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What to know about Kamala Harris, leading contender to be Democratic presidential nominee

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Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as a top contender to replace President Biden at the top of Democratic ticket following his historic decision to withdraw from the 2024 race for the White House.

Mr. Biden roiled the general election when he announced Sunday that he would be stepping aside, ending weeks of pressure from within the Democratic Party that began after his shocking performance at the first presidential debate on June 27.

The president then threw his support to Harris, saying his decision to select her as his vice president was the best decision he’s made.

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

The president initially resisted their calls to forego his bid for a second term, but relented after the drumbeat that began with rank-and-file Democrats remained steady and grew to include more high-profile Democrats who warned Mr. Biden’s continued candidacy threatened the party’s chances of not only holding onto the White House, but maintaining control of the Senate and flipping the House.

Harris, 59, is among the leading candidates to succeed Mr. Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.

A vice president of firsts

A former senator from California, she was a one-time opponent of president’s during the 2020 Democratic primary, launching her campaign on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January 2019 and ending her presidential run in December of that year. She endorsed Mr. Biden several months later.

The president selected Harris as his running mate in August 2020, a historic pick that made her the first Black woman selected as a vice presidential candidate for a major party. She was also the first South Asian nominee on a presidential ticket and just the third woman nominated for vice president.

Harris continued to make history when she was elected vice president, becoming the first woman, first Black American and first South Asian American to serve in the position.

As vice president, Harris was tasked with overseeing tough issues including migration issues at the southern border, voting rights and abortion. She has been a steady presence on the campaign trail, frequently warning voters about the impacts a Republican president would have on abortion access.

Serving as president of the Senate, Harris broke a nearly 200-year-old record for the most tie-breaking votes cast by a vice president and presided over the historic confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.

Early years and personal life

Kamala Devi Harris was born Oct. 10, 1964 in Oakland, California, to Shymala Gopalan and Donald Harris. Her mother emigrated to the U.S. from India in 1960 to pursue a doctorate in endocrinology at the University of California,at Berkeley. Harris’ father came to the U.S. from Jamaica in 1961 to study at Berkeley and worked as a professor at Stanford University. She has a younger sister, Maya.

Harris’ mother, who was a breast cancer scientist, died in 2009 of colon cancer.

The vice president graduated from Howard University in 1986 and received her law degree from the University of California Hastings College of Law in 1989.

She and Doug Emhoff married in 2014, and her election to vice president made Emhoff the first second gentleman of the United States. Emhoff, a lawyer, has two children from a prior marriage. He is the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president and has taken a leading role for the Biden administration in speaking out against antisemitism.

Harris’ career

Harris began working as a prosecutor in Alameda County, California, after graduating from law school and in 1998, became an assistant district attorney in San Francisco. From there, she led the San Francisco City Attorney’s Division on Families and Children.

Harris was elected district attorney of San Francisco in 2003, the first woman to hold the role, and officiated the first same-sex wedding after Proposition 8, California’s ballot initiative to ban gay marriage, was struck down by a federal court. She led the district attorney’s office until 2010, when she was elected statewide as attorney general. Her election as the 32nd attorney general made her the first woman and first Black person to hold the position.

Harris was elected to federal office in 2016 when California voters selected her to succeed retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer in the upper chamber. During her tenure in the Senate, she served on the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees.

Just before she was sworn in as vice president in January 2021, Harris resigned from the Senate.



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Watch Live: Biden delivering apology in Arizona for Indian boarding school atrocities

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President Biden is in Arizona on Friday to issue a formal presidential apology to Native American communities for the atrocities committed against Indigenous people during a 150-year era of forced federal Indian boarding schools. The president’s remarks are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EDT.

The president chose to speak at the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, although his apology is for all tribal communities that suffered. From 1819 through the 1970s, the federal government and religious institutions established boarding schools throughout the country to assimilate Alaska Native, American Indian and Native Hawaiian children into White American culture by forcibly removing them from their families, communities and belief systems. Many children who attended these boarding schools endured emotional and physical abuse, and hundreds of them died.

“I’m heading to do something that should have been done a long time ago,” Mr. Biden told reporters before boarding Marine One on Thursday afternoon. “Make a formal apology to the Indian nations for the way we treated their children for so many years.”

President Biden is greeted by members of a Native American community upon arrival at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, on Oct. 24, 2024.
President Biden is greeted by members of a Native American community upon arrival at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, on Oct. 24, 2024.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images


The Department of the Interior, run by the first Native American Cabinet secretary, Deb Haaland, conducted the first-ever federal investigation into the Indian federal boarding school era. It revealed that more than 500 American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children’s deaths occurred at 19 of the federal Indian boarding schools, and identified 53 marked and unmarked burial sites at school sites nationwide. The federal government often contracted with Presbyterian, Catholic and Episcopalian religious institutions to run the schools.

The report found that when children failed to meet standards or broke rules, they were subjected to corporal punishment, including “solitary confinement; flogging; withholding food; whipping; slapping; and cuffing.” Oftentimes, older children were forced to inflict punishment on their younger classmates.

Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Arizona on Thursday, Haaland’s voice broke.

“For more than a century, tens of thousands of Indigenous children, as young as 4 years old, were taken from their families and communities and forced into boarding schools run by the U.S. government and religious institutions,” Haaland said. “This includes my own family. For decades, this terrible chapter was hidden from our history books. But now, our administration’s work will ensure that no one will ever forget.” 


How to watch President Biden’s remarks at the Gila River Indian Community

  • What: President Biden delivers an apology on behalf of the country for atrocities at federal Indian boarding schools.
  • Date: Friday, Oct. 25, 2024
  • Time: 1:30 p.m. EDT 
  • Location: Gila River Indian Community in Arizona 
  • Online stream: Live on CBS News in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device.



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Why is the price of gold so high right now?

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Uptrend gold investment background, Digital illustration of gold bars with an overlaying stock market graph representing wealth and investment strategies. 3d rendering
Gold’s price has been climbing upward over the past year — and a few different factors are driving it.

KanawatTH/Getty Images


If you’ve paid any attention to the precious metals market recently, you’re likely aware that gold has been on an impressive upward trajectory since the start of the year. On January 1, gold was trading at $2,063.73 per ounce. Fast forward to today (October 25, 2024), and the price of gold is sitting at $2,734.46 per ounce. This represents an increase of $670.73 per ounce, amounting to a growth rate of approximately 33% in a little over 10 months. This significant growth has captured the attention of investors and market analysts worldwide, as gold’s performance defies predictions and underscores its historic role as a stable store of value.

The recent rally becomes even more noteworthy when compared to gold’s prior record highs. Just this August, the price reached $2,525 per ounce — a milestone that marked a new peak at the time. However, gold’s price was far from plateauing at that point. The price of gold continued to surge, eventually surpassing that mark by over $200 per ounce. This upward movement has established the past year as a standout year for gold, drawing investors who may have initially seen these peaks as ceiling prices, but who now view gold’s price potential as far more expansive than anticipated.

But while there’s no question that gold has offered some of the biggest returns over the past year, many investors are questioning what, precisely, is driving this sustained surge. So why is the price of gold so high right now? That’s what we’ll break down below.

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Why is the price of gold so high right now?

Here are a few of the factors that have been pushing gold’s price to new heights over the last year.

Central banks are buying in

A primary force behind gold’s recent bull run is the purchasing activity of central banks worldwide. Central banks, particularly those in emerging economies, are increasing their gold reserves as a hedge against economic uncertainty and to diversify their holdings away from traditional fiat currencies. This sustained buying pressure from such powerful market participants has created a strong foundation for price appreciation and signals a broader shift in institutional attitudes toward gold as a strategic asset.

Investors are capitalizing on short-term gains

In addition to central banks, individual investors have been flocking to gold, seeing an opportunity for both short-term and long-term gains. With gold prices rising so quickly, gold has become an attractive asset for speculative trading as well as a safer, longer-term investment. So, some investors are now seeking quick returns by betting on the momentum of gold’s climb to earn rapid profits, while others continue to rely on gold’s stability

The rush of buying and trading activity creates a feedback loop, further driving demand and prices up. This blend of trading activity has been a core factor in the consistent upward price movement over the past year, illustrating gold’s dual role as both a stable store of value and a source of near-term market excitement.

Find out more about your gold investing options here.

More investors are diversifying

Ongoing geopolitical tensions, including election year uncertainties, are also playing into gold’s price surge. Elections can influence market sentiment by adding uncertainty, often triggering interest in safe-haven assets like gold. Additionally, global economic slowdowns and international conflicts, such as those involving energy trade disputes, have introduced more volatility in the global market, leading investors to seek refuge in gold. 

With each spike in uncertainty, gold’s appeal as a safe, non-correlated asset increases, attracting investors looking to hedge against potential market downturns. For many, gold remains a reliable safeguard, reinforcing its role as a cornerstone in diversified portfolios, especially during periods of unpredictability.

The limited supply also plays a role

The limited supply of gold has also contributed to its recent price surge. Gold is a finite resource, after all, and mining new gold is both costly and time-intensive. As demand grows from both investors and industrial sectors, the pressure on gold’s limited supply intensifies, elevating its value. 

Technological advancements in sectors like electronics and green energy have also increased gold’s utility. Gold is used in electronic components, medical devices and emerging green technologies, creating steady industrial demand. This expanding industrial application is a lesser-known but increasingly important factor, reinforcing gold’s value beyond traditional uses.

The bottom line

The remarkable ascent of gold prices in 2024 can be attributed to a perfect storm of global economic and political factors. Central banks’ substantial purchases, investors’ pursuit of both security and short-term gains, geopolitical uncertainties and the finite nature of gold itself have converged to create a robust and sustained rally.

Looking ahead, many analysts believe that gold’s trajectory may continue upward, especially if central banks and industrial sectors sustain their interest and if global uncertainties persist. While the current price surge may eventually stabilize, investors and analysts alike are continuing to keep a close eye on this precious metal right now, as gold continues to set new records and play a vital role in today’s dynamic economic landscape.



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At 56, TikTok star Kim Hale returns to New York to chase Broadway dream

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At 56, Kim Hale is reigniting her passion for dance, sharing her journey on social media and embracing the motto, “Dreams have no deadlines,” as she pursues a role on Broadway.

Hale, who has over 13 million likes on TikTok, said she has always loved the stage and the energy that New York City brings,

“It just feels like a city where you can dream big,” said Hale.

Hale’s dream of performing on Broadway began in her early years, driven by her passion for expressing herself through movement. She pursued that ambition into her 20s and 30s, but eventually left New York, finding the constant rejection difficult to handle. Reflecting on that time, she acknowledges that she was more vulnerable then. Relocating to California, Hale remained connected to dance, teaching and working for renowned dancer and actor Debbie Allen.

“The biggest gift I got was working for Debbie Allen, and being able to be in her world, which taught me that you can take the skills of dance and apply them to anything,” said Hale.

Hale was around dance, but she wasn’t dancing, and it turns out, that is what her heart still wanted.

“It took COVID. It took the loss of both of my parents. It took skin cancer to get me to step back into a dance studio,” said Hale.

With encouragement from a friend, Hale enrolled in a hip-hop class and “ended up loving it,” saying that each class helped her reconnect with herself.

Hale began sharing her journey on social media, where her posts took off. Broadway choreographer Jerry Mitchell commented on one of her videos, telling her, “Dreams have no deadlines.” It’s a mantra she holds close. 

“I just held onto that,” she said.

In May, Hale got to perform in a special showing of “Chicago,” though she doesn’t see it as her official Broadway debut. 

“I want to audition and book a show because I prepared for it. I was ready when opportunity met preparation, and I got it,” she said.

For Hale, her return to New York and pursuit of a Broadway role is about more than just achieving a dream. 

“The goal is to see what I’m capable of,” she said. “You have to do the work. You have to be ready. But I believe that if it’s meant for me, it will happen. And if it’s not, maybe there’s something bigger out there.”



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