Politics
'Embrace her,' Biden says as Harris gives her first speech as likely Democratic nominee
Vice President Kamala Harris launched her official campaign Monday with a fiery address to supporters in Delaware — her first public address since overnight becoming a candidate for president and the Democrats’ likely nominee.
Before Harris addressed the crowd at the campaign’s Wilmington headquarters, President Biden phoned in to speak to the gathered staff, saying he would have attended in person if he weren’t still recovering from COVID-19. He advised his team: “Embrace her. She’s the best.”
“The name has changed at the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn’t changed at all,” Biden said. “And by the way, I’m not going anywhere. I’m gonna be out there on the campaign with her, with Kamala. I’m going to be working like hell — both as a sitting president, getting legislation passed — as well as campaigning.”
The president acknowledged that his decision was “surprising” but it “was the right thing to do.” Some staffers in the audience cried at his speech.
But their tears turned to rousing cheers when Harris took the stage. Her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, followed Harris through the room as she greeted staff and clapped. Already, the walls were papered with “Harris for President,” “Restore Roe” and “Kamala” posters. A giant California state flag hung over the desks.
Harris applauded the assembled group, and acknowledged that the campaign had been “a roller coaster and we’re all filled with so many mixed emotions about this.” She spent several minutes praising Biden, ticking off his accomplishments leading the country through the COVID-19 pandemic and passing major bipartisan legislation.
“Joe’s legacy of accomplishment … is unmatched in modern history,” she said. “In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who served two terms in office.”
She thanked the president, who was still listening on the phone.
“Joe, I know you’re still on the call and we’ve been talking every day,” Harris said. “We love Joe and Jill. We really do. They truly are like family to us.”
“It’s mutual,” Biden could be heard saying over the loudspeaker.
“I knew you were still there,” Harris said, laughing. “You’re not going anywhere, Joe.”
“I’m watching you kid. I love you,” Biden replied.
“I love you, Joe,” Harris said.
Turning to business, Harris announced that Biden’s top campaign officials — Jen O’Malley Dillon and Julie Chavez Rodriguez — will stay on to run her campaign.
The speech gave the public a first peek at how Harris will present as a presidential candidate in a breathtakingly fast four-month runway to the general election. It marked a shift from Harris’ usual address on the campaign trail stumping for Biden in the last several months. Her tone grew sharper as she outlined her attack on former President Trump and drew specific parallels between herself and her opponent.
She leaned hard into her background as California’s senator, its attorney general and a prosecutor, contrasting her experience with that of Trump, who is now a convicted felon.
“I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” Harris said as her supporters broke out into laughter. “Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say — I know Donald Trump’s type.”
“We are not going back,” she added, as the crowd broke into applause.
The Trump campaign zeroed in on Harris on Monday, attacking her for a “border invasion” in a memo to supporters.
“Kamala Harris is as bad, if not worse, than Joe Biden,” said the memo from Trump’s top campaign officials Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles.
Earlier Monday, at his first campaign rally as Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance blamed Harris — as well as other Democrats and the media — for hiding that Biden “wasn’t capable of doing the job.”
“What is going on in this country is absolutely disgraceful,” Vance said.
Harris said her campaign “is not just about us vs. Donald Trump.” She delivered her vision for America’s future, “where no child has to grow up in poverty, where every person can buy a home, start a family and build wealth, and where every person has access to paid family leave and affordable childcare.”
Her priorities for a Harris presidency include passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act and issuing several gun control measures, such as universal background checks, “red flag laws” to prevent potentially threatening people from purchasing guns, and an assault weapons ban.
Some of the group’s loudest applause came when Harris pledged to sign into law national legislation protecting abortion access. Part of Democrats’ frustration with Biden, particularly during his disastrous performance at last month’s debate, was around his struggle to articulate a clear message on abortion. Abortion is one of the top motivating issues for Democratic voters, and one Harris has frequently championed on the campaign trail.
“In this election, we know we each face a question: What kind of country do we want to live in?” she said. “A country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?”
Harris seemed to relish the opportunity to shine in her first stump speech since her failed 2020 presidential bid.
“We have an election to win. So are you ready to get to work?” she roared with a grin, before concluding her speech with “God bless the United States of America and Joe Biden.”
Politics
Video: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows
new video loaded: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows
transcript
transcript
Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows
Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota abandoned his re-election bid to focus on handling a scandal over fraud in social service programs that grew under his administration.
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“I’ve decided to step out of this race, and I’ll let others worry about the election while I focus on the work that’s in front of me for the next year.” “All right, so this is Quality Learing Center — meant to say Quality ‘Learning’ Center.” “Right now we have around 56 kids enrolled. If the children are not here, we mark absence.”
By Shawn Paik
January 6, 2026
Politics
Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu
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A San Francisco Democrat demanded the impeachment of President Donald Trump, accusing him of carrying out a “coup” against Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.
California state Sen. Scott Wiener, seen as the likely congressional successor to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, also took a swipe at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Wiener has frequently drawn national attention for his progressive positions, including his legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom designating California as a “refuge” for transgender children and remarks at a San Francisco Pride Month event referring to California children as “our kids.”
In a lengthy public statement following the Trump administration’s arrest and extradition of Maduro to New York, Wiener said the move shows the president only cares about “enriching his public donors” and “cares nothing for the human or economic cost of conquering another country.”
KAMALA HARRIS BLASTS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO AS ‘UNLAWFUL AND UNWISE’
California State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, speaks at a rally. (John Sciulli/Getty Images)
“This lawless coup is an invitation for China to invade Taiwan, for Russia to escalate its conquest in Ukraine, and for Netanyahu to expand the destruction of Gaza and annex the West Bank,” said Wiener, who originally hails from South Jersey.
He suggested that the Maduro operation was meant to distract from purportedly slumping poll numbers, the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, and to essentially seize another country’s oil reserves.
“Trump is a total failure,” Wiener said. “By engaging in this reckless act, Trump is also making the entire world less safe … Trump is making clear yet again that, under this regime, there are no rules, there are no laws, there are no norms – there is only whatever Trump thinks is best for himself and his cronies at a given moment in time.”
GREENE HITS TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES, ARGUES ACTION ‘DOESN’T SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’
In response, the White House said the administration’s actions against Maduro were “lawfully executed” and included a federal arrest warrant.”
“While Democrats take twisted stands in support of indicted drug smugglers, President Trump will always stand with victims and families who can finally receive closure thanks to this historic action,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.
Supporters of the operation have pushed back on claims of “regime change” – an accusation Wiener also made – pointing to actions by Maduro-aligned courts that barred top opposition leader María Corina Machado from running, even as publicly reported results indicated her proxy, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the vote.
“Trump’s illegal invasion of Venezuela isn’t about drugs, and it isn’t about helping the people of Venezuela or restoring Venezuelan democracy,” Wiener added. “Yes, Maduro is awful, but that’s not what the invasion is about. It’s all about oil and Trump’s collapsing support at home.”
EX-ESPN STAR KEITH OLBERMANN CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT OF TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES THAT CAPTURED MADURO
Around the country, a handful of other Democrats referenced impeachment or impeachable offenses, but did not go as far as Wiener in demanding such proceedings.
Rep. April McClain-Delaney, D-Md., who represents otherwise conservative “Mountain Maryland” in the state’s panhandle, said Monday that Democrats should “imminently consider impeachment proceedings,” according to TIME.
McClain-Delaney said Trump acted without constitutionally-prescribed congressional authorization and wrongly voiced “intention to ‘run’ the country.”
SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’
One frequent Trump foil, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., cited in a statement that she has called for Trump’s impeachment in the past; blaming Republicans for letting the president “escape accountability.”
“Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality. I am reconsidering that view,” Waters said.
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“What we are witnessing is an unprecedented escalation of an unlawful invasion, the detention of foreign leaders, and a president openly asserting power far beyond what the Constitution allows,” she said, while appearing to agree with Trump that Maduro was involved in drug trafficking and “collaborat[ion] with… terrorists.”
Wiener’s upcoming primary is considered the deciding election in the D+36 district, while a handful of other lesser-known candidates have reportedly either filed FEC paperwork or declared their candidacy, including San Francisco Councilwoman Connie Chan.
Politics
California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress
California Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) has died, GOP leadership and President Trump confirmed Tuesday morning.
“Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” said Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the House majority whip, in a post on X. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”
LaMalfa, 65, was a fourth-generation rice farmer from Oroville and staunch Trump supporter who had represented his Northern California district for the past 12 years. His seat was one of several that was in jeopardy under the state’s redrawn districts approved by voters with Proposition 50.
Emergency personnel responded to a 911 call from LaMalfa’s residence at 6:50 p.m. Monday, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. The congressman was taken to the Enloe Medical Center in Chico, where he died while undergoing emergency surgery, authorities said.
An autopsy to determine the cause of death is planned, according to the sheriff’s office.
LaMalfa’s district — which stretches from the northern outskirts of Sacramento, through Redding at the northern end of the Central Valley and Alturas in the state’s northeast corner — is largely rural, and constituents have long said they felt underrepresented in liberal California.
LaMalfa put much of his focus on boosting federal water supplies to farmers, and seeking to reduce environmental restrictions on logging and extraction of other natural resources.
One LaMalfa’s final acts in the U.S. House was to successfully push for the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Act, a long-standing financial aid program for schools surrounded by untaxed federal forest land, whose budgets could not depend upon property taxes, as most public schools do. Despite broad bipartisan support, Congress let it lapse in 2023.
In an interview with The Times as he was walking onto the House floor in mid-December, LaMalfa said he was frustrated with Congress’s inability to pass even a popular bill like that reauthorization.
The Secure Rural Schools Act, he said, was a victim of a Congress in which “it’s still an eternal fight over anything fiscal.” It is “annoying,” LaMalfa said, “how hard it is to get basic things done around here.”
In a statement posted on X, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff said he considered LaMalfa “a friend and partner” and that the congressman was “deeply committed to his community and constituents, working to make life better for those he represented.”
“Doug’s life was one of great service and he will be deeply missed,” Schiff wrote.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement called LaMalfa a “devoted public servant who deeply loved his country, his state, and the communities he represented.”
“While we often approached issues from different perspectives, he fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care,” Newsom said.
Flags at the California State Capitol in Sacramento will be flown at half-staff in honor of the congressman, according to the governor.
Before his death, LaMalfa was facing a difficult reelection bid to hold his seat. After voters approved Proposition 50 in November — aimed at giving California Democrats more seats in Congress — LaMalfa was drawn into a new district that heavily favored his likely opponent, State Sen. Mike McGuire, a Democrat who represents the state’s northwest coast.
LaMalfa’s death puts the Republican majority in Congress in further jeopardy, with a margin of just two votes to secure passage of any bill along party lines after the resignation of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday evening.
Adding to the party’s troubles, Rep. Jim Baird, a Republican from Indiana, was hospitalized on Tuesday for a car crash described by the White House as serious. While Baird is said to be stable, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson from Louisiana, will not be able to rely on his attendance. And he has one additional caucus member – Thomas Massie of Kentucky – who has made a habit of voting against the president, bringing their margin for error down effectively to zero.
President Trump, addressing a gathering of GOP House members at the Kennedy Center, addressed the news at the start of his remarks, expressing “tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member” and stating his speech would be made in LaMalfa’s honor.
“He was the leader of the Western caucus – a fierce champion on California water issues. He was great on water. ‘Release the water!’ he’d scream out. And a true defender of American children.”
“You know, he voted with me 100% of the time,” Trump added.
A native of Oroville, LaMalfa attended Butte College and then earned an ag-business degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He served in the California Assembly from 2002 to 2008 and the California State Senate from 2010 to 2012. Staunchly conservative, he was an early supporter of Proposition 209, which ended affirmative action in California, and he also pushed for passage of the Protection of Marriage Act, Proposition 22, which banned same-sex marriage in California.
While representing California’s 1st District, LaMalfa focused largely on issues affecting rural California and other western states. In 2025, Congressman he was elected as Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, which focuses on legislation affected rural areas.
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