SUMMARY
Vice President Kamala Harris is entering uncharted territory after President Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race. Harris is already the favorite to win the Democratic nomination. Despite the Trump campaign's fast attacks on Harris, Democrats are energized and are trying to turn the tables on the Republican narrative.
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KEY TERMS
lambaste — to criticize someone or something severely
litigation — the process of taking a case to a court of law so that a judgment can be made
swing state — (in the United States) a state where the number of Democratic and Republican voters is about the same, that has an important influence on the result of the election of the president
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who is Kamala Harris considering as her potential running mate?
- Where will the Democratic National Convention be held?
- What did Donald Trump say about Kamala Harris replacing Joe Biden?
- When did Joe Biden's advisers find out about his decision to not run for reelection?
- How much money did Kamala Harris' campaign raise in the first 24 hours? Why is this significant?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Kamala Harris is quickly receiving endorsements from other politicians. She is expected to pick her own vice presidential candidate as soon as this week. Why do you think it's important that the Democratic party move quickly to secure their nomination? Explain your response.
Media literacy: There have been several significant events in this election cycle. How do you typically find out about the latest breaking news? Does the number of events make it easier to stay interested in the news or does it make it harder to keep track of what's going on?
Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
FOR MORE
What students can do:
Learn more about President Biden's decision to drop out of the race using this Daily News Lesson. You can also learn more about likely Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the segment below:
This post was written by Gianfranco Beran, a senior at Amherst College, and an intern with PBS NewsHour Classroom, and edited by NewsHour's Luke Gerwe.
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