Harris to address teachers ahead of meeting with Israeli prime minister

After a rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday and a speech to thousands of Black women at a sorority convention in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Harris’s speech to teachers is yet another foray into friendly territory with large, adoring crowds. The events have showcased how swiftly she has united much of the Democratic Party behind her candidacy since she jumped into the presidential race on Sunday.

Her trip back to Washington, where she plans to have a one-on-one meeting with Netanyahu, is likely to be a more staid setting, given the rifts between the U.S. and Israel over the war in Gaza — and Harris’s often forceful and empathetic language about Palestinian suffering. Voters who have vowed not to vote for Biden over his handling of the war will be watching Harris closely as she publicly deals with a thorny foreign policy matter for the first time since Biden’s exit from the presidential race.

Earlier Thursday, Harris released her campaign launch video in an attempt to introduce herself to the country during the 100-plus day sprint to Election Day. The video aimed to draw a sharp distinction with Trump and amplify the pro-freedom theme that has become central to her pitch.

“In this election, we each face a question: What kind of country do we want to live in?” Harris says in the video, which campaign officials said would air across social media platforms beginning Thursday. “There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos. Of fear. Of hate. But us? We choose something different. We choose freedom.”

Meanwhile, Trump and his allies have criticized Harris more directly in recent days, aiming to define her before she has an opportunity to introduce herself more broadly to the public.

At a rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, Trump referred to Harris as a “lunatic” and “incompetent,” attacking her on immigration and painting her as an incredibly liberal.

“If Kamala Harris gets in, she would be the most radical, far-left extremist ever to occupy the White House, times 10,” Trump said.

Harris’s campaign shot back Thursday by describing Trump as a “78-year-old criminal,” responding to the former president’s appearance on Fox News, in which he accused Harris of staging a “palace coup” against Biden.

“After watching Fox News this morning we only have one question, is Donald Trump ok?” the campaign said, offering Harris as “an alternative.”

Harris has largely focused on domestic policy in her appearances this week, while Biden has indicated he would spend the final six months of his term leaning into foreign policy objectives.

But groups like the American Federation of Teachers, while mostly focused on issues like educator-pay, recruitment, school funding and collective bargaining, have also taken interest in the war in Gaza. The conflict has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and created a humanitarian calamity in which thousands of children have been out of school for months.

Biden plans to meet with Netanyahu earlier Thursday and also meet privately with the families of hostages who were among the 250 taken captive during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people.

In describing various freedoms she says are at risk in the coming election, Harris lists key issues that Democrats hope will drive voter turnout, including gun safety and abortion.

“The freedom not just to get by, but get ahead,” Harris says in the spot. “The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to make decisions about your own body.”

At one point in the video, when Harris says that “no one is above the law,” an image of Trump’s mug shot flashes on the screen.

Hundreds of teachers and other attendees lined up at the AFT national educators’ union convention in Houston’s cavernous downtown convention center on Thursday to hear Vice President Harris speak.

Some wore Biden-Harris shirts and said they were excited to hear her speak about education, particularly public schools and teacher recruitment. “It’s a special opportunity, being part of the democratic process,” said Eric Sutz, 45, an elementary school teacher from Long Island. Sutz said he’s an Independent but a Harris supporter, and was wearing a Biden-Harris T-shirt. He was pleased to see so many Democrats endorsing Harris. “It should be whittling down to the best people,” he said, and if Harris becomes the nominee, he considers that “the best outcome.”

Harris is continuing to ramp up her travel schedule. She plans to hold a campaign event in Atlanta on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the trip who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview an event that has not been publicly announced. The visit will mark Harris’s first campaign stop in the battleground state of Georgia as a 2024 presidential candidate.

Although Georgia was once more reliably Republican, the state played a role in helping deliver the presidency to Biden in 2020. That year, Georgia voters also elected two Democrats to the Senate.

Maegan Vasquez contributed to this report.