Kamala Harris plans scathing critique of Trump in first major speech since leaving office

LOS ANGELES — Former Vice President Kamala Harris plans to offer a pointed critique of President Donald Trump and his policies on Wednesday in her first major speech since leaving office.

"She will reflect on the enduring promise of America and issue a call to action in the face of reckless economic policies and the urgent and escalating crisis facing America's institutions and global leadership," according to a person with knowledge of Harris' speech who requested anonymity to speak candidly.

The speech, which is expected to be her most extensive remarks since losing the presidential election in November and leaving office in January, comes as Harris has been weighing whether to enter the 2026 California governor's race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Harris, 60, is not expected to make a decision until the end of the summer — a delay that has prompted criticism from fellow Democrats who argue that politicians can't sit on the sidelines at a crucial moment in the nation's and the state's future.

—Los Angeles Times

Mayor Eric Adams urges women threatened at NYC protest against Israeli official Itamar Ben Gvir to file complaints

NEW YORK — Two women who were threatened and harassed during a protest outside a Brooklyn speaking appearance by controversial Israeli official Itamar Ben Gvir Thursday night were urged to come forward and file complaints, Mayor Eric Adams said on X.

One of the protesters was hurt, with the other subjected to “vile threatening by counter protesters,” Adams said in the Sunday post. The incidents were caught on video and posted on social media as the NYPD looks for the suspects.

Various videos show one of the victims, her face covered by a scarf, being escorted by a police officers, with young men or teens trying to get in her face or spit on her. “Let me be clear: None of this is acceptable,” the mayor added. “In fact, it is despicable.”

Both incidents, as well as several others for which police issued five disorder conduct summonses and arrested one man for assaulting another, happened outside the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights.

—New York Daily News

Families have to find their own livers because of organ donor shortfall

Christine and Joey Gibson are trying everything to get their infant son a new liver: traveling to three different states to list him with transplant centers, begging on social media and even offering a piece of Joey’s liver in a swap if a compatible donor has someone in their life who needs an organ.

The waitlist for a liver from a deceased donor near their home in Arizona is long enough that 10-month-old Stetson likely wouldn’t receive a transplant before his organ failed entirely, Christine Gibson said. His best shot at survival is to find a living donor, but not all hospitals perform that type of transplant for children.

With options running short, the Gibsons are pinning their hopes on Colorado. The state has a hospital that can help them; now they need to find someone willing to give a piece of their liver to a stranger before time runs out. “It’s only the families that are these little guys’ voices,” Christine Gibson said.

The number of adults and children who need organs consistently exceeds the available supply. While most transplants require a deceased donor, healthy people can donate one kidney and a portion of their liver.

—The Denver Post

North Korea admits sending troops to aid Russian war on Kyiv

North Korea acknowledged for the first time that it deployed troops to support Russia’s war on Ukraine, claiming the country’s military had helped Moscow retake control of the border region of Kursk.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un decided to participate in the conflict to liberate the Kursk region and to repel the “adventurous invasion” of Russia by the Ukrainian army in an operation that has been “victoriously concluded,” the official Korean Central News Agency said Monday, citing North Korea’s Central Military Commission.

It said the decision to join the war was in line with the two countries’ mutual defense treaty sealed last year. Kim called it a “sacred mission” to further bolster their ties, according to KCNA.

North Korea’s confirmation comes after Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov on Saturday thanked North Korean troops for their participation in fighting in the Kursk region, making it the first time Russia acknowledged using Pyongyang’s military in Russia.

—Bloomberg News