Hundreds of protesters are rallying within sight of the Capitol building, denouncing Israel’s war in Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hours before he is set to address members of Congress.
Vice President Kamala Harris will not be in attendance, as she is back on the campaign trail. She will head to the solidly Republican state of Indiana.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden will address the nation tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
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Here’s the Latest:
Cease-fire negotiating team that was meant to depart has been delayed, Israeli official says
An Israeli official said Wednesday that a negotiating team meant to depart to continue cease-fire talks was delayed.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss developments in the sensitive talks, did not give a reason for the delay, saying the team would likely be dispatched next week.
More than 60 congressional Dems gather at the Capitol with families of Israeli hostages
In the bowels of the U.S. Capitol, a group of more than 60 congressional Democrats gathered with the families of Israeli hostages to bring light to their months of captivity and increase pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to abide by the terms of the cease-fire agreement that the U.S. is helping broker.
The event was marketed as alternative planning for Democrats who didn’t want to attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress later Wednesday afternoon.
“It is my hope that the Prime Minister will listen to you, will listen to the families and to the countless Americans who love and who support Israel and want to see a negotiated end to the fighting that makes an enduring peace possible,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, a senior Democrat who is boycotting the address.
Protestors demand Netanyahu’s arrest
Zeina Hutchinson, director of development for the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, on Wednesday read off the names of several Palestinian journalists killed by the Israeli military.
“We protest this homicidal maniac, his supporters and his enablers,” she shouted from the stage, referencing Netanyahu. “And we demand his arrest.”
She was among hundreds who gathered to protest near the U.S. Capitol.
More than 1,000
protestors line Pennsylvania Avenue
More than 1,000 people gathered Wednesday morning on Pennsylvania Avenue within sight of the U.S. Capitol building, with more streaming in from multiple directions.
Protesters carried signs branding Netanyahu a “war criminal” and several erected a large effigy of Biden with blood dripping from its mouth and devil horns.
The crowd chanted: “Biden Biden, you can’t hide/We charge you with genocide.”
This report has been corrected to show that the effigy was of Biden, not Netanyahu.
Netanyahu focuses on Iran in remarks at memorial for Joe Lieberman
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday pointed to Iran as the force “behind an entire axis of terror” threatening the United States and Israel.
Netanyahu used brief remarks at a memorial for the late lawmaker Joe Lieberman to focus on what the Israeli leader portrayed as danger from Iran and its nuclear program.
Netanyahu long has sought to rally support for more aggressive U.S. and Israeli action against Iran, its militia allies around the Middle East and its nuclear program. His comments at the memorial are likely to foreshadow the theme of the Israeli leader’s remarks to a joint meeting of Congress later Wednesday.
Lieberman, who died in March, “knew how dangerous our world would become if Iran were ever to develop and acquire nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said. The two men often discussed “how Iran was behind the entire axis of terror that threatened both our countries.”
Protestors: ‘As American Jews, we don’t support this war’
Across the street from Union Station in Washington, D.C., Jewish Americans gathered Wednesday morning for a prayer service led by T’ruah, an organization of rabbis calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Rabbi Bill Plevan, of New York, said he believed prayer could be a catalyst for peace.
“We’re here to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in Congress,” he said. “We’re here to say we don’t stand by his policies. As American Jews, we don’t support this war.”
Still, many Jewish Americans view the war in Gaza as just because it came as a response to the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attack, even if they don’t outright support Netanyahu and his policies. The families of hostages taken by Hamas are also protesting, demanding Netanyahu agree to a cease-fire deal that would free their loved ones.
The scene near the Capitol
Workers erected a black metal fence around the White House as Washington braced for protests ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of Congress.
Multiple protests were planned for Wednesday over Israel’s war in Gaza.
There was a heavy police presence, but the streets were relatively quiet in Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning. A small group of protesters walked down a street carrying Palestinian flags and signs with messages such as “anti-Israel is not anti-semitism.”
Within view of the Capitol, orthodox Jews lined the streets protesting Netanyahu and the war.
As police sirens sounded in the distance, protesters carried signs that included “Jews Worldwide Condemn Israeli Bloody Brutality” and “Free Palestine.” Another called for Netanyahu’s arrest.
Despite some of the people and groups who were protesting, many Jewish Americans view the war in Gaza as just because it came as a response to the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attack, even if they don’t outright support Netanyahu and his policies. The families of hostages taken by Hamas are also protesting, demanding Netanyahu agree to a cease-fire deal that would free their loved ones.
Senators re-up calls for Biden and US negotiators to close cease-fire deal
Hours before Netanyahu was set to arrive, the Senate chairmen of the national security committees sent a letter to President Joe Biden, reupping calls for him and U.S. negotiators to quickly close the cease-fire deal that would end the conflict in Gaza and force the release of the hostages.
“We are under no illusion that this will be easy and we fully understand that diplomacy requires compromise. But the pre-October 7 status quo is not sustainable,” Sens. Ben Cardin, Jack Reed and Mark Warner wrote Wednesday.
Marianne Williamson seeks Democratic delegate support for open convention
Author Marianne Williamson has sent a letter to Democratic delegates seeking their support ahead of their formal presidential nominating process.
Williamson asks delegates to sign her petition and “consider taking a stand for an open convention,” according to a copy of the missive shared with The Associated Press. The note also includes a link for anyone wishing to submit Williamson’s name for nomination.
Democrats have indicated that they will hold a virtual roll call vote by Aug. 7 to name their chosen nominee, ahead of the convention that begins 12 days later in Chicago.
That process will be open to any candidate who musters 300 signatures from delegates elected to the convention.
An AP survey of Democratic delegates indicates that Harris has secured commitments from enough of them to become her party’s nominee.
Williamson challenged Biden for the nomination and suspended her campaign, but reversed herself earlier this year.
Biden’s speech tonight hopes to make a case for his legacy — and for Harris to continue it
Biden will have an opportunity to make a case for his legacy — sweeping domestic legislation, renewal of alliances abroad, defense of democracy — tonight at 8 p.m. ET. when he delivers an Oval Office address about his decision to bow out of the race and “what lies ahead.”
Even though the president won’t be on the ballot this November, voters still will be weighing his legacy. As Vice President Kamala Harris moves to take his place as the Democratic standard-bearer, Biden’s accomplishments remain very much at risk should Republican Donald Trump prevail.
How Biden’s single term — and his decision to step aside — are remembered will be intertwined with Harris’ electoral success in November, particularly as the vice president runs tightly on the achievements of the Biden administration.
And no matter how frustrated Biden is at being pushed aside by his party — and he’s plenty upset — he has too much at stake simply to wash his hands of this election.
▶ Read more on what to expect ahead of the address
Protests planned around Capitol Hill
Multiple protests are planned outside the Capitol, with some condemning the Israeli military campaign overall, and others expressing support for Israel but pressing Netanyahu to strike a cease-fire deal and bring home hostages.
The largest protest is set for this morning, with organizers planning to march around the Capitol building demanding Netanyahu’s arrest on war crimes charges. A permit application submitted to the National Park Service estimated at least 5,000 participants.
▶ What to know about Netanyahu’s visit
GOP leaders urge colleagues to steer clear of racist and sexist attacks on Harris
Republican leaders are warning party members against using overtly racist and sexist attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris, as they and former President Donald Trump ’s campaign scramble to adjust to the reality of a new Democratic rival less than four months before Election Day.
At a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Tuesday, National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., urged lawmakers to stick to criticizing Harris for her role in Biden-Harris administration policies.
“This election will be about policies and not personalities,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters after the meeting.
“This is not personal with regard to Kamala Harris,” he added, “and her ethnicity or her gender have nothing to do with this whatsoever.”
Trump expected to turn his full focus on Harris at first rally since Biden’s exit
Donald Trump is holding his first public campaign rally since President Joe Biden dropped out of a 2024 matchup that both major parties had spent months preparing for, leaving the former president to direct his ire toward his likely new opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris spoke to
a roaring crowd of battleground state voters in Wisconsin yesterday
A roaring crowd of battleground state voters greeted Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday as she opened her public case against Republican former President Donald Trump by declaring November’s election will be “a choice between freedom and chaos.”
Harris arrived in the Milwaukee area having locked up nomination support from Democratic delegates after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid on Sunday. It was her first campaign rally since she jumped into the race just two days ago with Biden’s endorsement.
The event reflected a vibrancy that had been lacking among Democrats in recent weeks, and Harris was intent on projecting a sense of steady confidence about the November election.
▶ Read more about why the event in Wisconsin matters for Harris’ campaign
Harris campaign sees multiple ways for her to win, ahead of vice president speaking in Indiana
Just three full days since entering the race after President Joe Biden’s departure, Kamala Harris will address the annual gathering of the historically Black sorority Zeta Phi Beta in Indianapolis.
It’s a moment for Harris, a woman of Black and South Asian descent, to speak to a group already excited by her historic status as the likely Democratic nominee and one that her campaign believes can help to expand its coalition.
Harris, Trump are on the campaign trail as Biden prepares to address the nation
Vice President Kamala Harris goes to the solidly Republican state of Indiana later today, but she plans to speak there to a key Democratic constituency as her campaign sees advantages with women, Black, Latino, Asian and younger voters.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office tonight on his decision to drop his 2024 Democratic reelection bid.
Democrats release more proposals for how they will formally choose a presidential nominee
The Democratic National Committee has released proposed rules that would give candidates until next week to vie for the party’s nomination. But the process will almost certainly end with Vice President Harris replacing President Biden at the top of the party’s ticket.
Candidates will have to qualify by the evening of July 30, according to draft rules released Tuesday.
The party previously announced proposed rules requiring that candidates submit electronic signatures of support from at least 300 delegates to its national convention, no more than 50 of which can be from a single state.
If multiple candidates qualify, it could spark multiple rounds of voting over several days. But, if Harris is the only candidate, voting would be set to begin Aug. 1. The party said last week that it would not hold voting prior to the start of next month and that the process would be completed by Aug. 7.
Biden endorsed Harris when he left the race Sunday and no other major Democrat has announced plans to challenge her. An AP survey of delegates from states across the country found that she had already exceeded the threshold of support needed to secure the nomination.
Families of Israeli hostages gather for a vigil on the National Mall
Families of some of the remaining hostages held a protest vigil Tuesday evening on the National Mall, demanding that Netanyahu come to terms with Hamas and bring home the approximately 120 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza.
About 150 people wearing yellow shirts that read “Seal the Deal NOW!” chanted “Bring Them Home” and listened to testimonials from relatives and former hostages. The demonstrators applauded when Biden’s name was mentioned, but several criticized Netanyahu — known by his nickname “Bibi” — on the belief that he has been dragging his feet or playing hardball on a proposed cease-fire deal that would return all of the hostages.
“I’m begging Bibi. There’s a deal on the table and you have to take it,” said Aviva Siegel, 63, who spent 51 days in captivity and whose husband Keith remains a hostage. “I want Bibi to look in my eyes and tell me one thing: that Keith is coming home.”
