Wednesday morning news: September 11, 2024

Debate » Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump met for the first time at last night’s presidential debate in Philadelphia.

ABC News hosted the, at times, heated debate which tackled a very wide range of topics, including abortion. Moderators asked the vice president a question that she never directly answered.

MODERATOR:  Would you support any restrictions on a woman's right to an abortion?

HARRIS: I absolutely support reinstating the protections of Roe v. Wade.

The former president later pressed the question again …

TRUMP:  You should ask, will she allow abortion in the eighth month, ninth month, seventh month?

HARRIS: Come on.

TRUMP: What don’t you ask her that question? That’s the problem …

Trump said the Supreme Court made the right decision in reversing Roe v. Wade and sending the matter back to the states.

The candidates also sparred on healthcare, the economy, and the border crisis.

TRUMP: What they have done to our country by allowing these millions and millions of people to come into our country, and look at what’s happening to the towns all over.

Harris countered by blaming Trump for the demise of a Senate border bill.

They also debated foreign policy, including conflict involving Israel in the Middle East.

HARRIS:  We must chart a course for a two state solution, and in that solution, there must be security for the Israeli people and Israel and an equal measure for the Palestinians.

Trump accused the Biden-Harris administration of working against the interests of Israel.

Late last night, Vice President Harris’ campaign called for a second debate with Trump. It’s unclear if that will happen.

Congressional Gold Medal ceremony » House Speaker Mike Johnson and other top leaders Tuesday honored the families of the 13 U.S. service members killed during the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago.

JOHNSON:  Since the time of the American Revolution, Congress has commissioned these medals to show our national appreciation for the achievements and contributions of great Americans. And today we're here to honor some of our greatest.

Johnson heard there presenting those families with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also paid respects.

SCHUMER:  Nothing, nothing we can do today can bring them back. But through this award, we swear their memories will live forever.

The U.S. service members were killed along with more than 170 Afghans in a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate at Kabul’s Airport in August 2021.

The ceremony came on the heels of a scathing report released this week by House Republicans, calling the Biden administration to task for the disastrous pullout of U.S. forces.

House Democrats countered by blaming the Trump administration for an agreement with the Taliban that preceded the withdrawal.

Francine storm » The Gulf Coast is bracing for Hurricane Francine.

Brad Reinhart with the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday.

REINHART:  It's expected to turn more towards the northeast and accelerate over the next day or two and approach the coast of Louisiana on Wednesday.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is urging people to prepare and heed all warnings from emergency officials.

Francine is expected to slam the coast as a Category-2 hurricane, with winds potentially topping 100 miles per hour.

Israel - criticism over activist’s death » Israel is still facing heavy criticism for the shooting death of a U.S. Turkish activist in the West Bank. Yesterday, the Israeli military said a preliminary investigation shows the 26-year-old woman was likely shot unintentionally by Israeli forces.

President Biden told reporters:

BIDEN: Apparently it was an accident. It ricocheted off the ground. And she got hit by accident. We’re working that out now.

And Secretary of State Tony Blinken called the woman’s death unacceptable …

BLINKEN: Her killing was both unprovoked and unjustified. No one, no one should be shot or killed for attending a protest.

And he called on Israel to change its rules of engagement.

Israel says it’s launching a criminal investigation into the incident.

Terrorism indictment » The Justice Department is accusing two American men of leading a transnational terror group. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Authorities have indicted 37-year-old Dallas Humber of Elk Grove, California and 37-year-old Matthew Allison of Boise, Idaho on numerous felony charges.

Prosecutors say the pair led a white supremacist terror group called the Terrorgram Collective. The Justice Dept. accuses them of soliciting hate crimes, calling for the murder of federal officials, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

Humber pleaded not guilty this week. Allison has yet to enter a plea.

They both face sentences of more than 200 years behind bars if they’re found guilty on all charges.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Missouri abortion on ballot » In Missouri, voters will decide whether to keep or roll back protections for the unborn in the state. That after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that a measure on whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution will be on the November ballot.

A group of Republican state lawmakers and other pro-life advocates had sued to remove the measure, arguing that voters were not informed about the list of abortion laws it could repeal.

The proposed amendment could remove protections for the unborn up until late stages of pregnancy.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: more analysis of last night’s presidential debate on Washington Wednesday. Plus, World Tour.

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