July 25, 2024, presidential campaign news | CNN Politics (2024)

Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential candidate, speaks to reporters upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on July 25.

The Future Forward super PAC is launching a $50 million ad blitz to introduce Vice President Kamala Harris to voters in six key battleground states in the three weeks leading into the Democratic National Convention, a senior advisor to the group said.

The advertising push is another example of how quickly the Democratic party has mobilized to boost Harris’ candidacy after President Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 race.

The ad campaign will begin on Saturday with a 30-second spot titled “Ready,” which features a narrator ticking through Harris’ accomplishments and declaring, “As America turns the page, Kamala is ready.” Watch the 30-second spot here.

The effort will run on broadcast and cable television as well as digital streaming and YouTube platforms in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin through August 18, the senior adviser said.

The group is gearing more than half of the ad buy over the next two weeks toward audiences watching the Olympics, including voters who might be less politically engaged.

Future Forward moved quickly to begin making and testing new ads once the makeup of the 2024 race shifted this week. The group has produced more than 50 different spots about the expected contest between Harris and former President Donald Trump since Sunday.

The super PAC had previously committed to spending $250 billion in advertising between the Democratic National Convention and Election Day. Future Forward has also seen an influx of cash in recent days, securing $150 million in new commitments in the 24 hours since Biden announced his decision to leave the race.

Labor and civil rights leader Dolores Huerta campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday in Arizona, giving Harris the boost of an influential Latino activist.

Huerta endorsed Harris the morning of her visit to Arizona, which has a large Latino voting population that could help decide who wins the battleground state in November. Huerta endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016.

On Thursday, Huerta accused former President Donald Trump of having “attacked the Latino community on day one” with his speech launching his 2016 presidential campaign.

“And he’s doing it again,” she argued.

Huerta applauded the Biden-Harris administration forallowing certain undocumented spousesand children of US citizens to apply for lawful permanent residency and providing temporary status to migrants from South American countries.

She was joined by Harris’ campaign manager Julia Chavez Rodriguez, who is the granddaughter of labor icon Cesar Chavez. Rodriguez called Harris the “perfect candidate to take on Donald Trump because she is Trump’s worst nightmare.”

Thursday night’s campaign event was held in a hot warehouse belonging to a local carpenters’ union. The event featured a local Cumbia band and attendees could help themselves to free popsicles and tacos. Blaring over the speakers ahead of the event were Charli XCX songs off her “Brat” album.

Earlier Thursday, Huerta and Rodriguez also visited a field office, the first to be opened in Arizona for the Biden-Harris campaign, and met with campaign volunteers.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununuappears on CNN on Thursday, July 25.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununutold CNN’s Pamela Brown that November’s race between Republican nominee Donald Trump and likely Democratic nominee Kamala Harris will be an “absolute coin toss.”

Sununu, who predicted on CNN last June that Biden would not end up being the party’s nominee, said he anticipates Harris will get a bump in the polls after the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.

Sununu, who was a vocal supporter of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley while she campaigned earlier this year to be atop the GOP ticket, said the way Republicans can defeat Harris through their messaging is by sticking to the issues and policy.

Haley, who exited the race in March, said recent GOP attacks against Harris’ race and gender were “unhelpful” in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper earlier today.

Sununu agreed with that position, saying Haley was “100% right” and that such personal attacks against Harris won’t move voters.

President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Thursday, July 25.

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday met at the White House and discussed the ongoing ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations, with Biden stressing the need to finalize the deal as soon as possible, according to a readout from the White House.

Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of Israeli-American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen,appears on CNN on Thursday, July 25.

Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of the Israeli-American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, said he was able to ask “very difficult questions” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting with hostage families in Washington on Thursday.

Six of the seven families of US hostages, including Dekel-Chen, were represented in the room to discuss the current hostage situation in Gaza with US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu.

Dekel-Chen, speaking to CNN’s Erin Burnett on Thursday after the meeting, could not provide many details about what Biden and Netanyahu spoke about with the families of hostages, but said that both leaders offered “a promise” that they “completely understand the urgency of this moment.”

When asked if he thinks former US President Donald Trump had more “leverage” over Netanyahu to get a hostage deal, Dekel-Chen said it was an “illusion that a change in administration in the US is going to give more freedom of action to Israel to somehow negotiate some bigger, better deal.”

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is refusing to commit to any future debates until the Democratic nominee is officially chosen.

Trump previously committed to a debate with President Biden on September 10 on ABC.

Vice President Kamala Harris responded on social media to the Trump campaign’s statement.

Earlier today, Harris said she was ready to debate the former president but added that Trump was “back pedaling” on debating her.

This post has been updated with additional comment from Vice President Kamala Harris.

Vice President KamalaHarrisdelivers remarks at a news conference following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, DC, on Thursday, July 25.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday gave the most forceful speech we’ve heard from the White House about the situation in Gaza since the war started almost 10 months ago.

With Vice President Harris jumping into the presidential race the same week as Netanyahu’s unprecedented fourth address to Congress, questions immediately arose about how forceful she would be with Netanyahu and whether she would go farther than — or split from — President Joe Biden.

Harris echoed Biden’s repeated comments about the “ironclad support” and “unwavering commitment” to Israel. The country has a right to defend itself, she said while noting, “how it does so matters.”

But the empathy she used to describe the Palestinian plight and suffering is where you start to see the daylight between Biden and the president. As was how she described the ceasefire deal.

She mentioned twice the “serious concern” she expressed to Netanyahu. About the civilian deaths in Gaza, the humanitarian situation and destruction she called “catastrophic” and “devastating.”

She went on to describe “the images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time.”

Harris emphasized the need to get the Israeli hostages back from Hamas captivity, naming the eight Israeli-American hostages (three of whom have been killed).

But when describing the ceasefire deal in the works, she didn’t highlight the hostage for prisoner exchange, or aid to be let into Gaza. Instead she singled out the fact that the deal stipulates the withdrawal by the Israeli military from populated areas in the first phase before withdrawing “entirely” from Gaza before “a permanent end to the hostilities.”

That stands in stark contrast to Netanyahu’s speech to Congress.He didn’t mention the words “ceasefire” or “deal.”Instead there is a need for the “foreseeable future” he said, for “overriding security control” in Gaza.

Whether the White House achieved their objective of getting Netanyahu to a place where he will agree to a ceasefire remains to be seen.

Harris meanwhile left little doubt where she stands: “As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done.”

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance speaks at a campaign rally at Radford University on Monday, July 22, in Radford, Virginia.

Vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance echoed former president Donald Trump’s criticisms of Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she is a more liberal candidate than President Joe Biden.

He argued that Biden stepping down and handing the reins to Harris is “fundamentally illegitimate” and that Republicans, by contrast,” respect the democratic process.

“Kamala Harris has no democratic legitimacy,” Vance said. “Look at her record, Don. It is the worst record imaginable.”

Claiming that the media is disinterested in focusing on Harris’ record, Vance said she will be rebranded as a moderate to win over voters in November.

Vance criticized Harris for supporting an end to fracking and providinguniversal healthcarefor undocumented immigrants as well as her policy on the US border.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on Thursday, July 25.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to come out and deliver remarks after her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is one more way in which she is quickly trying to prove herself in different ways following President Joe Biden leaving the 2024 race, a senior administration official tells CNN.

Her remarks provided one of the clearest explanations yet of her views on the conflict as she warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government that how the war is prosecuted matters.

Harris’ comments serve as one of the clearest distillations yet of her views as she works to thread the needle on the hot button issue that has not only divided the country but caused friction within the Democratic Party.And while the content of her remarks illustrate little daylight between her and President Joe Biden, they serve as an example of how her rhetoric has been far sharper than his on this issue.

Remember: The vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee expressed her “serious concern” about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, she named the American hostages held in the strip and in a notable moment, she illustrated her desire to acknowledge the “nuance” and “complexity” of the conflict.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday that he’s “honored” to be a rumored contender for selection as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.

While acknowledging the speculation, Beshear declined to reveal any details about the vice presidential vetting process during hisweekly news conferencein Frankfort, Kentucky.

On offense against Vance: Beshear continued to attack the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who he has repeatedly criticized for claiming roots in Kentucky despite growing up in southern Ohio.

Beshear said his attacks aren’t connected to his potential role on the Harris ticket or Vance’s place on the GOP ticket, but come from a desire to “stand up for our people.”

Vice President Kamala Harris has joined TikTok, postingher first videothis afternoon.

The campaign Tiktok, @kamalaHQ, has 1.6 million followers.

People Magazine first reported Harris joining the social media app.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, DC, on Thursday, July 25.

After her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris made clear her “unwavering commitment to theexistence of the state ofIsrael, to its security and to the people of Israel.”

While she supported Israel’s right to defend itself and also remembered the hostages still held in Gaza, she said she expressed to Netanyahu her “serious concern about the scale of human suffering” in the besieged enclave, including the civilian deaths and dire humanitarian situation that is unfolding there.

Harris also urged Americans not to consider the war in Gaza a “binary issue.”

She called on everyone to condemn terrorism, violence, antisemitism, Islamophobia and hate of any kind, and “do what we can” to preventthe suffering of innocentcivilians.”

“Let us work to unite our country,” the vice president concluded.

Watch here:

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Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, July 25.

In remarks after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris said it is time to get the ceasefire and hostage release deal done.

Recalling the details of the US-backed deal proposed, she said “it is time forthis war to end and end in away where Israel is secure, allthe hostages are released, thesuffering of Palestinians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their rightto freedom, dignity andself-determination.”

Harris also put her support behind the two-state solution as “the only path that ensures Israel remains a secure Jewish anddemocratic state, and one thatensures Palestinians canfinally realize the freedom, security, and prosperity thatthey rightly deserve.”

Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahuin Washington, D.C.,on Thursday, July 25.

Vice President Kamala Harris is meeting now with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the vice president’s ceremonial office.

She did not take questions, and the press was escorted out quickly.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks to CNN's Jake Tapper in an interview on Thursday, July 25.

Former South Carolina Gov.Nikki Haleyoffered no apologies Thursday for the “tough things” she said about former PresidentDonald Trumpduring theirbruising Republican primary fight, but she told CNN’s Jake Tapper she does not doubt her choice to support the former president over presumptive Democratic nomineeKamala Harrisin the November election.

In her first interview since endorsing Trump and speaking at the Republican National Convention, Haley saidPresident Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race Sunday did not come as a surprise.

Haley added: “I never thought he would make it to the election. I always said a vote for Joe Biden is a vote for Kamala Harris, and I think that’s what’s playing out.”

Haley’s comments come in the wake of herdecision to endorse Trumpand speak at the GOP convention last week following a tumultuous primary, during which she repeatedly attacked the former president as “toxic,” “unhinged” and lacking “moral clarity.” In a wide-ranging interview, Haley brushed aside the rhetoric as just part of a campaign — which included Trump’s attacks on Haley and her husband while he was deployed overseas.

Read more from the interview with Haley.

House Speaker Mike Johnson makes a statement to the media alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 24.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is headed to Southern California on Thursday to visit the border, according to his office. He will be joined by Rep. Darrell Issa.

Johnson and Issa are expected to hold a news conference while in town and discuss the Biden/Harris administration’s border policies, as Republican attacks ramp up over the vice president’s record on the border.

Johnson’s office confirmed that the news conference will happen along the “Whiskey 8” section of the border in San Ysidro, California, and visit the US Customs and Border Protection facilities at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and Imperial Beach locations.

ABC Newsfirst reportedthe visit.

Vice President Kamala Harris appears on the set of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars."

“RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars” ends its ninth season on Friday, but not without a PSA from a VIP:Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, stopped by the beloved reality show to remind viewers about the importance of voting. Her message will appear in Friday’s finale, which airs on Paramount+.

Harris ended her message by encouraging viewers to register to vote and clapping along to RuPaul’s optimistic anthem “A Little Bit of Love.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate,denied reports that he spoke with Harris campaign staff specifically yesterday about the role, but said he is in contact with the campaign about promoting their message to help Harris win in November.

Pritzker told reporters at a news conference in Chicago on Thursday he has had “a number of conversations” with people in the Harris campaign but denied a Chicago Sun-Times report that Pritzker spoke with Harris aides on Wednesday about the vice presidential role.

When pressed on whether he’s spoken to Harris aides, Pritzker suggested his conversations have focused on his role as a surrogate for the Harris campaign.

“Well, sure, I don’t know anybody who’s involved with Democratic politics that isn’t talking to their campaign,” Pritzker said. “I know people who work on the campaign, and I am involved in transmitting the message of the campaign and excited about the next days.”

Vice President Kamala Harris is a “steadfast” friend of Israel, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday.

“I can tell you for sure because I’ve been in the room with her, since my two and a half years of being here at the White House, that Vice President Harris shares President Biden’s steadfast commitment to the nation of Israel, to the security of the Israeli people, to making sure Israel can defend itself against attacks like they suffered on the seventh of October. She’s been a full partner,” Kirby said.

However, he would not say whether she would consider herself a Zionist, similar to how President Joe Biden has described himself.

“I won’t speak for the vice president in that level of detail, but I can tell you having seen her at work: She absolutely believes in all the facets of a free, secure, independent Israel, the nation of Israel, and the safety and security of the Israeli people. And she has been working harder than just about anybody to make sure that that as a team we are looking after our commitments to our neighbors, and our allies, our friends in Israel,” he told CNN.

President Joe Biden, right, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday.

President Joe Biden’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today marked his first sit-down with a world leader since he exited the 2024 race on Sunday.

The high-profile meeting — and Netanyahu’s visit to Washington this week in general — has put one of the country’s most politically fraught foreign policy issues front and center for the presumptive Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday.

Here’s what we know about the prime minister’s White House visit so far today:

Thanking Biden for his support: In remarks made in front of reporters, Netanyahu thanked Biden for “50 years of support” for Israel and said he looked forward to working with Biden for the rest of his term.

A photo shared by the Israeli Government Press Office showed Netanyahu had signed the guestbook in the Roosevelt Room and thanked Biden for “decades of friendship and support” for Israel.

Pressure campaign: Behind closed doors, Biden was expected to be as forceful as he has ever been in urging Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire agreement, sources tell CNN.

A meeting with the families of Americans held hostage or killed by Hamas was viewed as an opportunity to hold Netanyahu accountable for his commitment to pursuing a peace deal, two US officials said.

After the meeting, family members said the US government, Congress and Israeli leadership appeared to be on the same page.

“While they could not share details, what they could share was this relationship. Maybe sometimes it’s rocky, but right now, you see it’s solid,” one family member, Liz Hirsh Naftali, said.

The families said they received an “iron clad” commitment to a peace deal from Netanyahu and Biden.

What the administration is saying: The differences remaining between ceasefire negotiators for Israel and Hamas “are narrow enough that, with some compromise and some leadership on both sides here, we believe that we can get this over the finish line,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told CNN on Thursday.

“We want to get this done,”hesaid on “CNN News Central,” adding that the Biden administration is pressuring leaders from both sides.

A State Department spokesperson also pushed back Thursday on Netanyahu’s claim to Congress that there were “practically” no civilian casualties in Rafah outside of one incident, saying “of course” there were civilian casualties in the southern Gazan city due to Israel’s military campaign.

CNN’s Michael Conte and Sam Fossum contributed reporting to this post.

This post has been updated with comments from family members following a joint meeting with Biden and Netanyahu.

Sen. Mark Kelly rides the Senate subway to the Hart Senate Office Building from the US Capitol on July 25, in Washington, DC.

DemocraticSen.Mark Kelly, a possible contender for Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate pick, attackedSen.JD Vanceover his stance on abortion, Ukraine, and his comments about childless women.

Kelly also said that Vance’s opposition to aid for Ukraine is deeply concerning.

“If Donald Trump and JD Vance were back in the White House, it would be an utter disaster, and it would have a significant negative impact on our national security and the national security of our allies for decades,” he told reporters.

Asked about Vance’s comments about childless women, Kelly replied, “You know, it’s a ridiculous thing to say about someone. You know, it’s obnoxious, it’s rude, it’s also not surprising.”

The Arizona Democrat refused to say what he spoke about with Harris, but indicated that he is ready to serve as her running mate if asked.

“I’ve been a public servant since I was, even before I was in the Navy. I drove an ambulance when I was in high school. You know, I was a astronaut for 15 years. I flew with an aircraft carrier,” said Kelly.

Sen. Tim Kaine walks to the Senate chamber at the US Capitol on April 23 in Washington, DC

Sen. Tim Kaine, who ran on Hillary Clinton’s ticket in 2016, weighed in on Vice President Kamala Harris’ expedited search for her own running mate and shared that he has counseled many of those currently in consideration.

He also said that he’s talked with several of the people who are currently being vetted and shared his experience with them directly: “It’s very intense, but it’s an honor to do it.”

While he declined to weigh in on any specific candidates, Kaine said that “she’s got a lot of good options.” CNNpreviously reportedthat Harris will choose a running mate in less than two weeks with the top contenders currently being North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.

“It’s normally a two-month process, and they go to do it in two weeks,” Kaine remarked, adding “I’m sure they’ll do a great job.”

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks to reporters upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on July 25.

Vice President Kamala Harris said she is ready to debate former President Donald Trump.

“And I’ll tell you I’m ready to debate Donald Trump. I have agreed to the previously agreed upon September 10debate, he agreed to that previously. Now it appears he’s back pedaling. But I’m ready,” Harris told reporters after landing at Joint Base Andrews.

About that date: Trump and President Joe Biden’s campaign had previously agreed to two debates this year, onehosted by CNNin June and another to behosted by ABCon September 10. It’s not clear if that debate will still take place now that Biden hasdropped out.

Meanwhile, Fox News has proposed a presidential debate between Trump and Harris on September 17. Harris in her remarks today did not elaborate whether she would accept the debateproposed by Fox News.

“I think the voters deserve to see the splitscreen that exists in this race on adebate stage. And so I’mready, let’s go,” Harris said Thursday.

Earlier this week, Trump told reporters on a press call he wants to debate Harris but that he has not yet agreed to anything.

“I haven’t agreed to anything. I agreed to a debate with Joe Biden,” Trump said on the call. “But I want to debate her, and she’ll be no different, because they have the same policies. I think debating’s important for a presidential race, I really do, you sort of have an obligation to debate.”

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 25.

White House official John Kirby dismissed questions about whether President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race would impede his ability to either help secure a ceasefire and hostage deal for Israel and Gaza or secure the release of detained Americans abroad like Paul Whelan.

Asked about wrongfully detained Americans abroad, like Evan Gershkovich and Whelan, Kirby said: “I can assure you that we continue to work extremely hard at getting all wrongfully detained Americans around the world, including those in Russia.”

Minutes into his first solo event asDonald Trump’s running mate,Sen. JD Vancehad already divided his hometown audience here – over donuts.

While reconnecting with the locals in the crowd over shared memories and favored haunts, Vance posited taking his security detail to nearby Central Pastry Shop after his event.

Amid laughter, stans of a rival donut shop shouted at the stage: “Milton’s!”

The Ohio Republican, in damage control mode, offered to the dissenters, “I love Milton’s, too.” Crisis averted.

Vance has already faced far greater upheaval than pastry debates since joining the Republican ticket – more than perhaps any modern vice presidential nominee. The political landscape Vance stepped into 10 days ago is no longer recognizable afterPresident Joe Bidenabruptly ended his campaign. The fallout has left him without a Democratic counterpart after Vice PresidentKamala Harrisquickly emerged as her party’s presumptive nominee. It could be more than a week before Harris selects her running mate.

“I was told I was going to get to debate Kamala Harris, and now President Trump’s going to get to debate her?” Vance joked Monday in the Middletown High School auditorium, surrounded by his wife and friendly faces from his childhood. “I’m kind of pissed off about that if I’m being honest with you.”

Read more about Vance’s first 10 days as Trump’s running mate here.

Watch video analysis of Vance’s early poll numbers since Trump’s VP selection.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 23.

Four days intothe most consequential week of Kamala Harris’ political life, she has to confront the most fraught foreign policy issue facing the country by looking directly into the eyes of an Israeli prime minister.

Up until now, Harris has been defined by working forPresident Joe Biden, arguably the most explicitly pro-Israel American president, even though his relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu has frayed.

But now that she’s the presumptive Democratic nominee, Harris has to define what kind of president she wants to be — on this and every other issue, while Biden remains at the White House trying to nail down an Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, and with some around him thinking that restarting the normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia could be a top legacy project for the remainder of his term.

Harris didn’t preside over Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Wednesday, instead choosing to stick with a pre-scheduled trip to a sorority event in Indiana, as protests erupted near the US Capitol.

On Thursday, she’s set to welcome Netanyahu to her ceremonial office in the Old Executive Office Building.

But articulating a clear position on Israel will take more than that,according to CNN’s conversations with two dozen former and current aides, members of Congress and other political players.

Read the full story.

America’s most powerful industry is set to have a presidential candidate on the ballot from its home turf — Vice President Kamala Harris.

Top technology leaders are already showing their excitement for the Bay Area native, in the form of endorsem*nts and donations for Harris, which have come from prominent names, such as longtime Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, Netflix Co-Founder Reed Hastings and philanthropist Melinda French Gates.

The Harris supporters represent a foil to the loud and powerful — although not necessarily large — contingent of (mostly) men in tech who have endorsed Former President Donald Trump’s White House bid,including Elon Musk.

The pro-Harris movement within tech suggests that the vice president’s policies, as well as her long and friendly relationship with many top executives in the tech world, may ultimately make her Silicon Valley’s top choice for theWhite House.

Read more about those supporting Harris from Silicon Valley here.

To understand the wave of coconut tree and K-Hive content that’s hitting your social media feeds and your group texts this week, you need some context.

Deja Foxx has it. She worked for the Kamala Harris campaign as a social media strategist during the then senator’s failed 2019 run. She was just 19 at the time. Now, at 24, she can say she’s worked in politics for nearly half her life.

As she told Audie Cornish on The Assignment, the current internet obsession with remixing Harris’ 2023 White House speech invoking a coconut tree isn’t that surprising. The memes have power in part because they arose organically, created by Harris fans who were deliberately repurposing a moment that had originally been seen as a gaffe by detractors, who mocked the vice president’s delivery and laugh.

“Memes are meant to feellike insider language, right? That there is a certain group of people who understands them and can tap into them is what makes them potent,” Foxx said.

And the people wielding the memes — mostly Gen Z women who spend a lot of time on TikTok — have sharp insight into what it means to be very publicly online.

“Young women and girls are being forced to come of age, to go from girlhood to womanhood, in the public eye in a way that is just unprecedented,” Foxx said. “And I think that they have two kinds of people to look to. They look to their divas and their pop stars, and they look to politicians to see what it means to become a woman, in front of everyone.”

There’s a fine line between tapping into the zeitgeist and overdoing it with the coconuts, Foxx said. Political campaigns, Harris’ included, are smart to keep young people in the room and in positions of leadership in part because they’re the ones who will tell you when you’ve gone too far.

“They can create and uplift the messages that are arising organically withoutoverdoing it or making it feel cringe,” she said. “This is where trusted messengers, I think, are really, really important.”

Listen to the full conversation on The Assignment here.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a Biden-Harris campaign and DNC press conference on July 17 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says it’s “humbling” to be considered among the shortlist of potential running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.

It’s “surreal” to be among the list of contenders, the former teacher-turned-politician said in a Wednesday night interview with MSNBC.

“It is humbling, it’s a privilege, it’s surreal,” he said.

Walz, the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, called the fellow governors reported to be in contention to be Harris’ running mate “my friends,” and urged Harris to choose a governor.

Jabs at Vance: Walz also used the interview to take veiled jabs at the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. The governor referenced Vance’s previous remarks about Harris and other Democrats being “childless cat ladies.”

“Oh my God, they went after cat people. Good luck with that. Turn on the internet and see what cat people do when you go after them,” Walz said.

Key progressive’s backing: Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair PramilaJayapal told CNN’s Manu Raju on Thursday that she supports Walz as Harris’ pick. The Washington lawmaker said Walz has strong union ties, is committed to the Biden-Harris agenda and would bring deep support in purple states in the Midwest.

CNN’s Morgan Rimmer contributed reporting to this post.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubiogives a speechat the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, July 16, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

GOP Sen. MarcoRubio from Floridaattacked Vice President KamalaHarrisasa “real liberal” who has ledon policies that “have destroyed the country,”whileDemocrats pushed backonGOP criticisms ofHarrisontheborder.

Vulnerable Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said that former President Donald Trump is to blame for the continued crisis at theborder, notHarris, noting that in the Senate, “we had abordermeasure that wasvery strong, endorsed by theBorderPatrol, and Trump, Donald Trump tanked it.”

Democratic Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene added that there has been a major uptick in enthusiasm — and donations — since Harris announced her candidacy. “We had our highest day of the cycle right after she announced she was running, and we’re continuing to see strong support in grassroots across the nation,” she said.

Rubio dismissed concerns about this new jolt of energy in the race, saying that “both sides are going to have enthusiasm.”

Vulnerable New York GOP Rep. Marc Molinaro compared the surge in enthusiasm Democrats are experiencing to what Republicans felt after the assassination attempt of Donald Trump.

Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign event in Wisconsi on Tuesday, July 23.

Vice President Kamala Harris has strongly condemned pro-Hamas protesters who burned the American flag outside Union Station in Washington, DC, Wednesday.

Harris also condemned the “burning of the American flag,” calling the flag a “symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America.”

Rep. Tim Burchett speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on June 26 in Washington, DC.

Conservative hardliners Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Anna Paulina Luna defended GOP Rep. Tim Burchett calling Vice President Kamala Harris a “DEI hire” earlier this week.

“Tim Burchett was just echoing what Joe Biden said,” Greene told CNN, pointing to a video where Biden touts the diversity in his administration.

In the video, Biden does not say that he chose Harris because of her race or her gender.

“I think that that’s just saying what the Democrat Party and Joe Biden had said himself. I don’t see how it’s wrong to repeat Democrats, their own words,” she added.

Pressed on the fact that Biden never said he hired Harris because she was a black woman, Greene doubled down.

“He picked her, therefore he hired her. So those, that’s what the Democrats did, the Democrat Party. They’re the party of making identity and race qualifications for hiring someone,” continued Greene. “I think it should be their character, what they’re capable of, their background, you know, their resume. This is the Democrat Party. The Democrat Party, those are their words, and that’s what Joe Biden chose.”

Luna argued that Burchett had not crossed a line. “I just, I think that there’s a double standard and I think that he uses words that the left likes to push. They want DEI, they want diversity, equity inclusion, and for argument’s sakes, Kamala Harris does fit the Diversity Equity and Inclusion term,” she said. “Yeah, it’s been taken out of context, I think because of who said it.”

Read more about the ongoing controversy surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion here.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Vice President Kamala Harris is “a key player” in the Biden administration’s foreign policy decision-making processes.

Harris “has always been engaged and involved, is always prepared to for whatever discussion that we’re going to have,” said Austin at a news conference at the Pentagon.

Austin ran through a laundry list of the foreign policy challenges the Biden administration had faced that Harris had been involved in, such as, “the strikes that we’ve had to take, the deployments that we’ve done, (and) the decision to support Ukraine.”

He added that Harris “absolutely loves troops.”

“She’s always been focused on the welfare of our troops and our families, and also veterans as well,” said Austin.

Vice President Kamala Harris slammed GOP policies concerning gun violence while addressing the American Federation of Teachers union in Houston.

“We want to ban assaultweapons, and they want to banbooks,” she said.

She told the teachers union that “extremist” Republicans have failed to pass gun safety laws to protect both students and teachers.

She continued addressing the teachers union:

“While youteach students about ournation’s past, these extremists attack the freedom to learnand acknowledge our nation’strue and full history — includingbook bans,” she added.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers the keynote speech at the American Federation of Teachers' 88th National Convention in Houston, Texas, on July 25.

Addressing a teachers union in Houston on Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris told crowd members that: “In this moment we are in a fight for our most fundamental freedoms. And to this room of leaders, I say: bring it on.”

“Bring it on. Bring it on,” Harris continued.

In response, the crowd started chanting: “Bring it on! Bring it on! Bring it on!”

Once the chants stopped, Harris told the crowd:

Vice President Kamala Harris said President Joe Biden showed “once again what true leadership looks like” when he addressed the nation Wednesday night.

Harris made the comments speaking to a teachers union in Houston on Thursday, where she added that Biden’s policies focus on the future of the country.

“He thinks and talks about his work and our country, understanding what it means in terms of what we do now and how that will impact the future. He thinks about our history and the context of the importance of the work we do now,” Harris said.

Vice President Kamala Harris said that under her administration she will continue President Joe Biden’s legacy and not go back to failed economic policies of former President Donald Trump.

The Democratic National Committee filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission, claiming independent candidate Cornel West accepted illegal in-kind contributions from Republican-aligned firms to assist his ballot access efforts in Arizona and North Carolina.

The DNC announced it filed the complaint last week against West’s campaign and three outside groups suggesting that Republicans are illegally backing West’s ballot access operation in two key battleground states.

The complaint argues People Over Party and Blitz Canvassing, which have aided West’s campaign in North Carolina, and Wells Marketing, which has petitioned on behalf of West in Arizona, were not paid for their work in compliance with campaign finance laws.

The efforts by People Over Party and Blitz Canvassing in North Carolina were the subject of the North Carolina State Board of Election’s investigation into West’s ballot access petition earlier this month. The board subsequently blocked West from appearing on the state’s ballot after the board chair stated he has “no confidence” signatures collected by the Republican-aligned groups were “done legitimately.” West’s campaign is appealing the board’s decision in federal court.

CNN has reached out to West’s campaign for comment.

House Republicans passed a symbolic resolution attacking Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, over immigration. The vote was 220 to 196.

Six Democrats voted with Republicans in favor – Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Don Davis of North Carolina, Henry Cuellar of Texas and Mary Peltola of Alaska.

The resolution “strongly condemns the Biden administration and its border czar, Kamala Harris’s, failure to secure the United States border,” according to the text.

The resolution itself is a messaging exercise and has no real penalties for Harris. The White Househas rejected GOP claimsdubbing Harris “border czar,” arguing that her focus was on the region and not on border security.

This is the last vote in the House until September 9 as the chamber breaks for August recess.

In this April 2022 photo, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama attend an event to mark the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC.

Former President Barack Obama is expected to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris soon and his team has been in touch with the campaign, a source told CNN.

Obama and Harris have been in touch regularly,and he is serving as a sounding board for her, as he has been over the 20 years they’ve known each other, the source said.

Obama believed itwas important for the Democratic Party to have a legitimate process where delegates select their new nominee, andhe thinks Harris is off to an impressive start, this source said.

Former President Donald Trump made at least 10 false claims about Vice President Kamala Harris in his first campaign rally since she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. We’re still looking into some of his claims, but at least 10 were wrong.

Here’s just one of the false claims the former president made, for the full list read this story.

Harris and the retirement age

Discussing Social Security, Trump claimed of President Joe Biden and Harris: “They’re talking about, he was talking, she’s talking about – lifting the retirement age.”

Facts First:This claim is false about Harris. She has not spoken in favor of raising the age for receiving Social Security retirement benefits. (Biden did, as a US senator in the 2000s and prior,express supportfor or opennessto raising the retirement age, but he hasbeen a vocal opponentof the idea as president.)

Harris has supported increasing, not reducing, Social Security benefits. In 2019, about two years before she became vice president, sheco-sponsoreda bill from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, called the Social Security Expansion Act, that wouldboost Social Security benefitsby raising payroll taxes on high earners.

President Joe Biden is expected to be as forceful as he has ever been in urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire agreement when the two leaders meet privately at the White House Thursday afternoon, sources tell CNN, as US officials believe that a deal may be on the cusp.

Biden’s in-person meeting with Netanyahu comes only days after the president’s stunning announcement dropping out of the 2024 race over the weekend, and a resolution to the Israel-Hamas war that began in October now looms large over Biden’s legacy as a one-term president. Progress in the negotiations for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war have come in fits and starts in recent months, and Biden and his senior national security officials have been closely involved in trying to land the deal.

Biden will also have a second separate setting Thursday afternoon where he could apply firm pressure on Netanyahu to finalize the ceasefire agreement – a joint meeting with the prime minister with the families of American hostages in Gaza.

Multiple sources stressed that no major announcement about an agreement is expected on Thursday – however, as CNN reported this week, US and Israeli officials have voiced increased optimism about the prospects of an agreement.

First lady Jill Biden speaks to and meets Team United States Families ahead Of The Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 25 in Paris.

Speaking at her first public event since her husband dropped his bid for reelection, first lady Jill Biden told US Olympic athletes’ families in Paris, France, that President Joe Biden had led the country with “hope always in his heart.”

She paused as the crowd applauded. “Thank you,” she said, “I’ll take that home to him.”

“As he says, there is nothing America can’t do when we do it together,” she continued, “and we see that, especially now at the Olympics, in this moment. We are more than our cities or states or backgrounds, we are more than our jobs or our political parties. We are all first and foremost Team USA.”

President Joe Bidensaved his most powerful argument againstDonald Trumpfor the moment he explained to the nation why he was no longer the person to make it.

In hisprimetime Oval Office address on Wednesday, Biden ceded the political stage to Kamala Harris, ushering in anunusual period heading into the electionwhere the vice president,not the president,willlead their party.

Apart from Biden’sannouncement on Sundaynot to seek reelection, after days of Democratic Party turmoil, the speech was the most critical moment in his attempt to pass power toHarris. The new presumptive Democratic nominee mustnow work quickly to carve her own political identityand to make a case for her own presidency — a task in which she must create a vision, program and aura that is distinct from Biden’s and his political liabilities.

This reversal of power dynamics requires Biden to swallow his own aspirations, may at times compromise his dignity, and for Harris, at some point —perhaps as soon as this week over Gaza— to break from her boss for her own political good.

Read more about what Biden tried to achieve in his address here.

President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on July 24.

House DemocratsWednesday nightpraised PresidentJoe Bidenfor hisspeech explaining his decision to step asidefrom the presidential race, putting an end to a bitter chapter of Democratic infighting over Biden’s future where many Democratic lawmakers publicly and privately pressured the president to not run for reelection.

Biden’sdisastrous debate performanceon June 27sent the DemocraticParty into a tailspin, whereconcerns about the president’s mental acuityand the negative impact that could have on down ballot racesculminated in 36 House and Senate Democrats publicly calling on Biden to end his presidential campaign.

But in the wake of Biden’s heartfelt speech, the consensus among lawmakers was one of gratitude,ready to bury the hatchet.

Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, who had called for Biden to step aside, praised the speech, saying: “He did a great job of laying out why he did what he did.”

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whoat one pointtoldBiden that polling showed that the president cannot defeat Donald Trump and that Biden could destroy Democrats’ chances of winning the House in November if he continues seeking a second term, called Biden’s address “great.”

“He made me cry,” Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a staunch Biden supporter amid concerns about his electability, said.

Read the full story.

People hold up their phones as Melania Trump arrives at the convention on Thursday, July 18, in Milwaukee.

Former First Lady Melania Trump will release a new memoir, titled “Melania,” this fall, her office announced on Thursday, describing the book as “a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity and defined personal excellence.”

Her first memoir will offer a rare glimpse into the famously private former first lady, who has maintained a low profile throughout her husband’s campaign, having attended just three public appearances since he launched his third presidential bid.

The book will include stories and family photos that have “never before shared with the public,” her office said. They did not include a release date, and it is unclear whether the book will be published before Election Day.

“Melania” will be released by Skyhorse Publishing, which has published a series of books by other supporters of former President Donald Trump, including former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Trump’s former attorney Alan Dershowitz. Last year, Skyhorse published “The Great Awakening” by conservative firebrand and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, which was written in part by Trump’s former strategist Steve Bannon.

Skyhorse has also published books by third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

The book will be released in two editions — a “Collector’s Edition,” featuring “256 pages in full color throughout, with each copy signed by the author,” which will be sold for $150, and a “Memoir Edition,” which is 304 pages and will be sold for $40. Signed copies of the “Memoir Edition” will go for $75. Both editions are available for pre-order throughMelania Trump’s website.

The office of the former First Lady did not comment beyond the press release.

President Joe Biden speaks during an address to the nation about his decision to not seek reelection, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on July 24.

President Joe Biden said Thursday’s GDP report makes it clear “we now have the strongest economy in the world” and specifically name-dropped Vice President Kamala Harris.

“When I took office, we were in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression” Biden wrote in a statement released Thursday morning.

He adds later in the statement: “The Vice President and I will keep fighting for America’s future—a future of promise and possibilities, of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things.”

Biden typically touts economic numbers like the GDP, but his inclusion of Harris twice is notable. In his statement on the first-quarter GDP, he didn’t mention Harris once.

State of the economy: As CNN previously reported, economic growth in the first half of the year was solid, with the economy expanding a robust 2.8% annualized rate in the second quarter, according to fresh Commerce Department figures released Thursday, which are adjusted for inflation and seasonal swings.

Businesses are continuing to invest, and a key gauge of consumer demand has been robust this year. As the economy continued to expand from April through June, inflation resumed a downward trend, the latest GDP report showed, and seems to be on track to slowing further toward the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to attendees during his campaign rally at the Bojangles Coliseum on July 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Former President Donald Trump claimed Vice President Kamala Harris is “a much worse candidate” than President Joe Biden.

“Should he stay? I guess that’s up to him, and it’s up to the people and I don’t think they should use the 25th Amendment,” Trump said on Fox & Friends. “You have not long to go, you know, we have four months now, and then he’s got another month and a half.”

“I think if he goes, she then takes over and she is worse than he is, I really believe. She is a San Francisco radical,” Trump said. “She is actually, I think a much worse, in a way, a much worse candidate.”

Trump claimed that the way in which Biden ended his 2024 bid “was a coup.”

“They didn’t want him running. He was way down in the polls, and they thought he was gonna lose. They went to him, and they said, ‘You can’t win the race,’ which I think is true. Unless I did something very foolish, which I wasn’t going to do,” Trump said.

Trump continued his barrage of attacks against his likely new opponent Harris, saying, “She’s bad news. She’s a radical left, not very smart person.”

Former President Donald Trump greets attendees upon arrival at his campaign rally at the Bojangles Coliseum on July 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Less than 24 hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, former President Donald Trump said Israel has a public relations problem and needs to end the war with Hamas quickly.

“I want him to finish up and get it done quickly. You gotta get it done quickly, because they are getting decimated with this publicity. And you know, Israel is not very good at public relations,” Trump said on Fox and Friends.

Trump will meet with Netanyahu on Friday.

Trump reasserted his claim that the Hamas-led October 7 attacks wouldn’t have happened if he were president.

Asked if he would change US weapons policy to Israel, Trump said, “I would make sure that it gets over with fast. You have to end this fast. It can’t continue to go on like this. It’s too long. It’s too much.”

Trump said he suspected “bad news” with the hostages, many of whom he believes are dead.

“I think you’re going to find that one of the reasons that Hamas is not really negotiating very nicely, I think they are saying wow, they the hostages back and we have killed the hostages. I think a lot of the hostages are dead” Trump said.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said while she thinks the country is ready for an all-female ticket, she intends to serve out the rest of her term as governor instead of potentially becoming Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.

Asked in an interview with theSkimm, taped on Wednesday, whether she thought the country was prepared to elect two women to serve in the White House, Whitmer answered, “I do, actually.”

She went on to highlight the abundance of women in leadership in Michigan, which currently has a female governor, secretary of state and attorney general, along with several others.

Asked what Harris should be looking for in a running mate, Whitmer made clear, “Kamala Harris in and of herself has more experience than the whole GOP ticket put together.”

“(Donald Trump and JD Vance) only have six years of public service experience, and I often point out to people, you wouldn’t go into brain surgery and ask for the freshest neurosurgeon out of medical school. Experience is important,” she continued.

Whitmer said she’s “confident” Harris will choose someone she “trusts, that shares her values, that can step into the breach in the very unlikely event that they would ever need to, that they would be ready.”

Vice President and Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris waves upon arrival at Ellington Airfield in Houston, Texas, on July 24.

Vice President Kamala Harris starts her day Thursday in Houston, where she will deliver the keynote speech at the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th national convention.

She will then head to Washington, DC, for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Ahead of her meeting with Netanyahu, Harris strongly condemned pro-Hamas protesters who burned the American flag outside Union Station in Washington, DC, Wednesday.

“Yesterday, at Union Station in Washington, D.C. we saw despicable acts by unpatriotic protestors and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric,” Harris wrote in a statement Thursday.

Harris also condemned the “burning of the American flag,” calling the flag a “symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way.”

“I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation,” Harris wrote.

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that Secret Service shouldn’t have allowed him on stage at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally where he was shot in an assassination attempt.

“Now, they just weren’t communicating properly with the local police. Different groups of people knew there was some nut job on the roof and he was up there,” Trump continued, mentioning the woman in the crowd who warned about the shooter and themunicipal officerwho came face-to-face with him.

Trump said that often the Secret Service has him wait 10 or 15 minutes before taking the stage at a rally due to lightning or thunder, and questioned why he was sent on stage this time.

While Trump praised the Secret Service agents who rushed on top of him after shots were fired, he said there was clearly a failure of communication between the Secret Service and the local police and that someone should have been on the roof where the shooter was.

“It’s just a terrible thing. It’s such a shame, and the Secret Service, they’re such great people,” Trump said. “It’s a blight on their reputation. There should have been somebody on the roof,” Trump said.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in West Allis, Wisconsin, on July 23.

The likely2024 presidential election campaignbetweenVice President Kamala Harrisand formerPresident Donald Trumpbegins with no clear leader, according to anew CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Trump holds 49% support among registered voters nationwide to Harris’ 46%, a finding within the poll’s margin of sampling error. That’s a closer contest than earlier CNN polling this year had found on the matchup between Biden and Trump.

The survey finds voters widely supportive of both Biden’s decision to step aside and his choice to remain in office through the end of his term. Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters are broadly enthusiastic about Harris and willing to coalesce around her as the new presumptive nominee, even as they remain deeply divided on whether Biden’s Democratic successor should seek to continue his policies or chart a new course.

The poll, conducted online July 22 and 23, surveyed registered voters who had previously participated in CNN surveysin AprilorJune, both of which found Trump leading Biden by 6 points in a head-to-head matchup. Checking back in with the same people means that shifts in preferences are more likely to reflect real changes over time and not just statistical noise.

And the new poll finds some critical movement in these early days of a Harris-Trump race.

Harris hangs on to 95% of those who earlier said they supported Biden, while Trump retains the support of a slightly smaller 92% of his previous backers. Those who previously said they would support neither Biden nor Trump in a two-way matchup now split 30% for Harris and 27% for Trump, with the rest saying they’d vote for someone else or opt out of this year’s election.

Half of those who back Harris in the new poll (50%) say their vote is more in support of her than against Trump. That’s a dramatic shift compared with the Trump-focused dynamic of the Biden-Trump race. Among Biden’s supporters in CNN’s June poll, just 37% said their vote was mainly to express support for the president.

About three-quarters of Trump’s supporters (74%) say their vote is to express support for him rather than opposition to Harris. That’s an increase in affirmative support for him compared with the June CNN poll (66%), which came before anassassination attempt on Trump’s lifeand theRepublican National Conventionat which the former president formally accepted his party’s nomination.

The poll finds Trump’s favorability rating ticking up to 43%, higher than it’s been since 2020 in CNN polling.

Read more about the newCNN poll.

Former President Donald Trump, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Fox News has proposed a debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris on September 17.

The debate invitation from the right-wing cable network would take place in the swing state of Pennsylvania, with anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum serving as moderators, it said Wednesday.

In letters to the Trump and Harris campaigns, Fox News President Jay Wallace and Vice President of Politics Jessica Loker said it is “open to discussion on the exact date, format and location – with or without an audience.”

The network attached statistics and ratings which it said pointed to its “strength with key demographics such as independents in swing states.”

Trump and President Joe Biden’s campaign had previously agreed to two debates this year, one hosted by CNN in June and another to be hosted by ABC on September 10.

Trump has also expressed displeasure at ABC and has previously posted that he wants Fox News to host the debate instead of the Disney-owned network.

In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Trump said he “absolutely” wants to debate Harris, and “would be willing to do more than one debate, actually.”

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday released her first video for her presidential campaign: “We choose freedom.”

The 75-secondvideobegins withHarrisasking: “In this election,weeach face a question. What kind of country dowewant to live in?” as scenes from herfirstcampaignrally in Milwaukee play.

As thevideotransitions into clips of Donald Trump and JD Vance, she continues, “There are some people who thinkweshould be a country of chaos, of fear, of hate.”

Harrismakes clear the message of hercampaign—choosingfreedom—as she highlights many controversial issues including women’s reproductive rights and gun violence prevention, both of which she has led the charge for the White House.

“Wechoosea future where no child lives in poverty, wherewecan all afford health care. Where no one is above the law.Webelieve in the promise of America andwe’re ready to fight for it. Because whenwefight,wewin.”

Thevideofeatures Beyoncé’s song “Freedom.” A source close toHarristold CNNthat her team got approval from Beyoncé’s representatives to use the song throughout herpresidentialcampaign.

Watch Kamala Harris’ first presidential campaign ad

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President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on July 24.

President Joe Biden has framed his decision to step aside from the 2024 presidential race as a matter of saving democracy and passing “the torch to a new generation.”

Last night, in a poignant address to the nation that marked the beginning of the closing chapter of his presidency and half-century in public service, Biden said uniting the party required sacrificing personal ambition for what he sees as a greater good.

“I revere this office. But I love my country more,” he said.

Biden is no longer a presumptive Democratic nominee trying to convince the nation that he has the stamina and faculties to take onTrumpin an election in which he warnednothing less than democracy itself is in the balance.

He’s now a lame duck, havingthrown his political weightbehind his vice president, Kamala Harris, after being convinced by fellow Democrats that he is politically incapable of seeking a second term.

In his speech, Biden worked to shape the first draft of his own legacy, heralding his first-term accomplishments while looking ahead to goals for his remaining months in power, including Supreme Court reform, ending the war in Gaza, upholding American alliances and working toward his cancer-ending moonshot.

Read the full story.