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Vice President Kamala Harris is standing by her previous comments defending President Joe Biden’s mental acuity — even now as she’s running to replace him.

The vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate was asked by CNN whether she has any regrets about defending Biden’s mental acuity amid a firestorm of skepticism following the first presidential debate.

‘No, not at all,’ Harris told CNN reporter Dana Bash.

Harris rose to the top of the ticket after Biden dropped out of the race last month following his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump in June. 

The debate, which included Biden repeatedly tripping over his words and losing his train of thought, opened the floodgates to traditional Democratic allies of the president joining conservatives in sounding the alarm over Biden’s mental acuity and age. 

The vice president publicly supported Biden throughout the media circus and secured his endorsement just minutes after his own campaign came to close.

Harris dodged the question of whether Biden initially endorsed her to run in his place when he called to announce his withdrawal from the election amid mounting concern over his mental faculties. 

‘What about the endorsement? Did you ask for it?’ Bash asked Harris. 

‘He was very clear that he was gonna support me,’ Harris responded. 

‘So, when he called to tell you, he said, ‘I’m pulling out of the race, and I’m gonna support you?,’’ Bash pressed Harris. 

‘Well, my first thought was not about me, to be honest with you. My first thought was about him, to be honest. I think history is gonna show a number of things about Joe Biden’s presidency. I think history is gonna show that in so many ways, it was transformative, be it on what we have accomplished around finally investing in America’s infrastructure, investing in new economics, in new industries, what we have done to bring our allies back together, and have confidence in who we are as America, and grow that alliance, what we have done to stand true to our principles including the — the — one of the most important international rules and norms, which is the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ she said. 

The highly anticipated sit-down marked the first interview Harris has held in 39 days, since she became the presumptive nominee. She was joined by her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for the pre-taped CNN interview that aired Thursday evening. 

Harris has largely avoided the media since ascending the Democratic ticket, only rarely answering media questions while on the campaign trail and holding no press conferences. 

Biden has spent the majority of the last two weeks on vacation at beach properties in California and Delaware.

Fox News’ Emma Colton and Matteo Cina contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

There are 67 days until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

But if Americans vote like they did in the last two election cycles, most of them will have already cast a ballot before the big day.

Early voting starts as soon as Sept. 6 for eligible voters, with seven battleground states sending out ballots to at least some voters the same month.

It makes the next few months less a countdown to Election Day, and more the beginning of ‘election season.’

States have long allowed at least some Americans to vote early, like members of the military or people with illnesses. 

In some states, almost every voter casts a ballot by mail.

Many states expanded eligibility in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it riskier to vote in-person.

That year, the Fox News Voter Analysis found that 71% of voters cast their ballots before Election Day, with 30% voting early in-person and 41% voting by mail.

Early voting remained popular in the midterms, with 57% of voters casting a ballot before Election Day.

Elections officials stress that voting early is safe and secure. Recounts, investigations and lawsuits filed after the 2020 election did not reveal evidence of widespread fraud or corruption. 

The difference between ‘early in-person’ and ‘mail’ or ‘absentee’ voting.

There are a few ways to vote before Election Day.

The first is , where a voter casts a regular ballot in-person at a voting center before Election Day.

The second is , where the process and eligibility varies by state.

Eight states vote mostly by mail, including California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. Registered voters receive ballots and send them back.

Most states allow any registered voter to request a mail ballot and send it back. This is also called mail voting, or sometimes absentee voting. Depending on the state, voters can return their ballot by mail, at a drop box, and/or at an office or facility that accepts mail ballots.

In 14 states, voters must have an excuse to vote by mail, ranging from illness, age, work hours or if a voter is out of their home county on Election Day.

States process and tabulate ballots at different times. Some states don’t begin counting ballots until election night, which delays the release of results.

Voting begins on Sept. 6 in North Carolina, with seven more battleground states starting that month

This list of early voting dates is for guidance only. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, go to Vote.gov and your state’s elections website.

The first voters to be sent absentee ballots will be in North Carolina, which begins mailing out ballots for eligible voters on Sept. 6.

Seven more battleground states open up early voting the same month, including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada.

September deadlines

In-person early voting in bold.

Sept. 6

North Carolina – Absentee ballots sent to voters

Sept. 16

Pennsylvania – Mail-in ballots sent to voters

Sept. 17

Georgia – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas

Sept. 19

Wisconsin – Absentee ballots sent

Sept. 20

Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas
Minnesota, South Dakota – In-person absentee voting begins
Virginia – In-person early voting begins
Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia – Absentee ballots sent

Sept. 21

Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas
Indiana, New Mexico – Absentee ballots sent
Maryland, New Jersey – Mail-in ballots sent

Sept. 23

Mississippi – In-person absentee voting begins & absentee ballots sent
Oregon, Vermont – Absentee ballots sent

Sept. 26

Illinois – In-person early voting begins 
Michigan – Absentee ballots sent
Florida, Nevada – Mail-in ballots sent
North Dakota – Absentee & mail-in ballots sent

Sept. 30

Nebraska – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 4

Connecticut – Absentee ballots sent

Oct. 6

Michigan – In-person early voting begins 
Maine – In-person absentee voting begins & mail ballots sent
California – In-person absentee voting begins & mail ballots sent
Montana – In-person absentee voting begins
Nebraska – In-person early voting begins 
Georgia – Absentee ballots sent
Massachusetts – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 8

California – Ballot drop-offs open
New Mexico, Ohio – In-person absentee voting begins
Indiana – In-person early voting begins
Wyoming – In-person absentee voting begins & absentee ballots sent

Oct. 9

Arizona – In-person early voting begins & mail ballots sent

Oct. 11

Colorado – Mail-in ballots sent
Arkansas, Alaska – Absentee ballots sent

Oct. 15

Georgia – In-person early voting begins
Utah – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 16

Rhode Island, Kansas, Tennessee – In-person early voting begins
Iowa – In-person absentee voting begins
Oregon, Nevada – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 17

North Carolina – In-person early voting begins 

Oct. 18

Washington, Louisiana – In-person early voting begins
Hawaii – Mail-in ballots sent

Oct. 19

Nevada, Massachusetts – In-person early voting begins 
Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas – In-person early voting begins 
Colorado – Ballot drop-offs open

Oct. 22

Hawaii, Utah – In-person early voting begins 
Missouri, Wisconsin – In-person absentee voting begins

Oct. 23

West Virginia – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 24

Maryland – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 25

Delaware – In-person early voting begins

Oct. 26

Michigan, Florida, New Jersey, New York – In-person early voting begins 

Oct. 30

Oklahoma – In-person early voting begins 

Oct. 31

Kentucky – In-person absentee voting begins

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One of the most consequential responsibilities that a president possesses is the appointment of Supreme Court justices. These lifetime appointees impact our lives in countless ways. 

And with the bloodless coup orchestrated by the Democrats to force Vice President Kamala Harris down the throats of Democrat voters, it’s important to ask a direct question. What kind of justices would a President Harris appoint?

A good starting point to answer that question involves looking at jurists selected by President Biden. For the most part, his appointees are nothing more than hardcore leftists. At the head of the class is Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson who, in her two years on the court, staked out a position as a rock-solid member of the leftist bloc, along with Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Three of the conservative justices – Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito – will be well into their 70s should a President Harris assume office next January. It is conceivable that she could replace these three right-of-center justices with three justices in the mold of Justice Jackson, transforming the court from a 6-3 conservative one to a 6-3 leftist one.

A President Harris would have a far more ambitious Supreme Court agenda than simply replacing justices who have retired. She just announced support for term limits on the court, suggesting she would try to force Alito, Thomas and Roberts to retire. She also indicated her openness to packing the court, adding new seats to the nine that exist. 

The last time a president attempted this maneuver occurred during the 1930s, when President Franklin Roosevelt, displeased by the court’s rulings against his New Deal agenda, proposed adding a half dozen new justices. 

The Senate, then ruled by an overwhelming supermajority of Roosevelt’s own Democratic Party, was so repulsed by this naked power grab that the Judiciary Committee referred to the ploy as, ‘a measure which should be so emphatically rejected that its parallel will never again be presented to the free representatives of the free people of America.’

Seemingly unburdened by what has been, Harris hired Brian Fallon as her campaign communications director. In 2018, Fallon founded Demand Justice, a group that supports the appointment of leftist judges. 

After Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement that June, Demand Justice first resurrected the idea of packing the Supreme Court, an idea once thought long-dead. Since then, the group grew more determined to achieve this goal. Under Fallon’s influence, it’s reasonable to assume that a President Harris would implement Demand Justice’s desire.

Suppose a President Harris adds four new seats to the Supreme Court, to attempt to create a 7-6 liberal majority court. Who would she select? Well, Fallon already put together an absurd shortlist during his time running Demand Justice. 

Among Fallon’s suggested candidates are people like Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Soros-funded prosecutor who transformed Philadelphia into a crime-infested drug haven; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who aggressively prosecuted grandmothers praying in front of abortion clinics and who perjured herself during her confirmation hearings; Catherine Lhamon, an assistant secretary at the Department of Education, who is the architect of the due process-free civil rights tribunals on college campuses; and Pamela Karlan, the left-wing Stanford Law professor who publicly mocked Barron Trump. 

Under this scenario, a President Harris would not even need to worry about replacing Roberts, Thomas and Alito. She could simply add enough new justices to the court to make them irrelevant.

It is clear what the Supreme Court would become under a President Harris. Over a decade ago, the court held that we have an individual right to bear arms. A Harris-packed court almost certainly would overturn this decision and greenlight Harris’ proposal for a mandatory gun buyback program. This, among many other likely decisions to come out of the Kamala court, would sow disastrous consequences for America. 

Make no mistake about it. The Supreme Court – and our most basic constitutionally guaranteed freedoms – are at stake in this election.

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The Trump-Vance campaign released a statement Thursday night following Vice President Kamala Harris’ first media interview since becoming the Democratic nominee for president, calling her a ‘San Francisco radical’ and highlighting aspects of her record that were not discussed in the interview. 

‘[Harris] said her values ‘have not changed’ three separate times. She’s still a San Francisco radical,’ the campaign said. 

Among other things, the Trump-Vance campaign said that CNN’s Dana Bash did not bring up Harris’ history of supporting ‘ending cash bail for violent criminals, fundraising for the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which freed rioters,’ her ‘vote for tie-breaking vote for American Rescue Plan, which economists say fueled inflation,’ and her ‘support for closing immigration detention centers and freeing thousands of criminals into American neighborhoods.’

‘[Harris] spoke for just over 16 minutes and didn’t even address the crime crisis in this nation. She spent a mere 3 minutes and 25 seconds talking about the economy and 2 minutes and 36 seconds talking about immigration,’ the statement said. 

During her interview, Harris said she believes Americans are ready to ‘turn the page’ on former President Donald Trump.

She also defended her work as the appointed border czar for the Biden administration and that her work ‘resulted in a number of benefits.’

‘The root causes work that I did as vice president that I was asked to do by the president has actually resulted in a number of benefits, including historic investments by American businesses in that region, the number of immigrants coming from that region has actually reduced since we began that work,’ she said. 

‘When I look at the aspirations, the goals, the ambitions of the American people, I think that people are ready for a new way forward, in a way that generations of Americans have been fueled by, by hope and by optimism. I think, sadly, in the last decade, we have had in the former president, someone who has really been pushing an agenda, and in an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans — really dividing our nation. And I think people are ready to turn the page on that,’ Harris said. 

This was in response to what she would accomplish on day one of a Harris presidency, which Bash later had to press for more detail. 

Harris’ most detailed plans revealed in the Thursday night interview included a $6,000 child tax credit – similar to what the Trump-Vance campaign earlier had announced as a policy plan –  and a $25,000 tax credit for first-time homeowners. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris sat down for her first interview with the media since rising to the top of the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, shedding light on President Biden’s call announcing he was dropping out of the race, as well as defending her recent policy flip-flops.

Harris rose to the top of the ticket after Biden dropped out of the race last month following his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump in June. The debate, which included Biden tripping over his words and losing his train of thought, opened the floodgates to traditional Democratic allies of the president joining conservatives in sounding the alarm over Biden’s mental acuity and 81 years of age. 

The highly anticipated sit-down marks the first interview Harris has held in 39 days, when she became the presumptive nominee. Harris has largely avoided the media since ascending the Democratic ticket, only rarely answering media questions while on the campaign trail and holding no press conferences. 

Harris was joined by her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for the pre-taped CNN interview that aired Thursday evening. 

Following Harris’ first sit-down interview with the media since ascending the ticket, Fox News Digital compiled the top five moments from the Savannah, Georgia, interview as the election cycle comes down to its final months. 

Harris fumbles ‘day one’ question 

Harris was asked twice about her ‘day one’ agenda, but gave overarching answers instead of responding with a specific executive order or directive. 

‘The voters are really eager to hear what your plans are. If you are elected, what would you do on day one in the White House?’ Bash asked Harris. 

‘Well, there are a number of things. I will tell you first and foremost one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class. When I look at the aspirations, the goals, the ambitions of the American people, I think that people are ready for a new way forward in a way that generations of Americans have been fueled by — by hope and by optimism.,’ Harris responded. 

‘I think sadly in the last decade, we have had in the former president someone who has really been pushing an agenda and an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans — really dividing our nation. And I think people are ready to turn the page on that.

‘So what would you do? Day one?’ Bash pressed. 

‘Day one, it’s gonna be about one, implementing my plan for what I call an opportunity economy. I’ve already laid out a number of proposals in that regard, which include what we’re gonna do to bring down the cost of everyday goods, what we’re gonna do to invest in America’s small businesses, what we’re gonna do to invest in families,’ Harris said. 

‘For example, extending the child tax credit to $6,000 for families for the first year of their child’s life to help them buy a car seat, to help them buy baby clothes, a crib. There’s the work that we’re gonna do that is about investing in the American family around affordable housing, a big issue in our country right now. So there are a number of things on day one.’

Harris says she made position clear on allowing fracking in 2020 — except it wasn’t hers

Harris doubled down in the interview that she would not ban fracking if elected, claiming she made ‘clear’ where she stood on fracking during the 2020 election. 

‘No, and I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020 that I would not ban fracking. As vice president, I did not ban fracking. As president, I will not ban fracking,’ Harris said. 

Before Harris dropped her bid for president in 2019 and joined President Biden’s ticket, she said during a CNN town hall ‘there’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking’ on her first day in office. 

Harris was asked about fracking during her 2020 vice presidential debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence but did not reveal her position on fracking, instead saying Biden would not ban fracking. Fox News Digital reviewed a transcript of the 2020 vice presidential debate and found ‘fracking’ was mentioned nine times, with Harris using the word twice. 

‘Joe Biden will not end fracking. He has been very clear about that,’ Harris said during the debate in 2020 cycle. 

‘I will repeat, and the American people know that Joe Biden will not ban fracking. That is a fact. That is a fact,’ she added during another portion of the debate. 

Walz cites ‘grammar’ for false claim on guns he ‘carried in war’

Gov. Walz attempted to blame his grammar when asked about his prior comments that he wants to ban guns like the ones he ‘carried in war,’ even though he never saw combat during his time in the Army National Guard. 

‘The country is just starting to get to know you,’ Bash noted before asking him about his 2018 remarks. ‘I want to ask you a question about how you described your service in the National Guard. You said that you carried weapons in war, but you have never deployed, actually, in a war zone. A campaign official said that you misspoke. Did you?’

Walz responded: ‘Well, first of all, I’m incredibly proud. I’ve done 24 years of wearing the uniform of this country. Equally proud of my service in a public school classroom, whether it’s Congress or — or the governor. My record speaks for itself, but I think people are coming to get to know me. I — I speak like they do. I speak candidly. I wear my emotions on my sleeves, and I speak especially passionately about — about our children being shot in schools and around — around guns.’ 

Bash again asked if he misspoke, sparking Walz to admit he did while citing his ‘grammar.’ 

‘Yeah, I said — we were talking about in this case, this was after a school shooting, the ideas of carrying these weapons of war. And my wifem the English teacher, told me my grammar’s not always correct. But again, if it’s not this, it’s an attack on my children for showing love for me, or it’s an attack on my dog. I’m not gonna do that, and the one thing I’ll never do is I’ll never demean another member’s service in any way. I never have and I never will,’ he responded.

Harris dodges whether Biden endorsed her in phone call he was dropping out 

Harris dodged answering whether Biden endorsed her to run in his place when he first called and informed her he was bowing out of the election amid mounting concern over his mental acuity. 

‘What about the endorsement? Did you ask for it?’ Bash asked Harris. 

‘He was very clear that he was gonna support me,’ Harris responded. 

‘So when he called to tell you, he said, ‘I’m pulling out of the race, and I’m gonna support you?,’’ Bash pressed Harris. 

‘Well, my first thought was not about me to be honest with you. My first thought was about him, to be honest. I think history is gonna show a number of things about Joe Biden’s presidency. I think history is gonna show that in so many ways it was transformative, be it on what we have accomplished around finally investing in America’s infrastructure, investing in new economics, in new industries, what we have done to bring our allies back together, and have confidence in who we are as America, and grow that alliance, what we have done to stand true to our principles including the — the — one of the most important international rules and norms, which is the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity,’ she said. 

Biden did endorse Harris just minutes after dropping out of the race in a message on X. 

‘My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,’ he wrote. 

Harris would appoint a Republican to the cabinet if elected 

Harris said that she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet if elected, which follows a tradition of presidents bringing on or retaining politicians from across the aisle until recent history. 

‘You had a lot of Republican speakers at the convention. Will you appoint a Republican to your cabinet?’ Bash asked. 

‘Yes, I would.,’ Harris responded, noting she does not have a specific person in mind. 

Before the respective Trump and Biden administrations, presidents have historically appointed politicians from the opposite party to their cabinet or kept on politicians from a previous president of the opposite party. 

Transportation Secretary under the Bush administration, Norm Mineta, for example, was a Democrat, while President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Defense was Republican William Cohen, and former President Obama retained Bush’s Republican Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris, in her first media interview since taking over the top of the Democratic ticket roughly 40 days ago, said she had ‘a number of things’ in mind for day one priorities should she take the Oval Office but didn’t divulge much in the way of specifics. 

She did say she believes Americans are ready to ‘turn the page’ on former President Donald Trump.

‘The voters are really eager to hear what your plans are. If you are elected, what would you do on day one in the White House,’ CNN’s Dana Bash asked Harris, who was flanked by her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. 

‘Well, there are a number of things I will tell you. First and foremost, one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class,’ Harris said. 

‘When I look at the aspirations, the goals, the ambitions of the American people, I think that people are ready for a new way forward, in a way that generations of Americans have been fueled by, by hope and by optimism. I think, sadly, in the last decade, we have had in the former president, someone who has really been pushing an agenda, and in an environment that is about diminishing the character and the strength of who we are as Americans — really dividing our nation. And I think people are ready to turn the page on that,’ Harris replied. 

‘So, what would you do? Day one?’ Bash pressed. To which Harris said, its going to be about one implementing my plan for what I call an opportunity economy.’

‘I’ve already laid out a number of proposals in that regard, which include what we’re going to do to bring down the cost of everyday goods, what we’re going to do to invest in America’s small businesses, what we’re going to do to invest in families,’ Harris said. 

‘For example, extending the child tax credit to $6,000 for families for the first year of their child’s life, to help them buy a car seat, to help them buy baby clothes, a crib,’ she said. 

Notably, extending the child tax credit, though it differs slightly, was first a policy announcement by the Trump campaign. 

‘There’s the work that we’re going to do that is about investing in the American family around affordable housing, a big issue in our country right now. So there are a number of things on day one,’ Harris stated. 

Later in the roughly 26-minute, pre-taped interview, Harris said one of her proposals included a tax credit of $25,000 for first-time home buyers. 

‘What we need to do to bring down the cost of housing. My proposal includes what would be a tax credit of $25,000 for first-time home buyers, so they can just have enough to put a down payment on a home, which is part of the American dream and their aspiration. But do it in a way that allows them to actually get on the path to achieving that goal and that dream,’ she said. 

Walz, for his part, said he is ‘excited’ about Harris’ agenda. 

‘As I said, the idea of inspiring America to what can be and I think many of these things that the vice president’s proposing are, are things that we share in values,’ he said. 

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Vice President Kamala Harris doubled down in her first interview since ascending to the top of the Democratic presidential ticket that she would not ban fracking if elected, claiming she made ‘clear’ where she stood on fracking during the 2020 election. 

‘No, and I made that clear on the debate stage in 2020 that I would not ban fracking. As vice president, I did not ban fracking. As president, I will not ban fracking,’ Harris said. 

Before Harris dropped her bid for president in 2019 and joined President Biden’s ticket, she said in a CNN town hall ‘there’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking’ on her first day in office. 

‘And starting with what we can do on day one around public lands, right?’ she continued. ‘And then there has to be legislation, but, yes, that’s something I’ve taken on in California. I have a history of working on this issue and to your point we have to just acknowledge that the residual impact of fracking is enormous in terms of the health and safety of communities.’

CNN host Dana Bash asked Harris about her 2019 remarks, sparking Harris to respond that she was ‘clear’ on fracking during her run as Biden’s vice presidential pick. 

‘In 2020, I made very clear where I stand. We are in 2024, and I’ve not changed that position, although I’ve gone forward. I kept my word, and I will keep my word,’ Harris continued. 

‘Let’s be clear. My values have not changed. I believe it is very important that we take seriously what we must do to guard against what is a clear crisis in terms of the climate. And to do that, we can do what we have accomplished thus far. The Inflation Reduction Act — what we have done to invest, by my calculation, over… a trillion dollars over the next 10 years, investing in a clean energy economy. What we’ve already done: creating over 300,000 new clean energy jobs,’ she continued. 

Harris was asked about fracking during her 2020 vice presidential debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence, but did not reveal her position on fracking, instead saying Biden would not ban fracking. Fox News Digital reviewed a transcript of the 2020 vice presidential debate, and found ‘fracking’ was mentioned nine times, with Harris using the word twice. 

‘Joe Biden will not end fracking. He has been very clear about that,’ Harris said during the debate in 2020 cycle. 

‘I will repeat and the American people know that Joe Biden will not ban fracking. That is a fact. That is a fact,’ she added during another portion of the debate. 

Harris was joined by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during the interview, which comes 68 days before Election Day. Harris has largely aovided the media since rising to the top of the ticker after Biden dropped out of the race last month. 

The CNN interview marks her first sit-down interview with the media, while she has not held a press conference in 39 days, when she first emerged as the presumptive nominee. 

Harris traveled to Chicago last week, where she formally accepted her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention. 

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Former President Trump pledged during a campaign rally in Michigan Thursday that if he wins a second term, he would mandate free in vitro fertilization treatment for women. 

‘I’m announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment,’ Trump told the crowd at Alro Steel in Potterville, Michigan. ‘Because we want more babies, to put it nicely.’

IVF treatments are notoriously expensive and can cost tens of thousands of dollars for a single round. Many women require multiple rounds, and there is no guarantee of success.

‘And for the same reason, we will also allow new parents to deduct major newborn expenses from their taxes,’ Trump said.  

Trump’s announcement, which was short on details, comes after the Republican nominee has faced intense scrutiny from Democrats for his role in appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, sending the issue of abortion back to the states. 

Trump has tried to present himself as moderate on the issue, going as far as declaring himself ‘very strong on women’s reproductive rights.’

In an interview with NBC before Thursday’s rally, Trump signaled support for changing Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which limits the procedure before many women even know they are pregnant.

Trump, in the interview, did not explicitly say how he plans to vote on the ballot measure when he casts his vote this fall. But he repeated his past criticism that the measure, signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, is too restrictive.

‘I think the six weeks is too short. It has to be more time,’ he said. ‘I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks.’

Trump had previously called DeSantis’ decision to sign the bill a ‘terrible mistake.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Everywhere you turn, there’s another online scam. The fraudsters always pivot where the attention is and now that’s politics and elections. 

We’re giving away a brand-new iPhone 16 (a $1,500 value!). Enter to win here.

Billions of dollars are pouring into the 2024 House, Senate, and presidential elections. I bet you’ve received a call or 10 from folks asking you to pull out your wallet. The pleas come in text form, too, plus there are videos, social media posts and DMs.

Here are a few dos and don’ts for keeping your money safe.

Do use a credit card. Checks and debit cards don’t have the same scam protections.
Don’t give payment info over the phone. Find the official website and donate there.
Don’t click links. That includes those in emails, texts or any other source. When in doubt, visit the official campaign website of the person you want to support.
Do verify it’s a real organization. Here’s a list of registered PACs maintained by the Federal Election Commission.
Do a search for the PAC name. Hey, it’s worth it to see if anything shady pops up. Some funnel money to their own advisors and marketing budget — not to the candidate they claim to support. This page is useful, too.

Social media pro tip: TikTok banned political fundraising in 2022. Anything you see there asking you to donate is likely a scam — or someone skirting the rules and you don’t want to be involved with that, either.

It’s not just your wallet you need to worry about. Fake news travels fast online — I’ve seen everything from ‘The election is canceled’ to ‘Non-citizens get to vote this year.’

In some cases, foreign countries are behind it with massive misinformation campaigns. Meta says the Kremlin is the No. 1 source of AI-created misinformation ahead of the U.S. presidential election. 

The most common trick on Facebook? Imaginary ‘journalists’ who write bogus news stories. If it’s an outlet you’ve never heard of, look elsewhere to corroborate the story.

In other cases, fake info spreads because someone took a joke as fact. Take the mock electoral maps flooding social media. The trend is to take a blank map, color it mostly blue or red, and slap a clever line about how either Democrats or Republicans could win the Electoral College. They’re not real; don’t share like they are.

Election fakes are particularly tricky to spot because there’s so much public footage of politicians speaking. The more training data, the better the copies.

But you can still use these guidelines to verify if it’s AI or not:

Backgrounds: A vague, blurred background, smooth surfaces or lines that don’t match up are immediate red flags that an image is AI-generated.
Context: Use your head. If the scenery doesn’t align with the current climate, season or what’s physically possible, that’s because it’s fake.
Behavior: You’ve probably seen several videos of most major candidates. Look for differences in their tone, inflection and cadence. If their speech or facial reactions look ‘off,’ it might be AI.
Proportions: Check for objects that look mushed together or seem too large or small. The same goes for features, especially ears, fingers and feet.
Angle: Deepfakes are the most convincing when the subject faces the camera directly. Glitches may appear once a person starts to turn to the side and move.
Text: AI can’t spell. Look for fake words on signs and labels.
Chins: Yep, you heard me. The lower half of the face is the No. 1 giveaway on AI-generated candidate videos. It’s subtle, but check to see if their chin or neck moves unnaturally or in an exaggerated way.
Fingers and hands: Look for weird positions, too many fingers, extra-long digits or hands out of place.
Accessories: Look at earrings, clothes, ties — whatever you can spot. The giveaways are often in these little details.

My best advice: Slow down. When a video gets an emotional reaction out of us, we’re quick to believe it and quick to share. That’s what scammers bank on. Watch it a few times and do your research before you make up your mind.

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Conservative activists and media outlets took to X to share their thoughts on a clip of CNN’s interview with Vice President Kamala Harris as she explained why her policy positions have changed since she took over the Democratic ticket for president. 

In the clip of the interview, which will air Thursday night on CNN, anchor Dana Bash asked, ‘Generally speaking, how should voters look at some of the changes that you’ve made? … Is it because you have more experience now, and you’ve learned more about the information? Is it because you were running for president in a Democratic primary? And should they feel comfortable and confident that what you’re saying now is going to be your policy moving forward?’

‘Dana, I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed,’ Harris replied. 

‘You mentioned the Green New Deal. I have always believed, and I’ve worked on it, that the climate crisis is real, that it is an urgent matter to which we should apply metrics that include holding ourselves to deadlines around time. We did that with the Inflation Reduction Act,’ Harris continued. 

‘Gobbledygook,’ conservative commentator Steve Guest posted on X. ‘The definition of a deadline is ‘the latest time or date by which something should be completed’.’

Noah Rothman, senior writer at the National Review, referenced her comments as ‘rambling.’ 

Charles C. W. Cooke, a British-American journalist, called the clip an ‘instant classic.’

‘Undefeated. She’s still got it—even as the nominee,’ he said. 

The X account for The Blaze referred to the comment as ‘word salad’ — a term Republicans frequently use to describe Harris’ media engagements. 

Harris continued, ‘We have set goals for the United States of America and, by extension, the globe, around when we should meet certain standards for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as an example.’

‘That value has not changed. My value around what we need to do to secure our border. That value is not changed,’ she said. 

‘I spent two terms as the Attorney General of California prosecuting transnational criminal organizations, violations of American laws regarding the passage, illegal passage of guns, drugs, and human beings across our border. My values have not changed,’ she said. 

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