Politics – Page 247

Walz-Vance debate updates: VP candidates set for showdown in close presidential race

October 1, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The vice-presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance could prove to be a major factor in the presidential election — given how close the race is and its potential impact with undecided voters.

The 90-minute CBS News showdown starts at 9 p.m. ET in New York City. ABC News Digital will live blog throughout the day and evening, pre-debate coverage will air at 8 p.m. on the ABC network and stream on ABC News Live — followed by the debate itself and post-debate analysis.

Here’s how the news is developing:

Biden has ‘complete confidence’ in Walz: White House

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wouldn’t say during the White House press briefing on Tuesday whether President Joe Biden would watch the vice presidential debate, but she said the president has “complete confidence” in Walz.

“He continues to be very busy with all of the events happening today,” she said during Tuesday’s briefing. “But he has complete confidence in Tim Walz.”

Gabbard predicts ‘stark contrast’ between Walz and Vance during debate

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard spoke to ABC News Live on Tuesday where she criticized Walz’s lack of media interviews, predicting that it will show in the debate.

“I think there’s going to be a stark contrast here, given JD Vance has been out on the road doing multiple interviews,” she told ABC News Live. “I think he’s done more interviews than any candidate in this election, whereas Tim Walz has been very quiet on that front.”

“I think this opportunity tonight, I hope, will not be more of the same kind of political theater that we’ve seen in so many of these debates, but actual substantive discussion and debate and accountability,” Gabbard — who endorsed Trump — continued.

-ABC News’ Casey McShea

Walz taking debate ‘very seriously’: Harris campaign spokesperson

Ahead of Tuesday’s debate, Adrienne Elrod, Harris campaign senior adviser and spokesperson, made an appearance on ABC News Live and said that Walz is taking it “very, very seriously.”

“Gov. Walz is taking this debate very, very seriously because you understand the magnitude of this moment,” Elrod said. “He’s going to continue to really talk about the Harris-Walz priorities, what their administration would look like, lowering costs for middle class families, protecting the Affordable Care Act, not getting rid of it.”

-ABC News’ Casey McShea

CBS News says mics won’t be muted for VP debate

CBS News, the network hosting the debate, said that the candidates’ microphones will not be muted, but clarified in a press release that it “reserves the right to turn off candidate microphones.”

This is a shift from the CNN presidential debate in June and the ABC News presidential debate held earlier this month, where microphones were muted unless it was the candidate’s turn to speak.

Biden directed US military to help Israel shoot down Iranian missiles, officials say

October 1, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. military coordinated closely with the Israeli Defense Forces to help defend against Tuesday’s Iranian missile attack, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House briefing shortly after the strike appeared to have ended.

“U.S. naval destroyers joined Israeli Air Defense units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles,” he said.

At the Pentagon, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that two U.S. Navy destroyers fired “approximately a dozen” missile interceptors at the incoming ballistic missile barrage aimed at Israel.

Ryder said the two destroyers that launched missile interceptors were the USS Bulkeley and USS Cole that were in the eastern Mediterranean on the ongoing missile defense mission.

“We do not know of any damage to aircraft or strategic military assets in Israel. In short, based on what we know at this point, this attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective,” Sullivan said.

At the same time, he called it a “significant escalation” by Iran.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris monitored the Iranian attack against Israel from the White House Situation Room and received regular updates from their national security team, Sullivan said.

The president had directed the U.S. military to aid Israel’s defense against Iranian attacks and to help shoot down missiles targeting Israel.

Earlier, before the strike began, Biden had posted on X that the U.S. was ready to help Israel defend against the Iranian missile attack.

He said as well that the U.S. was ready to protect American personnel in the region.

Asked at the briefing whether Biden would recommend Israel have a limited response as he did after Iran’s attack in Israel in April, Sullivan declined to say.

“I will not, from this podium, share the president’s recommendations. He will have the opportunity to share them directly. We’re going to have, as I said, ongoing consultations with the Israelis this afternoon and this evening. It is too early for me to tell you anything publicly in terms of our assessment or in terms of what our expectations are of the Israelis or the advice that we will give them,” he said.

Before the strike began, the Pentagon said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant to discuss the threat of an imminent Iranian attack against Israel.

A spokesman said they spoke about severe consequences “in the event Iran chooses to launch a direct military attack against Israel.”

One of the first reactions from a congressional lawmaker came from from South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham who called Iran’s missile attack on Israel a “breaking point” and called for a response.

“I would urge the Biden Administration to coordinate an overwhelming response with Israel, starting with Iran’s ability to refine oil,” Graham said in a statement.

He called for oil refineries to be “hit and hit hard.”

President Biden had been scheduled to hold a call with rabbis ahead of the Jewish High Holidays but the White House said that call has now postponed.

House Speaker Mike Johnson was briefed on the Iranian strikes on Israel, according to his spokesperson.

“Pray for Israel,” Johnston said in a statement posted on X.

ABC News’ Luis Martinez and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.

2024 election updates: Harris to tour Hurricane Helene damage in Georgia

October 1, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — With just 36 days until Election Day, the campaign trail is taking a sharp turn toward how Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and its aftermath.

It’s also one day before the vice presidential debate on Tuesday.

Here’s how the news is developing.

Harris to tour Helene damage in Georgia Wednesday

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Georgia Wednesday, to tour areas that were hardest hit by Hurricane Helene last week, her office said.

“The Vice President will also provide updates on Federal actions that are being taken to support emergency response and recovery efforts in Georgia and several other states throughout the southeast,” her office said in a statement.

The tour will be at the same time that President Joe Biden visits areas in the Carolinas that were struck hardest by the storm.

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

Trump claims Musk will help Helene victims

Standing in front of a destroyed furniture store in Valdosta, Georgia, former President Donald Trump claimed he’s requested help from Elon Musk and will be traveling to North Carolina when conditions clear.

“They don’t have communication. … I just spoke to Elon,” he said. “We want to get Starlink hooked up because they have no communication whatsoever. And Elon will always come through.”

“As you know, our country is in the final weeks of a hard-fought national election. But in a time like this when a crisis hits, when our fellow citizens cry out in need, none of that matters,” Trump said before later suggesting the Biden-Harris administration wasn’t doing enough and falsely claiming that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp couldn’t get ahold of the president.

–ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh

Fact check: Biden and Georgia’s governor have spoken

Trump incorrectly claimed that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and President Joe Biden haven’t been in touch since Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the Southeast, making clear that his already controversial visit to the hard-hit state is a political one.

“I spoke with, for a couple hours, leaders yesterday affected by the hurricane,” Biden said Monday morning. “Governor Kemp of Georgia, Governor Cooper of North Carolina, county officials in the Big Bend region of Florida and other leaders in South Carolina and Tennessee.”

Kemp on Monday acknowledged the call with Biden and said he and Harris had been trying to speak.

–ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett and Molly Nagle

Trump claims Biden and Harris not responding to Georgia disaster

Trump claimed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is having a hard time getting President Joe Biden on the phone and that the federal government is being unresponsive after Hurricane Helene wrecked the parts of the state.

“The Vice President, she’s out some place campaigning and looking for money,” Trump said after landing in Valdosta, Georgia. “They have to be focused over here.”

Biden approved Kemp’s request for an emergency declaration on Thursday and Harris canceled campaign events Monday to return to Washington for a briefing on the storm and the federal response.

NC leaders ask politicians to stay away

Ahead of his visit to Valdosta, Georgia, Trump posted to Truth Social that he will pay his respects to the community, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene, and bring aid.

Trump added that he was going to stop by damaged communities in North Carolina too, but determined it would be too burdensome on local officials.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents Asheville, North Carolina, told ABC Contributing Political Correspondent Rachael Bade on Sunday night that photo-ops were not welcome. Cooper even asked President Joe Biden and Harris to please not visit the state right now.

–ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh

New York Times endorses Harris

The New York Times endorsed Harris for president in an editorial published Monday morning, calling her “the only patriotic choice for president” and later “the only choice.”

“As a dedicated public servant who has demonstrated care, competence and an unwavering commitment to the Constitution, Ms. Harris stands alone in this race,” the Times’ editorial board wrote. “She may not be the perfect candidate for every voter, especially those who are frustrated and angry about our government’s failures to fix what’s broken — from our immigration system to public schools to housing costs to gun violence. Yet we urge Americans to contrast Ms. Harris’s record with her opponent’s.”

–ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim

Trump heads to Georgia devastation, Harris cancels campaign events and heads to DC for FEMA briefing

Trump is scheduled to visit Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday amid storm wreckage in the area.

Trump, who has been criticizing Harris for not visiting communities damaged by Hurricane Helene, will receive a briefing on the damage from the hurricane, help distribute relief supplies and deliver campaign remarks at a local furniture store in Valdosta, the campaign announced on Sunday.

Harris, meanwhile, is canceling her campaign events and heading back from Las Vegas to get a briefing at FEMA headquarters in Washington on what her campaign says are the “ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene and the federal actions being taken to support emergency response and recovery efforts across several states.”

Jimmy Carter 100th birthday updates: White House to honor former president with ‘Happy Birthday’ display

October 1, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — In honor of former President Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday, the North Lawn of the White House will feature a display that includes the number “100” with the message “Happy Birthday President Carter,” according to the first lady’s office.

The display will be installed the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 1, and remain on the North Lawn through the end of the day.

Carter, who entered home hospice care in February 2023, became on Tuesday the first former U.S. president to live to be 100. The 39th president, who held office from 1977 to 1981, is the longest-lived former chief executive in U.S. history.

President Joe Biden wished Carter a happy birthday in a new video from the White House.

“On behalf of the entire Biden family and the American people, happy 100th birthday,” Biden said. “Mr. President, you’ve always been a moral force for a nation in the world.”

Biden said that he admires Carter “so darn much” and said that Carter has been “a good friend.”

“Your hopeful vision of our country, your commitment to a better world, and your unwavering belief in the power of human goodness continues to be a guiding light for all of us,” Biden said.

Biden praised Carter as one of “the most influential statesmen in our history” and praised the successes of the Carter Center.

“The moral clarity you showed throughout your career showed through again. And your commitment through the Carter Center and the Habitat for Humanity, you’re solving conflicts, advancing democracy, preventing disease, so much more. It’s transforming the lives of people, not only at home, but around the world,” Biden said.

Biden also talked about how this is a bittersweet birthday for Carter, as this is the first birthday he has since the death of his wife Rosalynn Carter. Rosalynn Carter died in November 2023 at the age of 96.

“We know this is the first birthday without Rosalynn. It’s bittersweet, but we also know she’s always with you. She’s in your heart. She’ll never go away, she may be gone, but she’s always going to be with you,” Biden said.

“Jill and I send to you and your incredible family our love and God continue to bless you, Mr. President,” Biden said. “You’ve been a good friend.”

Biden administration faces diplomatic frustrations in Lebanon, Gaza

September 30, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Although President Joe Biden bluntly declared that “we need a cease-fire now” in Lebanon, his administration appeared to subdue its messaging on a push for a temporary truce between Israel and Hezbollah, as U.S. officials on Monday acknowledged Israel intends to scale up operations in Lebanon.

“Military pressure can, at times, enable diplomacy,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. “Of course, military pressure can also lead to miscalculation. It can lead to unintended consequences, and we’re in conversations with Israel about all these factors now.”

The shift in tone comes as the administration has acknowledged Israel has communicated plans to conduct what officials described as “limited” ground incursions into Lebanon aimed at taking out Hezbollah infrastructure — a follow-up to its major aerial attacks over the last several days, including one that killed the militant group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

It also coincides with the State Department’s public admission that it has again hit a wall in its efforts to push forward a cease-fire in Gaza because Hamas has refused to engage with Egyptian and Qatari mediators for weeks, leaving the Biden administration unable to pull together what senior U.S. officials advertised as a “final” proposal for a deal.

“We can’t get a clear answer from Hamas of what they’re willing to entertain and what they’re not willing to entertain,” Miller said.

Over the course of nearly a year, these two fronts of conflict sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel have exasperated U.S. diplomats who have sought to prevent war from engulfing the entire Middle East.

“The Biden team is definitely frustrated, but in many ways, it’s a frustration born largely out of its own wishful thinking and unwillingness to face some harsh realities in today’s Middle East,” Brian Katulis, a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Middle East Institute, told ABC News.

Katulis argued that Iran — a chief supporter of both Hezbollah and Hamas — and Israel’s right-wing government have been edging toward a regional war, and that the Biden administration “lacks the will and strategic focus to fundamentally shift those dynamics.”

“The U.S. is trapped in a reactive, crisis-management mode because it remains unwilling to use the force and leverage needed to produce the diplomatic outcomes it says it wants to achieve,” he said. “Darker days are ahead.”

Israel sees few benefits to curbing its military campaign in Lebanon, as it has already successfully eliminated several of its top targets and made progress toward restoring security on its northern border.

U.S officials say the Israeli government views a diplomatic alternative — a 21-day cease-fire backed by the Biden administration, France and several other countries — as counterproductive to its aim of allowing Israelis that have been displaced by Hezbollah’s near-constant stream of rocket fire to return to their homes as quickly as possible.

And while many have been wary about provoking Iran, some Biden administration officials and experts now see Tehran as increasingly unlikely to fully enter the fray.

“Iran’s options range from bad to worse against Israel, given its conventional military deficiencies and the blows its regional terror network has endured,” Behnam Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told ABC News.

Taleblu added that Tehran now appears likely to change course and take action only if it perceives the threat posed by Israel to be “existential and to the homeland.”

But even if the conflict in the Middle East doesn’t expand further, White House officials had hoped a negotiated truce between Israel and Hezbollah could resuscitate Gaza peace talks.

Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former State Department official, warned that the administration must worry that continued deadlock will weaken U.S. influence in the Middle East and beyond.

But he said there’s still an opportunity to make progress — if the Biden administration can reign in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“All wars are much easier to start than end, though, and it is not clear whether Netanyahu, his sharply divided cabinet or his ruling coalition have any idea how they might do that,” Alterman said. “He will need a broad, U.S.-led coalition to push him, and it needs to start coming together now.”

Trump attacks Biden and Harris during stop in Hurricane Helene-ravaged Georgia

September 30, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump spoke at a furniture store in Hurricane Helene-ravaged Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday where he said the day wasn’t about politics — only to use the moment to continue to slam President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their response to the natural disaster.

“As you know, our country is in the final weeks of a hard-fought national election. But in a time like this, when a crisis hits, when our fellow citizens cry out in need, none of that matters. We’re not talking about politics now. We have to all get together and get this solved. We need a lot of help. They have to have a lot of help down here,” Trump said of the Georgia community hit by the hurricane.

But Trump later suggested Biden and Harris weren’t doing enough in the aftermath of the hurricane, which hit several states including Georgia and North Carolina — two battlegrounds in the upcoming election.

“We do need some help from the federal government,” Trump claimed.

On Monday, Biden said he has directed his team to “provide every, every available resource as fast as possible” to the communities to help them rescue, recover and begin to rebuild.

Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood Randall on Monday said there are currently 3,500 federal response personnel deployed and supporting response efforts across the region, and additional personnel is expected to arrive in the coming days.

“Search and rescue efforts by state, local, and federal partners are ongoing, and nearly 600 additional personnel will arrive in the region in the coming days, increasing the total number of urban search and rescue personnel to over 1,250,” she told reporters.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and US Army Corps of Engineers are also getting generators ready to be deployed to states that request them.

While communication remains a major challenge for the impacted area, Sherwood-Randall said, “FEMA will install 30 Starlink receivers in western North Carolina to provide immediate connectivity for those in greatest need.”

Biden, while returning home from the beach on Sunday, was adamant that his administration was doing everything possible to help the affected communities.

Asked by ABC News is there are more resources the federal government could be giving, Biden responded, “no, we’ve given them.”

“We have pre-planned a significant amount, even though they didn’t ask for it yet — hadn’t asked for it yet,” Biden said Sunday.

The Trump campaign said it partnered with humanitarian aid nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse to bring relief supplies to the state. A campaign official claimed it brought one gas tanker and two trucks full of supplies.

“We’ve done this before, but we have a lot of truckloads of different items, from oil to water to all sorts of equipment that’s going to help them,” Trump said.

Harris cut short her campaign swing through Las Vegas to return to Washington to be briefed on the hurricane response by the FEMA.

Harris said she intends to visit communities impacted by Hurricane Helene “as soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations,” according to a White House official. Harris, who was briefed by FEMA on the federal response to the hurricane, reached out to local officials, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

“We are deploying food, water and generators, and working to restore state and local leaders, we will provide whatever help they need in the days and weeks ahead,” Harris said Sunday while rallying in Las Vegas.

She will learn more from FEMA during meetings in Washington on Monday, according to a White House official.

Trump’s visit to Georgia comes after other recent criticism of Biden and Harris for their response to Hurricane Helene.

“She ought to be down in the area where she should be. That’s what she’s getting paid for, right? That’s what she’s getting paid for,” Trump said at his rally Sunday in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Trump has attacked Harris’ response to Hurricane Helene specifically, saying her delay in visiting the impacted region demonstrates that she isn’t qualified to become president.

On Monday, Biden said called Hurricane Helene “not just a catastrophic storm, it’s historic, history, making storm,” and pledged to visit the impacted area once he can do so without being “disruptive,” hopefully later this week.

“I also want you to know I’m committed to traveling to impacted areas as soon as possible. But, I’ve been told that it’d be disruptive if I did it right now, we will not do that at the risk of diverting or delaying any, any of the response assets needed to deal with this crisis,” Biden said Monday. “My first responsibility is to get all the help needed to those impacted areas.”

Asked if Trump’s visit to Georgia was causing a disruption, Biden replied “I don’t have any idea.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that Biden was “taking caution to avoid using critical resources that is needed right now, on the road, that, on the ground that people need,” and added that “should be everyone’s top consideration right now.”

Asked if there requests for the Trump to delay his visit, Jean-Pierre didn’t engage directly, repeating Biden’s desire to not take away from resources, but adding “he believes everybody should adhere-adhere to that.”

Hurricane Helene’s storm surge, wind damage, and inland flooding caused deviation and casualties in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, flooding neighborhoods, stranding residents, demolishing homes and toppling trees. The storm has killed at least 107 people and left dozens missing.

ABC News’ Molly Nagle, Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Will McDuffie and Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.

Trump, Harris change campaign plans to address Hurricane Helene devastation

September 30, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump will visit the city of Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the area over the last few days, while Vice President Kamala Harris is cutting short a campaign swing through Las Vegas to return to Washington to be briefed on the hurricane response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

On Monday, Trump will receive a briefing on the hurricane as well as facilitate the distribution of relief supplies, his campaign said. He is then expected to deliver remarks to reporters in front of the Chez What Furniture Store, whose owners posted pictures online of their store completely demolished by the storm.

She will learn more from FEMA during meetings in Washington on Monday, according to a White House official.

Trump’s visit to Georgia comes after his recent criticism of President Joe Biden and Harris for their response to the natural disaster.

Trump has attacked Harris’ response to Hurricane Helene specifically, saying her delay in visiting the impacted region demonstrates that she isn’t qualified to become president.

Biden, while returning home from the beach on Sunday, was adamant that his administration was doing everything possible to help the affected communities.

Asked by ABC New is there are more resources the federal government could be giving, Biden responded, “no, we’ve given them.”

“We have pre-planned a significant amount, even though they didn’t ask for it yet — hadn’t asked for it yet,” Biden said Sunday.

Donald Trump suggests police being ‘extraordinarily rough’ would end retail theft

September 30, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(ERIE, Pa.) — At a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday, former President Donald Trump suggested “one rough hour” of law enforcement would deter retail theft.

After falsely claiming crime is up in the U.S. under President Joe Biden, mostly due to migrant crime, Trump brought up seeing stores in New York City and San Francisco locking up their merchandise behind glass doors.

“See, we have to let the police do their job. And if they have to be extraordinarily rough –” Trump trailed off as his rally crowd cheered.

Trump went on to claim, without evidence, that people are walking out of stores with items like air conditioning units and refrigerators “on their back,” “And the police aren’t allowed to do their job,” he said.

“They’re told if you do anything, you’re going to lose your pension; you’re going to lose your family, your house, your car. The police want to do it. The Border Patrol wants to do it. … They’re not allowed to do it because the liberal left won’t let ’em do it,” he said on stage.

“You know, if you had one day, like, one real rough, nasty day with the drugstores as an example, where when they start walking out with–” Trump continued before pivoting to retail crime in San Francisco, falsely claiming his opponent in the presidential race — Vice President Kamala Harris — was responsible for reclassifying felony theft as misdemeanors if under $950, even though it was a proposition approved by California voters.

Trump, who said he recently had a tenant end a lease due to retail theft, said things are “so bad.”

“One rough hour — and I mean real rough — the word will get out, and it will end immediately, end immediately. You know, it will end immediately,” he said.

What you need to know about the Sept. 30 education relief deadline

September 30, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The White House is touting its American Rescue Plan (ARP) COVID emergency funding program as a win for public education with nearly 90% of its funds exhausted by Monday’s deadline, according to senior Department of Education officials.

The final $122 billion phase of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund (ESSER), a part of the ARP law signed by President Joe Biden in March 2021, was distributed to state and local education agencies to reopen schools and promote physical health, safety and mental health and well-being.

In total, that funding and two prior installments of ESSER during the 2020 pandemic is roughly $190 billion. It has been obligated or used on school recovery projects that are wrapped up. Senior Department of Education officials said about 12% of ARP projects that are still underway are expected to be finished by the end of a January, 2025, liquidation extension window.

The ESSER package that was doled out to states as discretionary funding sparked controversy over how the funds were being spent. Many conservatives speculated whether it was being utilized at all, blaming the federal Education Department for a lack of academic recovery and low test scores on national assessments coming out of the pandemic.

Education finance expert Jess Gartner, who has been tracking school spending projects, told ABC News that school districts had planned for the window closing on ESSER funding.

“The reality is, the vast majority of school districts turned the page on Fiscal Year 25 on July 1: that means budgets for the year are done and dusted. They were approved in May or June,” Gartner said, adding, “It’s not like September 30 is going to catch CFOs by surprise. You know, they’ve been planning for this deadline for three, four years, and they have a budget for the whole year that’s already in motion and fully approved.”

What is ESSER?

ESSER was granted by the Department of Education’s Education Stabilization Fund. It was meant to meet the challenges of the pandemic and academic recovery, according to the COVID relief data website.

In ESSER I, Congress allotted about $13 billion through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act when the pandemic first closed schools for in-person learning in March 2020.

In ESSER II, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act provided an additional $54 billion in December 2020.

The final installment of nearly $122 billion, or ESSER III, came under the American Rescue Plan Act — the fund enabled states to reopen schools and for students to recover from the pandemic. ARP provided additional FY 2021 funding for the Department of Education to assist states with addressing the impacts of COVID-19 on elementary and secondary schools.

ESSER III brought the total to about $190 billion in emergency funding for state and local education departments.

How is ESSER III being used?

That $122 billion was tacked onto the roughly $68 billion in money in ESSER I and ESSER II the previous year. As discretionary funding, states could distribute the allotment however they chose. In the last 3 1/2 years, school districts have used it on infrastructure projects, school enrichment and summer programs, and staff positions where needed.

Baltimore City Superintendent Dr. Sonja Santelises said her district’s large projects — critical in supporting an urban school population — included building bathrooms, expanding summer programs and providing tutoring sessions.

“We didn’t want to leave money on the table,” Santelises said. “There was an intentional decision [in some urban school districts] to invest one-time money in building back what was already an under-resourced infrastructure in the school district — these are the districts that are least likely to have the funding to do the capital projects,” she added.

Despite critics ridiculing the spending practices in some states — leading to tense debates about learning loss — education experts told ABC News the summer programming and high-impact tutoring proved to be vital in academic recovery. Students who were socially isolated and fell behind used robust tutoring programs to not only catch up, but to also return to school if they were showing attendance issues, according to FutureEd Director Thomas Toch.

“Tutoring creates connections between students and adults and one of the things that we’ve learned in the wake of the pandemic is that kids are feeling more alienated, more isolated, than ever,” he said. “An important sort of antidote to these high levels of chronic absenteeism is connecting kids to adults more fully than they have in the past.”

A recent Pew Research Center survey of public K-12 teachers found more than 90% of teachers said their students are chronically absent. Of the teachers surveyed, about half of them said in five years the American education system will be worse than it is now.

Despite gains from the academic recovery programs ESSER provided during the pandemic, Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research Faculty Director Tom Kane said students are potentially facing permanent damage from the closures if learning loss ceases to improve.

What happens to ESSER now?

The obligation deadline for the last portion of ESSER funding is today — Sept. 30 — more than four years after the start of the pandemic and three years after ARP became law.

New emergency funding will not be granted to aid in the effort to help school communities recover from COVID. As U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona fights attacks on public education writ-large, he told ABC News “the recovery dollars were intended to prevent further exacerbation.”

Jess Gartner believes school districts, by and large, handled the lump sum money well. With FY 2025’s budget already in the books, school district leaders shouldn’t panic and should be prepared to rely on the funds they would have typically received before COVID, Gartner said.

“These budgets are planned years in advance,” Garner told ABC News. “It’s kind of like if you were planning to buy a house, right? You don’t show up at the closing, like, ‘Oh man, how am I gonna pay for this?'” she quipped.

Now school districts have to make due with the chunk of funding they annually receive from the federal government, which is on average about 10%. Similar to before the pandemic, they will be supported by state and local governments, which make up roughly 90% of public school funding.

But the COVID-19 emergency exposed infrastructure and workforce problems that public schools were dealing with before the pandemic and were exacerbated on a large scale during it, education experts said.

Some leaders like Santelises are calling for more help as the pandemic’s impact on students continues.

“It’s the federal government’s responsibility to champion looking at the long term impact and to not take the posture that somehow three years you wave a wand and all the kids are back, ” Santelises said. “The kids are not all back.”

Republican Jeff Flake endorses Kamala Harris, says ‘she’s ready’ for the job

September 29, 2024 by WDNY Radio

After endorsing Kamala Harris on X Sunday, former Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona praised the vice president’s grasp of foreign policy and her proposal for tougher border restrictions on ABC News’ “This Week.”

With 37 days until Election Day, Flake said he made his endorsement now since he couldn’t participate in political activities in his role as ambassador to Turkey, which he stepped down from on Sept. 1.

“I think Republicans believe in the rule of law in particular, and it’s difficult to support a candidate who, having lost an election, tries to use the powers of the presidency to overturn that election,” Flake told ABC “This Week” anchor Martha Raddatz. “That is anything but respect for the rule of law.”He said that other conservative Republicans feel similarly.

In his endorsement, Flake wrote that he believes Harris will unite the country and “respect the will of voters.” He also discussed his endorsement in an interview with the Arizona Republic.

The former congressman and senator joins other prominent Republicans who have endorsed Harris, including former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

Flake is one of a handful of Republicans who have served in President Joe Biden’s administration, along with Cindy McCain, the widow of former Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Since leaving the Senate in 2019, Flake has been an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump and urged Republicans to “move away from Trump-ism.”

Flake also endorsed Biden in 2020 on the first day of the Republican National Convention along with dozens of former GOP members of Congress.

He said that Harris “ought to court all voters,” particularly moderate and conservative Republicans.

Asked about his interactions with Harris during his time as an ambassador, Flake said that she is ready to serve as commander in chief.

“We have to support and work with our allies,” Flake said. “And she understands that.”

He pointed to Harris’ speech at the Munich Security Conference and each candidate’s approach to foreign policy during the ABC presidential debate.

“It was really stark watching the debate the other day and hearing the former president not be able to even cheer for Ukraine,” said Flake. “That’s a big issue for me.”

Raddatz pressed Flake on whether his endorsement would make inroads with voters in Arizona who are a part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, of which he is a member. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah., another high-profile Mormon Republican opposed to Trump, has not endorsed Harris.

Flake demurred, responding that “I can only speak for myself and where I am.”

Raddatz asked Flake about his thoughts on one of the vice president’s biggest vulnerabilities after her visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, her first in three years. A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found that voters thought Trump was better suited to handle the border over Harris by 10 points.

Flake said that he was glad to see Harris visit the border and propose stricter asylum restrictions. He pointed to her work as a prosecutor and attorney general, saying, “She knows what it takes.” Harris’ campaign is looking to gain ground on an issue of high importance to voters.

While in Congress, Flake backed a bipartisan immigration proposal that failed to pass. When pressed by Raddatz on the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the southern border, Flake said there needs to be stricter asylum policies.

He applauded Harris for saying she would sign the immigration bill that failed in the Senate after Republican opposition led by Trump cratered the legislation.

“She knows how to work on a bipartisan basis, and if we do immigration reform that endures, it’s going to have to be bipartisan,” said Flake.

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