Transcript:
The Inside Story: USA Votes 2024: The Candidates Debate
EPISODE 161 – September 12, 2024
Show Open:
Unidentified Narrator:
This week on the Inside Story:
Candidates Harris and Trump square off in their first debate ahead of November’s presidential election
And we follow the path to freedom of our colleague Alsu Kurmasheva and her husband’s journey to bring her home
Now, on the inside story: USA Votes 2024: The Candidates debate.
The Inside Story:
JESSICA JERREAT, VOA’s Press Freedom Editor:
Welcome to the Inside Story. I’m Jessica Jerreat, VOA’s Press Freedom Editor.
We begin today with the U.S. presidential debate ...
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris went head-to-head Tuesday night, in a debate held in the swing state of Pennsylvania.
That’s where Steve Herman begins our coverage.
STEVE HERMAN, VOA Correspondent:
Standing two meters apart with no audience in the room, the two presidential nominees -- who had never met before Tuesday night – had their first encounter, hosted by ABC News and simulcast on other broadcast networks to tens of millions of likely American voters.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to those voters as much as she responded to the attacks from former President Donald Trump, setting much of her own course following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
Kamala Harris, Democratic Presidential Nominee:
Clearly, I am not Joe Biden, and I am certainly not Donald Trump. And what I do offer is a new generation of leadership for our country, one who believes in what is possible, one who brings a sense of optimism about what we can do instead of always disparaging the American people.”
STEVE HERMAN:
Trump blamed Harris, whom he called a Marxist, for a surge in illegal migration into the United States.
Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Nominee:
They’ve destroyed the fabric of our country. Millions of people let in.
STEVE HERMAN:
Trump, without evidence, also blamed Harris for Russia invading Ukraine and the war in Gaza.
Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Nominee:
She hates Israel. At the same time, in her own way, she hates the Arab population because the whole place is gonna get blown up – Arabs, Jewish people, Israel. Israel will be gone.
STEVE HERMAN:
For Trump, it was his seventh time on the presidential debate stage. For Harris her first.
She said the Republican nominee is unfit to return to the White House and there’s a consensus about that among world leaders except for the autocrats, whom Trump admires.
Kamala Harris, Democratic Presidential Nominee:
You adore strongmen instead of caring about democracy, and that is very much what is at stake here.
STEVE HERMAN:
Trump’s surrogates in the spin room, such as Republican Congressman Byron Donalds of Florida, said Harris failed to articulate what she would do as president.
Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida:
Kamala Harris, all she did was attack him. She didn’t talk about the policies. She didn’t talk about her differentiations between her and the Biden administration. When Afghanistan came up, what did she say? A lot of nothing.
Nearly a third of voters polled prior to the debate said they were familiar with Trump but needed to learn more about Harris.
The debate flushed out a clear contrast between the two, according to a Democratic Party congressman from California, Ted Lieu.
Rep. Ted Lieu, California:
Kamala Harris was presidential. Donald Trump was weird and incoherent.
STEVE HERMAN:
Unless Trump and Harris debate again before Election Day, this may have been their best opportunity to try to sway the relatively small number of undecided voters in the seven swing states expected to decide who will become the next president of the United States.
Steve Herman, VOA News, Philadelphia.
JESSICA JERREAT:
The state of West Virginia historically has leaned toward the Democratic party. But more recently, the Mountain State has been a Republican stronghold, delivering overwhelming support for Trump in 2016, and again in 2020.
Our Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson visits the town of Berkeley Springs, to see how the 2024 race could play out.
KATHERINE GYPSON, VOA Congressional Correspondent:
Late summer in a West Virginia tourist town…
Families having fun before the return to school and cooler temperatures — and thoughts turning to the dramatic change in the presidential election — from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris.
John Lynch, West Virginia Voter:
It's going to attract a lot of the female vote, the minority vote, to her, but there's no substance there. She has nothing to run on, no track record to run on, unless she wants to talk about Bidenomics, which is a failure. So, I think coming up in the debate, Donald Trump is going to just tear her up.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
West Virginia has consistently delivered former President Donald Trump some of his strongest wins. But voters here are worried about the 2024 election.
Channell DeCroix, West Virginia Voter:
It makes me nervous, because, to be honest, I'm a Trump supporter, but I think everybody who was kind of unsure will now go with Kamala.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
This rural state has played an outsized role in national politics thanks to its only elected Democratic official Senator Joe Manchin, who switched to being an independent this year. He played a key role in passing major pieces of legislation for the Biden administration.
But with Manchin retiring this year, Republicans are almost certain to pick up a Senate seat with popular Governor Jim Justice in the running.
Marty Gearheart, West Virginia House Majority Whip:
We're always interested in energy. We mine coal, and there's been an attack on coal, and Governor Justice owns coal mines, so we expect to see that industry protected.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Many voters blame Democrats for the decline of West Virginia’s main industry, coal mining. But West Virginia Democrats at the party’s recent national convention in Chicago are trying to change that perception.
Troy Miller, West Virginia Democratic Delegate:
That is directly because of automation, because of the coal bosses automating away the jobs and switching to surface mining rather than underground mining. It's a convenient scapegoat to blame environmental regulations.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Justice’s Democratic opponent, Glen Elliott, tells voters that Republican control has not been good for the state’s economy or growth.
Glen Elliott, Democratic Senate Candidate:
We have to encourage small businesses in ways that hasn't been happening. And we have to keep our young people there. Our state legislature keeps passing really restrictive laws like the abortion ban, like anti-LGBTQ laws that are basically sending young people the message that we don't want you here.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
But in this strongly pro-Trump state, most voters place the blame for economic problems on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
John Lynch, West Virginia Voter:
Why would you want to pay $1 more for gasoline? Why would you want to pay 25% more for groceries? Why would you want to have a mortgage interest rate? It's double during the Biden administration, and she has to own that.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
In a poll conducted in late August by a West Virginia news organization, Trump leads Harris by 27 points.
Katherine Gypson, VOA News, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.
JESSICA JERREAT:
As the November vote draws close, both parties talk up the idea of “election integrity” : efforts to ensure that all aspects of voting -- registration, casting, counting, and certifying -- can’t be tampered with. We go back to Steve Herman with the details.
STEVE HERMAN:
Democrats accuse Republicans of limiting access to polling stations and plotting to hamper the certification of the results. Republicans suspect Democratic Party operatives of tampering with absentee ballots, manipulating voting machines and keeping ineligible voters on the rolls.
The Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, is facing criminal charges over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Nominee:
I thought that the election was a rigged election, a stolen election…
STEVE HERMAN:
The Democratic Party’s nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, accuses Trump of undermining confidence in elections, while she pledges to uphold fundamental American principles.
Kamala Harris, Democratic Presidential Nominee:
From the rule of law. To free and fair elections. To the peaceful transfer of power.
STEVE HERMAN:
Federal agencies have been conducting tabletop exercises mindful of January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters, unhappy with the president’s defeat, stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Has the preparation strengthened election integrity?
That is the hope of stakeholders such as the 104-year-old League of Women Voters, whose chief executive officer is Celina Stewart.
Celina Stewart, League of Women Voters:
I guess it’s a wait and see. We’ll have to see what happens, what the outcome of the election is, how people feel about it, what protests and whether that protest crosses the line into violence, and my hope is that it doesn’t.
STEVE HERMAN:
So far this year the system has held up well, according to the chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, Ben Hovland.
Ben Hovland, US Election Assistance Commission:
We’ve had a lot of primaries already, both the presidential primaries this year, the state primaries and, so, election officials have had a lot of practice already this season and I think we’re in good shape going into November.
STEVE HERMAN:
In Champaign County in the state of Illinois, the local Republican Party in 2020 tried to have a judge compel the county clerk, Aaron Ammons , to stop counting mailed-in ballots.
Aaron Ammons, Champaign County Clerk:
And he dismissed that claim, and I was able to count the ballots. But they definitely tried it, just like they were trying in other places across the country.
STEVE HERMAN:
Threats, intimidation and lawsuits have prompted many election officials and volunteers nationwide to quit, according to Ammons.
Aaron Ammons, Champaign County Clerk:
It does a disservice, and it really is disheartening to the people who do this work, if we're not getting the support that we obviously need for being on the front lines of democracy.
STEVE HERMAN:
It is important to invite candidates, party officials and the public to watch the system in operation, according to the director of elections in St. Louis County, Missouri, Eric Fey.
Eric Frey, St. Louis County Elections:
Opening mail ballots, tabulating ballots, testing voting equipment, manually recounting, auditing after the election — all of these things are publicly observable.
STEVE HERMAN:
Senate Republican leadership wants to pass legislation that would require people registering to vote to provide proof of citizenship. Most Democrats here on Capitol Hill argue that the law already makes it illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections and there’s no evidence to support claims that illegal immigrants, in significant numbers, are voting.
Steve Herman, VOA News, on Capitol Hill.
JESSICA JERREAT:
Now we turn to a story we’ve been covering for a while…
It is about our colleague, Alsu Kurmasheva, from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
When Russia jailed Kurmasheva last year, her husband—Pavel Butorin-- and daughters began a months-long campaign to successfully secure her release. Their journey shows the challenges American families confront when a loved one is wrongfully detained by a foreign government. As Alsu’s family traveled from their home in Prague to Washington to push Congress for help, VOA followed. Here’s their story:
Offscreen voice of Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Husband:
I just don't think that any amount of words, any words really, can in fact adequately express just the pain that our family goes through on a daily basis.
I keep thinking about Alsu, you know? What is she up to?
Where is she sitting?
What kind of food she's eating at the time.
And then at home at night, we sit at this table, we see an empty chair.
(Now on screen) Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Husband:
My name is Pavel Butorin. I'm Alsu’s husband, and I'm also the head of Current Time TV at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, here in Prague.
I have responsibilities. I have a responsibility as a father of two young women. They've had to grow really quickly in the past few months.
We've measured our time without Alsu by our birthdays. Because she, Alsu, has missed all of them now.
It makes zero sense why she's being penalized. As far as I'm concerned, she's being punished for living out that American dream, of exercising her First Amendment rights.
Should we consider this box checked?
Family’s voices:
Yes!
Pavel Butorin:
All right. On to Vegas.
Family's voices:
On to Vegas.
Bibi Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Daughter:
To describe my mom is probably impossible because she's just so many things.
She's loving. She's caring. She's really funny. And something I really love about her is probably how much she pays attention to every single person around her.
Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Husband:
She does care about other people a lot. That was what really drove her to go to Russia, to travel to Russia, even though Alsu and I, we understood the potential risks.
When she was leaving, she said, "Tell me that everything's going to be OK." Now what does a husband say to his wife in this situation? And sometimes I wonder if I had said no.
Bibi Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Daughter:
I remember it was May. It was already a hot day. I remember just hugging her goodbye and seeing her go to the elevator, and I thought I would see her in two weeks.
Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Husband:
My most difficult moments are when I'm left by myself, so, you know, I draw whatever strength I can draw from my children. They’re a great support. They’ve been fantastic.
I think I've been conditioned to, to remain strong no matter what happened. But it's definitely taken a toll emotionally, on all of us.
And I usually get up early to go for my morning run so, but for me to retain any sort of normalcy or sanity, I really have to switch off.
I was kind of used to seeing her having lunch with her colleagues.
And for me, it's still a little strange seeing them without her. And even though we didn't have lunch together, you know, we communicated all the time. Our lives and work are so intertwined.
Now it feels a little strange mixing the two worlds, you know.
Being a journalist and, you know, heading Current Time but also having to do this advocacy work. I try to keep them separate, but unavoidably, they merge sometimes.
You know, as I talk to people, inescapably, I think about Alsu.
She's not just a journalist. She has dedicated her entire career — I'm going to say life — to advancing her ethnic culture.
Rim Gilfanov, RFE/RL Tatar-Bashkir Service Director:
This particular picture was taken on the occasion of [the] 60th anniversary of the service, and we just decided to mark it this specific way and took a picture in traditional Tatar dress.
Well, she's serious. Yeah. I mean, no doubt about it. But nevertheless, what main quality which comes to my mind when I think of Alsu, it's constant eagerness and preparedness to help everyone around her.
Stephen Capus, RFE/RL President:
Well, this unfolded slowly. Alsu went back to visit her mother, and she was there not to do reporting.
When she went to leave, she was prevented from leaving.
And everything just started deteriorating at that point.
Little by little, it became clear that they were not going to let her go.
And then it wasn't until October that they imprisoned her.
It's a terrible blow to this organization.
Every one of the people who are being held are important parts of our entire work community. Alsu became the fourth person.
It's kind of a grim reality that, that starts to set in that we are targets.
Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Husband:
Alsu is a very resilient woman, but as I see those court appearances, I can see the emotional and physical toll that this unjust imprisonment has taken on her. She doesn't belong in a prison cell. She belongs here with her family.
I'm at my best when we're all together.
You know, we always have dinner together. And I think it's really painful, actually, to see that empty chair, even at a restaurant.
This is my fifth time since Alsu's detention. I was a little bit concerned that if I wasn't coming here as often, that the government might just forget about Alsu. I want us to be a constant reminder of our plight.
I'm a little camera shy, at least was until this all happened. But now I understand the importance of advocacy and of raising awareness.
At this point I think there's a very broad agreement among many, many members of the Biden administration that her detention is unjust.
Diane Foley, James W. Foley Legacy Foundation:
The Foley Foundation, we’re a tiny little group. And so what we try to do is we try to guide families.
They need to work very hard with consular affairs, whose job it is to at least communicate with families who are in this situation.
It's all on the family in the U.S. I mean, that hasn't changed a whole lot. I mean, it was all on me, all on our family, when Jim was taken.
And when I see Bibi and Miriam [Butorin], you know, God bless them, they shouldn't, as teenagers, be dealing with this.
Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Husband:
It was shocking to hear the news of this horrific sentence. Yet I have to say that it wasn't unexpected.
Conviction rates are incredibly high, almost 100%, especially in political cases like Alsu’s.
I mean, for us, it's a, it's a daily ordeal, obviously, but for people outside of our circle, you know, our organization, it’s just a news story. So I have to keep that story alive.
Congressman, great to see you again.
Rep. Jason Crow:
Yeah, good to see you again.
Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Husband:
We often come here together to just remind people that this is not just a statistic. Alsu is not a number. That it's a real family suffering.
Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Husband:
As far as her captors are concerned, they will just have to bear that shame of having tormented an innocent woman.
And when Alsu comes back, I want her to hear that she's not a criminal, that she has done nothing wrong.
Unidentified news anchor for El Mundo al Dia, VOA newscast, speaking Spanish:
“El Mundo al Día" begins today with the historic prisoner swap between the United States and Russia… ]
Unidentified VOA Russian Service news anchor speaking in Russian:
...the largest, since Soviet times, exchange between Russia and Western countries.
VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara:
Included in this very historical prisoner swap are three American citizens and one permanent resident’s holder.
President Joe Biden:
Today we're bringing home Paul, Evan, Alsu, Vladimir. Three American citizens and one American green card holder. All four have been imprisoned unjustly in Russia.
Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s Husband:
You know, when we received the call that we were invited to the White House, I think we knew.
Alsu Kurmasheva, RFE/RL Journalist:
I’m enjoying freedom. I'm, I’m loving every minute of it. I'm enjoying the taste of food, of water. I'm enjoying talking to people.
I’m happy to reunite with my family. But I also think about those who are still there in prison, and especially journalists and especially three of my colleagues at RFE. And I feel the pain their families are going through. I feel the pain of those journalists.
JESSICA JERREAT:
The 9/11 terror attacks forever changed U.S. History sparking the War on Terror and invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, on the 23rd anniversary of the worst terror attacks in the country's history, Americans today are remembering the dead.
From the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City, to the Pentagon outside of Washington, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. But in New York, the politics of this election season paused, even if just for a brief moment. As President Biden, Vice President Harris, former president Trump, and his running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, attended the ceremony at Ground Zero.
That’s all for now. Thanks for watching.
For the latest news you can log on to VOA news dot com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at VOA News.
For all the Press Freedom related content, follow me on X at Jessica Jerreat. Catch up on past episodes at our free streaming service, VOA Plus.
I’m Jessica Jerreat, We will see you next week, for The Inside Story.
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