Likely Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters that she is “ready” to debate Donald Trump and accused her Republican rival of “backpedaling” on their faceoff.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a long-awaited White House visit to meet with President Joe Biden and Harris at an important moment for all three politicians.
On Wednesday, Biden made his first address since his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. And at a campaign rally in North Carolina, Donald Trump unleashed a barrage of attack lines against Harris, whom he called his “new victim to defeat” and accused of deceiving the public about Biden’s ability to run for a second term.
Follow the AP’s Election-2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
Here’s the Latest:
Harris says she ‘will not be silent’ about suffering in Gaza, stresses complexity of the war
Harris said after her meeting with Netanyahu that Israel’s war with Hamas is complicated and that “too often, the conversation is binary when the reality is anything but.”
The vice president said she supports Israel’s right to defend itself but also described widespread suffering among Gaza’s civilian population as fighting continues.
“We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies,” she said. “We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent.”
Harris says ‘we cannot look away’ from ‘dire’ humanitarian situation in Gaza, calls for cease-fire deal to free hostages
Vice President Harris says she had a “frank and constructive meeting” with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Emphasizing that she and President Biden are “working every day” to bring home U.S. hostages being held in Gaza, she also expressed concerns about civilians being killed and displaced in Gaza, saying, “I will not be silent.”
The vice president recalled planting trees for Israel as a child and said that as a senator from California and as vice president she’s had an “unwavering commitment to the existence of the state of Israel” and its people. She said Israel has “a right to defend itself and how it does so matters.”
Harris said both sides are working toward a cease-fire and that she remains committed to a two-state solution.
Leading contenders to be Harris’s running mate are getting into the money game
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly penned a fundraising email on behalf of her presidential campaign on Thursday, telling supporters, “I couldn’t be more confident that Vice President Kamala Harris is the right person to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country into the future.”
Kelly is known as a prodigious fundraiser; in his 2022 bid to win a full six-year term in the U.S. Senate, he raked in more than $89 million, according to OpenSecrets. That was just two years after Kelly won a special election in 2020, a cycle in which he raised nearly $100 million.
Harris and Netanyahu meet
Harris met with Netanyahu in her ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. She is expected to press him on securing a deal to release the hostages kidnapped during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that launched the war.
“We have a lot to talk about,” she said as the two shook hands. “We do indeed,” he replied.
Gaza war protesters hold a ‘die-in’ near the White House as Netanyahu meets with Biden, Harris
Protesters against the Gaza war held a “die-in” across from Lafayette Park and the White House on Thursday as President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protesters poured red liquid onto the street, saying it symbolized the blood of those killed in Gaza. They chanted, “Arrest Netanyahu,” and brought in an effigy of Netanyahu with blood on its hands and wearing an orange jumpsuit. The jumpsuit reads, “Wanted for crimes against humanity.”
Relatives of US hostages call Biden-Netanyahu meeting ‘productive and honest’
Relatives of U.S hostages being held in Gaza have met with President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House, calling the discussions “productive and honest.”
Speaking to reporters afterward, the family members said they “came today with a sense of urgency” and emphasized the need to complete a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that could result in the release of their loved ones.
“We got absolute commitment from the Biden administration and from Prime Minister Netanyahu that they understand the urgency of this moment,” the relatives said. They added that they are more optimistic about a deal than they have been in months.
Protests in DC come to a close
An argument between a protestor and counter-protestor became somewhat violent and a fight nearly broke out. The protestor hit the camera of a freelance journalist before quickly escaping. The metropolitan police came in between them with about 10 officers. The altercation was brief, roughly 30 seconds.
After a protest leader decided to call the event, the crowd slowly dissipated.
Gabby Giffords stumps for Harris
Gabby Giffords, the former Democratic representative who was grievously wounded in a 2011 shooting, has taken to the campaign trail for Vice President Harris.
Speaking at Salt & Light church in Pennsylvania, Giffords met with community activists in a predominantly Black section of Philadelphia, recently hit by a series of mass shootings.
While Giffords’ husband Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro are being considered for Harris’ running mate, aides say the event had been planned long before.
Giffords and Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton — a Shapiro ally who has rooted for the governor to join Harris’ ticket — batted away questions about the race to become Harris’ VP.
Harris is beginning to vet about a dozen people for the vice presidential nomination, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential process.
On Monday, Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, another potential pick, are scheduled to headline a campaign rally for Harris in suburban Philadelphia.
Harris to appear on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’
Vice President Harris will appear on Friday’s season finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” according to a spokesperson for Paramount Media Networks, which owns MTV.
Her appearance, in which she advocates for voting, was recorded before Biden departed the race and Harris became the expected Democratic nominee.
LGBTQ+ rights issues are a major dividing line between Republicans and Democrats. At the state level, most Republican-controlled states have imposed bans in recent years on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. There have also been restrictions on transgender girls and women in girls and women’s sports and on which school bathrooms transgender people can use.
A federal regulation that takes effect next week is intended to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ students in schools. Most Republican states have sued to try to prevent enforcement, and courts have put the regulation on hold in 21 states.
Republican leaders warned members not to be racist or sexist to VP Harris. The White House suggests it ‘says a lot’
House Republican leaders have warned their colleagues not to comment on Vice President Harris’ race, sex, and ethnic background. The White House suggests it “says a lot.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says that setting “up a meeting to tell Republican leaders to stop being racist, to stop being sexist, to stop being misogynist, I think that says a lot that they have to be told to not do that.”
She added, “More broadly, I think it’s desperate, I think it’s disgusting and I think it’s a dog whistle.”
Trump the Republican party leader, in particular, has a history of leveling racist and misogynistic attacks.
Harris says she’s ‘ready’ to debate Trump
Vice President Harris has accused Trump of “backpedaling” away from a previously scheduled debate on Sept. 10.
“I’m ready. Let’s go,” she told reporters at Joint Base Andrews after returning from her trip to Indiana and Texas.
Trump has said he’s willing to debate Harris more than once, but he has sought to shift the event from ABC News to Fox News following Biden’s endorsement of the vice president.
Now out of the race, Biden’s dance card has opened up
Now that he’s no longer seeking reelection, President Biden has more time for travel — but where he’ll go during the final months of his presidency remains to be seen.
“We still have a lot more to do,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during her briefing with reporters.
She said she couldn’t preview upcoming travel or other plans Biden might have now that he’s not seeking a second term, but said, “We will certainly have more to share.”
National Security spokesman John Kirby was asked about foreign travel, including a trip to Africa that Biden once pledged to take but hasn’t come to fruition.
“Now that he’s not running for reelection, certainly, you can expect that there will be opportunities on the calendar that may not have been there before,” Kirby said.
He said that full details are still being assessed.
Illinois governor won’t say whether he’s being considered for Harris’ running mate
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker isn’t commenting on reports that he is among the candidates in consideration for Vice President Harris’ running mate.
“I don’t want to talk about any private conversations I’ve had,” the second-term Democratic governor said Thursday. “I will say that I have said directly to the vice president that I’m going to do everything and anything necessary to make sure that we defeat Donald Trump and JD Vance.”
Pritzker declined to comment on whether he would want the vice president job.
“I really have been honored to have been elected twice as governor of the state of Illinois. I really enjoy the work,” he said. “There’s not much that would pull me away from the job.”
‘Freedom’ has a long history in presidential campaign songs
In Vice President Kamala Harris’ first 2024 presidential campaign video, a familiar rhythm rings out. The clip, which touches on issues of gun violence, health care, and abortion, is soundtracked by Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” a cut from her 2016 landmark album, “Lemonade.”
“Freedom” has become a campaign song for Harris, evoking a long history of presidential campaign songs using a title or hook highlighting freedom or liberty: In 1800, John Adams used the song “Adams and Liberty” and Thomas Jefferson used “The Son of Liberty.” In 1860, Abraham Lincoln used “Lincoln and Liberty.” As recent as 2012, Mitt Romney used Kid Rock’s “Born Free.”
Kinitra D. Brooks, an academic and author of “The Lemonade Reader,” says the Beyoncé song centers on “the idea that you must fight for freedom, and that it is winnable,” referencing some of the lyrics in the chorus: “I break chains all by myself / Won’t let my freedom rot in hell / Hey! I’ma keep running / ’Cause a winner don’t quit on themselves.”
Netanyahu praises Biden’s ‘support for the state of Israel’
Netanyahu and Biden have had ups and downs over the years. Netanyahu, in what could be his last White House meeting with Biden, reflected on the roughly 40 years they’ve known each other.
“From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish-American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” Netanyahu told Biden at the start of their meeting.
The president thanked Netanyahu and noted that his first meeting with an Israeli prime minister, Golda Meir, was in 1973 soon after he was elected to the Senate. Biden joked that he was only 12 years old at the time.
Netanyahu arrives at the White House
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made his long-awaited White House visit to meet with President Joe Biden at an important moment for both politicians.
Netanyahu’s first White House visit since before President Donald Trump left office in 2020, comes at a time of growing pressure on all three to find an endgame to the nine-month war that’s left more than 39,000 dead in Gaza. Dozens of Israeli hostages are still languishing in Hamas captivity.
Netanyahu is also scheduled to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris later today.
Protesters return to Capitol Hill, turn their attention to the White House
After a mass demonstration Wednesday outside the Capitol, Gaza war protesters turned their focus to the White House, where President Joe Biden planned to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day Thursday.
The protesters chanted, “Arrest Netanyahu,” and brought in an effigy of Netanyahu with blood on its hands and wearing an orange jumpsuit.
The jumpsuit reads, “Wanted for crimes against humanity.”
A small number of counter-protesters wore Israeli flags around their shoulders.
Defense secretary praises Harris as a ‘key player’
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says Vice President Kamala Harris has been a “key player” on many critical national security decisions, including the administration’s decisions on Ukraine and strikes to defend U.S. troops in the Middle East.
“She’s represented this country in the international arena on the international stage a number of times and done so in a very, very professional and effective manner,” Austin said at a Pentagon press conference Tuesday.
PAC run by George Conway targets Trump himself with new ad
One of Donald Trump’s most aggressive Republican critics is trying to get into the former president’s head with mockery of what’s already in it.
“Anti-Psychopath PAC,” a group run by George Conway, is launching a 60-second spot with footage of Trump’s most infamous verbal missteps and odd-ball claims, superimposed over an image of his brain in a cartoonish profile of his head.
In a statement, the PAC explains the ad has one target: Trump himself.
It will run for two weeks only on Fox News, ESPN, and the Golf Channel in cable markets surrounding Trump’s Bedminster resort in New Jersey and Mar-a-Lago resort in south Florida.
The reel includes Trump:
—
