Biden didn’t know Ron DeSantis had refused to take Harris’ call when he praised him as ‘gracious’
Biden hadn’t been briefed about a back-and-forth between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris over hurricane recovery before he praised him as “gracious” in a news conference Wednesday, a source familiar with the situation said.
NBC News first reported Monday that DeSantis refused to take Harris’ call when she reached out about Hurricane Helene’s impact on Florida. DeSantis charged that Harris was trying to “politicize the storm.” Harris called him “utterly irresponsible” and “selfish.” The spat grabbed headlines for several days.
On Wednesday, Biden delivered a widely televised address warning the public about the potentially catastrophic impact of Hurricane Milton, which began ravaging Florida’s coastline Wednesday night.
A reporter then asked Biden whether DeSantis should be taking Harris’ phone calls. He praised DeSantis and dodged answering the question directly.
“All I can tell you is I’ve talked to Gov. DeSantis. He’s been very gracious,” Biden said. “He’s thanked me for all we’ve done. He knows what we’re doing. And I think that’s important.”
Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake square off in sharp-edged Arizona Senate debate
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PHOENIX — Republican Kari Lake and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego faced off in Arizona’s feisty first and only Senate debate yesterday evening, trading shots over the border, abortion, tax policy and more.
The barbs started before the moderators even asked a single question.
“We are at a crossroads, Arizona,” Gallego said in his opening statement, highlighting Lake’s repeated election denialism. “We’re going to see and talk to somebody who has really failed the basic test of honesty.”
Lake shot back: “Tonight, we’re going to watch as somebody tries to reinvent himself. Somebody who used to be a member of the Progressive Caucus, somebody who has destroyed the very congressional district that he has served for the past 10 years.”
As the candidates bounced from topic to topic over an hour onstage, the answers circled back on a key slice of voters: old-line Republicans and independents who aren’t necessarily comfortable with Lake. Gallego continually referred to his support from prominent Arizona Republicans, while Lake repeatedly brought up Trump as she tries to prevent his voters from crossing over in the Senate race.
Bob Casey campaign puts out ad featuring Barack Obama
The Casey campaign is out with a new ad featuring one of the most popular political figures: former President Barack Obama.
In the ad, Obama argues Casey would fight to hold big corporations accountable for “greedflation” with the goal of ensuring Pennsylvanians have more money in their pockets.
“People are hurting right now. Meanwhile, corporations are raking in record profits….
Read More: Barack Obama hits the trail for Harris; Trump speaks in Detroit
