Month: August 2019

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said the suspect of the Midland-Odessa shootings was a white male in his mid-30s.

The incident began at 3:17 p.m. CDT, when a Department of Public Safety officer attempted to make a traffic stop on a gold Honda, Gerke said. When the vehicle came to a stop, the occupant shot the officer.

The vehicle drove westbound into Odessa, where another person was shot. The suspect continued through Odessa to 42nd Street, where Gerke said “there were multiple victims.”

The suspect abandoned his vehicle and stole a USPS mail truck, Gerke said. There were other victims after that, he added.

The suspect then drove eastbound toward the Cinergy movie theater, where he and officers exchanged fire. The suspect was fatally shot in the exchange, Gerke said.

Hear more from the police:

Hundreds of police officers in riot gear are on the streets of Admiralty, where tear gas and a water cannon have been used repeatedly against protesters throwing bricks and petrol bombs.

While tear gas has become a common sight in Hong Kong this summer, we haven’t seen so many police officers on the streets in some time.

Today’s scenes are reminiscent of June 12, right at the beginning of the unrest, when a large operation began to clear protesters from these same roads outside Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and government headquarters.

That clearance came after protesters held the road for hours and were pushing toward other main streets. Today’s deployment came much quicker, a likely sign of the shortening patience of local police. Tear gas and water cannon were also used much more quickly, following petrol bombs thrown by protesters at barricades and government buildings.

The government’s tactics for dealing with the protests — now in their 13th consecutive weekend — appear to have shifted this week: Multiple pro-democracy activists were arrested on Friday, and a peaceful march scheduled for Saturday was banned.

After that march was called off, police appeared to prepare for major unrest, setting up barricades outside Chinese government offices and deploying water cannon vehicles.

While in past weeks, police have been satisfied to keep protesters away from key areas, today they seem ready to make arrests, as evidenced by the large deployment of officers to the open streets — not behind barricades — and use of blue dye in some water cannon jets, which could be used to stain and identify masked protesters.

As Dorian barrels towards the island chain on Saturday, a hurricane warning has been issued in areas in northwest Bahamas, according to an alert issued by the Bahamas Department of Meteorology on Friday.

The Bahamas consists of more than 700 mainly low-lying islands — some only a few feet above sea level. Dorian is expected to be near or over the island chain on Sunday.

Hurricane Warnings are in effect for the Abacos, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence in the Bahamas. A Hurricane Watch remains in effect for Andros Island.

The forecast expects Dorian to cause “large and destructive waves” of up to 15 feet along the “eastern and northern shores of Eleuthera and Abaco” on Sunday, and the northern and southern shores of Grand Bahama from Sunday night through to Monday morning.

On Friday, Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis ordered emergency evacuations for residents from the northern Keys of Abaco to mainland Abaco. Additional orders for evacuations were issued for areas of the island of Grand Bahama.

Both Grand Bahama and Abaco are hubs of the Bahamas tourist industry, which plays a vital part in the island chain’s economy.

Tourists scrambled to leave the islands Friday before the international airport was shut down that evening, Reuters reported.

The director general of the Ministry of Tourism, Joy Jibrilu, told Reuters the country was “still reeling” from Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which pummeled the archipelago with strong Category 4 winds.

Schmerler added that Iran may make another attempt, “there is also activity at their larger launch pad, so Iran may try to launch the other satellite in the near future.”

The US has been closely following activity at the launch site, which the Iranians claim would put a peaceful satellite into orbit, but that the US sees as furthering Tehran’s missile development, multiple US officials tell CNN.

The space program utilizes the same technology that would be needed to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Iranian missile launches are not barred under the 2015 nuclear deal that Tehran signed with the US, Russia, China, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and European Union. Iran is still largely, but not completely, adhering to the deal, which the US left in May 2018.

Several US defense and intelligence officials have told CNN that Iran is improving the range and accuracy of all its missiles and that has sparked concern that US allies and American troops in the region could be targeted by Iranian missiles in the event of a conflict with Tehran.

In recent months the US military has deployed additional missile defense capabilities to the Middle East, including Patriot missile systems, moves the US says are a response to an increased threat from Iran and its regions proxies.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have regularly fired missiles at targets in Saudi Arabia, missiles the US says have been clandestinely supplied by Iran’s government.

Orlando park visitors have been debating Hurricane Dorian since Wednesday. That’s when Deb Koma, who’s visiting Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios for her birthday, arrived.

Koma says Disney visitors fall into two camps: People like her, who want to get out of town now, and the “wait and see” people who have been through hurricanes before and believe Dorian could veer away from Orlando.

She hasn’t seen Disney cast members, as employees are called, preparing to shut the park down. “I talked to my hotel cast members last night, and they have not been told yet if they will be required to be part of a ‘ride out’ team” staying at the parks.”

‘Ride-out’ teams at hotels and parks

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened this week at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando.

Gerardo Mora/Getty Images North America/Getty Images

Disney’s Orlando parks were operating under normal conditions as of 5 p.m. Thursday local time, but Disney is canceling weekend sporting events and Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park on Sunday, the company said in an emailed statement.

“We are closely monitoring the path of the projected weather, as nothing is more important than the safety of our guests and Cast Members,” the company said.

“We are also contacting guests with current and upcoming reservations at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and the Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort to plan for anticipated weather impacts.”

Disney does have procedures in place for situations such as these — including getting staffers to stay at the hotels and parks to protect guests and animals in an emergency.

Sea World’s Orlando park has already announced that they’ll likely be moving some land animals to inside locations on Monday or Tuesday depending on the storm’s movement, and their animal caregivers will stay to ride out the storm.

At Universal Orlando, Strickland notes that set pieces have already been placed throughout the park for the September 6 kick-off to their annual Halloween Horror Nights — and those will need to be stored if the storm hits.

Orlando parks rarely close

Human caregivers will stay with their animal charges at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

David Roark

It’s rare that the parks close. Disney has only closed its Orlando theme parks a handful of times since its initial opening in 1971, mostly for weather related reasons.

It closed for the first time in response to Hurricane Floyd in September 1999, and it also closed for the day shortly after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. More recent closures were in response to Hurricane Irma in September 2017 and Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.

There could be extra entertainment

“None of the parks have announced any major closures as of yet, and they tend to wait to do so,” Strickland said. “They do not want to end up being closed on a bright and sunny day, but obviously the top priority is the safety of employees and guests.”

His advice: If they can, people who are already in Orlando should remain flexible.

“If you’re staying at a Universal Orlando or Disney World hotel, they will likely try to add some extra entertainment when the parks close,” he said. “While it may not be visiting Hogsmeade or Galaxy’s Edge, I think if guests keep an open mind, they can still have fun at the hotels and all while — most importantly — remaining safe.”

All visitors should also pay close attention to weather coverage and ultimately make an informed decision about their safety.

“There isn’t any. We’ve kept it topped off every night since last week (because Irma was a similar scenario for fuel scarcity two years ago). That ended last night when the stations all ran out of gasoline,” he said.

“As a result, we have one unused car with a tank and another with half a tank. I hope it’s enough to last til Tuesday next week. The possibilities of landfall are so broad that the entire eastern seaboard of Florida has made a run on gas simultaneously.”

Scott says he’s apprehensive about the storm.

“We stocked up last week when it was a tropical storm and have reservations for a hurricane-proof hotel with a generator in Bonita Springs,” he said.

“I have two little girls. I don’t need for them to be in the heat once the electricity goes. We have shutters on our home. I’m glad we filled or tanks last week and have provisions. It is difficult to heed warnings when there is no gas at the station and no water in the market. Our tub will be filled.”

He says his daughters have already excitedly packed their favorite toys in backpacks for the trip across state.

They’re taking other measures, too. “We are people of faith. We went to the church to pray,” Scott said.

Other parts of Miami also have been affected by the gas shortage.

The Shell on 41st Street, a main thoroughfare through Miami Beach, ran out of gas at about 10 p.m. Thursday, according to Harry, an employee who declined to give his last name. Asked when they’d be getting a delivery, he said, “We have no idea. The distributor has no idea.”

A few blocks south, there was a slightly chaotic scene Friday morning at the Valero on 23rd Street, where a dozen cars lined up for gas while the station still had it. Mathew Cabral filled about a dozen canisters with diesel, but not for his own use. He works for a rental company that stocks Miami Beach with chairs, cabanas and other tourist items and he and his coworkers were spending the morning getting their inventory off the beach.

When asked if he was nervous about the incoming storm, he said, “No, not really, not at Category 3. But if it’s a Category 4, well, that’s a bit different.”

People in other parts of Florida posted videos on social media of long lines of cars waiting to get into gas stations.

Dango Kumwenda, 24, who lives in Windermere, Florida, told CNN he waited in line for almost two hours to get gas at a Wawa station in Winter Garden.

“This was probably the only gas station within like a 10-mile radius with gas,” he told CNN.

But steps are being taken to fix this issue, he said.

“We, in the emergency declaration, waived service and truck rates for fuel trucks so we can increase capacity for fuel being brought in. We’re also going to be starting today implementing Florida Highway Patrol escorts for fuel trucks so we can increase fueling in critical parts of the state,” DeSantis said during a Friday briefing.

Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen said a local state of emergency in Broward County will be declared this afternoon. 

Declaring a local state of emergency, Bogen said, allows for local officials to call for an evacuation order and declare curfews, if needed.

Bogen said no evacuation orders have been announced at this time, and county officials continue to monitor closely Dorian’s track.  

All school events in Broward County have been canceled Saturday through Monday, according to Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie. 

Runcie said the school district would continue to amend/ update any potential closures for next week. 

Inmates in Pasco County, Florida, are continuing to work on sandbagging efforts in preparation for Hurricane Dorian. The storm is expected to make landfall over Labor Day weekend as a Category 4 storm.

A photo of the inmates working was tweeted this morning by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office along a schedule for sandbagging operations.

These inmates are not paid but are part of the department’s crew of non-violent offenders who receive time off of their sentence for working, Kevin Doll, community relations director with Pasco Sheriff’s Office, told CNN.

“We typically have inmates assist with sandbag operations for citizens in every emergency storm situation,” Doll said. “I have been here 21 years, and they have been doing it at least that amount of time. Inmate work crews can be from anywhere from five to 10 inmates, depending on the job at hand, including sandbagging.”

Here’s a list of locations for sandbag pickup:

‘);$vidEndSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–active’);}};CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;CNN.goActiveUntil = (typeof CNN.goActiveUntil === ‘number’) ? CNN.goActiveUntil : 0;var configObj = {thumb: ‘none’,video: ‘cvplive/cvpstream1’,width: ‘100%’,height: ‘100%’,section: ‘domestic’,profile: ‘expansion’,cvpContext: ‘watch_live’,isLive: true,network: ‘cnn’,markupId: ‘container_057A8F6C-45AA-5CD9-FCBF-386A9CD08ED5_0’,frameWidth: ‘100%’,frameHeight: ‘100%’,posterImageOverride: {“mini”:{“width”:220,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170711161429-happening-now-16×9-artwork-small-tease.jpg”,”height”:124},”xsmall”:{“width”:300,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170711161429-happening-now-16×9-artwork-medium-tease.jpg”,”height”:169},”small”:{“width”:460,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170711161429-happening-now-16×9-artwork-large-tease.jpg”,”height”:259},”medium”:{“width”:780,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170711161429-happening-now-16×9-artwork-exlarge-tease.jpg”,”height”:438},”large”:{“width”:1100,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170711161429-happening-now-16×9-artwork-super-tease.jpg”,”height”:619},”full16x9″:{“width”:1600,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170711161429-happening-now-16×9-artwork-full-169.jpg”,”height”:900},”mini1x1″:{“width”:120,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170711161429-happening-now-16×9-artwork-small-11.jpg”,”height”:120}}},autoStartVideo = false,isVideoReplayClicked = false,callbackObj,containerEl,currentVideoCollection = [],currentVideoCollectionId = ”,isLivePlayer = false,mediaMetadataCallbacks,mobilePinnedView = null,moveToNextTimeout,mutePlayerEnabled = false,nextVideoId = ”,nextVideoUrl = ”,turnOnFlashMessaging = false,videoPinner,videoEndSlateImpl;if (!CNN.VideoPlayer.isFaveLiveEnabled(configObj.video) && Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet && !CNN.VideoPlayer.isFlashInstalled()) {turnOnFlashMessaging = true;}if (typeof CNN.geoCheckStream !== ‘function’) {CNN.geoCheckStream = function geoCheckStream(container, startCallback, configObj, callbackObj) {jQuery(document).onGeoCheckReady(function doGeoChecking() {var $endSlate;if (CNN.GeoCheck.inTarget([“*”,”-#AF”,”-JP”,”-MY”,”-SH”,”-TH”,”-YT”])) {if (turnOnFlashMessaging) {CNN.VideoPlayer.showFlashSlate(container);} else {if (typeof startCallback === ‘function’) {if (typeof configObj === ‘object’) {startCallback(configObj, callbackObj);} else {startCallback();}}}} else {if (typeof container === ‘string’) {$endSlate = jQuery(document.getElementById(container)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0);} else {$endSlate = container.parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0);}if ($endSlate.length > 0) {$endSlate.find(‘.l-container’).html(‘

‘);$endSlate.find(‘.video__end-slate__tertiary-title’).hide();$endSlate.find(‘.video__end-slate__tertiary’).hide();videoEndSlateImpl.showEndSlateForContainer();}}});};}isLivePlayer = true;if (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === false) {autoStartVideo = true;if (autoStartVideo === true) {if (turnOnFlashMessaging === true) {autoStartVideo = false;containerEl = jQuery(document.getElementById(configObj.markupId));CNN.VideoPlayer.showFlashSlate(containerEl);} else {CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = true;}}}configObj.autostart = CNN.Features.enableAutoplayBlock ? false : autoStartVideo;CNN.VideoPlayer.setPlayerProperties(configObj.markupId, autoStartVideo, isLivePlayer, isVideoReplayClicked, mutePlayerEnabled);CNN.VideoPlayer.setFirstVideoInCollection(currentVideoCollection, configObj.markupId);videoEndSlateImpl = new CNN.VideoEndSlate(‘container_057A8F6C-45AA-5CD9-FCBF-386A9CD08ED5_0’);function findNextVideo(currentVideoId) {var i,vidObj;if (currentVideoId && jQuery.isArray(currentVideoCollection) && currentVideoCollection.length > 0) {for (i = 0; i 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.showEndSlateForContainer();if (mobilePinnedView) {mobilePinnedView.disable();}}}}callbackObj = {onPlayerReady: function (containerId) {var playerInstance,containerClassId = ‘#’ + containerId;CNN.VideoPlayer.handleInitialExpandableVideoState(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, CNN.pageVis.isDocumentVisible());if (CNN.Features.enableMobileWebFloatingPlayer &&Modernizr &&(Modernizr.phone || Modernizr.mobile || Modernizr.tablet) &&CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibraryName(containerId) === ‘fave’ &&jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length > 0 &&CNN.contentModel.pageType === ‘article’) {playerInstance = FAVE.player.getInstance(containerId);mobilePinnedView = new CNN.MobilePinnedView({element: jQuery(containerClassId),enabled: false,transition: CNN.MobileWebFloatingPlayer.transition,onPin: function () {playerInstance.hideUI();},onUnpin: function () {playerInstance.showUI();},onPlayerClick: function () {if (mobilePinnedView) {playerInstance.enterFullscreen();playerInstance.showUI();}},onDismiss: function() {CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer.disable();playerInstance.pause();}});/* Storing pinned view on CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer So that all players can see the single pinned player */CNN.Videx = CNN.Videx || {};CNN.Videx.mobile = CNN.Videx.mobile || {};CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer = mobilePinnedView;}if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length) {videoPinner = new CNN.VideoPinner(containerClassId);videoPinner.init();} else {CNN.VideoPlayer.hideThumbnail(containerId);}}},onContentEntryLoad: function(containerId, playerId, contentid, isQueue) {CNN.VideoPlayer.showSpinner(containerId);},onContentPause: function (containerId, playerId, videoId, paused) {if (mobilePinnedView) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleMobilePinnedPlayerStates(containerId, paused);}},onContentMetadata: function (containerId, playerId, metadata, contentId, duration, width, height) {var endSlateLen = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0).length;CNN.VideoPlayer.setManualUnmute(containerId);CNN.VideoSourceUtils.updateSource(containerId, metadata);if (endSlateLen > 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.fetchAndShowRecommendedVideos(metadata);}},onAdPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType) {/* Dismissing the pinnedPlayer if another video players plays an Ad */CNN.VideoPlayer.dismissMobilePinnedPlayer(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.setManualUnmute(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onAdPause: function (containerId, playerId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType, instance, isAdPause) {if (mobilePinnedView) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleMobilePinnedPlayerStates(containerId, isAdPause);}},onTrackingFullscreen: function (containerId, PlayerId, dataObj) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleFullscreenChange(containerId, dataObj);if (mobilePinnedView &&typeof dataObj === ‘object’ &&FAVE.Utils.os === ‘iOS’ && !dataObj.fullscreen) {jQuery(document).scrollTop(mobilePinnedView.getScrollPosition());playerInstance.hideUI();}},onContentPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, event) {var playerInstance,prevVideoId;if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreEpicAds’);}clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onContentReplayRequest: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);var $endSlate = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0);if ($endSlate.length > 0) {$endSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–active’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’);}}}},onContentBegin: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (mobilePinnedView) {mobilePinnedView.enable();}/* Dismissing the pinnedPlayer if another video players plays a video. */CNN.VideoPlayer.dismissMobilePinnedPlayer(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.mutePlayer(containerId);if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘removeEpicAds’);}CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoSourceUtils.clearSource(containerId);CNN.goActiveUntil = 360;if (CNN.goActiveUntil > 0) {CNN.goActiveUntil = (CNN.goActiveUntil * 60000) + Date.now();}jQuery(document).triggerVideoContentStarted();},onContentComplete: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreFreewheel’);}navigateToNextVideo(contentId, containerId);},onContentEnd: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(false);}}CNN.goActiveUntil = 0;},onTrackingMuted: function (containerId, cvpId, dataObj, dataObjFave) {if (CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibraryName(containerId) === ‘fave’) {if (dataObjFave && dataObjFave.contentId) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleUnmutePlayer(containerId, dataObjFave);}} else {if (dataObj && dataObj.contentId) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleUnmutePlayer(containerId, dataObj);}}},onCVPVisibilityChange: function (containerId, cvpId, visible) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, visible);}};if (typeof configObj.context !== ‘string’ || configObj.context.length 0) {configObj.adsection = window.ssid;}if (typeof configObj.adsection === ‘undefined’ && typeof window.ssid === ‘string’ && window.ssid.length > 0) {configObj.adsection = window.ssid;}CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibrary(configObj, callbackObj, isLivePlayer);});CNN.INJECTOR.scriptComplete(‘videodemanddust’);

Elijah’s father Eric adds: “It’s important we give him a sense that it’s OK for him to be who he is in this community. We need to have him see what the political process is about, so he gets an idea of it and he gets a feel for what it means to be a part of this country.”

Presidential candidates can engage and sometimes empower those who share some part of their identity. Barack Obama’s candidacy and victory felt like it opened doors to other African Americans, while Hillary Clinton’s loss represented to many women the unwillingness of the country to break the last glass ceiling on the way to the Oval Office.

Diverse parents and their children say her very presence in the 2020 race, amid a rising tide of hateful rhetoric, is meaningful. CNN has seen families of color bear witness at Harris rallies from Iowa to South Carolina to Nevada this year.

That is not lost on the candidate herself, who weaves a fundamental philosophy from her mother into her stump speech. Shyamala Gopalan, an immigrant from India, peppered her daughters Kamala and Maya with many sayings, among them, “You may be the first to do many things. Make sure you’re not the last.”

It’s a lesson that Harris appears to embody, repeatedly pausing and talking to children at her events.

“When I see those little girls in particular, I see myself,” said Harris in an interview with CNN. “I see the children of my family. I see the children of our country. And I see the promise of our country. It means the world to me. It is about helping all children to see what’s possible. This is what’s possible. Don’t you ever accept what anyone tells you are the limitations of what you can do based on your race or gender.”

She gets energy from inspired children on the long campaign trail.

“It is my true hope that my career, and whatever I can do, empowers other people of any age. It’s about mentorship. It’s about those kids who show up.”

Sheldon Shadrach, a Harris fan at a rally in Denver, Colorado, said: “It doesn’t matter if she wins or loses. She’s already made a statement. It’s opened the door for women of color.”

He added that seeing Harris in action would be a clear sign to children that change does happen.

Shadrach surprised his daughter, Katerina, by bringing her to the Denver rally for her 10th birthday. The Shadrachs are South Asian and white. Harris is South Asian and black. While the Shadrachs try to de-emphasize racial differences for their daughter, Katerina was immediately drawn to Harris on television, her father says.

“I feel like Kamala Harris is my role model,” says Katerina, noting all the presidents she’s learned about in school have been white men except for Barack Obama. Shadrach clutched the young reader’s edition of Harris’ autobiography, “The Truths We Hold,” as she watched the senator speak. “I’ve been watching the debates and I feel like she has her strong ideas and she knows what she’s talking about.”

On another day, far away in Peoria, Illinois, Anna Maddox and her sister Leah Chau started driving across the state. Two hours later, they arrived at Harris’ Davenport, Iowa, rally.

“I’m half-Mexican, half Vietnamese,” said Maddox, 24, pointing out she wanted to see the top tier, biracial Harris with her own eyes. She also wanted her little sister to see Harris.

“She’s only 9,” said Maddox, referring to her little sister. “So imagine when she’s 24. She’s not going to think this is abnormal. She’s just going to think, women can do this. Especially women of color.”

Despite their efforts to be at the rally, Maddox said she still remained undecided on who to back for the Democratic nomination.

It’s a sentiment echoed by most of the voters CNN spoke with for this story — that even with their admiration for Harris as a barrier-breaker, especially for children, most felt it was still too soon to back Harris or any candidate yet.

In Henderson, Nevada, Heidi Foreman-Toney counts herself as one who needs to be won over. But she noticed her 11-year-old daughter, Skylar, lit up as Harris entered the auditorium for her Nevada rally.

“The connection we feel when they look and see someone who looks like them,” Foreman-Toney said. “It lets them visualize their future and see what’s possible for them, as children. It’s a powerful thing. To know, you are a part of the political process. You’re not an outsider. You’ll never be an outsider.”