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The week in news and politics, from the newsmakers themselves

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump rallied supporters this past week, both at Georgia State University in Atlanta, both part of our voices from the news and the campaign trail.

(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: Our administration worked on the most significant border security bill in decades. Some of the most conservative Republicans in Washington, D.C. supported the bill. Even the border patrol endorsed it. It was all set to pass. But at the last minute, Trump directed his allies in the Senate to vote it down.

(BOOING)

HARRIS: Right. He tanked, tanked the bipartisan deal because he thought it would help him win an election.

(BOOING)

JD VANCE: If she becomes the president of the United States, she won't stop until every single illegal immigrant that she let in becomes a voter, handing over control of your country to people who shouldn't even be here.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

DONALD TRUMP: She was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don't know. Is she Indian, or is she Black?

RACHEL SCOTT: She has always identified...

TRUMP: But you know what?

SCOTT: ...As a Black woman.

TRUMP: I respect either one.

SCOTT: She went to a historically Black college.

TRUMP: I respect either one, but she obviously doesn't because she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden, she made a turn and she went - she became a Black person.

SCOTT: Just to be clear, sir...

HARRIS: Donald Trump spoke at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists. And it was the same old show, the divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better. The American people deserve better.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: President Biden is celebrating the release of three wrongfully detained Americans and a U.S. green card holder in a large prisoner swap with Russia and several other nations.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: For anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: Already, there is some criticism, including from the Republican vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, who, moments ago, said, I think what this shows is that a lot of bad guys across the world are worried that Donald Trump is coming back into office. Your response to those comments?

JAKE SULLIVAN: I don't follow.

TRUMP: I call him Crooked Joe for a reason. He's crooked. I also call him Sleepy Joe. He's sleepy. He's sleepy. He's crooked. He's incompetent. He's dumb. And she's worse. She's worse. If Harris wins, a never-ending stream of illegal alien rapists, MS-13 animals and child predators will flood into your communities. If I win, on Day 1, we will begin the largest deportation operation in American history.

(CHEERING)

TRUMP: Have no choice - we have no choice. No country can sustain... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Ayesha Rascoe is a White House correspondent for NPR. She is currently covering her third presidential administration. Rascoe's White House coverage has included a number of high profile foreign trips, including President Trump's 2019 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam, and President Obama's final NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland in 2016. As a part of the White House team, she's also a regular on the NPR Politics Podcast.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.