Protests at the Democrats’ Convention Weren’t as Big and Disruptive as Some Expected
The New York Times
Pro-Palestinian organizers predicted overwhelming turnout that would take their case directly to the Democrats. Protesters gathered, but they did not steal the show.
It wasn’t 1968. It wasn’t even close.
After months of anticipation, planning and vows of mass protest in Chicago that called to mind the tumult of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the demonstrators who challenged the Democratic Party over the conflict in Gaza remained largely in the background.
While thousands of people joined enthusiastic daily protests in parks and on the streets of Chicago, a city with a deep history of protests, their numbers were fewer than organizers had hoped.
All week, demonstrators chanted and marched near the convention site, angrily calling for a cease-fire and an end to U.S. aid for Israel, but failed to seriously disrupt the convention and its celebration of Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential nominee. Though many demonstrators hoped that the convention organizers would grant a speaker of Palestinian descent a chance to address the crowd, that request was ultimately denied.
And after four days of protesters pushing to make the war in Gaza a focus of the convention, its final evening on Thursday ended with Ms. Harris directly acknowledging the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and repeating calls for a cease-fire, but also centering her speech on discussions of abortion access, immigration and the record of her opponent.
“There is some sort of wall between what we’re saying and what these politicians are willing to hear,” Josephine Guilbeau, an Army veteran, said at a pro-Palestinian protest on Thursday, lamenting that Democratic leaders had mostly ignored the cries of protesters.
As wildfires roar into residential neighborhoods, firefighters in California and elsewhere are finding that water systems can’t keep up with the demand.
In a filing late Wednesday, Fani Willis petitioned the Georgia Supreme Court to allow her to keep prosecuting Donald J. Trump over efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
In his fourth and potentially final State of the City speech, Mayor Eric Adams focused on making it easier to raise families in New York City.
Donald J. Trump had not yet exhausted his New York appeals when he turned to the Supreme Court in a last-ditch move to avoid sentencing, prosecutors argued.
A state funeral for the 39th president on Thursday will bring together all five living presidents and feature a eulogy from President Biden.
The president-elect has raised more than $170 million for his swearing-in, an inaugural record, as wealthy Americans flock to curry favor with him and some give money even without the prospect of V.I.P. access.
Some Pacific Palisades residents said the community had long asked for more detailed fire preparation plans. When a fire raged through the community this week, gridlock ensued.
The executive director of the New York City Board of Elections made inappropriate sexual and racial remarks toward two employees over a period of several months, a watchdog found.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pay their respects to a president. They were not going to miss it, even if meant waking up in the middle of the night.
The Turkish Consulate was the only building of its size allowed to open without a required fire safety certification, an investigation by the city comptroller found.
The fast-moving fires are intensifying because of fierce winds, the strongest in Southern California in more than a decade.