Harris paid tribute to Joe Biden’s integrity, his love for his country and his accomplishments during his time as president at an event to celebrate National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams.

Later, in Delaware at her campaign HQ, Harris took the opportunity to set out her vision for an America where every person has the “opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead”, and highlight her key policies such as restoring abortion rights and a ban on assault weapons.

She also focussed her attack on Donald Trump, saying he “wants to take our country backwards” and highlighted her time as a prosecutor when she took on perpetrators who abused women, fraudsters and cheaters.

“I know Donald Trump’s type”, she said to thunderous applause.

Harris receives key endorsements

Following on from receiving the immediate backing from President Biden, Kamala Harris has also had endorsements from senior figures across the Democratic Party.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker all rallied round her.

And potential rivals for the nomination including Gavin Newsom, Josh Shapiro and Pete Buttigieg also backed her for president.

She has also received support from the Clintons, but Barack Obama has yet to officially endorse her, the former president has often delayed endorsing any candidates until the last moment.

JD Vance: Biden bad, Harris a million times worse

On Monday, JD Vance – Donald Trump’s running mate in November’s election – held solo rallies in Ohio and Virginia. And he didn’t hold back.

“Now, history will remember Joe Biden as not just a quitter, which he is, but one of the worst presidents of the United States of America,” he said in Virginia.

“But my friends, Kamala Harris is a million times worse, and everybody knows it.”

He added: “And while we’re on the subject of Joe Biden, can anybody just admit that if Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he ain’t fit to serve as president of the United States either?

“If Kamala Harris is too blind or too corrupt to admit to the American people that Joe Biden should have never been in there, she’s not fit to serve either.”

After criticising Biden, Clooney endorses Harris

George Clooney has announced he is backing Kamala Harris for president, in a statement to CNN.

The actor and prominent Democratic fundraiser says “we are excited to do whatever we can” to support Harris in her “historic quest” for the top job. He also lauds President Biden for showing “true leadership”.

Earlier this month, Clooney issued a damming call for Biden to the quit the presidential race, saying “the one battle [Biden] cannot win is the fight against time”.

Clooney wrote in the New York Times that it was “devastating to say it”, but the Joe Biden he had recently met while fundraising was not the Biden of 2010 or of 2020.

He was the man “we witnessed at the debate” – referencing the president’s disastrous performance against Donald Trump at the end of June.

Where is Joe Biden?

Since dropping out for the US presidential race on Sunday – and backing Vice-President Kamala Harris – Joe Biden has not been seen publicly.

He has been isolating with Covid-19 at his Rehoboth beach home in Delaware. The president tested positive for the virus almost a week ago.

His “symptoms have almost resolved completely”, according to an update from his doctor, and we’re expecting him to return to the White House later on Tuesday.

SOURCE: BBC NEWS

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Some of the trucks were painted in camouflage colours while others featured cartel markings. As they are not easy to manoeuvre, these “monster trucks” are most often deployed as a show of force or when cartel members expect to be involved in a gun battle.

Armourers in the pay of the cartels add bulletproof panels to the sides and sometimes battering rams to their fronts. Reinforced turrets from where machine guns can be fired are also a common feature.

The trucks’ homemade armour has become more sophisticated since they were first spotted in 2010. They are particularly popular with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Gulf Cartel.

The 50 trucks destroyed by the prosecutor’s office on Monday were all seized in the north-eastern state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas.

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SOURCE: BBC NEWS

Hollywood has long been a strong base of support – and money – for Mr Biden’s Democratic Party, but in recent weeks donors had been turning away from the president after a poor performance in a TV debate with rival Donald Trump.

Since the announcement, some have publicly declared their support for Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the Democratic nomination.

Talk show host and comedian Jon Stewart called Mr Biden a “legend”, while actor Robert De Niro said his decision was an “act of shrewd politics and selfless patriotism”.

“There is nothing more important for our country than defeating Donald Trump at the ballot box,” said De Niro, a fervent Trump critic.

Oscar-winning actress and singer Barbra Streisand praised Mr Biden, saying he would “go down in history as a man who accomplished significant achievements in his four-year term”, in a post on X.

He helped restore “honesty, dignity & integrity to the office after four years of lies, crime, scandal & chaos”, according to Star Wars actor Mark Hamill, referring to his predecessor Mr Trump’s time in the White House.

This was reiterated by director Ken Burns, who said Mr Biden had “led the country out of the disastrous term of his predecessor [while] quietly doing good things for all Americans”.

Singer John Legend said he was “grateful for the grace and patriotism” Mr Biden had shown in stepping aside, and threw his support behind Ms Harris: “She’s ready for this fight and I’m excited to help her in any way I can.”

Ms Harris has a “trusted and tested” record, according to actress Jamie Lee Curtis, adding that she has been a “fierce advocate for women’s rights and people of colour and her message is one of hope and unity for America at her time of great national divide”.

If she goes on to win in November’s election, Ms Harris would become the first woman, and woman of colour, to win the presidency of the United States.

“Let’s make history!!!”, comedian Kathy Griffin posted on X, while singer Katy Perry shared a video on Instagram where she sings “It’s a woman’s world, and you’re lucky to be living in it” – a reference to her latest single.

Star Trek actor George Takei said the potential election match-up was now “prosecutor vs felon” – referencing Ms Harris’ previous career as a prosecutor, and Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 charges for falsifying business records.

Also appearing to back the vice president is singer Charli XCX, who posted on X: “kamala IS brat”.

That’s a reference to the singer’s latest album ‘Brat’, which has become a social media trend, with supporters tweeting videos of Ms Harris remixed with Charli XCX’s music.

Kamala HQ – the official X page of Ms Harris’ campaign – has jumped on to the trend too, changing its cover photo to match the colour and style of the Brat album cover.

Hollywood has long been a cash cow for the Democrats, but has turned away from President Biden in recent weeks.

Several big names publicly withdrew their support from his campaign and called for him to be replaced.

One of those is Aaron Sorkin – the creator of US political drama The West Wing – who in a New York Times opinion piece published hours before Mr Biden’s announcement, called on Democrats to nominate Mitt Romney – a well-known Republican senator and previous Republican presidential candidate.

He has since rowed back, saying: “I take it all back. Harris for America!” in a post published on his behalf on West Wing actor Joshua Malina’s X account.
Another is actor George Clooney, who earlier this month reiterated his “love” for Joe Biden in a New York Times opinion piece, but said his age and public gaffes on the campaign trail meant “we are not going to win in November with this president”.

Mr Clooney has yet to comment since Mr Biden stepped aside.

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Source: BBC

It comes four months before Americans go to the polls, upending the race for the White House.

It follows weeks of intense pressure from fellow Democrats after a faltering debate performance against Republican Donald Trump at the end of June.

In a letter posted to his social media account, he said it had been the greatest honour of his life to serve as president.

“And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling the duties as President for the remainder of my term”.

He said in his statement he would address the nation on the matter next week.

President Biden thanked his Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she was an “extraordinary partner”.

In full: Biden’s endorsement of Kamala Harris

Here’s Biden’s statement on Harris in full, which he posted on X moments ago:

My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.

My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President.

And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.

Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump.

Let’s do this.

Biden endorses Kamala Harris

Joe Biden has just announced that he’s endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for the US 2024 presidential race, in a post on X.

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he writes on X.

What comes next?published at 19:0819:08

Democrats now have to choose a new nominee. We know they had scheduled a roll-call vote to formally nominate Biden for some time after 1 August. This could now be cancelled.

Their convention is in Chicago Monday, 19 August, through Thursday, 22 August. Biden swept the primaries, meaning that the delegates representing each state at the convention were pledged to vote for him.

They will be released to vote for another candidate.

We don’t know much about the process from there – specifically how the delegates will choose the next nominee. The president has said he believes that Vice-President Kamala Harris is up for the job.

Biden to stay on as president until November electionpublished at 19:3319:33

More from Biden’s statement now.

He says although he’s dropping out of the presidential race, he’s not stepping down as US president and will stay in the White House for the final six months of his term.

“I believe it is in my best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” he writes.

As a reminder, the US presidential election is on 5 November – the winner serves four years.

Biden has put the country first – Schumerpublished at 19:3119:31

Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says today shows President Joe Biden is a “true patriot and great American”.

In a post on X, external, he says: “Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he’s a truly amazing human being.

“His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first.”

SOURCE: BBC NEWS

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“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he writes on X.

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The tech giant, which says it was not responsible for the IT glitch, adds that the figure accounts for less than 1% of all Windows machines worldwide.

Microsoft ‘working around the clock to provide support’

The 8.5 million Windows devices affected by the IT outage accounts for less than 1% of all machines worldwide. Microsoft says that the “broad economic and societal impacts” shows the use of CrowdStrike “by enterprises that run many critical services”.

Microsoft can be very accurate on how many Windows devices were disabled by the outage as it has performance telemetry to many by their internet connections.

The firm says its “’working around the clock” to provide “ongoing updates and support”, with help from CrowdStrike.

The tech giant, which stresses that this was not an issue caused by its software, says the incident highlights how important it is for companies to “prioritise operating with safe deployment and disaster recovery using the mechanisms that exist”.

IT outage likely to be the largest ever

We now we have a number on how bad the IT outage may have been in terms of disabled computers worldwide.

It’s fair to say this is probably the largest ever cyber event eclipsing all previous hacks and outages.

The closest to this is the WannaCry cyber attack in 2017 that is estimated to have impacted around 300,000 computers in 150 countries. There was a similar costly and disruptive attack called NotPetya a month later.

There was also a major six hour outage in 2021 at Meta, which runs Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp – but that was largely contained to the social media giant and some linked partners.

China swerved worst of global tech meltdown – here’s how

While most of the world was grappling with the blue screen of death on Friday, one country that managed to escape largely unscathed was China.

The reason is actually quite simple: CrowdStrike is hardly used there.

Very few organisations will buy software from an American firm that, in the past, has been vocal about the cyber-security threat posed by Beijing.

Additionally, China is not as reliant on Microsoft as the rest of the world. Domestic companies such as Alibaba, Tencent and Huawei are the dominant cloud providers.

So reports of outages in China, when they did come, were mainly at foreign firms or organisations. On Chinese social media sites, for example, some users complained they were not able to check into international chain hotels such as Sheraton, Marriott and Hyatt in Chinese cities.

Over recent years, government organisations, businesses and infrastructure operators have increasingly been replacing foreign IT systems with domestic ones. Some analysts like to call this parallel network the “splinternet”.

“It’s a testament to China’s strategic handling of foreign tech operations,” says Josh Kennedy White, a cybersecurity expert based in Singapore.

How hackers could take advantage of IT outages

Whenever there is a major news event, especially one linked to technology, hackers respond by tweaking their existing methods to take into account the fear and uncertainty.

We saw the same with the Covid-19 pandemic when hackers adjusted their phishing email attacks to offer information about the virus and even pretend to have an antidote in order to hack people and organisations.

Because the IT outage has been a global news story we are seeing hackers capitalise.

According to researchers at Secureworks, there has already been a sharp rise in CrowdStrike-themed domain registrations – hackers registering new websites made to look official and potentially trick IT managers or members of the public into downloading malicious software or handing over private details.

The advice is mainly for IT managers who are the ones being affected by this as they try to get their organisations back online.

But individuals too might be targeted, so experts are warning to be cautious and only act on information from the official CrowdStrike channels.

Staying safe online: Key tips to avoid scamspublished at 16:0416:04

Tom Gerken
Technology reporter

With many of the outages being resolved, the big development today has really been around security agencies, who are each warning of an increase in scams relating to CrowdStrike.

You may be wondering what you need to do.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and others are specifically warning about phishing attacks – where scammers try to trick people into handing over their financial details.

Once someone pays up, the scammers either vanish without a trace, or will try to scam them out of more money through follow-up messages.

These sorts of scams have been around for decades and being aware of it them important, but prevention is better than intervention.

The NCSC advises people to think about the information they share online – because cyber criminals will grab all the info they can get to make their scams more convincing – and the simplest thing you can do with the biggest impact is to review the privacy settings on your social media accounts.

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Although there is no evidence that the CrowdStrike outage was caused by malicious activity, some bad actors are attempting to take advantage.

Cyber agencies in the UK and Australia are warning people to be vigilant to fake emails, calls and websites that pretend to be official.

And CrowdStrike head George Kurtz encouraged users to make sure they were speaking to official representatives from the company before downloading fixes.

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The bridge over a river in Shaanxi province’s Shangluo city collapsed on Friday night due to a sudden downpour and flash floods, the provincial authority said.

Rescue teams have recovered several vehicles that fell into the river, with efforts still underway according to authorities.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged an “all out” effort to find those still missing.

The 11 dead were found in five cars that were pulled from the river below. It is thought 20 more vehicles plunged into the water, according to state media.

Video and images from Xinhua news agency shows a partially submerged section of the bridge with heavy river waters rushing around it.

According to Xinhua, officials sent 736 firefighters, 18 boats and 32 drones to the scene.

On Friday, at least five people were killed in flooding and mudslides in another part of the province.

Large parts of northern and central China have been battered since Tuesday by rains that have caused flooding and significant damage.

State media reported at least five people died and eight were missing after the rains sparked flooding and mudslides in Shaanxi’s Baoji city.

SOURCE: BBC NEWS

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Introducing himself to millions of Americans watching on TV at home, the Ohio senator channelled his humble roots in the Midwest as he assailed “career politicians” like President Joe Biden.

He argued in his address at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that Trump was the “last best hope” for Americans.

Trump and his running mate will challenge the Democratic White House ticket, currently Mr Biden and his Vice-President, Kamala Harris, in November’s election.

Mr Biden’s account on X, formerly Twitter, hit back at Mr Vance on Wednesday night, over his positions on abortion and Ukraine.

Mr Vance, 39, is hoping to become one of the youngest vice-presidents in US history.

In the speech, he charted his journey from a difficult childhood in small-town Ohio to the US Marines, Yale Law School, and finally the US Senate.

The author of best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, about his impoverished family in Appalachian coal country, said “America’s ruling class” had destroyed communities like his hometown with trade agreements and foreign wars.

“From Iraq to Afghanistan, from the financial crisis to the Great Recession, from open borders to stagnating wages, the people who govern this country have failed and failed again,” he said.

He continued: “Donald Trump represents America’s last best hope to restore what – if lost – may never be found again.

Analysis: JD Vance recounts ‘hillbilly’ roots but shows hard political edge

“A country where a working-class boy, born far from the halls of power, can stand on this stage.”

The running mate, who is married to Usha Vance, a lawyer and daughter of Indian immigrants, said the US had traditionally welcomed newcomers, but that it ought not to import foreign labour.

“When we allow newcomers, we allow them on our terms,” he said.

Mr Vance was previously an opponent of Trump, once dismissing the Republican as an “idiot” who could become “America’s Hitler”.

By then a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley, he later mended fences with Trump.

He won the former president’s endorsement and was elected to the Senate in 2022, taking office the following year.

Democrats have seized on some of Mr Vance’s past statements, including that he doesn’t “really care what happens to Ukraine” and support for a nationwide abortion ban.

He has recently moderated his stance on abortion to align with the official Republican platform, which says the issue should be decided by individual states.

He did not mention the war in Ukraine during his speech, or say much at all about foreign policy, which was the theme of the third day of the party conference.

Mr Vance did say that US allies must share in the burden of securing world peace and America would avoid conflict but “punch hard” if provoked under a second Trump presidency.

He began his speech by talking about last Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump.

“They accused him of being a tyrant,” he said. “They said he must be stopped at all costs. But how did he respond? He called for national unity, for national calm.”

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Mr Vance blamed it on Mr Biden’s rhetoric and his warnings that his Republican rival poses a threat to democracy

Most Americans had little knowledge of him until Wednesday night.

A CNN poll conducted last month showed that 13% of registered voters said they had a favourable opinion of Mr Vance and 20% an unfavourable one – nearly two-thirds either had never heard of him or had no opinion.

Some convention-goers on Wednesday said they were still learning about his biography.

Cindy Dore and Jackie Canon, two Republican delegates from Louisiana, said they were excited by Trump’s pick.

“He’s young, vibrant,” Ms Dore said.

She said she appreciated Hillbilly Elegy, but other than that, she didn’t know a lot about Mr Vance.

The speeches began shortly after it was announced that President Biden had been diagnosed with Covid-19 and temporarily suspended campaign activities.

The climax of the Republican convention will be Donald Trump’s speech on Thursday night.

Chris Devine – an associate professor of politics at the University of Dayton and co-author of Do Running Mates Matter? – told the BBC that vice-presidential picks tend to have quite a small effect on the overall race.

“If it’s the case that people look at JD Vance and see him as insufficiently experienced, they will think less of Donald Trump and his judgement,” he says. “Not by a lot, but potentially on the margins.”

But Mr Devine also noted that Mr Vance is an “incredibly talented communicator” despite being a relative political newcomer.

SOURCE: BBC NEWS

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Speaking from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, about two hours after the shooting, Biden said, “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence.”

“It’s sick,” the president added.

With the apparent shooting threatening to further inflame political rhetoric in the months ahead of November, Biden took the opportunity to call for the country to unite.

“We cannot allow this to be happening. We cannot be like this,” he said.

Biden and Trump spoke late Saturday night, a White House official said.

The shooting – which is being investigated as an attempted assassination, according to law enforcement officials – left Trump bleeding from the ear. A spokesperson said the former president was doing “fine” and being treated at a medical facility. The suspected shooter and at least one rally attendee were killed, Butler County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Richard Goldinger told CNN.

Biden was attending mass at St. Edmond’s Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach when the shooting occurred. The president is due to return to the White House late Saturday night, cutting short his planned weekend in Delaware. He’ll receive an updated briefing from homeland security and law enforcement officials on Sunday, the White House official said.

The shooting marks a massive turning point not only for the country, but for Biden’s role as president: he entered the church as a president fighting for his political future and exited in a familiar role – the nation’s counsellor in chief now tasked with bringing the United States together during a serious crisis.

The shooting at Trump’s rally is a shocking turn in what has been a highly charged political season for both of the major-party candidates. Biden has pitched the race as the decision between the continuation and possible destruction of democracy in the United States. That rhetoric will now be closely examined in the aftermath of the apparent attack, including comments that the president made in a call with donors on July 8, during which he said, “It’s time to put Trump in the bullseye,” according to a summary of the call provided by his campaign.

Biden said in a statement earlier Saturday that he was praying for Trump: “Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

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