Politics
Kamala Harris Delivers Powerful Attack on Trump at High-Energy Rally
An exuberant Kamala Harris whipped up a rapturous crowd Tuesday at her first rally since effectively clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, as she launched fresh attacks on Donald Trump for trying to “take the country backward.”
In stark contrast to outgoing President Joe Biden’s often stumbling and low-energy speeches, Vice President Harris gave a punchy and enthusiastic address that was greeted with cheers at the event in the battleground state of Wisconsin.
Harris, 59, is injecting fresh hope into the Democratic party, following 81-year-old Biden’s stunning exit from the race after a disastrous debate with Trump fueled fears about his age and mental competency.
“Donald Trump wants to take our country backward,” Harris told the crowd in Milwaukee. “Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?”
Where Biden used to target Trump as a broad threat to democracy, Harris took a more personal, targeted approach by pointing to her record as a California prosecutor who had dealt with what she said were “predators” and “fraudsters” like the former president and convicted felon.
“So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said, echoing comments she made to campaign workers on Monday. “I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week.”
‘Trust Women’
Harris notably focused on abortion, accusing Trump of trying to ban the procedure and saying that “we trust women to make decisions about their own bodies and not have their government tell them what to do.”
The pumped-up crowd repeatedly chanted “Kam-a-la” during her speech in Milwaukee, the same city where Trump was crowned Republican nominee at his party’s conference just last week.
Trump’s campaign has been thrown into turmoil after the Biden departure, which now makes him the oldest ever US presidential candidate. But Trump insisted that Harris would be “easier” to beat in November than her boss.
Trump, who survived an assassination attempt on July 13, also told reporters he would “absolutely” take part in at least one presidential debate with Harris.
Harris — who is the first female, Black and South Asian “veep” in US history and aiming to become the country’s first woman president — took just 36 hours to secure enough delegates to be nominated after Biden’s withdrawal.
Top Democratic congressional chiefs — Senator Chuck Schumer and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries — threw their weight behind her in a press conference Tuesday.
Hollywood star George Clooney — who made waves earlier this month as one of the first high-profile Democratic activists to urge Biden to drop his reelection bid — also backed her.
‘What lies ahead’
Biden meanwhile returned to the White House after nearly a week in isolation with Covid at his Delaware beach house, during which he made his shock exit announcement.
Biden announced he will deliver a primetime speech from the Oval Office on Wednesday about “what lies ahead.”
Asked by reporters what he would say as he arrived back, Biden replied: “Watch and listen. Why don’t you wait and hear what I say?”
Biden’s doctor said he was now all clear of Covid.
Both he and Harris are due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week when he visits Washington.
Harris’s official nomination should now come by August 7 in an online vote of delegates nearly two weeks before the celebratory Democratic convention in Chicago.
Support continued to pour in with the United Steelworkers Union and philanthropist Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, both endorsing.
Harris’s campaign also announced it had raised $100 million since her entry into the White House race, with 62 percent of donations coming from first time donors.
A poll released on Tuesday taken after Biden stepped down showed Harris two points ahead of Trump.
But Harris has less than four months to prove to US voters that she has what it takes — and she admitted at the Milwaukee rally that there was “hard work” ahead.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has criticized the alleged forceful conversion of public reading and learning facilities in Dugbe, Ibadan, into shopping malls and lock-up shops by the state government, describing the development as shameful, ill-conceived, and unacceptable.
In a statement released over the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the APC also raised concerns about the alleged sale of the modern motor park facility at Wema Area on New Ife Road, Ibadan, built during the administration of the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
According to the party, the motor park has been sold to a pastor who presides over a popular church near the facility.
Residents of Ibadan, the state capital, were reportedly stunned when they noticed the sudden erection of massive private business complexes within the premises of the Oyo State Library Board.
The facilities, built by the defunct Western Region government, had served as public libraries and archives for decades, benefitting students, researchers, and tourists until recently.
“It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archives in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures,” Sadare said.
“The implication is that education and research development have been relegated to the background in the state by an administration that has done little to address the poor reading culture among young students.”
The APC expressed alarm over what it termed the erosion of public heritage under Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, alleging that public properties are being sold or leased to private individuals and groups under questionable circumstances.
“How can a government wake up one day and convert public reading facilities and archives into lock-up shops in the name of making money, thereby subjecting society to the dangers of illiteracy and ignorance?” the statement queried.
The party also cited other instances of alleged mismanagement of public assets, including the concession of OYSADEP Guest House in Saki and Agbowo Shopping Complex in Ibadan, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the state’s socio-economic development.
“Sad enough, the ignoble activities of the governor and a few other characters around him as they involve mismanagement of land and other resources belonging to the state have paved the way for a surge in land grabbing cases in most parts of the state capital. There are many cases involving appointees of the governor, PDP lawmakers, local government officials, and party chieftains,” the statement added.
The APC called on well-meaning individuals and stakeholders in the state to demand accountability from the Makinde administration and halt what it described as the systematic erosion of public resources and heritage.
Over 300 constituents of Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in Oyo State benefitted from a skill acquisition and empowerment programme organized by their representative in the National Assembly, Hon. Akinmoyede Olafisoye.
The event, held at Faith Joe Event Centre, Alegongo, Akobo, Ibadan, aimed to address the challenges of unemployment and economic hardship by equipping participants with practical skills and financial support.
The programme focused on empowering youths, students, and unemployed graduates to become self-reliant. Each participant was provided with a certificate, a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, an umbrella, and ₦100,000 as a startup grant to kickstart their businesses.
The tools and financial aid were designed to enable beneficiaries to establish sustainable sources of income.
Participants received comprehensive training, gaining hands-on experience to ensure they could effectively utilize the tools provided. The POS machines were configured with the personal details of the recipients, ensuring proper use and discouraging unauthorized transfers.
Addressing the participants, Akinmoyede who is the Chairman House Committee on Nigeria/ Mexico Parliamentary Friendship enjoined the beneficiaries to explore the opportunity for their benefit by ensuring that they use the machines for the purpose it was meant for.
He added that all the machines have been configured with the documents of individual beneficiaries which will make it very difficult to transfer to another person.
In his goodwill message, the Oyo Central Senatorial chairman of APC, Hon. Joshua Oyebamiji said comparing what the lawmaker has been doing in the area of dishing out empowerment and palliatives to his constituents, it is difficult to tag him a first-timer at the national assembly.
While appreciating Akinmoyede for his gesture at the event, former APC Deputy State Chairman, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, and Hon. Akinbode Emmanuel said they were yet to discover the magic wand being used by the lawmaker for his constant and habitual empowerment programmes.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the end of the training, Afolabi Kuburat, Akinropo Akindotun, Ajala Abisade Iyabo, and Grace Anuoluwapo Ayinde lauded the lawmaker for giving them the opportunity to be self-reliant at this time when Nigerians are facing economic hardship.
The House of Representatives member representing Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency Oyo State, Hon. Prince Akinmoyede Olafisoye Wasiu has initiated another skill acquisition and capacity-building training for no fewer than 300 members of his constituency.
The initiative which is being organized in partnership with Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan is part of a strategic effort by the lawmaker to foster rural development of cooperative for their economic emancipation and break the shackles of poverty so as to alleviate the impact of the high cost of living among the people in Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency he represents.
The training programme is coming up on Monday 18th November, 2024 at Faith Joe Event Centre hall. Alegongo, Ibadan by 8.00am.
A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the lawmaker, Alimi Abdullahi stated that the capacity-building is designed to equip participants with essential entrepreneurial skills with a view to building sustainable livelihoods and improve the quality of lives of the people of Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency.
All the participants for the training are expected to be at the venue by 8am so as not to miss any part of the training.
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