Raw Story

ABC News host Martha Raddatz interrupted a top surrogate for Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance Sunday after he refused to deny false claims that Haitians are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), who is helping Vance prepare for the vice presidential debate by playing the part of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, appeared on ABC's This Week program.

"Trump last night called Kamala Harris mentally disabled," Raddatz noted. "He said that Joe Biden became that way, she was born that way. Do you think Kamala Harris is mentally disabled? Do you approve of that kind of language?"

"I think Kamala Harris is the wrong choice for America," Emmer stated. "I think Kamala Harris is actually as bad or worse as the administration that we've witnessed for the last four years, Martha."

"Congressman, do you approve of that language?" the host interrupted. "Do you approve of that language, Donald Trump calling her mentally disabled, mentally impaired?"

"I think we should stick to the issues," Emmer admitted.

Raddatz moved on to the topic of immigration.

"I can't believe we're still talking about this, but the baseless claims elevated by Vance and Trump that Haitian migrants were eating their pets," the host said. "If the moderators in the debate ask Vance about this, should he finally make clear it is not true?"

"That's such a distraction," Emmer deflected. "The people in the mainstream media want to put up these shiny objects to distract people from what they see happening every day."

ALSO READ: Is this the October Surprise?

"Congressman!" Raddatz exclaimed. "Vance and Trump have talked about this issue. They brought it up."

"You've got to focus on the issues," Emmer said. "They will focus on the issues. The issues are very clear."

Emmer declined to say that Vance's claims about Haitians eating pets were false.

Watch the video below from ABC or at the link. .

A combative Kevin McCarthy continued to talk over CNN host Manu Raju on Sunday morning multiple times when confronted with Donald Trump's attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris and immigrants living in the United States,

The "Inside Politics" segment got off to an awkward start when CNN's Raju pointed out it is the one-year anniversary of the former House speaker's ouster which led him to eventually leave Congress.

What followed was Raju repeatedly attempting to get the California Republican to address Donald Trump calling Harris a "mentally disabled person" during a speech in Wisconsin on Saturday, only to have McCarthy blow off the questions with multiple rants about 425,000 illegal immigrants allegedly living in the U.S.

ALSO READ: Is this the October Surprise?

When Pressed over Trump and running mate J.D. Vance's smears of Haitian immigrants eating people's pets in Ohio, McCarthy again deflected when asked if Trump should admit he was wrong.

"I would continue to lay out the facts," McCarthy parried.

"There are no facts, " Raju interjected.

"Let me finish my sentence, I appreciate your engagement, "McCarthy replied. "When you ask a question, let me finish."

"Sure," the CNN host replied only to have McCarthy once again repeat his claim about the 425,000 immigrants in the country "illegally" without addressing the beleaguered Haitians in Springfield, Ohio.

"That's not what the Haitian migrants ––," Raju interrupted.

"I know what you're talking about, but I'm trying to make a point here!" McCarthy snapped. "Because you want to pick one specific issue, you want to know why people are upset."

Watch below or at the link.

- YouTube youtu.be

When Kamala Harris emerged as the presumptive 2024 Democratic nominee in July, Donald Trump's "path to winning a 270-vote Electoral College majority" became much more difficult.

Newsweek reported that a University of North Florida (UNF) Public Opinion Research Lab poll published that month showed Trump "ahead of Harris by seven points."

Now, a new September 2024 poll by the Independent Center and The Bullfinch Group "showed Trump had a 1-point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in Florida (48 percent to 47)," according to Newsweek.

READ MORE: Trump now bleeding support in GOP-dominated state as more women voters gravitate to Biden

"Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science and director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, previously said that while Harris 'looks likely' to lose Florida, Trump may still need to work harder to appeal to voters in the state than he would like," the news outlet reports.

"The mere fact that Trump may have to campaign vigorously in Florida could divert resources from true swing states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan," told Newsweek.

"Even if Harris loses Florida, which certainly looks likely, this could cost Trump elsewhere if he's forced to devote scarce time, resources, and energy into shoring up his lead in the Sunshine State."

Although Democrats lost Florida voters in 2022, the Tampa Bay Times reports that it's possible for the party to pick up traction in upcoming elections.

READ MORE: Deep-red 'Republican stronghold' thought to be an 'easy win for Trump' is now a swing state

"Democrats remain convinced they are on the voters’ side of the issues," the Tampa Bay Times reports. "They point to voters raising the minimum wage in 2020 and the polling popularity of this year’s constitutional amendments on abortion access and legal marijuana."

The newspaper notes that if Democratic lawmakers "are to derive hope from any part of the state, it might be from the Orlando area, which has produced promising young leaders during the Trump era." US Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) — an Orlando native — became the first Gen Z House member in 2022.

"The people are on our side in terms of policy but not politics," Frost said. "So how do we solve that? We talk about our policy more."

State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) — who flipped her district four years before Frost's victory — told the newspaper "that sometimes Republicans make her think of 'The Crown' on Netflix, a show where characters have their own ambitions but acquiesce without question to their" leader.

READ MORE: 'Don’t listen to Trump': Florida conservatives turn on ex-president over new comments

"Everyone gets in line to do what the crown says," Eskamani emphasized. "If you don’t get in line, you don’t really have a place in the Republican Party."

Newsweek's full report is available here. Tampa Bay Times' report is here.

A smiling Stephanie Ruhle slapped aside complaints and whining from Fox News personnel who spent the greater part of Thursday seemingly obsessed with her interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. She then made an offer to Donald Trump.

Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," co-host Joe Scarborough joked that Mika Brzezinski spends an inordinate amount of time watching Fox News and then pointed out that Ruhle and her Harris interview dominated their version of the news for the entire day.

ALSO READ: Dysfunction on display: Republicans complain Speaker Johnson is no Pelosi

"I noticed [Fox personality] Howie Kurtz was saying you launched a softball interview with Kamala Karris, and you seem to be the running banner for about 30 minutes," Scarborough prompted his guest as Brzezinski exclaimed, "30 minutes? All day!" as her co-host continued and joked, "What a softball interview this interview was. Of course, nothing, nothing like Donald Trump and Sean Hannity, I'm sure. But I'm just curious what your thoughts were about Fox News desperately suggesting that she bombed a softball interview."

"Well to Fox News, I would say 'thank you,' because, as I learned from Donald Trump, all press is good press, so I am thrilled to be all over their air waves all day long," Ruhle joked.

After some snarky banter about Trump selling $100,000 watches, coins, trading cards and bibles, Ruhle pushed back, calling complaints about the interview a bunch of hot air.

"That's nonsense," she told the co-hosts. "Anybody who watched the interview I did with Vice President Harris, we sat down for 25 minutes and talked about one single topic, the economy. It is the number one issue for voters. If Donald Trump would like to sit down and have that same conversation, I'm ready for you."

'I think it's hugely important," she added. "It's a vulnerability for both candidates. It's tricky, Joe, because you obviously want to cover all of these topics, but to just do it with one candidate, it's hard, because many people feel like she's speaking in platitudes; she's speaking about an economic vision, and she's not giving details. She's got an 80-page detailed policy proposal."

"Do I think that she answers every single question and gives people exactly what they want?" she asked. "She doesn't. You know why? Because she's a politician, and none of them do."

Watch below or at the link.

- YouTube youtu.be

Oscar-winning British actor Maggie Smith, a star of stage and screen for more than seven decades, died in hospital in London on Friday, her sons announced.

"It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith. She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September," Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said in a statement.

Smith -- a legend of British film and theatre who won a Tony, two Oscars, three Golden Globes and five Baftas -- achieved late-career international fame for her depiction of the Dowager Countess of Grantham Violet Crawley in the hit television series "Downton Abbey".

Born on December 28, 1934, the daughter of an Oxford professor of pathology, Smith made her stage debut in 1952 with the Oxford University Dramatic Society.

She won a best actress Oscar for "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" in 1969 Oscars and for best supporting actress for her depiction of Desdemona in "Othello" in the same year.

"An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end," her sons said.

"She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother," they said, adding their thanks for all the "kind messages and support" they had received.

© 2024 AFP

Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign wasted no time pouncing on newly revealed disparaging comments that Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) made about President Donald Trump's economic record in 2020.

In the comments to an unidentified individual, Vance argued that Trump "has just so thoroughly failed to deliver on his economic populism (excepting a disjointed China policy)" and months later predicted to the same individual that Trump would lose the 2020 election to President Joe Biden.

Hours after the remarks were revealed, Harris campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa put out a statement that hammered Trump's economic record.

ALSO READ: Expert has 'ominous' warning about J.D. Vance endorsing 'spiritual propagandist' of Jan. 6

"It is hard to conceive of a more scathing and definitive rejection of Donald Trump's economic record than his own running mate stating categorically that Trump 'failed' on the economy," Moussa said. "J.D. Vance himself was crystal clear: Donald Trump 'thoroughly failed' to deliver on his economic promises, and is only looking out for himself and his rich donors, not the American people."

The campaign's statement also pointed back to remarks Harris made earlier this week where she described Trump as "one of the biggest losers ever" when it comes to creating manufacturing jobs, as she notes that an estimated 200,000 manufacturing jobs were lost during his tenure.

— (@)