It’s Day One of the Democratic National Convention

It’s Day One of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.Democrats are gathering here for a much different party convention than what was planned just a month ago. Following President Biden’s dropping out of the race, Vice President Harris moved to the top of the ticket and injected new energy into the Democratic campaign. With his keynote speech tonight, the president will be making a symbolic handoff. He plans to explain why he believes Harris must replace him and defeat Donald Trump in November.

Chicago braces for DNC crowds of delegates, media, protesters

Chicago is bracing for this week’s Democratic National Convention. Tens of thousands of people are descending upon Chicago for the convention — including delegates, journalists, and activists. The city says it has made necessary preparations with police and the Secret Service to deal with protesters. The largest group is the pro-Palestinian Coalition to March on the DNC. It wants an end to U-S aid to Israel and has planned demonstrations on the first and last days of the convention.

Teamsters president not invited to DNC after addressing RNC

In Pennsylvania, Harris takes bus tour, Trump rallies

Vice President Kamala Harris is on a bus tour today [SUN 12:30pm-7:30pm ET] ahead of the Democratic National Convention. Harris, her running mate Governor Tim Walz, and their spouses are taking a campaign swing through battleground Pennsylvania on the eve of the DNC. The bus tour is making stops in Pittsburgh and other towns in western PA before the Democratic ticket arrives here in Chicago for their party convention. Both campaigns are focused on must-win Pennsylvania. Yesterday, Donald Trump held a rally in Wilkes-Barre, hoping to attract support from conservative, white working-class voters near Joe Biden’s hometown.

Harris says a 2nd debate with Trump in October is possible

U.S. prepares for possible Iranian attack against Israel

The United States continues to prepare for a possible Iranian attack against Israel. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby says U-S officials are “working very hard diplomatically” to prevent an Iranian-led attack, but “we also have to be ready for one.” He said the U-S believes it’s ready. And he warns that while the likelihood of an attack is high, it is unknown. Kirby says Iran could attack soon with little to zero warning and that its rhetoric should be taken seriously.

Harris to unveil some details of her economic agenda

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris will unveil some of the details of her economic agenda.
Aides and advisers to the vice president say her plans will focus on lowering the cost of groceries, housing and healthcare. Stubborn inflation has been a serious political challenge for the Biden-Harris administration, and Harris’s emphasis on costs reflects how important consumer prices are to voters. Polls continue to show voters giving Republicans higher marks on the economy than Democrats.

Biden says 10 Medicare drugs to cost less in 2026

President Biden says drug prices on Medicare’s most popular drugs will be coming down. After months of negotiations between the administration and pharmaceutical companies, the list prices will be reduced starting in 2026. The president said it will mean big savings for millions of people on Medicare. And, he said, it will save the government billions more. Popular blood thinners Xarelto and Eliquis and diabetes drugs Jardiance and Januvia are among the 10 drugs that will cost less.

Trump seeks delay in NY criminal case sentencing

Donald Trump wants the sentencing in his New York criminal case delayed until after the November presidential election. Trump’s legal team argues that the September 18th sentencing date — about seven weeks before Election Day — would amount to election interference. In a letter to the judge, the former president’s lawyer wrote that a delay would also allow Trump time to weigh next steps after an expected mid-September ruling on his request to overturn the verdict. In May, Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election.

Vance, Walz agree to VP Debate on October 1

The two vice presidential hopefuls have agreed to debate each other on October 1. Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will face each other in a debate hosted by CBS News in New York City. Both potential vice presidents accepted the CBS invitation to debate on the first of October. The VP debate will take place three weeks after the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and as early voting in some states gets underway for the general election.

Biden, Harris to announce lower Medicare Rx prices

President Biden and Vice President are announcing lower Medicare prices on prescription drugs. In a joint appearance in Maryland, the president and vice president will talk about their effort to lower prices. They will announce that “Medicare has reached agreements on new, lower prices” with 10 manufacturers. According to the White House, it will save people on Medicare one-point-five billion dollars in out-of-pocket costs and Medicare will 6-billion dollars in the first year alone.

Biden tells social media influencers they “are the future”

President Biden says social media influencers are the new “source of news.” The president told a group of more than 100 influencers, also known as content creators, that they “are the future.” He said the influencers, who have millions of loyal followers, are the “source of the news.” And the president put an exclamation point on that sentiment when reporters in the White House press corps tried asking questions.

Poll: Harris seen as more honest, Trump has edge on economy

A new poll shows how Americans rate the presidential candidates on leadership qualities. There’s a little something for each campaign in the findings of the AP-NORC survey. When it comes to honesty, Vice President Harris has a perceived advantage over former President Trump. However, Americans are slightly more likely to trust him on two critical issues — the economy and immigration. Roughly the same share of Americans say both Trump and Harris are strong leaders.

Judge in Trump’s NY criminal case refuses to step aside

The judge in Donald Trump’s New York criminal case is refusing to step aside. Trump lost his latest bid for a new judge in the case as it heads toward a key ruling and potential sentencing next month. Judge Juan Merchan declined to step aside and said Trump’s demand was a rehash “rife with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims” about his ability to remain impartial. It’s the third time Merchan has rejected such a request. The Trump legal team contends the judge has a conflict of interest because his daughter works as a political consultant for prominent Democrats.

Biden promotes cancer “moonshot” with $150 million grants

President Biden is promoting his administration’s “moonshot” initiative aiming to dramatically reduce cancer deaths. During a visit to Louisiana’s Tulane University, the president announced 150-million dollars in awards that will support eight research teams around the country, as they develop ways to help surgeons more successfully remove tumors. Mr. Biden says the “moonshot” goal is to cut U-S cancer fatalities by 50 percent over the next 25 years.

Wash. Post Editorial Board says Harris should face the press

Vice President Harris is facing more criticism for avoiding the news media. It’s not only Donald Trump who’s complaining that Kamala Harris has yet to give a sit-down interview or hold a news conference since moving to the top of the Democratic ticket. The Washington Post Editorial Board says it’s a “political necessity” for the vice president to answer questions from the press. It goes on to say that “the media and public have legitimate questions, and she should face them.”

Biden discusses Mideast tensions with European allies

President Biden has been discussing Middle East tensions with European allies. The president spoke to the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the UK this week to discuss de-escalating tensions in the Mideast. In a joint statement released by the White House, the leaders of all five countries endorsed a call for a renewal of talks for a Gaza ceasefire to conclude a deal as soon as possible. A new round of negotiations is currently scheduled for Thursday.

FBI investigating if sensitive docs were stolen from Trump campaign

The FBI is investigating a possible cyber attack against the Trump campaign. FBI officials confirm that the agency is investigating allegations that sensitive documents from the Trump campaign were stolen in a cyber intrusion days after the campaign declared it had been hacked by Iran. The campaign provided no specific evidence of Iran’s involvement, but the claim came shortly after Microsoft issued a report detailing foreign agents’ attempts to interfere in the 2024 election.

U.S and Israel say Iranian attack could happen this week

The United States says Iran could launch a strike on Israel as soon as this week. The White House says the U-S and its allies are preparing for a “significant set of attacks” from either Iran or its proxies. National security spokesman John Kirby says the U-S shares the Israeli intelligence assessment that an Iranian attack could come within days. He says nobody wants to see a military strike, but President Biden “is confident ” that the U-S has the capability to help defend Israel “should it come to that.”

Trump accuses Harris of stealing his no-tax-on-tips policy

Former President Trump is miffed at the Harris campaign over her pledge not to tax tips to restaurant and other service industry workers. Over the weekend in Las Vegas, the vice president promised to work to eliminate federal taxes on tips paid to restaurant and other service industry employees. Turns out that’s a promise Donald Trump made two months ago — also at a Las Vegas rally. The former president is now accusing Harris of copying his pledge, and claims on social media that Harris “has no ideas, she can only steal from me.” He calls the no-taxes-on-tips policy a “Trump idea.”

Pentagon boosts military presence in Middle East

The Pentagon is sending more military hardware to the Middle East amid rising tensions in the region.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a guided missile submarine to the Mideast as the U-S and other allies push Israel and Hamas to achieve a cease-fire agreement. The Defense Department also said that Austin told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. Tensions in the region have escalated since the assassination of the top Hamas political leader and a senior Hezbollah commander.

Trump, Harris campaigns take different approaches to abortion

The two presidential campaigns are taking different approaches to the issue of abortion. For Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, abortion access is a central theme of her campaign and a huge applause line. But former President Trump is downplaying the significance of abortion in the election. States are now dealing with the issue after the U.S. Supreme Court removed the constitutional right to an abortion.

Date is set for Trump-Harris presidential debate

The date is set for a presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. The on again-off again September 10 debate is on again after Trump agreed to face off against Harris on ABC. And he’s proposing two more debates before Election Day. Harris said she looks forward to debating Trump on September 10th, but is not committing to additional dates until after their first debate.

Americans say democracy is at stake, but they differ on the threat

Most Americans agree that democracy is on the ballot this November, but they disagree on the threat. An AP-NORC poll shows that most Americans believe this year’s presidential race will be crucial for the future of the country’s democracy. Not surprisingly, given the political climate, voters see the threat differently based on their political views. Many Democrats continue to see Donald Trump as a threat to democracy after he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election. But the poll findings also suggest that many of Trump’s supporters agree with him that the Biden-Harris administration is the real threat.