Harris claims most of the delegates she needs for the nomination, sets new fundraising record
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has received the backing of more than two-thirds of the Democratic delegates she needs to become her party’s nominee. She has also set a new fundraising record in her first 24 hours as a presidential candidate, as top Democrats move to coalesce around her in their bid to defeat Republican Donald Trump. Aiming to put weeks of intraparty drama over President Joe Biden’s candidacy and prospects in November behind them, prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organizations are quickly lining up behind Harris. The Democratic worries over Biden’s fitness for office have been replaced by fresh signs of party unity.
Secret Service director, grilled by lawmakers on the Trump assassination attempt, says ‘we failed’
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secret Service’s director says the roof where a shooter opened fire at Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally was identified as a potential vulnerability days before the event. Director Kimberly Cheatle made the comments Monday as she was grilled by lawmakers over the July 13 assassination attempt of the Republican presidential nominee. Cheatle acknowledges the agency was told about a suspicious person “between two and five times” before the assassination attempt of the former president. Cheatle told lawmakers during a congressional hearing, “On July 13, we failed.” Cheatle was berated for hours by Republicans and Democrats, repeatedly angering lawmakers by evading questions about the investigation into the shooting.
JD Vance slams Kamala Harris during his solo campaign debut as the GOP vice presidential nominee
RADFORD, Va. (AP) — Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has used his first solo campaign appearances to throw fresh barbs at Vice President Kamala Harris. His rallies in Ohio and Virginia on Monday came a day after President Joe Biden threw the presidential election into upheaval by dropping out and endorsing his second-in-command to lead Democrats against Donald Trump. The venues were intended to play up Vance’s populist appeal across the Rust Belt and small-town America. Vance said that “history will remember Joe Biden as not just a quitter, which he is, but as one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States of America.” But he added that “Kamala Harris is a million times worse and everybody knows it.”
Biden’s withdrawal injects uncertainty into wars, trade disputes and other foreign policy challenges
Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the U.S. presidential race injects greater uncertainty into the world at a time when Western leaders are grappling with wars in Ukraine and Gaza, a more assertive China in Asia and the rise of the far right in Europe. During a five-decade career in politics, Biden developed extensive personal relationships with multiple foreign leaders that none of the potential replacements on the Democratic ticket can match. The scope of foreign policy challenges facing the next U.S. president makes clear how consequential what happens in Washington is for the rest of the planet.
Bodycam video reveals chaotic scene of deputy fatally shooting Sonya Massey, who called 911 for help
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Officials have released body camera video that reveals a chaotic scene in which a Black woman in Springfield, Illinois, who called 911 for help was shot in the face in her home by a white sheriff’s deputy. The video released Monday shows a tense moment in which former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson yells at Sonya Massey over moving a pot from the stove. He threatens to shoot her, Massey ducks and Grayson fires his pistol at her three times. Grayson has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
Israel’s Netanyahu walks political tightrope on Washington trip following Biden’s exit from race
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is headed to Washington, leaving behind a brutal war to make a politically precarious speech before a joint session of Congress. The departure Monday comes at a time of great uncertainty following U.S. President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race. With efforts ongoing to bring about a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, rising concerns of the war spreading to Lebanon and Yemen, and the U.S. in the midst of a dizzying election campaign, Netanyahu’s speech has the potential to cause disarray on both sides of the ocean. The risks only increased with Biden’s decision Sunday to drop out of the race.
Missouri judge overturns the murder conviction of a man imprisoned for more than 30 years
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri judge has overturned the conviction of Christopher Dunn, who has spent more than 30 years in prison for a killing he has long contended he didn’t commit. Monday’s ruling is likely to free Dunn, but it isn’t immediately clear when. Dunn was convicted of killing a 15-year-old boy in 1990. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore filed a motion in February to vacate the verdict, citing evidence of “actual innocence.” The Missouri Attorney General’s Office opposed the motion. It argued that testimony from two boys at the scene who identified Dunn as the shooter was correct, even though they later recanted. The Attorney General’s Office is appealing.
Conservatives use shooting at Trump rally to attack DEI efforts at Secret Service
Several Republican lawmakers seized on gender and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the Secret Service as among the reasons for security lapses during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. It is part of a wider conservative backlash against DEI that has been on the rise since last June, when the Supreme Court ruled to end affirmative action in college admissions. The latest attack materialized in full view during a Congressional hearing Monday against the Secret Service and its director, Kimberly Cheatle. But the criticism had been brewing since July 13, Â when several conservatives questioned whether women were fit for law enforcement. Cheatle defended the DEI efforts while others called the allegations an attempt to score political points.
CrowdStrike CEO called to testify to Congress over cybersecurity’s firm role in global tech outage
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. House leaders are calling on CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz to testify to Congress about the cybersecurity company’s role in sparking the widespread tech outage that grounded flights, knocked banks and hospital systems offline and affected services around the world. CrowdStrike said this week a “significant number” of the millions of computers that crashed on Friday, causing global disruptions, are back in operation as its customers and regulators await a more detailed explanation of what went wrong. Republicans who lead the House Homeland Security committee said Monday they want those answers soon.
Harris steps into the limelight. And the coconut trees and memes have followed
If you’re trying to get up to speed on Vice President Kamala Harris’ swift emergence as Democrats’ possible nominee this fall, you really need to know your memes. From “brat summer” to “coconut tree,” it’s been a timeline full of Harris-related memes for many people since President Joe Biden exited the 2024 presidential race on Sunday and endorsed his No. 2 to lead the party. Harris’ backers are at times crafting new spins on previous online organisms that at one time had been used by Harris’ detractors to throw shade. There are also celebrities getting in the mix, with some of the association seen as a tidal wave of fresh attention on Harris’ candidacy.
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