Multiple pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested Tuesday after clashing with police during a protest that began outside the Israeli consulate and spilled out onto the surrounding streets on the second night of the Democratic National Convention.
The intense confrontations with officers began minutes into the demonstration, after some protesters – many dressed in black, their faces covered – charged at a line of police that had blocked the group from marching. They eventually moved past the officers but were penned in several times throughout the night by police in riot gear who did not allow protesters to disperse.
The Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, which provided legal observers for Tuesday’s protests, said at least 72 people were arrested.
A large portion of the arrests happened at the end of the night, as police pinned the remaining demonstrators – some of whom said they were trying to get home – in a plaza and blocked them from leaving. Police Superintendent Larry Snelling denied that police had “kettled” protesters, a tactic that involves corralling demonstrators in a confined area, which is banned under a federal consent decree.
Snelling, who has been present at all major demonstrations during the convention, praised his officers’ handling of the protests, calling the response proportional.
“We have people who showed up here to commit acts of violence,” he told reporters late Tuesday. “They wanted chaos.”
When asked to detail the violent acts, he said the demonstrators walked right into police officers. He declined to give the number of arrests, saying he did not have a final total.
Earlier in the evening, some demonstrators set an American flag on fire in the street as the celebratory roll call for Vice President Kamala Harris took place inside the United Center about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away.
As protesters regrouped and approached a line of police in riot gear in front of a Chicago skyscraper that houses the Israeli consulate, an officer said into a megaphone, “You are ordered to immediately disperse.” A woman in the front of the march shouted back with her own megaphone: “We’re not scared of you.”
A man in a Chicago Bulls hat, his face covered by a balaclava, called on protesters to “shut down the DNC.” The group, which is not affiliated with the coalition of over 200 groups that organized Monday’s protests, advertised the demonstration Tuesday under the slogan “Make it great like ’68,” invoking the anti-Vietnam War protests that seized the city during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
The atmosphere with rows of police in riot gear was a stark contrast to a day earlier when thousands of pro-Palestinian activists, including families pushing babies in strollers, marched near the convention site calling for a ceasefire.
Police kept protesters confined to a block of Madison Street, a normally bustling downtown thoroughfare where traffic was halted on both ends Tuesday evening.
Law enforcement had closed down most of the entrances to the building on Tuesday, allowing commuters to come in only one entrance where armed officers were also posted. Many of the building’s shops were closed. Martha Hill, a spokeswoman for the Metra commuter rail service, said train service was running as normal.
The consulate has been the site of numerous demonstrations since the war in Gaza began in October. It is in a building connected to the Ogilvie Transportation Center, a major commuter rail station.
Mohammed Ismail, a 29-year-old psychiatry resident who lives in Chicago, described the police presence as “excessive,” and questioned why the group had been blocked from marching. He said he joined the protest to urge Democrats to cease funding to Israel.
“It’s not right that we’re sending our tax money to fund an ongoing slaughter, an ongoing genocide,” Ismail said. “We’re a part of this conflict because our money is paying for it.”
Meanwhile, the sites of demonstrations from the previous night were largely quiet. Thirteen people were arrested during Monday’s protests, most them related to a “brief breach” of security fencing “within sight and sound of the United Center,” Snelling said.
Israel supporters, including some relatives of people kidnapped by Hamas, gathered earlier in the day at a pro-Israel art installation not far from the consulate to call on U.S. leaders to continue backing Israel and pushing for the release of hostages. The art installation included giant milk cartons bearing photos of some hostages.
Elan Carr, CEO of the Israeli-American Council, condemned the pro-Palestinian protesters who have descended on Chicago this week, calling them “fringe crazies” and demanding that U.S. leaders “stand unequivocally with the state of Israel.”
More protests were planned throughout the week. However, attendance at the main rally on Monday was far below the estimates of organizers who had predicted more than 20,000 would show up.
Snelling said Monday’s crowd was around 3,500 people and that the vast majority of those protesters were peaceful.
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Former President Donald Trump pledged Tuesday to “Make America Safe Again” while campaigning in Michigan as the Democrats who gathered in Chicago to nominate Kamala Harris branded him a career criminal.
As part of a battleground campaign swing designed to counter the Democratic National Convention, Trump stood alongside sheriff’s deputies in the city of Howell and labeled Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, as the “ringleader” of a “Marxist attack on law enforcement” across the country.
“Kamala Harris will deliver crime, chaos, destruction, and death,” Trump said in one of many generalizations about an America under Harris. “You’ll see levels of crime that you’ve never seen before. ... I will deliver law, order, safety and peace.”
Trump has sought in recent weeks to blunt the enthusiasm that Harris has attracted since President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed her. That has involved dark predictions about what electing Harris would mean for the country and efforts by Trump’s advisers to set up events where he can try to draw specific policy contrasts. On Tuesday in Michigan, the subject was crime and public safety.
“Our policemen and women have the backs of law-abiding citizens every day,” Trump said. “When we go back to the White House, you’re going to see support the likes of which you haven’t seen, certainly in four years.”
In excerpts released before his speech, Trump’s campaign also said he would call for the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers; he did not mention that during his remarks.
A campaign official who was not authorized to speak publicly said after Trump’s appearance that the former president will make those additional formal policy announcements after the Democratic convention when the campaign expects they can get more attention.
Trump’s event on Tuesday was his latest billing as it focused on a specific issue. But on these occasions, Trump has spent considerable time attacking Harris personally and taking shots at Biden, and the same was true after their appearances Monday at the Democratic convention.
“I watched last night in amazement as they tried to pretend everything was great,” Trump said, singling out inflation and the U.S.-Mexico border as topics Democrats glossed over. “We have a fool as president,” he said of Biden.
Trump presented a bleak portrait of life in the U.S. and the threat of a Harris presidency, though he was short on specifics and heavy on hyperbole.
“It’s just insane,” Trump said. “You can’t walk across the street to get a loaf of bread. You get shot, you get mugged, you get raped, you get whatever it may be. And you’ve seen it, and I’ve seen it, and it’s time for a change.”
Trump making such claims, surrounded by supportive law enforcement officers, stood in stark contrast to the Democrats’ convention. Speaker after speaker found ways Monday night in Chicago to remind Americans that Trump is the first former president ever convicted of felony crimes, has been found civilly liable for sexual assault, and still faces multiple indictments, including for his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Biden.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas skewered Trump on Monday night as “a career criminal, with 34 felonies, two impeachments and one porn star,” a reference to his payments to an adult film actress at issue in his New York conviction for business fraud.
As the crowd roared, Crockett kept going, hailing Harris as a former prosecutor who “has a resume” while Trump “has a rap sheet.”
The derision reached its peak as Hillary Clinton, whom Trump defeated in 2016, stood back from the podium and smiled as delegates chanted: “Lock him up! Lock him up!” — a turnabout from Trump supporters’ chants about Clinton eight years ago despite the former secretary of state having never been charged with any crime.
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Former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff were the big speakers on the second day of the Democratic National Convention.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, did not attend because they held a prime-time rally in Wisconsin as they tried to get their message out on a tight timeline ahead of the election.
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Here are some of the key developments from the second day of the DNC:
- A new generation: Jack Schlossberg, the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy, and Jason Carter, the grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, represented a new generation. Schlossberg said Harris, like his grandfather, dedicated her life to public service. Carter said that his grandfather, who has been in hospice, “can’t wait to vote for Kamala Harris.”
- Republicans take the stage: Several Republicans are slated to speak at the convention. On Tuesday, Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary under Donald Trump, said the former president has no morals or empathy. She said she was voting for Harris because “I love my country more than my party.” Kyle Sweetser, a lifelong Republican, said he’s voting for Harris because he realized Trump was not looking out for American workers. Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona, John Giles, said: “Donald Trump was all talk.”
- And key Democrats, too: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said America under Harris would be “a fairer, a freer future” and slammed Trump’s vision for the country. Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders argued that Americans should elect Harris to continue to accomplish progressive policies. Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic Senate candidate from Maryland and longtime mentee of Harris, spoke about her relationship with the vice president as well as Harris’ record as a criminal prosecutor.
- A family affair for Harris: The vice president’s husband, Doug Emhoff, described Harris as the anchor of their family and gave a more personal introduction of her to Americans. He told the story of the couple’s meeting and talked about how Harris became a stepmom to Emhoff’s two children. Harris’ stepson Cole Emhoff introduced his father in a video message. The night highlighted what Harris often describes as her “blended family.” Emhoff’s first wife, Kerstin Emhoff, was also sitting in the VIP box.
- The Obamas: Michelle Obama said “Hope is making a comeback” as she attested to Harris’ qualifications to be president. She also attacked Trump, saying that the top job he is seeking “might just be one of those Black jobs,” about his comments at the National Association of Black Journalists. Barack Obama said the “torch has been passed” as he made a case for Harris and Walz. He also encouraged Americans to get out and vote because the US does “not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos” of a Trump presidency.
- Harris and Walz in Wisconsin: From the rally stage, Harris symbolically accepted the party’s presidential nomination after convention delegates held a ceremonial roll call. “We are so honored to be your nominees,” she said. In her stump speech, she leaned into the importance of reproductive health. Walz attacked the Republican National Convention last month, calling it a “coronation of one man,” Trump.
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Former U.S. President Barack Obama returned to the national stage on Tuesday night to boost his longtime Democratic ally Kamala Harris in her 11th-hour presidential bid against Republican Donald Trump.
CROSSING THE AISLE
THE OBAMA IMPACT
Former President Donald Trump has been active on his social accounts as Democrats gather for their convention in Chicago, but some of his posts don’t have much to do with reality.
Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, he posted a fake image of someone who looks like Vice President Kamala Harris addressing what appears to be a communist rally in Chicago with a depiction of a red banner with a communist symbol. That followed his repost of a phony video of himself dancing next to billionaire Elon Musk, one of his most vocal supporters.
Just before the convention kicked off, he reposted an image of Taylor Swift in an Uncle Sam outfit and accepted her endorsement for his campaign, which she had never given.
They’re the latest examples of how Trump is promoting images produced by artificial intelligence tools to attack his opponents or create illusions of support around his own campaign. It’s in keeping with a long-standing strategy in which Trump amplifies messages – from QAnon adherents to those who deny the results of fair elections -- to score political points and satisfy his base by promoting alternate realities.
Some of the images and videos Trump has shared are cartoonish or obviously fake. Yet the rise in AI-generated content across political social media concerns experts who say it can be used to push more insidious and believable disinformation. As fake images, videos and audio clips created by generative AI models begin to saturate social media, they also risk eroding people’s trust in what they see and hear.
“The AI-generated deepfakes of Taylor Swift are yet another example of AI’s power to create misinformation that deceives and defrauds voters,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a progressive consumer rights advocacy group that has pushed for legislation to regulate AI. “The potential harms to our society that could result from such misinformation, including abuses of our elections, are wide-reaching and immensely damaging.”
One AI-generated image in Trump’s Truth Social post, shared on Sunday, showed women in “Swifties for Trump” shirts, a reference to the artist’s devout fans. The fake image showing Swift dressed as Uncle Sam included text saying, “Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.” In his repost of the image, Trump added, “I accept!”
One of the images Trump shared included a small satire label, though he didn’t clarify whether he meant his post was in jest.
Swift, who remains on her world tour and has a show scheduled Tuesday night in London, has made no endorsement in this year’s U.S. presidential race. Her spokesperson did not return multiple messages seeking comment.
To Republicans outside Trump’s orbit, the focus on someone like Swift — one of the most talked about artists in the world — is all about garnering attention for Trump at a time when much of the focus is on Harris and Democrats.
“This is how he and the campaign can wrest back news cycles,” said Doug Heye, a longtime Republican spokesperson and operative. “I hesitate to say to their credit, but I think we all know, if you want to be talked about, Taylor Swift is a great way to do it.”
A Harris spokesperson did not respond to questions about Trump’s use of images generated by artificial intelligence.
Trump supporters frequently create social media posts and memes using AI-generated images, some of which get shared by the former president.
Before Trump shared the phony Swift images, his supporters had been creating and posting their own AI-generated videos and images of the pop star appearing to support Trump. They also shared numerous images of Harris dressed as a communist leader or addressing a Soviet crowd.
Political operatives have long been concerned about what the rise in artificial intelligence could mean for elections.
Some members of Congress have pushed for legislation to regulate the use of AI-generated images in politics, but no legislation to do so has gotten close to passing. The Federal Communications Commission has proposed requiring political advertisers to disclose their use of artificial intelligence in television and radio ads, but such a rule would not affect the social media platforms.
While several social media companies have rules for labeling AI-generated content, they aren’t always followed. Across platforms, misleading and lifelike images of both Trump and Harris amass millions of views, with some users not recognizing what they are seeing is fake.
Given her influence and millions of fans, Swift has often become a trending political topic during election years.
In 2020, she supported President Joe Biden, writing a month before the election that she was going to be cheering for then-vice presidential nominee Harris, this year’s Democratic nominee, in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump ahead of the 2020 election, saying he had stoked “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”
While she has remained on the sidelines so far this year, she has not escaped notice from prominent conservatives who worry about a Swift endorsement of the Democratic presidential ticket.
Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro earlier this year warned Swift not to “get involved in politics.” Fox News’ Sean Hannity urged her to “think twice” about backing Biden when he was running for reelection. And Vivek Ramaswamy, a former GOP presidential candidate and vocal Trump supporter, called Swift and her NFL star boyfriend Travis Kelce “an artificially culturally propped-up couple” who may make “a major presidential endorsement” this fall.
Some of her supporters have responded to Trump’s posts by taking to social media and declaring their intentions to vote for the former president. Trump’s campaign is seizing on that support.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s spokesman, did not address the use of fake images in response to questions, but called “Swifties for Trump” a “massive movement that grows bigger every single day.”