Sen. John Fetterman says he won't attend the convention this week
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has endorsed Harris, won’t attend the Democratic National Convention this week.
In an interview with The Free Press, Fetterman said he is skipping the convention to spend time with his children.
"I've got three young kids, and they’re out of school,” he said about his absence from the convention. “That’s four days I can spend with my children.”
Fetterman's office this morning confirmed the senator's absence from the convention to NBC News.
Fetterman, who has faced backlash from progressives over his staunch support for Israel, reportedly dismissed suggestions that he might not be welcomed at the convention as thousands of demonstrators plan to descend on Chicago, mainly in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza.
Fetterman told The Free Press that his decision "was made well before that debate,” referring to Biden’s poor June debate performance that ultimately led to the president’s decision to drop out of the race.
Three women who have spoken out about the dangers of state abortion bans will speak at the convention tonight
Three women who have been vocal about their harrowing experiences during pregnancy in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade are scheduled to speak at the Democratic convention tonight, a person with knowledge of the schedule told NBC News.
The women — Amanda Zurawski of Texas, Kaitlyn Joshua of Louisiana and Hadley Duvall of Kentucky — are outspoken supporters of the Democratic presidential ticket. They have been featured in campaign ads, offering personal testimonials about the dangers that state abortion bans impose on the health and livelihoods of pregnant women who are unable carry a pregnancy to term or have experienced sexual abuse resulting in a pregnancy.
The New York Times has reported that the women will be giving remarks.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, first lady Jill Biden and the president are also scheduled to deliver remarks at the convention today.
Trump seeks to clarify controversial comments on the Presidential Medal of Freedom
In an interview with an NBC affiliate in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, that aired last night, Trump sought to clarify his comments last week on the Presidential Medal of Freedom that drew backlash after he said it was a “much better” to receive than the top military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Asked to clarify his comments, Trump said he had not heard the negative reaction from the public over his remarks. The former president argued that the Congressional Medal of Honor is the “ultimate” but also a “painful” thing to receive.
“I would rather, in a certain way, get it, because people that get the Congressional Medal of Honor, which I’ve given to many, are often horribly wounded or dead. They’re often dead. They get it posthumously,” he said. “And when you get the Congressional Medal of Honor, I always consider that to be the ultimate, but it is a painful thing to get it.”
“When you get the Presidential Medal of Freedom, it’s usually for other things, like you’ve achieved great success in sports, or you’ve achieved great success someplace else,” he added. “When you get the Medal of Honor, generally speaking — and I’ve met many of them, and I’ve seen the families of many of them — this is an incredible honor, but it was a statement that is much more painful to get because they’re oftentimes in very bad shape.”
Speaking of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Trump said, “I don’t think anybody suffered other than they’ve, you know, they’ve worked hard and they’ve done great things. One’s a military award, one’s a civilian award, but sometimes very painful to get the other."
During his presidency, Trump in 2018 awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Miriam Adelson, a wealthy Republican donor and widow of Sheldon Adelson, a Republican megadonor who died in 2021.
In remarks at a campaign event last week, Trump spoke of the medal he bestowed upon Miriam Adelson, saying it’s the “highest award you can get as a civilian” and is “much better” than the Congressional Medal of Honor because “everyone [who] gets the Congressional Medal of Honor, they’re soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead.”
Democratic National Committee releases party platform ahead of convention
CHICAGO — Democrats released their party platform document yesterday, laying out more than 90 pages of policy priorities just one day before their convention kicks off.
But the party platform was written and voted on by the Democratic National Convention’s Platform Committee before Biden dropped out of the race, and the document repeatedly highlights the president’s achievements and positions — even when they differ slightly from Harris‘ comments.
The platform refers to Biden’s “second term” more than a dozen times, underscoring the unprecedented timing of the top of the ticket shake-up.
The document was approved by the Platform Committee on July 16, just days before Biden bowed out of the race July 21. Convention delegates will vote on the platform tonight, a largely ceremonial procedure.
“This election is a choice between two very different economic visions for America: Donald Trump, who sees the world from his country club at Mar-a-Lago; and Joe Biden, who sees it from kitchen tables in Scranton like the one he grew up around,” the document says in the economy chapter.
The policy platform is divided into nine chapters, emphasizing the party’s top issues, including lowering costs, fighting climate change and gun violence, and strengthening democracy.
Exclusive: DCCC launches $27 million ad blitz focused on GOP-held districts
CHICAGO — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a $27 million ad campaign focused on capturing Republican-held seats, targeting a mix of swing districts and red-leaning areas in a bid to retake control of the House.
The new ad buys, first reported by NBC News, come on the opening day of the Democratic convention here, where Harris is slated to be nominated for president later this week. Democrats feel buoyed by the vice president’s campaign as she rises in the polls, outperforming Biden since he dropped out.
If it continues, that new momentum could have a significant impact in the races for the House, and the DCCC is seeking to capitalize on the enthusiasm behind Harris' candidacy. The ad buys include deep investments in New York, at $8 million, and California, at $5 million, where Democrats are seeking to flip a series of GOP-held competitive districts that could be crucial to determining which party controls the House.
“House Democrats are on offense and this latest salvo of reservations reflects the strong position we are in to retake the majority,” Julie Merz, the DCCC's executive director, said in a statement. “We’re able to make these moves across the map thanks to the record-breaking fundraising we’ve had — driven by Leader Hakeem Jeffries and fueled by the historic numbers of individual donors this cycle.”
The campaign targets prime Democratic pickup opportunities in GOP-held districts in Oregon, Arizona and Nebraska. It also includes a red-leaning Pennsylvania district where former TV news anchor Janelle Stelson is taking on Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., and a couple of GOP-friendly Iowa districts where Democrats have an outside chance. And it includes $1.5 million in Spanish-language ads in Latino-heavy districts in California and Texas.
It’s unclear whether the DCCC, which is tasked with getting Democrats elected to the House, would be attempting offense in those difficult districts if Biden were still in the race given his low poll numbers a month ago. The ad campaign represents hefty fundraising that allows the party to spend heavily on offense, in addition to an earlier round of $28 million in ad buys largely to defend their incumbents.
The battle for the House majority is expected to be very close. Republicans hold a narrow 220-212 advantage, and the playing field has shrunk with a few dozen districts making up the battlefield that’ll decide control of the chamber, which will have an enormous impact on the next president’s legislative agenda.
Trump and Vance will make campaign stops in swing states this week in DNC counterprogramming effort
As the DNC kicks off, Trump and Vance are set to embark on a busy week of campaign stops through swing states across the country.
In a press briefing call yesterday afternoon, the Trump campaign gave a preview of this week’s schedule, which includes plans for either Trump or Vance to do media interviews daily.
The Trump campaign will hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. ET in Chicago and he will give remarks on the economy later this afternoon in York, Pennsylvania. He'll also deliver remarks in Howell, Michigan, tomorrow; Asheboro, N.C., on Wednesday; Montezuma Pass, Arizona, on Thursday; and Glendale, Arizona, on Friday.
The campaign said Trump and Vance will have “various opportunities for gaggles” for those traveling with the campaign this week. But it is unclear at the moment what this looks like for Trump because there is no press charter and he does not standardly invite “network” media to travel with him.
Trump campaign allies — including Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rick Scott of Florida, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and others — will also hold public events this week.
GOP-led House committees release lengthy report alleging Biden committed impeachable offenses
The Republican-led House committees investigating whether to impeach Biden released their long-awaited report about their findings this morning, arguing that Biden has committed impeachable conduct but deferring to the full House on whether to pursue a formal impeachment.
The nearly 300-page report is a summary of the investigation conducted by the House Oversight, Judiciary and Ways and Means committees over the past year and a half, nearly all of which has already been made public.
First lady to highlight Biden's character in tonight's speech
First lady Jill Biden will use her speech tonight to highlight her husband's character and reiterate her support for Harris' candidacy, a source familiar with the matter said.
She is expected to call for Americans to unite "with faith in each other, hope for a brighter future, and love for our country," the source said.
The first lady will be introduced in a video highlighting moments from her experience in the East Wing. Vivian Wierwille from New Hampshire will also be featured in the video. Wierwille introduced the first lady at a 2021 elementary school event for reopening schools after the height of the pandemic.
Where's Trump?
As Vance speaks at an economic and energy development event in Philadelphia today, Trump will be in York, Pennsylvania, doing the same.
Trump's campaign will be looking to make a pitch to voters in the natural gas-driven battleground state that he and his "drill, baby, drill" plan would be better for Pennsylvania than Harris, who in the past supported anti-fracking policies.
Where's Vance?
Vance is expected to be in Philadelphia today as both campaigns zero in on battleground Pennsylvania.
Vance will speak at an economic and energy event.
Trump was in Wilkes-Barre over the weekend, and Harris and Walz were in Rochester yesterday.