LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The economy remains a top priority for many voters.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
And later today, Vice President Harris is rolling out her economic agenda. This comes as the Democratic presidential nominee has been facing criticism for offering scant details about her own vision for the job, and as her Republican opponent Donald Trump tries to blame her for high prices.
FADEL: Joining us now is NPR White House correspondent Asma Khalid, who's been covering the Harris campaign. Good morning.
ASMA KHALID, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So what's the vice president proposing?
KHALID: Well, the big headline is that Harris is calling for a substantial expansion of the child tax credit, up to $6,000 for low- and middle-income families when they have a new baby. She also wants to restore the child tax credit that families got during the pandemic. And just to remind folks, that was $3,600 per child. You know, the program was really popular. And it was credited with reducing child poverty significantly. It's worth pointing out that some Republicans, including the GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance, have also called for bolstering the child tax credit.
FADEL: So money for low- and middle-income families. What else is in the plan?
KHALID: She's been foreshadowing some of her ideas out on the campaign trail. Recently in her speeches, I've heard her use this one line again and again. Take a listen.
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VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: While our economy is doing well by many measures, prices for everyday things like groceries are still too high. You know it and I know it.
KHALID: And later today in North Carolina, she's going to really focus on cutting expenses that are top of mind for voters, things like healthcare, housing and groceries. And to this point on groceries, I mean, that's something that Harris is expected to single out today. She's calling for a federal ban on price gouging in the food sector. Her campaign specifically cites the price of meat. Also, when it comes to prescription drug prices, she's calling for a $35 cap on the cost of insulin for everyone, not just seniors.
FADEL: OK, so you also mentioned housing a moment ago. We often hear about the high cost of housing. So what's her plan there?
KHALID: She's suggesting some ideas that expand upon some of the things we've heard in the Biden administration. But I would say these are bigger and bolder than what we have seen from the White House to date. One thing that caught my eye is that she wants to give first-time homebuyers $25,000 toward their down payment. The campaign estimates that could help some 4 million people. It is a much more expansive version of a plan that Biden announced in his State of the Union. Harris is also calling for new tax breaks that her campaign says could help lead to 3 million new housing units and help fill a housing shortage, and she's calling on Congress to pass legislation to prevent Wall Street investors from buying up large numbers of single-family rental homes.
FADEL: So how does this Harris economic agenda differ from what Biden was proposing?
KHALID: Well, much of the substance does seem to be in line with President Biden's vision for the economy, which I would say is to be expected. She's the sitting vice president in this administration.
FADEL: Right.
KHALID: But she's a different messenger. You know, she's not adopting Biden's language. She's not out there talking about Bidenomics. But she is still, like Biden, talking about trying to build up the middle class. This speech today is about contrasting herself with her Republican opponent. The economy is one of the biggest political vulnerabilities for Harris, so she needs to have an answer for voters. Republicans have been trying to tie her to the Biden economy. Polls show that voters do tend to trust Trump more on his handling of the economy, though the former president does not yet seem to have much of an edge on this issue against Harris, at least as much as he did against Biden.
FADEL: NPR's Asma Khalid. Thank you, Asma.
KHALID: Good to speak with you.
FADEL: Now, turning to the other candidate, former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, is also using the week to focus on the economy.
MARTIN: Trump has been facing pressure from Republicans to focus on policy issues and not crowd sizes and personal attacks. So is that what he did at a rally in North Carolina and a lengthy press conference at his New Jersey golf club?
FADEL: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is here to answer that. Good morning, Franco.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So yesterday's news conference really narrowed in on inflation. What was Trump's message?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, I mean, he actually brought out Froot Loops and Oreos to highlight the food prices and inflation. He touted his plans to eliminate taxes on tips and Social Security benefits. He blamed Harris for food and gas prices. He called her proposal for a federal ban on price gouging on food as, quote, "communist price controls."
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DONALD TRUMP: Kamala Harris is a radical California liberal who broke the economy, broke the border and broke the world, frankly.
ORDOÑEZ: He spoke for almost an hour and a half and took questions on topics like Israel, the assassination - to Harris' VP pick, Governor Tim Walz. And it was clearly part of Trump's efforts to highlight that he answers questions, while Harris has not held a news conference. But I'll just note that they limited the number of media organizations. And we, NPR, were not allowed in.
FADEL: Broke the world is quite the charge there. Now, Trump's messaging has been dominated by personal attacks on Harris, but policy is where Republicans think they have the upper hand, especially on the economy. Is Trump sticking to that message?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, yeah. I mean, allies like former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have urged him to stop the insults and stick to the script. Here's Trump's former adviser, Kellyanne Conway, actually speaking on Fox Business about that.
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KELLYANNE CONWAY: The winning formula for President Trump is very plain to see. It's fewer insults, more insights and that policy contrast.
ORDOÑEZ: I will note that yesterday, at least for the beginning of the press conference, he did largely stick to the script - food prices, inflation, credit card debt.
FADEL: So the beginning. How long did that last?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, I mean, he read from the script for about 45 minutes before taking questions and then it really got off track. I mean, he was asked about this, and he said he was angry.
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TRUMP: I think I'm entitled to personal attacks. I don't have a lot of respect for her. I don't have a lot of respect for her intelligence, and I think she'll be a terrible president. And I think it's very important that we win. And whether the personal attacks are good, bad, I mean, she certainly attacks me personally. She actually called me weird - he's weird.
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, it's clear that that weird label that Democrats have put on him has got under his skin.
FADEL: Yeah, and he repeats again there that Harris isn't smart. She holds a degree from Howard, went to UC Law San Francisco, was a prosecutor and attorney general.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, I mean, while Republicans are telling him to tone down these personal attacks, I mean, he says he's the candidate and he has to do it his own way.
FADEL: Harris has really benefited from jumping into the race late in the game, and she's expected to get another bump in public opinion during next week's Democratic National Convention, as candidates often do. What is Trump's challenge there?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, it's really a race to define her.
FADEL: Right.
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, yes, she's the vice president and former senator of California. But outside of Washington and California, a lot of people really just don't know much about her. And Trump said this yesterday and noted their strategy is to paint her as a California liberal. I mean, the campaign is working on this as well, the Harris campaign, which is, of course, why so many of our listeners are seeing all these ads about her being a prosecutor.
FADEL: Right. And they also point out that Trump is a convicted felon.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, there is going to be so much attention on the Democratic convention, a lot of celebrities and former presidents. Trump allies tell me they're going to be working very hard to steal as much of the spotlight from Harris. Trump will be out holding rallies. I mean, you can expect a lot, a lot of counterprogramming each day.
FADEL: That's White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thank you, Franco.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Leila.
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FADEL: Five people have been charged in connection with the death of actor Matthew Perry.
MARTIN: Yes, the man best known as Chandler Bing from "Friends" died last year from the acute effects of ketamine. Officials said in a press conference yesterday that a broad underground criminal network supplied him with the drugs that ultimately killed him. This is how U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada described it.
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MARTIN ESTRADA: This network included a live-in assistant, various go-betweens, two medical doctors and a major source of drug supply known as, quote, "the Ketamine Queen."
FADEL: Robert Garrova is a reporter at LAist. He's been following the story and is here to explain who was involved and what happened. Hi, Robert.
ROBERT GARROVA, BYLINE: Hi, Leila.
FADEL: OK, so can you tell us more about the people accused of being involved in Perry's death and who the Ketamine Queen is?
GARROVA: Yeah, that would be Jasveen Sangha of north Hollywood. She was arrested yesterday and she's really central to this case. The indictment alleges that the ketamine Sangha distributed last fall is what caused Perry's death. Authorities said they found a, quote, "drug-selling emporium" when they searched her home. It was her and a doctor, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who were both arrested yesterday. Perry met Plasencia while looking to buy ketamine. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said yesterday at that press conference that Plasencia saw an opportunity to profit off of Perry's addiction. He said he wrote in a text message in September of last year, quote, "I wonder how much this moron will pay." Yeah, Estrada said Perry paid $55,000 in cash, actually, for some 20 vials of ketamine over two months last year.
FADEL: That's a lot of money. Why were authorities describing this as a criminal network?
GARROVA: Well, that really gets to the number of people involved and how they were all, you know, sort of working together to take advantage. You know, it was clear Matthew Perry had a public history of addiction. He'd written about it in his 2022 memoir. U.S. Attorney Estrada said yesterday that the defendants cared more about making money off of Perry, you know, rather than caring for his well-being.
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ESTRADA: The investigation revealed that in the fall of 2023, Mr. Perry fell back into addiction. And these defendants took advantage to profit for themselves.
GARROVA: You know, and there were three other people who were charged as allegedly being part of this. Those would include Perry's live-in assistant, who injected him with the drug. And after Perry's death, the prosecutor said that they had tried to cover up their involvement.
FADEL: Now, ketamine is a controlled substance. How did Perry start using it?
GARROVA: So a Drug Enforcement Administration official said that Perry was trying to get help for anxiety and depression, and that's when he became addicted to ketamine. Usually, it's cleared for use in anesthesia. And it's also approved for some, you know, cases of depression, but only in supervised settings. That same DEA official said that after Perry had become addicted to ketamine at a local clinic, doctors refused to increase his dosage. And that's when he started looking to other doctors, who were ready to take advantage for profit. Officials said they really wanted to send a clear message with the charges and arrests announced. People who sell illicit drugs like this are playing roulette with people's lives, they said, and they wanted to hold people accountable.
FADEL: That's Robert Garrova of LAist. Thanks for the reporting, Robert.
GARROVA: Thanks. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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