SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
In a campaign where debates have turned events, another one this week.
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NORAH O'DONNELL: Would you, again, seek to challenge this year's election results, even if every governor certifies the results? I'll give you two minutes.
JD VANCE: Well, Norah, first of all, I think that we're focused on the future. We need to figure out how to solve the inflation crisis caused by Kamala...
SIMON: Senator JD Vance, replying to a question from Norah O'Donnell at the CBS News vice presidential debate. Ron Elving joins us. Morning, Ron. Thanks for being with us.
RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott.
SIMON: Voters have had a bit of time now to reflect on that debate between Senator Vance and Governor Tim Walz, if they saw it or clips of it. Do you think it changed anything in the race?
ELVING: Some people saw that exchange about the 2020 election - the way Walz immediately described it - a damning nonanswer, the evasive words of an election denier. But overall, the debate may have moderated some of views of Vance. He was sharp. He seemed certainly sure of himself, clearly capable of being civil. So no surprise, his favorability scores, notably low since July, got a big boost.
But then so, too, did those numbers for Walz. The Minnesotan seemed personable and sincere, even when he was dialing back on some of his exaggerations about his experiences overseas and elsewhere. In fact, his favorable numbers went nearly as high - went up by nearly as much as Vance's did. So that kept Walz well ahead on that measure.
But as to the overall state of the race, Scott, we're still looking for something that might move the polls more than an inch or two in either direction.
SIMON: In the same week, a brief unveiled more details from special counsel Jack Smith's January 6 case against President Trump, including, he says, when President Trump was told that Vice President Mike Pence had to be evacuated from the Capitol, Mr. Trump reportedly said, so what. Why are these details being unveiled now when, obviously, the case is not going to be tried before election day?
ELVING: Well, the unveiling was done in this case by the judge in the case, Judge Chutkan, who's been reviewing the new filings by special counsel Jack Smith, on her own timetable. The judge has been reviewing them for some time now after months of delay that made it impossible to get to trial before the election. Now, Smith had been ready to go to trial with his case over six months ago. But the Supreme Court weighed in, delaying the trial and then ruling that a president is immune from prosecution if the crimes alleged were part of his official presidential duties. So Smith has retooled his case to show how Trump was well outside the bounds of his official duties, committing crimes in violation of his oath of office in order to remain in office after losing.
SIMON: Some surprisingly strong job numbers yesterday. We also saw dockworkers return to their jobs after an agreement about wages. And yet another union, this time, the firefighters, decided not to endorse anyone for president.
ELVING: Yeah. That's why it's a boon and a burden to run as the incumbent vice president. You get some credit for things that go well, but also shoulder responsibility for everything in the country that makes people unhappy. So Harris has been able to thread the needle so far pretty well on domestic issues. Now, the Middle East is another magnitude of political hazard. But closer to home, the dock strike looked scary, then it went away. The idea of a recession being just around the corner has been haunting Wall Street and certain kinds of websites for months. Trump is always talking about how horrible the economy is. But the fact is the economy is growing at a healthy pace - unemployment rates down to 4.1%, even as inflation continues to recede, and the Federal Reserve says it's time to celebrate with lower rates.
As for that union support, the Teamsters were all - pretty much all alone among the biggest national unions in not endorsing Harris, but she has been endorsed by some of the Teamsters' statewide organizations in swing states, such as Pennsylvania and Arizona.
SIMON: Well, one month before Election Day. So glad to speak with you again. NPR's Ron Elving, thanks so much for being with us.
ELVING: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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