Tag: harris walz

The Harris/Walz campaign has its own Fortnite map

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We’re in the final stretch of the 2024 presidential election and both sides are pulling out all the stops to get those all-important undecided voters. The Harris/Walz campaign is exploring an unconventional option: a map in Epic Games’ mega online multiplayer hit Fortnite.

The “Freedom Town, USA” map available at 7331-5536-6547 is a little different from the usual Fortnite matches. Forbes senior contributor Paul Tassi played the new map and reported that there aren’t any guns in Freedom Town (probably for obvious reasons). Instead, the game focuses on racing with cars and parkour style. The map also has some campaign signs and decorations for Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz’s presidential run.

Video games have become a cornerstone of the Harris/Walz campaign. Harris’ camp has its own Twitch page that’s been broadcasting games like World of Warcraft and the latest Madden title as a way to spark discussions with the voting public. The Fortnite map, however, doesn’t look like it’s doing a great job of getting the message out to players. As of this story’s publishing, the map only has less than 300 active players.

Political ads and recruitment in video games isn’t just limited to this campaign cycle. Then-candidate Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign introduced the concept to politics when they purchased ads in 18 games including Need for Speed: Carbon and Madden NFL 13 on Microsoft’s Xbox Live service and the mobile version of Tetris, according to NPR.

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Danny Gallagher

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October 29, 2024
Teachers, union leaders join Harris-Walz campaign in Orlando to slam Project 2025

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photo by McKenna Schueler

In a second term, Trump ‘would slash funding for our K-12 schools,’ predicted Dr. Robert Cassanello (Oct. 4, 2024)

Just ahead of World Teachers Day, local teachers and leaders of unions that represent staff in Orange County public schools gathered at the teachers’ union hall Friday with the Harris-Walz campaign to slam Project 2025, the right-wing policy playbook tied to members of the former Trump administration.

At the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association union hall, University of Central Florida professor Dr. Robert Cassanello and other local educators slammed parts of Project 2025 that could decimate the public education system as we know it, and undercut the labor unions that fight to preserve it.

“[Trump’s] extreme Project 2025 has a blueprint of getting rid of the Department of Education if he’s re-elected,” Cassanello, who teaches history at UCF and sits as vice chair of the statewide United Faculty of Florida labor union, pointed out.

A vocal critic of the GOP’s war on what they see as “ideological indoctrination” in higher education, and faculty like himself, Cassanello painted a grim picture for what he believes would occur under a second Trump administration, should the former President be victorious in the Nov. 5 election.

“He would slash funding for our K-12 schools,” Cassanello predicted, “all the while giving massive tax cuts to the billionaires and big corporations.”

click to enlarge

photo by McKenna Schueler

Ron Pollard, president of OESPA, and local educators speak out against Project 2025 (Oct. 4, 2024)

Project 2025, a manifesto published by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, is a 922-page policy playbook developed for the next Republican administration that reaches the White House. Based on the outcome of this November’s election, that could be an administration led by former President and billionaire Donald Trump.

While Trump has repeatedly denied any ties to Project 2025 and continues to claim he hasn’t read it, a number of his close allies directly contributed to it. A review by CNN identified at least 140 people who worked in the former Trump administration involved in the book’s policy proposals, including longtime adviser and notorious xenophobe Stephen Miller.

The Project 2025 playbook has been highlighted by Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail as a preview of what Americans could expect if Trump is re-elected to the White House.

Critical for educators is the part of the manifesto that directly tackles issues regarding education — by in part promoting policies unpopular with public school advocates, some of which have already started to play out in Florida — from efforts to undermine public employee unions to the deregulation of child labor laws and the expansion of school voucher programs that generally don’t improve educational outcomes, even as they divert funds away for public schools and worsen inequality.

“Florida has been a testing ground for Project 2025 ideas,” said Ron Pollard, president of the Orange Education Support Professionals Association, a labor union that represents thousands of non-instructional staff in schools, from custodial workers to bus drivers, cafeteria workers and paraprofessionals. “I want everyone who is listening today to hear this when we say we will never stop fighting against those who think of our children’’s education and safety as just a means to an end.”

Pollard, a former custodian for Orange County Public Schools and former member of the U.S. Steelworkers union, described Harris and her VP pick, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, as leaders “who understand that our country is only as strong as its students.”

Maira Rivera, a local teacher and vice president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, agreed. “They believe that education is a key to the middle class, and they know that when our middle class is strong, America is strong,” said Rivera, a grandmother of three OCPS students and mother of a daughter who also teaches in the public school system.

click to enlarge

photo by McKenna Schueler

Rivera noted several pillars of Harris’ platform that directly touch on issues important to many parents, students and teachers, including access to affordable childcare, advancing the Biden administration’s efforts on student debt relief, and investing in financial aid programs to help make higher education more affordable for families with fewer means.

“I don’t need to remind anyone that Gov. Tim Walz is a teacher and a coach. He knows firsthand what our educators are facing. Or that Vice President Kamala is a staunch supporter of unions and their right to collectively bargain,” Rivera said.

As a result of a controversial law (SB 256) approved by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, more than 68,000 public employees in Florida have lost their union representation and thus the protections and benefits they received under their union contracts. Some of those unions were first established decades ago, but due to stringent new mandates for unions, have been decertified.

Several groups affiliated with Project 2025 contributors or that otherwise sit on its advisory board directly lobbied or otherwise proudly advocated for that Florida legislation, including lobbying arms for the Florida-based Foundation for Government Accountability, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, and the out-of-state James Madison Institute.

The bill was also a priority of the Florida chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-affiliated think tank that seeks to defund the public education system and drain it of resources.

Pollard, whose union is facing a recertification election as a result of the new regulations (essentially, a vote by members on whether to keep the union or dissolve it), argued Friday that unions are “vital” to the middle class. Research shows public employee unions in particular can help shrink the pay gap between the private and public sectors — a problem that disproportionately affects women and Black workers.

Unions, said Pollard, provide “an avenue for better raises, for better benefits, for the very things that we strive for as family members to feed our children.” Without a union, individual workers lack the power of that collective voice, and the opportunity to demand meaningful change to wages and working conditions at the bargaining table.

“This Project 2025 stuff is designed to take us back to a time when we fought for everything, and had nothing,” he continued. “This country was built on the back of unions.”

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McKenna Schueler

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October 4, 2024
Janet Jackson Is Presented as Sinner and Saint in the Span of a Week

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“Janet Jackson saved my life” is a far cry from some of the other digs lobbed at the singer this past week, after an interview conducted by Nosheen Iqbal for The Guardian, published on September 21st, revealed Jackson to be skeptical of presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ Blackness. It was Eve whose statements about Jackson’s saintliness somewhat counteracted the backlash/“sinner” narrative surrounding the Queen of R&B (but not Pop) for her ignorant and hurtful comments that seemed to be in line with those of a MAGA supporter. Eve’s quote comes from her new memoir, Who’s That Girl? (again trying to co-opt that title from Madonna, who will always have the monopoly on it, and is supposedly calling her forthcoming biopic as such, repurposing the name of her 1987 movie and accompanying lead single from the soundtrack).

But before the excerpt from Eve’s book started widely circulating in time to vaguely mitigate Jackson’s unexpected comments about Harris, Jackson’s rhetoric had already resulted in a major backlash from fans and ordinary observers alike. Especially considering Jackson’s unique responsibility as a highly influential Black woman. Alas, she seems to be one of those Black women who deems certain other Black people not “Black enough” (sometimes known as: colorism). Except that Jackson continued to double down on her comments that Harris isn’t Black at all, just Indian. So vehement about her stance, apparently, that she was sure to have her “actual” team publicly decry the apology issued by a man claiming to be her manager, Mo Elmasri. In the aftermath, Jackson opted to skip issuing a “real” apology of her own, which of course speaks volumes.

Whoever he really is, Elmasri’s statement attempted to do damage control, while Jackson sought to undermine his mea culpa by speaking out against the false apology. Meanwhile, fellow famous Black entertainers like D.L. Hughley lashed out at Jackson by saying, “Janet Jackson’s interview sounded like a Trump rally! FYI!! It’s a little ironic to question whether someone is black while you’re breathing through the nose of a white woman!” This jibe at her plastic surgery also harkens back to her brother, Michael, who seemed to spend the majority of his adult life trying to turn completely white (oh the fucked-up psychology this racist society can wreak).

As for the exchange that has so many people (Black and otherwise) enraged with Janet, it went as follows:

“America could be on the verge of voting in its first black female president, Kamala Harris. ‘Well, you know what they supposedly said?’ she asks me. ‘She’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian.’ She looks at me expectantly, perhaps assuming that I have Indian heritage. ‘Well, she’s both,’ I offer. ‘Her father’s white. That’s what I was told. I mean, I haven’t watched the news in a few days,’ she coughs. ‘I was told that they discovered her father was white.’ I’m floored at this point. It’s well known that Harris’s father is a Jamaican economist, a Stanford professor who split from her Indian mother when she was five. ‘My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters,’ Harris wrote in her book, The Truths We Hold. The people who are most vocal in questioning the facts of Harris’ identity tend to be hardcore QAnon-adjacent, Trump-loving conspiracy theorists. I don’t think Jackson falls into that camp, but I do wonder what the algorithms are serving her. I start again. Harris has dual heritage, I say, and, given this moment, does Jackson think America is ready for her—if we agree she’s Black? Or, okay, a woman of color? ‘I don’t know,’ Jackson stage whispers. ‘Honestly, I don’t want to answer that because I really, truthfully, don’t know. I think either way it goes is going to be mayhem.’”

That last statement is the only one Jackson made that had any sense to it. For she’s not wrong that America’s political and racial divide is so intense that there will be bedlam no matter who wins. And let’s not kid ourselves that the extremist white supremacists won’t come out of the woodwork to cause a stir if Harris does win. Or kid ourselves that Trump doesn’t still have an eerily good chance of keeping her from the presidency. Despite his own racist comments at the National Association of Black Journalists convention during which he indicated that he felt Harris suddenly “became Black” for more political clout and appeal. Though, if he knew anything about what it is to be Black in America, he might understand that such a characteristic isn’t usually touted for benefit in a The System setting.

Jackson’s repetition of this sentiment might be shocking to some, but, at the same time, she isn’t exactly known for being super “lucid” these days with all her mumbo-jumbo religious bullshit. To boot, many have dredged up an old comment of Harris’ circa 2004 that weighed in on Michael Jackson’s then latest child abuse trial, speculating that Jackson secretly still harbors resentment about it.

One person who holds no ill will toward from something that happened back in the 2000s is Eve, who rehashed the miraculous way in which Jackson came to her aid on the night of the 2007 VMAs (you know, the one best known for Britney Spears’ trainwreck performance of “Gimme More”). This from an excerpt from her new memoir that’s been making the rounds. In it, she recalls how she had the misfortune of drinking a drugged beverage (maybe it was Diddy who was responsible) at an afterparty and how “Missy [Elliott] came in to check on me, but I was just unable to collect myself. Then who walks in, Janet Jackson. I had never met her before, and so her first introduction to me was seeing me hysterical. None of that mattered to Janet; she actually just sprang into action and told people to get aspirin, water, hot sauce and a piece of white bread. That concoction knocked me right out of my hysteria. So basically Janet Jackson saved my life.”

A declaration that many others would probably echo…up until her Harris comments. Because there’s no doubt that the racist whites will glom onto them so that they can say, “See? Even a real Black person knows that Kamala isn’t Black, just pretending to be.” And yes, Jackson’s controversial comments with regard to this election are far more offensive than Chappell Roan’s (though, in her case, “offensive” should be put in quotes). Nonetheless, it would be nice to think of Jackson in the same “saintly,” “angel from above” way that Eve did in ’07. But it’s going to be hard to if she continues to repeat these false claims about Harris’ ethnicity.

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Genna Rivieccio

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September 27, 2024
Harris opposes US Steel’s sale to a Japanese firm during event with Biden in Pittsburgh

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Vice President Kamala Harris used Monday’s joint campaign appearance in the industrial city of Pittsburgh with President Joe Biden to say that U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned — coinciding with the White House’s earlier opposition to the company’s planned sale to Nippon Steel of Japan.Harris “is expected to say that U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned and operated and stress her commitment to always have the backs of American steel workers,” her campaign said ahead of the campaign appearance at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers No. 5 union hall in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood. That’s similar to Biden, who has said he opposes U.S. Steel’s would-be sale to Nippon in order to better “maintain strong American steel companies powered by American steel workers.” But it still constitutes a major policy position for the vice president, who has offered relatively few of them since Biden abandoned his reelection bid and endorsed Harris in July.Biden was met with chants of “Thank You, Joe” from hundreds of union members as he and Harris came onstage.Biden, who flipped the script by introducing Harris, called her the only “rational” choice for president in November. He said choosing her to be vice president was the “single best” decision of his presidency and told the union members that electing her will be “the best decision you will ever make.”Harris has been careful to balance presenting herself as “a new way forward” while remaining intensely loyal to Biden and the policies he has pushed. Her delivery is very different — and in some cases she’s pushed to move faster than Biden’s administration — but the overall goal of expanding government programs to buoy the middle class is the same.The vice president opened her Labor Day observance with a rally at a high school gymnasium in Detroit, where hundreds of audience members wore bright yellow union shirts and hoisted “Union strong” signs. She noted that one of the nation’s first Labor Day parades happened in Detroit around 140 years ago and that “every person in our nation has benefited” from unions’ work.”Everywhere I go I tell people, ‘Look, you may not be a union member, you’d better thank a union member,” Harris said, noting that collective bargaining by organized labor helped secure the five-day work week, sick pay and other key benefits and solidify safer working conditions.“When unions are strong, America is strong,” she said.Afterward, she and Biden met in Pittsburgh and greeted union members at the IBEW local following the city’s Labor Day parade. It marked their first joint appearance at a campaign event since the surprising election shakeup six weeks ago.The 81-year-old Biden has spent most of his lengthy political career forging close ties with organized labor. The White House said he asked to introduce Harris in Pittsburgh — instead of the usual other way around — because he wanted to highlight her record of supporting union workers at one of the largest Labor Day gatherings in the United States.’In addition to opposing the Nippon Steel sale, Biden has endorsed expanding tariffs on imported Chinese steel — a rare instance of political overlap with Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, who has cheered steeper foreign tariffs on many imports. Still, in a statement Monday, U.S. Steel said it remains “committed to the transaction with Nippon Steel, which is the best deal for our employees, shareholders, communities, and customers.”“The partnership with Nippon Steel, a long-standing investor in the United States from our close ally Japan, will strengthen the American steel industry, American jobs, and American supply chains, and enhance the U.S. steel industry’s competitiveness and resilience against China,” the company said, noting that it employs nearly 4,000 people in Pennsylvania alone.David B. Burritt, U.S. Steel’s president and CEO, said Nippon Steel has announced plans to invest “approximately $1.3 billion in U. S. Steel union-represented facilities, on top of the $1.4 billion capital commitment they previously announced.”Harris, 59, has sought to appeal to voters by positioning herself as a break from former president Trump’s acerbic rhetoric while also looking to move beyond the Biden era.Harris events feel very different from Biden’s, which usually featured small crowds. But the vice president’s agenda includes the same issues he’s championed: capping the cost of prescription drugs, defending the Affordable Care Act, growing the economy, helping families afford child care — and now her position on the sale of U.S. Steel.“We fight for a future where we build what I call an opportunity economy, so that every American has the opportunity to own a home, start a business and to build wealth and intergenerational wealth,” Harris said at a recent rally, echoing Biden’s calls to grow the economy “from the bottom out and the middle up.”Harris has promised to work to lower grocery store costs to help fight inflation. She’s also moved faster than Biden in some cases, calling for using tax cuts and incentives to encourage home ownership and end federal taxes on tips for service industry employees. But she’s also offered relatively few specifics on major policies, instead continuing to side with Biden on top issues.The vice president briefly appeared on stage with Biden after the president addressed the opening night of last month’s Democratic National Convention, but they had not shared a microphone at a political event since Biden himself was running against Trump. At that time, the campaign was using Harris mostly as its chief spokeswoman for abortion rights, an issue they believe can help them win in November as restrictions grow and health care worsens for women following the fall of Roe v. Wade.For more than 3 1/2 years, Harris has been one of Biden’s chief validators. Now the tables are turned, as Harris looks to lean on Biden — a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania — to help win the potentially decisive state.Although the vice president has appeared more forceful in speaking about the plight of civilians in Gaza, as Israel’s war against Hamas there nears the 11th month mark, she also has endorsed Biden’s efforts to arm Israel and bring about a hostage deal and ceasefire.Israel said Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of six hostages captured during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that ignited the Gaza war, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin. The revelation prompted thousands of Israelis to demonstrate in the streets, demanding a cease-fire deal.Before meeting in Pittsburgh, Biden and Harris met in the White House Situation Room with the U.S. hostage deal negotiating team.

WASHINGTON —

Vice President Kamala Harris used Monday’s joint campaign appearance in the industrial city of Pittsburgh with President Joe Biden to say that U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned — coinciding with the White House’s earlier opposition to the company’s planned sale to Nippon Steel of Japan.

Harris “is expected to say that U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned and operated and stress her commitment to always have the backs of American steel workers,” her campaign said ahead of the campaign appearance at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers No. 5 union hall in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood.

That’s similar to Biden, who has said he opposes U.S. Steel’s would-be sale to Nippon in order to better “maintain strong American steel companies powered by American steel workers.” But it still constitutes a major policy position for the vice president, who has offered relatively few of them since Biden abandoned his reelection bid and endorsed Harris in July.

Biden was met with chants of “Thank You, Joe” from hundreds of union members as he and Harris came onstage.

Biden, who flipped the script by introducing Harris, called her the only “rational” choice for president in November. He said choosing her to be vice president was the “single best” decision of his presidency and told the union members that electing her will be “the best decision you will ever make.”

Harris has been careful to balance presenting herself as “a new way forward” while remaining intensely loyal to Biden and the policies he has pushed. Her delivery is very different — and in some cases she’s pushed to move faster than Biden’s administration — but the overall goal of expanding government programs to buoy the middle class is the same.

The vice president opened her Labor Day observance with a rally at a high school gymnasium in Detroit, where hundreds of audience members wore bright yellow union shirts and hoisted “Union strong” signs. She noted that one of the nation’s first Labor Day parades happened in Detroit around 140 years ago and that “every person in our nation has benefited” from unions’ work.

“Everywhere I go I tell people, ‘Look, you may not be a union member, you’d better thank a union member,” Harris said, noting that collective bargaining by organized labor helped secure the five-day work week, sick pay and other key benefits and solidify safer working conditions.

“When unions are strong, America is strong,” she said.

Afterward, she and Biden met in Pittsburgh and greeted union members at the IBEW local following the city’s Labor Day parade. It marked their first joint appearance at a campaign event since the surprising election shakeup six weeks ago.

The 81-year-old Biden has spent most of his lengthy political career forging close ties with organized labor. The White House said he asked to introduce Harris in Pittsburgh — instead of the usual other way around — because he wanted to highlight her record of supporting union workers at one of the largest Labor Day gatherings in the United States.

‘In addition to opposing the Nippon Steel sale, Biden has endorsed expanding tariffs on imported Chinese steel — a rare instance of political overlap with Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, who has cheered steeper foreign tariffs on many imports. Still, in a statement Monday, U.S. Steel said it remains “committed to the transaction with Nippon Steel, which is the best deal for our employees, shareholders, communities, and customers.”

“The partnership with Nippon Steel, a long-standing investor in the United States from our close ally Japan, will strengthen the American steel industry, American jobs, and American supply chains, and enhance the U.S. steel industry’s competitiveness and resilience against China,” the company said, noting that it employs nearly 4,000 people in Pennsylvania alone.

David B. Burritt, U.S. Steel’s president and CEO, said Nippon Steel has announced plans to invest “approximately $1.3 billion in U. S. Steel union-represented facilities, on top of the $1.4 billion capital commitment they previously announced.”

Harris, 59, has sought to appeal to voters by positioning herself as a break from former president Trump’s acerbic rhetoric while also looking to move beyond the Biden era.

Harris events feel very different from Biden’s, which usually featured small crowds. But the vice president’s agenda includes the same issues he’s championed: capping the cost of prescription drugs, defending the Affordable Care Act, growing the economy, helping families afford child care — and now her position on the sale of U.S. Steel.

“We fight for a future where we build what I call an opportunity economy, so that every American has the opportunity to own a home, start a business and to build wealth and intergenerational wealth,” Harris said at a recent rally, echoing Biden’s calls to grow the economy “from the bottom out and the middle up.”

Harris has promised to work to lower grocery store costs to help fight inflation. She’s also moved faster than Biden in some cases, calling for using tax cuts and incentives to encourage home ownership and end federal taxes on tips for service industry employees. But she’s also offered relatively few specifics on major policies, instead continuing to side with Biden on top issues.

The vice president briefly appeared on stage with Biden after the president addressed the opening night of last month’s Democratic National Convention, but they had not shared a microphone at a political event since Biden himself was running against Trump. At that time, the campaign was using Harris mostly as its chief spokeswoman for abortion rights, an issue they believe can help them win in November as restrictions grow and health care worsens for women following the fall of Roe v. Wade.

For more than 3 1/2 years, Harris has been one of Biden’s chief validators. Now the tables are turned, as Harris looks to lean on Biden — a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania — to help win the potentially decisive state.

Although the vice president has appeared more forceful in speaking about the plight of civilians in Gaza, as Israel’s war against Hamas there nears the 11th month mark, she also has endorsed Biden’s efforts to arm Israel and bring about a hostage deal and ceasefire.

Israel said Sunday that it had recovered the bodies of six hostages captured during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that ignited the Gaza war, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin. The revelation prompted thousands of Israelis to demonstrate in the streets, demanding a cease-fire deal.

Before meeting in Pittsburgh, Biden and Harris met in the White House Situation Room with the U.S. hostage deal negotiating team.

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September 2, 2024
DNC Day 4: Kamala Harris to give acceptance speech at DNC
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DNC Day 4: Kamala Harris to give acceptance speech on final night of DNC

Updated: 7:50 PM EDT Aug 22, 2024

The Democratic National Convention has kicked off its fourth and final night.After a week of Democrats’ most prominent figures rallying the party faithful, Vice President Kamala Harris will accept her party’s nomination during a speech in which she is widely expected to offer her vision and policy agenda to the American people.The theme of the final night is “For Our Future.”Elizabeth Warren gets a standing ovationAs she was welcomed to the stage Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts received a standing ovation.After wiping a tear from her face, Warren, who competed against Harris when they each unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic party’s nomination in the 2020 election cycle, spoke about her experience working with Harris when she was California’s attorney general. At the time, Warren was working to set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Pennsylvania senator takes aim at ‘greedflation’U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who is running to be reelected to his seat representing Pennsylvania, discussed “shrinkflation,” which he, Harris and President Joe Biden have talked about this election cycle.Casey, in February, introduced legislation to “crack down” on big corporations “shrinking products without reducing prices.”Biden, on more than one occasion, has endorsed the bill in public.”Most companies are good companies. It’s the food conglomerates that sit behind the supermarkets. The faceless wholesalers, they’re the ones who are extorting families at the checkout counter. This is greedflation. I’ve been fighting it a long time. So is Kamala Harris. And finally, we’re starting to win.”Congressman makes AI crowd-size jokeWith artificial intelligence continuing to be a popular topic — and with former President Donald Trump frequently commenting on and comparing crowd sizes, a U.S. congressman who spoke on Thursday made a joke about AI and the crowd.“As a computer science major, I am so impressed with how large this AI-generated crowd looks tonight,” U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu said as he was met with laughter from the crowd.Lieu, of California, then talked about his experience working with Harris during the 2008 recession and housing crisis.Female delegates are wearing white to honor women’s suffrage on the night of Harris’ speechIf you think you’re seeing a lot of women wearing white tonight, you don’t need to adjust your television set.There appeared to be a coordinated effort among female delegates and Democratic supporters as they arrived at the United Center on Thursday afternoon, with security lines and convention floor seats filling up with women clad in white suits, dresses and other attire.When Harris takes the stage to accept the Democratic presidential nomination — becoming the first Black woman, and only the second woman overall, to do so — she will be looking out across a sea filled with the color of women’s suffrage, the movement that culminated with American women securing the right to vote in 1920.The homage is a couture callback to other momentous political events in which women wearing white have played a role, particularly for other glass ceiling moments.Video highlights Harris’ life, professional achievementsA video, which is narrated by actor Morgan Freeman, played at the DNC. It focused on Harris’ life, from childhood through the current day.The video featured childhood friends, as well as family members and people Harris has worked with in her many roles over the years. Harris, prior to becoming President Joe Biden’s vice president, was a U.S. Senator, California’s attorney general, and a prosecutor before that.The final night of the DNC is underwayConvention chairwoman Minyon Moore and Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat, took the stage to welcome the delegates for the last session.Thursday night’s program is packed with members of Congress and other Democratic leaders and will conclude with Vice President Harris formally accepting her party’s nomination.The arena is also buzzing about the possibility of a secret special guest making an appearance. But, so far at least, the secret is holding and who the guest might be — if it’s actually anyone at all — remains a mystery.Day 4 of the DNC has begunThe fourth and final night of the convention has officially been gaveled in.Day 4 speakers and performersChair of the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee Minyon MooreU.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of TexasNational President of the American Federation of Government Employees Everett KellyImam Muhammad Abdul-Aleem of Masjidullah Mosque of West Oak Lane, Pennsylvania Luna Maring, 6th Grader from Oakland, California (Pledge of Allegiance)President of the National Education Association Becky Pringle and President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi WeingartenU.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of CaliforniaFormer United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia L. FudgeU.S. Rep. Ted W. Lieu of CaliforniaU.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of WisconsinU.S. House of Representatives Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts U.S. House of Representatives Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse of Colorado Mayor Leonardo Williams of Durham, North Carolina U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of IllinoisU.S. Sen. Bob Casey of PennsylvaniaU.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of MassachusettsU.S. Rep. Jason Crow of ColoradoU.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of MichiganU.S. Rep. Pat Ryan of New YorkThe Rev. Al Sharpton Representatives of “the Central Park Five” Council Member Dr. Yusef Salaam of New York CityActivist Korey Wise Activist Raymond Santana Activist Kevin RichardsonFormer prosecutor and friend of Vice President Harris Amy Resner Director of Federal Affairs at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network Karrie Delaney Former Attorney General of Illinois Lisa Madigan President of the National Urban League Marc H. Morial Former student at Corinthian Colleges Nathan Hornes Former New York State Assistant Attorney General Tristan SnellGov. Maura Healey of MassachusettsYouth organizer and human trafficking survivor Courtney BaldwinSecretary of the Interior Deb HaalandContent creator John RussellU.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost of FloridaU.S. Rep. Colin Allred of TexasAnya Cook of Florida Craig Sicknick of New Jersey Gail DeVore of Colorado Juanny Romero of Nevada Eric, Christian, and Carter Fitts of North CarolinaThe Chicks (National Anthem)Actress Kerry Washington (host)Meena Harris, Ella Emhoff and Helena HudlinComedian and actor D.L. HughleySheriff Chris Swanson of Genesee County, MichiganA Conversation on Gun Violence with U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia and joined by Abbey Clements of Connecticut, Kim Rubio of Texas, Melody McFadden of South Carolina, Edgar Vilchez of IllinoisFormer U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of ArizonaP!NK (performance)U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of ArizonaFormer United States Secretary of Defense Leon E. PanettaU.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of ArizonaGov. Gretchen Whitmer of MichiganEva Longoria Former Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of IllinoisMaya HarrisGov. Roy Cooper of North CarolinaVice President Kamala Harris
CHICAGO —

The Democratic National Convention has kicked off its fourth and final night.

After a week of Democrats’ most prominent figures rallying the party faithful, Vice President Kamala Harris will accept her party’s nomination during a speech in which she is widely expected to offer her vision and policy agenda to the American people.

The theme of the final night is “For Our Future.”

Elizabeth Warren gets a standing ovation

As she was welcomed to the stage Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts received a standing ovation.

After wiping a tear from her face, Warren, who competed against Harris when they each unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic party’s nomination in the 2020 election cycle, spoke about her experience working with Harris when she was California’s attorney general. At the time, Warren was working to set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Pennsylvania senator takes aim at ‘greedflation’

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who is running to be reelected to his seat representing Pennsylvania, discussed “shrinkflation,” which he, Harris and President Joe Biden have talked about this election cycle.

Casey, in February, introduced legislation to “crack down” on big corporations “shrinking products without reducing prices.”

Biden, on more than one occasion, has endorsed the bill in public.

“Most companies are good companies. It’s the food conglomerates that sit behind the supermarkets. The faceless wholesalers, they’re the ones who are extorting families at the checkout counter. This is greedflation. I’ve been fighting it a long time. So is Kamala Harris. And finally, we’re starting to win.”

Congressman makes AI crowd-size joke

With artificial intelligence continuing to be a popular topic — and with former President Donald Trump frequently commenting on and comparing crowd sizes, a U.S. congressman who spoke on Thursday made a joke about AI and the crowd.

“As a computer science major, I am so impressed with how large this AI-generated crowd looks tonight,” U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu said as he was met with laughter from the crowd.
Lieu, of California, then talked about his experience working with Harris during the 2008 recession and housing crisis.

Female delegates are wearing white to honor women’s suffrage on the night of Harris’ speech

If you think you’re seeing a lot of women wearing white tonight, you don’t need to adjust your television set.

There appeared to be a coordinated effort among female delegates and Democratic supporters as they arrived at the United Center on Thursday afternoon, with security lines and convention floor seats filling up with women clad in white suits, dresses and other attire.

When Harris takes the stage to accept the Democratic presidential nomination — becoming the first Black woman, and only the second woman overall, to do so — she will be looking out across a sea filled with the color of women’s suffrage, the movement that culminated with American women securing the right to vote in 1920.

The homage is a couture callback to other momentous political events in which women wearing white have played a role, particularly for other glass ceiling moments.

Video highlights Harris’ life, professional achievements

A video, which is narrated by actor Morgan Freeman, played at the DNC. It focused on Harris’ life, from childhood through the current day.
The video featured childhood friends, as well as family members and people Harris has worked with in her many roles over the years. Harris, prior to becoming President Joe Biden’s vice president, was a U.S. Senator, California’s attorney general, and a prosecutor before that.

The final night of the DNC is underway

Convention chairwoman Minyon Moore and Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat, took the stage to welcome the delegates for the last session.

Thursday night’s program is packed with members of Congress and other Democratic leaders and will conclude with Vice President Harris formally accepting her party’s nomination.

The arena is also buzzing about the possibility of a secret special guest making an appearance. But, so far at least, the secret is holding and who the guest might be — if it’s actually anyone at all — remains a mystery.

Day 4 of the DNC has begun

The fourth and final night of the convention has officially been gaveled in.

Day 4 speakers and performers

Chair of the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee Minyon Moore

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas

National President of the American Federation of Government Employees Everett Kelly

Imam Muhammad Abdul-Aleem of Masjidullah Mosque of West Oak Lane, Pennsylvania

Luna Maring, 6th Grader from Oakland, California (Pledge of Allegiance)

President of the National Education Association Becky Pringle and President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California

Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia L. Fudge

U.S. Rep. Ted W. Lieu of California

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin

U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts

U.S. House of Representatives Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse of Colorado

Mayor Leonardo Williams of Durham, North Carolina

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

U.S. Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan

U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan of New York

The Rev. Al Sharpton

Representatives of “the Central Park Five”

Council Member Dr. Yusef Salaam of New York City

Activist Korey Wise

Activist Raymond Santana

Activist Kevin Richardson

Former prosecutor and friend of Vice President Harris Amy Resner

Director of Federal Affairs at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network Karrie Delaney

Former Attorney General of Illinois Lisa Madigan

President of the National Urban League Marc H. Morial

Former student at Corinthian Colleges Nathan Hornes

Former New York State Assistant Attorney General Tristan Snell

Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts

Youth organizer and human trafficking survivor Courtney Baldwin

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland

Content creator John Russell

U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Texas

Anya Cook of Florida

Craig Sicknick of New Jersey

Gail DeVore of Colorado

Juanny Romero of Nevada

Eric, Christian, and Carter Fitts of North Carolina

The Chicks (National Anthem)

Actress Kerry Washington (host)

Meena Harris, Ella Emhoff and Helena Hudlin

Comedian and actor D.L. Hughley

Sheriff Chris Swanson of Genesee County, Michigan

A Conversation on Gun Violence with U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia and joined by Abbey Clements of Connecticut, Kim Rubio of Texas, Melody McFadden of South Carolina, Edgar Vilchez of Illinois

Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona

P!NK (performance)

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona

Former United States Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan

Eva Longoria

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

Maya Harris

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina

Vice President Kamala Harris
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August 22, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz hold rally in Milwaukee on DNC day 2

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MILWAUKEE — Vice President Kamala Harris was not at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night. At least, not in person.

She campaigned in Milwaukee with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The rally was broadcast into the DNC.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

“I’m really going to need this energy when they broadcast this live, right?” said Wisconsin Deputy Organizing Director-Milwaukee Jaliah Jefferson. “VP Harris will be beamed into TVs all across the country.”

“So when it’s our moment, we need to get loud and leave no doubt that Wisconsin is going to send Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to the White House,” she added.

Harris, addressing both the crowd in Milwaukee and Chicago, appeared virtually above the convention floor on the jumbotron to thank the delegates for reaffirming her and Walz as the party’s nominees.

“The delegates at the Democratic National Convention just completed their roll call,” Harris said. “And they have nominated Coach Walz and me to be the next vice president and president of the United States of America.”

SEE ALSO | Republican VP candidate JD Vance speaks at crime, safety rally in Wisconsin

“And I thank everyone there in here for believing in what we can do together. We are so honored to be your nominees. This is a people powered campaign, and together we will chart a new way forward,” Harris added.

Harris reaffirmed that she will address the convention on Thursday.

In her remarks, Harris pointedly attacked her opponent, former President Donald Trump, saying voters will make certain he faces electoral “consequences” for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“Just yesterday, when he was asked if he has any regrets about ending Roe v. Wade, Donald Trump– Donald Trump, without even a moment’s hesitation-you would think he would reflect on it for a second-said, ‘No. No regrets,” Harris continued. “And that’s because– I do believe– you know, bad behavior should result in a consequence.”

“Well, we will make sure he does face a consequence, and that will be at the ballot box in November,” she added. “In November- in November, and I promise you, when I am President of United States and Congress passes a bill to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade, I proudly sign it into law.”

“The former President Trump hand selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention-with the intention-that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. And as he intended, they did,” Harris said. “And then, in state after state, they proposed and passed laws to punish women, criminalize healthcare providers.”

While the real action got underway on Tuesday evening, the party was already getting started at Fiserv Forum on around 4 p.m., hours ahead of the scheduled appearance of Harris and Walz.

A Tim Walz and Kamala Harris Milwaukee rally will get underway at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday as the Democratic National Convention continues in Chicago.

A crowd formed outside early Tuesday afternoon. Corey Hagen shared why he wanted to be a part of it.

“It’s the feeling, it’s the energy, it’s the hope,” Hagen said.

The Harris-Walz campaign fit in the trip to Milwaukee as the DNC is underway in Chicago, a sign that Wisconsin will play a big role in the November elections.

“It’s been weird seeing that evolution, that uprise of us becoming a purple state or a battleground state,” said Harris-Walz supporter Caimen Masterson.

Richard Lauter made a road trip from Illinois. The Deerfield resident said he feels there is something special about this ticket.

READ MORE | DNC 2024 Day 2 live updates: Obamas and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff headline Tuesday schedule

“I think there’s a feeling in the country that VP Harris has tapped into which has created that vibe, the excitement,” Lauter said.

Mary Voronych said she is there because it is time for a change. She is a former Donald Trump supporter and voted for him in 2016.

“Nothing made sense. Politically, I don’t know what he was thinking. I think it was a big mistake for him to run,” Voronych said.

The music was pumping loudly at Fiserv Forum, and people were seen dancing and waving their light-up wristbands. The bass in the music is so loud the floor was vibrating, at one point.

While the atmosphere is festive, Timothy Counce said it is important to remember what is at stake.

“If you can’t beat a guy that’s convicted of 34 felonies, a sexual assault, an insurrection, lying consistently, then we shouldn’t even have a country,” Counce said.

SEE ALSO | Tuesday DNC speaker schedule: Obamas, Bernie Sanders, JB Pritzker headline 2nd night of convention

ABC News contributed to this report.

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August 20, 2024
DNC Day 2: Delegates nominate Harris in ceremonial roll call; Obamas to deliver primetime speeches
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The Democratic National Convention heads into its second day Tuesday.Former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will speak at the DNC, a day after the unofficial farewell for President Joe Biden, who served eight years as Obama’s vice president. Biden won’t be in the hall to see his former running mate speak, as he departed Chicago Monday after delivering his own speech.With President Biden having addressed delegates, the week’s full focus now turns to Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov Tim Walz.Read live updates from Day 2 of the DNC below.Harris makes surprise video appearance as roll call wrapsIt was never really in doubt, but after the celebratory roll call, Rea confirmed Harris’ nomination as Democrats’ top-of-the-ticket pick. Harris was officially nominated earlier this month in a virtual roll call of delegates.Following the roll call, Rea tossed to incoming video from Harris’ and Walz’s campaign appearance in Milwaukee, where the two are on stage in the same arena that hosted Republicans last month for their convention. They entered the stage to Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” which has become an anthem for the campaign.“I thank everyone there and here for believing in what we can do together,” Harris said.That split screen moment created a powerful visual for Harris: two arenas simultaneously full of her supporters.Green Bay Packers shoutout met with boos in ChicagoWhen Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers took his turn at the mic during Democrats roll call vote Tuesday, he name-checked the Green Bay Packers football team.That did not sit well in Chicago, the DNC’s host city, where utterances of support for the Packers are often taken as fighting words by long-suffering Chicago Bears fans.Evers was showered with boos after name-checking the Packers.In their long-running Midwestern rivalry, the Packers routinely best the Bears, winning 107 games to the Bears’ 95.Delegates nominate Harris, WalzDelegates from all 50 states have voted to make Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz the Democratic presidential ticket in a ceremonial roll call.Harris to talk about Roe v. Wade in MilwaukeeHarris plans to draw attention to Trump saying Monday he had “no regrets” about appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion, according to an excerpt of the speech she plans to give in Milwaukee.“That’s because he hasn’t had to face the consequences,” Harris plans to say. “Women and families have. Well, we will make sure he does face the consequence at the ballot box this November.”As they awaited Harris’ speech, her supporters listened to the Chicago convention’s roll call blasting from the arena speakers.Video below: Hadley Duvall speaks about abortion rights at DNCThe odd coupleThey may be a somewhat unlikely pair, but DNC Secretary Jason Rae and DJ Cassidy are tag-teaming the celebratory roll call of states.Rae calls out the states and territories as they come up in the voting order, and Cassidy chimes in with occasional commentary as he flips from track to track for each batch of delegates.Why California and Minnesota passed during the roll callCalifornia and Minnesota, the home states of Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, have passed during the convention roll call — letting the party roll on.This year’s roll call has been unlike any in political history. But one tradition held, the one mandating that the home state of the nominee generally passes, then goes near the end to pass the deciding vote to formally clinch the nomination.This year, Minnesota, where Walz is governor, could get the count close and let Harris’ California and its motherlode of delegates put her over the top as the Democratic nominee.Sean Astin joins Indiana delegationActor Sean Astin, best known for playing the titular Notre Dame football player in “Rudy,” joined the Indiana delegation to help cast its 86 delegates for Harris and Walz.“I want what’s best for Indiana and that means electing Kamala Harris the first woman president of the United States of America,” Astin said. Delegates show off their home-state tunesDecked out in blue satin, DJ Cassidy is spinning a special song for each state in the roll call at the Democratic Convention.Alabama, obviously, got “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Alaska announced their backing of Vice President Harris to “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man, a band from Wasilla. Florida committed its delegates to “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty, who was born in Gainesville. The rapper Lil Jon appeared over the music of DJ Snake’s “Turn Down for What” ahead of Georgia awarding its delegates to Harris.Lil Jon makes a surprise appearance during Harris roll callIn a surprise appearance, rapper Lil Jon joined the Georgia delegation to help deliver its 123 votes for Harris. The rapper’s hit song ‘Get Low’ has became a sort of rally cry for the Harris-Walz campaign in the last few weeks.‘Present’Under Democratic Party rules, only Harris garnered enough signatures to be entered into nomination. Votes for any other person or uncommitted votes were tallied as “present” during the virtual roll call earlier this month. Tuesday night’s “celebratory” vote is following that earlier’s roll calls vote total.The roll call beginsDemocrats are holding a “celebratory” roll call vote to nominate Harris on the second night of their convention in Chicago. The party held a virtual vote on Aug. 6 that made her the party’s official nominee. Tuesday’s vote is taking place with a DJ and light show in the United Center arena.Teamsters members make DNC appearance absent President Sean O’BrienWhile Teamsters President Sean O’Brien chose to speak at the Republican convention at Trump’s invite, members of his union decided to appear at the Democratic convention to say they’re with Vice President Harris. It was another jab at Trump for claiming to back workers even as his administration tried to restrict the power of organized labor, a sign of how Harris hopes to diminish his backing from blue-collar voters.“If they win, working people like my friends here from the Teamsters will pay the price,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., with several Teamsters by his side.Kenneth Stribling, a retired Teamster, then explained how the Biden administration had helped rescue the financially troubled pensions of union members like himself as part of its pandemic aid.“They got it done without one single Republican vote in Congress,” Stribling said. “They saved over 1 million pensions.”Democrats highlight former Trump voters who switched to supporting HarrisFor the second in as many nights, the Democratic convention has frequently featured stories from ordinary voters, who talked about voting for Trump in 2016 or 2020 or both, but said they wouldn’t do so again.The voters, filmed in what to be in their homes in states around the country, described being fed up with Trump’s criminal conviction, his frequent lying for political gain and his leading a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol in January 2021.The effort recalled Republicans, who during their convention featured frequent videos of “everyday Americans” to fire up their own crowd last month in Milwaukee.Trump’s former press secretary backs HarrisTrump’s former White House press secretary says she used to be a “true believer” who spent holidays with the Trump family, but now she’s backing Harris.Stephanie Grisham told Democratic delegates that Trump “mocks” his supporters behind closed doors and “has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.”This fall, Grisham said she’s backing Harris because the Democrat “tells the truth, she respects the American people and she has my vote.”Grisham resigned from her White House post following the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, the first senior staffer to do so that day.She held no press briefings as Trump’s press secretary, explaining “unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand behind that podium and lie.”Common feels ‘fortunate’ to have Kamala HarrisRapper Common performed his hit song “Fortunate.” In the second verse, he changed the lyrics to say, “Fortunate, yo, we got the gold in Paris, we fortunate, y’all, for Kamala Harris.” The Chicago native also added in several ad-libs about “Chi Town” as the host city of the DNC.“I thank God for this moment in time where Kamala Harris will change the world for the better with love, hope and grace,” he said as he introduced the song. Grammy-winning gospel singer Jonathan McReynolds joined Common on stage, singing some of his song “God is God” between verses and vocalizing to “Fortunate.”Common, a Grammy and Oscar-winning musician and actor, is no stranger to political advocacy. He endorsed Biden in 2020 and performed at his rallies and had previously supported Obama’s campaigns. He also performed poetry at an event at the White House in 2011 at Obama’s invitation.The performance, which was followed by a funky instrumental rendition of “Tell Me Something Good,” signaled the convention’s shift out of its country music moment Monday into a focus on R&B and hip-hop.Democrats throw the book at Trump (again)One of Democrats’ favorite new political props, a massive book labeled Project 2025, made a repeat appearance at the second night of the DNC.On Tuesday, Malcolm Kenyatta, a Pennsylvania state representative and rising Democratic star, totted the book out onto the convention stage before roasting Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance.“Usually Republicans want to ban books, but now they are trying to shove this down our throats,” Kenyatta said.In a sign of how unpopular Project 20205 is with the public, Trump has disavowed the effort. Still, it was crafted by many leading conservatives who would likely hold influential positions in a future Trump administration.The book made its first appearance on Monday when Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow walked on stage and dropped the hefty tome on the top of the speaking lectern.Presidential grandsons stump for HarrisGrandsons of former Presidents Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy cast Vice President Haris in the same image as their famous family members.“Kamala Harris carries my grandfather’s legacy,” said Jason Carter. “She knows what is right.”He said the 99-year-old former president wishes he could be in attendance. “His body may be weak tonight, but his spirit is stronger than ever,” Carter said. “My grandfather can’t wait to vote for Kamala Harris.”Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy’s grandson, said like when his grandfather was elected in 1960, “Once again, the torch has been passed to a new generation,” he said. “She believes in America like my grandfather did — that we do things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”Patti LaBelle performs ‘You Are My Friend’The DNC crowd didn’t get James Taylor singing “You’ve Got a Friend” but they did get another music legend — R&B star Patti LaBelle — singing “You Are My Friend.”LaBelle sang the stirring number during a memorial segment as the proceedings began for the evening. “God bless America, Kamala Harris!” she called out at the end.This isn’t the first time at the DNC for LaBelle — she wowed the crowd two decades ago at the 2004 convention with her rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”Last month, LaBelle kicked off her 8065 Tour at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles — “80 years of life, 65 years in music.” And in June, she sang “Oh, People” on the White House lawn for President Joe Biden’s Juneteenth concert, joined by Gladys Knight among other artists.Day 2 of the DNC has begunThe second day of the convention has officially been gaveled in.Obama will make the case for Harris during his DNC addressFormer President Barack Obama will use his remarks tonight to make the case for Harris’ election and lay out the task before Democrats in the coming 10 weeks.That’s according to an Obama aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss his speech in advance. Obama will also make the case for the values of the party and nation he believes are at stake in the race against Trump.The speech comes as Obama plans to increase his political activity this fall to support Democrats up and down the ticket. No credible danger following bomb threat, Secret Service and Chicago PD reportThe U.S. Secret Service and Chicago Police Department found no credible dangers after checking into bomb threats made Tuesday at “a number of locations” in downtown Chicago where the Democratic National Convention is taking place.Law enforcement cleared the affected areas and are continuing to assess any reported threats.Day 2 speakers:Jason Carter, grandson of former President Jimmy CarterJack Schlossberg, grandson of former President John F. KennedyState Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, of PennsylvaniaKyle Sweetser, former Trump voterStephanie Grisham, former Trump White House press secretaryNabela Noor, content creatorSen. Gary Peters, of MichiganKenneth Stribling, retired TeamsterAna Navarro, television personality and political strategist Sen. Chuck Schumer, of New YorkSen. Bernie Sanders, of VermontGov. JB Pritzker, of IllinoisKen Chenault, business executiveGov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, of New MexicoAngela Alsobrooks, U.S. Senate nominee in MarylandMayor John Giles, of Mesa, ArizonaDouglas Emhoff, second gentleman of the United StatesMichelle Obama, former first lady of the United StatesFormer President Barack Obama
CHICAGO —

The Democratic National Convention heads into its second day Tuesday.

Former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will speak at the DNC, a day after the unofficial farewell for President Joe Biden, who served eight years as Obama’s vice president. Biden won’t be in the hall to see his former running mate speak, as he departed Chicago Monday after delivering his own speech.

With President Biden having addressed delegates, the week’s full focus now turns to Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov Tim Walz.

Read live updates from Day 2 of the DNC below.

Harris makes surprise video appearance as roll call wraps

It was never really in doubt, but after the celebratory roll call, Rea confirmed Harris’ nomination as Democrats’ top-of-the-ticket pick. Harris was officially nominated earlier this month in a virtual roll call of delegates.

Following the roll call, Rea tossed to incoming video from Harris’ and Walz’s campaign appearance in Milwaukee, where the two are on stage in the same arena that hosted Republicans last month for their convention. They entered the stage to Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” which has become an anthem for the campaign.

“I thank everyone there and here for believing in what we can do together,” Harris said.

That split screen moment created a powerful visual for Harris: two arenas simultaneously full of her supporters.

Green Bay Packers shoutout met with boos in Chicago

When Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers took his turn at the mic during Democrats roll call vote Tuesday, he name-checked the Green Bay Packers football team.

That did not sit well in Chicago, the DNC’s host city, where utterances of support for the Packers are often taken as fighting words by long-suffering Chicago Bears fans.

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
Wisconsin delegates cast their vote during the ceremonial roll call vote on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 20, 2024.

Evers was showered with boos after name-checking the Packers.

In their long-running Midwestern rivalry, the Packers routinely best the Bears, winning 107 games to the Bears’ 95.

Delegates nominate Harris, Walz

Delegates from all 50 states have voted to make Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz the Democratic presidential ticket in a ceremonial roll call.

Harris to talk about Roe v. Wade in Milwaukee

Harris plans to draw attention to Trump saying Monday he had “no regrets” about appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion, according to an excerpt of the speech she plans to give in Milwaukee.

“That’s because he hasn’t had to face the consequences,” Harris plans to say. “Women and families have. Well, we will make sure he does face the consequence at the ballot box this November.”

As they awaited Harris’ speech, her supporters listened to the Chicago convention’s roll call blasting from the arena speakers.

Video below: Hadley Duvall speaks about abortion rights at DNC

The odd couple

They may be a somewhat unlikely pair, but DNC Secretary Jason Rae and DJ Cassidy are tag-teaming the celebratory roll call of states.

Rae calls out the states and territories as they come up in the voting order, and Cassidy chimes in with occasional commentary as he flips from track to track for each batch of delegates.

Why California and Minnesota passed during the roll call

California and Minnesota, the home states of Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, have passed during the convention roll call — letting the party roll on.

This year’s roll call has been unlike any in political history. But one tradition held, the one mandating that the home state of the nominee generally passes, then goes near the end to pass the deciding vote to formally clinch the nomination.

This year, Minnesota, where Walz is governor, could get the count close and let Harris’ California and its motherlode of delegates put her over the top as the Democratic nominee.

Sean Astin joins Indiana delegation

Actor Sean Astin, best known for playing the titular Notre Dame football player in “Rudy,” joined the Indiana delegation to help cast its 86 delegates for Harris and Walz.

“I want what’s best for Indiana and that means electing Kamala Harris the first woman president of the United States of America,” Astin said.

Delegates show off their home-state tunes

Decked out in blue satin, DJ Cassidy is spinning a special song for each state in the roll call at the Democratic Convention.

Alabama, obviously, got “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Alaska announced their backing of Vice President Harris to “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man, a band from Wasilla. Florida committed its delegates to “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty, who was born in Gainesville. The rapper Lil Jon appeared over the music of DJ Snake’s “Turn Down for What” ahead of Georgia awarding its delegates to Harris.

Lil Jon makes a surprise appearance during Harris roll call

In a surprise appearance, rapper Lil Jon joined the Georgia delegation to help deliver its 123 votes for Harris. The rapper’s hit song ‘Get Low’ has became a sort of rally cry for the Harris-Walz campaign in the last few weeks.

Chip Somodevilla
Rapper Lil Jon (R) performs with the Georgia delegation during the Ceremonial Roll Call of States on the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois.

‘Present’

Under Democratic Party rules, only Harris garnered enough signatures to be entered into nomination. Votes for any other person or uncommitted votes were tallied as “present” during the virtual roll call earlier this month. Tuesday night’s “celebratory” vote is following that earlier’s roll calls vote total.

The roll call begins

Democrats are holding a “celebratory” roll call vote to nominate Harris on the second night of their convention in Chicago. The party held a virtual vote on Aug. 6 that made her the party’s official nominee. Tuesday’s vote is taking place with a DJ and light show in the United Center arena.

Teamsters members make DNC appearance absent President Sean O’Brien

While Teamsters President Sean O’Brien chose to speak at the Republican convention at Trump’s invite, members of his union decided to appear at the Democratic convention to say they’re with Vice President Harris. It was another jab at Trump for claiming to back workers even as his administration tried to restrict the power of organized labor, a sign of how Harris hopes to diminish his backing from blue-collar voters.

“If they win, working people like my friends here from the Teamsters will pay the price,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., with several Teamsters by his side.

(Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
US Senator from Michigan Gary Peters (L) speaks alongside retired teamsters on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 20, 2024.

Kenneth Stribling, a retired Teamster, then explained how the Biden administration had helped rescue the financially troubled pensions of union members like himself as part of its pandemic aid.

“They got it done without one single Republican vote in Congress,” Stribling said. “They saved over 1 million pensions.”

Democrats highlight former Trump voters who switched to supporting Harris

For the second in as many nights, the Democratic convention has frequently featured stories from ordinary voters, who talked about voting for Trump in 2016 or 2020 or both, but said they wouldn’t do so again.

The voters, filmed in what to be in their homes in states around the country, described being fed up with Trump’s criminal conviction, his frequent lying for political gain and his leading a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol in January 2021.

The effort recalled Republicans, who during their convention featured frequent videos of “everyday Americans” to fire up their own crowd last month in Milwaukee.

Trump’s former press secretary backs Harris

Trump’s former White House press secretary says she used to be a “true believer” who spent holidays with the Trump family, but now she’s backing Harris.

Stephanie Grisham told Democratic delegates that Trump “mocks” his supporters behind closed doors and “has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth.”

This fall, Grisham said she’s backing Harris because the Democrat “tells the truth, she respects the American people and she has my vote.”

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.

Grisham resigned from her White House post following the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, the first senior staffer to do so that day.

She held no press briefings as Trump’s press secretary, explaining “unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand behind that podium and lie.”

Common feels ‘fortunate’ to have Kamala Harris

Rapper Common performed his hit song “Fortunate.” In the second verse, he changed the lyrics to say, “Fortunate, yo, we got the gold in Paris, we fortunate, y’all, for Kamala Harris.” The Chicago native also added in several ad-libs about “Chi Town” as the host city of the DNC.

“I thank God for this moment in time where Kamala Harris will change the world for the better with love, hope and grace,” he said as he introduced the song. Grammy-winning gospel singer Jonathan McReynolds joined Common on stage, singing some of his song “God is God” between verses and vocalizing to “Fortunate.”

Common, a Grammy and Oscar-winning musician and actor, is no stranger to political advocacy. He endorsed Biden in 2020 and performed at his rallies and had previously supported Obama’s campaigns. He also performed poetry at an event at the White House in 2011 at Obama’s invitation.

The performance, which was followed by a funky instrumental rendition of “Tell Me Something Good,” signaled the convention’s shift out of its country music moment Monday into a focus on R&B and hip-hop.

Democrats throw the book at Trump (again)

One of Democrats’ favorite new political props, a massive book labeled Project 2025, made a repeat appearance at the second night of the DNC.

On Tuesday, Malcolm Kenyatta, a Pennsylvania state representative and rising Democratic star, totted the book out onto the convention stage before roasting Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance.

“Usually Republicans want to ban books, but now they are trying to shove this down our throats,” Kenyatta said.

In a sign of how unpopular Project 20205 is with the public, Trump has disavowed the effort. Still, it was crafted by many leading conservatives who would likely hold influential positions in a future Trump administration.

The book made its first appearance on Monday when Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow walked on stage and dropped the hefty tome on the top of the speaking lectern.

Presidential grandsons stump for Harris

Grandsons of former Presidents Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy cast Vice President Haris in the same image as their famous family members.

“Kamala Harris carries my grandfather’s legacy,” said Jason Carter. “She knows what is right.”

He said the 99-year-old former president wishes he could be in attendance. “His body may be weak tonight, but his spirit is stronger than ever,” Carter said. “My grandfather can’t wait to vote for Kamala Harris.”

Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy’s grandson, said like when his grandfather was elected in 1960, “Once again, the torch has been passed to a new generation,” he said. “She believes in America like my grandfather did — that we do things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

Patti LaBelle performs ‘You Are My Friend’

The DNC crowd didn’t get James Taylor singing “You’ve Got a Friend” but they did get another music legend — R&B star Patti LaBelle — singing “You Are My Friend.”

LaBelle sang the stirring number during a memorial segment as the proceedings began for the evening. “God bless America, Kamala Harris!” she called out at the end.

This isn’t the first time at the DNC for LaBelle — she wowed the crowd two decades ago at the 2004 convention with her rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

Last month, LaBelle kicked off her 8065 Tour at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles — “80 years of life, 65 years in music.” And in June, she sang “Oh, People” on the White House lawn for President Joe Biden’s Juneteenth concert, joined by Gladys Knight among other artists.

(Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
US singer and actress Patti LaBelle performs on the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Aug. 20, 2024.

Day 2 of the DNC has begun

The second day of the convention has officially been gaveled in.

Obama will make the case for Harris during his DNC address

Former President Barack Obama will use his remarks tonight to make the case for Harris’ election and lay out the task before Democrats in the coming 10 weeks.

That’s according to an Obama aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss his speech in advance. Obama will also make the case for the values of the party and nation he believes are at stake in the race against Trump.

The speech comes as Obama plans to increase his political activity this fall to support Democrats up and down the ticket.

No credible danger following bomb threat, Secret Service and Chicago PD report

The U.S. Secret Service and Chicago Police Department found no credible dangers after checking into bomb threats made Tuesday at “a number of locations” in downtown Chicago where the Democratic National Convention is taking place.

Law enforcement cleared the affected areas and are continuing to assess any reported threats.

Day 2 speakers:
- Jason Carter, grandson of former President Jimmy Carter
- Jack Schlossberg, grandson of former President John F. Kennedy
- State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, of Pennsylvania
- Kyle Sweetser, former Trump voter
- Stephanie Grisham, former Trump White House press secretary
- Nabela Noor, content creator
- Sen. Gary Peters, of Michigan
- Kenneth Stribling, retired Teamster
- Ana Navarro, television personality and political strategist
- Sen. Chuck Schumer, of New York
- Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont
- Gov. JB Pritzker, of Illinois
- Ken Chenault, business executive
- Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, of New Mexico
- Angela Alsobrooks, U.S. Senate nominee in Maryland
- Mayor John Giles, of Mesa, Arizona
- Douglas Emhoff, second gentleman of the United States
- Michelle Obama, former first lady of the United States
- Former President Barack Obama
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August 20, 2024