The 2024 Presidential Ticket; Belief in the Ballot | 60 Minutes Full Episodes

Presidential Interviews and Campaign

• The Democratic ticket, including Vice President Kamala Harris, sat down to answer questions, while the Republican ticket, led by former President Donald Trump, cancelled their interview at the last minute (6s).
• Harris expressed her support for expanding the child tax credit, giving tax breaks to first-time home buyers, and people starting small businesses, stating that her economic plan would strengthen America's economy (14s).
• Harris was asked how she would pay for these plans, but did not provide a direct answer, instead stating that her economic plan would strengthen America's economy, while her opponent's plan would weaken it (24s).
• Steven Richer, a Republican election official in Arizona, has spent nearly four years fighting to convince fellow Republicans that the 2020 election wasn't stolen, and faced backlash from his party for his efforts (44s).
• The tradition of major party presidential candidates sitting down with 60 Minutes in October has been in place for over half a century, with this year's interview being cancelled by Trump at the last minute (1m37s).
• Trump had initially accepted the invitation, but later cancelled, citing concerns over fact-checking and a perceived slight from a previous interview with correspondent Leslie Stahl (1m51s).
• The interview with Harris covered topics including the economy, immigration, reproductive rights, and the wars in the Middle East and Europe (3m32s).
• Harris has been a candidate for president for just two and a half months, and faces unrelenting attacks from Trump, with the election just 29 days away (3m51s).

Harris' Economic Plan

• Harris expressed her support for expanding the child tax credit, giving tax breaks to first-time home buyers, and people starting small businesses, stating that her economic plan would strengthen America's economy (14s).
• Harris was asked how she would pay for these plans, but did not provide a direct answer, instead stating that her economic plan would strengthen America's economy, while her opponent's plan would weaken it (24s).
• Steven Richer, a Republican election official in Arizona, has spent nearly four years fighting to convince fellow Republicans that the 2020 election wasn't stolen, and faced backlash from his party for his efforts (44s).
• The tradition of major party presidential candidates sitting down with 60 Minutes in October has been in place for over half a century, with this year's interview being cancelled by Trump at the last minute (1m37s).
• Trump had initially accepted the invitation, but later cancelled, citing concerns over fact-checking and a perceived slight from a previous interview with correspondent Leslie Stahl (1m51s).
• The interview with Harris covered topics including the economy, immigration, reproductive rights, and the wars in the Middle East and Europe (3m32s).
• Harris has been a candidate for president for just two and a half months, and faces unrelenting attacks from Trump, with the election just 29 days away (3m51s).
• Harris discussed the escalating war in the Middle East, stating that the US needs to work to stop the conflict from spinning out of control, and that Israel has a right to defend itself, but must do so in a way that minimizes harm to innocent Palestinians (4m25s).
• The United States provides Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, yet Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to be pursuing his own agenda, resisting calls from the Biden-Harris Administration for a ceasefire and proceeding with actions like entering Lebanon despite U.S. advice. The U.S. continues diplomatic efforts to communicate its principles and the need for the war to end. (5m18s)
• The relationship between the U.S. and Israel is framed as an important alliance between the American and Israeli people, rather than solely between the governments. (6m19s)
• While the Middle East conflict is prominent in the news, the American economy is the primary concern for voters in the election year. Despite positive macroeconomic indicators, such as low unemployment, many Americans feel the impact of high grocery prices, which are up by 25%, and blame the current administration. (6m28s)
• There are plans to address high grocery prices, including a proposal to press Congress for a federal ban on price gouging for food and groceries, although details are not yet defined. (7m19s)
• Economic proposals include expanding the child tax credit, providing tax breaks for first-time home buyers and small business starters, but these plans are estimated to add $3 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade. (7m31s)
• To fund these initiatives, there is a plan to ensure that the wealthiest individuals and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes, addressing the disparity where teachers, nurses, and firefighters currently pay a higher tax rate than billionaires. (8m29s)
• There is a belief that many in Congress understand the need for these economic changes, despite a lack of visible movement in that direction, and there is criticism of the Trump tax cuts for increasing the federal deficit. (9m21s)

Kamala Harris: The Candidate

• Kamala Harris has been in government for decades, serving as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, US Senator, and currently as Vice President, yet a quarter of registered voters still claim they don't know her or what makes her tick (9m46s).
• Harris believes she has to earn everyone's vote in the presidential election, as no one should take their support for granted, and she intends to do so by listening to people and seeking common ground (10m21s).
• Critics argue that Harris has changed her position on many issues, such as fracking, immigration policies, and Medicare for all, making it difficult for people to know what she truly believes in or stands for (10m41s).
• Harris responds by saying she has been traveling the country, listening to people, and seeking common ground, believing in building consensus and finding compromise without compromising her values (11m8s).

Immigration Policies

• Immigration has proven to be an issue impervious to compromise, with the Biden-Harris approach being inconsistent, and Republicans viewing it as Harris' Achilles heel (11m49s).
• Harris recently visited the southern border and supported President Biden's crackdown on asylum seekers, which led to a significant decrease in border crossings, but questions remain as to why the administration didn't take these steps earlier (12m3s).
• Harris explains that the administration proposed a bill to fix the broken immigration system in 2020, but it was not taken up by Congress, and a later bipartisan bill was killed by Donald Trump's influence (12m27s).
• The issue of immigration is not new, and Harris acknowledges that arrivals quadrupled during the first three years of the Biden administration, but argues that the policies proposed are aimed at fixing the problem, not promoting it (13m14s).
• Harris defends the administration's policies, stating that they have been offering solutions from day one, and the recent crackdown has cut the flow of illegal immigration (13m47s).
• The issue of immigration is discussed, with the goal of cutting the flow of fentanyl by half, but Congressional action is needed to fix the problem (14m17s).

Racial Politics and Unity

• Accusations of Donald Trump using racist tropes, such as comments on Haitian immigrants, birtherism, and Charlottesville, are mentioned, with the question of how to bridge the gap between his supporters and those who oppose him (14m29s).
• The true measure of a leader's strength is not based on who they beat down, but on who they lift up, and the American people want a leader who unites rather than divides (15m26s).
• The Harris campaign has been traveling the country, with the vice president losing track of the number of states she has visited, and is doing well despite the demanding pace (15m47s).
• Kamala Harris appeared at a rally in Wisconsin with Liz Cheney, a staunch conservative and critic of Donald Trump, who announced her support for Harris (16m3s).
• Four years ago, it would have been unlikely for Harris and Cheney to be campaigning together, but the threat to the constitution has made it crucial for parties to come together (16m54s).

Foreign Policy Challenges

• The next president will face daunting challenges, including the economic competition with China and the war between Russia and Ukraine (17m9s).
• The US must win the economic competition with China for the 21st century, and success in ending the war in Ukraine requires Ukraine's participation and adherence to the UN Charter (17m19s).
• Meeting with President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a solution to the war in Ukraine would not be done bilaterally without Ukraine's involvement (17m42s).
• As president, supporting the effort to expand NATO to include Ukraine would be considered, but the focus is currently on supporting Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia's aggression (17m55s).
• Donald Trump's claim that he can end the war in Ukraine on day one is seen as a surrender, and the current approach is to support Ukraine's defense (18m12s).

Gun Control and Personal Views

• Kamala Harris is a gun owner, and has previously discussed this, with the gun being for personal protection in her home (18m30s).
• Tim Walls, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, has a background in law enforcement and has fired a gun at a shooting range (18m57s).
• Walls was a six-term congressman and is now the governor of Minnesota, where he has championed abortion rights, gun control, and other progressive ideas (19m35s).
• He was relatively unknown outside of Minnesota two months ago but gained attention after calling former President Trump and Senator JD Vance "weird" (19m45s).

Tim Walls: The Vice Presidential Candidate

• Walls has been criticized for embellishing or telling outright falsehoods about his military record and travels to Asia in the 1980s (20m17s).
• He has acknowledged making mistakes, referring to himself as a "knucklehead" at times, but distinguishes himself from "pathological liar" Donald Trump (20m44s).
• Walls proudly touts his record as governor of Minnesota, but it has also opened him up to criticism from Republican opponents, including former President Trump, who calls his administration "dangerously liberal" and "radical left" (21m29s).
• Walls responds to the criticism by highlighting Minnesota's progressive policies, such as providing breakfast and lunch to schoolchildren and offering paid family medical leave, which he says are beneficial to the state (21m49s).
• Walls believes that Donald Trump's critiques are wrong and that he is waiting for Trump to offer solutions rather than just tearing down states (22m9s).
• Before joining the ticket, Walls called Republicans "weird," which has become a rallying cry for Democrats, but he clarifies that he was referring to their behavior, such as being obsessed with people's personal lives and making up stories about others (22m24s).
• Walls believes that the label "weird" stuck because it highlights the need to debate policy in a real way and find objective truth again (22m47s).

Trump's Absence and the Search for Common Ground

• The Trump campaign cancelled an interview that they had agreed to participate in, which raises concerns about the lack of meaningful conversations and answers from Donald Trump, and instead, his rallies focus on his personal grievances (23m21s).
• The American people are ready to turn the page and are looking for a leader who can bring the country together and find common ground, which is not something that Donald Trump is offering (24m1s).
• Donald Trump pulled out of his 60 Minutes interview, and instead, the focus is on a different Republican, Steven Richer, who is paying the price for Trump's claims of a stolen 2020 election (24m34s).

The 2020 Election Fraud Claims in Arizona

• Steven Richer, a Republican, helps administer voting in Maricopa County, Arizona, and was determined to find the truth to restore belief in the ballot, despite discovering that the truth wasn't what many wanted to hear (24m47s).
• Richer has become more cynical about politics and believes that many politicians have no lines in the sand and will do whatever it takes to get re-elected, even if it's highly immoral (25m17s).
• Richer's fears for the coming election are that the country will be doing the same thing again in four years, with politicians making false claims and undermining the democratic process (25m38s).
• Nearly four years ago, Steven Richer was elected as the Maricopa County Recorder, and he took office after the 2020 vote, when his own party was making allegations of fraud (25m46s).
• Richer believed that the issue of fraud was not complicated and that people just needed logical and factual answers, but despite multiple investigations and a hand recount of Maricopa County's 2.1 million paper ballots, many Republicans still refused to accept the results (26m10s).
• The investigations and recount confirmed that Joe Biden won the election, and statewide prosecutions for illegal voting involved a total of 19 ballots in Maricopa County, with 50 ballots counted twice due to human error (26m40s).
• The evidence of widespread fraud in Maricopa County in 2020 was non-existent, and Richer believes that the 2020 election in Maricopa County is the most scrutinized election in human history (27m26s).
• When Richer told his fellow Republicans in Maricopa County that the election was fair and there was no fraud, they reacted negatively, and he faced backlash for telling the truth (27m41s).
• Donald Trump claimed that the entire database of Maricopa County, Arizona, was deleted, calling it an "unbelievable election crime." However, officials refuted this claim, stating that the database was intact and accessible. (27m48s)
• In response to Trump's claims, officials described the allegations as "unhinged" and likened them to saying "2 plus 2 equals 5." This led to significant reactions, including violent threats against Steven Richer, with one individual receiving a 3.5-year sentence and others awaiting trial. (28m20s)
• Despite explanations and evidence, some individuals continue to believe the 2020 election was stolen. This belief has become a symbol of allegiance to a particular movement. (29m29s)

Election Denialism and its Consequences

• Shelby Bush, who started a political action committee to investigate alleged election fraud in Maricopa County, has raised nearly a million dollars for her efforts. She was awarded leadership roles within the Arizona Republican Party and cast delegates for Donald Trump at a national convention. (29m45s)
• Bush claims fraudulent votes were introduced in the 2020 Maricopa County election and that state statutes and regulations were violated, making the election questionable. She also questions the validity of signature verification and ballot collection processes. (30m40s)
• A judge disqualified Bush from testifying in a recent case, stating she was "obviously unqualified." Bush dismissed the judge's opinion, attributing it to political bias. (31m14s)
• The persistence of unverified conspiracy theories about election fraud raises concerns about undermining public trust in the electoral system. Bush argues that individuals should review evidence and make their own judgments, asserting the validity of her claims based on personal belief. (31m37s)
• Evidence shows that the 2020 US presidential election was not stolen, but rather lost, as stated by Attorney Ben Ginsburg, who has represented the Republican party in many important election cases (32m28s).
• In 2022, Ginsburg joined conservative judges and senators in an investigation called "Lost, Not Stolen," which exposed election fraud lies and found no evidence to back up allegations of fraud and unreliable elections (32m48s).
• Donald Trump and his supporters brought 64 lawsuits in swing states, losing 63 of them outright and winning one partially, involving 200 votes, which was not enough to change the outcome (33m2s).
• Election deniers in Arizona claim that the judges in these cases were unfair, but Ginsburg argues that under the rule of law, one must accept the rulings of the court (33m30s).
• Ginsburg believes he has a mission to uphold the integrity of elections, driven by his personal values and a sense of calling from God (34m1s).
• Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman, a Republican, has been accused of treason and received death threats for certifying the election and stating that he saw no evidence of fraud (34m55s).
• Hickman has lost count of the number of death threats he and his colleagues have received, including one that was particularly chilling, in which the perpetrator threatened to harm his children (35m36s).
• Shelby Bush, Vice Chair of the Maricopa County Republican Party, has expressed a desire for unity, but only with those who share her core biblical Christian and Judeo principles, and has even gone so far as to say that she would "lynch" fellow Republican Steven Richer if he walked into the room (36m57s).
• Shelby Bush's use of the term "lynch" was seen as historically loaded and specific, and although she defined it as a "political lynching" to mean destroying someone's career, it was considered a poor choice of words (37m41s).
• The unrest and civil disorder in the county were attributed to the disdain and arrogance of elected officials who failed to represent the people's interests (38m20s).
• Election denialism was described as a swindle that can be emotional, political, or economic for some people (38m44s).
• Steven Richard, who lost his primary election, left behind his contribution of building "The Fortress" defenses around the center where votes are counted (39m1s).
• The character of human beings during this time was described as ugly, providing insight into horrific moments of human history and how the same human impulses that led to past atrocities can still exist today (39m32s).

The Israel-Hamas War

• The upcoming presidential election will result in a wartime president, with the US involved in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, including providing arms and money to Ukraine and supporting Israel in its war against Hamas and other groups (40m36s).
• The Israel-Hamas war started a year ago with a surprise terror attack by Hamas, resulting in the deaths of over 1100 Israelis, mostly civilians, and the capture of several hostages (41m4s).
• Alon Got, a resident of kibbutz ber, shared his experience of losing his mother to Hamas and being helpless as his wife, daughter, and sister were captured, with concerns about rape and the cost of objecting to the situation (42m3s).
• Yardan was released in a prisoner swap after 54 days in captivity (42m47s)
• Carmel was executed by Hamas after nearly 330 days in captivity (42m53s)
• October 7th is considered a significant and infamous date in Israel's history, drawing comparisons to the US's 9/11 (42m56s)
• The war between Israel and Hamas has entered its second year, with over 41,000 Palestinians and around 1,500 Israelis having lost their lives (43m7s)
• Hamas still holds around 100 hostages, but Israel believes only about half of them are still alive (43m21s)
• The conflict is fought over biblical lands, but a resolution has yet to be reached, with the time for peace being long overdue (43m28s)