Trump weighs in on H-1B debate, backs immigration visas
MANKATO — Gov. Tim Walz took 26 flights and did 38 rallies in the last 10 days of the Harris-Walz campaign, and he’s glad to be back to being governor of Minnesota, planning a budget, talking to committee chairs and appreciating the state more than ever. Walz offered reflection on his recent campaign as vice president on the Harris-Walz ticket in an interview Thursday with The Free Press. “It was the honor of a lifetime to be on that ticket. It was 90 days. It was surreal in so many ways. I got to see an America I never would have, and it just deepened my appreciation for Minnesota,” Walz said. “I get to come back here and be governor of Minnesota, which is a privilege. On a personal basis from a mental health perspective, it’s just great to get back in here and get the work done.” Walz was chosen to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate 20 years to the day he first made news as a teacher taking his students to the President George W. Bush rally in rural Mankato. That day he and his students were denied access to the rally because the students were displaying stickers or wore T-shirts supporting Democrats. Two years later, he was elected to Congress in an upset victory over longtime 1st District incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht. Walz says his short trajectory was truly something. “I think it speaks more to Minnesota’s politics and what American (politics) used to be.” That story didn’t get much traction on the campaign trail, but he noted the Wall Street Journal did rate him the least-wealthy candidate on the trail, which he thought was a fitting way to describe him. He never planned on running for Congress and running on the national ticket was beyond his wildest imagination. “It seems pretty cool to me that Americans would allow you to be on the ticket as a school teacher. That’s how I see myself.” As a high school coach, Walz acknowledged one can look back at a lost game and evaluate what went wrong. For the Harris-Walz game, it was a number of factors. “I’m proud of the work we did,” he said. Pundits have been asking him if there are things he could have done differently. “I said ‘yeah, win.’” But post-game analysis includes that he knew the game would be tough, but he did think they would win with the momentum that had been growing. “We ran on a message that was more hopeful, more unifying, but that’s not the one that the public chose.” He said post game that Democrats have to “figure out what young men, what Hispanic men and white men without college degrees — why did they not feel our message for higher wages, access to health care, bringing down housing costs. What is missing in that message?” He acknowledges his narrative of roots in small-town Nebraska, teacher and coach should have helped draw voters who normally wouldn’t vote Democratic or at all. He’s uncertain it helped. “I would think so. Look, we were trying to get those very folks and you’d think that it would have mattered. My claim to fame again is The Wall Street Journal saying I’m the poorest person that ever ran. I’m not poor, but I’m just like these folks.” But some longtime supporters say the Walz genuine narrative did draw voters. “I think Walz really helped the (Harris) campaign. He was more mainstream” said Jim Hepworth, former 1st and 2nd District DFL chair, who noted he was speaking only for himself and not the DFL. Hepworth has known Walz for 20 years. Walz wondered if the changing media landscape, with podcasts and social media dominating legacy media, played a role. “Did we miss the place they’re getting their news?” He noted that podcasters and social media, where more campaigns seem to be turning, is just like paid campaign ads. “That’s not anybody doing journalism. That’s a different way to have a rally. And that, I don’t think, we got,” Walz said. He also noted facts didn’t seem to matter. The Harris-Trump debate favored Harris with only two misleading or false statements to 38 by Trump. “It didn’t matter ... As an American we’re going to have to understand what that means.” Social media outlets that offer confirmation bias are powerful. “If you know how to work those confirmation bias media outlets better, I think you can win. And that’s what we didn’t figure out.” Hepworth agreed the media landscape is changing but the message also needs to get better. He said the uphill challenges for the campaign included a late entry into the race and little time for Harris to differentiate herself from President Joe Biden. The GOP, Hepworth said, was good at talking about inflation and how everything is more expensive, though he also notes the message of the busiest Thanksgiving travel day and robust Black Friday sales didn’t get through to voters that the economy was doing well. The Democrats have to come up with another strategy if they feel their policies and message and leadership was right but yet didn’t get those groups to vote for them, Walz said. These trends will likely continue. “We’re going to have to figure out, is that the best way to elect our leaders in a post-truth world?” Walz notes he’s been in public office longer than he was a teacher, but still sees himself as a teacher. His lesson might change if he were to go into the classroom once again, after the experience on the presidential campaign trail. He would talk about the “obscene amount of money” in campaigns and that the country is “deeply divided,” but that “the system is still better than any other.” And he echoed a refrain of his national campaign: “They should not lose faith.”Trump vows to pardon Jan 6 defendants on Day One
This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here . > Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are Syria's Assad regime collapses after 50 years Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has reportedly fled to Russia after a rebel advance over the weekend reached the capital city of Damascus, putting an end to 50 years of the Assad's family rule over Syria. Russian state news agencies, Tass and RIA, cited an unidentified Kremlin source on Assad and his family being given asylum in the country. South Korea's president survives impeachment vote South Korean president Yoon Seok Yeol has survived an impeachment vote over the weekend after his ruling People's Power Party boycotted the vote. The impeachment motion saw all 192 opposition lawmakers in favour of impeaching the president, but failed to clear the bar of 200 votes needed after only three PPP members voted for the motion. Court upholds law ordering TikTok sale in U.S. A federal appeals court upheld a law requiring China-based ByteDance to sell social media app TikTok next month or face an effective ban in the U.S. The court in an unanimous ruling rejected TikTok's argument that the law is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment rights of the 170 million Americans who use the app . TikTok said that it will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court decision. S&P and Nasdaq reach new records On Friday, both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose to fresh records after November jobs data fueled hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut rates after its meeting ends on Dec. 18 stateside. The S&P climbed 0.25% to 6,090.27, while the Nasdaq advanced 0.81% to 19,859.77. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.28%, to close at 44,642.52. [PRO] Chinese EV markets to benefit in 2025 Traditional foreign automakers were shown the exit on China's car market in 2024, which means that 2025 looks to be the year that a few local electric car companies can solidify their leadership in the world's second largest economy. A quote commonly attributed to Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin goes, "There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen." While it is difficult, absurd even, to suggest that nothing has happened in the past few decades, a lot has certainly happened in the last two weeks. Over the weekend, Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad reportedly fled to Russia, ending 50 years of the Assad's family rule, South Korea's president survived an impeachment vote after declaring the first instance of martial law in over 40 years, and last week, France's government collapsed after a no-confidence vote, the first time that has happened in France in over 60 years. Could the political turmoil could cast a shadow over the typical year-end rally for markets, where markets usually climb? To be honest, it is difficult to say. On one hand, the effects of these political developments are not yet fully known and will cause uncertainty, but on the other hand, U.S. economic data seems to be supporting the case for a rise in markets. Traders expect the U.S. Federal Reserve to be the market's Santa Claus this year. According to the CME Fedwatch tool , there is an 85% chance that the Fed will enact a 25 basis points cut next week, which is likely to send markets higher. However, many other clouds also loom over the horizon heading into 2025, not least of all, the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. In short, 2024 may be coming to an end, but it seems determined to go out swinging in the last three weeks.