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What might Kamala Harris’ Mideast policy look like?

Washington — The White House welcomed on Tuesday the rescue of an Israeli hostage abducted October 7 by Hamas and said a Gaza cease-fire deal is being finalized.

But even if an agreement is reached, a truce is unlikely to extend beyond the six weeks of phase one of the three-phase deal. The next U.S. administration will still inherit the role of managing tensions in the region.

Since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris has aimed to strike a balance between reaffirming U.S. support for Israel and advocating for Palestinian humanitarian needs — in essence, signaling a continuation of President Joe Biden’s policies on the Israel-Hamas war and, more broadly, the Middle East.

Harris summed up her position in her acceptance speech as the Democratic presidential nominee at the party’s convention in Chicago.

“President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” she said.

Democrats are enthusiastic about Harris, even though she has not yet laid out her own policies. And unlike Biden, a longtime member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, most of Harris’ exposure to foreign policy was during her tenure as vice president.

Not having “foreign policy baggage” might benefit Harris in the eyes of Democratic voters, said Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Hall pointed out that in October 2002, Biden was one of 77 senators who gave President George W. Bush the authority to use force in Iraq, a decision that eventually became a liability for Biden, much as his staunch support for Israel has become the most divisive issue in his own party.

Adviser’s influence

Those looking to see whether Harris’ Mideast policy will diverge from Biden’s can look to her national security adviser, Phillip Gordon, who is expected to remain in the role if she is elected. He would be the principal adviser to the president on all national security issues, including foreign policy.

“Phil Gordon is the type of adviser that colors in the lines,” Hall told VOA. “He’s the kind of person that I think very much is sort of old-fashioned American foreign policy.”

Gordon was against ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power in 2003. He chronicled American efforts to overthrow leaders in the Middle East in his 2020 book, “Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East.”

“The U.S. policy debate about the Middle East suffers from the fallacy that there is an external American solution to every problem, even when decades of painful experience suggest that this is not the case,” he wrote. “And regime change is the worst ‘solution.'”

Such an outlook would make a Harris administration “very, very cautious to deal assertively with Iran,” said Jonathan Rynhold, head of the Political Studies Department at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University.

From an Israeli perspective, however, Harris’ direct involvement in the administration’s recent decision to deploy more military assets to the Middle East to deter Iran is good news, Rynhold told VOA.

“If that is the policy that she goes on to adopt, then that crosses the minimal threshold of what Israel needs on Iran,” he said. “It may not be what Israel desires, which is a more forceful approach, but it is not a passive one.”

Current Harris aides have told VOA that Harris she intends to stay on the path that Biden has laid out: working beyond a cease-fire toward a two-state solution without sacrificing Israel’s security.

Harris’ former national security adviser while she was in the Senate, Halie Soifer, agreed.

“The vice president and the president have supported U.S. military assistance to Israel, not just for the existing agreement that we have with Israel,” said Soifer, who is now the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America. “But also an increase this year because of their security needs,” she told VOA

Generational and personal background

Biden’s generation, with a more visceral sense of the Holocaust, views Israel as a tiny democracy surrounded by hostile Arab powers. People of Harris’ generation and younger see Israel for what it is today: a thriving democracy and the region’s top military power. While Biden and Harris may share the same goal for Israel’s security, there’s not the same emotional resonance, Rynhold said.

Younger Americans “don’t remember a time when Jews and Israel were extremely vulnerable,” he said. “So they don’t have a same sense of that continuing vulnerability that President Biden really has.”

And for the president, Israel is integral to the story of America’s role in the world.

“America is there to prevent the Holocaust. America is there to support democracies, and Israel is central to his way of understanding that role,” Rynhold said.

If elected, Harris would become the first person to hold the highest office in the land whose parents are both immigrants. Barack Obama’s father was born in Kenya, and Donald Trump’s mother was born in the U.K. Harris’ father came from Jamaica and her mother, from India.

Unlike Biden, who often underscores that he is a Zionist, a loaded term often viewed with scorn in many parts of the world, Harris may be more sensitive to views from the Global South.

In a 2018 speech to an Indian American group, Harris spoke fondly of childhood visits to the home of her maternal grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, describing him as someone who had fought for “freedom and for justice and for independence.”

“She is aware of how the rest of the world may feel about the Middle East, about neocolonialism, neoimperialism,” Hall said. “I really hope that she has the opportunity to bring those experiences to bear if she becomes the president.”

But it’s hard to tell what a Harris doctrine would eventually look like.

“What she says now is directed to winning an election and keeping the Democratic Party together,” Rynhold said.

And since the party is evenly split between those sympathetic to Israel and those sympathetic to the Palestinians, she must express platitudes, he said.

“And that’s what she has done.”
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How would a potential Harris administration handle Mideast tensions?

White House officials welcomed the rescue of an Israeli hostage held by Hamas Tuesday and said they are finalizing a Gaza cease-fire deal. But even if an agreement is reached, a future U.S. administration will still inherit the problem of managing tensions in the Middle East. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara looks at potential U.S. policy under Vice President Kamala Harris should she win the November presidential election.
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CNN to interview Harris, Walz on Thursday

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Border motivating issue for Arizona voters

Immigration is one of the top issues for U.S. voters this November as they decide who will occupy the White House. The difference in policy between the two presidential candidates is stark. VOA’s senior Washington correspondent, Carolyn Presutti, begins our story at a dusty desert stop in Arizona. Video: Adam Greenbaum
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Trump tries to tie rival Harris to chaotic Afghanistan exit

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump used the third anniversary on Monday of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to try to pin the chaotic pullout on his Democratic rival for the White House, Kamala Harris.

Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery honoring the 13 servicemembers killed during the U.S. exit, then later in Detroit blamed Harris, the vice president, and President Joe Biden for what he termed a “catastrophic” withdrawal.

“Caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all over the world,” Trump said in an address to the National Guard Association of the United States.

It was the latest attempt by Trump and his campaign to raise doubts about Harris’ fitness to serve as commander-in-chief as the Nov. 5 election draws near and comes after Harris last week proclaimed herself ready to lead the nation’s armed forces.

The U.S. troop pullout and evacuation of U.S. and allied officials, citizens and Afghans at risk of Taliban retribution saw crowds of desperate Afghans trying to enter Kabul airport and men clinging to aircraft as they taxied down runways in August 2021.

An Islamic State suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. servicemembers and more than 150 Afghans outside an airport gate.

Harris’ campaign said the fault lay with Trump’s tenure as president.

“The Biden-Harris administration inherited a mess from Donald Trump,” said Ammar Moussa, a Harris spokesperson. “Trump wants America to forget that he had four years to get out of Afghanistan but failed to do it.”

The Biden administration was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020.

A review released by the U.S. State Department in 2023 found fault with both the Trump and Biden administrations in the run-up to the withdrawal.

In recent weeks, Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, also have sought to turn Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz’s decades of service into a political vulnerability. Former military service is often a key selling point for candidates in U.S. political campaigns.

The Republicans have accused Walz of exaggerating his rank in the Army National Guard, where he served for 24 years. Walz has described himself as a retired command sergeant major, one of the highest noncommissioned officer positions in the Army. While he achieved that rank, he did not meet the requirements to retire with that title.

The Harris campaign deleted a reference this month to Walz’s rank as a “command sergeant major” on its website. The campaign also now says Walz “misspoke” in 2018 during his gubernatorial campaign in Minnesota when he referred to “weapons of war, that I carried in war.” Walz was never deployed to a war zone.

Trump, 78, never served in the military. Though he was of draft age during the Vietnam War, he received four student deferments and a health-related one after he received a diagnosis for bone spurs in his feet.

Vance served in the Marine Corps for four years as a combat correspondent and was deployed to Iraq for roughly seven months. His position mainly involved writing reports of military activity for public dissemination and at times interacting with the media.

Harris has not served in the military.

Harris told CNN in 2021 that she was the last person in the room with Biden when he decided to pull U.S. forces from Afghanistan and end America’s longest war. She also said that she was comfortable with Biden’s decision, but it remains unclear what role she played in the discussion.

Both Biden and Harris released statements marking the anniversary on Monday.

“These 13 devoted patriots represent the best of America, putting our beloved nation and their fellow Americans above themselves and deploying into danger to keep their fellow citizens safe,” Harris said.

Asked Monday why Biden and Harris weren’t marking the anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack as Trump did at Arlington National Cemetery, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Trump had been personally invited by the family members and he called it one way to honor the fallen.

“Another way is to continue to work,” Kirby said. “Maybe not with a lot of fanfare, maybe not with a lot of public attention, maybe not with TV cameras, but to work with might and main every single day to make sure that the families of the fallen and of those who were injured and wounded, not just at Abbey Gate, but over the course of the 20-some odd years that we were in Afghanistan, have the support that they need.”

Also Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that Congress will posthumously honor the 13 service members by presenting their families with the Congressional Gold Medal next month. It’s the highest civilian award that Congress can bestow.

Some information for this article came from The Associated Press.
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Court declines to hear challenge; Green Party’s Stein to stay on Wisconsin ballot

madison, wisconsin — Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein will remain on the ballot in the crucial swing state of Wisconsin after the state Supreme Court decided on Monday not to hear a Democratic challenge seeking to oust her. 

Democrats are concerned that third-party candidates could draw votes away from Vice President Kamala Harris and help Republican Donald Trump win Wisconsin. The presence of independent and third-party candidates on the ballot could be a deciding factor in a state where four of the last six presidential elections have been decided by between 5,700 votes and about 23,000 votes. 

The court decided against hearing the challenge brought by David Strange, an employee of the Democratic National Committee, who sought to oust Stein from the ballot. The court did not explain its reasoning. 

“We determine that the petitioner is not entitled to the relief he seeks,” the court said in its unsigned order. 

Strange argued that the Green Party can’t nominate presidential electors in Wisconsin because the party does not have any state officeholders or legislative candidates authorized to nominate presidential electors. 

The Green Party and Republicans countered that the party met all of its legal requirements, and that Stein should be allowed to remain on the ballot. 

Michael White, co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party, called the complaint a “mark of fear by the Democratic Party” and hailed the court’s decision not to consider it. 

“It was an inevitable conclusion because the complaint had no merit to begin with and we knew that,” he said. 

However, White said the attention generated by Democrats attempting to knock Stein off the ballot motivated Green Party members. 

Democratic National Committee spokesperson Adrienne Watson called the decision “disappointing” and said the Green Party should not be on the ballot. 

Stein last appeared on the Wisconsin ballot 2016, when she won just over 31,000 votes — more than Trump’s winning margin of just under 23,000 votes. Some Democrats have blamed her for helping Trump win the state and the presidency that year. 

Strange had challenged a Wisconsin Elections Commission decision in February to grant the Green Party ballot access. The commission did so because a candidate from the party won more than 1% of the vote in a statewide race in 2022, meeting a requirement under the law. Sheryl McFarland got nearly 1.6% of the vote while finishing last in a four-way race for secretary of state. 

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is scheduled to meet Tuesday to certify which candidates can appear on the ballot. Democrats are also challenging the placement of independent candidate Cornel West on the ballot. A Republican National Committee employee is challenging independent Shiva Ayyadurai’s candidacy. 

The Wisconsin Supreme Court kept Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins off the ballot in 2020 after the elections commission deadlocked on whether he filed proper nominating signatures.
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Social platform X edits AI chatbot after election officials warn that it spreads misinformation

chicago — The social media platform X has made a change to its AIchatbot after five secretaries of state warned it was spreading election misinformation.

Top election officials from Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington sent a letter this month to Elon Musk complaining that the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, produced false information about state ballot deadlines shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.

The secretaries of state requested that the chatbot instead direct users who ask election-related questions to CanIVote.org, a voting information website run by the National Association of Secretaries of State.

Before listing responses to election-related questions, the chatbot now says, “For accurate and up-to-date information about the 2024 U.S. Elections, please visit Vote.gov.”

Both websites are “trustworthy resources that can connect voters with their local election officials,” the five secretaries of state said in a shared statement.

“We appreciate X’s action to improve their platform and hope they continue to make improvements that will ensure their users have access to accurate information from trusted sources in this critical election year,” they said.

Grok is available only to subscribers of the premium versions of X. But the five secretaries of state who signed the letter said election misinformation from Grok has been shared across multiple social media platforms, reaching millions of people. Grok continued to repeat the false information for 10 days before it was corrected, the secretaries said. The platform did not respond to a request for comment.

The change promoting a link to an official voting website does not seem to address Grok’s ability to create misleading AI-generated images related to elections. People have been using the tool to flood the platform with fake images of candidates, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Grok debuted last year for X premium and premium plus subscribers and was touted by Musk as a “rebellious” AI chatbot that will answer “spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems.”

Social media platforms have faced mounting scrutiny for their role in spreading misinformation, including about elections. The letter also warned that inaccuracies are to be expected for AI products, especially chatbots such as Grok that are based on large language models.

Since Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and renamed it to X, watchdog groups have raised concerns over a surge in hate speech and misinformation being amplified on the platform, as well as cuts to the staff that had been moderating content.

Experts say the moves represent a regression from progress made by social media platforms attempting to better combat political disinformation after the 2016 U.S. presidential contest and could precipitate a worsening misinformation landscape ahead of this year’s November elections.
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Trump, Harris quarrel before their debate: Mute the microphones or not?

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Asian American voters diverse in culture, political views

Since 2020, Asians Americans have been the fastest-growing group of eligible voters in the U.S., according to Pew Research Center. In 2022, California had the most eligible Asian American voters in the U.S., followed by New York and Texas. From Houston, Texas, Elizabeth Lee has more on the potential and challenges of the Asian American vote.
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No federal abortion ban under Trump, says JD Vance; Harris campaign breaks donations record

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance said Sunday that he won’t impose a federal abortion ban in the United States if he and Donald Trump win the White House. Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz keeps pushing its messaging for reproductive rights and announced record-breaking campaign donations. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details.
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Trump, Harris head to political battleground states

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While in Taiwan, former US ambassador to UN says isolationist policy not ‘healthy’

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on a visit to Taiwan Saturday that an isolationist policy isn’t “healthy” and called on the Republican Party to stand with her country’s allies, while still putting in good words for the party’s nominee, Donald Trump.

Haley, who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, told reporters in the capital, Taipei, that supporting U.S. allies, including Ukraine and Israel, is vital. She underscored the importance of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, to be brought under control by force if necessary.

“I don’t think the isolationist approach is healthy. I think America can never sit in a bubble and think that we won’t be affected,” she said.

While the U.S. doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan, it is the island’s strongest backer and main arms provider. However, Trump’s attempt to reclaim the presidency has fueled worries. He said Taiwan should pay for U.S. protection in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published in July and dodged answering the question of whether he would defend the island against a possible Chinese military action.

When Haley shuttered her own bid for the Republican nomination, she did not immediately endorse Trump, having accused him of causing chaos and disregarding the importance of U.S. alliances abroad. But in May she said she would be voting for him, while making it clear that she felt her former boss had work to do to win over voters who supported her.

On Saturday, she spoke in Trump’s favor. She said that having previously served with Trump’s administration, “we did show American strength in the world,” pointing to their pushback against China and their sanctioning of Russia and North Korea, among other efforts.

“I think that all of that strength that we showed is the reason that we didn’t see any wars, we didn’t see any invasions, we didn’t see any harm that happened during that time. I think Donald Trump would bring that back,” she said.

Trump has claimed that if elected, he would end the conflict in Ukraine before Inauguration Day in January. But Russia’s United Nations ambassador said he can’t. Trump’s public comments have varied between criticizing U.S. backing for Ukraine’s defense and supporting it, while his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, has been a leader of Republican efforts to block what have been billions in U.S. military and financial assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022.

Concerns among Ukraine and its supporters that the country could lose vital U.S. support have increased as Trump’s campaign surged.

Haley criticized Trump’s rival, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she would “do exactly” what President Joe Biden had done. She said Harris was part of his administration when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and when the Hamas-Israel war broke out last year.

“She was in the situation room right next to Joe Biden. She was there making the exact same decisions. Those decisions have made the world less safe,” she said.

Haley added that while the Republicans and Democrats may not currently concur on much, they agree on “the threats of China,” adding that Taiwan is now looking “to make sure that if China starts a fight with them, that they are prepared to make sure that they can fight back.”

She said her party should stand with the country’s allies and make sure that U.S. shows strength around the world. She also said any authoritarian regime and “communists” harming or hurting other free countries should be a personal matter to the U.S.

“We don’t want to see communist China win. We don’t want to see Russia win. We don’t want to see Iran or North Korea win,” she said.

Haley met Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te during this week’s trip. She called for more international backing for the self-ruled island, a coordinated pushback against China’s claims over it, and for Taiwan to become a full member of the United Nations.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that 38 warplanes and 12 vessels from China were detected around the island during a 24-hour period from Friday morning. Thirty-two of the planes crossed the middle of the line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary that’s considered a buffer between the island and mainland.
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RFK Jr. endorses Donald Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his endorsement of former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, on Friday. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti reports from Glendale, Arizona, where the two politicians campaigned together for the first time.
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Sidelined at the DNC, pro-Palestinian Democrats still see progress

Chicago — Hundreds of pro-Palestinian delegates were sidelined at the Democratic National Convention that ended with Vice President Kamala Harris reaffirming her support for Israel.

“The people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7,” she said in her speech accepting the party’s presidential nomination Thursday evening.

As anti-war protesters filled the streets throughout the week, 270 pro-Palestinian Democrats calling themselves “cease-fire delegates” signed a petition demanding Harris, if she’s elected, enact an arms embargo on Israel.

The unheeded petition was pushed by leaders of the “Uncommitted” movement, which garnered hundreds of thousands of votes in Democratic primaries across the nation.

These delegates staged a sit-in outside Chicago’s United Center, the convention’s venue, to protest the Democratic National Committee, who denied a speaking request for Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric doctor who treats wounded children in Gaza.

The DNC, according to Uncommitted National Movement spokesperson Layla Elabed, didn’t want Harris to be “overshadowed.”

Asked by VOA for a reaction to Elabed’s claim, the Harris campaign said, “There have been a number of speakers who have spoken about the war in Gaza and the need to secure a cease-fire and hostage deal.”

Uncommitted delegates

Elabed spoke to VOA on behalf of the 30 “Uncommitted” delegates who voted present in the nomination roll call. That’s less than 1% of the roughly 4,700 delegates who voted for Harris.

The pro-Palestinian group, however, was given a speaking opportunity Monday in a panel event outside of the convention.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Muslim sympathetic to the Palestinian cause who spoke on the panel, was given time at the convention main stage on Wednesday. However, he did not mention Gaza in his speech.

The war in Gaza is “not the topic that I would decide” to speak about, Ellison told VOA before his speech, indicating that pragmatism is key to affect change within the party.

“I’m not one of those people who believe that we vote for perfection. What we vote for is conversation,” he said.

Party platform supports Israel

As the convention kicked off, Democrats voted to adopt the party’s platform that recommitted support for Israel, a cease-fire for hostage release deal and the two-state solution.

Pro-Palestinian delegates tried to include language backing enforcement of laws that ban giving military aid to individuals or security forces that commit gross violations of human rights.

“What we are asking is that our tax dollars not be used to kill men, women and children. This is not a controversial demand and is actually more aligned with our Democratic values,” Elabed said.

Compared to Biden, Harris appears to offer more sympathy for Palestinian suffering, repeating Thursday of the “devastating” situation in Gaza over the past 10 months.”

“So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again,” she said in her convention speech. “The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.”

But policy-wise she signaled continuity from the current administration.

“President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” she said in her speech to thunderous applause.

Harris’ current and former aides say her Israel policy is unlikely to diverge from President Joe Biden. Halie Soifer, national security adviser to Harris while she was in the Senate, said that the vice president has always been a “strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” while upholding humanitarian values.

“She does not want to see the suffering of innocent civilians, nor do the vast majority of Americans and Jewish Americans,” said Soifer, who is now CEO of Jewish Democratic Council of America.

“We don’t have to view it through binary lens,” she told VOA. “We support both.”

Not discouraged

Uncommitted delegates say they’re not discouraged.

Inga Gibson, a delegate from Hawaii, a state where seven out of 31 delegates are uncommitted, said she has made “tremendous progress” with her fellow delegates.

“I found that a lot of people are really with us on this issue, but they don’t know where to begin or how to get involved,” she told VOA.

She and other uncommitted delegates gave out keffiyehs, “Democrats for Gaza” flyers and “No More Bombs” pins. The pro-Palestinian symbols are emblematic of a key area of disagreement among Democrats – how much support to give to Israel.

Pro-Israel delegates say it should not create division within the party.

“We can all do better to try to understand the complications of the conflict,” Andrew Lachman, a delegate from California told VOA. “We’re all concerned about the civilians of Gaza, but we’re also concerned about the people of Israel and their safety and security.”

Polls show an increasing number of Americans want their leaders to reduce support for Israel. Some say Harris missed an opportunity.

As a former prosecutor, Harris can and should strictly enforce laws and suspend weapons even to allies who violate international or U.S. law, said Nancy Okail, president and CEO of the Center for International Policy, a left-leaning think tank.

“She could make clear this doesn’t just apply to their misuse by Israel to cause disproportionate civilian harm in Gaza, but to their misuse by Netanyahu’s extremist government to dispossess and abuse Palestinians in the occupied West Bank,” she told VOA.

Turning protest into agenda

Scholars of social movements say it takes time and work to turn protests into a political agenda. Elisabeth Clemens, a sociologist from the University of Chicago, said that includes building coalitions, negotiating and compromising.

“Finding a way forward that almost never gets all the way to where the protesters hoped it would get but is nevertheless an important change,” she told VOA.

And on an issue as complicated as the Middle East peace process, there are different pressures exerted on multiple sides.

“American domestic politics only garners a slice of that,” she said.

Elabed said they’re in for the long game.

“Our strategy is not to abandon the Democratic Party, but to essentially revolutionize the Democratic Party and listen to its core base.”

For now, the vice president is their best bet.

“I don’t care what you think, you need to win to have power,” Ellison said. “Harris, the numbers are up everywhere. The chances for success are higher.” 
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Sidelined at their party’s convention, pro-Palestinian Democrats play the long game

Vice President Kamala Harris reaffirmed support for Israel in her Democratic National Convention acceptance speech. Pro-Palestinian delegates say they will push to condition U.S. military aid to Israel. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports from the convention in Chicago, Illinois.
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Secret Service agents reassigned in response to Trump assassination attempt

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3 journalists arrested covering DNC protests, prompting press freedom concerns

washington — At least three journalists were arrested in Chicago this week while covering protests during the Democratic National Convention.  

On Tuesday night, a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the Israeli Consulate in Chicago. The demonstration intensified, with protesters and police clashing and protesters charging the police line.  

More than 70 people were arrested, according to the Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. At least three journalists were among those arrested.  

Sinna Nasseri, a freelance photographer who was arrested that night, said the situation was chaotic.  

“There was just pandemonium,” Nasseri told VOA. “There was really nowhere to go. Everyone was really tight together, and I was just photographing and was grabbed and handcuffed.”  

The other two journalists arrested that night were independent photojournalists Olga Fedorova and Josh Pacheco. All three journalists were held by police for about nine hours and charged with disorderly conduct.  

Fedorova and Pacheco did not reply to VOA’s requests for comment.

Press advocates condemn arrests

Several press freedom groups condemned the journalists’ arrests.  

“It’s really important that law enforcement distinguishes between journalists and protesters and does not charge journalists for engaging in newsgathering activities,” Katherine Jacobsen, the U.S. and Canada program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, told VOA. Jacobsen added that she hopes police drop the charges against the three journalists.  

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the incident.  

“At best, this shows a lack of professional diligence on the part of the police. At worst, it’s a gross disregard for the First Amendment,” Clayton Weimers, executive director of RSF’s Washington bureau, said in a statement.  

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said three journalists were arrested for not complying with officers’ orders when police began moving in to arrest protesters who had attacked police, CBS News reported.  

But Nasseri, who was on assignment for the German outlet Zeit, told VOA that it was impossible to hear what police were saying.  

“I showed them my press identification, and they didn’t care,” he said. “It was sort of a baffling situation.”  

Pacheco also told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that orders from police were unclear.  

“The police are saying they ordered a dispersal three times and warned of a mass arrest, which did not happen, and even if it did, there was no way to hear it,” Pacheco said. “They weren’t using megaphones. There were just random police officers screaming different orders.” 

Some of Pacheco and Fedorova’s equipment was also damaged in the incident, according to the Tracker.  

‘Simply doing their jobs’

Fedorova’s lawyer, Steven Baron, told the Tracker that Fedorova and the other journalists were “simply doing their jobs as reporters.”  

“We are disappointed that the City of Chicago chose to sweep the First Amendment under the rug with its heavy-handed tactics against working journalists,” Baron said. 

The Chicago arrests are part of a broader pattern in the United States. Across the country, police have arrested reporters at protests more than 30 times in 2024 alone, according to the Tracker.   

“The Chicago police officers who arrested and charged the journalists covering Tuesday’s protest either didn’t have clear directives — or didn’t follow them — when it comes to codified protections of the press in the First Amendment and their right to cover the news,” Kirstin McCudden, vice president of editorial for Freedom of the Press Foundation, which runs the Tracker, told VOA. 

Nasseri, who works for outlets including The New Yorker, The New York Times and Vogue, said he has a court date scheduled in late September.  

“I think it’ll be interesting to fight this,” he said. “I’m very happy to fight this on behalf of my colleagues and myself and the First Amendment.” 
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RFK Jr. withdraws from Arizona ballot as questions swirl around possible alliance with Trump 

PHOENIX — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the ballot in Arizona late Thursday, a day before he and Donald Trump were set to appear miles apart in the Phoenix area as speculation grows that Kennedy could drop his independent presidential bid and endorse the Republican nominee.

Kennedy is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. Eastern time in Phoenix “about the present historical moment and his path forward,” according to his campaign. Hours later, Trump will hold a rally in neighboring Glendale.

Trump, campaigning Thursday in southern Arizona at the U.S.-Mexico border, said that “no plans have been made” for Kennedy to appear with him on Friday. But he noted they would be in the same city at the same time.

On Thursday evening, Trump’s campaign made an unusual announcement, teasing that he would be joined by “a special guest” at his Glendale event.

Hours later when he called into Fox News Channel after the Democratic National Convention wrapped, Trump said of Kennedy, “I have no idea if he’s going to endorse me.”

But he noted that they were going to be in the same state and said, “It’s possible we will be meeting tomorrow and we’ll be discussing it.”

Representatives for Trump’s campaign did not respond to messages about whether Kennedy would be the guest and the Kennedy campaign did not immediately return a message seeking comment if he would be joining Trump.

Kennedy’s Arizona withdrawal, confirmed by a spokesperson for the secretary of state, came less than a week after Kennedy submitted well more than the required number of signatures to appear on the ballot. His critics raised questions about the validity of some of the signatures after a pro-Kennedy super PAC was heavily involved in his effort to collect them, potentially running afoul of rules against coordination between candidates and independent political groups.

But on Thursday, Kennedy, his running mate, Nicole Shanahan and all of their electors submitted notarized letters dated that day, withdrawing from the race in the state.

A year ago, some would have thought it inconceivable that Kennedy — a member of the most storied family in Democratic politics — would work with Trump to keep a Democrat out of the White House. Even in recent months, Kennedy has accused Trump of betraying his followers, while Trump has criticized Kennedy as “the most radical left candidate in the race.”

But the two campaigns have ramped up their compliments to each other and engaged in behind-the-scenes discussions in recent weeks, according to those familiar with the efforts. Both campaigns have spent months accusing Democrats of weaponizing the legal system for their own benefit. And both have hinted publicly that they could be open to joining forces, with the shared goal of limiting the election chances of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

Last month, during the Republican National Convention, Kennedy’s son posted and then quickly deleted a video showing a phone call between Kennedy and Trump, in which the former president appeared to try to talk Kennedy into siding with him.

Talks between the two camps have continued, with close Trump allies quietly lobbying Kennedy to drop out of the race and support the Republican nominee, according to a person familiar with the efforts who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Trump told CNN on Tuesday that he would “love” an endorsement from Kennedy, whom he called a “brilliant guy.” He also said he would “certainly” be open to Kennedy playing a role in his administration if Kennedy drops out and endorses him.

Shanahan, also openly suggested on a podcast this week that his campaign might “walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump.” While she clarified that she is not personally in talks with Trump, she entertained the idea that Kennedy could join Trump’s administration as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

“I think that Bobby in a role like that would be excellent,” Shanahan said. “I fully support it. I have high hopes.”

Kennedy, a son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, hasn’t disclosed the reason for his Friday remarks, but they come as his campaign’s momentum has slipped.

Kennedy Jr. first entered the 2024 presidential race as a Democrat but left the party last fall to run as an independent. He built an unusually strong base for a third-party bid, fueled in part by anti-establishment voters and vaccine skeptics who have followed his anti-vaccine work since the COVID-19 pandemic. But he has since faced strained campaign finances and mounting legal challenges, including a recent ruling from a New York judge that he should not appear on the ballot in the state because he listed a “sham” address on nominating petitions.

Recent polls put his support in the mid-single digits. And it’s unclear if he’d get even that in a general election, since third-party candidates frequently don’t live up to their early poll numbers when voters actually cast their ballots.

There’s some evidence that Kennedy’s staying in the race would hurt Trump more than Harris. According to a July AP-NORC poll, Republicans were significantly more likely than Democrats to have a favorable view of Kennedy. And those with a positive impression of Kennedy were significantly more likely to also have a favorable view of Trump (52%) than Harris (37%).

In an interview with MSNBC at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday, Harris communications director Michael Tyler said her campaign welcomes Kennedy voters should the independent candidate drop out.

For voters who see Trump as a threat, who are looking for a new way forward, or who want “government to get the hell out of the way of their own personal decisions, there’s a home for you in Kamala Harris’ campaign,” Tyler said.

For Trump, Friday will mark the end of a week’s worth of battleground state visits in which he has sought to draw attention away from Democrats’ celebration of Harris’ presidential nomination in Chicago.

He traveled to Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina and Arizona’s U.S.-Mexico border for events focused on his policy proposals on the economy, crime and safety, national security and the border. He will close out the week Friday with stops in Las Vegas and Glendale.
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Kamala Harris caps convention with call to end Gaza war, fight tyranny

CHICAGO — Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday with a rousing call to end the war in Gaza and to fight tyranny around the world, drawing a sharp contrast with Republican Donald Trump.

“In the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand and I know where the United States belongs,” Harris said, accusing Trump of bowing down to dictators.

On the final, and most anticipated, night of the four-day Chicago convention, Harris, 59, promised to chart a “New Way Forward” as she and Trump, 78, enter the final 11 weeks of the razor-close campaign.

Harris emerged as the Democratic candidate little more than a month ago when allies of President Joe Biden, 81, forced him to quit the race.

It was a forceful speech for a candidate who, during her brief campaign, had yet to articulate much of her vision for the country and faced a stream of personal attacks from Trump, who mocked her Black and South Asian heritage and called her weak on the foreign stage.

The speech laid out some broad policy principles, foreign and domestic, but left unsaid specific details which in weeks to come she could be pressured to provide.

After days of protests from Palestinian supporters who were disappointed at not getting a speaking spot at the convention, Harris delivered a pledge to secure Israel, bring the hostages home from Gaza and end the war in the Palestinian enclave.

“Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done,” she said to cheers. “And let me be clear, I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.”

“What has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost, desperate hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking,” she said.

“President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

In some of her strongest foreign policy statements to date, Harris said she would take whatever action was necessary to defend U.S. interests against Iran and would not cozy up to tyrants and dictators.

She said such leaders, including North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, “are rooting for Trump.”

She vowed to stand with Ukraine in its war against Russia and with NATO allies.

Harris would be first female US president

If successful, Harris stands to make history as the first woman elected U.S. president.

She described the Nov. 5 election as a “precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past. A chance to chart a New Way Forward.”

Harris drew a series of contrasts with Trump, accusing him of not fighting for the middle class, planning to enact a tax hike through his tariff proposals, and having set in motion the end of a constitutional right to abortion with his picks for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Harris noted the Supreme Court’s recent ruling about presidential immunity and the risks that would engender if Trump gained power again.

“Just imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails,” she said.

Trump, who had promised to respond to Harris’ speech in real time, posted a series of messages on Truth Social as she spoke about him, including: “She stands for Incompetence and Weakness – Our Country is being laughed at all over the World!” and “She will never be respected by the Tyrants of the World!”

Final night

Chicago’s United Center brimmed with energy — and people. The arena’s 23,500 seats were filled and arena staff briefly blocked more people from entering the facility, saying the city’s fire marshal declared the building at capacity.

After Harris ended her speech, 100,000 balloons descended on the crowd, a convention official said. Inflating them took 75 volunteers, 30 staff members and a dozen unionized stage hands.

Biden called Harris to wish her luck before her speech, a White House spokesperson said.

On Thursday night, Harris said she will pass a middle tax cut that will benefit more than 100 million Americans.

She discussed her plans to fight for abortion rights, voting rights legislation, boost the housing supply and ban what she has called “price gouging” by grocers. Her campaign has also proposed raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.

Before the speech, thousands of Palestinian supporters once again gathered to protest U.S. support for Israel as it wages war in Gaza. The issue is one of the most divisive among Democrats and got little attention at the convention, which could hurt Democrats at the polls.

Delegates from the Uncommitted National Movement, which mobilized nearly 750,000 voters to withhold support for Biden during the presidential primaries, entered the venue linking arms and took their seats. Members spent Wednesday night on the sidewalk outside the convention to protest the DNC’s rejection of their request for a Palestinian speaker.

Harris has raised a record-breaking $500 million in a month and narrowed the gap or taken the lead against Trump in many opinion polls of battleground states. Nationwide, she leads Trump 46.6% to 43.8%, according to a compilation of polls by FiveThirtyEight.

 
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Harris contrasts her vision with Trump’s as she accepts Democrats’ nomination

Just a month after US President Joe Biden announced he would not seek reelection, Kamala Harris accepted the nomination to be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. She contrasted her record and vision to that of her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
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Takeaways from the Democratic National Convention

CHICAGO — It was U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s big night Thursday, but she wasn’t the only U.S. Democrat to knock it out of the park during a week of rousing speeches, celebrity cameos and lashings of hope and joy.

Here are some takeaways from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago:

Star-studded convention

Oprah Winfrey stole the show, exhorting voters to “choose joy” and Stevie Wonder took the convention to Higher Ground.

John Legend lit up the United Center with a tribute to Prince, while comic actress Mindy Kaling shared stories of cooking lessons from the vice president.

And there was comedy with a serious message from Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson, who brought a giant book on stage to represent the radical Trump-linked Project 2025 governing agenda.

There was feverish speculation over a potential appearance by global superstar Beyonce, but it didn’t pan out.

Family affair

On the biggest stage of their careers, political leaders often look to dewy-eyed family moments that, if seen as genuine, can humanize them and make them relatable to voters.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s 17-year-old son, Gus, touched a nation as he wiped away joyous tears, pointed to his father accepting the vice presidential nomination and sobbed: “That’s my dad!”

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff provided another indelible memory, referring to Harris as “my wiiiiife” as he recounted the goofy, endearing story of their romance.

And President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley was a highlight of the opening night as she paid tribute to “the O.G. Girl Dad.”

Obamas sizzle

Barack and Michelle Obama — the undisputed power couple of Democratic politics — partied like it was 2008 as they gave the convention a shot of star power on Day Two.

The 44th president got the night’s biggest laugh as he goaded Donald Trump over the Republican’s “obsession with crowd sizes.”

But he was upstaged by the former first lady — by far the country’s most popular Democrat — who spoke of the “contagious power of hope” in the most cheered speech of the week.

The party made use of a deep bench of luminaries, including former president Bill Clinton, whose raspy speech was more than twice the allotted time but included some memorable applause lines.

Gaza fizzles

There were protests across Chicago against the administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, and particularly over the decision not to allow a Palestinian American to speak from the main stage.

The largest protest Thursday featured several thousand marchers but was still much smaller than the demonstrations of tens of thousands predicted by organizers, and it was not the fly in the ointment that the Democrats had feared.

Protests were largely peaceful, although several demonstrators were arrested when they broke through a security fence earlier in the week around the United Center where the main program was staged.

Although the activists were largely pro-Palestinian, they were joined by others marching against a variety of progressive causes, from reproductive rights to migrant welfare.

Bye-bye Biden

The president gave an emotional keynote speech to open a conference that he thought just weeks ago he would be headlining.

Biden took to the stage, dabbing his eyes, and spoke at length about his achievements while making a case for Harris that was criticized for lacking the pizzazz of the Obama endorsements.

Flanked by first lady Jill Biden and Harris, the veteran Democrat’s final bow marked at long last the passing of the torch for a politician who has been in the public eye for more than half a century.

“Democracy has prevailed. Democracy has delivered. And now democracy must be preserved,” he declared, to one of many standing ovations from the rapt audience. 
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Trump visits US-Mexico border to contrast with Democrats on immigration

SIERRA VISTA, Arizona — On a dirt road below the shrub-dotted hills of Arizona, Donald Trump used a stretch of wall and a pile of steel beams to draw a visual contrast between his approach to securing the border and that of his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Trump brought along grieving mothers, the sheriff of Cochise County and the head of the Border Patrol union to echo his tough-on-border-security message at Thursday’s visit, which was themed “Make America Safe Again.” 

“To my right is what we call Trump wall. This was wall that was built under President Trump,” said Paul Perez, president of the Border Patrol union. “To my left, we have what we call Kamala wall. It’s just sitting there doing nothing, lying down.” 

The Biden administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the wall construction. 

The visit was the fourth in a series of events held in battleground states this week to try to draw the focus away from Democrats’ celebration of Harris’ presidential nomination in Chicago. Speakers at the convention on Wednesday night accused Trump of using the border to stir up his base by demonizing immigrants. 

Joining Thursday’s border visit were the mothers of children who were killed during the Biden administration in cases where the suspects are immigrants in the country illegally. Trump frequently highlights attacks involving immigrants to fuel concerns about the Biden administration policies, though some studies have found that people living in the U.S. illegally are less likely than native-born Americans to have been arrested for violent, drug and property crimes. 

“I just really, really, really want everybody to please take into consideration how important border control is, because we’re losing very innocent people to heinous crimes,” said Alexis Nungaray, the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was strangled to death in Houston in June. 

At the Arizona event, snipers stood nearby at an elevated position, their eyes and weapons pointed toward Mexico, a day after Trump held his first outdoor rally since an assassination attempt last month. Security forces were also visible on the Mexican side of the border, including several men with rifles and tactical gear. Others wore uniforms identifying them as members of the Mexican state police. 

“What Biden and Kamala have done to the families here with me and so many others, thousands and thousands of others, not only killed, but also really badly hurt, badly hurt to a point where they’ll never lead a normal life again. It’s shameful, and it’s evil,” Trump said. 

In his tour of battleground states this week, Trump has traveled to Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina and will hold events in Las Vegas and the Phoenix suburb of Glendale on Friday. His running mate, Senator JD Vance, spoke at the same location near the border a few weeks ago. 

Elected Democratic officials argued Wednesday night at the convention that their party is the one offering real leadership on border issues. 

“When it comes to the border, hear me when I say, ‘You know nothing, Donald Trump,’ ” said U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar, who represents the border city of El Paso, Texas. “He and his Republican imitators see the border and immigration as a political opportunity to exploit instead of an issue to address.” 

U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy spoke after a video played showing Republican opposition to a bipartisan border deal earlier this year. Murphy was the top Democrat negotiating the proposal with conservative senators and said the bill would have had unanimous support if it weren’t for Trump. 

Trump was asked about the deal, and he called it “weak” and “ineffective.”

 
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Arizona man wanted for threatening Trump on social media

WASHINGTON — An Arizona man is wanted after threatening over social media to kill former President Donald Trump, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. 

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, is in Cochise County as he visits the U.S. border with Mexico as part of his campaign. 

The man, Ronald Lee Syvrud, 66, has multiple outstanding warrants from Wisconsin, the sheriff’s office said.  

This is the latest in a series of threats against candidates ahead of the November 5 general election.  

In early August, a Virginia man was charged with threatening Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic rival, and a New Hampshire man was arrested in December for threatening to kill Republican presidential candidates. 

In July, Trump was wounded in his ear in an attempted assassination that left two others injured and one man dead.  

The U.S. Secret Service came under widespread scrutiny following the shooting. It resulted in the resignation of the agency’s director.
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Tim Walz’s nickname shines light on ‘period poverty’ in America

Washington — A schoolyard taunt against U.S. vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has vaulted a serious issue into the spotlight: that even in the world’s wealthiest nation, the struggle to afford menstrual supplies — known as “period poverty” — is a driving concern for the large portion of the population that menstruates.  

In 2023, the Minnesota governor signed a state law mandating free menstrual products in schools. His support drew the ire of conservatives who questioned the bill’s language requiring pads and tampons in all school bathrooms — not just those designated for girls. And it earned him a moniker that opponents have strung around his neck as he seeks the vice presidency: “Tampon Tim.” 

Much of the online chatter using the nickname devolves into crude, sexual claims about Walz.  

“He’s sick,” said Jesse Watters, a host on the conservative Fox news network, shortly after Walz was announced as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate. “Walz forced schools to stock tampons in boys’ bathrooms. Tampons in fourth grade boys’ bathrooms. What a freak. What do boys need tampons for?” 

Presidential candidate Donald Trump said at a recent rally in North Carolina: “He wants tampons in boys’ bathrooms. I don’t think so. Tampons!” 

What the law actually says – and doesn’t 

But the Minnesota state law’s language, advocates argue, does not say that. It makes no mention of sex or gender, saying only that supplies must be provided “to all menstruating students” in “restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12.” 

The editorial board of the state’s largest newspaper agreed, calling the $2 million initiative “good and necessary policy.” The paper also quoted a top Minnesota school administrator who said that the law’s language gives flexibility to schools to stock products in unisex bathrooms, girls’ bathrooms, with the school nurse or in the front office — and that, more than eight months into the program’s rollout, she had heard no concerns from schools about implementation.  

Opponents of similar initiatives have not given clear reasons for their opposition. In June, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed the Menstrual Hygiene Products Grant Program, a $6.4 million plan to provide free pads and tampons for kindergarten through 12th grade students in his state. The conservative governor did not say specifically afterwards why he vetoed this measure — which was among about $900 million he cut from the state budget through the veto pen.  

“Some of the stuff I don’t think was appropriate for state tax dollars,” he said. “Some of the stuff are things that I support but that we have state programs for.”  

And this month, the Florida governor called out Walz directly, saying: “This is a guy that used Minnesota tax dollars to put tampons in the boys’ bathrooms throughout the schools in Minnesota. Are you kidding me?” 

‘We cannot learn when we are leaking’ 

But all the talk about bathrooms and other issues, menstrual health advocates say, obscures the original point of the Minnesota bill. Its sponsor, Rep. Sandra Feist, said high school students lobbied her to present the legislation to combat the dire effects of period poverty. 

“One out of 10 menstruating youth miss school because of their menstrual cycle or during the menstrual cycle because of a lack of access to menstrual products and resources,” she said in presenting the bill. “This absenteeism impacts educational attainment directly and indirectly, through its correlation with increased depression and anxiety.” 

In the United States, it costs an average of just under $9 per month to cover period supplies, according to a study of average costs worldwide. But that cost can come down dramatically when school districts purchase the products in bulk. 

Elsewhere, costs are lowest in India — estimated at just under $3 — and highest in Algeria, where a month’s worth of supplies costs upwards of $34. 

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, when challenged recently by Trump adviser Stephen Miller to explain Walz’s support of the law, countered by highlighting Pennsylvania’s similar law, on social-media platform X: “No girl should have to worry about anything but her work at school each day.” 

And as then high-school student Elif Ozturk said in appealing to Minnesota legislators: “I have friends who decided to just skip school during that time, because we cannot learn when we are leaking.” 

VOA asked both presidential campaigns to outline how they would address period poverty, if elected. Neither responded.  

Not just a US problem 

These are familiar refrains in the developing world, where period poverty and menstrual shame are often documented. There, NGOs have intervened in some communities with programs that provide reusable supplies and work to destigmatize menstruation.  

The American Bar Association says in the developed world, Canada, Scotland and Spain recently enacted laws that aim to support people who menstruate. Taiwan, Japan, Zambia, are on a growing list of places that have menstrual leave protections, and Australia, China, Chile and Zimbabwe are considering steps as well.  

Campaigners say that the U.S. government could make several moves. Those include making supplies freely available through Medicare, federal educational programs and shelters; eliminating sales taxes on hygiene products; and by adding them to the list of items available through assistance programs. And they point to a pending bill that would, in addition to some of those things, require that all employers of more than 100 people provide free supplies. 

About 25 states — including Arizona, Michigan, New Mexico, New Jersey and Ohio — have passed laws providing free products in schools. 

Estimates of how much this costs vary widely — ranging between $2 and $29 per student per year. Overall spending by U.S. public schools averages $16,280 per pupil each year, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. 

Studies find that nearly one in four American students has trouble affording menstrual supplies, which are often taxed, unlike other essential medical supplies, and have seen steep inflation in recent years.  

‘Why is a girl with a period such a big, scary thing?’ 

Michela Bedard, executive director at PERIOD, an advocacy group, argues that this is not a personal problem, but a social one.  

“When people who require menstrual products — which is over half of our population — can’t fully engage in school, can’t fully engage in work or a commute to work, or athletics, or all the scholastic activities they want, it brings us all down, doesn’t it?” she told VOA. “We don’t talk about hunger that way. We often don’t talk about other basic needs that way. And so period products need to be considered part of the list of essential supplies that society needs to rely on to live their full selves.” 

And, she said, younger Americans are more accepting — and are the force behind many of the new state laws.  

This new attitude may be best reflected in a stalwart of the American teen literary scene, Seventeen magazine. As recently as the turn of the century, this glossy, bubbly American teen rag printed a page in every issue of short, reader-submitted anonymous tales. And that page, every month, reliably featured at least one paragraph-long horror story of the same exact narrative, which was posited as the worst nightmare of every high-school menstruator: Oh no my period happened in front of my crush! I was SO EMBARRASSED I wanted to just die!!!!  

That attitude is long gone, as reflected in a 2016 piece in that same magazine, outlining the exact same scenario of a crush learning a biological truth about his 16-year-old admirer and then shaming her for it.  

Instead, she rejects the shame, saying: “Why is a girl with a period such a big, scary thing? And I decided: It’s not. A period is not something embarrassing. It’s a sign that you’re healthy and that your body is doing what it’s supposed to.” 

Bedard told VOA that Walz should take a cue from today’s teens and wear his nickname with pride.  

“He is Tampon Tim to me,” she said. “He’s my kind of governor. I think that we need to lean into names like that, because it normalizes all the work that we at PERIOD have been doing for years. This is not a controversial issue.” 
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Democrats make strong appeals to Native voters, but have they missed the mark?

WASHINGTON — The Native American Caucus, meeting at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, opened its first meeting earlier this week with a prayer.

Amelia Flores, who chairs the Colorado River Indian Tribes in Arizona, introduced herself in the Mojave language and called on “Father, Creator” to bless Democrat leaders.

“We ask that you grant them wisdom and that our spirits will remain in a positive attitude throughout the next four days here. … We are gung-ho for our vice president and newly elect, with your favor, the first woman president of the United States,” she said.

More than 150 Native American delegates representing tribes across the U.S. participated in the convention this week. They brought a unique set of concerns that include safeguarding tribal sovereignty, clarifying their relationship with the federal government and overcoming voting barriers.

Native vote power

Speaking with VOA in July, Association on American Indian Affairs Director Shannon O’Loughlin, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, emphasized that Native Americans have become an increasingly important voting bloc.

“If we do show up, and we do vote locally and nationally, we have the power to change the direction of the candidates and who’s chosen,” O’Loughlin said to VOA in July. “We saw that in the last election.”

That said, she notes some states’ efforts to discourage Native voters. In 2020, for example, the Native vote in Arizona helped swing the election in Biden’s favor. Two years later, Republican lawmakers passed a law requiring Arizonans to prove U.S. citizenship, a hardship for many Native voters.

Lower courts rejected the law, and the Republican National Committee has called on the U.S. Supreme Court to decide in time for the state to begin printing ballots.

A look at the numbers

According to the Native American Rights Fund, out of nearly 6.8 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives, 4.7 million are older than 18 and registered to vote.

It is commonly assumed that Native American voters favor the Democratic Party. But some studies show otherwise:

Oklahoma State University researchers in 2016 conducted an internet poll in which 46% of Native American respondents identified as Democrats, 26% as Republicans and 25% as independents.

A 2022 Midterm Voter Election Poll by the African American Research Collaborative showed similar numbers but also revealed that Native American voters are less likely to believe either political party is truly committed to advancing their issues and priorities.

“We obviously want to look at the numbers, which are very interesting and important, but I think what’s more telling at the end of the day is the fact that Native Americans are not really attached and don’t have a solidified relationship with either party,” said Gabriel Sanchez, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institute.

“Native American voters overwhelmingly tell us they’re not really partisan in how they approach voting decisions. It’s more a campaign season to campaign season evaluation of which party they perceive to be better for their communities,” he noted.

Sanchez told VOA that Native Americans are usually represented, at least symbolically, in political conventions. He observed, however, little Native presence at the Republican convention in mid-July.

In contrast, Native Americans showed up in force at the Democratic convention this week to support Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House, and they heard from prominent Democrats, including Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), the vice presidential nominee.

“We have 11 sovereign nations, Anishinaabe and Dakota, and our history in Minnesota, just like the rest across this country, is dark,” he said. “But in Minnesota, we’ve acknowledged it’s not just enough to admire a problem.

“What are you going to do to make a difference? What are you going to do to partner? What are you going to do to acknowledge the first Americans? And what are you going to do to understand that our state of Minnesota is stronger because of our 11 sovereign nations?”

Senator Corey Booker (D-NJ) expressed solidarity with Native voters, noting that Black and Native Americans face similar challenges “with a justice system that treats you better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent, with a health care system where literally the lowest life expectancy in the nation is Native American and African American men.”

But will these messages resonate with Native voters, particularly those registered as Independents?

“An issue that’s nowhere near on the radar of either party’s platform is missing and murdered Indigenous women,” Sanchez told VOA, citing a First Nations Development Institute survey of Native Americans showing this to be a top concern.

“And I think if either the Democrat or Republican Party can embrace that particular issue, it will go a long way.”
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accepts Democratic Party VP nomination

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accepted his party’s nomination as vice president during the third day of the Democratic National Convention. VOA Midwest Correspondent Kane Farabaugh has more from Chicago.
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