Kamala Harris drops first marketing campaign advert on freedom, Roe v Wade and Trump ‘chaos’: Live

Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris

Yesterday, at Union Station in Washington, DC we saw despicable acts by unpatriotic protestors and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric.

I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation.

I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is 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.

Watch live as Kamala Harris delivers the keynote speech at the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th national convention in Houston, Texas, on Thursday (25 July).

It comes after Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Ms Harris at the top of the party ticket.

AFT, which has 1.8 million members, has backed Ms Harris and her pro-union agenda on the premise that a second Donald Trump term could result in restrictions on organized labor and a potential loss of funding for education.

The AFL-CIO, which represents 60 labor unions including the AFT, has backed Ms Harris.

Amelia Neath has the story.

Statement from President Joe Biden on Second Quarter 2024 GDP

When I took office, we were in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Today’s GDP report makes clear we now have the strongest economy in the world. Thanks to my and Vice President Harris’s economic agenda, our economy grew a robust 2.8% over the last quarter, based on strong American consumers and business investment. We’ve created nearly 16 million jobs, wages are up, and inflation is coming down. We’re rebuilding the Nation and bringing manufacturing back to America.

But we have more to do. Over the next six months, I will continue doing my job as President: lowering costs for hardworking families and growing our economy. Congressional Republicans have a different plan—which would drag our country backward by putting special interests first. The Vice President and I will keep fighting for America’s future—a future of promise and possibilities, of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things.

The 59-year-old vice president’s campaign team released the clip across her social media channels on Thursday morning, touching on key messages of abortion rights, tackling gun violence and LGBT+ rights – as well as preventing the “chaos” of a second Trump term.

James Liddell reports.

“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation,” Biden said Wednesday in his first official address to the nation since announcing his campaign withdrawal. “That is the best way to unite our nation.”

More details in our full story.

For all its historical significance, President Joe Biden’s address to the nation last night regarding his decision not to stand in this year’s presidential election held no real surprises – but that’s no bad thing. His official “farewell” has been a long time coming and was much needed – for Biden himself, as well as the US.

Sitting behind the desk of the Oval Office, the president placed himself squarely in that historical context by quoting other great Americans. He reminded us that “George Washington showed us that presidents are not kings” – a none-too-subtle jab at Trump, who has previously said that he plans to be a dictator on “day one” of his next term in office.

In fact, the entire address was one long, fairly obvious jab at Biden’s boisterous, tangerine forebear/potential successor: “America is at an inflection point”, he said, and must choose whether it is to “move forwards or backwards”.

Ryan Coogan writes:

But the Trump campaign has sought to hit Harris for her record and tie her to Biden’s immigration policies, which polling showed voters overwhelmingly trust Trump to handle more than Democrats. Specifically, Trump has pointed to the fact that Biden gave Harris the task of handling the influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border early in his presidency.

Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg report.

Democrats, Republicans and talking heads have lead reaction to President Joe Biden’s address to the nation on Wednesday night, with supporters saying he “fell on his sword” while critics blasted it as “barely understandable”.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Biden explained his rationale behind withdrawing from the 2024 election, saying that he decided to “pass the torch to a new generation” because he cannot let his “personal ambition” stand in the way of democracy.

Biden also thanked Kamala Harris, whom he endorsed on Sunday to replace him on top of the Democratic party ticket.

Harris was among those who praised Biden and thanked him for his five-decade long service to the American people following his speech.

“President @JoeBiden has profound compassion for the people of our country. We are all deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation. Thank you, Mr. President,” she wrote on X.