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Washington Roundup: Trump, Harris on immigration; Ethel Kennedy memorial; voters and the economy

Members of the family of the late Ethel Kennedy carry her casket down the steps of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington after an Oct. 16, 2024, memorial service. Ethel, the widow of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, a mother of 11 and a human rights activist, died Oct. 10 at age 96. (OSV News photo/Mihoko Owada, Catholic Standard)

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Former President Donald Trump was questioned on topics including the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and immigration at a Univision town hall. Vice President Kamala Harris was also questioned about immigration during a contentious interview with Fox News.

The same week, the Supreme Court allowed the Biden administration to enforce a regulation aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Multiple U.S. presidents and other officials gathered for a memorial service for Ethel Kennedy. A poll of Catholic voters in swing states found the economy was their top concern, and Trump marked the 40th anniversary of the murder of Father Jerzy Popieluszko, a Polish martyr beatified in 2010.

Trump repeats baseless claim about Haitian migrants in Univision town hall

In an Oct. 16 Univision town hall seeking to court Latino voters, Trump was questioned about claims he repeated — without evidence — about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of residents in Springfield, Ohio.

Ohio officials — including Trump’s fellow Republicans Gov. Mike DeWine and Springfield Mayor Rob Rue — have said such claims are false, and Catholic leaders have called for respect for migrants.

“This was just reported,” Trump said in response to a question about that claim. “I was just saying what was reported. That’s been reported. And eating other things, too, that they’re not supposed to be.”

Also during the town hall, Ramiro González, who said he was a Republican, said he was concerned about Trump’s response to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol building. That day 2,000 supporters of then-President Trump attempted to block Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Trump claimed the incident was a “day of love.”

“You had hundreds of thousands of people come to Washington,” Trump said. “They didn’t come because of me, they came because of the election.”

Harris questioned on immigration in first Fox News interview

Harris appeared for an interview on Fox News Oct. 16, her first with the conservative news channel, and faced questions from host Bret Baier about her record on immigration and her role in the Biden administration on the issue.

Harris said, “We’ve had a broken immigration system transcending, by the way, Donald Trump’s administration, even before.”

“Let’s all be honest about that. I have no pride, and saying that this is a perfect immigration system, I’ve been clear, I think we all are, that it needs to be fixed,” she said.

Ethel Kennedy memorialized by U.S. presidents, other officials

President Joe Biden, as well as former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were among those who attended a memorial service Oct. 16 for Ethel Kennedy, the widow of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, a human rights activist and mother of 11, who died Oct. 10 at age 96.

In his remarks, Biden said the Kennedy family matriarch, “picked up Bobby’s cause and stamped her own mark on the country.”

“Marching for civil rights, as you heard about today, and working to end poverty at home, attempting to secure peace abroad, and so much more,” Biden said, adding, “For over 50 years, with Ethel’s own iron will and moral courage, she gave it everything she had, and we’re a better nation and a better world because of Ethel Kennedy.”

Supreme Court paves way for Biden regulation on greenhouse gas emissions

The Supreme Court Oct. 16 paved the way for the Biden administration to implement its plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants burning fossil fuels, denying an emergency appeal spearheaded by West Virginia and joined by some industry groups seeking to halt the regulation.

The justices indicated the case will continue before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and could return to the high court.

Poll of Catholic voters in swing states shows economy top issue

A poll of Catholic voters in seven battleground states by the National Catholic Reporter found these voters ranked the economy as their top priority at the ballot box, followed by immigration and health care.

Overall, the poll found Catholic voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin favor Trump over Harris 50% to 45%, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.86%. But the poll also found majorities of Black and Hispanic Catholics said they would support Harris.

The poll surveyed 1,172 Catholic voters in those key battleground states Oct. 3-8.

Trump marks 40th anniversary of death of Father Jerzy Popieluszko

In a social media post, Trump marked the 40th anniversary of the murder of Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko, a Warsaw-based priest who was chaplain of Poland’s Solidarity union — the first independent trade union in the Soviet bloc — who was brutally murdered by officers of Sluzba Bezpieczenstwa, or SB, the security service in the country then under communist rule.

“This Saturday, October 19, 2024, is the 40th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Father Jerzy Popieluszko, a truly great Catholic priest, who was the source of tremendous spiritual strength for the Polish Solidarity Movement and, indeed, the entire nation of Poland, in the 1980s,” Trump’s social media post said. “Yesterday, in Chicago, I was honored to sign a Commemoration about this solemn anniversary and present it to Father Jerzy’s nephew, Marek Popieluszko, as well as receive from him a book of Father Jerzy’s sermons and other beautiful mementos to remember the life of this extraordinary man of heroic virtue.”

Pope Benedict XVI recognized the martyrdom of Father Popieluszko Dec. 19, 2009, which cleared the way for his beatification the following year.

In the final weeks of the campaign, Trump’s campaign has appeared to make a series of overtures to Catholic voters, including posting the St. Michael the Archangel prayer. Trump previously appeared to acknowledge the church’s celebration of the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Sept. 8 — the church marks Mary’s birthday that day on the Roman calendar, because it is nine months after the feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8. Trump wrote “Happy Birthday Mary!” accompanied by an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in a post on his social media website Truth Social.

Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @kgscanlon.

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