(AP) — Republicans are gearing up for their convention next week while Democrats are still struggling with whether President Joe Biden should stay on as their candidate in the November election.
In a sign of how important Pennsylvania is for both parties, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump and first lady Jill Biden are all campaigning in the state Saturday.
Ever since President Joe Biden's dismal debate performance Democrats have wrestled with whether he should continue on as their presumptive nominee. Biden has vowed to continue in the race.
He's expected to meet virtually with members of the two largest Democratic caucuses on Capitol Hill as he looks to rebuild momentum for his reelection campaign, even as the number of Democrats calling for him to step aside increases.
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The Latest:
Minnesota Republican drops out of primary fight in key congressional race
Republicans have a straighter path to potential victory in what is expected to be Minnesota’s closest congressional race after GOP-endorsed candidate Tayler Rahm dropped out of a primary fight against the better-funded Joe Teirab, who has tacit backing from key House leaders.
Rahm said in a statement that he is shifting gears to serve as a senior adviser to Trump’s campaign in Minnesota, where Trump says he can defeat Biden after coming close to carrying the traditionally Democratic state in 2016.
That frees up Teirab to focus on incumbent Democratic Rep. Angie Craig in the highly competitive 2nd District, which includes suburban and rural areas south of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The seat is one of the best pickup opportunities for the narrow House Republican majority.
At Trump rally, confidence in their candidate
Kimberly Paruso, 37, drove over an hour to hear Trump speak at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. She homeschools her children and cares for her grandmother, who’s an amputee.
Paruso said she hopes Trump will pick Gen. Michael Flynn as his vice presidential running mate, but she doesn’t think it ultimately will matter.
She said of the election: “I think the energy’s so high for Trump, I don’t think nothing can stop us.”
Steve Schwartzmiller, 72, a retired controls engineer from Pittsburgh, said Biden’s recent debate performance was bad but ultimately immaterial.
“It didn’t help him, that’s for sure, but that’s not the final nail in his coffin,” he said. “It’s his policies. It’s where the country is right now.”
Biden addresses progressive lawmakers amid calls from some Democrats for him to leave the race
Biden is in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, but joined a virtual meeting with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, delivering remarks and taking questions, his campaign said.
Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal said in a statement that the conversation was “productive and engaging.”
“We spoke frankly to the President about our concerns and asked tough questions about the path forward. We appreciate his willingness to thoughtfully answer and address our Members,” Jayapal said.
She called the president a “champion for working people and families across the country” and said members are committed to doing everything in their power to defeat Trump.
The president, his reelection campaign and top advisers have been working to reassure nervous donors, supporters and lawmakers in the weeks since last month’s debate.
Harris: Biden is a fighter
Vice President Kamala Harris called Joe Biden a fighter as the president seeks to calm Democratic party discord after his dismal debate performance.
“He is the first to say, ‘When you get knocked down, you get back up,’” she said.
Speaking at an event hosted by a group that mobilizes Asian American voters, Harris said Trump “incites hate.”
“Donald Trump openly vowed that he will be a dictator on day one,” she said.
Harris also contrasted Biden with Trump on abortion, saying the president would sign a law returning abortion rights to their status before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Since then, more than 20 states have passed abortion restrictions, she said.
“We face a question — what kind of country do we want to live in?” Harris said.
As the vice president gave her speech, protesters in the room began yelling “Free Palestine!” She continued to speak.
The town hall in Philadelphia where Harris is speaking is filled with hundreds of AAPI voters
A few are wearing shirts that say “Stop Scapegoating Asian Americans.”
Democrat U.S. Rep. Judy Chu of California is speaking about discrimination against Asians in American history, including the Chinese Exclusion Act and when Japanese Americans were incarcerated during WWII.
“Because we have a seat at the table, we’re pushed for the needs of our communities,” she said pointing to passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.
She said Asians went from being the “marginalized to being the margin of victory.”
‘Let’s flex our power’
A Philadelphia town hall hosted by APIAVote, an advocacy group focused on mobilizing Asian American voters, is getting underway.
The first speaker is Nina Ahmad, a Muslim woman from Bangladesh, who is the first Asian American elected to Philadelphia City Council.
“Representation looks like having people at the highest levels of government where impactful decisions are made,” she said.
She lists Asian American cabinet members, including the vice president slated to speak shortly, Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su.
“Let’s flex our power, ” Ahmad said.
Who’s speaking at the RNC?
Speakers at next week’s Republican National Convention have been announced. The list includes Trump’s family members and the men on Trump’s vice presidential shortlist.
Other speakers:
1. ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson
2. Singer Lee Greenwood
3. Rapper and model Amber Rose
4. Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White
5. Evangelist Franklin Graham
6. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien
7. Trent Conaway, the mayor of East Palestine, Ohio
8. Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba
9. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Nikki Haley, however, was not invited)
10. Former White House trade advisor Peter Navarro who will be released from prison later this week
11. Former administration officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Melania Trump not expected to speak at RNC
Former first lady Melania Trump is not expected to speak at next week’s Republican National Convention, which will feature speeches by other Trump family members and a long list of GOP officials, including all of the men on his vice presidential shortlist.
The former first lady will attend the convention but does not appear on a list of headliners and keynote speakers released by convention organizers Saturday.
Those who will speak include Trump’s oldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Lee Greenwood, the singer of Trump’s walk-on song, “God Bless the USA,” is also on the program, as is the model and rapper Amber Rose and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White.
Other notable names include evangelist Franklin Graham, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien and the mayor of East Palestine, Ohio.
The schedule will also feature a long list of vice presidential shortlisters including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
Democrats announce draft party platform ahead of their convention next month
The Democratic National Committee is releasing highlights from a draft platform delegates will take up at the party’s convention next month in Chicago.
It seeks to illustrate contrasts between Biden and Trump.
Highlights include:
— Calls for a “negotiated two-state solution that ensures Israel’s future” and promises to strengthen NATO
— Proposals on gun safety, cutting subsidies to fossil fuel producers and affordable child care
— On immigration, it calls on Congress to approve legislation to “secure the border, reform the asylum system, expand legal immigration and keep families together.”
— Dems also pledge support for “long-term” people in the country illegally, including those brought as children.
Connecticut governor says he understands call for Biden to step down
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont says he understands why a Democratic congressman from his state has called for the president to drop out of the race.
Lamont was asked Friday about the call by U.S. Rep. Jim Himes.
Lamont said he and Himes speak often and are “simpatico.”
“I understood totally what he did and how he did it,” Lamont said, according to a recording of his answer.
“We agree on an awful lot of stuff. Maybe we try and influence the decision in different ways, but I think we come to the same conclusion,” Lamont said.
Lamont declined to elaborate further on whether he thought Biden should step aside.
Harris looks to mobilize Asian American voters
Harris is speaking this afternoon at a town hall in Philadelphia hosted by APIAVote an advocacy group focused on mobilizing Asian American voters.
Harris is the first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
The speech is part of efforts by the campaign to mobilize Asian American voters.
Andrew Peng, a spokesperson for Harris said the campaign knows the power of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander voters and has made historic investments across languages to reach them.
Harris’s speech shows “we won’t take any vote for granted this November,” Peng said.
Don’t mess with Herb Kohl in Milwaukee
Workers in Milwaukee temporarily renamed a street “Donald J. Trump Way,” as part of the setup for the Republican National Convention.
The problem? The signage covered Herb Kohl Way, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported.
Kohl was a Democratic U.S. Senator for 24 years, owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and one of the city’s best-loved citizens.
After a local television reporter took a photo of the change, Democratic Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he asked organizers to take down the temporary signage.
It’s a reflection of the tension building in the Democratic leaning city days before the opening of the Republican National Convention.
From banned to back, Facebook lifts restrictions on Trump
Facebook has lifted restrictions imposed on former president Donald Trump in the wake of the January 6 attack.
This puts Trump on equal footing on the platform with President Joe Biden.
The social media giant initially banned Trump from using its platforms in 2021 after his supporters stormed the Capitol. They later eased the ban and put some restrictions on him.
Now, those are gone too.
The company said Friday the restrictions were put in place under “extreme and extraordinary circumstances” of the Capitol attack. Trump had not done anything to run afoul of them, and the company believes people should be able to hear from presidential nominees “on the same basis,” said Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs.
