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Kamala Harris kicks off Africa tour with $100M pledge as U.S. tries to counter China and Russia's influence
By Sarah Carter
March 27, 2023 / 12:06 PM EDT / CBS News
Johannesburg — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Ghana Sunday night to kick off a three-nation tour of Africa her first visit to the continent since taking office. She was greeted by schoolchildren waving Ghanaian and American flags as she walked off the plane in Accra, and quickly announced a significant new U.S. financial support package for Ghana and a handful of other nations in the region.
Harris smiled at the dancers and said she was "looking forward to this trip as a further statement of the long and enduring and very important relationship and friendship between the people of the United States and those who live on the continent of Africa."
The vice president said she was "very excited" about the future of the continent, and "the impact of the future of Africa on the rest of the world, including the United States of America."
Harris held a bilateral meeting with President Nana Akufo Addo in Accra in her first high-profile encounter as she begins the nine-day tour of central African nations.
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"The U.S. is strengthening our partnerships across the continent of Africa, and they are guided not by what we can do for Africa, but with Africa and our African partners on this continent," Harris said at a news conference with the Ghanaian leader after their meeting, lauding his leadership for having made Ghana a "beacon of democracy."
Harris announced $100 million in new support for Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, and Togo, to help the nations address security, governance, and development issues in the region. White House officials said Harris' trip and meetings would focus on democracy, climate change, security, the economy and the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Harris' tour is part of the Biden administration's bolstered efforts to strengthen ties on the continent . She is the fifth top administration official to visit Africa this year, following Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The flurry of official visits follows the U.S.-Africa leaders' summit in December, where President Biden announced a $55 billion commitment to the continent over the next three years.
Harris was quoted at the summit as saying that U.S. partnerships with African nations would be guided not by what America does "for the continent," but what it does "with Africa." That phrasing was a very thinly-veiled jab at China and Russia, which have invested heavily across the continent for years to gain influence.
- Russia and China hold joint war games with South Africa
Some analysts argue the U.S. has been late in mounting its African outreach, as Beijing has spent huge sums developing infrastructure, lending cash and, in some countries, even building a telecommunications network. Often the investments come in exchange for access to vital mineral resources.
Ghana already has a $2 billion infrastructure agreement with a Chinese company to help develop roads and other projects, in exchange for access to aluminium ore.
Harris' trip comes as most African nations struggle to recover from the combined effects of the global coronavirus pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ghana, one of the continent's most politically stable and secure countries, is reeling from inflation that's soared over 50% and a national debt crisis in the wake of the pandemic.
Russia, too, has reignited its relationships with many African countries. Liberation movements across the continent were backed with arms, military training and financial help from the former Soviet Union, and Moscow is now leveraging those historical relationships across the continent to increase trade as well as influence — including through the deployment of mercenaries from the Wagner group in at least four African countries.
Burkina Faso and Mali have each seen two coups in recent years, all staged by local groups aligned with Islamic extremists. The unrest has created windows for Russia to supply mercenary forces in both those countries, as well as in the Central African Republic and Sudan.
Harris was expected to discuss the region's security issues at length with Afuko-Addo on Monday.
One U.S. official told CBS News the stakes would be high for Harris on this trip. Her job is to convince African countries that the U.S. believes in their future and wants to invest, as the perception across the continent right now is that Washington is less and less interested and sees the continent merely as a charity case.
That perception was partly fueled by the previous Trump administration's apparent lack of interest, and by disparaging comments from Trump himself, who referred to some African nations as "s***hole countries" in 2018.
A United Nations General Assembly vote on a resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine focused attention on Africa last year, as half of all abstentions came from African nations, including Tanzania, which Harris is set to visit this week after Ghana.
Richard Gowan, U.N. Director for the International Crisis Group, told CBS News' Pamela Falk after Yellen visited the continent earlier this year that the top-level American outreach represents an important diplomatic effort, and he said the Biden administration appeared to be taking the initiative seriously.
"But at the end of the day," Gowan told CBS News, "African leaders will ask if this is a short-term courtship or the start of a more sustained U.S. attempt to rebuild ties on the continent, because China is winning influence in Africa through long-term business arrangements… If the U.S. is not able to counter China's economic outreach, American diplomatic outreach will not be a game-changer."
Accompanied on the trip by her husband, Doug Emhoff, Harris is expected to give a speech Tuesday at the Cape Coast castle, where enslaved Africans were loaded onto ships bound for the U.S. during the transatlantic slave trade.
After Tanzania, the vice president will wrap up her tour of Africa with a stop in Zambia.
There's been much talk across the continent that Harris' trip could be followed by a multi-country tour by President Biden in the coming months, but the White House hasn't yet confirmed any plans by the chief executive to visit the continent.
- Kamala Harris
![kamala african tour 3a8fd9c1-ab43-4f18-a479-a95e50384ab3.jpg](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/06/07/add5f62b-56b2-4706-aadf-2f3da6820b7c/thumbnail/80x80/fbab4479292cd1840ddcc64a2fa52cd7/3a8fd9c1-ab43-4f18-a479-a95e50384ab3.jpg?v=25685eaa472b1a5dbb5bd46ae506d232#)
Sarah Carter is an award-winning CBS News producer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has been with CBS News since 1997, following freelance work for organizations including The New York Times, National Geographic, PBS Frontline and NPR.
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Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour
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Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour
The vice president's emotional journey worked to mend relations between africa and the u.s..
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/234e14628fd7b59d13d689d703f66777.jpg)
Earlier this week, Vice President Kamala Harris made the journey to Africa for a 3-nation tour. The country’s first Black and South Asian vice president’s sole purpose for the trip was to mend relations between the United States and the bustling continent. She made stops in Ghana , Tanzania and Zambia. Here are the most memorable moments from Harris’ voyage.
A Royal Arrival
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/afb02039d5b7494885584a655ce0d03c.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris dons a neutral colored power suit as she is greeted by traditional dancers as she arrives in Accra, Ghana, Sunday March 26, 2023.
Opening Address
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/456856e7b70f5750d7f2fae2b74c000b.jpg)
Harris speaks after arriving in Accra, Ghana. Harris’ seven-day African visit also brought her to Tanzania and Zambia.
The Children Are The Future
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/52cbe72ae6ac0994913fe00fd360b6b0.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris greets school children during her arrival ceremony at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana.
All Smiles In Accra
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/96c8d77d17361d5f9ea6b2df44ba5543.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris smiles as she walks past a flag of Ghana upon her arrival in Accra.
A Presidential Exchange
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/c88b63c99801be44c197ec6c17412755.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is welcomed by Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo in Accra.
Vital Meetings
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/852ccf54f998ac4629e1a873680b52d5.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo, opposite, in Accra.
A Celebrity Encounter
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/af6bfe185b79396559c692616a72ad20.jpg)
Kamala Harris, followed by actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, visits the Vibration studio at the freedom skate park in Accra. Vibration studios is a work station for young creative artists that includes a community recording studio and music business program.
The Vice President Speaks
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/6643373fc53c678f2ef4436b32634da6.jpg)
Harris speaks at a state banquet in Accra, Ghana.
Power Of The Powder Blue Suit
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/32c6b457f6503b936cf6a2ce6aabe6c8.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she arrives at Black Star square to address youths in Accra, Ghana, Tuesday March 28, 2023.
Black Star Square Address
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/e1f59e169a1c907ba815545fcabf6dcd.jpg)
Vice President Kamala Harris addresses youth gathered on Black Star square in Accra.
A Painful History
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/ac320bfdfbd4c1c105db6a44d9fa9e10.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff listen to a guide as they tour Cape Coast Castle in Ghana. This castle in was one of around 40 “slave castles” that served as prisons and embarkation points for slaves en route to the Americas.
Reflection On Cape Coast Castle
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/f5ea4d08fd1844c453a03577fd7bc919.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff listen to a guide as they tour Cape Coast Castle.
The Horror Of What Happened Here
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/62646c246127cccaec987ebe52ba9d4a.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at Cape Coast Castle in Ghana. This castle was one of around 40 “slave castles” that served as prisons and embarkation points for slaves en route to the Americas. “Being here was immensely powerful,” Harris said. “The crimes that were done here. The blood that was shed here. The horror of what happened here must always be remembered. It cannot be denied. It must be taught; history must be learned.”
A Cultural Exchange
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/13327eeaf0bea59b00f276ea7665322a.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with traditional leaders at Cape Coast Castle in Ghana.
Emhoff Dons The Cloth
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/1ff0f7ab5c56de5a036c4ee3b8266bbf.jpg)
U.S. Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff wears a Kente cloth during his visit with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris to Cape Coast Castle in Ghana.
Goodbye, Ghana
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/07c75da748e48b2e2fdd97b3821e1a51.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff wave as they depart Accra.
Harris Meets Mpango
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/314fbdf999d4f6ef4cfb75b67bf37d6b.jpg)
Vice President Kamala Harris talks with Tanzania’s Vice President Philip Mpango as she arrives at the Julius Nyerere Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, the second stop of a three-nation tour of Africa.
Hello, VP Harris
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/e042ac964440af474a107e9482040ebe.jpg)
People welcome U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on her arrival at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
Dar Es Salaam
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/97f42386a91e76634f653afdcab0743d.jpg)
U.S Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan speak during a news conference following their meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Strengthening Economic Ties
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/d2c09ee884820e2027b13b1d0dabbee0.jpg)
U.S Vice President Kamala Harris addresses a news conference following her meetings with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Thursday, March 30, 2023. “Working together, it is our shared goal to increase economic investment in Tanzania and strengthen our economic ties,” she said.
American Embassy Bombing Victims
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/4cebcfdffb48eab669bb646dee89f843.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, center, greets survivors of the 1998 bombing of the American Embassy in Tanzania at National Museum and House of Culture in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
A Good Laugh
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/31153613bd90c026bba9e2cae3264324.jpg)
U.S. Vice President, Kamala Harris shares a light moment with Tanzanian climate entrepreneur, Gibson Kiwago at the SNDBX Space, a space for freelancers, entrepreneurs, builders, innovators and creatives, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
So Long, Tanzania
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/5e6b47b0f7647e9521f941d3893521f7.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, accompanied by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, wave as they depart, at Julius Nyerere Airport, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Friday, March 31, 2023. Harris will visit Zambia on Friday for the final stop of her weeklong trip across Africa.
Harris Goes To Zambia
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/d0e7569a9748c12631c1cdce064ad405.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, second right, is greeted by traditional dancers after landing in Lusaka, Zambia, Friday March 31, 2023.
Presidential Greeting
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/c1ffebdf540a07e038393917089000c7.jpg)
Vice President Kamala Harris, left, is greeted by Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema in Lusaka, Zambia, Friday, March 31, 2023.
Farmer Harris
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/6d5aebf03c0b2ef877f37553b3f1ade2.jpg)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visits Panuka farms outside Lusaka, Zambia, Saturday April 1, 2023. At left is Bruno Mweemba, the farm’s founder. Harris is on the last leg of a a seven-day African visit that took her to Ghana and Tanzania.
Esteemed Farmhand
![kamala african tour Image for article titled Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/af4c24a66a925eb52a53fcbf45c6f35b.jpg)
Harris visits Panuka farms outside Lusaka, Zambia.
Kamala Harris begins Africa tour, announces security aid in Ghana
The US pledged help for Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Togo to tackle violent groups and instability.
![kamala african tour U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, and Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo, address a news conference in Accra, Ghana, Monday March 27, 2023. Harris is on a seven-day African visit that will also take her to Tanzania and Zambia [Misper Apawu/AP Photo]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/AP23086521854096.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
The United States will provide $100m to Ghana and four other West African countries to help them deal with instability and violence from armed groups, Vice President Kamala Harris says during a visit to Ghana.
Harris was in Accra on Monday at the start of a weeklong, three-nation African tour, the latest in a series of visits by senior US officials as Washington seeks to counter growing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent.
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“President [Joe] Biden and I have made clear the United States is strengthening our partnerships across the continent of Africa,” Harris said during a joint news conference with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.
China has invested heavily in Africa in the past two decades, particularly in infrastructure, mining, timber and fishing while Russia’s private military contractor Wagner Group is providing security assistance in several countries.
Akufo-Addo, who alleged in December that its embattled neighbour Burkina Faso had hired the mercenaries, reiterated that he was concerned about Wagner’s presence in West Africa.
“It raises the very real possibility … that once again our continent is going to become the playground for great power conflict,” he said.
Several countries across West Africa and the Sahel region have been struggling to quell violence by armed groups that have caused humanitarian disasters and fuelled discontent, which contributed to military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso.
“We appreciate your leadership in response to recent democratic back-sliding in West Africa,” Harris told Akufo-Addo.
“To help address the threats of violent extremism and instability, today I am pleased to announce $100m in support of Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire and Togo,” she said.
That money is in addition to $139m in assistance that the US intends to provide Ghana in the 2024 fiscal year, according to Harris’s office.
After Ghana, Harris will head to Tanzania and Zambia.
Harris was asked during the news conference whether she would be promoting LGBT rights during her tour, including in Ghana where a bill that would severely restrict those rights is going through parliament.
“I have raised this issue,” Harris said, adding that she felt very strongly about supporting freedom and equality for all people and that LGBT rights were a human rights issue.
Ghana’s draft bill would make it a crime to be gay, bisexual or transgender. Gay sex is already punishable by up to three years in prison under Ghanaian law although no one has been prosecuted in years.
The new bill would lengthen jail terms and force people to undergo “conversion therapy”, practises intended to change their sexual orientation. Parliament held public hearings on the bill starting in 2021. It is unclear when it will be put to a vote.
Akufo-Addo responded to a question about the bill from a US reporter by saying that it was not official government policy but rather had been put forward by legislators acting in a private capacity.
He also said the attorney general had submitted opinions to a parliamentary committee about “the constitutionality or otherwise of several of its provisions”.
“My understanding … is that substantial elements of the bill have already been modified as a result of the intervention of the attorney general,” he said without giving details.
“I have no doubt that the parliament of Ghana will show as it has done in the past … its sensitivity to human rights issues as well as to the feelings of our population and will come out with a responsible response to the proposed legislation,” the president said.
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Statement by Press Secretary Kirsten Allen on Vice President Harris’s Travel to Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will travel to Accra, Ghana; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Lusaka, Zambia from March 25 to April 2. The Vice President’s visit will build on the recent U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit that President Biden hosted in Washington in December 2022. The trip will strengthen the United States’ partnerships throughout Africa and advance our shared efforts on security and economic prosperity. Throughout the trip, in partnership with African governments and the private sector, the Vice President will advance efforts to expand access to the digital economy, support climate adaptation and resilience, and strengthen business ties and investment, including through innovation, entrepreneurship, and the economic empowerment of women. The Vice President will meet with President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, President Samia Hassan of Tanzania, and President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia to discuss regional and global priorities, including our shared commitment to democracy, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, food security, and the effects of Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine, among other issues. The Vice President will strengthen people-to-people ties and engage with civil society, including young leaders, business representatives, entrepreneurs, and members of the African Diaspora.
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Kamala Harris starts Africa tour in Ghana, announces security aid
By Francis Kokoroko
ACCRA (Reuters) -The United States will provide $100 million to Ghana and four other West African countries to help them deal with violent extremism and instability, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday during a visit to Ghana.
Harris was in Accra at the start of a week-long, three-nation African tour, the latest in a series of visits by senior U.S. officials as Washington seeks to counter growing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent.
"President Biden and I have made clear the United States is strengthening our partnerships across the continent of Africa," she said during a joint news conference with Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo.
China has invested heavily in Africa in the last two decades, particularly in infrastructure, mining, timber and fishing, while Russian private military contractor Wagner Group is providing security assistance in several countries.
Akufo-Addo reiterated that he was concerned about Wagner's presence in West Africa.
"It raises the very real possibility ... that once again our continent is going to become the playground for great power conflict," he said, standing alongside Harris.
Several countries across West Africa and the Sahel region have been struggling to quell Islamist insurgencies that have caused humanitarian disasters and fuelled discontent -- contributing factors to military coups in Mali and Burkina Faso.
"We appreciate your leadership in response to recent democratic back-sliding in West Africa," Harris told Akufo-Addo.
"To help address the threats of violent extremism and instability, today I am pleased to announce $100 million in support of Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire and Togo," she said.
That is in addition to $139 million in bilateral assistance that the United States intends to provide to Ghana in the fiscal year 2024, according to Harris's office.
After Ghana, Harris will head to Tanzania and Zambia.
LGBT RIGHTS
Harris was asked during the news conference whether she would be promoting LGBT rights during her tour, including in Ghana where a bill that would severely restrict those rights is going through parliament.
"I have raised this issue," Harris said, adding that she felt very strongly about supporting freedom and equality for all people, and that LGBT rights were a human rights issue.
Ghana's draft bill would make it a crime to be gay, bisexual or transgender. Gay sex is already punishable by up to three years in prison under Ghanaian law, though no one has been prosecuted in years.
The new bill would lengthen jail terms and force people to undergo "conversion therapy", practices intended to change their sexual orientation. Parliament held public hearings on the bill starting in 2021. It is unclear when it will be put to a vote.
Akufo-Addo responded to a question about the bill from a U.S. reporter by saying that it was not official government policy but rather had been put forward by legislators acting in a private capacity.
He also said the country's attorney-general had submitted views to a parliamentary committee examining the bill about "the constitutionality or otherwise of several of its provisions".
"My understanding ... is that substantial elements of the bill have already been modified as a result of the intervention of the attorney-general," he said, without giving details.
"I have no doubt that the parliament of Ghana will show as it has done in the past ... its sensitivity to human rights issues as well as to the feelings of our population, and will come out with a responsible response to the proposed legislation."
(Additional reporting by Estelle Shirbon, Nellie Peyton and Hereward Holland; Editing by Peter Graff and Alison Williams)
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Kamala Harris arrives in Ghana to ‘deepen ties’ with country amid competition from China
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Kamala Harris has landed at Ghana ’s Kotoko International Airport on the first stop of her three-nation African tour.
The vice president has been sent to ‘deepen ties’ with the continent, amid growing competition from the likes of China and Russia, as she attempts to win over their support.
Later in the year, president Joe Biden is set to make his own trip over.
Harris will start her nine-day trip in Ghana before moving on to Tanzania and Zambia - countries which are all facing times of economic hardship.
It comes shortly after secretary of state Anthony Blinken visited Ethiopia and Niger, and hopes to overshadow Ghanaian finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta’s China visit.
“So far, very positive and encouraging meetings in China”, he tweeted following his trip, prompting swift action to win the country back over.
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Harris visits Africa to strengthen U.S. ties and counter Chinese influence
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- Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/harris-visits-africa-to-strengthen-u-s-ties-and-counter-chinese-influence
Vice President Kamala Harris is in Africa this week for a three-country tour focused on economic development and security. Over nine days, she’ll meet with leaders in Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. Her travel follows other high-level trips to the continent as pressure to counter Chinese influence in the region grows. Laura Barrón-López reports on the trip's historic and strategic significance.
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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.
Amna Nawaz:
Vice President Kamala Harris is in Africa this week for a three-country tour focused on economic development and security. Over nine days, she will meet with political leaders in Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Geoff Bennett:
Her travel follows other trips by senior officials to the continent, as pressure to counter Chinese influence in the region grows.
Laura Barrón-López reports on the trip's historic and strategic significance for America's.
Laura Barrón-López:
For America's first Black female vice president, a trip with deep political and personal meaning, Kamala Harris placing flowers in a women's dungeon at the Cape Coast Castle in Ghana and walking through the Door of No Return, where millions of Africans were forced in chains on to ships bound for the America's.
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States: So being here was was — was immensely powerful and moving.
Speaking off-script about the brutality of slavery, Harris challenged growing efforts back home to censor Black history.
Kamala Harris:
It cannot be denied. It must be taught. History must be learned.
A solemn moment to recognize the past during a visit Harris says is focused on the future, specifically for women and young people.
To witness firsthand the extraordinary innovation and creativity that is occurring on this continent.
On the fastest growing and youngest continent, Harris met with young artists at a skate park and recording studio.
You're speaking in a way that, around the globe, people hear songs that are moving concepts like freedom.
Joining her were actors Idris Elba and Sheryl Lee Ralph together to highlight the power of music to unite the global African diaspora.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Harris' trip follows the African Leader Summit held in Washington last year.
Joe Biden, President of the United States: The United States is all in on Africa and all in with Africa.
Since then, she is the fifth high-ranking administration official to visit the continent in a sweeping effort to strengthen relationships in a part of the world where Chinese influence runs deep.
China has poured billions into infrastructure and development projects across Africa, including a $2 billion deal in Ghana to build roads and bridges. On this trip, Harris announced $100 million in security and conflict prevention assistance for the Western coast, but said the goal wasn't to counter China.
This trip is motivated I the importance of the direct relationship between the United States and Ghana.
And Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo made clear he would work with both nations.
Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana: There may be an obsession in America about the Chinese activities over the continent, but there's no such obsession here. But China is one of the many countries with whom Ghana is engaged in the world. Your country is one of them. Virtually all the countries in the world are friends with Ghana.
The vice president is expected to announce additional investments later this week to empower women-run businesses, enhance food security, and promote climate resilience.
In Ghana, a model of democracy in the region, Harris said the two countries must continually work to preserve freedom. The vice president will also travel to Zambia, a place where her grandfather lived and where she spent time as a child.
And, Laura, there's so much symbolism wrapped up in this weeklong trip.
There are multiple audiences both abroad and here at home. What is the White House hoping to achieve?
At its core, they're hoping that the vice president really uses her ability to strengthen ties with Africa, that they talk a lot about the historical significance of her going there.
But one personal political thing that she is also working on is gaining foreign policy experience. She's met with more than 100 foreign leaders so far as vice president. This comes after her big trip to the Munich Security Conference. And this is showing that she's very much a part of the Biden reelection plan.
The vice president's office has been, I think, fairly aggressive and intentional about owning and trying to reshape public perceptions of her and how she's handling the job.
How can we look at the trip in that context?
Well, like President Biden, Vice President Harris has an uphill climb right now with the public, with voters.
There's a recent Monmouth poll that shows Harris' approval rating is at 36 percent and her disapproval rating is at 53 percent. But I spoke to multiple sources that are close to Harris, and they argue that she is really key to the president's reelection, that Democrats are starting to rally around her and say that the backbiting needs to stop.
And they have really warned other Democrats that, if she were to somehow be set aside, that there would be a swift backlash. One thing that they also stress is that, for the first year-and-a-half of the administration, there was a lot of — there very little time spent out on the trail.
Now Harris has recently traveled to Tallahassee, Florida, on abortion rights, traveled to Iowa — it was her first trip to the state this year — on abortion rights, and that's a big focus for her.
I was really struck by the fact that the vice president was not on this trip alone. She was surrounded by friends, allies, celebrities.
What was the idea behind that?
So this was actually her idea, according to the sources that I spoke to today that are close to her. She wanted all those celebrities, including Spike Lee, the film director, the president of the NAACP, the president of the Urban League, as well as a number of HBCU presidents there with her, because they said that, look, they understand that Harris doesn't always get all the press that they want her to get, that the vice president alone may not be able to create this echo chamber.
And they also said that bringing those people along, they bring their own resources and investments to the continent to really stress the importance of these ties with Africa that the administration is focusing on.
A bit of a signal boost on this historic trip.
Laura Barrón-López, thanks so much for that reporting.
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Laura Barrón-López is the White House Correspondent for the PBS News Hour, where she covers the Biden administration for the nightly news broadcast. She is also a CNN political analyst.
Tess Conciatori is a politics production assistant at PBS NewsHour.
Zeba Warsi is a foreign affairs producer, based in Washington DC. She's a Columbia Journalism School graduate with an M.A. in Political journalism.
Teresa is a Producer on the Foreign Affairs & Defense Unit at PBS NewsHour. She writes and produces daily segments for the millions of viewers in the U.S. and beyond who depend on PBS NewsHour for timely, relevant information on the world’s biggest issues. She’s reported on authoritarianism in Latin America, rising violence in Haiti, Egypt’s crackdown on human rights, Israel’s judicial reforms and China’s zero-covid policy, among other topics. Teresa also contributed to the PBS NewsHour’s coverage of the war in Ukraine, which was named recipient of a duPont-Columbia Award in 2023, and was part of a team awarded with a Peabody Award for the NewsHour’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
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VP Kamala Harris’ visit to Africa: Delivering on US commitments or countering China and Russia?
Subscribe to africa in focus, landry signé landry signé senior fellow - global economy and development , africa growth initiative.
March 30, 2023
United States Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Ghana on March 26 to kick off her weeklong visit to three countries in Africa at a unique time in U.S.-Africa relations. Her visit comes in the wake of the progress achieved at the second-ever U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit , held in December 2022. The summit was the first tangible outcome of the Biden administration’s newly announced U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa , which set the scene for the administration to reposition the U.S. as a valuable partner that reaffirms “African agency.” The summit brought together about 49 African heads of state and resulted in several major commitments from the United States including: a $55 billion pledge to support the African Union’s Agenda 2063 ; creation of a new Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) initiative intended to invest over $350 million in financing Africa’s digital transformation; the appointment of Ambassador Johnnie Carson as the special presidential representative for U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit implementation; President Biden’s endorsement for the inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G-20; and creation of the President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement , among others.
While the commitments that emerged from the summit span many topics, including partnering on human rights, democracy, and gender inclusion, one topic that Vice President Harris should specifically highlight during her visit is deepening trade and investment between the U.S. and Africa. In addition to the $15.7 billion worth of private sector investments and partnerships reported by Prosper Africa during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the U.S. signed a memorandum of understanding to support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), signaling a predominant focus on shifting from “aid to trade.” With the momentum rolling after a successful summit, it is critical that the vice president’s visit reiterate these priorities and that the administration continue to find ways to leverage America’s “ core strengths ” in private capital, advanced technologies, and soft power to implement these commitments nationally and continentwide.
Furthermore, at the global, national, and local levels, the vice president’s visit comes at a critical juncture in terms of advancing the implementation of the commitments from the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.
The global vie for a closer alliance with Africa
The world is dealing with the complex economic and political consequences of the Russia-Ukraine War and the geopolitical divisions it brings , including in Africa where many countries have remained neutral , if not closer to Russia for a minority . This global division and political polarization are being further exacerbated as the competition between the United States and China continues to heat up. China has significantly increased its influence on the African continent, with foreign direct investment (FDI) growing at a compound rate of 18 percent per year from 2004 to 2016 and Chinese lending reaching almost 20 times their FDI level. At the same time, the emergence of several middle-income countries has opened Africa to a number of alternative economic partners. This increase in partnership options has strengthened the leverage of African countries to advance their own development plans. Further bolstering their leverage is the implementation of the AfCFTA, which is accelerating regional integration, providing opportunities for investment in value chains across the continent, and enhancing international partners’ interest in investing. While international competition certainly plays a role in American interests, this visit should be used to reiterate the commitment made at the summit to real partnership, as well as to accelerate implementation of its key conclusions—rather than further the United States’ fight for global influence.
Resetting the US agenda for deeper and more long-term relations with Africa
At the national level, the visit is part of an ongoing effort for the U.S. to restructure its partnership with the African continent. With a divided Congress and continued disagreements about the U.S. budget, the Biden administration will have to work across the aisle to garner congressional support for implementing the summit commitments, which will likely require a new type of political strategy. As competition and tensions between the U.S. and China persist, the U.S. is hoping to demonstrate—through actions such as this vice presidential visit—that partnership with Africa is meant to be mutually beneficial and long term, and not solely a piece of a broader geopolitical game. In a briefing about the visit, a senior administration official doubled down on this by reiterating : “The U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit made clear that our relationship with Africa cannot, and should not, and will not, be defined by competition with China. The Vice President’s trip will illustrate that we have an affirmative agenda in Africa.”
What should the key priorities be in Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia?
It is critical to understand the unique context of each African country that Vice President Harris is visiting in order to better understand the opportunities they provide for the U.S. to engage and find areas of mutual interest to partner on.
First, is Ghana , with which the U.S. has a warm and friendly relationship and which it regards as an important economic partner, with trade volumes between these countries exceeding $1.2 billion . Despite having a more diverse economy than many other countries in West Africa, Ghana is currently experiencing high levels of public debt and record-high levels of inflation accelerated by the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic. Vice President Harris discussed the debt crisis and international frameworks to support debt relief and restructuring, economic reforms, and leveraging the significant Ghanaian-American diaspora in the United States to create shared prosperity, among others.
In Tanzania, Vice President Harris’ second stop, the focus should be on highlighting the progress the country has made in strengthening its democracy, on recognizing it as a global player ( Tanzania’s 60 million people constitute the fifth largest country in Africa ), and on demonstrating that it is a country that empowers women politically and economically. Both Vice President Harris and President Samia Hassan are the first women to serve in their respective positions, sending a powerful signal to the rest of Africa and the world that gender inclusion is a top priority for the United States. Next, Tanzania has high potential for greater U.S. investment across a range of sectors, perhaps most crucially in the digital sector—Tanzania has nearly 100 percent telecom voice penetration , although internet penetration has been slower, with less than 25 percent of the population connected . To truly promote a forward-looking partnership, investment in the digital sector and partnership with entrepreneurs already working in Tanzania should be given particular focus.
Finally, in Zambia, although the debt crisis will likely be a top conversation topic (Zambia became the first African country to default on its debt in 2020 with its debt burden reaching nearly $15 billion ), Vice President Harris should use this visit to further existing and new investment commitments with Zambia. U.S. trade with Zambia has been low , but investor interest is growing, as evidenced by the U.S. Zambia Business Forum, which attracted hundreds of American and Zambian companies in a broad variety of sectors such mining, health care, and technology in 2022 . There is significant potential for investment in the minerals essential for a green transition that the United States should focus on, especially by finding areas where value can be added within the country. For example, Zambia’s minister of finance identified the United States as an ideal partner to invest in ways to create finished products from copper that can support the green energy system.
In conclusion, the best way for the United States to advance mutually beneficial U.S.-Africa relations is to accelerate implementation of the commitments from the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, including by delivering on the $55 billion in tangible financial resources, carrying out the abundance of private sector commitments, empowering the U.S. Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement, and shepherding investments from the Digital Transformation with Africa Initiative. The three countries selected for the visit each offer unique opportunities to advance these commitments in a way that looks beyond competition and toward collaboration to advance mutual goals by focusing on each country’s strengths, whether in trade, peacekeeping, digital economy, gender inclusion, or another area.
Moving forward, the administration must work to ensure that visits such as Vice President Harris’ and President Biden’s later this year balance national and continental priorities and result in long-lasting relationships that will help both partners thrive economically, socially, politically, and globally.
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US VP Kamala Harris kicks off her three-nation African tour in Ghana
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US Vice President Kamala Harris (R) addresses the crowd after arriving at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, on March 26, 2023. PHOTO/AFP
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By AFP
Agence France-Presse is an international news
Agence France-Presse is an international news agency headquartered in Paris, France.
What you need to know:
Africa has become more heated as a diplomatic battleground following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, and Russian security involvements in several countries on the continent.
US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Ghana on Sunday at the start of a three-nation African tour, as Washington looks to strengthen diplomatic ties on the continent.
The trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia until April 2 comes after a December summit hosted by President Joe Biden in Washington with US leaders and counterparts from Africa, a continent where China and Russia are enjoying rising influence.
Read : US VP Harris to tour Africa amid growing China, Russia influence
Optimism as Kamala starts African tour
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US Vice President Kamala Harris to visit Tanzania
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Harris, in company of her husband Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, was received in Ghana's capital Accra by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and senior government officials.
Accompanied by drumming and dancing, school children welcomed the 49th US vice president with miniature flags of Ghana at the Kotoka International Airport.
In brief remarks, Harris said her visit gives her the opportunity to deepen the relationship between the United States and African partners.
"We are looking forward to this trip as a further statement of the long and enduring and very important relationship and friendship between the people of the United States and those who live on the continent of Africa," Harris said.
"I am very excited about the future of Africa. I am very excited about the impact of the future of Africa on the rest of the world including the United States of America," she said.
She said the visit would be addressing such issues as the climate crisis, increasing food security, and growing investment on the continent.
Harris is expected to meet entrepreneurs, students, women and farmers while in Ghana and will also visit the historic Cape Coast Castle where slaves were kept 400 years ago.
She would hold bilateral talks with President Nana Akufo-Addo and meet civil society representatives.
On Wednesday she will depart Accra for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in continuation of her African tour.
Ghana is facing an economic crisis with inflation at more than 50 percent and its cedi currency down sharply, hit by the adverse effects of the global pandemic and Ukraine crisis.
Ghana has agreed on a $3 billion credit deal with the IMF to tackle its economic crisis. It is also in talks with China on its problems.
The December summit in Washington was the first of its kind since African leaders came in 2014 to see Barack Obama.
In September, Biden called for an African permanent seat on the UN Security Council, backed a permanent African Union role in the Group of 20 economies and said he was planning a visit -- the first by a US president since 2015 -- to sub-Saharan Africa.
His wife, Jill Biden, reiterated the commitment to helping African nations get a louder voice at the UN and other international bodies on a trip to Namibia and Kenya in February.
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Vice President Kamala Harris Goes On A Three Nation Tour In Africa
Vice President Kamala Harris heads to three African countries: Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania, to bring about awareness and positive change.
Spencer Jones • Mar 25, 2023
Updated Mar 27, 2023
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Vice President Kamala Harris will embark on a three nation tour of Africa for one week. She’ll meet with the leaders of Ghana , Tanzania and Zambia, to discuss local issues, and fortify the bond between Africa and the United States. Last December, Harris participated in the U.S.- Africa Leaders Summit in Washington D.C, which addressed economic engagement, food security and the climate crisis. Her upcoming trip will highlight those same issues, and more.
Harris will interface with President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, President Samia Hassan of Tanzania, and President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, respectively.
Her trip is historic on two fronts: She’s the highest-ranking official in the Biden cabinet to visit Africa. Of greater significance, she’s the first Black woman vice president to make the journey.
At the summit, Harris said, “our administration will be guided not by what we can do for Africa, but what we can do with Africa.”
U.S. Officials Project The Trip Will Have A Positive Impact
At the D.C. summit, Harris told African representatives that she had high hopes for the continent. As she prepares to go there herself, U.S. officials echo her enthusiasm.
“I am an optimist about what lies ahead for Africa and the world,” Harris said. “Because of your energy, your ambition, and your ability to transform seemingly intractable problems into opportunities. Simply put: your ability to see what can be; unburdened by what has been.”
Also on the agenda is China, which has had a presence in Africa for quite some time. According to Al Jazeera , “the United States seeks to pitch itself as a better partner than China, which has invested heavily in the continent over several decades.”
Russia’s war on the Ukraine has dominated headlines for over a year, and Harris will likely speak of its impact on Africa. Among the more uplifting subjects are women’s empowerment, and Africa’s growth in the tech world.
One official said, “I think you’ll see that this will be a very future-oriented trip, with a focus on innovation and technology. The visit will be an opportunity to highlight positive things that Africans are doing.”
Confronting The Past While Looking To The Future
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Western opinions on Africa are often rooted in ignorance and antiquated notions. While poverty and instability do exist, the continent has much potential.
Ghana is the first stop on the vice president’s itinerary. On March 6, 1957, it became the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence, after being controlled by Britain, Portugal and other colonial powers over the years.
In 2019, Ghana launched its “Year of Return” campaign, to encourage people across the diaspora to move there, or at least invest in its tourism. The campaign correlated with the 400th anniversary of when the transatlantic slave trade began. For those hoping to capitalize on free, human labor, Ghana’s position on the west coast made it an ideal gateway to the Americas.
Harris’ visit to Cape Coast Castle will surely be somber. This European fortress was a prison for slaves before their forced journey across the Atlantic. Now, it’s an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most important in Ghana. Black people from around the world travel there to pay their respects to the ancestors, who never saw home again.
Other dignitaries, such as former president Barack Obama, visited Cape Coast Castle in 2009.
On March 27, Harris will attend a dinner hosted by President Akufo-Addo at Jubilee House in Accra. The next morning, she’s expected to issue a major policy speech at Black Star Square.
For Harris, Zambia Holds Special Significance
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While in Tanzania , Harris intends to lay a wreath in memory of the victims of the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, the capital.
The tour concludes in Zambia , where the vice president has familial ties. Her grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, took up residence in the capital city of Lusaka in the 1960s. He worked there as a diplomat, and Harris spent time with him as a little girl.
U.S. officials said she’ll likely have a lot to say about Zambia, now that she’s returning as an adult.
Investing In Local Tech Talent Could Benefit Africa And The World
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Harris will liaise with young Africans, including music artists, and those with proficiency in tech. After all, they are the future of an evolving, media landscape.
One American official remarked, “we anticipate lots of excitement from young people. She [Harris] intends to engage with these people outside of government settings as much as she is able.”
Ghana, like Nigeria and Kenya, has a promising tech scene. Tapping into that talent could be the key for economic growth on the continent, which Harris and the Biden administration support.
On March 13, she tweeted , “I believe that the creativity and ingenuity of Africa’s young leaders, will help us shape the future of the world. I made this clear in December at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, and I look forward to my upcoming travel to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia.”
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Kamala Harris campaign's bus tour will start in Palm Beach, Jacksonville and Savannah
Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign will start a multi-state "Fighting for Reproductive Freedom" bus tour next week in Florida where a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights has spilled into the presidential race.
The tour is scheduled to start Tuesday in Palm Beach where U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is scheduled to be among the speakers. It will continue to Jacksonville on Wednesday with state Sen. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, making the case for the Harris campaign and then to Savannah, Ga. on Thursday. The bus will make at least 50 stops in a number of states during the run-up to the November election, according to Harris's campaign.
Harris blames Trump for clearing the way for Florida's six-week ban on abortion because he has said he is proud his appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court resulted in ending a federal constitutional right to an abortion.
Trump, a Florida resident, said Thursday he favors longer than six weeks for the cut-off when a reporter asked him how he will vote in November on the state constitutional amendment. If more than 60% of voters approve the constitutional amendment, that would strike the six-week ban and prevent state lawmakers from restricting abortions until a woman is farther along in her pregnancy.
"I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks," he said in an interview with NBC News.
A Trump campaign spokeswoman later told USA Today that Trump has not said how he will vote on the amendment but thinks six weeks "is too short."
Harris has criticized the six-week ban in Florida and similar restrictions enacted in other states after the Supreme Court ruling. The bus tour will contrast her stance with Trump, said Julie Chavez Rodriguez, manager of the campaign for Harris and running mate Tim Walz.
“This election is about freedom, and the American people want and deserve the freedom to make their own health care decisions," Rodriguez said. "Our campaign is hitting the road to meet voters in their communities, underscore the stakes of this election for reproductive freedom, and present them with the Harris-Walz ticket’s vision to move our country forward, which stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s plans to drag us back."
Gov. Ron DeSantis and other top Republicans in Florida have been calling on voters to reject the constitutional amendment.
Trump position: He wants IVF treatment fully covered, indicates he'll vote to overturn Florida 6-week abortion ban
VP Kamala Harris: She denounces Florida's 6-week abortion ban in Jacksonville campaign speech
The proposed amendment says abortion would be legal until fetal viability or if a healthcare provider determines an abortion is needed to protect the woman's health. The amendment does not put a time frame on viability but it is in the range of around 24 weeks.
The Palm Beach bus stop Tuesday by the Harris campaign will feature Klobuchar, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., political commentator Ana Navarro , and Anya Cook , a Florida resident who spoke at the Democratic national convention about nearly dying in 2022 because the state's restriction prevented her from getting an abortion after her water broke in the sixteenth week of pregnancy.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Harris campaign bus for 'reproductive freedom' starts tour in Florida
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Trump Reposts Crude Sexual Remark About Harris on Truth Social
Though the former president has a history of making crass insults about opponents, the reposts signal his willingness to continue to shatter longstanding political norms.
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By Michael Gold
- Aug. 28, 2024
Former President Donald J. Trump used his social-media website on Wednesday to amplify a crude remark about Vice President Kamala Harris that suggested Ms. Harris traded sexual favors to help her political career.
The post, by another user on Truth Social, was an image of Ms. Harris and Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump’s opponent in 2016. The text read: “Funny how blowjobs impacted both their careers differently…”
The remark was a reference to Mrs. Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and a right-wing contention that Ms. Harris’s romantic relationship with Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco whom she dated in the mid-1990s while he was speaker of the California State Assembly, fueled her political rise.
Mr. Trump’s repost was the second time in 10 days that the former president shared content from his personal account making sexually oriented attacks on Ms. Harris. Though he has a history of making crass insults about his opponents, the reposts signal Mr. Trump’s willingness to continue to shatter longstanding norms of political speech.
The image Mr. Trump shared on Wednesday morning was another user’s screenshot of a post on X, and it was a reply to an unrelated video clip Mr. Trump had posted on Tuesday night.
Mr. Trump reposted the image as part of a series of 30 reposts he made on Truth Social between 8:02 and 8:32 a.m. on Wednesday, including several posts with references to the QAnon conspiracy theory movement and its slogan. Mr. Trump also reposted photos that called for the prosecution or imprisoning of top Democrats and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The former president has vowed to direct federal prosecutors to investigate his political enemies if elected.
Previously, on Aug. 18, Mr. Trump had shared a video from the Dilley Meme Team — a group of right-wing internet content creators that makes pro-Trump videos and memes denigrating his opponents — that parodied the Alanis Morissette song “Ironic” to attack Ms. Harris as “moronic.” In the parody song, the singer says Ms. Harris “spent her whole damn life down on her knees,” at which point a photo of Mr. Brown appears onscreen.
The Harris campaign, which has largely ignored Mr. Trump’s personal attacks, declined to comment.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly been accused of sexual misconduct and was found liable last year for sexual abuse and defamation. He has a history of attacking female opponents and critics in deeply personal terms, often describing them as mentally ill or at times expressing contempt in epithets.
Republicans close to Mr. Trump have expressed concern that he and his allies risk alienating women, Black voters and moderate swing-state voters if they continue to use racist and sexist attacks against Ms. Harris, the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to accept a major party’s presidential nomination. Mr. Trump last week acknowledged that some of his advisers have urged him to move away from personal attacks, a shift he said he did not plan to take.
Last month, Mr. Trump questioned Ms. Harris’s identity as a Black woman, suggesting at a convention of Black journalists that Ms. Harris had used her racial profile as a way to gain a political advantage.
The Trump campaign did not initially respond to a request for comment. But after this article was published online, Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump campaign, complained about The New York Times and said that Mr. Trump, in his reposts about Ms. Harris, “rightfully calls to question her ability to be commander in chief.” The campaign did not respond to questions about the content of these posts and whether Mr. Trump intends to continue such attacks on Ms. Harris. Ms. Leavitt added, “The Failing New York Times spends more time airing negative stories about President Trump than writing about the negative consequences of Kamala Harris’s policies as vice president.”
Ms. Harris has for decades been subject to attacks like the ones Mr. Trump amplified, though they became more frequent during the 2020 presidential campaign, when she was President Biden’s running mate. Critics pointed to her relationship with Mr. Brown as a way to question her qualifications. And after the right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh suggested falsely, quoting from a conservative website, that Ms. Harris had “slept her way up,” T-shirts with the slogan “Joe and the Hoe” were worn by Mr. Trump’s supporters.
The slogan remained popular throughout Mr. Trump’s third presidential bid, and T-shirts bearing the phrase were frequently seen at Mr. Trump’s rallies up until Mr. Biden suspended his presidential bid.
Ms. Harris and her allies have over the years dismissed the claims that her relationship with Mr. Brown was central to her political rise, calling such attacks sexist and saying that she was qualified for positions she has held, including two state posts that Mr. Brown appointed her to, as well as winning elections as district attorney of San Francisco and California attorney general .
Mr. Trump frequently deployed gender-based attacks against Mrs. Clinton in his successful 2016 campaign. Faced with criticism over his treatment of women and the release of the “Access Hollywood” recording in which he crudely boasted about grabbing women’s genitals, Mr. Trump repeatedly pointed to the sexual indiscretions of Mrs. Clinton’s husband.
Throughout his political career, Mr. Trump has made a habit of sharing others’ divisive or offensive social media posts, then dismissing criticism by arguing he was simply reposting.
Last year, a jury found that Mr. Trump had sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll in a dressing room in the mid-1990s, then defamed her in a Truth Social post. Earlier this year, Ms. Carroll was awarded an $83.3 million judgment for continued attacks in social media posts.
Ken Bensinger contributed reporting.
Michael Gold is a political correspondent for The Times covering the campaigns of Donald J. Trump and other candidates in the 2024 presidential elections. More about Michael Gold
Vice President Harris buys traditional Charleston Sweetgrass basket during Savannah visit
by Ian Kayanja
![kamala african tour Vice President Harris buys traditional Charleston Sweetgrass basket during Savannah visit (Provided)](https://abcnews4.com/resources/media2/16x9/1920/986/center/90/04e48878-4d11-4c28-916a-d8333f326c25-CopyofThumbnails19.png)
SAVANNAH, G.A. (WCIV) — Vice President Kamala Harris, while visiting a store in Savannah, Georgia bought a traditional Gullah sweetgrass basket from a Charleston native.
Harris, in Savannah as part of her Georgia bus tour in the campaign for the White House, bought the basket sown by Andrea Jefferson, a sixth-generation sewer from Charleston.
"This is a full-circle moment in history," an email from the store reads, "when the first Black woman presidential candidate buys a basket, handmade by skills brought to the U.S. from West Africa, to use for her biscuits at home."
READ MORE | "Harris offers proposals to cut food & housing costs, trying to blunt Trump's attack."
Jefferson was a feature on Southern Living, Good Morning America and CNN. Her baskets have won her awards while also being touted by famous singers like John Legend.
Also on Thursday, Harris held a rally at Savannah's Enmarket Arena.
The rally came as a new Quinnipiac national poll shows Harris essentially tied with former President Donald Trump among likely voters.
According to the poll, including the candidates from the Green Party and Libertarian Party, Harris leads with 49 percent, while Trump follows closely with 47 percent.
Harris leads 49 percent to Trump's 48 percent in a two-way race.
Harris caps two-day Georgia bus tour with appeal to voters at Savannah rally
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday worked to shore up Democratic support in Georgia by visiting a part of the battleground state that politicians don’t frequent nearly as much as the more heavily populated Atlanta area.
“For the past two election cycles, voters in this very state, you who are here, have delivered. You sent two extraordinary senators to Washington, D.C.,” Harris said, referring to Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
She said that Georgians mobilized to put a Democrat in the Oval Office four years ago and that she’s hoping for a repeat.
“You showed up, you knocked on doors, you registered folks to vote, and you made it happen,” Harris said. “You did that. And so now we are asking you to do it again.”
Follow live coverage of the 2024 campaign here
Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, completed a two-day bus tour of southeastern Georgia. During a stop at a Savannah café Thursday, Harris said she plans to roll out a tax credit proposal for new startups and small businesses next week.
“This is one of my singular priorities, is to invest and grow our small businesses,” she said.
![kamala african tour Kamala Harris](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2024-08/240829-kamala-harris-savannah-georgia-rally-kh-8aabe2.jpg)
Shortly before the rally, Walz joined Harris for a joint interview with CNN that’s scheduled to air at 9 p.m. ET Thursday. It’s her first sit-down interview since she launched her White House bid late last month.
The crowd began filing into Savannah’s Enmarket Arena more than three hours before Harris was set to speak, braving a downpour while waiting in long lines to pass through security. Inside the arena, energetic supporters held signs reading “Freedom” and “A New Way Forward,” dancing to songs from CJ the DJ, a local radio host, as blue and white lights beamed across the audience.
A Harris-Walz campaign official said 7,500 people were in attendance. The official said that's the venue's maximum capacity.
Protesters interrupted Harris twice, and the audience cheered as they were led out. One protester was pro-Palestinian; it was unclear what the other protester was saying.
“I am speaking now,” Harris said as the first protester was escorted out, adding that she and President Joe Biden are working “around the clock” to secure a hostage deal.
Walz wasn’t onstage for the Savannah rally. He’s in North Carolina for two campaign events.
Biden’s razor-thin 2020 victory in Georgia came down to fewer than 12,000 votes. One of the heaviest blue regions of the state is metro Atlanta, where Biden performed better than 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in almost every county.
But Democratic leaders in Savannah say the Harris campaign is helping expand party support in the state’s southeast.
“Atlanta has always gotten the juice, has always gotten the love, but us here in southeast Georgia, we really matter,” said Aaron “Adot” Whitely, chair of the Democratic Party in Chatham County, where Savannah is located.
Biden narrowly improved Democrats’ margins in two blue Southeastern counties in 2020, winning Chatham with 58.6% of the vote.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who has long been vocal about the need for Democrats to more seriously engage with cities beyond Atlanta, said he feels the Harris campaign has answered his call by opening seven field offices in southern Georgia.
“The fallacy often is that Georgia is Atlanta and Atlanta is Georgia,” Johnson said. “Each city, each county, has its own distinct flavor and its own distinct history, and so it would be a fool’s errand to think that you can fly in and out of Atlanta and that you’ve covered Georgia.”
Jonae Wartel, senior adviser to the Harris campaign in Georgia, emphasized that Democrats learned the importance of having a statewide strategy from their successful 2021 Senate runoff races, when she was runoff director for Georgia Democrats.
Warnock and Ossoff won their races nearly four years ago, giving Democrats a majority in the Senate. Warnock kept his seat in 2022, beating his Republican opponent.
“I think it’s really important to not see Georgians as a single type of voter, but more a broad coalition,” Wartel said. “So taking her to parts of Georgia that are outside of metro Atlanta is incredibly important.”
The campaign’s volunteer efforts got a boost when Harris announced her campaign, with more than 35,000 people joining volunteer efforts in Georgia, Porsha White, the Harris campaign’s Georgia director, said in a news release.
Amy Morton, CEO of the Democratic consulting firm Southern Majority, said Harris’s rising to the top of the ticket also became a “game changer” for down-ballot races.
Often, Democrats in swing districts try to distance themselves from the presidential nominee, Morton said.
“That is flipped in this situation,” she said. “I already have Republican opponents in these districts who are sprinting away from Trump.”
![kamala african tour](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_focal-60x60,f_auto,q_auto:best/newscms/2024_26/3653107/240627-megan-lebowitz.jpg)
Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.
![kamala african tour](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_focal-60x60,f_auto,q_auto:best/newscms/2024_31/3656900/240729-nnamdi-egwuonwu.jpg)
Nnamdi Egwuonwu is a 2024 NBC News campaign embed.
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Posted: August 30, 2024 | Last updated: August 30, 2024
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The United States will provide $100 million to Ghana and four other West African countries to help them deal with violent extremism and instability, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday ...
Johannesburg — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Ghana Sunday night to kick off a three-nation tour of Africa her first visit to the continent since taking office.
When Kamala Harris steps off Air Force Two in Ghana on Sunday, she'll become the first Black woman US vice president to visit Africa, marking another chapter in her barrier-breaking role.
Wherever Vice President Kamala Harris went in Africa on her just-completed trip, her appearances were treated like a homecoming. The greetings were a reflection of the enduring connections between the African diaspora in the United States and Africans themselves, something that America's first Black vice president fostered during her trip. Back in Washington, her historic status has led to ...
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a speech in Ghana on Tuesday as part of her weeklong visit to several African nations. She is also headed to Tanzania ...
Here Are More Best Moments From VP Kamala Harris' Africa Tour The vice president's emotional journey worked to mend relations between Africa and the U.S.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, and Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo, address a news conference in Accra, Ghana, Monday March 27, 2023. Harris is on a seven-day African visit that will also take ...
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will travel to Accra, Ghana; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Lusaka, Zambia from March 25 to April 2. The Vice President's visit ...
Last week, Vice President Kamala Harris embarked on a momentous, three-nation tour of Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. The alliance between the United States and Africa was of interest, as were other ...
Vice President Harris confronts painful past, envisions future during visit to Africa. Politics Mar 28, 2023 6:59 PM EDT. CAPE COAST, Ghana (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday stepped ...
US Vice President Kamala Harris Saturday wraps up her week-long diplomatic trip to Africa in Zambia. On the last day of her tour Harris visited Zambia's Panu...
Vice President Kamala Harris is in Ghana as part of a weeklong visit to Africa, the latest effort from the United States to strengthen its ties to the contin...
ACCRA (Reuters) -The United States will provide $100 million to Ghana and four other West African countries to help them deal with violent extremism and instability, Vice President Kamala Harris ...
Kamala Harris has landed at Ghana's Kotoko International Airport on the first stop of her three-nation African tour.
Vice President Kamala Harris is in Africa this week for a three-country tour focused on economic development and security. Over nine days, she'll meet with leaders in Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia ...
ACCRA, Ghana — For Vice President Kamala Harris' first trip in office to Africa, the goal is nothing less than the resetting of relations between the United States and the countries she's ...
United States Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Ghana on March 26 to kick off her weeklong visit to three countries in Africa at a unique time in U.S.-Africa relations.
US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Ghana on Sunday at the start of a three-nation African tour, as Washington looks to strengthen diplomatic ties on the continent. The trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia until April 2 comes after a December summit hosted by President Joe Biden in Washington with US leaders and counterparts from Africa, a ...
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced plans to boost trade with and investment in Tanzania during a visit there on Thursday, part of an African tour aimed at strengthening ties with a ...
Vice President Kamala Harris heads to three African countries: Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania, to bring about awareness and positive change. Vice President Kamala Harris will embark on a three nation tour of Africa for one week. She'll meet with the leaders of Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, to discuss local issues, and fortify the bond between ...
Throughout the tour, others will join the talk, like reproductive rights storytellers Amanda Zurawski, Hadley Duvall and Kaitlyn Joshua. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Gwen Walz will also make ...
Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign will start a multi-state "Fighting for Reproductive Freedom" bus tour next week in Florida where a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights has spilled into the presidential race.. The tour is scheduled to start Tuesday in Palm Beach where U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is scheduled to be among the speakers.
Vice President Kamala Harris looks at a sweetgrass basket at Dottie's Market in Savannah, Aug. 29, 2024. She bought a basket made by Charleston-area artist Andrea "Annie" Cayetano-Jefferson.
It's not just joy. Kamala Harris is tapping into an actual movement called "Black Joy." Led by artists and activists, this movement aims to create a joy "that no White man can steal."
Former President Donald J. Trump used his social-media website on Wednesday to amplify a crude remark about Vice President Kamala Harris that suggested Ms. Harris traded sexual favors to help her ...
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will launch a bus tour of southern Georgia next week, the duo's first time campaigning in the state together and, as of now, their first ...
In what has been the first major presidential candidate visit to Savannah since the 1980s, Vice President Kamala Harris capped off a bus tour of Savannah and surrounding areas with a near-capacity ...
SAVANNAH, G.A. (WCIV) — Vice President Kamala Harris, while visiting a store in Savannah, Georgia bought a traditional Gullah sweetgrass basket from a Charleston native. Harris, in Savannah as ...
Kamala Harris at a campaign rally in Savannah, Ga. on Aug. 29, 2024. Win McNamee / Getty Images Shortly before the rally, Walz joined Harris for a joint interview with CNN that's scheduled to ...
UNLIMITED A5 WAGYU BEEF Buffet _ #1 RESTAURANT in Middle East & Northern Africa! JAPANESE FOOD TOUR. ... updated: August 30, 2024. More for You. Trump's Chances of Beating Kamala Harris in ...