DNC: Biden to speak on opening night at Chicago convention

Donald Trumpposted a series of doctored and/or AI-generated images of Taylor Swift and her fans to his Truth Social account.

The images posted on Sunday and the accompanying captions suggest the GOP presidential candidate is blatantly attempting to hijack Swift's fame to win support for his own candidacy.

Posting a fake image of Swift dressed as Uncle Sam and featuring the words, "Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump," the former president wrote, "I accept!" Trump, who regularly claims to be more popular than the global pop megastar, also included images of women wearing "Swifties for Trump" shirts. These, too, appear to be fake.

There has been much speculation as to whether Swift will eventually endorse a candidate in this November's election, though her support for legal abortion and LGBTQ+ rights would put her at odds with Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance.

Swift, who commands a massive fan base — and who voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020 — has remained tight-lipped regarding political endorsements. Nevertheless, she has encouraged fans to register to vote. When she did so last fall, some 35,000 heeded the call.

Kamala Harris will formally accept the Democratic Party's nomination to be its presidential candidate on Thursday night with a speech at the United Center in Chicago.

Harris is heading into the convention on the crest of a wave after her campaign broke records for fundraising and turned opinion polls in some battleground states in Democrats' favor.

Incumbent Joe Biden announced he would step aside after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump on June 27 prompted allies, major donors and other party supporters to question is suitability for another four years.

Polls a month ago showed Trump with a clear lead over Biden, but Harris has made inroads, including in many of the country's most competitive states, such as Pennsylvania.

Activists are gathering in Chicago outside the Democratic National Convention, attempting to highlight issues such as economic injustice, reproductive rights, and, in particular, the conflict in Gaza.

Protesters say their plans have not changed since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and Democrats quickly rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

Their issues cover climate change, abortion rights and racial equality, to name a few, but many protesters agree that pressing for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war is the protesters' top message, comparing it to the Vietnam War.

Chicago leaders say they're committed to keeping protests peaceful.

"The city of Chicago is really good at things like this," Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a Monday news conference. "We are ready."

With November's US presidential election looming large, the Democratic Party is gearing up for a major political event: the Democratic National Convention (DNC), set to start on Monday, and conclude on Thursday, August 22, in Chicago, Iliinois.

Organizers expect to host over 5,000 Democratic delegates, high-profile guests and party officials from various parts of the United States. The convention will also see 12,000 volunteers and some 50,000 visitors attending the event.

President Joe Biden and former-Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are all expected to speak at the event. Vice President Kamala Harris, the party's presumptive presidential nominee, is set to give an address on the last day of the conference.

The conference will be staged at two main locations. The United Center will host official proceedings, speeches and high-profile televised events. McCormick Place will be the site of daytime party meetings, consultations and briefings.

jsi/lo (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)