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Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz faced backlash on social media after he defended an individual healthcare mandate during a back and forth with his counterpart, Republican Sen. JD Vance, in their first and only debate on Tuesday night. “The question about this of young people, whatever, that’s the individual mandate,” Walz said during a conversation on healthcare and the Affordable Care Act at the CBS News debate in New York City. “And Republicans fought tooth and nail saying Americans should be free to do this.”

Vance then interjected, asking, “Tim do you think the individual mandate is a good idea?”

“I think the idea of making sure the risk pool is broad enough to cover everyone — that’s the only way insurance works. When it doesn’t, it collapses. You are asking pre- ACA where we get people out. Look, people know that they need to be on health care. People expect it to be there.”BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN HAS ‘FAILED’ REPEATEDLY ON HEALTH CARE: ANALYSISWalz went on to say that the ACA “works” but we can “continue to do better.”Walz’s comments defending the individual mandate drew criticism on social media, with people pointing out that it was repealed during the Trump administration.”We eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on Americans making less than $50,000 a year — forcing them to pay tremendous penalties simply because they could not afford government-ordered health plans,” Trump told an audience during the 2018 State of the Union Address.”We repealed the core of disastrous Obamacare — the individual mandate is now gone,” he added.7 REASONS TO FEAR KAMALA HARRIS’ RADICAL ‘MEDICARE-FOR-ALL’ SCHEMES”Tim Walz just endorsed reinstating the Obamacare mandate which was a massive tax penalty for Americans who can’t afford to buy insurance,” GOP Sen. Tom Cotton posted on X. “Oh my god, Walz defending the individual mandate,” journalist Josh Barro posted on X. “Does he know there isn’t one anymore?””Tim Walz doubles down on his support for Obamacare’s individual mandate tax, by far the least popular part of Obamacare,” Americans for Tax Reform Director Mike Palicz posted on X.”This would violate Kamala’s pledge not to raise taxes on anyone earning less than $400K. Trump Tax Cuts repealed the hated individual mandate tax.”During the debate, Vance argued, “Donald Trump has said that if we allow states to experiment a little bit on how to cover both the chronically ill, but the non-chronically ill, it’s not just a plan. He actually implemented some of these regulations when he was President of the United States. And I think you can make a really good argument that it salvaged Obamacare, which was doing disastrously until Donald Trump came along.”Fox News Digital reported Monday that Walz has previously voiced his support for single-payer government-run healthcare.”I think that’s probably the path where we end up,” Walz said in a 2018 debate while running for governor when asked, “Are you for single-payer?””And I say that because, be very clear about this, there were no protections for preexisting conditions before the ACA,” Walz continued. “A vote for the ACA was the first time in this nation’s history we had those protections and making sure people have that protection, making sure they were covered, and then making sure we were focused on preventative care, people were finally getting that under the ACA, we started to see health outcomes improve and that’s the real key to driving down insurance premium prices.”



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Publish date : 2024-10-02 10:00:50

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Members of the legacy media appear to agree that Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz underperformed at the CBS News Vice Presidential debate. “I think there was a clear lack of preparation and execution on Walz’s part,” CNN anchor Abby Phillip said. ABC News’ Linsey Davis called out Walz’s “uncomfortable, cringey moments,” linking his debate performance to President Biden’s disastrous showing at the CNN debate.”It kind of reminded me of the June 27 debate when Kamala Harris said that night of Joe Biden ‘It was a slow start but a strong finish.’ And that’s how I felt that Tim Walz kind of did tonight,” Davis said. “Dems are fortunate presidential debates tend to matter a lot more than VP debates,” Cook Political Report senior editor Dave Wasserman reacted on X.JD VANCE REMINDS CBS MODERATORS OF DEBATE RULES AFTER THEY TRY TO FACT-CHECK HIM”Where is the Tim Walz who went viral going after ‘weird’ Republicans? Not showing up on that debate stage so far tonight…” New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser posted. “Gov. Walz is not prosecuting the case rather its a nicefest. If you agree with Vance on so much then why should we vote for you?” MSNBC host Symone Sanders Townsend asked the governor.  “Sen. Vance is giving revisionist history on Trump’s agenda & what they would do & b/c the moderators are not fact checking…it sounds sane.””Walz’s answers are smart and substantive. But I hate to say it, the delivery is a bit off — he’s just not as engaging as he often is. Hoping he gets a little more energetic and less nervous as this goes on,” liberal columnist Jill Filipovic said. WALZ STUNS INTERNET WITH VP DEBATE GAFFE: ‘I’VE BECOME FRIENDS WITH SCHOOL SHOOTERS’Others made it clear that Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio was the clear winner of the night. “I would rate that the most successful Republican debate performance of this century, eclipsing Romney in the first debate with Obama in 2012,” New York Times columnist Ross Douthat said.”Vance is going home tonight with Walz’s wallet. Vance didn’t even have to snatch it, Walz just handed it over, along with a bunch of unearned compliments to Vance’s fine character,” The Atlantic’s David Frum concluded.”Vance is winning the debate. He is clearly the best debater of the 4 candidates running for president or vice president. His abortion answer/pivot was masterful,” former CNN editor-at-large Chris Cillizza said. “Walz has been fine — but uneven. His answer on the lie that he was in China during Tiananmen Square was AWFUL.””Malpractice that Walz didn’t have a sharp, succinct answer to the Tiananmen Square question ready to go,” The Atlantic writer Tim Alberta similarly noted. “I say this with love: Democrats are too dependent on friendly treatment from the moderators,” Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle reacted to Alberta’s comment. WALZ FORCED TO CORRECT RECORD ON WHETHER HE WAS IN CHINA FOR THE TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTSSome critics knocked Walz’s lack of media exposure leading to his fumbling performance. “I think the lack of interviews he has done with national media, with local media, it showed,” said CNN anchor Dana Bash, the only journalist who has interviewed Walz since he joined the Democratic ticket. “I think that Walz did seem unsteady,” ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl said. “And frankly, what I saw is somebody who has not faced questions on a national stage since he became the Democratic nominee. He was simply out of practice. I mean, I don’t know why they’ve done it, but they’ve kept him out of the limelight. They’ve kept him away from reporters. They haven’t had him do any interviews. And he was clearly unsteady through much of that debate. In contrast, J.D. Vance was very smooth.””Hate to say it but Walz would have benefitted from doing a few Sunday morning shows, as Vance has been,” Financial Times associate editor Edward Luce said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPMSNBC’s Rachel Maddow perhaps offered a more charitable take on the debate.  “I wouldn’t describe them as evenly matched because they are so different, so different in style and so different on substance,” Maddow told her MSNBC colleagues. “I think the big picture takeaway in this is that one of these candidates is much slicker than the other, much more practiced, kind of professional debate style speaker, and the other candidate won.” 



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Publish date : 2024-10-02 09:00:22

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Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., met face to face on Tuesday night in New York City for the only vice presidential debate before the election. The event covered a variety of subjects ranging from immigration to climate change to abortion as the two lesser known politicians sought to make their introductions to American voters before election day. Here are the top moments from the debate: VANCE, WALZ SPAR OVER ABORTION AND IMMIGRATION IN FIRST AND ONLY VP DEBATEAfter CBS News’ Margaret Brennan offered an impromptu fact-check in response to Vance describing cities being overwhelmed by illegal immigration, noting that many Haitians in Springfield, Ohio have been granted a legal status, Vance hit back at her for violating the terms of the debate. “Margaret, the rules were that you are not going to fact-check. And since you’re fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on,” he said. “So there’s an application called the CBP one app where you can go on as an illegal migrant, apply for asylum or apply for parole and be granted legal status at the wave of a Kamala Harris open border wand.”WALZ REPEATS GEORGIA ABORTION DEATH FALSEHOOD DECRIED BY DOCTORS AS ‘FEARMONGERING’Vance told Walz that he was sorry to hear that his son had been witness to a shooting, in a moment of civility that was particularly frequent during the vice presidential debate. This civility has also been less and less common during presidential debates, which have proven contentious in recent election cycles. “I didn’t know that your 17-year-old witnessed a shooting, and I’m sorry about that,” the senator told Walz. “I appreciate it,” Walz said. “Christ have mercy,” Vance remarked. JD VANCE REMINDS CBS MODERATORS OF DEBATE RULES AFTER THEY TRY TO FACT-CHECK HIM”The American citizens have had their lives destroyed by Kamala Harris’s open border. It is a disgrace, Tim,” Vance said during the debate.”And I actually think I agree with you,” the Ohio senator said, adding, “I think you want to solve this problem.””But I don’t think that Kamala Harris does.” Walz claimed there would be “a registry of pregnancies” under what he said was Trump and Vance’s Project 2025. The Project 2025 is an endeavor of conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation.”It’s going to make it more difficult, if not impossible, to get contraception and limit access, if not eliminate access, to infertility treatments,” he said. But Vance denied this claim. “No, certainly we won’t,” he pushed back at the statement. WALZ FORCED TO CORRECT RECORD ON WHETHER HE WAS IN CHINA FOR THE TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTSWalz referred back to his notes in one answer on Tuesday night, after frequently scribbling down observations during the debate. “I made a note of this,” he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP”Economists can’t be trusted. Science can’t be trusted. National security folks can’t be trusted,” he listed, referencing Vance’s skepticism of those heralded as experts. “Look, if you’re going to be president, you don’t have all the answers. Donald Trump believes he does.”Even Trump poked fun at the noticeable amount of notes that the Minnesota governor was taking, writing on Truth Social, “Walz is taking so many notes – Never seen a Candidate take more! He needs the notes to keep his brain intact.”Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.



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Publish date : 2024-10-02 08:00:39

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In recent weeks, Tim Walz’ team tried to lower expectations for his debate with rival JD Vance. Now we know why. Democratic vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Walz did not turn in a disastrous performance on the debate stage, but he was clearly outclassed by Ohio Sen. Vance. Trump supporters who have questioned the young Ohio senator’s qualifications for the nation’s second-highest office, or asked why the former president chose him to be his running mate, slept better on Tuesday night. He was sharp, appealing, and policy-savvy. Most important, Vance totally upended the media’s unflattering characterization of him by being sympathetic, respectful and likeable. Vance had the advantage of having held dozens of press interviews in recent weeks; he was ready and tested. By contrast, Walz has done almost no unscripted encounters with the media since he became the Democrats’ vice-presidential candidate; his inability to go beyond talking points and delve deep into policy was not surprising. VANCE, WALZ VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ENDS WITH BOTH CANDIDATES TOUTING ‘NEW’ FUTUREWalz spent much of the debate talking about programs he claimed to have successfully enacted in Minnesota, like paid family leave. What he was supposed to do on Tuesday night was make the case for running mate Vice President Kamala Harris.  As with the ABC presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the CBS News moderators embarrassed themselves by clearly favoring the Democrat contestant. Moreover, CBS’ Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell affected a grating school-marmish tone, overly eager to chaperone what was an extremely orderly debate.  Their questions featured well-worn Democrat priorities (climate change, abortion) and they largely avoided topics that could have played well for Vance, like crime. O’Donnell challenged the senator on Trump formerly calling climate change a “hoax” and then asserted gratuitously that “the overwhelming consensus is that the climate is changing.” WALZ REPEATS GEORGIA ABORTION DEATH FALSEHOOD DECRIED BY DOCTORS AS ‘FEARMONGERING’Moreover, having said they would not fact-check the candidates, the two women intervened more than once to question a response from Vance, while doing so only one time with Walz.Unhappily for the Minnesota governor, that one probing question was calamitous. Asked why he had falsely claimed to be in Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Walz launched into a word salad that would have made Kamala Harris proud, talking about his experiences traveling in China. Asked again to answer why he had been untruthful, Walz misfired and looked stunned. In effect, he was caught out in a lie. Since he has a history of spinning falsehoods about his past, and especially about his military rank, this was not helpful.Vance, like Walz, was meant to argue the case for his running mate, and that he did. When the moderators and Walz derided Trump’s claim during the presidential debate that he had the “concept of a plan” on health care, Vance said that Trump did not have a plan – he had a record. More than once during the evening he reminded the audience that during Trump’s presidency inflation was low, the border was closed and the world was at peace.KAMALA HARRIS MAKES A DESPERATE MOVE ON A CRITICAL ISSUE TO SAVE A SINKING CAMPAIGNWhen moderator Margaret Brennan pushed Vance to explain why Trump had abandoned the Iran nuclear deal, thus purportedly allowing the terror state to speed up its efforts to build a nuclear weapon, Vance noted that for the past three-plus years Harris and Biden have been in charge. He rightly pointed out that they helped rebuild Iran’s ability to wage war by not enforcing the Trump sanctions, thus allowing the mullahs to grow their income by $100 billion. With Iran just having attacked Israel with 180 missiles, Vance’s referencing the Reagan-Trump doctrine of peace through strength resonated. While Walz repeated Harris’ vague promises about making life better for middle class families, Vance reminded the audience that take-home pay had risen under Trump and inflation was low, while under Harris, prices on everything from food to housing had shot up more than 20%. When Walz claimed economists backed Harris’ plan over Trump’s, Vance responded that Trump didn’t have Ph.D.s on his team, he had common sense. When Walz accused Trump of wanting to enact tariffs on imports, which would serve as a new tax on Americans, Vance congratulated President Joe Biden on keeping the former president’s tariffs on China in place, defusing the issue. Over and over during the nearly two hour debate, Vance asked the most salient question, also posed by Trump during his debate. Harris has been in the White House for the past three and a half years – why hasn’t she moved forward on the policies she now claims will solve the nation’s problems?CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONVance clearly won the dispute over the border, noting that Harris had bragged for three years about undoing all the restrictions that Trump put in place. When Brennan challenged Vance on how Trump would handle separating families while carrying out deportations, Vance referred to the horrifying report that the Department of Homeland Security has lost track of more than 320,000 children brought across the border illegally – a damning and heartbreaking situation that has resulted from Harris’ open border.Not surprisingly, the debate got heated on the subject of abortion. Vance criticized the Minnesota law signed by Walz that does not require the doctor to do everything necessary for the care of a baby that survives a late-term abortion. Walz disputed the characterization, but Vance is correct.  Walz, meanwhile, charged Vance with having earlier backed a 15-week national abortion ban. Vance explained that he shares Trump’s view that the states are now charged with setting the regulations.The candidates sparred on other topics, and took expected swipes at each other’s running mates, but both maintained their composure and even agreed that on some issues, like school safety, they could likely find some common ground. Especially given the Harris-Walz strategy of avoiding scrutiny and trying to hide their progressive agendas, it was an unusually useful event for America’s voters.The winner of the night, without a doubt, was JD Vance. Will it matter? After all, many argue that no one votes for the V.P. But voters tell pollsters they do not enough about Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Now they know more, and on the basis of Tuesday night’s performance, Vance might have won over a few folks. With the race a dead heat, everything matters. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM LIZ PEEK



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Publish date : 2024-10-02 05:37:59

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The Justice Department charged a former primary opponent of Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., with threatening to send a “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to kill his political rival. William Robert Braddock III, 41, of St. Petersburg, Florida, was charged with threatening to kill his primary opponent in the 2021 election for the 13th Congressional District of Florida, and a private citizen and acquaintance of his opponent, the Justice Department announced Friday. The indictment, unsealed in the Middle District of Florida on Thursday, describes the targeted individuals as only “Victim 1” and “Victim 2.” On June 8, 2021, prosecutors say Braddock allegedly made several threats to injure and kill his primary opponent during a phone call with the second victim, specifically stating that he would “call up my Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to make the rival candidate disappear. The DOJ said Braddock left the United States after making the alleged threats and was later found to be residing in the Philippines. Braddock was recently deported from the Philippines to the United States and made his first court appearance in Los Angeles on Thursday. DEM OPERATIVE FISHED FOR OPPO RESEARCH IN ANTISEMITIC, LEWD TEXT MESSAGES, HOUSE REPUBLICAN CHARGESLuna, an Air Force veteran and former media consultant, was not named in the indictment. While she was running for Congress, however, Luna contended in 2021 civil court documents that Braddock, a fellow GOP challenger and former Marine, was stalking her and wanted her dead. A judge granted Luna and a conservative activist and friend of hers, Erin Olszewski, a temporary restraining order against Braddock. He subsequently dropped out of the race, denying the allegations and citing publicity from the case. Politico reported at the time that Olszewski had secretly recorded a phone call with Braddock in which he said an alleged “Russian and Ukrainian hit squad” could kill Luna within 24 hours. “Luna’s going to go down and I hope it’s by herself,” Braddock allegedly said in the recording, according to Politico, which said it had obtained the recording in June 2021. “For the better or the good of the majority of the people, we’ve got to sacrifice the few.”In a text message to Politico then, Braddock reportedly said the tape “may even be altered and edited” and that he may bring civil lawsuits and seek criminal charges against those in possession of the recording. In court proceedings regarding whether the restraining order would be made permanent, Luna, who was endorsed by former President Trump twice, testified that she had only brief in-person contact with Braddock at a political event, but heard from several acquaintances that he was allegedly making threats to have her killed.ANNA PAULINA LUNA TO FORCE VOTE ON GARLAND’S ARREST THIS WEEK AFTER DOJ REFUSES CRIMINAL REFERRAL”Mr. Braddock clearly hated my guts and wanted to hurt me,” Luna said in court, according to The Associated Press. “I started getting very afraid of him. It was horrifying, and it still is.””I think he’s an evil person,” she said in September 2021. “I think he has definitely emotionally terrorized me.”Olszewski testified that she secretly recorded a phone call she initiated with Braddock in which he allegedly claimed the purported Russian-Ukrainian hit squad would respond quickly if he made a single phone call – and also allegedly made veiled threats against her three children if she repeated what he said. Olszewski said she shared the contents of the Braddock call she recorded on an iPad with Luna, and both women called police.In the new indictment unsealed last week, Braddock is charged with one count of interstate transmission of a true threat to injure another person. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.  The case was brought in relation to the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, which was announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2021 to address violent threats against election workers. Fox News Digital reached out to Luna’s office for comment on Sunday but did not immediately hear back. A spokesperson for the GOP congresswoman declined to comment to NBC News about the indictment but said Luna has “faced a growing number of death threats” in the last month, signaling a “broader and more disturbing issue of violence in the political arena.”The Associated Press contributed to this report. 



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Publish date : 2024-09-29 16:16:06

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