Kamala Harris faces racist, sexist attacks in the presidential race

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Politics

Kamala Harris faces racist, sexist attacks in the presidential race

With Vice President Kamala Harris poised to become the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election, the political landscape is set for a contentious and potentially historic race. Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican descent, is the first woman of color to lead a major party ticket and is already facing a barrage of racist and sexist attacks from former President Donald Trump and his allies, reminiscent of the tactics used against Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Attacks on race and gender: In her initial campaign efforts, Harris swiftly secured enough delegates to claim the Democratic nomination and raised a record-breaking $81 million. However, within a day of her announcement, Republicans began to focus on her race and gender. Trump, who had previously promoted the “birther” conspiracy against Obama and targeted Clinton’s gender in the 2016 election, called Harris “Dumb as a Rock,” and Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett called her a “DEI hire,” suggesting Harris was chosen for her position solely based on her race.

Harris’ response: Harris's supporters believe that the Republicans' aggressive strategy could backfire, galvanizing her base and repelling independent voters. Harris, undeterred, highlighted her extensive career as a prosecutor, attorney general, senator and vice president at her first presidential campaign rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday. She emphasized her readiness to take on Trump, citing her record of prosecuting predators, fraudsters and cheaters. “In this campaign, I promise you I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week,” she stated.

News

2 Sacramento children missing after mother found dead in her home

Four-year-old Athena Lee and her 2-year-old brother Mateo Lee are missing after their mother, 28-year-old Angelica Bravo, was found dead on July 8 in her north Sacramento home along Didcot Circle by the Sacramento Fire Department, who responded to a call for medical aid. Her cause of death has not been released as investigators await an autopsy report. "We want justice. We want justice for our angel. She's our angel. She touched everybody,” Robert Brown, the owner of Mixed Institute of Cosmetology and Barber where Angelica was an instructor and known as “Miss Angel” to students, told KCRA 3. 

The suspect: In their Endangered Missing Advisory for Athena and Mateo, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) named the missing children’s father, 38-year-old Camron Lee, as a suspect in their disappearance. Camron, who has not been able to be located since Bravo’s death, has not been named a suspect by the SPD, who are searching to question him. It is unclear if he was in a relationship with or separated from Bravo. Police announced Camron’s grey 2023 Honda Passport as having been seen on July 10 entering Mexico, where the U.S. does not have jurisdiction to make an arrest, before the vehicle was eventually found unoccupied in Ensenada on July 19.

Ongoing search: Athena and Mateo could have been potentially dropped off in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Merced or the Orange and San Diego counties, according to the CHP. The SPD said the search for the missing brother and sister are “a top priority” and that they will use “every resource we have” to find them. Bravo’s oldest daughter Nathalia, who has a different father than her missing siblings, told CBS Sacramento, "They're the only things that really have a spirit of my mom and they make me happy."

News

Glendale woman regrets intervening in missing teen’s attempt to speak out

Rachelle, a Glendale, California, resident who discovered missing 15-year-old Alison Jillian Chao, expressed deep remorse for intervening and calling the police as the teen was on her way to ABC7 studios, where Chao wanted to tell her side of the story. Rachelle felt a strong sense of responsibility for the girl’s situation, noting that she was visibly distressed and upset.

Chao’s distress: "What struck me immediately was how self-possessed she was. Sound of mind. Very articulate, very clear on what the situation was. She was very clear on 'I've come to ABC to tell my story. No one else will listen to me,’” Rachelle told ABC7. A day before Chao’s disappearance on July 16, a video, recorded by Chao herself, surfaced online in which she refused to go with the police to a “facility” at the command of her parents. “I’m not going anywhere with her… She abused me. She hurt me. I don’t feel safe with her around,” Chao says. 

Statement of Chao’s parents: Chao’s mother, Annie, has since released a statement, acknowledging the complexities of her daughter’s feelings about her divorce and assured that both sides of the family love and support her. Alison's father, Jeffrey, also expressed gratitude for the efforts to find her, while his sister suggested that Chao might have run away to avoid living with her mother, who was recently granted temporary physical custody. The case involves complex custody and mental health issues, with Chao currently in DCFS custody. Her court-appointed attorney stated that the situation should not be publicized, highlighting that the judge’s decisions were made in Chao’s best interest, granting her mother sole authority over her mental health and physical custody.

Final Bites

KCON LA gets first-ever U.S. national TV broadcast: Annual K-pop music festival KCON LA is set to be broadcasted live, on The CW at 8 p.m. PT/ET, for the first time in its history. Scheduled from July 26 to 28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena, only the final day’s M Countdown concert will be aired live on American television. This year's lineup features top K-pop stars including Jeon Somi, NCT 127, Stayc, Zerobaseone and Zico. KCON LA 2024 will also feature fan meetings with Korean actors, including Park Min Young and Kim Soo Hyun. Global audiences can also access M Countdown on Mnet K-pop’s official YouTube channels and access other festival content through VOD with “All Access” membership.

FBI raids $3.5 million home of ex-aide to NY Gov. Hochul: On Tuesday morning, FBI agents reportedly entered and searched the Long Island, five-bedroom house of Linda Sun, a former deputy chief of staff for New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and her husband Chris Hu. It is unclear why their house was raided and they have been accused of no wrongdoing. A spokesperson for the FBI said the agency “conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity” at Sun’s house. In March of 2023, Sun was fired only months after being hired by the New York Department of Labor as a deputy commissioner for strategic business development after evidence of misconduct, which has not been detailed, that was then reported to law enforcement, according to a source who spoke to the Associated Press. Sun began her nearly 15-year career in state government as chief of staff to then-New York State Assemblymember Grace Meng.

Japan’s population crisis is worse than ever: Japan experienced its sharpest population decline ever in 2023, dropping 861,000 (0.7%) to 121,561,801 total, according to an annual report released by Japan’s ministry of internal affairs on Wednesday. Japan’s population has shrunk for 15 years in a row since peaking in 2009. Births in Japan also numbered a record-low 730,000, while the 1.58 million deaths were the highest ever. Foreign residents in Japan rose by 329,535 (11.01%) to a record high of 3,323,374, marking the second year in a row of increase. Surveys have indicated younger Japanese are less likely to get married or have children due to high cost of living and dimming job prospects, among other reasons.

Asian women assaulted by group at Belfast playground in alleged hate crime: Police in Northern Ireland’s capital are investigating a report of racially-motivated attacks on three Bangladeshi-born women. According to police, the women were playing with their young children at a local playground on July 19 when four young people and three adults committed “shocking assaults” against them, leaving one of the women with a facial injury and cuts to a man who tried to intervene, reported Belfast Live. “We are treating this incident exceptionally seriously. … My message is – please report every single incident of hate crime. Targeting anyone because of who they are is wrong, and must be called out,” Police Service of Northern Ireland Superintendent Finola Dornan was quoted saying.

Paying sleep debt with extra hours doesn’t help the brain, study suggests: A new study by the National University of Singapore has found that getting extra hours of sleep may not be an effective solution to restore cognitive function after a period of inadequate sleep. The research, published on Jan. 14 and released in the journal Sleep in March, reveals that individuals who consistently sleep eight hours daily have better cognitive performance than those with consistent short sleep of six hours or a variable short sleep pattern alternating between eight and four hours – even with a few extra hours of sleep on the weekends. While variable sleep may reduce the cognitive deficits observed in the short sleep group, it does not protect against lapses in processing speed and memory task performance, the study noted.