Sunny Hostin feels 'terrible' about Kamala Harris fumbling her viral question about differences with Biden
"The View" co-host Sunny Hostin defended her viral question to former Vice President Kamala Harris last year that set back her campaign in a new podcast interview, but Hostin said she felt "terrible" that it had such an impact.
As producer Brian Teta joked on the show's "Behind the Table" podcast that Hostin had "single-handedly taken down the Democratic Party" with her question to Harris about differences between her and President Joe Biden, the liberal co-host insisted it was fair and something Harris should have expected.
Harris joined the co-hosts of "The View" in early October 2024 and was asked by Hostin if there was anything she would have done differently than Biden over the course of the presidency. Harris told the co-hosts, "not a thing comes to mind," which was widely criticized and seen by some as a turning point for the campaign, given Biden's unpopularity and Harris avoiding an easy opportunity to create space for herself.
"I knew it instantly when she answered it," Hostin said during the podcast conversation, when asked by Teta if she knew it would be a viral moment. "Which is why I asked the follow-up question, 'is there one thing?' Because I knew, I could see the soundbite and I knew what was going to happen, but I thought it was a really fair question and I thought it was a question that she would expect."
Top Kamala Harris Campaign Advisor Admits She Was Floored By Democrat's Major Flub On 'View'
Hostin had no interest in hurting Harris' chances. The liberal co-host openly supported Harris and also predicted she would easily win the election.
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Hostin argued she felt Harris needed to express what her administration would look like in contrast with Biden's.
"And now Jake Tapper wrote it in his book?" she asked her fellow co-host, Alyssa Farah Griffin. "I feel terrible."
Teta also asked the co-hosts if they felt Harris' answer really cost her the election.
"No, right?" Hostin asked the live audience present, as she smiled. Co-host Sara Haines and Teta agreed, as Griffin suggested it did play a role in her loss.
"The Trump campaign put so much ad money behind that specific clip and what they were trying to do is tie her to Biden's unfavorabilities, but more than that, just simply the right-track, wrong-track of the election… They used it to say, 'Well, she's not going to do anything different,'" Griffin said.
Biden Denies Telling Harris There Could Be 'No Daylight' Between Them, Addresses Former Vp's 'View' Moment
Democratic strategist James Carville said after the election that Harris' loss could be reduced to the viral moment on "The View."
"The country wants something different. And she's asked, as is so often the case, in a friendly audience, on 'The View,' 'How would you be different than Biden?' That's the one question that you exist to answer, alright? That is it. That's the money question. That's the one you want. That's the one that everybody wants to know the answer to. And you freeze! You literally freeze and say, 'Well, I can't think of anything,'" Carville said last November after Trump's win.
At the start of the podcast discussion, Behar quipped, "it's Sunny's fault she didn't win."
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Hostin said in November she was surprised by Harris' flub, and called it a layup question at the time.
"I was surprised at the answer because it was a question that really could have inured to her benefit. It was a question that could have been a change maker," she said.Original article source: Sunny Hostin feels 'terrible' about Kamala Harris fumbling her viral question about differences with Biden
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The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Newsom's stock rises after clash with Trump
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is seeing his name rise toward the top of potential 2028 contenders following his fight with President Trump over the unrest in Los Angeles. In the wake of immigration protests that roiled the city and prompted Trump to send in the National Guard without Newsom's approval, the governor has framed himself as the face of resistance to Trump's second-term moves, energizing Democrats and upping his 2028 primary chances in a recent Morning Consult poll. But Democrats also acknowledge Newsom faces an uphill climb as he handles the end of his tenure as governor and navigates the nation's polarized political climate. 'He's doing really well among Democrats, both in California and throughout the nation. He's getting a boost in 2025,' said John Pitney, a politics professor at Claremont McKenna College in California. 'Unfortunately for him, a presidential nomination won't happen until 2028.' Newsom, who emerged during Trump's first administration as a leader of the Democratic resistance, started the year with what appeared to be a friendlier approach to the administration and a GOP-controlled Washington. He struck a conciliatory tone as he lobbied Trump for aid after catastrophic wildfires ravaged California in the winter, and then he made headlines with the launch of a podcast hosting prominent Trump supporters. The moves were a pivot toward the center amid speculation about whether he would launch a 2028 bid. But when Trump responded to protests this month over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids by sending in hundreds of National Guard troops against Newsom's objections, the governor embraced the face-off. In fiery speeches, TV appearances and social media posts, Newsom has cast Trump's moves in California as executive overreach and warned of an existential fight for democracy, drawing ire from the right. He dared Trump's border czar Tom Homan to arrest him, which Trump later said he'd support. 'Trump is trying to destroy Democracy. Do not let him,' Newsom wrote in his first post on a new Substack page this week. The protests and the clash between the leaders have carried political risks for both sides of the aisle, but they've also intensified the spotlight on the term-limited governor long suspected of having national ambitions. Polling on 2028 is sparse. But in a Morning Consult survey taken June 13-15, as the LA protests were dying down, 11 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they would back Newsom in a 2028 primary, up from 5 percent who said the same in March. Former Vice President Kamala Harris was still the clear front-runner, with 34 percent support, but her backing ticked down 2 points from March — while Newsom overtook both former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Newsom has so far stayed quiet about the speculation and his future plans. But he has signaled the door is open to a potential presidential run. 'I'm not thinking about running, but it's a path that I could see unfold,' he told The Wall Street Journal amid his latest feuding with Trump. Pressed on the question by guest Dr. Phil on the 'This is Gavin Newsom' podcast earlier this month, the governor said 'fate will determine that' and noted that he's got his 'hands full' for the next couple years. Democratic strategist Maria Cardona stressed that Newsom's resistance to GOP policies is part of the job description as governor of a big blue state like California — and not necessarily an 'auditioning' for higher office. Still, she said his public sparring with Trump about the protests 'certainly doesn't hurt' his future prospects. 'It highlights and it gives faith to the base of the Democratic Party, independents, frankly, also to common-sense Republicans … that there is fight in the opposition, that there are people willing to confront Trump and go toe to toe with him,' Cardona said. Newsom's high-profile resistance also comes at a key point for the party, as Democrats regroup after a devastating election last year, noted California Democratic strategist Steven Maviglio. 'Democrats are desperate for a leader, and I think he's had his 15 minutes, and that helped him rocket to the top of the latest polls,' Maviglio said. But a swell of energy three years before an election would be hard for any prospective candidate to maintain, experts noted, and Newsom faces some unique hurdles if he ends up pursuing the presidency. For one, California has increasingly become a target of the right, and the protests have given Republicans scenes of chaos to point to as they argue that Democrats are soft on crime and immigration. 'It's both a strength and a weakness … California is 20 percent of the country, so he's got a lot of name ID. He's a major national figure, just by virtue of the fact that he's the governor of a huge state,' said Matt Bennett, Democratic strategist and co-founder of centrist think tank Third Way. 'It's a weakness because California is perceived, fairly or not, as being very blue, very liberal. And he was mayor of San Francisco, which is even more blue and more liberal. So I do think he's got things in his past that are going to make it difficult for him to escape the stereotypical view of Democrats,' Bennett said. The protests are also unlikely to be Newsom's last brush with Trump, and the governor may need to further tweak his approach to help his state get what it needs, noted Pitney, the professor at Claremont McKenna College. 'Whether it's another set of wildfires, an earthquake, mudslides, something bad is going to happen. We know that that is part of living in California. And when that happens, we're going to need federal help, and at that point, he's going to have to turn on the mute button,' Pitney said. To that point, though, some are also questioning whether Newsom's effort to shift gears between conciliatory and confrontational with Trump could be a political liability moving forward. 'His weakness is that he's been all over the map in terms of his relationship with Trump,' Maviglio said. 'He tried to be the accommodating moderate for a few months, and that wasn't working. So now he's become the anti-Trump, and he gained steam from that. But this is precisely why he's not trusted by the progressive wing of the party or the moderate wing, because he's all over the map, and it's been inconsistent.' Bennett, on the other hand, shrugged off concerns about the shift in tone, arguing that Trump is so 'mercurial' in his own right that those engaging with him are 'going to be [as] all over the map as he is.' 'I think that Newsom's fight with Trump is good for him and his standing with the party. He has been resolute and tough, and I think that's probably helping him,' Bennett said. Yet another complication, though, is that Trump won't be on the ballot in 2028 — and opposition to him may not end up as a defining issue. If Newsom does decide to run, he'd have to navigate that new territory, while also dealing with a potentially tricky gap between his exit from the governor's mansion and the election. 'It's always a tough balancing act for governors and others, especially governors who tend to be term limited … to figure out what to do with that awkward year between them leaving office and running for president, and how do you stay relevant?' Bennett said. 'That is a challenge for anyone who's out of office when they go to try to run for president, and it's tough to do.'
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Altadena ICE raid highlights fears that roundups will stymie rebuilding efforts
When ICE agents raided the construction site of a burned property in Altadena earlier this month, they made no arrests. The man they were after was not there. But the mere specter of them returning spooked the workers enough to bring the project to a temporary halt. The next day, half of the 12-man team stayed home. The crew returned to full strength by the end of the week, but they now work in fear, according to Brock Harris, a real estate agent representing the developer of the property. 'It had a chilling effect,' he said. 'They're instilling fear in the workers trying to rebuild L.A.' Harris said another developer in the area started camouflaging his construction sites: hiding Porta Potties, removing construction fences and having workers park far away and carpool to the site so as not to attract attention. The potential of widespread immigration raids at construction sites looms ominously over Los Angeles County's prospects of rebuilding after the two most destructive fires in its history. A new report by the UCLA Anderson Forecast said that roundups could hamstring the colossal undertaking to reconstruct the 13,000 homes that were wiped away in Altadena and Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7 — and exacerbate the housing crisis by stymieing new construction statewide. 'Deportations will deplete the construction workforce,' the report said. 'The loss of workers installing drywall, flooring, roofing and the like will directly diminish the level of production.' The consequences will spread far beyond those who are deported, the report said. Many of the undocumented workers who manage to avoid ICE will be forced to withdraw from the labor force. Their specialties are often crucial to getting projects completed, potentially harming the fortunes of remaining workers who can't finish jobs without their help. 'The productive activities of the undocumented and the rest of the labor force are often complementary,' the report said. 'For example, home building could be delayed because of a reduction in specific skills' resulting in 'a consequent increase in unemployment for the remaining workforce.' Jerry Nickelsburg, the director of the Anderson Forecast and author of the quarterly California report released Wednesday, said the 'confusion and uncertainty' about the rollout of both immigration and trade policies 'has a negative economic impact on California.' Contractors want to hire Americans but have a hard time finding enough of them with proper abilities, said Brian Turmail, a spokesperson for the Associated General Contractors of America trade group. 'Most of them are kind of in the Lee Greenwood crowd,' he said, referring to a county music singer known for performing patriotic songs. 'They'd rather be hiring young men and women from the United States. They're just not there.' 'Construction firms don't start off with a business plan of, 'Let's hire undocumented workers,'' Turmail said. 'They start with a business plan of, 'Let's find qualified people.' It's been relatively easy for undocumented workers to get into the country, so let's not be surprised there are undocumented workers working in, among other things, industries in construction.' The contractors' trade group said government policies are partly to blame for the labor shortage. About 80% of federal funds spent on workforce development go to encouraging students to pursue four-year degrees, even though less than 40% of Americans complete college, Turmail said. 'Exposing future workers to fields like construction and teaching them the skills they need is woefully lacking,' he said. 'Complicating that, we don't really offer many lawful pathways for people born outside the United States to come into the country and work in construction.' The recently raided Altadena project had plenty of momentum before the raid, Harris said. The original house burned in the Eaton fire, but the foundation survived, so the developer, who requested anonymity for fear of ICE retribution, purchased the lot with plans to rebuild the exact house that was there. Permits were quickly secured, and the developer hoped to finish the home by December. But as immigration raids continue across L.A., that timeline could be in jeopardy. 'It's insane to me that in the wake of a natural disaster, they're choosing to create trouble and fear for those rebuilding,' Harris said. 'There's a terrible housing shortage, and they're throwing a wrench into development plans.' Los Angeles real estate developer Clare De Briere called raids 'fearmongering.' 'It's the anticipation of the possibility of being taken, even if you are fully legal and you have your papers and everything's in order,' she said. 'It's an anticipation that you're going to be taken and harassed because of how you look, and you're going to lose a day's work or potentially longer than that.' De Briere helped oversee Project Recovery, a group of public and private real estate experts who compiled a report in March on what steps can be taken to speed the revival of the Palisades and Altadena as displaced residents weigh their options to return to fire-affected neighborhoods. The prospect of raids and increased tariffs has increased uncertainty about how much it will cost to rebuild homes and commercial structures, she said. 'Any time there is unpredictability, the market is going to reflect that by increasing costs.' The disappearance of undocumented workers stands to exacerbate the labor shortage that has grown more pronounced in recent years as construction has been slowed by high interest rates and the rising cost of materials that could get even more expensive due to new tariffs. 'In general, costs have risen in the last seven years for all sorts of construction' including houses and apartments, said Devang Shah, a principal at Genesis Builders, a firm focused on rebuilding homes in Altadena for people who were displaced by the fire. 'We're not seeing much construction work going on.' The slowdown has left a shortage of workers as many contractors consolidated or got out of the business because they couldn't find enough work, Shah said. 'When you start thinking about Altadena and the Palisades,' he said, 'limited subcontractors can create headwinds.'
an hour ago
North Carolina Gov. Stein vetoes his first bills. They are on concealed carry and immigration
RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein vetoed his first bills on Friday, blocking for now Republican legislation that would let adults carry concealed handguns without a permit and make state agencies and local sheriffs more active in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Stein, who took office in January, issued his formal objections to three measures backed by the GOP-controlled General Assembly presented to him last week. The former attorney general also had the option to sign any of them into law, or let them become law if he hadn't acted on the legislation soon. The vetoed measures now return to the legislature, where Republicans are one House seat shy of holding a veto-proof majority. Its leaders will decide whether to attempt overrides as early as next week. Voting so far followed party lines for one of the immigration measures, which in part would direct heads of several state law enforcement agencies, like the State Highway Patrol and State Bureau of Investigation, to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But one House Democrat ended up voting for the other immigration bill that Stein vetoed. It toughens a 2024 law that required sheriffs to help federal agents seeking criminal defendants. GOP prospects for enacting the permitless concealed gun measure, a longtime aspiration for gun-rights advocates, appear dimmer, because two House Republicans voted against the bill and 10 others were absent. In one veto message, Stein said the gun legislation, which would allow eligible people at least 18 years old to carry a concealed handgun, "makes North Carolinians less safe and undermines responsible gun ownership." Democratic lawmakers argued the same during legislative debate. Current law requires a concealed weapons holder to be at least 21 to obtain a permit. The person must submit an application to the local sheriff, pass a firearms safety training course and cannot 'suffer from a physical or mental infirmity that prevents the safe handling of a handgun" to obtain the permit. No safety training would be required if getting a permit is no longer necessary. 'Authorizing teenagers to carry a concealed weapon with no training whatsoever is dangerous,' Stein wrote. Gun-control groups praised the veto. Conservative advocates for the bill say removing the permit requirement would strengthen the safety of law-abiding citizens. 'Law-abiding North Carolinians shouldn't have to jump through hoops to effectively exercise their Second Amendment rights," Senate leader Phil Berger said in a press release criticizing the veto and planning for an override vote in his chamber. Permitless carry is already lawful in 29 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. North Carolina would also be one of the last states in the Southeast to implement that legislation. One vetoed immigration bill would require four state law enforcement agencies to officially participate in the 287(g) program, which trains officers to interrogate defendants and determine their immigration status. An executive order by President Donald Trump urged his administration to maximize the use of 287(g) agreements. Stein wrote Friday the bill takes officers away from existing state duties at a time when law enforcement is already stretched thin. The measure also would direct state agencies to ensure noncitizens don't access certain state-funded benefits. But Stein said that people without lawful immigration status already can't receive them. The other vetoed bill attempts to expand a 2024 law — enacted over then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto — that directed jails to hold temporarily certain defendants whom ICE believe are in the country illegally, allowing time for immigration agents to pick them up. The vetoed bill would expand the list of crimes that a defendant is charged with that would require the jail administrator to attempt to determine the defendant's legal status. A jail also would have to tell ICE promptly that it is holding someone and essentially extends the time agents have to pick up the person. Stein said Friday while he supports sheriffs contacting federal immigration agents about defendants charged with dangerous crimes that they are holding, the law is unconstitutional because it directs sheriffs to keep defendants behind bars 48 hours beyond when they otherwise could be released for a suspected immigration violation. With the veto of this bill, House Speaker Destin Hall said, Stein sided with the 'most radical elements of his party's base over the safety and security of North Carolinians.' Latino advocates and other bill opponents had urged Stein to veto both immigration measures. They say the legislation would cause Hispanic residents to feel intimidated and fear law enforcement. Stein's vetoes help 'ensure North Carolina remains a safe state for everyone, including immigrants, who deserve equal treatment under the law," the group El Pueblo said in a news release.
