Harris packs the Wisconsin arena that hosted RNC while the Obamas prepare to address DNC in Chicago
CHICAGO (AP) — Kamala Harris rallied thousands of voters in one packed arena as former President Barack Obama prepared to energize millions more on Harris' behalf inside another on a Tuesday night designed to demonstrate the energy and breadth of the Democratic nominee's evolving coalition.
Ahead of Obama's address at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Harris declared in battleground Wisconsin — at a rally in the arena where Republicans held their convention last month — that she was running “a people-powered campaign."
“Together we will chart a new way forward,” the vice president said in remarks that were partially broadcast to the DNC. “A future for freedom, opportunity, of optimism and faith.”
Back at the Democrats' convention, a symbolic roll call in which delegates from each state pledged their support for the Democratic nominee turned into a party atmosphere. A DJ played a mix of state-specific songs — and Atlanta native Lil Jon ran out during Georgia’s turn to his hit song with DJ Snake, “Turn Down for What," to the delight of the thousands inside the cavernous United Center.
The raucous night of events spanning two states underscored the diversity of the coalition that Harris’ campaign is working to stitch together in her bid to defeat Trump this fall. She is drawing on the party's biggest stars, leaders from the far left to the middle, and even some Republicans to boost her campaign.
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The Latest: Day 2 of the DNC will feature the Obamas and second gentleman Doug Emhoff
Day two of the Democratic National Convention has begun.
Former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will speak at the DNC, a day after the unofficial farewell for President Joe Biden, who served eight years as Obama’s vice president. Biden won’t be in the hall to see his former running mate speak, as he departed Chicago Monday after delivering his own speech.
With President Biden having addressed delegates, the week’s full focus now turns to Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov Tim Walz.
Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
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Democrats turn their roll call into a dance party with celebrities, state-specific songs and Lil Jon
CHICAGO (AP) — Convention roll call votes can be staid and cheesy, but Democrats turned theirs into the ultimate dance party on Tuesday.
DJ Cassidy stood onstage in what appeared to be a double-breasted satin suit of royal blue, spinning a special song for each state and territory awarding their delegates to Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention. What America got was a mashup of an elite karaoke night: Detroit native Eminem's “Lose Yourself” for Michigan, Dropkick Murphys' “I'm Shipping Up to Boston” for Massachusetts and Tupac Shakur's “California Love” for California.
Georgia brought out one of its natives in person: Atlanta's Lil Jon striding through Chicago's United Center to the beats of “Turn Down for What,” his song with DJ Snake.
In short, Democrats were determined to put the party in political party, part of their broader effort to project joy and positive energy even as they issue dire warnings about the need to beat Republican nominee Donald Trump.
The party last used a video roll call during the pandemic -restricted 2020 convention that famously had Rhode Island featuring its state dish, calamari, creating the pressure to do something bigger this year. (The chef holding that iconic tray of calamari later turned out to be a Trump supporter.)
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More than a dozen protesters arrested after clash with police outside Chicago's Israeli consulate
CHICAGO (AP) — More than a dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested Tuesday during a protest that began outside the Israeli consulate and spilled out onto the surrounding streets on the second night of the Democratic National Convention.
The intense confrontations with officers began minutes into the demonstration, after some protesters – many dressed in black, their faces covered – charged at a line of police that had blocked the group from marching. They eventually moved past the officers, but were penned in several times throughout the night by police in riot gear who did not allow protesters to disperse. Officers called the demonstrations “an unlawful assembly.”
Earlier in the night, officers carrying wooden clubs shouted “move” and penned some demonstrators in on the street, preventing them from marching.
Some demonstrators set an American flag on fire in the street as the celebratory roll call for Vice President Kamala Harris took place inside the United Center about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away. Others carried Palestinian flags, while many others wore black and covered their faces.
As protesters regrouped and approached a line of police in riot gear in front of a Chicago skyscraper that houses the Israeli consulate, an officer said into a megaphone, “You are ordered to immediately disburse.” A woman in the front of the march shouted back with her own megaphone: “We’re not scared of you.”
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Trump campaigns to 'make America safe again' as Democratic convention zeroes in on his felony record
HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to “Make America Safe Again" while campaigning in Michigan as the Democrats who gathered in Chicago to nominate Kamala Harris branded him a career criminal.
As part of a battleground campaign swing designed to counter the Democratic National Convention, Trump stood alongside sheriff’s deputies in the city of Howell and labeled Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, as the “ringleader” of a “Marxist attack on law enforcement” across the country.
“Kamala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction and death,” Trump said in one of many generalizations about an America under Harris. “You’ll see levels of crime that you’ve never seen before. ... I will deliver law, order, safety and peace.”
Trump has sought in recent weeks to blunt the enthusiasm that Harris has attracted since President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed her. That has involved both dark predictions about what electing Harris would mean for the country and efforts by Trump's advisers to set up events where he can try to draw specific policy contrasts. On Tuesday in Michigan, the subject was crime and public safety.
“Our policemen and women have the backs of law-abiding citizens every day,” Trump said. “When we go back to the White House, you’re going to see support the likes of which you haven’t seen, certainly in four years.”
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Arizona Supreme Court clears way for voters to decide on constitutional right to abortion
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a 200-word summary that abortion advocates used to collect signatures for a ballot measure is valid, clearing the way for voters to decide on the constitutional right to an abortion.
Under the measure, abortions would be allowed until an embryo or fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks. There are some exceptions for later-term abortions to save the mother’s life or to protect her physical or mental health.
Voters in more than a half-dozen states will be deciding abortion measures this fall. The U.S. Supreme Court removed the nationwide right to abortion with a 2022 ruling, which sparked a national push to have voters decide.
Recent decisions from the Arizona Supreme Court come ahead of a Thursday ballot printing deadline.
The justices sided with Republican lawmakers in a related case last week to allow a voter information pamphlet to refer to an embryo or fetus as an “unborn human being.” That language will not appear on the ballots.
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Blinken ends latest Mideast visit without a cease-fire, warning 'time is of the essence'
JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his ninth visit to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began without securing any major breakthrough for a cease-fire deal, warning on Tuesday that “time is of the essence” even as Hamas and Israel signaled that challenges remain.
After meetings in fellow mediating countries Egypt and Qatar, Blinken said that because Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge gaps with the militant group, the focus turns to doing everything possible to “get Hamas on board” and ensure both sides agree to key details on implementation.
“Our message is simple. It’s clear and it’s urgent," he told reporters before leaving Qatar. "We need to get a cease-fire and hostage agreement over the finish line, and we need to do it now. Time is of the essence.”
There has been added urgency after the recent targeted killings of militant leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah in Iran and Lebanon, both attributed to Israel, and vows of retaliation that have sparked fears of a wider regional war.
Few details have been released about the so-called bridging proposal put forth by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar. Blinken said it is “very clear on the schedule and the locations of (Israeli military) withdrawals from Gaza.”
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FTC's bid to ban noncompete agreements rejected by federal judge in Texas
A federal judge in Texas has blocked a new rule from the Federal Trade Commission that would have made it easier for employees to quit a job and work for a competitor.
In a ruling Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown granted a motion for summary judgement filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other plaintiffs, and rejected the FTC's own petition for a judgement in its favor.
In reaching his decision, Brown concluded that that the FTC “exceeded its statutory authority” in making the rule, which the judge called “arbitrary and capricious." The judge also concluded that the rule would cause irreparable harm.
As a result of the court's decision, the FTC won't be able to enforce its rule, which was set to go into effect on Sept. 4, according to the judge's ruling.
Still, the decision does not prevent the agency from addressing noncompete agreements through “case-by-case” enforcement actions, said Victoria Graham, an FTC spokesperson.
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What is known about the sinking of a luxury yacht off the coast of Sicily and those aboard
PORTICELLO, Sicily (AP) — Specialist cave divers working in 12-minute underwater shifts were searching Tuesday for six missing passengers and crew, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, believed to be in the submerged wreck of a luxury yacht that was slammed by a powerful storm and swiftly sank off Sicily.
The sleek yacht, named the Bayesian, was carrying a crew of 10 people and 12 passengers when it suddenly sank near the Mediterranean island that is part of Italy at about 4 a.m. on Monday. One body has been recovered and 15 people survived.
Fire rescue officials have said the six believed to remain in the sailboat's hull will be considered missing until they are located in the wreckage.
Here's what we know so far about the sinking and those who were on board.
Italian civil protection officials believe a sudden and fierce storm that battered the coast of Sicily in the early hours of Monday whipped up a waterspout in the exact spot where the 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged Bayesian was moored.
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He once poached the wild animals of Zimbabwe. Now he preaches against it
CHIREDZI, Zimbabwe (AP) — Tembanechako Mastick and a group of men scanned bushes near their village in southeast Zimbabwe, on the hunt for the den of hyenas that had recently attacked livestock. Scattered fragments of goat bones showed the way, and Mastick peeped cautiously into a deep hole in the earth.
“They are probably gone from here, but not far because they see plenty of food in this area,” Mastick said. Some of his companions suggested sealing the hole, while others argued for trying to burn out any animals inside.
In the past, Mastick, 47, might have been willing. He grew up hunting in his community's tradition, and though he grew crops and raised livestock in later years, turned to poaching when recurring droughts made farming less viable. But then he was caught late last year taking small game in the nearby Save Valley Conservancy, one of the largest private game reserves in Africa, and spent nearly three months in jail, where he said a program aimed at turning poachers into conservationists changed his outlook.
At the hyena den, Mastick warned the others against killing animals, whether for meat or revenge. It's a message he's been giving since he was freed, urging his fellow villagers to rely on crops and livestock instead for food and income.
“I began to realize that animals are for the benefit of the entire community, so poaching is a selfish act," Mastick said in an interview. “I can kill a zebra today and eat it or sell the meat, but I am the only one who benefits. But if tourists come to view that same zebra, it is the entire community that benefits from the income.”
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