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Harris expects thousands to attend Ellipse speech as Election Day nears

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Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris will bring her final case to the American people with a campaign speech from the Ellipse in D.C. Tuesday, according to a permit request.

Harris’ speech will mark the first by a presidential candidate at the location since former President Donald Trump delivered remarks there on Jan. 6, 2021.

Representatives for the Harris-Walz campaign estimated some 20,000 participants would watch Harris during Tuesday evening’s address, which could lead to packed crowds at the Ellipse as well as portions of Southeast, Southwest and Northwest portions of the Washington Monument in D.C.

Officials with the National Park Service granted the campaign’s permit request Saturday, according to the document.

Overnight security is expected to remain at the location until the event ends Tuesday evening. The public gathering permit also explicitly prohibits a march from the Ellipse to another location.

During Tuesday’s address, officials close to the Harris campaign expect the vice president will reference the events that happened on Jan. 6, 2021, which included a march to the U.S. Capitol building and a deadly riot inside the halls of Congress.

The speech is also expected to serve as a final message before next week’s general election.

So far, both Harris and Trump remain in a tightly contested race for the White House.

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National Museum of the American Latino to be housed in historic Smithsonian building

The Smithsonian Institution has decided to put the National Museum of the American Latino into an existing, historic building, rather than constructing a new one. The Smithsonian Board of Regents on Monday designated the Arts and Industries Building, a 145-year-old redbrick Victorian structure located between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Museum, as the permanent site of the National Museum of the American Latino, which Congress authorized in 2020. In 2022, the Smithsonian narrowed its survey for permanent locations for the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women's History Museum to four locations near the National Mall on land owned by the National Park Service. The Arts and Industries Building, located at 900 Jefferson St. SW, was one of the four sites. New construction on National Park Service land would require congressional approval. However, since the Smithsonian already owns the Arts and Industries Building, the institution can place the National Museum of the American Latino in the existing building without additional legislation.
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