Harris visits Wisconsin as Trump campaign reverses course after Biden drops out

NextGen PAC, the political arm of the nation's largest organization of young voters, has endorsed Harris for president.

“From protecting abortion access and care to supporting climate justice, economic justice, voting rights and LGBTQ+ rights, Vice President Harris represents the diversity, vision and values ​​of young Americans,” NextGen PAC chair Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez said in a statement.

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Harris is scheduled to travel to Indianapolis tomorrow to deliver the keynote address at the Grand Boule of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a historically black sorority that is one of the Divine Nine, a historically black Greek-letter organization.

Indiana, the home state of Harris' former vice presidential rival, Mike Pence, will be the 24th state she will visit this year, according to the White House.

Harris joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the oldest black sorority in history, in 1986 while attending Howard University and gave the keynote address at the club's biennial national conference in Dallas this month.

Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to head to Milwaukee today for her first presidential campaign rally.

Harris' visit to Milwaukee will also be her first visit to a battleground state during the presidential campaign, her campaign said in a press release. It will be her ninth visit to Wisconsin during her term as vice president and her fifth this year.

According to her campaign, she is expected to tell Wisconsin voters that they must choose between Trump, who has convicted and “pulled our country back,” and Harris, who has “a vision for a bright future where freedom is protected and every American has a fair chance.”

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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, in her first interview since Biden dropped out of the presidential race, told ABC's “The View” that Republican calls for him to resign were “absurd.”

“The president has decided not to run for reelection. That's it. That's all he's decided,” she said.

Since Biden ended his campaign rally on Sunday afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York have called on him to resign. Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, has also suggested Biden step down, asking how he would justify staying in office if he decided not to run.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will endorse Kamala Harris at a press conference today at 1 p.m., according to three sources familiar with the endorsements.

Both leaders have spoken highly positively about Harris and her campaign but have stopped short of formally endorsing her.

Jeffries said the pair hoped to meet in person with Harris, and while that meeting has yet to take place, both he and Schumer have spoken with Harris by phone.

In a statement posted to X, Melinda French Gates endorses Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid, saying she “hopes she will fight for our country for the next four years.”

“We need leaders who will stand up for reproductive freedom. Leaders who understand that supporting caregivers leads to healthier families and a stronger economy. Leaders who know that when women are fully empowered in society, we all thrive,” she said.

She added, “I support Vice President Kamala Harris because she is truly a leader.”

George Clooney, an Oscar-winning actor and major Democratic donor, praised Biden for stepping down from the presidential race and endorsed Harris in a statement to NBC News.

“President Biden has shown what true leadership is. He is saving our democracy once again,” Clooney said. “We are all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic challenge.”

In a New York Times op-ed following Biden's poor performance in the June debates, Clooney urged Democratic leaders to increase pressure within the party to have Biden drop out of the race.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, are working to establish a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt on President Trump.

The task force, which requires a vote by the House of Representatives, will have 11 members – six Republicans and five Democrats. Johnson will appoint the chair, and he and Jeffries will serve as ex officio members.

The task force will have subpoena power and will be required to issue a report on its findings by Dec. 13 and make legislative recommendations to prevent future security breaches.

House Rules Committee Chairman Michael Burgess (R-Texas) said the bill to create the task force will likely come to the floor for a vote tomorrow.

US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned following widespread calls from lawmakers for her to step down following the July 13 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, three sources told NBC News.

A formal announcement about her resignation is expected later this morning, according to two law enforcement officials.

Cheatle's resignation came a day after he faced questioning from lawmakers from both parties outraged by the Secret Service's failure to protect Trump.

But her answers did not satisfy leaders of the House Oversight Committee, which held a hearing yesterday.

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Biden is scheduled to deliver a prime-time speech at the White House tomorrow about his decision to withdraw from the presidential race, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Biden issued a letter on Sunday saying he would not accept the Democratic nomination and then endorsed his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, as his top choice in his place. Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 a few days ago and delayed commenting on the decision.

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