With the White House behind her, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered an impassioned closing speech to the American people. In an incredibly accelerated election cycle in which Harris had only three months to define herself to voters beyond the Biden administration, she used the speech to spotlight the stark contrast between her values ​​and vision for the country and that of Donald Trump. Even her chosen venue, the Ellipse (site of Donald Trump’s infamous event Speech of January 6 in 2021, where he exhorted his followers to “fight like hell” and preceded an rebel) looked as if it would symbolize the various type of government he offers.

Here are our top 5 takeaways.

Harris says Donald Trump is fascinated about himself

Harris wasted no time in laying out the stakes of the election, saying: “This election is more than just a choice between two parties and two different candidates. “It’s a choice whether we have a country rooted in freedom for every American or one ruled by chaos and division.” She went on to characterize Donald Trump as deeply selfish and focused on revenge against his perceived enemies. “Donald Trump intends to use the United States military against American citizens who simply disagree with him, people he calls, quote, America’s ‘enemy from within.’ This is not a presidential candidate who thinks about how to improve his life. “He is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grief and craving unchecked power.” Unlike Trump, who has an “enemies list,” Harris described herself as someone who has a “bucket list” of things she desires to do for the country.

It’s time to change sides to Division

Unity was one other theme of Harris’ speech. While the country “has become absorbed in too much division, chaos and mutual distrust,” she said, “it doesn’t have to be this way.” Harris encouraged Americans to assume a united country with her on the helm: “We have to stop pointing fingers and start clenching our hands. It is time to turn the page on drama and conflict, fear and division. It is time for a new generation of leadership in America, and I am ready to offer that leadership as the next President of the United States.” If elected, Harris also promised to be a president for all people, even those that disagree with her: “Here’s what I promise you: I will always listen to you, even if you don’t vote for me. I will always tell you the truth, even if it’s hard to hear. I will work every day to build consensus and reach compromise to get things done, and if you give me the chance to fight on your behalf, nothing in the world will stand in my way.”

Harris says a middle-class upbringing inspires presidential priorities

Harris portrayed herself as someone who cared concerning the average American and could connect with them due to her middle-class upbringing. “There’s something about people being treated unfairly or overlooked that, honestly, just blows my mind. I don’t like it. This is what my mother instilled in me: a drive to hold accountable those who use their wealth or power to take advantage of other people, a drive to protect hardworking Americans who are not always seen or heard and who deserve a voice.” At several points in her speech, she recalled memories of her mother and how that will impact her priorities as president. For example, when developing her economic plan, she recalled: “I’ll always remember how our mother saved and how excited she was when she could finally afford to purchase our first house. I remember how excited she was and I do know that owning a home is just not only a guarantee of economic security. It’s about taking pride in your labor, and as president, I’ll fight to assist first-time home buyers make down payments, defeat firms which might be raising rents and constructing thousands and thousands of recent homes. Because of her experience caring for her mother while battling cancer, she knows how expensive it will probably be, so Harris also proposed extending Medicare home health care coverage to seniors to ease the burden on families.

Harris vows to take motion on abortion and immigration

Since becoming the Democratic presidential candidate, Harris has repeatedly advocated for reproductive rights, and in her speech she once more asserted that a woman – not the federal government – has the fitting to make her own decisions about her body. In contrast to what she said was Trump’s plan to ban abortion nationwide, she promised that “as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it when Congress passes legislation to restore reproductive freedom nationwide.” On the heels degrading remarks Last week, Trump spoke out about immigrants during his controversial rally at Madison Square Garden, Harris said: “Politicians must stop treating immigration as an issue to intimidate votes and instead treat it as a serious challenge that we must finally unite to address.” to unravel the issue.” In addition to promising to sign a previously rejected bipartisan immigration bill, she also recognized the worth of immigrants. She promised comprehensive immigration reform: “We must recognize that we are a nation of immigrants, and I will work with Congress to pass immigration reform that includes a workable path to citizenship for hard-working immigrants like farmworkers and Dreamers.”

In a hallmark of the campaign, Harris ended on an optimistic note

Reflecting on her extraordinary journey that led to this moment, Harris said: “I grew up as a child of the civil rights movement. My parents took me in a stroller to marches where crowds of people of all races, creeds, and walks of life gathered to fight for the ideals of freedom and opportunity. I lived the promise of America. I saw how hard our mother worked to give her daughters the same opportunities this country gave her.” She continued: “These United States of America, we will not be a vessel for the plans of would-be dictators… Let us fight for this beautiful country that we love and in seven days we will likely be in power. Each of you has the facility to show the page and begin writing the following chapter of probably the most extraordinary story ever told. While this speech was intended to be her closing argument, it won’t be the last time voters will see her on the campaign trail. On Wednesday, Harris is scheduled to go to three cities in battleground states: Raleigh, North Carolina; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Madison, Wisconsin.

People the American Way (PFAW) published an ad on YouTube this shows what the Pledge of Allegiance might seem like if Donald Trump were reelected.

The ad, titled “The Pledge,” features three images of members of the armed forces taking the oath of allegiance, but in several words since the United States is under the rule of former President Donald J. Trump. “We pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic I represent, one nation under Donald J. Trump,” the members begin.

“With freedom and fear for all.”

As the African-American man barely looks away, the commander and the lady dictate what the U.S. Armed Forces must do after taking the oath. “We will arrest, detain, imprison, deport and, if necessary, kill enemies of our movement at home and abroad,” they said.

The group then lists all of the individuals who may very well be affected by such a rule, including “treasonous judges and journalists, election workers and teachers deemed pornographers.” “Doctors performing abortions, protesting citizens and millions of illegal immigrants,” the group said, with tears streaming down one’s face.

The pledge ends with the words: “We do that within the name of our supreme leader, Donald J. Trump. Amen.” The American flag hanging on the wall is the other way up.

Since Trump became the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, Project 2025 and Agenda 47 have been the core of his campaign. They present policies that may disrupt the drafting of the United States Constitution and push narratives which can be more aligned with it.

In the wake of dangerous and offensive comments made at a New York rally on October 27 that attacked the Latino and Black communities, racial justice advocates are increasingly urging voters to refrain from voting for Trump. “Last weekend’s Trump rally at Madison Square Garden was telling. “More dangerous and divisive rhetoric at the event compared to a 1939 Nazi rally at the same location, where speakers blamed select groups for stoking resentment,” PFAW said in an announcement, in line with a press release shared

While the Trump camp released an announcement including a joke through which he referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating pile of garbage” that “does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, who’s mobilizing Latino voters, is working behind the scenes to to make certain that the words will likely be recorded after they go to the polls. He asked the PAC for $30,000 in small donations in order that a video recording of the comments will be sent to Puerto Rican voters in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state.

Deontae Faison, a 35-year-old black father of two, was attempting to enjoy a picnic in an Oakland park with a friend when police confronted him about expired tags on the automobile they were driving.

The automobile belonged to his friend, a white woman, but East Bay Regional Parks Police Officer Jonathan Knea focused his attention on Faison, despite the fact that he never saw him drive it into the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline on April 5. lawsuit filed earlier this month.

Believing he was being unfairly targeted, Faison gave police an alias. But when the cops couldn’t find the name of their system, they threatened to bring a fingerprint technician to the scene to properly ID him and check him for arrest warrants.

Meanwhile, the white woman who owned the automobile was never questioned as as to if she owned it, her name was never checked to acquire a warrant, and he or she was never threatened with fingerprinting.

After 20 minutes of being detained and questioned, more cops arrived and Faison panicked, especially after Knea pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot him, so he ran towards a body of water, prompting Knea to chase him and taser him within the back .

Faison fell but was in a position to rise up and knee-deep within the water, but Knea continued to scald him, causing him to fall face first into the water, which the lawsuit says is a violation of department policy.

Officers then spent the following 40 minutes watching Faison struggle to remain afloat within the icy 50-degree water, doing nothing to avoid wasting him.

“He will not survive” – ​​in response to the lawsuit, the policeman’s voice might be heard on the camera placed within the man’s body.

After 40 minutes of attempting to stay afloat, Faison sank underwater, but his unconscious body surfaced and started floating near the other bank of the river mouth.

Only then did the police pull his body from the water and call an ambulance, the lawsuit states. While waiting for rescuers to reach, in addition they left his unconscious body on the shore for quarter-hour without attempting to resuscitate him using cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

They also didn’t inform paramedics that they’d repeatedly shocked him with a Taser, which, in response to the lawsuit, prevented paramedics from providing vital medical attention. Six months later, Faison stays in hospital in a coma.

According to the lawsuit, which names the East Bay Regional Park District and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office as defendants:

The lawsuit also states that Knea violated several department and state policies established by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, which certifies law enforcement officers in California:

The lawsuit accuses police and deputies of violating Faison’s Fourth Amendment rights, in addition to battery, false imprisonment and negligence. Watch the video from the camera embedded below.

Alleged concealment

The lawsuit accuses the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office of concealing their wrongdoing by turning off body cameras and disposing of evidence, resembling Faison’s clothing with Tasers attached.

According to the lawsuit, in addition they didn’t take heed to the testimony of witnesses, including Faison’s friend, who also fled the scene. However, she only received a citation, which the criticism says is evidence of selective enforcement between blacks and whites:

Officers also claimed of their reports that they feared Faison may be armed, which put him in fear for his life, which the lawsuit claims is a lie.

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Faison for resisting arrest and giving an officer a false name, despite the fact that Faison stays within the hospital in a coma and has no opportunity to defend himself against the costs.

“The level of disregard and callousness that the officers showed as they stood by and watched Deontae scream for help, flailing his arms in a desperate attempt to avoid drowning, is inexcusable,” civil rights attorney Jamir Davis of the J. Davis Law Firm said in a press release submitted by one of the attorneys representing the case.

Faison’s oldest son, also named Deontae, turned 18 over the summer and graduated from highschool, but his father was unable to attend the ceremony.

“It just derailed our whole life,” the younger Faison said through tears press conference. “I can’t go to the park. I can’t play basketball. … It’s very difficult for all of us.”