Michelle Obama's office released a press release Tuesday saying the previous first lady is not going to accompany her husband to Donald Trump's inauguration next Monday. It is the second time in two weeks that she has missed a gathering of American leaders and their spouses, having also not attended former President Jimmy Carter's funeral on January 9.

As with Carter's funeral, where Michelle Obama would likely have sat next to Trump, her office gave no reason for her no-show at his swearing-in ceremony. Whether she's having one other “scheduling conflict” like she had with Carter's funeral, she made it pretty clear five months earlier that she doesn't think much of Trump as a president or as an individual.

While you’re widely praised speech At the Democratic National Convention in July, Michelle Obama argued that ladies's lives can be in danger if Trump were elected to a second term and offered certainly one of her party's “most emphatic takedowns” of the forty fifth president, mostly without mentioning him by name to call. because the New York Times reported.

While she praised Vice President Kamala Harris' “dignity,” qualifications and accomplishments, she mocked Trump's privileged background, his profession filled with business failures and the “luxury” he enjoys of “whining or cheating others to get ahead.”

Michelle Obama, who previously campaigned against Trump in 2016 and 2020, also directed his more controversial comment about “black jobs” at him, criticizing him for promoting birtherism, racism and “lies.”

Before and through Barack Obama's presidency, he and his wife were the goal of unsubstantiated claims by Trump, his wife Melania Trump and other Republicans that his birth certificate was a fake, NPR reported. Michelle Obama said the Oakland-born former San Francisco district attorney is who Black and Asian Americans or Indian Americans, should expect the identical sort of attacks. In fact, Trump made false claims about Harris' racial identity after she became the Democratic nominee, saying that “she suddenly became…a black person.”

“We know people will do anything to distort their truth,” Michelle Obama said. “Unfortunately, my husband and I know a little about it. For years, Donald Trump has done everything in his power to make people afraid of us.”

She continued: “His limited and narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated and successful people who also happened to be black.”

In a moment that had the group cheering and laughing, Michelle Obama said, “Who's going to tell him that the job he's looking for right now might just be one of those 'black jobs'?”

According to NPR, Michelle Obama was referring to Trump's comments during his June debate against President Biden. Trump said immigrants coming to the U.S. are “taking away black jobs now.” She also acknowledged the undeniable fact that her black husband served two terms as president and a black woman was running for the office of the country's forty seventh president.

Again, without mentioning Trump by name, Michelle Obama compared his background to Harris, who was raised in Berkeley by a middle-class single mother. She said Americans like how Harris understands “that most of us will never be given the grace to fail forward,” a reference to Trump's business woes, in line with the New York Times.

Michelle Obama also noted that almost all Americans don’t grow up with “the positive impact of generational wealth.” Trump was born in Queens, New York, the son of a wealthy developerThis emerges from a 2018 New York Times investigationreceived greater than $413 million from his father over the a long time, much of it through “tax evasion,” including “outright fraud.”

“When we see a mountain in front of us, we don't expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us up,” said Michelle Obama, receiving thunderous applause with every line.

Barack and Michelle Obama's office released a press release to the Associated Press on Tuesday saying Barack Obama would attend the sixtieth inauguration ceremonies, but his wife wouldn’t. Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may also attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony on the U.S. Capitol together with their husbands George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Michelle Obama attended Trump's first inauguration in 2017, when she was the outgoing first lady. According to CNN, she and her husband also took part in one of the enduring “transfer of power rituals” on Inauguration Day. Then the outgoing president and his wife greet the brand new first couple on the steps of the North Portico of the White House, invite them for tea or coffee after which drive with them to the US Capitol.

Michelle and Barack Obama did this courtesy for Donald and Melania Trump in January 2017, although the Trumps didn’t extend this courtesy for Joe and Jill Biden in 2021 after Trump lost the 2020 election.

Originally published: January 14, 2025 at 11:33am PST

“That's my father. That's MY DAD!” a visibly moved Gus Walz shouted with tears in his eyes on the Democratic National Convention. It's rare for a teen to indicate such real love and admiration for his or her parents, especially in a public setting.

For most Americans, this was their first encounter with Gus, the neurodiverse son of Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz. Personal interview In the paper published through the conference, Tim Walz and his wife Gwen described Gus's particular type of neurodivergence, noting that he has been diagnosed with nonverbal learning disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and anxiety.

The public response to Gus's emotional outburst was mixed. There were negative reactions corresponding to that of conservative commentator Ann Coulterwho wrote in a now-deleted post on social media platform X: “Speaking of weird…” Others initially made fun of Gus, a male teenager, for crying, but then apologized after they learned he was neurodivergent.

But there have been also positive reactions, corresponding to that of former First Lady Michelle Obama, who posted on Instagram: “I was touched to see Gus Walz's joy when his father @TimWalz took the stage last night. I am grateful that you showed us all what true love looks like, Gus.” Some of the positive reactions came from other families with neurodivergent members who saw themselves represented at that moment.

As a researcher of applied behavior evaluation and disability research, I see this moment as a chance, especially for people whose brain functions, behaviors and processing are considered “standard” or “typical” from large parts of society to learn the best way to higher understand and support neurodiversity.

The breadth of neurodiversity

Neurodiversity in and of itself is just a biological fact. No two brains function in the exact same way, and there are various brain and behavioral differences that result in human differences, very like race or sexual orientation. Neurodivergent is a term used to explain people whose brains differ in the way in which they develop and performanceNeurodiverse people may be diagnosed with various related disorders, corresponding to ADHD, autism and dyslexia.

Studies suggest that 15 to twenty% of the US population is neurodivergent, and this number might be underrepresented. That is possibly 1 in 5 people.

Neurodevelopmental disorders have many comorbidities. Different diagnoses may be considered a spectrum with other diagnoses. For example, anxiety and depression often have overlapping symptoms or may be considered a spectrum of mental illness. Neurodevelopmental disorders corresponding to nonverbal learning disorders often exist side by side Anxiety and ADHD.

What the DSM has to say

To learn more about neurodivergences corresponding to nonverbal learning disorders, ADHD and anxiety, you may think that a psychologist like me would recommend contacting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)the gold standard reference work for the sector of mental health.

However, I don’t recommend this for 2 reasons. First, nonverbal learning disorder is a broad category that isn’t actually included within the DSM-5. Researchers describe it as Developmental disorder of visual-spatial vision, discovered in 1967.

The symptoms overlap with many other diagnoses, corresponding to autism spectrum disorders, developmental coordination disorders, specific learning disorders and ADHD.

Second, the usual criteria for many of those diagnoses are created exclusively by professionals who may not know what the experience is like. Traditionally medical and psychological understanding Neurodivergence characterizes these differences as deficits that must be treated or cured.

Maybe Gus experienced a few of these symptoms on the DNC, or perhaps not. This variety of societal response, by which a difference is characterised as a deficit, has led to societal oppression by neurodivergent person to vary their behavior to adapt to neurotypical behavior.

This attitude that any deviation from the perceived societal norm must be shamed or ridiculed persists in our society to this present day, as evidenced by posts on X like Coulter's. Unfortunately, these views have change into deeply ingrained in society, on account of the Medical model of disabilitysuggesting that neurodiverse people should learn to ‘fit in’ fairly than join the remainder of society and create more inclusive communities.

Paradigm shift

Although the DSM can provide information concerning the symptoms of neurodivergence, I believe it is necessary to transcend the sort of textbook information that treats neurodivergence as a deficit and learn from the lived experiences of neurodivergent people.

Neurodivergences corresponding to autism or ADHD may be higher understood through speak directly with neurodiverse people in order that society and therapists alike can understand their desires and support needs as an alternative of projecting neurotypical norms onto them.

This approach led me to co-author a book: “Understanding the life experiences of autistic adults”, with Adam Paul Valerius, an autistic adult and activist in California. My conversations with Valerius over two years taught me more about autism than 10 years of studying psychology, and now we frequently collaborate and present together at skilled conferences.

The Walz family has demonstrated on a world stage that while there are obstacles related to neurodivergence, there are also great strengths. Just as neurotypical people have the autonomy to make a decision which of their challenges they seek support for and the way they receive that support, research shows that Neurodivergent voices must be the main focus in determining which support and solutions best fit their needs.

This paradigm shift moves away from the medical or deficit model of disability to what’s Social model of disabilityThis approach focuses on the voices of disabled people and assumes that disability is influenced by societal and cultural expectations.

The social model puts the reactions to Gus's emotional outburst on the DNC in a brand new light. It offers space for questions like: Why was it acceptable to make fun of a teen for showing emotion, but not acceptable after checking out that person was neurodivergent?

Resources for further learning

In the courses I teach on the University of Southern CaliforniaI ask my students to read a book from an inventory of about 50 autobiographies by neurodivergent authors.

I also invite neurodiverse guest speakers to my classes to confer with students about their hopes, dreams, and challenges. We study the history of disability in America, its various diagnostic criteria, and the way educational plans have been heavily influenced by societal and cultural ideas about neurodiversity and disability during this time period.

The derisive and shaming reactions to Gus Walz's emotional outburst on the DNC show that society still has a protracted approach to go before it each understands and accepts neurodivergent behavior.

The excellent news is that it’s now easier than ever to learn. You don’t must be a clinician or a student to raised understand the experiences of neurodiverse people. There are many blogs, YouTube channels, social media sites and autistic autobiographies where you may learn directly from a neurodiverse person.

policy

When you're in Rome…or Chicago, for that matter.

While high-ranking politicians flocked to the Windy City for the Democratic Party Convention this week, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker declared Malört “unofficial shot” of the DNC. You know, Chicago's iconic vermouth-based digestif, which Food & Wine describes as each “citrus-flavored gasoline” and “the regional joke drink.”

“It’s not a drink for most people, but we are not most people,” said the Jeppson's Vermouth Information concerning the website.

“I’m not saying it’s the best tasting liquor,” Pritzker admitted in a segment with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “All I'm saying is, if you want to prove your courage, you have to give Malört a chance.”

Campaign reporter Dylan Wells rounded up a number of other governors as examples to check Pritzker’s theory. Of course, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey – who rarely shies away from physically Challenge — was a game.

“I’ve heard a lot about this Malört,” Healey said calmly and composedly into the camera, even after taking an enormous sip.

“I like it,” she added, somewhat incredulously. “I've heard all these things about it that weren't so great. I like it.”

See how other governors fared:

The first signs distributed to delegates on the Democratic National Convention on Monday set the tone.

They read “USA” and were used steadily on the United Center in the course of the four-day spectacle.

The cameras of the staged-for-television party repeatedly panned over the group wildly waving signs, while the Democrats tried to appeal to the values ​​of patriotism and love of private freedom that had long been the domain of the Republicans.

Speaking from the stage where he weathered former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Republican former Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan summed up the Democrats' high-profile speech by crossing party lines.

“If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you are not a Democrat. You are a patriot,” he said.

The crowd began chanting “USA” which became a typical refrain throughout the week.

It was a moment that reflected much of the mood of the convention, as Democrats determinedly tried to flaunt the red, white and blue colours, not only talking about patriotic policies and actions, but additionally attempting to tug on the patriotic heartstrings of voters.

The week began with a protracted applause for the moving national anthem by the choir Soul Children of Chicago. Many showed up in Harris-Walz branded camouflage hats, obviously a brand new contrast to Trump's iconic red baseball cap with a backcountry aesthetic. The same day, Bulls legend Steve Kerr recalled coaching the country's men's basketball team to an Olympic gold medal.

“When we won – the American flag was flown to the roof, the national anthem was played, our players wore gold medals around their necks and held their hands over their hearts – it was the proudest moment of my life,” he said.

Of course, love of country is at all times emphasized at political conventions. But this 12 months, due to Trump's controversial and polarizing positions because the Republican standard-bearer, Democrats have a transparent path.

President Joe Biden capped night one by calling the care of veterans the nation's “only truly sacred obligation.” The president ended his speech, as he has done for many years, with the words, “May God protect our troops.”

The increasing concentrate on patriotism was “music to my ears” for thirty sixth Chicago City Councilman Gilbert Villegas.

The Marine Corps veteran and Democratic delegate described the tone of the convention as a fundamental shift after years of Republicans dominating debates around patriotism.

“I will not allow any political party to dictate my love for this country,” he said. “We are demanding our love for this country back.”

Villegas believes this rebound is being helped by the nomination of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, an Army National Guard veteran, as his party's vice presidential candidate.

“I think people are tired of extremists on both sides,” Villegas said. “We need to remember that we are the greatest country in the world.”

US Senator Tammy Duckworth justified the flag-waving with Biden's decision to go away office and nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. Duckworth, a war veteran who lost each legs within the Iraq War, called Biden's move “the most patriotic act of all.”

“President Biden's retirement continues to give this convention a real understanding of what it means to put the collective, that 'e pluribus unum,' the nation, before itself,” Duckworth said. “We all feel a desire to be at least as good as he was.”

“It's about the common good, and that shows again and again,” she continued. “There is a lot of joy here.”

When asked if he sensed a change, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson replied that Democrats have at all times had a greater understanding of “America’s best values.”

“It's not just about symbolism, it's about action,” he said, describing his own and Harris's policy goals, resembling increasing education spending and access to home ownership, as patriotic.

The Democrats' concentrate on patriotism had a transparent cornerstone: the oft-repeated claim that America's strength lies in its diversity. The party platform was geared toward celebrating the country's many faces as a reason to like it.

At no time was this message clearer than during Symbolic roll-call vote on TuesdayA DJ opened the playful explanations of every state with “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

He then played a song for every state while local politicians gave a brief speech summarizing their home states' contributions to the Union, extolling moments on the precise side of history, resembling Martin Luther King's “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” and Illinois' early adoption of the constitutional amendments that abolished slavery and gave women the precise to vote.

The enthusiastic crowd danced the entire time. Later that evening, former First Lady Michelle Obama met made the identical point clear.

“All of our contributions deserve to be accepted and valued. Because no one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American. No one,” she said.

By claiming to like America, Democrats also accused Republicans of not closely identifying with the country's founding values.

On Wednesday evening, a football team wearing jerseys that Walz once coached to a state championship took the stage before him. Then Walz – described by the party as a sports-loving, dad-rock-listening, average citizen from the Midwest – argued that his opponents don’t understand freedom.

“When Republicans use that word, they mean that the government has unfettered access to doctors' offices. Corporations have unfettered access to pollute the air and water. Banks have unfettered access to exploit their customers,” he said.

“But when we Democrats talk about freedom,” he continued, “we mean your freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people you love.”

It was a transparent move by the Democrats to reformulate the long-held narrative that they were the party of the large government while the Republicans valued American individuality.

The “USA” signs in the world were replaced with ones that read “Coach Walz” as he referred to the group, locker room style, as “team.” At least one news outlet described the remarks as a “pep talk.”

When the speech ended, the group filed outside where they discussed inclusion in a big tented festival and nonstop praise of America. in contrast to a small sit-in The gathering is held by unaffiliated delegates — that’s, they don’t support a particular Democratic presidential candidate — and calls for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. Another protest was planned for Thursday night outside the convention's security zone, but crowds throughout the week were far smaller than protest organizers had expected.

The sit-in group demanded that a Palestinian American be given a speaking slot to debate the war in Gaza.

Their sit-in began hours after the parents of an American citizen who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and continues to be being held hostage spoke out. By Thursday afternoon, party officials had not relented, and the group remained seated near the doors of the United Center on Madison Street.

The majority of the group continued to walk past the protesters.

But some high-ranking Democrats paused. The leader of the group began to sob after U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota sat down. Shortly before midnight, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania joined the group.

“To be able to speak out about your grief even when people are spitting in your face and still do it is a love that some people will never understand,” Lee said.

jsheridan@chicagotribune.com

Originally published: August 23, 2024 at 10:02 am

policy

You probably know Cambridge native Mindy Kaling from her role as Kelly Kapoor on “The Office” or because the creep on “Inside Out,” but last night she played a brand new role as moderator of the third night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Kaling joked that she “bravely outed” Vice President Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram post. Cooking videowhen she invited Harris to her home in 2019 to cook dosas, a South Indian dish.

“Kamala Harris can cook,” Kaling said. “She was so much better than me.”

While Harris “gently corrected” Kaling for preparing the dosa “sloppily,” Harris, in keeping with Kaling, “complimented her every step of the way.”

“She didn't want to be seen as better than anyone else,” Kaling said. “I'm confident that as our next president, she will bring that same warmth and generosity to the White House.”

Kaling also told the story of her first meeting with Harris and recalled a conversation about her two moms, each of whom had died of cancer.

“We talked about the love we have for our mothers,” she said. “Both of our mothers were immigrants from India who came to America and dedicated their lives to serving others.”

Kaling's mother Swati became a gynecologist and Harris' mother Shyamala became a scientist and earned a doctorate.

“After speaking with Kamala, it was clear to me that Shyamala had passed on the same optimism and fearlessness to her daughter,” Kaling said.

By WILL WEISSERT and NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — The Democratic National Convention The first evening was scheduled in order that the last Democrat to lose to Donald Trump and the last to defeat him would give speeches.

Hillary Clinton spoke of finally breaking the “glass ceiling” and electing a girl president. Joe Biden was the last speaker in Chicago on Monday evening, whilst protesters against the Gaza war gathered a couple of blocks from the Capitol constructing.

Here are some takeaways from the primary night of the convention.

A surprise appearance by Harris as a tribute to Biden

The vice chairman made an unscheduled appearance on stage to honor Biden before his own speech on the convention, telling the president: “Thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifelong commitment to our nation, and for all that you will continue to do.”

On a night that was purported to be dedicated to the president, who had made way for Harris, the vice chairman added: “We are eternally grateful to you.” Her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and her husband Doug Emhoff cheered her message from the gallery.

In her transient speech, Harris said that when she looked out at the group, she saw “the beauty of our great nation.” She stressed the importance of promoting diversity and spreading optimism.

Hillary Clinton revives talk of breaking the “glass ceiling”

Clinton was greeted with wild and sustained applause that lasted greater than two minutes before she silenced the group. She delivered a fiery speech and hoped that Harris would do what she couldn’t – defeat Trump and turn out to be the primary female president.

In her 2016 defeat speech, Clinton recalled all of the “cracks in the glass ceiling” she and her voters had achieved. And she painted an image of Harris taking the oath of office as president “on the other side of that glass ceiling.”

She concluded her speech with a striking wish for somebody at the highest of American politics and power: “I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know that I was here at that moment. That we were here and that we were with Kamala Harris every step of the way.”

Clinton's speech included traditional political attacks, resembling mocking Trump's criminal record, which drew chants of “lock him up” just like those directed at Clinton by Trump's supporters in 2016.

A line from Jesse Jackson to Kamala Harris

A primary topic of the evening was the honoring of Reverend Jesse Jackson, a longtime civil rights activist in Chicago and former presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988. Many Democrats recognize his pioneering work, which helped Barack Obama win the White House in 2008 and Kamala Harris turn out to be the primary woman of color to be nominated for the presidency.

Jackson was greeted from the stage by several speakers, including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and California Rep. Maxine Waters. A video montage of Jackson's profession and legacy was shown before Jackson, 82, himself walked onto the stage in a wheelchair, raised his arms to the sky and grinned. Jackson was diagnosed with: Parkinson's disease.

During the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco, Jackson declared in a speech that America was “like a patchwork quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven together and held together by a common thread.” This speech became often called the “Rainbow Coalition” speech, and Jackson used the momentum it generated to run again because the Democratic candidate in 1988.

Harris called Jackson “one of America’s greatest patriots.”

Remember COVID? Democrats don't want voters – or Trump – to forget

The Democrats selected to focus the convention highlight on the harrowing issue of the coronavirus pandemic.

This reflected Democrats' frustration with Trump portraying his time in office as a golden age for the country, despite the fact that a whole bunch of 1000’s of Americans died of Covid-19 in the ultimate 12 months of his term.

For Democrats, fighting the pandemic carries many risks. Even more people died from the virus during Biden's presidency than during Trump's, voters were desperate to move on, and a few of the preventive measures advocated by Democrats – resembling school closures and wearing face masks – will not be popular looking back.

Still, the list of early speakers focused on Trump's behavior through the pandemic. Peggy Flanagan, lieutenant governor of Minnesota, recalled that her brother was the second person in Tennessee to die of the disease and that she was unable to go to him or hold a memorial service. Illinois nurse Lauren Underwood said of Trump: “He has turned the COVID crisis into a catastrophe. We must never let him be our president again.”

Rep. Robert Garcia, whose mother and stepfather died of the disease in 2020, recalled Trump's missteps and concluded with considered one of the slogans of Harris' young campaign: “We are not going back.”

Democrats outperform Republicans on labor market

At Trump's convention last month, one union leader was seen at such a GOP event: Teamsters Chairman Sean O'Brien. That's a mirrored image of how Trump's populism has eroded the Democrats' advantage with union families.

In this speech, O'Brien didn’t support Trump, but criticized each major parties for not doing enough to assist working people.

The Democrats didn’t invite O'Brien to their convention, but they countered on Monday with half a dozen other union leaders on stage. And then Shawn Fain, head of the United Auto Workers, loudly shouted “Trump is a scab!” while wearing a red T-shirt with that slogan.

Fain noted that Biden visited a UAW picket line last 12 months and that Harris, not Trump, was on the 2019 autoworkers' picket line. “Donald Trump is all talk, and Kamala Harris is all action,” Fain said.

Originally published: August 19, 2024 at 21:25

policy

CHICAGO (AP) — President Joe Biden delivered his farewell address to Democrats on Monday night, his decision to withdraw his reelection effort unleashing latest energy in his party after Vice President Kamala Harris rose to the highest of the list of candidates.

After 52 years of rising to the highest of his party's influence, Biden, 81, was given a hero's welcome for his move for Harris. Weeks earlier, many in his party had pressured him to offer up his re-election bid. His speech, which had been billed because the highlight of the evening, was postponed until late at night since the convention program was greater than an hour behind schedule.

A month after the unprecedented mid-election switch from Biden to Harris, the Democratic National Convention, which began in Chicago on Monday, is especially vital for the party. The opening night was intended as a handover from the incumbent to his hand-picked successor – albeit 4 years before he had designated her as his successor.

Harris appeared unannounced on stage Monday night because the convention's primetime program began to thank Biden for his leadership ahead of his later speech.

“Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifelong commitment to our country and for all that you will continue to do,” she said. “We are forever grateful.”

Democrats hope the week-long event will catapult Harris right into a confrontation with Republican Donald Trump, whose comeback bid for the White House is seen by Democrats as an existential threat. Having taken the ticket only a month ago, Harris must now win over a divided country that’s more positive about her but not yet fully made up its mind concerning the election.

Less than a month ago, Democrats were divided over foreign policy, political strategy and Biden himself, who emerged from a disastrous debate by claiming he had a greater likelihood than another Democrat, including Harris, of beating Trump.

Part of the presentation of Harris and her Vice President Tim Walz will probably be to first give a dignified farewell to the incumbent president, who’s scheduled to deliver the foremost address on Monday.

The Democratic Party would almost actually be in a far worse position if Biden had continued to campaign despite growing concerns about his mental and physical health after he struggled to complete full sentences in the controversy against Trump.

Democrats took turns praising Biden's leadership and his alternative of Harris as his successor. “I have never known a more compassionate human being than Joe Biden,” said his longtime confidant, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, who led the gang in a “We love Joe” chant.

They sought to link each Biden and Harris to what the party sees because the governing couple's hottest achievements: leading the country out of the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, driving massive investments within the country's infrastructure, advocating for lower health care costs and promoting clean energy.

“Thanks to Joe and Kamala, we have lowered prescription drug prices, repaired roads and bridges, and replaced lead pipes,” said South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, whose support in 2020 was crucial to Biden's victory in the first election. He added that considered one of Biden's best decisions was “selecting Kamala Harris as his vice president and supporting her as his successor.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, greeted with sustained applause, paid tribute to Harris and stressed her potential to interrupt the “highest, hardest glass ceiling” and grow to be America's first female president. Clinton was the Democratic nominee in 2016 but lost that election to Trump.

“Together, we have broken many cracks in the highest and hardest glass ceiling,” Clinton said, invoking a metaphor she utilized in her speech eight years ago when she lost the election. “On the other side of that glass ceiling, Kamala Harris takes the oath of office as the 47th President of the United States. When a barrier falls for one of us, it clears the way for all of us.”

Clinton also acknowledged Biden's resignation, saying: “Now we are writing a new chapter in American history.”

Clinton, 76, underscored the party's cross-generational reach. She followed 34-year-old New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who endorsed Harris and made the primary mention of the war in Gaza on the convention, addressing a difficulty that has divided the party's base for the reason that October 7 Hamas attack and Israel's subsequent offensive.

Outside the world, 1000’s of protesters flocked to Chicago to denounce the Biden-Harris administration's support of Israel's war effort.

Harris is “working tirelessly to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and bring the hostages home,” Ocasio-Cortez said to cheers from the gang.

Meanwhile, Democrats tried to shift the main focus to Trump, mocking his criminal convictions and claiming he was fighting just for himself and never “for the people” – the official theme of the evening.

Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow lifted an oversized copy of “Project 2025” – a blueprint for a second Trump term created by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation – onto the lectern and quoted from parts of it.

“That's what we read,” McMorrow said. “Whatever you think, it's so much worse.”

Former President Trump has publicly denied any interest within the measures outlined in Project 2025, but he has close ties to its authors, and campaign aides have praised their work previously.

Democrats have continued to make abortion access a central focus of voters' concerns, betting that the problem will help them win, because it has in other key elections for the reason that Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. Among the speakers on Monday were three women whose health care was affected by that ruling. And the convention program included a video during which Trump praised his own role in overturning Roe.

A month after a key union leader spoke on the Republican National Convention, several union leaders took to the ground Monday to appeal to the party's core constituency. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain shouted “Trump is a scab” to the gang and praised Biden and Harris for standing with striking autoworkers last 12 months.

The convention program also paid tribute to the civil rights movement, with an appearance by Reverend Jesse Jackson, founding father of the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. There were several references to Fannie Lou Hamer, the late civil rights activist who gave a landmark speech at a Democratic convention in 1964.

Hamer was a former sharecropper and a frontrunner of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, an ethnically integrated group that challenged the inclusion of an all-white Mississippi delegation on the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Hamer delivered her speech on August 22, 1964—exactly 60 years before Harris would accept the Democratic nomination, becoming the primary black woman and first person of South Asian descent to run as a significant party presidential nominee.

In a speech on the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz.

“I know full well that it is risky to speak out politically these days,” Kerr said. “I see the 'shut up and whistle' tweets being fired off at this moment. But I also knew when I was asked that it is too important as an American citizen not to speak out in an election of this magnitude.”

Kerr is a vocal activist for gun safety laws and other social issues and causes. He has publicly criticized former President Donald Trump and endorsed President Joe Biden within the 2020 general election.

Although speaking in front of a stadium filled with politicians is latest territory for the top coach, the United Center was a well-known setting. As Kerr took the rostrum, large screens showed highlights of his game-winning shot in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals in the identical arena.

“It's so much fun to be back here at the United Center,” Kerr began. “As you all know, a lot of good things happened in this building – especially in the '90s. You young people, Google 'Michael Jordan' and you can read all about it.”

Just a few days after the Olympics, Kerr said he was invited to talk on the DNC, explaining that as a husband, son, father and American citizen, he couldn’t turn down the chance to make his voice heard.

Although, as Kerr suggested, there may be all the time backlash when athletes speak out about politics, sports and politics are continuously intertwined. At the Republican National Convention earlier this summer, former wrestler Hulk Hogan and UFC CEO Dana White spoke. Former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker lost his Senate run in 2022, and former Dodger Steve Garvey is currently running for a Senate seat in California.

Kerr took the rostrum lower than 10 minutes after Harris made his opening remarks; the Oakland native is scheduled to deliver a lengthy speech Thursday night. Harris, the Democratic nominee, is a former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and United States senator.

Kerr's speech to the DNC focused largely on unifying themes based on his experience as coach of the U.S. team that won the gold medal on the Paris Olympics earlier this month. He spoke of coming together to form a more perfect union, not divided by party lines but as teammates.

He made it very clear which candidate represents this value within the 2024 presidential election.

“I believe leaders must demonstrate dignity,” Kerr said. “I believe leaders should tell the truth. I believe leaders must care about and love the people they lead. I believe leaders must have knowledge and expertise, but realize that none of us have all the answers. And if you look for those qualities in your friends, your boss, a co-worker, your child's teacher, or your mayor, shouldn't you want those same qualities in your president? And when you think about it that way, it's not a competition.”

There can be no NBA games on Election Day, which this 12 months falls on November 5. Until then, Kerr promised to assist people vote for Harris and Walz.

“And when the results are counted this evening, we can, in the words of the great Steph Curry, say 'goodnight' to Donald Trump.”

Originally published: August 19, 2024 at 19:00

By STEVE PEOPLES, ZEKE MILLER and BILL BARROW

CHICAGO (AP) — A renewed Democratic Party is presenting itself to a divided nation this week, transformed by the cash, momentum, relief and even joy that followed the vice chairman Kamala Harris ' is at the highest of the list.

The whirlwind of the past month culminates in a convention that begins Monday in Chicago. The four-day gathering of hundreds of activists and party leaders from across the country is primarily intended to have fun and strengthen Harris as president. Joe Biden's Replacement and strengthen their campaign to defeat the Republicans Donald Trump in November.

Beneath the surface, real questions are emerging about how much Harris' newfound support is, how large her coalition is and the way strong her movement is. Less than a month ago, Democrats were deeply divided on foreign policy, political strategy and Biden himselfthe hold onto after his disastrous debate by suggesting that he had a greater likelihood than every other Democrat – including Harris – of beating Trump.

Far from the formality that many modern party conventions have turn into, this week's event will probably be the primary time many Americans have seen Harris and her recent running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in depth. How Democrats present Harris and Walz will probably be crucial, especially given Trump's week of attempting to undermine their message.

A possible distraction will probably be Thousands of progressive demonstrators who’re expected to return to Chicago to denounce the Biden-Harris administration's support for Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. Harris' allies hope the pro-Palestinian protesters is not going to overshadow the official program, which incorporates a roster of current and former Democratic stars.

“Democrats enter this convention full of enthusiasm, excitement and unity,” said considered one of those stars, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Who was a finalist? Harris' running mate. “And it's critical that we continue to pursue the case against Donald Trump and the chaos he would wreak – and leave the convention even more united, even more excited, even more enthusiastic for the final 75 or so days of this campaign.”

Shapiro said he welcomes protesters in the course of the convention – “provided the protest is peaceful, provided the protest follows the rules of the community.”

Biden will probably be sworn in on Monday

Part of Harris and Walz's vision will probably be to make sure the 81-year-old incumbent president has a dignified exit. will give the keynote speech Monday.

The Democratic Party would probably have been in a much worse situation if Biden had continued to carry on to the nomination. growing concerns about his mental and physical condition after I had difficulty forming complete sentences in the course of the debate.

By deciding to step down and endorse Harris, the 81-year-old president will as a substitute receive a hero's welcome in his final appearance within the highlight, 52 years after being elected to the Senate for Delaware.

Biden plans to endorse Harris at length and criticize Trump sharply before leaving Chicago, clearing the way in which for the show to give attention to the vice chairman he appointed 4 years ago.

Trump has sought to stoke tensions over Biden's exit, calling Biden's speaking time on Monday the “Death Valley of the convention,” suggesting the president would worsen rankings than speakers on other nights. And as he has done for weeks, Trump called the convention itself “rigged” since it was Biden, not Harris, who won 14 million votes within the primaries and picked up delegates state by state.

“She didn’t get any votes,” Trump said.

A give attention to Harris' premieres – and an open hand for the Republicans

The Convention will address the The party’s potential to make historyHarris is vying to be the primary woman, the primary black woman and the primary person of South Asian descent to achieve the Oval Office.

“I wasn't sure I would live to see this special moment in my life, to see a black woman now on the verge of becoming our next president,” said Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, considered one of the highest-ranking black elected officials within the country.

Stratton recalled Hillary Clinton's defeat to Trump eight years ago, when she lost in key electoral fields despite leading the vast majority of voters nationwide.

“I remember in 2016 when we hit the glass ceiling and Republicans responded by starting to destroy the rights that got us there,” Stratton said. “This is a new opportunity.”

Harris will use the convention to get a number of the credit for what she and Biden have completed, while also showing that she recognizes that voters want more. On the option to Chicago, she’s going to revealed the primary points of her political program The focus was on tackling inflation and the prices of food, housing and childcare.

The Democrats will Access to abortion in focus for voters who’re betting that this issue will help them win, because it has in other major elections for the reason that Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago.

This week, every living Democratic president and first lady except the ailing Jimmy Carter will appear, together with an extended list of federal, state and native officials and activists.

This could also be a contrast to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month, where former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Mike Pence, amongst other well-known Republicans, stayed away due to Trump's antipathy toward them.

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who investigated Trump's actions in reference to the Jan. 6 Capitol rebellion and supports Harris, is predicted to talk this week.

The presidential race continues to be very exciting

With early voting starting in some states in September, recent polls suggest a neck-and-neck race nationally and in swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. And polls show that Trump still holds the advantage in Americans' perceptions over the 2 on key issues just like the economy and immigration.

Terry McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor and longtime official who’s attending his thirteenth Democratic convention this week, warned that Democrats' euphoria over Harris' rise could obscure the true state of the campaign.

He noted that the Republican convention in Milwaukee was a real coronation for Trump, with Democrats consumed by fear and uncertainty. Now Trump appears to be reeling as he searches for the appropriate message to stop Harris' rise.

The lesson, McAuliffe said, is to never assume that a race is already decided. You must at all times keep in mind that the end result depends upon getting 270 Electoral College votes in the appropriate swing states.

The former president is not going to leave it to the Democrats this week. Each day he’ll visit a unique swing state – starting with Pennsylvania, followed by Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada by the tip of the week.

Trump's campaign has also sent high-level allies to Chicago to carry every day press conferences, including Senator Rick Scott of Florida, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Representative Byron Donalds of Florida.

“We have four days to get the message across to the country that we're going to see Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. We're going to see their agenda, what they stand for, who we are,” McAuliffe said. “It's going to be a close election. That's where our country stands today.”

Whatever happens this week, each side will probably be watching with bated breath as Harris writes a brand new chapter in an election campaign that’s already unprecedented.

Barrow reported from Atlanta. AP author Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.

Originally published: August 18, 2024 at 22:52

For months, Rob Moore felt President Joe Biden might drop out of the race – a scenario that motivated the 26-year-old Los Gatos city councilor to attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week as a delegate.

On July 21, Moore returned home from an hour-long bike ride and checked his phone. His jaw dropped. Three weeks after his disastrous debate performance, Biden announced he wouldn’t seek re-election. The surprise last-minute reversal followed weeks of calls for him to step down and make way for the subsequent generation of Democratic leaders.

Moore was beside himself.

“I thought the DNC would feel like going to a funeral, but now it feels more like a wedding with a bunch of your best friends,” he said. “The feeling couldn't be more different.”

Moore is considered one of 496 delegates from California heading to the convention on Monday – and considered one of only a handful of young delegates from the Bay Area – who will now forged their ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Harris's rapid rise to the highest of the ballot has re-energized many Democrats and their donors – Harris broke the record for 24-hour presidential fundraising on the primary day of her campaign. Raise $36 million.

This dramatic turn of events is a far cry from the prospect that the nearly 4,000 delegates from across the country initially had after they endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket because the Democratic candidates to face Republicans Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance on Election Day, November 5.

Now, energized by the modified energy, many young voters and delegates are preparing for a really different sort of election campaign.

Alex Melendrez, 31, a DNC delegate from San Bruno, is amongst those feeling a “renewed sense of energy.”

When Biden initially dropped out of the race, Melendrez said he desired to wait 24 hours for his delegate vote before making a call. But just 4 hours later, he threw his weight behind Harris after seeing his Democratic colleagues rally behind her.

“It's the same kind of energy and mobilization that you saw in Obama's 2008 campaign, when people were more enthusiastic about investing their limited time and energy in droves than I've ever seen before,” he said.

Melendrez works as an organizer for the nonprofit housing organization YIMBY Action. He has been energetic within the Democratic Party for about six years and sits on the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee, a gaggle that makes party endorsements in local elections.

He said a lot of his own experiences as a teenager in politics were reflected within the transition from Biden to Harris.

“There has long been a trend in the Democratic Party that we should be the party of young people, but we do not allow young voices into positions of power,” Melendrez said.

Rusty Hicks, chairman of the California Democratic Party since 2019, said he has worked hard to secure a spot for young Democrats within the party leadership because they’ve at all times contributed to the party's success.

“This is a moment for everyone, but young Democrats and young Californians are the future of our party, the future of our state and the future of our country,” Hicks said.

South San Francisco Mayor James Coleman is used to being the youngest Democrat within the room. In 2020, he was elected to the City Council at age 21, defeating an 18-year incumbent. Now 25, Coleman just isn’t only a DNC delegate, but in addition a state delegate and a member of the San Mateo County Central Committee.

It is critical that young people have a spot in bodies just like the DNC and may also help shape policy on issues that particularly affect younger generations, including climate change, rising rents and the fee of education and child care, he said.

“I am a firm believer in the importance of having many different voices at the table. Often we talk about diversity when it comes to race, ethnicity and gender, but diversity also refers to age,” Coleman said. “It's healthy to have people of different ages at the decision-making table to make sure we don't leave anyone behind in the community.”

Jo Nguyen, 22, says it's “unrealistic” that she'll give you the option to represent San Jose, the world where she grew up, on the convention. Like a lot of her fellow young delegates, Nguyen decided to lift funds to cover her expenses for the four-day convention on the United Center in Chicago. The California Democratic Party doesn’t cover the fee of its delegates and estimates the fee could possibly be between $2,395 and $2,795.

“Especially as an Asian American and nonbinary person, you don't see many of us represented in national politics,” Nguyen said. “I'm glad to have a place on the national stage.”

They said they felt the Democratic Party was finally beginning to hearken to young individuals who felt marginalized by issues reminiscent of student loan debt and the war in Gaza.

“Young people are more disillusioned with the Democratic Party than ever before, and I think the fact that there is finally a new candidate is revitalizing young people,” they said.

In May, Jason Park, 24, of San Jose, became the primary Gen Z from California to be elected to the Democratic National Committee. This will likely be his second yr as a delegate, but it would be his first visit to an in-person convention after COVID-19 prevented the gathering in 2020.

Park and his family immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 2001. From a young age, he said he desired to “make the biggest change in the world” and that he believed the most effective method to try this was through public service.

“This country has given me so much, and I see how our freedom, our democracy, our future are not only being pushed back,” Park said, “but are even further threatened by the prospect of a Trump presidency.”

Ahead of the convention, Moore believes the so-called “coconut tree” meme perfectly embodies why young voters are enthusiastic about Harris, whose social media profile has grown in recent weeks.

Moore said Republicans' attempts to “bring up” Harris backfired and the clip became a viral sensation when she was named the presumptive nominee. The clip was remixed on TikTok, using every part from British pop star Charli XCX's song “365” to the Coconut Mall theme song for MarioKart.

It's silly, Moore admits, but he also talked to his own mother about it.

“Sometimes I feel a little silly being such a fangirl for a presidential candidate,” he said, “but I really think she's relatable.”