CHICAGO—Vice President Kamala Harris delivered the biggest speech of her political career at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, accepting the party’s nomination and introducing herself to the nation as her abbreviated 2024 campaign enters the final stretch.
Harris took the stage 32 days after the sudden exit from the race of President Joe Biden, who had faced unrelenting pressure within his party to abandon the campaign as he lagged behind former President Donald Trump in battleground states. Biden called Harris on the eve of her speech to wish her luck.
The speech Harris delivered before an enthusiastic audience at the United Center highlighted her middle-class roots, framed the contest between herself and Trump as a battle for the future of the country, and argued that the Democratic agenda aligns with the banner of patriotism, which is more commonly seen as a defining characteristic of the Republican Party.
CHICAGO—Vice President Kamala Harris brought the Democratic National Convention to a close on Thursday, to shouts of approval from her supporters.
"We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the world, and on behalf of our children and grandchildren…we must be worthy of this moment,” she said.
As Harris’s speech drew to a close, she called on her supporters to stay optimistic, and uphold their ideals and beliefs. “Never let anyone tell you who you are. Show them who you are,” she said.
CHICAGO—Vice President Kamala Harris said she would sign the bill changing U.S. border policy that twice stalled in the Senate.
“We can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system,” Harris said at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
CHICAGO—Teachers and the parents of victims of mass shootings over the past two decades took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday to share their experiences.
Their accounts came during a segment of the night’s program devoted to a call for federal gun control.
CHICAGO—Rev. Al Sharpton, joined by the so-called Central Park Five, took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
Sharpton, a controversial figure known for his past work on civil rights, criticized former President Donald Trump’s views on criminal justice and punishment.
CHICAGO—Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have taken to the streets for the fifth consecutive day near the perimeter fences set up to protect the Democratic National Convention.
Police ordered journalists out of the street, known as the “neutral zone.”
CHICAGO—Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Vice President Kamala Harris will prevent price gouging and take on corporate interests if she wins the presidential election.
Harris recently proposed a federal ban on price gouging on food and grocery items as part of her economic platform.
CHICAGO—Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for president and aiming to be the first woman to hold the office, is set to deliver a nomination acceptance speech on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention.
Although some attendees at the convention voice reservations about the nation’s readiness for a female president, many still express hope that Harris will be the first to breach the glass ceiling in November.
“Yes, we’re ready for a woman president,” Kevin Freeman, a voter from New York, told The Epoch Times. “And I think that so many other countries have had women leaders, it’s time for us to get on board.”
CHICAGO—Unaffordable childcare costs are detrimental to the economy, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), minority whip since 2023 and mother of three, said on Thursday, the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
“When parents have to choose between their kids and their jobs, businesses are hurt, too,” Clark said. “We shut out talent. We lose the prosperity parents could create.”
Democrats are mostly unfazed by the growing buzz that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may suspend his independent bid for the presidency and join forces with former President Donald Trump.
CHICAGO—On Thursday, a dozen or more uncommitted delegates set themselves up inside the security perimeter of the Democratic National Convention, just across West Madison Street from the United Center.
The Democratic primary season in some areas was marked by disagreement over the Biden administration’s Israel policy. It spurred many to vote “uncommitted” rather than for the incumbent, who was the party’s presumptive nominee at the time.
CHICAGO—Pointing to the approximately 10 million illegal immigrants that have entered the country during the Biden–Harris administration so far, Republicans supporting the Trump campaign said during a press conference on Aug. 22 in Chicago that the country is in danger from the “open border.”
A video played by the campaign, stringing together clips of Harris remarking that entering the country illegally is not a crime, was highlighted as evidence that she is not prioritizing border security.
CHICAGO—Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling told reporters Thursday morning that demonstrations the previous day hadn’t led to any arrests—a stark contrast to the dozens of arrests made on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 20, amid chaos outside the Israeli consulate.
“Did we have a couple of dust-ups? Sure… but those things were quickly rectified,” Snelling said of the events on Wednesday, when anywhere from the high hundreds to two thousand pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered, chanted, and mostly, slowly dispersed.
The Epoch Times witnessed multiple small confrontations Wednesday, including one between protesters and Andre Williams, a veteran who was holding up an American flag.
CHICAGO—Democrats attending the party’s national convention in Chicago are split on whether they can win back control of the House of Representatives in this year’s election, they told The Epoch Times and NTD News at the Democratic National Convention.
Those who expressed confidence said that enthusiastic youth support would help them in down-ballot congressional races.
“I feel it’s going to happen. There’s just this animation, this enthusiasm, this growing momentum. The Harris–Walz team is going to carry that across the finish line,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said.
CHICAGO—Intraparty conflicts, protests, and the attempted assassination of a former president have ratcheted up political tensions as the nation prepares to select its 47th president.
As angry protesters gathered outside the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Aug. 20, former President Barack Obama called for unity inside.
“The vast majority of us do not want to live in a country that is bitter and divided,” Obama said, expressing confidence that Vice President Kamala Harris was the right person to bring the country together.
CHICAGO—Democrats held the third rally of their national convention on Aug. 21, making the case that Vice President Kamala Harris is a strong leader who will lead the nation to a brighter future.
The program included remarks by more than 40 speakers, including Democratic notables House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Celebrities including Stevie Wonder, Keenan Thompson, and John Legend performed.
Oprah Winfrey made an unannounced appearance. Harris was absent from the convention for a second day.
CHICAGO—Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gave one of the most important speeches of his career on the evening of Aug. 21 at the Democratic National Convention, accepting his party’s nomination for vice president.
“It’s the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States,” Walz said to a thunderous reception on the convention’s third night.
“We’re all here tonight for one beautiful, simple reason: We love this country.”