Axios

The Democratic National Convention opened in Chicago on Monday, with President Biden speaking in prime time as he passes the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris.

The big picture: Harris will close out the DNC on Thursday night, after Gov. Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton fired up the crowd Wednesday and Barack and Michelle Obama brought the energy Tuesday.

Mothers of some of the most high-profile Black victims of police violence are expected to attend Kamala Harris' Democratic nomination acceptance speech Thursday, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The invitation by Democrats to three mothers whose sons' deaths ignited the Black Lives Matter movement over the past decade suggests the party may symbolically renew the conversation on federal police reform, while also highlighting Harris's connection to victims affected by violence.

Vice President Kamala Harris' favorability has grown among Democrats and independents since becoming a presidential nominee, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday.

The big picture: While Harris' popularity grew 13 percentage points in August to 47%, former President Trump's dipped 5 points to 41% as the two edge towards what's expected to be a close contest in November.

Vice President Kamala Harris is poised to accept her party's presidential nomination Thursday during the last day of the Democratic National Convention.

Why it matters: Joy, optimism and patriotism are expected to be at the center of her acceptance speech, a Harris-Walz campaign official told reporters.

The U.S. Supreme Court will allow Arizona to enforce a law limiting people's ability to register to vote without showing proof of citizenship, but it won't bar tens of thousands of already registered voters from casting ballots in the presidential election.

The big picture: People who can't provide proof of citizenship can still register to vote in Arizona using federal forms, and they're only permitted to cast ballots in federal races.

Vice President Harris' blended family has risen to the national stage alongside her campaign for the presidential election.

The big picture: She shares a close bond with her stepchildren, Cole and Ella Emhoff, as "Momala."

CHICAGO – Democratic leaders emphasized their commitment to address top issues to Latino voters, such as economic opportunity, child care and immigration at an Axios House event on Tuesday held alongside the Democratic National Convention.

Why it matters: The Latino voter population is growing rapidly, making them a vital voter bloc for both parties.

• Axios House hosted multiple events over two days at the DNC. This event focused on the power of Latino voters and was in partnership with Noticias Telemundo.

The Democratic party isn't taking any vote "for granted," said Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar.

• "I have always heard from Latinos that many of them feel taken for granted, like the assumption is they'll vote in the Democratic primary and they'll vote for a Democrat." "We are not making assumptions. We are not taking the community for granted and we're doing a lot of listening and engaging."

California Sen. Alex Padilla praised Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' handling of immigration, saying she was "pivotal" to addressing the issue.

• "The numbers are way down, lower than at any point under the Biden administration and lower than they were at the end of the Trump administration," Padilla said.

Meanwhile, Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, who's running for a Senate seat against Republican Kari Lake and an open U.S. senate seat, expressed how Democrats offer Latinos the American dream rather than the Republican party.

• "The people that wanna start businesses, wanna be able to send their kids to college, they wanna live this part of the American dream."
• "What I see coming from the Republican party and in particular, from my opponent Kari Lake, they're not offering solutions, they're just offering more division. They're just telling you who to hate and not what to do and what you're going to do."

Harris recently released an economic plan where she proposed a $6,000 tax credit per child for the first year, which former DNC Chair Tom Perez highlighted as one of the issues Harris is tackling to push the American dream.

• "She has a very aggressive proposal for childcare…We know how to reduce poverty in this country. Why do I say that with such confidence? Because we did it in 2021, we reduced childhood poverty by 40%."

Former congressional candidate Michelle Bond, who unsuccessfully sought to represent the eastern portion of Long Island in Congress in 2022, has been charged with four counts of campaign finance violations.

Why it matters: Bond is the fiancée of Ryan Salame, formerly an executive of the defunct cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, and the charges link her to his actions.

Former President Trump told the Daily Mail he will decline to receive intelligence briefings during his campaign to avoid being accused of leaking information.

Why it matters: The briefings offered to presidential nominees are intended to help them understand and prepare for the national security challenges they could face in office.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro responded to former President Trump's characterization of him as a "highly overrated Jewish Governor," saying the GOP nominee is "obsessed" with him and with "continuing to spew hate."

Why it matters: This is not the first time Trump has received backlash for his attacks on Jewish Democrats.

CHICAGO — The cost of child care is taking center stage in the election this year. Democrats made the case for expanding the child tax credit at an Axios House event on Monday for the Democratic National Convention.

Why it matters: Day care and preschool costs this year have risen more than 4% compared to last year, and reporting shows more parents don't have access to child care after pandemic-era federal funding ended last year.

• Axios House hosted multiple events over two days at the Democratic National Convention. This event focused on the cost of living crisis and was sponsored by Save the Children.

Catch up quick: Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris released her economic agenda last week which included a $6,000 child tax credit for middle-class families the first year of a child's life and then $3,600 per year for every year after that.

• President Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance also said he wants to bring a $5,000 child tax credit per child and possibly expand the credit to have no income restrictions.

At the Axios House event, Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro took a jab at Vance's voting history on child tax credits in the Senate.

• A proposal to expand the credit failed earlier this month. DeLauro highlighted the fact that Vance skipped the vote. "He didn't show up for a vote. So I don't know what he's talking about when he's talking about this $5,000. What does it mean? Who does it go to?"
• She also pointed out a current Senate bill sponsored by Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and other Democratic lawmakers that would expand the child tax credit. "He's not on it."

Moms First CEO and founder Reshma Saujani said child care is a "critical economic issue."

• "[Moms are] literally being set up to fail and it's not a personal problem. It is an economic issue. You cannot work without affordable, available child care. And the reality is, is child care is neither affordable nor available," Saujani said.

Meanwhile, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper highlighted the $25,000 housing down payment support for first-time homebuyers in Harris' economic agenda.

• "When you talk with everyday people who are struggling to make it, who are trying to find affordable housing, they will tell you that's one of their biggest issues," Cooper said.
• "You can tell she's trying to help working families make it and [Donald Trump's] trying to rip working families off."

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In a View From the Top conversation, Save the Children Action Network founder and special advisor to the Save the Children president, Mark Shriver, discussed how political leaders need to focus more on rural America and the issues they face when it comes to childcare and other economic issues.

• "Rural America, frankly, has felt– and I think with some justification– overlooked by political leadership, especially in the Democratic Party. I don't think that's the way it should be or the way it could be. They respond to those issues of early childhood education, they're faced with childcare crisis and childcare deserts, food deserts as much as any other part of the country and in many cases worse."
• "We don't have the guts as a country to invest in a population that can't vote and that doesn't give money…You don't see poor kids voting in record numbers because they can't…We've just ignored that population. We've forgotten about them in cities and in the suburbs, and especially in rural America."

A unique program in Florida that helps immigrants get U.S. teaching licenses could help tackle teacher shortages if adopted on greater scale.

Why it matters: The Miami Dade College initiative is a win-win because it also gives immigrants "economic mobility opportunities," says Elizabeth Zamudio, vice president of education at UnidosUS, the Latino civil rights organization.

Abortion won't be on the Arkansas ballot this November.

State of play: The state Supreme Court blocked a proposed constitutional amendment when it ruled Thursday that Secretary of State John Thurston was justified in disqualifying petitions to allow the measure on the general-election ballot.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) will rail against companies for price gouging and greed in his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Democrats are using the spotlight in Chicago to argue that corporate greed is causing inflation, trying to flip the narrative on one of their glaring weaknesses in November.

A Harris-Walz campaign official tells reporters that Vice President Kamala Harris plans to put joy, optimism and patriotism at the center of her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.

Why it matters: Harris' joyful warrior approach represents a massive bet that Americans want relief from former President Trump's abrasive style.

CHICAGO — On a star-studded night of speakers, it was a member of the audience who delivered the most unforgettable moment of the Democratic National Convention.

• "That's my dad!" a crying Gus Walz, the 17-year-old son of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, shouted and pointed as his father accepted the party's vice presidential nomination.

Why it matters: On the biggest stage of Walz's political career, his family showed America why Vice President Kamala Harris chose him to be his running mate: his ability to mix compassion with no-frills authenticity.

UAW President Shawn Fain got a coveted spot speaking opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to share his message of fighting against corporate greed. With one million active and retired members, Democrats are hoping the UAW will help get out the vote for a Harris-Walz ticket.

Organized labor's role in the election isn't just to bring people together, but get them to work with each other, Fain told Niala Boodhoo on stage at an Axios House DNC event this week. Fain talks about worker dignity and UAW's role in the upcoming presidential election in a special podcast live from the DNC.

Guests: Shawn Fain, UAW President.

Go Deeper: Exclusive: UAW's Shawn Fain on Teamsters RNC speech — "I wouldn't have" done it

Credits: 1 big thing is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Alexandra Botti, and Jay Cowit. Music is composed by Alex Sugiura and Jay Cowit. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can send questions, comments and story ideas as a text or voice memo to Niala at 202-918-4893.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears set to transition from X-factor to ex-candidate — a dramatic descent for what had once seemed a historically consequential third-party candidacy.

Why it matters: Kennedy has said he'll address his "path forward" in a speech on Friday. Multiple outlets have reported he'll drop out and endorse former President Trump.

Tim Walz leaned into his rural roots as he accepted the Democratic Party's vice presidential nomination on Wednesday during the most high-profile political speech of his career.

Why it matters: Democrats are hopeful that Walz, a native of Nebraska, will boost Harris' appeal among rural and moderate voters in the crucial "Blue Wall" states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance slammed his Democratic counterpart, Tim Walz, and other DNC speakers for taking aim at him and former President Trump during the Democratic National Convention.

The big picture: Walz during his acceptance speech for the Democratic Party's vice presidential nomination on Wednesday sought to tie Trump and Vance to the Heritage Foundation-backed Project 2025, which the GOP presidential nominee has tried to distance himself from.

CHICAGO — Tim Walz's family became emotional at the DNC as he spoke of his and Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz's fertility journey during his acceptance speech for the Democratic Party's vice presidential nomination on Wednesday.

The big picture: "It took Gwen and I years" to conceive, the Minnesota governor said. "But we had access to fertility treatments and when our daughter was born, we named her Hope," he added, causing tears to well up in the eyes of his daughter, who was watching in the front row with her mom and brother.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was met with cheers during his acceptance speech for the Democratic Party's vice presidential nomination on Wednesday and thanked those gathered for "bringing the joy" to the 2024 election.

The big picture: Walz shared his family's fertility journey as he spoke of protecting "reproductive freedom because, in Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make," adding: "Even if we wouldn't make those same choices for ourselves, we've got a golden rule: Mind your own damn business."

Gwen Walz, the wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, who could be the nation's next second lady, has been making waves at the DNC.

The big picture: Minnesota first lady Walz, a lifelong educator, has been actively involved in her husband's political career and could bring that same commitment to his next post if he's elected as vice president as part of Kamala Harris' bid for the White House.

Oprah Winfrey at the DNC on Wednesday urged voters to "choose common sense over nonsense" and vote for Kamala Harris.

Why it matters: Winfrey brought star power to the convention stage in her hometown of Chicago, and urged her fellow Independents to join her in voting Democratic this time around.

Amanda Gorman debuted her new poem, "This Sacred Scene," in support of Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.

The big picture: The country's first National Youth Poet Laureate went viral after her standout recital of "The Hill We Climb" at President Biden's inauguration in 2021, captivating the country and much of the world.

When Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz took the stage at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, it represented the culmination of steady, then stratospheric rise in the party's ranks.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at the DNC that former President Trump choosing Sen. JD Vance as his running mate sends a message of "doubling down on negativity and grievance."

The big picture: During his speech, Buttigieg singled out Vance over the senator's controversial comments about childless adults and quipped: "At least Mike Pence was polite."

Former President Clinton boasted that he's "still younger" than former President Trump more than three decades after winning the White House in his address to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Age was a liability for Democrats when President Biden was on the ticket. Now, it's an asset.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), in a speech to the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, compared former President Trump to an "old boyfriend" who "just won't go away."

Why it matters: It was Jeffries' first speech to a Democratic convention as the House Democratic leader, and he used the opportunity to showcase his well-honed talent for mocking Republicans.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said during a speech to the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday that former President Trump is "plotting again" to steal the 2024 election.

Why it matter: Thompson spent nearly two years as chair of the Jan. 6 Select Committee investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in the Jan. 6 attack.

Former President Trump appeared behind bulletproof glass in North Carolina in his first outdoor rally since the assassination attempt on him in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month.

The big picture: It's been signature Trump to hold large outdoor rallies, but the U.S. Secret Service had expressed concern about the Republican presidential candidate holding big-crowd events and initially advised against it in some instances.