Harris and Beyoncé ignite a Houston rally with a double-barreled argument against Trump

(AP Photo: Annie Mulligan)

HOUSTON (AP) — Kamala Harris and Beyoncé ignited a Houston rally with a double-barreled argument against Donald Trump on Friday, with the superstar telling the Democratic nominee’s biggest crowd ever that it was “time to sing a new song” as Harris warned that her GOP opponent was dead set on further eroding women’s rights.

The rally was set in reliably Republican Texas, to highlight the growing medical fallout from the state’s strict abortion ban, but the message was intended to register in the political battleground states, where Harris is hoping that the aftereffects from the fall of Roe v. Wade will spur voters to turn out to support her quest for the presidency.

“For all the men and women in this room, and watching around the country, we need you,” Beyoncé said in a rare political appearance. The megastar’s speech was lofty, joyful and optimistic — a temper to the seriousness of the topic and of the message Harris was there to bring.

Harris came out to huge cheers. She told the crowd that Trump had erased half a century of hard-fought progress when he appointed the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe and touched off a growing healthcare crisis.

She listed off downstream effects she sees from various bans. Women who never intended to end a pregnancy are suffering devastating complications when they can’t get care. They have fewer options, and fewer medical students are choosing to specialize in women’s health.

“For anyone watching from another state, if you think you are protected from Trump abortion bans because you live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, California, or any state where voters or legislators have protected reproductive freedom, please know: No one is protected,” Harris warned. “Because a Donald Trump national ban will outlaw abortion in every single state.”

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