US Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is believed to be on the verge of announcing who her 2024 running mate will be.
The final list includes Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Minnestota Governor Tim Walz.
Kelly, Walz and Shapiro all interviewed at Harris’s residence in Washington DC on Sunday, with the former muddying the waters somewhat by tweeting and then deleting a post in which he declared, “Now my mission is serving Arizonans,” seemingly suggesting he is no longer in contention.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was meanwhile at a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, with his own running mate JD Vance on Saturday as his campaign doubled down on his attacks on Harris’s ethnicity.
Trump told a conference of Black journalists last week that the Democrat “happened to turn Black” only recently.
Harris and Trump are virtually tied in the race for the White House, according to new polling.
Trump is at 49 per cent support, compared to Harris’s 47 per cent, according to CNN’s Poll of Polls — an average of the four most recent national polls.
Key Points
- Who is winning in the Kamala Harris veepstakes?
- VP contender Mark Kelly tweets and then deletes post suggesting he is out of contention
- Why the Arizona Senator could be Harris’s best response to JD Vance
- Why Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro might be Harris’s running mate pick
- History-making Harris says she’s ‘honored’ to clinch presidential nomination
Harris holds last interviews with VP contenders before final decision
11:00
Joe Sommerlad
Kamala Harris held last interviews on Sunday to compare and contrast her chemistry with each of the final contenders to be running mate as she gears up to announce who will be joining her on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro all met with Harris at her Washington DC residence,The New York Times reported.
They all hail from states considered to be battlegrounds this November, giving them an edge in the selection process.
John Bowden has this report.
Harris VP contender Mark Kelly tweets and then deletes post suggesting he is out of contention
10:30
Joe Sommerlad
The Arizona Senator rather muddied the waters around his candidacy to be Kamala Harris’s running mate last night when he posted and then swiftly deleted a tweet in which he declared, “Now my mission is serving Arizonans,” seemingly suggesting he is no longer in contention, going on to replace it with something far vaguer and more innocuous.
So Mark Kelly posted the tweet on the left, then deleted it and later posted the one on the right pic.twitter.com/20vnNyRGo8
— Tony (@realtonysm1th) August 4, 2024
A former US Navy pilot and astronaut who turned to politics after the near-fatal shooting of his wife Gabby Giffords, Kelly would be a popular choice for the role, not least because of the efficiency he could deliver on the campaign trail if he chose to enlist his identical twin Scott to help cover more ground.
If Mark Kelly is Kamala Harris's VP pick, he can make twice as many campaign appearances because he has an identical twin. pic.twitter.com/PaXmZRaL2p
— Rick G. Rosner (@dumbassgenius) August 4, 2024
Senator Lindsey Graham warns Trump to stop birther-like attacks on Harris’s heritage
10:00
Kelly Rissman
Lindsey Graham has warned Donald Trump against devolving into birtherism-like attacks against Kamala Harris during the 2024 race for the White House.
The South Carolina senator appeared on Fox News Sunday on August as the Trump campaign continues to search for an effective message to run against Harris after she became the formal Democratic nominee.
Graham made the remarks after Trump broached the issue of Harris’s racial background during an interview at a conference hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists this week. In front of the largely Black audience, Trump insisted that Harris had only recently decided to identify as Black — drawing groans from the crowd.
John Bowden has the full story...
Why San Francisco holds the key to the 2024 election
09:00
Kelly Rissman
Last week, at a speech in Florida, Donald Trump warned that a Kamala Harris presidency would “forcibly impose crazy San Francisco liberal values on Americans nationwide.”
San Francisco, population 808,437, has long been a punching bag for conservatives nationwide — but Trump neglected to mention that his own running mate, JD Vance, also has deep ties there.
Perhaps more than any other time in US history, both sides of the ticket include people with fundamental ties to the Bay Area.
First, there’s Vice President Harris. This week she became the first Californian Democrat to secure the presidential nomination. Growing up in Oakland, she methodically rose through local and then state politics, bridging the region’s long activist tradition and its old-school local Democratic machine.
Io Dodds and Josh Marcus have the full story...
ICYMI: Trump’s attempt to dismiss election interference case is denied by judge
08:00
Kelly Rissman
The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s election interference case has denied his attempt to throw out the proceedings.
In an order, issued on Saturday, DC District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected Trump’s motion to dismiss the Department of Justice’s case on legal grounds.
Trump “may file a renewed motion once all issues of immunity have been resolved,” she wrote.
Chutkan has reclaimed control of the election interference case after the Supreme Court tasked her with deciding which acts in Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election are considered “official” versus private acts, the latter of which can be prosecuted.
In a motion filed last October, Trump’s lawyers had argued that in order to convict the former president, “the prosecution must prove that President Trump took post-election actions to accomplish a governmental objective, and not for any personal gain. Proving this, however, directly implicates Presidential immunity.”
Trump’s lawyers had appealed the presidential immunity argument to the Supreme Court, claiming the former president was acting within his official duties as president and therefore should be immune from criminal prosecution.
Read the full story...
ICYMI: Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy case officially dismissed
07:00
Kelly Rissman
A federal judge has officially dismissed Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy case after the cash-strapped former New York City mayor and his creditors were deadlocked over his finances and money he owed for administrative expenses.
Judge Sean Lane initially tossed out the case last month, citing Giuliani’s lack of financial transparency and his apparent attempts to evade court orders.
But Giuliani’s lawyers and and his bankruptcy creditors were left trying to figure out how the former mayor would pay tens of thousands of dollars he owes for administrative fees, whether he can actually pay any of it, and how much money he has on hand — questions that have also been at the center of the bankruptcy case.
Giuliani’s agreement to pay off his administrative costs means that he will dodge further scrutiny over his financial disclosures — including having to testify under oath, which Judge Lane had suggested was a possibility.
The end of the bankruptcy proceedings means his creditors can continue to push the courts for what they say they are owed.
Read the full story...
Rachel Scott has reportedly received death threats after Trump interview
06:44
Namita Singh
ABC News’ Rachel Scott has allegedly received death threats after her interview of former president Donald Trump last week.
Trump was confronted by ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott over his false claims about his rivals and his inflammatory remarks to officials and reporters of color.
“Why would Black voters trust you when you have used language like that?” she asked.
“I don’t think I’ve been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump replied. “You don’t even say hello, how are you.”
At a membership meeting today, NABJ’s executive director said ABC’s Rachel Scott had received death threats following her work asking incisive questions of Donald Trump at the groups national convention Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/YoiSXXfPls
— Eric Deggans at NPR (@Deggans) August 3, 2024
What was supposed to be an hourlong panel abruptly ended roughly 30 minutes later when it was clear that Trump had led the session off the rails.
“At a membership meeting today, NABJ executive director said ABC’s Rachel Scott had received death threats following her work asking incisive questions of Donald Trump at the groups nation convention Wednesday,” NPR analyst Eric Deggans posted on X.
Kamala Harris was less than 20ft from pipe bomb during Jan 6 attack: report
06:00
Kelly Rissman
Vice President Kamala Harris was less than 20 feet from a “viable” pipe bomb on January 6, according to a new report from Homeland Security’s internal watchdog.
The Office of the Inspector General released its report on Friday detailing the Secret Service’s preparation for, and response to, the events of January 6, 2021. Five people died and hundreds were injured in the Capitol assault, where rioters aimed to prevent the certification of the election for President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Among the shocking revelations was that Harris, then vice president-elect, was within close range to a “viable” pipe bomb that Secret Security had missed in a security sweep.
“The pipe bomb had been placed near the [Democratic National Committee] building the night before”, the report states, but Secret Service personnel did not identify it during their security sweep on the morning of January 6.
Read the full story...
ICYMI: Lindsey Graham warns Trump to stop attacks on Harris’ heritage
05:52
Namita Singh
Lindsey Graham has warned Donald Trump against devolving into birtherism-like attacks against Kamala Harris during the 2024 race for the White House.
The South Carolina senator appeared on Fox News Sunday on August as the Trump campaign continues to search for an effective message to run against Harris after she became the formal Democratic nominee.
Graham made the remarks after Trump broached the issue of Harris’s racial background during an interview at a conference hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists this week. In front of the largely Black audience, Trump insisted that Harris had only recently decided to identify as Black — drawing groans from the crowd.
Report:
Trump embraces MAGA activist who repeats his claims about Harris’ heritage
05:44
Namita Singh
Donald Trump embraced conservative activist Michaelah Montgomery on stage at his Georgia rally before awkwardly quipping that he considered “never going back home to the First Lady”, when they first met at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in April.
Montgomery spoke on stage on Saturday evening at a rally for the former president in the battleground state. She was featured in a video in April where she hugged Trump in the fast food restaurant, where he bought food for his supporters.
When Trump later took to the stage he called Montgomery back up, as he recalled walking into the Atlanta Chick-fil-A in April, where she was behind the counter.
Report:
Trump’s White House aides now backing Kamala Harris
05:40
Namita Singh
Donald Trump’s former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham is among those who have switched sides to support Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.
The latest blow for the former Republican president came as his Democratic challenger on Sunday launched “Republicans for Harris” drive.
According to the campaign, Ms Harris has the public endorsement of almost 30 Republican moderates, including Ms Grisham and Olivia Troye, who advised Mike Pence on national security issues.
“I might not agree with Vice President Kamala Harris on everything, but I know that she will fight for our freedom, protect our democracy and represent America with honor and dignity on the world stage,” Ms Grisham said in a statement, reported The Daily Beast.
“I encourage other Trump administration officials who saw the tyrant we worked for in office to speak out and stand with Kamala Harris this November to keep integrity in the White House and ensure democracy for our country.”
Democrat Ruben Gallego promotes Republican support in his Arizona Senate campaign
05:12
Namita Singh
Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego is promoting Republican backing for his Senate campaign as the congressman works to assemble a winning coalition in the swing state.
Mr Gallego announced his GOP outreach the same day vice president Kamala Harris launched her own “ Republicans for Harris” group to seek support from conservatives put off by Trump’s candidacy. Her campaign released the names of nearly three dozen supporters in Arizona that had some overlap with Gallego’s list but was not a copy.
A list released Sunday of 39 Republican and independent supporters of his campaign includes moderate Republicans and some former Republicans who held elected office or other roles in business or politics. Several are former aides to the late Senator John McCain, the famed Arizona Republican and onetime prisoner of war who was known for occasionally bucking his party.
Mr Gallego’s Republican opponent, Kari Lake, has criticised Mr McCain in the past and once suggested he was a “loser”.Democrats have made inroads in Arizona after decades of GOP dominance.
While Republicans have more registered voters in the state, president Joe Biden, senator Mark Kelly, governor Katie Hobbs and other Democrats have cobbled together narrow victories by holding their party together, dominating among independents and getting support from an outsize share of Republicans who dislike the direction of the GOP under Donald Trump.
Mark Kelly’s cryptic post sparks speculation of exit from VP race
05:07
Namita Singh
Senator Mark Kelly posted a cryptic message on a X that sparked speculation of his exit from the VP race.
“My background is a bit different than most politicians. I spent my life serving in the Navy and at NASA, where the mission always comes first. Now, my mission is serving Arizonans,” wrote the senator before deleting it shortly after.
Flagging the deleted post, Joey Garrison, White House correspondent for USA Today, wrote that “the statement seemed to imply he’s not Harris’ VP pick”.
Sen. Mark Kelly has deleted this tweet in which he said his mission now is “serving Arizonans.”
— Joey Garrison (@joeygarrison) August 4, 2024
The statement seemed to imply he’s not Harris’ VP pick. Kelly was among the VP finalists who was set to meet with Harris in Washington today as she nears her decision. pic.twitter.com/wujU5Eds4O
However, Mr Kelly has since posted another cryptic message that appears to imply the exact opposite, saying: “I’ve learned that when your country asks you to serve, you always answer the call.”
Speculation runs wild after Philadelphia mayor appears to leak Harris’ vice president pick
05:00
Kelly Rissman
Philadelphia’s mayor released a video urging Americans to support Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro “for vice president,” sparking speculation that Kamala Harris’ pick for running mate had been leaked.
On Friday, Mayor Cherelle Parker posted a video on her personal social media accounts encouraging Pennsylvanians to stand behind “Kamala Harris for president” and “Josh Shapiro for vice president”, days before the presumptive Democratic nominee is expected to make her official announcement.
“I can’t think of a better partner than our governor, Josh Shapiro,” Parker said, in the video.
The ad caused speculation to run wild across social media, with many wondering whether the mayor had accidentally revealed Harris’ running mate. The video has not been deleted as of Saturday morning.
Proud to be back with so many leaders from across our region supporting @KamalaHarris for President and @JoshShapiroPA for VP! We are One CITY, One REGION, and ONE Commonwealth United! @PADems @PhillyDems @Joanna4PA @PADemsChair @IBEW98 @RepHarris @PALaborers pic.twitter.com/Rh1ojbRjcr
— Cherelle Parker (@PeopleforParker) August 2, 2024
Kamala Harris’ top picks: all white men
04:29
Namita Singh
Kamala Harris’ shortlist for her running mate includes Minnesota governor Tim Walz, US senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro.
Her choice to go for all white men with a record of winning over rural, white or independent voters will influence the future direction of the Democratic Party, elevating the chosen candidate to the front of the line for future presidential contests.
Mr Shapiro, one of the top contenders, has faced sharp criticism from the left, especially progressive groups and pro-Palestinian activists, over his support for Israel and his handling of college protests sparked by the war in Gaza.
“There must be a policy correction on Gaza and there must be a pro-working class policy agenda, including a Black agenda,” said Nina Turner, co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign and a fellow at The Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, a progressive research group. “Picking Governor Shapiro as a running mate risks closing that door.”
His handling of a sexual harassment complaint against a longtime top aide has also been questioned, and labor groups including the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, that recently endorsed Ms Harris for president, have criticised him for calls to expand voucher programs that allow public tax dollars to flow to private schools.
Some labor groups have also criticised Mr Kelly for not supporting proposed legislation they argue would boost union organising.Shawn Fain, president of the UAW, said that despite backing Ms Harris for president, his 370,000-member union is not supporting Mr Kelly or Mr Shapiro as a potential running mate.
Mr Walz has become a favourite of progressives and youth groups who enjoy his attacks on Trump.
At 60, Mr Walz is just a year older than Harris, but critics say he looks much older, which could be a liability to a campaign that is rebounding from Joe Biden’s departure over concerns about his age.
And supervised the lunchroom for 20 years. You do not leave that job with a full head of hair. Trust me. https://t.co/LrZH03kVDM
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) July 24, 2024
Mr Walz responded to this criticism on X, saying he looks the way he does because he was a high school teacher and “supervised the lunchroom for 20 years”.
“You do not leave that job with a full head of hair. Trust me,” he said.
Harris interviews Walz, Kelly, Shapiro at her home for VP pick
04:05
Namita Singh
Vice president Kamala Harris was due to interview three top candidates - Minnesota governor Tim Walz, US senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro - at her Washington, DC, residence on Sunday ahead of a final decision on her running mate.
Ms Harris is expected to announce her choice as early as Monday, ahead of her first public appearance with the vice presidential nominee on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
The Harris campaign is also planning a social media announcement featuring the duo, officials familiar with the arrangements told Reuters.
Ms Harris met with her vetting team on Saturday, including former attorney general Eric Holder, whose law firm Covington & Burling LLP scrutinised the finances and background of potential running mates.
Mr Holder and his office made in-depth presentations on each of the finalists, according to sources familiar with the process.
She met transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg for 90 minutes on Friday and is also meeting candidates virtually, the sources said. Kentucky governor Andy Beshear and Illinois governor JB Pritzker are the other candidates in contention for the job.
The candidates will be informed on Monday night or Tuesday morning whether they were picked, the sources told Reuters.
Rod Stewart mocks Donald Trump for ‘turning orange’ after comments about Kamala Harris’s race
04:00
Kelly Rissman
Rod Stewart made jokes about an “orange” Donald Trump during a Las Vegas performance.
The 79-year-old singer, who recently flew a Ukrainian flag in Germany to a mixed reception, is currently touring the US, performing a string of shows at the Colosseum that began on 24 July and are set to finish on 7 August.
While performing on stage, he abruptly stopped the gig in front of thousands of fans to show a meme on the huge screen behind him. The image was of a tweet with various images of Donald Trump through the years, with his skin colour gradually deepening from a paler shade before morphing into a tangerine-like hue.
A caption to the image made reference to Trump’s comments about fellow US presidential candidate Kamala Harris, when the Republican presidential candidate said he was not aware Harris was Black, until “all of a sudden, she made a turn and she went… she became a Black person”.
The tweet Stewart projected on to the screen began: “I didn’t know he was orange until a number of years ago, when he happened to turn orange.”
Read the full story...
Harris is now a big problem for Republicans
03:00
Kelly Rissman
They’re feeling the Kamala-mentum in the battlegrounds.
Just under two weeks since the vice president became her party’s presumptive nominee, Democrats around the country are feeling a surge of optimism that is translating into real, tangible gains — and a real, tangible problem for Republicans.
On Tuesday night, Harris was in Atlanta, Georgia, where she turned out a Trump-sized crowd of 10,000 at Georgia State University. A fired-up audience roared in response when she dared her opponent to “say it to my face” and attend a debate (or debates) with her in person.
That energy is palpable around the country. The Harris campaign has now released several statements bragging about a $200m-plus fundraising haul in less than two weeks and a surge in volunteers for the campaign. But it’s not just the vice president herself seeing eager supporters coming back into the fold — it’s the party as a whole, and that’s something that spells trouble not just for Donald Trump but for all Republicans.
John Bowden and Eric Garcia have the full story...
‘Republicans for Harris’ launches — and includes endorsements from Trump administration officials
02:00
Kelly Rissman
Kamala Harris’ campaign launched “Republicans for Harris” with endorsements from former Donald Trump administration officials and prominent conservatives.
The initiative is “a grassroots organizing program to further outreach efforts to the millions of Republican voters who continue to reject the chaos, division, and violence of Donald Trump and his Project 2025 agenda,” the Harris campaign said in a statement on Sunday.
Notable endorsements include former White House Press Secretary and Melania Trump chief-of-staff Stephanie Grisham, and former homeland security and counterterrorism advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, Olivia Troye.
Read the full story...
WATCH: Vance blames Harris campaign’s ‘weird’ label on ‘social media interns’
01:15
Kelly Rissman
Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife responds after he admits to having affair during their marriage
Monday 5 August 2024 00:00
Kelly Rissman
Kerstin Emhoff, ex-wife of Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, has defended him after he admitted to having an affair during their marriage.
Emhoff, who is now married to Vice President Kamala Harris, responded on Saturday to claims that he had an extra-marital affair, first reported by the Daily Mail.
“During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side,” he said in statement to CNN.
He was married to film producer Kerstin from 1992 to 2008 and the pair have two children, Ella and Cole, who are now young adults. The Mail reported that the couple split after Kerstin discovered the affair. She did not respond to that allegation in her statement.
“Doug and I decided to end our marriage for a variety of reasons, many years ago,” she told the Washington Post. “He is a great father to our kids, continues to be a great friend to me and I am really proud of the warm and supportive blended family Doug, Kamala, and I have built together.
Read the full story...
Lindsey Graham warns Trump to stop birther-like attacks on Harris’s heritage
Sunday 4 August 2024 23:15
Kelly Rissman
Lindsey Graham has warned Donald Trump against devolving into birtherism-like attacks against Kamala Harris during the 2024 race for the White House.
The South Carolina senator appeared on Fox News Sunday on August as the Trump campaign continues to search for an effective message to run against Harris after she became the formal Democratic nominee.
WATCH: @LindseyGrahamSC discusses the U.S.-Russia prisoner swap and the 2024 presidential election. pic.twitter.com/MyzOKK9K1t
— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) August 4, 2024
Graham made the remarks after Trump broached the issue of Harris’s racial background during an interview at a conference hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists this week. In front of the largely Black audience, Trump insisted that Harris had only recently decided to identify as Black — drawing groans from the crowd.
Read the full story...
RFK Jr says he placed a dead bear cub in Central Park a decade ago
Sunday 4 August 2024 22:41
Kelly Rissman
In a social media video posted on X on Sunday, Robert F Kennedy Jr, independent presidential candidate, recounted a strange tale 10 years ago, when he was going to go “falconing” in upstate New York. On the way there, a woman in the van in front of him hit and killed a “young bear,” he said. He decided to put the dead bear in his car, he continued.
“I pulled over and I picked up the bear and put him in the back of my van because I was gonna skin the bear,” the scion said. “It was in very good condition and I was gonna put the meat in my refrigerator.”
After a nice time upstate, he had to drive to New York City for a dinner instead of his home in Westchester — with the bear still in his car.
The dinner went late and he had to head to the airport. “I didn’t want to leave the bear in my car because that would have been bad,” he said. Kennedy then started discussing the recently-created bike lanes that had led to a lot of accidents in the city.
“I had an old bike in my car that somebody had asked me to get rid of and I said let’s go put the bear in Central Park and we’ll make it look like he got hit by a bike,” Kennedy continued. “Everybody thought, ‘That’s a great idea.’ So we did that and we thought it would be amusing for whoever found it or something.”
He said the story of the dead bear wound up on “the front page of every paper.”
The presidential candidate added: “I was worreid because my prints were all over that bike.”
“Luckily, the story died down after a while and it stayed dead for a decade. The New Yorker somehow found out about it, and they just – they’re gonna do a big article on me and that’s one of the articles. So they asked me, the fact checkers,” he said.
Can’t believe it? Watch the whole video for yourself...
Looking forward to seeing how you spin this one, @NewYorker… pic.twitter.com/G13taEGzba
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 4, 2024
‘Republicans for Harris’ launches with support from prominent members of Trump’s party
Sunday 4 August 2024 22:30
Kelly Rissman
Kamala Harris’ campaign launched “Republicans for Harris” with endorsements from former Donald Trump administration officials and prominent conservatives.
The initiative is “a grassroots organizing program to further outreach efforts to the millions of Republican voters who continue to reject the chaos, division, and violence of Donald Trump and his Project 2025 agenda,” the Harris campaign said in a statement on Sunday.
Notable endorsements include former White House Press Secretary and Melania Trump chief-of-staff Stephanie Grisham, and former homeland security and counterterrorism advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, Olivia Troye.
“As a national security official and lifelong Republican, I witnessed firsthand the threat Donald Trump poses to our country while working in the Trump White House,” Troye wrote. “ The stakes are too high to let partisanship jeopardize our freedoms and the Constitution.”
Read the full story...
WATCH: Trump Congratulates Vladimir Putin on Prisoner Swap
Sunday 4 August 2024 22:00
Kelly Rissman
Why Arizona’s Mark Kelly could end up being Kamala Harris’s response to JD Vance
Sunday 4 August 2024 21:30
Kelly Rissman
A first-term senator from Arizona, on paper, sounds like a perfect foil against a junior senator from Ohio, at least as running mates go.
With Kamala Harris ascending to the rank of presumptive Democratic nominee and nobody in her party apparently willing to challenge her for the nomination now that Joe Biden has dropped out of the race, all eyes have turned to Harris’s selection of a potential running mate ahead of her party’s convention, which kicks off August 19.
Read the full story...
New CBS poll shows Harris gaining traction — especially in battleground states
Sunday 4 August 2024 21:00
Kelly Rissman
The two presidential candidates are neck-and-neck, with 50 per cent of registered voters said they would support Kamala Harris while 49 per cent said they would support Donald Trump, according to the CBS poll released Sunday.
Harris and Trump are tied in battleground states, the poll showed, meaning Harris gained points over Biden, who was trailing behind Trump when he dropped out.
There has also been a boost in Democratic enthusiasm since Harris entered the race, the poll revealed. On July 18, 81 per cent of Democrats said they would ‘definitely’ vote in November compared to now, when 85 per cent said they would ‘definitely’ vote.
Regardless of political leaning, the number of Black registered voters who said they would vote dramatically increased since Biden stepped aside. Only 58 per cent of Black registered voters said they would ‘definitely’ vote on July 18, compared to 74 per cent who would now.
The poll was taken between July 30 and August 2nd. During that period, Trump questioned Kamala Harris’ ethnic background, asking at the NABJ conference: “Is she Indian or is she Black?”
‘JD Vance is a fraud. He’s not for working class people’: UAW President said
Sunday 4 August 2024 20:30
Kelly Rissman
JD Vance calling himself the most labor-friendly senator in Congress is "a complete joke," UAW President @ShawnFainUAW says.
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 4, 2024
"JD Vance is a fraud. He's not for working class people," Fain says. pic.twitter.com/0YjsYF0M8P
Speculation runs wild after Philadelphia mayor appears to leak Harris’ vice president pick
Sunday 4 August 2024 20:00
Kelly Rissman
Philadelphia’s mayor released a video urging Pennsylvanians to support the state’s Governor Josh Shapiro “for vice president,” sparking speculation that Kamala Harris’ pick for running mate had been leaked.
On Friday, Mayor Cherelle Parker posted a video on her personal social media accounts encouraging Pennsylvanians to stand behind “Kamala Harris for president” and “Josh Shapiro for vice president”, days before the presumptive Democratic nominee is expected to make her official announcement.
Proud to be back with so many leaders from across our region supporting @KamalaHarris for President and @JoshShapiroPA for VP! We are One CITY, One REGION, and ONE Commonwealth United! @PADems @PhillyDems @Joanna4PA @PADemsChair @IBEW98 @RepHarris @PALaborers pic.twitter.com/Rh1ojbRjcr
— Cherelle Parker (@PeopleforParker) August 2, 2024
“I can’t think of a better partner than our governor, Josh Shapiro,” Parker said, in the video.
The ad caused speculation to run wild across social media, with many wondering whether the mayor had accidentally revealed Harris’ running mate. The video has not been deleted as of Sunday morning.
However, The Independent has learned that Mayor Parker was simply expressing her support for a longtime ally and friend as a potential selection by Harris for the Democratic ticket.
Trump insists he and JD Vance aren’t the ‘weird ones’
Sunday 4 August 2024 19:30
Kelly Rissman
Donald Trump has insisted that he and running mate JD Vance aren’t “the weird ones” as the Republican presidential candidate works to combat Democrat messaging to the contrary.
Trump made the remarks Thursday on the “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,” a political podcast, following days of messaging from Kamala Harris’ campaign dubbing her rivals “weird.”
“Well, they’re the weird ones, and if you’ve ever seen [Kamala Harris] with the laugh and everything else, that’s a weird deal going on there,” Trump said. “They’re the weird ones. Nobody’s ever called me weird. I’m a lot of things, but weird I’m not and I’m up front, and he’s not either, I will tell you, JD is not at all, they are.”
“You notice the evening news, every one of them talk, you know, they introduced the word weird, and all of a sudden they’re talking about weird,” he continued. “Now, we’re not weird people. We’re actually just the opposite. We’re right down the middle.”
Katie Hawkinson has the latest...
Trump congratulates Putin on ‘another great deal,’ referring to prison swap
Sunday 4 August 2024 19:00
Kelly Rissman
Trump: By the way I would like to congratulate Vladimir Putin for having made yet another great deal. Did you see the deal we made? pic.twitter.com/B2xRMZQjoj
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 3, 2024
Florida Rep Byron Donalds blames media for having ‘played up’ Harris’ Indian heritage when she became Senator after Trump questioned her racial identity
Sunday 4 August 2024 18:30
Kelly Rissman
George Stephanopoulos DEMOLISHES Byron Donalds's defense of Trump's racist attacks on Kamala Harris: "The AP did not say that Kamala Harris is not Black. She is biracial. She is Indian. She is Black. You continue to repeat [Trump's] slur, but it's clear you're not gonna say… pic.twitter.com/bb4PXeIOZW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 4, 2024
Trump lays in to Biden over historic prison swap while congratulating Putin
Sunday 4 August 2024 18:00
Kelly Rissman
While speaking at the Georgia rally on Saturday evening, Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s historic prison swap — but congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I’d like to congratulate Vladimir Putin for having made yet another great d