Capitol Report Full Broadcast (Aug. 2)

Good evening and welcome to the Capitol Report on Entity Television. I'm Steve Lance. And coming up, it's official, Vice President Kamala Harris clinching the Democratic nomination for president. The process did have some concerns in how the latest job report puts the economy back into the spotlight before the election. And what do each of the top Democratic VP contenders bring to the table? And what goes into choosing one? Henry Cisneros is here to share with us his firsthand experience of being a VP contender. And the Department of Homeland Security just pausing its migrant flight program, which has allowed thousands to fly into the United States every month. That's after a new report says that the program has been riddled with fraud. Kamala Harris officially securing the Democratic nomination for president. It comes as she moves closer to announcing her running mate. And as former President Trump prepares to campaign in Georgia this weekend, Entity's White House correspondent Iris Tao brings us more from Atlanta. Just a day after kicking off a virtual roll call process, the Democratic National Committee on Friday announced that Vice President Kamala Harris has secured a majority of the convention's delegates and is now officially chosen as the party's presidential nominee. Harris calling into the campaign headquarters says she will formally accept the nomination next week. We are going to win this election and it is going to take all of us. The unprecedented process comes after President Biden dropped out just two weeks ago. Democratic leaders quickly sought a nomination process that allowed anyone to run as long as they had the support of over 300 delegates instead of having to win in state primaries. On Friday, Harris's campaign announced that it raised over $300 million last month, more than double the amount of Trump's campaign. But Trump in a Friday interview touted his poll numbers and policies. We're leading in the polls, it seems, by quite a bit still. With me, I want low taxes. I want a strong border. I want strong drug policy. Our country is becoming a drug-addicted country. We're like China from 200 years ago. Meanwhile, a weaker-than-expected jobs report released on Friday pushed the economy back into the spotlight. While the White House knows wages are rising faster than inflation, the Trump campaign says prices are up and unemployment is rising. Within a few days, Harris will announce her VP pick. President Biden on Friday said, I'll let her work that out. Why did you drop out? Harris plans to stump in battleground states next week with her running mate. Trump this Saturday will be campaigning in Atlanta at the same exact venue where Harris held a rally just a few days ago. Reporting from Atlanta, Georgia, Iris Tao, NTD News. And as we inch closer to learning who the vice presidential pick will be on the Harris ticket, what do each of the top contenders bring to the table? What goes into choosing one? Henry Cisneros, who is secretary of housing and urban development under former President Clinton, also has firsthand experience as being a VP contender. We're happy to have him on with us now live to join us. Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. And thank you for the great newscast. Thank you so much. So, of course, we're still waiting on Vice President Harris to announce her running mate. Reports are indicating that it could come as early as this weekend. What are your thoughts on the top three names out there, Governor Josh Shapiro, Governor Tim Walz and Senator Mark Kelly? And what do you think of each of these contenders and what they have to bring to the ticket? Well, I think there are three outstanding possibilities, and it wouldn't surprise me if some of the others who are not defined by the press as the top three might be the eventual selection. But these three people are all very, very capable and would add to the ticket immensely. Senator Kelly has always struck me as a national leader. I've always thought, as I've listened to him, that he would make himself a great presidential candidate someday. And, of course, that's one of the criteria that the vice president will be looking for. Is this a person who can do the job of president, if need be, a person who's compatible with Kamala Harris? And he and she served in the Senate together and initiated legislation together. So he meets that test. Governor Shapiro, very popular in the state, a difficult state, and yet he's carried it multiple times, running for attorney general statewide and running for governor statewide. Very articulate. And, of course, comes from a state with 19 electoral votes in the critical Midwest, arguably the single most critical state in this election. Governor Walz of Minnesota, very impressive, and every chance he's had to state the case, he's done it well and strongly, perhaps not as well known across the country, but he brings a certain gravitas himself. There are other names who are out there, Pete Buttigieg and others across the country who may well work their way back into contention, but I certainly will accept the press's judgment that these are the three final contenders. So, Mr. Secretary, you actually went through this very same process of being vetted for vice president when President Reagan was running against then Vice President Walter Mondale. What does that vetting process look like from the inside? Well, thank you for recalling one of the highlights of my public service was to get called to North Oaks, Minnesota on July 4th, 1984, to interview with Walter Mondale. He interviewed myself and the governor of Philadelphia at that time, Wilson Goode, a person who was the governor, I mean, the mayor of San Francisco, but who would eventually become a U.S. senator, Dianne Feinstein. He also interviewed Lloyd Benson and the eventual nominee the next time around in 1988, Mike Dukakis. So, the five of us individually went up to meet with the vice president and, you know, determined the level of compatibility and such. But the vetting basically covers every aspect of one's life, from financial transactions and management of your family affairs, your public service record, the range of leadership responsibilities that you've had and would bring to national office. It was a great honor to be reviewed. I was 35 years old at the bottom rung of what would have been eligible. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. My family enjoyed it. I didn't expect to be selected. And in fact, that year, none of the five were selected, the five that the press thought were the five finalists. He ended up selecting Geraldine Ferraro, you will remember from New York. She was not one of the five that was interviewed. And so it was a great surprise to the country. And I'll admit to all of us as well. Really fascinating stuff. We can see how critical this vetting process is with all the opposition research that J.D. Vance, vice president pick on the Republican side, is going through right now. Just quickly, we only have a moment left. If you could tell us as far as the Democrats platform, what do you see as kind of the top policy issues that should be resonating with voters? Well, I think as we've learned in previous elections, the economy and how it affects everyone in their home, their home budget, their family life is the most critical issue generally in American politics. And I think that's no exception this time. The jobs levels, the reduction of inflation, the lowering of interest rates, the expansion of the economy generally will be huge. And so the degree to which the vice president is able to articulate a strategy for continuing, as I say, lower inflation, lower interest rates, higher employment levels, more prosperity generally. I would say in this year, because of the national and international environment, the war in Ukraine, the potential for a broader war in the Middle East, the threatening signs of China at Taiwan and in the East China Straits, all of those will be critical as well. And though international affairs is generally not the cutting edge of how people decide in a year where there's so many threats out there, the ability to assure the public that we've got a firm handle on international affairs and support of our allies, that will be an issue for many people. Former housing and urban development secretary under the Clinton administration, Henry Cisneros, thank you so much for joining. Thank you very much. And starting Tuesday, Vice President Harris, now the official Democratic presidential nominee, will be campaigning across seven swing states with her chosen running mate. Where does she currently stand in the polls against former President Trump and how can she gain ground in some of those purple states and court independent voters? We welcome pollster Whit Ayers, founder and president of North Star Opinion Research. Whit Ayers, thank you so much for joining. My pleasure. Happy to do it. Happy to have you, Whit. So I want to get your thoughts. How might Kamala Harris's tour through these seven battleground states with her new running mate set to be announced any moment really impact her poll numbers? And what is the strategic value of selecting, I guess, what seems to be a potential moderate running mate to court those also coveted independent voters? The poll numbers have been remarkably stable since Joe Biden dropped out, the poll numbers have gone back to what they were before his disastrous debate, but Kamala Harris does seem to be creeping up in national polls. Trump still has a small lead, one or two percentage points, as he does have a lead in most of the swing states. That's why Kamala Harris is planning to go to seven of them next week with her new running mate and the hopes that she can pull a little bit closer to Donald Trump. So do you think VP Harris's choice of a running mate to take her position? Ultimately, I'm sure she's hopeful of such as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro or Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona will appeal to that older blue collar suburban voter in the Midwest. I'm sure that's the hope if indeed she goes with a more moderate candidate. She has been known as a liberal from California, and so it helps balance the ticket a little bit if she can go and find a good, well-respected, more moderate Democrat to go with her. In the case of Governor Shapiro, Pennsylvania is an absolutely must-win state for the Democrats. So if he can even gain a point or two in Pennsylvania, that might be enough to put Pennsylvania in the Democratic column, which will go a long way toward building the majority in the Electoral College that she needs in order to win the presidency. Now, before President Biden dropped out of the race, there was a lot of talk about former President Trump gaining some momentum in the in the black community with black voters. How is Kamala Harris performing now among African-American and Hispanic voters, for that matter? And what are some of the factors that are influencing her support within these communities? It's still too early to make any definitive judgment on it, but it seems like she is getting a larger share of the vote from non-white Americans, primarily African-Americans and Hispanics. There was one poll that came out this last week that showed her going from the 51 percent that Biden had up to 63. That's still shy of the 70 or 75 percent that she'll need in order to win the election. But she's at least making progress with those voters. Let's talk about some campaign cash. The Trump campaign hauling in a formidable one hundred and thirty eight point seven million in July. To what extent were these gains influenced by, of course, the recent events such as the assassination attempt, his V.P. announcement and other activities compared to Kamala Harris raising three hundred and ten million last month? And does that reflect voter enthusiasm on either side of the coin? People tend to be very enthusiastic if they're already in either the Trump camp or the Kamala Harris camp, the Kamala Harris fundraising was truly extraordinary and is a result of the fact that Democrats around the country are so relieved that Joe Biden is not going to be their nominee and incredibly relieved that she's going to take the mantle. She has had an incredibly smooth rollout. But her history is not good with unscripted events, so we'll have to see how she does with unscripted interviews or debates. But so far, her rollout has been seamless. And lastly, I want to talk to you about independent candidate RFK Jr., Robert F. Kennedy. You know, there was some discussion before Biden dropped out as to whether or not, you know, it will affect Biden or Trump. There's just been so much in the news cycle, not much talked about since now that Kamala is in the race. How do you see RFK sort of fitting into the mix? Before Kamala was in the race, RFK Jr. was polling in the mid-teens in many surveys because of the distaste among most Americans for a Biden-Trump rematch. Since Kamala Harris got in the race, it seems like RFK Jr.'s numbers have been falling because now, at least on the Democratic side, they have a candidate they're more enthusiastic about. It looks like he's down under double digits now, and he may go down into the low single digits if this trend continues. Witters, very fascinating observations. Appreciate you sharing them with us. Thank you. It's my pleasure. And coming up, the acting Secret Service director answering questions about security failures ahead of the assassination attempt on former President Trump. What the director has to say about new whistleblower allegations. That and more when we return. They're just young people, hungry, homeless and vulnerable. Abused youth often feel safer on the street. Now, more than ever, that's the most dangerous place of all. 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Shen Yun Creations, the streaming platform from Shen Yun featuring world class dance past programs and all original music masterclasses behind the scenes, comedy and more. Explore Shen Yun Creations dot com. The 2024 NTD Night International Chinese Vocal Competition is scheduled to take place at Merkin Hall, Kauffman Music Center in New York from September 18th to 21st. The competition specially invites vocalists from the world famous Shen Yun Performing Arts to serve as judges. The prestigious gold award is $10,000. Chinese vocal artists aged 18 to 50 are welcome to register. And welcome back to the Capitol Report. I'm Steve Lance, the acting Secret Service director, answering questions today about the agency's failure to secure that rural Pennsylvania venue where former President Trump was shot. Reporters probing why there was no presence on the roof where the gunman was and why a drone wasn't used to view that area. Here's what the acting director, Rommel Rowe, had to say. Why there was no one stationed on the roof? Seeing how close that site was to the stage, seeing where it was, it definitely raised a lot of questions in my mind that there should have been physical presence, if not on the roof, that there should have been better security to prevent anyone from getting up on that roof. I know that there's been allegations that that I personally cut or that I let's see, that I denied requests. The counter surveillance division has been out there supporting the former president's detail. He's referring to whistleblower allegations that were recently reported to Senator Josh Hawley. The whistleblower also alleges that the Secret Service is retaliating against officers who quote, express concern about the security at President Trump's events. Senator Hawley laid out the allegations in a letter to the director on Thursday, which includes questions on Rowe's involvement in changes to policy and on the number of officers who are facing disciplinary action. Rowe says that he plans to respond and that he's in the process of getting more information about why the Secret Service did not allow local officers to fly a drone. The Biden administration has paused its controversial migrant flight program. It's allowed tens of thousands of migrants to fly directly into the United States. The decision comes after a report on the program says it's been riddled with fraud. And today's Washington correspondent, Jack Bradley, has more from the White House. The Department of Homeland Security paused its migrant flight program, which allows up to 30,000 people to fly in from four separate countries every single month. Those countries include Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. They're entering legally under the administration's parole program. But it was found to have instances of fraud. According to a recent report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, internal documents show that many migrants applications were approved without verifying information by sponsors or parolees. They were also reportedly using fake Social Security numbers and phone numbers, some belonging to dead people. The same address was also used on multiple separate applications. When asked about this, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told NTD this in a statement, quote, out of an abundance of caution, DHS has temporarily paused the issuance of advanced travel authorizations for new beneficiaries while it undertakes a review of supporter applications. DHS will restart application processing as quickly as possible with appropriate safeguards. DHS has not identified issues of concern relating to the screening and vetting of beneficiaries. The chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Congressman Mark Green, said that this recent development vindicates every warning we have ever issued about the unlawful Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela mass parole program. Republican Vice President nominee J.D. Vance, senator from Ohio, made a visit to the Mexico-Arizona border on Thursday, a stop on the campaign trail. Here's what he said. What President Trump and I promise to the American people is very simple. This is not rocket science. It is not hard to secure the southern border. You just have to reimplement some common sense policies. And the administration is currently utilizing the CBP one app, which allows up to 1500 migrants to enter the U.S. legally through a port of entry every single day. Reporting from the White House, Jack Bradley, NTD News. The 2024 election is in full swing, but did you know that illegal immigrants may have a role in deciding the number of House seats in each state? U.S. Census requires every resident to respond, including those living in the country without legal status. NTD Sam Wong was out on the street to hear from voters on this issue. No, I didn't know. And I don't know how they get an accurate count. I wasn't really aware of that. I wasn't. Yeah, I guess I wasn't aware of that as well. Surprised it hasn't been a more topic of conversation in the past. Maybe it was and it never really went anywhere. I don't support it, but I am aware of it. I believe I'm aware of it. No, I didn't realize there was no residency required. That's our representation. So that's going to skew how many, you know, state senators and congressmen we have. So obviously that's that's, in effect, given a way to control illegal immigration. People without legal documentations here in the U.S., do you think they should be able to participate in state and federal election? No, I don't. I guess they're not a U.S. citizen and there should be proper procedures, I guess. I think they have to have papers. I don't think they should be allowed to vote in the election. If you are paying taxes, you probably should be represented. Everybody's entitled to an opinion. It's a democracy. Now, working and participating in society, of course, is a path towards citizenship. And I think that should be taken into account. If they're not Americans, then I feel as if they shouldn't be able to skew what we do in this country. When you've got, you know, maybe 10 to 14 million people that have just entered the country in the last three and a half years. You know, it's difficult running elections the way it is without all this added importance of keeping track of who is actually a citizen and who isn't. Come in, you know, legally and have some rights or illegally and get deported. Congress is on recess and there's no agreement in sight to fund the government through fiscal year 2025. And the House and Senate leaders still appear unwilling to pick up some of those bills approved by the other chamber. Our Washington correspondent, Luis Martinez, has more details on pending legislative action. The House of Representatives has passed all 12 spending bills to fund government through fiscal year 2025 through the Appropriations Committee. And five of those bills have already been approved by the House floor on the Senate. Only 11 bills have been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, and none of them have been voted on the Senate floor. In the Senate, we're working on bipartisan bills. Chair Murray, Ranking Member Collins working together. Contrast that to the House, where they can't pass anything bipartisan. They can't even pass some of the bills with partisan majorities and it's filled with poison pills. So we're going to have to work hard. But I'm confident if Speaker Johnson learns the lessons of the past few times and works in a bipartisan way, we can avoid a shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also announced that he will seek a vote on the No Kings Act. The bill is part of President Biden's proposal to overhaul the Supreme Court. And the bill, if approved, would eliminate the president's immunity to criminal prosecution. That shows you the depths to which they have gone lately to attack the Supreme Court. The way to change that is to win the presidency and the Senate and appoint people that you like, but not to try to break, break the Supreme Court. The House of Representatives will also have the opportunity to pick up the Kids Online Safety Act that was approved by the Senate this week with overwhelming bipartisan support. We need to pass this measure when kids go back to school and our congressional colleagues come back to Washington. I'm hopeful that we'll have the same kind of overwhelming bipartisan support in the House as we did in the Senate. It is important to note that Congressman Bob Good, the Republican from Virginia and chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, has conceded he lost the Republican primary and will not be the GOP's candidate in November for Virginia's 5th District. Congressman Bob Good has said he will resign his chairmanship of the House Freedom Caucus. This will spark a contest for a new chairman. Reporting from Washington, D.C., Luis Eduardo Martinez, NTD News. And for around-the-clock original news coverage, please visit us at NTD.com and download our NTD mobile app. That is all we have for you tonight on The Capitol Report. Thank you for watching. From Washington, D.C., I'm Steve Lance. Have a nice evening. See you back here on Monday. ♪♪