Kamala Harris on KDKA-TV with Jon Delano | October 1, 2024

 Auto-transcribed on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.media and text playback available on this page: https://aliceapp.ai/recordings/ZCX5e9tRxo6c0aIGFMAJgkSi1EfTWQl4

Key 	Value 	
Words: 	1,759 	
Duration: 	00:11:01 	
Recorded on: 	Unknown date 	
Uploaded on: 	2024-10-22 22:29:44 UTC 	
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At: 	Unknown location 	
Using: 	Uploaded to aliceapp.ai 	

Speakers:

 Kamala Harris - 71.29%

 Jon Delano - 28.71%

Notes:

Summary by ChatGPT- Support for Israel: Harris reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Israel's defense and its ability to defend itself against threats, especially those posed by Iran and Iranian-backed terrorist groups. She emphasized the importance of U.S. interests and stability in the region.- Fracking and Energy Policy: Harris clarified her position on fracking, stating that she does not support a ban and had, in fact, cast a vote to expand fracking leases. She emphasized her support for a clean energy economy without the need to eliminate fracking.- U.S. Steel Industry: Harris stressed the importance of keeping U.S. Steel an American company for national security and economic reasons, while also ensuring that American workers are employed. She expressed a commitment to keeping steel jobs in Pittsburgh.- Vice Presidential Debate and Tim Walz: Harris expressed confidence in Tim Walz's debate performance, highlighting his experience as a teacher, coach, and governor, as well as his connection with working-class voters.- Economic Plans for Working Families: Harris discussed her economic proposals, which include down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, tax deductions for middle-class families and small businesses, and efforts to build an opportunity economy for all Americans.

[00:00:09]  Kamala Harris 
Hi, John from Pittsburgh. How are you?

[00:00:12]  Jon Delano 
Well, Madam vice president. From where? California? Washington, everywhere. Nice to see you.

[00:00:17]  Kamala Harris 
I'm in Washington, DC today. Thank you. Good to see you.

[00:00:21]  Jon Delano 
It's great to see you again. Thank you for doing this with me. I have about five questions from folks in Pittsburgh, but I want to ask you a question. First of all, given what's happened in the Mideast right now, how far, how far would the us government go to protect the state of Israel?

[00:00:41]   
Us troops on air, in the air, on sea or on land?

[00:00:48]  Kamala Harris 
So let me start by saying that today I was, uh, with the president in the situation room for several hours, along with members of our national security team. And I am pleased to report that based on everything we know as of this moment, um, our, uh, position, which is to support Israel and its right to defend itself, and Israel's ability to defend itself today was quite successful.

[00:01:16]   
And we must all agree that it is in the best interest of the United States, much less our allies, Israel, to ensure that Iran not have the ability to do what it was attempting to do today. It is an american interest to make sure that we take seriously the threat Iran that it poses, not only to our interests, to our personnel, and, um, into stability in that region, both Iran and Iran backed terrorists.

[00:01:49]   
And we will be unwavering. I will be unwavering in my commitment to Israel's ability to defend itself and to take seriously the need to deal with Iran in terms of the threat that it poses to us interests, to our allies, and to stability in the region.

[00:02:07]  Jon Delano 
So you don't foresee the need for american forces to get into combat?

[00:02:13]  Kamala Harris 
No, absolutely not.

[00:02:15]  Jon Delano 
Let me turn to another issue that's, uh, nationwide. Everybody's thinking about, and that's in a couple hours, there's going to be a debate involving your vice presidential running mate. And you've got some experience with vice presidential debates. What have you recommended to governor walls in this debate?

[00:02:35]  Kamala Harris 
You know, I've just asked him to be himself. I hope that your viewers get a chance to know Tim Walls, if you don't already. He's. Look, Tim Walls was a teacher, a, uh, football coach. He is a governor of a state that is actually reported to be the 6th best in the country for doing business.

[00:02:56]   
And hes just a good guy. Hes a dad, hes a husband, hes a community member. He served in the national guard. Um, and I think that your viewers, if you watch the debate, what youre going to see is a real contrast between two individuals. And I think what you're going to see in Tim Walls is the guy on the stage who really has your best interest in mind and has a sense of what you're going through and a desire to help you.

[00:03:26]   
And that's one of the things that I think is the strength of Tim Walls and why he's going to do really well tonight.

[00:03:31]  Jon Delano 
Well, madam vice President, I don't have to tell you how important natural gas is to this region. It's how we heat our homes and our factories in this region. It's, uh, very plentiful and cheaper than oil, and we extract natural gas through fracking. So I wanted to ask you, there's a political ad on tv from a 2019 climate hall town meeting that you had in which you basically said, quote, there's no question I'm in favor of banning fracking, unquote.

[00:04:06]   
The ad claims that if you're elected president, you will ban fracking and you will cost Pennsylvania over 300,000 jobs. Have you changed your view on fracking? And if so, why?

[00:04:24]  Kamala Harris 
So let me start by saying that that ad, as you described it, is absolutely a mischaracterization that I think is intended to make people afraid of. Of my presidency. Uh, let me be absolutely clear, as I've been when I said it back in 2020, I will not ban fracking. I did not. As vice president, in fact, I cast the tiebreaking vote to open up more fracking leases.

[00:04:53]   
And my perspective on this is grounded in a number of things, including that we don't have to ban fracking to do the work that we can do to also invest in a clean energy economy. So that's where I stand, period. As president of the United States, I will not ban fracking. I did not, as vice president of the United States.

[00:05:15]   
And frankly, I think some of those ads are misleading, intentionally, to suggest to folks that they should be afraid. Um, because on the other side, what you've got in my opponent is somebody who could and has not really done much about lifting up the middle class. My perspective on this issue is that I'm going to bring jobs back to rural communities.

[00:05:37]   
I'm going to make sure that we invest in those communities that have done the kind of work that you have in mind when we talk about Pittsburgh, when we talk about the greater aspect of Pennsylvania, and I'm going to keep doing that work.

[00:05:50]  Jon Delano 
Let me move to another issue that's important to Pittsburgh. Ah. Both you and former President Trump have made it quite clear that under your presidencies, a foreign steel company like Japan's Nippon Steel will not be allowed to purchase us steel. But us Steel tells us that if you block the sale and stop the promised investment from Nippon, it may shut down the blast furnaces in our area and even move its headquarters from Pittsburgh.

[00:06:25]   
So how will you block Nippon but keep our steel jobs right here?

[00:06:32]  Kamala Harris 
So let me tell you where I'm coming from. I feel very strongly that us steel needs to remain a us company and that, uh, the people working there need to be american workers. And I think that is also why I am proud. And I do have the support of the steelworkers union, because I just think that when you think about it in terms of a historic American industry, not to mention what it means for the workforce and the economy of Pittsburgh, of Pennsylvania, but also from a national security perspective, it is important that we have us manufacturing of us steel.

[00:07:13]   
And listen, I've been vice president now for four years. I've traveled around the world. I start my day every day being briefed on hot spots around the world and threats to our national security. When I think about the importance of supporting us workers and US steel, it is through the lens of not only what we should do to protect that workforce, but what we should do to protect us and american interests.

[00:07:37]  Jon Delano 
But if you block this foreign acquisition, how can you guarantee that there will be support? Will it come from the federal government to make sure that these furnaces stay open and that jobs are kept here in Pittsburgh?

[00:07:50]  Kamala Harris 
It is my priority to keep the jobs in Pittsburgh. Understanding again that the folks who are doing that work are doing hard work, good work. It is part of not only a, uh, tradition of american industry to do that work, but it is part of what we need to invest in the future.

[00:08:07]  Jon Delano 
Two more quick questions, Madam Vice president. Former President Trump says that you've had four years as vice president to do all the things you've promised in the campaign, but haven't done it. Is he right? Or did President Biden not give you or limited in some way your role as vice president?

[00:08:28]  Kamala Harris 
So let's start with this. I, um, think that the former president is, um, really becoming quite desperate, and, um, has really been, um, offering a lot of misstatements and misinformation. And perhaps it's because he wants to distract from the fact that he has offered no plan for the american people. Uh, I have talked about this before.

[00:08:55]   
I invite you to go to his rallies, and what you'll hear about full time is him talking about himself and his personal grievances. But what you won't hear him talking about is you and the needs that you have as a working person, as a family person. My plan is about building an opportunity economy where I'm going to give first time homebuyers a $25,000 down payment assistance so they can get their foot in their door to be able to be a homeowner.

[00:09:21]   
My plan is about $6,000 tax deduction for middle class families for the first year of their child's life to help them buy a crib or a car seat. My plan is about getting a $50,000 tax deduction to start up businesses to our small businesses, knowing that they are part of the backbone of America's economy.

[00:09:41]   
Those are my plans. And I think that, unfortunately, what we've got on the other side is someone who wants to distract from the fact that his plan is about giving billionaires and big corporations a tax break like he did the last time and doing that again.

[00:09:54]  Jon Delano 
But you would acknowledge that as vice president, you can't do the things that you can do as president.

[00:10:01]  Kamala Harris 
Well, absolutely. There's only one president in the United States. Um, but I have been very excited to spend time in Pittsburgh and in Pennsylvania. I was just in Pittsburgh, actually, talking about my economic plan, um, but to spend time in Pittsburgh and in the rest of the state, talking with folks about what I intend to do as president.

[00:10:21]   
And I am so honored and humbled to have received a lot of the support from the folks in that beautiful city of Pittsburgh and around the state, because I believe that what I am talking about in terms of lifting up american workers and american families is something people want to know that their president will do.

[00:10:39]  Jon Delano 
Well, Madam vice president, we are always happy to have you in Pittsburgh. I've got a couple more questions, but let's hold it, because I'd love to get together with you in person, rather than through this, uh, Internet system. Can we do it?

[00:10:53]  Kamala Harris 
Let's try and do that. I would like that. Great to be with you. And I'll be back in Pittsburgh sometime soon. Okay?

[00:11:00]  Jon Delano 
Thank you, ma'am.

[00:11:01]  Kamala Harris 
Thank you.