Friday morning news: June 28, 2024

Presidential debate » President Biden and former president Trump were face to face, in the same room… for the first time in almost four years. WORLD’s Travis Kircher walks us through some key moments of their primetime debate.

TRAVIS KIRCHER: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump clashed on stage at CNN’s Atlanta headquarters. They answered questions on topics ranging from the high cost of groceries to immigration.

Biden defended his administration’s handling of the economy, despite inflation rising 20 percent since he took office. He said he inherited those rising prices from the former president.

BIDEN: And so what we had to do was try to put things back together again. And that’s exactly what we began to do. We created 15,000 new jobs, we brought out – in a position where we had 800,000 new manufacturing jobs. But there’s more to be done.

But Trump said it was his administration’s fiscally conservative policies that enabled the economy to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.

TRUMP: I gave you the largest tax cut in history. I also gave you the largest regulation cut in history. That’s why we had all the jobs. And the jobs went down and then they bounced back up and he’s taking credit for bounce-back jobs and you can’t do that.

On the issue of abortion…Trump took credit for appointing conservative Supreme Court justices who ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade…but he also expressed his support for the availability of chemical abortions.

TRUMP: First of all, the Supreme Court just approved the abortion pill, and I agree with their decision to have done that, and I will not block it.

For his part, Biden expressed his support for a federal abortion mandate.

BIDEN: And if I’m elected, I’m gonna restore Roe v. Wade.

Russia’s war with Ukraine was also front and center…with Biden spotlighting criticisms by the former president…that allies weren’t paying their fair share of NATO defense spending.

BIDEN: I've never heard so much foolishness. This is a guy who wants to get out of NATO. Are you gonna stay in NATO? You're gonna pull out of NATO.

But Trump countered that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would never have happened if he’d been in office..and he made a promise to end the war quickly.

TRUMP: Before I take office on January 20th, I'll have that war settled. People being killed so needlessly, so stupidly. And I will get it settled and I'll get it settled fast before I take office.

The next presidential debate is scheduled for September after both political conventions are over.

For WORLD, I’m Travis Kircher.

State schools in Oklahoma must teach the Bible » In other news, Oklahoma’s top education leader is mandating the state incorporate the Bible into lessons for 5th through 12th graders.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters says the Scriptures are essential for understanding the country’s foundation.

WALTERS: Every teacher, every classroom in the state, will have a Bible in the classroom and will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom to ensure that this historical understanding is there for every student in the state of Oklahoma.

Critics argue public schools shouldn’t promote specific religious beliefs. They say this move violates the U.S. Constitution’s establishment clause.

It’s also not clear if Walters has the authority to enforce the mandate. State law gives individual school districts control over instructional content.

DOJ charges 200 w/health care fraud » The Justice Department is charging close to 200 people in a nationwide crackdown on health care fraud.

The DOJ’s message, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland…

GARLAND: If you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable.

The crackdown targeted fraud schemes around the country, with false claims totaling $2.7 billion dollars.

Among the cases: Owners of a company in Arizona accused of billing Medicare $900 million for unnecessary wound grafts, often used on dying patients.

A separate scheme in Florida involved reselling misbranded HIV drugs.

GARLAND: We allege that the defendants purchased these drugs at steep discounts from black market suppliers, and then resold them to pharmacies with falsified documentation designed to conceal the true source of the medication.

One patient lost consciousness after taking a mislabeled medication.

Buttigieg and congressman spar over EVs » Sparks flew during a House committee hearing Thursday between Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigeg and Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry. It was a sharp clash over electric vehicles.

Things got heated when Perry called the Biden Administration’s EV subsidy a mandate:

PERRY: What I’m not happy about is the mandate. The American people should be able to buy…

BUTTIGIEG (interrupts): That brings me to the fourth and final thing that I need to challenge as being factually inaccurate, which is there is no mandate. You can purchase a gas car if you want to pay gas prices at the pump. But if you don’t, you can purchase an EV… with our help.

People who buy EVs are eligible for tax credits if the vehicles are made in the U.S.

Buttigieg was on Capitol Hill to answer lawmakers’ questions about his department’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year.

Supreme Court poll » 7 in 10 Americans believe Supreme Court justices are influenced more by ideology than by impartial application of the law.

That’s according to a new poll from the Associated Press.

Only 3 in 10 Americans think the justices act impartially.

Most of the country sees the High Court’s decision-making as politically motivated, a view that spans all political affiliations.

But the poll does show Democrats and Independents mistrust the court’s fairness by much larger margins than Republicans.

Purdue Pharma Supreme Court ruling » Speaking of the Supreme Court, it has rejected a nationwide settlement with Purdue Pharma, the now-bankrupt company behind the drug OxyContin.

The settlement would’ve provided billions of dollars to fight the opioid epidemic. But it also would’ve shielded Purdue Pharma’s owner, the Sackler family, from civil lawsuits.

Ed Bisch lost his son to an OxyContin overdose. He says the justices got this one right.

BISCH: For years, Purdue Pharma and the Sachlers have made a mockery of the U.S. justice system. And if this deal would’ve went through, they would’ve made a mockery of the U.S. bankruptcy system.

The court ruled bankruptcy as a legal shield cannot be used by the Sacklers, who haven’t declared bankruptcy themselves.

It’s not clear what happens next, though lawyers involved in the case expect negotiations to resume.

I’m Mark Mellinger.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus, your Listener Feedback.

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