Category Archives: Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris takes on presidential role – briefly – as Biden has colonoscopy

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The vice-president became the first woman to wield the powers of the US presidency, during Biden’s routine medical procedure

Kamala Harris on Friday morning became the first woman to wield presidential power in the US – temporarily, when Joe Biden had a colonoscopy under anesthetic.

In a statement, the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said: “This morning, the president will travel to Walter Reed Medical Center for a routine physical. While he is there, the president will undergo a routine colonoscopy.

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Kamala Harris pushes back on criticism that she’s underused as vice-president – live

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In a letter to the Democratic caucus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi provided an update on the Build Back Better Act, the bill formerly known as the reconciliation bill, which has also been referred to a time or two as the “human infrastructure” bill.

“Very soon, the American people will have an historic cause for celebration, with the passage of the transformative Build Back Better Act,” Pelosi wrote.

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White House defends Kamala Harris after reports suggest she is struggling in role – video

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The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, disputed recent media reports that the US vice president, Kamala Harris, is struggling with her role in Joe Biden's administration. ‘She's a key partner,’ Psaki said. ‘She's a bold leader, and she is somebody who has taken on incredibly important assignments,’ including immigration and voting rights. With questions being raised about the president's willingness to seek a second term, speculation is mounting over Harris’s chances in a contest for the next Democratic nomination. 

‘I don't have any predictions of whether she will run, when she will run,’ Psaki added. ‘I will leave that to her, but I can tell you that there's been a lot of reports out there and they don't reflect his view or our experience with the vice president'

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Migrants continue to cross into US as Kamala Harris criticises treatment by border patrol – video

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Thousands of Haitians encamped under and near a bridge in the town of Del Rio faced a ramped-up US exclusion effort on Tuesday, with six flights to their homeland. More than 6,000 migrants had been removed by Monday, officials said.

Asked on Tuesday about footage of the incident, Kamala Harris said: 'What I saw depicted, those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were, was horrible'


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Kamala Harris and George W Bush call for unity on 20th anniversary of 9/11 – video

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Speaking at the Shanksville memorial ceremony, Kamala Harris called for the US to come together, as passengers and crew of Flight 93 did on 9/11 to fight the hijackers. She was joined by former president George W Bush, who also criticised the divisiveness affecting the US, saying that it turns 'every argument into a clash of cultures'.

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Kamala Harris’s south-east Asia trip reveals limits of US strategy

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Analysis: With little sign of big ideas or ambitious proposals, some analysts say vice-president’s trip reflects how little the administration is investing in the region

In October 2013, as the former US president Barack Obama had to cancel his four-nation tour of south-east Asia due to the congressional impasse at home, China’s president Xi Jinping, instead, made the news headlines across the region.

On that trip to Indonesia, Xi proposed to set up an Asian infrastructure investment bank to support the region’s “connectivity”. He and his Indonesian counterpart, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also announced $32bn of trade and investment deals. Then in Malaysia, Xi and the prime minister, Najib Razak, vowed to strengthen military ties and triple bilateral trade to $160bn by 2017.

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Biden reportedly receiving urgent briefings in White House situation room on explosions at Kabul airport – live

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US Capitol Police officers who were attacked and beaten during the insurrection at the US Congress on January 6 by extremist supporters of Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the former Republican president, allies such as Roger Stone and members of far-right extremist groups.

Here’s where the day stands so far:

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Kamala Harris Vietnam trip delayed after two US officials report Havana syndrome

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Press secretary says assessment of safety of vice-president was carried out and she continued her journey

US vice-president Kamala Harris’ trip from Singapore to Vietnam was delayed by several hours on Tuesday by an investigation into two possible cases of the so-called Havana syndrome in Hanoi, administration officials said.

The investigation was in its early stages and officials deemed it safe for Harris to make her scheduled stop in Vietnam, which is part of her trip across Asia meant to reassure allies about American foreign policy amid the tumultuous evacuation of US forces from Afghanistan.

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Kamala Harris accuses Beijing of ‘coercion’ and ‘intimidation’ in South China Sea

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In major speech delivered in Singapore, US vice president says America stands with its allies in the Indo Pacific in the face of threats from China

US vice president Kamala Harris has delivered a sharp rebuke to China for its incursions in the South China Sea, warning its actions there amount to “coercion” and “intimidation” and affirming that the US will support its allies in the region against Beijing’s advances.

“We know that Beijing continues to coerce, to intimidate and to make claims to the vast majority of the South China Sea,” she said in a major foreign policy speech Tuesday in Singapore in which she laid out the Biden administration’s vision for the Indo-Pacific. “Beijing’s actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations.”

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Kamala Harris faces scrutiny and tests in first six months as vice-president

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The vice-president was handed what some saw as a poisoned chalice of leading the southern border response and faces ‘unique hurdles’ in the administration

Kamala Harris looked glad to be back at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington. “The first office I ever ran for was probably the most difficult campaign I’ve ever been in,” she recalled with laughter, “and that was freshman class representative of what was then called the liberal arts student council.”

Related: How Trump’s big lie has been weaponized since the Capitol attack

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Kamala Harris takes heat from both sides in daunting border visit

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Vice-president faced with colossal task as migrants live with brutal reality of arduous journey and border restrictions

The sun beat down on the 30ft border fence that separates El Paso, Texas from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, as temperatures headed towards 100F on the southern border that stands as a symbol for so much in American politics.

Related: Kamala Harris says US-Mexico border situation is ‘tough’ but claims progress

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Kamala Harris heads for political minefield on visit to US-Mexico border

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  • Vice-president to visit migrant processing center in El Paso
  • Rises in families and unaccompanied children migrating

Kamala Harris faces the most politically challenging moment of her vice-presidency on Friday when she visits Texas as part of her role leading the Biden administration’s response to recent increases in families and unaccompanied children migrating across the US-Mexico border.

While in El Paso, Texas, she will tour a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing center near the international bridge that connects the western city with its twin city, Juárez, across the Rio Grande in Mexico.

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Kamala Harris to visit US-Mexico border for first time as vice-president – live

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Rising homicide rates and gun violence has become a major issue in local political races, including in the New York mayoral primary elections.

For Joe Biden, rising concern about crime has proved to be a politically convenient opportunity for him to boost gun control reforms he touted as a candidate. But the president’s wide-ranging policy proposals are sure to divide Democrats.

We can't let legitimate concerns about shootings and homicides undermine momentum to overhaul law enforcement. We can't repeat the mistakes of the past and think that we can arrest our way out of rising gun violence. https://t.co/0ifVpEJCFE

Biden is speaking at the White House to explain his administration’s plans to address crime and gun trafficking.

My colleague David Smith is covering the event live:

Joe Biden: “Crime historically rises during the summer.” As we open after the pandemic; the summer spike might be higher than usual. pic.twitter.com/XfWoQ0JGQd

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Biden signs bill marking Juneteenth as federal holiday celebrating end of slavery in US – video

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The US will officially recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday on 19 June after Joe Biden signed a bill into law which commemorates the end of slavery in the country. The president described a day to remember the moral stain of slavery but also to celebrate the capacity to heal. Before signing the bill, Biden said: 'I’ve only been president for several months, but I think this will go down for me as one of the greatest honors I will have had as president'

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Juneteenth becomes federal holiday celebrating end of slavery in US

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Biden signs bill at jubilant ceremony as US takes steps to confront shameful history

The US will officially recognize Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in America, as a federal holiday after Joe Biden signed a bill into law on Thursday.

At a jubilant White House ceremony, the president emphasized the need for the US to reckon with its history, even when that history is shameful.

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Obstacles mount in Central America as Biden seeks cooperation over corruption

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The post-Trump landscape, geopolitical concerns and an economic paradox pose threat to White House hopes

Standing behind a podium next to the president of Guatemala during her first trip abroad this week, Vice-President Kamala Harris emphasized the renewed commitment of the United States to fighting corruption as part of efforts to confront the root causes driving migration from Central America.

But for many, the man standing beside her, Alejandro Giammattei, embodies the challenge in a region where past and current presidents have been accused of misdeeds ranging from embezzlement and bribery to authoritarianism and drug trafficking.

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Kamala Harris suffers bumpy baptism over immigration on first foreign trip

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Vice-president’s ‘get tough’ stance on corruption overshadowed by backlash over ‘do not come’ message to migrants

Kamala Harris has returned to the US from her first foreign trip and big test since becoming vice-president – and taking over the hot-potato issue of immigration – battered by criticism over her harsh “Do not come” message to desperate migrants and her testy ambivalence over visiting the US-Mexico border.

Harris arrived back on US soil from a three-day trip to Guatemala and Mexico just as Joe Biden flew out to the UK on Wednesday on his first overseas venture since winning the White House.

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Kamala Harris questioned over not going to US-Mexico border – video

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US vice-president Kamala Harris has brushed off questions about her decision not to go to the US-Mexico border as part of her work to address the spike in migration. Harris, who was asked about the issue during visits to Mexico and Guatemala, said: ‘I’ve been to the border before and I will go again, but when I’m in Guatemala dealing with root causes, I think we should have a conversation about what is going on in Guatemala’, Harris said. Republican lawmakers have criticised her for not prioritising the shared frontier

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AOC condemns Kamala Harris for telling Guatemalan migrants not to come to US

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls comments ‘disappointing’ after vice-president says migrants will not find solace at US border

The progressive New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has criticized Vice-President Kamala Harris for saying undocumented migrants from Guatemala should not come to the US.

On her first foreign trip as vice-president, Harris visited Guatemala on Monday. At a press conference with Guatemala’s president, Alejandro Giammattei, the former California senator spoke about investigating corruption and human trafficking in Central America and described a future where Guatemalans could find “hope at home”.

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