At the top of his first speech as her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz turned to Vice President Kamala Harris and declared, "Thank you for bringing back the joy." The next day, Harris took the theme a step further, branding the Democratic ticket "joyful warriors." Contrast that with former President Donald Trump, who opened a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida later in the week saying, "We have a lot of bad things coming up." Democrats are playing up their sunnier outlook. But the Trump campaign argues their candidate is reflecting the country's more accurate, dour mood.

President Joe Biden is resisting pressure to drop out of the election and is appealing for party unity to take on former President Donald Trump's "dark vision." Sidelined with COVID-19, Biden said Friday he'll return to the campaign trail next week, aiming to hold off pressure from Democrats at the highest levels for him to bow out of the 2024 election. Biden's campaign chair on Friday acknowledged "slippage" in support but told MSNBC the campaign sees "multiple paths" to beating the Republican Trump. Meanwhile, more Democratic members of Congress are calling for Biden to drop out of the race, making at least 30 now.

Hundreds of demonstrators have converged on downtown Milwaukee to protest around the Republican National Convention, saying the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump won't affect their long-standing plans to demonstrate outside the site. The activists called attention Monday to issues such as abortion rights, economic justice and the war in Gaza. The largest group is the Coalition to March on the RNC. The atmosphere was festive, with music playing over loud speakers, a man strumming a guitar and vendors selling T-shirts and buttons supporting both Republicans and Democrats. Activists carried signs that read, "Stand with Palestine," "We Can No Longer Afford the Rich," and "Defend and Expand Immigrant Rights."

Donald Trump typically likes to be the one in the spotlight. But in the days since President Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance, the presumptive Republican nominee has kept a low profile, leaving the focus on the drama engulfing the Democratic Party. The strategy comes as Trump and his campaign revel in a series of legal and political victories heading into the Republican National convention this month. Those victories include a Supreme Court ruling Monday that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution and a ruling Tuesday by the judge in Trump's New York criminal hush money trial to delay his sentencing, which had been scheduled for next week.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has failed to qualify for next week's debate in Atlanta. Host network CNN said Thursday the independent presidential candidate fell short of benchmarks both for state ballot qualification and polling. The missed markers mean the June 27 showdown will be solely between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Kennedy wanted to stand alongside the leading candidates, to lend legitimacy to his long shot bid and convince potential supporters that he has a shot at winning. Both major-party campaigns fear Kennedy could play spoiler in what's anticipated to be a close general election. Kennedy has filed an election complaint alleging the debate markers were created to disfavor him.

Donald Trump has urged a staunchly anti-abortion Christian group to stand up for "innocent life." The Republican front-runner has repeatedly taken credit for the overturning of national abortion rights but said he wants to leave the issue to the states. The former president prerecorded a video that was shown at an event put on by The Danbury Institute, which is meeting in Indianapolis. Other in-person speakers doubled down on the newly-formed institute's anti-abortion stance, and one speaker called for a hard-line position against IVF. Trump has said he's proud of appointing Supreme Court justices who played a role in overturning Roe v. Wade and that he supports access to IVF.

Fresh allegations are surfacing about Donald Trump's disrespectful behavior toward Black contestants on "The Apprentice," the reality TV show he hosted from 2004 to 2015. New York-based former contestant Gene Folkes tells The Associated Press that Trump used racially insensitive words when Folkes was fired from the show in 2010. Folkes also says he got a cease-and-desist letter from NBC barring him from speaking publicly. Last week, an ex-producer published an account alleging Trump used a racist slur to refer to Kwame Jackson, a Black contestant who was a finalist on the show's first season. A Trump campaign spokesman dismisses the accounts about the Republican ex-president as false and politically motivated.