Vice President Kamala Harris has received the endorsement of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, with the former president and first lady declaring in a new video: “She’ll make a fantastic President of the United States.”
Meanwhile, a New York Times/Siena College poll has found Harris just one percentage point behind Donald Trump, narrowing the six-point gap between Joe Biden and his predecessor.
Another survey indicates she has put her party back into contention in the key battleground states since taking the reins.
Elsewhere, Harris trolled her Republican rival after he backed out of a proposed television debate with her, asking on social media: “What happened to any time, any place?”
Trump had previously used those words to lay down the gauntlet to Biden but now appears to have cold feet about taking on Harris, who accused him of “backpedaling” on his commitment to a debate provisionally scheduled for September 10 to be broadcast on ABC.
Trump’s campaign team subsequently confirmed that he would not face her – at least not yet – blaming Democratic instability for the U-turn.
The Harris team has a weekend campaign blitz planned with surrogates and potential running mates fanning out across swing states.
Key Points
- Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris: ‘She’ll make a fantastic President of the United States’
- Harris narrows gap on Trump in new poll
- Democrat now a threat to Trump in several major swing states, survey suggests
- Harris trolls rival as he backs out of debate: ‘What happened to any time, any place?’
- VP launches first presidential campaign ad: ‘We choose freedom’
Watch: Biden shows support for Team USA as he heads to Camp David
22:51
Oliver O'Connell
President Biden with his sister Valerie and son Hunter leave the White House for Camp David. The president wearing the USA Olympic team jacket. pic.twitter.com/acog5KwSVG
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) July 26, 2024
Haley says Harris is Democrats’ ‘weakest candidate’ – but DEI attacks ‘aren’t helpful’
22:45
Oliver O'Connell
Former GOP presidential candidate and one-time UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said Republicans trying to paint Vice President Kamala Harris as a “DEI” candidate are not helping Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Haley made the comments on Thursday during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
She suggested that Republicans focus on Harris’s policies and her past as a politician in their criticisms, not her skin color or her gender. “It’s not helpful,” Haley said.
Graig Graziosi reports.
Trump calls Kamala Harris’ Israel remarks ‘disrespectful’
22:15
Oliver O'Connell
Former president Donald Trump hit out at Vice President Kamala Harris for her insistence that Israel should avoid civilian casualties and allow Palestinians access to humanitarian aid as he hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his self-styled White House in exile on Friday.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Shapiro and Whitmer to campaign for Harris next week
21:55
Oliver O'Connell
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro will campaign together for Kamala Harris next week.
Whitmer and Shapiro both endorsed the vice president as the next Democratic candidate to face Donald Trump after President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid on Sunday.
The duo is set to appear at a campaign event in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania on Monday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. They are expected to speak out against Project 2025, a blueprint for a second Trump term.
Katie Hawkinson has the details.
Kamala Harris calls Sonya Massey’s family
21:43
Oliver O'Connell
Per NBC News:
On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris called the family of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who was shot by a sheriff’s deputy in her Illinois home, according to Massey’s family members who spoke to NBC News.
Massey, 36, was killed July 6 after she called the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office because she was afraid there might be a prowler outside, according to an attorney for her family and Illinois State Police,
“It’s made me feel a lot better today,” said James Wilburn, Massey’s father.
Of Harris, Wilburn said, “She gave us her heartfelt condolences, and she let us know that she is with us, 100% that this senseless killing.”
Here’s our most recent coverage of the killing of Sonya Massey:
21:15
Oliver O'Connell
Harris trolls Trump as he backs out of debate
20:57
Oliver O'Connell
Kamala Harris has trolled Donald Trump by using his words against him after the Republican presidential nominee backed out of a proposed television debate.
“What happened to ‘any time, any place’?” the vice president posted on X late on Thursday night.
Joe Sommerlad reports.
Second gentleman shares story of how he heard Biden had dropped out
20:39
Oliver O'Connell
The Los Angeles Times reports that Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff shocked a couple of thousand gay and queer Black men backing Vice President Kamala Harris in her run for president when he made a surprise appearance on an organizing call on Thursday evening.
After telling the assembled supporters that Harris would “be there” for the LGBTQ+ community moving forward, as she has been in the past, Emhoff told the story of how he found out that President Joe Biden had stepped aside from the 2024 race.
Per The LA Times:
Emhoff also told a story of being caught by surprise by President Biden’s announcement that he was dropping out of the presidential race on Sunday, when he said he happened to be in Los Angeles with a gay couple — friends of his — after taking a one-hour SoulCycle class with them in West Hollywood.
“We’re out there having coffee, messing around and talking, and ... people are coming up to me, so it’s now, like, after the announcement has gone out, and my friend’s partner said, ‘Um, you need to look at this,’ and I said, ‘What?’” Emhoff said.
What the friend was holding up was Biden’s letter to the country announcing he was dropping out.
“Of course I didn’t have my phone, so I ran and ran and got into our car, and of course my phone is just on fire, and it’s basically, ‘Call Kamala,’ ‘Call Kamala,’ ‘Call Kamala,’ from everyone,” Emhoff said. “And of course, the first thing she said was, ‘Where the ... were you? I need you.’”
Since then, Emhoff said, it’s been a “whirlwind.”
Analysis: JD Vance’s ‘cat lady’ attacks are just the beginning of Republicans’ childbirth obsession
20:30
Oliver O'Connell
Alex Woodward writes:
Before he became Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance called for higher taxes for childless adults and insisted their votes should count less. He said abortion should be “illegal” nationally, and that the “cat ladies” and the “Kamala Harrises” of the world want to “brainwash” other people’s kids.
Misogynist “cat lady” insults are nothing new, nor is an anti-abortion GOP official advocating nationwide bans on abortion access.
But recently resurfaced remarks from the next potential vice president — and his connections to influential right-wing voices with borderline conspiracy-mongering ideas about childbirth rates — have invited more scrutiny into the natalist movement gripping Republican politics.
Continue reading...
Polling shows Harris now a threat to Trump in key swing states
20:15
Oliver O'Connell
Vice President Kamala Harris has pulled her party back into contention in several key battleground states after taking the reins of the presidential ticket and becoming the presumptive nominee for the Democrats.
A new Emerson poll released on Thursday shows Harris putting an end to the bleeding her predecessor was suffering for weeks across five key states: Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. She still trails Donald Trump in each state, but she’s now within just a few percentage points — ground she has a chance of making up over the next 100-plus days until the general election.
John Bowden looks at the numbers.
Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris for president
19:45
Oliver O'Connell
Barack and Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris for president, saying that there is “no doubt in our mind” that she has what it takes to beat Donald Trump in the 2024 election and “deliver for the American people”.
Following days of speculation, the former first couple announced their endorsement on Friday morning, with both parties sharing a video on social media of a phone call in which the Obamas pledged their whole-hearted support for Harris’s campaign.
Rachel Sharp has the story.
Might this be the lowest point of the campaign so far?
19:15
Oliver O'Connell
A regular guest on the Fox Business network referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “the original ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl,” sparking online backlash about the sexist remark.
Alec Lace appeared on the network on July 5 to discuss the future of the Democratic party after President Joe Biden’s debate stumble — commentary that devolved into racist and sexist remarks about the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Lace suggested that Harris ascended to power by sleeping her way to the top.
Kelly Rissman reports.
18:45
Oliver O'Connell
Harris rides Biden wave to pick up union support (with a few exceptions)
18:15
Oliver O'Connell
Kamala Harris is on track to wrap up support from America’s biggest labor unions, even as Republicans led by JD Vance and Donald Trump try to make a play for union voters.
The Vice President spoke at an event held by the American Federation of Teachers on Thursday, where she thanked the teachers’ union for its longstanding support of her political career.
John Bowden and Eric Garcia report.
Harris campaign brands Trump VP pick ‘already a disaster'
18:00
Oliver O'Connell
Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign has branded Donald Trump’s pick of JD Vance as his running mate as “already a disaster”.
A statement released by the campaign says:
Donald Trump is breaking records for the worst possible VP rollout a candidate could have.
11 days in, Vance is the most unpopular pick in decades.
In the first week of his candidacy, he’s picking fights with Jennifer Aniston, animating Swifties against Trump’s campaign, insulting couples struggling with infertility, and driving away women voters in droves as article after article reveals just how far he and Donald Trump would go to ban abortion nationwide.
Never mind uniting the country – JD Vance can’t unite his own party. Already, leading Republican strategists are expressing “buyer’s remorse” over Donald Trump’s choice for VP.
Harris for President Spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said about JD Vance’s rough week: “JD Vance spent all week making headlines for his out-of-touch, weird ideas, including the Project 2025-endorsed plans to ban abortion nationwide. This week confirmed voters’ worst fears about what Trump and Vance will do if they’re elected. It’s only been 11 days, but voters know the Trump-Vance ticket is running to take America backwards and take away our freedoms – but as Vice President Harris has said, we will not go back.”
Biden ‘tarred’ his reputation by not leaving race sooner, says RFK Jr
17:45
Oliver O'Connell
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he thinks Joe Biden damaged his reputation by not dropping out of the race sooner.
Kennedy’s comments come after Biden, bending to pressure from his party, dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the next Democratic candidate. The third-party candidate held a press conference shortly after to argue that Biden and his vice president, who appears poised to take over the Democratic ticket, will be indistinguishable.
Now, he tells CBS News the decision to leave should have come sooner.
Katie Hawkinson reports.
Watch: Tomi Lahren warns personal attacks on Kamala Harris ‘bad move'
17:29
Oliver O'Connell
In an appearance on Outnumbered on Fox News this morning, conservative political commentator Tomi Lahren warned that attacking Kamala Harris personally was a “bad move” for the Trump campaign and would “make women second-guess their support” for the former president.
Lahren: The attacks on her personally on whatever her past personally may have been or calling her a childless lady, none of those are going to work. They are going to make women second-guess their support for what they may have felt for Donald Trump. Bad move pic.twitter.com/n78pgEsKuT
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 26, 2024
Veepstakes: Clyburn offers supportive remarks about Buttigieg
17:22
Oliver O'Connell
Speaking on MSNBC, Rep Jim Clyburn today offered some encouraging and supportive remarks about Kamala Harris selecting transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg as her running mate and potential vice president.
Clyburn with some encouraging and supportive remarks about Harris picking Buttigieg as her VPpic.twitter.com/OdU6hZkUHs
— Christopher Cadelago (@ccadelago) July 26, 2024
COMMENT: Elon Musk has historic power to influence elections – can anyone stop him winning it for Trump?
17:15
Oliver O'Connell
Alan Rusbridger writes:
Think of it as a Venn diagram. Elon Musk is almost certainly the richest person in the world and controls a vast social media platform. The US president is probably the most powerful person in the world. Can the person with the biggest bucks help determine who gets to be the most powerful? And would we ever know?
Continue reading:
Veepstakes: Mark Kelly gets backing of pro-science PAC
17:05
Oliver O'Connell
Shaughnessy Naughton, founder and president of 314 Action, a group committed to electing more scientists to public office, released the following statement in support of Vice President Kamala Harris picking Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona as her running mate.
At a time in history when our democracy is facing an unique threat from MAGA extremists and our planet is staring down climate change that can devastate future generations, it is imperative that we put forward the strongest ticket possible. I believe Mark Kelly’s experience as an astronaut, combat Navy Veteran, U.S. Senator, and a distinguished public servant brings just that. He is the best choice to serve the Democratic ticket as the Vice Presidential nominee.
As a Navy pilot Mark Kelly took an oath to protect our constitution and flew 39 combat missions to defend our country. As an astronaut, he led missions to space in order to advance humanity. When Arizona families, including his own wife, were struck by violence, Mark Kelly listened, and brought people together to help the community heal. In the United States Senate Mark Kelly became a champion for solving problems and getting things done.
Mark Kelly is a proven leader. He has time and again answered the call to put service first and country before self. He knows how to win tough, competitive elections, turning Arizona from Red to Blue by defeating a formidable incumbent the first time and another Peter Thiel acolyte the second time. He uses facts, science, and data to make informed public policy decisions. He knows how to work across the aisle to get results for his constituents.
There are many great candidates under consideration, however, Mark Kelly’s profile, experience, background and perspectives make him the best choice for Vice President. He can simultaneously energize the base, win swing voters, and profoundly impact this race and we are proud to stand with him.
Former DOJ officials line up behind Harris, branding Trump ‘grave risk’ to country
16:52
Oliver O'Connell
More than 40 former Justice Department officials who served under both Republican and Democratic presidents have signed a letter endorsing 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, according to a new report.
The letter — which includes the signatures of former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former deputy attorneys general Sally Yates, David Ogden, and Jamie Gorelick, and the top Washington prosecutor during George W Bush’s administration, John McKay — paints Harris as a common sense candidate who will respect the rule of law, according to NBC News, which first reported the endorsement.
Graig Graziosi reports.
Youth groups unite in support of Harris
16:42
Oliver O'Connell
Seventeen leading youth organizing groups, representing hundreds of thousands of young people nationwide, have announced their united support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for president.
A joint statement released this morning by Voters of Tomorrow, College Democrats of America, Young Democrats of America, High School Democrats of America, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Leaders We Deserve, Brady’s Team ENOUGH, Students Demand Action, Jr. Newtown Action Alliance, Grassroots Democrats HQ, Path to Progress, Blue Future, Progress Libs, Voices of Gen Z, Dream for America, Tour to Save Democracy, and Democratic Youth Coalition.
It reads in part:
In 2020 and 2022, young voters delivered critical margins to defeat Donald Trump and his far-right allies up and down the ballot. This November, we will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in defeating Donald Trump and the extreme Project 2025 agenda he hopes to force on the country. With our futures at stake, our announcement today signals the youth movement’s unified front and marks an important moment in the fight against Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Regarding the vice president, the statement says:
As a champion of reproductive freedom, climate action, economic justice, and gun violence prevention, Vice President Harris is uniquely equipped to build a coalition of young voters who will lead her to victory. Elevating Vice President Harris to the Oval Office would be historic: the first woman, first Asian American, and second Black president. As members of the most diverse generation in our nation’s history, a Kamala Harris presidency would be one in which we see ourselves.
Fed's preferred inflation gauge cools
16:15
Oliver O'Connell
The Federal Reserve’s favored inflation measure remained low last month, bolstering evidence that price pressures are steadily cooling and setting the stage for the Fed to begin cutting interest rates this fall.
Prices rose just 0.1% from May to June, the Commerce Department said Friday, up from the previous month’s unchanged reading. Compared with a year earlier, inflation declined to 2.5% from 2.6%.
Continue reading...
President Joe Biden released the following statement:
Today’s report shows we are making real progress fighting inflation. Over the last year, inflation has come down to 2.5% at a time when the economy has grown 3.1%, we’ve created 2.6 million new jobs, and wages are rising faster than prices. The agenda that Vice President Harris and I are fighting for has helped us come back strong from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and deliver for working families.
We’re going to keep building on this progress to lower costs for all Americans by expanding on our success capping prescription drug costs and building more homes to lower rents. Congressional Republicans have a different plan, one that would “reignite” inflation by giving more massive tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy while raising costs for working families by taxing all imports. While they fight for special interests, the Vice President and I will keep fighting to rebuild the middle class.
Veepstakes: Walz popular among labor unions, report says
16:00
Oliver O'Connell
ABC News reports that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has emerged as a popular choice among labor unions as a potential running mate for Kamala Harris.
Sources told the network that Walz has drawn support for his record of pro-labor legislation in a blue-leaning state and his potential appeal with voters in Midwest battlegrounds Wisconsin and Michigan.
NEW: Tim Walz has emerged as a popular VP pick among labor unions, sources tell ABC News.
— Max Zahn (@MaxZahn_) July 26, 2024
Walz has drawn support for his record of pro-labor legislation in a blue-leaning state and his potential appeal with voters in Midwest battlegrounds Wisconsin and Michigan, they said.
‘What happened to any time, any place?’
15:45
Oliver O'Connell
Kamala Harris has trolled Donald Trump by using his words against him after the Republican presidential nominee backed out of a proposed television debate.
“What happened to ‘any time, any place’?” the vice president posted on X late on Thursday night.
Joe Sommerlad has the story.
Watch: Buttigieg calls Trump backpedaling on debating Harris ‘extraordinary show of weakness'
15:30
Oliver O'Connell
Transportation secretary and potential running mate for Kamala Harris Pete Buttigieg said today on Morning Joe about Trump backpedaling on debating Harris: “It’s extraordinary. Tough talk is this guy’s calling card, and there’s this extraordinary show of weakness.”
Pete Buttigieg on Morning Joe on Trump backpedaling on debating Harris: "It's extraordinary. Tough talk is this guy's calling card, and there's this extraordinary show of weakness." pic.twitter.com/RKHD8j3xny
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 26, 2024
Chicago police chief says out-of-town police won’t be posted in city during DNC
15:15
Joe Sommerlad
Outside police agencies that will help to secure the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago next month will not be posted in city neighborhoods, Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said on Thursday as federal authorities released maps of convention security perimeters.
The renewed attention on out-of-town police comes after Ohio officers stationed in Milwaukee for the Republican convention last week fatally shot a man at a park not far from the Fiserv Forum.
Here’s more.
Voices: Will America ever overcome its prejudices and elect a woman as president?
14:45
Joe Sommerlad
What began as the “age” election is now the “gender” election, writes Mary Dejevsky – but will being a woman tip the balance in Harris’s favor?
Post-Covid video of Joe Biden sparks bizarre height conspiracy theories
14:15
Joe Sommerlad
The President’s address to the nation on Wednesday night to explain his decision not to seek re-election has, inevitably, inspired a slew of internet nonsense about him being replaced by a body double.
Here’s Jake Brigstock of Indy100 to examine the evidence.
Buttigieg coy on Harris running mate rumours
13:45
Joe Sommerlad
US Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been doing some fine work stumping for Kamala in recent days but was suddenly much more evasive when asked straight out on MSNBC’s Morning Joe today whether he could be her running mate.
"I think anybody would be flattered to be mentioned in that context... She's going to make that decision, and she knows what she's doing. What I know is that I am really excited in whatever capacity to be part of this campaign."
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 26, 2024
— @PeteButtigieg on speculation about Harris's VP pic.twitter.com/pt6CT7qVXQ
Here he is sticking it to Trump on Harris’s behalf for dropping out of the September 10 TV debate, incidently.
Has a presidential nominee ever agreed to a debate, then pulled out?
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) July 26, 2024
Remarkable show of weakness here. https://t.co/tw9KhmhkpN
Former DOJ officials back Harris and brand Trump a ‘grave risk’
13:15
Joe Sommerlad
More than 40 former Department of Justice (DOJ) officials who served under both Republican and Democratic presidents have signed a letter endorsing 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, according to a new report.
The letter – which includes the signatures of former attorney general Loretta Lynch, former deputy attorneys general Sally Yates, David Ogden and Jamie Gorelick and the top Washington prosecutor during George W Bush’s administration, John McKay – paints Harris as a common sense candidate who will respect the rule of law.
Graig Graziosi has more.
Watch: Harris says two state solution is ‘only path’ for Israel and Palestine
12:45
Joe Sommerlad
Watch: Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Harris in ‘historic’ phone call
12:15
Joe Sommerlad
Harris rides Biden wave to pick up union support (with a few exceptions)
11:45
Joe Sommerlad
Kamala Harris is on track to wrap up support from America’s biggest labor unions, even as Republicans led by JD Vance and Donald Trump try to make a play for union voters.
The Vice President spoke at an event held by the American Federation of Teachers on Thursday, where she thanked the teachers’ union for its longstanding support of her political career.
John Bowden and Eric Garcia report.
Harris now a threat to Trump in several major swing states, new poll suggests
11:15
Joe Sommerlad
In further polling news, Harris appears to have pulled her party back into contention in several key battleground states after taking the reins of the presidential ticket and becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee this week.
A new Emerson poll released on Thursday shows Harris stopping the bleeding her predecessor was suffering for weeks across five key states: Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
She still trails Trump in each state, but she’s now within just a few percentage points — ground she has a chance of making up over the next 100-plus days until the general election.
John Bowden looks at the numbers.
Harris narrows gap on Trump in new poll
10:45
Joe Sommerlad
The latest New York Times/Siena College poll has Trump at 48 per cent and Harris at 47 per cent among likely voters in a head-to-head match-up, in the first survey since Harris took over as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee after President Biden stepped aside.
This shows a marked improvement for Democrats. The last poll conducted by the group in early July showed Biden down six per cent to Trump.
Among registered voters, Trump leads Harris by two per cent (48:46) but he led Biden by nine per cent in the earlier poll.
Per the Times:
“The poll showed Ms Harris garnering about 60 percent support from voters under 30 and Hispanic voters, groups Mr Biden had consistently struggled with. Among voters under 45, Ms Harris was ahead by 10 percentage points, less than three weeks after Mr. Trump had held a narrow edge with that group over Mr Biden.
“Because the survey was of voters nationwide, the impact of Ms Harris’s candidacy in particular battleground states was not immediately clear. But a Democr