Kamala Harris speech; Did DNC have special guests? : NPR

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Today’s top stories

NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent Domenico Montanaro joins the newsletter today to break down the final night of the DNC:

History was made Thursday night when Kamala Harris accepted the Democrats’ nomination to be president. She is the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to do so, but it’s not something she dwelled on. Here are five takeaways from Harris’ speech and Democrats’ convention week in Chicago:

1. Harris introduced herself to America: She made her story one woven into the fabric of Americana, a blue-collar child of immigrants.
2. She and Democrats inverted a lot of Republican messaging and attacks against them: From what and who is blue collar to patriotism and the definition of freedom, Democrats flipped the script.
3. Harris showed discipline: And that’s a key thing for someone who wants to be president. She didn’t ramble and mostly stuck to the script and the facts, a stark contrast to her opponent.
4. She staked claim to the “change” mantle: Not an easy thing for a sitting vice president to do, but she showed she’s different not just from former President Trump but also President Biden, which was underlined in how she spoke about Gaza.
5. Democrats are rightly thrilled with the week they had, but this is still a very close race: It’s why people like Michelle Obama cautioned against irrational exuberance and reminded of the work that still needs to be done.

Stay informed during the 2024 election season and beyond by subscribing to the NPR Politics newsletter and listening to the NPR Politics podcast.

In Arizona, former President Trump returned to one of his signature campaign promises — building a wall along the U.S. southern border. Speaking in Cochise County, AZ, Trump’s appearance was part of a plan to pull attention away from Harris and the DNC as he highlighted an area where Democrats are seen as vulnerable. Trump said under Harris’ watch as vice president there has been a wide open southern border. At the event, he was joined by officials from the U.S. Border Patrol union, Cochise County Sheriff’s Office and mothers whose children were killed by suspects who were in the U.S. illegally. Those parents said they believe Trump is the candidate who could secure the border and prevent immigrants from crossing illegally and committing similar crimes.

• 🎧 NPR’s Ben Giles tells Up First that Senator Mark Kelly earlier this week touted actions taken by the Biden-Harris administration that Democrats credit with a sharp decrease in border crossings. Kelly criticized Trump for torpedoing GOP support in Congress for a bipartisan border security bill that failed earlier this year. Harris promised to sign that bill if elected in November. Yesterday, Trump was dismissive when asked about the decline in border crossings and called the bill a bad deal. Trump will continue campaigning in Arizona today with a rally in the Phoenix suburb and has teased a special guest appearance.

What secret evidence does the U.S. government have against TikTok? That’s what the social media giant’s lawyers hope a judge will let them learn, according to new filings submitted yesterday in its ongoing lawsuit against the Biden administration. TikTok hopes to halt the law that would shut the app down in January unless it’s sold. For more than four years, federal officials have outlined a case against TikTok saying its algorithm and data-collection practices could potentially be weaponized by the Chinese Communist Party. But when pressed for examples the government cites none. In a recent filing the Justice Department relies on unspecified fears the app’s parent company, ByteDance, “could be expected to comply with demands by the Chinese government to manipulate the algorithm,” referring to laws in China that would leave TikTok no choice but to bend to the demands of Beijing. TikTok now wants a “special master” appointed to sift through the government’s classified materials about the app.

Two updated COVID-19 vaccines were approved yesterday by the Food and Drug Administration. The vaccines are designed to keep the shots up to date with the virus’ variants. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines, which got the green light, target the KP.2 variant. Getting the vaccine in the September or October timeframe could help maximize protection through the winter surge and over the holidays.

Life advice

Financial educator Yanely Espinal shares some of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to borrowing, investing and budgeting their money.

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rob dobi/Getty Images

Financial coach Yanely Espinal sees people from all walks of life struggle with borrowing, investing and budgeting. She teaches them how to make better-informed decisions about money. She shared these common financial mistakes and solutions she has encountered in her line of work with Life Kit:

• 💵 If you need money, you may consider a loan, but remember it’s not free money.
• 💵 Cosigning a loan means you’re agreeing to be responsible for someone else’s debt.
• 💵 Putting your money in a traditional savings account is likely to make little interest. Instead, using a high-yield savings account with interest rates between about 4% and 5% helps to grow your savings and protect them against inflation.
• ➡️Here are other ways Espinal recommends being careful with money.

Weekend picks

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

🍿Movies: Miami’s Little Haiti is on borrowed time as what made the area unique now has the attention of developers. Filmmaker Monica Sorelle documented the area’s ongoing redevelopment and residents’ struggles with it in Mountains, a film that tells the story of a family experiencing the changes first hand.

📺 TV: In 1993, the groundbreaking police drama, Homicide: Life on the Street, debuted with a bracing shot of street-level realism. Three decades later, fans are still making a fuss about it and now all seven seasons can be streamed on Peacock.

📚 Books: In Paradise Bronx, Ian Frazier tells the story of the Bronx, the only New York City borough attached to the mainland U.S. He begins with the Native people who originally called the area home and works his way chronologically to the current revitalization/gentrification of the area.

🎵 Music: Bryce Dessner, a member of indie rock band The National, makes his classical debut today with his album Solos. He shared some of the new music and what inspired it with Morning Edition.

❓Quiz: If you watched the Democratic National Convention this week (and the Republican counterprogramming), you’ll get at least five questions right. But, how do you think you’ll fair overall?

Before you go

In this file photo, voters deliver their ballot to a polling station in Tempe, Ariz., on Nov. 3, 2020. In the 2024 presidential preference election in Arizona, independent voters are not permitted to vote.

Matt York/AP

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Matt York/AP

In this file photo, voters deliver their ballot to a polling station in Tempe, Ariz., on Nov. 3, 2020. In the 2024 presidential preference election in Arizona, independent voters are not permitted to vote.

Matt York/AP

1. The U.S. Supreme Court has for now granted a Republican request requiring Arizona voters to submit proof of their U.S. citizenship when using the state’s registration form. The win is partial and more than 40,000 voters whom the GOP tried to block from voting could still cast a ballot in November.
2. Staff at an Atlanta hospital allegedly misplaced part of a man’s skull after his brain surgery, according to a new lawsuit filed in Georgia. In the lawsuit, the couple who filed the suit say Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital Midtown caused them “ongoing physical and emotional pain and suffering” and left them with thousands of dollars in medical bills.
3. Nearly 60% of food products for toddlers and babies in the U.S. don’t meet nutrition standards set by the World Health Organization, according to a new study. Researchers tested more than 600 products sold by these retailers in 2023.

This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel.