US politics latest: Biden explains why he quit - and reveals plan for final months of his presidency (2024)

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Through her meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kamala Harris will continue her intensive engagement on the conflict in Gaza.

We anticipate she will underscore her commitment to ensuring Israel can defend itself from threats from Iran and Iranian-backed militias, including Hezbollah and Hamas.

She will again condemn Hamas's brutal attack on 7 October.

She will reiterate her deep concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the loss of innocent life.

We anticipate the vice president will convey her view that it is time for the war to end in a way where Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.

And they will discuss efforts to reach agreement on the ceasefire deal.

Kamala Harris is propelling her presidential push by speaking to the American Federation of Teachers today.

Ms Harris's appearance at the teachers' convention in Houston follows a rally this Tuesday in Milwaukee and a speech yesterday to a gathering of the historically Black sorority Zeta Phi Beta in Indianapolis.

Having emerged as the likely Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden quit the race, Ms Harris intends to travel widely to spread her message and rally voters.

But just as she is trying to draw a contrast with Donald Trump, he is working to do the same with her.

Mr Trump went on the offensive at a rally yesterday in North Carolina, calling Ms Harris a "real liberal" who is "much worse" than Mr Biden.

Donald Trump has said Elon Musk never told him that he planned to give $45m for his campaign.

The former president, who made the comments in an interview with Fox News, also called for a quick end to the war between Israel and Hamas and the return of the hostages, adding that Israel has to better manage its "public relations".

The former president alsocriticised those who protested the Israeli prime minister's speech to the US Congress, calling for a one-year jail sentence for desecrating the US flag.

For context: Yesterday, the Tesla chief denied reports that he was planning to donate $45m a month to a new pro-Trump super political-action committee.

The Tesla boss wrote on X that the reports that emerged last week were "ridiculous".

He made the comments after the Wall Street Journal reported that the billionaire planned to commit around $45m a month to a PAC backing Trump.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is speaking at a news conference in Washington.

She says the US "continues to be blessed" with the leadership of Joe Biden.

Referring to Mr Biden's speech yesterday, she says he "passed the torch" with "eloquence and vision".

She says she has known Kamala Harris for decades and she is about "strength and determination".

"She is a person of deep faith and commitment to public service in the most unselfish way," she says.

"Make no mistake this is a politically astute president."

Ms Pelosi says Ms Harris is "capable officially, personally and politically to lead us in November".

She goes on to say when Ms Harris announced she was running, around a million people gave an average of $100m and these were "small donors".

"He [Trump] is sitting at the table with big oil saying you give me $100m and I will give you $1bn in tax breaks," she adds.

"It's all over. It's all over what's your name!

"That's not how Washington should be run."

Former first lady Melania Trump has written a memoir which is due to be released this Autumn.

The book, titled Melania, is described by her office as "a powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has carved her own path, overcome adversity and defined personal excellence".

It's the first memoir by Ms Trump, who has been mostly absent as her husband seeks to return to the White House.

The memoir will be released by Skyhorse Publishing.

Ms Trump appeared at her husband's campaign launch event for 2024 and attended the closing night of last week's Republican National Convention but she has otherwise stayed off the campaign trail.

Her decision not to deliver a speech at this year's convention marked a departure from tradition for candidates' wives, and from the 2016 and 2020 Republican gatherings.

Kamala Harris's campaign has released its first official video titled "We choose freedom".

In the video, Ms Harris asks: "What kind of country do we want to live in?"

She goes on to say there are "some who think we should be a country of chaos, fear and hate", before adding: "We choose something different."

During the clip, which features Beyonce's song Freedom, Ms Harris says the country needs the freedom not just to get by, but "get ahead".

"The freedom to be safe from gun violence," she says.

"The freedom to make decisions about your own body. We choose a future where no child lives in poverty. Where we all can afford health care, where no one is above the law.

"We believe in the promise of America and we are ready to fight for it because when we fight, we win."

Jennifer Aniston has condemned Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance for calling childless women "miserable" and "cat ladies".

The 55-year-old actress posted a story on Instagram with a video of Mr Vance speaking to Tucker Carlson on Fox News.

In the video Mr Vance says: "We've turned our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it.

"We're effectively run in this country, via the Democrats and via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies, who are miserable about their own lives and the choices that they've made.

"So they want to make the rest of the country miserable too."

Aniston accompanied the video with a caption which said she "truly can't believe" the comments came from a potential vice president of the US.

At the bottom of the post she criticised Mr Vance's anti-IVF stance, and said she hoped his daughter "will not need to turn to IVF".

In 2022, Aniston revealed to Allure magazine that she had undergone IVF to try to have children when she was in her 30s and 40s, but the attempts did not result in any pregnancies.

After five decades in politics, President Joe Biden's political career is coming to a close as he exits the 2024 presidential race.

Here, we take a quick look at his life through the years...

1972: US senator

Mr Biden became one of the youngest senators in US history when he defeated Senator J. Caleb Boggs at the age of 29.

Shortly after being elected to the Senate, his wife Neilia and their one-year-old daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident.

1973: Sworn in as senator

The US leader was sworn in as senator at his sons' hospital bedsides in Wilmington. Beau and Hunter were injured in the car accident that killed their mother and sister.

Mr Biden would commute from Wilmington to Washington every day.

He was senator from Delaware for 36 years and played a leading role in addressing important domestic and international challenges, including writing the Violence Against Women Act.

He also played a significant role in passing the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986.

1977: Marries Jill Biden

Mr Biden married Jill Jacobs in 1977 and in 1980 they welcomed the birth of their daughter Ashley.

1988: Runs for Democratic presidential nomination

The president ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and later in 2008 but did not win either.

2008: Vice presidency

Barack Obama chose Mr Biden as his running mate and he went on to become the 47th vice president of the US in 2009.

During his vice presidency, Mr Biden was tasked with helping rebuild the economy after the financial crisis and helped secure the Senate's approval of the New START nuclear arms control treaty with Russia.

He also helped Mr Obama enact theAffordable Care Act (otherwise known as Obamacare).

2020: Presidency

Mr Biden ran for the White House and was sworn in as the 46th president on 20 January 2021.

Almost immediately after taking office, he signed two executive orders to reinstate the Affordable Care Act.

He described it as "undoing the damage Trump had done" after Mr Trump made failed attempts to repeal Obamacare.

He also presided over the American Rescue Plan, which spent $1.9tn (£1.5tn) on supporting US families and businesses during the pandemic.

And then in 2021, he decided to withdraw the final US troops from Afghanistan.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US has given more than $70bn (£54bn) in aid to Ukraine under Mr Biden's leadership.

This is nearly three times the amount of its next-biggest backer, Germany on $14bn (£12bn).

The US House of Representatives has voted to form a task force to investigate the security failures surrounding the assassination attempt against Donald Trump.

The task force will comprise 13 members and is expected to include seven Republicans and six Democrats.

It will be tasked with determining what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination and will make recommendations to prevent future security lapses.

The group will issue a final report before 13 December.

The bill is sponsored by Republican Representative Mike Kelly, whose hometown of Butler was the site of the shooting. Mr Kelly was also at the rally with his wife and other family members.

He said he was concerned when the rally site was picked because he thought it would be "a difficult place to have a rally of that size".

He called the task force a chance to build trust with Americans so lawmakers can work together to tackle a crisis.

"I can tell you that my community is grieving," Mr Kelly said.

"They are shocked by what happened in our backyard. The people of Butler and the people of the United States deserve answers."

On Tuesday, Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned - one day after she appeared before a congressional committee.

She called the attempt on Mr Trump's life the Secret Service's "most significant operational failure" in decades, but she angered politicians by failing to answer specific questions about the investigation.

Kamala Harris has responded to Joe Biden's speech and commended his "profound compassion for the people of our country".

Ms Harris launched her campaign for president on Tuesday, framing the race with Donald Trump as a choice between freedom and chaos.

From an event hall in Milwaukee, Ms Harris told a cheering crowd: "This campaign is not just about us versus Donald Trump. This is about who we fight for."