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

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.

“I’m here as a mother, a mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in," Beyoncé said. "A world where we have freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided.”