Concejal y pastor Nicolas O’Rourke. (Foto: Leticia Roa Nixon)
Sereyrath “One” Van, de 44 años, fue detenido durante una cita para reportarse en la oficina de Servicio de Control de Inmigración y Aduanas (ICE) en el centro de Filadelfia el 15 de agosto. Tras una campaña de un mes, coordinada por la comunidad del sureste asiático y organizaciones de defensa de los inmigrantes, el equipo legal de Van le informó al grupo que protestaba en la calle 8 que era muy probable que este refugiado tailandés fuera transferido al centro de detención de ICE, Moshannon Valley Processing Center, en el área central del estado y de ahí sería deportado.
LA HISTORIA
Debido al genocidio en Camboya, como resultado de los bombardeos estadounidenses durante las guerras en el sureste de Asia, sus padres y sus hermanos mayores huyeron a un campamento de refugiados en Khao-I-Dang en Tailandia. Sereyrath nació prematuramente en ese campamento. Su familia emigró a Estados Unidos en 1984, cuando él tenía 4 años, y se asentó en la sección suroeste de Filadelfia.
Fue hallado culpable de un caso de tráfico de drogas y terminó su condena de casi seis años de encarcelamiento en el condado Bucks. El confinado reconoció que su delito afectó a la comunidad y realizó esfuerzos para su rehabilitación. Durante su estancia en prisión, ICE comenzó los procedimientos de deportación.
Según Van, la orden original de deportación indicaba que sería enviado a Tailandia, con Camboya como un destino alterno, pero el nombre de Tailandia fue cubierto con líquido correctivo blanco. El detenido está preocupado de ser deportado a un país en donde no nació y donde nunca ha estado: territorio camboyano.
Manifestantes frente a las oficinas de ICE en 114 N. 8th St. (Foto: Leticia Roa Nixon)
Su abogado David Bennion, director de Free Migration Project, expresó que, de ser enviado a ese país asiático, Sereyrath puede estar en la situación de no tener patria.
El senador Estatal Nikil Saval y el concejal Nicolas O’Rourke estuvieron presentes en la protesta y acompañaron a Van cuando entró a la oficina de ICE. El reverendo Christopher Neilson, de la iglesia Christianity Ministries, miembro de la organización Movimiento Nuevo Santuario, también mostró su solidaridad.
Altar colocado durante la manifestación en apoyo a Sereyrath “One” Van. (Foto: Leticia Roa Nixon)
La campaña #AllforOne incluyó una petición de más de 900 firmas en apoyo a “One”, entregadas a la representante estatal Mary Gay Scanlon, al senador John Fetterman y al senador Robert Casey, casi 4,000 correos electrónicos y llamadas a las oficinascongresualespara intervenir.
Van, que obtuvo su “green card” en 1988, actualmente tiene pendiente una solicitud de visa U. La visa U, para inmigrantes que son víctimas de un delito, proporciona un permiso de residencia y una vía potencial para obtener la ciudadanía como inmigrante que es víctima de un delito. Con muy pocas excepciones, el ICE no puede deportar a alguien con una solicitud de visa U pendiente, pero Bennion dijo que ninguna de esas excepciones se aplica a Van.
Cartel con la imagen de Sereyrath “One” Van, quien deja a 6 hermanos. (Imagen: Cortesía de VietLead)
Van, como muchos refugiados, enfrentó acoso y racismo en el suroeste de Filadelfia, en un vecindario donde la pobreza y el crimen eran algo común. Ingresó al sistema de justicia juvenil cuando era adolescente.
Durante el tiempo que fue encarcelado en la prisión estatal, ICE revocó su tarjeta verde y emitió su orden final de expulsión.
Van fue liberado en octubre. ICE lo detuvo durante casi 90 días en el Centro de Detención de Moshannon Valley y lo liberó en enero antes de que expirara el período de detención de 90 días.
Senador estatal Nikil Saval apoya a los defensores de los inmigrantes. (Foto: Leticia Roa Nixon)
El 9 de julio Van asistió a un control inesperado de ICE y recibió un aviso de expulsión final de 14 días.
Desde que Estados Unidos y Camboya firmaron un acuerdo bilateral de repatriación en 2002, más de 1.000 personas han sido deportadas a ese país, incluidas muchas que, como Van, crecieron en Estados Unidos y no nacieron en Camboya.
Van dijo que asume la “plena responsabilidad” por sus acciones que llevaron a su condena, pero considera que una orden de deportación a Camboya es un “triple castigo”.
“Ya cumplí mi castigo, mi condena. Ser deportado es otro castigo. Pero enviarme a un país en el que nunca he estado, o en el que no nací, es un tercer castigo. Entonces, ¿Cuántos castigos se supone que debo recibir?”, se preguntó Van.
La próxima manifestación será en la oficina de ICE el miércoles 21 de agosto a las 3:30 pm para protestar por los derechos de los inmigrantes. Piden que se detengan las detenciones y deportaciones.
Protesta por el cierre de los centros de detención
Este contenido forma parte de Every Voice, Every Vote, un proyecto colaborativo gestionado por The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. El apoyo principal para Every Voice, Every Vote en 2024 y 2025 lo proporciona William Penn Foundation con fondos adicionales de The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Comcast NBC Universal, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy y Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation y Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation. Para obtener más información sobre el proyecto y ver una lista completa de los patrocinadores, visite Every Voice, Every Vote . El contenido editorial es creado sin intervención de los donantes del proyecto.
Taylor Swift actúa en el estadio de Wembley como parte de su Eras Tour el 21 de junio de 2024 en Londres. El candidato presidencial republicano, el expresidente Donald Trump, ayudado por imágenes generadas por inteligencia artificial, aceptó un respaldo falso de Taylor Swift. (Foto: AP/Scott A Garfitt/Invision/Archivo)
El expresidente Donald Trump ha estado activo en sus redes sociales mientras los demócratas están reunidos en su convención en Chicago, pero algunas de sus publicaciones no tienen mucho que ver con la realidad.
Previo a la Convención Nacional Demócrata, publicó una imagen falsa de alguien que se parece a la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris dirigiéndose a lo que parece ser un mitin comunista en Chicago con una representación de una pancarta roja y un símbolo comunista. Eso siguió a su republicación de un video falso de sí mismo bailando junto al multimillonario Elon Musk, uno de sus partidarios más vocales.
Justo antes de que comenzara la convención, volvió a publicar una imagen de Taylor Swift con un atuendo del Tío Sam que decía que respaldaba su campaña, algo que ella nunca ha hecho.
Son los más recientes ejemplos de cómo Trump promueve imágenes producidas por herramientas de inteligencia artificial para atacar a sus oponentes o crear ilusiones de apoyo en torno a su propia campaña. Esto va en consonancia con una estrategia de larga data en la que Trump amplifica ciertos mensajes, desde los partidarios de QAnon hasta los que niegan los resultados de elecciones justas, para ganar puntos políticos y satisfacer a su base promoviendo realidades alternativas.
Algunas de las imágenes y videos que Trump ha compartido son caricaturescas u obviamente falsas. Sin embargo, el aumento del contenido generado por IA en las redes sociales políticas preocupa a los expertos, que dicen que puede usarse para impulsar desinformación más insidiosa y creíble. A medida que las imágenes, videos y audios falsos creados por modelos de IA generativa comienzan a saturar las redes sociales, también corren el riesgo de erosionar la confianza de las personas en lo que ven y escuchan.
“Los deepfakes generados por IA de Taylor Swift son otro ejemplo del poder de la IA para crear información errónea que engaña y estafa a los votantes”, dijo Lisa Gilbert, copresidenta de Public Citizen, un grupo progresista de defensa de los derechos del consumidor que ha presionado para que se legisle para regular la IA. “Los daños potenciales a nuestra sociedad que podrían resultar de dicha desinformación, incluidos los abusos en nuestras elecciones, son de gran alcance e inmensamente dañinos”.
Una imagen generada por IA en la publicación de Truth Social de Trump, compartida el domingo, mostraba a mujeres con camisetas de “Swifties for Trump”, una referencia a los fanáticos devotos de la artista. La imagen falsa que mostraba a Swift vestida como el Tío Sam incluía un texto que decía: “Taylor quiere que votes por Donald Trump”. En su republicación de la imagen, Trump agregó: ”¡Acepto!”.
Una de las imágenes que compartió Trump incluía una pequeña etiqueta de sátira, aunque no aclaró si se refería a que su publicación era en broma.
Swift, que sigue en su gira mundial y tiene un espectáculo programado para el martes por la noche en Londres, no ha hecho ningún respaldo en la contienda presidencial de Estados Unidos de este año. Su portavoz no respondió a varios mensajes en busca de comentarios.
Para los republicanos fuera de la órbita de Trump, la atención a alguien como Swift, una de las artistas más populares del mundo, se trata generar ruido para Trump en un momento en que gran parte de la atención está en Harris y los demócratas.
“Así es como él y la campaña pueden recuperar los ciclos de noticias”, dijo Doug Heye, portavoz y operador republicano desde hace mucho tiempo. “No creo que se pueda decir que es a su favor, pero creo que todos sabemos, si quieres que hablen de ti, Taylor Swift es una gran manera de hacerlo”.
Un portavoz de Harris no respondió a las preguntas sobre el uso de imágenes generadas por inteligencia artificial por parte de Trump.
Los partidarios de Trump suelen crear publicaciones en las redes sociales y memes utilizando imágenes generadas por IA, algunas de las cuales son compartidas por el expresidente.
Antes de que Trump compartiera las imágenes falsas de Swift, sus partidarios habían creado y publicado sus propios videos e imágenes generados por IA en los que la estrella del pop que parecía apoyar a Trump. También compartieron numerosas imágenes de Harris vestida como una líder comunista o dirigiéndose a una multitud soviética.
Los operadores políticos han estado preocupados durante mucho tiempo por lo que el aumento de la inteligencia artificial podría significar para las elecciones.
Algunos miembros del Congreso han presionado para que se apruebe una legislación que regule el uso de imágenes generadas por IA en la política, pero no se ha aprobado ninguna legislación para hacerlo. La Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones (FCC, por sus siglas en inglés) ha propuesto exigir a los anunciantes políticos que revelen su uso de la inteligencia artificial en los anuncios de televisión y radio, pero tal regla no afectaría a las plataformas de redes sociales.
Si bien varias empresas de redes sociales tienen reglas para etiquetar el contenido generado por IA, no siempre se cumplen. En todas las plataformas, las imágenes engañosas y realistas de Trump y Harris acumulan millones de visitas, y algunos usuarios no reconocen que lo que están viendo es falso.
Dada su influencia y sus millones de fans, Swift a menudo se ha convertido en un tema político de tendencia durante los años electorales.
En 2020, la cantante apoyó al presidente Joe Biden, escribiendo un mes antes de las elecciones que iba a apoyar a la entonces candidata a la vicepresidencia Harris, la candidata presidencial demócrata de este año, en su debate contra el entonces vicepresidente Mike Pence. También criticó abiertamente a Trump antes de las elecciones de 2020, diciendo que había avivado “los fuegos de la supremacía blanca y el racismo”.
Si bien se ha mantenido al margen en lo que va del año, no ha escapado a la atención de destacados conservadores que se preocupan por un respaldo de Swift a la candidatura presidencial demócrata.
Jeanine Pirro, de Fox News, advirtió a principios de este año a Swift que no “se involucrara en política”. Sean Hannity, de Fox News, la instó a “pensarlo dos veces” antes de respaldar a Biden cuando se postuló para la reelección. Y Vivek Ramaswamy, excandidato presidencial republicano y partidario vocal de Trump, calificó a Swift y a su novio estrella de la NFL, Travis Kelce, como “una pareja artificialmente apuntalada por la cultura» que podría hacer “un importante respaldo presidencial” este otoño.
Algunos de sus partidarios han respondido a las publicaciones de Trump recurriendo a las redes sociales y declarando sus intenciones de votar por el expresidente. La campaña de Trump está aprovechando ese apoyo.
Steven Cheung, portavoz de Trump, no abordó el uso de imágenes falsas en respuesta a las preguntas, pero calificó a “Swifties for Trump” como un “movimiento masivo que crece cada día”.
El presidente Joe Biden se dirige a la audiencia en la noche inaugural de la Convención Nacional Demócrata en el United Center en Chicago, Illinois, EE.UU., 19 de agosto de 2024. (Foto: EFE/JUSTIN LANE)
Pro-Palestinian protesters «have a point,» US President Joe Biden said on Monday, acknowledging for the first time criticism of his stance on Israel.
“Those protesters out in the street, they have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides,” Biden said, during his Democratic National Convention speech in Chicago.
As Biden was speaking pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets of Chicago.
Biden said he had put forward a proposal a few days ago “that brought us closer to achieving» a ceasefire «than we have been since” the war broke out in Gaza in October least year.
«We will keep working to bring hostages home and end the war in Gaza, and bring peace and security to the Middle East,» he said.
He reiterated his commitment to prevent a wider war in the region and surge humanitarian health and food assistance into Gaza to end the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people.
“Finally, finally, finally deliver a ceasefire and end this war,» he said.
The remarks signal a softening of Biden’s stance months after condemning similar protests on college campuses earlier this year.
(Foto: EFE/JUSTIN LANE)
In May, at the peak of the student movement, Biden asserted that the protests had not swayed his stance on supporting Israel. «Dissent is necessary in democracy, but it should never lead to disorder,» he said at the peak of student protests over the war in Gaza.
Police had to intervene to clear a number of encampments as students protested Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched after a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that killed over 1,200 people.
Israel has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians in response to the Hamas attack in the last 10 months of war, according to Gaza health authorities.
Since the escalation of the Gaza war, dozens of cities across the US have witnessed protests in support of Palestine, with significant backing from young people.
In Chicago, thousands of protesters gathered outside the United Center, urging Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris to reconsider her support for Israel.
The chants of thousands of activists and citizens outside could be heard from inside the sports center on the first day of the Democratic convention.
Harris, who has historically supported the pro-Israel lobby in Washington, has not yet explicitly addressed her stance on the conflict.
At a recent campaign event in Michigan, she responded to pro-Palestinian protesters by saying, “If you want Trump to win, say so.”
The Gaza conflict has become a significant political issue for Democrats, particularly among younger voters. A Siena College/New York Times poll indicates that 45 percent of voters under 30 disapprove of the current administration’s handling of the war.
President Joe Biden waves with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff during the first day of Democratic National Convention, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (Photo: AP/Jacquelyn Martin
Former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will speak at the DNC, a day after the unofficial farewell for President Joe Biden, who served eight years as Obama’s vice president. Biden won’t be in the hall to see his former running mate speak, as he departed Chicago after delivering his own speech.
Turning to the men gathered behind him in uniform, he asked “do you want to be defunded?” Some in the crowd booed at the question.
Turning to the DNC, Trump said Harris must have been laughing when President Joe Biden spoke in Chicago on Monday night.
“It was a vicious violent overthrow of a president of the United States,” he said of Biden’s decision to not seek reelection.
At Michigan event, Trump entered to light applause and whistles as he took the podium
“Nice people by the way,” he said in greeting.
About 100 people including uniformed and non uniformed officers gathered inside an equipment hanger at the sheriff’s office, according to his campaign.
Trump spoke against a backdrop of sheriff’s vehicles, police shields, red and blue lights and signs that read “Michigan is Trump Country.”
Trump quipped that he has the back of the “blue” as well as those in brown, a reference to the sheriff’s department law enforcement officers who stood behind him in brown uniforms as he began his remarks.
President Joe Biden embraces Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during the first day of Democratic National Convention, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
RFK Jr. shows up too late to testify against Democrats’ ballot challenge in Pennsylvania
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. showed up too late to testify Tuesday in a court case in Pennsylvania where Democratic activists are trying to bar him from the ballot for president in the premier battleground state, prompting testy exchanges between the judge and Kennedy’s lawyer.
Lawyers for the two Democratic activists who filed the challenge say Kennedy’s candidacy paperwork states a fake home address — an allegation being aired in other state courts — and falls short of the signature-gathering requirement applied by state law to third-party candidates.
Kennedy showed up an hour and 40 minutes late, blaming a canceled flight from Massachusetts to Harrisburg, and never testified after Commonwealth Court Judge Lori Dumas chose to proceed without him as a witness.
“This is the first that I’m hearing about this,” Dumas said when told about Kennedy’s absence. Shortly after Kennedy arrived, the judge adjourned the hearing and did not say when she’ll rule.
A delegate holds a sign as President Joe Biden speaks during the first day of Democratic National Convention, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Top reproductive rights group enthusiastic that Harris can win in November
Vice President Kamala Harris was “an hour one endorsement” for Emily’s List, a group that advocates for Democratic women who support abortion rights running for office, said president Jessica Mackler at a Tuesday news briefing in Chicago.
“We’ve seen firsthand how accomplished, qualified, and ready she is to win and also to lead this country forward,” Mackler said.
“The Dobbs decision fundamentally changed the political landscape,” and having Harris instead of President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket kickstarted political enthusiasm, especially for women under 45, according to Mackler.
“These women are excited about Kamala Harris,” she said.
Delegates hold signs as President Joe Biden speaks during the first day of Democratic National Convention, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Israel supporters gather in downtown Chicago
Israel supporters, including some relatives of people kidnapped by Hamas, gathered at a pro-Israel art installation Tuesday morning in downtown Chicago to call on U.S. leaders to continue backing Israel and pushing for the release of hostages.
The art installation included giant milk cartons bearing photos of some of the hostages.
“We are here to sound a voice,” Michael Herzog, Israeli ambassador to the United States, told the small crowd. “We are here to keep the issue of the hostages high on the agenda.”
He noted that 319 days have passed since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. “We need to call on Hamas to let our people go,” he said, prompting the crowd to chant “let them go.”
Elan Carr, CEO of the Israeli-American Council, condemned the pro-Palestinian protesters who have descended on Chicago this week, calling them “fringe crazies” and demanding that U.S. leaders “stand unequivocally with the state of Israel.”
Consul General of Israel to the Midwest Yinam Cohen said he was disappointed by the “institutional support of the city of Chicago for the anti-Israel protests.”
DNC roll call will be ceremonial, but expected to be festive nonetheless
Democratic delegates already voted virtually to nominate Harris as their presidential nominee.
Regardless, they’re still holding a celebratory in-person roll call vote on Tuesday — and it’s expected to be a party.
The roll call will feature a live DJ playing songs to represent each of the 57 delegations present, a convention spokesperson said. It also will feature music, lights, visuals and special effects.
The spokesperson said those present in person or tuning in from home can expect to hear a range of diverse voices during the roll call, including elected officials at all levels of government and delegates who will share moving personal stories.
The roll call will start with Delaware — Biden’s home state — and end with California and Minnesota, home states to Harris and Walz.
In Michigan, Republican senate candidate speaks to law enforcement before Trump’s arrival
Mike Rogers, who cinched the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate earlier this month, spoke to law enforcement for about an hour and a half ahead of Trump’s scheduled arrival.
“We will have your back,” he said to applause from the crowd of about 50 while standing in front of banners that read “Make America Safe Again.”
The Michigan U.S. Senate race is one of several that could determine the control of the chamber in the fall.
Trump will speak Tuesday afternoon at the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office on law enforcement and crime.
Multiple Michigan sheriffs criticized the Biden and Harris administration over border policy, speaking about the effects drug trade and fentanyl in their communities. Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott listed a series of recent crimes in remarks he said were committed by people in the country illegally, suggesting the crimes could have been prevented if the perpetrators were stopped from entering the country.
“Come November, make the obvious choice, reelect Donald Trump,” Abbott said.
Secret Service looking into bomb threats in downtown Chicago
The U.S. Secret Service was checking into bomb threats made Tuesday at “various locations” in downtown Chicago where the Democratic National Convention is taking place.
Law enforcement was screening the affected areas and examining the credibility of the threat, according to a message from the joint information center established for the convention.
A reporter for Fox 32 in Chicago said in a post on X that their station received an email making a pipe bomb threat at four hotels in downtown Chicago.
Vance talks crime at campaign event in Kenosha, Wisconsin
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance took the stage about 10 minutes early at a rally outside the county courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday.
Kenosha was the site of several days of protests against police brutality that turned violent in 2020. Illinois teen Kyle Rittenhouse shot three protesters during one of the demonstrations, killing two of them. A jury later acquitted Rittenhouse of homicide and endangerment charges after he argued he fired in self-defense.
The GOP held him as a symbol of gun rights. Vance used the setting to attack Kamala Harris as soft on crime. He said that feeling safe is an American birthright and promised that he and Trump would end sanctuary cities for people in the country illegally, deport those who are violent and push for the death penalty for drug dealers.
He also called for tougher prosecutors and pledged to end frivolous lawsuits against police.
“All this stuff is common sense,” he said.
Vance also took questions directly from reporters in the press area. Asked for his thoughts on the Democratic National Convention taking place only about 60 miles south in Chicago, Vance decried that city’s murder rate. He also dinged Harris for not taking questions from reporters like he was doing and instead always making sure a teleprompter stands between her and the public.
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow says oversized Project 2025 book will be seen again at DNC
Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow kicked off her speech at the opening night of the Democratic National Convention with a bang, slamming down an oversized hardcover copy of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 book on the podium.
The book, which McMorrow joked in an interview weighs as much as her 3-year-old daughter, is filled entirely with actual text from Project 2025, the term used for the Heritage Foundation’s nearly 1,000-page handbook for the next Republican administration.
The idea to create an oversized version of Project 2025 first came about several weeks ago when Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, contacted McMorrow about speaking about Project 2025 at the convention.
McMorrow said she had never spoken to an arena full of people before and wanted to come up with something that would “play well both at home and in the arena.”
According to McMorrow, Monday night won’t be the last appearance of the massive Project 2025 book at the convention. It will be displayed by various speakers throughout the week, with a designated “keeper of the book” ensuring its safekeeping in the interim.
“There will be others who pick up the book baton,” McMorrow said. “That won’t be the last time you see that Cheesecake Factory menu.”
Broadway stars form group to back Harris
A list of Broadway heavy hitters — including Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Sara Bareilles, Tony Kushner and Sarah Paulson — have gathered to back the Democratic ticket, creating the volunteer group Broadway for Harris.
The group says it will use phone banks, canvass, social media and host special fundraising events to increase voter participation in key swing districts. A Democratic National Convention watch party on Thursday in Manhattan will launch the group.
Members include more than 70 industry leaders, current and former Broadway performers, producers, writers, directors, choreographers and marketing specialists. A public Zoom call has been set for Aug. 26 to learn about how fans can get involved.
The group includes actors Rachel Brosnahan, Adrienne Warren, Idina Menzel, John Leguizamo, Billy Porter and Alan Cumming; songwriters Alan Menken, Jeanine Tesori, Stephen Schwartz and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; playwrights David Henry Hwang and Jeremy O. Harris; and producers Jordan Roth, Thomas Schumacher and Jeffrey Seller.
At Trump’s campaign event
Asked about a comment Trump has made several times through the years at political events about using the U.S. military to help control urban crime, Rep. Byron Donalds said that “saying something at a rally is not public policy. It’s not.”
“If you go to his website, you’re not going to find that written in stone on the website under what he’s going to do the help solve crime issues,” Donalds added.
According to campaign policy positions listed on his website, Trump “has committed to deploying federal assets, including the National Guard, to restore law and order when local law enforcement refuses to act.”
Walz: ‘We’re not going to make that mistake again’
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz says he listened to Hillary Clinton address the party’s convention Monday night and couldn’t help but imagine “how different things could have been in 2016, if we’d gotten the work done.”
“We’re not going to make that mistake again,” Walz said at a meeting of the convention’s Women’s Caucus.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says Harris nomination could be barrier breaking moment
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris a historic, potentially barrier breaking moment for women in politics during a gathering of the Democrat’s Women’s Caucus.
Hochul referenced past trailblazing Democratic women like Rep. Shirley Chisholm, a Jamaican American New Yorker who ran for president in 1968, and Geraldine Ferraro, who served as the party’s presidential nominee in 1984.
“Maybe this means that women can do more than be the supporting cast,” Hochul said.
“There will be no more barriers. That’ll be proof that every little girl can be whatever she wants because someone came before,” Hochul said. She urged the audience to prevent a “Trump travesty” this year.
At a JD Vance event in Wisconsin
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde warmed up a crowd of about 150 people waiting for Sen. JD Vance outside the county courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday by bashing Kamala Harris’ public safety record.
He accused her of allowing San Francisco to slide into crime during her tenure as district attorney there. He called her stint as California attorney general a failure, accusing her of allowing the rise of sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants, sex trafficking and drug use. She’s also been unable to control the influx of undocumented immigrants across the southern U.S. border during her time as vice president, he said.
“She has a history of failure,” Hovde said.
Chicago police superintendent: ‘We’re up to the challenge’ as more protests expected
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said there was a “brief breach” of security fencing “within sight and sound of the United Center” on Monday evening.
He said 13 people were arrested on charges ranging from criminal trespass and resisting and obstructing an arrest to aggravated battery of police officers.
Speaking at a news conference Tuesday morning, Snelling praised officers’ actions, saying they didn’t overreact. “Our officers showed great restraint,” he said.
He said an estimated 3,500 protesters participated in the march and rally, and just a small group breached the security fence.
“I’m not going to tie that event — what happened with the breach — with the entirety of the protest,” he said, saying the vast majority of protesters were peaceful.
Snelling said more protests are expected as the week goes on, and his department is prepared to de-escalate situations whenever possible.
“Again, we’re up to the challenge,” he said. “The city is up to the challenge.”
Harris campaign ties Trump event in Michigan town to far-right demonstration
Donald Trump is hosting an event Tuesday tied to the theme of “Make America Safe Again” in a Michigan city that has long been linked to the Ku Klux Klan.
Howell, a city of about 10,000 people, is a Republican stronghold west of Detroit. Nicole Matthews-Creech, executive director of the Livingston Diversity Council, said the public perception of the area has been stained by its past as the decades-long residence of a KKK grand dragon from the 1970s to the 1990s.
A Trump campaign spokesperson said they didn’t know about the KKK link and chose the location because it’s part of the Detroit media market and has a supportive sheriff in what the campaign considers an important area.
Last month, a group of about a dozen masked demonstrators marched through downtown Howell and dispersed after a library board member confronted the group at the Howell Carnegie District Library, according to a news release from the city of Howell, the Livingston Diversity Council and the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce.
Another group of people, similarly dressed, were seen at an interstate overpass nearby. Video from the overpass appears to show someone yell, “We love Hitler, we love Trump,” according to reporting by the Livingston Daily.
Matthews-Creech said it hasn’t been confirmed if the two groups were one and the same.
Harris’ campaign played up the connection between Trump’s past remarks on far-right demonstrations, including comments he made about white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, and the recent demonstration.
“Trump’s actions have encouraged them, and Michiganders can expect more of the same when he comes to town,” Harris for President Michigan Communications Director Alyssa Bradley said in a statement several days before his visit.
The Trump campaign decried any connection to white supremacy.
“Did the media write this same story when Joe Biden visited Howell in 2021, or when Kamala Harris visits cities where racist protests and marches have occurred in the past?” Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.
New security measures in Chicago a day after activists clashed with police
A Chicago park, which had erupted into chaos during the first day of the Democratic National Convention as several dozen activists clashed with police, was calm Tuesday morning but now fortified with new security to prevent further breaches.
During a march of several thousand calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, the group paused at a park a block from the convention center. Several dozen activists then broke away from the larger group, breaching police fencing before being pushed back by officers, leading to multiple arrests.
On Tuesday morning, an extra line of fencing was installed at the park and the tall metal barriers were reinforced to prevent protesters from lifting and removing the panels in the future. No police officers or protesters were present at the park early Tuesday.
Closer to downtown Chicago, security was tighter than usual — including law enforcement officers with weapons slung across their bodies — outside the office building that houses the Israeli consulate and a major city transportation hub. Metal barricades were set up and an officer said they were preparing for a 7 p.m. demonstration.
Most of the largest demonstrations have been organized by the Coalition to March on the DNC, which has focused on calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. But smaller protests have popped up around the city, including disruptions at the convention’s welcome party at Navy Pier.
Harris campaign blames convention process for party platform that wasn’t updated
The Harris campaign is blaming a long-established process at the convention for a party platform that was approved without being updated to reflect that the vice president replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Convention delegates on Monday approved a sweeping set of Democratic policy goals for the next four years that repeatedly referred to Biden seeking reelection. Party officials spent more than a year compiling the platform delegates were to consider, but they also approved it days before Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris.
No effort was then made to change it before it was approved on the convention floor.
“Obviously, the platform was voted on before the switch here, and so it’s part of the process as it played out,” Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler told reporters at a Tuesday morning briefing at the convention.
Rep. Byron Donalds says Harris and Walz don’t support law enforcement enough
Rep. Byron Donalds is warning against the negative effect he says Harris and Walz would have on American policing if elected to the White House.
The Florida Republican said Tuesday at a Trump campaign media availability that Harris and Walz don’t support law enforcement ranks strongly enough. Donalds said Harris, a former prosecutor, “incentivized states to move toward cashless bail,” a policy he said “creates a turnstile for criminals to be arrested and go right back out on the streets.”
Donalds is among the Trump surrogates offering Republican counterprogramming in Chicago as Democrats gather for the DNC.
Donalds also said Walz had a delayed response to the Minneapolis violence after the killing of George Floyd, noting that the areas affected by violence “mostly are inhabited by Black people and Hispanic people — that’s what was burning.”
Donalds also made brief mention of the Day 1 DNC delays that meant a late start to Biden’s speech but paused before he levied more specific criticism of the president: “It’s a shame to do that to somebody — well, I’m going to stop there.”
North Carolina governor says he isn’t concerned by Harris shifting stances on hot-button issues
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says it’s a sign of growth since she last ran for president in 2019.
Harris has dropped her opposition to fracking and her onetime support for progressive proposals like Medicare-for-all and the “Green New Deal” in recent weeks.
“I think the policy and how it affects people is always important, but clearly the character of the candidate can be more important,” said Cooper, speaking at an event hosted by Bloomberg at the Democratic National Convention.
Cooper, who leads a key battleground state has known Harris since they both were state attorneys general.
Cooper noted Harris had a seat at the table as President Joe Biden passed major legislation in their first two years in office and said the vice president “saw the give and the take.”
“And I think that’s just part of growing as an elected official and growing as a candidate and being a president for everybody,” he added.
To avoid running late again, DNC organizers plan to start earlier on 2nd day
Organizers are planning an earlier start to day two of the Democratic National Convention in hopes avoiding scheduling that ran hours late and into the wee hours of the night on day one.
DNC director Alex Hornbrook said Tuesday morning that “we made some real-time adjustments last night” and “we’re working with our speakers and making some other adjustments this evening” including starting at 5.30 p.m. local time in Chicago “to make sure that we stay on track.”
During a briefing with reporters, Hornbrook ducked a question about speakers who were canceled on night one as the program ran long — including a performance by acclaimed singer-songwriter James Taylor — would be rescheduled. He said only, “Our program team is working very hard right now to ensure that we can be on schedule” without providing further details.
President Joe Biden gave Monday’s night key address, but didn’t take the stage until around 11:30 p.m. on the East Coast, and the program didn’t wrap up until well after midnight for a large chunk of the audience watching around the country.
Trump’s campaign is getting started on Day 2 of its counterprogramming around the DNC
Ahead of a news conference at the Trump Hotel Chicago, placards were on display with statistics on homicide rates in various U.S. cities under the heading “Kamala Crime Crisis.”
Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, one of Trump’s top U.S. House allies and surrogates, is expected to give remarks and take media questions.
North Carolina governor says he feels good about Democrats’ chances of winning his state
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says he has “that 2008 feeling” about Democrats’ chances of winning his state with Vice President Kamala Harris on the top of the ticket.
Speaking at an event hosted by Bloomberg at the Democratic National Convention, Cooper pointed to demographic shifts that have made the state more amenable to Democrats, but also a contentious race to replace him in the governor’s mansion that will generate its own “bottom-up” effect on the ticket.
Cooper acknowledged that he didn’t have the same optimism about his state just weeks ago when Biden was at the top of the ticket.
“Democrats were not united,” said Cooper said, before Biden dropped out. “I’m grateful for his decision to do that because it brought everybody together.”
Cooper pointed to the rave reception for Biden at the convention’s opening night to say, “Everyone loves President Biden.” But he added of Biden’s decision to step aside: “It was the time to do this, it was the time to make history.”
The DNC won’t only feature speeches by Democrats
The Harris campaign announced Tuesday that several Republican leaders will also offer remarks in Chicago, including former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and the mayor of Mesa, Arizona, John Giles.
Also speaking are former Trump White House staffers Olivia Troye, a former national security official, and Stephanie Grisham, who was a White House press secretary.
Grisham said she knows Harris will “defend our freedoms and represent our nation with honesty and integrity.”
“I never thought I’d be speaking at a Democratic convention,” she said in a statement. “But, after seeing firsthand who Donald Trump really is, and the threat he poses to our country, I feel very strongly about speaking out.”
Harris travels to Milwaukee for a rally before returning to Chicago in the evening
The Harris campaign said Tuesday it will spotlight “trusted messengers” from key battleground states over the convention’s three remaining days. They include Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada; Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Gary Peters and Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan; Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. From Arizona, Sen. Mark Kelly will speak along with John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa.
Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina — a state that voted for Trump in 2020 but is now a major pickup opportunity for Harris — will be among the final speakers before Harris accepts the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday.
After DNC speech, President Biden and his family arrive in California
President Joe Biden and his family are spending the rest of this week in California at the Santa Ynez Valley ranch of longtime Democratic donor and medical device mogul Joe Kiani.
The Bidens arrived at the property of Kiani, the founder of Masimo and Cercacor Laboratories, early Tuesday after Biden delivered his address Monday at the opening day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Biden has called Kiani “one of my closest friends,” and the president in 2021 appointed his billionaire host to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Kiani has also previously hosted the president’s son, Hunter, at the 8,000-acre property.
Masimo’s companies have been locked in a costly legal dispute with Apple. Kiani has accused Apple of violating patents for their watches from his companies, which pioneered technology related to measuring blood-oxygen levels.
DNC panelists discuss war in Gaza as Harris tries to ease tension with pro-Palestinian activists
The Democratic Party has been riven for months by the war in Gaza, giving rise to a protest movement that threatened Biden’s electoral coalition.
But with Biden gone from the race and Vice President Kamala Harris now leading the party, there were some indicators at the Democratic National Convention on Monday that Harris is taking more assertive steps to ease that tension.
In what organizers called a first, party activists were given space at the convention to hold a forum to discuss the plight of people in Gaza, who’ve been under Israeli bombardment since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and its taking of hostages, as well as to share deeply personal — and often heartrending stories — about family members lost in the conflict.
Though their core demands — a cease-fire and withholding U.S. support for Israel’s prosecution of the war — remain unmet, the decision to allow activists to hold a forum amounted to the offering of an olive branch by Harris. And it’s one that many doubted Biden would have extended if he were still the nominee.
US intelligence officials say Iran is to blame for hacks targeting Trump, Biden-Harris campaigns
U.S. intelligence officials said Monday they were confident that Iran was responsible for the hack of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, casting the cyber intrusion as part of a brazen and broader effort by Tehran to interfere in American politics and undermine faith in democratic institutions.
Although the Trump campaign and private-sector cybersecurity investigators had previously said Iran was behind the hacking attempts, it was the first time the U.S. government had assigned blame for the attack.
The joint statement from the FBI and other federal agencies also indicated that Iran was responsible for attempts to hack Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, saying hackers had “sought access to individuals with direct access to the Presidential campaign of both political parties.”
The goal of the hacking and other activities, federal officials said, was not only to sow discord but also to shape the outcome of elections that Iran perceives to be “particularly consequential in terms of the impact they could have on its national security interests.”
PHILADELPHIA. – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Daniel Rubino, M.D., has agreed to pay $8,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by dispensing and distributing Schedule III and Schedule IV controlled substances without an effective prescription issued for a legitimate medical purpose. The United States’ investigation involved Dr. Rubino’s self-prescribing practices at his medical office, Daniel T. Rubino, P.C., located at 176 E. Conestoga, Devon, Pa., 19333.
As part of the settlement, Rubino has entered into a two-year Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which includes additional responsibilities regarding the handling of controlled substances. The MOA imposes compliance obligations significantly more stringent than those in the applicable laws and regulations.
Between March 2020 and December 2022, DEA investigators discovered that Rubino was self-prescribing Schedule III and IV medications while he treated patients at his medical office, specifically buprenorphine and eszopiclone. During this time period, DEA identified that Rubino had written approximately 44 prescriptions to himself, and that he had done so without the oversight of a prescribing physician and with no initial assessments, reevaluations, or routine monthly visits with a full assessment of his chronic pain and urinalysis. Accordingly, Rubino repeatedly dispensed or distributed Schedule III and IV controlled substances to himself without an effective prescription in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 829(b) and 21 C.F.R. § 1306.04.
Congress enacted the CSA to deter the illegal importation, manufacture, distribution, possession, and improper use of controlled substances, including prescription medications, and requires individuals and entities registered with the DEA to maintain complete and accurate records of all controlled substances and security systems so that controlled substances are no lost, stolen, or inappropriately dispensed.
“Physicians who dispense and distribute Schedule III and IV controlled substances to themselves are engaging in a form of diversion,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “Physicians and pharmacists have a responsibility to ensure that all controlled substances are tracked through a distribution chain and are prescribed in the usual course of professional practice. Our office is committed to ensuring total compliance with the Controlled Substances Act and we will vigorously enforce violations whenever we find them. Self-prescribing by physicians is no exception.”
“The goal of DEA’s closed system of distribution is to create accountability for controlled substances – this includes accountability for physicians who self-prescribe controlled substances,” said Thomas Hodnett, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Philadelphia Field Division. “By self-prescribing numerous prescriptions for controlled substances over the course of more than two years, Rubino violated this closed system and created an environment where controlled substances could not be tracked through a distribution chain. As a pain management physician himself, Rubino should have known better.”
The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates its emphasis on combating diversion of controlled substances. The dispensing and distributing requirements applicable to DEA registrants, including physicians, are the tools by which the DEA deters drug diversion.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA’s Philadelphia Field Division, and the investigation and settlement were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah W. Frey and Anthony Scicchitano.
El primer ministro de Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, este martes en la Oficina del Primer Ministro en Jerusalén, donde se reúne con representantes de los foros Gevura y Tikva . EFE/Ma'ayan Toaf (GPO)
Jerusalén.- El principal grupo que representa a los familiares de los israelíes secuestrados en Gaza acusó este martes al primer ministro, Benjamín Netanyahu, de torpedear el acuerdo de alto el fuego con Hamás, después de que el mandatario asegurase que Israel no cederá en dos nuevas demandas que han sido rechazadas por los islamistas.
Netanyahu, durante una reunión con dos grupos minoritarios de familiares de rehenes que se oponen a cualquier cesión a Hamás para salvar a sus seres queridos, dijo que el Ejército no se retirará del corredor Filadelfia (la frontera de Gaza con Egipto) ni del corredor Netzarim (que divide en dos el enclave).
El mandatario habría llegado incluso a asegurar a estos familiares que, en caso de lograrse un acuerdo de alto el fuego con Hamás, los combates se reanudarían poco más de un mes después, como muy tarde, según un comunicado de los dos grupos.
El Foro de Familias de Rehenes, que representa al grueso de los familiares de los israelíes secuestrados que todavía permanecen en el enclave, dijo hoy en un mensaje que las palabras de Netanyahu «están, en esencia, torpedeando el acuerdo».
«No hay esperanza ni heroísmo en una postura ‘firme’ que resultará en la muerte continuada de todos los rehenes», dijo el foro, haciendo referencia a los otros dos grupos de familiares que se reunieron con Netanyahu, «Esperanza» y «Heroísmo», en hebreo, minoritarios y vinculados a la extrema derecha.
Mientras, el principal líder de la oposición, Yair Lapid, acusó también al mandatario de «sabotear» las negociaciones, en un mensaje en X en el que pidió a Netanyahu que pare la guerra antes de que todos los rehenes mueran.
El rifirrafe se produce pocas horas después de que el Ejército israelí anunciara que ha recuperado los cuerpos de seis rehenes en Gaza (cinco de ellos ya habían sido confirmado muertos), en una operación nocturna en los túneles de Jan Yunis, en el sur de la Franja.
Los cuerpos fueron encontrados en una ruta subterránea a diez metros de profundidad, después de «combates prolongados» en una zona urbana, con edificios de varias plantas, en los que fueron eliminados varios combatientes, según un comunicado castrense.
Tras conocerse la noticia, el Foro de Familias de Rehenes apeló a Netanyahu y le recordó que «Israel tiene la obligación moral y ética» de devolver a casa tanto a los cautivos muertos como a los vivos (105 personas en total) «mediante un acuerdo negociado».
Supporters of former US President Donald Trump hold a banner in front of Trump Tower in New York, New York, USA, 09 August 2022. (Foto: EFE/JUSTIN LANE/File)
The Trump Tower in Chicago, developed and owned by former US President Donald Trump and Republican presidential nominee for 2024, was used by the Democratic Party to project disparaging messages against the Republican Party on Sunday.
The marketing campaign, targeting one of the most iconic buildings in Trump’s economic empire, coincides with Chicago’s preparations for the Democratic National Convention (DNC), set to begin on Monday.
Kamala Harris’s candidacy for the US presidential election in November will be officially announced at the convention.
Messages projected onto the 423-meter-high skyscraper included slogans supporting Democratic candidates, such as “Trump-Vance: Out For Themselves” as well as “Trump-Vance: ‘Weird as Hell,’” “Harris-Walz: Fighting for You,” and “Project 2025 HQ.”
The Democratic National Committee confirmed the campaign in a statement signed by its deputy communications director, Abhi Rahman.
“Everyone is seeing a preview of the contrast that will take center stage this week throughout the Democratic National Convention,” Rahman said in a statement. “Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz have proven records of delivering for working families, and now, they are running to lead our country into a brighter future.”
According to the statement, Trump and Vance were “running on their backwards Project 2025 agenda, which would undermine working families and take away their freedoms.”
“This week, the entire country will witness what it looks like to unite behind hope and a clear vision for a better future, as Democrats rally behind Vice President Harris and Governor Walz. While Donald Trump and JD Vance are out for themselves, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are fighting for you.”
The city of Chicago has been under tight security since the weekend, with a heavy police presence and security cordons in anticipation of the Democratic National Convention’s start on Monday. Thousands of demonstrators are expected to protest the United States’ role in the Gaza conflict.
The heavy presence of Chicago Police, along with state and federal forces, is noticeable around the United Center and McCormick Place, where the Democratic Party will hold the convention that will culminate on Thursday with Vice President Kamala Harris’s acceptance speech as the official candidate for the November election.
Around 50,000 people are expected to attend this first fully in-person convention since the Covid-19 pandemic, including thousands of party representatives, volunteers, and journalists from around the world.
El gobernador de Pensilvania, Josh Shapiro, habla con la prensa durante la Convención Nacional Demócrata este lunes en Chicago (Estados Unidos). EFE/ Octavio Guzmán
Pensilvania se ha erigido como el mayor desafío para la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris en su carrera hacia la Casa Blanca. Aunque ha conseguido reavivar el entusiasmo de votantes hispanos y afroamericanos, debe persuadir a la clase trabajadora blanca de este estado clave para asegurar la victoria.
Dada la relevancia de Pensilvania, el estado ocupa un lugar destacado en la Convención Nacional Demócrata que se celebra esta semana en Chicago, donde Harris dará un discurso el jueves para aceptar la nominación como candidata demócrata para las elecciones de noviembre.
A Chicago han acudido las grandes estrellas demócratas, incluido el que será el mejor embajador de Harris en Pensilvania: el gobernador de ese estado, Josh Shapiro, quien ha experimentado un ascenso meteórico desde que asumió el cargo en 2023, forjándose una imagen de líder carismático que le ha permitido ganar en condados rurales y conservadores.
«Pensilvania es el estado indeciso principal de estas elecciones», manifestó Shapiro preguntado por EFE durante un evento al margen de la convención demócrata y en el que el gobernador actuaba como una estrella de cine, accediendo a hacerse fotos con cada uno de los asistentes.
Y es que Shapiro, de 51 años, no esconde que tiene ambición política. Sin embargo, cuando un periodista le preguntó si le pesaba no tener un papel más destacado en la convención, como aspirante vicepresidencial, el político se rio y procedió a elogiar al gobernador de Minesota Tim Walz, que fue elegido en su lugar.
Walz fue seleccionado como compañero de fórmula para Harris por su potencial para atraer a votantes blancos de clase trabajadora en otros dos estados clave, Wisconsin y Míchigan.
Junto a Pensilvania, esos estados conforman el «muro azul» en el que los demócratas han conseguido importantes victorias en las últimas tres décadas, pero donde Trump ha hecho avances.
El gobernador de Pensilvania, Josh Shapiro, habla con la prensa durante la Convención Nacional Demócrata. 19 de agosto, en Chicago (Estados Unidos). EFE/ Octavio Guzmán
En ese escenario electoral, Walz desempeñará un papel clave para asegurar el apoyo en Wisconsin y Míchigan, mientras que Shapiro tendrá como misión conquistar Pensilvania.
«Voy a hacer todo lo que esté en mi poder político para asegurar que Kamala Harris y Tim Walz ganen esta elección. La carrera está efectivamente empatada ahora mismo. Pensilvania es difícil, pero se puede hacer», afirmó Shapiro.
Muestra de la importancia del estado, quizás el más importante de las elecciones, es que justo antes de la convención demócrata en Chicago, Harris y Walz hicieron junto a sus cónyuges un recorrido en autobús por el oeste de Pensilvania, zona rural del estado, con paradas incluso en condados como Beaver que han votado por Trump en las últimas elecciones.
En esa zona del estado vive Debbie Ciamacca, una de las delegadas del estado de Pensilvania que ha acudido a la convención para declarar oficialmente a Harris como candidata y que, sobre el terreno, está trabajando activamente para captar el voto para la vicepresidenta.
«Harris y Walz estuvieron justo en la zona donde vivo y eso es muy importante», dijo a EFE Ciamacca.
Ella misma es una importante activista política de la zona y justo hace una semana tuvo un evento en su casa con mujeres demócratas para recaudar fondos para la campaña de Harris y organizarse para ir llamando puerta a puerta y hablar con los vecinos sobre las propuestas demócratas.
«A veces no abren la puerta», reconoce, ya que es una zona muy conservadora; pero Ciamacca explica que les dejan material en la puerta para que sepan que estuvieron allí y quieren conversar sobre las propuestas demócratas.
Por su parte, Trump también está haciendo todo lo posible para ganar votos en Pensilvania. Su campaña tiene una importante operación política con líderes comunitarios pidiendo el voto para el republicano y grandes eventos con Trump que llenan estadios.
Justo el lunes, el expresidente hizo campaña en la ciudad de York, en el sur de Pensilvania, su primera parada en una maratón de eventos de campaña en estados clave con la que pretende contraprogramar la Convención Demócrata en Chicago.
En 2016, Trump logró conquistar Pensilvania junto a Wisconsin y Míchigan; pero el presidente estadounidense, Joe Biden, devolvió esos estados al campo demócrata en 2020.
Según la última encuesta, publicada hace dos días por la cadena CBS, Trump y Harris actualmente están empatados en esos tres estados.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz attends the opening night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA, 19 August 2024. (Foto: EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS)
United States President Joe Biden sent a warning Monday at the Democratic National Convention to Republican candidate Donald Trump ahead of the November elections, in which female voters are expected to be play a central role.
«Trump is going to find out the power of women in 2024,» Biden said, provoking a thunderous ovation in the stadium where the convention is being held.
US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris wave to the audience following Biden’s speech on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA, 19 August 2024. (Foto: EFE/JUSTIN LANE)
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is positioning abortion as a central issue in her campaign and is confident that this strategy will mobilize female voters, replicating the success achieved in the 2022 midterm elections, when Democrats had better than expected results in Congress.
Biden said Harris would succeed in correcting the decision of the Supreme Court, with a conservative majority sponsored by Trump, to suspend constitutional protections for abortion.
Democratic presidential candidate US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the opening night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA, 19 August 2024. (Foto: EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS
The president said the decision to choose Harris as his vice president was «the best» of his career.
«She is tough and smart,» said Biden, who a month ago renounced re-election and supported Harris, who will be crowned as the party’s candidate on Thursday.
Women will be a key voting group if Democrats finally manage to put a woman in the White House for the first time in history.
Biden said that if Harris becomes the first Black and South Asian woman to be president of the US, she would be an example to all «young women that they can do whatever they set their mind to.»
Joe Biden se despidió de la Convención Nacional Demócrata con un emotivo discurso, cediendo el liderazgo a Kamala Harris. Agradeció el apoyo y defendió sus logros, mientras los demócratas miran hacia la próxima elección presidencial. (Foto: VOA)
Joe Biden pronunció su discurso de despedida en la Convención Nacional Demócrata, donde reafirmó su compromiso con el país y dio su respaldo a Kamala Harris como su sucesora. El presidente destacó sus principales logros y pidió unidad en el partido.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, pronunció su discurso de despedida ante la Convención Nacional Demócrata el lunes por la noche, donde afirmó que había dado lo mejor de sí. Su intervención fue recibida con una larga ovación que reflejó la tensión liberada tras su decisión de cederle el protagonismo a la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris.
Biden, de 81 años, recibió una bienvenida de héroe, semanas después de que muchos demócratas lo presionaran para que renunciara a su aspiración de ser reelegido. Un mes después de un cambio sin precedentes a mitad de campaña, la noche inaugural de la convención en Chicago fue diseñada para darle una salida digna al presidente y lanzar a Harris hacia la confrontación con el republicano Donald Trump, cuyo intento de reelección es visto por algunos demócratas como una amenaza existencial.
Biden insistió en que no guarda rencor por el inminente final de su mandato —a pesar de las informaciones que sugieren lo contrario— y pidió al partido que se uniera en torno a Harris.
“Cometí muchos errores en mi carrera, pero di lo mejor de mí», afirmó Biden.
Con frases claras y enérgicas, el presidente aprovechó la oportunidad para defender sus logros, abogar por su vicepresidenta y atacar a Trump. Su discurso recordó más al Biden que ganó las elecciones en 2020 que al candidato que en ocasiones parecía incoherente, cuyo desempeño en un debate contra el republicano provocó la caída de su campaña para la reelección.
Visiblemente emocionado, Biden fue recibido por una ovación de más de cuatro minutos y cánticos de “¡Gracias, Joe!”.
“Estados Unidos, te amo”, respondió el presidente.
En su intervención, Biden calificó la elección de Harris como su compañera de fórmula hace cuatro años como “la primera decisión que tomé cuando me convertí en su candidato, y fue la mejor decisión que tomé en toda mi carrera”.
“Es firme, tiene experiencia y una enorme integridad”, aseguró Biden. “Su historia representa lo mejor de la historia estadounidense”.
“Y como muchos de nuestros mejores presidentes, también ha sido vicepresidenta”, dijo Biden, haciendo un guiño a su propia carrera.
Harris y el segundo caballero, Doug Emhoff, salieron al escenario tras el discurso para abrazar al presidente y a su familia.
“Joe, gracias por tu liderazgo histórico, por tu vida de servicio a nuestra nación y por todo lo que seguirás haciendo”, dijo Harris más temprano en la noche. “Siempre te estaremos agradecidos».
El presidente destaca sus principales logros
El discurso de Biden, anunciado como el acto principal de la velada, se retrasó hasta bien entrada la noche debido a que el programa de la convención acumulaba más de una hora de retraso. La demora obligó a los organizadores a cancelar la actuación del legendario músico James Taylor.
Biden celebró los éxitos de su presidencia, incluyendo el enorme incremento del gasto en infraestructura y la limitación del precio de la insulina. Explicó que el aumento del gasto hizo que se destinaran más fondos a los estados de tendencia republicana que a los demócratas, porque “el trabajo del presidente es dar a todo Estados Unidos”.
El mandatario también recordó la marcha de 2017 en Charlottesville, Virginia, donde supremacistas blancos con antorchas tomaron las calles, un episodio que cita como clave en su decisión de presentarse a la presidencia en 2020, a pesar de su duelo por la muerte de su hijo Beau Biden.
La primera dama, Jill Biden, mencionó la desgarradora decisión de su esposo de abandonar la carrera presidencial durante su intervención, minutos antes de que Biden subiera al escenario. Dijo que se volvió a enamorar de él «hace apenas unas semanas, cuando lo vi rebuscar en lo más profundo de su alma y decidir no seguir aspirando a la reelección, respaldando en su lugar a Kamala Harris”.
Los discursos del lunes buscan alentar a Biden y Harris
Una larga lista de oradores de alto perfil trató de vincular a Biden y Harris con lo que el partido considera como los logros más populares de la pareja de mandatarios.
La exsecretaria de Estado Hillary Clinton, quien fue recibida con un prolongado aplauso, felicitó a Harris y destacó su potencial para romper “el techo de cristal más alto y duro” y convertirse en la primera presidenta del país. Clinton fue la candidata demócrata en 2016, pero perdió las elecciones ante Trump.
Clinton también elogió a Biden por dar un paso atrás, diciendo que “ahora estamos escribiendo un nuevo capítulo en la historia de Estados Unidos”.
En una muestra del alcance generacional del partido, Clinton, de 76 años, siguió a la representante de Nueva York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, de 34 años, quien respaldó a Harris e hizo la primera mención a la guerra en Gaza desde el escenario, abordando un tema que ha dividido a la base del partido desde el ataque de Hamás el 7 de octubre y la posterior ofensiva de Israel.
Biden dice a manifestantes contra la guerra que “tienen razón”
En el exterior del recinto, miles de manifestantes se congregaron en Chicago para denunciar el apoyo del gobierno de Biden y Harris al esfuerzo bélico israelí.
El contraataque israelí sobre Gaza, luego del asalto insurgente que dejó más de 1.200 muertos y alrededor de 250 rehenes el 7 de octubre, se ha cobrado la vida de más de 40.000 palestinos, según el Ministerio de Salud de la Franja, gestionado por Hamás. Activistas propalestinos celebraron antes en el día una mesa redonda para discutir la difícil situación en el enclave, en lo que los organizadores calificaron como una novedad en la Convención.
Un par de manifestantes del movimiento “Abandon Biden” desplegaron un cartel con la frase “DEJEN DE ARMAR A ISRAEL” pocos minutos después del inicio del discurso del presidente.
La pancarta les fue retirada rápidamente y las luces de la zona en la que estaban se apagaron. Otros asistentes respondieron a la protesta coreando “¡Queremos a Joe!” y mostrando carteles en favor del presidente.
Biden reconoció las protestas durante su intervención al afirmar que “esos manifestantes en la calle tienen razón. Mucha gente inocente está muriendo en ambos bandos”. Además, reiteró su intento de que Israel y Hamás alcancen un acuerdo para un alto el fuego que incluya la liberación de los rehenes capturados en el asalto de Hamás.