Tim Walz accepts Democratic nomination for VP | The Excerpt

On Thursday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took the stage Wednesday night in Chicago to accept his party’s nomination for vice president. Plus, USA TODAY National Correspondent Deborah Barfield Berry relays what some voters are saying about Vice President Kamala Harris. Former President Donald Trump is heading back to court. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may drop out of the presidential race. COVID-19 is surging and many folks can’t find a booster. USA TODAY Money Reporter Bailey Schulz looks at whether off-brand weight loss drugs are safe.
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I’m Taylor Wilson and today is Thursday, August 22nd, 2024. This is The Excerpt. Today, Tim Walz has accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president. Plus we hear why some voters turned from Trump to Harris this summer, while some undecided still aren’t sold. And are off-brand weight loss drugs safe?
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz played up his role as the every man on the Democratic ticket yesterday as he accepted his party nomination for vice president at night three of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Tim Walz:
That family down the road, they may not think like you do. They may not pray like you do. They may not love like you do. But they’re your neighbors and you look out for them and they look out for you.
Taylor Wilson:
Taking the stage as the night’s keynote speaker, Walz bragged about his policy record as governor. He talked up cutting prescription drug costs and establishing free school lunch for students, while defending abortion rights and establishing firearm regulations. He also underscored how the heart of his progressive values and differences with the Republican ticket are about respecting others.
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Meanwhile, as momentum continues to build for Kamala Harris’s presidential bid, some voters, including some who were undecided, said she represents change. Others still can’t get on board. I caught up with USA TODAY national correspondent, Deborah Barfield Berry, for a temperature check on what some voters are saying about Harris. Deborah, it’s always a treat having you on.
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Thank you. Thanks for having me.
Taylor Wilson:
So Deborah, let’s just start here. As outlined in the piece, who are the four distinct groups of Kamala Harris supporters?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Well, there are at least four that we’ve talked to the last few months, and some of them are the loyal Democrats who will vote for whoever’s at the top of the ticket because they are just that loyal. There are some who were going to vote, maybe reluctantly, very reluctantly, but were going to go out and vote. And then there were some who clearly are undecided and we’re not sure where they were on that. And then there are others who were at least, especially for this story, who were Trump supporters and/or still Republicans who now feel a different kind of way and are deciding that they want to go for Harris.
Taylor Wilson:
So we know this has been a summer of kind of shifting trends in terms of who folks are supporting. What does the polling tell us about many Americans really changing their voting plans since Harris got in the mix this summer?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Well, there’ve been several polls that have shown that there’s been a shift, especially after July when Biden was replaced. But we, meaning USA TODAY and Suffolk University, we did our own exclusive poll where we poll some black voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania, battleground states, and talked to them both earlier where they were in voting, and then where they are now after the change. And many of them responded that they were more motivated to go vote now. That they were more excited about voting now. So it shows a dramatic shift, especially leading into the convention, how momentum has been rising and rising and rising so far, not just with black voters. Finding that’s happening other places as well.
Taylor Wilson:
There’s clearly a lot of energy among Harris supporters right now. What is this vibe, Deborah, you’re hearing about from a lot of potential or definite Kamala supporters?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Well, some of them are saying everything from, there’s just like a feeling, like a movement almost. I talked to especially some older ones, not just necessarily for this story but for others, who said it reminds them of when Obama ran and how they felt that this is a moment in history. Then I talked to several black women groups that are leading the charge, if you will, for get out to vote. And then even in the story, Terry Collins interviewed several people who talked about the vibe, they’re feeling this vibe or being at a rally and back in just feeling the excitement of the rally, of the people in the room, people in the place. And that seems to be going a long way.
Taylor Wilson:
As you mentioned at the top, some Republicans are bailing on Trump for Harris. What have you heard from some of these folks?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Well, some of the reporting that we found in this story was that some of them, or particularly as one guy said, kind of fed up with some of the shenanigans, if you will, of Trump. So that’s kind of pushed some of them the other way. Some of them are disillusioned by what he has or hasn’t done or said. Some, not necessarily just in this story, but some other reporting we’ve done, they’re feeling some kind of way about the attacks against this woman, not only this woman, but this woman of color. And that’s taken people in a different direction and kind of a different react to supporting him as well. So there’s been a little bit of all of that that have steered some Trump supporters the other way.
Now, not all of them, there’s still some folks who are still feeling that they’re going to stay the course, that Trump is still the candidate for them and/or third party candidates are still the one for them. So she still has a long way to go. Even the poll that we did show that she still has a long way to go to make sure those folks still stay activated, motivated and excited about her campaign come November.
Taylor Wilson:
As you say, on that note, there are plenty of people not on board with Harris as a candidate and not just ardent in Trump supporters or Republicans. What have we heard from some of these folks, Deborah, and what is their opposition or hesitation center on?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Some of them are still feeling passionate about Gaza and they don’t separate Harris from Biden or the Biden administration. She is part of the Biden administration. So the ones who felt strongly that they didn’t do enough, that they weren’t forceful enough in calling for a ceasefire, some of them are still carrying that with them and they’re out protesting at the DNC as we speak. There are protests even in the streets of DC as recent as this week, where people are still feeling strongly and passionately about the Biden administration’s position on Gaza. While polls show that may not be a single issue, for some of them it is an issue that will make the difference for them.
Taylor Wilson:
All right, Deborah Barfield Berry is a national correspondent with USA TODAY, with a great breakdown for us as always. Thank you Deborah.
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Thank you.
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Taylor Wilson:
Former president Donald Trump may not face any more criminal trials before election day, but he will get to have another day in court. That’s on September 26th when a New York Appeals Court will hear his arguments for overturning a $454 million judgment against him for misleading lenders. The appeals court scheduled the arguments for that day, giving Trump the chance to rebut trial Judge Arthur Engoron’s decision that he fraudulently inflated the value of his assets to secure better loan and insurance terms. Spokespeople for Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment.
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Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could exit the race tomorrow and endorse GOP nominee Donald Trump according to ABC News and NBC news citing anonymous sources. Kennedy’s leave would remove him as a potential election spoiler and set the contest up as squarely between two candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. But the decision is reportedly not yet finalized and those close to Kennedy tell USA TODAY, they do not expect him to drop out. His campaign announced earlier yesterday that he will make an address to the nation tomorrow in Arizona. For his part, Trump has changed his tune considerably on Kennedy now that the independent candidate is thinking about endorsing him. Trump told CNN Tuesday that he would be open to RFK playing a role in his administration if he drops out of the race and endorses him. Trump earlier this year called Kennedy far more liberal than anyone running as a Democrat and feared that Kennedy’s independent candidacy might cost him votes in the general election.
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The US is experiencing its largest wave in COVID-19 cases since January and booster vaccines are becoming harder to get. Finding an updated COVID vaccine to protect against the summer surge has been an exercise in futility for some consumers. Supplies of the current vaccine are spotty as pharmacies await the updated vaccines that target more recent variants. The good news is that the FDA could approve the updated shots soon, which would be shipped to certain pharmacies in the weeks after, the timing of the COVID-19 vaccines largely mirrors annual influenza shots that roll out in the fall to protect against serious illness when flu peaks during the winter, experts say. But those most familiar with the disease say treating COVID-19 like the flu presents a major drawback. Using a seasonal cycle means the updated COVID shots are not available to protect consumers when infections pick up in the summer. You can read more with a link in today’s show notes.
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Patients have found alternatives to name brand weight loss drugs, but are they safe? I spoke with USA TODAY money reporter Bailey Schulz for more. Bailey, thanks for hopping on.
Bailey Schulz:
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Taylor Wilson:
So Bailey, what are compounded semaglutides?
Bailey Schulz:
Most people at this point are at least somewhat familiar with brand name weight loss with GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic. But when we see a shortage of FDA approved brand name medications like that, the FDA allows pharmacies to make these alternative medications with the same active ingredients. These are [inaudible 00:09:28] when there’s a shortage, should be essentially a copy of the brand name drugs. But there are differences. Compounding pharmacies are generally regulated by state boards of pharmacy and they source some ingredients from FDA registered facilities, but these compounded drugs are not verified by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality.
Taylor Wilson:
So Bailey, how does their effectiveness compare with Wegovy and Ozempic?
Bailey Schulz:
Yeah, so like I said, the FDA does not verify the drug’s effectiveness. While there are legitimate compounding pharmacies out there, there are some health experts who warn that compounded drugs can carry more risk just because they aren’t going through this detailed review from the FDA. It’s important to note that the FDA says that compounded drugs do serve an important role for patients when these branding drugs aren’t available and that there are legitimate licensed online pharmacies that offer convenience and cost savings. So the general advice for consumers if they are looking to buy these drugs, just make sure you do research before buying any sort of medication online.
Taylor Wilson:
Yeah. So is that the main reason why patients might opt for these drugs instead of the name brand versions really, just a matter of availability?
Bailey Schulz:
I think one of the big things is cost and availability. Where I mentioned the storage earlier, I spoke to one woman for the story who got a Wegovy prescription from her doctor, looked into it and learned her insurance wouldn’t cover the drugs. So the out-of-pocket costs for her if she were to buy that brand name medication were over $1,300 per month. So now she’s using a compounded semaglutide instead, and it costs for her closer to $200 a month.
Taylor Wilson:
As we said, they don’t actually have FDA approval. So are these compounded drugs safe to use? What are some of the risks here?
Bailey Schulz:
Yeah, one of the things we’re seeing as far as risks is overdosing risks. So these brand name drugs, oftentimes you get this prefilled sort of pen that contains the exact dosage you need to inject that week. Whereas with many of these compound drugs, they’re sent out in these vials and patients need to measure out the correct dosage themselves, which people have told me that it’s not always easy to do. It’s a little confusing when they’re trying to measure things out and looking at different numbers. So that just makes overdosing easier.
Taylor Wilson:
So going forward, Bailey, what’s next for compounded semaglutides?
Bailey Schulz:
The FDA is only allowing these to be sold because the brand name medication are experiencing a shortage. So the company that makes Wegovy says it’s working on ramping up its supply and when this shortage does end, I think the concern that people who are taking these compounded drugs have is that will these disappear, will they suddenly be cut off from this medication if they’re still unable to afford brand name drugs and have no other options? Seems like there might be a ticking clock for these compounded drugs.
Taylor Wilson:
All right, Bailey Schulz covers money for USA TODAY. Great breakdown as always. Thank you Bailey.
Bailey Schulz:
No thank you for your time.
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Taylor Wilson:
10 months after last year’s October 7th attacks in Israel and the ensuing Israeli onslaught in Gaza, ceasefire talks are at an impasse and dozens of hostages are still in Hamas’s custody. Jonathan Dekel-Chen and other families of the hostages are at the Democratic National Convention to say to Americans, don’t forget our loved ones.
Tune into The Excerpt later today after 4:00 PM Eastern time for a special episode.
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And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your pods, and if you’re listening on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I’m Taylor Wilson and I’ll be back tomorrow to wrap up the Democratic Convention, with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.