Election 2024 updates: RFK Jr. planning to leave 2024 race by end of week: Sources

(CHICAGO) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday unveiled her economic platform, her first major policy rollout since becoming the Democratic nominee.

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday held a press conference in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he said he’s “entitled” to insult his Democratic opponent because he doesn’t respect her and attacked her record on the economy.

Here’s how the news is developing:

RFK Jr. withdraws petition to be on Arizona ballot

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has officially withdrawn his petition to be on the Arizona ballot, the secretary of state’s office told ABC News Thursday night, the first tangible sign he plans to exit the presidential race.

“We have processed withdrawal forms for RFK prior to the ballot printing deadline. No changes may be made to put the electors back on the ballot now,” Arizona Secretary of State Spokesman JP Martin said.

ABC News’ Will McDuffie

1:12 PM EDT
What some of Chicago’s young voters think about the 2024 election

Three young voters — one liberal, one moderate and one conservative — discussed their thoughts on the 2024 election while in Chicago for the DNC.

Chicago’s young voters talk 2024 presidential election at the DNC

-538’s Nathaniel Rakich

11:25 AM EDT
‘I would be honored by’ RFK Jr.’s endorsement: Trump

Former President Donald Trump told Fox and Friends Thursday morning that he would be “honored” to receive Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement.

ABC News previously reported that RFK Jr. is expected to drop out of the presidential race by the end of the week.

“I’ve known him for a long time. He’s, as you know, he’s a little different kind of a guy, very smart guy, a very good person. If he endorsed me, I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it,” Trump said. “He really has his heart in the right place. He is a respected person. Women love some of his policies, and I guess some people don’t like some of his policies.”

-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh

7:04 AM EDT
Illinois voters discuss the Harris-Biden switch

Four Illinois voters sat down with ABC News at the start of the Democratic National Convention to discuss Biden’s bombshell decision, the rise of Harris as the party’s nominee and her possible historic path to the presidency.

Edgar Diaz, a 43-year-old moderate Democrat who lives in Chicago, told ABC News he was relieved when President Joe Biden stepped aside. “I think he’s realized that, ‘Hey, you know what? Now it’s time to step aside and let somebody like Kamala Harris step in,’” he said.

Grace Walters, 25, said she was encouraged by the energy around the vice president’s campaign. “It became less about vote for us because we’re not them, and more vote for us because we’re doing X, Y and Z — and that is always an easier thing to get behind,” she said.

But David Spada, a 53-year-old conservative Republican, asked those planning to back the Democrats whether they were concerned that voters did not get to choose their own candidate.

“Shouldn’t the voters pick who the candidate is for president, not just the party?” Spada asked.

-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler

6:50 AM EDT
3 key objectives Harris is expected to touch on during DNC speech

Vice President Kamala Harris is setting out to achieve three key objectives in her highly anticipated Democratic National Convention speech Thursday night, according to a campaign official.

Harris intends to highlight her background — she was raised by a working mother in a middle-class neighborhood — to show she shares the experiences, challenges, and values of middle-class families.

She will also detail her journey to becoming a prosecutor in order to protect others — like survivors of sexual abuse or homeowners impacted by the foreclosure crisis — a campaign official told ABC News.

Harris will then set out the dangers posed by former President Donald Trump’s campaign, specifically, the Project 2025 agenda. The vice president will look to contrast that with her “New Way Forward” agenda, the campaign official said.

-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Will McDuffie, and Fritz Farrow

Bulletproof glass shields Trump at North Carolina rally

Former President Donald Trump spoke behind bulletproof glass at his rally in North Carolina on Wednesday as new security measures are being put in place after the assassination attempt against the former president.

Trump was surrounded by the glass barriers as he addressed supporters in Asheboro. The event marked his first outdoor rally since the shooting on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, during which Trump and two others were injured and one person was killed.

-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler

RFK Jr. planning to leave 2024 race: Sources

Robert Kennedy Jr. is planning to drop out of the race by the end of this week, sources familiar with the decision tell ABC News.

Sources say that Kennedy is leaning toward endorsing former President Donald Trump, though the sources cautioned the decision is not yet finalized and could still change. One source added that the hope is, in part, to finalize things quickly in order to try to blunt momentum from the DNC.

Kennedy is set to address the nation on Friday, his campaign said earlier Wednesday.

-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Will McDuffie, Olivia Rubin, John Santucci and Katherine Faulders

RFK Jr. to address nation Friday about ‘path forward’

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will “address the nation” live Friday to discuss his “path forward,” his press secretary posted on X Wednesday.

The campaign did not immediately offer any more specifics.

-ABC News’ Will McDuffie

Harris headed to Milwaukee rally tonight

Democratic candidate for president, Vice President Kamala Harris, is set to speak at a rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday, according to her campaign.

Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ vice presidential running mate, will be in attendance, the campaign confirmed. Also expected at the event are Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, members of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise, including Khris Middleton and President Peter Feigin, and labor leaders.

Harris and Waltz appeared at the DNC in Chicago on Monday night, where Harris surprised delegates by taking the stage early in the night for a brief speech.

Tuesday’s rally, which is being held at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, is aimed at energizing Wisconsin voters, the campaign said.

Iran denies involvement in attempts to hack Trump, Biden campaigns

Iran is denying reports it was involved in attempts to hack the presidential campaigns of former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, the latter of which while he was still in the race.

In a statement, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, said that reports of attempted hacking, which came from Google and Microsoft, are “unsubstantiated.”

“Such allegations are unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing. As we have previously announced, the Islamic Republic of Iran harbors neither the intention nor the motive to interfere with the U.S. presidential election,” the statement read. “Should the U.S. government genuinely believe in the validity of its claims, it should furnish us with the pertinent evidence—if any—to which we will respond accordingly.”

-ABC News’ Pierre Thomas

7:32 AM EDT
Bernie Sanders to speak at DNC on ‘lowering health care costs’

Lowering health care costs will be a central theme at the Democratic National Convention this week, campaign and convention officials said on Monday, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), confirmed as one notable program speaker set to focus upon the issue — specifically on “lowering Rx drug prices” and “taking on Big Pharma.”

Speakers throughout the week like Sanders, California Rep. Robert Garcia, Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will highlight the support of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for strengthening the Affordable Care Act, convention officials shared first with ABC News.

In a Friday speech setting out a string of economic proposals, Harris pledged to “lower the cost of insulin and prescription drugs for everyone.” She also said she’d “demand transparency from the middlemen who operate between Big Pharma and the insurance companies, who use opaque practices to raise your drug prices and profit off your need for medicine.”

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn and more to host DNC

Actors Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Mindy Kaling and commentator Ana Navarro will serve as hosts at the Democratic National Convention this week, convention officials confirmed to ABC News.

Each will host one night of the four-day convention, starting the programming with opening remarks and reappearing onstage throughout the night.

Goldwyn will host Monday night, Navarro on Tuesday and Kaling on Wednesday. Washington will host on Thursday, the night Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepts her nomination.

CNN first reported this news.

Harris and Walz debut new campaign buses and kick off tour ahead of DNC

Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz debuted their new campaign buses Sunday and kicked off a bus tour of southwestern Pennsylvania ahead of this week’s Democratic National Convention.

Upon their arrival on Air Force Two, a few hundred supporters greeted Harris, Walz and their spouses at a hangar where the new were buses parked.

Supporters told ABC News they were thrilled by Harris’ candidacy, with one saying she had not felt this excited about politics in years. Some said they had never volunteered for a campaign before signing up to work on Harris’.

“I was excited about Biden, but I am a million times more excited about Kamala,” Nicole Molinaro, a Pittsburgh-area mom, said. “I think that we need her leadership. We need her intelligence. We need her progressive, you know, stance. I think we need her experience. We need everything about Kamala.”

Another supporter, Edward Freel, said he was unsure about Harris at first, “but then, as I started listening better and following her, [I thought] this woman is going to be good for this country.”

Trump campaign releases counterprogramming schedule for DNC week

During the week of the DNC, Former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance will be out on the campaign trail, holding events in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.

Trump allies — including Sens. Ron Johnson and Rick Scott, and Rep. Byron Donalds — will travel to Chicago to host press conferences every day of the convention. The Trump team will also give a press conference on Thursday ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris accepting the Democratic party’s nomination.

“As they meet Americans where they are in battleground states across the country, President Trump and Senator Vance will remind voters that under their leadership, we can end inflation, protect our communities from violent criminals, secure the border, and Make America Great Again,” Trump Campaign Senior Advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement.

-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh

Michelle Obama to speak at DNC this week

Former first lady Michelle Obama will speak at the DNC in Chicago this week, ABC News has confirmed with her office.

Her appearance, first reported by Essence Magazine, will be among a lineup of prominent Democratic leaders who are rallying in support of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Former President Barack Obama is also scheduled to speak at the DNC.

According to a source familiar with the planning, Michelle Obama will speak on Tuesday — the same day as the former president.

-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart and Gabriella Abdul-Hakim

Former Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard will help Trump prepare for presidential debate

Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard will assist Trump in preparing for his first debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.

“[Trump] does not need traditional debate prep but will continue to meet with respected policy advisors and effective communicators like Tulsi Gabbard, who successfully dominated Kamala Harris on the debate stage,” Trump campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a statement to ABC News, confirming a development first reported by The New York Times.

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and a one-time Democratic presidential candidate during the 2020 election, gained brief momentum during her presidential run after challenging Harris on the debate stage on topics like criminal prosecutions.

Since leaving the Democratic Party, Gabbard has been gaining traction among Trump supporters, and more recently she has appeared on Fox and other conservative news outlets attacking Harris.

– ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Soo Rin Kim, Kelsey Walsh, and Lalee Ibssa

Election 2024 updates: ABC News Harris-Trump debate to be held in Philadelphia

The first debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump will be held by ABC News at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

The Sept. 10 debate will be moderated by ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis.

It will air live at 9:00 p.m. ET on the network and on its 24/7 streaming network ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

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