Harris will join Biden to meet freed Russian prisoners tonight
At a White House press briefing following the prisoner exchange between Russia, the U.S. and others, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that Harris will join Biden at Andrews Air Force Base tonight to greet Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich and others.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also mentioned Harris’ involvement in the exchange, noting that she met with the German chancellor shortly after Biden did earlier this year.
RNC defends Cornel West's ballot access in court
Cornel West is a far-left academic and independent presidential candidate who has compared Donald Trump to Hitler and Mussolini, but Republicans are coming to his aid in a legal fight over ballot access in North Carolina.
The RNC and state GOP filed amici briefs on West's behalf in federal court this week and a leading Republican state lawmaker wrote an op-ed defending West, suggesting the Republican-controlled Legislature may need to take action on West's behalf.
Republicans are crying foul after the state Board of Elections voted not to give a West-affiliated party a spot on the ballot after NBC News and others revealed secret efforts to help West's cash-strapped campaign collect signatures to qualify. As one prominent pro-Trump operative put it, West's presence on the ballot "helps take away votes from" Democrats by splitting the progressive vote.
U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle on Tuesday held a hearing on a lawsuit filed by West allies to overturn the state Board of Elections' decision. He said a decision would come soon.
West's Republican defenders say the board's decision was political, with the board's Democratic majority trying to prevent West from siphoning votes from their nominee.
"The State Board of Elections should reverse its decision and provide ballot access justice for all North Carolinians," state Rep. Jake Johnson, a member of GOP leadership in the state house and chair of a relevant committee, wrote in The Charolette Observer on Wednesday.
Here are the VP contenders who've met with Harris' vetting team
The Harris campaign’s vetting team has met with several contenders for her vice presidential pick, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
They include Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Kelly missed at least two votes yesterday between noon and 6 p.m. and according to his aide was “off campus," a source said.
Vance rips Harris for her record on the border
In remarks during his visit to the southern border in Cochise County, Arizona, Vance repeatedly went after Harris’ record on the border. He adopted Trump’s characterization of her as a “border czar” who did nothing to curb the increased rates of migrants crossing the border. In 2021, Biden tasked Harris with addressing the root causes of migration to the border by people from Central American countries.
While decrying the Biden administration’s release of some migrants into the U.S., Vance blamed Harris for bringing “poison” into the country, referring to the trafficking of illicit drugs such as fentanyl.
“There are a lot of parents that won’t wake up, because when you take fentanyl, you don’t wake up, it takes your life. So there are a lot of kids out there who have been deprived of second chances with their moms and dads,” he said. “There are a lot of moms and dads out there who will never see their kids walk down the aisle because of what Kamala Harris has at this border. The human toll of this is the thing that we cannot forget.”
Vance argued that Harris’ approach to addressing migrant crossings at the border has led to an “open border.”
“Tell me, has Kamala Harris done anything you’ve asked her to do? She is the border czar — has your border czar done anything you’ve asked her to do? And the answer is no,” he said. “They send letters, they make phone calls. They are begging the American president and vice president for leadership, and their own border czar ignores them.”
Vance added, “That is a scandal, that is a disgrace,” and urged the public to vote for Trump in November.
Trump posts photo referring to Harris' 'Indian Heritage' a day after attacking her on race
A day after attacking the vice president on race during a contentious interview with Black journalists, Trump posted a picture on his Truth Social website of Harris wearing a sari alongside members of her family. Trump and his allies have falsely accused Harris, who is biracial, of deciding to “turn Black.”
Harris, the first Black and Indian American vice president, attended the historically Black Howard University and is a member of the first intercollegiate Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
National 'uncommitted' movement lobbies for speaking slots at the Democratic convention
Leaders of the national "uncommitted" movement are calling for speaking slots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later this month.
During a Zoom news conference this morning, Abbas Alawieh, an uncommitted delegate from Michigan and co-founder of the group, outlined the movement’s specific demands. Alawieh previously worked for progressive "squad" members Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
The demands from the pro-Palestinian group include five minutes of speaking time for Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a humanitarian aid worker who spent time in Gaza, five minutes of speaking time for a Democratic lawmaker affiliated with the uncommitted movement, a meeting with Harris and language in the party’s platform calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
Alawieh said that since Harris became the de facto Democratic nominee, there has been more of a receptive shift toward his movement. "There is an openness to engaging with our movement that feels like a shift from how our requests were being treated previously," he said.
Senate Democrats will force vote to expand child tax credit despite GOP opposition
The Democratic-led Senate will hold a key test vote today on a bipartisan bill to expand the child tax credit and provide some tax breaks for businesses.
But it’s not clear Democrats have enough Republican support to break a filibuster and advance the bill toward a final vote, as many GOP senators oppose it.
“This should be a no-brainer,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters. “Right now, the only ones standing in the way are Senate Republicans. Everyone else, even House Republicans, are for this.”
The vote on the bill, which would provide the most financial help to households with multiple children, comes as Vance, the GOP vice presidential nominee, faces heated criticism over past remarks disparaging “childless cat ladies” and questioning the character of women who choose not to have kids. Vance is scheduled to visit the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona today and is expected to miss the vote. His office didn’t say how he’d vote if he were in Washington.
Biden and Netanyahu to speak today amid concerns of escalation
Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to speak by phone later today, according to a U.S. official.
The call comes amid concerns about a possible escalation in the Middle East following the killing in Tehran of Hamas' political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, yesterday.
Both Hamas and Iran accused Israel of killing him.
Sen. Mark Kelly met with Harris' vetting team yesterday
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., met with Harris’ vetting team yesterday afternoon amid her selection process for a running mate, two sources familiar with Kelly’s movements told NBC News.
It is unclear whether Harris herself was involved in the meeting, the sources said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is considered another potential running mate for Harris, also met with her vetting team yesterday, NBC News reported.
At a conference of the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump questioned Harris’ racial identity. “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black,” he said. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for "TODAY."