The Latest: Walz accepts the party’s nomination for vice president at DNC Day 3

Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton headlined the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, the third day of the party’s choreographed rollout of a new candidate, Kamala Harris, and her pitch to voters.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also addressed the convention.

Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Here’s the Latest:

Walz is rockin’ in the free world

As Walz wrapped his speech to wild applause, his walk-off song “Rockin’ in the Free World” played. The classic rock fan selected the song, according to a campaign aide, and rocker Neil Young signed off on its use.

Young famously sued Trump for using the song at his campaign rallies without permission.

Walz gives the pep talk of a lifetime: ‘There will be time to sleep when you’re dead’

Walz, a former football coach, is giving Democrats a “pep talk” in his remarks, saying, “Let me finish with this, team. It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal. But we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball.”

He said they have to do the “blocking and tackling,” making phone calls and knocking on doors over the next 76 days. “There will be time to sleep when you’re dead,” he says.

Walz touched on he and his wife’s struggle with infertility

“If you’ve never experienced infertility, I guarantee you know someone who has.” His son Gus began crying in the crowd in response.

In introducing himself to voters as Harris’ running mate, Walz has made his family’s struggle with fertility a central part of his narrative, a tangible way to connect with voters alarmed at the erosion of reproductive rights in the U.S.

But Gwen Walz on Tuesday issued a statement that detailed the experience more comprehensively and disclosed that they relied on a different process known as intrauterine insemination, or IUI.

Walz isn’t Minnesota’s first ‘Happy Warrior’

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has cultivated a “happy warrior” political persona. But he’s not the first Democratic vice presidential nominee from Minnesota to do so.

That honor would go to Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon Johnson’s vice president, who channeled his Midwestern earnestness into becoming a foil for Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater during the 1964 campaign.

It’s a role Humphrey relished, once taunting the arch-conservative Goldwater as someone who “wouldn’t vote yes for Mother’s Day.” Humphrey was also quite effective, repeatedly drawing attacks from Goldwater — while diverting them away from Johnson.

Walz, who exudes “dad” vibes and Midwestern politeness, is no slouch himself. He coined one of the buzziest phrases of the campaign, “weird,” which helped elevate him from political unknown to the position he now holds.

Walz: ‘Never underestimate a public school teacher’

Walz begins his speech by talking about his small-town upbringing in Butte, Nebraska, where not everyone believed the same thing or loved the same way, but says, “Everybody belongs, and everybody has a responsibility to contribute.”

Walz went through his professional resuming, starting with his work as a high school teacher and coach. “It was those players and my students who inspired me to run for Congress,” he said. “I learned how to work across the aisle on issues like growing the rural economies and taking care of veterans.”

Walz said, “Never underestimate a public school teacher,” as he describes how he won a seat in Congress after a career as a teacher with no prior political experience.

Midwest is best

The sentiment shared by the speakers who are previewing Tim Walz at the DNC could be summed up with a single phrase: Midwest is best.

That oft-repeated phrase in the central U.S. is a key element of his biography.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar highlighted his everyman qualities, handiness and ruggedness as a Midwesterner who knows how to brave the elements.

“In Minnesota, we trust a hunter who has stood in a deer stand in 10-degree weather,” Klobuchar said.

Members of the championship Mankato high school football team talked about his willingness to pull out people stuck in the snow.

Calling Walz a “dad in plaid,” Klobuchar pointed to Walz’s tenure representing a conservative-leaning congressional district.

It all emphasized the fabled Midwestern values of pragmatism, earnestness and honesty.

Gov. Tim Walz takes the stage

The delegates that fill the convention center are waving hundreds of “Coach Walz” signs as “Small Town” by John Mellencamp plays in the background.

Walz’s championship football team suits up for their former coach

Members of Tim Walz’s state championship football team took the stage at the DNC while the Marine’s Hymn played in the background, minutes before the Minnesota governor accepted the vice presidential nomination.

Amy Klobuchar goes all in on Midwestern niceties

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who hails from Walz’s state of Minnesota, made the case for Walz as the “dad in plaid.”

“I don’t know who better to take on JD Vance than a guy who could pull over to help change your tire,” Klobuchar said. “Who better to serve our nation than a guy who has served in uniform?”

She added,” Who better to find common ground than a guy with Midwestern common sense?”

“In Minnesota, we trust a hunter who has stood in a deer stand in 10-degree weather,” Klobuchar said.

John Legend and Sheila E. go crazy

John Legend and Sheila E. celebrated Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz with a rendition of son-of-the-state Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” at the Democratic convention.

Legend started at the piano and the onetime Prince collaborator Sheila E. started at her signature standing percussion set before each grabbed a mic and rocked with a band at the center of the stage, tearing through the purple tune for an audience of blue delegates.

Walz has gushed about the music of Minnesota, expressing his affection for Bob Dylan, the Replacements, Hüsker Dü and Prince, who died in 2016.

Legend told The Associated Press before the convention, “I’m trying to do what I can to help protect our democracy and have someone with a really positive vision for the future elected. And I think Kamala is the right person.”

He added, “I’m so excited that she’s infused so much energy into the campaign and that young people and so many people that I think felt concerned that they had to pick between two choices they weren’t excited about.”

Buttigieg reflects on progress for American LGBTQ+ families

Buttigieg marveled at the pace of change in the country for LGBTQ+ families, saying it was “impossible” for him to believe 25 years ago that, as a gay man, he could be married with two children.

“This kind of life went from impossible to possible — from possible to real — from real to almost ordinary, in less than half a lifetime,” he told the Democratic National Convention. He said it came about because of “the right kind of politics” and encouraged Americans to “choose a better politics. One of hope, of promise, of freedom, of trust. This is what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz represent.”

Buttigieg: ‘At least Mike Pence was polite!’

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is taking shots at Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, saying, “At least Mike Pence was polite!” Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Buttigieg, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, said, “JD Vance is one of those guys who thinks if you don’t live the life he has in mind for you, then you don’t count.”

Buttigieg said Trump’s selection of Vance shows he’s “doubling down on negativity and grievance. A concept of campaigning best summed up in one word: darkness. Darkness is what they are selling.”

Sean Hannity did not enjoy Bill Clinton’s speech

Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, who has made clear his dislike of Bill Clinton for years, responded to the former president’s airtime Wednesday night by doing … an impression of Bill Clinton.

Fox aired Clinton’s 27-minute convention speech during the Fox host’s 9 p.m. Eastern time slot and, when it was done, Hannity said the former president “droned on” from what was slotted to be a 12-minute speech.

Hannity slipped into a Clinton imitation: “I want to keep talking and talking and talking and talking.” He then introduced a guest, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, who said, “The speech to me was basically a baloney blizzard.”

Winfrey appeals to voters outside the Democratic fold

Winfrey, a registered independent, is making a direct appeal to unaffiliated and undecided voters to back Harris, saying, “Decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024.” She adds: “Character and values matter most of all.”

Winfrey closed with a resounding shout of “Let us choose Kamala Harris!”

Oprah gets a standing O

It was previously revealed that Oprah Winfrey would make a convention appearance on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t clear what she would be doing, or whether she would endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Good evening everybody!” Winfrey shouted in tones she once used to open her talk show, and proceeded with a speech to a crowd in her hometown Chicago.

“What we’re going to do is elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States,” she said.

Winfrey delivered a famous endorsement to then-Sen. Barack Obama, her fellow Chicagoan, during his 2008 presidential campaign.

“Who says you can’t go home again?” she said Wednesday night.

Poet Amanda Gorman recites original work ‘The Sacred Scene’

“A people that cannot stand together cannot stand at all,” poet Amanda Gorman declared from the Democratic convention stage as she recited an original piece of verse penned for the occasion, “This Sacred Scene.”

“While we all love freedom, it is love that frees us all,” Gorman’s poem said. “Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity, that is the American promise powerful and pure.”

The 26-year-old earned rare national fame for a modern poet when she read another poem she wrote, “The Hill We Climb,” at the inauguration of President Joe Biden 3 ½ years ago.

PBS correspondent apologizes for comment about Trump and cease-fire negotiations

Veteran PBS correspondent Judy Woodruff has apologized for comments she’d made on the air regarding former President Donald Trump and negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

Woodruff, during PBS’ DNC coverage on Monday, repeated a story she had read in Axios and Reuters that Trump had allegedly been encouraging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to put off peace talks until after the U.S. election in the belief that a deal could help Democrat Kamala Harris’ campaign.

But Woodruff said in a post on X on Wednesday that she had not seen later reporting that the story had been denied by the Trump campaign and Israel. She said her remarks had not been based on any original reporting on her part.

“This was a mistake, and I apologize for it,” Woodruff said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro takes the stage

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was among Harris’ finalists to be her running mate, is speaking ahead of Walz Wednesday night after the convention rejiggered its schedule. Shapiro says, “We are the party of real freedom,” criticizing Republicans for trying to undermine elections and roll back abortion access.

Democrats veer from their prepared schedule

Democrats appear to be ditching their prepared schedule, passing over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and adding former Harris staffer Lateefah Simon, now an Oakland congressional candidate, and the vice president’s brother-in-law Tony West to talk about Harris’s biography.

It remains to be seen if the convention will cut additional speakers to avoid running well over time like it did on Monday night when President Joe Biden’s address was pushed past 11:30 p.m. Eastern time.

‘Uncommitted’ delegates say officials denied their request for a Palestinian to address the convention

Delegates of the “uncommitted” movement, which was sparked by dissatisfaction with President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, announced to reporters at the DNC late Wednesday that officials denied their request for a Palestinian to speak during the convention.

The group of 36 delegates have outsized influence as they stem from pivotal battleground states like Michigan.

“I have asked for the vice president to call us back and tell us that the suppression of Palestinian Americans does not belong in the Democratic party and a Palestinian speaker will speak on this stage,” Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Abbas Alawieh said. “I’m waiting for the call.”

The development comes shortly after the parents of an American who is being kept hostage in Gaza by Hamas spoke at the DNC, urging the release of the hostages and the need for a cease-fire.

Bill Clinton mispronounced Harris’ name

Democrats have long suggested that Republicans deliberately mispronounce Kamala Harris’ first name. But even members of their own party — including former President Bill Clinton — have struggled mightily in this regard.

Clinton, during his speech at the DNC on Wednesday, mispronounced it.

During the roll call vote on Tuesday, the delegation from the Northern Mariana Islands also mispronounced her name, as did Kenneth Chenault, the former CEO of American Express.

Trump also frequently mispronounces Harris’ name.

Pelosi recalls Jan. 6

The rest of Pelosi’s time on stage has focused on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, where many rioters were targeting the then-speaker and, when they couldn’t find her, ended up trashing her congressional office.

“The parable of January 6 reminds us that our democracy is only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with its care,” she said, adding that America must choose leaders who believe in free and fair elections. “The choice couldn’t be clearer. Those leaders are Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.”

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is greeted at the DNC with a standing ovation

Pelosi, who has been seen as the architect behind Biden’s decision to step down as the nominee, spoke about the president’s achievements before quickly pivoting to the woman who stood by him for the last three and a half years.

“Personally, I know her as a person of deep faith, reflected in her community, care and service,” the California Democrat said.

Clinton says Trump is fighting for ‘me, myself and I’

He told the Democratic convention: “The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies — count the I’s.” Adding some corny humor, Clinton said, “He’s like one of those tenors opening up before he walks out on stage trying to get his lungs open by saying: me, me, me, me. When Kamala Harris is president, every day will begin with you, you, you.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and first daughter Chelsea Clinton watched from the arena was the former president spoke.

Clinton’s a fan of the golden arches

Clinton is emphasizing Harris’ time working at McDonald’s to emphasize that she’s working to help people like them.

“When she was a student, she worked at McDonald’s,” Clinton said. “She greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, ‘How can I help you?’ And now, she’s at the pinnacle of power, she’s still asking ‘How can I help you?’”

Clinton added: “I’ll be so happy when she actually enters the White House because, at last, she’ll break my record as the president who has spent the most time at McDonald’s.”

Former President Donald Trump is also a frequent consumer of the golden arches’ food.

Bill Clinton takes the stage

Former President Bill Clinton said President Joe Biden has, like George Washington, enhanced his legacy by deciding to leave office. Praising Biden at the start of his Democratic National Convention speech, Clinton said of Biden, “He healed our sick and put the rest of us back to work.”

Clinton, who left office more than 23 years ago, also cracked jokes about former President Donald Trump’s age — and his own.

“I actually turned 78 two days ago,” Clinton said. “The only personal vanity I want to assert is that I’m still younger than Donald Trump.”

He did not mention that Biden, 81, is older than both of them.

Hakeem Jeffries casts Trump as ‘an old boyfriend’ who ‘won’t go away’

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries began his speech Wednesday night with a nod to President Biden, saying he would go down as one of the “most consequential presidents of all time.” But Jeffries, who if Democrats win back the House in November would become the first Black speaker, quickly pivoted to the new nominee, saying Harris is a “courageous leader, a compassionate leader and common-sense leader.”

Jeffries then spoke on Trump, saying the former president is like “an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won’t go away.”

“He has spent the last four years spinning around the block, trying to get back into a relationship with the American people,” the New York Democrat said. “Bro, we broke up with you for a reason.”

Mindy Kaling steps in to host as the DNC enters prime time

Mindy Kaling is the celebrity host of the prime-time hours of night three of the Democratic convention, and she touted her ties to Vice President Kamala Harris as she introduced herself.

“For those of you who don’t know me I am an incredibly famous Gen Z actress who you might recognize from “The Office,” “The Mindy Project” or as the woman who courageously outed Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram cooking video,” Kaling said.

The actor, comedian and screenwriter from Massachusetts is the daughter of immigrants from India, and she and Harris made masala dosa together in a video four years ago.

Democrats keep hammering Republicans about Project 2025

Project 2025, the policy document that some conservatives had hoped would serve as a blueprint for a future Trump administration, keeps getting lots of camera time at the Democratic convention.

On Wednesday, it was comedian Kenan Thompson who toted the book on stage.

“Ever seen a document that can kill a small animal and democracy at the same time? Here it is,” said Thompson, a Saturday Night Live star, who got his start on the Nickelodeon kids comedy show “All That.”

Trump and his campaign have repeatedly sought to distance themselves from Project 2025. But the document, which is hundreds of pages long and written by Trump allies and officials in his administration, has continued to dog him.

And Democrats aren’t about to stop.

Among the proposals included in the document are far more stringent abortion restrictions. The authors also want to dramatically downsize the federal government and give the president the authority to replace tens of thousands of workers with loyalists.

“Everything we just talked about is very real. It is in this book,” Thompson said.

“You can stop it from ever happening by electing Kamala Harris,” he concluded.

Sorry, Matt!

Comedian Kenan Thompson brought back the huge “Project 2025” tome as he introduced a bit talking to various Americans who would be impacted by the book’s policies. “You ever see a document that can kill a small animal and democracy at the same time?” he said.

But as he began, tech issues prevented Thompson from going through with the bit with a Nevada delegate named Matt. After several seconds of trying to fix the problem, Thompson moved on to the next delegate, saying, “Sorry, Matt!” and the bit continued.

Stevie Wonder performs ‘Higher Ground’

Stevie Wonder used his keyboard as a podium on the stage of the Democratic convention, giving a brief speech before breaking into “Higher Ground.”

“We must choose courage over complacency, it is time to get UP! And go vote.”

He asked the audience, “Are y’all ready to reach a higher ground? Because you know we need Kamala Harris.”

The 74-year-old musical luminary then broke into his 1973 classic from the album “Innervisions,” accompanied by a DJ and dancers clad in white.

Wonder also sang at the 2008 convention in Denver that brought the nomination of Barack Obama.

Former Jan. 6 committee chairman says Trump ‘would rather subvert democracy than submit to it’

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., spoke Wednesday night about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The former chairman of the Jan. 6 committee warned at the convention “about going back to the dark history,” of political violence and racial segregation. “They wanted to stop the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American history,” he said. “Thank God they failed.”

Thompson warned of what would happen if Trump would once again lose and refuse to accept the results of the election. “He would rather subvert democracy than submit to it. Now he’s plotting to do it again,” he added.

Georgia’s former lieutenant governor urges fellow Republicans to ‘dump Trump’

Geoff Duncan, the former Republican lieutenant governor of Georgia, is eliciting a raucous response from Democrats in the convention hall as he lays into Donald Trump.

“Our party is not civil and conservative. It’s chaotic and crazy,” he said of Republicans before urging others to “dump Trump.”

Addressing his fellow Republicans, Duncan said, “If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot.”

Another former Trump White House official backs Harris

A former Trump administration White House official said she made the right decision when she quit her job.

Olivia Troye told the Democratic National Convention that being in Trump’s White House was “terrifying” but what truly keeps her up at night is the possibility of the former president reclaiming the office.

Troye said the traditional values that she says made her a Republican growing up are the same values that have led her to support Harris for president.

Turning to her fellow Republicans, she said a vote for Harris is not a vote for a Democrat but rather a vote for democracy.

‘This is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand’

Rep. Pete Aguilar, the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, said that Trump is a threat to the values his immigrant family grew up with in Southern California.

“Only Kamala Harris and Tim Walls will protect the American dream so that every family can earn a living, own a home, and reach their full potential,” Aguilar said. “This is a vision for America that Donald Trump will never understand. All he knows is chaos and division.”

Walz honed his voice ahead of his DNC speech

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz has been working on his DNC speech for about a week, according to a person familiar with the matter, and has made edits in recent days to make it sound more authentic to his voice.

Walz also practiced using a teleprompter for the first time since he was selected as Harris’ running mate as he looks to use the speech to introduce himself to the American people. Walz, the person said, is expected to draw a contrast between the Democratic and Republican tickets and will criticize Donald Trump and JD Vance. But the person said Walz, who has tried to campaign with “joy” was not expected to play the role of “attack dog” against the GOP side. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview Walz’s remarks.

Democrats turn their attention to the border

Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, who served as a surrogate to the then-Biden campaign, kicked off what will be a series of speeches Wednesday night focused on immigration and security at the U.S. border with Mexico.

“Forget what you hear on the news, I’m from there,” Escobar, who represents a border district, said. “When it comes to the border, hear me when I say, you know nothing, Donald Trump.”

After a video played showing Republican opposition to a bipartisan border deal earlier this year, Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut took the stage. Murphy was the top Democrat negotiating the proposal with conservative senators.

“I just want to let you know that everything you just saw in that video, that’s exactly what happened,” Murphy said. “It would have had unanimous support if it weren’t for Donald Trump.”

Singer Maren Morris performs ‘Better Than We Found It’

Singer Maren Morris brought her plea for progress “Better Than We Found It” to the convention.

The Grammy winner from Arlington, Texas, has been leaning more toward pop recently but struck a decidedly country tone on the stage at the United Center.

“God save us all from ourselves and the hell that we’ve built for our kids,” she sang. “America, America, We’re better than this.” The song was released in 2020 in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and was viewed as an implicit rejection of former President Trump’s rhetoric.

Morris has been a vocal supporter of liberal causes and has publicly sparred with other country music figures on issues including trans rights.

She’s also set to be among the performers at a 100th birthday celebration for former President Jimmy Carter next month.

Polin family calls for a cease-fire and hostage release

Jon Polin thanked Biden and Harris for their work trying to secure a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza. Acknowledging the “agony” of civilians in Gaza as well, he said, “In a competition of pain there are no winners” and called for a swift agreement to free the hostages and stop the fighting in Gaza.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has been a staunch critic of Israel as it has responded to the Oct. 7 attack, was seen at the convention clapping as the parents of the Israeli hostage spoke about the need to not only bring back hostages but to end the “civilian suffering” in Gaza.

Halie Soifer, the head of the Jewish Democratic Council of America and former national security advisor to Harris when she was senator, said in a statement Wednesday after the Polins’ speech that “Jewish Americans are proud to stand with Vice President Harris because she stands with us on every issue, including strong support of the US-Israel relationship.”

The parents of an American hostage in Gaza receive a standing o

vation

Sen. Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, introduced his constituents, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who has been held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.

They were among the family members of six American hostages in attendance in Chicago to raise awareness about their family members’ plight.

Polin and Goldberg-Polin, wearing a notation that it’s been 320 days since their son was taken captive, received a standing ovation from conventiongoers, who chanted “Bring them home.”

While the Polins spoke, the camera cut to the various people in the room who were shedding tears for the parents.

It comes after Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of Omer Neutra, were given a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention last month.

A record number of DNC delegates identify as LGBTQ+

According to the Human Rights Campaign, over 800 DNC delegates identify as LGBTQ+ — a record — and over 50 identify as trans or nonbinary.

‘Even their lawyers need lawyers’

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is contrasting Kamala Harris’ record as a prosecutor with Donald Trump’s allies, some of whom have been indicted and convicted of crimes in his service.

“In the Republican Party, everyone thinks they are above the law,” said Ellison “Even their lawyers need lawyers.”

Harris was San Francisco’s elected district attorney and California attorney general before her election to the Senate and elevation to vice president.

Don’t forget about Congress!

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene told party faithful it’s not enough to win the White House.

“A Democratic Congress is how we turn promises into progress,” she says, which would enable Harris and Walz to enact their policy agenda. Democrats only need to pick up a handful of seats to retake the majority in the House from Republicans.

Wasserman Schultz talks about the repercussions of the Dobbs decision

Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was also bumped from the program on Monday, is getting a chance to address the convention Wednesday night.

The former DNC chair is using her remarks to highlight the story of a Florida woman who, because of the state’s restrictions on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, was forced to carry to term a child with a fatal illness, only to watch the newborn die just hours after birth.

“This is Project 2025 in practice,” she says. “It’s what Donald Trump and JD Vance want for the whole country.”

The big book is back

Prop-politics is back as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is taking a page from an oversized printed copy of the conservative Project 2025, saying he wants to share it with undecided voters. Polis says the plan would jeopardize IVF and only values heterosexual couples where the man holds a job. Project 2025 was developed by Trump supporters but has been formally disavowed by the GOP nominee.

Minnesota connections abound ahead of Walz’s DNC speech

It’s Walz’s night at the DNC, and there are lots of touchstones to the Minnesota governor sprinkled throughout the programming.

Harris-Walz campaign officials note that elementary students from Moreland Arts & Health Sciences Magnet School in St. Paul, Minnesota, were tasked with leading the Pledge of Allegiance. According to the campaign, those students benefited from the free breakfast and lunch program that Walz signed into law as Minnesota governor.

Also, the campaign says the national anthem was sung by Jess Davis, a mathematics teacher selected as Minnesota’s teacher of the year in 2019.

‘To be a nation of immigrants is hard’

New York Rep. Tom Suozzi is implicitly contrasting Democrats’ stance on immigration with Republicans.

The Republican convention last month was dominated by calls to shut down the southern border and ratchet down admissions to the U.S. And though Republicans say they don’t oppose immigration — only those who enter the country illegally — Trump also tightly limited immigration during his presidency.

Souzzi pointed out that the U.S. has long been a nation of immigrants, including his own relatives who came from Italy.

“To be a nation of immigrants is hard,” he said. “You have to work for it.”

Democrats appeal to former Trump voters

There are more videos of former Trump supporters no longer backing the GOP nominee being played at the DNC.

It’s a theme to which convention programming has been returning throughout the week, perhaps aimed at other former Trump backers now looking for a new political home.

Harris’ campaign, and Biden’s before that, has been angling to attract Republican support heading into what’s anticipated to be a tight general election campaign.

Tonight’s special guests

Country music star Maren Morris and poet Amanda Gorman will be performing at the Democratic National Convention’s third night on Wednesday.

Comedian Kenan Thompson will be joined by “guests,” the convention said, as he discusses the conservative Project 2025 on stage during the program. Other famous faces include musician John Legend and actor Mindy Kaling.

Abortion-rights advocates praise Harris

Reproductive justice leaders took the DNC stage to applaud Harris’ long history as an abortion rights advocate.

Mini Timmaraju, president of the national reproductive rights group Reproductive Freedom for All, highlighted states where abortion rights will be on the ballot this year, including Arizona and Montana — the latest states where voters will be able to decide in November whether they want to protect the right to an abortion in their state constitutions.

“The people will get to have their say this November,” she said.

Alexis McGill Johnson, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood, told the stories of a Georgia woman who drove to South Carolina for abortion care but arrived the day the state’s six-week ban went into effect, of Texas doctors who have sent patients “to wait in hospital parking lots rather than provide the emergency care they need,” and of Idaho hospitals airlifting patients to other states.

“We cannot call ourselves a free nation when women are not free,” she said.

Oprah Winfrey will make DNC appearance

Talk show legend Oprah Winfrey will appear at the DNC on Wednesday night, according to a person familiar with the schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans.

Winfrey delivered a famous endorsement to then-Sen. Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign. It’s not yet clear whether she will endorse Harris, who is vying to become the first Black woman elected president.

And we’re off

The third night of the DNC is now underway.

Throwing the book: Democrats enlarge a copy of the ‘Project 2025’ blueprint as an anti-GOP prop

Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic allies have turned Project 2025 into one of their most consistent tools against the campaign of former President Donald Trump. Now, they’ve taken the fight over the conservative-written handbook to a bigger new scale.

Mallory McMorrow, a 37-year-old state senator from Michigan, brought out a giant copy of the roughly 900-page “Mandate for Leadership” on Monday night, the first evening of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. She slammed it on the lectern, then made an expression to signal how heavy it was as she opened to start reading.

“They went ahead and wrote down all the extreme things that Donald Trump wants to do in the next four years,” McMorrow said from the stage. “We read it.”

The prop has returned each subsequent day of the convention. On Tuesday, Malcolm Kenyatta, a Pennsylvania state representative and rising Democratic star, totted the book out onto the convention stage, and on Wednesday actor Kenan Thompson appeared on stage with it during a mic check.

▶ Read more about the Democrats’ new favorite prop

Julia Louis-Dreyfus joins female Democratic governors to talk about electing women

Gathered in Chicago for the DNC, the eight Democratic female governors discussed electing women in downballot races with comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Discussing female leadership up and down the ballot, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said, “We need women elected up and down the ballot.”

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said that downballot races lead female candidates to higher office, pointing to her own start in the statehouse and Harris’ beginnings as a district attorney.

“All the women listening, run, just run,” Louis-Dreyfus said to the audience.

The “Seinfeld” comedian has gained renewed attention for her famed role as Vice President Selina Meyers in HBO’s “Veep.” In the show, Meyers becomes the first female president when the sitting president resigns.

Louis-Dreyfus also asked the panelists how they work together with a common goal of expanding abortion access. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly spoke of a ballot measure’s success that protected reproductive rights in 2022.

“I think we set the stage for other states then to follow suit,” Kelly said.

Allegations of food contamination are being investigated by Chicago police and FBI

Chicago police and the FBI are investigating food that was reported to have been intentionally contaminated Wednesday morning at a DNC breakfast at a downtown hotel.

Multiple female suspects entered the Fairmont Chicago, which was hosting a breakfast for delegates at the DNC and began placing “unknown objects” onto tables with food before leaving the area at around 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, police said.

One person who ingested the food was treated by medical personnel and released at the scene, according to Chicago police.

The Fairmont Hotel confirmed the “disruption,” adding in a statement that staff “acted immediately to clean and sanitize the area, ensuring that the event could continue without further incident.”

Earlier this year, activists released hundreds of mealworms, maggots and crickets at the Washington, D.C. hotel of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protest the war in Gaza.

56 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested by police on DNC Night 2

Chicago police said Wednesday that 56 protesters were arrested following violent clashes with police on the second night of the Democratic National Convention.

The confrontation happened outside of the Israeli Consulate about two miles from the United Center where Democrats are meeting.

One person was charged with a felony for resisting an officer, according to Chicago police. Nine people were charged with misdemeanors including disorderly conduct, resisting a police officer, battery, assault and criminal damage to property, police said. Thirty of the people detained by police were issued citations for disorderly conduct, police said.

Hatem Abudayyeh, co-founder of the U.S. Palestinian Community network put the onus on police to keep the peace when asked about the clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and police.

The police “only have one responsibility here,” he said. “They have the responsibility of not infringing on our First Amendment rights.”

Abudayyeh led a separate march on Monday but was not an organizer of Tuesday night’s demonstration outside of the Israeli Consulate.

Harris’ campaign chair warns against ‘complacency

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Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said “complacency” keeps her up at night. Speaking to Politico, she said it’s easy for Democrats to look at the energy in the party and believe they’ll win in November.

“We don’t have it,” she said. “We don’t have it. This is going to be an extraordinarily close race.” She encouraged her party to work like they are underdogs in the race against former President Trump.

Trump wants to get personal

Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, Donald Trump blasted former President Barack Obama as “nasty” for comments his predecessor made about him at the Democratic National Convention.

“He was very nasty last night,” Trump said. “I try and be nice to people, you know. But it’s a little tough when they get personal.”

Trump said his advisers had urged him to stop personally attacking Harris and focus on issues like the economy, crime and immigration.

“You know, they always say, ‘Sir, please stick to policy. Don’t get personal.’ And yet they’re getting personal all night long, these people,” he said, asking: “Do I still have to stick to policy?”

Later, he polled the crowd: “Should I get personal or should I not get personal?” he asked. The crowd overwhelmingly chose the former.

Trump also mocked the convention, calling it a “charade.”

Gov. Tim Walz will introduce himself to the nation during his prime-time address

During his DNC speech on Wednesday, the Democratic vice presidential nominee’s campaign said Walz will talk about his time growing up in Nebraska, his service in the National Guard, his work as a teacher and football coach and his time in Congress before he was elected governor of Minnesota.

The campaign released a video narrated by his wife, Gwen, that will play during the convention. Ahead of Walz’s appearance on stage, John Legend will perform a Prince tribute, the campaign said.

Democratic Senate campaigns see increased support since Harris launched her presidential bid

Riding on the high that’s come from Harris’ ascent to the top of the ticket, Senate Democrats have become bullish about their chances not only to maintain control of the Senate but to even expand it beyond the key battleground states where they were facing rough races just a few weeks ago.

Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan, Catherine Cortez-Masto of Nevada and Raphael Warnock of Georgia talked Wednesday about the massive shift that has happened in their key battleground states in the last few weeks and how that has changed the electoral map for the party ahead of November.

“The energy that we see is through the roof, in terms of volunteers,” Cortez-Masto said.

Peters added that in Michigan, an important part of the “blue wall” of swing states key to Democratic victory, the number of volunteers doubled in the week after Harris became the presumptive nominee. For many volunteers, it was their first time ever working with a political campaign, Peters said.

Harris campaign says if Kennedy were to drop his presidential bid, it would not interfere ‘too much’

Reacting to reports that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. may drop his third party bid on Friday, Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon told Politico Wednesday, “I don’t think it’s really going to interfere with the race too much.”

O’Malley Dillon said the campaign is “confident” Harris will win whether against Trump alone or if there are also third party challengers.

DNC roll call vote: the soundtrack

For anyone who wants to relive the excitement of the DNC’s roll call vote, Democrats have put together a collection of songs from Tuesday’s event.

The eclectic Spotify playlist includes “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge, “Lose Yourself” by Eminem and “Shake if Off” by Taylor Swift.

Roll call votes are typically dry productions, with each delegation announcing its support for the party’s nominee. But this year, Democrats cranked up the volume and turned the obligatory process into a high-energy rave.

Each of the 57 delegations — which represented all 50 states, several territories and Washington, D.C. — had their own song that provided a soundtrack to their announcement.

But only Georgia featured a live performance, with Lil John making a surprise appearance with a modified version of “Turn Down for What” to support Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

▶ Read more about each delegation’s song choice

Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday as the United States presses Israel and Hamas to agree to a “bridging proposal” that could lead to a cease-fire in the war in Gaza.

The call comes as Hamas and Israel have signaled that challenges remain to sealing a deal amid significant differences over the presence of Israeli troops in two strategic corridors in Gaza and other issues, fading Biden’s hopes that a deal can soon be reached.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who’s in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, also joined the call.

The president spoke with the Israeli prime minister from Santa Ynez, California, where he’s vacationing with his family at the 8,000-acre property of the medical technology mogul and Democratic donor Joe Kiani.

Democrats get third-party hopeful knocked off Pennsylvania ballot, as Cornel West tries to get on

Pennsylvania Democrats have won legal challenges keeping the left-wing Party for Socialism and Liberation off the battleground state’s presidential ballot, at least for now, while a lawyer with deep Republican Party ties is working to help independent candidate Cornel West get on it.

The court cases are among a raft of partisan legal maneuvering around third-party candidates seeking to get on Pennsylvania’s ballot, including a pending challenge by Democrats to the filing in Pennsylvania by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A Commonwealth Court judge agreed with two Democratic Party-aligned challenges Tuesday, ruling that the paperwork filed by the Party for Socialism and Liberation was fatally flawed and ordering the party’s presidential candidate, Claudia De la Cruz, off Pennsylvania’s Nov. 5 ballot.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation didn’t immediately say whether it planned to appeal.

▶ Read more about Pennsylvania ballot legal challenges

Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to speak Friday about ‘his path forward’

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to speak Friday “about the present historical moment and his path forward,” his campaign announced Wednesday.

The speech comes amid growing speculation that Kennedy would drop out and throw his support to Republican Donald Trump, a possibility his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, openly discussed on a podcast this week.

Kennedy will give his speech in Phoenix, hours before Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in neighboring Glendale.

A spokesperson for Kennedy, Stefanie Spear, declined to say whether he plans to drop out or why he chose Arizona for his speech.

Pop star Pink expected to perform at DNC on Thursday ahead of Harris’ acceptance speech

That’s according to a person familiar with the planning who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the lineup.

John Legend will perform Wednesday night before Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the vice presidential nominee, speaks.

— Zeke Miller

Policy aides: Harris administration ‘will look and sound different’ from Biden’s

If Vice President Kamala Harris is elected, American leadership “will look and sound different” from President Joe Biden’s time in office, according to top policy aides, though the two leaders have “shared values and principles.”

It’s the latest sign of how Harris is balancing how to meet voters who are anxious for policy changes with the record she’s attached to as Biden’s vice president.

“She is her own leader, of course,” Brian Nelson, her senior campaign policy adviser, told reporters at a Bloomberg event at the Democratic National Convention. “But she’s a leader who has been a partner to President Biden for these last three and a half years.”

Harris has positioned her policy agenda as a continuation and expansion on Biden’s first term achievements.

But Rohini Kosoglu, Harris’ former Domestic Policy Adviser and now a campaign adviser, said of a Harris presidency, “But it will look and sound different, so it will be a change.”

Democrats prepare to pass the torch in Michigan

Michigan Democrats rose early Wednesday to honor retiring congressional leaders, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Dan Kildee, while also turning their focus toward the future, which will likely be shaped by the upcoming November election.

Stabenow, the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate, is leaving the high chamber after more than two decades. Kildee has represented the Flint area in Congress since 2013, when he succeeded his uncle, Dale Kildee, who had served in Congress for 36 years.

Alongside top Michigan lawmakers, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also joined Michigan Democrats to pay their respects.

While the breakfast celebrated each lawmaker’s contributions in paving the way for others, many also emphasized the importance of looking toward the future and winning races up and down the ticket in Michigan. Stabenow and Kildee are leaving behind two of the most competitive seats in the nation.

“I don’t want to just talk about myself here. This is really about now and it’s about the future for all of us,” said Stabenow. “This is an incredible moment for us.”

Stabenow, who made history in 2000 by becoming the first woman to be elected senator in Michigan, reflected on the progress made since then and expressed confidence that the nation is now ready to elect a female president.

Oral arguments in Trump’s appeal of his New York civil fraud judgment will be heard Sept. 26

That’s about six weeks before Election Day.

Trump wants New York’s mid-level appeals court, known as the Appellate Division, to overturn Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 finding that he lied for years to banks, insurers and others about his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals.

As of Wednesday, Trump, his companies and co-defendants owe more than $485 million. That includes interest that’s accrued even after Trump posted a bond to halt collection of the sum.

The Republican presidential nominee’s lawyers contend Engoron’s decision was “erroneous” and “egregious.”

His lawyers argued in court papers last month that the case should have been dismissed long ago, that the statute of limitations barred some allegations, that no one was harmed by Trump’s alleged fraud and that the state’s involvement in policing private business transactions threatens to drive business out of the state.

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office, which brought the lawsuit that resulted in the judgment, is expected to file paperwork with the appeals court Wednesday urging it to uphold the verdict.

Trump posted a $175 million bond in April to halt collection of the judgment and prevent James’ office from seizing his assets while he appeals. If he wins, he won’t have to pay the state anything and will get back the money he’s put up now.

At least 55 people were arrested during protests near the DNC on Tuesday

At least 55 protesters were arrested following violent clashes with police in Chicago on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, a situation the police chief called “a danger to our city.”

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Wednesday that those arrested outside the Israeli Consulate, about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the United Center where Democrats were meeting, “showed up with the intention of committing acts of violence, vandalism.”

“As the Chicago Police Department, we did everything that we could to de-escalate that situation,” Snelling said during a news conference. “But there’s only so much de-escalation that you can attempt before it becomes excessive repetition.”

The intense confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and officers began minutes into the demonstration, after some protesters — many dressed in black, their faces covered — charged at a line of police who had blocked their march. 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.

▶ Read more about Tuesday’s protests near the DNC

Members of pro-Palestinian ‘uncommitted’ movement held rally at park near DNC

At Wednesday’s rally, they reiterated longstanding calls for Democratic leaders to do more to end the war in Gaza. They questioned how many more Palestinian civilians have to die before U.S. leaders impose an arms embargo on Israel and demand a ceasefire.

“We supply these weapons, so if you really wanted a ceasefire, just stop sending the weapons,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota told a group of a few dozen supporters and members of the media. “It’s that simple.”

She said the movement is committed to helping the Democratic Party defeat Donald Trump, but they believe that will require a change of policy on Gaza.

The tone of the rally alternated between somber and exasperated. Speakers included doctors who’ve traveled to Gaza to treat injured Palestinians. They recounted witnessing horrific living conditions, rampant disease and hunger, children losing parents and parents losing children.

DNC features a new set of power players the party hopes to cultivate: digital influencers

The convention’s venues are filled with content creators publishing to a diverse array of audiences on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit and others. More than 200 influencers have been credentialed by the DNC.

The presence of influencers highlights the country’s shifting technology, media and political environments, one which Democrats are hoping to harness to reach younger, more diverse audiences.

“This election is where influencers as news sources have really matured into a place that campaigns have now real outreach programs” to influencers “and they’re treating them almost like segments of the media,” said Tammy Gordon, a communications strategist at Mercury Public Affairs who specializes in digital advertising for companies and political campaigns.

Some of the influencers are posting brief skits to platforms. Others are using the access to top Democrats to conduct friendly interviews, while some creators are providing explainers of the convention with videos rivaling those of traditional news outlets.

Others have taken the DNC as a chance to be more adversarial, either by platforming critiques of the party on issues such as the war in Gaza or simply recording provocative videos playing pranks on convention goers.

Harris has cultivated relationships with influencers throughout her time as vice president, a digital strategy Democrats believe will help the party reach potential voters.

Black Democrats balance a sense of celebration with determination at Black Caucus meeting

Grammy award winning artist John Legend kicked off the morning’s proceedings with a brief appearance.

Win With Black Women, a progressive political group, held a celebratory panel with Black women leaders at the Democratic Black Caucus. The group held a widely discussed Zoom call with more than 44,000 Black women in the wake of Biden’s withdrawal from the race.

“But we’re going to Zoom our way to a victory in this election … what it will take is boots on the ground, hands on doors and talking to people,” said Jotaka Eaddy, founder of Win With Black Women.

Dominik Whitehead, senior vice president of campaigns and mobilization for the NAACP, said the civil rights organization will be rolling out data and strategic support for organizations focused on Black voter mobilization after the DNC.

“Yes, there’s an awful lot of disinformation on the internet, and we know people who use the internet to spread this disinformation, but the solution is not to get off the internet,” said Broderick Johnson, executive vice president of public policy and digital equity at Comcast. “The solution is for us to use the internet to spread truth and to point people in the direction of what the true record is.”

Vance also brought up what he’s said is Walz’s ‘stolen valor’ record

Since Harris named Walz as her running mate, Vance — who served four years as a Marine — has repeatedly criticized him for what Vance says are mischaracterizations of Walz’s service record as an Army National Guardsmen, as well as Walz’s retirement from service ahead of his unit’s deployment to Iraq.

“What won’t Stolen Valor Tim Walz lie about?” Vance asked a crowd in Asheboro, North Carolina.

“I believe in his next speech he’s probably going to say he survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania,” Vance said, of his rival, saying Harris used “terrible judgment” in selecting the Minnesota governor as her running mate.

Vance criticizes Harris’ record in the White House at North Carolina event

As Tim Walz, his Democratic rival for VP, prepares to take the stage Wednesday night at the DNC, Sen. JD Vance is in Asheboro, North Carolina, making his case for why Trump should be elected to improve “everything that this country has endured over the last four years of Kamala Harris’ broken leadership.”

Vance said Wednesday that, during her years as Biden’s vice president, Harris has presided over what he characterized as failures in oversight at the U.S.-Mexico border and American economy.

Vance also hearkened back to some verbiage often utilized by his running mate’s predecessor in the White House.

“It’s important to recognize that we need hope in the United States of America,” Vance said, calling back to the overall “hope and change” messaging employed by Barack Obama in his campaigns, as well as in his own DNC speech Tuesday night.

Ways to fight misinformation discussed at Democratic Black Caucus meeting

Black lawmakers, celebrities and community leaders brainstormed ways to combat “misinformation” targeting the Black community, especially Black men, about Vice President Kamala Harris’ during a meeting of the Democratic Black Caucus.

“It is from Russia, it is from China, AI,” said Wendell Pierce, an actor and businessman during a panel focused on Black male outreach.

The panelists expressed frustration that the Biden administration’s policies on small business creation, Black farmers and student debt relief weren’t breaking through online, where Black Americans are disproportionately likely to receive their news.

The panelists focused on combating the argument prevalent among some Black voters that the provision of stimulus checks during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic was a reason to support former President Donald Trump.

“You have to stay in that barber shop and take on that fight because it is clear people have been given misinformation in a lot of cases,” said Mark Mallory, a former Cincinnati Mayor and Ohio state senator.

Trump campaign plays up revision to jobs report

Donald Trump’s campaign is trying to make political hay out of a government report Wednesday that the U.S. economy added 818,000 fewer jobs than initially estimated from April 2023 through March of this year.

It’s a standard annual report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but Trump’s team sent out an email that says: “It’s not a ‘revision’ — it’s another Harris-Biden LIE being exposed.”

The Trump campaign is playing on public doubts about the economy to ding Vice President Kamala Harris. But the reality is more complicated.

First, the economy with the revisions still added 174,000 jobs a month, according to PNC Financial Services. The slower pace of hiring could give the Federal Reserve more confidence that inflationary pressures have eased and it can cut rates to give consumers some relief.

Second, Goldman Sachs said ahead of the release that the underlying data for the revision likely misses out on people in the country illegally who’ve found work, suggesting the numbers are looking at job growth absent that population.

At Trump’s rally in North Carolina

Lisa Watts, a retired business owner from Hickory, North Carolina, who was attending her fifth Trump rally Wednesday, said she’s feeling “very positive” about the election right now when she thinks about Trump.

“It concerns me of how Harris has been like, a month ago they never spoke her name and now she’s like, quote quote the ‘savior for the country,’” Watts said.

“I don’t think that her record proves that she is ready to run this country,” she added.

Watts said she doesn’t think Trump’s chances of winning are much different now from when Biden was the Democratic nominee because she thinks Harris’ record can’t compare to Trump’s.

“I think the Democrats are going to try to do everything they can to keep her up on that pedestal,” she said, but Watts added she thinks hype around Harris will fade if she speaks off teleprompter.

Tim Walz is still introducing himself to voters

Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will face a national audience that’s still getting to know him when he headlines the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday night.

Walz wasn’t widely known outside of Minnesota before Harris chose him to join her on the Democratic presidential ticket. But they clicked when Harris interviewed him, and she was impressed by his record as a governor and congressman — and the splash he made on TV. His attack line against former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance — “These guys are just weird” — spread like a prairie fire.

Since Harris announced her pick, the campaign has raced to introduce the country to the 60-year-old governor and self-described “Midwest dad.” At the same time, Republicans have tried to deflate Walz by poking holes in his biography and some of his past uses of imprecise language and misstatements of facts by him or staffers are resurfacing.

▶ Read more about Gov. Tim Walz

Trump campaign: DNC orchestrated to create appearance of ‘nonincumbency’ for Harris

Trump campaign spokesperson Brian Hughes says the DNC has been orchestrated to “make the appearance of distance and nonincumbency,” even though Harris has “been in the meetings side by side with Joe Biden.”

Hughes said during a media briefing in Chicago on Wednesday that the Democrats put “Biden out to pasture” with his convention speaking slot late Monday night, then “plugged in” former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama on a Tuesday evening session of “dynamic speakers.”

“They are trying to put the distance between Harris and Biden,” he said, of the slotting of Biden on the DNC’s opening night, with space between his speech and Walz on Wednesday night, then Harris to close out proceedings on Thursday.

“I think the Obamas did exactly what they were advertised to do: build the fence between Biden and Harris and continue to gaslight America about the notion that Harris has nothing to do with any of this,” Hughes said.

Shapiro brushed aside comparisons between his speaking style and Barack Obama’s

“I never really heard that or thought that until, I guess, the last few weeks,” Shapiro told reporters at an event Wednesday organized by Bloomberg.

During the vice presidential search process, the similarities in their speaking styles prompted social media chatter that Shapiro sounded like the “Jewish Obama.” It even drew an attack from GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, who said earlier this month that it sounded like a “bad impression” of the former president.

Shapiro, who is set to speak to the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday during prime time, said he was flattered by the comparison but “it is not something that I think about when I speak. I really try to speak from the heart.”

Shapiro says he’s at peace with outcome of the running mate search

Shapiro says he’s at peace with how Vice President Kamala Harris’s search for a running mate turned out, suggesting he didn’t believe he’d be the best person for the role as envisioned by Harris.

“This was a deeply personal decision for the vice president, and we had a really good conversation and she laid out her vision,” said Shapiro, the top finalist alongside the eventual selection, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. “And in the end, it was a deeply personal decision for me as well.”

He continued: “Based on what she wants, Tim Walz is an outstanding pick,” adding that by remaining as Pennsylvania’s governor, “I get to chart my own course.”

Speaking at an event organized by Bloomberg, Shapiro wouldn’t say If he formally declined the role.

Shapiro on Trump’s attacks against Harris

Shapiro says he expects former President Donald Trump “to figure out how to land a political punch” on Democratic nominee Vice President Harris,” but believes she knows how to withstand his attacks.

Speaking to reporters at an event hosted by Bloomberg, he said Trump’s flailing efforts to attack Harris would eventually firm up as voting nears.

“What you’ve seen with her is an ability to absorb the criticism and just keep going,” he said. “That is a really, really important political trait.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says there’s optimism and positivity about Harris ticket

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says Kamala Harris’ elevation to the top of the Democratic ticket is building the party’s coalition back together, positioning her to carry his battleground state.

“There is a genuine interest and curiosity in her candidacy and that’s a good sign,” he said.

Shapiro says that since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, “there is an optimism and a positivity about the Harris ticket, as opposed to just a negativity about Donald Trump.”

He said voters are “proud to let people know who they’re for and why they’re for that person.”

Still, he told reporters at an event organized by a Bloomberg that Harris will have to run through the tape in his state to win.

Republican congressman: Walz needs to ‘come clean’ on questions about his military service

During a news conference in Chicago, part of the Trump campaign’s DNC counterprogramming, GOP Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida — a former Green Beret — said it’s time for Gov. Tim Walz to “come clean” on some of the questions that have emerged about his military record.

Waltz said Wednesday that he has signed onto a letter with 50 other veterans who’ve served in the U.S. House “denouncing” Walz’s service.

“He says he’s proud of his service,” Waltz said of the Democratic VP nominee, who served 24 years in the Army National Guard. “Why do you have to lie about it? Why do you have to exaggerate it?”

Harris’ campaign has referred to Walz as a “retired Command Sergeant Major,” one of the top ranks for an enlisted soldier. He did in fact achieve that rank, but personnel files show he was reduced in rank months after retiring. That left him as a master sergeant for benefits purposes. The campaign has since adjusted the way it references Walz’s rank.

Walz retired in 2005 as he ramped up for a congressional bid. In March of that year, his campaign issued a statement saying he still planned to run despite a possible mobilization of Minnesota National Guard soldiers to Iraq. According to the Guard, Walz retired from service that May. In August 2005, the Department of the Army issued a mobilization order for Walz’s unit. The unit mobilized in October of that year before it deployed to Iraq in March 2006.

There’s no evidence that Walz timed his departure with the intent of avoiding deployment. But the fact remains that he left ahead of his unit’s departure.

A look at who’s scheduled to speak at the DNC on Wednesday

Democrats have talked a big game about the depth of their bench of rising leaders — and in Wednesday’s DNC program, they’re coming with receipts.

In addition to headlining speeches from former President Bill Clinton and vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz, the convention’s third night will include some of the party’s biggest names and anticipated future leaders.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York will speak. So will an all-star list of senators: Cory Booker of New Jersey, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

Also addressing the convention will be Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was a finalist to be Harris’ running mate. Both are seen as ascendant in Democratic politics.

To help articulate the evening’s theme around fighting for freedoms, Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of the nonprofit Reproductive Freedom for All will give remarks.

And Olivia Troye, who worked in the Trump administration as an aide to then-Vice President Mike Pence, will speak about why she’s supporting Harris.

Trump will hold his first outdoor rally since July assassination attempt

Former President Donald Trump’s event Wednesday in Asheboro, North Carolina, has enhanced security from past outdoor rallies, including panes of bulletproof glass boxing in the podium where the Republican presidential nominee will speak.

How Walz and Vance compare in polling

Polling data shows Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had a smoother launch as Kamala Harris’ running mate than Sen. JD Vance did for Donald Trump.

About one-third of U.S. adults (36%) have a favorable view of Walz, while about one-quarter (27%) have a positive opinion of Vance, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Significantly more adults also have an unfavorable view of Vance than Walz, 44% to 25%.

Both are well-liked so far within their own parties. Independents are slightly more likely to have a positive view of Walz than Vance, but most don’t know enough about either one yet. About 4 in 10 Americans don’t know enough about Walz to have an opinion about him, the poll found.

Blocks from DNC, man wanted for murder apprehended after standoff at restaurant

A man who escaped from a Mississippi courthouse and is wanted on murder and armed robbery charges was taken into custody Wednesday following a standoff with police at a restaurant in Chicago, blocks from the Democratic National Convention, authorities said.

Joshua Zimmerman was taken into custody Wednesday morning, said Abigail Meyer, a spokesperson with the U.S. Marshals Service.

Zimmerman had been sought by the U.S. Marshals Service since his escape in June and was located Tuesday at the restaurant in Chicago, according to Justin Smith, chief deputy with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi.

The U.S. Marshals Service said Zimmerman escaped from the circuit court building in Hernando, Mississippi, where he was being held on attempted murder and armed robbery charges. He was also awaiting extradition to Houston where he’s been charged with murder, the Marshals Service said.

There was no indication of any connection to the Democratic National Convention.

▶ Read more about the Chicago standoff

Cornel West cleared to appear on ballot in Maine, where ranked voting is in play

Independent presidential candidate Cornel West can appear on the ballot in Maine, the state’s secretary of state has ruled.

Shenna Bellows’ decision came Tuesday, about a week after the withdrawal of a challenge to another long-shot candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The presence of multiple third-party candidates on the Maine ballot is potentially significant because the state uses ranked choice voting to determine a winner.

Bellows ruled that some signatures in support of West were gathered fraudulently but that there was a significant number of valid signatures for the candidate to appear on the ballot. She said in a statement that “the bad actions of one should not impugn the valid First Amendment rights of the many.”

In ranked choice voting, voters rank their choice of candidate by ordered preference, with those rankings used to determine a winner in the event no candidate wins a majority of ballots on which they appear as voters’ first preference.

Fannie Lou Hamer rattled Democratic convention with her speech 60 years ago

Vice President Kamala Harris is accepting the Democrats’ presidential nomination Thursday, exactly 60 years after another Black woman mesmerized the nation with a televised speech that challenged the seating of Mississippi’s all-white delegation to the 1964 Democratic National Convention.

The testimony of Fannie Lou Hamer to the credentials committee in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was vivid and blunt.

She described how she was fired from her plantation job in retaliation for trying to register to vote and brutalized in jail for encouraging other Black people to assert their rights. She told of arbitrary tests white authorities imposed to prevent Black people from voting and other unconstitutional methods that kept white elites in power across the segregated South.

Whether every eligible citizen can vote and have their vote be counted is still an open question in this election, said U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who’s speaking Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He got his first practical experience in democracy at Hamer’s urging in 1966, when he was a college student in Mississippi and she recruited him to register other Black voters.

Hamer has already been the subject of appreciation this week, as the Democrats’ convention began Monday.

▶ Read more about Fannie Lou Hamer

The ex-presidents club

If the Republican convention was all about Trump, the Democrats on Tuesday wanted to put Harris in a pantheon with past presidents. It wasn’t just Obama who made the case for the vice president. The convention turned to the grandsons of Jimmy Carter and John F. Kennedy to also portray her as the natural heir of past Democratic leaders.

As groundbreaking as Harris’ candidacy is as the first woman of color to be her party’s nominee, these speeches by an ex-president and presidential progeny were all about linking her to a broader historical arc, creating a nostalgic message that can animate an increasingly older electorate.

“Kamala Harris carries my grandfather’s legacy,” said Jason Carter, the grandson of the 39th president. “She knows what is right and she fights for it.”

Jack Schlossberg suggested Harris would carry forward the agenda of Kennedy.

“She believes in America like my grandfather did,” Schlossberg said. “That we do things not because they’re easy, but because they’re hard.”

A message for Republicans: It’s OK to Quit Trump

The Democrats are making a play for disaffected Trump voters — and they used one of his former White House staffers to make their case Tuesday night.

Stephanie Grisham worked in various roles in the Trump White House, including communications director and press secretary, allowing Democrats to argue that those who know Trump best have seen him at his worst.

“He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth,” Grisham said. “I couldn’t be part of the insanity any longer.”

Kyle Sweetser, a Trump voter from Alabama, told the convention the former president’s tariffs made life harder for construction workers like him.