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Vice President Kamala Harris to join Colin Allred at Houston campaign rally on Friday
Kamala Harris to deliver speech at AFT convention in Houston
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a keynote address at the American Federation of Teachers National Convention in Houston on Thursday.
Fox – 26 Houston
Just 11 days ahead of the Nov. 5 election, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will be in the Republican state of Texas. She will be joined by Senate hopeful Colin Allred at a rally in Houston that will focus on the loss of reproductive freedom — a central issue in both candidates’ campaigns.
Friday’s event will be the first time Allred, a Democratic congressman from Dallas seeking to upset Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, and the vice president has shared a stage in Texas in the 2024 election cycle. Allred has so far been running a thread-the-needle campaign that seeks to keep the Democratic base in his tight grip, while not alienating independents and middle-of-the-road Republicans who might not want to award Cruz six more years in the Senate.
“Allred has gone from an arm’s length handshake to a full-on embrace of the Harris campaign,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor. “I think that’s because they’ve gone from persuasion to mobilization.”
Mere days away from the election, several polls show Trump and Harris neck-to-neck. A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll from the first day of early voting shows Harris leads Trump by 63%-34%, close to 2-1. However, polls predicting Election Day turnout show Trump leading Harris 52% to 35%. Similarly, in a poll from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, Trump has a five-point lead over Harris, 51% to 46%.
Harris has been closely trailing Trump in Texas since her Democratic nomination this summer.
How to get Kamala Harris rally tickets
As of Wednesday morning, the exact location of Harris’ rally, along with the availability of tickets, had not yet been released by the Democratic National Committee.
The Democrats’ rally Friday, at a Houston venue to be announced later, will be an opportunity to remind voters that Trump appointed the three U.S. Supreme Court justices who anchored the 2022 decision that ended the right to an abortion, which had been in place for 49 years under the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. And it’s a chance to highlight Cruz’s long-standing opposition to abortion rights and his expressed support for the high court’s decision to leave it to the individual states to set abortion law.
Donald Trump to visit Austin for ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast
Former President Donald Trump is set to appear on podcasting giant “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast later this week.
“The Joe Rogan Experience” is a popular podcast hosted by UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. The podcast is particularly among right-leaning men and is known for its wide-ranging interviews and discussions on politics, culture, and controversial topics.
Rogan is set to interview Trump in his Austin studio on Friday, USA TODAY confirmed on background. The studio is inside the Onnit Headquarters in South Austin.
This would mark Trump’s first appearance on Rogan’s popular podcast.
Read more: Former President Donald Trump is coming to Texas for ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ appearance
Kamala Harris campaign rally schedule
Harris’ decision to stop in Houston is a bit of a surprise. Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have expended much of their time and financial resources in such must-win swing states as Pennsylvania and Michigan, largely ceding Texas to the GOP, which has won the state in every presidential election since 1980.
- Harris is traveling to Pennsylvania on Wednesday and participating in a CNN Town Hall event in Chester Township, just outside of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
- On Thursday, the vice president will be in Georgia for a campaign rally, joined by former President Barack Obama as Bruce Springsteen performs. The event will mark the first time Harris and Obama have appeared together on the campaign trail.
- Harris is expected to visit Texas on Friday to attend a campaign event in Houston focusing on abortion rights and rally with Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who is challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. And finally, she’ll sit down for an interview with researcher Brené Brown, a podcaster who talks about feeling vulnerable.
‘This election is different’: Bill Gates responds to leak of his $50M to pro-Harris super-PAC
This week, it was revealed that Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder who is among the wealthiest people in the world, privately shared about his $50 million donation to a super PAC supporting Harris.
Gates has not publicly endorsed a candidate, and his donation to Future Forward’s nonprofit arm, Future Forward USA Action, was intended to remain private, according to the New York Times. The outlet also reports Gates has “concerns about what a second Trump presidency would look like,” as expressed in private phone calls.
Although Gates did not confirm or deny the donation and instead emphasized his bipartisanship, the billionaire also said that “this election is different.”
Obama introduced by Eminem at Harris rally, raps ‘Lose Yourself’
Eminem has shown further support for the Harris-Walz campaign this week. At a Detroit rally Tuesday, the rapper introduced former President Barack Obama. And Obama ensured the crowd got hyped.
“I have done a lot of rallies, so I don’t usually get nervous. But I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem,” Obama said when he took the stage in Detroit, Michigan.
“Now, I notice my palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, vomit on my sweater already, mom’s spaghetti, I’m nervous but on the surface I look calm and ready to drop bombs but I keep on forgetting,” Obama rapped as the crowd burst into cheers.
Obama raps Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ at Harris rally
Rapper Eminem introduced former president Barack Obama at a Kamala Harris rally. Obama returned the favor by reciting Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”
The lyrics came from Eminem’s 2002 song “Lose Yourself.”
— USA TODAY contributed to this report.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin city leaders gathered on East 11th Street on Juneteenth to celebrate the “Black Artists Matter” mural before it must be removed under an order from the Texas Department of Transportation. The mural and the city’s rainbow crosswalk are slated for removal in compliance with a Texas Department of Transportation directive requiring cities to remove political ideologies from roadways. Last October, Gov. Greg Abbott directed TxDOT to enforce the policy.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson stood on the blocked-off street where the yellow letters spelling “Black Artists Matter” are painted on the roadway’s surface. “We will never forget that when the state decided to target our murals, the community stood together to celebrate our city’s diversity, spirit, and creativity,” Watson said.
Watson criticized the state’s actions, saying, “The state government engages in negative rhetoric and threats, it targets communities that it disagrees with and seeks retribution.”
In response to the order, Watson formed the Public Spaces Task Force to identify other ways to celebrate diversity in Austin.
ALSO| Screwworm medications straining animal shelter budgets across Texas
KEYE
Daphne McDole, chief executive officer of the African American Cultural Heritage District and a member of the task force, said she wanted the event held on Juneteenth because of its significance. “I wanted to do it on Juneteenth, it was significant to me because I knew that that was the day my community would be in the district. We will be celebrating over here all day, so it was appropriate,” McDole said.
Task force members said they are exploring alternatives to honor East Austin’s history and diversity. They noted that city leaders in San Antonio created rainbow sidewalks after removing rainbow crosswalks, but said Austin will pursue its own approach.
Task force chair Steven Rivas said the community is focused on preserving the meaning behind the markings. “We chose to come together as a community and find a way to respect what these markings mean and build upon them. If we can’t have them in the street, we’re going to put them off the street,” Rivas said.
AUSTIN, Texas — The screwworm outbreak is having a major impact on animal shelter budgets across Texas. Instant kill and preventative medications for dogs and cats are an unprecedented expense.
Paul is a rescue dog from South Texas, where he was living on the streets and starving. He is now at Austin Pets Alive! getting Screwworm prevention medication and the treatment he needs to get healthy.
“Any dog that enters our shelter period, but especially if they look like this, we are going over them with a fine-tooth comb and looking for anything that might be a wound where a screwworm might have been able to gain access,” said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, CEO and President of Austin Pets Alive!
RELATED| FDA authorizes generic over-the-counter drug to treat New World screwworm in pets
Dr. Jefferson says dogs and cats need regular checks of their eyes, noses, ears, and underneath their fur. But Austin Pets Alive! says the best protection is a combination of Capstar, which is an instant-kill medication for existing active screwworm larvae, and prescription preventatives that provide ongoing protection when administered every 30 days.
“Just to buy the initial Capstar for our program, it was close to $10,000,” said Rebecca Giamona, Asst. Medical Care Director at Austin Pets Alive!
Giamona says preventative meds are also putting a heavy financial strain on the nonprofit’s budget at a cost of around $70,000.
“We need about 5,000 doses of the monthly preventative, and they are roughly $14 to $15 per dose,” said Giamona.
Products with the active ingredients ending in l, a, n, e, r are highly effective at preventing and treating infestations. But keeping Paul and every shelter animal up to date will take help from the public.
“Donations, and hopefully some more donations,” said Giamona.
An infestation of New World Screwworm can be painful, disfiguring, and potentially deadly for animals. Most cases involve livestock, especially cattle, but dogs and cats can also get infestations.
AUSTIN, Texas – Central Texans gather to celebrate Juneteenth or “Freedom Day” on June 19 and commemorate the end of slavery.
What you can do:
The Greater East Austin Youth Association (GEAYA) is hosting the Central Texas Juneteenth Parade and Festival today (6/19).
It’s free and taking place at Rosewood Park in East Austin located at 2300 Rosewood Ave.
The schedule for the events is as follows:
- ACME Juneteenth FunRun – 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
- Juneteenth Historical Parade – 10 AM – 12 PM
- Park Celebration and Fireworks – 12 PM – 9:45 PM
Other events
On June 20, the Carver Kickback: Juneteenth Edition will be taking place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural, and Genealogy Center located at 1165 Angelina Street.
It will be a day of celebration and remembrance and there will be BBQ plates and music as well as vendors and hands-on activations.
The backstory:
Juneteenth commemorates the end of formal slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and more than one month following the end of the American Civil War.
Colloquially known as “The Black 4th of July,” Juneteenth marks the beginning of an African American journey to carve a new place in society for free people to shape identities independent of racial caricature, eradicate slave culture, promote ethnic pride, and create economic prosperity.
The Source: Information from City of Austin and Greater East Austin Youth Association and reporting by Jessica Rivera.
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