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Tag: Pete Buttigieg

  • Buttigieg, Newsom, AOC top three in new 2028 poll in key presidential primary state

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    MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tops the list of potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders in a new poll conducted in New Hampshire, which has traditionally held the first primary in the race for the White House for over a century.

    Twenty percent of Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire said they would vote for Buttigieg if the 2028 presidential nomination contest was held today. 

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York were tied for second at 15%, with former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ 2024 nominee, and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona each at 10%. Everyone else was in single digits.

    EARLY MOVES ALREADY WELL UNDERWAY IN 2028 WHITE HOUSE RACE

    The University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll was released Thursday, a couple of hours before Buttigieg arrived in New Hampshire to campaign with Democrats running in this year’s midterm elections.

    Asked about the survey by Fox News Digital, Buttigieg noted,” I’m not on any ballot right now.”

    Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg greets patrons during a stop at a restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Feb. 19, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )

    “Obviously, it feels good to be well received,” added Buttigieg, who made plenty of friends in the Granite State as he came in a close second in the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, slightly behind Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

    Buttigieg’s stop in New Hampshire was his third in an early voting state in the Democratic nominating calendar since stepping down as transportation secretary at the end of former President Biden’s administration. It follows trips last year to South Carolina and Iowa. While he mostly avoids 2028 talk, Buttigieg has said he would consider what he brings “to the table” in regard to another White House run.

    As he kicked off a three-day swing in key New England swing state, Buttigieg teamed up with Rep. Chris Pappas, the clear frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a fellow Democrat. Shaheen’s seat is a top GOP target in the midterms.

    Pete Buttigieg and Chris Pappas in New Hampshire

    Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, center, and Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, left, a Democratic Senate candidate, campaign in Manchester, N.H., Feb. 19, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

    Later Thursday, Buttigieg joined the state’s other Democratic House member, Rep. Maggie Goodlander. And he was scheduled to hold more events on Friday and Saturday, including a grassroots mobilization event that was expected to draw some top New Hampshire supporters from his 2020 presidential campaign.

    Buttigieg is heading next week to battleground Nevada, and a source told Fox News Digital Buttigieg has plans to campaign for candidates in Ohio, Georgia and Pennsylvania in the weeks ahead.

    “I’m a big believer in going everywhere across the media landscape and geographically. Some are well-known places on the political map. Some are a little bit off the beaten path. All of them deserve attention,” Buttigieg told Fox News Digital.

    NEWSOM’S UPCOMING STOP IN KEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY STATE SPARKS MORE 2028 BUZZ

    He added that he’ll “continue to go wherever I think I can be useful in elevating attention to issues and working with candidates I believe in, and Chris Pappas is a great example of a candidate I am proud to be supporting and speaking up for.”

    Newsom will be next up in New Hampshire.

    Gavin Newsom Prop 50 victory

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during an election night news conference at a California Democratic Party office in Sacramento on Nov. 4, 2025. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)

    The California governor’s tour for his new book, “Young Man in a Hurry,” will bring him to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, March 5. It will be his first stop in the state in two years.

    Newsom grabbed headlines this past weekend as one of a handful of potential Democratic presidential contenders to speak at the high-profile Munich Security Conference in Germany.

    TRUMP HAMMERS AOC MUNICH STUMBLES AS ‘NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR THE UNITED STATES’

    Ocasio-Cortez was among the other Democrats in Munich. But the progressive champion, who has long been laser focused on affordability and other domestic issues, has faced intense criticism for nearly a week over a gaffe in Munich, when she asked during a panel discussion whether the U.S. should send troops to defend Taiwan from a possible invasion by China.

    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez smiles while attending Munich Security Conference

    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attends the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (Liesa Johannssen/Reuters)

    The four-term lawmaker appeared to stall for nearly 20 seconds before offering that the U.S. should try to avoid clashing with China over Taiwan.

    Social media posts on the right slammed her for offering up a world salad.

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    But it wasn’t just Republicans who critiqued Ocasio-Cortez.

    A veteran Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely told Fox News Digital, “It is abundantly clear that AOC is not ready for prime time given her remarks in Europe.”

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  • Democrats Should Run a Governor for President in 2028

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    The very electable Andy Beshear.
    Photo: Jon Cherry/Bloomberg/Getty Images

    In a long profile of potential presidential candidate Andy Beshear at Politico, Jonathan Martin elicited one absolutely firm comment from the Kentucky governor about 2028: “The Democratic Party needs to nominate a Democratic governor.” He wasn’t just talking about himself, though he’s nearing the end of two terms as chief executive of a very red state. California’s Gavin Newsom and Illinois’ J.B. Pritzker are likely 2028 candidates perceived as very different in temperament and even ideology from the model moderate Beshear. Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro is perceived as being in the same “lane” as the Kentuckian, but doesn’t have the same laid-back personality. Maryland’s Wes Moore is an up-and-comer who hasn’t chosen sides in national party factional battles. Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer’s star has faded a bit, but she’s still a major party figure who could take the presidential plunge.

    Putting aside all these individuals and their specific strengths and weaknesses, is Beshear right about governors being not just a better bet for Democrats right now but essential for victory?

    Traditionally, big-state governorships were thought of as the best platform for a presidential candidacy. Though only 17 of the 47 presidents were governors, only four men (James Garfield, Warren Harding, John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama) have gone directly from Congress to the White House. Among Democrats, however, the last sitting or former governor to win a presidential nomination was Bill Clinton. Indeed, the last governor to run a viable Democratic nomination contest was Howard Dean in 2004, and his signature issue was foreign policy (his opposition to the Iraq War). In the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential field, four governors or former governors ran, but three dropped out before Iowa and the other (Deval Patrick) had zero impact on the race. So the prospective bumper crop of Democratic governors in 2028 is rather remarkable.

    What governors have that senators simply don’t is a record of executive accomplishment and practical management experience. Only the top tier of members of Congress get anything like the media coverage virtually every governor commands. As state civic leaders, governors are presumed to represent people of both parties even if they are the bitterest of partisans. And in this era of chronic anti-Washington sentiment, governors can treat the federal government with the disdain most voters feel.

    A governor might also provide a positive contrast to the very likely GOP presidential nominee in 2028, J.D. Vance, who has never run much of anything other than his mouth. When he heads out on the 2028 campaign trail right after the midterms, Vance will have had two years experience as Donald Trump’s very subordinate attack dog, and two years as an obscure Senate backbencher who barely got his seat warm. And most of all, Vance will be the candidate of the incumbent presidential party in 2028, with any “outsider” claims looking ludicrous.

    Looking at Trump-era Democratic politics more generally, senators make noise while governors at least have a chance to make laws, build things, and do things. This is one reason members of Congress posture so much about “fighting” Trump. Words are all they have. And in 2028, as Beshear makes clear to Martin, Democrats will likely be in a mood to stop fighting and start winning. All other things being equal, governors have an advantage in electability, if only because their identities transcend party and many of them have a record of winning Republican votes. If Democrats enter the 2028 election cycle feeling very confident of victory, maybe an AOC, who has never run a campaign outside New York City, or a Pete Buttigieg, whose top elected post was in a small Indiana city, will suffice. But if, as is more likely, prospects for victory look iffy, Democrats are very likely to look for a champion who’s not mostly known for long speeches in Congress (sorry, Cory Booker!)

    Among the governors who may run in 2028, of course, Beshear is distinctive for his enormous political success in a state where Republicans have super-majorities in both legislative chambers and hold seven of eight spots in the congressional delegation. He would enter the nomination contest as presumptively electable. If he can just figure out how to excite people who have been “fighting Trump” so long that they sometimes mistake words for action and moral victories for actual victories, Beshear could go all the way to the White House.

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    Ed Kilgore

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  • Pete Buttigieg Admits Biden Administration Should’ve Done More To Grow Autonomous Vehicles — Says DOGE-Like Department ‘Makes Tons Of Sense’

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    Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.

    Biden-era Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says that the Biden administration could’ve done more to drive growth in the adoption of autonomous vehicles in the U.S.

    “We’re at the point where at least some of these technologies, right now, already, are safer than human beings and that’s only gonna increase and improve,” Buttigieg said during an appearance on the All In Podcast on Thursday, adding that the technology had the potential to “save a huge number of lives.”

    Buttigieg also outlined the differences in safety regulations between aviation and road safety, noting that hundreds of people lose their lives on the road daily in car crashes driven by human drivers. “It’s enough to fill a 737 every day,” Buttigieg said. “Are there things we could, or should have done, to accelerate AV adoption? I think the answer is yes,” Buttigieg said.

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    Sharing his insight into the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Buttigieg said that it made “tons of sense” in theory. “I would love, in theory, a Department of Government Efficiency that was actually about government efficiency,” Buttigieg said.

    He added that an ideal DOGE could do a lot of good, but “the DOGE we got, sent an email to every air traffic controller in the country, during an air traffic controller shortage, and suggested they quit being an air traffic controller, and get something “more productive” to do in the private sector,” Buttigieg said, criticizing the Elon Musk-led department that was tasked with cutting down excess federal spending.

    See Also: Missed Nvidia and Tesla? RAD Intel Could Be the Next AI Powerhouse — Invest Now at Just $0.81 a Share

    Recently, Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) CEO Dara Khosrowshahi predicted that most vehicles would be autonomous in 20+ years, comparing driving to “horseback riding” in the future. He also added that human drivers would become less safe than robots as autonomous driving technologies evolve with time.

    Khosrowshahi’s comments come amid a partnership with chipmaker Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA), which would target deploying over 100,000 autonomous vehicles by 2027 on Uber’s platform. The vehicles would be powered by Nvidia’s autonomous driving stack, which includes both hardware and software capabilities.

    Meanwhile, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is slated to begin production of the Cybercab as the EV giant posted multiple job listings on its official website detailing open positions at the company’s Gigafactory in Texas for the Cybercab’s production.

    The Cybercab could also feature a steering wheel and pedals like traditional vehicles, something which wasn’t initially in the plans for Tesla, following comments by Board Chair Robyn Denholm that the company could add them to the vehicle to comply with safety regulations.

    Elsewhere, Alphabet Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) autonomous vehicle arm Waymo CEO Tekedra Mawakana called for transparency in the autonomous vehicle sector, noting that companies that weren’t transparent were not doing enough to make roads safer.

    Photo courtesy: Rich Koele on Shutterstock.com

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    This article Pete Buttigieg Admits Biden Administration Should’ve Done More To Grow Autonomous Vehicles — Says DOGE-Like Department ‘Makes Tons Of Sense’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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  • Josh Shapiro and Pete Buttigieg respond to revelations from Kamala Harris’s book

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    Josh Shapiro has said Kamala Harris will “have to answer” for why she did not publicly alert people to Joe Biden’s declining ability to serve during his term in the White House.

    The Democratic Pennsylvania governor was a candidate to become Harris’s running mate when she replaced Biden as the Democratic party nominee for president late in the 2024 campaign after the president dropped his re-election bid, but narrowly lost out to Minnesota governor Tim Walz – whom Harris dishes on in her new book.

    Shapiro is also regarded as a potential 2028 candidate for the White House.

    Shapiro’s remark came when he was asked by Stephen A Smith on a political podcast about Harris’ memoir 107 Days, published next week but already seen by the Guardian. In that book she draws a distinction between Biden’s ability to govern and to campaign for reelection – and that she had concerns over the later.

    Related: ‘Angry and disappointed’: Kamala Harris critical of Joe Biden in new book

    Harris also said that Biden’s decision to run for a second term, only turning over the Democratic candidacy after a disastrous TV debate with Donald Trump, was based in “recklessness. The stakes were simply too high.”

    Shapiro said he has not read Harris’s account, but added: “She’s going to have to answer to how she was in the room and yet never said anything publicly.”

    Shapiro was asked how Americans should feel “when we hear something that we suspected but wasn’t acknowledged by politicians who were looking for our support, and then we find out later we were right, and they should have spoken up, and they should have shown more courage”.

    Shapiro said that while he wasn’t present for White House discussions, he looked at the 2024 race from the perspective of Pennsylvania, which Biden ultimately lost.

    “If you can’t win Pennsylvania, it’s pretty darn hard to win the national election,” Shapiro continued. “And I was very vocal with him, privately, and extremely vocal with his staff about my concerns about his fitness to be able to run for another term. I was direct with them. I told them my concerns.”

    In the book, Harris questions her decision to not confront Biden, explaining that “of all the people in the White House, I was in the worst position to make the case that he should drop out” and feared that, if she did, it would be seen as “incredibly self-serving” and “poisonous disloyalty”.

    In Harris’ account she writes that Shapiro, before she’d interviewed him, had asked how many bedrooms were in the vice-president’s residence and if the Smithsonian would lend Pennsylvania art for display.

    Harris writes that she “mused that he would want to be in the room for every decision” and told him that was “an unrealistic expectation” and “a vice-president is not a co-president.”

    Harris also writes about her consideration of Pete Buttigieg, saying that he would have been “the ideal partner” as her running mate if he had been “a straight white man”.

    “I had nagging concerns that, of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man,” Harris writes. Then adding a gay man to the ticket: “It was too big a risk.”

    Buttigieg – who, like Shapiro, Harris and Gavin Newsom, the California governor, are considered likely 2028 candidates – told Politico that he was “surprised” to read the passage from the book suggesting that, as a gay man, he was too risky.

    “My experience in politics has been that the way that you earn trust with voters is based mostly on what they think you’re going to do for their lives, not on categories,” he said. “I wouldn’t have run for president [in 2020] if I didn’t believe that.

    On countering Trump, Shapiro said:

    “Some people would say that the only way to deal with it is to fight fire with fire, to replicate his behavior to some degree,” Shapiro said, “just to be able to fend off the onslaught of momentum he appears to be building as his presidency continues.”

    But Shapiro pointed to his own election victories in Pennsylvania, winning by “bringing Republicans and Democrats and independents together”.

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  • Buttigieg, Newsom and Vance top way-too-early 2028 New Hampshire poll

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    Vice President JD Vance dominates a hypothetical 2028 GOP presidential primary field in New Hampshire, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are tied atop the Democratic heap, according to a years-early poll of the early primary state.

    Vance leads the list of potential GOP candidates with 56 percent support. No other Republican cracked double digits; the next closest would-be contender, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, had just 8 percent support. He was followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, former Rep. Liz Cheney, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley (who won 43 percent of the primary vote in the state in 2024), Vivek Ramaswamy, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Sen. Ted Cruz.

    Buttigieg, who finished second in the state’s 2020 presidential primary, is tied with Newsom at 23 percent. They’re followed by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker at 9 percent and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) at 7 percent. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who narrowly won New Hampshire last year, finished fifth among the Democrats that Saint Anselm polled with just 6 percent support.

    Trailing Harris were Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — who twice won the state’s Democratic primary but is not expected to run again — and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who finished third in the state in 2020. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rounded out the list. The survey was conducted online Aug. 26-27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

    Nearly all of the top Democrats have visited the state over the past year to headline party fundraisers or campaign for the party’s candidates — trips typical of presidential aspirants to what has historically been the first-in-the-nation primary state. Buttigieg retains a loyal following in New Hampshire from his 2020 bid, and interest in Newsom has soared among Democratic activists as he counterattacks the Trump administration on redistricting.

    Big Republican names have largely stayed away from New Hampshire since the election, though Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) visited the state days before launching her gubernatorial bid.

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  • How Pete Buttigieg Stopped Elon Musk’s Childish Antics Like an Adult

    How Pete Buttigieg Stopped Elon Musk’s Childish Antics Like an Adult

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    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had to speak to Elon Musk on the phone to get the tech billionaire and Donald Trump superfan to stop spouting hurricane relief misinformation.

    Buttigieg and Musk initially clashed on X last Friday, when Musk falsely claimed that the Federal Aviation Administration planned to “shut down” airspace over hard-hit states. They later spoke on the phone, Buttigieg told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki, after Buttigieg corrected Musk publicly and invited the noted conspiracist to call him with questions.

    “I’ve been amazed at how a little kernel of some detail gets blown up on the internet into something that it’s not,” Buttigieg told Psaki, adding that the torrent of partisan misinformation about the response to Hurricane Helene had “a real cost for people on the ground.”

    Musk and Buttigieg’s specific dust-up involved temporary flight restrictions over North Carolina, where Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, has been establishing emergency internet service. “Hundreds” of pilots in the region had been unable to land because the FAA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency blocked their flights, Musk posted.

    But the reality, as Buttigieg and FAA spokesmen have since explained, is less diabolical. The FAA never closed down airspace over North Carolina. In some areas, however, at the request of local law enforcement, the FAA and state aviation agencies have required what Buttigieg called a “higher level of coordination” between pilots and local airports to prevent in-air collisions. Such requirements are standard in the aftermath of major natural disasters, when nearby air space can become dangerously crowded.

    That explanation appeared to work for Musk, who on Friday afternoon posted a message thanking Buttigieg for the call and helping to “simplify” FAA regulations. But he still hasn’t walked back any of his false or misleading posts, which also claimed that federal aid workers “seized” emergency aid shipments and exhausted their agency’s budget “ferrying illegals” to the U.S.

    Experts who research emergency management have grieved the vibe shift on X, which once served as a useful source of real-time disaster information. Today, it’s ground zero for a wider right-wing disinformation campaign about the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene.

    “You look at what’s going on online [and] a lot of it seems to be driven by politics,” Buttigieg said. “And that is actively harming and disrupting the process of getting back to normal for so many people whose lives were upended by this awful storm.”

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    Caitlin Dewey

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  • US government orders big US airlines to explain their frequent-flyer programs

    US government orders big US airlines to explain their frequent-flyer programs

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    The Biden administration is examining the four largest U.S. airline frequent-flyer programs and how they devalue points that consumers have earned and frequently change the number of points or miles needed to book flights.

    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote to the CEOs of American, Delta, Southwest and United on Thursday, asking each for a report on policies, fees and other features of their loyalty program.

    Consumers often complain that airlines raise the number of points needed to earn a free flight and limit the number of seats that can be purchased with points.

    Buttigieg said loyalty programs bring value to consumers, and people count on them to pay for vacations and trips to visit family.

    “But unlike a traditional savings account, these rewards are controlled by a company that can unilaterally change their value,” he said in a statement issued by the Transportation Department. “Our goal is to ensure consumers are getting the value that was promised to them, which means validating that these programs are transparent and fair.”

    Delta said loyalty of members in its frequent-flyer program “means everything to us, and providing a meaningful rewards experience is the top priority within Delta’s SkyMiles Program.” Southwest highlighted that its points never expire, and said it books more seats with points than other airlines.

    Airlines for America, a trade group that represents all four carriers targeted by Buttigieg, said millions of people enjoy participating in the loyalty programs.

    “U.S. carriers are transparent about these programs, and policymakers should ensure that consumers can continue to be offered these important benefits,” a spokesperson for the group said.

    Frequent-flyer programs were once based on the number of flights taken or miles flown. In recent years, however, they have been fueled by spending that consumers conduct using airline-branded credit cards. Income from the credit-card issuers has become an important source of airline revenue.

    The Transportation Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau held a hearing in May on the airline programs, at which they raised many of the issued covered in Buttigieg’s letter to airline CEOs. Witnesses included consumer advocates and officials from three smaller airlines, but no representatives of the big four airlines that are covered by the new inquiry.

    One of the advocates who testified, Erin Witte of the Consumer Federation of America, said frequent-flyer programs started as a reward for consumers who were loyal to one airline.

    “It’s ironic that many of them have morphed into programs that are anything but loyal to their customers and instead make people feel like they need an insurance policy to keep the points they have earned,” Witte said Thursday. She said she was glad the Transportation Department is examining the programs.

    The consumer-protection board said in a report for the hearing that it received more than 1,200 complaints about credit card rewards last year, an increase of more than 70% from pre-pandemic levels. Many hotels, retailers and other businesses also offer loyalty programs with credit cards.

    Buttigieg ordered the airlines to report within 90 days on matters including how point values are determined, any fees that consumers must pay, and details of deals with banks that buy miles from airlines and use them to encourage people to shop with their credit cards.

    The order asks airlines to list any changes in their programs since July 31, 2018, including how each change affected the dollar value of reward points.

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  • Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

    Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.; Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-Ark.

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    NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.; Gov. Doug Burgum, R-N.D.

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    CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Gov. Roy Cooper, D-N.C.; Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Jim Himes, D-Conn.

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    CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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    “Fox News Sunday” — Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

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  • DNC Day 3: Tim Walz accepts party vice presidential nomination, Bill Clinton tears into Trump

    DNC Day 3: Tim Walz accepts party vice presidential nomination, Bill Clinton tears into Trump

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    The Democratic National Convention’s third night is underway.After receiving the blessing of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, the focus on the second to last day of the DNC shifts to Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The former school teacher and football coach accepted the Democratic nomination as the party makes the case that Americans’ fundamental freedoms are at risk if Donald Trump returns to the White House.According to convention organizers, the theme for Wednesday’s events is “A fight for our freedoms,” a message that has become the centerpiece of Harris’ campaign as the Democrat has sought to paint a second Trump presidency as a threat to Americans’ ability to make choices about their own lives. Read live updates from Day 3 of the DNC below. Tim Walz speaks at DNC, accepts party vice presidential nominationGov. Tim Walz officially accepted the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nomination on Wednesday.He used his Democratic National Convention address to thank the packed arena for “bringing the joy” to an election transformed by the elevation of his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.“We’re all here tonight for one simple, beautiful reason: We love this country,” Walz said.Walz had been working on his DNC speech for about a week, according to a person familiar with the matter, and has made edits in recent days to make it sound more authentic to his voice.Walz also practiced using a teleprompter for the first time since he was selected as Harris’ running mate as he was looking to use the speech to introduce himself to the American people. John Legend and Sheila E. go crazyJohn Legend and Sheila E. celebrated Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz with a rendition of son-of-the-state Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” at the Democratic convention.Legend started at the piano and the onetime Prince collaborator Sheila E. started at her signature standing percussion set before each grabbed a mic and rocked with a band at the center of the stage, tearing through the purple tune for an audience of blue delegates.Walz has gushed about the music of Minnesota, expressing his affection for Bob Dylan, the Replacements, Hüsker Dü and Prince, who died in 2016.Legend told The Associated Press before the convention, “I’m trying to do what I can to help protect our democracy and have someone with a really positive vision for the future elected. And I think Kamala is the right person.”He added, “I’m so excited that she’s infused so much energy into the campaign and that young people and so many people that I think felt concerned that they had to pick between two choices they weren’t excited about.”Buttigieg reflects on progress for American LGBTQ+ familiesButtigieg marveled at the pace of change in the country for LGBTQ+ families, saying it was “impossible” for him to believe 25 years ago that, as a gay man, he could be married with two children.“This kind of life went from impossible to possible — from possible to real — from real to almost ordinary, in less than half a lifetime,” he told the Democratic National Convention. He said it came about because of “the right kind of politics” and encouraged Americans to “choose a better politics. One of hope, of promise, of freedom, of trust. This is what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz represent.”Buttigieg: ‘At least Mike Pence was polite!’Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is taking shots at Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, saying, “At least Mike Pence was polite!” Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Buttigieg, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, said, “JD Vance is one of those guys who thinks if you don’t live the life he has in mind for you, then you don’t count.”Buttigieg said Trump’s selection of Vance shows he’s “doubling down on negativity and grievance. A concept of campaigning best summed up in one word: darkness. Darkness is what they are selling.”Oprah directs part of her remarks at independent and undecided votersOprah Winfrey returned to the DNC stage on Wednesday night. Winfrey delivered a famous endorsement to then-Sen. Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.The legendary talk show host, on Wednesday, encouraged voters to vote for Kamala Harris and said she was “fired up” about the election after listening to speeches on Wednesday by former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. Without actually saying his name, Oprah Winfrey, at multiple points, made no-so-subtle jabs at Trump while also trying to appeal to independent and undecided voters.“We are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery,” she said of Trump, before referencing a recent comment he made to supporters about only having to vote once more — for him — and never again.”There’s a certain candidate that says if we just go to the polls this one time, we’ll never have to do it again,” Winfrey later said. ” Well, you know what? You’re looking at a registered independent who is proud to vote again and again and again because I’m an American and that’s what Americans do. Voting is the best of America.”Winfrey said she has “always voted my values,” and specifically called on independent and undecided voters to do the same. Winfrey, who long hosted her signature talk show from Chicago, also picked up on one of Democrats’ favorite themes of late, scoffing at Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance having once derided “childless cat ladies” as he argued that Americans should be having more children.Winfrey said that if a burning house belonged to a “childless cat lady,” neighbors would still help and “try to get that cat out too.”Poet Amanda Gorman recites original work ‘The Sacred Scene’“A people that cannot stand together cannot stand at all,” poet Amanda Gorman declared from the Democratic convention stage as she recited an original piece of verse penned for the occasion, “This Sacred Scene.”“While we all love freedom, it is love that frees us all,” Gorman’s poem said. “Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity, that is the American promise powerful and pure.”The 26-year-old earned rare national fame for a modern poet when she read another poem she wrote, “The Hill We Climb,” at the inauguration of President Joe Biden 3 ½ years ago.Gov. Josh Shapiro takes the stagePennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was among Harris’ finalists to be her running mate, is speaking ahead of Walz Wednesday night after the convention rejiggered its schedule. Shapiro says, “We are the party of real freedom,” criticizing Republicans for trying to undermine elections and roll back abortion access.Democrats veer from their prepared scheduleDemocrats appear to be ditching their prepared schedule, passing over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and adding former Harris staffer Lateefah Simon, now an Oakland congressional candidate, and the vice president’s brother-in-law Tony West to talk about Harris’s biography.It remains to be seen if the convention will cut additional speakers to avoid running well over time like it did on Monday night when President Joe Biden’s address was pushed past 11:30 p.m. Eastern time.‘Uncommitted’ delegates say officials denied their request for a Palestinian to address the conventionDelegates of the “uncommitted” movement, which was sparked by dissatisfaction with President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, announced to reporters at the DNC late Wednesday that officials denied their request for a Palestinian to speak during the convention.The group of 36 delegates have outsized influence as they stem from pivotal battleground states like Michigan.“I have asked for the vice president to call us back and tell us that the suppression of Palestinian Americans does not belong in the Democratic party and a Palestinian speaker will speak on this stage,” Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Abbas Alawieh said. “I’m waiting for the call.”The development comes shortly after the parents of an American who is being kept hostage in Gaza by Hamas spoke at the DNC, urging the release of the hostages and the need for a cease-fire.Pelosi recalls Jan. 6The rest of Pelosi’s time on stage has focused on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, where many rioters were targeting the then-speaker and, when they couldn’t find her, ended up trashing her congressional office.“The parable of January 6 reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with its care,” she said, adding that America must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections. “The choice couldn’t be clearer. Those leaders are Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.”Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi greeted at the DNC with a standing ovationPelosi, who has been seen as the architect behind Biden’s decision to step down as the nominee, spoke about the president’s achievements before quickly pivoting to the woman who stood by him for the last three and a half years.“Personally, I know her as a person of deep faith, reflected in her community, care and service,” the California Democrat said.Clinton says Trump is fighting for ‘me, myself and I’He told the Democratic convention: “The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies — count the I’s.” Adding some corny humor, Clinton said, “He’s like one of those tenors opening up before he walks out on stage trying to get his lungs open by saying: me, me, me, me. When Kamala Harris is president, every day will begin with you, you, you.”Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and first daughter Chelsea Clinton watched from the arena was the former president spoke.Former Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, who once secured the Democratic nomination for president in a race against Donald Trump, spoke on the convention’s stage on Monday.Clinton’s a fan of the Golden ArchesClinton is emphasizing Harris’ time working at McDonald’s to emphasize that she’s working to help people like them.“When she was a student, she worked at McDonald’s,” Clinton said. “She greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, ‘How can I help you?’ And now, she’s at the pinnacle of power, she’s still asking ‘How can I help you?’”Clinton added: “I’ll be so happy when she actually enters the White House because, at last, she’ll break my record as the president who has spent the most time at McDonald’s.”Former President Donald Trump is also a frequent consumer of the golden arches’ food.Former President Clinton returns to the DNCFormer President Bill Clinton said President Joe Biden has, like George Washington, enhanced his legacy by deciding to leave office. Praising Biden at the start of his Democratic National Convention speech, Clinton said of Biden, “He healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work.”Clinton, who left office more than 23 years ago, also cracked jokes about former President Donald Trump’s age — and his own.“I actually turned 78 two days ago,” Clinton said. “The only personal vanity I want to assert is that I’m still younger than Donald Trump.”He did not mention that Biden, 81, is older than both of them.Clinton, the nation’s 42nd president and a veteran of his party’s political convention going back decades, drew a contrast between Harris and Trump.“In 2024, we got a pretty clear choice, it seems to me: Kamala Harris for The People, and the other guy who’s proved even more than the first go around that he’s about me, myself and I,” Clinton said. “I know which one like better for our country.” Hakeem Jeffries casts Trump as ‘an old boyfriend’ who ‘won’t go away’House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries began his speech Wednesday night with a nod to President Biden, saying he would go down as one of the “most consequential presidents of all time.” But Jeffries, who if Democrats win back the House in November would become the first Black speaker, quickly pivoted to the new nominee, saying Harris is a “courageous leader, a compassionate leader and common-sense leader.”Jeffries then spoke on Trump, saying the former president is like “an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won’t go away.”“He has spent the last four years spinning around the block, trying to get back into a relationship with the American people,” the New York Democrat said. “Bro, we broke up with you for a reason.”Mindy Kaling steps in to host as the DNC enters prime timeMindy Kaling is the celebrity host of the prime-time hours of night three of the Democratic convention, and she touted her ties to Vice President Kamala Harris as she introduced herself.“For those of you who don’t know me I am an incredibly famous Gen Z actress who you might recognize from “The Office,” “The Mindy Project” or as the woman who courageously outed Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram cooking video,” Kaling said.The actor, comedian and screenwriter from Massachusetts is the daughter of immigrants from India, and she and Harris made masala dosa together in a video four years ago.Democrats keep hammering Republicans about Project 2025Project 2025, the policy document that some conservatives had hoped would serve as a blueprint for a future Trump administration, keeps getting lots of camera time at the Democratic convention.On Wednesday, it was comedian Kenan Thompson who toted the book on stage.“Ever seen a document that can kill a small animal and democracy at the same time? Here it is,” said Thompson, a Saturday Night Live star, who got his start on the Nickelodeon kids comedy show “All That.”Trump and his campaign have repeatedly sought to distance themselves from Project 2025. But the document, which is hundreds of pages long and written by Trump allies and officials in his administration, has continued to dog him.And Democrats aren’t about to stop.Among the proposals included in the document are far more stringent abortion restrictions. The authors also want to dramatically downsize the federal government and give the president the authority to replace tens of thousands of workers with loyalists.“Everything we just talked about is very real. It is in this book,” Thompson said.“You can stop it from ever happening by electing Kamala Harris,” he concluded.Kenan Thompson pokes fun at Project 2025 Comedian Kenan Thompson brought back the huge “Project 2025” tome as he introduced a bit talking to various Americans who would be impacted by the book’s policies. “You ever see a document that can kill a small animal and democracy at the same time?” he said.But as he began, tech issues prevented Thompson from going through with the bit with a Nevada delegate named Matt. After several seconds of trying to fix the problem, Thompson moved on to the next delegate, saying, “Sorry, Matt!” and the bit continued.Stevie Wonder performs ‘Higher Ground’Stevie Wonder used his keyboard as a podium on the stage of the Democratic convention, giving a brief speech before breaking into “Higher Ground.”“We must choose courage over complacency, it is time to get UP! And go vote.”He asked the audience, “Are y’all ready to reach a higher ground? Because you know we need Kamala Harris.”The 74-year-old musical luminary then broke into his 1973 classic from the album “Innervisions,” accompanied by a DJ and dancers clad in white.Wonder also sang at the 2008 convention in Denver that brought the nomination of Barack Obama.Former Jan. 6 committee chairman says Trump ‘would rather subvert democracy than submit to it’Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., spoke Wednesday night about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The former chairman of the Jan. 6 committee warned at the convention “about going back to the dark history,” of political violence and racial segregation. “They wanted to stop the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American history,” he said. “Thank God they failed.”Thompson warned of what would happen if Trump would once again lose and refuse to accept the results of the election. “He would rather subvert democracy than submit to it. Now he’s plotting to do it again,” he added.Georgia’s former lieutenant governor urges fellow Republicans to ‘dump Trump’Geoff Duncan, the former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia, is eliciting a raucous response from Democrats in the convention hall as he lays into Donald Trump.“Our party is not civil and conservative. It’s chaotic and crazy,” he said of Republicans before urging others to “dump Trump.”Addressing his fellow Republicans, Duncan said, “If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot.”Another former Trump White House official backs HarrisA former Trump administration White House official said she made the right decision when she quit her job.Olivia Troye told the Democratic National Convention that being in Trump’s White House was “terrifying” but what truly keeps her up at night is the possibility of the former president reclaiming the office.Troye said the traditional values that she says made her a Republican growing up are the same values that have led her to support Harris for president.Turning to her fellow Republicans, she said a vote for Harris is not a vote for a Democrat but rather a vote for democracy. ‘This is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand,’ congressman says on stageRep. Pete Aguilar, the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, said that Trump is a threat to the values his immigrant family grew up with in Southern California.“Only Kamala Harris and Tim Walls will protect the American dream so that every family can earn a living, own a home, and reach their full potential,” Aguilar said. “This is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand. All he knows is chaos and division.” Democrats turn their attention to the borderRep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, who served as a surrogate to the then-Biden campaign, kicked off what will be a series of speeches Wednesday night focused on immigration and security at the U.S. border with Mexico.Video below: Hear some of Escobar’s remarks After a video played showing Republican opposition to a bipartisan border deal earlier this year, Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut took the stage. Murphy was the top Democrat negotiating the proposal with conservative senators.“I just want to let you know that everything you just saw in that video, that’s exactly what happened,” Murphy said. “It would have had unanimous support if it weren’t for Donald Trump.”Singer Maren Morris performs ‘Better Than We Found It’Singer Maren Morris brought her plea for progress “Better Than We Found It” to the convention.The Grammy winner from Arlington, Texas, has been leaning more toward pop recently but struck a decidedly country tone on the stage at the United Center.“God save us all from ourselves and the hell that we’ve built for our kids,” she sang. “America, America, We’re better than this.” The song was released in 2020 in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and was viewed as an implicit rejection of former President Trump’s rhetoric.Morris has been a vocal supporter of liberal causes and has publicly sparred with other country music figures on issues including trans rights.She’s also set to be among the performers at a 100th birthday celebration for former President Jimmy Carter next month. Also expected onstage are music icon Stevie Wonder and legendary talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who gave a critical endorsement of then-Sen. Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Poet Amanda Gorman was also set to take the stage.Family of hostage in Gaza calls for a cease-fire and hostage releaseJon Polin thanked Biden and Harris for their work trying to secure a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza. Acknowledging the “agony” of civilians in Gaza as well, he said, “In a competition of pain there are no winners” and called for a swift agreement to free the hostages and stop the fighting in Gaza.Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has been a staunch critic of Israel as it has responded to the Oct. 7 attack, was seen at the convention clapping as the parents of the Israeli hostage spoke about the need to not only bring back hostages but to end the “civilian suffering” in Gaza.Halie Soifer, the head of the Jewish Democratic Council of America and former national security advisor to Harris when she was senator, said in a statement Wednesday after the Polins’ speech that “Jewish Americans are proud to stand with Vice President Harris because she stands with us on every issue, including strong support of the US-Israel relationship.”The parents of an American hostage in Gaza receive a standing ovationSen. Cory Booker of New Jersey introduced his constituents, Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who has been held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.They were among the family members of six American hostages in attendance in Chicago to raise awareness about their family members’ plight.Polin and Goldberg-Polin, wearing a notation that it’s been 320 days since their son was taken captive, received a standing ovation from conventiongoers, who chanted “Bring them home.”While the Polins spoke, the camera cut to the various people in the room who were shedding tears for the parents.It comes after Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of Omer Neutra, were given a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention last month. After Hersh’s mother talked about her son’s love of travel, geography, music and music festivals, she described the events of Oct. 7 and the injuries her son sustained before being taken hostage.As he spoke, Hersh’s father told listeners that while he was speaking at the DNC, he doesn’t think releasing the hostages should be a matter of politics.“This is a political convention, but needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home, is not a political issue,” he said. “It is a humanitarian issue.”“In a competition of pain there are no winners,” Polin added.Both Polin and Goldberg-Polin spoke of the other hostages and hostage families.In an emotional moment, Goldberg-Polin closed the speech with a message for her son.“Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. Survive,” she said.A record number of DNC delegates identify as LGBTQ+According to the Human Rights Campaign, over 800 DNC delegates identify as LGBTQ+ — a record — and over 50 identify as trans or nonbinary. During her speech, Dana Nessel, Michigan’s attorney general and an openly gay woman, spoke about LGBTQ+ rights. In addition to other remarks, Nessel declared, “I got a message for the Republicans and the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court: You can pry this wedding band from my cold, dead, gay hand.”Voters reminded to pay attention to Congressional races in addition to presidential raceDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene told party faithful it’s not enough to win the White House.“A Democratic Congress is how we turn promises into progress,” she says, which would enable Harris and Walz to enact their policy agenda. Democrats only need to pick up a handful of seats to retake the majority in the House from Republicans.Wasserman Schultz talks about the repercussions of the Dobbs decisionFlorida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was also bumped from the program on Monday, is getting a chance to address the convention Wednesday night.The former DNC chair is using her remarks to highlight the story of a Florida woman who, because of the state’s restrictions on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, was forced to carry to term a child with a fatal illness, only to watch the newborn die just hours after birth.“This is Project 2025 in practice,” she says. “It’s what Donald Trump and JD Vance want for the whole country.”The big book is back as Democrats again take aim at Project 2025Prop-politics is back as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is taking a page from an oversized printed copy of the conservative Project 2025, saying he wants to share it with undecided voters. Polis says the plan would jeopardize IVF and only values heterosexual couples where the man holds a job. Project 2025 was developed by Trump supporters but has been formally disavowed by the GOP nominee.Minnesota connections abound ahead of Walz’s DNC speechIt’s Walz’s night at the DNC, and there are lots of touchstones to the Minnesota governor sprinkled throughout the programming.Harris-Walz campaign officials note that elementary students from Moreland Arts & Health Sciences Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota, were tasked with leading the Pledge of Allegiance. According to the campaign, those students benefited from the free breakfast and lunch program that Walz signed into law as Minnesota governor.Also, the campaign says the national anthem was sung by Jess Davis, a mathematics teacher selected as Minnesota’s teacher of the year in 2019.Congressman compares Democrats’ immigration stances with that of RepublicansNew York Rep. Tom Suozzi is implicitly contrasting Democrats’ stance on immigration with Republicans.The Republican convention last month was dominated by calls to shut down the southern border and ratchet down admissions to the U.S. And though Republicans say they don’t oppose immigration — only those who enter the country illegally — Trump also tightly limited immigration during his presidency.Souzzi pointed out that the U.S. has long been a nation of immigrants, including his own relatives who came from Italy.“To be a nation of immigrants is hard,” he said. “You have to work for it.”Democrats appeal to former Trump votersThere are more videos of former Trump supporters no longer backing the GOP nominee being played at the DNC.It’s a theme to which convention programming has been returning throughout the week, perhaps aimed at other former Trump backers now looking for a new political home.Harris’ campaign, and Biden’s before that, has been angling to attract Republican support heading into what’s anticipated to be a tight general election campaign.Abortion-rights advocates praise HarrisReproductive justice leaders took the DNC stage to applaud Harris’ long history as an abortion rights advocate.Mini Timmaraju, president of the national reproductive rights group Reproductive Freedom for All, highlighted states where abortion rights will be on the ballot this year, including Arizona and Montana — the latest states where voters will be able to decide in November whether they want to protect the right to an abortion in their state constitutions.“The people will get to have their say this November,” she said.Alexis McGill Johnson, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood, told the stories of a Georgia woman who drove to South Carolina for abortion care but arrived the day the state’s six-week ban went into effect, of Texas doctors who have sent patients “to wait in hospital parking lots rather than provide the emergency care they need,” and of Idaho hospitals airlifting patients to other states.“We cannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,” she said. Oprah Winfrey will make DNC appearanceannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,” she said.Talk show legend Oprah Winfrey will appear at the DNC on Wednesday night, according to a person familiar with the schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans.Winfrey delivered a famous endorsement to then-Sen. Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign. It’s not yet clear whether she will endorse Harris, who is vying to become the first Black woman elected president. Day 3 of the DNC has begunThe third day of the convention has officially been gaveled in by Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey. Day 3 speakers and performersMini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for AllAlexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action FundCecile Richards, reproductive rights activistKelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights CampaignJessica Mackler, president of EMILYs ListMaría Teresa Kumar, Founding President and CEO of Voto LatinoU.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi of New YorkSen. Cory BookerAftab Pureval, mayor of Cincinnati, OhioCavalier Johnson, mayor of Milwaukee, WisconsinRashawn Spivey and Deanna Branch, lead pipe removal advocatesU.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of DelawareU.S. Rep. Grace Meng of New YorkGov. Jared Polis of ColoradoU.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of FloridaSuzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota Dana Nessel, Attorney General of MichiganJon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-PolinMaren Morris (performance)U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of TexasU.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of ConnecticutJavier Salazar, sheriff of Bexar County, TexasPete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic CaucusCarlos Eduardo Espina, content creatorOlivia Troye, a former Trump administration national security officialGeoff Duncan, the former Lieutenant Governor of GeorgiaU.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of MississippiSgt. Aquilino Gonell, retired U.S. Capitol police officerU.S. Rep. Andy Kim of New JerseyOlivia Julianna, content creatorStevie Wonder (performance)Kenan Thompson and Guests on Project 2025Mindy KalingU.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem JeffriesFormer President Bill ClintonSpeaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy PelosiPennsylvania Gov. Josh ShapiroAlexander HudlinJasper EmhoffArden EmhoffU.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of NevadaAmanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate (performance)Gov. Wes Moore of MarylandU.S. Transportation Secretary Pete ButtigiegJohn Legend (performance)Sheila E. (performance)Sen. Amy Klobuchar of MinnesotaBenjamin C. Ingman, a former student of Gov. WalzTim Walz, the governor of Minnesota

    The Democratic National Convention’s third night is underway.

    After receiving the blessing of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, the focus on the second to last day of the DNC shifts to Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The former school teacher and football coach accepted the Democratic nomination as the party makes the case that Americans’ fundamental freedoms are at risk if Donald Trump returns to the White House.

    According to convention organizers, the theme for Wednesday’s events is “A fight for our freedoms,” a message that has become the centerpiece of Harris’ campaign as the Democrat has sought to paint a second Trump presidency as a threat to Americans’ ability to make choices about their own lives.

    Read live updates from Day 3 of the DNC below.

    Tim Walz speaks at DNC, accepts party vice presidential nomination

    Gov. Tim Walz officially accepted the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nomination on Wednesday.

    He used his Democratic National Convention address to thank the packed arena for “bringing the joy” to an election transformed by the elevation of his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.

    “We’re all here tonight for one simple, beautiful reason: We love this country,” Walz said.

    Walz had been working on his DNC speech for about a week, according to a person familiar with the matter, and has made edits in recent days to make it sound more authentic to his voice.

    Walz also practiced using a teleprompter for the first time since he was selected as Harris’ running mate as he was looking to use the speech to introduce himself to the American people.

    John Legend and Sheila E. go crazy

    John Legend and Sheila E. celebrated Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz with a rendition of son-of-the-state Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” at the Democratic convention.

    Legend started at the piano and the onetime Prince collaborator Sheila E. started at her signature standing percussion set before each grabbed a mic and rocked with a band at the center of the stage, tearing through the purple tune for an audience of blue delegates.

    Walz has gushed about the music of Minnesota, expressing his affection for Bob Dylan, the Replacements, Hüsker Dü and Prince, who died in 2016.

    Legend told The Associated Press before the convention, “I’m trying to do what I can to help protect our democracy and have someone with a really positive vision for the future elected. And I think Kamala is the right person.”

    He added, “I’m so excited that she’s infused so much energy into the campaign and that young people and so many people that I think felt concerned that they had to pick between two choices they weren’t excited about.”

    Buttigieg reflects on progress for American LGBTQ+ families

    Buttigieg marveled at the pace of change in the country for LGBTQ+ families, saying it was “impossible” for him to believe 25 years ago that, as a gay man, he could be married with two children.

    “This kind of life went from impossible to possible — from possible to real — from real to almost ordinary, in less than half a lifetime,” he told the Democratic National Convention. He said it came about because of “the right kind of politics” and encouraged Americans to “choose a better politics. One of hope, of promise, of freedom, of trust. This is what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz represent.”

    Buttigieg: ‘At least Mike Pence was polite!’

    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is taking shots at Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, saying, “At least Mike Pence was polite!” Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Buttigieg, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, said, “JD Vance is one of those guys who thinks if you don’t live the life he has in mind for you, then you don’t count.”

    Buttigieg said Trump’s selection of Vance shows he’s “doubling down on negativity and grievance. A concept of campaigning best summed up in one word: darkness. Darkness is what they are selling.”

    Oprah directs part of her remarks at independent and undecided voters

    Oprah Winfrey returned to the DNC stage on Wednesday night. Winfrey delivered a famous endorsement to then-Sen. Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.

    The legendary talk show host, on Wednesday, encouraged voters to vote for Kamala Harris and said she was “fired up” about the election after listening to speeches on Wednesday by former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

    Without actually saying his name, Oprah Winfrey, at multiple points, made no-so-subtle jabs at Trump while also trying to appeal to independent and undecided voters.

    “We are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery,” she said of Trump, before referencing a recent comment he made to supporters about only having to vote once more — for him — and never again.

    “There’s a certain candidate that says if we just go to the polls this one time, we’ll never have to do it again,” Winfrey later said. ” Well, you know what? You’re looking at a registered independent who is proud to vote again and again and again because I’m an American and that’s what Americans do. Voting is the best of America.”

    Winfrey said she has “always voted my values,” and specifically called on independent and undecided voters to do the same.

    Winfrey, who long hosted her signature talk show from Chicago, also picked up on one of Democrats’ favorite themes of late, scoffing at Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance having once derided “childless cat ladies” as he argued that Americans should be having more children.

    Winfrey said that if a burning house belonged to a “childless cat lady,” neighbors would still help and “try to get that cat out too.”

    Poet Amanda Gorman recites original work ‘The Sacred Scene’

    “A people that cannot stand together cannot stand at all,” poet Amanda Gorman declared from the Democratic convention stage as she recited an original piece of verse penned for the occasion, “This Sacred Scene.”

    “While we all love freedom, it is love that frees us all,” Gorman’s poem said. “Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity, that is the American promise powerful and pure.”

    The 26-year-old earned rare national fame for a modern poet when she read another poem she wrote, “The Hill We Climb,” at the inauguration of President Joe Biden 3 ½ years ago.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro takes the stage

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was among Harris’ finalists to be her running mate, is speaking ahead of Walz Wednesday night after the convention rejiggered its schedule. Shapiro says, “We are the party of real freedom,” criticizing Republicans for trying to undermine elections and roll back abortion access.

    Democrats veer from their prepared schedule

    Democrats appear to be ditching their prepared schedule, passing over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and adding former Harris staffer Lateefah Simon, now an Oakland congressional candidate, and the vice president’s brother-in-law Tony West to talk about Harris’s biography.

    It remains to be seen if the convention will cut additional speakers to avoid running well over time like it did on Monday night when President Joe Biden’s address was pushed past 11:30 p.m. Eastern time.

    ‘Uncommitted’ delegates say officials denied their request for a Palestinian to address the convention

    Delegates of the “uncommitted” movement, which was sparked by dissatisfaction with President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, announced to reporters at the DNC late Wednesday that officials denied their request for a Palestinian to speak during the convention.

    The group of 36 delegates have outsized influence as they stem from pivotal battleground states like Michigan.

    “I have asked for the vice president to call us back and tell us that the suppression of Palestinian Americans does not belong in the Democratic party and a Palestinian speaker will speak on this stage,” Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Abbas Alawieh said. “I’m waiting for the call.”

    The development comes shortly after the parents of an American who is being kept hostage in Gaza by Hamas spoke at the DNC, urging the release of the hostages and the need for a cease-fire.

    Pelosi recalls Jan. 6

    The rest of Pelosi’s time on stage has focused on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, where many rioters were targeting the then-speaker and, when they couldn’t find her, ended up trashing her congressional office.

    “The parable of January 6 reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with its care,” she said, adding that America must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections. “The choice couldn’t be clearer. Those leaders are Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.”

    Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi greeted at the DNC with a standing ovation

    Pelosi, who has been seen as the architect behind Biden’s decision to step down as the nominee, spoke about the president’s achievements before quickly pivoting to the woman who stood by him for the last three and a half years.

    “Personally, I know her as a person of deep faith, reflected in her community, care and service,” the California Democrat said.

    Clinton says Trump is fighting for ‘me, myself and I’

    He told the Democratic convention: “The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies — count the I’s.” Adding some corny humor, Clinton said, “He’s like one of those tenors opening up before he walks out on stage trying to get his lungs open by saying: me, me, me, me. When Kamala Harris is president, every day will begin with you, you, you.”

    Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and first daughter Chelsea Clinton watched from the arena was the former president spoke.

    Former Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, who once secured the Democratic nomination for president in a race against Donald Trump, spoke on the convention’s stage on Monday.

    Clinton’s a fan of the Golden Arches

    Clinton is emphasizing Harris’ time working at McDonald’s to emphasize that she’s working to help people like them.

    “When she was a student, she worked at McDonald’s,” Clinton said. “She greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, ‘How can I help you?’ And now, she’s at the pinnacle of power, she’s still asking ‘How can I help you?’”

    Clinton added: “I’ll be so happy when she actually enters the White House because, at last, she’ll break my record as the president who has spent the most time at McDonald’s.”

    Former President Donald Trump is also a frequent consumer of the golden arches’ food.

    Former President Clinton returns to the DNC

    Former President Bill Clinton said President Joe Biden has, like George Washington, enhanced his legacy by deciding to leave office. Praising Biden at the start of his Democratic National Convention speech, Clinton said of Biden, “He healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work.”

    Clinton, who left office more than 23 years ago, also cracked jokes about former President Donald Trump’s age — and his own.

    “I actually turned 78 two days ago,” Clinton said. “The only personal vanity I want to assert is that I’m still younger than Donald Trump.”

    He did not mention that Biden, 81, is older than both of them.

    Clinton, the nation’s 42nd president and a veteran of his party’s political convention going back decades, drew a contrast between Harris and Trump.

    “In 2024, we got a pretty clear choice, it seems to me: Kamala Harris for The People, and the other guy who’s proved even more than the first go around that he’s about me, myself and I,” Clinton said. “I know which one like better for our country.”

    Hakeem Jeffries casts Trump as ‘an old boyfriend’ who ‘won’t go away’

    House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries began his speech Wednesday night with a nod to President Biden, saying he would go down as one of the “most consequential presidents of all time.” But Jeffries, who if Democrats win back the House in November would become the first Black speaker, quickly pivoted to the new nominee, saying Harris is a “courageous leader, a compassionate leader and common-sense leader.”

    Jeffries then spoke on Trump, saying the former president is like “an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won’t go away.”

    “He has spent the last four years spinning around the block, trying to get back into a relationship with the American people,” the New York Democrat said. “Bro, we broke up with you for a reason.”

    Mindy Kaling steps in to host as the DNC enters prime time

    Mindy Kaling is the celebrity host of the prime-time hours of night three of the Democratic convention, and she touted her ties to Vice President Kamala Harris as she introduced herself.

    “For those of you who don’t know me I am an incredibly famous Gen Z actress who you might recognize from “The Office,” “The Mindy Project” or as the woman who courageously outed Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram cooking video,” Kaling said.

    The actor, comedian and screenwriter from Massachusetts is the daughter of immigrants from India, and she and Harris made masala dosa together in a video four years ago.

    Democrats keep hammering Republicans about Project 2025

    Project 2025, the policy document that some conservatives had hoped would serve as a blueprint for a future Trump administration, keeps getting lots of camera time at the Democratic convention.

    On Wednesday, it was comedian Kenan Thompson who toted the book on stage.

    “Ever seen a document that can kill a small animal and democracy at the same time? Here it is,” said Thompson, a Saturday Night Live star, who got his start on the Nickelodeon kids comedy show “All That.”

    Trump and his campaign have repeatedly sought to distance themselves from Project 2025. But the document, which is hundreds of pages long and written by Trump allies and officials in his administration, has continued to dog him.

    And Democrats aren’t about to stop.

    Among the proposals included in the document are far more stringent abortion restrictions. The authors also want to dramatically downsize the federal government and give the president the authority to replace tens of thousands of workers with loyalists.

    “Everything we just talked about is very real. It is in this book,” Thompson said.

    “You can stop it from ever happening by electing Kamala Harris,” he concluded.

    Kenan Thompson pokes fun at Project 2025

    Comedian Kenan Thompson brought back the huge “Project 2025” tome as he introduced a bit talking to various Americans who would be impacted by the book’s policies. “You ever see a document that can kill a small animal and democracy at the same time?” he said.

    But as he began, tech issues prevented Thompson from going through with the bit with a Nevada delegate named Matt. After several seconds of trying to fix the problem, Thompson moved on to the next delegate, saying, “Sorry, Matt!” and the bit continued.

    Stevie Wonder performs ‘Higher Ground’

    Stevie Wonder used his keyboard as a podium on the stage of the Democratic convention, giving a brief speech before breaking into “Higher Ground.”

    “We must choose courage over complacency, it is time to get UP! And go vote.”

    He asked the audience, “Are y’all ready to reach a higher ground? Because you know we need Kamala Harris.”

    The 74-year-old musical luminary then broke into his 1973 classic from the album “Innervisions,” accompanied by a DJ and dancers clad in white.

    Wonder also sang at the 2008 convention in Denver that brought the nomination of Barack Obama.

    Former Jan. 6 committee chairman says Trump ‘would rather subvert democracy than submit to it’

    Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., spoke Wednesday night about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The former chairman of the Jan. 6 committee warned at the convention “about going back to the dark history,” of political violence and racial segregation. “They wanted to stop the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American history,” he said. “Thank God they failed.”

    Thompson warned of what would happen if Trump would once again lose and refuse to accept the results of the election. “He would rather subvert democracy than submit to it. Now he’s plotting to do it again,” he added.

    Georgia’s former lieutenant governor urges fellow Republicans to ‘dump Trump’

    Geoff Duncan, the former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia, is eliciting a raucous response from Democrats in the convention hall as he lays into Donald Trump.

    “Our party is not civil and conservative. It’s chaotic and crazy,” he said of Republicans before urging others to “dump Trump.”

    Addressing his fellow Republicans, Duncan said, “If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot.”

    Another former Trump White House official backs Harris

    A former Trump administration White House official said she made the right decision when she quit her job.

    Olivia Troye told the Democratic National Convention that being in Trump’s White House was “terrifying” but what truly keeps her up at night is the possibility of the former president reclaiming the office.

    Troye said the traditional values that she says made her a Republican growing up are the same values that have led her to support Harris for president.

    Turning to her fellow Republicans, she said a vote for Harris is not a vote for a Democrat but rather a vote for democracy.

    ‘This is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand,’ congressman says on stage

    Rep. Pete Aguilar, the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, said that Trump is a threat to the values his immigrant family grew up with in Southern California.

    “Only Kamala Harris and Tim Walls will protect the American dream so that every family can earn a living, own a home, and reach their full potential,” Aguilar said. “This is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand. All he knows is chaos and division.”

    Democrats turn their attention to the border

    Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, who served as a surrogate to the then-Biden campaign, kicked off what will be a series of speeches Wednesday night focused on immigration and security at the U.S. border with Mexico.

    Video below: Hear some of Escobar’s remarks

    After a video played showing Republican opposition to a bipartisan border deal earlier this year, Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut took the stage. Murphy was the top Democrat negotiating the proposal with conservative senators.

    “I just want to let you know that everything you just saw in that video, that’s exactly what happened,” Murphy said. “It would have had unanimous support if it weren’t for Donald Trump.”

    Singer Maren Morris performs ‘Better Than We Found It’

    Singer Maren Morris brought her plea for progress “Better Than We Found It” to the convention.

    The Grammy winner from Arlington, Texas, has been leaning more toward pop recently but struck a decidedly country tone on the stage at the United Center.

    “God save us all from ourselves and the hell that we’ve built for our kids,” she sang. “America, America, We’re better than this.” The song was released in 2020 in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and was viewed as an implicit rejection of former President Trump’s rhetoric.

    Morris has been a vocal supporter of liberal causes and has publicly sparred with other country music figures on issues including trans rights.

    She’s also set to be among the performers at a 100th birthday celebration for former President Jimmy Carter next month.

    Also expected onstage are music icon Stevie Wonder and legendary talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who gave a critical endorsement of then-Sen. Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Poet Amanda Gorman was also set to take the stage.

    Family of hostage in Gaza calls for a cease-fire and hostage release

    Jon Polin thanked Biden and Harris for their work trying to secure a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza. Acknowledging the “agony” of civilians in Gaza as well, he said, “In a competition of pain there are no winners” and called for a swift agreement to free the hostages and stop the fighting in Gaza.

    Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has been a staunch critic of Israel as it has responded to the Oct. 7 attack, was seen at the convention clapping as the parents of the Israeli hostage spoke about the need to not only bring back hostages but to end the “civilian suffering” in Gaza.

    Halie Soifer, the head of the Jewish Democratic Council of America and former national security advisor to Harris when she was senator, said in a statement Wednesday after the Polins’ speech that “Jewish Americans are proud to stand with Vice President Harris because she stands with us on every issue, including strong support of the US-Israel relationship.”

    The parents of an American hostage in Gaza receive a standing ovation

    Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey introduced his constituents, Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who has been held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.

    They were among the family members of six American hostages in attendance in Chicago to raise awareness about their family members’ plight.

    Polin and Goldberg-Polin, wearing a notation that it’s been 320 days since their son was taken captive, received a standing ovation from conventiongoers, who chanted “Bring them home.”

    While the Polins spoke, the camera cut to the various people in the room who were shedding tears for the parents.

    It comes after Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of Omer Neutra, were given a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention last month.

    After Hersh’s mother talked about her son’s love of travel, geography, music and music festivals, she described the events of Oct. 7 and the injuries her son sustained before being taken hostage.

    As he spoke, Hersh’s father told listeners that while he was speaking at the DNC, he doesn’t think releasing the hostages should be a matter of politics.

    “This is a political convention, but needing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home, is not a political issue,” he said. “It is a humanitarian issue.”

    “In a competition of pain there are no winners,” Polin added.

    Both Polin and Goldberg-Polin spoke of the other hostages and hostage families.

    In an emotional moment, Goldberg-Polin closed the speech with a message for her son.
    “Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. Survive,” she said.

    A record number of DNC delegates identify as LGBTQ+

    According to the Human Rights Campaign, over 800 DNC delegates identify as LGBTQ+ — a record — and over 50 identify as trans or nonbinary.

    During her speech, Dana Nessel, Michigan’s attorney general and an openly gay woman, spoke about LGBTQ+ rights. In addition to other remarks, Nessel declared, “I got a message for the Republicans and the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court: You can pry this wedding band from my cold, dead, gay hand.”

    Voters reminded to pay attention to Congressional races in addition to presidential race

    Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene told party faithful it’s not enough to win the White House.

    “A Democratic Congress is how we turn promises into progress,” she says, which would enable Harris and Walz to enact their policy agenda. Democrats only need to pick up a handful of seats to retake the majority in the House from Republicans.

    Wasserman Schultz talks about the repercussions of the Dobbs decision

    Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was also bumped from the program on Monday, is getting a chance to address the convention Wednesday night.

    The former DNC chair is using her remarks to highlight the story of a Florida woman who, because of the state’s restrictions on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, was forced to carry to term a child with a fatal illness, only to watch the newborn die just hours after birth.

    “This is Project 2025 in practice,” she says. “It’s what Donald Trump and JD Vance want for the whole country.”

    The big book is back as Democrats again take aim at Project 2025

    Prop-politics is back as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is taking a page from an oversized printed copy of the conservative Project 2025, saying he wants to share it with undecided voters. Polis says the plan would jeopardize IVF and only values heterosexual couples where the man holds a job. Project 2025 was developed by Trump supporters but has been formally disavowed by the GOP nominee.

    Minnesota connections abound ahead of Walz’s DNC speech

    It’s Walz’s night at the DNC, and there are lots of touchstones to the Minnesota governor sprinkled throughout the programming.

    Harris-Walz campaign officials note that elementary students from Moreland Arts & Health Sciences Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota, were tasked with leading the Pledge of Allegiance. According to the campaign, those students benefited from the free breakfast and lunch program that Walz signed into law as Minnesota governor.

    Also, the campaign says the national anthem was sung by Jess Davis, a mathematics teacher selected as Minnesota’s teacher of the year in 2019.

    Congressman compares Democrats’ immigration stances with that of Republicans

    New York Rep. Tom Suozzi is implicitly contrasting Democrats’ stance on immigration with Republicans.

    The Republican convention last month was dominated by calls to shut down the southern border and ratchet down admissions to the U.S. And though Republicans say they don’t oppose immigration — only those who enter the country illegally — Trump also tightly limited immigration during his presidency.

    Souzzi pointed out that the U.S. has long been a nation of immigrants, including his own relatives who came from Italy.

    “To be a nation of immigrants is hard,” he said. “You have to work for it.”

    Democrats appeal to former Trump voters

    There are more videos of former Trump supporters no longer backing the GOP nominee being played at the DNC.

    It’s a theme to which convention programming has been returning throughout the week, perhaps aimed at other former Trump backers now looking for a new political home.

    Harris’ campaign, and Biden’s before that, has been angling to attract Republican support heading into what’s anticipated to be a tight general election campaign.

    Abortion-rights advocates praise Harris

    Reproductive justice leaders took the DNC stage to applaud Harris’ long history as an abortion rights advocate.

    Mini Timmaraju, president of the national reproductive rights group Reproductive Freedom for All, highlighted states where abortion rights will be on the ballot this year, including Arizona and Montana — the latest states where voters will be able to decide in November whether they want to protect the right to an abortion in their state constitutions.

    “The people will get to have their say this November,” she said.

    Alexis McGill Johnson, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood, told the stories of a Georgia woman who drove to South Carolina for abortion care but arrived the day the state’s six-week ban went into effect, of Texas doctors who have sent patients “to wait in hospital parking lots rather than provide the emergency care they need,” and of Idaho hospitals airlifting patients to other states.

    “We cannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,” she said.

    Oprah Winfrey will make DNC appearanceannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,” she said.

    Talk show legend Oprah Winfrey will appear at the DNC on Wednesday night, according to a person familiar with the schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans.

    Winfrey delivered a famous endorsement to then-Sen. Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign. It’s not yet clear whether she will endorse Harris, who is vying to become the first Black woman elected president.

    Day 3 of the DNC has begun

    The third day of the convention has officially been gaveled in by Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey.

    Day 3 speakers and performers

    • Mini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All
    • Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund
    • Cecile Richards, reproductive rights activist
    • Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign
    • Jessica Mackler, president of EMILYs List
    • María Teresa Kumar, Founding President and CEO of Voto Latino
    • U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York
    • Sen. Cory Booker
    • Aftab Pureval, mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio
    • Cavalier Johnson, mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    • Rashawn Spivey and Deanna Branch, lead pipe removal advocates
    • U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware
    • U.S. Rep. Grace Meng of New York
    • Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado
    • U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida
    • Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
    • Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota
    • Dana Nessel, Attorney General of Michigan
    • Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin
    • Maren Morris (performance)
    • U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas
    • U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut
    • Javier Salazar, sheriff of Bexar County, Texas
    • Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus
    • Carlos Eduardo Espina, content creator
    • Olivia Troye, a former Trump administration national security official
    • Geoff Duncan, the former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
    • U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi
    • Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, retired U.S. Capitol police officer
    • U.S. Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey
    • Olivia Julianna, content creator
    • Stevie Wonder (performance)
    • Kenan Thompson and Guests on Project 2025
    • Mindy Kaling
    • U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
    • Former President Bill Clinton
    • Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi
    • Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
    • Alexander Hudlin
    • Jasper Emhoff
    • Arden Emhoff
    • U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada
    • Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate (performance)
    • Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland
    • U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
    • John Legend (performance)
    • Sheila E. (performance)
    • Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
    • Benjamin C. Ingman, a former student of Gov. Walz
    • Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota

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  • Doug Emhoff and Chasten Buttigieg Just Shattered Cher’s Record for Fire Island Fundraising

    Doug Emhoff and Chasten Buttigieg Just Shattered Cher’s Record for Fire Island Fundraising

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    On a sticky August Friday afternoon on Fire Island, New York City’s second most illustrious summer weekend destination, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and First Secretary of Transportation Gentleman Chasten Buttigieg held the most successful fundraiser in the island’s history, according to event co-chair and former 18-year treasurer of the Democratic National Committee Andrew Tobias. He said the fundraiser brought in $310,000, beating the $200,000 haul for an event Cher showed up to in 2016.

    The inherent contrasts of the 2024 campaign — prosecutor vs. criminal, future vs. past, and, as the event’s host Marius Meland pointed out, woman vs. man — were embodied by the environs. The event took place in the Pines, a historically gay neighborhood that served as the setting for the 2022 romantic comedy Fire Island. En route to the event, secret service agents appeared to waylay hunks in bikini cut swimsuits to smuggle Emhoff on and off the island. (“We can’t walk on the boardwalk because someone’s getting on a boat?” said an annoyed man holding what looked to be a to-go cocktail.) Hanging over the entrance of Meland and his partner Eng Kian Ooi’s home was a large painting of an unusually sexy Narcissus. The house, designed by Studio 54 architecture firm Bromley Caldari, was purchased with a fortune made from the sale of Law360 to LexisNexis and from Meland’s current work in AI. Buttigieg and Emhoff were dressed formally — “Business casual on a Friday on Fire Island…thanks, team!” said Emhoff with affectionate sarcasm — while the well tanned and polo-shirted crowd cheered. A campaign staffer bridged the divide in an increasingly damp linen suit worn over a tank top.

    Attendees paid between $250 and $10,000 to be there, according to marketing executive Barry Lowenthal. (The floor for a photo with Emhoff and Buttigieg: $5,000, Lowenthal told VF.) Though President Biden was referred to with gratitude — “Look what he just did!” someone said of the hostage exchange that freed Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich — everyone Vanity Fair spoke with expressed great enthusiasm over the change in ticket. Nowhere was this vibe shift more evident than in attendance: the event had initially been conceived as an event to raise money for President Biden, but after Vice President Kamala Harris declared her candidacy, the event was rejiggered—and it sold out.

    Kian Ooi confessed he and Meland were titillated by the thought of the event as a test run for Emhoff and Buttigieg as, respectively, First and Second Gentlemen, if Buttigieg’s husband Pete were chosen as Harris’s running mate. But the consensus of attendees was that any of the reported finalists — Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, or Buttigieg — would be great. “People think decisions like this are like choosing betweens doors, and behind one is a dragon and the other is a million dollars,” Tobias said. “But usually it’s like $800,000 is behind one door and €800,000 is behind the other.”

    The VP contender who came up the most was Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, even though she has withdrawn herself from contention. Ninety-eight-year-old Jack Kabin (who made the fortuitous real estate purchase of a $22,000 home in the Pines in 1972), said, “Of course I want it to be Pete. But America isn’t ready for a gay Vice President.” The undeniable intrusion of identity politics into the election has been both negative (Former President Donald Trump suggesting HBCU alumnus and AKA member Harris “happened to turn Black”) and positive (the millions of dollars raised in Zoom fundraisers like “Black Men for Harris” and “White Women for Harris”). Lowenthal suggested a theme for this event: “Gays for Harris.”

    For Lowenthal and other donors, the stakes of the election and choice to support Harris are clear; when Lowenthal went to Florida for the winter, someone shouted the f-slur at him. At the event on Fire Island, Buttigieg told a story of the 24-hour notice he and Pete had before finding out they were going to adopt their twins: While their son Gus was on a ventilator in the first hours of his life, Emhoff and Vice President Harris FaceTimed into the children’s hospital to talk to the the Buttigieges. The spouses became close during the 2020 primary despite being on opposite sides of Team Pete and the KHive, and Harris ended up administering the oath of office to Pete Buttigieg for his cabinet appointment in 2021. Emhoff reminded the crowd he practiced law for 30 years and that a threat to Griswold and its promise of right to privacy — and attendant right to “to do what you want in your home with who you love,” as Emhoff put it, including be married to them—have been forecasted in the concurring decision on Dobbs written by Justice Clarence Thomas.

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    Anna Peele

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  • Pete Buttgieg campaigns for President Biden in Minnesota as more Democrats call on president to exit race

    Pete Buttgieg campaigns for President Biden in Minnesota as more Democrats call on president to exit race

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    NORTH ST. PAUL, Minn. — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg made a campaign stop for President Joe Biden’s re-election effort in Minnesota on Friday as concerns about the president’s age persist and more Democrats call for him to exit the race.

    Buttigieg, who was campaigning in a personal capacity, joined Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and other supporters for a roundtable at the North St. Paul VFW to discuss veterans issues and tout the administration’s work to help people who’ve served in the military.

    He drew a contrast between former President Trump andMr. Biden, whose late son, Beau, served in the Delaware Army National Guard and deployed to Iraq, and praised the expansion of veteran health care benefits under the PACT Act.  

    The event in Minnesota comes one day after the president’s high-stakes press conference at the NATO Summit, where he fielded reporter questions for an hour. 

    There, Mr. Biden again vowed to stay in the race, despite calls from a growing list of elected Democrats who say he should step aside following a dismal debate performance two weeks ago.

    “The President of the United States reminded the country how much our alliances matter, what it takes to actually secure this country, and explain that in terms of everything from military relationships to industrial policy,” Buttigieg said Friday of Mr. Biden’s remarks Thursday night. “That’s the kind of leader that we want and need for our military, for our national security, for our military families, and for our veterans.”

    6p-pkg-buttigieg-campai-wcco5re8.jpg

    WCCO


    So far 20 Democratic members of Congress have publicly said Biden should drop out as the party’s presumptive nominee. Minnesota’s U.S. Rep. Angie Craig is part of that coalition, and her campaign told WCCO her position did not change after Thursday’s news conference. 

    National polls show a close race between the current and former presidents. CBS News polling data in battleground states show Mr. Biden does not lead in any of those places, which are crucial to an Electoral College victory, though many of the surveys are within the margin of error. 

    A majority of voters in Minnesota have not chosen a Republican nominee for president since Richard Nixon in 1972. But recently two nonpartisan election forecasters downgraded Minnesota from “likely” to “lean Democratic,” showing the race is more competitive here. 

    “One of my favorite things about a campaign is it brings people together who would not otherwise get to know each other, but who share a cause—in this case, the cause of making sure that the President Biden returns to office and that we’re able to continue by the way, not just holding off some really bad stuff, building on some really good stuff,” Buttigieg said. 

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    Caroline Cummings

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  • If Biden drops out, who could replace him? A look at possible candidates

    If Biden drops out, who could replace him? A look at possible candidates

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    WASHINGTON — As questions grow about President Joe Biden’s future as the Democratic nominee in November’s election, some voters already have indicated their preferences for potential successors on the ticket.

    Kamala Harris

    Vice President Kamala Harris is seen as a likely top contender, according to polling after Thursday’s debate, where Biden gave a poor performance.

    In a potential matchup between Harris and former President Donald Trump, Harris and Trump were nearly tied with 42% supporting her and 43% supporting the former president, according to a Ipsos poll released Tuesday.

    The same poll, which interviewed 1,070 registered voters nationwide and had a margin of error of +/- 3.5%, found that Biden and Trump each had 40% support.

    RELATED: Biden privately signals ‘open mind’ on path forward, sees next few days as critical: Sources

    Another poll released by CNN Tuesday found that a matchup between the vice president and Trump resulted in a 45-47% split between Harris and Trump compared to the 43%-49% split between Biden and Trump.

    The CNN poll sampled 1,274 registered voters and had a margin of error of +/- 3.5%.

    Harris has been on the campaign trail touting Biden’s accomplishments and has backed the president since his debate.

    “Look, Joe Biden is our nominee. We beat Trump once, and we’re going to be him again,” she told CBS News Tuesday evening.

    Gretchen Whitmer

    Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who won reelection in 2022, has been seen as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate. She has pushed back against Republican critics including Trump, particularly ones who criticized her pandemic policies.

    The Ipsos poll had Whitmer trailing Trump 36% to 41% in a 2024 race while the CNN poll had her 42% to Trump’s 47%.

    Whitmer, who was scheduled to attend a meeting at the White House with the president and other Democratic governors Wednesday, defended Biden’s debate performance in a statement Friday.

    “Joe Biden is running to serve the American people. Donald Trump is running to serve Donald Trump. The difference between Joe Biden’s vision for making sure everyone in America has a fair shot and Donald Trump’s dangerous, self-serving plans will only get sharper as we head toward November,” she said.

    Gavin Newsom

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a staunch Democrat on several national issues including women’s rights, immigration and the economy. He successfully won a recall election last year.

    In the Ipsos poll, Newsom fared 39% to Trump’s 42% and in the CNN poll he received 43% to the former president’s 48%.

    Newsom pushed back against calls from Democrats for Biden to step down in an interview with MSNBC shortly after Thursday’s debate.

    “I think it’s unhelpful and unnecessary,” he said. “We have to have the back of this president. You don’t turn your back because of one performance. What party does that?”

    Andy Beshear

    Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has been viewed as a rising star in the south after he won reelection in the deep red state last year.

    The Ipsos poll showed a Beshear-Trump match-up would result in a 36%-40% split between him and the former president. The CNN poll did not survey respondents about Beshear being a potential successor.

    Beshear said he did not want to talk about the speculation during an interview on CNN Tuesday.

    “My name coming up, it’s flattering as a person to hear, but I think it’s more about the good things going on in Kentucky,” he said. “And so while it’s nice to hear your name and things like that, I’m just proud of what we have done as a state. And the president and the vice president have been very helpful in making a lot of that happen.”

    J.B. Pritzker

    Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been a vocal Biden surrogate from the beginning of the 2024 campaign and has constantly criticized Trump over his far-right policies, rhetoric and his criminal conviction.

    The Ipsos poll found that 34% of voters would choose Pritzker if he were on the ticket versus 40% for Trump. Pritzker’s name wasn’t floated by CNN’s pollsters, however, he told the network Tuesday that Biden will be the Democratic nominee “unless he makes some other decision.”

    “For me anyway, my word is my bond. I honor my commitments. Joe Biden is going to be our nominee unless he decides otherwise,” Pritzker said. “I think that there’s a healthy conversation that will happen with the president, I hope, expressing what he intends to do going forward in the campaign and reassuring everybody that this is the right course.”

    Pete Buttigieg

    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was one of the rising stars of the 2020 Democratic primary season both on the campaign trail and in debates.

    The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor was a major surrogate for Biden in 2020 after he bowed out of the race, going on several media appearances to tout Biden’s record and call out Trump’s performance.

    In the CNN poll, 43% of respondents picked Buttigieg compared to 47% for Trump. Ipsos did not float Buttigieg as a potential candidate in their poll.

    ALSO SEE: President Joe Biden to sit down with ABC News on Friday for first interview since debate

    He dismissed calls to remove Biden from the ticket during an interview with MSNBC Friday.

    “Joe Biden is our candidate and our president because he is the best person to lead this country forward,” he said.

    Michelle Obama

    Former first lady Michelle Obama has repeatedly said she has no interest in entering the presidential race for years. Her name, however, keeps coming up as a potential candidate.

    “At no point have I ever said, ‘I think I want to run.’ Ever,” Michelle Obama said in a 2023 interview with Oprah Winfrey. “Politics is hard. And the people who get into it, it’s just like marriage, it’s just like kids, you’ve got to want it. It’s got to be in your soul, because it is so important. It is not in my soul.”

    However, in the Ipsos poll, the former first lady appeared to strike a chord with some voters.

    Michelle Obama led Trump 50% to 39%.

    ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim and Brittany Shepherd contributed to this report.

    Copyright © 2024 ABC News Internet Ventures.

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  • US Transportation Secretary Buttigieg awards $25M for road improvements in Sacramento County

    US Transportation Secretary Buttigieg awards $25M for road improvements in Sacramento County

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    (FOX40.COM) — United States Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently announced that a road improvement project in Sacramento County will receive nearly half its funding through a grant from the federal government.

    Through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program, Sacramento County will receive $25 million for the Grant Line Road Safety Improvement Project, which seeks to provide critical safety improvements and more “multimodal transportation” options along Grant Line Road.

    The total cost of the first phase of the Grant Line project is $55.5 million, and Sacramento County said the rest of the funding will come from the Sacramento Transportation Authority, another grant from the California Transportation Committee, and Measure A.

    Sacramento County and the City of Rancho Cordova will also contribute money to the project as well, officials added.

    “After decades of underinvestment, the condition of America’s infrastructure is now finally getting better instead of worse, and today we proudly announce our support for 148 more projects in communities of every size across the country,” Buttigieg said.

    He continued, “Through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re funding projects across the country to make roads safer, make it easier for people to move around their community, make transportation infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather, and improve supply chains to keep costs down for consumers.”

    In total, $1.8 billion in federal funds were granted to nearly 150 projects across the United States. According to the Department of Transportation, almost $13 billion worth of RAISE funds were requested.

    Grant Line Road begins slightly east of Rancho Cordova and extends southwest into Elk Grove.

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  • $2 billion Baltimore bridge rebuild is test case for new national debate over infrastructure spending

    $2 billion Baltimore bridge rebuild is test case for new national debate over infrastructure spending

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    In an aerial view, the remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge are seen as salvage crews continue to work to clean up the wreckage after the bridge collapsed in the Patapsco River on June 11, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. 

    Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images

    Three months after Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed – killing six people, shutting a major port and disrupting vehicle traffic along the Eastern Seaboard — local, state and federal officials began a massive effort to make the best out of an unimaginable situation.

    “We’re working with construction companies and designers, and working with the people of our state, to think about what is it that we hope for this almost two-mile long bridge,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore told CNBC.

    The process passed a major milestone last week when crews managed to reopen the main navigation channel to the Port of Baltimore, the nation’s largest port for vehicles. That process alone was initially forecasted to take up to a year.

    “It didn’t take 11 months. We got it done in 11 weeks, because we work together,” Moore said.

    But now, in many ways, comes the hard part. Officials hope to use the disaster as a chance to reconsider all the infrastructure in the region.

    “This is going to be an important opportunity for our state to look at all of our infrastructure, our roads, our bridges, our tunnels. You know, our critical infrastructure is imperative for our economic growth and development,” Moore said.

    Reimagining how to rebuild a bridge

    Some of that planning is already underway. Last month, the Maryland Transportation Authority issued its first request for proposals to rebuild the bridge. The plan is to use what officials call a “Progressive Design-Build Approach,” in which the design and construction firms are hired at the same time and work together throughout the process. This efficiency could allow a new bridge to be built in just four years — breakneck speed for a project expected to cost upward of $2 billion. The Maryland Transportation Authority is expected to choose the firms this summer.

    U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNBC the new bridge will be far better than the old one that opened in 1977.

    “We know things that we didn’t know in the 1970s, about how to put up a bridge,” Buttigieg said. “Nobody wanted to be here through this tragic catastrophe that happened. But it does bring an opportunity, and I would say, responsibility, to get things right for the future.”

    Transportation planners have also begun a series of community meetings to gain public input. At a virtual meeting on June 11, questions included whether the new bridge — like the old one — will be a toll bridge (that is the plan) and whether the new bridge will be wider than the old, four-lane structure (no).

    As the process continues, officials have promised an “engagement tour” to get public input.

    The city of Baltimore, meanwhile, hopes to speed up funding for the already-planned reconstruction of the Hanover Street Bridge over the Patapsco River, which has emerged as a key alternate route for travelers who formerly used the Key Bridge.

    A microcosm of the national infrastructure push

    The situation in Baltimore is a vastly sped-up version of processes underway in states and cities across the country, said Buttigieg, who is overseeing some 54,000 projects nationwide funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

    “We have funding that goes to projects that come from every state, city, airport authority or transit agency, you can think of,” he said.

    While Buttigieg acknowledged that some of the demand is a result of the huge amount of money being made available — $550 billion in transportation and infrastructure funding over five years — it is also a reflection of the need.

    “To me, it indicates just how much work there is to do in this country,” he said. “We were reminded as a country the hard way how important our infrastructure is, because of the pressures we experienced at the beginning of this decade with Covid. We saw what happens if our supply chains come under strain.”

    New economic development battleground

    Companies seeking to capitalize on the drive — and incentives — to rebuild damaged domestic supply chains are looking for states and localities that have proper infrastructure in place, said site selection consultant John Boyd, Jr., of The Boyd Company. This may help explain why infrastructure has become such a hot topic in the world of United States economic development.

    “Site readiness is a key component when we think about what distinguishes one market versus another, and it very often is such a critical factor, it could tip the scales for a project towards an overall less business-friendly state, if they have a certified site that’s ready to go,” he said.

    A CNBC analysis of all 50 states’ economic development marketing materials shows that infrastructure is the most mentioned attribute by states marketing to attract companies. As a result, Infrastructure is the top-weighted category in CNBC’s annual state competitiveness rankings, America’s Top States for Business.

    Experts say the emphasis on infrastructure will likely stick around for a while.

    “It’s not easy to build out electrical or water or gas or wastewater infrastructure. Those things take time and money,” said Seth Martindale, chairman of the Site Selectors Guild, which supplied some of the data for the CNBC study. “I think it’s going to be five-plus, 10-plus years before we really get it to a point where we feel good about it.”

    Buttigieg noted that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is already halfway through its five-year lifespan, with plenty of needs remaining.

    “I think it’s not too soon to start thinking and talking about what the next five-year package ought to look like,” Buttigieg said, referencing the future of U.S. infrastructure.

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  • 5/26: Face the Nation

    5/26: Face the Nation

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    5/26: Face the Nation – CBS News


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    This week on “Face the Nation,” two of the veterans in Congress, Reps. Pat Ryan and Mike Waltz, join to discuss veteran suicide ahead of Memorial Day. Plus, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg discusses the latest on Memorial Day travel and the current issue of turbulence.

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  • Airlines now required to offer cash refunds for canceled flights, delays and luggage woes

    Airlines now required to offer cash refunds for canceled flights, delays and luggage woes

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    HOUSTON – Airlines will now be forced to offer full refunds for flights that don’t get off the ground or are delayed, among other issues.

    The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the new rule on Wednesday. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calling this new set of regulations the end of the “refund runaround.”

    In the rule released the U.S. DOT, airlines will now be required to offer automatic full cash refunds for all canceled flights as well as significantly changed flights.

    “No more refund runaround, and no more defaulting to a travel credit that expires,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.

    This includes domestic flights delayed by more than three hours and international flights delayed by six hours, flights arriving or leaving from a different airport, added connections or if passengers are downgraded to a lower class. The rule also takes effect if a connection is at an airport or on a flight using a different plane that are less accessible or accommodating to someone with a disability.

    “In the past, you have to run through hoops, rings of a fire before you could get stuff,” travel expert Pete Trabucco said.

    “And I think it sounds very fair and even to everyone. Not just if you complain,” Amanda Watson, who was traveling to Houston’s Hobby Airport from Vermont, added.

    Your bags are also impacted by the new regulations.

    If luggage is lost or delayed by more than 12 hours for domestic flights and 15-30 hours for international flights, passengers will be entitled to a full refund.

    “It’s an automatic prompt, and you want it in cash or in the original way,” Trabucco explained.

    “It’s not that a lot,” Wanda Gates-Monroe said. “But to just to know I’d get my cash back would be awesome.”

    The groundbreaking regulations doesn’t stop there. Hidden fees were also tackled by the Department of Transportation’s policy.

    Airlines now need to be upfront about “junk fees,” which include hidden baggage charges and other fees that are tacked on later or at the airport during check-in.

    “Passengers should know how much it’ll add to your total ticket price, to check or carry on a bag, or to change or cancel your flight,” Buttigieg said.

    Federal leaders and travel experts alike call this a monumental win for passengers travelling in the skies over the United States.

    However, is this truly as good as it sounds?

    “Holds the airlines accountable, and I just hope that it doesn’t make all the prices go up overall,” Watson added. “The airlines always take care of themselves.”

    “It’s good for the customer and the consumer, but at the same time, it might not be good for them. And yes, they might have to raise pricing,” Trabucco responded.

    The Department of Transportation mandates that airlines comply with the regulations within six months for automatic refunds.

    Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.

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  • Secretary Buttigieg unpacks new rules on airline fees and refunds

    Secretary Buttigieg unpacks new rules on airline fees and refunds

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    Secretary Buttigieg unpacks new rules on airline fees and refunds – CBS News


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    The Transportation Department announced new rules Wednesday requiring airlines to issue automatic cash refunds for flight cancelations or delays, delayed baggage returns and services like Wi-Fi or seat selection that are paid for but not provided. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joins CBS News to discuss the changes and how airlines are reacting.

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  • Construction on America’s First High-Speed Rail Has Begun

    Construction on America’s First High-Speed Rail Has Begun

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    Ground was broken today on what is said to be America’s first high-speed rail. The project, which is designed to connect Los Angeles and Las Vegas via a 218-mile stretch of track that will be built across the Mojave desert, will be completed within the next four years, its backers say.

    The proposed infrastructure project will stretch from the California city of Rancho Cucamonga to Vegas and is being headed by rail construction firm Brightline. In its description of the project, the company notes that the new route will be traveled by “all-electric, zero-emission trains” that will be capable of “reaching top speeds of 200 mph, getting passengers from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga in about 2 hours and 10 minutes (2x faster than the normal drive time).” The project was helped along by $3 billion in federal funding supplied by the Biden administration, the Associated Press writes.

    In a press release from Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the government said the project would “remove an estimated 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, bolster tourism, and create 35,000 good-paying jobs.”

    “As the first true high-speed rail system in America, Brightline West will serve as the blueprint for connecting cities with fast, eco-friendly passenger rail throughout the country,” Brightline’s Founder and Chairman Wes Edens, previously said. “Connecting Las Vegas and Southern California will provide wide-spread public benefits to both states, creating thousands of jobs and jumpstarting a new level of economic competitiveness for the region. We appreciate the confidence placed in us by DOT and are ready to get to work.”

    The AP also notes that Brightline already operates a railway system between Miami and Orlando in Florida. Gizmodo reached out to the company for details about its new project and will update this story if it responds.

    Many countries around the world have modernized their rail systems. Much of Europe is connected by a bevy of efficient and comfortable train systems, while Japan’s bullet trains have long been a source of pride for the country. China is said to have the fastest trains in the world and it has built up a highly effective high-speed rail network in a period of just twenty years. The U.S., meanwhile, has largely failed to develop any sort of modernized rail travel, despite decades of talk about the benefits that such systems could bring to Americans.

    One can only hope that this new effort won’t suffer the same fate as California’s long-suffering attempt to erect a high-speed rail service between Los Angeles and San Francisco. That project, which was originally approved by state voters in 2008, has—as of this year—completed less than a quarter of the proposed rail line and is currently missing billions of dollars in funding. In March, project leaders told California lawmakers that the full rail line that had originally been envisioned would need another $100 billion and years to complete.

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  • FAA investigates close call with LaGuardia’s air traffic control

    FAA investigates close call with LaGuardia’s air traffic control

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    The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating why a Southwest Airlines plane veered off course and had a close call with an air traffic control tower during an attempted landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, the agency said Thursday.The incident happened around 1 p.m. on March 23 when Southwest Flight 147 aborted its first approach to the airport because of bad weather.Video above: American woman dies on plane bound for North Carolina”Go around! Go around,” the air traffic controller is heard saying on ATC radio communication.”Continue climbing,” the air traffic controller said about 12 seconds later. “You were — not on the approach.”Southwest Airlines said the flight encountered turbulence and low visibility as it approached LaGuardia. The company said it is looking into the incident.”We are reviewing the event as part of our Safety systems,” Southwest said in a written statement.The flight was diverted to Baltimore, where it landed safely, the FAA said.The incident comes as the FAA has launched several investigations into near-collisions at U.S. airports since last year.An expert panel assembled to address the issue identified multiple issues contributing to the incidents, including inconsistent funding, outdated technology, short-staffed air traffic control towers and onerous training requirements.The panel’s report, issued in November, provided FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker with a roadmap for changes and upgrades.”The confluence of the issues we identified results in an erosion of safety margins that must be urgently addressed,” the report said.The panel was assembled after an emergency FAA safety summit in March 2023 that brought together regulators and industry groups after multiple high-profile runway incursions were reported at large U.S. airports.”We are particularly concerned because we have seen an uptick in serious close calls,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at the time.Still, commercial plane crashes are very rare. About 45,000 flights take place each day in the US with no fatalities.CNN’s Pete Muntean and Holly Yan contributed to this report.

    The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating why a Southwest Airlines plane veered off course and had a close call with an air traffic control tower during an attempted landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, the agency said Thursday.

    The incident happened around 1 p.m. on March 23 when Southwest Flight 147 aborted its first approach to the airport because of bad weather.

    Video above: American woman dies on plane bound for North Carolina

    “Go around! Go around,” the air traffic controller is heard saying on ATC radio communication.

    “Continue climbing,” the air traffic controller said about 12 seconds later. “You were — not on the approach.”

    Southwest Airlines said the flight encountered turbulence and low visibility as it approached LaGuardia. The company said it is looking into the incident.

    “We are reviewing the event as part of our Safety systems,” Southwest said in a written statement.

    The flight was diverted to Baltimore, where it landed safely, the FAA said.

    The incident comes as the FAA has launched several investigations into near-collisions at U.S. airports since last year.

    An expert panel assembled to address the issue identified multiple issues contributing to the incidents, including inconsistent funding, outdated technology, short-staffed air traffic control towers and onerous training requirements.

    The panel’s report, issued in November, provided FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker with a roadmap for changes and upgrades.

    “The confluence of the issues we identified results in an erosion of safety margins that must be urgently addressed,” the report said.

    The panel was assembled after an emergency FAA safety summit in March 2023 that brought together regulators and industry groups after multiple high-profile runway incursions were reported at large U.S. airports.

    “We are particularly concerned because we have seen an uptick in serious close calls,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at the time.

    Still, commercial plane crashes are very rare. About 45,000 flights take place each day in the US with no fatalities.

    CNN’s Pete Muntean and Holly Yan contributed to this report.

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