Highlights from the final night of the Democratic National Convention
From CNN's Eric Bradner, Arit John and Gregory Krieg
Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 22.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
Vice President?Kamala Harris?capped one of the most extraordinary months in modern political history?Thursday night?with a speech that rallied Democrats and cast Donald Trump as the enemy of classic American principles.
Harris went directly at her Republican rival, offering a clean break from the uncertainty and upheaval during his years in the White House. She laid out the former president’s legal troubles. She blamed him for the horrors some women have faced amid the implementation of strict state-level abortion laws.
Fight for“freedom” and a question of government interference: Harris has talked at great length about “freedom,” seeking to reframe issues such as reproductive rights as a question of government interference.
Harris gets personal: The vice president didn’t explicitly compare her upbringing with the former president’s, but other speakers this week have made a more direct contrast between her childhood and Trump’s life as the son of a real estate mogul.
Allies back up Harris’ resume: Each night, speakers have highlighted her work fighting transnational gangs, sexual abusers and corporate bad actors.
Meet the Harris clan: Trump and many other Republicans for years have made a show out of mispronouncing Harris’ first name. On Thursday night, Harris’ two young grandnieces appeared onstage with actress Kerry Washington to send a message: It’s so easy that children can do it. Harris’ niece, Meena Harris, appeared with Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff and her goddaughter, Helena Hudlin. Later, Maya Harris, the vice president’s sister, talked about their mother, who died in 2009.
Gun violence testimonies: The convention highlighted the personal stories of people affected by gun violence. Speakers shared their experiences of loss, including Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath whose son was murdered in 2012; mothers who lost their children in the mass shootings at the Sandy Hook and Uvalde school shootings; Melody McFadden, who lost her mother to domestic violence; and Edgar Vilchez, who lost a classmate. Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived a shooting at a campaign event in 2011, closed out the segment.
‘Central Park Five’ member: Trump has a long history of weaponizing racial resentments for political gain, but the first instance of Trump utilizing that brand of politics was when the “Central Park Five” — five Black and Latino teenage boys — were wrongfully arrested in 1989 and eventually convicted of raping and assaulting a woman jogging in New York City.?Trump, then a New York real estate developer, took out and signed full-page newspaper ads calling for the boys to be executed. Those boys were later exonerated. On Thursday night, four of the five appeared on stage at the DNC.
Gaza war opponents denied speaking spot: The DNC denied speaking time to “Uncommitted” delegates elected by primary protest votes against the Biden administration’s Israel policy. Harris?pledged to support and defend Israel and condemned the atrocities of Hamas’ October 7 attacks. She then said “what has happened in Gaza over the last 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again.”
Celebrities make their mark: The DNC has seen several stars this week, from Lil Jon’s surprise appearance during the star-studded roll call to Oprah Winfrey’s speech Wednesday. Mindy Kaling, Tony Goldwyn, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Sheila E. Pink, Mickey Guyton, Maren Morris and Jason Isbell also got stage time.
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Trump extends olive branch to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp
From CNN's Kristen Holmes
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks to a reporter in the CNN Spin Room ahead of a CNN Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden on June 27.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/File
After publicly bashing him at a recent rally in Georgia, former President Donald Trump appears to be extending an olive branch to Gov. Brian Kemp.?
The post comes after allies expressed frustration with Trump for his ongoing public criticism of the popular Georgia governor.
Georgia is widely considered one of the most critical battleground states and one in which the Trump campaign has grown increasingly concerned since Kamala Harris took over at the top of the Democratic ticket.
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In pictures: The final night of the Democratic National Convention
Harris announced her candidacy last month after President Joe Biden?withdrew his reelection bid?and endorsed her to succeed him. The party has moved quickly to coalesce behind Harris following Biden’s?unprecedented exit.
Harris’ speech closed out the fourth and final day of the convention, which was held at the United Center in Chicago.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention on August 22.
Austin Steele/CNN
Balloons fall from the ceiling of Chicago's United Center at the end of the convention on Thursday.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
Actor Kerry Washington, center, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris’s grandnieces Leila, left, and Amara, right, lead the audience in a call-and-response chant.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, second from right, speaks to media inside the United Center on Thursday. Shapiro was on the short list to be Harris' running mate.
Austin Steele/CNN
Convention attendees cast shadows on the upper level of the United Center on Thursday.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
Attendee Mevlüt Hilmi Cinar prays inside the arena on Thursday.
Austin Steele/CNN
Photographers work during Harris' speech on Thursday.?
Rebecca Wright/CNN
People inside the United Center watch US Sen. Elizabeth Warren speak on Thursday.?
Austin Steele/CNN
Harris kisses her husband, Doug Emhoff, after her speech. Thursday was also their 10th wedding anniversary.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are joined by their spouses, Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz, after Harris' speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
Harris addressed Israel's war in Gaza. Here's how the Uncommitted movement responded
From CNN's Aaron Pellish,?Gregory Krieg?and?Michael Williams
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Democratic National Convention on August 22.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
In her keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, Vice President?Kamala Harris?said that, if elected, she would maintain the US alliance with Israel and support the Jewish state’s ability to defend itself. She also acknowledged the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza as Israel’s war destroys the enclave.
Why this stands out: Harris’ remarks are largely in line with the Biden administration’s position, though this was the most she has publicly said on the issue and her most fulsome comments in support of Palestinian self-determination since ascending to the top of the Democratic ticket. Both?President Joe Biden?and Harris have expressed support for a two-state solution.
A banner calling for an arms embargo against Israel is laid outside the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 22.
Austin Steele/CNN
What the Uncommitted National Movement was doing: The group had?led a sit-in outside the convention?after the Harris campaign denied their request to address the gathering. On Thursday, the uncommitted delegates entered the venue for Harris’ speech, effectively ending the sit-in. The delegates issued another demand to the Harris campaign, though: Come to Michigan and other swing states and talk to Palestinian American families by September 15.
The group’s leaders criticized the DNC and the Harris campaign for rejecting what they perceived as a modest or symbolic request in denying a speaking slot for a Palestinian American at the convention. Still,?Elabed said the delegates had no plans to disrupt the proceedings ahead of or during Harris’s acceptance speech.
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Group of undecided voters tell CNN whether Harris persuaded them with DNC speech
From CNN staff
Eight undecided voters from Allentown, Pennsylvania speak with CNN following the end of the Democratic National Convention.
CNN
Eight residents of Allentown, Pennsylvania, all previously undecided voters, told CNN’s Gary Tuchman how they felt Kamala Harris performed at the Democratic National Convention.
Six of the eight said they were now ready to vote for Harris. One resident will vote for Donald Trump, and one is not planning to vote.
Harris’ speech, during which she accepted the Democratic presidential nomination, received three As, three B+’s, one B and one C, from the group.
Multiple group members said they wanted Harris to go more “in depth” during her speech.
Scott, who gave her a B+, said she looked “very confident” and liked her message of unity. He didn’t give her an A because “she needed to go into a little more detail” about her plans.
Brian, who gave her the C, said “she wasn’t clear enough on the policies” and said that while he liked that she shared more of her background, “I still don’t feel like she’s ready.”
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Analysis: Harris gives Americans the chance to make history
From CNN's?Stephen Collinson
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, August 22, 2024.?
Rebecca Wright/CNN
Kamala Harris?promised Americans a future that neither?Donald Trump?nor?Joe Biden?could deliver, showing how profoundly she has changed the 2024 election.
The first Black woman to claim a major party nomination on Thursday styled her “unlikely journey” to the Democratic nod as the springboard to lift the country to a new place after years of being torn apart by its bitter divides.
Americans can take the road of “chaos and calamity” in a new term under Trump, whom she called “an unserious man” who nevertheless poses a “serious threat” to democracy and basic American freedoms.
Or, Harris said, the country can recommit to values she evoked in detailing her upbringing as a daughter of immigrants nurtured by a loving California community of unofficial aunts, epitomized by “Freedom. Opportunity. Compassion. Dignity. Fairness. And endless possibilities.”
Instead of Trump’s American carnage and threats of retribution, Harris is presenting herself as the catalyst for America’s quintessential capacity to renew itself. She leveraged her past as a prosecutor,?pledging to always be “for the people” while accusing the Republican nominee of serving “the only client he has ever had: Himself.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that if Donald Trump were to become president again, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion; enact a nationwide abortion ban; force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions “with or without Congress”; and create a national anti-abortion coordinator.
Facts First:Harris is making a prediction that we cannot definitively fact check, but Trump himself has not, during this campaign, endorsed these policies she said he would implement as president. Many of the policies are?proposed in Project 2025, a conservative think tank’s set of policy preferences for a Republican administration.?
Over the past couple of decades, Trump’s position has shifted?several times on abortion restrictions.?
Trump?regularly boasts?about how he appointed the justices to the US Supreme Court that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that guaranteed pregnant people the right to an abortion in the United States. ?
Even in this latest campaign, Trump has?repeatedly ducked?direct questions about his support for a federal ban, and polls show that the majority of Americans are not in favor of a federal abortion ban.
Polls also show Republicans and Democrats largely believe that access to birth control should be widely available. Possibly reflecting those sentiments, in April, Trump said directly that he would not sign?a national abortion ban if reelected to the White House. Trump also said?the decision to ban abortion should be left up to the states. In July, the Republican National Committee softened language on abortion that better reflected those views.?
Trump’s current position on abortion reversed what he said in 2016 when he was first running for the presidency and was the opposite of statements he made throughout his time in office.?
Some scholars are concerned that conservative advisers to Trump have encouraged him to ban abortions by enforcing the 1873 Comstock Act. By enforcing this Victorian-era anti-vice law that is still on the books, but is not currently enforced, he could create a national ban and bypass the need for legislation. ?
The Comstock law specifically bans the mailing of “obscene” materials used to produce an abortion.?Some scholars?believe Trump could use?the Justice Department to enforce a ban that would not just restrict people from sending the medication currently used in the majority of abortions through the mail, but would ban any materials used to produce any kind of abortion. The Comstock law has also been used to ban birth control. ?
Trump has not officially endorsed the enforcement of the Comstock Act, but it is?a strategy some of his advisers have outlined, including former advisers who created Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s plan for the next Republican administration. Trump has not endorsed Project 2025. ?
In an interview with CBS on Monday, when asked if he would enforce the Comstock Act, Trump said that “specifics” remained to be determined, but that he “generally” wouldn’t enforce the act’s prohibition against pills used for an abortion. Trump has not elaborated on what “generally” means, but he did add that “the federal government should have nothing to do with this issue.”?
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Harris and Emhoff thank supporters and donors following convention speech
From CNN's Aaron Pellish and Ebony Davis
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff celebrate together after Harris's speech at the Democratic National Convention on August 22.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
Vice President Kamala Harris thanked supporters and donors gathered at Queenie’s Supper Club following her speech in the United Center at the Democratic National Convention.
Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff expressed gratitude and optimism for their campaign.
Emhoff acknowledged their 10th wedding anniversary and said her speech this evening “exceeded expectations.”?
“We have been talking all week about you setting this moment up, and you, honey, exceeded the highest expectation. And for these past four weeks, we have seen you become the leader we all know you to be,” he said.
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Fact Check: Harris on Trump giving tax breaks to the wealthy
From CNN’s Tami Luhby
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Democratic National Convention on August 22.
Austin Steele/CNN
Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said former President Donald Trump fights for the wealthy, not the middle class.?
Facts First:?Harris is referring to?Trump’s vow?to extend the provisions of his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that expire next year. Her claim is mostly true, though extending the provisions would also help Americans who are not wealthy.?
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, one of Trump’s key achievements in office, reduced taxes for most people, though the rich benefited far more than others. If the expiring provisions are made permanent, the?highest-income households?would receive more than 45% of the benefits, according to a July?analysis?by the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.?
If the law’s provisions are made permanent, households making at least $450,000 – roughly the top 5% – would be the biggest winners, the analysis found. They would see their after-tax income increase by 3.2%. For those in the top 1%, who make at least $1 million, that boost equates to a tax cut of about $70,000, on average, in 2027.?
Middle-income households earning between roughly $65,000 and $116,000, on the other hand, would receive a tax cut of about $1,000, or 1.3% of their income, the analysis found.?
Overall, extending the 2017 tax law provisions would reduce taxes for about three-quarters of households but hike them by about 10%, according to the analysis.?
As for the impact on the national debt, extending the individual income and estate tax cuts, extending or maintaining some of the law’s corporate tax changes, and taking interest into account would increase the deficit by more than $4.6 trillion over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.??
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Key quotes from Kamala Harris' DNC speech
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Democratic National Convention on August 22.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
On the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her party’s nomination for president in a much-anticipated speech.
She presented herself as the underdog in the race and attacked former President Donald Trump while outlining her key policy proposals and telling voters about her background.
While accepting the nomination, she promised to “be a president for all Americans.”
Here are some of her key quotes:
If elected, Harris said she would “bring back?the?bipartisan border security?bill” tanked by Trump?and “sign it into law.” She said: “We can create an earned pathway?to citizenship and secure our?border.”
She stood firm on Israel’s right to defend itself — but added the bloodshed in Gaza is “devastating” and “heartbreaking.” She also said “now is the time” for a ceasefire deal.
Harris?looked to pin Trump on unpopular reproductive rights issues, saying that Republicans are “out of their minds” to push for things like enacting a nationwide abortion ban or limited access to birth control.
She talked about her childhood and growing up with a single, working mother. Because of that experience, she said she wants to create an “opportunity economy” where everyone can succeed. Harris also talked about what inspired her to become a prosecutor.
The vice president argued it is important to keep Trump out of the White House, pointing to Project 2025 as a blueprint of what he would do with a second term. She also talked about the Supreme Court ruling that the former president can claim immunity from prosecution for official actions taken in office. “Just?imagine Donald Trump with no?guard rails,” she said.
Harris made a pitch about the security of democracy. “In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man, but the consequences of?putting Donald Trump back in?the White House are extremely?serious,” Harris said. She framed the election as a “fight for America’s future” and said the country can’t go back to old Trump policies.
Harris also promised to end the country’s housing shortage and protect Social Security and Medicare.
Star-studded appearances:The Chicks performed the National Anthem and pop star Pink performed her hit “What About Us” with her daughter, Willow.?Kerry Washington hosted part of the night and brought out her “Scandal” co-star Tony Goldwyn.
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Harris "clear-eyed" that the next 74 days may not resemble the past month
From CNN's MJ Lee in Chicago
The past four days have been a jubilant celebration for Democrats in Chicago, culminating in Kamala Harris’ acceptance tonight of her party’s nomination for president.
But even as confetti and balloons showered down inside the United Center, the vice president remains “clear-eyed” about what could come next, a top Democrat who spoke with Harris in recent days told CNN.?
This person said they’ve not heard the vice president or senior Harris campaign officials use the word “honeymoon” to describe the period between President Joe Biden dropping out of the race and now.?
But, they said, the vice president herself and others on down have made clear that they anticipate the momentum and enthusiasm of the past few weeks could wane — for reasons that may or may not be under Harris’ control.?
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Fact Check: Harris says Trump wants to jail reporters and political opponents?
From CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn?
Photographers work at the Democratic National Convention, while Vice President Kamala Harris gives her keynote address, on August 22.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
In her speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris said former President Donald Trump has an “explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents and anyone he sees as the enemy.”?
Facts First: Harris’ claim is correct. Trump has previously expressed support for imprisoning journalists and political opponents. ?
In several videos and speeches, the former president has also laid out plans to appoint a special prosecutor to go after PresidentJoe Biden and his family. ?
Trump has also reportedly called for reporters to be jailed. In 2017, the New York Times reported that Trump urged then-FBI Director James Comey to consider jailing journalists who publish classified information before asking him to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. In 2023, months after Politico published a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would strike down Roe v. Wade, Trump said the journalists behind the story should be jailed if they did not reveal their source.?
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John Legend to perform at private event to celebrate Harris and Emhoff's anniversary, aides say?
From CNN's Jeff Zeleny in Chicago
Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz are heading to meet with top Democratic donors and supporters here at the convention hall, aides said, thanking some of the party’s biggest benefactors.
A friends and family party will get underway downtown a bit later tonight, as Harris and Doug Emhoff celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.
John Legend is scheduled to perform at the private event for Harris and Emhoff, aides said.
"She's not having success, I’m having success," Trump says of Harris in new interview
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Donald Trump said Kamala Harris is “not having success, I’m having success” in an interview Thursday night following Harris’ speech at the Democratic convention.
Fox News host Martha McCallum said: “There’s been a huge appeal?and momentum for women voters.?She’s trying to pull that, the?youth vote, the Hispanic vote,?the Black vote back in her?direction.?Polls show that she’s having some?success in that at this point, so?what are you going to do??What’s your strategy to rebuild?the momentum that you had with?those voters?”
Trump later added, “No, it’s only in your eyes that they have that, Martha.”
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Man accused of threatening Trump booked on two counts of threatening and felony warrant
From CNN's Taylor Romine
An Arizona man who is accused of making threats against former President Donald Trump was booked on two counts of threatening and a felony warrant, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said in?an updated Facebook post?Thursday.?
The sheriff’s office said they were made aware of a threatening message posted on social media directed at Trump on Tuesday, which they later learned was posted by Ronald Syvrud, who has “multiple outstanding warrants.” With this information, the sheriff’s office released a wanted person flyer to locate Syvrud in order to allow charging of the warrants and to investigate the threats, the post said.
A second social media post with threats against Trump was found Wednesday, they said. The sheriff’s office said “locating this subject was a priority” due to Trump’s visit in the area, and they deployed multiple units to a possible location.?
At 2:16 p.m. local time, authorities observed Syvrud “traveling outside of the identified location” and he was taken into custody “without further incident at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time, the post said.?
He was booked on two counts of threatening related to the social media posts and a felony warrant from a neighboring county for failure to register as a sex offender, the sheriff’s office said.?
“The successful conclusion of this incident without injury to our communities or public safety personnel is a testament to the strong working relationship and coordination between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies,” their post said.?
Syvrud is in custody “pending further court adjudication,” the post said. CNN could not immediately identify an attorney for Syvrud.
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"It’s possible we will be meeting," Trump says in reference to RFK Jr.
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gives a speech in Nashville, Tennessee on July 26.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images/File
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday said it was possible he would be meeting with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday — the same day Kennedy is expected to suspend his presidential bid.?
Trump is going to be joined by a “special guest” at his rally in Arizona on Thursday, according to his campaign. Kennedy is expected to end his presidential bid earlier in the day at an event in Phoenix.?CNN previously reported there were talks between Trump’s team and?Kennedy’s orbit for the independent candidate to endorse the former president and appear at Trump’s Phoenix area rally that same night.
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Fact Check: Harris on Trump raising prices for families by $4,000 a year?
From CNN’s Katie Lobosco
Vice President Kamala Harris claimed in her speech at the Democratic National Convention that former President Donald Trump’s proposed policies would raise prices for American families.
Facts First:?The claim is reasonable enough, but it’s worth explaining that Harris is referring to Trump’s proposal to implement new tariffs if he returns to the White House.??
Trump has called for adding a tariff?of 10% to 20% on all imports from all countries, as well as another tariff upward of 60% on all Chinese imports.?
Together, a 20% across-the-board tariff with a 60% tariff on Chinese-made goods would amount to about a $3,900 annual tax increase for a middle-income family, according to the?Center for American Progress Action Fund, a liberal think tank.?
If the 20% tariff was just 10%, as Trump sometimes suggests, the total impact for middle-class families could be $2,500 a year, according to CAP.?
Separate studies estimate that the impact of Trump’s proposed tariffs would also raise prices for families, but by a lower amount. The Peterson Institute for International Economics estimated the new duties would?cost the average middle-class household about $1,700 annually. And the Tax Policy Center said the impact could be?$1,350 a year?for middle-income households.??
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Buttigieg and his husband express excitement for the impact of a female president and "the end of Trumpism"
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportion Secretary Pete Buttigieg, said he “cannot wait” to see Kamala Harris win the election and thought about “the fact?that the first president that?our daughter is going to come?to know is a woman who looks?like her.”
Buttigieg pointed to Harris making a case for families dealing with medical bills and worrying about their children going to school amid fears of mass shootings.
“As a teacher,?as a dad, I’m so proud of her,” he said.
Pete Buttigieg said he believed if Trump loses it’ll be the “beginning of the end of Trumpism and the beginning of having a normal Republican Party in the future.” He added that a lot of Republicans are “quietly looking forward to” seeing Donald Trump lose the election.
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Trump reacts to Harris’ convention speech in real-time on Truth Social?
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Former President Donald Trump reacted to Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech Thursday at the Democratic National Convention in real-time on Truth Social.?
The former president posted in rapid succession, criticizing Harris’ speech, saying “A lot of talk about childhood,” and “Too many ‘Thank yous,’ too rapidly said.”
Trump repeatedly questioned why Harris hadn’t already accomplished the policy proposals she’s put forward as part of her reelection campaign while serving as vice president.
“She said, ‘Chart a new way forward,’ but she’s had three and a half years, and has done nothing but HARM!” Trump wrote.?
“LYING AGAIN ABOUT PROJECT 2025, WHICH SHE KNOWS, AND SO DO ALL DEMOCRATS, THAT I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH!”?Trump posted.
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100,000 balloons drop at the DNC
From CNN's Betsy Klein in Chicago
Ballons fall at the end of the DNC on Thursday, August 22, in Chicago.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
100,000 red, white, and blue balloons are falling from the ceiling of the United Center in celebration of Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination – the culmination of a massive planning feat by an army of staff and volunteers.?
Inflation was a key issue at the Democratic National Convention – balloon inflation.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
The process to get them from their packages and into the rafters happened here on site with 75 volunteers, 30 staff members, and “a dozen or so Local 2 Stagehands” working with a specialized system developed in 1988, according to a convention official. There is a “range of expertise” involved – from creative decisions on shape and size, volunteer management, and “coordination with union stagehands and riggers (to ensure) every balloon is positioned perfectly for maximum impact,” according to the official.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
The balloons began to inflate last Wednesday, the official said, but planning began months ago.
For the past four days, the balloons – 9- and 24-inch sized – have been suspended in anticipation of this moment.
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Harris makes pitch for unity at end of DNC speech
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Vice President Kamala Harris argued that the country is not as divided as her opponent says it is, pitching for its unity in her Democratic National Convention speech on Thursday.
She said Americans “have so much more in common than what separates us” and that “none of us has to?fail for all of us to succeed.”
She said former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance are “denigrating America” and “talking about how terrible everything is” on the campaign trail.
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Harris pledges to bring back the bipartisan border security bill tanked by Trump and sign it into law
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on stage during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 22.
Remember: Earlier this year,Trump lobbied Republicans, both in private conversations and in public statements on social media, to oppose the border compromise being delicately hashed out in the Senate, according to GOP sources familiar with the conversations – in part because he wanted to campaign on the issue this November?and didn’t want President Joe Biden to score a victory in an area where he is politically vulnerable.
Harris, in her DNC speech, underscored that the Democrats and Republicans wrote the bill together and Border Patrol endorsed it, but Trump tanked the bill.
She offered herself in contrast.
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Harris says she'll stand up for Israel's right to defend itself, adds it's time for hostage, ceasefire deals
From CNN's Michael Williams
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on Thursday, August 22, in Chicago, during the DNC.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself — but added the bloodshed in Gaza is “devastating” and “heartbreaking.”
“With?respect to the war in Gaza,?President Biden and I are?working around the clock,?because now is the time to get?a hostage deal and a ceasefire?deal done. And let me be clear: I will?always stand up for Israel’s?right to defend itself, and I?will always ensure Israel has?the ability to defend itself,?because the people of Israel?must never again face the?horror that a terrorist?organization called Hamas?caused on October 7, including unspeakable sexual?violence, and the massacre of?young people at a music?festival.”
She continued: “At the same time,?what has happened in Gaza over?the past 10 months is?devastating. So many innocent?lives lost. Desperate, hungry?people fleeing for safety over?and over again. The scale of?suffering is heartbreaking.?President Biden and I are?working to end this war, such?that Israel is secure, the?hostages are released, the?suffering in Gaza ends, and the?Palestinian people can realize?their right to dignity,?security, freedom, and?self-determination.”
“And know?this. I will never hesitate to?take whatever action is?necessary to defend our forces?and our interests against Iran?and Iran-backed terrorists,” she added.
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Harris slams Trump on reproductive rights: "They are?out of their minds"
From CNN's Jack Forrest
Kamala Harris looked to pin Donald Trump to unpopular reproductive rights issues in her speech to the Democratic National Convention Thursday night.
Nearly two dozen states?have enacted abortion limits since the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision overturning Roe. The aftermath has led to a wave of political activity that has boosted Democrats, who had a better-than-expected showing in the midterm elections. This year, Democrats hope that enduring anger over bans, as well as?abortion rights ballot initiatives?in a handful of key battleground states, will help 2024 candidates.
“This is what is happening in?our country, because of Donald?Trump. And understand, he is?not done.?As a part of his agenda, he and?his allies would limit access?to birth control, than?medication abortion and enact a?nationwide abortion ban with?or without Congress,” she said.
Trump in April said he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected to the White House again, reversing a promise the former president made as a candidate in 2016 and stood by during his first term in office.
CNN’s Arit John contributed to this report.
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United Center was at capacity ahead of Kamala Harris' speech
From CNN's Jamiel Lynch
Vice President Kamala Harris walks on stage during the DNC on Thursday, August 22, in Chicago.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
?The United Center, home of both the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, has a?capacity?of over 20,000 people.
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Harris touts a "new way forward" and compares her plans to Trump's
From CNN's Chelsea Bailey
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on stage during the DNC on Thursday, August 22, in Chicago.
Rebecca
Vice President Kamala Harris outlined her plans for a “new way forward” if she’s elected to be the 47th president of the United States.
Harris said her plans to protect the middle class are personal because “the middle class is where I come from.”
She called for creating an “opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed.”
Harris also promised to end the country’s housing shortage and protect social security and Medicare.
Her plans, she said, differ from Donald Trump and she accused the former president of fighting “for himself and his billionaire friends.”
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Beyoncé "never scheduled to be in Chicago" for the DNC, representative tells CNN
From CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister, Jamie Gangel, MJ Lee and Alli Rosenbloom
Beyoncé?will not be performing at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, according to her representative.?
Asked if she would be performing at the DNC on Thursday evening, Beyoncé’s representative Yvette Noel-Schure told CNN in a statement, “She was never scheduled to be in Chicago.”?
Throughout the day on Thursday, speculation that Beyoncé would make a surprise appearance at the final night of the convention reached a fever pitch.?
Multiple sources close to convention planners told CNN earlier in the evening they believed Beyoncé?would in fact come. However, later in the evening, Beyoncé’s?representative went on the record for the first time with The Hollywood Reporter to deny she was ever scheduled to attend.
Vice President Kamala Harris has incorporated Beyoncé’s 2016 song “Freedom” in her campaign rallies and in her ads. CNN previously?reported?that Harris and her team got approval from Beyoncé to use the song throughout her presidential campaign, according to a source close to the vice president.
On Thursday, when Harris walked out for her speech onstage, she walked out to “Freedom.”
Beyoncé has appeared at numerous Democratic events in the past. In 2008, the Grammy-winner sang Etta James’ “At Last” at former President Barack Obama’s presidential Inaugural Ball, and sang the National Anthem at Obama’s second presidential Inauguration in 2013.
In 2016, Beyoncé and her husband, rapper Jay-Z, headlined a pre-election concert in Ohio for Hillary Clinton, using the stage to?voice their support?for the then-presidential candidate. And in 2020, Beyoncé endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket when she encouraged her followers to vote in a post?on her Instagram page.
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Fact Check: Harris on the Supreme Court immunity decision
From CNN’s Daniel Dale?
In her speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris mentioned the Supreme Court’s July decision on presidential immunity while warning about the “consequences” of giving former President Donald Trump another term.?
“Consider the power he will have – especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution,” Harris said. “Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails.” ?
The court ruled that a former president has “absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority” and is “entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts” – but also ruled that “there is no immunity for unofficial acts.” ?
It’s fair for Harris to frame the ruling as an expansion of presidential power. But the ruling did not kill the ongoing criminal prosecutions against Trump, let alone prohibit any future criminal prosecutions against him. ?
A federal prosecution over Trump’s attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 election is back in the hands of a district court judge, who must decide which of the alleged Trump acts at issue are official and which are unofficial. And a state-level election subversion prosecution against Trump is also alive in Georgia, though it is on hold amid a battle over whether the district attorney leading the case should be disqualified. ?
In May, before the Supreme Court ruling, Trump was found guilty of felony falsification of business records in a state-level prosecution in New York. The presiding judge is now considering how the ruling applies to that case, in which Trump is awaiting sentencing.?
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The country is not going back to America under Trump, Harris says
From CNN's Elise Hammond
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on stage during the DNC on Thursday, August 22, in Chicago.
Bernadette Tuazon/CNN
Vice President Kamala Harris warned that former President Donald Trump would take the country back down a road of dangerous policies if he is elected to the White House for another term, pointing to a ruling from the US Supreme Court earlier this year that said Trump can claim limited immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken in office.
“Just?imagine Donald Trump with no?guard rails,” Harris said at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
She worked to tie all Trump policies to Project 2025 — the 920-page document that serves as a blueprint for a second Trump term. She said the document shows what a second Trump term would look like.
The goal of Project 2025 and Trump, Harris said, is to “pull our country back to?the past.”
“But America, we are?not going back,” she said.
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"Donald Trump is an unserious man" but consequences of electing him "are extremely?serious," Harris says
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Vice President Kamala Harris laid out the consequences of electing former President Donald Trump to a second term.
She spoke about the “chaos and calamity” of his years in the Oval Office and also pointed to him questioning election results in 2020 when he lost his reelection bid.
“Donald Trump?tried to throw away your votes.?When he failed, he sent an armed?mob to the United States Capitol?where they assaulted law?enforcement officers. When?politicians in his own party?begged him to call off the mob?and send help, he did the?opposite.?He fanned the flames,” she said.
Harris also highlighted that Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts in a hush money case and that a federal jury in his civil defamation trial found that the former president had sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll.
“He was found guilty?of fraud by a jury of everyday?Americans, and separately found?liable for committing sexual?abuse,” she said.
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Harris says America is in a fight for its future
From CNN's Michael Williams
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the DNC on Thursday, August 22, in Chicago.
Bernadette Tuazaon/CNN
Kamala Harris laid bare what she described as the stark stakes of the presidential election this year after accepting her nomination at the Democratic National Convention.
After discussing her previous political experience and the tough elections that put her in her current position, Harris said: “We never gave up because the?future is always worth fighting?for.”
“And that is the fight we?are in right now,” the vice president said, “a fight for?America’s future.”
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From prosecutor to politician: The experiences that shaped Kamala Harris?
From CNN's Chelsea Bailey
Kamala Harris’ path from prosecutor to politician has been defined by many firsts: She was the nation’s first Indian American senator and?California’s?first female and?South Asian attorney general. ?
Harris is the first woman to become vice president, as well as the first Black or Asian American person to hold the office.?
And tonight, as she takes the stage, Harris will explain why each of these experiences helped shape her into the woman, politician, and presidential candidate that she is today. ?
Harris delivers direct appeal to Republicans: "I will be a president for all Americans"
From CNN's Michael Williams
Kamala Harris issued a direct appeal to Republicans questioning whether to vote for her, vowing to be a president for all Americans.
“I know?there are people of various?political views watching?tonight,” she said after accepting the nomination.
“And I want you to know: I promise to be a president?for all Americans. You can?always trust me to put country above party and self.”
Harris continued:
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Harris tells childhood story about why she became a prosecutor
From CNN's Jack Forrest
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the DNC on Thursday, August 22, in Chicago.
Rebecca Wright/CNN
In her speech to the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris recounted how a childhood friend being sexually abused led her to become a prosecutor.
After graduating from law school at the University of California Hastings, Harris spent three decades as a prosecutor, serving as a deputy district attorney for Oakland’s Alameda County before she was elected in 2004 to be district attorney of San Francisco.
In 2011, Harris became the first Black American, first woman, and first Asian American elected to be the attorney general of California.
CNN’s Chelsea Bailey contributed to this report.
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Kamala Harris accepts historic Democratic nomination for president