Harris and Beyoncé ignite Houston rally, Willie Nelson performs

HOUSTON (AP) — Kamala Harris and Beyoncé ignited a Houston rally with a double-barreled statement against Donald Trump connected Friday, with the superstar telling the Democratic nominee’s biggest assemblage ever that it was “time to sing a caller song” arsenic Harris warned that her GOP hostile was dormant acceptable connected further eroding women’s rights.

The rally was acceptable successful reliably Republican Texas, to item the increasing aesculapian fallout from the state’s strict termination ban, but the connection was intended to registry successful the governmental battleground states, wherever Harris is hoping that the aftereffects from the autumn of Roe v. Wade volition spur voters to crook retired to enactment her quest for the presidency.

.@Beyonce endorses @KamalaHarris: "I'm not present arsenic a celebrity. I'm not present arsenic a politician. I'm present arsenic a mother. A parent who cares profoundly astir the satellite my children and each of our children unrecorded in. A satellite wherever we person the state to power our bodies…" pic.twitter.com/Kw5BjKiPpK

— CSPAN (@cspan) October 26, 2024

“For each the men and women successful this room, and watching astir the country, we request you,” Beyoncé said successful a uncommon governmental appearance. The megastar’s code was lofty, joyful and optimistic — a temper to the seriousness of the taxable and of the connection Harris was determination to bring.

“I’m present arsenic a mother, a parent who cares profoundly astir the satellite my children and each of our children unrecorded in,” Beyoncé said. “A satellite wherever we person state to power our bodies, a satellite wherever we’re not divided.”

Harris came retired to immense cheers. She told the assemblage that Trump had erased fractional a period of hard-fought advancement erstwhile helium appointed the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe and touched disconnected a increasing healthcare crisis.

She listed disconnected downstream effects she sees from assorted bans. Women who ne'er intended to extremity a gestation are suffering devastating complications erstwhile they can’t get care. They person less options, and less aesculapian students are choosing to specialize successful women’s health.

“For anyone watching from different state, if you deliberation you are protected from Trump termination bans due to the fact that you unrecorded successful Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, California, oregon immoderate authorities wherever voters oregon legislators person protected reproductive freedom, delight know: No 1 is protected,” Harris warned. “Because a Donald Trump nationalist prohibition volition outlaw termination successful each azygous state.”

“All that to say, elections matter,” she said.

Trump has been inconsistent successful his connection to voters connected abortion and reproductive rights, though he’s said he’d veto a nationalist termination ban. He has repeatedly shifted his stance and offered vague, contradictory and astatine times nonsensical answers to questions connected an contented that has go a large vulnerability for Republicans successful this year’s election.

Trump was besides successful Texas Friday, wherever helium predicted he’d interruption records for the fig of radical deported from the United States if helium wins the election. He taped a podcast with Joe Rogan earlier heading to a rally successful Traverse City, Michigan, wherever helium took the signifier 3 hours late.

Harris was joined astatine the rally by women who person astir died from sepsis and different gestation complications due to the fact that they were incapable to get due aesculapian care. Some of them person already been retired campaigning for Harris and others person told their harrowing tales successful campaign ads that question to show however the contented has ballooned into thing acold bigger than the close to extremity an unwanted pregnancy.

Since termination was restricted successful Texas, the state’s infant decease complaint has increased, much babies person died of commencement defects and maternal mortality has risen.

The assemblage waited for hours, wearing flashing red, achromatic and bluish LED bracelets arsenic “trust women” and “freedom” flashed connected large screens betwixt acts.

Harris’ run has taken connected Beyoncé’s 2016 way “Freedom” arsenic its anthem, and the connection dovetails with the vice president’s accent connected reproductive freedom. Beyoncé was joined by her mother, Tina Knowles, and her erstwhile bandmate Kelly Rowland, who each spoke astir Harris’ historical candidacy and a imagination of a much agreed nation.

“Our voices sing a chorus of unity,” Beyoncé said. “They sing a opus of dignity and accidental — are y’all ready?”

Harris was besides joined by state fable Willie Nelson, who sang immoderate of his top hits, including “On the Road Again.”

“Hey, however are y’all doing?” the 91-year-old Nelson asked the crowd. “Are we acceptable to accidental Madam President?”

here's Willie Nelson's show of "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys" astatine the Kamala Harris rally successful Houston pic.twitter.com/XzUpay24g4

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 26, 2024

Increasingly, successful 14 states with strict termination bans, women cannot get aesculapian attraction until their information has go life-threatening. In immoderate states, doctors can look transgression charges if they supply aesculapian care.

Democrats pass that a winnowing of rights and freedoms volition lone proceed if Trump is elected. Republican lawmakers successful states crossed the U.S. person been rejecting Democrats’ efforts to support oregon grow entree to commencement control, for example.

“In America, state is not to beryllium given. It is not to beryllium bestowed. It is ours. By right. And that includes the cardinal state of a pistillate to marque decisions astir her ain assemblage and not person the authorities telling her what to do,” Harris said.

There is immoderate grounds to suggest that termination rights whitethorn thrust women to the polls arsenic it did during the 2022 midterm elections. Voters in 7 states, including immoderate blimpish ones, person either protected termination rights oregon defeated attempts to restrict them successful statewide votes implicit the past 2 years.

About 6 successful 10 Americans deliberation their authorities should mostly let a idiosyncratic to get a ineligible termination if they don’t privation to beryllium large for immoderate reason, according to a July canvass from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Democrats besides anticipation Harris’ sojourn volition springiness a boost to Rep. Colin Allred, who is making a longshot bid to unseat Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred said Friday that if you ballot to overturn a woman’s law right, arsenic Cruz did, past you should suffer your job.

Texas encapsulates the post-Roe landscape. Its strict termination prohibition prohibits physicians from performing abortions erstwhile cardiac enactment is detected, which tin hap arsenic aboriginal arsenic six weeks oregon before.

As a result, women are progressively suffering worse aesculapian care. That’s successful portion due to the fact that doctors cannot intervene unless a pistillate is facing a life-threatening condition, oregon to forestall “substantial impairment of large bodily function.”

“Texas’ termination bans unleashed by Donald Trump astir outgo maine my beingness and person near maine with carnal and affectional scars,” said Ondrea Cummings, who mislaid her 16-week babe and astir died from sepsis erstwhile she couldn’t get attraction accelerated enough.

“I ne'er thought I would person this benignant of idiosyncratic experience. If it tin hap to me, it tin hap to anyone.”