out-of-state billionaires know that i won't vote for the tax cuts. i have already proven that. i voted against the billionaire tax cuts of 2017. so they are mad at me that i am going after them on corporate greed as well. you know what they are doing? we are spending more than $100 million to defeat me in this race. well i got news for those billionaires. i am going to beat david mccormick and i am going to beat those billionaires. [cheers and applause] yep. now, i need you to help me. i need you to help me. go to bobcasey.com and help us to fight off those billionaires. we are grateful you are here tonight, because tonight we are here to focus on the future. the future of our commonwealth and our country. and tonight as well, we are honored tonight to welcome back

to the city of pittsburgh, someone who has been here a lot, who campaigned here when he ran for president the first time, the second time, and helping candidates after that. you remember what he did. there's a lot we could list here, but i will just make it very brief. you know what he did to lead our country in passing the affordable care act, right? [applause] and i not only voted for that legislation, i fought off all the attempts to gut it and to repeal it. here's what that bill meant to the people of pennsylvania. there are 1.4 million pennsylvanians who have health care solely because of the affordable care act. so, and we know that so many pennsylvanians, hundreds and hundreds of thousands of them,

have coverage for pre-existing conditions because of that affordable care act. so tonight, tonight, as we come here tonight to talk about winning these campaigns for kamala harris and tim walz all the way down the ballot, we are also here to welcome back to pittsburgh and to thank him for his work for delivering for the people of pennsylvania when he was president, the 44th president of the united states, barack obama! [cheers and applause] ♪

[cheers and applause] fmr. pres. obama: hello, pittsburgh! are you fired up? are you ready to go? all right. it is good to be back in pennsylvania. it is good to be back in pittsburgh. i love pittsburgh. you know, i love the people of pittsburgh.

i love the food in pittsburgh. i don't usually do this, but this is a little bit of a yelp rating. i just had some of pamela's pancakes. i first had those, like, 10, 15 years ago when i was running. and i was like, i need some of those pancakes this time out. even though i am from chicago, some of you may know, when i was a kid i was a steelers fan. and watching the steelers this season, i am not the only guy from chicago who likes being in pittsburgh. because so far, just fields is doing pretty good. now, before we get started, we have a moment of work to do here. so i want everyone to just settle in.

we have some work to do. before we get started, i did want to say that we are heartbroken about the loss of life in florida, north carolina, states across the southwest. we are thinking about people's, families whose lives have been upended by the storms over the last couple of weeks. i could not be more grateful for the first responders and fema professionals who have put themselves in harm's way to try and help. [applause] you know, it's times like this when we realize, having honest, competent leadership in government really matters. it makes a difference. and today i am asking you to vote for some of those leaders,

including some folks we need working with your outstanding governor who you just heard from, governor josh shapiro. we need them in harrisburg. so we need them to vote for your next auditor general, malcolm kenyadda. your next attorney general, eugene depascale. your next state treasurer, eric mclean led. and my buddy, your outstanding united states senator, bob casey. [cheers and applause] here in pennsylvania, there are three ways to vote. you can vote early, in person, at the county election office, or at a satellite office. you can also vote by mail.

if you need to figure out how to do that, just go to iwillvote.com/pa to find a place to vote early or request a ballot. and of course you can vote at your election polling place november 5. but if you are at this rally, let's face it, you are probably voting, unless you are 12. so, you also have to help your friends and family make a plan to vote. even if you are 12, you can do that. talk to your mom and dad and aunts and uncles. because together, we have a chance to choose a new generation of leadership in this country and start building a better and stronger and fairer and more hopeful america. now, you've already heard tonight, this election is going to be tight.

because there are a lot of americans who are still struggling out there. still striving to make life better for themselves, for their families, and for their kids. and let's face it, as a country, we've been through a lot these last few years. we had a historic pandemic. wreaking havoc on communities and business. disruptions from the pandemic then caused prices to spike, and that put a strain on family budgets. and in many ways it has felt like the aspirations of working people have taken a backseat to the priorities of the rich and the powerful. so i get it, why people are looking to shake things up. i mean, i am the hopey, changey guy. so i understand people feeling

frustrated and feeling we can do better. what i cannot understand is why anybody would think that donald trump will shake things up in a way that is good for you, pennsylvania. i don't understand that. [cheers and applause] because there is absolutely no evidence that this man thinks about anybody but himself. i've said it before. donald trump is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rolled down his golden escalator nine years ago. you've got the tweets in all caps, the ranting and the raving

about crazy conspiracy theories. the two-hour speeches, word salad, just -- it's like fidel castro, just on and on. constant attempts to sell you stuff. who does that? selling you gold sneakers and a $100,000 watch, and most recently, a trump bible. he wants you to buy the word of god, donald trump edition. god is there right next to matthew and luke. i mean, you could not make this stuff up. if you saw it on saturday night live you would say, no, that's going too far. no, he's doing that.

it's crazy. and the reason he does it, is because all he cares about is his ego and his money and his status. he's not thinking about you. donald trump sees power as nothing more than a means to an end. he wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help him and his country club buddies. doesn't care if he costs more women their reproductive freedom because it will make a difference in his life. do not boo. vote. [cheers and applause] they can't hear your boos, but they can hear your votes.

most of all, donald trump wants us to think that this country is hopefully -- hopelessly divided between us and them. between the quote-unquote real americans who support him, in the outsiders who don't. because having people divided and angry, he figures boosts his chances of being elected. and he doesn't care who gets hurt. think about it. just the other day, we learned that on january 6, a couple years ago, donald trump was told that mike pence was in the capitol about 40 feet from an angry mob chanting, "hang mike pence." and his response was, quote, "so what?" don't boo.

if donald trump does not care that a mob might attack his own vice president, do you think he cares about you? pennsylvania, we do not need four more years of that. we don't need four more years of arrogance and bumbling and bluster and division. america is ready to turn the page. we are ready for a better story, one that helps us work together instead of turning against each other. pennsylvania, we are ready for a president kamala harris. [cheers and applause] and the good news is, kamala harris is ready to do the job. this is a leader who has spent

her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a chance. somebody who was raised in the middle class. who worked a summer job at mcdonald's while she earned a degree. who believes in the values that built this country. somebody who has served with distinction in every office that she has ever held. i think we probably had a fainting spell back there, so let's make space for the emergency folks. this happens sometimes. everybody bend your knees a little bit. you have been standing for a while. you can dance if you want. she'll be ok. kamala is as prepared for the job as any nominee for president

has ever been. that's who kamala is. and in the white house, she will have an outstanding partner in governor tim walz. tim is a veteran, he is a teacher, he's a coach, he's a hunter, he's been a great governor working with democrats and republicans to get stuff done. he can also take a vintage truck apart and put it back together again. you think donald trump can do that? for that matter, do you think donald trump has ever changed a tire in his life? i'm just trying to picture it. [chuckling]

the point is, if you elect kamala and tim, they won't be focused on their problems, they will be focused on yours. they understand that too many folks here in pennsylvania and across the country are struggling to pay the bills. even though wages are steadily growing and inflation is finally slowing, the price of everything, from health-care care to housing and groceries, it is still too high. that takes a real bite out of paychecks. it hurts. so the question is, who is really going to do something about it? that is what you should be asking yourself. now, donald trump's plan is to do what he did last time, which was given another massive tax cut to billionaires and corporations. don't boo.

i'm going to break you of this habit. and the reason some people think , i remember that economy when he came and was pretty good. yeah, it was pretty good. because it was my economy! [cheers and applause] we had had 75 straight months of job growth that i handed over to him. it wasn't something he did. i spent eight years cleaning up the mess that the republicans had left me the last time. so just in case everybody has a hazy memory, he didn't do nothing. except those big tax cuts. now, his other big economic plan

now is to slap tariffs on everything, from food to tv's. now, understand what tariffs are. anything that is made elsewhere and comes here, you slap extra money on top of it. and if other countries are cheating, in some cases it makes sense because you want to have a fair playing field. but what he is proposing is basically a trump sales tax that could cost the average family almost $4000 a year. so, if you are concerned about higher prices, that is not the way to get lower prices. that's going to come out of your pockets. you think prices are high now? donald trump's message basically is, you ain't seen nothin' yet. all right, so as far as you can tell, that's his plan, because

it's not written down anywhere. when it comes to health care, you heard it in the debate. donald trump has got one answer. ending the affordable care act that 45 million people rely on. the other day his running mate, j.d. vance, had -- [booing] [laughter] you gotta vote. the other day his running mate had the nerve to say donald trump salvaged the affordable care act. [laughter] i mean, donald trump spent his entire presidency trying to tear it down. and by the way, he couldn't even do that right. and now, eight years after he

was elected, when he was asked about what he was gonna do, he says he's got concepts of a plan for how he'd replace it. now, i want y'all to think about this for a second. let's say your boss gives you an assignment, a project. he says, i need this on friday. friday comes around and he says, so, did you finish that project i asked for? you say, well, i actually haven't started, but i have a concept of a plan. or you could try it at home. uh, honey, did you do the dishes? i have a concept of a plan to do the dishes. how's that gonna go over? if it wouldn't work for you, why in the heck should work for the

president of the united states? but the good news is, kamala harris, she doesn't have concepts for a plan. she has an actual plan to make your life better. [cheers and applause] to bring down the cost of things like groceries, she will go after corporations that are jacking up prices. just like she went after big banks and for-profit colleges when she was attorney general in california. and believe me, when she does, nobody is going to want to stand in her way. i remember after the whole mortgage crisis, kamala pushed me and my administration harder than any other attorney general in the country to make sure homeowners got a fair settlement. it did not matter that she was

pushing a democratic administration. she was not going to let anybody stop her from winning as much relief as possible for the families who deserved it. and because of the work that she did, those families got billions more than they would have otherwise got. that is the kind of president kamala harris will be. to lower housing costs, kamala will cut red tape and work with governors like josh shapiro, as well as the private sector, to build three million new homes. and she will give first-time homebuyers up to $25,000 to help with a down payment. plans, concrete plans. and for a lot of folks, that could be the difference between watching their dreams pass them by, and finally owning a place

of their own. to lower health care costs, kamala already worked with joe biden to take on the drug companies and bring down the cost of insulin, and hearing aids, and more than 50 prescription drugs. and as president, she will never stop working to limit out of pocket costs and protect your care. that is who kamala is. she's got a track record of doing it. and here's a big one. instead of giving more tax breaks to billionaires and raising prices on working families, kamala will give a tax cut to 100 million middle class and working people here in america. so, if you are a new parent, you can qualify for a $6,000 tax credit during the first year of your child's life.

because, i don't have to tell a lot of you, raising kids is hard. and she wants to make it easier to afford stuff like a crib, or a car seat, or diapers. i remember buying diapers. i remember the first time i went into the store, right after melia was born. i was like, what? that's how much diapers cost? i remember changing diapers. you think donald trump ever changed a diaper? [laughs] i almost said that, but i decided i shouldn't say it. [laughter]

if you are starting a small business, kamala harris will give you a $50,000 tax credit to help you get it off the ground. that's who kamala harris is. that's what she stands for. so with kamala, you've got actual plans. trump, concepts of a plan. now, if you challenge trump to elaborate and enumerate his concepts, he will fall back on one answer. j.d. vance does the same thing. doesn't matter what the issue is, housing, health care, education, paying the bills. their only answer is to blame immigrants. they want you to believe that if you let donald trump round up

whoever he wants, by the way, and ship them out, all your problems will be solved. now, we've got real issues at the border. we are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. we have to make sure it is fair for communities at the border that can be overrun. we have got to actually solve a problem. but when i hear donald trump talking, i've got one question. as i recall, donald trump was president for four years. and if rounding up and deporting millions of desperate people, and building the beautiful wall, didn't matter whether some of those folks you rounded up were women and children. if that's the answer to everything, then, why didn't you solve the problem? why were the number of

immigrants basically the same when you left office as when you took office? i'll tell you why. because he didn't have a real plan. he had talking points. he had concepts of a plan. and the plan was mean and ugly. and it was designed to enhance his politics and make people angry, not to solve the problem. you know what would actually help bring order to the border and fix our immigration system? the bipartisan deal that kamala harris supported, even though it was written by one of the most conservative republicans in congress. the same bill that donald trump tanked on purpose. because he thinks pure mongering is -- fear mongering is how

he's going to win this election. he told republicans, even the ones who had originally supported it, don't vote for it. because he doesn't want the problem solved. we don't need a president who will make problems worse just to make his own political circumstances better. we need a president who actually cares about solving problems, and making your life better, and that's what kamala harris will do! [cheers and applause] and to help her do it, she will need a senate full of serious public servants like bob casey. i'm going to talk about this man just for a second. i've known bob for almost 20

years. i've watched his daughters grow up. i know his brothers and cousins. and let me tell you, there are a lot of brothers and cousins. and i can tell you that no one is more humble and more honest and more rooted in his community and has more integrity than bob casey. [cheers and applause] you know, in washington, folks make a distinction between workhorses and show horses. and bob casey, he's not a show pony. all the guy cares about is doing the job and looking after you,

the people he was elected to serve. that's the kind of person we need to send back to washington. that's the kind of person who's going to help kamala get stuff done. folks who share our values and will do what they can to move this country forward rather than backward. that's who bob casey is. [cheers and applause] now, one of those values is freedom. and during election time, there are a lot of flags and there's a lot of talk about freedom. so let me talk about that for a second. because i don't think we've ever had an election with candidates who understand freedom more differently.

for donald trump and his cronies, freedom means that the powerful can do whatever they please. fire workers for trying to organize a union. dodge paying their fair share of taxes. try to throw out your votes when they lose an election. control what women can and can't do with their bodies. in other words, for trump, freedom is getting away with stuff. it's like he said in the middle of the pandemic. i don't take any responsibility at all. people were dying. i don't take any responsibility at all. not sure any other president has ever uttered that statement. we have a broader idea of

freedom. we believe in the freedom to provide for our families if we are willing to work. the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water and send our kids to school without worrying if they come home. we believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to make decisions about our own life. how we worship. who we marry. what our family looks like. [cheers and applause] and real freedom also means that we're gonna disagree on how each of us should live our lives. and we have to respect other people's views on these issues.

you know, i've always said there are good people of conscience on both sides of the abortion divide. i respect anyone whose faith tells them that it isn't something they support. but if we believe in freedom, then we should at least agree that such a deeply personal decision should be made by the woman whose body is involved and not by politicians. [cheers and applause] it has been fascinating to watch donald trump tie himself into a pretzel on this issue. i mean, when he ran for president the first time, he said he would support punishing women who got an abortion.

that's what he said. thank you. now, a couple weeks ago, what did he say? peace said, don't worry -- he said, don't worry, women. i'll be your protector. i'll tell you how he protected you. he hand-picked three of the supreme court justices who overturned roe v. wade, went out there and bragged about it, and now there are trump abortion bands in 20 states, many of them with no exception for rape or incest. and when he's asked about it, he says, well, everybody wanted it this way. really? he thinks women wanted to have to drive hundreds of miles to find a doctor who could help them? does he think doctors want to choose between letting a woman die or going to jail for giving her the lifesaving care that she needs? that is not something people

chose! now, donald trump may be confused about that issue. but let's not be confused. let's be clear about what's at stake here. if you send bob casey back to the senate, he will vote to restore reproductive freedom that women had for nearly 50 years. and if congress passes that bill, kamala harris will sign it into law. [cheers and applause] because they understand. freedom is about being able to make the right choice for ourselves and our families. it's about recognizing that other people have the freedom to make their own choices even if they are different from ours. and it's an example of how, at

the end of the day, this election isn't just about policies. it's about values. it's about who we are and how we treat each other. and the example we want to set for our children and for their children. and it's about character. you know, some of you know that when i was growing up, i didn't have a father in the house. but i did have plenty of people around me. stepfather, grandparents, teachers, coaches. and most of all, my mom. who taught me the difference

between right and wrong. who showed me what it meant to have integrity, and to be honest, and to be responsible, and to work hard, and to treat other people like we wanted them to treat us. [applause] and i had a bunch of role models out there who helped raise me to become a man. and i made mistakes, and sometimes i didn't live up to those values i was taught the way that i should had. but i was checked and i was corrected, and i internalized those values, and i tried to live up to them. and i suspect most of you grew up the same way. and that process of trying to

live out your best self. trying to live out your values, that doesn't stop after the age of 20 or 21. that keeps going, and as i got older i continued to benefit from friends like bob casey, and josh shapiro, and others who would reinforce those values. and who i did not want to disappoint. and obviously my wife. [cheers and applause] and my daughter's. s, who, you know, they are watching. i want to make sure that i don't disappoint them, and that i am passing on these values to them. here in pittsburgh, i'm thinking about another example of

somebody who was a dear friend of mine who has passed away now, dan rubin. you know, here was a guy who won six super bowls, eight afc championships, had enormous wealth and power. but i remember walking around, i guess it was heinz field by that time -- i am old enough to remember three rivers stadium, now i know it is something else. but dan knew the name of every single person in the steelers organization. we passed by a custodian and he would say, hey jimmy, how 'ya doin', how's the family? paul the office staff, he cared -- all the office staff, he cared about them. he used his influence to get more black and brown coaches hired in the nfl. he gave back to his community. he was known for his integrity. he helped support the peace

process in northern ireland. became my ambassador to ireland and continued to help encourage people who were so far apart to come together. he had character. that's what i think about so much these days. because it's so different from what we see out of the republican nominee. it's been one of the most disturbing aspects of this election season, about trump's rise in politics. is how we seem to have set aside the values that people like dan stood for, that bob stood for, that i was taught. those didn't used to be

republican or democratic values. it used to be we would have arguments about tax policy or foreign policy. but we didn't have arguments about whether you should tell the truth or not. we didn't make excuses for people who just violated basic norms, and treating people fairly and with respect. just last week, i talked about this. we had one of the deadliest hurricanes in american history. the beautiful town of asheville, north carolina, one of my favorite places in the country. spent time there, amazing people. devastated. hundreds of people killed. and president biden and vice president harris were down there

meeting with local officials and families, asking how they could help. and donald trump at a rally just started making up stories about the biden administration withholding aid from republican areas, and siphoning off aid to give to undocumented immigrants. just made the stuff up. everybody knew it wasn't true. even local republicans said it was not true. and now the people of florida are dealing with another devastating storm. and i want you to watch what happens over the next few days, just like the last time. you are going to have leaders who try to help, and then you have a guy who will just lie about it to score political points. and this has consequences. because people are afraid and they have lost everything and now they are trying to figure out how do i apply for help.

and some of them may be discouraged from getting the help they need. the idea of intentionally trying to deceive people in their most desperate and vulnerable moments. and my question is, when did that become ok? i'm not looking for applause right now. i want to ask republicans out there. you know, people who are conservative, who didn't vote for me, who didn't agree with me. i had friends who disagreed with me on every issue. when did that become ok? why would we go along with that? i mean if your coworkers acted like that, they wouldn't be your

coworkers very long. you were in business and someone you are doing business with just outright lies and manipulates, you stop doing business with them. even if you had a family member who acted like that, you might still love them but you tell them, you've got a problem. and you would not put them in charge of anything. and yet when donald trump lies or cheats, or shows utter disregard for our constitution, when he calls pow's losers, or fellow citizens vermin, people make excuses for it. they think it's ok. they think, well, he's owning the libs. he's really sticking it to 'em. it's ok, as long as our side wins.

and by the way, i'm sorry, gentlemen. i noticed this especially with some men who seem to think trump 's behavior of bullying and of putting people down is a sign of strength. and i am here to tell you, that is not what real strength is. it never has been. [applause] real strength is about working hard and carrying a heavy load without complaining. real strength is about taking responsibility for your actions and telling the truth, even when it's inconvenient. real strength is about helping people who need it and standing up for those who can't always stand up for themselves. that is what we should want for our daughters and for our sons. that is what i want to see in a

president of the united states of america! [cheers and applause] and the good news is that you have candidates to vote for in this election that demonstrate that kind of character. who know what real strength looks like. who will set a good example and do the right thing and leave this country better than they found it. so, pennsylvania, that is a choice in this election. it's not just about policies that are on the ballot. it's about values, and it is about character. so whether this election is making you feel excited or scared or hopeful or frustrated or anything in between, do not just sit back and hope for the best. get off your couch and vote!

put down your phone and vote! grab your friends and family and vote! vote for kamala harris as the next president of the united states! vote for tim walz as a next vice president of the united states! vote for bob casey, and this whole incredible pennsylvania democratic ticket! help your friends and family members and neighbors and coworkers do the same. because if enough of us make our voices heard, we will leave no doubt about the election outcome. we'll leave no doubt about who we are and what america stands for. and together, we'll keep building a country that's more fair and more equal and more just and more free. that is our task. that is our responsibility. let's go do it!

thank you, pittsburgh. minnesota governor tim walz will be in michigan. ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

[♪ "land of hope and dreams" by bruce springsteen ♪]

announcer: today former president donaldru will host the company really in the world, colorado and will talk about immigration and crime. watch live coverage starting at 3:00 p.m. eastern c-span, c-span now, our free mobile video app, or online at

c-span.org. ♪ announcer: today, clutch c-span's “2024 campaign trail.” a weekly discussion on the campaign and throughout the past week. reporters join us to discuss the events during political news and the ticket the -- take a look at the week ahead. today at 7 p.m. eastern on c-span, online at c-span.org, or download as a podcast on c-span now, our free mobile app, or wherever you get your podcasts. ♪ announcer: c-span's "washington journal," -- announcer: c-span's "washington journal." our live forum involving you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics and public policy from washington, d.c. and across the country.♪ coming up saturday morning we talk about the new supreme court

term, and kike's in the head with washington times' legal affairs reporter. and the washington monthly' reporter on what he refers to as the overlook demographic of state college voters. c-span's "washington journal," join the conversation alive saturday morning on c-span, c-span now, our free mobile app, or online at c-span.org. ♪ now, a debate between the candidates running to represent new york's 22nd congressional districtwhich includes syracuse. republican congressman brandon williams is seing a second term against his democratic challenger john mannion. representative williams is consideredne of the most vulnerable republican incumbts this election cycle. the nonpartisacook political report with amy walter rated the race "leads democrat." the debate was hosted by wcny tv

in syracuse. host: good evening and welcome to wcny's debate for new york's 22nd congressional district. i'm david lombardo, host of wcny's the capital press room and connect new york. joining me in the studio are republican congressman brandon williams and democratic state senator john mannion, who are vying for a two-year term in congress, representing onondaga and madison counties and parts of oneida, cayuga and cortland counties. we are going to spend the next hour discussing domestic issues of both national and local importance, with rebuttals, follow-ups, and additional time at my discretion. we are going to hear introductory remarks from the candidates. and as a result of a meticulous coin toss backstage, state senator john mannion logo first. -- we'll go first. senator, you have 90 seconds. >> thank you so much. thank you to wcny and pbs for hosting this and thank you to dave for moderating. i was born here. i have lived here my entire

life. i love this region and i have served my community in the classroom. i was an ap biology teacher. my wife is also a teacher. we raised our kids here. we both grew up in the city of syracuse. we live in the town of gaddis, and we have made our life here as so many have. but we have also watched the challenges that have existed in this region, and i have that built into my dna. i will always fight for this region, always be a good reflection of this region. i left a job that i loved, the greatest job in the world. the most gratifying job in the world, to advocate for central new york and now the mohawk valley, to represent the 22nd district, the place i love. >> congressman brandon williams, you have 90 seconds, as well. >> thank you, thank you for hosting us. i am glad to be here. good evening. i brandon williams, congressman am for central new york. and i just want to start by

remembering the families that are facing incredible hardship in our heartland, in western north carolina, tennessee and elsewhere, as well as those are bracing for the historic storm in florida. i began my career as an nuclear submarine officer in the navy, i spent the last 20 or so years as a businessman and entrepreneur, i am a political outsider. three years ago, i didn't know anyone in politics. so why did i run for congress? i am concerned for our children's future. my wife and i have been married for 32 years, have two grown children, and i am generally concerned about our constitutional republic and what that looks like going forward. the fact is our nation needs better leaders, leaders of the lead on common sense, on energy, on inflation and the economy, on the border, and on crime. i hope that is what you hear tonight. since being elected in congress, we have solved 1500 constituent cases. i have brought back $45 million of funding to our local community, and i am glad to be

here with you tonight. >> now we will turn to the question portion of the evening and start with congressman brandon williams. you have 60 seconds for your responses and then the other candidate will get a chance to respond as well. congressman, this week, a dozen state attorneys general from around the country sued tiktok arguing that has been designed , to be addictive and is ultimately detrimental to mental health of young people. here in new york state, state policymakers adopted a law this summer regulating how miners use social media platforms like instagram. should congress take actions to restrict the use of social media by minors, and if so, what are the steps you would take? >> i am concerned about tiktok. funny enough, i was the only member of congress that actually was in tiananmen square during the protests in 1989. i have seen with the chinese communist government can do upfront. tiktok is directly related to

the influence of china. we see that with social media, a declining mental health of our young people. and the closing in. it is very different from the childhood that i grew up in. playing out in the community with lots of neighbors and lots of sports outside. it is something congress is tracking very carefully and it is definitely something that it needs to do about. >> state senator? >> i spent over a generation in a classroom. i taught before cell phones, and i talked afterwards. and i watched the negative impact that apps like tiktok have on our children along with a bunch of other easily accessible social media items and otherwise. the algorithm that exists within these systems is designed to honestly change the human brain. it is designed to perpetuate a message that is destructive to

the brains of our kids. also, tiktok is also concerning from the national security standpoint. therefore, i am supportive, this is where the federal government should step in and take action. we have done that in new york state to protect our children. it is long overdue. we need to make sure that our kids have the resources and the technology available to them, to be able to learn effectively. but what we do not need is the change of brain chemistry, which absolutely occurs under these algorithms, sending awful messages, repeated messages to these kids that are more and more disturbing as it relates to potentially drug use, suicide, violence, and other issues. so i fully am in support of highly regulating an organization like tiktok. >> today the biden administration issued a requirement that drinking water systems across the country

replace lead pipes by 2030 seven. given the prevalence of lead pipes in upstate communities like syracuse, state senator manion, do you support this mandate? and regardless, what should the federal government to help facilitate the replacement of lead pipes? >> thank you for the question. in upstate new york we have old infrastructure. we have been here a long time so we have integrated systems including in our pipes. another's problem is lead paint in the dust that comes with that. this is incredibly dangerous to our children. we have elevated levels in our city. as a state senator, we have taken an initiative. we are helping to fund the replacement of the lines going into residents and businesses. we absolutely have to do it and we have to support our municipalities to be able to do

it. that is where the federal government can come in. the money we will be saving when we keep our kids safe, when they don't have lead poisoning, when it is not impacting their learning skills is a win for all of us, because they can go on to a successful life. we have decreased rates of violence, decreased rates of incarceration. increased rates of graduation when we keep our lead systems -- we keep lead out of our systems. >> congressman, same question to you. >> sure. as senator mannion mentioned, lead is very destructive to children, particularly in the middle stage of their life and their brain development. i am also echoing the senator about being concerned about paint, particularly in public housing. there are several things i have done since being sworn into office on exactly these kinds of issues. as i mentioned, i have championed $45 million of project funding for communities here.

many of those are water projects in the town of hamilton, elbridge, lafayette, as well as in madison county. this is long overdue investment in our community. with the anticipation of macron and the development that is coming here, there is a lot of work to do to get caught up on that, and that is where a lot of the $45 million that i have brought in has gone. i directly addressed it in the last year and a half in congress. >> i went to photo op with you on the ruling today from the epa. essentially, this is a mandate to drinking water systems. are you ok with the federal government passing down a mandate like this? >> when it comes to drinking water that will impact the physiological systems of our kids, we absolutely have to take steps to make sure our communities are safe. what we did do in the state was passed legislation so that we would have more frequent testing

of drinking water in schools, and that the lead levels that are acceptable within that water have been adjusted so that threshold is such that we can flag the problem and address it immediately. >> and are you ok with the epa basically doing a mandate on water systems around the country and in new york specifically? >> there is a lot of precedent for this already. there is the failed system in michigan that the federal government got involved in an mandated change, that the epa would step in and do this does not surprise me, doesn't seem beyond the scope of the federal government. part of my technology background that i bring is from what is called the process industries, wastewater system and water systems is part of that, to have alerts, look for changes in levels, it is part of the experience i bring to congress, and from my business experience.

>> before we go on, i want to announce that the mets have defeated the phillies 7-2 in game three, taking a 2-1 leading the division series there. moving on to congressman williams. since 2021 college athletes have , been able to get paid for their name, image and likeness. the current dynamic has raised questions about the rites of students as well as the future of nonrevenue-generating sports. should congress dip into this vacuum? what are the key tenets of national regulations in the space? >> i met with the head of the ncaa who also happens to be president of baylor university. by a strange twist of fate, her husband with my counselor. he played professional basketball. i am concerned about the flood of money into college sports, there is even talk of a super league stability from the ncaa.

look, college is about getting an education and it is about showing up. when there is so much money coming in, a disadvantage is programs like syracuse university that top tier, the division one, but they are unable to compete with giant programs and all the money that goes into attracting talent. there has to be a balance to that. the fact that athletes get paid, i am ok with that socket is to be more sharing and a lot more control over how that happens. >> state senator? >> what has happened with these recent standards is like it is like the wild wild west. it really is. we have great can international additions in this country. the leaders of those institutions have great concern about the lack of emphasis on academics and more focus on athletics. we love our sports, absolutely. and we love the players of those sports. but we need overriding federal

legislation that should be negotiated with the ncaa. we have got to -- we did pass legislation in the state. we were doing that because we had to play catch-up with other states as we were approaching the end of the legislative session. we know other states may have had an advantage. i am proud of the universities in the district, and i want to make sure that we support them, so we did that. but the infusion of money into the system, along with the way the transfer portal is, in many way, it is ruining college sports. we have to get this right. it takes a collective negotiating effort with leaders of different conferences, universities, the ncaa. >> it is a tricky one. [laughter] we have had other state lawmakers back in a data mix at the naacp>> and the ncaa. >>[laughter]

so you are in good company. you mentioned the transfer portal. thumbs up, thumbs down? the unanimity on that issue though, congressman, should student athletes moving forward be treated as employees of the institutions that they are attending, including the collective bargaining rates that might come with that? >> in terms of them being employees, they do function within the university system. they are not free agents outside the university system so they should be employees within the system. you have seen in unions and all the professional sports -- in all the professional sports. whether that should go to college sports, i don't know. they are there for a finite amount of time in their college careers. the primary thing about college, again, is to get an education. we can't get that lost in the flood of money and rules and the excitement of sports. >> state senator?

>> we went to make sure these students are protected, and they are protected by collective bargaining rates. i know there is movement in that direction. i support it. there are individuals we are not focusing on, the non-revenue generating athletes. they are important in many way, these universities. they make the universities and enriched environment for many. my own children have participated at that level. so this is something that, again, to protect everyone in participation in these intercollegiate sparkles, i do believe that is a good fit. , again, it would require negotiation and partnership to make sure we get it right. we are in a situation with a lot of money floating around where there is a history of young people being taken advantage of. >> my next question will start with senator mannion.

at 46%, syracuse has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the country and new york's rate is above the national average. in new york, state policymakers have set a goal of getting child poverty in half by 2032, but they stress the need for federal action to make substantive improvements. what changes to the social safety net do you a to address child poverty at the federal level? >> it is going to be hard to answer this in one minute. poverty does not happen overnight. what my work has already done -- and i want to transfer this to the federal level, is the number of things. we need to make sure our schools, which are the great equalizer, our public schools, have every resource they need to support our students including at the prekindergarten level, which we have expanded to upstate new york. students should be able to go to school and we should have universal school meals. so there is both breakfast and lunch for them. we are already preparing food in that setting. beyond that, we need to make sure we are supporting

apprenticeship programs, like i have in the state. the manufacturers alliance of central new york, i carried a budget item which i more than doubled -- from $750,000 to 1.75 million dollars. that is changing lives. people are earning money while they are learning and changing careers. it is opportunity that is necessary. i tried to get as much in in that many. i would say housing, health care, transportation, are all a big part of making sure there are no barriers to that opportunity. >> congressman williams, 60 seconds, child poverty. >> that is a big topic. since being elected to congress, i have championed the children's raised center program in east adams neighborhood. in fact, there are $3 million that we have been able to secure it in federal funding exactly to that problem, targeted to the most vulnerable community that we have. i have also championed the child

tax credit, giving parents more resources to escape poverty while having children. i always come back to education and income from -- and i come at it from a different point of view. we have already spent more money than any other country in the road on education. my wife and i are both products on public schools. we have benefited from those. but i support school choice for parents. i hear this all the time, particularly in poor neighborhoods, that school choice, or vouchers that give their children the best educational opportunities available, not just the local school, but available to them, is one of the key ways that we can drive an end to child poverty. >> i want to follow up on the program that you mentioned there, congressman, the idea of the child tax credit. we saw an expansion of this benefit during the pandemic, and and it dramatically reduced

child poverty cutting rates right here in new york by nearly 50%. thinking about the credit moving forward, what should the benefit look like? >> there are proposals now being discussed. this is a budgetary issue and we are championing extending the child tax credit. all of that will be hashed out in the messy process of congress. but the fact is that we need to support families that are choosing to have children. if you look at the actual birthrate in america, it is underneath the 2.1 self-sustaining rate. immigration, of course, helps with that, but it is also critical that we encourage families to have children, make it affordable for them and incentivize them. . which is important for our country. >> state senator, any thoughts on the federal level? >> in new york state, we delivered for the people in this

state, we acted and responded and wanted to provide relief for evergreen families. at the federal level, we absolutely have to support it, in fact, it should already be extended. but what we're seeing is a congress right now that is not getting anything done. they are playing theatrical politics. removing speakers. but the people of this country and this region expect more. when we talk about families and making sure that they can make ends meet, we can talk a lot, or we can take action. we can work together in a bipartisan way to make sure that we are delivering of those folks. i am ultimately supportive of the expansion of the federal tax credit. >> i went to pivot to some questions i have decided to be a yes or no responses. we will start with the congressman. the right to contraception has been affirmed by multiple supreme court cases, but nothing stops the supreme court from

reversing past precedents like we saw with the dobbs decision in 2022. given that background, should congress passed legislation affirming a right to birth control such as hormonal contraception? >> yes. >> state senator? >> yes. >> follow-up, state senator, federal regulations require most private health insurance plans to cover contraception methods that require a prescription. in light of the fda of the rising opill, a daily oral contraception available without prescription, should the insurance mandate be expanded to cover over the counter birth control which would not require a prescription? >> we absolutely should make sure that contraception is covered by insurance companies. it makes perfect sense. and the people of the 22nd district would support that. >> is that the over-the-counter prescriptions, as well? >> yes. >> excellent.

congressman, same question, do you support expanding the mandate to over the counter birth control i have to tell you? >>, we have two kids, and that is probably a broad range of what over-the-counter birth control is. without full knowledge of that, i don't know of any restrictions that would prevent insurance providers from covering that. >> no restrictions, but amended to require that they cover over the counter birth control. >> if that is through the aca, the mandate system. >> it is not part of it now, they only cover things that are require a prescription. this new opill doesn't require a prescription. should that be under the mandate? >> there is a number of religious organizations that are opposed. when we get into these kinds of questions, federal mandates that force people that have a position of being in the systems, that is currently in review in the judicial system.

so when we talk about federal mandates, i certainly do not have any opposition to birth control, and nor would i try to admit that in any way. but you are asking the opposite, you're asking for the federal government to take an even heavier hand. in general, i would like for people to decide for themselves. >> 15 seconds for a follow. this'is about health care. this is not a theocracy. we have to make sure we are ensuring the health of individuals in this country as they are preparing for their families i. >> think in a free market, people should decide. >> another yes or no question. senator, both presidential candidates have entertained some form of eliminating federal taxes on tips, despite economists and physical analysts across the spectrum panning the idea. do you think congress should eliminate taxes on tips? >> first thing i will say is i

support the wage system the way it is. there was discussion about the elimination of tips. i don't support that. i believe if we don't eliminate it, they should certainly be a different structure related to the taxation of tips for our service workers. >> yes or no answer as well? >> sure. no tax on tips. >> that was easy. we will start with the congressman. for a decade and a half, the federal minimum wage has been set at $7.25 an hour. the new york minimum wage is approaching $15 an hour. in upstate new york it is scheduled to increase. is it time for congress to raise the minimum wage, congressman? >>, as you mentioned, new york state's minimum wage is already twice the federal level. the federal government mandating higher prices will not affect new york state.

i am here to represent the people of new york. the federal government, it doesn't matter what they do. new york state is what is going to set the prevailing minimum wage. >> just a follow-up, to be clear, are you saying congress should act then? >> it will not affect the people of new york state, so, no. >> senator? >> people across the country deserve a living wage. in this state, we have provided as well as we could with the rising minimum wage. there are many individuals, in the care community specifically, direct support professionals in the disability space, where we have tried to increase their wages. i don't know who can live in this country on 7.25 dollars a, especially if they are an a demanding profession like one of these. talking to my colleagues across this country, that is exactly what is happening in some states. >> we went to go back to over 62nd question and you can wax

poetically. senator, sticking with affordability, one child in a childcare center can run an average of $19,000 per year. what can congress do to make childcare more affordable? >> there's a few things you have done in the state already and i am proud to have been a leader on that. number one, we can raise the level above the federal poverty level to make it more manageable for them to go to work if they choose to do so. number two, we have staffing concerns in a childcare solutions. we have provided a 100 million dollar fund so that institutions in deserts or micro deserts which we have many of them in this area, could expand their services to a larger population, or establish new childcare facilities. i also think there needs to be incentives for establishing different centers at educational

institutions and in the workplace, and i do believe that our employers in a tight labor market should be of childcare at those institutions. i do believe that the federal government should be consistent in initiating some of those childcare facilities to be established. >> congressman, what can congress do to make childcare more affordable? >> as a member of congress, have sponsored a bill that does exactly that, particularly for law enforcement professionals. you may know that law enforcement professionals have crazy hours, they are working shift work and they have to be there. we rely on them 24 7, 365. one of the challenges that we have attracting talent to law enforcement, is this very issue of child care, particularly women. we have a crisis of not being able to fill the roles, these important roles of public safety

people. that is why i introduced this bill. it is, i think, a good model to explore how the federal government can get involved in helping with childcare. we are starting with law enforcement first. >> i want to follow up on this issue of childcare and turn to the staffing side of things that the senator referred to in his answer. in addition to the affordability of childcare, there is an issue of simply not having enough spots to care for kids, largely due to the low pay for the workforce and regulations and industry. congressman, what can be done at the federal level to boost the number of providers that are out there? >> it is not only about childcare. i hear this in lots of different arenas. particularly around health care, for example, like memory care for elders, or rehabilitation care. we faced this when my mother was

in declining health. the low pay has very high turnover in places like childcare, which is so critical for working families, particularly single parents. i have a lot of families asked me about some kind of help, that if a family member is helping to take care of their children while they work, that if there is some mechanism for a tax break or a mechanism for payment there. i think those are all things that need to be explored. in terms of raising up our children, i don't think there is much that is more important than that. >> senator, can you expand on what we need to do to boost the workforce? >> our children are our greatest gift. we should make sure that we have them in settings that are safe and with individuals that can do

this challenging work. that is my own piece of legislation that was signed into law, regarding cmb, which protects providers, informing their workers of potential exposure to this virus when working in childcare facilities, and it was particularly impactful when a person is pregnant. but back to the staffing. we have to make sure that these workers are compensated. when you look at other countries as it relates to childcare, it is much more robust, and often much more affordable for families, because there is an emphasis on making sure that we support the systems and stock that will require funding. >> next question is for the senator. in the wake of the 2018 supreme court ruling, some states legalized mobile sports wagering. in new york, it has resulted in hundreds of millions in tax revenue. at the same time, the

proliferation of advertisement in the industry have been blamed for exacerbating problem gambling. in the vein of, say, alcohol regulations, should congress impose stricter controls on how sports betting sites are advertised? >> as we talked about algorithms with tiktok, they are predatory practices here. in fact, i saw something on social media, ironically, an article referencing just that. i do think there is a space for that. if people want to engage in mobile sports betting, they will find that. , again, -- again, it can be addictive and predatory. i am supportive at looking at that. i know that in new york state, a lot of, or a significant amount of funds, i should say, that are deemed as revenue that come to the state, are put back

into the state. and supports are in place to address that addiction. >> she congressman, should there be controls on sports betting advertising? it is interesting to see the proliferation of the industry. >> at one time i'll ago, it was about ticket sales. television rights have taken over and that is where the money is. you saw how much money given to sports in my lifetime. what is very interesting is that this gambling has driven an enormous amount of revenue into the sports formula itself, including for the owners. that is who is of championing this. so long as it is entertaining, gambling on sports, -- i don't do it myself, so i have never used those apps. maybe it makes it more engaging

and entertaining. but, as was mentioned, before, it is addictive. the amount of marketing towards young people and towards kids, marketing towards people that are prone to addiction to this, just like i used to be the case with alcohol and to on television, should be curtailed. >> we are going to give both you and the viewers at home a break from me for a second, and we will share a question that my producer collector this afternoon at armory square in syracuse. >> i have one question. i am a's vegas. i present to you, what do you propose to do about the homeless epidemic, in relation to the drug epidemic, which seemed to coincide? >> congressman, the question was about the issue of homelessness, and the issue of drug addiction, and the intersection often

between those two questions. >> about 10 years ago, i was asked to volunteer at the syracuse rescue mission to do jobs training for homeless men. what it allowed me to do is to engage with them on a weekly basis over, i think, a couple of months to really dive in and try to help them establish the tools of getting back on their feet and back to the workforce. i encountered firsthand what these challenges were. i learned a lot. and as was mentioning in the question, it goes hand-in-hand with substance abuse. one of the challenges we face, in particular is an open southern border since biden and harris have taken over. this has been -- this has led to a flood of fentanyl and other kinds of dangerous, addictive and harmful drugs that is expanding the homeless population. i was just at the syracuse rescue mission a couple of weeks ago and saw the the incredible

work that they do, the amazing services they provide, and how much addiction and mental health is tied into that. so i have been directly engaged and involved in that and i think securing the border, believe it or not, will at least start stemming the flow of drugs into our country. >> state senator, same question. >> listen, when people are addicted to drugs, it can lead to homelessness and that is a tragedy and a cycle that perpetuates itself. when someone has been charged with a crime related to drug use, certainly, drug trafficking is a different issue that we have to address very seriously -- but we need to fund drug courts we. need an expression of drug courts and a real plan towards treatment, towards healing. we want individuals to be successful. we want them to be on the path towards wellness. sometimes we are basically

perpetuating that cycle. we need programs tied to our drug courts to make sure we are truly investing. when individuals may need inpatient care, we need to make sure they can remain with their children. there are programs around the state where women and children can stay together as they are going through treatment. last thing i will say about the comment on the southern border is, my opponent had an opportunity to advance a bipartisan bill that was passed by the senate that would have done a lot, it would have funded our courts, it would have made sure we funded our border patrol . there was an opportunity to do that, but at the direction of the former president, the congressman rejected data, and we still have a brick-and-mortar as result -- rejected that, and we still have a broken border as a result. >> congressman, 32nd. >> this is the most flimsy of arguments.

what we are actually part of the house of representatives more than a year ago, house resolution 2, would have secured our border, ended the catch-and-release, would have implemented remain in mexico and would have undone the damage done by the biden-harris administration. it is the weakest argument and not even based in fact. there was never a vote in congress, the bill he described never made it to a vote in congress. it didn't have enough democratic votes in the senate to pass. this is frankly based on a lie. >> leadville he is referring to was draconian and lacked funding to properly support our border patrol agent, our ports, and as a result, it was not going to get anything done. it was done solely for political purposes and it was never negotiated in a bipartisan way. >> i want to come back at least tangentially, to the issue of substance abuse. during the pandemic the dea issued waivers enabling health

providers to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth without an in person visit. with those waivers set to expire, should legislation be authorized by congress extending this flexibility to ensure uninterrupted access to prescriptions such as medication to combat opioid addiction and adhd? senator? >> number one, i am a supporter of telehealth and making sure there is parity when it comes to reimbursement for those services. this is absolutely something that we should be doing when we are in the midst of a staffing health care crisis. unfortunately, it is more and more challenging to get into our health care institutions. this is a way that simply makes sense. we are in the future right now, so let's do the right thing, let's extend this program. particularly for some of our rural communities that have had various health care centers or hospitals shut down. this is the right thing to do. it is convenient. people don't have to travel several miles to do it, they can

build a relationship with an expert in the field. and we should extend it. >> congressman, sin question? >> i am a strong advocate for their health. it is one of the few good things that came out of the covid shutdown, and all these kinds of prescription treatments for addiction, and i would even go further, things like methadone, things like some of the hallucinogen drugs that are being experimented with. we need to get a lot more creative in how we are addressing the crisis not only of mental health, but of addiction. i have personally had a family member that has gone through this, had to seek treatment outside the united states in order to begin this incredibly difficult journey back to sobriety. they have been successful, because they were outside of the

u.s. medical system. there is a lot more that can be done. the fda has to move a lot faster. i am a strong advocate for that, including as it gets implemented over telehealth. >> congressman, sticking it in the same vein, in order to ensure the continuum of care for incarcerated new yorkers receiving mental health or addiction services while behind bars, would you support federal legislation ensuring that medicaid coverage is reinstated prior to their release so there isn't any sort of gap in coverage when they go about their reentry process? >> you know, i have spent a lot of time recently engaged with people in the corrections institution. but mostly corrections officers that have walked me through the unbelievable crisis of violence, of drug use inside the prisons, as well as the mental health challenges that the corrections officers face everyday. there are violent attacks on

these corrections officers, exactly from these kinds of crimes. so if i am going to address the issues going on in our prisons, i will focus on rescinding things like the halt act. and that my opponent has championed, that have made it the best time in new york state to be a criminal. it's the best time to be incarcerated in new york state, because you get special privileges that make it incredibly dangerous for the people that stand up as corrections officers and, frankly, implement what society asked of them. it is to take these incredibly dangerous people off the street. that would be my first priority. >> so, just a follow-up, what would that mean for legislation that would ensure medicaid coverage reinstated prior to their release? >> let's get the halt act repealed. let's stand up for our corrections officers, then we can talk about medicaid for released prisoners. >> senator mannion, we will take

that first part of the question, then we will give you a second to talk about new york state's prisons. the getting reinstated prior to medicaid coverage getting reinstated prior to release to ensure the continuum of care is that something you support? >> when people are incarcerated and pay their debt to society, we want them to be successful. we don't want them to be back incarcerated and therefore, a tax burden to individuals and their lives are further lost. it's the right thing to do. my opponent must not be informed, because i voted no on the halt act, and that was because of my engagement in correctional facilities, talking to the corrections officers, to incarcerated people, to also individuals that work in our correctional facilities outside of the corrections officers, like social workers and health care practitioners in those institutions. i have toured those facilities, looked.

at them i have spoken with everyone and parked made an informed decision and voted against my, party majority because i listened to the corrections officers. they supported me when i run for office. i listened to them and we can treat people in a human way and put them on a successful path toward a dignified future. and we must make sure that we also protect the individuals working in these facilities, that can be very challenging. >> 15 seconds, congressman. >> when we are on the topic of free health care, my opponent has been the champion of free health care to illegal immigrants. this is not the priorities of our government, our government is to the law-abiding citizens, the citizens and families who are struggling to pay for their own health care today. these are not the priorities of the people of central new york and certainly not to provide free health care for illegal

immigrants. it was so radical, i think even the governor rejected your proposal, senator. >> there is not free health care for individuals here that are undocumented. >> if viewers want to learn more about the state's solitary confinement laws, they should check out the capitol press room archives, which you will find at capitolpressroom.org, or wherever you download your favorite podcasts. in new york, they are has been a paid family leave program in place. it covers when you want to raise a new child for an ill family member or assist loved ones when a family member is deployed on military leave. at the federal level, there is a family and medical leave providing up to 12 weeks of unpaid, protected leave. should the federal benefit be expanded to include compensation? if so, what should the benefit be, and how should it be funded? >> if we want to support our families with new children, we

absolutely should be supporting them with, again, programs that individuals that are working would be paying into, that employers would be paying into, to make sure that these families can make these decisions, whether they will care for a family member, for a new child, whatever the case may be. these are the things we should be doing. when you look at other places in the world that have these programs that allow families to support each other, those are the things we should be doing. we also have to look at the variety of different professions out there, because some individuals that work in certain capacities like in steel workers, construction, they have a multitude of different employers as they are not eligible for some of the paid family leave. so i am supportive of the moves we have made in the right direction. i also believe we need a system in place where people can care for their family members and not have to make those hard decisions and, of course, have guardrails around the program. >> repeat the question for me,?

>> please should there be a paid family program level -- paid family leave at the federal level, and how should it be funded? >> there should be paid family leave for the reasons we have talked about, to support working families. that we can have more children. a lot of people don't have children or they are put off child rearing because of the cost. the information has been out of control in the last three and half years. we have seen prices rise on everything from housing to all the groceries. having a robust economy is a great place to start. to support working families. we really need to change the incentives -- change the policies of the federal government that actually start reducing costs and making life more affordable. paid leave for new mothers and

fathers, i definitely would support. >> congressman, next question is for you. for nearly two decades ago, congress created the law effectively shutting the window for civil claims against gun manufacturers and distributors. should these federal liability protections for negligent or reckless behavior by a gun company remain at the federal level? >> there is always a strong attempt to go around current law and actually to use the law to selectively go after political opponents. this is an excellent example of trying to enact nationwide gun control by implementing tort liability onto the gun manufacturers. we have a crime problem in america. a crime problem in new york state. that problem comes from cashless

bail. from the halt act. from raise the age. it comes from the incredibly reckless policies that have come out of albany under the participation of my opponent. these are the things that have to change. in fact, my opponent said that resending cashless bail would be a mistake to repeal. i disagree with him. i disagree on the lawfare that is trying to go around the second amendment and the constitutional rights that we have. >> senator, 90 seconds to answer the question. >> i appreciate that. first of all, i am supportive of responsible gun ownership. there were only two counties in the state where rifle hunting of bears and deer was not allowed. in onondaga.

and it took two years to do that. we did it. we have great ownership of sportsmen's clubs. i have spoken at their meetings. i am for responsible gun ownership. but there is consensus across this country and certainly in the 22nd district, that we need to make sure that weapons of war are not in the wrong hands. a piece of that has to do with a responsible manufacturing and the sale of guns. as it relates to the comment about bail, first of all, there was great consensus about the fact that bail laws of needed reform. the consensus didn't just come from the advocates, it came from the enforcement and from district attorneys. i was not in office when those laws were passed. if you watch my opponent's aps messaging and his commercials, he will make it seem like i was. that is simply not true.

>> thank you, senator. congressman? >> these were his words, repealing cashless bail would be a mistake. not my words, editor, those are your words. i don't know a single law enforcement professional in new new york state that agrees with you. >> in my four years in the state senate, three times i was a very strong voice in advancing changes to those bail laws that were flawed. we give judges greater discretion, made more crimes bail-eligible, we addressed the reoffending issue. i listened, i responded, and i have done what i could to make significant changes to those laws prior to me being in office. >> new york policymakers legalized recreational use of marijuana and since then there's been an effort to set up a legal marketplace. at the same time though marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, creating challenges for businesses in the empire state at every step, such

as accessing basic financial services. should congress take any steps to make it easier for these businesses to operate, or does the status quo on marijuana make sense at the federal level? >> the status quo does not make sense. the fact is because marijuana still at the federal level is listed as a schedule one drug, it is not able to use the banking system. and i have never used marijuana, i have -- i am not personally interested in it. i think it is a very good potential for medical treatment. friends of mine that have been through cancer and through chemotherapy have strongly advocated that there be easier access to cannabis treatment, particularly here in new york state. in the poison control center here in syracuse, my concern is that products are being marketed

to children. many times they are packaged like candy. we all remember, if you are my age you remember what the tobacco industry was like in the 50's, 60's and 70's, actively marketing to young people. it has to stop. there has to be a lot more control over what the chemicals are. and the potency of marijuana products. there is a lot more that can be done. >> i supported the legislation in new york state because i believe marijuana should be legal first of all, because its use was pretty prevalent. we need the regulation behind it. we need a controlled setting. we need changes at the federal level, because when talking with individuals that are establishing, either processing or retail sales, there absolutely has to be a system that works as far as securing financing or the banking system.

the laws of the federal level are antiquated. i believe the patchwork of laws we have in the state needs to go away. we should have a federal law that legalizes marijuana. that would allow for additional changes to the laws on finances. >> we are at the point of the night for closing remarks. congressman, you have 90 seconds first. your closing statement. >> what you have heard here tonight is at differing visions of what leadership looks like. i have supported securing our border and supporting our border control personnel. my opponent has advocated for free health insurance, free health care for illegal immigrants. i have advocated for the law enforcement, providing resources to law enforcement, stood up to law enforcement. despite his claims overperforming bail reform,

there isn't any law enforcement professionals that like the laws as they are now. they are exhausted by it, and it is keeping good people out. while the economy, i am a businessman. he has been kathy hochul's wing man for the last four years. it has made living in new york state even harder and even more expensive. i want a better future for our children. that is why i got involved in politics. the fact is we need better leaders. i bring confidence and experience that is just different, and i hope you will consider voting for me in november. thank you. >> state senator, you have 90 seconds for your answer. >> i do agree with my opponent. there are different visions. my opponent brings a vision of doom and gloom and negativity. i bring a vision of hope and forward thinking. what i have seen in the state senate or in the classroom,

something that needed to be addressed, i addressed it when i saw it. i addressed it, whether it meant opposing my party or otherwise. i did it in the best interest of the individuals of the 50th senate district and in the future in the congressional district, new york 22. i left a job that are not in the classroom, because i simply could not watch the chaos that existed in politics so i left the job that was gratifying . because i watched 16-year-olds watch a presidential election in 2016 like i had never seen before, and it may have been the only election they had ever seen. we need calm. we need positivity. we need collective nice. we cannot tear each other down. we cannot sustain the negativity any longer. so let's come and work together, look forward, stop the gloom and doom and negativity and get a promise to our kids that we must be in making sure that this country is more than it is today.

>> i should have had more faith in you both to stick to 90 seconds. i have another second here. i thumbs up for yes or thumbs down for no, we do but to whether you would support federal legislation banning partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts? is something like that was to come up in congress? you both would? that is great. >> my opponent supported gerrymandering to benefit his own seat. >> oh, boy. >> congressman does not live in the district that he represents. the independent redistricting commission -- the independent redistricting commission -- >> unfortunately, that is all the time we have. my thanks to republican congressman brandon williams, and democratic state senator john mannion for sharing their time. as a reminder to the viewers, october 26 is the start of early voting and the last day to register to vote. election day is november 5. if you would like to visit any part of tonight's coverage,

visit w s -- visit wcny.org. on behalf of everyone at wcny, i am david lombardo. thanks for watching and good night. ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy, visit ncicap.org] ♪ announcer: we will take you live now to aurora, colorado, for a campaign rally with republican presidential nominee and former president, donald trump. he is set you are watching live coverage on c-span.

♪ >> we are waiting in aurora, colorado for remarks by former president trump and today, watch the c-span 2024 campaign coverage of the house campaigns. we will discuss issues and depth and look at the week ahead tonight at 7:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. join us online at c-span.org or download as a podcast on the c-span now app.

>> it is no surprise. hurricanes have impacted political campaigns for a long time. think back to 1992 and president george h bush. hurricane andrew slammed in

florida and did him no favors. we have seen it help the presidents as well. 2012 superstorm sandy smacked into the eastern seaboard. arguably, helping president obama win the election. we have back to back hurricanes. >> five states, colorado, and shock the world and send donald j. trump back to the white house. this state is going republican. this state is going for donald trump. the patriots in this room will be the ones to elect president donald trump to end the invasion, it end the occupation, and to send the illegals back home. look at all of these photos around me.

are these the kids you grew up with? are these the neighbors you were raised with? are these the neighbors you want in your city? no. these are the criminal migrants kamala harris brought into your community. and as quickly as they came, donald trump will send them back. the media want you to feel ashamed? day want you to think you can't complain about what is happening to your town. they want you to be quiet and silent. we won't shut up. because, we love our country too much. we love our families too much. we love our kids too much to let them grow up in a community and country run by organized criminal cartels, not on our watch.

that won't happen. they want you to think, you want to send it migrants out? no. they need to justify why they are bringing the migrants in. they cannot justify it for this very simple reason. we don't need in this country homeless migrants, criminal migrants. we don't need migrants and consumers depleting our public resources overwhelming our public schools, overwhelming our hospitals, taking away our apartment buildings, and, yes, murdering innocent americans. you have a right to love the community you grew up in. you have a right to love your neighbors as you are. you have a right to want a country of, by, and for americans and only americans.

i will end today with this simple promise. if you do the work, colorado, if you register, organize, mobilize, get your friends, families, coworkers, everyone you know, people near, people far, if you do the work for the next 25 days, colorado will send donald j. trump back to the white house so criminal migrants will go home and america will be reclaimed for americans. god bless you, god bless aurora, god bless colorado and god bless the united states. thank you. ♪ >> c-span is live in aurora,

colorado for the campaign rally with republican presidential nominee and former president donald trump set to speak to supporters shortly. many are ready, waiting in the room where they have been hearing from other officials in the past few hours. on the screens we saw earlier

the scene outside the rally. we are expecting the president shortly. we are showing encore presentations of american history tv needs a 10 part series "congress investigates" tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern on some of the most significant house and senate investigations. tonight we highlight the 1950's investigations that led to the ultimate center of senator joseph mccarthy tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. as we wait for the arrival of donald trump. the former president right now, not just because democrats love early voting, they have always had the advantage of it the last few modern cycles, but also because of all of the hurricanes , that we will see in states like north carolina and georgia, crucial for the former president

and vice president harris when she is trying to flip some of these and make them purple states there won't be quality cooling because people barely have the ability to charge their phones. they . getting folks out early will give the campaign the data they need to know where they should send last-minute resources. pennsylvania is a state that provides democrats with a lot of trouble because they aren't counted until the last day. this is why the former president, in a lot of ways did this. he gets democrats out earlier than most people. >> go ahead paul steinhauser. >> and other former president

will be out there doing the same thing. that is former president bill clinton, that like former president obama spoke at the democratic convention in chicago in august he will head, i think over the weekend to reroll parts of georgia -- a rural parts of georgia and north carolina next week for bus tour. the idea is to get out the vote and get it out early. democrats come as jazmine mentioned and highlighted, have been emphasizing this for a couple cycles now. republicans have really tried to catch up on this. the republican national committee a couple years now has been having this bank your vote campaign to try to emphasize it's ok to vote early. the problem is, their person at the top of the ticket former president from has gone back and forth on this. we remember comments from the 20 doctrine. he is stepping on the messenger often when it comes to republican efforts to get out the early vote. >> the phone numbers democrats,

republicans, independents. our guest is jasmine wright and paul steinhauser. paul steinhauser is in pittsburgh after traveling with the kamala harris and tim walz campaign and jasmine was recently in another purple state, arizona. guest: is ever is of purple? not to the people on the ground. i think they feel it is traditionally republican. i was there a couple days and spent time with people throughout the political spectrum from canvassers, organizers, campaign aides, democrats, independents. the vibe i got was people were feeling hopeful because people were feeling the enthusiasm the vice president brings to the campaign, but they are necessarily optimistic. it is important. they see a serious numbers problem they did not have in 2020. over 100,000 registered democrats have left the state

since 2020. they have a deficit with republicans of over 200,000 registered voters and a deficit with independents, a flip from 2020 when they had more independence in that state. when we see the harris campaign reaching out to the mormon community, republicans. she has amassed a large amount of high-profile republican endorsers in that state. it's not because of virtue. it is because of necessity. they need republicans molded in the image of john mccain who are independent and exhausted or don't like extremism, don't like it collection -- election to nihilism, don't mike president biden. but they are having trouble because it is such a tall order. it's a traditionally republican state. these people, a lot of their identity is based in being a republican. it is one thing to say we won't

vote for donald trump. people are saying, it's another thing to say we want to vote for the vice president. people across the united states are trying to confront the problem in a lot of ways. independents of color, latina women, all across the spectrum, reaching out to republicans to form a massive coalition that may be did not exist in 2020 for the vice president. host: what explains the democratic exit is since 2020? is it covid related? guest: people don't know. so many people are pouring into arizona. 200 people poured into maricopa county itself in a day and a lot are registering independent. you can request a republican or democratic primary ballot. there are more independents in the state since 2020 diversifying their interests coming from states like california, which, obviously, arizona and california are two very politically distinct states. it is a melting pot of folks.

we see the harris campaign not just focusing on republicans or independents, but native communities, tribal communities, latina, working-class women. i have spent time with them. they are also trying to get out the vote with latino men, a place where they are having a lot of trouble. we saw of the latest new york times poll harris is down double digits in comparison to trump with latino men in that state alone. they are trying to create a different coalition that may be did not exist in 2022 -- 2020 because of the changes in the demographics there. host: let's bring in callers with jasmine wright a political reporter and paul steinhauser, a fox news moderator. joining us from pittsburgh via zoom. this is rhonda joining us from freehold, new jersey. good morning, rhonda. caller: good morning. is it the topic politics or the

disaster? host: it can be whatever you want to talk about. we have been talking about the politics of disaster, rhonda. caller: i wanted to say i am praying for all of the people in florida, north carolina, and south carolina that have been effected by the hurricanes. i went through sandy and your homeowners insurance will pay for you to live somewhere else for two years while your home is being rebuilt. that is how it is in new jersey. i love new jersey. we live in the best estate under the country. as far as politics i am glad you got a phosphorus in on there. can you tell them to please start telling the truth to their supporters. it is a very sad that they would politicize a natural disaster. and, tell people, if you take fema assistance they will take your property. that's a lie.

host: paul steinhauser, on the fact that fema had to essentially publish a fact-check for misinformation out there, how unusual is that? guest: extremely unusual. we were talking about it at the beginning of that segment. we have seen president biden and vice president harris numerous times this week chiding former president trump for making things more difficult for fema and government responders to trying to help those hurt by the hurricanes. it is a major issue. not only for politics, but the rescuers and fema as they try to help people get on their feet after back to back dangerous storms. host: let's go to lee in grande gorge, new york, a republican. caller: i was concerned about obama's valley for kamala harris. both he and hillary are company

for her. last month she called trump a threat to democracy. and the world, which i find it ludicrous considering during obama's presidency, hillary, his secretary of state, on national tv the reset button leading americans to believe russia was our new best friend. through a backdoor they gave them permission to bind uranium one and three with states on a horse mike obama was overheard telling putin he had more flexibility during his second term. when russia invaded ukraine and took over crimea obama said there were mostly russians there anyway and it did nothing to help the ukrainian refugees. and, using campaign funds to establish the donald and russia

collaboration. host: jazmine? guest: i think the democrats see it a different way. i think it is largely a story of abundance view that u.s. relationships with russia in 2014 are very different then u.s. relationships with russia right now because of their invasion of ukraine and how far they are going. and how for vice presidents harris and democrats believe they would continue to go with former president trump in office. by then talks about it when he was at the top of the ticket. he was saying donald trump had said he likes dictators and would become a dictator on day one. that is something the vice president said is a liability to

him making him unable to be president invalidating that option for him because of the way he was cozying up to russia. donald trump has denied these things. has denied democrats are responsible. it is something both parties feel should be turned down. it was a different place in 2014 when it comes to the u.s. relationship with russia and ukraine. host: how much do you think we will talk foreign policy on the campaign trail in the last 25 days? guest: we have had a lot hotspots now. israel was firing up those missiles. now if things stay calm, no, it won't be a top issue. but of course, what happens in the ground on the middle east or in ukraine could create change. on ukraine, when it comes to kamala harris and donald trump,

there is not much difference on some key issues. some there is. it's very stark. it is night and day when it comes to their philosophies on what to do with russia and ukraine. it is an issue that the divider between those two. >> another issue gets a lot of attention on the campaign trail. the washington post story it says inflation is an election year. 2.4% in september. it has not been this low since february 2021. >> so much about the election has been wrapped around the idea of inflation, specifically for arizona. very few states in the country have seen higher inflation than

arizona. not emigration, but that has become what voters in the state are most concerned about, wrapping around voters ideas about elections. it is a win for democrats, it's something they have said that they have been trying to do. the reason why biden has done all of these different various things and his federal reserve are two very separate entities but doing all of these things with the economy after covid to get to the point where we have lower inflation and when people go to the ballot and their gas is lower and may be their housing prices have not gone down, but things look better at the grocery store. the vice president talked about vice -- price gouging. it is a win for her. so many conversations have been democrats screwed up the economy since president trump. host: two .4% inflation is still positive inflation.

the bulk of september its increase was driven by a rise in prices for housing and food increasing .2% and .4% respectively. >> exactly. overall, the economy is just doing well. do americans feel that way? no. pole after poll shows that. it is visceral when it comes to inflation. you see it when you go to the grocery store or gas station. it instantly effects voters. that's why donald trump has had a large lead on the economy and the economy remains the top issue on the minds of american voters. it is still an advantage for him. it's one reason why it's a margin of error brace with less than four weeks until the election. host: arlington texas is next, bob, and independent. welcome to the roundtable. caller: i want to know about

kamala harris, what she did before she got into the vice president's role. i know that she and willie brown turned san francisco into a sewer. nobody can deny that. also, i would like to know her qualifications. she has nothing to do with finances, economics, or the military. these are important criteria. the only important connection i could find with her in hollywood issue was probably known as wonder woman. just -- host: what is the harris campaign say about kamala harris' qualifications? guest: i think they should take his words and he wonder woman as a bumper sticker, a new name for her as they hit the final stretch. when i talked to her allies they continuously say she is one of the most qualified people they

believe has run for president because of just her long history in politics. before she was vice president in 2021 she was the junior senator of california on the senate until community. military experience. that is a really prestigious committee. senators join it and get classified information about issues happening in the world. it is something all 100 senators have access to. she was attorney general for several years of california. california is a massive state with a massive budget. whether or not people feel she did a good job in that role, she was one of the top executives of the role. that is why she said i have been an executive in all of these different places. she was in charge of running one of the largest criminal justice systems in the country. before she was attorney general

for multiple years she was district attorney and dealt with smaller issues in california. she has had all of these positions. has she moved up the ladder quickly? sure. but she has had all of these positions we think of politicians having in their route to the white house. in these roles, she says it on the trail, she prosecuted transnational crime. when it came to the issue of immigration. she sued all of the different banks when it came to the housing crisis. it there are these. experiences they feel like make her more than qualified for these positions. host: paul steinhauser you have great out of inverness, florida on the line for democrats.

caller: i am calling because you have a foxpro stop there. i don't know if he still works for them or not. but i wish they would stop all the lies they tell. i, in fact, would you like you to take -- tell. host: we will give you a chance to respond, paul. >> -- guest: i was with cnn for many years before joining fox. we are in a very divisive time. viewers have a very strong opinions of the media and how the media covers the presidential election and that is very understandable. host: what do you think about the media that hosts a debate. concerns we have seen about that. you think we will see another debate this cycle, the harris campaign still calling for another debate in the final 25 days. >> the former president has said multiple times, including just

yesterday or the day before, that that won't be happening. his argument has been that early voting is now underway in almost half the country in one form or another, either in person, absentee ballot, vote by mail. he says it is too late to do another debate. it doesn't seem like we will see another face-to-face encounter between donald trump and kamala harris. the vice presidential debate from the last two weeks ago will be the last one. host: i won the last two debates one with corgi joe and the last was lying kamala harris. i accepted the fox news invitation to debate kamala harris and she turned it down. jd vance easily won his debate and the host goes on from there. caller: when i called i thought you were going to be fair and balanced here. i thought that jasmine was going

to be something like michaela montgomery or candace owens. three against one right now against me. i would like either one of them to tell me what five eyes is and if they can't i can tell them because that is about barack hussein obama. spying on my president before he was president. host: that is gordon in kansas city, kansas. the same question that we gave paul about the focus on the news organizations themselves. trusting in the people delivering the news. is it because we are so close to the end of a campaign cycle. that we have gotten so much focus on that. or is it just your experience this entire cycle. guest: i'm not candace owens. i'm jasmine bright. but i think -- thank you for

listening. there are valid reasons why people have a certain distrust of the media. this has been a trend that has been intensifying over the last decade, this erosion of trust. but i think that we really do try to bring you the most fair and balanced news which focuses on context and fact.

getting to the last point, it creates a new generation of reporters that are so focused on facts and nonpartisan reporting because we are a nonprofit newsroom. combined together we have a very scrappy group of reporters. telling folks what they need to know before november. host: what do you make of the kamala harris media blitz this week. and the nontraditional media outlets she went to to try to reach voters? guest: targeted and i think targeted towards female voters. we talked about the gender gap earlier in the segment. part of her strategy for victory is to pump up the female vote, women voters. i think these interviews, some of them, are designed to do that. there has been pretty -- plenty of criticism of kamala harris since she took over and replaced

president biden at the top of the ticket in mid july. the criticism continues. she had not done many hard-hitting interviews. she did the 60 minutes interview and the trump campaign attacked cbs more than her on that one saying they edited out choice segments and wanted to see the entire transcript. guest: at the election will come down to a couple questions. the first is kamala harris? what does she want to do? and how will she make your life better than donald trump? guest: i think the media strategy is answering the first two. she isn't going into depth about ukraine or other issues. she did on 60 minutes but maybe not on call her daddy or other podcasts geared toward young people, but she is giving substantial answers to who she

is, where she has come from, and how she views the world. it is something people didn't have a real reference for before this media strategy. they have a media strategy. how can she connect with voters? other people want to hear more substance. they only have three more weeks. but one of the questions she had to answer was who is kamala harris? in these are friendlier podcasts and media, trying to answer the question about who she is and what drives her. guest: everybody knows donald trump. opinions are strong on him. it is clear how they feel. either people love him or they do not. kamala harris is an open book.

it has been a battle between the two campaigns to define kamala harris, a major part of the presidential election down the stretch. host: what you make of donald trump strategy? especially an upcoming event in coachella, california and madison square garden in new york. guest: is new york in play? is california in play? we haven't had a republican win new york since ronald reagan in 1984. what is donald trump, with time so precious, at this point in a campaign, it's extremely precious. why is donald trump going to blue states? that's a great question. and if there was this stop in madison square garden october 20 seven. his second in new york in a month. he was just outside new york city a few weeks ago and i was at that rally as well. his campaign -- they are realistic.

it is not like they will be winning electoral votes in california or new york. new york is the media capital of the country. you hold a large rally in a place like madison square garden. maybe a little bit down ballot. but it is trying to get the message across the country and on key battleground states. guest: and also what is interesting is his reliance on podcasters and livestream is focused on younger men, some education, no education, trying to get the bros to the ballot box. there is a risk to that because these folks don't traditionally vote or don't always vote all the time. he is very much still reaching out to, playing into the gender gap, making sure young men feel seen by him and that they are provided the permission to do

with their mothers are sisters are doing, elect donald trump or try to elect donald trump. host: do you want to explain who logan paul is? guest: going after low propensity voters is a crucial part of their formula for victory. host: logan paul. guest: logan paul is now a boxer? but he used to be youtuber. he has a massive following. donald trump sat with him and some other folks that often repel women voters. women don't always watch twitch or these live streams. it is a hyper focused niche group of male voters that don't engage with the democratic party so they are up for grabs. >> part --. >> president donald j. trump. ♪

>> [crowd chanting "usa, usa, usa"] >> thank you. it is great to be back. in this beautiful state with thousands of crowds, hard-working american patriots.

that is what you are. [applause] . before going further i want to let everybody who is still recovering from the hurricanes that hit florida, georgia, north carolina, south carolina, alabama, tennessee, virginia to know that we are thinking of them and praying for them. god bless them. god bless them. we have a lot of great people today. we have a lot to talk about. what is happening with our country? what are they doing? what are they doing to colorado? they are ruining your state. they are ruining your state. let's do this. let's very quickly mention some of the great people and patriots and then we will get back to the business of discussing what we

will do. do you know what he will do? you will vote for trump and we will solve your problem in 15 minutes. we are pleased to be joined this afternoon by congresswoman lauren boebert. good job. also greg lopez. thank you, greg. and a woman that beat this chinese by the largest margin in the history of -- that beat -- and a woman that beat liz cheney by the largest margin in the history of congress, got out of that whack job. harriet hagerman. what a job. the single biggest victory in history defeating a person in congress. and she was bad news. thank you, harriet, you are fantastic. and we have congressional candidates that are very terrific people.

they have my endorsement. gabe evans and a candidate for congress and former eyes field -- ice field office director that did a great job for me. he did a great job. wyoming secretary of state, chuck gray. chuck gray, thank. great job. the sheriff of douglas county darren wigley. aurora city councilwoman danielle stravinsky. and, stephanie hancock.

the founder of the president of the article three object, we want him in a high-capacity. mike davis. thank you, mike. he is a man i met backstage. i realized i would never be a big football player. denver broncos erica wolff. there he is. you are one big guy. but you had a great career. 10 years in the nfl with your team. he was a winner.

we have a great political person and congressman from texas wesley hunt. and a woman who is unbelievable. it was a surprise endorsement. she believed in what we were saying. when i came down the escalator and made my statements, everybody said, how terrible were those statements. turned out they were minor. little minor statements by comparison. she got it better than everybody and endorsed us very early when it was not the same to do. from alaska, the great sarah palin. thank you, sarah. with the help of everybody here

today, 25 days from now, think of it. 25 days. we are going to defeat kamala harris. who has no clue what is going on, i have to say. did you see she did a town hall yesterday and used a teleprompter. you don't use teleprompters. we don't use teleprompters, period. no, she is not the right person for this country or any country. very simply we will make america great again. i have been waiting for this day. i have been reading about it, like many people around the

world. i wanted to get here as soon as i could. i picked a good time and a good day. we could sell this place out four times. you see what's outside. nbc, of all networks, said a little while ago, they announced it is the single longest line for anything they have ever seen. that's right. [applause] but, i've been waiting for this day and it is here finally in aurora, colorado to call the attention of the world. unfortunately, the world already has its attention to one of the most egregious betrayals any leader in any nation has ever

inflicted on its own people. what they have done to our country. what we are -- they are doing to our country. they are destroying and ruining our country. we are being led by stupid people. we can't take it anymore. for the past four years. as the so-called border czar, kamala harris -- and you can't use the name harris. if you say here is nobody knows who you are talking about. harris. nice name. so we use the name kamala. she came in last and now she is

running. i was not a fan of sleepy joe but he got 14 million votes and she got none. she never made it to the great state of iowa. out of 22 people she quit. she had nothing going. when she came in she was ok, pretty good. then they heard her talking. they watched her brain in action. when they saw the brain in action they said here she is again. she has imported an army of illegal gang members and migrant criminals from the dungeons of the third world. think of that. they come from the dungeons of the third world. prisons, jails, insane asylums, mental institutions. she has had them resettled beautifully into your community to prey upon innocent american citizens. that is what they are doing. and in no place is it more

evident than right here. in aurora, multiple apartment complexes has been taken over by the savage venezuela prison gang . law enforcement know them all over the world. they are a savage gang, one of the worst in the world getting bigger all the time because of our stupidity. they are known as gda. they have killed seven people. last month, six men with rifles and many men standing right outside waiting for them in handcuffs were caught on camera as they were forced into a situation. they weren't forced. they got their way into an apartment building. they threatened the tenants at gunpoint. these are people that have never saw anything like this.

these are people that have never experienced criminals and crime. they burst into the building and held tenants at gunpoint and at knife point. 10 minutes later they opened fire on a 25 year old man outside the building, fatally shooting him. of the barbaric thugs that have been identified, at least three are illegal aliens that were in border patrol custody. they were in custody. four years ago we had the safest border in the history of our country. put up my all-time favorite graph. get that put up. [applause] it's the most beautiful graph i

have ever seen. it is the most beautiful piece of paper i have ever seen. i take it home every night and i sleep with it and i kiss it. o, i kiss it. because without that sucker i would not be here now. when you think about it, illegal immigration saved my life. i'm the only one. usually it is the opposite. thank you very much. you see the arrow at the bottom. that is when i left. that's the day i left office. you have the lowest number of people coming into our country in the history of -- the recorded history of our country. then look what happened. like a rocketship. they were rough, the ones that came in. we were very careful. remain in mexico, checked everybody out at people came in, but then they got rough.

then they said let's do open borders. let's let the whole world in. as soon as they did that jails were emptied. mental institutions were emptied. i would have done the same thing if i were in charge of many of the countries we are talking about. three of the thugs were in border patrol custody, but were released into the united states by kamala . they were released. they killed people. a lot of people. they were released. my message today is very simple. no person who has inflicted the violence and terror that kamala harris has inflicted on this community can ever be allowed to become the president of the united states. we want to let it happen. -- we won't let it happen. and you're weak and ineffective governor -- a totally ineffective guy, by the way, i

hope you know that. his name is jared polis. i got to know him. [crowd booing] i got to know him in the white house. he would come in with other governors, some democrats. i saw the mall and worked with all of them. i know the good ones and the bad ones. he is not a good one this one. he would come in, sir, so nice to meet you, sir. such an honor. this is the oval office, thank you sir, thank you sir. then he comes back here and says i did not like the guy. can you believe it? i gave you -- not him -- everything they wanted. because, i love the state. this state has to flip republican. it has to. [applause] let's do it. that is why i am here.

let's do it. i am not here for my health. that is why i am here. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: let's do it. that is why i'm here. let's do it. i'm not here for my health. that is why i'm here. think of where i could be. i could be with my beautiful wife all over the world the best properties. i have the best properties but i'm in aurora. but polis is a coward, a fraud. pathetically trying to deny --

they don't want to see. them to stay and they will get indicted so he is afraid. they are all cowards. this guy doesn't see what you see. he doesn't see people bursting into buildings with ak47's, military style weapons, sometimes better than our own military. there are illegal migrants that come from poor areas where the hell do they get these guns? who gives them better guns than our military has? but she is committed crimes against the state by allowing these criminals in and many of these people are murderers. let's take a look at a couple of quick notes that i put up.

we are giving you the expensive treatment because we want to win it state so badly. so we have a couple videos. >> it feels a mistake to loosen the immigration policies. do you regret terminating it? >> the entire world is showing up at or doorstep crossing illegally and expected to get relief in the united states. >> a group of men walking up a stairwell appear to be carrying rifles and gather arnold a door -- around a door and go in. another video shows men forcing a radar open breaking into a restaurant apartment to move a venezuelan in to collect rent. this is the businessman and he

doesn't like it and they will fill him with bullets. they are a gang that has victimized thousands through extortion, drug and murder. a former venezuelan police officer said he fled his country in large part because the gang was so powerful they could kill law enforcement like him with impunity. he refused to create with the gang and he was shot 50 advertisements. now -- times. now they have made their way into the country. members have been tied to hundreds of crimes while assaulting officers and a murder in miami while shooting two cops in june. >> we are hear from the mother of a 12-year-old assaulted and killed in joon -- june by

illegal immigrants. they have the green light to kill police officers in denver. we went out to some of chicago's most violent neighborhoods who say us that it showed up when the city opened migrant shelters and the venezuelaens have moved in. they are helping the migrants but no one is helping the american citizens. >> they said they couldn't do anything unless something happened. it is not isolated. i call 911 and no help comes for me. we were left on our own to die. [cheers and applause] >> open borders deadly consequence, record high crossings are putting a strain on cities across america. it is a full blown invasion storming an apartment complex in

araur row -- aurora, colorado. they created a program to bring them in. we won't treat people who are undocumented across the borders. >> more than 13,000 illegal immigrants convicted of murder have been released into the united states. >> my daughter's murderer were apprehended by border patrol leased into the united states. you think of starting from scratch. >> an afghan was in custody after entering the u.s. on a special immigrant visa. more than a dozen expected of being gang members in san antonio. >> details in the murder of him riley because of this is a venezuelan national.

>> i was paroled and released into the country by the biden administration. >> they are charged with capital murder. >> court documents suggest a group of men beating and robbing a dallas woman are part of a venezuelan gang. >> manuel hernandez was released the day before the robbery. mr. trump: four years ago, it would be unthinkable that you would be watching something like that. think of it, we had the safest border in the history of our country. joe could have gone to the beach, at least he looks good in a bathing suit and leave the guys we had. they were great people and we

ran in tough, remain in mexico. we want people to come into our country but they have to come legally. we don't want them. now america is known all throughout the world as occupied america. they call it occupied. we are being occupied by a criminal force and we are in criminal state that refuses to let or professionals do the -- let our job they want to do the job so badly but they are constantly. you will lose your pension. what is this ideology? it is so sick but everybody here in colorado and across the nation i make this pledge and vow to you, november 5, 2024, will be liberation day in america. [cheers and applause]

[chants of u.s.a.] mr. trump: thank you. [chants of u.s.a.] mr. trump: i will rescue aurora on every town invaded and conquered. these towns have been conquered. explain that to your governor. he hasn't got a clue. they have been conquered. we will put these vicious and blood thirsty criminals in jail or check them out of our country and we will be very, very effective in doing it. it is going to happen very fast. we are going to get them the hell out of our country. and if you are a weak and ineffective governor jared pole

us if he was doing less job he would be getting them the hell out of colorado now. he called me sir, would have done whatever the hell i wanted. yet it was polis who had me took off the ballot because i was leading in the polls against all the democrats. then the supreme court, very brave and brilliant, actually voted 9-0 that i should be on the ballot. unanimous. they said we have to get him off

the ballot. not only the weaponization, but this was part of the weaponization. their first move is to try to get me off the ballot. they didn't want to run against me. they liked the other people much better. we ran and won in 2016. we did much better by millions of votes in 2020 but we won't discuss that. and i will tell you, you see it outside, let's take a look outside. we are today there's more enthusiasm for this movement, maga, called make america great again. [cheers and applause] there's more enthusiasm than ever before. but there was great indignation in colorado by what this ineffective person did. they were angry at him and

especially you know who was the most indignant, the democrats. that is the real threat, so i hope that colorado -- i love this, i have a lot of friends here and they tell me the whole thing is turning where you can't live like this with these people. these are stone cold killers. you could be walking down the street with your husband and you will be dead and they won't remember they did it the following morning. so i hope colorado will show a tremendous protest vote for what they did to try to keep me off the ballot and, more importantly, what they have done to the fabric of your culture. and remember i really believe

colorado -- you know, we are very close. in one poll we are leading by a little bit. think of it, though, the democrats are good people. the democrats were angrier than anybody. they thought it was terrible, the concept of it? and even when you get the three very liberal votes in the supreme court when at the vote for trump you know it has to be off the wall but i respect them for doing it. but colorado is going to vote for me because i'm going to make colorado safe again. we are going to do it fast. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: in three local apartment complexes kamala has invested with the pitcher --

prison gang 80% of the residents are now living with their relatives in different states and other places. they have been forced out of their buildings. 20% stayed and they are fearing for their lives. they had no choice but to stay. they are being threatened every day. they will be out soon. they don't have to be out. if they can hold out, january 20 -- it is too long. but january 20 those guys are going to be out on their [beep] and out of this country. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: members of the gang now beat down doors with hammers and engage in open gun battles in rival groups in t there once people pretty crime-free.

the alleged leader behind the invasion of aurora was arrested for beating a man beyond recognition, breaking his nose and joe and inflicting traumatic brain injury. he will never be the same. the thug was later arrested for shooting two men in the same apartment building and breaking another man's ankle, which he did just for fun. once again this animal had arrived at our border and was released into the united states by camp their harris the worst border czar in the history of our country. here in aurora -- and remember that chart, my all time favorite chart. looked what happened, that arrow, all time low in history, and then look to the right what

happened literally the day they took over it became a scene that nobody thought feels possible. did anybody think five or six years ago anybody would be up here talking about a venezuelan gang with the most sophisticated rifles, weapons and guns anybody has ever seen would be taking over your state? and they are not stopping. this guy gets in -- you have to get a new governor by the way. but if gets in again, runs next year, but more importantly, i can't believe she gets in. did you see "60 minutes," her answer was so incompetent that cbs and "60 minutes," a precision show -- but i knew they were crooked as hell for

years. to me they used to cut my segment. to her you added. you want the guy to get cut i made such agreement statements i said why do you cut that? we felt we had to for time. for them they added so they took her entire statement out and some words -- she doesn't know what she is talking about. there is something wrong with her. they took these words -- think of this. and you know they got caught. i think it is the greatest scandal in broadcast history. they took it out and added something else in. did they do that for trump? her statement feels so bad that rather than airing it they took out the whole thing and added a much shorter statement that she paid 10 minutes later having nothing to do with the question.

i don't think anything like that has ever happened and now we find out it happened throughout. now we are thinking it probably happened with biden because he was interviewed by "60 minutes" and some strange things handled. so, cbs gets a license and the license is based on honesty. i think they have to take their license away, i do. here in aurora 35-year-old mother of three will to leave her apartment out of fear for her children's lives. she said quote it is not save there especially if you have kids. my kids used to walk to school. they were so happy, we were so safe but they don't feel safe any more and i would never let them walk to school. sometimes i keep my kids home. when i announced my presidency

in 2015, you will remember that time. they said he is doing it for fun. you think this has been fun? i have been investigated more than al capone. car -- "scarface." i try to think of evil people but i was investigated more. he goes hillary clinton. how about hunter? i think about capone because there's a toughness, meanness, "scarface" and all. and i have been investigated more than alphonse capone but i said they are not sending the best and i took such heat. this is america. what i said was like peanuts compared to the fact i said they

are sending people with lots of problems -- which they definitely do. they are bringing problems and crime and they are rapists. i made that statement and i got the hell knocked out of me by the fake news. but i took a lot of heat sore saying it -- for saying it but i was right and now everybody is and hitting i was -- admitting i was right. those statements are peanuts comparing to what is happening to our country. these are the worst criminals in the world. kamala used to say the people are very nice people, they don't commit crime. or criminals are the worst. our criminals are like babies compared to these people. they are the most violent people

on earth and they come just from south america, they come from the congo, africa, all over the world. they come from the middle east, from asia, they come from prisons and jails and she was saying these are very nice people. either she's really dumb or she's very naive. something is wrong up there. the only good thing about it -- there's a couple good things. there's only one good thing, but maybe two. one of the good things about it is they make our criminals look like nice people. so our criminals are now we see these horrible criminals and we say they are not so bad. the other thing is that they are really great if you happen to be running against the politician that allowed this to happen because i don't know how it is possible for anybody to lose

because we have to clean out our country and make america great again and we are going to do it. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: so, you know the story here. we are joined by another aurora rent -- resident cindy romero. she published her camera of what she had to do flee her home after a car was hit with gunfire, another day in aurora. can you imagine a lot of these people in aurora. most of you live in colorado. can you imagine you have somebody up here talking about this. she said life in her community had become quote a total nightmare and every time she went to take out the trash or

went to bed she had to lock the door with four separate locks and put braces on the door. she was preventing people that were knocking on her door that were wanting to do a lot of bad things. she's been very brave. she was able to release footage that was so violent. cindy, i wouldn't have done it but you are probably braver than i am. come up for a minute, please, cindy. come on up. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. this isn't just affecting me. this is affecting all of you as well. we have to get trump back into

office. we got to get it done. with trump's help we can take this state back over. we can make a difference. thank you guys so much for all of your support, thank you. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: you are very brave. thank you. she is very brave. getting all of the evidence and that footage, i just said you are very brave, cindy. thank you very much. you are a big help. because of cindy and others like her the radical left can't say it never happened because there we have it. i promise you this, cindy, kamala harris's reign of terror

ends the day i take the oath of office. your community will no longer live in fear. you will once again have a protector in the white house. i'm going to be a protector. i think we are doing very well with women, doing great in the polls, winning in all the polls just about. but somebody said people love my policy but they don't like me. i think they do like me. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: so, they said -- i said a week ago, i said i think women like me because i will be your protector and i protected you for four years. we had no wars, we had no terrorism, we had none of these things that you are seeing today

at levels nobody in the world is experiencing. and i said i will be your protector. they said who the hell is he to -- but the women didn't say that. they don't want people pouring into their house. you know where else i protect you? where i protect you very well. i knocked out isis. they have been playing with isis 20 years. we have the greatest military in the world but you have to know how to use them. but i protect you against outside enemies. but i always say we have the outside enemies so you can say chain, russia, kill jung un but if you have a smart president no problem. it is the enemy from within all the scum that hate our country. that is a bigger enemy than china or russia.

if i was president ukraine would not happen and october 7 wouldn't happen. every day americans are living in fear because camilla harris decided to empty the slum and printer cells of contact -- caracas and many other areas. crime all the world is down because they took the world's criminals, gang members, drug dealers and deposit them into the united states bus after bus after bus. [booing] mr. trump: in venezuela their crime rate went down 72% because

the took the criminals out of caracas and put them along our border and said if you ever come back we are going to kill you. and we have to live with these animals. but we are not going to live with them long, you watch. kamala's policy is to release and resettle all illegals without checking. she is a radical left person so you know. there's no way -- the biggest problem isphobe knew who she was. who is running, harris. who the person running. the one that was the first one out in the 22-person campaign for the democratic nomination. she is more liberal 19crazy --

than bernie sanders. she is more liberal than pocahontas. she said she is indian because my cheek bones are high and therefore i'm an indian. she made a living going to say she was an indian. going to college, becoming a professor but i hit her hard and that was the end of her presidential campaign guaranteeing unfetterred abscess for venezuelan gangs and thugs. we are talking a lot about venezuela because aurora is affected by venezuela but they are coming from all countries. we have the great tom homan told me the other day last month they came from 168 countries all over the world. most people -- we have actually more than 200 but they came from

168 countries, most of them criminals. and they deposit them in our country and we are supposed to take it. then the liberal philosophy we will make them into wonderful people. you are not going to make them into wonderful people. many people murdered more than three people. the murderers that came in, some were on death row and they said it is better if we let them go to america. this is what we have. and in your community but they will be all over, and other communities in other states because every state is a border state now. it is not texas and arizona. every state is a border state. and people are living in deathly fear. most of them, a lot of them already been hit but a lot of them haven't but they are going to be hit because there are millions and they are all over the place and they are walking

through our country and they will be settled in a lot of states that never thought this could happen. it will only get worse but we are going to make it better and make it better really fast. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: kamala is flying them -- think of this -- she said about two months ago her and sleepy joe said we are really getting killed by this issue so let's toughen up the border. all he had to do -- he talks about policy amount trump told congress not to do this and that is false. all he had to do is call up border patrol, this is the president of the united states speaking, close the border, and the border is closed. you don't need a bill. you don't need a bill? but he doesn't want to do that. because they actually want to

have open borders. so they had 21 million people -- i think were more than that. think of this. if you had four years of that you would have 200 million people come in, the country would be over and finished. you wouldn't have a country. you would have a crime den. she cannot be allowed do this. she shouldn't be the one chosen because by the way she chose her she is a threat to democracy. she really is. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: just in case you didn't know it, biden hates her. i believe there's a small possibility -- very small, like 1% -- there's a 1% possibility that he hates her more than donald trump. i think he hates her. the last thing he thought -- he

won the primary in all fairness. it was me against him. i have to run against the guy, i spent $150 million and debated the guy. he went way down. and i thought it was over, then they put in a new person and we don't know anything about her. but now the people are learning and she is crashing like a rock. uh-oh, i just thought, just a thought. i'm a very brilliant mind. they might want to put a third person in there. oh, no. please be nice to kamala to my people. everybody on the trump team be nice to kamala because they are going to put in a third person. who will they put in next? they keep saying hillary. hillary is back. you know, it is interesting.

if touch talks about the 2020 election they say indict him. he is a conspiracy theorist but hillary is still talking about 2016. she has serious trump derangement syndrome. she's got a massive case of trump derangement. have you ever noticed she talks about it but we anybody from the right talks a little bit no, no, we are not forgetting. hillary is talking about it. two days ago -- isn't it nice because i haven't looked at these stupid things in about 15 minutes -- isn't it nice to have a president that doesn't need a teleprompter. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: look at that!

would some of you like to go outside and let them take your place for a while? i taught that won't happen. -- i thought that would happen. she is flying them in with migrant flights. so they tightened up a bit but it doesn't count, the migrant flights don't count. so she forgot to tell anybody that they have massive boeing aircraft flying them in one after another over border. she didn't close it. then they have the apps where they have an app so that the gangs, the people, the cartels, the heads of them, they can call the app, they call the second most resettlemented population, they calm the app and ask where do we drop the illegals and people are on the other side.

she created an app, a phone system where they can call up -- she is a criminal, she is a criminal. she really is. you think about it. so, now we inform them that you didn't close the border because you have hundreds of thousands of people being flown in over the top of the border. no, no. if they ever did get this -- and i don't believe it will happen because the american people ultimately get it right but you would have hundreds of millions of people come in and they will attack your house. -- they will take your house. that woman has a beautiful house. enjoy it because you won't have it long like venezuela. venezuela was a very successful country 20 years ago, rich beautiful country. it was taken over. i used to talk about this. i said if you don't get it right you will have venezuela on

steroids. that is what you will have if you don't vote for trump. but if you vote for trump you are going to have one hell of a country. we are going to build it back. venezuela illegals are the number two most resettled population but they do it through the phone app. and on day one of the trump administration, if you look at spaoeldz, ohio shall shall -- springfield, ohio. 50,000 people, no crime. everything nice, schools, everything nice. they dropped in 32,000 -- they took them in through probation so i assume they assumed they are like prisoners and therefore they are little. they brought in 32,000 people

into a community of 50,000 and now if you want to go to the hospital you can't get in. your children can't get into school. the mayor is a nice man. he is trying to be nice. he is looking for interpeters because they don't speak the language of you and you and everybody in this room. so they look for interpreters and he is acting like we are having a hard time hiring interpreters. this community was hit with 32,to you -- 32,000 illegal might go grants. they have to go back to where at the came from. springfield, ohio. i want to get back to the trump

administration, the great thing about this four-year period they have done so badly we will be able to do it in cheers because people say how bad it is and has been run. that is why there's far more movement nor this movement -- for this movement. and if it wasn't fake news would be headlines. when biden got up we are going to do something with magazine georgia, remember the pink wool he looked like the devil i think it is called maga. we are going to stop maga. i said joe, it is called make america great again. and he wants to stop it. we are going to stop that. but the border will be sealed.

the invasion will be stopped. the migrant flights will end and kamala's illegals will be shut down immediately within 24 hours. all within 24 hours. i have always had an ability to do a lot of things so i will do something else. we will make the border strong quickly and get people out that are criminals and horrible people. but we are going to do something else. drill, baby, drill. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: on that same day we will begin the task of deporting every gang member. this will be a major national undertaking. according to newly published data from ice, the great

patriots of ice they are tough as hell. they should be fighting for dana white, ufc. they go in, ms13, they are tough as hell. they have taken them out by the thousands. she wants to ends ice. but -- to end ice. they informed us 13,099 illegal aliens convicted of murder are at large and dropped into the united states against their wishes, against our border patrol's wishes. they are like please don't do this. even as "new york times," which is totally corrupt -- i can't stand that paper. i can't stand them. you know what you do with the times, you read a story and you think of the opposite. "new york times" is the enemy of

the people, washington, d.c. is the enemy of the people, too. then they lose credibility and eventually go out of business. i call it the failing "new york times." but even as they recently recorded the venezuelan apprentice gang has sneaked into the united states among the millions of migrants and pedaling drugs, guns and women all across the united states from new york and florida to chicago beaches to the once transmittal middle america. -- tranquil middle america. were once tranquil. in colorado the gang even got a green light to shoot police officers. did you know they got the oklahoma to kill your -- the ok to kill your police? that is "new york times," that is not me saying that. they got the green light to kill your police. just days ago i was in a small

town in wisconsin. we are leading in wisconsin by 4 1/2 points, too. they have a similar problem. almost all states have this. just so we set it straight aurora has a lot of publicity but you have states with a bigger problem than aurora. a lot of people that run states don't want to solve it but they are not tough enough. you need very tough people like ice, like military. you need very tough people to solve it. you will have a shiver with one or -- a sheriff with one or two men and 25 migrants with weapons they have not seen. you need help but they don't want to talk about it because the public relations is so bad for the little city or the big city. look at chicago, los angeles.

in wisconsin last month an illegal alien member was holding a mother and give and sexual ly assaulting them again and again and used it in june 12-year-olds jocelyn was tied up, assaulted two hours under the bridge before she was murdered by two venezuelan t.d.a.'s, these gang members that kamala harris let them in just come in. and in new york city another gang member shot two new york city police officers hitting one in the chest and other in the leg. they were really, really badly hurt, probably going to make it. and just last week people arrested over a dozen members of it. d.a. who had -- of it. d.a. who had taken over a

complex in san antonio. they take over a lot of real estate but do it by gunpoint. i had to borrow money. they terrorized them. san antonio police very aptly named their law enforcement effort operation aurora because aurora is the one who first got all the publicity. operation aurora. in honor of jocelyn nangari, lincoln riley. rachel, lauren and all the others that are dead, and/or mortally wounded at the hands of migrants who should have never been allowed in our country. i'm announcing today upon taking

office we will have an operation aurora at the federal level. [cheers and applause] . mr. trump: to expedite the removals of these savage gangs and i will invoke the aliens enemy act of 1798. this was put there in 1798. that is a long time ago, right? to target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on american soil. who would have ever thought a future president would have to stand here and say such things. who would think that is even possible to have to do. so many things have changed in the last four years. but that is the state of our country after kamala and joe biden have detroit our country. -- destroyed our country. we are a failing country and

failing. we will send elites federal officers to hunt down, arrest and deport every last illegal gang member until there's not a system one left in this country. and if they come back into our country, they will be told it is an automatic 10-year sentence in jail with no possibility of protocol. and i'm hereby calling for the death penalty for any migrant a that kills an american citizen or a law enforcement officer. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: with your vote we will achieve complete and total

victory over these sadistic monsters. it is going to go quickly. our local people are great. i know them so well. they know everything about every one of them. they know everyone. they know their middle names, serial numbers and where they love and they want to do their job. you have no idea how many police officers say we are going to indemnify them against any prosecutions because they get prosecuted if they do their work. it will pass so fast. if they do their job they get prosecuted by their own people. they get sued by the people who won't take care of the criminals. thing of a.g.'s, they won't go after the criminal but they will go after our police officers if they do the job. we will take back our suburbs

and cities and towns and we will take back or country and we will -- take back our country and do it very quickly. remember, i remember when joe -- he didn't want to do it. he was too tired. i like to do it myself and how good is j.d. vance? is he great? [cheers and applause] mr. trump: i know j.d. he will be saying sir i want to do it, sir. and if he did it, it would be done right. but i say j.d. i want to do it, we will have an arpbgt over who is -- argument over who is going to do it but he was great exposing the total moron, man, can you imagine how about in a debate a guy calls himself a knucklehead. he says he is a knucklehead and he is when you get down to it. what a team that is.

so, joe biden is considered the worst president in the history of our country. they are considered the worst administration in the history of our country. and the only one that is happy is jimmy carter because by comparison he looked like a brilliant president, ok? much better. he was much better. what kamala harris has done it our border is a crime and atrocity of the highest orders. but even after all the pain and suffering she's caused when she was asked this week if she would do anything different than biden, she choked like a dog. she said not one thing i would -- so she would not have done anything different. let's look at this video. >> we could have have done something differently tan president biden in the -- than president biden.

there's nothing that comes to phaoeupbltd. >> i watched you on the tarmac watching you check your watch. the evacuation from averages cost the lives of 13 u.s. soldiers. >> would you have done something differently? >> there's not a thing that comes to mind. >> more than 15,000 migrants convicted of murder released in the united states. an afghan is in custody after plotting a terror attack. we have the details of lincoln riley. it is murder and it is a venezuelan national who crossed the unsecured southern border. some are in the country charged with capital murder. a fifth illegal immigrant accused of attacking two new york city police officers.

>> is there something you would do different? >> there's not a thing. >> only 18% said the economy is in great shape. inflation has increased by 9.1%. the cost of homes -- home buyers need to earn 80% more than they did in 2020. >> were you the last person in the room? >> yes. [cheers and applause] mr. trump: i watch that and i say well this is going to be a long answer because she changed 15 policies. she was in favor of gun confiscation, everything you don't want. and she changed. if you change one thing you are in trouble. she did every single thing. but everything she changed she would do including banning fracking, which is going to drive up costs and hence i'm

leading pennsylvania by a lot. that would be the end of pennsylvania. but i can't think of a thing from joe biden, the worst president ever. i thought this would be a long answer. i thought you would do a weave like trump does and come back like you have to have a great memory for that. she doesn't have that. but what she said is disqualifying. if she had think honor she would drop out of the race and resign the vice presidency in disgrace because what she's done to the country is unthinkable. it was just announced yesterday inflation was substantially higher than expected last month double with was predicted with much of the with food prices going up, rent and house going up and car prices through the roof. when i left office we had no

inflation, virtually -- we had no inflation, virtually for my whole term. we had the greatest economy in the history of our country. we never had an economy like that. and we were energy independent. how does that sound? we were energy independent. now we are buying our oil from venezuela and other countries. under biden and harris we have the worst inflation in history costing the typical family $29,000 in higher prices. but i think to me the worst thing of all when she says she wouldn't have changed, this is something that if it was me -- i mean you never would see me again. i really believe it. kamala lose 325,000 migrant children who are dead or in slavery.

she's missing 325,000 children. their parents are looking. they are never going to see their parents. they were taken in and they are either dead, in slavery or just plain missing. it is a horrible thing. i thought i would put this out because it is a beautiful day, we have some wonderful people and i want you to take a look at military the way it was when we won two worlds wars an we had fort bragg. you win two wars out of fort bragg and they want to change the name. but where at the change the name, they change it out of places we won a lot of military battles, wars. i taught you should see -- i thought you should say the way it was. you will get a pretty heavy dose of this. i saw this the other day and said we have to put it up. go ahead, please.

>> i got your name. i got your [beep]. you will not laugh. you will not cry. you will learn by the number. >> happy pride month and declare in the summer of pride. >> let me see your war face. you got a war face? ha! that is a war face. let me see your war face. [beep], let me see your real war face. >>♪ >> there will be a weapon, you will be a minister of death made for war. but until that day you are the lowest life on earth. you are not a human. you are nothing but an organized pieces of [beep].

>> you know i got answers. >> i love working for uncle sam. i love working for uncle sam. as he knows who i am. >> lets me know just who i am. >> one, two, three, four, five, six, marines. [chants of u.s.a.] mr. trump: you see all of that and kamala says she wouldn't change one thing from the worst president in the history of our country. the only way to end this suffering is to vote for change this november. you have to vote for change.

emergency rooms in denver, baffle denve -- beautiful denver -- think of this -- 6,000 percent increase in patients. you are not going to get a room when you go to a hospital. you don't know because you have hopefully you won't need a hospital. but if you do your not going to get in. they come in from colombia, honduras, ecuador, venezuela. you cannot get a room. they can't get a room. a hospital only 15 miles outside aurora has been overwhelmed by 20,000 visits from illegal aliens costing them over $10 million and they are passed on to you. before kamala harris, before she came, denver cools enrolled -- schools enrolled -- listen to there -- this is the way in used

to be -- enrolled an average of 500 new students every year. earlier this year it was reported they were enrolling 500 new students every two weeks, mostly from south american countries. they don't speak our language an don't even want to be here. many of them don't want to be hear. in aurora nearly 3,000 illegal migrant children have been placed into your elementary schools, mill schools, high schools -- middle schools and at the cost of more opportunities for them and no opportunities for your kids. your kids can't get into their own schools. kids that went to schools are not able to get back in. they take care of these people before they take care of our children. these massive new burdens on our education and health care systems are being experienced by communities all across our

countries and destroying your children's education, safety and destroying their lives. fema has totally gotten out of control and away from its mission. it had a big mission. you know what that was. to save people in storms and other things. have spent billions of dollars illegally allowing people to come into our country and destroy our once beautiful way of life. yet hurricane victims in north carolina, georgia, florida. south carolina, tennessee, louisiana, texas, all over, all over our country, we you have storms all over our country different kinds were storms, different kinds of controversy they can't get housing or rescues and they are offered pennies on the dollar. these people that have gone through hell are offered pennies on the dollar from kamala and

joe, yet we give hundreds of billions from countries that people have never heard. and now kamala wants to provide amnesty and citizenship to the 21 million illegal ail yep yens -- aliens. and all the others that very smart leaders have viciously thrown out of their countries. these are very smart leaders. i would have done it -- remember i set it three years ago. i said it will happen. they have open borders. i was right. kamala has allowed into our country at the expense of our children, mothers, fathers, grandparents, uncles and aunts. under the trump administration, we will put american citizens

first, american children first, american patients first, american taxpayers first, american communities first. [applause] we will put communists, marxists and fascists last -- and they will always be last. i will end catch and release. i will restore remain in mexico. they could not come into this country. they had to remain in mexico. do you think that was easy to get for mexico? it was not what i got it. i will get everything. people come in very sick. they are coming into our country and they are very sick with highly contagious disease and they are let into our country to infect our country.

they are coming in at numbers no one has ever seen before. i will ban all sanctuary cities in our country, including denver. [applause] we will begin the largest deportation operation in the history of the united states. [applause] we will close the border. we will stop the invasion of illegals into our country. we will defend our territory. we will not be conquered --we will not be conquered! [applause] we will reclaim our sovereignty and colorado will look as a signal to the world that we will not take it anymore! we are not going to take it anymore! [applause] i will liberate colorado, i will give you back your freedom and your life and together we will make america powerful again. [applause]

we will make america wealthy again. [applause] we will make america healthy again. [applause] we will make america strong again. [applause] we will make america proud again. [applause] we will make america safe again. [applause] and we will make america great again. [applause] thank you, colorado! vote for trump! god bless you. god bless you all! thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪ [playing "ymca"] ♪

♪ [playing "ymca" by the village people] ♪ >> the trump-vance ticket continues across the country in the lead up to next month's election. tomorrow jd vance will be in the battleground state of pennsylvania. watch that live at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. later in the day, more from donald trump as he participates in a roundtable discussion with

latino voters in las vegas. that will also be live here on c-span. ♪ [playing "ymca" by the village people] ♪ [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪ >> today, watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail, the weekly discussion from the past week. reporters joined us to talk about the issues, messages and events. watch c-span's tyranny campaign trail today at -- watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail.

c-span, your unfiltered view of politics. ♪ ♪ >> will you solemnly swear that in the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god? >> watch our encore showing of congress investigates as we explore major investigation by the u.s. house and senate in our country's history. we will see historic footage from those periods and examine the legacy of key hearings. tonight the senate in the 1950's explore whether communist that infiltrated federal agencies, the investigation led to the center of a wisconsin republican senator. watch congress investigates

tonight at 10:00 eastern on c-span. ♪ >> c-span's washington journal. discussing the latest issues and government, politics and public policy from washington and across the country. saturday morning we will talk about the new supreme court term and key cases ahead with a washington times reporter. and the washington monthly's reporter on his reporting of what he refers to as the overlooked demographic of state college voters. join the conversation live at 7:00 saturday morning on c-span, c-span now or online at c-span.org. ♪ >> in nebraska'second congressional district, a republican representative and his democtic challenger participated in a debate tha

focused on the economy, abortion and president bynum's plan to ing -- president biden's plan to bring tuition relf. the debate was hosted by the omaha press club and wowt tv. >> now is your time to meet the candidates. this is a sequel from two years ago. the democratic challenger, tony vargas. [applause] thank you for being here. and the republican incumbent. [applause]

>> a journalist is calling you right now. [laughter] >> gentlemen, let's debate. a coin flip determines the order. let's talk about the economy. employers added 254,000 jobs. economic growth is solid. help me understand how as a congressman you would make my life better. do not tell me what others won't do. what would you do? tony vargas, you have 90 seconds. >> thank you for moderating this. for all the individuals here, making sure -- thank you to the congressman. i want to start off by saying a little bit about where i come from. i am the proud son of immigrants. they are very important to be, my parents. they are the reason i became a

school board member and senator. they are also the reason why i care about working-class individuals. i know what people are going through. we faced it in the household and is working-class parents. i know that because i have worked in the legislature for the last eight years, working on lowering costs. i have been a part of the budget appropriations committee. we have balanced budgets, cut costs and reduce spending and i have voted on tax relief that is actually passed. i think our economy is important for us to invest in. i want to create jobs, invest in education and higher education. we have to reduce spending at the federal level and our record of doing so in the legislature of nebraska. it matters when we have opportunities to have different leadership. congressman bacon has voted to

increase taxes on nebraskans. he has voted to take away coverage for 700 thousand nebraskans with pre-existing conditions and made it harder for people to afford pre-existing conditions. >> congressman bacon, what would you do to make life better? rep. bacon: thank you. i want to recognize my wife of 40 years. the number one issue facing our country is the economy. why? we had the worst inflation in 40 years. inflation outpaced wages significantly. the average person in this room is 4.2% poorer today than they were four years ago. first of all, the administration

with a have control had 3 trillion dollars of supplemental spending and created this terrible inflation. we have been able to stop crazy spending and got inflation back down. tax cuts for those on social security, we will extend tax cuts to help the middle class. tony said he is from the working-class. the working-class does not miss 20% of their votes, they show up to work. he missed 20% of votes in eight years. 4.5% of the time, that is a poor record defending taxpayers. he voted against them every step of the way and then voted for them at the end. he did propose the largest tax increase in the history of this state. that is his record.

>> senator vargas, you have 30 seconds. sen. vargas: i was named a taxpayer defender and voted for $6 billion worth of tax relief that passed. i have been brought to pass more than 65 bills in the legislature that republican colleagues of mine voted for. it matters when we look at the record of congressman bacon. it is frustrating when he votes to increase taxes and votes against health care costs for nebraskans. >> congressman bacon? rep. bacon: it is not true. i voted for tax decreases. in 2017 we voted to decrease taxes for those who earn $50,000. i believe in making health care more affordable. i have supported the 340b program for cheaper --

the fact is -- one time in eight years. 12.5% of the time is not a taxpayer defender score. >> the next question focuses on younger voters. a federal judge open the door for student loan forgiveness. it really could affect student loan holders. average student debt is $32,000 in nebraska. at a time college tuition is skyrocketing, why is this not progress? rep. bacon: i disagree with the president doing this by executive order. the house controls the purse. this is an executive branch that is too big. the checks and balances are gone. there are things we can do for students. i believe we can help students

redo loanst ath a lower interest rate. eir the universities have to go to each student and said this is what it will cost you for four years. this is likely what she will get with a degree that you are getting. we have to have more transparency. we want to show the graduation rate for universities. we also have to teach responsibility. i had a choice of colleges to go to. i went to a two-year school because i thought i could afford it, community college and then i went to a four-year school that i thought was most affordable. i was a dishwasher at the university and had to work two jobs during the summer. we have to teach people accountability. we should have more transparency and a lower interest rate. >> senator vargas, 90 seconds.

sen. vargas: thank you. i am a former public school science teacher. i have watched on the front lines what it looks like to invest in our public education system. in the legislature i focused on fully funding our education system. i believe a higher education system needs to work better. this is an example where i disagree with past administrations and the current administration. i do not agree with providing student loan forgiveness in the way it happened. it was not the most economical and pragmatic. it made it harder for working-class individuals like my own dad and mother who did not attend colleges. they do not get the same release. i want to make the middle class work better but it will not matter if we spend beyond our means. i think it is possible for us to reform systems. we can reform the federal pell grant system.

it also starts with getting members of congress -- unfortunately for my colleague he has a 28% lifetime record with the national education association. we control within our means and we do so in a bipartisan way and that is what i plan to do in congress >> congressman bacon, 30 seconds. rep. bacon: there was a vouchers vote. the biggest bill on education. how did tony vote? one of the 20% of the time he would not vote yes or no. that was a significant vote. one thing i believe we can do better is also offer more trades, whether high school, junior high or post-high school. one of the main things he has focused on was getting more of our youth into the trade

programs. it is the best way to get folks out of poverty. >> senator vargas, 30 seconds. sen. vargas: i think the trades is important for us to invest in. it is why i have tried to focus on making it easier for people within the middle class to get a pathway to getting a job just like my dad. i am proud to have ibw with me today. i'm proud to have the endorsement of organized labor across the state. it still matters when we have a record against supporting education especially when it comes to making sure it is fully funded. >> when voters are deciding who to pick between you two, there are countless ballot initiatives that garner tens of thousands of signatures to get to this point. nebraska law are regarding abortion, illegal after the 12th week. there are two petitions voters

will be voting on. in the most basic sense one is about abortion rights, the other restrictions. how would you vote and why on your ballot? senator vargas, you have 90 seconds. sen. vargas: i think democracy is important. the history of nebraska having these ballot initiatives is our opportunity -- to make sure our voices are heard. voters get the opportunity to weigh in. this is another example. i will support the measure that listens to women and protects their freedoms and not the one that is trying to further restrict them. i think my record in the legislature of voting on behalf of women's freedoms is important. i also think it matters and we have members of congress -- it does frustrate me when individuals, an original cosponsor of an abortion ban -- that is what congressman bacon

did. he cosponsored it three different times. there are no exceptions to the life of the mother for rape or incest. i think it matters when his record of voting against women and health care decisions are ultimately what we will be deciding on this ballot in november. i am proud to stand on behalf of women. i do not think politicians should tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies. [applause] >> let's keep that down. that is why some places do not have live debates. rep. bacon: i believe god created us. we are created in god's image and we have a soul. i will support the nebraska law. reasonable restrictions and

exceptions for rap and inceste and the health of the mother. i will support the law with exceptions. he knows better. the bill he mentioned never mentions abortion or ivf. it is demagoguery. the top issues in the country our economy, border and crime. he needs to craft something he can get ahead with because he is losing on the other issues. reasonable exceptions. he has been asked for years what restrictions he would like. there are only seven countries in the world out of 200 that have abortion until birth. that is where he stands. the inhumanity of an eight months or nine months child that is liable with a healthy mom -- that is where he stands. he is on the extreme end of this. most nebraskans do not want

where tony is out, no restrictions. most of europe is at where nebraska is that right now -- three or four months. we are with the western world, not the extremes. sen. vargas: i do not support abortion on demand. i have said that many times in the past. what does matter is when i look at my five-year-old daughter and when roe v. wade fell, it was the first time my daughter had less rights than my wife. this is the reason i support not only women's reproductive freedom and rights and i will stand up against don bacon and his cosponsorship of abortion bans that will take away those rights. rep. bacon: there is no mention of abortion or ivf. he was asked if he would support restrictions at nine months and he said no. eight months, no. for a healthy mom and healthy baby.

he has been asked what restrictions he would support and it is always none. >> next question is on immigration. nearly 1 of every 10 nebraska workers are immigrants. when former president trump talks about, in part, fixing the border crisis, or mass deportation, explaining it would be part of his plan, how would it work and how would it impact other deportation safeguards? rep. bacon: i do not believe it will work. we should be looking at who is here as a convicted murderer or convicted of sexual assaults. we know the number is around 26,000. we should focus on those not welcome in our country based on a criminal past. not just vote in the house and pass in the house the restrictive border security bill.

we will have border security, more judges and processing capabilities. also, remain in mexico. i believe our country should have expanded legal immigration. what we have seen in the last four years, 10 million folks coming here illegally, 8 million through the southern border. with a drug problem, losing 100,000 people per year. many people want to come here at work but there is a criminal element. we have seen innocent people get murdered in our country because of this policy. we need to have a policy that is remain in mexico, get screene for whether or not you should come here or notd. if you get approved, come here, you get a job permit and we can get you a job. we need to have a better legal immigration process but we cannot have the unfettered border that we had the last four years.

sen. vargas: i am a product of working-class immigrants. it is an important part of my story. it is also why i am proud to be a former public school science teacher. i am listening to constituents about border security and this is a priority for me. it is a priority because i see what is happening in congress. this is the most ineffective congress we have seen in any generations. it is not my opinion. it is fact. not only is this congress right now unable to get things done, but when there is the strongest bipartisan legislation in the u.s. senate, led by a republican, that could actually address border security, supported by law enforcement and the border security administration, it took donald trump telling individuals like don bacon not to vote on this or bring it forward because it will

hurt his chances politically. but i care about is trying to come across the aisle on working on issues that will solve the problems. we cannot afford to have a congress that will only hold onto power. when don bacon did not tell his speaker of the house, we need to vote on this bill, it tells me he cares more about the speaker and trump that he does about nebraskans. rep. bacon: we have to do government 101 with esther vargas because it did not pass the senate. if it does not pass the senate it does not come to the house. he is a friend of mine, -- if it could have made it through the senate i would have likely voted for it because it would have been a bipartisan bill but it could not make it out of the senate because it was 5000 a day. he does not vote 20% of the time.

if anyone here did not work 20% of the time, they would get fired. sen. vargas: i bring up the senate to vote or the senate bill in particular because it matters that he had the opportunity to bring in a bill just like that that would have gotten bipartisan support in the house. but when trump tells him to do something he has stepped up and said we will not vote on that issue. we will not bring those solutions to nebraska. my record in the legislature matters. 65 bills passed. tax relief that i voted for the past on behalf of nebraskans. >> next questions. this week omaha's police chief talked about a trend. officers are recovering guns like never before. it is putting law enforcement in his view into a precarious position understanding the more guns a cop crosses, the more

chance for a tragedy. 6 in every 10 americans favor stricter gun laws and it is too easy to get a gun in america. why can't this be fixed? mr. vargas, what would you do about the prevalence of guns? sen. vargas: i'm very proud of my two nebraska raised kids. when i think about our affairs when it comes to gun violence, it is personal for me and my wife. i want to make sure our communities are safer. it is the reason why i support common sense gun legislation. the majority of nebraskans and americans also support common sense gun control. it is the members elected that have voted against bipartisan solutions. congressman bacon voted against a bipartisan bill that had 29 members of his own party coming

across the aisle to actually vote for and support. when you vote against something that is bipartisan that would make our community safer also supported by law enforcement, you are voting against the public safety of our communities. i want to work on bipartisan legislation that will advance the issue. i want to continue to fund law enforcement, like i did with $37 billion in the legislature. >> congressman bacon, a minute and a half. rep. bacon: a lot of platitudes, a lot of buzzwords, no meat. do not let violet people out early. early parole for all criminals, he is pushing that. he has tried to take away mandatory minimums. the one major thing he has done

in eight years is make it harder to hold juveniles that are violent. the best thing we can do, violent people, serve your time, do not do cashless bail. people are buying guns and giving them to folks who are not supposed to have them and not being prosecuted. we need to do better. his one major accomplishment was he made it hard to hold dangerous delinquents. we have at a 100% increase in juvenile violent crime. folks have been arrested five times and then released. they say tony vargas' amendment is tying their hands behind their back. we had two people murdered by juveniles who had been arrested five times. they say it is tony vargas' amendment. it is costing people's lives.

100% of police endorsed me. they know what you are about. sen. vargas: i think what matters is i voted for $37 million for law enforcement. law enforcement across this country supported to make our community safer. to make my own family and my kids and every single child across nebraska safer in their communities. not voting against a bipartisan solution tells me when you talk about being bipartisan and you vote against these things that make our communities safer, you are voting against nebraskans. rep. bacon: 100% of the sheriff's and the county attorneys support me. 100% of the omaha police voted for me. why? he was protesting deb in the summer of 2 -- he was protesting

them in the summer of 2020. he was protesting our police, son and daughters. i stand with our police. we had more police injured in the summer of 2020 than on january 6, you did not stand with the cops. >> the question is what would you do with guns? [laughter] [applause] [no audio] sen. vargas: i think there is common sense gun safety legislation that would not only enhance background checks, they would make sure we are supporting the kind of training that is needed. it matters when you vote against bills in the legislature. that would have made our community safer and addressed gun safety legislation and he has not been responding to his vote against bipartisan gun

legislation. rep. bacon: if you have good due process on the front side and the backside, that is good. the red flag laws do not have that. there was a red flag law, people are coming into get financial counseling. the aclu said it was wrong. you put people like tony in front of the red flag laws, you will lose your second amendment rights. very strong constitutional was strong due process and that bill did not have it. >> the u.s. supreme court subjected itself to a code of ethics. many argue there are many loopholes and it is still -- there are much more regulations for other judges. a member of congress has to follow ethics rules with accountability.

why is it so hard for the u.s. supreme court to do and cannot be trusted to judge themselves? -- and can day be trust -- can they be trusted to judge themselves? rep. bacon: they should have stronger rules. i have to report every year -- i have to file things. the supreme court is under attack in some ways because you have a 6-3 in the supreme court so they have been a pretty good target from the left. i would be a leader and say -- we cannot be taking paid vacations from people. they have open themselves up to criticism. we talk about ethics violations, tony took $60,000 from a dark money group.

it was in the washington examiner. it helps pay for his housing, food and utilities. that is what they said. that looks like an illegal contribution. $60,000 he put in his pocket. it looks like an illegal contribution. ethics violations, he is under the scope right now. sen. vargas: i think you are highlighting one of the reasons we do read -- reasons we need renewed civility in this country. it matters what our record is. when there are investigations, there have been ethics violations that have been brought from pro public identifying issues. the real answer to this question is congress has a responsibility to make sure we uphold the laws

which also applied to other branches of government. we need to make sure there is no impropriety within our supreme court. not to allow these miss dealings. it is why it is really important we talk about congressman bacon, this actual instance was brought by investigative journalism that claims investigations. he did a political favor for donald's media company and cut the line for immigration and did it knowingly and told his staff to do so. i think it matters when we have these power plays that do political favors and we cannot have that kind of system in d.c. and we should be holding individuals accountable. rep. bacon: i would request local media to pry into how he took $60,000 from a dark money group and put it in his pocket.

why are reporters not digging into this? i do 700 visas and passports for constituents every year -- 700. i treat them all the same. i don't care who you are. i will treat requests the same way. i did it for this gentleman who is a constituent and work for trump. he would politicize his constituent services if he did not like them. sen. vargas: i think what you heard from congressman bacon is he said he would do it for everybody. an interview with a former member of his team said he was told to do so by don bacon even against her own ethical misgivings. it matters that we hold elected officials accountable to the kind of character we need in congress right now at this moment. >> next question, a tornado to a

hurricane force wind. a good chunk of the nation has been battered by hurricane helene. wild fires burning longer, wider, extreme heat getting hotter. longer droughts. a human report says fossil fuels are by far the biggest contributor to climate change. mr. vargas, are we moving away from fossil fuels fast enough? sen. vargas: no, no we are not. we need to make sure we are providing a balanced approach to renewable energy and energy for this country. i'm a former public school science teacher. i care whether or not we are educating our communities and schools and whether or not we are leaving earth, land and

water in a better place than we found it. climate change is real. we need to address it. we need jobs that will reduce our carbon footprint. and making sure we have a diverse set of energy sources. we cannot just go in one direction. i also think it matters we are not investing in these jobs. this is an opportunity to raise wages for nebraskans to make it possible for people to be in the middle class. and voting against these bills is voting against nebraskans having an opportunity to have a piece of the american dream. this is one of the reasons why i am running. i believe we need these jobs and i want to make sure we are investing in them. so not only taking care of our country and our climate but also the middle class. >> mr. bacon, a minute and a

half. rep. bacon: i brought in $5 billion in infrastructure spending. i brought in thousands of jobs to this district. and i have saved thousands of jobs with the infrastructure money we brought in. he talks about the chips act. that was $275 billion for one industry. it was $75 billion. i thought it was outrageous. i am a supporter of all of the above energy. the work i did in 2017 got solar and wind energy tax credits put back into tax law. i heard from constituents. i went to the ways and means chairman and got them put back in. i worked on geothermal as well. natural gas will be the way of the future for a while. it burns cleaner than coal. we have the world's largest supplies. we should be energy independent here. we should be supplying europe so we can get them off russian energy, iranian energy and so forth.

nuclear is the future. france is 95% nuclear. they import zero from russia. nuclear is the way we have clean energy and it is safer pray the new technology is incredible. and help incentivize to expand on sustainable farming techniques. that was my bill with abigail spanberger from virginia. sen. vargas: the bill he talked about, the chips act, he said he voted against hundreds of thousands of nebraska and american jobs, opportunities for the mill class to grow. i want to make sure it is easier for people to save because i know where i came from. i also know that times are tough and we are not creating the kind of jobs in our own country.

those jobs would've made us more competitive across the globe. more competitive against china. when you talk about this type of not only sector, this sector is a game changer for the kind of opportunity, the kind of benefits that would've made it easier for the working class. that is why it is clear to me that when he votes against bills that make the working class easier that we need to hold him accountable. rep. bacon: when he said hundreds of thousands of jobs it is laughable. it is not true. he said $3 trillion in supplemental spending. now we are looking at $270 billion over one industry for some of the wealthiest companies. i don't think it was right. we are spending too much it is it is. i will come back to my original thought. i've done $5 billion in infrastructure in this district in the last eight years. no one has done that before.

new airport, bridges, natural gas pipelines. i could go on. sewer infrastructure. we have brought thousands of jobs here and we protected thousands of jobs. like at the air force base. >> quick follow-up. voters a lot of times like to know on the most macro scale. senator vargas, do you drive a hybrid electric vehicle? sen. vargas: i do not. i drive a jeep. rep. bacon: i drive a 10-year-old chevy impala. [laughter] >> next question. this is a little more serious. we have had ukraine and russia at war. israel at war with hamas and hezbollah. mr. bacon, should the united states continue to be the world's police force, if it is not in manpower, it is the checkbook?

rep. bacon: we are the world's superpower for freedom. nobody can stand in our spot and ensure the values of freedom and free markets. if we hide behind our borders, there will be a big void and russia, china and iran will fill it. i have learned as a five-time commander i deployed five times in the middle east, saw combat two times. i don't want our men and women in combat if we can help it. but in this case, we have an opportunity to help ukraine win with weapons. russia is doing this invasion. it's a barbaric invasion. if we don't help, they will fall. you will see other countries around the periphery fall as well. we have to stand up to a bully. china is looking at how we handle this and looking at taiwan. we have to support our ally israel. they were attacked october 7. 1200 people murdered. they just had 180 ballistic

missiles fired from iran. if we don't stand with israel, they will fall. i believe it is our moral and spiritual calling to help israel survive as a jewish state safe , a haven for jews all over the world from 2000 years of persecution. we have to support our allies and support the values that russia, china, iran and north korea. this unholy alliance. they don't support our values. if we are not there our world , will be a more dangerous place and they will be at our border. sen. vargas: it's ok when we agree on issues of national security and i believe we do. we need to make sure that we are not only responsive to russia and making sure we are supporting ukraine, but that we're also supporting israel. we have a responsibility to not only be a support to our allies across this entire globe, i think we have a mandate to. it is the way that we not only have a responsibility to be a

good neighbor but it is the definition of what it means to be a good ally. in good times and bad we say we stand with you and will support you with the reinforcement of aid and military and support that is needed. it is our response ability to make sure we protect democracy. i also believe we have an understanding to make sure we counteract this at every single level of government. i do see there is a dissonance even within right now and jd vance how they will support both israel and ukraine. i 100% will make sure to find that they get the support they need. it is within our interests and what it means to be a strong ally. rep. bacon: he is from the jewish federation, a great friend of mine, and i appreciate tony saying he is against

anti-semitism and supports israel. i wish he was more open about it. we need more people to stand up and say what is going on on our college campuses. i want to stand by our jewish-american friends. we have to be clear anti-semitism is repugnant to the values of being an american. sen. vargas: congressman bacon, i think we should be telling truths. i cosponsored resolution on the eve of october 7 to make sure we were not only condemning hamas but we are unequivocally supporting israel. also doing so when we have legislation brought forward. and standing by our community. it is the reason i continue to stand by not only israel but ukraine because we need to stand by our allies when they have their backs against the wall. >> this summer the supreme court

overturned the chevron doctrine. an agency could reasonably interpret a statute if congress did not spell it out. in your view, will this slowdown agencies doing business because they need courts to determine details or will it prevent rogue actors from their own ideas? sen. vargas: i think it is our responsibility to be reactive to these issues. company is playing a bigger role in policy, the need to be partners in this. i want to make sure we are thinking about the taxpayer and the costs and how it is trickling down to how they are feeling. it is one reason i believe when we look at what the middle class is going through, i want to make sure we are addressing the price gouging we have seen over several years. they should be doing everything they can to lower the cost within reason. it also matters when we have a

congressman and it frustrates the taxpayer who has voted against price gouging measures that would lower cost for nebraskans. it increased taxes for the middle class. donating to campaigns rather than siding with you. i am fighting to make sure we control the costs. we can work with companies but we ultimately do need to address this kind of price gouging happening in our communities on behalf of the communities and nebraskans. rep. bacon: total baloney about a tax increase. silly stuff. you spoke up in october about israel. where were you december, january, march, all the way through now. saying it once or twice in this environment is not enough. we had bureaucrats legislating

that congress was supposed to point out what was done. the executive branch is supposed to execute the law. what we have seen since woodrow wilson was we gave too much power to bureaucracy to interpret. massive policy fluctuations. congress legislates, bureaucrats execute the law. we got so out of whack with that. what he did for the businesses of consumers, they would do it in then four years later with the new administration they would get different rules and it would cost them tons of money. chevron was a good case because it will provide predictability to our free market system and to our consumers. if we have to change the policy, congress changes policy. a lot of congressmen like this because they do not have to legislate.

we have to take the tough votes. tony would not know about that. he votes presence, not voting 20% of the time. sen. vargas: i hope we notice that he did not respond to voting against lowering the price gouging that is happening that we are actually talking about right now. it also matters when you are talking about congress legislating and standing up for the american people, project 2025 is a very real document. the authors have a plan in place as soon as they see a republican majority that wins. the same authors are donors of congressman bacon. the same pacs and special interests that support him are more likely to listen to him the nebraskans. when we see the amount of

special interest money and donations coming through, it is very clear he has a responsibility to be accountable to that. rep. bacon: do i get an extra minute? let's talk about 2025. i have not read it, i do not plan on reading it. i do not know anyone who has read it. it is a democrat bogeyman. the issues are not on their side. the economy, the border. i do not know a single person in my circle who has read it. i am about project nebraska 02. $5 billion in infrastructure spending. i increased the jobs in this district. project ne02 is better. >> if someone moved to omaha and turned on the tv he or she would not be out of line to think

voters would elect one of you and you two are the worst people in the world. [laughter] based on commercials. your campaign is to stay positive but it is the outside money, the spending on negative ads over which you have no control. are you ok with that? if so, what are you doing to fix the system and do you want others to speak for you? rep. bacon: it is frustrating when you see your record distorted. every survey i have filled out, it said protect the life of the mother. i do not mind hard ads if they are truthful and it is a real problem. my goal is to not attack tony -- there are a lot of things i think are bogus. i don't believe in the files ads

made up or one comment that is twisted. it is more about the outside spending. the courts have looked at it and say it is freedom of speech. to restricted, you are restricting other people's read him of speech. i grapple with that. i do not like lies and distortion but if you are a farmer banning together with other farmers, it is your right to support a candidate you like. i have the support of 65% of local labor here in omaha. i am looking at one of them nodding his head yes. if we curtail people's ability to spend on these ads than we are curtailing their freedom of speech and i struggle with that. sen. vargas: i think all the dark money coming in -- the

money that matters are the taxpayers' money when they want to support a candidate. it is one reason why it is an opportunity for us to right the ship. if we cannot work on something where we agree this money should not have an influence on politics, we will continue to have these negative ads. i think it matters that wendy's ad -- i think it matters when these ads -- congressman bacon said he had an exception for the life of the mother. why did you cosponsor a full abortion ban in the constitution three different times for no exceptions for rape or incest? no protections for contraception? why cosponsor three different times if you did not believe?

these ads need to be called out and both sides will do that but what really matters is when we hold ourselves accountable to voting records. rep. bacon: he took $60,000 from a dark money group and put it in his pocket to help pay bills. it is under investigation. he is speaking with a forked tongue. it does not mention ivf. . it is a matter of principle as a christian that unborn children deserve protections. they are human. the author of this bill never intended to ban abortions. it is a matter of principle we believe it. sen. vargas: to the allegations he has been spreading, there is no propriety to the investigation he is talking about.

it is simply republicans and the dark money trying to make something out of nothing. what i think does matter is when we have a record of looking at the people donating to congressman bacon, when the authors of project 2020 five or donating to congressman bacon, heekin said he does not read it or does not plan but they can make sure he is enacting the plan. we should make sure we hold them accountable. >> this next question talks about foreign land ownership in nebraska. foreign countries own nearly 2% of agricultural land. mr. vargas, is this a threat or is it the free market at work? sen. vargas: 1, we need to make sure we are addressing housing prices and availability for different options of land and housing. it is an opportunity for us to make sure we are being reactive

and responsive to the needs of nebraskans. it is why i have worked on a lot of different housing issues in nebraska. record number of dollars so we can lower the average market price in our communities. republicans no there is a bipartisan's -- republicans know there is a bipartisan solution to the problem. it matters we are working across the aisle with the industries that support this. home builders, realtors and other members working in the sector have supported by legislation because they know it will make the american dream more possible for nebraskans, possible for my family, mother, father and every single person trying to figure out how to afford their first home and make ends meet on their mortgage and the rent. rep. bacon:

-- i'm glad he admitted. i have my retirement and my income and i do not pocket any money. he admits he just did. you talk about foreign land being bought. i have a bill passed out of committee that will say they have to give a full accounting of how much land is being purchased primarily by china. we have indications that china is buying land by hour bases and we want an accounting of how bad is this problem. right now it is a lot of guesswork. we got it out of committee and it will pass out of the house and i believe it will have good support in the senate. i believe it will be one of the 11 or 12 bills that we get done. it is important to know how much china is buying and where it is

buying it. it is not the only actor but an important one. we talk about 04 to will housing. right now i'm trying to incentivize the use of manufactured homes. they are a third of the cost of normally built homes. this is an opportunity. i'm also trying to incentivize our police. and also fire fighters to get them half-price on homes and hud home so we can incentivize them to go to where they are needed. >> 30 seconds, mr. vargas. mr. vargas: i believe we need to make sure we are stating the facts and congressman bacon continues to state lies with investigations concocted by special interests across the country and it is wrong but i also expect better from someone that talks about civility.

i worked to try to make sure that housing is more affordable across the country, the state. by lowering the costs for nebraskans, by investing and incentivizing in the kind of housing opportunities that will make it possible for the american dream. it is my record and something i will keep working on in congress. congressman bacon: he supported those policies that created inflation which created high interest rates. those are some the biggest issues right now. if republicans come in -- i have 10 bills passed out of the house. i'm working hard. we stopped the crazy spending and inflation is back to normal. those are some of the most important things we can do right now. the lowering interest rates is the key thing that we can do for the housing market right now. >> we are getting close to wrapping up where you will each have two minutes for your closing arguments. this is the last question.

you will have 30 seconds and no rebuttal. winner take all is off the table for the election which means the district, the most purple of all in the state could make a big difference in the race for the white house. mr. bacon, are you are the mindset of many political scientists who say that if winner takes all was in effect none of the major candidates would come to omaha and omaha would lose its relevance? rep. bacon: i'm of the view that we should -- i'm of the view that all 50 states should do what we do. this creates huge distortions down ballot. $20 million being spent nationally. i wish all 50 states did what we did and it would be a more fair process by all. mr. vargas: i've been proud to represent this community for the last 11 years, 10 years in

office. i'm also proud that in the legislature we have worked on bipartisan solutions. past legislatures for decades have maintained an independence because they believe in the voices of nebraska's second district. you have to earn the votes. it is also the reason why donald trump won in 2016 and biden won it in 2020. unfortunately for congressman bacon is taking away the electoral vote process because donald trump told him to and was graciously awarded with an endorsement from mr. trump and that tells me he cares more about mr. trump than our electoral independence. >> congressman bacon, you have two minutes. rep. bacon: we have the highest rate of growth of anywhere in the united states. i'm so proud to be here and i'm proud to have been a part of it. what do we do?

we have brought in 5 billion dollars in investments here which brings jobs, more employment, higher wages. i'm proud of my record. i had to do it through hard work. the center of lawmaking effectiveness rated me the number one in the house. this is -- number two overall, the committee looks at six different factors and reach people on their bipartisanship. there are four people out of all of the house, senate and governors, four got a perfect score and i was one. i get things done. what does this mean for us? we have $1.4 billion to rebuild it and 10,000 jobs there.

we rebuilt camp ashlan after the floods. $48 million. we will have the first modernization of 40 years at huntley. i got $70 million to do that. we have an international air force -- airport that goes directly. what does this mean for our country? i've been the most effective advocate for our nations national security and defense than anyone. the center of effective lawmaking rates me number one when it comes to our defense. i've served as chairman where we had 31 changes made for the quality of our airmen, servicemen, 2 million of them and now i'm the chairman of the cyber warfare's -- warfare committee. i ask for your vote. it is been a privilege to serve you. >> senator vargas, two minutes.

sen. vargas: thank you for moderating and for the league of women voters and my wife and my mother. i appreciate you participating in democracy. i love this community. i've raised my two puerto rican-nebraskan kids here and this is home for us. my parents taught me the values of working-class values because you cannot forget where you came from and who you serve. that is who -- that is why i became a science teacher. i love this community. it is the reason why i went across the ir and voted to actually provide tax relief and was named a taxpayer defender. it is also the reason why i fought for our law enforcement funding, a training center, their pensions and their pay and it is a reason why i'm proud to receive the endorsement of organized labor. it is also the reason why it

matters to me that i will fight to lower your cost of living. because times are tough. but i also think it matters that when there is an opportunity to stand up for bipartisan solutions, and you've heard many brought up today, congressman bacon had an opportunity and voted against them. when you only listen to whatever the party bosses tell you or what donald trump tells you, that is when you take a -- take away our electoral voting independence. that is when you cosponsor the most extreme abortion ban in the constitution three different times with no exceptions. and then when you increase taxes on the middle class and continue to make it hard for working-class families to afford their health care and say hell, yes, to repealing nebraskan's coverage for pre-existing conditions, we get to hold you accountable in november for

voting against nebraskans. thank you so much for participating in democracy. i appreciate you and i hope i can earn your vote this november 5. [applause] >> thank you for agreeing to the debate letting voters know where you stand. good luck on election day. a special things to the press club and the league of women voters. please vote. ♪ >> today watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail a weekly discussion on how the presidential, senate and house campaigns have progressed in the last week. reporters gather to address the week's events driving political news and to look at the week ahead. watch the campaign trail today at 7:00 p.m. eastern on c-span, online at c-span.org or downloaded as a podcast on

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tonight at 10:00 eastern on c-span. >> c-span's washington journal, our live form inviting you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics and public policy from washington and across the country. saturday morning we will talk about the new supreme court term and key cases ahead with alex sawyer and the washington monthly's paul on his recent reporting on what he refers to as the overlooked demographic of state college voters. c-span's washington journal, join the conversation live at 7:00 eastern saturday morning on c-span, c-span now or online at c-span.org. >> the house will be in order. >> c-span celebrates 45 years of following congress like no

other. we have been your primary source for capitol hill providing balanced, unfiltered coverage of government taking you to where the policies are debated and decided. c-span, 45 years and counting powered by cable. >> next, president biden talks to reporters after being briefed by senior administration leaders on hurricane milton and hurricane helene. these comments are about 15 minutes. president biden: do we have everybody? folks, kamla and i just received a briefing from leaders across our administration over hurricane helene and hurricane milton. i'm sure you feel the same way but our hearts go out to all those folks that have lost not only personal property, homes and some have lost lives.

we are grieving the aftermath of the tornado and the record downpours. i must have spoken in the last three days to 50-75 members from north carolina to florida talking to mayors and county executives. it is amazing what is going on. this is a very major storm. a very major storm to hit california, excuse me, florida in three months. experts estimate, early estimates, they could be more, it could be less but they estimate that it has caused damages of $50 billion from hurricane milton alone. i want everyone in the impacted area to know we are going to do everything we can to help you pick up the pieces and get you back to where you were. we have been in constant contact

reaching out to local and state officials. some of you have been through crises. you wonder when things are really bad, is there hope? is anybody coming? and that is what is happening right now. state and local officials are doing everything they can to help these folks were covered. my request and the primary focus of today's briefing is on the power restoration and debris removal. there are urgent needs. milton left over 3 million people without power. with the dedication of 50,000 powerline workers from 43 states and canada have stepped up and come down to help to restore -- they have already restored power to one million people so far. and by the way, if you ever

watch these guys and women climbed these polls in the middle of nowhere, they are risking lives doing this for us. we have spoken to the public and private utilities to thank them for surging their rescue crews for those that urgently need power. a lot of these folks are just volunteering. in the energy sector, and by the way, our secretary, she calls it a mini nato, her commitment to assistance and another shining example of americans standing up and taking care of each other. we will continue to prioritize this until everyone is reconnected i'm back online. we were able to work on this

more quickly because of critical infrastructure investments we have made. since i've been president, we have hardened the grid. the grid means the electric power grids that transmits power. we have incorporated innovative technologies including placing would power poles -- replacing wooden power poles with concrete power poles. and we have to continue to make these investments. we were just talking with the utility companies before i came here. over the years florida -- when i was vice president, we invested in putting lines underground. it cost a hell of a lot more to put lines in underground then up in the air but it makes sense.

to anyone that says they don't want to spend the money, after every damn storm, it would wipe out the power grid and you have to rebuild it. to keep it so it is not wiped out creates long-term savings. fema and the corps of engineers and the florida national guard are now on the ground helping to clear the state of debris on the roads and critical ports as well. you have seen the picture. in north carolina, half a mountain comes down and a barrage -- and a bridge falls into the water and you have piles. you see the end of the river in a cul-de-sac and a pile of trees 4-5 feet high with all kinds of debris in there. it will take a lot of time and money to remove it.

but the army corps and the florida national guard are on the ground clearing the debris and reopening the roads. we have to do it for other reasons to make critical deliveries of food, water, tarps and lifesaving supplies. the coast guard is leading efforts to reopen the port in tampa. it is a port that delivers a lot of fuel and goods that are necessary. it is critical for the economy of the region. and again, let me say that there has been some misinformation out there which is not only disgusting but it is misleading. and the first thing it does and i mean that sincerely, some of you have personally been through these crises that people want hope, tell me it is going to be

ok. and we are in real trouble. and then you hear this malarkey from some people -- i don't want to get into it because it will raise my temper but the truth is we are providing all the resources needed. let me close with this -- i want to say thank you again to our brave first responders, powerline workers, state and local officials and neighbors helping neighbors. it is a team effort. i know it sounds corny but it really is a team average. we are looking at this seriously and working together and it has made a big difference. we have saved lives but there is more do do and i'm going to do everything in my power to get it done. and the fact of the matter is that we are in a situation where -- well, the vice president is

my boss. i'm going to go to her in a second. vice president harris: mr. president? president biden: hang on, vice president, harris. we are identifying specifically what is needed -- with that, i will yield to the president, i mean the vice president. vice president harris: thank you, president and thank you to all of the men and women working around-the-clock. in. in the wake of hurricane milton we have witnessed widespread devastation, homes and neighborhoods have been severely damaged and millions of people are without power and thousand without running water.

to the people in florida, and to all those in the region, our nation is with you. we see your incredible strength and resilience and we are working around the clock to keep you safe. we continue to coordinate resources with state and local authorities including food, water, medical supplies and generators and we will continue to work with the teams on the ground to restore power and water as quickly as possible. in the coming days and weeks president biden and i will make sure that the communities that are there on the ground and have been affected will have the resources they need not only to respond to the store but also to recover and we will continue to keep communities in florida, georgia, north and south carolina and across the southeast ensured that they will recover from hurricane helene. and i will say once again, as the secretary and i have discussed, to any company or

individual that will use this crisis to jack up prices through illegal fraud or price gouging whether it be at the gas pump, the airport or hotel counter, we will be monitoring and there will be a consequence. the bottom line is this -- we are in the -- we are in it for the long haul and the cooperation has been extraordinary and will continue for as long as it takes. i thank you all. reporter: the misinformation and you were talking about -- do you think it is [indiscernible] ? president biden: it is the state of being for some people but it

is not what the country is about. we are breaking through edge. you will have noticed and i'm very proud, many are standing up and saying -- and they are conservative, hard-core individuals's are standing up and saying, it has to stop. there is nothing permanent about it. i'm pleased more americans are coming together and in a voluntary way. this is who we are. when americans are in trouble, you jump in to try to help. the thing that bothers me the most is there is a lot of people who got caught in these crises who basically are alone. widowers, widows, people in the hospital, people by themselves and they lose contact. and they get scared to death.

anyway -- so, i think those that have been spreading these lies trying to undermine the opposition are going to pay a price for it. reporter: [indiscernible] president biden: i've spoken to republicans and i think speaker johnson both got the message that he has to step up particularly for small businesses. he has been very cooperative. we got on very well. reporter: [indiscernible] president biden: absolutely, positively. [indiscernible] reporter: [indiscernible]

president biden: he should be given all he needs as if she were a sitting president. [indiscernible] >> weeknights this month we are showing encore presenta of american history tv's 10 series, " congress investigates"

exploring the impact o investigations. tonight we will highlighthe 1950's investigations into whether communist had infiltrated the government. the investigation led to the censure of senator jo mccarthy. watch tonight at 10:00 n on c-span, c-span now or online at c-span.org. >> c-span's washington journal, our live form involving you to discuss the latest issues in governments and public policy from washington and across the country. editing when we will talk about the new supreme court term with washington times legal affairs reporter, alex sawyer. and paul on his recent reporting on what he refers to as the overlooked demographic of state college voters. c-span's washington journal, join the conversation live at 7:00 eastern on saturday morning on c-span, c-span now, or online

at c-span.org. c-span now is a free mobile app featuring your unfiltered view of what is happening in washington live and on-demand. keep up-to-date with proceedings and hearings from the u.s. congress, white house events, the court, campaigns and more from the world of politics all at your fingertips. you can also stay current with the latest episodes of washington journal and find scheduling information for c-span radio and a variety of compelling podcasts. c-span now is available at the apple store and google play. scan the qr code to download it today or visit our website. c-span now, your front row seat to washington anytime, anywhere.

♪ >> the house will be in order. >> c-span celebrates 45 years of covering congress like no other. since 1979 we have been your primary source for capitol hill providing balanced and unfiltered coverage of government taking you to where the policies are debated and decided all with the support of america's cable companies. >> british prime minister keir starmer marked of the when your anniversary of the hamas attack on israel during his recent question session in the house of commons and he announced his government would deliver on the employment rights bill later this week promising it would be the biggest upgrade to workers rights and a generation. he and rishi you sunak debate topics pertaining to jobs and

the economy. >> we now come to prime minister's questions. >> mr. speaker, earlier this week this house marked the one-year anniversary of the horrific attacks on october the seventh. and i take this opportunity to reiterate that the hostages must be released. and i read i to write -- and i reiterate my call for an immediate cease-fire in gaza and lebanon. the government will deliver on our promise to the british people for the biggest upgrade to workers rights in a generation. the employment rights bill will ensure a new partnership with business and reset the dreadful relations that have cost our economy so much in recent years.

we are also preparing for the international investment summit next week bringing hundreds of global ceos to the u.k. while unlocking billions and pounds of investment. this morning i have meetings with ministerial colleagues in addition to my duties and the house. >> your commitment of 400 billion pounds and funding -- [indiscernible] and would have been life-changing as well as lifesaving for so many of my constituents. >> the promise of new hospitals --

>> the biggest issue and my constituency is poor access to gpu services. we are 15% below the national average. can i think the government for improving the situation and ask the prime minister whether government is doing to make sure that everyone can see their gp? >> the most visible sign of failure of the last government was the nhs. we are going to expand the role of community services and accelerate the rollout of independent --. we need much more care delivered to local communities to spot problems earlier. and we will train thousands more gps. we were elected to change of the country and that means getting us back on our feet. we will have more to say on that in the budget by fixing the foundations of our economy so we

can fix our public services and rebuild brighton. >> -- and rebuild britain. >> tomorrow the government will publish their anticipated changes to employment law. given the weekend's events, when did the prime minister first become a convert to fire and rehire? >> [laughter] >> i'm very pleased that tomorrow we will publish the bill which will be the biggest upgrade of workers rights in a generation. and that will do two things, firstly, it will give people work and secondly it will help grow our economy, something the last government absolutely failed on for 14 years. >> when he talks about security

at work, once again it is one rule for him and another rule for everyone else. i know that not everything or everyone has survived has first 100 years and government so can he confirm that when he promised not to raise income tax or vat, not commitment applies to both employer and employee national health insurance contributions? >> i'm not going to get drawn -- we made an absolute commitment in relation to not raising taxes on working people. he was the expert's expert on raising taxes and what did we get in return? a broken a, broken public services and a 22 billion pounds black hole. we need to stabilize the government and we will do so.

>> i don't think even lord alley is buying any of that nonsense. i'm not asking -- mr. speaker, i'm not asking about the budget. i'm asking specifically about the promise he made to the british people. let me ask him again just to clarify his own promise. does his commitment to not raise national insurance applies to both employee and employer national insurance contributions? >> you can see our promises and our manifesto. i stick to my promises in the manifesto. i noticed question three. we have had in recent months 8

billion pounds from amazon for jobs across the country, 10 million pounds from blackstone for jobs across the northeast, 500 million for u.k. buses in northern ireland. what are they doing while we invest in our country? they are arguing whether to scrap maternity pay. >> mr. speaker, i'm welcome -- when it comes to his answer on taxes, businesses across the country would have found his answer asked about as reassuring as sue greene did when he promised to protect her job. so let me -- it is no wonder that confidence is plummeting. turning to another commitment both for the election his chancellor said that changing the debt target would be

tantamount to fiddling the figures. does he still agree with the chancellor? >> this is literally the man who -- 14 years -- [indiscernible] we will fix it and it is only because we have stabilized at there,. we are powering ahead. we are changing the rules. we are returning railways to public ownership. they have nothing to say about any of this. >> we left on the second lowest debt in the g7, mr. speaker and as the institute of fiscal studies have said --

i will hear the leader of the opposition. >> the institute of fiscal studies have said it is hard to overstate the suspicion that the government is attracted to this change because it would allow significantly more our wing. his chancellor said previously that the change would be fiddling the figures. it is a simple question -- does he still agree with the chancellor? >> i go back to the old script -- they have never had it so good. i'm not going to get drawn on -- just as he wouldn't when he was standing here. meanwhile, we are investing and building -- better opportunities for young people. after 14 years of tory failure, we are giving the country its future back and that is the difference.

>> it is clear he has opened at the door to raising employee national insurance including on pension puree economic confidence is plummeting, growth is stalling and the uk's borrowing costs are rising on his watch. can i close on another important topic because yesterday's intervention from the head of mi5 would've been sobering for the whole house and not least his warning that britain faces the most complex and interconnected threats in our country's history. the prime minister would agree with me that we all owe our security services a debt of gratitude. the forthcoming terrorism bill will give our security services the power they need to tackle evolving threats and i can assure him of our constructive support on these vital questions of national security in the same

way that he provided that support to me. >> i can confirm that we will give the security forces and services the powers that they need and i hope that is a shared the objective across the house. they do an incredibly important job for us. he talks about the economy. it is a real shame -- it is a shame they cannot -- of course we have to take tough decisions. but when investments are pouring in as they have been the last few weeks, we are delivering the biggest upgrade to workers rights in a generation in time for them to accept -- it is time for them to accept that we are fixing the foundation. we are going to get on with the job clearing up the mess they made.

>> mr. speaker, can i ask the prime minister to commit to doing all he can to improve research, early diagnosis and patient care for those with cancer and will he join me and thanking nhs staff who has looked after my dad in recent weeks and thousands of others in our united kingdom. >> i was sorry to hear about his father and we passed him our best wishes. a report published two weeks ago showed that some standards could -- have not been met since 2015.

i'm really pleased we have just announced 6.4 million pounds for the research that work to identify cancer early. we will get the nhs resources to catch cancer earlier and diagnose it earlier to treat it earlier. >> across this house we all agree that we need to get our economy growing strongly again so we can improve people's lives and raise the money for our public services democrats believe that one of the best ways to do that is to improve our relationship with our european neighbors on issues like trade and we welcome the fact that the prime minister has made this a priority. what i don't understand is that he has ruled out negotiating a scheme with our european partners. it would be good for young people, businesses and reestablishing that relationship. will you reconsider this?

p.m. starmer: he is right that we do need a better deal what the eu after the bad deal we got through the last government. we talked about how we could improve on the deal. in our manifesto we have a clear redline about single market customs union and movement and we will negotiate with those red lines in place. >> i'm disappointed about that and maybe we can come back to that but he's right to say that one of the many problems of our economy coming from the brexit deal is the red tape that has been put on businesses. there are many examples but a new example came to me earlier this weekend it affects fishermen and the falklands who are otherwise having to pay huge amounts in terrace -- t arriffs/ .when

the prime minister re-negotiates the trade deal can you remember the overseas territories? and ensure that british citizens fishing off the falklands can sail proudly under the union jack? p.m. starmer: my uncle nearly lost his life when his ship was torpedoed defending the falklands. they are british and will remain british. of course we will do everything we can do make it easier for all businesses to trade more freely so we can grow our economy. i've made it very clear about the falklands and it is personal to me. >> thank you, mr. speaker. a conservative lead counsel has proposed data of care phone --

of care homes. do you believe that this is a lifeline? she always returns happier, less confused and less anxious and for her partner david, it provides vital respite while she is there. they don't know how they will survive without it. will the prime minister join with me and asking the conservatives of the council to think again and oppose the devastating cuts to older people and their families? p.m. starmer: i'm shocked to hear of the impact on the council that was just described in terms of proposing cutbacks on care. councils across the country are the front line. they have left people who rely on services counting the cost. there is no quick fix to this but we will provide councils with more stability and certainty through multiyear

funding settlements ensuring councils can plan for the future properly. and we will work with the leaders to deliver this. >> any sense of unease that though he is the prime minister of great britain and northern ireland, there are over 300 areas of law in northern airline -- in northern ireland where the legislation is in a foreign parliament. does the prime minister have any ambition of recovering u.k. sovereignty over those three other areas of law and thereby restoring the equal citizenship of my constituents and ending their disenfranchising in respect to making laws that govern much of their economy? p.m. starmer: i thank you for raising that issue which of course is an informed issue.

the framework was negotiated by the last government and we supported it and continue to support it and will make sure it is implemented fully and properly. >> one into children and my constituency live and poverty after housing costs are taken into account so i welcome the government's commitment to tackling childhood poverty but we know that every year childhood poverty has a long-term impact. can he tell us when he expects that to report so we can see action? p.m. starmer: it is appalling that child poverty has risen to 700,000 since 2010. the last government did so much to bring it down. tackling that is our mission. a task force is developing a

report to reduce child poverty and it will be published in the spring of next year. >> the prime minister's decision to impose -- on hard-working families that have seen job losses and squeezing state resources to their limit. with these pending threats, what action is the prime minister taking to mitigate this if he is not impact -- if he is not undertaking an impact assessment to address them? p.m. starmer: i understand that many parents across the country save to send their children to private school. every parent has that aspiration. the problem we have is we don't have enough teachers in the key subjects in our schools.

the party opposite may be willing to tolerate that but i'm not and that is why we made the change to fund teachers. they have to answer the question which none of them are answering -- if they are not going to make the change, will they leave our secondaries without the teachers they need? or will they cut the education budget by 1.5 million pounds? which is it? >> mr. speaker, klausner has a proud military history. almost -- of households are homes of veterans. can the prime minister tell the house but this government is doing to support veterans and how he will meet his promise to make sure that every veteran think whilst her has a roof over their head? p.m. starmer: we owe and enormous debt to all of our

veterans and it was a great honor to announce our plan will ensure that homeless veterans are on the front line of new social housing recognizing the incredible sacrifice they have made. we have -- we will pay all those that have served to making sure that we have homes for heroes. while also making sure that veterans have support for mental health and employment. >> can i ask the prime minister and the chancellor as they -- could they look carefully at how increased funding and changes to the funding formula, k massive difference in the lives of thousands of children across the country? >> i'm grateful for raising this issue. a concern of many parents across the country. i do agree that children with

special educational needs and disabilities are being failed with parent struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve. and we have to change that. i'm determined to raise standards for every child so they can succeed in education. and we will work with the sector and across the house to deliver on that mission which is very important for parents. >> i look forward to the international investment summit next week. one area where constituents across the country want to see strides is their local hide street. there is huge potential. can i ask the prime minister what support his government will give to ensure that they hide

streets across the country are able to grow and thrive? p.m. starmer: here is -- investment labor [indiscernible] we have a big summit coming up on monday with hundreds of ceos coming and i hope we will make further investment announcements in weeks to come. that will help stabilize our economy. and we are taking the tough decisions. we are raising the living standard across our country. >> it runs through my constituency. the crossroads is the worst in the midlands. there is a proposal to improve the situation. but they are placing a higher

value on that then the lives. p.m. starmer: i think the honorable member for raising this because this is an important issue in her constituency. it is vital that as we invest we improve safety and deliver better journeys for drivers. the national highway is continuing to study to make improvements to the highway and will continue to do so. decisions will be sent out on the strategy and i know -- >> vital services to individuals with life limiting situations. but there is a difficult financial future.

they are relying on fundraising. can the prime minister tell me what steps he is taking to put us on a financial stable footing? p.m. starmer: thank you for his effort. we want everyone to have access to high-quality care and end-of-life care and that is why we refer all nhl bodies to the commission on hospices to meet the needs of their local groups. we have inherited a huge problem with the -- but nonetheless we are determined to move forward on this. >> more people in northern

ireland have sadly lost their lives. with the prime minister agree that the challenges with their mental health and northern ireland some of which are directly related to the violence is a unique m enduring --and enduring legacy of the troubles? will you work collaboratively with the public department of health? p.m. starmer: i thank him for raising this important issue. i do know firsthand the impact the troubles have had on so many and northern ireland and we must ensure that those with mental health issues receive the support and the care that they need. public services obviously devolved in northern ireland but we will work with the executive i leaders to support them in

delivering better outcomes which is why am i secretary of state for health spoke to the health minister in northern ireland in the first week he was in the department. and i'm sure that he will be prepared to follow up should the honorable member wish to. >> in my constituency parents are fighting tooth and nail to travel extreme distances to secure services for their children. p.m. starmer: i thank him for his question and this reinforces the provisions that were a fee out -- that were a failure of the last government particularly in rural areas. we have a duty to pick this up and ensure that all children receive the right support to

proceed with their education and we will continue to do so. >> the government is quite right when you stay neutral but the issue with the bill is it makes it difficult to get it right the first time. if we get it wrong, the costs are too terrible to contemplate. the government had time to allow for the abortion pill to get through. will the prime minister commit to giving extra time to this bill to ensure that we get this right the first time? p.m. starmer: i thank him for raising this question on the really important issue and i do understand your strongly held views across the house and on both sides and within both sides. i do agree with him that it is important that we ensure that any change to the law if there is to be one is effective.

if the house gives the bill a second reading, it goes to committee as usual which would allow a more detailed scrutiny. what we do need a discussion more broadly on this important issue. >> cornwall is having blood greatest potential in europe in minerals and renewable energy. it is time to identify more strategic sources of investment funding which takes us away from the short-term investing that involves politics from the last decade. will the prime minister meet with the cornish mps? p.m. starmer: my honorable friend is absolutely right. the economic growth must be spread across the country pure it cannot just be focused in the southeast and london pure there

is the floating offshore wind report which sets out that the u.k. industry can support tens of thousands with jobs including huge opportunities, job opportunities and the south -- in the south. >> [inaudible] children across the u.k. 18 months ago i heard about the devastating impact on my constituents. does the prime minister agree that there should be researched to ensure that people and children get the support they need? p.m. starmer: i thank her for raising this important issue and reminding the house of the impact it has had and i think i can arrange that meeting so we

can take that further aboard. thank you. >> constituents are anxious about the financial situation at the county counsel. there are essential public services that have been hollowed out. what promise can you give me that essential services will be restored and the new formula will be a fair one focused on the needs of my constituents especially the most vulnerable? p.m. starmer: she highlights another failing of the last government. there had been years of underfunding leaving counsel -- this government will clear up the mess, will get counsel back on their feet and settlements

will help to allow the longer term work to be done. we recognize the importance of counsel that knows their constituents best. we can ensure that services they provide will get to the people that need it. >> in april, many found themselves underwater when the storm hits. it has been upgraded to a one in twenty-year rest. we still have not had a decision from the environment agency about coastal erosion and management funding that we have applied for pure winter is coming. my constituents are worried. when is he going to address this? p.m. starmer: this is an important issue in terms of --

we visited constituencies and areas that were flooded because there had been a failure to take protection. what i said in the campaign is that we would setup a flood resilience task force to get ahead of this. we will do that. and i ensure her that she will get the information that she needs. >> the final question. >>october is black history month and this year is the narrative. would like to thank mr. speaker in your parliament with the temptations and the prime minister -- [laughter] and the prime minister will be having an event in number 10 this evening. will the prime minister agree with me it is important we continue to have a debate on black history month? >> i am not sure at the moment going to something lab