Kamala Harris will make her first appearance with her choice of running mate in Philadelphia on Tuesday, her campaign says — stressing that she has not yet made a decision who that will be.
As donations to her campaign have soared, this evening the vice president continues her fast-paced schedule with two events in Houston one of which more than doubled its donation target.
On Tuesday night she delivered a fierce address in her first rally since becoming the Democrats’ likely presidential nominee alongside rap stars Quavo and Megan Thee Stallion as she dared Donald Trump to take the debate stage.
The roar of 10,000 enthusiastic supporters welcomed the vice president as she took to the podium in Atlanta, Georgia – a key swing state Democrats narrowly carried in 2020 that was feared lost during Joe Biden’s re-election bid.
As tensions between the two presidential candidates continue to intensify, including both camps launching scathing new attack adverts, Harris invited Trump to exchange barbs in person, urging: “If you got something to say, say it to my face!”
Megan Thee Stallion helped rile up the crowd which she coined as “Hotties for Harris”, declaring that the US is set to “make history with the first female president. The first black female president”.
Key Points
- Harris fundraiser in Houston rakes in $2.5m, more than doubling target
- Harris and her VP pick will tour battleground states next week - sources
- Harris slams Trump on killing border bill at star-studded rally featuring Megan Thee Stallion
- White Dudes for Harris rakes in cash for Kamala Harris
- Trump defends JD Vance’s sexist comments: ‘I think women understand’
Where Kamala Harris’s ‘White-Boy Summer’ goes from here
23:15
Oliver O'Connell
Eric Garcia writes:
It’s kind of hard to ignore the fact that white guys who support Vice President Kamala Harris are having a moment.
During Harris’ rally in Atlanta, Parker Short, the president of the Georgia Young Democrats, went viral for dancing along to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not like Us”. And the current VP is virtually guaranteed to pick a white male Democrat as her running mate, whether it be Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly or Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Then there was the surprisingly wholesome White Dudes for Harris Zoom call that raised $4 million thanks to cameos from Mark Ruffalo, Mark Hamill, Pete Buttigieg and “The Dude” himself, Jeff Bridges, — before Elon Musk’s X/Twitter briefly shut down the account for the call. And of course, Harris has benefited from the fact that the White Boy in Chief, Joe Biden, chose to not seek re-election and endorsed her.
But all the jokes about Harris’s White Boy Summer, as The Atlantic called it, underpin a more serious predicament: to win the White House, Harris will genuinely need to shore up a lot more support among white men.
Read on...
Insiders torn on whether ‘nepo baby’ Andy Beshear should be Harris running mate
22:45
Oliver O'Connell
Andrew Feinberg writes:
There’s a tradition of people with famous names getting into national politics by way of what John Adams called “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived,” also known as the vice presidency of the United States.
Both George HW Bush and Al Gore each served in the second-highest office in America after coming into politics as the son of a famous father, using their family reputation as a stepping-stone.
So if Kamala Harris chooses Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to be her running-mate — and if she defeats Donald Trump to become the 47th President of the United States — Beshear would find himself in good company.
Read on...
Over 100 Silicon Valley tycoons back Harris’ bid for president
22:15
Oliver O'Connell
More than 100 venture capitalists pledged to support Vice President Kamala Harris — the Democrats’ answer to the steady stream of Silicon Valley bigwigs who have vowed to back Donald Trump.
“VCs for Kamala” includes LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban and billionaire Chris Sacca.
“We the undersigned are Venture Capital investors, founders and tech leaders who pledge to vote for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election,” a statement on the website says.
Kelly Rissman has the story.
Harris blasts Trump’s ‘crappy Jew’ interview as ex-president repeats antisemitic attacks
21:53
Oliver O'Connell
Kamala Harris’s campaign has ripped into Donald Trump’s latest antisemitic statements after he agreed with a right-wing radio host that the vice president’s Jewish husband Doug Emhoff is a “crappy” and “horrible Jew.”
Trump has tried to leverage division among Democrats over Israel’s war in Gaza by painting his political rivals as antisemitic, despite his own lengthy history of attacking Jewish Americans and conflating criticism of Israel’s attacks with anti-Jewish prejudice.
During an appearance on New York’s WABC radio on Tuesday, Trump said Jewish voters who support Democratic candidates are “fools” who “should have their head examined.”
Alex Woodward reports.
UAW endorses Harris for president ahead Detroit rally
21:33
Oliver O'Connell
The UAW International Executive Board has voted to endorse Kamala Harris for President of the United States.
A statement from the UAW says that Harris’s historic candidacy builds on the Biden-Harris administration’s proven track record of standing with the UAW and delivering major gains for the working class.
“Years before the Stand Up Strike, Kamala Harris walked the picket line with striking autoworkers in 2019, has taken on corporate price-gouging and profiteering, and has spoken out and voted against unfair trade deals that hurt the American worker like NAFTA and NAFTA 2.0, the USMCA,” it further says.
The announcement comes before a planned rally in Detroit on August 7 at which Harris will be present with her choice for running mate.
Vice President Harris will also meet directly with UAW members and leaders to hear about the issues that matter to Michigan workers.
“Our job in this election is to defeat Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris to build on her proven track record of delivering for the working class,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “We stand at a crossroads in this country. We can put a billionaire back in office who stands against everything our union stands for, or we can elect Kamala Harris who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us in our war on corporate greed. This campaign is bringing together people from all walks of life, building a movement that can defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box. For our one million active and retired members, the choice is clear: We will elect Kamala Harris to be our next President this November.”
Reacting to the news, Harris campaign manager Julia Chavez Rodriguez, said: “Vice President Harris is honored to receive the endorsement of the United Auto Workers, and knows it comes with the responsibility to fight for unions and working families as she’s done her whole career.
“Vice President Harris is no stranger to fighting for unions. From walking a picket line with striking UAW workers to casting the deciding vote for the Butch Lewis Act and taking on big banks to protect over $300m in union retirement funds as California’s Attorney General, Kamala Harris has a long, proven record of delivering for unions and organized labor. As President, Kamala Harris will continue to fight like hell for union workers and their families.
“Workers across the country have so much at stake in this election. Donald Trump will gut workers’ rights, ship jobs overseas, and give tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of working people. With the immense organizing power of the UAW at her side, this campaign will reach out to auto workers across the country and send Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.”
21:15
Oliver O'Connell
Full story: Trump claims Kamala Harris only recently ‘became a Black woman’ in unhinged remarks to Black journalists
21:00
Oliver O'Connell
Moments into a heated question-and-answer session with Black journalists in Chicago, Donald Trump claimed that vice president Kamala Harris “happened to turn Black” only recently.
“I didn’t know she was Black,” he said on Wednesday. “She happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black? ... I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t, because she was Indian all the way and all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black person.”
Trump — responding to questions about whether he agrees with Republican allies who claimed that she was selected to run for office only because of her race — frequently interrupted and sparred with three Black women media workers at the National Association of Black Journalists conference.
Read Alex Woodward’s report:
In latest misogynist rant, Trump says world leaders will walk all over Harris because of ‘how she looks’
20:45
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has claimed that Kamala Harris would be treated as a “play toy” by world leaders because of “how she looks” in the latest misogynistic comments to emerge from his camp.
The former president told Fox News Laura Ingraham in an interview, part of which aired on Tuesday night, that the vice president’s appearance means other leaders will “walk all over her”.
“She’ll be like a play toy,” he said. “They look at her and they say, ‘We can’t believe we got so lucky.’ They’re going to walk all over her.”
Rachel Sharp reports.
‘Weird’ Vance attacks start to stick as Harris reverses Democrat poll bleeding
20:15
Oliver O'Connell
The efforts to paint JD Vance and former President Donald Trump as “weird” appear to be paying off.
Kamala Harris entered her second week as a presidential candidate on Monday, and a slew of new polling indicates that her “honeymoon” period is not coming to an end just yet.
With the formerly-Biden, now-Harris campaign pushing out a new memo to reporters detailing the strength of the vice president’s candidacy as the week began, all the signs indicate that momentum is clearly shifting in the US presidential race. The campaign woke up on Monday morning to a pair of new polls from ABC News and the Wall Street Journal indicating what many had suspected for days: Kamala Harris has now completed a virtual reset of the presidential race’s dynamic, erasing months of bleeding suffered by the campaign when Joe Biden was at the top.
John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.
After Trump team touts ‘demise’ of Project 2025, Harris campaign calls BS
19:45
Oliver O'Connell
Kamala Harris’s campaign warned Democrats not to be fooled by statements from the Trump campaign on Tuesday after the director of the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” policy effort announced that he would step down.
While two top advisers to the former president claimed victory in a statement which blustered about the fates of any Republican who falsely claimed to speak for Donald Trump, the Harris campaign and even the Heritage Foundation said that the bulk of Project 2025’s work would continue.
John Bowden and Andrew Feinberg report from Washington, DC.
Ella Emhoff whisked away from NYC restaurant by Secret Service after irate man confronted an agent outside
19:15
Oliver O'Connell
Ella Emhoff, the 25-year-old stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris, was rushed out of a New York City restaurant after a man “caused damage” to Secret Service vehicles parked outside after confronting an agent.
The incident occurred around 12.40 pm Tuesday along Hudson Street and North Moore Street in the Tribeca neighborhood, an NYPD spokesperson told The Independent.
Kelly Rissman has the full story.
Watch: Doug Emhoff and friends get in on the TikTok ‘pass the phone’ trend
18:45
Oliver O'Connell
The second gentleman Doug Emhoff is joined by David Lettermen and Jack Schlossberg to get in on the latest TikTok trend in support of Kamala Harris.
Passing the phone—gentlemen’s edition.@Letterman @JBKSchlossberg pic.twitter.com/UQye7SuCW2
— Doug Emhoff (@DouglasEmhoff) July 31, 2024
Maya Rudolph will reprise her SNL fan-favorite Kamala Harris impression
18:15
Oliver O'Connell
Today, in great news...
Maya Rudolph will reportedly bring back her popular impression of Vice President Kamala Harris to the new season of Saturday Night Live.
Rudolph, who was a regular cast member on the NBC sketch series from 2000 to 2007, made one of several returns to the show in 2019 where she debuted her portrayal of the VP.
Inga Parkel reports.
X reinstates ‘White Dudes for Harris’ account
17:45
Oliver O'Connell
Elon Musk’s social media platform X reinstated the “White Dudes for Harris” account after sparking outrage by briefly suspending it.
“White Dudes for Harris” was reinstated on Tuesday and is back to posting to its nearly 100,000 followers. The group, composed of white men who support the vice president, is not affiliated with Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Boebert mocked after X fight with Harris VP hopeful Buttigieg
17:15
Oliver O'Connell
Lauren Boebert is being mocked on X after trying to prove Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrong as the two sparred over a possible presidential debate.
Buttigieg, a contender for Kamala Harris’ running mate, posted on X criticizing Donald Trump for pulling out of his commitment to a September debate: “Has a presidential nominee ever agreed to a debate, then pulled out? Remarkable show of weakness here.”
Buttigieg’s comment came in response to a post from a reporter revealing Trump is backing out of the tentative September 10 debate on ABC News, which he originally agreed to.
Katie Hawkinson reports.
Watch: As ‘double-hater’ numbers fall away, might we see record turnout in 2024?
16:50
Oliver O'Connell
I wouldn't be shocked by record turnout in 2024. In a major turnaround from pre-Biden dropping out, more voters now say they're almost certain to vote than at this point in 2020.
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) July 31, 2024
Why? Folks actually like their choices for president. The "double-hater" % has dropped significantly pic.twitter.com/tjLWcJs0JO
Harris to hold Philadelphia rally with vice president pick on Tuesday
16:30
Oliver O'Connell
Kamala Harris will hold her first rally with her new vice presidential nominee on Tuesday August 6 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the start of a four-day tour of battleground states, the vice president’s campaign has said.
There is great speculation that the location of the first stop suggests Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has moved to the top of a short list of running mates.
It may also indicate that the Harris campaign sees the state as a must-win in order to keep the White House. Democrats won Pennsylvania back from Republicans in 2020, helping put Joe Biden into office.
After Philadelphia, Harris and her vice presidential pick will travel to six other locations
- Western Wisconsin
- Detroit, Michigan
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Savannah, Georgia
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Las Vegas, Nevada
The campaign revealed the itinerary in a statement late on Tuesday night, adding a “strong reminder” that Harris has “made no decision on a running mate”.
Harris is expected to announce the decision as soon as Monday, ahead of Tuesday's event, sources told Reuters.
The shortlist of candidates under consideration includes Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
Last night: Harris slams Trump on killing border bill at star-studded rally featuring Megan Thee Stallion
16:15
Oliver O'Connell
If Donald Trump wants to make illegal immigration a campaign issue, Vice President Kamala Harris is more than happy to have that fight.
Harris opened her appearance before a crowd of 10,000 in Atlanta on Tuesday by taking aim at Trump’s record — criminal and otherwise — and calling out the ex-president for killing the bipartisan immigration bill that was crafted by one of the nation’s most conservative senators earlier this year.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Watch: Claire McCaskill says people won’t forget Vance comment on childless people
16:00
Oliver O'Connell
"This comment will move those disengaged independent voters more than anything else. Because it is a personal insult that is hurtful in a way that people don't forget."
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 31, 2024
— @clairecmc on Vance calling people without children 'more sociopathic' pic.twitter.com/iHkQ6O1dEV
Buttigieg roasts Trump for using Hulk Hogan and Kid Rock to appeal to working man
15:45
Oliver O'Connell
Pete Buttigieg has ridiculed Donald Trump for relying on celebrities like Hulk Hogan and Kid Rock to “appeal to the working man” at the Republican National Convention.
Buttigieg, Biden’s transportation secretary and a potential running mate for Kamala Harris, roasted the former president during an appearance on The Daily Show on Monday with Jon Stewart. Buttigieg also criticized the GOP’s historically anti-union stance during his interview with Stewart.
Katie Hawkinson reports.
What’s on the agenda for Kamala Harris today?
15:38
Oliver O'Connell
Today, Vice President Kamala Harris will have lunch with President Joe Biden at the White House before flying down to Houston for a campaign fundraiser and to speak at the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc’s 60th International Biennial Boulé.
The fundraiser has raked in an impressive $2.5m despite being organized in just four days with an initial goal of $1m, an official told CNN.
It was organized by Sima Ladjevardian, a Texas lawyer who ran for Congress against Rep Dan Crenshaw. Reps Al Green, Lizzie Fletcher, and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo are expected to attend.
The Sigma Gamma Rho event marks Harris’s third such appearance this month. The sorority is part of the Divine Nine, a group of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities, which while they don’t make political endorsements, can mobilize voters through their vast alumni network.
Watch: Hakeem Jeffries says Harris is ‘problem solver’ whereas Trump ‘weaponizes issues’
15:30
Oliver O'Connell
Hakeem Jeffries: "[Trump] never met a policy that he had any idea of studying or understanding. He just weaponizes issues, for instance, like the border, to gain political power ... Kamala Harris is a problem solver." pic.twitter.com/xxsEFUP4UZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2024
15:15
Oliver O'Connell
Watch: Claire McCaskill sums up the differing tones of the two campaigns
15:00
Oliver O'Connell
.@clairecmc: "That's the biggest contrast in this campaign now— Democrats are having fun and it's about joy and opportunity and freedom. And the other side is about cat ladies and electrocuting boats, the stuff that most Americans are going, well that doesn't really move me." pic.twitter.com/KKMyONfzfT
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 31, 2024
Southern border arrests expected to drop 30% in July to a new low for Biden’s presidency
14:45
AP
United States-Mexico border arrests have plummeted about 30% in July to a new low for Joe Biden‘s presidency, U.S. authorities said, raising prospects that a temporary ban on asylum may be lifted soon.
The U.S. Border Patrol is expected to arrest migrants about 57,000 times during the month, down from 83,536 arrests in June, the previous low mark of Biden’s presidency, according to two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity because the figures had not been released publicly.
Continue reading...
Daily Show host destroys JD Vance’s attacks on childless people
14:21
James Liddell
The Daily Show host Ronnie Chieng has destroyed JD Vance’s sexist stance on so-called “childless cat ladies”, pointing out a major flaw in his attacks.
On Tuesday’s late-night show, the 38-year-old comedian pointed to the ongoing scandal surrounding Donald Trump’s running mate for the 2024 presidential election after his controversial comments resurfaced last week.
“One of the weird things that they’ve been hitting them on is this comment Vance made in 2021,” Chieng said.
“Yeah, I mean, if you have friends who’ve chosen not to have kids, you know how totally miserable they are,” he quipped, before joking: “‘Oh, no, I’ve got too much disposable income! My life is so hard! I can fly business class! I still have a sex life, please kill me!’”
Rachel Sharp has more.
Trump says Harris will be treated as a ‘play toy’ by world leaders over ‘how she looks’
14:02
James Liddell
Donald Trump has claimed that Kamala Harris would be treated as a “play toy” by world leaders because of “how she looks” in the latest misogynistic comments to emerge from his camp.
The former president told Fox News Laura Ingraham in an interview, part of which aired on Tuesday night, that the vice president’s appearance means other leaders will “walk all over her”.
“She’ll be like a play toy,” he said. “They look at her and they say, ‘We can’t believe we got so lucky.’ They’re going to walk all over her.”
Rachel Sharp has more.
Fleet of ‘Harris for president’ golf carts run rampant through Maga stronghold
13:41
James Liddell
Hundreds of golf carts brandishing the star-spangled banner and ‘Harris for President’ banners drove through a Florida retirement community over the weekend.
Drivers tooted their horns and taunted Maga supporters as they drove their vehicles around The Villages in Sumter county.
The retirement community has remained staunchly pro-Donald Trump for almost a decade, according to theWashington Post.
President of Villages Democratic Club Denis Foley, that organised the event, predicted that more than 500 people turned-out on Saturday.
A day later, the Villages MAGA Club announced it would host a rival golf cart caravan to support golf-loving Trump and his running mate JD Vance in their bid for the White House.
Looks like folks in The Villages FL are showing up to #AnswerTheCall2024 for #Kamala4President2024
— Sherry Pagoto (@DrSherryPagoto) July 27, 2024
Huge golf cart parade in a historically very red place! FLIP IT BLUE! pic.twitter.com/tNrJ5YM4Iu
Jesse Watters says men who support Kamala Harris are ‘childish’ and have ‘mommy issues’
13:21
James Liddell
Harris expected to announce running mate by next Tuesday
13:00
Josh Marcus
The veepstakes is nearly done.
Kamala Harris is reportedly set to announce her pick for running mate within the next week, ahead of a planned rally in Philadelphia next Tuesday, Politico reports.
Donald Trump’s nephew says he ‘will be voting’ for Kamala Harris
12:41
James Liddell
Fred Trump III has disavowed uncle Donald as he announced his endorsement of Kamala Harris’ run for the White House.
It marks the third consecutive election where Trump’s 61-year-old nephew has refused to vote for the former president, instead voting for the Democrats.
“I believe in policy over politics, and without question, Kamala Harris’s policies are what I get behind,” he said on Tuesday’s episode of ABC’s The View.
“So I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
Fred Trump III added that he would campaign for he “without hesitation”.
His endorsement of the vice president’s election bid comes just days after making a scathing claim in his new memoir All in the Family that his uncle said that disabled Americans “should just die”.
Megan Thee Stallion brands crowd ‘Hotties for Harris’ at Atlanta rally
12:21
James Liddell
Megan Thee Stallion cheekily branded a crowd of 10,000 ‘Hotties for Harris’ during the vice president’s address in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday.
The Texas rapper, 29, performed at the event in Georgia in front of a crowd of 10,0000, as the vice president and Democratic candidate continues her campaign for president.
The Grammy winner performed four songs at the rally: “Girls in the Hood”, “Mamushi”, “Body”, and “Savage”.
Megan Thee Stallion also called Harris “our future president” and told the crowd they were “about to make history with the first female president – the first Black female president.”
Ellie Harrison has more.
Let the attack ads begin
12:00
Josh Marcus
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has launched a $50 million ad buy in hopes of introducing her to voters by highlighting her background as a hard-charging California prosecutor who rose to be the Golden State’s top law enforcement official.
The Harris campaign on Tuesday rolled out its first major television advertisement, called “Fearless,” and featuring footage taken from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin rally she held last week.
The 30-second spot opens with a narrator stating that “fearless” is “the one thing Kamala Harris has always been.”
The voiceover continues by relating how she “put murders and abusers behind bars” as a prosecutor and “went after the big banks and won $20 billion for homeowners” as California’s Attorney General.
Andrew Feinberg reports.
Republican firebrand Kari Lake wins Arizona Senate primary
11:45
James Liddell
Kari Lake has come out victorious in the Republican Senate primary in Arizona as she gets set to face-off against Democratic Rep Ruben Gallego.
The Republican firebrand was largely expected by her party to replace retiring Senator Kyrsten Sinema. It follows the former newscaster’s failed run for Arizona governor in 2022 as she narrowly lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs.
Lake is a staunch follower of president Donald Trump, and has continued to trumpet the false claim that the 2020 election, won by Joe Biden, was stolen from the former president.
“Knowing that I’m Trump-endorsed is important to a lot of people here in Arizona,” Lake, who drives around in a bus brandished with “endorsed by Donald Trump,” said.
“This is not a battle between Democrats and Republicans. This is a battle between good and evil,” Lake said at her election night event.
Rachel Sharp has the story...
Watch: Kamala Harris launches attack ad against Donald Trump
11:26
James Liddell
11:05
James Liddell
Marjorie Taylor Greene has attacked Kamala Harris for campaigning in the representative’s “own state” following the vice president’s rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday.
The Georgia lawmaker slammed presumptive Democratic presidential nominee a “radical extremist Democrat” as she launched into a social media tirade on Tuesday evening.
It comes after Harris’ fiery address in the key swing state to a riled-up crowd of 10,000 where she pledged to enhance border security and cut prices if she wins the election in November. The Vice president also called out Donald Trump for shying away from a televised debate.
“We have another radical extremist Democrat campaigning in my home state of Georgia and this time it’s Kamala Harris,” Greene wrote on X.
“Georgia REJECTS radical extremist Democrat policies because we LOVE America.”
In another post on X, Greene declared that “Georgia is TRUMP COUNTRY,” sharing a graphic of the pair ahead of the former president’s rally in Atlanta on Saturday.
The ‘10-day countdown’ looming over the Trump campaign
10:30
Josh Marcus
If Donald Trump is having doubts about JD Vance as his running mate, he doesn’t have long to choose a replacement, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“The addition of JD Vance on this ticket is an incredibly bad