Vice President Kamala Harris to formally accept Democratic nomination this week

llinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker visits the stage as the United Center is prepared for the start of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 16, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Sunday dismissed concern that the anti-Israel protests at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) would rise to the level of the 1968 chaos when Chicago hosted the convention decades ago at the height of the Vietnam War.

"It's a whole different ballgame. Here we are, you know, 56 years later -- we've got a very, very different situation," Pritzker told CNN host Jake Tapper. "The Democratic Party, honestly, has coalesced around this candidate. That was not the case in 1968. We've got -- policing is all different now, and we've got technology at work."

"And, really, the protesters are protesting something that is very far away from here. Very important, but it's not about people getting drafted from here, going abroad," he said. "So it's a whole different situation. And, honestly, I expect that we're going to have peaceful protests. We're going to protect the protesters but also protect all the people visiting -- 50,000 people coming to Chicago and the residents of Chicago. So I -- a plan has been in place for a year and a quarter now already. We're going to execute on that plan in the next four days."

Tapper noted that one of the organizers called Behind Enemy Lines, a leftist, anti-imperialist protest group calling on its supporters to shut down the DNC, has urged supporters to make bruises from Chicago police batons the 2024 back to school fall fashion.

"You guys prepared for that?" Tapper asked.

"If there are troublemakers, they're going to get arrested and they're going to get convicted," Pritzker. "But the fact is that the vast majority of people who are protesting, and we've seen this before, are, you know, peaceful protesters. They want to have their voices heard. They're going to be heard, no doubt about it. And we're going to protect that."

Chicago businesses around the convention center have boarded their windows in anticipation of riots similar to those seen in 2020 following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

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When it comes to the crucial battlegrounds of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, long known as the Democrats' ‘blue wall’ states, Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance is optimistic they're "going to be the red wall in November."

"We’re going to make sure that Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan go red," former President Trump's 2024 running mate emphasized in an exclusive national interview with Fox News Digital on the campaign trail in southwestern Michigan this past week.

Democrats reliably won all three working-class states in presidential elections for nearly a quarter-century before Trump narrowly carried them in capturing the White House eight years ago.

But in 2020, President Biden won back all three states with razor-thin margins as he defeated Trump.

The states remain extremely competitive as Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump face off in the 2024 presidential election.

Planned Parenthood will offer free vasectomies, medication abortion, and emergency contraception at the Democratic National Convention this week.

Planned Parenthood Great Rivers of St. Louis announced in a X post that a bus is headed to the DNC in Chicago on Aug. 19-20 to offer free services.

"Here we come, Chicago! Our mobile health clinic will be in the West Loop with @ChiAbortionFund & @TheWienerCircle Aug 19-20, providing FREE vasectomies & medication abortion," the post said. "EC will also be available for free without an appointment." 

The Planned Parenthood location noted that there is a waiting list for vasectomies during their time at the convention. "We currently have a waitlist for free vasectomies," a follow-up X post said. "Repost to spread the word!"

Fox News' Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this post.

Ohio Sen. JD Vance dismissed polling that shows Vice President Kamala Harris has taken the lead nationally and in key battleground states, arguing that the same polls were inaccurate in 2016 and 2020.

"The polls tend to radically overstate Democrats, we certainly saw that during the summer of 2020 and summer of 2016 and, of course, a lot of those polls were wrong when it came to Election Day," Vance said during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday."

The comments came after Fox News’ Shannon Bream told Vance about a recent New York Times poll that showed Harris ahead of former President Trump in Arizona and North Carolina at the same time as she has narrowed Trump’s lead "significantly" in Georgia and Nevada.

"What we have certainly seen is that Kamala Harris got a bit of a sugar high a couple of weeks ago, but what we’ve actually seen from our own internal data is that Kamala Harris has already leveled off," Vance said. "If you talk to insiders in the Kamala Harris campaign, they’re very worried about where they are because the American people just don’t buy the idea that Kamala Harris, who has been vice president for three and a half years, is somehow going to tackle the inflation crisis in a way tomorrow that she hasn’t for the past 1,300 days."

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News' Michael Lee.

A Harris-Walz bus seen in Pennsylvania on Sunday as the vice president and her running mate will campaign in the battleground state ahead of the Democratic National Convention. (Fox News Digital/ Paul Steinhauser)

PITTSBURGH, PA - Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz barnstorm through western Pennsylvania on Sunday, on the eve of the kickoff of the Democratic National Convention.

Hours earlier, former President Trump declared "I love Pennsylvania" as he held a rally at an indoor arena in Wilkes-Barre, in the northeast corner of the Keystone State.

Pennsylvania has been and will continue to see plenty of campaign trail traffic. With 19 electoral votes up for grabs, it's the largest prize among the seven battleground states that will likely decide the outcome of the presidential election.

"We're winning by a lot in Pennsylvania," Trump declared on Saturday. 

Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for The Democratic Party of Wisconsin

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison on Sunday revealed some of the strategy behind Democrats’ goal to win control of the House, as well as hold onto the White House and Senate.

“For three and a half years we’ve been focused on pouring resources into all of our states. A lot of people look at Howard Dean’s fifty-state strategy as the Golden Age for the DNC in terms of investing in those state parties,” Harrison said on MSNBC’s “The Weekend” on Sunday.

“We, in our midterms, we put 40% more into state parties,” he said. “We created a red state fund than what Howard Dean did in 2006, and so we’ve been focused on that, and that’s thanks to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in helping us garner the resources to do just that.”

Harrison said there’s been “unprecedented collaboration” between the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC).

He is on a Signal messaging chain with DSCC Chair Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, and DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DeBene, D-Wash., Harrison told MSNBC, adding that “the three of us stay in close collaboration” to look at polling, notice traction and “red alerts” on certain issues as Election Day approaches.

“Our staffs also work very closely together, and I don’t think that has happened historically in the past in the Democratic ecosystem ,” Harrison said. “So we are all aligned, we are all on one page, we’re in formation, we are focused like a laser on not just winning the White House back, but making sure that the House, the Senate, we pick up gubernatorial elections, that we flip some state House seats, and that is all in alignment, and again, we’re going to be focused on that from now until Election Day, as we’ve been focused on it for the last three and a half years.” 

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Former President Trump took questions from reporters on Thursday at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, the second straight week that the former president has grabbed headlines by holding a news conference.

The move is partially to try and blunt the momentum of Vice President Kamala Harris heading into next week's Democratic National Convention. Harris has been riding a wave of energy and enthusiasm since replacing President Biden at the top of the Democrats' 2024 ticket three and a half weeks ago. 

But it also appears to be another move to try and put pressure on Harris for not holding a news conference or a major interview since Biden bowed out and backed his vice president.

"It has been 24 days and Kamala Harris continues to duck and hide from the media – no interviews and no press conferences since she announced," Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung emphasized on Wednesday.

Harris’ deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks on Sunday defended the vice president for not yet sitting down for an interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.

“The vice president has been interviewing . She’s been interviewing with the American people,” Fulks said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “The Weekend” Sunday. “And she respects the free media, respects the press, so that will come on her time, but right now our focus is making sure that we’re communicating with the voters, that they see her, that they understand her world view, her perspective, her upbringing, her record of delivering and fighting for American families to protect their freedoms and her vision for moving forward.”

MSNBC host Michael Steele dismissed concern about Harris’ lack of media appearances since President Biden dropped out of the race, stating he has found it “amusing to watch and hear many in the media sort of go after the vice president because she hasn’t done that face to face." He said he's observed Harris “seems to be talking directly to the people.”

Steele asked Fulks if that was intentional by the campaign so that Harris can “push past the noise of the Washington press corps and all of that drama.”

Fulks said the campaign enters the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week with “a lot of enthusiasm and momentum,” as Harris and running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have been “out on the ground talking to and communicating directly with voters.”

“They’re kicking off a bus tour today, going throughout Pennsylvania, they’re going to be at a rally in Wisconsin tomorrow before they head into the convention, and so we’re incredibly excited to continue to stay out on the road, in the battleground states, talking to the voters who are ultimately going to decide this election, making sure that they understand that this race is fundamentally a choice between two stark visions for the future of this country,” Fulks said. “One where we’re lowering costs, protecting freedoms, and continuing to deliver for the American people and one that is extreme, unstable, Project 2025 agenda that is led by Donald Trump and JD Vance.”  

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Vice President Kamala Harris needs to ensure she is "striking the right balance" at the Democratic National Convention, with Democratic strategists explaining it is "critical" for her to share her record with the voters, while focusing on the future and enhancing her "momentum" as the race formally enters the general election. 

The Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago on Monday and will run through Thursday, when Harris formally accepts the Democratic nomination for the presidency. 

Top Democrats and supporters from across the nation are expected to coalesce their support behind Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — support they have seen building since President Biden suspended his re-election campaign and the vice president launched her own. 

Democrat strategists are telling Fox News Digital that Harris needs to make sure she seizes on the "surging voter enthusiasm." 

"The most important thing to do is keep the ball rolling — they have been on a roll for the last couple of weeks," Brad Bannon, a Democrat strategist, pollster, and President of Bannon Communications Research, told Fox News Digital. "Once President Biden decided to step away, Vice President Kamala Harris did a great job seizing the opportunity — she raised a lot of money quickly; solidified her hold on the nomination; made a great pick that turned out to be very popular in Walz; and what they need to do at this convention is keep the ball rolling and keep that momentum going." 

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Vice President Kamala Harris went viral Friday after she lamented the soaring prices of American goods since "before the pandemic," when former President Trump was in office.

During her economic policy speech in Raleigh, North Carolina, Harris blamed inflation on the supply chain crisis that occurred during the COVID pandemic, but stressed that "prices are still too high" despite the fact that "our supply chains have improved."

"A loaf of bread cost 50% more today than it did before the pandemic," Harris said at one point. "Ground beef is up almost 50%."

That quote was quickly clipped, with an "I'm Donald Trump and I approve this message" disclaimer added on at the end, cut from an official campaign ad.

It was shared by the popular X account End Wokeness as the "shortest political ad I've ever seen" for former President Trump.

This is an excerpt from an article written by Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn.

UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

The whole world is watching.

They want to see what unfolds this week in Chicago as Democrats convene their quadrennial political convention and anoint Vice President Harris as their 2024 standard-bearer.

But, the mantra "the whole world is watching" is from 1968.

That was a battle cry from demonstrators who descended on the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968. They brawled with delegates, reporters and police. The war in Vietnam raged. And anti-war protesters wanted the world to know how they felt. So what better opportunity to converge on the Democratic convention and air their grievances – often within the view finder of a television camera.

The 1968 Democratic convention  was the most volatile in American history.

Democrats hope to avoid such controversies this year. But with raucous, anti-Israel protests raging on college campuses and across the nation all spring, that may be tough to avoid. Moreover, this highlights the schism in the Democratic Party over the Middle East.

As they said in 1968, the world is watching.

This is an excerpt from an article written by Fox News' Chad Pergram.

Getty Images/Andrew Harnik

The Harris campaign is signaling continued support for ending cash bail and bail reform as the vice president and former prosecutor faces scrutiny over past policies and positions related to crime and law enforcement.

"Vice President Harris believes our criminal justice system should protect and serve all Americans, regardless of their economic status, gender, or race," James Singer, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, told Fox News Digital. 

"On the issue of cash bail, she believes that we need a system where public safety, not wealth, determines who should stay behind bars following an arrest. Anyone who is a danger to society should be detained regardless of how wealthy they are." 

During her public life as district attorney in San Francisco, California attorney general and U.S. senator, Harris' position on cash bail has varied. 

In 2019, when she unsuccessfully ran for president, Harris made her position known a little more forcefully. 

"End money bail. Our bail system is unjust and broken," Harris wrote in a post on Medium. 

This is an excerpt from an article written by Fox News' Brianna Herlihy.

Approximately 100,000 anti-Israel demonstrators are expected to descend on Chicago during the four-day Democratic National Convention this week, according to the New York Post.

At least seven large rallies and marches are scheduled to unfold across Chicago this week as the McCormick Place Convention Center hosts DNC programming about the Harris-Walz ticket. Additional rallies are also planned, though they’re unsanctioned, meaning organizers have not obtained required city permits, the Post reported.

Photos showed some businesses boarded windows in anticipation of possible riots.

The DNC is planned for Monday to Thursday. But some demonstrations are starting Sunday. The group Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws organized a march toward Grant Park Sunday focused on “abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights and stopping Israel’s war efforts in Gaza,” the Chicago Tribune reported.

Yet the largest number of expected protesters are expected Monday and Thursday at the “March on the DNC 2024” rallies, orchestrated by a coalition of 125 anti-Israel groups including the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network. Multiple reports say more than 30,000 people are expected to attend Monday’s rally alone.

Hatem Abudayyeh, chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, vowed to the Washington Post to still lead protests in Chicago during the DNC despite President Biden no longer being on the ticket.  

“We’re not changing a thing. Everything is still full steam ahead,” Abudayyeh said.

“It’s still about ending the genocide,” he added. “Our target is the Democratic Party and the leadership of the party and ‘Killer Kamala’ is one of them.”

At least three other anti-Israel events are happening in Chicago during the DNC. Among them is a march titled “Behind Enemy Lines” planned to start Tuesday in front of Chicago’s Israeli consulate, according to the Tribune. The group “Poor People’s Army,” which also demonstrated at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, organized another march in Chicago this week demanding the U.S. stop sending military aid to Israel.

Chicago saw bloody riots in 1968 while hosting the DNC during the Vietnam War. 

RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images

CNN anchor Abby Phillip appeared skeptical of one of Vice President Kamala Harris’ first economic policy proposals on Thursday.

During the segment, the host read aloud one commentator’s criticism of the price control proposal – that it was meant to pander to "economically illiterate" voters –and appeared to agree that it was a way to get cheap votes from those who don’t understand how the economy works.

"Is this just a ploy? Because it sounds kind of like it," Phillip asked her guests, which included Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Democratic strategist Keith Boykin and Vanderbilt University professor Michael Eric Dyson.

The Harris campaign announced on Wednesday that she would institute a "federal ban on price gouging on food and groceries" as president in an attempt to stop "big corporations" from taking advantage of consumers.

Phillip introduced the topic, stating, "One of the things that we learned about her policy that she’s going to roll out is a ban — support for a ban on price gouging. Now, I think reasonable people would ask, what does that mean? What does that really mean, and how is the government going to be involved in it?"

This is excerpt from an article written by Fox News' Gabriel Hays.

The Democratic National Convention on Sunday released a list of the confirmed speakers scheduled to address the party's four-day convention in Chicago about the Harris-Walz ticket.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will speak on Monday and Tuesday respectively to welcome Democrats "to our amazing Host City," DNC officials said. "Chicago is the perfect place in the heart of the Midwest for us to come together as a party for the first time in eight years. Their speaking roles will showcase how Democrats across the Blue Wall are on the frontlines, fighting for our freedoms and our future."

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will speak on Monday night.

"The successes of the Biden-Harris Administration will be front and center on night one and throughout the week: successfully overcoming a once in a century pandemic, transforming an economy that was flat on its back to the strongest economy in the world, defending democracy at home and abroad, and restoring decency and dignity to the White House," DNC officials said.

Vice President Harris will travel from her bus tour through western Pennsylvania to watch President Biden’s remarks. In line with convention precedent, the DNC said, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will deliver the vice presidential acceptance speech on Wednesday.

Harris will deliver her presidential acceptance speech on Thursday.

Convention officials also confirmed the speakers "who will be participating during the convention and will help tell the story of the Harris-Walz ticket." They are second gentleman Doug Emhoff, former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

The United Center being prepared for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 15, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.

The themes of each of the four nights of the Democratic National Convention were released Sunday morning. The convention's overall theme, “For the People, For Our Future," is meant to signal how Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz plan to "fight for people, our freedoms, and our future" as the presidential and vice presidential nominees, DNC officials said.

The themes for each night are as follows:

Monday, August 19: For the People – "While Donald Trump puts himself first, Democrats are fighting for the American people. President Biden has exemplified this through his leadership and legacy as a historic president who put the American people’s interest above his own," the DNC said. "The accomplishments and results President Biden delivered for people, with Vice President Harris by his side, will be on full display during the convention, as will Kamala Harris’s commitment to fighting on behalf of everyday Americans. At its core, the Harris-Walz ticket is a ticket for the people."

Tuesday, August 20: A Bold Vision for America’s Future – "This race isn’t just a choice between two candidates. It’s a choice between two very different visions of America," the DNC said. "While Donald Trump believes our best days are behind us, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz know the best days lie ahead. Standing in stark contrast to the Trump-Vance Project 2025 agenda designed to take us backwards, the Harris-Walz ticket presents a brighter vision where everyone will have a chance not just to get by, but to get ahead."

Wednesday, August 21: A Fight for Our Freedoms – "Vice President Harris has spent her entire career fighting for Americans’ freedoms," the DNC said. "In Governor Tim Walz, Vice President Harris chose as her running mate a champion for America’s working families and a staunch defender of those same fundamental freedoms. Donald Trump spent his four years in office fighting to strip our rights away, and he’s once again running on an extreme agenda to go even farther in turning back the clock on all the freedoms we hold dear."

Thursday, August 22: For Our Future – "America can’t afford to put Donald Trump back in the White House — because a second Trump term would be even more dangerous and more extreme than the first one," according to DNC officials. "But the choice we face in November isn’t just about us versus Donald Trump. This election is a fight for the future. Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will lead America into a brighter, more hopeful era."

Convention programming will air live from the United Center in Chicago between 6:15-11p.m. ET/5:15-10p.m CT on Monday, and 7-11 p.m. ET/6-10 p.m. CT for all other days.  

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Actress Jane Fonda and other climate change activists gathered Friday to tout the Harris-Walz campaign as "a proud climate ticket."

Climate Voters for Harris kicked off a virtual call Friday, two years since the signing of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, to discuss "the historic accomplishments of the IRA. We'll hear messaging guidance and the best ways for Climate Voters to get involved in the campaign."

The call was hosted by Sweta Chakraborty, a behavioral scientist, who said there was "palpable" excitement about Harris being the Democratic nominee.

Fonda encouraged people to "vote with climate in their hearts," claiming the Harris-Walz ticket is "our only hope."

"Sitting it out, voting for a third-party candidate, this is voting for the orange man," she told listeners on the call.

Other speakers included former Secretary of State John Kerry; Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.; and Democratic Washington state Gov. James Inslee.

Steven Ferdman/GC Images

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gave his approval to Vice President Kamala Harris' newly unveiled economic policy proposal on Friday, calling it "bold and popular."

"Is it all that I would like? No," he said in a statement. "Is it an important step forward in making our country a fairer and more just society? Absolutely.

"Sanders lauded the proposal for speaking "to the needs of working families" and taking on "the unprecedented corporate greed that is taking place throughout America."

Sanders has long-described himself as a Democratic socialist, and has been considered one of the most far-left U.S. politicians. 

Harris' plan was revealed by her campaign on Friday, including several expansions of policies implemented during the Biden-Harris administration. It specifically targets corporate "price gouging" in the food industry, calling for a first-ever federal ban on it.

It would also drastically expand the child tax credit, granting credits up to $6,000 during a child's first year. Existing prescription drug price caps would additionally be expanded to everyone, not just senior citizens. 

This is an excerpt from an article written by Fox News' Julia Johnson.

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Vice President Kamala Harris conceded Americans are struggling in the current economy and vowed to improve things after President Biden boasted his policies were "working" just a day earlier.

Harris made the remarks during a campaign stop in North Carolina on Friday, where she unveiled part of her economic platform for the 2024 election.

"We've made historic investments in infrastructure, in [semiconductor chips], manufacturing, in clean energy. And new numbers this week alone show that inflation is down under 3%. And as president of the United States, it will be my intention to build on the foundation of this progress," Harris said. 

"Still, we know that many Americans don't yet feel that progress in their daily lives. Costs are still too high and on a deeper level, for too many people, no matter how much they work, it feels so hard to just be able to get ahead."