediately.
One source describes her as having "rabbit ears" for criticism.
"She let the criticism guide her," Foer wrote, adding that she has allegedly vexed Biden's Chief of Staff Ron Klain by "making life excessively difficult by imposing all sorts of constraints on herself."
"Whenever there was a hint of criticism of her — either in the West Wing or in the press — she seemed instantly aware of it," Foer wrote.
"Rather than brushing it aside, she wanted to know who was speaking ill of her and what they were saying."
The book also alleges that Harris has asked for assignments away from the spotlight, leading to a disjointed run as Vice President.
She has flip-flopped between failing to commit to high-profile assignments, such as her role as Biden's "border czar," and shunning the spotlight.
This has led to frustration within the administration.
According to the book, Harris has demanded to be distanced from 'women's issues or anything to do with race' while simultaneously wanting her office to be majority female with a black woman as Chief of Staff.
This contradictory stance has allegedly rubbed some of the administration the wrong way.
Despite the alleged struggles, President Biden is widely expected to keep Harris on the ticket for his 2024 reelection bid.
However, the book suggests that Biden's lack of a platform for success has contributed to her difficulties in finding her footing as Vice President.
"This dissension has led her to be 'guided by staff whom she didn't know and didn't especially trust,' and has u-turned on her image and amount of responsibility she wants numerous times," an excerpt of the book reads.
Foer also paints a picture of Harris as a neglected figure in the administration.
Unelected Biden aides like Ron Klain, Mike Donilon, and Steve Ricchetti are portrayed as more central to the White House's functioning than the VP herself.
In the past, VPs have played essential roles, such as key negotiators and behind-the-scenes figures.
However, Foer suggested that President Biden's promise to return American politics to normal may have contributed to the more traditional, less critical role of the vice presidency in the current administration.
Quotes and excerpts from The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future were obtained by the Daily Mail.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 3a31&ei=52
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
The Associated Press
"New book details Biden-Obama frictions and says Harris sought roles 'away from the spotlight'"
Story by WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press
6 SEPTEMBER 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new book about Joe Biden portrays the president as someone whose middle-class upbringing helped foster a resentment of intellectual elitism that shaped his political career and sometimes caused strain with his onetime boss, Harvard-educated Barack Obama.
Biden, who spent eight years as Obama's vice president, told a friend that Obama couldn't even curse properly, according to “The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future."
Released Tuesday and written by Franklin Foer, a staff writer for The Atlantic, the book says Biden said Obama was unable to deliver a "f—- you" with "the right elongation of vowels and the necessary hardness of consonants; it was how they must curse in the ivory tower.”
Now, as the president runs for reelection, the early frontrunner among Republicans is former President Donald Trump, whose supporters can sometimes resent the perceived elitism of Washington's political class — suggesting some overlap with Biden.
The anecdote also may resonate with Democrats.
Ardent supporters of both Biden and Obama fondly recall the then-vice president telling Obama in a private aside that was captured on a hot mic, “This is a big f—-ing deal,” during the signing ceremony for Obama's signature health care law in 2010.
Foer's book offers a deep examination of Biden's first two years in office, which the author describes as encompassing a lot of “flailing” before the president began to cement his legacy through signature policy achievements and “creative diplomacy” that helped rally the world behind Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion.
The 80-year-old Biden continues to face questions about his age, and Foer calls it “striking” that Biden attends few meetings or public events before 10 a.m.
In private, Biden would “occasionally admit to friends he felt tired," the book says.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked last week by a reporter citing an early excerpt from Foer's book if personal fatigue might help explain why Biden's morning schedule was often light.
She responded, “That’s a ridiculous assumption to make.”
Jean-Pierre referred back to that exchange during her briefing with reporters at the White House on Tuesday, and provided updated comment, saying that administration officials had now “seen the context of the excerpt."
She said the book was actually praising Biden for helping to push major legislation through Congress and unify global support around Ukraine.
It "seemed to be making the opposite overall point about how the value of his experience and wisdom resulted in rallying the free world against authoritarianism,” she said.
Jean-Pierre also said “there’s gonna be a range, always, a range of books that are about every administration” that would feature “a variety of claims.”
“That’s not unusual."
"That happens all the time,” she said.
"And we’re not going to litigate here.”
Foer's book also describes struggles by Vice President Kamala Harris to carve out a role for herself as Biden's No. 2 that have been well-documented previously.
But Foer suggests Harris may have hurt her own cause in that area, initially asking to be in charge of relations with Scandinavia because it was “away from the spotlight.”
The book reports that the vice president was initially excited about helping the administration tackle the root causes of immigration that have seen so many Central American migrants seeking asylum arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border — but that she eventually began to accept conventional wisdom that it was a thankless assignment.
Foer's book says Biden tried to treat Harris more respectfully than he felt Obama often had treated him as vice president, calling her “the vice president" instead of “my vice president."
But, during his early days in office, as Biden was convening his team to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Biden joked that the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, should sit in the vice president's seat.
“The Last Politician” describes the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
It says that when Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, relayed to the president that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country, leaving Kabul to fall to the Taliban, Biden declared in frustration, “Give me a break!”
It also reports that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton personally intervened to help many women whose work in Afghanistan made them potential targets for the Taliban.
She directed a group of them to wear white scarfs so they could be identified by U.S. Marines guarding the Kabul airport, and unilaterally contacted world leaders to find places for their eventual evacuation flights to land.
The book says Clinton's call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew a personal rebuke from Sullivan, former close advisor to Clinton, who told her “What are you doing calling the Ukrainian government?”
“I wouldn’t have to call if you guys would," Clinton responded, according to Foer's book.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... c37c&ei=19
"New book details Biden-Obama frictions and says Harris sought roles 'away from the spotlight'"
Story by WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press
6 SEPTEMBER 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new book about Joe Biden portrays the president as someone whose middle-class upbringing helped foster a resentment of intellectual elitism that shaped his political career and sometimes caused strain with his onetime boss, Harvard-educated Barack Obama.
Biden, who spent eight years as Obama's vice president, told a friend that Obama couldn't even curse properly, according to “The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future."
Released Tuesday and written by Franklin Foer, a staff writer for The Atlantic, the book says Biden said Obama was unable to deliver a "f—- you" with "the right elongation of vowels and the necessary hardness of consonants; it was how they must curse in the ivory tower.”
Now, as the president runs for reelection, the early frontrunner among Republicans is former President Donald Trump, whose supporters can sometimes resent the perceived elitism of Washington's political class — suggesting some overlap with Biden.
The anecdote also may resonate with Democrats.
Ardent supporters of both Biden and Obama fondly recall the then-vice president telling Obama in a private aside that was captured on a hot mic, “This is a big f—-ing deal,” during the signing ceremony for Obama's signature health care law in 2010.
Foer's book offers a deep examination of Biden's first two years in office, which the author describes as encompassing a lot of “flailing” before the president began to cement his legacy through signature policy achievements and “creative diplomacy” that helped rally the world behind Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion.
The 80-year-old Biden continues to face questions about his age, and Foer calls it “striking” that Biden attends few meetings or public events before 10 a.m.
In private, Biden would “occasionally admit to friends he felt tired," the book says.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked last week by a reporter citing an early excerpt from Foer's book if personal fatigue might help explain why Biden's morning schedule was often light.
She responded, “That’s a ridiculous assumption to make.”
Jean-Pierre referred back to that exchange during her briefing with reporters at the White House on Tuesday, and provided updated comment, saying that administration officials had now “seen the context of the excerpt."
She said the book was actually praising Biden for helping to push major legislation through Congress and unify global support around Ukraine.
It "seemed to be making the opposite overall point about how the value of his experience and wisdom resulted in rallying the free world against authoritarianism,” she said.
Jean-Pierre also said “there’s gonna be a range, always, a range of books that are about every administration” that would feature “a variety of claims.”
“That’s not unusual."
"That happens all the time,” she said.
"And we’re not going to litigate here.”
Foer's book also describes struggles by Vice President Kamala Harris to carve out a role for herself as Biden's No. 2 that have been well-documented previously.
But Foer suggests Harris may have hurt her own cause in that area, initially asking to be in charge of relations with Scandinavia because it was “away from the spotlight.”
The book reports that the vice president was initially excited about helping the administration tackle the root causes of immigration that have seen so many Central American migrants seeking asylum arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border — but that she eventually began to accept conventional wisdom that it was a thankless assignment.
Foer's book says Biden tried to treat Harris more respectfully than he felt Obama often had treated him as vice president, calling her “the vice president" instead of “my vice president."
But, during his early days in office, as Biden was convening his team to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Biden joked that the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, should sit in the vice president's seat.
“The Last Politician” describes the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
It says that when Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, relayed to the president that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled the country, leaving Kabul to fall to the Taliban, Biden declared in frustration, “Give me a break!”
It also reports that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton personally intervened to help many women whose work in Afghanistan made them potential targets for the Taliban.
She directed a group of them to wear white scarfs so they could be identified by U.S. Marines guarding the Kabul airport, and unilaterally contacted world leaders to find places for their eventual evacuation flights to land.
The book says Clinton's call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew a personal rebuke from Sullivan, former close advisor to Clinton, who told her “What are you doing calling the Ukrainian government?”
“I wouldn’t have to call if you guys would," Clinton responded, according to Foer's book.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... c37c&ei=19
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
The New York Post
"Kamala Harris says she ‘may have to take over’ and is ready to do so"
Story by Steven Nelson
7 SEPTEMBER 2023
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that an important part of her job is the fact that she “may have to take over” if President Biden is unable to complete his term in office — and that she’s ready to do so if required.
Harris was pressed on her readiness for the Oval Office during an overseas trip — after she initially tried to deflect a question about the 80-year-old Biden’s age by pointing to his legislative accomplishments.
“Questions about the president’s age often go hand in hand with questions about how you would step in the role if necessary."
"Do you feel prepared for that possibility?"
"Has serving as vice president prepared you for that job?” Associated Press reporter Chris Megerian asked Harris.
“Yes,” replied the 58-year-old vice president in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she is representing Biden at the annual ASEAN summit.
“And how would you describe that process?” the reporter asked.
“Well, first of all, let’s — I’m answering your hypothetical, but Joe Biden is going to be fine."
"So that is not going to come to fruition,” Harris said.
“But let us also understand that every vice president — every vice president —understands that when they take the oath, that they must be very clear about the responsibility they may have to take over the job of being president."
"I am no different.”
Eight of the 45 men who have served as president died in office — four by assassination and four from natural causes.
Biden, already the oldest-ever president, turns 81 in November.
Politicians in Washington typically refrain from engaging in hypotheticals about the potential death of elderly figures for fear of attracting criticism.
For example, Trump White House aides regularly were asked about the failing health of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before her death in 2020, but would refuse to comment, saying they feared being viewed as “vultures.”
Harris has even lower favorability ratings than Biden, according to the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls, which finds that 40.7% of the public approves of her work, versus 41.7% who approve of her boss.
Biden is seeking a second term in next year’s election, even though he will be 86 when he leaves office.
He reportedly has been unsatisfied with Harris, despite praising her in public.
“A point of tension in their relationship is that I don’t think that the president sees her as somebody who takes anything off of his plate” due to a “fear of messing up,” a former White House official told Reuters in May.
Author Chris Whipple, an expert on West Wing staffing, wrote in his book “The Fight of His Life,” released in January, that Biden considered Harris to be a “work in progress.”
Biden vented to a friend about his second-in-command in 2021 after he heard that her husband Douglas Emhoff was complaining about tasks assigned to her, including mitigating illegal migration and pushing for a federal voting-rights law, Whipple wrote.
“Biden was annoyed,” the book says.
“He hadn’t asked Harris to do anything he hadn’t done as vice president — and she’d begged him for the voting rights assignment.”
Biden selected Harris, the first female and second non-white VP, as his running mate in 2020 despite an acrimonious primary in which she blasted him for opposing federally mandated desegregation through busing students to different school districts.
“That little girl was me!” Harris told Biden during a 2019 debate.
First lady Jill Biden reportedly was so angry about the exchange that she said afterward that Harris should “go f–k” herself.
If Biden ultimately exits the 2024 campaign, Harris’ vulnerability is expected to unleash a contested Democratic primary, with potential challengers including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.).
The Republican primary currently is dominated by former President Donald Trump, 77, who polls show would beat Harris.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 9039&ei=16
"Kamala Harris says she ‘may have to take over’ and is ready to do so"
Story by Steven Nelson
7 SEPTEMBER 2023
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that an important part of her job is the fact that she “may have to take over” if President Biden is unable to complete his term in office — and that she’s ready to do so if required.
Harris was pressed on her readiness for the Oval Office during an overseas trip — after she initially tried to deflect a question about the 80-year-old Biden’s age by pointing to his legislative accomplishments.
“Questions about the president’s age often go hand in hand with questions about how you would step in the role if necessary."
"Do you feel prepared for that possibility?"
"Has serving as vice president prepared you for that job?” Associated Press reporter Chris Megerian asked Harris.
“Yes,” replied the 58-year-old vice president in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she is representing Biden at the annual ASEAN summit.
“And how would you describe that process?” the reporter asked.
“Well, first of all, let’s — I’m answering your hypothetical, but Joe Biden is going to be fine."
"So that is not going to come to fruition,” Harris said.
“But let us also understand that every vice president — every vice president —understands that when they take the oath, that they must be very clear about the responsibility they may have to take over the job of being president."
"I am no different.”
Eight of the 45 men who have served as president died in office — four by assassination and four from natural causes.
Biden, already the oldest-ever president, turns 81 in November.
Politicians in Washington typically refrain from engaging in hypotheticals about the potential death of elderly figures for fear of attracting criticism.
For example, Trump White House aides regularly were asked about the failing health of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before her death in 2020, but would refuse to comment, saying they feared being viewed as “vultures.”
Harris has even lower favorability ratings than Biden, according to the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls, which finds that 40.7% of the public approves of her work, versus 41.7% who approve of her boss.
Biden is seeking a second term in next year’s election, even though he will be 86 when he leaves office.
He reportedly has been unsatisfied with Harris, despite praising her in public.
“A point of tension in their relationship is that I don’t think that the president sees her as somebody who takes anything off of his plate” due to a “fear of messing up,” a former White House official told Reuters in May.
Author Chris Whipple, an expert on West Wing staffing, wrote in his book “The Fight of His Life,” released in January, that Biden considered Harris to be a “work in progress.”
Biden vented to a friend about his second-in-command in 2021 after he heard that her husband Douglas Emhoff was complaining about tasks assigned to her, including mitigating illegal migration and pushing for a federal voting-rights law, Whipple wrote.
“Biden was annoyed,” the book says.
“He hadn’t asked Harris to do anything he hadn’t done as vice president — and she’d begged him for the voting rights assignment.”
Biden selected Harris, the first female and second non-white VP, as his running mate in 2020 despite an acrimonious primary in which she blasted him for opposing federally mandated desegregation through busing students to different school districts.
“That little girl was me!” Harris told Biden during a 2019 debate.
First lady Jill Biden reportedly was so angry about the exchange that she said afterward that Harris should “go f–k” herself.
If Biden ultimately exits the 2024 campaign, Harris’ vulnerability is expected to unleash a contested Democratic primary, with potential challengers including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.).
The Republican primary currently is dominated by former President Donald Trump, 77, who polls show would beat Harris.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 9039&ei=16
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
The Associated Press
"In Southeast Asia, Harris says 'we have to see the future'"
Story by CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press
7 SEPTEMBER 2023
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — It took more than a day of flying, including two refueling stops, for Vice President Kamala Harris to reach this year’s summit of Southeast Asian countries.
And once she arrived, she had less than eight minutes of public speaking time during two meetings.
But in Jakarta’s cavernous convention center, adorned with billowing flowers and tropical plants for the occasion, Harris saw an opportunity to shape the future of United States foreign policy.
In an interview with The Associated Press, the vice president said that Washington must "pay attention to 10, 20, 30 years down the line, and what we are developing now that will be to the benefit of our country then.”
For her, that means working in Southeast Asia.
Two-thirds of its population is under 35 years old.
It's the fourth-largest market for U.S. exports.
One-third of global shipping travels through the South China Sea.
“Think about it,” Harris said.
This was her third trip to Southeast Asia since taking office — Harris heads back to Washington on Thursday — and she's visited more countries here than any other region.
It's a sprawling constellation of nations, many of them eager for the personal touch of an American leader, and Harris has spent the past few years making the rounds.
Although addressing migration from Central America was the original task in Harris’ foreign policy portfolio, her more recent travels have put her at the center of White House efforts to bolster ties in Asia as a counterbalance to China.
It's an international parallel to her more prominent role in domestic politics, where she's been taking the lead on core Democratic issues such as abortion rights in the upcoming election.
At home and abroad, progress can be slow or hard to measure.
Harris' approval ratings remain underwater, and her announcements in Southeast Asia tend to be counted in the millions of dollars rather than the billions.
But she described her work in the region as something that will pay dividends over time as she gets to know its leaders.
“The strongest relationships will be based on consistency, on communication, on trust, and the ability to work together and to grow the sense of connection,” she said.
Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, said “many of our best successes in the region were made possible thanks to her diplomacy,” crediting Harris with helping to “move the ball forward on some of our top priorities.”
“In our administration, she has been a strong advocate for stepping up our engagement in Southeast Asia — and she’s put in the air miles to prove that — in recognition that our work there is critical to our own security and economic growth," Sullivan said.
Some analysts believe China maintains an edge in the region, and the Australia-based Lowy Institute issued a report earlier this year concluding that Beijing was still gaining ground in recent years.
However, Harris delivered a series of messages at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that were intended to demonstrate American commitment despite Biden's absence from the summit.
“The American people have a profound stake in the future of the Indo-Pacific," she said during one meeting.
"We share a historic bond and common values with many of the people and nations here.”
Harris also paid tribute to ASEAN as an organization, despite growing doubts about its effectiveness for regional diplomacy.
“The fact that so many leaders are convening in this one place at the same time to address some of the biggest challenges facing our world is a sign of strength of both the commitment that each nation has to the coalition and the potential for collaboration,” she told the AP.
Others are less hopeful.
Dinna Prapto Raharja, a Jakarta-based analyst and professor on international relations, said ASEAN is being divided by competition between the U.S. and China, with some countries seeking to bolster their economies through closer relations with one or the other.
“I don’t see solidarity at this moment, given the rivalry,” she said.
“Everybody works their own way.”
Harris' travel to Southeast Asia began in her first year in office, when she visited Singapore and Vietnam, but the trip almost didn't happen.
Phil Gordon, a national security adviser to Harris, said there was talk of canceling because the administration was in the midst of a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“She personally insisted that we can do more than one thing at a time,” Gordon said.
“She didn’t want to pull the plug on our commitment to Southeast Asia.”
During the trip, she repeatedly criticized China for trying to control access to the South China Sea, at one point describing the behavior as “bullying.”
“She didn’t knock it out of the park."
"It’s clear she was new to the issues."
"But she’s put in the work," said Gregory B. Poling, who directs the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
He described Harris as “an effective avatar for the administration,” an important position when the president can only be in so many places at once.
David Rothkopf, a foreign policy writer who worked on trade issues under former President Bill Clinton and has met with Harris, said there’s “always a period of adjustment” for an incoming administration.
“She was new to the team,” he said.
“And now she’s seen as part of the team.”
It's a role that she's played frequently.
In addition to skipping this year's ASEAN summit, Biden didn't attend the 2022 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Thailand because it conflicted with his granddaughter's wedding.
Harris went in his place, and she also stopped in the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally where she's fostered a close relationship with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
During the visit, Harris became the highest-ranking U.S. official to go to Palawan, an island adjacent to the South China Sea.
She toured a Philippine coast guard boat and spoke with members of a local fishing community.
Republicans tried to turn it into an unflattering viral moment, clipping a video to portray her as awkwardly as possible as she greeted people with buckets of fish on their head.
But to her office, it’s an example of how Harris is willing to show up places where others don’t.
She frequently participates in events outside the hermetic bubble of international summits or government events.
In Vietnam, she met with activists working on gay rights and climate change.
In Thailand, she sat down with environmental advocates and clean energy entrepreneurs.
“We have to see the future and think about where it’s going,” Harris told the AP, “and then measure ourselves against that in terms of what we do today.”
___
Associated Press writer Edna Tarigan contributed to this report.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/in ... r-AA1gmon5?
"In Southeast Asia, Harris says 'we have to see the future'"
Story by CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press
7 SEPTEMBER 2023
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — It took more than a day of flying, including two refueling stops, for Vice President Kamala Harris to reach this year’s summit of Southeast Asian countries.
And once she arrived, she had less than eight minutes of public speaking time during two meetings.
But in Jakarta’s cavernous convention center, adorned with billowing flowers and tropical plants for the occasion, Harris saw an opportunity to shape the future of United States foreign policy.
In an interview with The Associated Press, the vice president said that Washington must "pay attention to 10, 20, 30 years down the line, and what we are developing now that will be to the benefit of our country then.”
For her, that means working in Southeast Asia.
Two-thirds of its population is under 35 years old.
It's the fourth-largest market for U.S. exports.
One-third of global shipping travels through the South China Sea.
“Think about it,” Harris said.
This was her third trip to Southeast Asia since taking office — Harris heads back to Washington on Thursday — and she's visited more countries here than any other region.
It's a sprawling constellation of nations, many of them eager for the personal touch of an American leader, and Harris has spent the past few years making the rounds.
Although addressing migration from Central America was the original task in Harris’ foreign policy portfolio, her more recent travels have put her at the center of White House efforts to bolster ties in Asia as a counterbalance to China.
It's an international parallel to her more prominent role in domestic politics, where she's been taking the lead on core Democratic issues such as abortion rights in the upcoming election.
At home and abroad, progress can be slow or hard to measure.
Harris' approval ratings remain underwater, and her announcements in Southeast Asia tend to be counted in the millions of dollars rather than the billions.
But she described her work in the region as something that will pay dividends over time as she gets to know its leaders.
“The strongest relationships will be based on consistency, on communication, on trust, and the ability to work together and to grow the sense of connection,” she said.
Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, said “many of our best successes in the region were made possible thanks to her diplomacy,” crediting Harris with helping to “move the ball forward on some of our top priorities.”
“In our administration, she has been a strong advocate for stepping up our engagement in Southeast Asia — and she’s put in the air miles to prove that — in recognition that our work there is critical to our own security and economic growth," Sullivan said.
Some analysts believe China maintains an edge in the region, and the Australia-based Lowy Institute issued a report earlier this year concluding that Beijing was still gaining ground in recent years.
However, Harris delivered a series of messages at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that were intended to demonstrate American commitment despite Biden's absence from the summit.
“The American people have a profound stake in the future of the Indo-Pacific," she said during one meeting.
"We share a historic bond and common values with many of the people and nations here.”
Harris also paid tribute to ASEAN as an organization, despite growing doubts about its effectiveness for regional diplomacy.
“The fact that so many leaders are convening in this one place at the same time to address some of the biggest challenges facing our world is a sign of strength of both the commitment that each nation has to the coalition and the potential for collaboration,” she told the AP.
Others are less hopeful.
Dinna Prapto Raharja, a Jakarta-based analyst and professor on international relations, said ASEAN is being divided by competition between the U.S. and China, with some countries seeking to bolster their economies through closer relations with one or the other.
“I don’t see solidarity at this moment, given the rivalry,” she said.
“Everybody works their own way.”
Harris' travel to Southeast Asia began in her first year in office, when she visited Singapore and Vietnam, but the trip almost didn't happen.
Phil Gordon, a national security adviser to Harris, said there was talk of canceling because the administration was in the midst of a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“She personally insisted that we can do more than one thing at a time,” Gordon said.
“She didn’t want to pull the plug on our commitment to Southeast Asia.”
During the trip, she repeatedly criticized China for trying to control access to the South China Sea, at one point describing the behavior as “bullying.”
“She didn’t knock it out of the park."
"It’s clear she was new to the issues."
"But she’s put in the work," said Gregory B. Poling, who directs the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
He described Harris as “an effective avatar for the administration,” an important position when the president can only be in so many places at once.
David Rothkopf, a foreign policy writer who worked on trade issues under former President Bill Clinton and has met with Harris, said there’s “always a period of adjustment” for an incoming administration.
“She was new to the team,” he said.
“And now she’s seen as part of the team.”
It's a role that she's played frequently.
In addition to skipping this year's ASEAN summit, Biden didn't attend the 2022 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Thailand because it conflicted with his granddaughter's wedding.
Harris went in his place, and she also stopped in the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally where she's fostered a close relationship with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
During the visit, Harris became the highest-ranking U.S. official to go to Palawan, an island adjacent to the South China Sea.
She toured a Philippine coast guard boat and spoke with members of a local fishing community.
Republicans tried to turn it into an unflattering viral moment, clipping a video to portray her as awkwardly as possible as she greeted people with buckets of fish on their head.
But to her office, it’s an example of how Harris is willing to show up places where others don’t.
She frequently participates in events outside the hermetic bubble of international summits or government events.
In Vietnam, she met with activists working on gay rights and climate change.
In Thailand, she sat down with environmental advocates and clean energy entrepreneurs.
“We have to see the future and think about where it’s going,” Harris told the AP, “and then measure ourselves against that in terms of what we do today.”
___
Associated Press writer Edna Tarigan contributed to this report.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/in ... r-AA1gmon5?
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
Newsweek
"Kamala Harris Confronted With Biden's Brutal Poll Numbers"
Story by Aleks Phillips
31 OCTOBER 2023
Kamala Harris sidestepped a question about Joe Biden's approval among young voters when confronted with large drops in poll ratings, instead leaning on his record on issues he has sought to appeal to them on.
At the start of the president's term, some 70 percent of those aged under 30 thought he was doing a good job, CBS News/YouGov polling showed.
However, as of early September, this number had slipped to 49 percent.
The same poll found Harris had a vice presidential approval rating of 41 percent, which rose to 55 percent among under 30s.
Younger Americans tend to vote Democrat, but Biden, 80, faces ongoing questions about his age as he pursues a second term, as well as independent challenges from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, who could attract some left-wing voters.
The poll was conducted between September 5-8 and surveyed 2,335 U.S. adults, of whom 486 were under 30.
When challenged on their relative unpopularity by CBS News on Sunday, Harris said: "If you poll how young people feel about the climate and the warming of our planet, it polls as one of their top concerns."
"When we talk about what we're doing with student loan debt, [it] polls very high."
"The challenge that we have as an administration is we've got to let people know who brung [sic] it to them."
"That's our challenge, but it is not that the work we are doing is not very, very popular with a lot of people."
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
A July Washington Post/University of Maryland poll confirmed that for a majority of Americans, climate change is seen as a major problem, if not a crisis.
According to a Pew Research Center survey of 10,329 adults between May 30 and June 4, 50 percent of U.S. adults thought the Biden administration was taking the nation in the wrong direction on climate change, while 45 percent felt it was heading in the right direction.
However, the number who supported Biden's green agenda rose to 64 percent among Democrats aged 18-29 and was even higher among older age brackets.
While Biden has pushed for a green economy through the passing of his Inflation Reduction Act, he has also attracted criticism for approving new oil and gas projects, such as the Willow Project in Alaska.
Supportive Democrats said at the time that, during the transition to renewable energy, it would be more environmentally responsible to source oil and gas domestically than to import it.
An Ipsos Mori/USA Today poll of 1,029 American adults, conducted between April 14-16, found 47 percent supported Biden's student debt relief plan, which rose to 83 percent among the 399 people who held student loan debt.
Biden continued to suspend federal student loan repayments during the coronavirus pandemic as many braced for the economic fallout of the national emergency.
He also pledged to forgive some of the 43.6 million borrowers' debts.
The president had sought to knock at least $10,000 off the debt owed by eligible student borrowers but was blocked by the Supreme Court.
The government has since announced it will be discharging $39 billion in debt for 804,000 borrowers through another legal mechanism in a slimmed-down version of Biden's original plan and has also offered ways to ease the reintroduction of repayments to those struggling.
Following polling which suggested the Biden administration's support among Black voters was waning, the White House announced Harris would embark on a month-long tour of academic institutions across at least seven states with historically diverse student populations.
In a statement at the time, she described the generation as "critical," adding: "My message to students is clear: We are counting on you, we need you, you are everything."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... e6973&ei=9
"Kamala Harris Confronted With Biden's Brutal Poll Numbers"
Story by Aleks Phillips
31 OCTOBER 2023
Kamala Harris sidestepped a question about Joe Biden's approval among young voters when confronted with large drops in poll ratings, instead leaning on his record on issues he has sought to appeal to them on.
At the start of the president's term, some 70 percent of those aged under 30 thought he was doing a good job, CBS News/YouGov polling showed.
However, as of early September, this number had slipped to 49 percent.
The same poll found Harris had a vice presidential approval rating of 41 percent, which rose to 55 percent among under 30s.
Younger Americans tend to vote Democrat, but Biden, 80, faces ongoing questions about his age as he pursues a second term, as well as independent challenges from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, who could attract some left-wing voters.
The poll was conducted between September 5-8 and surveyed 2,335 U.S. adults, of whom 486 were under 30.
When challenged on their relative unpopularity by CBS News on Sunday, Harris said: "If you poll how young people feel about the climate and the warming of our planet, it polls as one of their top concerns."
"When we talk about what we're doing with student loan debt, [it] polls very high."
"The challenge that we have as an administration is we've got to let people know who brung [sic] it to them."
"That's our challenge, but it is not that the work we are doing is not very, very popular with a lot of people."
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
A July Washington Post/University of Maryland poll confirmed that for a majority of Americans, climate change is seen as a major problem, if not a crisis.
According to a Pew Research Center survey of 10,329 adults between May 30 and June 4, 50 percent of U.S. adults thought the Biden administration was taking the nation in the wrong direction on climate change, while 45 percent felt it was heading in the right direction.
However, the number who supported Biden's green agenda rose to 64 percent among Democrats aged 18-29 and was even higher among older age brackets.
While Biden has pushed for a green economy through the passing of his Inflation Reduction Act, he has also attracted criticism for approving new oil and gas projects, such as the Willow Project in Alaska.
Supportive Democrats said at the time that, during the transition to renewable energy, it would be more environmentally responsible to source oil and gas domestically than to import it.
An Ipsos Mori/USA Today poll of 1,029 American adults, conducted between April 14-16, found 47 percent supported Biden's student debt relief plan, which rose to 83 percent among the 399 people who held student loan debt.
Biden continued to suspend federal student loan repayments during the coronavirus pandemic as many braced for the economic fallout of the national emergency.
He also pledged to forgive some of the 43.6 million borrowers' debts.
The president had sought to knock at least $10,000 off the debt owed by eligible student borrowers but was blocked by the Supreme Court.
The government has since announced it will be discharging $39 billion in debt for 804,000 borrowers through another legal mechanism in a slimmed-down version of Biden's original plan and has also offered ways to ease the reintroduction of repayments to those struggling.
Following polling which suggested the Biden administration's support among Black voters was waning, the White House announced Harris would embark on a month-long tour of academic institutions across at least seven states with historically diverse student populations.
In a statement at the time, she described the generation as "critical," adding: "My message to students is clear: We are counting on you, we need you, you are everything."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... e6973&ei=9
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
The Hill
"Harris pledges $3 billion to help developing countries with climate solutions"
Story by Rachel Frazin
3 DECEMBER 2023
On Saturday, the U.S. pledged $3 billion to help developing countries mitigate and combat climate change.
“Today, I am also proud to announce a new $3 billion pledge to the Green Climate Fund, which helps developing countries invest in resilience, clean energy and nature-based solutions,” Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday during a speech at the U.N. climate summit in Dubai.
The funding comes at a time when Congress is sharply divided, and Republicans have been very vocal about wanting to cut spending overall, and fight President Biden’s agenda.
A source told Reuters that the pledge was subject to fund availability.
In her speech, Harris also called for more climate action in her speech.
“We must have the ambition to meet this moment, to accelerate our ongoing work, increase our investments and lead with courage and conviction.”
She slammed “leaders who deny climate science, delay climate action and spread misinformation” and corporations “that greenwash climate inaction and lobby for billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 1d8d&ei=17
"Harris pledges $3 billion to help developing countries with climate solutions"
Story by Rachel Frazin
3 DECEMBER 2023
On Saturday, the U.S. pledged $3 billion to help developing countries mitigate and combat climate change.
“Today, I am also proud to announce a new $3 billion pledge to the Green Climate Fund, which helps developing countries invest in resilience, clean energy and nature-based solutions,” Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday during a speech at the U.N. climate summit in Dubai.
The funding comes at a time when Congress is sharply divided, and Republicans have been very vocal about wanting to cut spending overall, and fight President Biden’s agenda.
A source told Reuters that the pledge was subject to fund availability.
In her speech, Harris also called for more climate action in her speech.
“We must have the ambition to meet this moment, to accelerate our ongoing work, increase our investments and lead with courage and conviction.”
She slammed “leaders who deny climate science, delay climate action and spread misinformation” and corporations “that greenwash climate inaction and lobby for billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 1d8d&ei=17
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
State Of The UnionInvestigative Research Center
“Hunter Biden Listed as Fisker Creditor, Raising Questions About Green Energy Boondoggle”
by IRC Staff on June 2, 2020,
After Senator Obama selected his father as a running mate Hunter set up a consulting firm called Seneca Global Advisors.
"Joe Biden Popularity Hits Lowest Ever In CNN Poll"
Story by Claire O'Hare
9 DECEMBER 2023
A new CNN poll shows that President Biden’s approval rating has dropped to 37%, the lowest of his presidency, with 63% disapproving.
This decline in approval is likely to impact his 2024 re-election campaign.
Additionally, only a third of voters approve of his handling of the economy, down three points from October, while 67% disapprove.
For years, speculation swirled about how the Biden family was raking in tens of millions of dollars from foreign sources.
After all, Joe and Hunter Biden had no personal or business ties to Ukraine or China, and no experience in the energy sector.
Following the GOP-led investigation, the evidence points to one unmistakable conclusion: The Biden family engaged in an illegal influence-peddle scheme that put the US government on sale.
Star witness Devon Archer admitted that he came up with the idea for the criminal enterprise and approached Joe and Hunter Biden.
In the words of Archer, the Biden family provided “government regulatory strategic advice” to companies in Ukraine, Russia, and China.
Specifically, the Biden family worked with foreign nationals in the energy sector.
In 2022 alone, the U.S. invested over $140 billion into “clean energy.”
Conveniently, the Biden administration has set a goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Beginning on January 20, 2011, then-Vice President Joe Biden wrote a personal letter to Archer to thank him for the business opportunity.
The smoking-gun evidence has been analyzed and authenticated.
“What was he thanking you for?” political commentator Tucker Carlson asked.
“It was kind of the beginning of our partnership, and he was thanking me and thanking Hunter,” Archer said.
“I think, at the end of the day for bringing this idea of this government regulatory strategic advisory business into the private equity world."
"And I think he was excited about the prospects for Hunter, and he was just thanking me."
"I think it was a nice gesture.”
Archer testified at the House Oversight Committee and confirmed that Hunter put his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, on speakerphone while meeting with business partners at least 20 times.
“Archer described how Joe Biden was put on the phone to sell ‘the brand,'” Archer explained in his testimony.
Archer’s testimony is corroborated by Hunter Biden’s texts and emails.
In 2019, a text message from Hunter to his daughter revealed that his father, Joe Biden, takes half of Hunter’s business salary stemming from their work together.
This illegally and unethically exploited Biden’s power and position while working as vice president in the Obama administration.
In another text message, Hunter used the messaging system “WhatsApp,” on July 30, 2017 to send a threatening text to Hery Zhao, CEO of Harvest Fund Management.
In the bombshell text, Hunter said he was “sitting here” with his father “and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled.”
The damning evidence clearly indicates President Biden’s involvement in his son’s international bribery scheme.
IRS Criminal Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley Jr., who oversaw the agency’s investigation into Hunter Biden, released this information to the American people after it had been hidden for years.
“Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight,” Hunter Biden wrote.
“And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction."
"I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father,” he said.
Hunter texted a Chinese businessman named named Gongwen “Kevin” Dong asking for $10 million because the Biden family is best at “doing exactly what the chairman wants.”
This text corresponds to a separate email on Hunter’s laptop about the Biden family’s venture with CEFC.
The deal notoriously included “10 held by H for the big guy.”
The “big guy” refers to Joe Biden and “10” refers to $10 million.
The “chairman,” as Hunter Biden referenced, was CEFC’s chairman Ye Jianming.
Ye paid Hunter a $1 million retainer fee for legal services in 2017.
Ye also reportedly gave Hunter a large diamond in February 2017 worth an estimated $80,000.
In the message dated August 3, 2017, Hunter told Kevin Dong, “I am tired of this Kevin."
"I can make $5M in salary at any law firm in America."
"Very simple, 10 M per annum budget to use to further the interest of the JV."
"This move to 5M is completely new to me and is not acceptable obviously."
"If you think this is about money it’s not,” Hunter added.
“The Bidens are the best I know at doing exactly what the chairman wants from this partnership … let’s not quibble over peanuts.”
After seeing the evidence, there is only one logical conclusion: It’s time to impeach Joe Biden.
The indisputable and mounting evidence is convincing the American public that Biden is guilty of corruption.
If the GOP successfully impeaches Joe Biden, he will have to exit the 2024 race.
If impeachment occurs, Democrats will have very little time to promote an alternative candidate.
This may lead to Kamala Harris stepping in and virtually guaranteeing Republican retake control in the White House.
Harris has struggled immensely in office with the lowest vice president approval rating in U.S. history.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 94541&ei=9
Re: KAMALA HARRIS
The Hill
"White House press corps cracks up after Doocy’s ‘O-Biden’ slip"
Story by Nick Robertson
15 DECEMBER 2023
Fox News’ Peter Doocy caused a commotion in the White House briefing room on Thursday after he tripped over his words, mixing up President Biden with his Democratic predecessor, former President Obama.
Doocy questioned National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on an alleged rift between Biden and Vice President Harris on the administration’s response to the Israel-Gaza war.
In the line of questioning, he dubbed the commander-in-chief “President O-Biden,” sparking an eruption of laughter from Kirby and the press corps.
Doocy recovered, noting that the Harris story is big for Fox News.
Kirby shot back that it’s only a big story for Fox and not other media, a dig at media bias.
Biden and Doocy have a rocky relationship, with the president twice calling out the Fox reporter over what he considered poor or leading questions.
He once called Doocy a “stupid son of a bitch.”
The Harris story was first reported by Politico early Thursday, and alleges that the vice president has urged the president to show more public concern for Palestinians in his reaction to the Israel-Hamas war.
The White House has rejected the story outright, with spokespeople from Biden and Harris’ offices saying there is no difference in opinion between the pair.
“As I told Politico a week ago, ‘there is no daylight between the President and Vice President nor has there been,’ and media should be cautious and discerning about including anonymous ‘sources’ who are not privy to their private conversations,” Kirsten Allen, Harris’s press secretary, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Kirby reiterated the point in the exchange with Doocy.
“Last I looked, the vice president is part of the White House."
"She’s part of the team,” Kirby said.
“If she wasn’t offering her advice and counsel to the president on innumerable issues, then it would be a story.”
“We’ve already pushed back on the premise of the story that there’s some sort of daylight between her and the president,” he continued.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 576a&ei=25
"White House press corps cracks up after Doocy’s ‘O-Biden’ slip"
Story by Nick Robertson
15 DECEMBER 2023
Fox News’ Peter Doocy caused a commotion in the White House briefing room on Thursday after he tripped over his words, mixing up President Biden with his Democratic predecessor, former President Obama.
Doocy questioned National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on an alleged rift between Biden and Vice President Harris on the administration’s response to the Israel-Gaza war.
In the line of questioning, he dubbed the commander-in-chief “President O-Biden,” sparking an eruption of laughter from Kirby and the press corps.
Doocy recovered, noting that the Harris story is big for Fox News.
Kirby shot back that it’s only a big story for Fox and not other media, a dig at media bias.
Biden and Doocy have a rocky relationship, with the president twice calling out the Fox reporter over what he considered poor or leading questions.
He once called Doocy a “stupid son of a bitch.”
The Harris story was first reported by Politico early Thursday, and alleges that the vice president has urged the president to show more public concern for Palestinians in his reaction to the Israel-Hamas war.
The White House has rejected the story outright, with spokespeople from Biden and Harris’ offices saying there is no difference in opinion between the pair.
“As I told Politico a week ago, ‘there is no daylight between the President and Vice President nor has there been,’ and media should be cautious and discerning about including anonymous ‘sources’ who are not privy to their private conversations,” Kirsten Allen, Harris’s press secretary, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Kirby reiterated the point in the exchange with Doocy.
“Last I looked, the vice president is part of the White House."
"She’s part of the team,” Kirby said.
“If she wasn’t offering her advice and counsel to the president on innumerable issues, then it would be a story.”
“We’ve already pushed back on the premise of the story that there’s some sort of daylight between her and the president,” he continued.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 576a&ei=25