Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Milwaukee

Harris’s speech is following along the same lines as the one she gave to her own campaign staff at headquarters yesterday. She’s emphasizing her contrast between a former prosecutor and a convicted felon - former president Donald Trump.

She has reiterated that her campaign is not about the democrats versus Trump, “it’s about who we fight for,” she says.

She’s also celebrating - saying her campaign just had the best 24 hours of grassroots fundraising in presidential campaign history.

Image source, US Pool

After thanking the supporters and politicians at the rally, Harris begins by saying "the path to the White House goes through Wisconsin".

She goes on: "You helped us win in 2020 and in 2024 we will win again."

Harris then pays tribute to President Joe Biden, calling it the "greatest honour of my life" to serve under him and saying his legacy of accomplishment over his long career is "unmatched in modern history".

"We are all deeply, deeply grateful for his continuing service to our nation," she adds.

Harris says she will "spend the coming weeks continuing to unite our party".

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Milwaukee

Vice-President Kamala Harris has taken the stage here in Milwaukee to Beyonce’s “Freedom” and chants of “Kamala, Kamala”.

It’s a packed gymnasium, with the Harris campaign saying there are over 3,000 people here.

Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin is next to take the stage.

She starts by thanking President Joe Biden for his "incredible act of patriotism" following his exit from the presidential campaign, and pays tribute to his years of service

Baldwin says now marks "a new beginning for our party and our country", adding that she's "so proud" to support Kamala Harris "for president of the United States".

Continuing, she says there's a reason Harris is "kicking things off" in Wisconsin - "it's a battleground state" and will "likely decide" who controls the White House and the Senate.

Turning to her own campaign, Baldwin says she is the one leading the fight to restore reproductive freedoms, after Roe v Wade was overturned, contrasting her position with her Republican opponent for the Senate.

We're turning now to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Kamala Harris is due to speak at her first campaign rally as presidential candidate for the Democrats.

Just heading on to the stage is Tony Evers, the governor of Wisconsin.

He enters to huge cheers from the audience.

Evers says he is "all in" on Kamala Harris, as he delivers a short speech introducing the vice-president.

Image source, EPA

Bob Menendez is to resign from the US Senate after being convicted of accepting bribes including gold bars to help foreign governments, several US media reports say.

Menendez - formerly the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - was found guilty on 16 counts related to corruption. He faces decades in prison.

He has maintained his innocence, saying outside court after his conviction that he "never violated my public oath".

Read more here.

Donald Trump will now meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, he said on social media, after first announcing the meeting for Wednesday and then Thursday.

"At the request of Bibi Netanyahu, we have switched this meeting to Friday, July 26th at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida!" Trump said on his Truth Social , externalplatform.

President Joe Biden is also expected to meet Netanyahu this week in Washington.

Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from Delaware

Don, a 66-year-old taxi driver here in Rehoboth - where Joe Biden has been recovering from Covid - says the president's decision to step aside from the election will definitely affect how he votes in November.

But he is still undecided about who he prefers - Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.

"I don't like Trump; he is egotistical and harsh, but I also think I did well financially under his first term so am leaning towards him."

He says he will also study Harris in the coming weeks to see if she is capable of doing a good job.

"I am not happy with how things are right now," he shrugs.

Image source, Getty Images

President Joe Biden has just boarded Air Force 1 in Delaware on his way back to Washington DC after recovering from Covid at his beach home for several days.

Wearing a suit, Biden climbed the stairs to the presidential plane carrying a blue surgical mask, then turned and saluted before going inside the aircraft.

Asked by reporters he how is doing, Biden said he is "feeling well", but did not respond to questions about the presidential race.

Cai Pigliucci
Reporting from Milwaukee

The atmosphere here in Wisconsin is electric inside Vice-President Kamala Harris's first major campaign event since becoming the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, as we wait for her to take the stage.

A couple thousand supporters streamed into a local high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - just a week after the Republicans had their convention here to solidify Donald Trump as the nominee.

Supporters waited in line in the rain - they say Harris is something new and different, exactly what they think the Democrats need.

“She has sparked enthusiasm instantaneously around our country, including in our battleground state of Wisconsin,” says Roberta Gassman.

When asked if Harris can win, she reiterated what we heard from everyone here: “Absolutely.”

Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday at the former president's Florida beach resort, he said on social media.

"Looking forward to welcoming Bibi Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, tomorrow," he posted on his Truth Social platform.

"During my first term, we had Peace and Stability in the Region," Trump said, claiming that "Kamala Harris is in no way capable of stopping" the world's conflicts.

President Joe Biden is also expected to meet with Netanyahu in Washington this week.

Image source, AFP

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries then took over the podium, paying tribute to Joe Biden.

He is a "heroic American... a great American", he says, and "will go down in American history as one of the most consequential presidents of all time".

Biden "made a selfless decision to pass the torch" to Kamala Harris, Jeffries said.

Harris has excited and energised the party and nation, he said, adding he believes she has "earned the nomination from the grassroots up".

"She will fight for our freedom, will fight for our families, will fight for our future," Jeffries continued, as he said he is "proud" to endorse her nomination.

Schumer and Jeffries have finished speaking to reporters now, but before the news conference ended, Schumer said it now is the Democrats' time to make sure Donald Trump does not become president.

Republicans look nervous about the Democratic nominee, he said.

"But they ain't seen nothing yet," Schumer chuckled.

Schumer goes on to say he, and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, are throwing their support behind Harris, calling it a "happy day" for the party.

He tells the press conference he believes she can lead the Democrats to wins in the Senate and the House too.

Schumer says the party is "stronger and more united than ever before", pointing to a surge of support and donations in the last 36 hours.

Image source, AFP

At a press conference near the Capitol, top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer says "today is a great day" for his party and the country, as he says Kamala Harris "will soon be our nominee".

Democrats are "brimming" with enthusiasm and unity over the decision, he says.

Schumer moves on to pay tribute to Joe Biden - who he says has showed what an "honourable" man he is.

He'll speak more on Biden later, Schumer says, adding that for now, "boy oh boy are we enthusiastic" about Harris.

He is also joined by top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries.

Joe Biden is now testing negative for Covid-19, according to a letter, external from his doctor released by the White House.

"The President's symptoms have resolved," Dr Kevin O'Connor says in the letter.

"Over the course of his infection, he never manifested a fever, and his vital signs remained normal, to include pulse oximetry. His lungs remained clear."

Is Obama calling for an open contest?published at 18:06 British Summer Time 23 July

18:06 BST 23 July

Nomia Iqbal
North America correspondent

Image source, EPA

The sudden rallying behind Kamala Harris is to be expected - she is the VP after all.

But it's interesting to note that one of the most influential members of the party hasn't done that: President Obama.

He said: "I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges."

That could be seen as a call for an open contest, rather than a coronation.

Many Democrats see an open convention as 'chaotic' even though they used to be a perfectly acceptable process up until 1968.

But chaos can be strategic.

If a competitive selection process was prolonged, all eyes would be on the Democratic Party, allowing them to take the limelight away from Donald Trump and his series of rallies.

It would also have deprived Trump and the Republicans of a fixed target, causing huge confusion on who to tailor their attack ads for.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent reporting from Delaware

We are expecting Joe Biden to depart his holiday home in Delaware soon to head back to Washington DC.

The security presence here in Rehoboth is growing, with the Secret Service cordoning off roads, and a helicopter has started circulating the area we are in near his home.

Curious holidaymakers and locals are stopping by, some hoping to catch a glimpse of the president out and about for the first time since his dramatic resignation as the Democratic candidate.

Some told me yesterday they want to wave Biden off. That might be hard though, as the public is, understandably, limited from getting anywhere near security. And it’s still unclear if he will leave by land or air.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Two senior Democrats - Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries - are expected to endorse Kamala Harris at a press conference shortly, according to CBS news.

They're expected to speak near the Capitol at around 13:00 EST (18:00 BST).

The pair would join a number of big names from within the party who have already put their weight behind the current vice-president's campaign - including Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Harris has already secured the support of a majority of Democratic delegates to become the party's nominee for president.

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us or need a recap, here are the latest developments in US politics and the presidential race:

• US Secret Service boss Kimberly Cheatle announced she's resigning, following the assassination attempt of Donald Trump. Her agency had been widely criticised since, and she admitted it had "failed" to protect Trump, speaking during a hearing yesterday
• Kamala Harris is travelling to the critical swing state of Wisconsin shortly to speak to voters for the first time since securing the support of a majority of Democratic delegates to become the party's nominee for president
• President Biden will address the nation tomorrow from the Oval Office at 20:00 ET (01:00 BST) to speak about "what lies ahead"
• Republican leaders held a press conference earlier, where they said Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race is a "direct attack on democracy" and that Vice-President Kamala Harris is also to blame for Biden's "catastrophic and failed policies"

We'll be bringing you the latest updates throughout the day - stay with us.