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FACT FOCUS: A look at false claims around Kamala Harris and her campaign for the White House

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The announcement that Vice President Kamala Harris will seek the Democratic nomination for president is inspiring a wave of false claims about her eligibility and her background. Some first emerged years ago, while others only surfaced after President Joe Biden’s decision to end his bid for a second term.

Here’s a look at the facts.

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CLAIM: Harris is not an American citizen and therefore cannot serve as commander in chief.

THE FACTS: Completely false. Harris is a natural born U.S. citizen. She was born on Oct. 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, according to a copy of her birth certificate, obtained by The Associated Press.

Her mother, a cancer researcher from India, and her father, an economist from Jamaica, met as graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley.

Under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, anyone born on U.S. soil is considered a natural born U.S. citizen and eligible to serve as either the vice president or president.

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,” reads the amendment.

There is no question or legitimate debate about whether a citizen like Harris is eligible to serve as president or vice president, said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School.

“So many legal questions are really nuanced — this isn’t one of those situations,” Levinson told the AP on Monday.

Still, social media posts making the debunked assertion that Harris cannot serve as president went viral soon after Biden announced Sunday that he was dropping out of the race and would back Harris for president.

“Kamala Harris is not eligible to run for President,” read one post on X that was liked more than 34,000 times. “Neither of her parents were natural born American citizens when she was born.”

False assertions about Harris’ eligibility began circulating in 2019 when she launched her bid for the presidency. They got a boost, thanks in part to then-President Donald Trump, when Biden selected her as his running mate.

“I heard today that she doesn’t meet the requirements,” the Republican said of Harris in 2019.

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CLAIM: Harris is not Black.

THE FACTS: This is false. Harris is Black and Indian. Her father, Donald Harris, is a Black man who was born in Jamaica. Shyamala Gopalan, her mother, was born in southern India. Harris has spoken publicly for many years, including in her 2019 autobiography, about how she identifies with the heritage of both her parents.

Despite ample evidence to the contrary, social media users are making erroneous claims about Harris’ race.

“Just a reminder that Kamala Harris @KamalaHarris isn’t black,” reads one X post that had received approximately 42,000 likes and 20,400 shares as of Monday. “She Indian American. She pretends to be black as part of the delusional, Democrat DEI quota.”

But Harris is both Black and Indian. Indeed, she is the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president. This fact is highlighted in her biography on WhiteHouse.gov and she has spoken about her ethnicity on many occasions.

Harris wrote in her autobiography, “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey,” that she identifies with the heritage of both her mother and father.

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“My mother, grandparents, aunts, and uncle instilled us with pride in our South Asian roots,” she wrote. “Our classical Indian names harked back to our heritage, and we were raised with a strong awareness and appreciation for Indian culture.”

In the next paragraph, she adds, “My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters.” Harris again refers to herself as a “black woman” in the book’s next chapter.

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CLAIM: Harris got her start by having an affair with a married man, California politician Willie Brown.

THE FACTS: This is missing some important context. Brown was separated from his wife during the relationship, which was not a secret.

Brown, 90, is a former mayor of San Francisco who was serving as speaker of the California State Assembly in the 1990s when he and Harris were in a relationship. Brown had separated from his wife in 1982.

“Yes, we dated. It was more than 20 years ago,” Brown wrote in 2020 in the San Francisco Chronicle under the article title, “Sure, I dated Kamala Harris. So what?”

He wrote that he supported Harris’ first race to be San Francisco district attorney — just as he has supported a long list of other California politicians, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Harris, 59, was state attorney general from 2011-2017 and served in the Senate from 2017 until 2021, when she became vice president. She has been married to Doug Emhoff since 2014.

Harris’ critics have used the past relationship to question her qualifications, as Fox News personality Tomi Lahren did when she wrote on social media in 2019: “Kamala did you fight for ideals or did you sleep your way to the top with Willie Brown.” Lahren later apologized for the comment.

Trump and some of his supporters have also highlighted the nearly three-decade old relationship in recent attacks on Harris.

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CLAIM: An Inside Edition clip of television host Montel Williams holding hands with Harris and another woman is proof that Harris was his “side piece.”

THE FACTS: The clip shows Montel with Harris and his daughter, Ashley Williams. Harris and Williams, a former marine who hosted “The Montel Williams Show” for more than a decade, dated briefly in the early 2000s.

In the clip, taken from a 2019 Inside Edition segment, Williams can be seen posing for photographs and holding hands with both women as they arrive at the 2001 Eighth Annual Race to Erase MS in Los Angeles.

But social media users are misrepresenting the clip, using it as alleged evidence that Harris was Montel’s “side piece” — a term used to describe a person, typically a woman, who has a sexual relationship with a man in a monogamous relationship.

Williams addressed the false claims in an X post on Monday, writing in reference to the Inside Edition clip, “as most of you know, that is my daughter to my right.” Getty Images photos from the Los Angeles gala identify the women as Harris and Ashley Williams.

In 2019, Williams described his relationship with Harris in a post on X, then known as Twitter.

“@KamalaHarris and I briefly dated about 20 years ago when we were both single,” he wrote in an X post at the time. “So what? I have great respect for Sen. Harris. I have to wonder if the same stories about her dating history would have been written if she were a male candidate?”

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CLAIM: Harris promised to inflict the “vengeance of a nation” on Trump supporters.

THE FACTS: A fabricated quote attributed to Harris is spreading online five years after it first surfaced.

In the quote, Harris supposedly promises that if Trump is defeated in 2020, Trump supporters will be targeted by the federal government: “Once Trump’s gone and we have regained our rightful place in the White House, look out if you supported him and endorsed his actions, because we’ll be coming for you next. You will feel the vengeance of a nation.”

The quote was shared again on social media this week. One post on X containing an image of the quote was shared more than 22,000 times as of Monday afternoon.

The remarks didn’t come from Harris, but from a satirical article published online in August 2019. Shortly after, Trump supporters like musician Ted Nugent reposted the comments without noting they were fake.

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CLAIM: A video shows Harris saying in a speech: “Today is today. And yesterday was today yesterday. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. So live today, so the future today will be as the past today as it is tomorrow.”

THE FACTS: Harris never said this. Footage from a 2023 rally on reproductive rights at Howard University, her alma mater, was altered to make it seem as though she did.

In the days after Harris headlined the Washington rally, Republicans mocked a real clip of her speech, with one critic dubbing her remarks a “word salad,” the AP reported at the time.

Harris says in the clip: “So I think it’s very important — as you have heard from so many incredible leaders — for us, at every moment in time, and certainly this one, to see the moment in time in which we exist and are present, and to be able to contextualize it, to understand where we exist in the history and in the moment as it relates not only to the past, but the future.”

NARAL Pro-Choice America, an abortion rights nonprofit whose president also spoke at the rally, livestreamed the original footage. It shows Harris making the “moment in time” remark, but not the “today is today” comment.

The White House’s transcript of Harris’ remarks also does not include the statement from the altered video. Harris’ appearance at the event came the same day that Biden announced their reelection bid.

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Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

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August 26, 2024
Canada imposes a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, matching the US

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TORONTO (AP) — Canada announced Monday it is launching a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, matching U.S. tariffs imposed over what Western governments say are China’s subsidies that give its industry an unfair advantage.

The announcement came after encouragement by U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Cabinet ministers Sunday. Sullivan is making his first visit to Beijing on Tuesday.

Trudeau said Canada also will impose a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum. “Actors like China have chosen to give themselves an unfair advantage in the global marketplace,” he said.

One of the Chinese-made EVs imported into Canada is from Tesla, made at the company’s Shanghai factory, though the U.S. company could avoid the tariff by switching to supplying Canada from factories in the U.S. or Germany.

Chinese brands are not yet a player in Canada. However, Chinese EV giant BYD established a Canadian corporate entity last spring and has indicated it intends to try and enter the Canadian market as early as next year.

Chinese officials are likely to raise concerns about the American tariffs with Sullivan as Beijing continues to repair its economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. President Joe Biden in May slapped major new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment.

“The U.S. does believe that a united front, a coordinated approach on these issues benefits all of us,” Sullivan told reporters on Sunday.

Biden has said Chinese government subsidies for EVs and other consumer goods ensure that Chinese companies don’t have to turn a profit, giving them an unfair advantage in global trade.

Chinese firms can sell EVs for as little as $12,000. China’s solar cell plants and steel and aluminum mills have enough capacity to meet much of the world’s demand. Chinese officials argue their production keeps prices low and would aid a transition to the green economy.

“We’re doing it in alignment, in parallel, with other economies around the world that recognize that this is a challenge that we are all facing,” Trudeau said of the new tariffs. “Unless we all want to get to a race to the bottom, we have to stand up.”

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada also will launch a 30-day consultation about possible tariffs on Chinese batteries, battery parts, semiconductors, critical minerals, metals and solar panels.

“China has an intentional state-directed policy of overcapacity and oversupply designed to cripple our own industry,” Freeland said. “We simply will not allow that to happen to our EV sector, which has shown such promise.”

The Chinese Embassy said Ottawa disregarded Beijing’s repeated objections and said the move will damage trade and economic cooperation.

“This move is typical trade protectionism and politically-motivated decision, which violates the World Trade Organization(WTO) rules and goes against Canada’s traditional image as a global champion for free trade and climate change mitigation,” the embassy said in an emailed statement. “China will take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”

Canada “had to go with the U.S. position, when you think about the economic integration that we have with the U.S. More than 75% of our exports go to the U.S.,” said a former Canadian ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques.

Saint-Jacques said Canada can expect retaliation from China in other industries, adding that barley and pork are candidates because the Chinese can get it from other countries.

“China will want to send a message,” he said.

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This story has been corrected to say Tesla is one of the Chinese-made EVs imported into Canada, not the only one.

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August 26, 2024
After millions lose access to internet subsidy, FCC moves to fill connectivity gaps

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Biden administration is moving to blunt the loss of an expired broadband subsidy program that helped more than 23 million families afford internet access by using money from an existing program that helps libraries and schools provide WiFi hotspots to students and patrons.

Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, told The Associated Press last week that the agency had voted in July to “modernize” a federal program known as E-Rate to fill at least some of the gaps left by the Affordable Connectivity Program, which gave families with limited income a monthly subsidy to pay for high-speed internet.

“A lot of those households are at risk of disconnection,” Rosenworcel said after a visit to a Los Angeles elementary school. “We should be clear that it’s not always an on-off switch. It’s about sustainability.”

The Affordable Connectivity Program, part of a broader effort pushed by the administration to bring affordable internet to every home and business in the country, was not renewed by Congress and ran out of funding earlier this year.

Mothers of students at Union Avenue Elementary School, which has a 93% Latino student population, told Rosenworcel that their need for the internet has never been greater. They said the cost of rent and food makes it hard to prioritize maintaining a continuous connection.

After listening to the mothers describe using WiFi in a McDonald’s parking lot so they can take part in remote doctor’s appointments, pay bills, and provide their kids with an internet connection for their online homework, an emotional Rosenworcel called their stories “chilling.”

“That family and that child are going to have a harder time thriving in the modern world without that connection at home,” she said.

The E-Rate program, established in the 1990s, has provided more than $7 billion in discounts for eligible schools and libraries since 2022 to afford broadband products and services. According to a data analysis by the AP, it offered benefits to more than 12,500 libraries, nearly half of them in rural areas, and 106,000 schools.

For the most recent round of funding, the E-Rate program was expanded to include WiFi on school buses. Starting next year, Rosenworcel said, the list of eligible products will expand to WiFi hotspots.

The Affordable Connectivity Program was helping one in six families in the U.S. afford internet access. Rosenworcel said the decision to include WiFi hotspots in E-Rate was partly a response to the failure to extend the subsidies.

“Every child needs internet access at home to really thrive,” Rosenworcel said.

Alex Houff, who manages digital equity programs for the Baltimore County Public Library in Maryland, said the library began a WiFi hotspot lending program right before the COVID-19 lockdown began in 2020 with around 50 devices. She said the program has grown to include 1,000 devices, which still falls short of meeting demand. There are more than 160 people waiting to use a hotspot, Houff said.

“Most of the time we were hearing from branches that their communities were borrowing these hotspots because it was their only source of connectivity,” Houff said.

Affordability, Houff said, is the biggest barrier to connection. She said the library system would apply for E-Rate funding to double the number of hotspots it offers to patrons.

The expansion of the program has not pleased everyone. The two Republicans sitting on the commission argued that E-Rate was meant to bolster and support internet access within the classroom, not at home or other places where students “might want to learn.”

“The last I checked, schools, which have classrooms, and libraries, are physical locations with addresses; not philosophical, conceptual ideas of instruction or education,” Republican commissioner Nathan Simington said in a statement after the vote.

Rosenworcel, who took over as chair of the FCC after President Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 election, said the Republican members’ characterization of where the program ought to be applied was too restrictive.

After the FCC voted to expand WiFi hotspots to school buses, a group of Republican senators endorsed a lawsuit challenging the agency’s decision. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who led the group of senators, said in a news release that the commission’s new rule was an overreach that would “harm children by enabling their unsupervised access to the internet.”

Disagreements between political parties aren’t the only threat to E-Rate. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals — the same one where Sen. Cruz filed an amicus brief about WiFi on school buses — ruled at the end of July that the funding mechanism that supports E-Rate and other FCC-administered internet access programs, known as the Universal Service Fund, is unlawful.

“There is a big cloud of uncertainty over the future of the Universal Service Fund right now because of this Fifth Circuit decision,” John Windhausen, the executive director of the Schools, Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition. “It’s a horrible decision, and it’s totally out of line with past Supreme Court precedent and totally out of line with other appeals courts that have ruled in just the opposite way.”

Further litigation is expected. The case could be taken up by the Supreme Court, Windhausen said.

Chairwoman Rosenworcel said she’s confident in the integrity of the Universal Service Fund, saying the Fifth Circuit’s decision is “misguided and wrong.”

“It’s done a lot of good for the United States to make sure, no matter who you are or where you live, you get access to modern communications,” Rosenworcel said.

Rosenworcel said the FCC could mobilize quickly if Congress would simply renew the Affordable Connectivity Program, which might be the easiest way to address the need.

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August 26, 2024
Rudy Giuliani did nothing illegal in Arizona’s fake elector case, his lawyer says

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PHOENIX (AP) — A lawyer for Rudy Giuliani said Monday that the charges against his client in Arizona’s fake elector case should be thrown out because Giuliani did nothing criminal in contesting Joe Biden’s narrow 2020 victory in the state over Donald Trump.

An indictment said Giuliani spread false claims of election fraud in Arizona after the 2020 election and presided over a downtown Phoenix gathering where he claimed officials made no effort to determine the accuracy of presidential election results.

Attorney Mark Williams said Giuliani was exercising his rights to free speech and petition the government. “How is Mr. Giuliani to know that, oh my gosh, he presided over a meeting in downtown Phoenix,” Williams asked sarcastically. “How is he to know that that’s a crime?”

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen is hearing arguments over whether to dismiss charges against Republicans who signed a document falsely claiming Trump won Arizona and others who are accused of scheming to overturn the presidential race’s outcome.

Cohen hasn’t yet issued decisions on the dismissal requests. Arguments over whether to throw out the case will continue Tuesday.

While not a fake elector in Arizona, the indictment alleged Giuliani pressured Maricopa County officials and state legislators to change the outcome of Arizona’s results and encouraged Republican electors in the state to vote for Trump in mid-December 2020.

At least a dozen defendants are seeking a dismissal under an Arizona law that bars using baseless legal actions in a bid to silence critics. The law had long offered protections in civil cases but was amended in 2022 by the Republican-led Legislature to cover people facing most criminal charges.

The defendants argue Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes tried to use the charges to silence them for their constitutionally protected speech about the 2020 election and actions taken in response to the race’s outcome. They say Mayes campaigned on investigating the fake elector case and had shown a bias against Trump and his supporters.

Prosecutors say the defendants don’t have evidence to back up their retaliation claim and they crossed the line from protected speech to fraud. Mayes’ office also has said the grand jury that brought the indictment wanted to consider charging the former president, but prosecutors urged them not to.

Dennis Wilenchik, an attorney for defendant James Lamon, who had signed a statement claiming Trump had won Arizona, argued his client signed the document only as a contingency in case a lawsuit would eventually turn the outcome of the presidential race in Trump’s favor in Arizona.

“My client, Jim Lamon, never did anything to overthrow the government,” Wilenchik said.

Prosecutor Nicholas Klingerman said the defendants’ actions don’t back up their claims that they signed the document as a contingency.

One defendant, attorney Christina Bobb, was working with Giuliani to get Congress to accept the fake electors, while another defendant, Anthony Kern, gave a media interview in which he said then-Vice President Mike Pence would decide which of the two slates of electors to choose from, Klingerman said.

“That doesn’t sound like a contingency,” Klingerman said. “That sounds like a plan to cause turmoil to change the outcome of the election.”

In all, 18 Republicans were charged with forgery, fraud and conspiracy. The defendants consist of 11 Republicans who submitted a document falsely claiming Trump won Arizona, two former Trump aides and five lawyers connected to the former president, including Rudy Giuliani.

So far, two defendants have resolved their cases.

Former Trump campaign attorney Jenna Ellis, who worked closely with Giuliani, signed a cooperation agreement with prosecutors that led to the dismissal of her charges. Republican activist Loraine Pellegrino also became the first person to be convicted in the Arizona case when she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was sentenced to probation.

The remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Their trial is scheduled to start Jan. 5, 2026.

Former Trump presidential chief of staff Mark Meadows is trying to move his charges to federal court, where his lawyers say they will seek a dismissal of the charges.

Trump was not charged in Arizona, but the indictment refers to him as an unindicted coconspirator.

In a filing, Mayes’ office said as grand jurors were considering possible charges, a prosecutor asked them not to indict Trump, citing a U.S. Justice Department policy that limits the prosecution of someone for the same crime twice. The prosecutor also didn’t know whether authorities had all the evidence they would need to charge Trump at that time.

It also accused him of pressuring Maricopa County officials and state legislators to change the outcome of Arizona’s results and encouraging Republican electors in the state to vote for Trump in mid-December 2020.

Eleven people who had been nominated to be Arizona’s Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were “duly elected and qualified” electors and claimed Trump had carried the state in the 2020 election.

President Joe Biden won Arizona by 10,457 votes. A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document later was sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored.

Prosecutors in Michigan, Nevada, Georgia and Wisconsin have also filed criminal charges related to the fake electors scheme. Arizona authorities unveiled the felony charges in late April.

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August 26, 2024
Trump rebukes Harris and Biden on anniversary of Afghanistan bombing that killed 13 service members

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DETROIT (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Monday tied Vice President Kamala Harris to the chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal on the third anniversary of the suicide bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members, calling the attack a “humiliation.”

Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, laid wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, who were killed alongside more than 100 Afghans in the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport. He then traveled to Michigan to address the National Guard Association of the United States conference.

“Caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all around the world,” Trump told an audience of about 4,000, including National Guard members and their families in Detroit.

Taliban fighters carry rocket launchers as they celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province, southwestern Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdul Khaliq)

President Joe Biden’s administration was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020. A 2022 review by a government-appointed special investigator concluded decisions made by both Trump and Biden were the key factors leading to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military and the Taliban takeover.

In his speech to the National Guard in Detroit, Trump said that leaving Afghanistan was the right thing to do but that the execution was poor. “We were going to do it with dignity and strength,” he said. He called the attack “the most embarrassing day in the history of our country.”

Since Biden ended his reelection bid, Trump has been zeroing in on Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, and her roles in foreign policy decisions. He has specifically highlighted the vice president’s statements that she was the last person in the room before Biden made the decision on Afghanistan.

“The voters are going to fire Kamala and Joe on Nov. 5, we hope, and when I take office we will ask for the resignations of every single official,” Trump said in Detroit. “We’ll get the resignations of every single senior official who touched the Afghanistan calamity, to be on my desk at noon on Inauguration Day. You know, you have to fire people. You have to fire people when they do a bad job.”

In her own statement marking the anniversary of the Kabul airport attack, Harris said she mourns the 13 U.S. service members who were killed. “My prayers are with their families and loved ones. My heart breaks for their pain and their loss,” she said.

Harris said she honors and remembers all Americans who served in Afghanistan.

Donald Trump campaigns in Michigan today, on the third anniversary of a deadly bombing during the US evacuation from Afghanistan. AP correspondent Jennifer King reports.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Desert Diamond Arena, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“As I have said, President Biden made the courageous and right decision to end America’s longest war. Over the past three years, our Administration has demonstrated we can still eliminate terrorists, including the leaders of al-Qaeda and ISIS, without troops deployed into combat zones,” she said. “I will never hesitate to take whatever action necessary to counter terrorist threats and protect the American people.”

Biden said in a statement Monday that the 13 Americans who died were “patriots in the highest sense” who “embodied the very best of who we are as a nation: brave, committed, selfless.”

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“Ever since I became Vice President, I carried a card with me every day that listed the exact number of American service members who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan—including Taylor, Johanny, Nicole, Hunter, Daegan, Humberto, David, Jared, Rylee, Dylan, Kareem, Maxton, and Ryan,” Biden said.

The relatives of some of the American service members who were killed appeared on stage at the Republican National Convention last month and spoke on Monday in a media call along with Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. They said they are still trying to get answers on how their loved ones died.

“For them to think that is OK and treat it as another page in a book that they’re just flipping over for the next chapter it saddens me and frightens me all at the same time,” said Alicia Lopez, the mother of Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, who added she has another son serving in the military. “I pray that I don’t get another knock on my door because of the lack of responsibilities this administration has for our military.”

Asked Monday why Biden and Harris weren’t marking the anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack as Trump did at Arlington National Cemetery, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Trump had been personally invited by the family members and he called it one way to honor the fallen.

“Another way is to continue to work,” Kirby said. “Maybe not with a lot of fanfare, maybe not with a lot of public attention, maybe not with TV cameras, but to work with might and main every single day to make sure that the families of the fallen and of those who were injured and wounded, not just at Abbey Gate, but over the course of the 20-some odd years that we were in Afghanistan, have the support that they need.”

Also Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced that Congress will posthumously honor the 13 service members by presenting their families with the Congressional Gold Medal next month. It’s the highest civilian award that Congress can bestow.

Under Trump, the United States signed a peace agreement with the Taliban that was aimed at ending America’s longest war and bringing U.S. troops home. Biden later pointed to that agreement as he sought to deflect blame for the Taliban overrunning Afghanistan, saying it bound him to withdraw troops and set the stage for the chaos that engulfed the country.

A Biden administration review of the withdrawal acknowledged that the evacuation of Americans and allies from Afghanistan should have started sooner, but attributed the delays to the Afghan government and military, and to U.S. military and intelligence community assessments.

The top two U.S. generals who oversaw the evacuation said the administration inadequately planned for the withdrawal. The nation’s top-ranking military officer at the time, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, told lawmakers earlier this year he had urged Biden to keep a residual force of 2,500 forces to give backup. Instead, Biden decided to keep a much smaller force of 650 that would be limited to securing the U.S. embassy.

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Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report from Washington.

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August 26, 2024
U.S. to send more military aid to Ukraine amid incursion into Russia

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U.S. to send more military aid to Ukraine amid incursion into Russia – CBS News

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The Defense Department announced that the Biden administration is sending $125 million in new military aid to Ukraine as the country marks its Independence Day today. The support comes after Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region opened up another front in the fighting. Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting that Russia and Ukraine are set to exchange 115 prisoners following mediation from the United Arab Emirates.

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August 24, 2024
Republican-led states challenge Biden program to keep families together

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Republican-led states challenge Biden program to keep families together – CBS News

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Several Republican-led states are challenging the legality of President Biden’s immigration program to offer legal status and a path to U.S. residency for unauthorized immigrants married to American citizens. CBS News’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez has more.

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August 23, 2024
Watch: Former President Obama bashes Trump, makes case for Harris, calls for unity in DNC speech

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Watch: Former President Obama bashes Trump, makes case for Harris, calls for unity in DNC speech – CBS News

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Former President Barack Obama closed out Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention with a speech that touched on Donald Trump’s worldview and Kamala Harris’ qualifications for president while calling for unity among Americans. See Obama’s full remarks.

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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
8/20: CBS News 24/7 Episode 1

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8/20: CBS News 24/7 Episode 1 – CBS News

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Vice President Kamala Harris joins President Biden onstage at first night of DNC; Photobooths making a comeback with Gen Z.

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August 20, 2024
The president is coming to town for vacation. Get ready.

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Santa Barbara, California – Even presidents need to take a vacation. But what is a vacation for the commander-in-chief is a lot of work for the people in places where the president chooses to relax.

Hotels book up fast with the entourage that follows a president — Secret Service, aides and the press. Restaurant reservations become impossible. Traffic created by a presidential motorcade leads to local streets shut down.

Almost every president has been tied to their favorite getaway in the popular imagination: President Biden and Rehoboth Beach; former President Donald Trump and Mar-a-Lago; former President Barack Obama and Martha’s Vineyard; former President George W. Bush and Crawford, Texas; and former President Bill Clinton and the Hamptons.

This week, Mr. Biden is vacationing in Santa Ynez, California — a small Southern California town located in the heart of Santa Barbara wine country. But as the world monitors tensions in the Middle East and the Democratic National Convention goes on in Chicago, the president can never be truly unplugged.

U.S. President Barack Obama waves to the crowd in front of the takeout window of Nancy’s restaurant on August 21, 2011 in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.

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“There’s no such thing as a presidential vacation,” says Russell Riley, co-chair of the Miller Center’s Presidential Oral History Program and author of “Inside the Clinton White House: An Oral History.” “It is certainly true that they go away and that there’s a different dynamic, and that the change of pace can be restful. But they’re still on duty.”

And if the president is on duty, so is the president’s team. Everywhere the president goes, a temporary Situation Room has to be set up and ready to go if needed.

A town more used to the president’s presence is Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where the Bidens own a vacation home and often visit during the summer.

Mr. Biden has been seen to frequent a brunch restaurant there called Egg. Hope Snider, a manager at Egg, said she was nervous at first to wait on the first family, but that they and the Secret Service were nothing but friendly and easygoing.

“We appreciate that out of all the restaurants they come to ours,” says Snider. “It creates a buzz around town. They hear the president was in last weekend. It definitely brings a few people in.”

Ahead of such a seemingly casual breakfast, Secret Service agents scout the area days in advance, checking every entrance, exit and potential security threat.

“Especially right now, with an assassination attempt already in the forefront of every Secret Service agent’s mind, I am very confident that though it’s a lame duck president, they’re still very concerned about that security perimeter,” says Johanna Maska, former White House director of press advance for President Obama. “Because the president is still the person who’s making every decision when it comes to our biggest global issues, and has the nuke codes with him everywhere he goes.”

Maska says that Obama, like other presidents on vacation, would limit his movements, particularly on a holiday if it would cause too much disruption for the town. But regardless, every potential stop, be it a beach or coffee shop, had to be checked in advance by the Secret Service.

One of the worst ways a presidential visit can affect a town is hours-long traffic jams.

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When the Clintons took a trip to the Hamptons, on Long Island, in 1998, locals feared it would take 10 to 12 hours to get in and out, leading residents to stock up on groceries the Thursday before the president’s arrival, according to archives of the local paper, the Sag Harbor Express. But the fear of traffic was so great that many people simply did not go out that weekend, resulting in quieter roads than on a typical Hamptons summer day.

The optics of a vacation location can also be a consideration for White House teams.

Clinton reportedly solicited polling in 1997 to find out what “married people with kids” approved of for vacation activities in order to improve his image. According to political adviser Dick Morris, the results suggested fishing and hiking in a mountain location, so the Clinton family traveled to Wyoming for an all-American vacation out West instead of a fashionable East Coast hotspot.

“There was a sense that going to Martha’s Vineyard or the Hamptons was communicating a lesson to the American people that this wasn’t quite a small ‘d’ democratic vacation. So they went out there, but Clinton had allergies, and I don’t think that trip went very well,” says Riley.

So as Mr. Biden vacations in wine country, another town will be hard at work accommodating the traveling White House that follows the leader of the United States.

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August 20, 2024
Watch: President Biden delivers DNC address

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President Biden closed out the opening night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention with a speech touting his Oval Office achievements, criticizing former President Donald Trump and throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. See Biden’s full remarks.

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August 19, 2024
Watch Live: DNC kicks off Day 1 with President Biden set to headline

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Watch: Hillary Clinton delivers DNC address in support of Kamala Harris

17:31

Former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton spoke as the only other woman who has been in Harris’ place as a major party’s presidential nominee.

Clinton expressed her hope and confidence that Harris will be the one to break that glass ceiling.

“Together, we put a lot of cracks in the highest, hardest glass ceiling,” she said.

But the work, she said, is far from over.

“On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand and taking the oath of office as our 47th president of the United States,” Clinton said.

Clinton began her remarks by praising Mr. Biden for his service to the country.

“He has been democracy’s champion, at home and abroad,” Clinton said. “He brought dignity, decency and competence back to the White House. And he showed what it means to be a true patriot. Thank you, Joe Biden, for your lifetime of service and leadership.”

“And now we are writing a new chapter in America’s story,” she said.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks onstage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.

Win McNamee / Getty Images

Clinton said her mother was born in Chicago before women had the right to vote. That changed 104 years ago Sunday, she said.

“And then, there was 2016, when it was the honor of my life to accept our party’s nomination for president,” she said.

Clinton encouraged Americans who are weary to keep going.

“Women fighting for reproductive health care are saying keep going!” she said. “Families building better lives, parents stretching to afford child care, young people struggling to pay the rent, they’re all asking us to keep going! So, with faith in each other and joy in our hearts, let’s send Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to the White House!”

Clinton said both she and Harris began their legal careers fighting for the rights and protections of endangered children.

“That kind of work changes a person,” Clinton said. “Those kids stay with you. Kamala carries with her the hopes of every child she protected, every family she helped, every community she served. So as president, she will always have our backs. And she will be a fighter for us.”

Clinton said, “We can’t let up.”

“We’re not just electing a president, we’re uplifting our nation,” she said. “We’re opening the promise of America wide enough for everyone.”

The nation, she said, is “so close to breaking through” that glass ceiling once and for all.

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August 19, 2024
Colorado delegates attending Democratic National Convention say energy is ‘out of this world’

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CHICAGO — Democrats from across the country, including dozens of delegates from Colorado, are gathered in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention (DNC).

“The energy here is just out of this world,” said Joe Salazar, a former state representative who is one of 72 Colorado delegates at the convention. “It’s a lot different than what we thought it was going to be six weeks ago. The energy here is just like, it’s electrifying.”

Serena Thomas from Fort Collins is also a delegate at the convention. She said the historic nomination of a Black and Asian woman for president of a major party is inspiring.

“It’s just something that so many people in this country need and want to see,” Thomas said.

Vice President Kamala Harris will formally accept the party’s nomination for president on Thursday. University of Denver political science professor Phil Chen said it’ll be a big moment for Harris.

“It’s a real chance to introduce herself to the nation where most of the attention is going to be on the Democrats,” said Chen. “We don’t tend to know a ton about our vice presidents. We know maybe who they are. We don’t really know their life stories for the most part.”

Large crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters have gathered outside the convention demanding the U.S. stop giving military aid to Israel.

“This is an important voice within the Democratic Party at this point. It’s a way to have their voices heard,” said Chen.

Colorado Democrats said the protests show the diversity of the party. They believe that diversity will give them an advantage heading into the fall.

“The Democratic Party, we have a big tent under which we stand, and that includes all of those voices,” said Miller.

President Joe Biden will address the convention on Monday night. Governor Tim Walz will accept the party’s nomination for vice president on Wednesday.

Other speakers scheduled for the convention include former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, and former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

The convention will run through Thursday.

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August 19, 2024
Video: A look inside the 2024 Democratic National Convention

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The Democratic National Convention is officially underway on Monday in Chicago, Illinois.The event will culminate inside the United Center on Thursday, with the Democratic Party celebrating the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris as their candidate in the 2024 presidential election with a celebratory roll call.On Sunday, crews ran through a final technical rehearsal of lights and sounds on the floor of the convention inside of the United Center.Watch the video above for an inside look at the DNC.The roll call vote, typically when each state comes forward and announces how many delegates they are delivering to a presidential candidate based largely on the results of the state’s primary, will be celebratory because Harris is already the official Democratic nominee.Nearly two weeks ago, an online roll call made Harris an official candidate in the 2024 presidential election. The vote made her the first nominee to be named before a party’s convention.It’s far from the only unprecedented event to occur this campaign season. Biden’s stunning decision to drop out of the race almost exactly one month ago rapidly changed the shape of the DNC in 2024. Excitement for Harris was palpable among the small number of early arrivals who took part in a technical rehearsal of the ceremonial roll call.On Monday, thousands of delegates will pour into the United Center to celebrate the nomination and watch multiple days of high-profile speakers. Hundreds of balloons are already above the convention floor, all set to fall after the roll call.There will also be party events taking place at McCormick Place, the city’s largest convention center.Much like the Republican National Convention, security will be a major factor. Thousands of protestors are in Chicago for large-scale demonstrations surrounding the war in Gaza, as well as issues like abortion and economic injustice.Those demonstrations are mostly happening at pre-organized spots outside of gates and barricades that have blocked roads and walkway paths to filter traffic through and around checkpoints.Despite being held a good distance away from the convention, protestors hope their voices are heard as delegates draft and discuss their plans should Harris win the election in November and become the first Black female president and first Indian American president.

CHICAGO —

The Democratic National Convention is officially underway on Monday in Chicago, Illinois.

The event will culminate inside the United Center on Thursday, with the Democratic Party celebrating the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris as their candidate in the 2024 presidential election with a celebratory roll call.

On Sunday, crews ran through a final technical rehearsal of lights and sounds on the floor of the convention inside of the United Center.

Watch the video above for an inside look at the DNC.

The roll call vote, typically when each state comes forward and announces how many delegates they are delivering to a presidential candidate based largely on the results of the state’s primary, will be celebratory because Harris is already the official Democratic nominee.

Nearly two weeks ago, an online roll call made Harris an official candidate in the 2024 presidential election. The vote made her the first nominee to be named before a party’s convention.

It’s far from the only unprecedented event to occur this campaign season. Biden’s stunning decision to drop out of the race almost exactly one month ago rapidly changed the shape of the DNC in 2024.

Excitement for Harris was palpable among the small number of early arrivals who took part in a technical rehearsal of the ceremonial roll call.

On Monday, thousands of delegates will pour into the United Center to celebrate the nomination and watch multiple days of high-profile speakers. Hundreds of balloons are already above the convention floor, all set to fall after the roll call.

There will also be party events taking place at McCormick Place, the city’s largest convention center.

Much like the Republican National Convention, security will be a major factor. Thousands of protestors are in Chicago for large-scale demonstrations surrounding the war in Gaza, as well as issues like abortion and economic injustice.

Those demonstrations are mostly happening at pre-organized spots outside of gates and barricades that have blocked roads and walkway paths to filter traffic through and around checkpoints.

Despite being held a good distance away from the convention, protestors hope their voices are heard as delegates draft and discuss their plans should Harris win the election in November and become the first Black female president and first Indian American president.

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August 19, 2024
Trump zigzags between economic remarks and personal insults at rally in critical Pennsylvania

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Saturday repeatedly swerved from a message focused on the economy into non sequiturs and personal attacks, including thrice declaring that he was better looking than Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump wound back and forth between hitting his points on economic policy and delivering a smattering of insults and impressions of President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron as he held a rally in northeastern Pennsylvania.

The former president has seemed to struggle to adjust to his new opponent after Democrats replaced their nominee. Over the past week, he has diverged during campaign appearances away from the policies he was billed to speak about and instead diverted to a rotation of familiar attack lines and insults.

As he attacked Democrats for inflation at the top of his speech, Trump asked his crowd of supporters, “You don’t mind if I go off teleprompter for a second, do you? Joe Biden hates her.”

Joseph Costello, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, responded to Trump in a statement by saying, “Another rally, same old show” and that Trump “ resorts to lies, name-calling, and confused rants,” because he can’t sell his agenda.

“The more Americans hear Trump speak, the clearer the choice this November: Vice President Harris is unifying voters with her positive vision to protect our freedoms, build up the middle class, and move America forward — and Donald Trump is trying to take us backwards,” Costello said.

Trump’s rally in Wilkes-Barre was in a swath of a pivotal battleground state where he hopes conservative, white working-class voters near Biden’s hometown of Scranton will boost the Republican’s chances of winning back the White House.

His remarks Saturday came as Democrats prepare for their four-day national convention that kicks off Monday in Chicago and will mark the party’s welcoming of Harris as their nominee. Her replacement of Biden less than four months before the November election has reinvigorated Democrats and their coalition. It has also presented a new challenge for Trump.

Trump hammered Harris on the economy, associating her with the Biden administration’s inflation woes and likening her latest proposal against price gouging to measures in communist nations. Trump has said a federal ban on price gouging for groceries would lead to food shortages, rationing and hunger. On Saturday asked why she hadn’t worked to solve prices when she and Biden were sworn into office in 2021.

“Day one for Kamala was three and a half years ago. So why didn’t she do it then? So this is day 1,305,” Trump said.

To address high prices, Trump said he would sign an executive order on his first day sworn in as president “directing every cabinet secretary and agency head to use every power we have to drive prices down, but we’re going to drive them down in a capitalist way, not in a communist way,” he said.

He predicted financial ruin for the country, and Pennsylvania in particular, if Harris wins, citing her past opposition to fracking, an oil and gas extraction process commonly used in the state. Her campaign has tried to soften her stance on fracking, saying she would not ban it, even though that was her position when she was seeking the 2020 presidential nomination.

“Your state’s going to be ruined anyway. She’s totally anti-fracking,” Trump said.

What to know about the 2024 Election

But he also meandered, going from ripping the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 to doing impressions of Macron’s French accent.

Trump laced in attacks on Harris’ laugh and said she was “not a very good wordsmith” and mocked the names of the CNN anchors who moderated the debate he had with Biden in June.

When he began musing on Harris’ recent image on the cover of Time magazine, he commented on the picture’s resemblance to classic Hollywood icons Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor and then took issue with a Wall Street Journal columnist remarking earlier this month on Harris’ beauty.

“I am much better looking than her,” Trump said, drawing laughs from the crowd. “I’m a better looking person than Kamala.”

He also took issue with the way his style is typically portrayed in news reports.

“They will say he’s rambling. I don’t ramble. I’m a really smart guy,” he said.

Trump’s Saturday rally was his fifth at the arena in Wilkes-Barre, the largest city in Luzerne County, where he has had victories in the past two elections. Biden bested Trump in neighboring Lackawanna County, where the Democrat has long promoted his working-class roots in Scranton.

On Sunday, Harris plans a bus tour starting in Pittsburgh, with a stop in Rochester, a small town to the north. Trump has scheduled a visit Monday to a plant that manufactures nuclear fuel containers in York. Trump’s running mate JD Vance is expected to be in Philadelphia that day.

Some of Biden’s loyal supporters in Scranton, a former industrial city of 76,000, were upset to see party leaders put pressure on the president to step aside.

Diane Munley, 63, says she called dozens of members of Congress to vouch for Biden. Munley eventually came to terms with Biden’s decision and is now very supportive of Harris.

“I can’t deny the enthusiasm that’s been going on with this ticket right now. I am so into it,” Munley said. “It just wasn’t happening with Joe, and I couldn’t see it at the time because I was so connected to him.”

Robert A. Bridy, 64, a laborer from Shamokin, Pennsylvania, traveled on Saturday to the rally to show support for Trump. He said the election feels tight in this state and added that his union and a close friend are trying to convince him to vote for Harris and other Democrats, but he has voted for Trump since 2016.

Bridy called Trump a “working class guy like us.” Trump is a billionaire who built his fortune in real estate.

“He’s a fighter,” Bridy said. “I’d like to see the closed borders. He doesn’t mess around. He goes at it right away and takes care of business the way it should be.” ___

Price reported from New York. Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Darlene Superville in Arlington, Virginia contributed to this report.

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August 18, 2024
What is ‘price gouging’ and why is VP Harris proposing to ban it?

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With inflation and high grocery prices still frustrating many voters, Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday proposed a ban on “price gouging” by food suppliers and grocery stores, as part of a broader agenda aimed at lowering the cost of housing, medicine, and food.

It’s an attempt to tackle a clear vulnerability of Harris’ head-on: Under the Biden-Harris administration, grocery prices have shot up 21%, part of an inflation surge that has raised overall costs by about 19% and soured many Americans on the economy, even as unemployment fell to historic lows. Wages have also risen sharply since the pandemic, and have outpaced prices for more than a year. Still, surveys find Americans continue to struggle with higher costs.

“We all know that prices went up during the pandemic when the supply chains shut down and failed,” Harris said Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina. “But our supply chains have now improved and prices are still too high.”

Will her proposals do much to lower prices? And what even is “price gouging”? The answers to those and other questions are below:

What is price gouging?

There is no strict definition that economists would agree on, but it generally refers to spikes in prices that typically follow a disruption in supply, such as after a hurricane or other natural disaster. Consumer advocates charge that gouging occurs when retailers sharply increase prices, particularly for necessities, under such circumstances.

Is it already illegal?

Several states already restrict price gouging, but there is no federal-level ban.

There are federal restrictions on related but different practices, such as price-fixing laws that bar companies from agreeing to not compete against each other and set higher prices.

Will Harris’ proposal lower grocery prices?

Most economists would say no, though her plan could have an impact on future crises. For one thing, it’s unclear how much price gouging is going on right now.

Grocery prices are still painfully high compared to four years ago, but they increased just 1.1% in July compared with a year earlier, according to the most recent inflation report. That is in line with pre-pandemic increases.

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that inflation has been defeated after Wednesday’s inflation report showed that it fell to 2.9% in July, the smallest increase in three years.

“There’s some dissonance between claiming victory on the inflation front in one breath and then arguing that there’s all this price gouging happening that is leading consumers to face really high prices in another breath,” said Michael Strain, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute.

In general, after an inflationary spike, it’s very hard to return prices to where they were. Sustained price declines typically only happen in steep, protracted recessions. Instead, economists generally argue that the better approach is for wages to keep rising enough so that Americans can handle the higher costs.

So why is Harris talking about this now?

Probably because inflation remains a highly salient issue politically. And plenty of voters do blame grocery stores, fast food chains, and food and packaged goods makers for the surge of inflation in the past three years. Corporate profits soared in 2021 and 2022.

“It could be that they’re looking at opinion polls that show that the number one concern facing voters is inflation and that a large number of voters blame corporations for inflation,” Strain said.

At the same time, even if prices aren’t going up as much, as Harris noted, they remain high, even as supply chain kinks have been resolved.

Elizabeth Pancotti, a policy analyst at Roosevelt Forward, a progressive advocacy group, points to the wood pulp used in diapers. The price of wood pulp has fallen by half from its post-pandemic peak, yet diaper prices haven’t.

“So that just increases the (profit) margins for both the manufacturers and the retailers,” she said.

Did price gouging cause inflation?

Most economists would say no, that it was a more straightforward case of supply and demand. When the pandemic hit, meat processing plants were occasionally closed after COVID-19 outbreaks, among other disruptions to supply. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine lifted the cost of wheat and other grains on global markets. Auto prices rose as carmakers were unable to get all the semiconductors they needed from Taiwan to manufacture cars, and many car plants shut down temporarily.

At the same time, several rounds of stimulus checks fattened Americans’ bank accounts, and after hunkering down during the early phase of the pandemic, so-called “revenge spending” took over. The combination of stronger demand and reduced supply was a recipe for rising prices.

Still, some economists have argued that large food and consumer goods companies took advantage of pandemic-era disruptions. Consumers saw empty store shelves and heard numerous stories about disrupted supply chains, and at least temporarily felt they had little choice but to accept the higher prices.

Economist Isabella Weber at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, called it “seller’s inflation.” Others referred to it as “greedflation.”

“What a lot of corporations did was exploit consumers’ willingness” to accept the disruptions from the pandemic, Pancotti said.

Is banning price gouging like instituting price controls?

During the last spike of inflation in the 1970s, both Democratic and Republican presidential administrations at times imposed price controls, which specifically limited what companies could charge for goods and services. They were widely blamed for creating shortages and long lines for gas.

Some economists say Harris’ proposal would have a similar impact.

“It’s a heavy-handed socialist policy that I don’t think any economist would support,” said Kevin Hassett, a former top economic adviser in the Trump White House.

But Pancotti disagreed. She argued that it was closer to a consumer protection measure. Under Harris’ proposal, the government wouldn’t specify prices, but the Federal Trade Commission could investigate price spikes.

“The proposal is really about protecting consumers from unscrupulous corporate actors that are trying to just rip the consumer off because they know they can,” she said.

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August 18, 2024
Biden to make a forceful case for Harris and Walz in convention speech

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U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks next to U.S. President Joe Biden at an event in Prince George’s County, Maryland, U.S., August 15, 2024.

Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters

President Joe Biden’s role at the Democratic National Convention next week may have been dramatically reshaped by his decision to end his bid for a second term, but his message about the stakes of this election will sound familiar, according to multiple Biden officials.

The outgoing president will make the case for Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him when he delivers Monday’s keynote address, in part by touting their accomplishments during the last four years.

But Biden will also make clear that he still believes Republican nominee Donald Trump poses a grave threat to American democracy and urge delegates in Chicago and voters watching across the country to do their part to defeat him again in November, aides say.

“After saving democracy in 2020, President Biden is determined to defeat the threat to democracy posed by Donald Trump,” one official said.

The first day of the convention in Chicago will include a series of tributes to Biden as he prepares to end a half-century career of public service. Just weeks ago, of course, the entire convention was centered around helping make the case for extending that service by four more years. But now it will offer the president another opportunity to try and shape his legacy.

The president will spend the weekend at Camp David fine-tuning his remarks with the help of senior advisers, including lead speechwriters Mike Donilon and Vinay Reddy. The remarks will build on the message he delivered in the Oval Office shortly after dropping out of the race and make a forceful case for Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

The speech, officials say, will be a reminder of the importance of Biden immediately endorsing Harris after announcing he would end his candidacy, helping to quickly unite a party in crisis behind her historic candidacy. Although Biden fought hard to remain in the race after his poor debate performance, his addressing the convention on the first night allows him to pass the torch to her and Walz, Biden officials told NBC News.

“The President is pleased at the momentum behind the campaign and looks forward to making his case,” an official said.

Biden aides, though, believe the convention will continue to highlight the Biden-Harris record after he leaves in order to make a contrast with the Republican ticket.

“Four years ago, America was reeling from a once-in-a-century pandemic, isolated on the world stage, crime was up, the middle class sidelined,” an official said. “Today: We are the global engine of growth, our Alliances are strong, violent crime rate is at a 50-year low, border crossings are lower than when the previous administration left office, and we are making progress on the issues Americans care about most.”

Members of the Biden family will join the president and first lady, who will speak ahead of her husband. Longtime friends and supporters of Biden will also be traveling together on a chartered plane from Delaware to attend the speech, and several aides have organized a celebration for them and other current and former staff in Chicago Monday night.

Other elements of the convention that had been intended to boost Biden’s candidacy will remain as tributes, starting with a convention logo that borrows from his 2020 campaign design. All convention delegates will also receive “Cup of Joe”-branded coffee, and signage around the United Center on Monday will invoke words from Biden’s Oval Office address, such as “History is in your hands,” as well as a family mantra: “Spread the faith.”

Biden will leave Chicago after his address Monday to spend the rest of the week in Southern California. There, he will huddle with top advisers who have been working for the past month to firm up plans for his remaining months in office.

A Biden official said the president “will have an extensive domestic schedule — traveling across the country to keep reminding Americans that they are going to have to choose between his vision and the Vice President’s vision to move the country forward, not backward.”

“And the President will fight to make every day of his term count to build on these historic achievements,” the official added. “Expect aggressive implementation of historic legislation, actions to lower costs, and a packed foreign policy agenda.”

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August 17, 2024
Biden optimistic about Gaza cease-fire deal as talks set to resume next week

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Biden optimistic about Gaza cease-fire deal as talks set to resume next week – CBS News

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The U.S., Egypt and Qatar say cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas will continue in Cairo next week. The three countries, acting as mediators, say they presented both parties with a proposal that “builds on areas of agreement over the past week, and bridges remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal.” President Biden expressed optimism about a potential cease-fire, saying “we are closer than we’ve ever been” after talks in Doha. CBS News foreign correspondent Ramy Inocencio has the latest.

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August 16, 2024
Harris outlines an ‘opportunity economy’ centered on cutting food, housing, family costs

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U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at an event at the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., August 16, 2024.

Jonathan Drake | Reuters

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday delivered an economic policy pitch aimed to appeal to middle-class voters by focusing on lowering the costs of food, housing, health care and childcare.

In a speech in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Democratic presidential nominee sketched a vision of what she described as an “opportunity economy,” with basic financial security at its core.

Her plan would impose a federal ban on price gouging on groceries, enact a new $6,000 child tax credit for families with newborn children and give first-time home buyers $25,000 in down-payment support, among a slew of other proposals.

Harris framed it in stark contrast to the proposals put forward by her rival, former President Donald Trump.

She blasted the Republican nominee’s support for sweeping tariffs on imported goods as a “Trump tax,” while accusing him of seeking to cut taxes on billionaires and corporations.

“I think that if you want to know who someone cares about, look who they fight for,” Harris said.

While still light on specific details, her plans have already garnered fierce criticism from Republicans and economic analysts who have warned that they veer toward government price fixing.

“Having the government set prices is a really, really big mistake,” said Kevin Hassett, a top economic advisor in the Trump White House, during a press call earlier Friday.

The nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, meanwhile, estimated that the policies in Harris’ economic plan would raise deficits by $1.7 trillion over the next 10 years.

Friday’s address was Harris’ first policy speech since she took over from President Joe Biden following his withdrawal from the race last month.

With less than 90 days until Election Day, Harris is working to take credit for the Biden administration’s economic accomplishments, while trying to flip the script on a key issue where her predecessor got consistently low marks.

Here’s what else her economic plan includes, according to her campaign.

Groceries and food

In an effort to tackle the stubbornly high price of groceries, Harris will work with Congress to advance the first-ever federal ban on “corporate price-gouging” on food and groceries.

This would include setting “clear rules of the road” so that corporations “can’t unfairly exploit consumers to run up excessive corporate profits” on grocery staples, according to the fact sheet.

To investigate and penalize alleged violations, Harris would empower the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general.

A Harris administration would also take an aggressive regulatory approach to proposed mergers and consolidation among the biggest food producers.

Affordable housing and rent

Harris’ plan would help cash-strapped renters by blocking data firms from hiking lease rates, and by preventing Wall Street investors from buying homes in bulk to resell at a premium.

U.S. President Joe Biden raises the hand of Vice President Kamala Harris, during an event on Medicare drug price negotiations, in Prince George’s County, Maryland, U.S., August 15, 2024.

Ken Cedeno | Reuters

Harris will also call for the U.S. to construct 3 million new housing units over the next four years. In order to facilitate that, she will call for new tax incentives for builders who construct “starter homes.”

Any changes to the tax code require congressional approval, and depend heavily on which party controls the House and Senate.

As the supply of entry-level homes expanded, the Harris plan would “provide working families who have paid their rent on time for two years and are buying their first home up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance, with more generous support for first-generation homeowners,” according to the fact sheet.

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Health-care costs

Harris would seek to expand the Biden administration’s landmark $35 price cap on insulin for Medicare recipients to cover insulin for all Americans, not just the elderly.

US President Joe Biden along with vice president Kamala Harris (not seen) and North Carolina governor Roy Cooper (not seen) delivers remarks about healthcare in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States on March 26, 2024.

Peter Zay | Anadolu | Getty Images

Similar to her cost-cutting plans for the food industry, Harris’ health-care policy relies in part on stiffer regulations and strict antitrust enforcement.

The plan calls for “cracking down on pharmaceutical companies who block competition and abusive practices by pharmaceutical middlemen,” according to the Harris campaign.

Tax cuts

Restoring the expanded child tax credits that were first introduced during the Covid pandemic is a longstanding goal of the Biden administration, and one that Harris will take up if she is elected president.

She will also go one step further, and propose expanded tax relief of up to $6,000 for families with a newborn.

The Harris campaign calls this a “year when many family’s expenses are highest—with cribs, diapers, car seats and more.” It also notes that many parents who do not have access to paid leave are forced to choose between spending time with their baby and working enough hours to make ends meet.

The stakes

After just three weeks on the campaign trail, Harris has erased the polling advantage that Trump held over Biden.

But the vice president has largely steered clear of policy specifics, choosing instead to draw contrasts with Trump.

With her Tar Heel State address, Harris began to articulate a vision for the economy that builds on — and in some ways pivots away from — the Biden’s administration’s economic record.

On Thursday, Harris and Biden appeared together in Maryland to tout an agreement with pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of the 10 priciest prescription drugs under Medicare.

U.S. President Joe Biden embraces Vice President Kamala Harris at an event on Medicare drug price negotiations, in Prince George’s County, Maryland, U.S., August 15, 2024.

Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters

The landmark negotiations — enabled through Biden’s centerpiece spending legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act — will lead to around $6 billion in net savings for Medicare when they officially go into effect in 2026, according to the government.

The vice president’s speech came just two days after Trump gave his own economy-focused speech in North Carolina.

Speaking in Asheville, Trump fired off personal attacks at Harris while blaming her for the high consumer prices that Biden has spent much of his presidency working to reverse.

Recent polls suggest the state that Trump won in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections is now within reach for Harris in 2024.

A new round of battleground state poll results released Wednesday by the Cook Political Report showed Harris leading Trump in North Carolina by 1 percentage point, 48 – 47, still well within the survey’s margin of error.

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August 16, 2024