Kamala Harris debuts presidential campaign

S&P 500 futures eased 0.14% at 08:52 a.m. London time in the Tuesday premarket session, as investors shifted focus toward anticipated earning reports, including giants like General Motors, Coca-Cola, Alphabet and Tesla.

Traders have been keeping an eye on the U.S. political background after President Joe Biden relinquished his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris — whose rapidly launched campaign rallied key Democratic pledges and grassroot donations. The S&P 500 on Monday posted its best day since June 5 on a rebound in tech shares.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the White House this week to meet U.S. President Joe Biden, amid pressure to end the war that has devastated the Gaza Strip since October.

Israel, which maintains it does not target civilians and only pursues Palestinian militant group Hamas, has faced international criticism over the proportionality of its military response in the Gaza enclave and harm to the Palestinian people.

The U.S. has staunchly supported Israel throughout the conflict, but has increasingly also urged Netanyahu’s administration to minimize civilian casualties. Both sides simultaneously pursue the release of dozens of hostages that remain in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip — which include American nationals. The visit could ease the path to an elusive cease-fire deal with Hamas, which the U.S., Qatar and Egypt have been mediating.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu is set to meet with Biden, whose career he praised profusely following the president’s decision to drop his reelection bid. Harris will be unable to preside over Netanyahu’s scheduled Wednesday address before a joint Congress session because of a trip to Indianapolis, her aide said, according to Reuters.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’ record on immigration, once more labeling her as a “Border Czar” in an update on his Truth Social media platform.

Trump claimed that Harris “never visited the Border,” in a likely reference to the U.S.-Mexico perimeter, which has seen record levels of illegal crossings in the past year.

Republican rivals are likely to lash Harris with further criticism on immigration — a key concern for U.S. voters — with Trump alleging that the vice president’s performance “gave us the WORST and MOST DANGEROUS Border anywhere in the World.”

Back in 2021, Harris was tasked with helming the diplomatic mission to address the “root causes of migration in Central America” — but not to oversee or enforce immigration policy, or the border itself.

— Ruxandra Iordache

After a flurry of key Democratic endorsements in the first full day since her rapid campaign launch, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement that she looks forward to accepting her party’s formal nomination.

“When I announced my campaign for President, I said I intended to go out and earn this nomination. Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party’s nominee, and as a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state’s delegation helped put our campaign over the top. I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon,” she said.

Harris also made her case against the rival candidacy of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has once more gained the Republican nomination.

“This election will present a clear choice between two different visions. Donald Trump wants to take our country back to a time before many of us had full freedoms and equal rights. I believe in a future that strengthens our democracy, protects reproductive freedom and ensures every person has not just the opportunity to get by, but to go ahead,” she said.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Harris has secured written or spoken endorsements from a simple majority of the Democratic party’s pledged convention delegates, NBC News estimates.

The threshold number of delegates is 1,976. NBC estimates that Harris has received statements of support from groups representing 1,992 delegates, as of 10:30 p.m. ET

The exact dates and process for the Democratic party’s nominating roll call vote will be finalized at a meeting Wednesday afternoon of the Rules Committee.

— Christina Wilkie

Read CNBC’s blog updates covering Kamala Harris’ campaign of July 22 here.