Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris steered clear of calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a close ally. The discussion ranged from everything between the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Pressed on whether she would open peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Harris said she would not enter a bilateral meeting without Ukrainian representation. “Without Ukraine? No,” she said.
In an interview with Lesley Stahl on Sunday’s CBS 60 Minutes election special, Harris rebuffed criticism of her economic plans. As the presidential race between her and Republican nominee Donald Trump tightens, Vice President Harris has increased her media blitz, granting interviews with podcasts, talk radio, and town halls in the battleground states in recent months and appearing on a string of television programs.
Before the interview aired Sunday, CBS correspondent Scott Pelley said that, before the sit-down with Clinton, he, too, reached out to Trump, which was canceled. Pelley pointed out that Trump’s campaign gave “shifting explanations” for calling off the meeting, including one that Trump did not want to be fact-checked.
In an interview with CBS’ Bill Whitaker, Harris answered some tough questions about how she’d pay for her economic proposals, which include plans for millions of new housing units, tax breaks for new parents, and $25,000 down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.
She advocated for higher taxes on billionaires and large corporations. Whitaker was dubious: “We’re dealing with the real world here.” Harris replied that if she were president, there would be votes to pass her legislation.
Harris said, when asked about U.S.-Israel relations, that Israel has the right to defend itself, but added, “Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.” Her comments come amid reports of continued violence in Gaza, where nearly 42,000 Palestinians are believed to have died, according to the Gaza health ministry.
