Axios

Vice President Kamala Harris signaled in her first campaign ad Thursday that she's leaning into a message of "freedom" — a word long associated with Republican campaigns but more recently seized by Democrats.

Why it matters: Everyone loves "freedom." But in the 2024 cycle, the definition depends on your politics.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is in a stronger-than-expected spot to keep his job in 2025, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Johnson is less than three months removed from relying on Democratic votes to save his gavel.

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement after her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that she told him it is time to get a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal now.

Why it matters: The content and tone of Harris' statement in front of the cameras was more critical of Israel than President Biden's.

Justice Elena Kagan expressed support on Thursday for implementing mechanisms to enforce ethics rules among Supreme Court justices, per multiple reports.

The big picture: Her comments come amid calls for reform of the high court, which adopted a code of ethics last year after repeated revelations of undisclosed travel gifts and other benefits by several justices ignited calls for code of conduct requirements.

An attack on Vice President Kamala Harris for not having biological children has spurred intense backlash from celebrity voices, the internet's "cat ladies" and her own blended family.

Why it matters: A resurfaced 2021 comment from vice presidential candidate JD Vance criticizing "childless cat ladies" on the left — listing Harris by name — has earned him harsh criticism, as a growing share of adults under 50 say they're unlikely to have kids.

The families of eight U.S. hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza said that after meeting with President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu they are more optimistic than before that a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal could move forward in the coming days.

Why it matters: The hour-long meeting at the White House was part of Netanyahu's visit to Washington, which is taking place at a critical moment in negotiations over the deal.

Vice President Kamala Harris said Thursday that she is prepared to debate former President Trump at the previously scheduled presidential debate in September.

Why it matters: The shakeup of the Democratic party's presidential ticket opened questions on when a matchup between Trump and his Democratic opponent would take place.

More than 7,000 Floridians have signed on to help with Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign — its largest surge of volunteers so far.

Why it matters: The numbers, shared with Axios by the Harris campaign, show "an overwhelming groundswell of support" in the Sunshine State, Florida director Jasmine Burney-Clark said in a statement.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is launching a $4.4 million campaign targeting Hispanic voters in Texas — with a majority going to Spanish-language advertising, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: It is the largest investment the Cruz campaign has ever made into Hispanic advertising as the GOP continues to court the country's largest non-white voting bloc.

President Biden's decision not to seek re-election caught former President Trump's campaign and Republicans off guard and led to a scramble to come up with new material attacking Vice President Kamala Harris, GOP insiders tell Axios.

Why it matters: Biden left the race Sunday under increasing pressure from Democratic lawmakers and donors, but Trump's most senior advisers doubted the president would actually drop out when he did.

1. Guatemala is hosting the Inter-American Human Rights Commission for the first time in seven years this week, after an invitation from President Bernardo Arévalo.

• A delegation from the commission led a trip, ending tomorrow, to corroborate human rights situations on the ground after almost a decade of past governments denying them visits.
• That includes accusations from state attorneys that they've been persecuted by the attorney general's office, which has clashed with Arévalo, for denouncing corruption cases.

2. Uruguay extended this week its paid parental leave for fathers to 20 full days with a law that also forbids employers from firing new fathers in the month after they come back from leave.

• That makes Uruguay one of the countries in the Americas with the longest parental leave period for fathers, after Canada and Chile.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Thursday directing state agencies to clear homeless camps, and urging cities to do the same.

Why it matters: Newsom cited a June ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that expanded cities' abilities to enforce anti-camping laws as the basis for a new direction for confronting homelessness.

Vice President Kamala Harris denounced "unpatriotic protestors" at a demonstration in Washington, D.C., where an American flag was burned and several were arrested.

Why it matters: Harris did not attend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Wednesday address to a joint session of Congress, citing a prior commitment, as her approach to the Israel-Hamas war is sure to be closely watched in the early days of her presidential campaign.

The Department of Justice's Inspector General's Office (OIG) criticized former Attorney General Bill Barr on Thursday for disclosing non-public investigative information with former President Trump about the department's probe into possible 2020 election fraud.

Why it matters: Barr's disclosure did not breach any of the department's policies but it "was certainly not consistent with his own guidance to the department," the watchdog said in a new report.

A half-dozen centrist House Democrats on Thursday voted for a Republican resolution to condemn the Biden administration, and Vice President Kamala Harris in particular, for their handling of the Southern border.

Why it matters: The vote comes just as Harris is in the process of locking down the Democratic Party's nomination for president.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) wrote the foreword of an upcoming book from the architect of Project 2025, a right-wing blueprint for the next Republican administration.

Why it matters: Former President Trump, who chose Vance as his running mate last week, has attempted to distance himself from the Heritage Foundation-backed plan after Democrats seized on it to mobilize voters.

The Venezuelan opposition is warning that its efforts to sign up electoral observers for this Sunday's presidential vote are being hindered at the last minute.

Why it matters: Polls point to opposition candidate Edmundo González leading by a very wide margin over President Nicolás Maduro, in what could result in the first power turnover in Venezuela in 25 years.

Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign released its first official video, set to Beyoncé's 2016 "Freedom" from her smash-hit album "Lemonade."

Why it matters: Harris is re-introducing herself to voters as a presidential candidate while contrasting her record and tone to the Republican opponent former President Trump's campaign and criminal record.

Former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said during an Axios News Shapers event Thursday that Democrats need a "lovefest" at their convention next month in Chicago to demonstrate they're fully united around Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket.

Why it matters: The party's divisions were put on stark public display for weeks before President Biden bowed to internal party pressure, dropped his reelection bid and threw his support behind Harris.

The U.S. economy grew at a 2.8% annualized rate in the second quarter—a faster rate than economists expected as consumer spending increased and businesses built up inventories, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.

Why it matters: The new data raises confidence the economy has achieved a "soft landing" — healthy economic growth alongside cooling inflation.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) stressed during an Axios News Shapers event on Thursday that the Democratic Party's coalescence around Vice President Kamala Harris was purely organic and not a coronation by party leaders.

Why it matters: Just days after President Biden announced he would forgo re-election, Harris secured the delegates she needed to clinch the nomination, along with endorsements from most major party leaders.

A televised debate between former President Trump and Vice President Harris "will happen," Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, told Axios on Thursday.

Why it matters: Miller said the Trump campaign is "non-committal" to the Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC News, but that there will be another debate —and "should be multiple debates."

My inbox is starting to fill up with analyses of how Kamala Harris might campaign or govern any differently than her boss on energy and climate.

Why it matters: These notes offer an arms-length attempt to game out the Democrats' White House pick.

One of the key people who raised Vice President Kamala Harris was Regina Shelton, a Louisiana woman who ended up in Harris' Bay Area neighborhood as part of the Great Migration of Black families who sought opportunity outside the Jim Crow-era South.

Why it matters: Shelton was Harris' "second mother," an early mentor who pushed her "to give and to serve," Harris said at Essence Fest in New Orleans earlier this month.

For Minnesota's uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the shakeup in the presidential race changed little: Many will not support Kamala Harris unless she commits to big policy shifts on the Israel-Hamas war.

Why it matters: Minnesota's 11-member "uncommitted" contingent is the largest of any state. This spring, 18% of primary voters chose no candidate in protest over what they saw as the administration's role in a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The new 2024 campaign is only days old, but the contours are crystal clear:

• Donald Trump will argue Kamala Harris is too liberal, too weak, too weird.
• Harris will argue Trump is too corrupt, too risky, too old.

Pro-Palestinian Democrats were the only Michigan delegates who voted against endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris this week, but they say they'd be willing to reconsider if Harris shifts the administration's Gaza policies.

State of play: One of the two "no" votes, Abbas Alawieh, told Axios the national uncommitted movement has been trying to schedule a meeting with the vice president to discuss how to win back support of anti-war Democratic voters.

The instantly iconic photo from Donald Trump's assassination attempt 12 days ago was a late swap as the cover of the former president's new book — "Save America," out Sept. 3.

Why it matters: The photo book, which sells for $99, will be the former president's third since leaving office in 2021.

Advocates for abortion rights and paid leave are launching a $1 million media campaign together.

Why it matters: Though these two issues have been core to advocates for decades, they typically operated in separate lanes. The post-Dobbs environment and Vice President Kamala Harris' run for the presidency changed the equation.

Vice President Kamala Harris' sudden elevation as Donald Trump's opponent has some Republicans second-guessing the former president's selection of Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate.

Why it matters: While President Biden was refusing to budge last week in the face of mounting Democratic pressure, Trump chose the outspoken senator as a tribute — and potential heir — to the hardline MAGA movement.

Vice President Kamala Harris is significantly more popular among America’s youngest voters than President Biden, a new Axios/Generation Lab poll shows.

Why it matters: Former President Trump appeared to be chipping away at Democrats' decades-long hold on the youth vote. But Harris could be extending the gap once again.

Labor activist Dolores Huerta on Thursday formally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

Why it matters: Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez in the early 1960s, is an influential voice among Latino voters who Harris needs to help propel her to the presidency — especially in swing states.

A wistful but proud President Biden used last night's Oval Office address to explain to the American people why he deserved a second term — but chose, in the end, not to seek one.

Why it matters: With 180 days remaining in office, Biden delivered what's likely to be remembered as the most consequential speech of his presidency, regardless of what happens in November.

Former President Trump ramped up his attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris during a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wednesday — his first since President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race.

Why it matters: Trump fired a slate of material that voters will likely hear repeatedly over the next three months.

A half dozen guests at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress were arrested and charged after "disrupting" the speech from inside the House chamber, the Capitol Police said Wednesday.

Why it matters: During standing ovations, several of the protesters were displaying "SEAL THE DEAL NOW" t-shirts urging the Israeli prime minister to broker a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas.

The House will create a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt on former President Trump after Congress members unanimously voted in favor of the action on Wednesday night.

The big picture: The House panel will have subpoena power and comprise seven Republicans and six Democrats.

President Biden said from the Oval Office on Wednesday that the "best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation," speaking to the nation for the first time since his abrupt decision to drop out of the 2024 race.

Why it matters: Biden said during his historic speech that the "defense of democracy" is at stake and that is "more important than any title," as he invoked a message of unity.

At least 17 people were arrested outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday while protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress, local law enforcement said Wednesday evening.

The big picture: The massive demonstration in the streets of Washington, D.C., comes as roughly half of House and Senate Democrats skipped the address in protest of Netanyahu and his actions regarding the war in Gaza.