Kamala Harris accepts Democratic nomination | National News

The Democratic National Convention’s fourth and final night Thursday is crescendoing with a speech from Vice President Kamala Harris.

After a week of Democrats’ most prominent figures rallying the party faithful, Harris has accepted her party’s nomination for president during a speech in which she’s widely expected to offer her vision and policy agenda to the American people.

The theme of the final night is “For Our Future,” according to convention organizers.

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Harris reflects on her parents’ social-justice values

Harris drew a direct line between her current values and politics with her upbringing in a civil rights-oriented household. Harris noted that her parents met amid the civil rights movement and raised her with values of social justice.

“My mother was a five-foot-tall, brown woman with an accent,” Harris said. “And as the eldest child … I saw how the world would sometimes treat her, but my mother never lost her cool,” Harris said.

“She taught us to never complain about injustice but to do something about it,” Harris said to cheers. “And she also told us to never do something ‘half-assed.’ And that is a direct quote,” Harris said.

Harris honors her parents

Harris might be a well-known figure as vice president, but, on the biggest stage of her presidential campaign thus far, she’s still taking the opportunity to get into some biography.

After a speech by her sister, Maya, who made repeated references to their mother’s accomplishments, Harris — who doesn’t frequently mention her father — spoke about both of her parents, then her upbringing, primarily at the hands of her mother.

In an emotional tribute to her mother and father, Harris talked about the lessons she learned from both her parents who divorced when she was young. “My mother would stay, stay close,” she said. “But my father would say as he smiled, ‘Run Kamala! Run! Don’t be afraid. Don’t let anything stop you.’”

Kamala Harris is on the stage for the fourth and final night of the DNC

Harris was greeted by an ovation that spanned nearly 3 minutes before she was able to begin her speech.

“OK, let’s get to business,” Harris said after thunderous cheers drowned out her attempts to get started.

“And happy anniversary, Dougie,” she said, marking their 10th wedding anniversary.

Gov. Roy Cooper knows the crowd wants Harris

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper isn’t beating around the bush in prime-time programming: He knows delegates are ready to hear from their nominee.

Cooper took the stage Thursday noting that he’s “the last guy standing between you and the moment we’re all waiting for” — Harris’ acceptance of the Democratic nomination.

Cooper recalled how he served alongside Harris when both were attorneys general in their respective states.

Cooper’s name had been floated as a possible VP for Harris after she ascended to the top of Democrats’ ticket.

Maya Harris honors her and Kamala’s mother

Harris’ sister is, as the VP often does, talking about her mother’s support in her daughters growing up to be strong women.

Maya Harris says that her mother “was a trailblazer who defied the odds and defied herself.”

Kamala Harris often talks about her mother’s influence on her understanding of the world and her commitment to fighting for the rights of others.

“Kamala’s entire life has been about fighting for each of us to have that freedom,” Maya Harris said, of her sister.

Getting choked up, Maya Harris said she wished her mother could be present in the hall tonight, saying she could envision seeing her smiling and saying “how proud she is of Kamala,” before telling “all of us to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

‘You never thought you’d see me here, did you?’

Rep. Adam Kinzinger was the latest Republican to speak on the DNC stage in support of the Harris-Walz ticket. Kinzinger retired from Congress after he criticized his own party in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a bid to stop Joe Biden from becoming president. Kinzinger, at the invitation of Democrats, defied his leadership to join Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming as a member of the House committee investigating the attack.

“Some have questioned why I’ve taken the stand I have,” Kinzinger said. “The answer is simple, ladies and gentlemen. We must put country first. And tonight, as a Republican speaking before you, I’m putting our country first.”

Trump changes his tune on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp

Just weeks ago, the former president delivered a series of blistering attacks at a rally against the Georgia governor.

But in a social media post, Trump thanked Kemp “for all of your help and support in Georgia, where a win is so important to the success of our Party and, most importantly, our Country.”

“I look forward to working with you, your team, and all of my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.

His worlds marked a major departure from his comments at a rally earlier this month, where Trump tore into the governor, blaming him for his narrow 2020 loss in the state.

In a roughly 10-minute tirade, Trump railed against Kemp for not giving into his false theories of election fraud and also blamed the governor for not stopping a local district attorney from prosecuting him and several associates for his efforts to overturn the results.

“He’s a bad guy. He’s a disloyal guy. And he’s a very average governor,” Trump said then. “Little Brian, little Brian Kemp. Bad guy.”

Eva Longoria also worked at a fast-food restaurant

Actress Eva Longoria says that Harris “worked at McDonald’s, but I worked at Wendy’s.”

“And look at us now,” Longoria declared.

Harris has frequently discussed previously working at McDonald’s as she works to make her middle-class upbringing more relatable to voters.

Beyoncé will not attend the DNC

Beyoncé will not be attending Thursday’s Democratic National Convention, according to a source involved in the evening’s planning. Speculation about a potential surprise appearance by the music superstar spread like wildfire ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech.

‘Big Gretch’ thinks Trump is out of touch

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, and that’s the sort of welcome she got at the United Center.

The Michigan Democrat took the stage to big cheers, telling the at-capacity crowd that she’s known in Detroit as “Big Gretch,” and, as a woman, knows how to “GSD — get stuff done.”

Talking about Harris, Whitmer said the Democratic nominee “gets us. She sees us. She is us.”

But of the GOP nominee, Whitmer went on, “Donald Trump doesn’t know you, at all.”

“Hell, you think he’s even been to a grocery store?” Whitmer asked, implying Trump is out of touch with the needs of everyday Americans.

Whitmer’s name is often mentioned as a future presidential candidate for Democrats.

Swing state officials get prime speaking (and seating)

They’ll play a big role in the general election, but the swing states are also being well represented at this week’s DNC.

Throughout the week, representatives from the battlegrounds of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia and Arizona have been making appearances on the United Center stage.

Those speakers, like Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, haven’t necessarily spent lots of time talking specifically about why their states would be critical wins for Democrats. But as they take the stage, they get a big welcome from their state’s delegation — and it’s no accident that lots of those delegations have prime seating in the arena.

Pink duets protest song with her 12-year-old daughter

Pink dueted with her 12-year-old daughter Willow Sage Hart on her song “What About Us” at the Democratic convention.

The two, wearing black and accompanied by only a few backup singers and an acoustic guitar, harmonized in sober but heartfelt tones on the 2017 protest song Pink co-wrote.

“What about all the broken happy ever afters?” the mother and daughter sang. “What about all the plans that ended in disaster?”

Their performance came after Rep. Gabby Giffords and others affected by gun violence had given emotional presentations to the crowd.

Sen. Mark Kelly stresses the importance of teamwork

The Arizona Democrat said Thursday, “I’ve flown into space four times. I’ve flown into combat nearly 40 times. Not once did I do that by myself.”

In a somewhat rare occurrence during the convention’s closing night, Kelly invoked Trump’s name, saying that the GOP nominee “skipped his intelligence briefings” because he was “too busy sucking up to dictators and dreaming of becoming one himself.”

Kelly also quipped that it was tough to follow his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who got a lengthy ovation Thursday as she appeared and talked about the 2011 shooting that left her gravely wounded.

“President Obama had to follow Michelle,” Kelly said, recollecting the convention schedule from Tuesday. “I had to follow Gabby and Pink.”

Shooting survivor and former Rep. Gabby Giffords advocates for firearm legislation

After surviving a mass shooting at a 2011 meet-and-greet event, former Rep. Gabby Giffords was joined by her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, to bring light to the issue of gun violence in America.

“Kamala can beat the gun lobby and can beat gun trafficking,” said Giffords, who opened the Giffords Law Center to track and analyze firearm legislation in all 50 states.

Five people affected by gun violence share their stories

Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia, who has become one of the top congressional advocates against gun violence, spoke of how she lost her son Jordan to gun violence in 2012.

“They should still be here,” Newtown, Connecticut, teacher Abbey Clements said of the students and staff killed at her elementary school in 2012.

Kim Rubio of Uvalde, Texas, recalled the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in where her daughter was killed.

Melody McFadden of Charleston, South Carolina, said her niece was 22 when she was shot to death in Myrtle Beach in 2014. Edgar Vilchez of Chicago said he “learned how to hide and