Author: Reporter

For the past year, the presidential campaign seemed destined to be a monotonous slog featuring two candidates, President Joe Biden and convicted felon Donald Trump, that voters did not really want. But that all changed on a quiet on July 21 afternoon just 107 days before the election. President Biden’s decision to drop out of the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor resets the campaign with a swiftness that is unparalleled in modern American politics. Once a contest between two elderly white men, the election will likely force Trump to contend with the much younger...

Democrats quickly rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris as their likely presidential nominee on July 21 after President Joe Biden’s ground-shaking decision to bow out of the 2024 race, a volatile fast-moving political situation just months before the November election. Shortly after Biden stepped aside he firmly endorsed Harris, who would make history as the nation’s first Black and South Asian woman to become a major party’s presidential nominee. Other endorsements flowed from former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the first major female presidential nominee, and prominent U.S. senators, a wide swath of House representatives and members of...

Even before President Joe Biden’s long-speculated withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, allies of convicted felon Donald Trump floated the possibility of suing to block Democrats from having anyone other than Biden on the ballot in November. But election administration and legal experts said the timing of Biden’s exit on July 21 makes it unlikely that any Republican ballot access challenges will succeed, with some calling the idea “ridiculous” and “frivolous.” Democrats are on safe legal ground as they identify a new standard-bearer, they say, because the party hasn’t officially chosen its nominee. That typically occurs with a vote...

It is a daunting to-do list. Vice President Kamala Harris suddenly needs to whip up a presidential campaign almost from scratch. It is a process that usually takes months, even years. Harris has only about two months before early voting starts. And, of course, nothing is guaranteed, despite her getting the endorsement of President Joe Biden – and significant pieces of his campaign – after he exited the race on July 21. That means she is in a rush to raise money, figure out a strategy, hire staff, win delegates, set up a website, make some ads, plan a...

Activists who marched outside the Republican National Convention are trumpeting their efforts, despite crowd estimates falling short. Milwaukee police are praising their cooperation with other agencies in convention security, even as Ohio officers face scrutiny for shooting and killing a man while in the city. Some activists and attendees said there was more caution after the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, while others said the setting was the right place to amplify their message and set the stage for future conventions. Milwaukee wrapped up its week in the national spotlight with lessons for Chicago, which hosts...

Former president and convicted felon Donald Trump demanded on July 16 that the self-governed island of Taiwan pay for U.S. protection, dodged the question of whether he would defend the island from Beijing’s military action, and accused the island of taking the computer chip industry away from the United States. “Taiwan should pay us for defense,” the Republican presidential candidate said in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. “You know, we’re no different than an insurance company.” Trump’s remarks, made public on July 16, add uncertainty to Trump’s approach to Taiwan at a time his running mate, JD Vance, has...