Kamala Harris mocked for rambling 'word salad' answer to why Democrats didn't codify Roe v. Wade: 'What is she saying?'



Vice President Kamala Harris was stumped by a question about Roe v. Wade, and proceeded to give a rambling answer.

During a CBS News interview, correspondent Robert Costa asked Harris, "When you look back, did Democrats fail – past Democratic presidents, congressional leaders – to not codify Roe v. Wade over the past five decades?"

Harris immediately ceased having eye contact with Costa, looked away, then gave a meandering response.

"I think that, to be very honest with you, I do believe that we should have rightly believed, but we certainly believe that certain issues are just settled. Certain issues are just settled," Harris rambled.

Costa quickly rebutted, "Clearly were not."

Harris replied, "No, that's right. And that's why I do believe that we are living, sadly, in real unsettled times."

\u201cEXCLUSIVE: Vice President Harris sits down with CBS News' @costareports to discuss the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade, the economy and gun violence ahead of the midterm elections.\n\nTune in tonight for the full interview on @CBSEveningNews and on Sunday\u2019s @FaceTheNation.\u201d
— CBS News (@CBS News) 1657314383

Vice President Harris was lampooned for her blathering response in numerous Twitter reactions.

Digital strategist Logan Hall: "Mastered the art of talking while saying nothing."

Progressive YouTuber Emma Vigeland: "This is incoherent. Is everything ok…?"

Former digital media adviser to Hillary Clinton Peter Daou: "WHAT IS SHE SAYING?"

Radio host Clay Travis: "How is it possible that Kamala Harris is this bad at public speaking?"

Writer Ryan Songalia: "Captions need a bouncing ball to follow along with the words."

"The Simpsons" writer Broti Gupta: "Kamala Harris talks like she has a translator earpiece on and it has water damage."

Republican consultant Erin Perrine: "Biden-Harris: The Ron Burgundy—Word Salad Chef Administration."

Radio host Erick Erickson: "Holy cow what a bad answer. This is going to cause a Dem revolt. The GOP has been after this for decades. But the Dems thought it settled so did nothing?!"

Editor Curtis Houck: "What is with this administration and an aversion to basic speaking skills and grasp of the English language?"

Kamala was also mocked this week for being "seriously" repetitive while giving a speech at the site of the 4th of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois.

"And — and we’ll deal with what we need to deal with in terms of also, as we move forward, all agreeing that we’ve got to be smarter as a country in terms of who has access to what and, in particular, assault weapons," Harris told the crowd.

"And we got to take this stuff seriously, as seriously as you are — because you have been forced to have to take it seriously," Vice President Harris blithered.

\u201cVice President Kamala Harris just spoke at the scene of the Highland Park mass shooting. \n\n\u201cWe have to take this stuff seriously, as seriously as you are because you have been forced to take this seriously,\u201d she said.\u201d
— Jake Sheridan (@Jake Sheridan) 1657067543

On Friday, Harris met with state legislative leaders from Indiana, Florida, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Montana who are seeking to expand abortion in their states.

Harris was repetitive once again.

The vice president uttered, "Well,thisreallydoeshighlight,um,theimportanceofelectionsandwhowillbeelectedintermsofwhogetselected."

\u201cKAMALA HARRIS: "Well this really does highlight um the importance of elections and who will be elected in terms of who gets elected"\u201d
— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1657313971

Also during the meeting, she said, "We cannot wait for Congress to act. Congress must act but also we cannot wait for Congress to act."

\u201cKAMALA HARRIS: "We cannot wait for Congress to act. Congress must act but also we cannot wait for Congress to act."\u201d
— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1657340246

However, it wasn't only the vice president who had a difficult time talking this week. President Joe Biden also suffered yet another round of verbal gaffes this week.

While speaking about a new executive order on abortion, Biden read instructions to "repeat the line" out loud from the teleprompter instead of repeating the line.

The president also read the words "end of quote" aloud instead of acknowledging that it was an end of a quote.

The White House assistant press secretary and the White House official transcript attempted to cover for President Biden by claiming that he said, "let me repeat the line," despite video evidence that he actually said, "repeat the line."

\u201cIn case you missed Biden's incredibly incoherent speech just now, here's a quick 21 second recap.\u201d
— Kyle Martinsen (@Kyle Martinsen) 1657299694

Video shows incredible outcome as fathers converge on Louisiana high school after 23 students are arrested in violent incidents



Dads stepped up in a big way after police arrested at least 23 students at a Louisiana high school over a string of violent incidents.

Video footage of the dads in action has gone viral across the internet, bringing in at least 11 million views at the time of this reporting.

What are the details?

Dads at Southwood High School in Louisiana, banded together to form "Dads on Duty" — a group of 40-strong dads who are taking turns spending time at the Shreveport-area school greeting students and acting as morale boosters throughout the day.

According to a report from CBS News — which points out that there hasn't been one single incident on campus since the group took to the school's hallways — students appreciate the fathers' presence.

One student said of the dads' presence, "I immediately felt a form of safety. We stopped fighting. People started going to class."

Another added, "They just make funny jokes like, 'Oh, hey, your shoe is untied,' but it's really not untied."

Father Michael LaFitte, who formed the group, said that the best people positioned to set positive examples for teens are dads themselves.

"The school has just been happy — and you can feel it," another student noted.

"We're dads," LaFitte said according to the outlet. "We decided the best people who can take care of our kids are who? Are us."

What else?

Conservative commentator Jason Whitlock lauded the group, and said that it's high time America received a new kind of nationwide requirement — a MANdate.

In a widely shared editorial, Whitlock wrote, "Men are the vaccine. An injection of masculine, male energy can improve every problem plaguing America. We can flatten the curve overnight."

"There are no negative side effects to men responsibly doing the job they were assigned — shepherding and discipling young people and families," he wrote. "Male energy passed clinical trials thousands of years ago. The Old Testament of the Bible says male energy achieved approval from the FDA — Father Dad Association — in the book of Genesis."

Whitlock continued, "We got two minutes on the blackcine. The public is thirsty for a conversation about the responsibilities of men and fathers. That's why the CBS video went viral. ... There's no respect for authority. Schools are drowning in emotion and misguided aggression. A small handful of men showed up at a school in Louisiana and flattened the curve with their mere presence."

He concluded, "A MANdate is all that's necessary to fix America."

In a statement on the morale boost at Southwood High School, the group added, "Not everybody has a father figure at home — or a male, period, in their life. So just to be here makes a big difference."

According to CBS News, the group wants to form chapters of Dads on Duty all throughout the state — and perhaps even further.

DADS ON DUTY: After a violent week of fighting at a Louisiana high school, parents knew something had to change. So… https://t.co/8pSWojPogR

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) 1634943535.0

Janet Yellen gets called out after claiming proposal for IRS to get bank account data is about holding wealthy Americans accountable



Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was promptly called out after defending a controversial proposal that could have the Internal Revenue Service intrusively tracking all bank accounts with transactions that annually total $600 or more.

What is the proposal?

To improve "tax compliance" and boost government revenue, the Treasury Department outlined a proposal in May that would allow the IRS to track bank account data for any account with withdrawals or deposits that annually total at least $600.

The proposal states:

This proposal would create a comprehensive financial account information reporting regime.Financial institutions would report data on financial accounts in an information return. Theannual return will report gross inflows and outflows with a breakdown for physical cash,transactions with a foreign account, and transfers to and from another account with the sameowner. This requirement would apply to all business and personal accounts from financialinstitutions, including bank, loan, and investment accounts, with the exception of accountsbelow a low de minimis gross flow threshold of $600 or fair market value of $600.

Further, the proposal would give the treasury secretary "broad authority to issue regulations necessary to implement this proposal."

What did Yellen say?

During an interview with "CBS Evening News" this week, Yellen defended the proposal, saying its purpose is to hold billionaires and wealthy Americans accountable.

"Look, the big picture is that we have a tax gap that over the next decade is estimated at $7 trillion," Yellen said. "Namely, a shortfall in the amount that IRS is collecting due to a failure of individuals to report the income that they have earned."

"But that's among billionaires," host Norah O'Donnell pointed out. "Is that among people who are transferring $600?"

"No, it tends to be among high-income individuals whose income is opaque and the IRS doesn't receive information about it," Yellen replied. "If you earn a paycheck, you get a W-2, the IRS knows about it. But high-income individuals with opaque sources of income that are not reported to the IRS, there's a lot of tax fraud and cheating that's going on, and all that's involved in this proposal is a few aggregate numbers about bank accounts: the amount that was received in the course of the year, the amount that went out in the course of a year."

“There’s a lot of tax fraud and cheating that’s going on.” Treasury @SecYellen tells @NorahODonnell the proposed $6… https://t.co/RpiLK3sLqR

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) 1634069505.0

What was the response?

Yellen was promptly called out and accused of being dishonest.

Critics pointed out the obvious: If the proposal is about holding accountable wealthy Americans, like billionaires, why is the annual transaction threshold proposed to be a mere $600?

  • "Can't tell you how many billionaires got that way by withdrawing $600 at a time from a bank. Because that would take literally 1,666,666 transactions," Ben Shapiro questioned.
  • "Biden will double the size of the IRS and surveil every bank account in America... and find that billionaires are corps still have better tax lawyers than the government and can defend everything they claim. But millions of small businesses will be audited blind," Phil Kerpen warned.
  • "That's insane. You don't become a Billionaire by hiding transactions of $600 from scrutiny," National Review's Michael Brendan Dougherty responded.
  • "$600 to hold billionaires accountable. This is an insult to the intelligence of the American people," another person reacted.
  • "This is the Chinese Communist Party's police state right here in America, Biden-style," Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) said.
  • "Everyone knows this is bulls**t. They know everyone knows this is bulls**t," another person said.
  • "I'm having a hard time understanding how this holds our billionaires accountable," one person wondered.
  • "Wow, if $600 is the threshold then I know more billionaires than I realized," another person mocked.

If the proposal ever came to fruition, it would take effect for tax years beginning after 2022.

Amid Biden's green jobs push, GM announces $1 billion electric vehicle investment — in Mexico



Amid the Biden administration's push for green energy jobs in America, General Motors announced plans on Thursday to invest more than $1 billion toward the production of electric vehicles in Mexico.

What are the details?

In a statement in Spanish posted on GM's Mexico site, the company said the investment will fund a new painting plant at its Ramos Arizpe complex in Coahuila, with an anticipated launch date of June 2021.

The facility will reportedly begin producing at least one GM-brand electric vehicle by 2023, the company said, adding that the facility will also produce batteries and electrical components used to power the vehicles by the fall of this year.

Construction is reportedly already under way at the plant, where the company currently produces the Chevrolet Equinox and Chevrolet Blazer in addition to engines and transmissions.

"We are very proud to contribute to the realization of GM's Vision of Zero Collisions, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion, contributing to the manufacture of electric vehicles," Francisco Garza, president and CEO of GM Mexico, said in the statement.

What else?

The announcement ironically came just one day after President Joe Biden cast the climate change policies of his administration as a driving force for the U.S. economy.

"If we act to save the planet, we can create millions of jobs and economic growth and opportunity," the president said in his first joint address to Congress Thursday evening.

"For me, when I think about climate change, I think jobs," he added. "There's no reason the blades for wind turbines can't be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing. No reason why American workers can't lead the world in the production of electric vehicles and batteries."

"There is simply no reason why the blades for wind turbines can’t be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing," Pres.… https://t.co/gEyweOlOEm

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) 1619660102.0

During the speech, the president touted his administration's proposed infrastructure spending bill, called the "American Jobs Plan," saying its environmental initiatives will result in "millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in economic growth" in America.

"These are good-paying jobs that can't be outsourced," he explained.

The behemoth spending package is slated to cost more than $2 trillion and will require the largest tax hike in three decades to pay for it.

Anything else?

In response to GM's announcement, Terry Dittles, vice president of the United Auto Workers association, called the move a "slap in the face" to union members and American taxpayers.

"At a time when General Motors is asking for a significant investment by the U.S. government in subsidizing electric vehicles, this is a slap in the face for not only UAW members and their families but also for U.S. taxpayers and the American workforce," he said in a statement.

"General Motors automobiles made in Mexico are sold in the United States and should be made right here, employing American workers," he continued. "That is why our nation is investing in these companies. Taxpayer money should not go to companies that utilize labor outside the U.S. while benefiting from American government subsidies."

"This is not the America any of us signed on for. Frankly, it is unseemly," he added.

According to Fox Business, GM responded to UAW's complaints by noting it has "recently announced nearly 9,000 jobs and more than $9 billion in new electric vehicle or battery cell manufacturing facilities in Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee."