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Harris seeks to lure winnable Republicans in Fox interview

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Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris was embroiled in heated exchanges in her first interview with US broadcaster Fox News. Harris said, if elected, her presidency would not be “a continuation of Joe Biden’s.”

US Vice President Kamala Harris faced a combative interview on Fox News on Wednesday, verbally sparring with anchor Bret Baier on immigration and her credibility as a change candidate.

 

The interview was her first foray onto the network — popular with conservative viewers — as she seeks to bolster her outreach to Republican-leaning voters less than three weeks before the November 5 election.

What happened in the interview?

Harris’ nearly 30-minute sit-down with Baier was a lively one, with the two repeatedly talking over on another.

At one point, Baier kept talking when Harris tried to answer to his challenges on immigration, Harris said: “May I please finish? … You have to let me finish, please.”

In another heated moment when pushing back against Baier’s line of questioning, the Democratic White House candidate said: “I would like if we could have a conversation that is grounded in a full assessment of the facts.”

While Harris tried multiple times to switch the conversation to attacking former US President Donald Trump, She also spoke about what a future presidency of her own might look like.

Just a week after saying she couldn’t name any move made by US President Joe Biden that she would have done differently, Harris asserted, “My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency.”

“Like every new president that comes into office, I will bring my life experiences, and my professional experiences and fresh and new ideas.”

What did Harris say about her opponent?

Asked to clarify her assertion that she wants to “turn the page,” Harris said her campaign was about “turning the page from the last decade in which we have been burdened with the kind of rhetoric coming from Donald Trump.”

“People are exhausted with someone who professes to be a leader and who spends full time demeaning and engaging in personal grievances,” she said, adding: “He’s not stable.”

On immigration — a policy area on which Harris is seen as vulnerable, she expressed regret over the deaths of women killed by people detained and then released after crossing into the US illegally during the Biden administration.

However, she criticized Trump for his role in holding up a bipartisan immigration bill earlier this year that would have increased border funding.

She said Trump had swayed lawmakers to reject the law because “he preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”

What DW’s United States correspondent thought

DW Washington correspondent Janelle Dumalaon said nearly the first third of the interview was taken up by a “crosstalk-heavy back-and-forth on immigration,” with Fox host Brett Baier attempting to unsettle Kamala Harris on what is seen as her weakest issue.

“Harris repeatedly tried, with limited success, to point out that it was former President Donald Trump who got in the way of a bipartisan border bill that would have helped address high levels of irregular immigration.

“At times the interview played like an assertiveness contest, with Baier repeatedly talking over the vice-president while she fought to make herself heard.

Dumalaon said the purpose for Harris was “to present the mainstays of her stump speech to those who might not have heard them yet.”

She said Harris appeared to have calculated that any share viewers still undecided, “however few,” were worth appealing to, and that she might even gain “bonus points if she can show them toughness in an adversarial situation.”

 

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He was my mentor – El-Rufai reveals how Buhari made him Kaduna gov

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A key member of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, coalition, Nasir El-Rufai, has disclosed how the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari was instrumental in his emergence as former governor of Kaduna State.

Describing Buhari as his mentor, El-Rufai disclosed that the late ex-President encouraged him to contest for governorship in 2014 and stood by him through his victory.

He disclosed this while mourning Buhari’s death in a clinic in London.

Posting on X, El-Rufai said Buhari stood up for Nigeria during war and peace.

He recalled how Buhari directed him to lead the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Renewal Committee after the 2011 elections.

He wrote: “I mourn the departure of President Muhammadu Buhari. He was a leader who stood up for our country in war and peace.

“I had the privilege of working with him in the CPC. President Buhari was my political mentor. He nudged me to contest for the governorship of Kaduna State, encouraged me by attending the flag-off of my campaign in November 2014, and stood by me to victory.

“I am profoundly grateful for his support during my tenure as governor and for the remarkable access he afforded me, even during rare moments of disagreement on policy matters.”

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Nigeria’s political class destroying our country – Senator Seriake Dickson warns

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Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, has accused Nigeria’s political elite of systematically destroying the nation’s democracy and institutions.

Dickson made the accusation in a speech at a one-day workshop organized by the Nigeria Civil Society’s Alliance for Democratic Change (NCSADC) in Abuja.

Dickson, who served as a two-term governor of Bayelsa State warned his fellow politicians of “unknowingly committing class suicide.”

According to him, their actions have not only weakened the nation’s democratic institutions but has also pushed the country further into crisis.

“The Nigerian political class has killed this country, and you guys [civil society] should not let it happen. “They are killing Nigeria; they are making this country look small.”

The Bayelsa born lamented the widespread practice of politicians moving from one party to another.

He said that politicians have formed the habit of manipulating institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to rig elections and silence opposition.

He expressed frustration with the subversion of institutions like the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, accusing politicians of manipulating them to rig elections and silence opposition.

“Our own democracy is the wishes and caprices of the president or a governor. They don’t even care how the world looks at Nigeria,”

Dickson slammed the judiciary, describing it as “helpless” and often reduced to reading “body language.”

He stated that court rulings have become predictable tools in the hands of those who control power.

Dickson further accused the ruling political elite of abusing federal institutions for electoral gain, using security operatives, soldiers, and the police to intimidate, harass, or even kill civilians during elections.

“They want to control INEC, they want results written for them. They use DSS, police, and the army, not to protect the people but to kill and suppress them during elections. That is the hallmark of a failed country.”

The lawmaker highlighted the growing disconnect between elected officials and the people.

He said many Nigerian politicians no longer relate to their constituents, nor do they feel accountable to them.

“They don’t even take calls from their people. Their homes are too big, too beautiful. Their people can’t even access them,” he lamented. “They know they don’t need the people to win elections. The system allows them to impose themselves.”

He charged civil society groups with the responsibility of holding the political class accountable, urging them to rise and defend democracy from total collapse.

“If a political class does not believe in free and fair elections, in the rule of law, in an impartial judiciary, then they are not just destroying the country, they are destroying themselves. That’s class suicide.”

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ADC moves to take over Imo, begins membership drive

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Imo State has bowed to take over Imo State in the 2027 elections.

The party in order to achieve it’s target has set up mechanism to admit individuals from other political parties who share its values and vision

The chairman of ADC in Imo State, Prof.James Okoroma stated this in a statement made available to newsmen, in Owerri on Tuesday.

Prof. Okoroma highlighted that the party is committed to good governance and promises to run an all-inclusive administration.

He said: “ADC welcomes individuals who share its values of progress, development, discipline, integrity, and honesty. ADC marks a new beginning, ending politics driven by corruption and deceit.”

He extended hand of fellowship to politicians to join the ADC, while assuring a level playing groud.

The 2023 governorship candidate of the party called citizenry to support and enrol with the party, assuring good governance as a reward for loyalty and consistency.

He explained that ADC’s consolidated agenda is tailored towards attracting like-minded persons and build strong and viable visibility across the geo political zones.

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