VP Harris holds first solo interview with the national media
Vice President Harris spoke to the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Philadelphia on Tuesday, about a month after former President Trump spoke to the same group and made waves when he questioned Harris’ race.
The event marks Harris’ first solo interview with the national media. It was held at NPR’s Philadelphia station, WHYY, and was moderated by three Black journalists, including Eugene Daniels of Politico Playbook, WHYY’s Tonya Mosely and TheGrio’s Gerren Keith Gaynor. The stop marked Harris’ 13th visit to the Keystone State this year.
During his July interview with the NABJ in Chicago, Trump drummed up a firestorm of criticism when he said, “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know. Is she Indian or Black?”
Harris was not asked to respond to those remarks from Trump on Tuesday, but she did slam the former president for what the moderators described as racially charged rhetoric about Haitian migrants in a small Ohio town eating people’s pets.
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“It’s harmful, and it’s hateful and grounded in some age-old stuff that we should not have the tolerance for,” Harris said of the rumors being circulated by Trump. “We’ve got to say that you cannot be entrusted with standing behind the seal of the president of the United States of America, engaging in that hateful rhetoric that, as usual, is designed to divide us as a country.”
When asked by one of the moderators if this case of “irredeemable racism” deserved some sort of federal response to help the community heal, Harris sidestepped the question.
Meanwhile, Harris also sidestepped whether she would sign or veto a bill establishing a federal committee to study reparations for the Black community. Harris said she “thinks” a federal reparations commission will be taken up by Congress and, therefore, she won’t need to use her power as president to study the matter at the federal level.
Harris also spoke about the Black vote on Tuesday and took a far different approach than President Biden did in 2020.
“If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black,” Biden said while campaigning for the presidency in 2020. Harris, however, said Tuesday that she expects to have to “earn” the Black vote, particularly Black men. “I think it’s very important to not operate from the assumption that Black men are in anybody’s pocket.”
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Beyond race-focused topics, the interview included remarks from Harris about her economic plan, abortion, support for Israel – which she said has the right to defend itself – and gun control.
“The United Sates of America absolutely has a role” in aiding Israel’s right to self-determination, Harris said during Tuesday’s interview.
On gun control, Harris was resolute that she and her running mate, Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are both gun owners – something that came as news to voters during last week’s presidential debate. “We’re not trying to take anybody’s guns away from them, but we do need an assault weapons ban,” she said. Previously, as a presidential candidate in 2019, Harris said she thought a mandatory gun buyback program run by the federal government was “a good idea.” However, Harris’ campaign has said she no longer supports such a program.
Harris added that she does support universal background checks for those seeking to legally obtain a firearm. When one of the moderators pointed out that most handguns are purchased illegally, Harris pointed to the need to eradicate “gun show loophole[s].”
“We need to address each entry point in the issue,” Harris insisted.
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Later, the moderators turned to the second assassination attempt made on Trump’s life over the weekend. Harris indicated that she spoke to Trump after the close call to check on him.
“I am in this election, in this race, for many reasons, including to fight for our democracy. And in a democracy, there is no place for political violence,” Harris said. “We can and should have healthy debates and discussion and disagreements but not resort to violence to resolve those issues.”
Harris was asked a follow-up question about her confidence in the Secret Service to protect her, with Harris responding in the affirmative.
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“Not everybody has Secret Service. And there are far too many people in our country right now who are not feeling safe,” she said. “I mean, I look at Project 2025, and I look at, you know, the Don’t Say Gay laws coming out of Florida. Members of the LGBTQ community don’t feel safe right now, immigrants or people with an immigrant background don’t feel safe right now. Women don’t feel safe right now. And so, yes, I feel safe. I have Secret Service protection, but that doesn’t change my perspective on the importance of fighting for the safety of everybody in our country.”
Billionaire says he would pull his money out of the market if VP Harris wins the election
Hedge fund billionaire and major Trump fundraiser John Paulson said Tuesday he will pull his money out of the market if Vice President Harris wins the presidential election this fall, saying the Democrat nominee’s economic policies would spook investors.
The Paulson & Co. founder, known for his lucrative bet against the subprime mortgage in 2007, appeared on FOX Business’ “The Claman Countdown,” where host Liz Claman asked him what he sees as the next big bet similar to that.
“Well, I would say it very much depends on who’s in the White House and who controls Congress,” Paulson replied. “I’d be very concerned if Harris is elected and pursues the tax plans and other economic plans that she articulated.”
Paulson said during the interview that former President Trump and Harris’ plans for the economy are very different, noting that Trump wants to extend the 2017 tax cuts implemented during his term in office while Harris wants to let them expire.
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He also noted that Harris has proposed raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% and wants to raise the capital gains rate from 20% to 28%.
The billionaire pointed to Harris’ proposed 25% tax on unrealized gains for individuals making $100 million or more, and he predicted that, if implemented, it “would cause mass selling of almost everything – stocks, bonds, homes, art – I think it would result in a crash in the markets and an immediate, pretty quick recession.”
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Claman went on to note that some people who were concerned about the policies of previous presidents, namely Barack Obama, Trump and Joe Biden, pulled their money out of the markets when they were elected, and the move turned out to be a big mistake as the markets continued to perform well.
But Paulson has said that market timing and investor timing will really matter depending on who is president, and Claman asked him if he is ready to take that chance.
“It depends on the policy,” Paulson said. “I think if Harris was elected, I would pull my money from the market. I’d go into cash, and I’d go into gold because I think the uncertainty regarding the plans they outlined would create a lot of uncertainty in the markets and likely lower markets.”
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When pressed by Claman, Paulson reiterated that he would sell the liquid equities that he owns if Harris wins the White House.
Trump reveals ‘weakness’ in security efforts in wake of second assassination attempt
Former President Trump said his security detail has “long requested” more manpower leading up to the assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pa., in July, and said if there’s a “weakness” in efforts to keep him safe, it’s the need for more personnel.
Trump spoke with Fox News host Sean Hannity two days after a second apparent assassination attempt on his life while he was playing golf in West Palm Beach.
“We have long requested more people, more men and women, but more people. And because, you know, we have rallies [of] 50-60,000 [people]. In New Jersey, we had 107,000 people show up. There’s never been anything like it. And we have long requested more people. That’s true. That’s the weakness. If there’s a weakness, I really think that’s the weakness,” he said on “Hannity.”
“We have tremendous rallies and crowds, and that’s a good thing, but you need more protection. And we’ve long requested more people. We have, I will say in Butler, we wanted more people. I heard them say it, you know, we need more people here for security. And we never seem to get that. And I think we are getting it now. Somebody told me that they will be providing more people now.”
Ronald Rowe, Jr., the acting director of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), told reporters Monday that since the assassination attempt on Trump two months ago, the USSS has moved to increase assets to an “already enhanced security posture” for the 2024 GOP nominee.
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Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., introduced bipartisan legislation that would seek to grant both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris the same USSS resources as President Biden.
“After this latest attempt, it is imperative this gets done,” Lawler wrote in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Suspected would-be assassin Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged Monday with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and having a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
A Secret Service advance agent spotted what appeared to be a rifle poking out of the tree line near Trump’s golf course and opened fire, causing Routh to run away.
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He was stopped and detained by local law enforcement about 45 minutes after fleeing the scene, according to a criminal complaint released by the Department of Justice. Cell phone records also allege that Routh was in the vicinity of the golf course tree line for about 12 hours, from roughly 2 a.m. to 1:31 p.m.
The acting USSS director said Routh did not have a line of sight to Trump, and he did not get any shots off.
Trump praised the actions of the Secret Service agents on his detail who got him off the golf course quickly after shots rang out.
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“Frankly, I think the Secret Service did a great job, and they got me out of there quickly. And they then went after him [Routh], and they were lucky enough to have somebody that took the license plate, which was genius. And they nabbed him on the highway. But it was …it was another day,” he told Hannity. “It was very interesting. I want to get…we want to get to business. We want to get to the business of running the country.”
NASA monitoring ‘stadium-sized’ asteroid approaching Earth
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is monitoring a “potentially hazardous” asteroid that is moving past Earth on Tuesday.
NASA told Fox News Digital that the rocky object, which has been named 2024 ON, is 350 meters long by 180 meters wide, which roughly equals 1,150 feet by 590 feet – larger than previous estimates.
NASA has deemed the asteroid “stadium-sized” and reported it was 621,000 miles away from Earth on Tuesday morning, which is considered relatively close. Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told Fox News Digital that an asteroid of this size coming this close to Earth only happens every five to ten years.
Farnocchia, who works at the laboratory’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, said that the last time a large meteor entered the Earth’s atmosphere was in Russia in 2013. Earth has not been hit by a meteor of 2024 ON’s size since prehistoric times.
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Although the asteroid is close enough to Earth to be deemed a “potentially hazardous object,” Farnocchia said there is no chance the asteroid will hit Earth. The asteroid would need to be within a couple of hundred miles to be a concern.
“We actually check [about the possibility of collision], not just for the immediate future, but also for the next hundred years,” the engineer explained. “And there is no possibility of collision in the next hundred years.”
The asteroid is one of five that will pass by Earth over the next two days, but the other rocky objects will not come nearly as close as 2024 ON. The four asteroids will be between 1.1 to 3.9 million miles away from Earth, and three of the asteroids measure roughly 51 feet in diameter, which is the size of a house.
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One of the asteroids, named 2013 FW13, measures around 510 feet in diameter and will pass by Earth on Wednesday.
NASA’s Asteroid Watch Dashboard tracks “asteroids and comets that will make relatively close approaches to Earth.” According to a data table, 2024 ON was traveling at around 8.8 kilometers per second on Tuesday morning, which is nearly 20,000 miles per hour.
“The dashboard displays the date of closest approach, approximate object diameter, relative size and distance from Earth for each encounter,” the organization’s website explains.
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“The dashboard displays the next five Earth approaches to within 4.6 million miles (7.5 million kilometers or 19.5 times the distance to the moon); an object larger than about 150 meters that can approach the Earth to within this distance is termed a potentially hazardous object.”
NFL legend backs Patrick Mahomes on presidential endorsement stance
Patrick Mahomes has kept his footing so far this season, despite being under constant pressure. It’s a performance that has impressed another multiple-time NFL MVP.
In a dramatic 26-25 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Mahomes led the Chiefs on yet another game-winning drive with tight end Travis Kelce. But for the second game in a row, their partners sat separately.
Mahomes’ wife Brittany posted several photos on her Instagram Stories showing herself with both of her children. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift, girlfriend to Kelce, was shown on CBS broadcast multiple times in her own booth celebrating the Chiefs.
It was the Chiefs’ first game since former President Trump sent a post on Truth Social that read, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” following the pop star’s endorsement of VP Harris for president. Brittany has been linked to several displays of support for Trump on social media and even earned the former president’s praise during an interview on “Fox & Friends” last week. In that interview Trump said that he ‘liked Brittany Mahomes much more’ than Swift after the endorsement. Her interactions with Trump have caused her to endure severe backlash on social media in recent weeks, with much of it coming from Swift fans.
But the quarterback praised his wife’s influence in the community when asked about Trump’s comments about her in a press conference last week. Mahomes also claimed he wouldn’t make any political endorsement himself. Still, he encouraged Americans to vote.
Three-time NFL MVP and Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre commended Mahomes for taking that stance, while also taking a dig at Swift for endorsing Harris.
“Good take by Mahomes — I see a lot of celebs trying to influence their audience instead of letting the people think for themselves. If the best choice for them ain’t clear and they’re easily swayed by their fav pop artist, it’s not going to be a good thing,” Favre wrote in a post on X in response to an OutKick video of Mahomes’ comments.
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Favre did not take this route himself in the most recent presidential election. The Hall of Fame quarterback endorsed Trump on Oct. 30, 2020 in a post on X, citing his stance on issues of freedom of speech, gun rights and support for the military and police.
“My Vote is for what makes this country great, freedom of speech and religion, the second amendment, hard-working tax-paying citizens, police and military. In this election, we have freedom of choice, which all should respect. For me and these principles, my vote is for [Donald Trump],” Favre wrote.
Favre made this endorsement despite the fact that he has, on multiple occasions, said he believes sports were becoming “too political.”
Like Brittany Mahomes, Favre has also endured backlash for his political beliefs. In late 2020 and early 2021, Favre did a podcast called “Bolling With Favre” with co-host TV personality Eric Bolling. Favre stirred backlash with comments on several topics, including his stance on NFL player’s kneeling for the national anthem and wanting to keep transgenders out of women’s sports.
After Derek Chauvin, the police officer responsible for the death of George Floyd, was sentenced to prison, Favre said on the podcast that he “found it hard to believe” Chauvin intended to kill George Floyd. These comments incited backlash from current NFL players, including former Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith, and fellow former NFL wide receiver Torrey Smith.
The podcast was discontinued in June of 2021.
Mahomes has not incited any type of controversy similar to Favre in his young career. However, he has been involved in helping his wife deal with the backlash she has received for her displays of Trump support in the past month, according to her.
In a recent episode of the “WHOOP” podcast, Brittany said she’s leaned on her three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback husband to get her through the recent public scrutiny.
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“Having him to help me get through it has helped a lot, because he is very good at managing those things and blocking people out and doing all that type of stuff,” she said. “Having him beside me and kind of guiding me, coaching me through it has helped a ton. I think that’s kind of gotten to where we are at now.”
She added that her husband helped her develop an attitude of “not giving a f—.”
“I think the main thing he always told me is like, ‘Stop caring about what people think, especially the people that don’t even know you,’” she said. “And so I think social media used to get me a lot, and now it’s just like honestly I don’t give a f— about what people have to say about me anymore.
“And I think he has helped me get to that point where I’m strong in who I am, I’m confident in who I am, and I’m confident in mine and his relationship — and I’m confident in our life. So, why does what other people say have to matter at all?”
Brittany and Patrick were born in eastern Texas and grew up there. They started dating when they attended Whitehouse High School in Whitehouse, Texas, when Patrick was the school’s quarterback and Brittany played soccer. Whitehouse is a town with a population of about 8,500 and has a history of voting Republican, according to Data USA.
Meanwhile, Swift has endorsed Democratic candidates dating back to 2018, when she endorsed Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections in Tennessee.
She then endorsed Joe Biden for president in 2020, and her endorsement of Harris Tuesday arguably has a stronger impact. It’s her first presidential endorsement since a surge in popularity from her Eras Tour and public relationship with Kelce.
Swift and Brittany were seen in the same suite at most of the Chiefs games Swift attended last year, often being the focus of the NFL broadcasts multiple times per game. That hasn’t transpired at either Chiefs home game yet.
Brittany and Swift were most recently seen together, hugging, when they and Mahomes and Kelce went to the U.S. Open to watch the men’s singles final on Sept. 8.
Swift did go to the quarterback’s birthday party on Monday though. Swift appeared in photos with Mecole Hardman’s fiancée, Chariah Gordon, and Chris Jones’ wife, Sheawna Weathersby. Gordon posted snaps from a photobooth that was apparently set up for the party. Other than that, Swift laid low as the focus turned to the three-time Super Bowl winner. Swift and Brittany Mahomes were not seen together in any photos. It is unconfirmed if they interacted at the event.
The Chiefs’ next game will be in Atlanta against the Falcons on Sunday night, but won’t be back at Arrowhead Stadium until a game against the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 7, with less than a month to go until the election.
Former Dem tells where she stands on a potential role if Trump wins the election
Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, told Fox News Digital Monday that she would “be honored to serve” in a potential Trump administration.
If tapped, Gabbard expressed her desire to work in a position where she can make the greatest impact, particularly in areas related to foreign policy or national security. Gabbard is an active-duty military veteran who completed two tours in the Middle East, and currently serves as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.
“I feel I can make the most impact in these areas of national security and foreign policy, and work to bring about the changes that President Trump talks about,” Gabbard said Monday evening from a campaign fundraising event in Atlanta, Georgia. Gabbard added that bringing an end “to the influence of the military industrial complex,” working to prevent World War III and bringing the U.S. back “from the brink of nuclear war” would be among her priorities. War should be a “last resort,” Gabbard said. She has also supported former President Trump’s plans to end the war in Ukraine.
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Gabbard spent time as the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee between 2013 and 2016, and previously supported candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, and President Biden. However, blaming a shift within her former party that she has not agreed with, Gabbard became increasingly friendly with the GOP before leaving the party and eventually joining Trump’s transition team last month.
“There are a lot of people who I meet in a lot of different places every day who are former Democrats, or people who are leaving the Democratic Party,” Gabbard said Monday. “People who recognize the same things that I have and experienced the same things that I have and realize that the Democratic Party of today doesn’t stand for them, doesn’t stand for freedom, it doesn’t stand for civil liberties… doesn’t stand for peace.”
The former Democratic congresswoman has been outspoken against what a Harris administration could do to peace around the world and, on Monday, she slammed Democrats – including Vice President Kamala Harris – for what she described as their refusal to engage in diplomacy with U.S. adversaries.
“President Trump did in his last administration what President Obama refused to do, what President Biden refused to do, what Kamala Harris has made clear she refuses to do – which is to go out and do that tough work that a president and commander in chief has to do in diplomacy,” Gabbard said. “Not just hanging out with your friends, and your allies, and your partners, but actually going out and talking to your adversaries.”
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Gabbard argued that peace will remain elusive until the leaders in the White House are willing to do this sort of diplomacy. She also slammed Harris for escalating the war in Ukraine and being “flippant” about the chances of a nuclear disaster.
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“The longer this war goes on and the more that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden and the neocons of Washington continue to escalate this war, the greater risk we are of a potential nuclear war, World War III,” Gabbard said on Monday. “It is unconscionable and unacceptable that Kamala Harris and others who are continuing to escalate [the war in Ukraine] are so flippant about the reality of nuclear war.”
One Florida homeowner can breathe a sigh of relief after an iguana was successfully removed from their fireplace.
Michael Ronquillo, owner of Humane Iguana Control, answered the call on Sunday to help safely remove “an invasive green iguana” from within the home.
IGUANA REMOVED FROM MIAMI KITCHEN CABINET AFTER ‘DASHING RIGHT INTO THE HOUSE’
“A resident in south Florida contacted us about finding an invasive green iguana in their fire pit,” said Ronquillo to Fox News Digital. “Uncertain what to do, they contacted Humane Iguana Control to help have it removed. [I was]n’t surprised. Iguanas can pretty much end up anywhere.”
Young iguanas can be brighter green or blue, as seen in the video shared by Humane Iguana Control.
“This iguana used a palm from a coconut tree to access the home’s fire pit,” said Ronquillo to Fox News Digital. “It’s important for residents to contact professional iguana removal companies to avoid health risks and potential bodily harm due to iguanas having very sharp teeth and nails.”
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Iguanas can have up to a 30mph tail whip, and the upper portions of their tails often have spikes. The reptiles can also carry salmonella and spread the bacteria to human populations.
According to Ronquillo, “if you find an iguana in your home, you should block it in like the homeowners did in this situation.”
“Like all nonnative reptile species, green iguanas are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty law and can be humanely killed on private property with landowner permission,” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The reptiles are invasive in south Florida specifically, where “extensive man-made canals serve as ideal dispersal corridors to further allow iguanas to colonize new areas,” per the FWC.
Ronquillo recommends that all homeowners in the region with coconut or palm trees near their homes “cut them back,” as iguanas can use them as routes to enter properties.
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Green Iguanas were specifically added to Florida’s prohibited species list in April 2021. The species can be “humanely killed” year-round without a hunting license or permit.