Kamala Harris ‘ready to debate’ Trump as new ballot reveals Democrats gaining: Latest
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President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, DC, on Thursday at a fragile moment in US/Israeli relations over the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu addressed Congress as protests against the war raged near the Capitol with pro-Hamas elements defacing monuments and burning the US flag outside Union Station. The vice president condemned these acts on Thursday morning.
On the campaign trail, Harris released her first presidential ad and addressed the American Federation of Teachers conference in Houston, where the crowd enthusiastically chanted “Bring it on!” in response to her speech about preserving hard-fought freedoms.
The vice president also praised Biden, the morning after he explained that he decided to “pass the torch to a new generation” for the sake of democracy and to “unite our nation” in his first speech since dropping out of the 2024 race.
Arriving back in Washington on Thursday afternoon, Harris told reporters that she was ready to debate Donald Trump and accused him of backpedaling on the previously agreed date of September 10.
New polls from Emerson College and The New York Times/Siena College showed a much-narrowed gap among likely voters.
Constitutional amendment aims to reverse Supreme Court presidential immunity ruling
A statement from Morelle reads:
Earlier this month the Supreme Court of the United States undermined not just the foundation of our constitutional government, but the foundation of our democracy. At its core, our nation relies on the principle that no American stands above another in the eyes of the law. I introduced this constitutional amendment to correct a grave error of this Supreme Court and protect our democracy by ensuring no president is ever above the law. The American people expect their leaders to be held to the same standards we hold for any member of our community. Presidents are not monarchy, they are not tyrants, and shall not be immune.
Former DOJ officials endorse Kamala Harris fearing Trump win
NBC News has obtained a letter signed by more than 40 former Justice Department officials — who served under presidents of both parties — endorsing Kamala Harris for the presidency.
Those who signed the letter include former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former deputy attorneys general Sally Yates, David Ogden and Jamie Gorelick, and John McKay, who was appointed as a top federal prosecutor in Washington state during the George W Bush administration.
“The fabric of the nation, the rule of law and the future of the Democracy are at stake in this election,” the letter states.
“The stakes could not be higher. Former President Trump presents a grave risk to our country, our global alliances and the future of democracy.”
Per NBC News:
Trump “regularly ignored the rule of law” as president, the former officials wrote, pointing out that one of his first acts was an “unconstitutional Muslim travel ban” and one of his last acts was an attempt “to stay in power by defying election results and the will of the American people.”
Harris is “the best choice to defeat Donald Trump and lead the nation,” the letter says, citing her work in the Biden administration and as attorney general of California, where “she oversaw the largest state justice department in the country. She forged strong relationships with law enforcement to keep people safe, fought for American consumers and fought against those preying on the American people.”
Simmering tensions over Gaza but Biden and Netanyahu all smiles in Oval Office
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were unfailingly cordial as the two leaders met in the Oval Office for what may be their last face-to-face talks before Biden leaves office after this year’s presidential election.
Netanyahu, who has spent much of the time since he became Israel’s prime minister in 2009 as a thorn in the side to Democratic presidents for his work to undermine the two-state solution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict, praised Biden’s long-standing support for Israel while he and the American leader spoke to reporters ahead of their bilateral talks.
Andrew Feinberg reports from the White House.
New poll: Harris now a threat to Trump in several major swing states
A new Emerson poll released on Thursday shows Harris putting an end to the bleeding her predecessor was suffering for weeks across five key states: Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. She still trails Donald Trump in each state, but she’s now within just a few percentage points — ground she has a chance of making up over the next 100-plus days until the general election.
John Bowden has the details.
A new low point?
Fox guest describes Kamala Harris as ‘original Hawk Tuah girl’
A Fox Business Network guest referred to Kamala Harris as the “original Hawk Tuah” girl during an appearance on the channel on 5 July, resurfaced video shows. Alec Lace made the comments about the vice president before Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed her at the top of the party ticket. The guest appeared to refer to a viral video of a 22-year-old woman, who replied to the question, “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?” with: “You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thang.” The Independent has contacted Fox and Mr Lace for comment.
“You have been asking me about the debate and I’ll tell you I’m ready to debate Donald Trump. I have agreed to the previously agreed upon September 10 debate. He agreed to that previously. Now, here he is backpedaling and I’m ready and I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage and so I’m ready to go.”
New York Times/Siena College poll sees single point between Harris and Trump
The latest New York Times/Siena College poll has Donald Trump at 48 per cent and Kamala Harris at 47 per cent among likely voters in a head-to-head match-up, in the first survey since Harris took over as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee after President Joe Biden stepped aside.
This shows a marked improvement for Democrats. The last poll conducted by the group in early July showed Biden down six per cent to Trump.
Among registered voters, Trump leads Harris by two per cent (48:46) but he led Biden by nine per cent in the earlier poll.
Per the Times:
The poll showed Ms. Harris garnering about 60 percent support from voters under 30 and Hispanic voters, groups Mr. Biden had consistently struggled with. Among voters under 45, Ms. Harris was ahead by 10 percentage points, less than three weeks after Mr. Trump had held a narrow edge with that group over Mr. Biden.
Because the survey was of voters nationwide, the impact of Ms. Harris’s candidacy in particular battleground states was not immediately clear. But a Democratic candidate with greater appeal to younger and more diverse voters could put renewed focus on the Sun Belt states of Nevada, Arizona and Georgia, which had been threatening to slip off the swing-state map for Mr. Biden.
The nationwide poll surveyed 1,142 registered voters between July 22-24 by phone in both English and Spanish. The poll’s margin of sampling error among registered voters is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
Harris says she is ready to debate Trump as he backpedals on agreed date
Trump now seems to be backing away from the face-off.
Anti-immigrant campaign ad sees Missouri Republican slammed for ‘racist bigotry’
A Missouri Republican with a history of attention-seeking political stunts is promising to “crack down on illegal immigration” in a widely derided ad loaded with racist stereotypes.
Bill Eigel, a GOP state senator running for governor of Missouri, stands next to a Spanish “translator” as he pledges “no more taxpayer handouts to illegals, period. Nada, zilch, zero.”
Alex Woodward reports.
Source: independent.co.uk
