By Melissa Macaya, Veronica Rocha, Fernando Alfonso III, Kyle Blaine and Jessica Estepa, CNN
Updated 8:47 AM EDT, Fri August 21, 2020
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Biden reveals the first thing he would do as president
02:03 - Source: CNN
What we covered here
- DNC day four: Joe Biden formally accepted the Democratic party’s presidential nomination from Wilmington, Delaware.He called this election a “battle for the soul of the nation” and said “united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America.”
- Last night: Kamala Harrisofficially accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president, making history as the first Black woman and South Asian American woman on a major party ticket.
- Our live coverage has ended. Read and watch below to see how it all unfolded.
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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris join supporters outside the Chase Center to watch fireworks
From CNN's Jeff ZelenyDemocratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, and his wife Jill Biden, watch fireworks with Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, and her husband Doug Emhoff, during the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention, Thursday, August 20 at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware.
A display of fireworks closed out this week’s unconventional Democratic National Convention.
Following Joe Biden’s acceptance speech, he and his wife Jill joined a crowd outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, to watch the fireworks. Vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff joined them on the stage.
The center’s parking lot looked like a summertimedrive-inmovie theater, with people arriving since earlier in the day waving Biden signs and American flags from convertibles or sunroofs to watch the final night of the convention on a large screen outside.
Watch the moment:
Biden ends his DNC speech by calling this election a "battle for thesoul of the nation"
Members of the District of Columbia Democratic Party attend a drive-in watch party in the parking lot of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium to watch Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accept the Democratic nomination for president on the final night of the Democratic National Convention on August 20 in Washington.
Joe Biden closed his speech tonight at the Democratic National Convention with a call to action to Americans this November to get “united in ourlove for each other.”
The former vice president wants history to “say thatthe end of this chapter ofAmerican darkness begin heretonight as love and hope andlight join in the battle for thesoul of the nation.”
“And this is a battle we willwin, and we’ll do it together,” Biden said.
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Joe Biden on speaking with George Floyd’s daughter: "Her words burrowed deep into myheart"
From CNN's Adrienne VogtFormer Vice President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden said “one of the mostimportant conversations” he had during the campaign was with George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter Gianna, the day before Floyd’s funeral.
“When I leaned down to speak toher, she looked in my eyes andsaid, and I quote, ‘Daddy changedthe world.Daddy changed the world.’Her words burrowed deep into myheart,” he said.
“Maybe George Floyd’s murder wasa breaking point.Maybe John Lewis’ passing theinspiration, but however it’scome to be — however it’shappened — America’s ready, inJohn’s words, to lay down, quote,‘the heavy burden of hate’ atlast, and then the hard work ofrooting out our systemic racism,” Biden added.
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Fact Check: Biden's unemployment claim
From CNN's Tami Luhby and Tal YellinIn accepting the Democratic nomination for president, Joe Biden tore into the current officeholder, asking Americans to judge President Trump on the facts. Among them: “More than 50 million people have filed for unemployment this year,” Biden said.
Facts first:Biden actually underplayed how many Americans have filed for first-time unemployment claims.
More than 57 million people have filed initial jobless claims since March 21, when the coronavirus pandemic prompted state officials to require people to stay at home and non-essential businesses to close, leading a record number of Americans to apply for benefits.Another 15 million people have applied under the temporary pandemic unemployment assistance program, which Congress created as part of its $2 trillion coronavirus relief package in late March.
It broadens the nation’s unemployment program to those who don’t typically qualify, including freelancers, gig workers, the self-employed and independent contractors. It also is open to certain people who lost their jobs because of the coronavirus, including those who have to stay at home because their children’s schools have closed.
Biden says of country's racial reckoning: "We can find the light once more"
From CNN's Eric BradnerFormer Vice President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden lambasted Donald Trump’s racist comments Thursday night, calling the President’s comments about white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville “a wake-up call for us as a country, and for me, a call to action.”
He recalled a conversation with the 6-year-old daughter of George Floyd the day before Floyd’s funeral.
“She looks in my eyes and she said, I quote, ‘Daddy changed the world. Daddy changed the world.’ Her words burrowed deep into my heart,” he said.
“Maybe George Floyd’s murder was a breaking point. Maybe John Lewis’s passing an inspiration,” Biden said. “America is ready, in John’s words, to lay down the heavy burden of hate at last and begin the hard work of rooting out our systemic racism.”
“In this dark moment, I believe we’re poised to make great progress at the end — that we can find the light once more,” Biden said.
Biden vows "not turn a blind eye toRussian bounties" on US soldiers if he's president
Former Vice President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden vowed to remain strong on Russia, saying that “Americawill not turn a blind eye toRussian bounties on the heads ofAmerican soldiers” under his leadership.
“Nor will I put up in foreigninterference in our most sacreddemocratic exercise, voting,” he said.“And I’ll always stand for ourvalues of human rights anddignity.I’ll work with a common purposefor a more secure, peaceful andprosperous world.”
The Trump administration has consistently downplayed reports that there were Russian bounties for attacks on American troops. Russia has denied the allegation.
Joe Biden remembers his late son: "Beau inspires me every day"
From CNN's Dan MericaFormer Vice President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden remembered his late son Beau Biden on Thursday in a section of his acceptance speech that he devoted to his family.
After singling out his children Hunter and Ashley, along with his grandchildren and brothers and sisters, Biden pivoted to his late son who died of cancer in 2015.
The memory of Beau Biden has loomed over much of this convention, with multiple speakers invoking the Biden family’s loss.
Biden, who served in the United States Army National Guard, used the memory to position himself as he prepared to be the leader of the US military, saying he understands the “profound responsibility of serving as commander in chief.”
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Biden to young voters: I hear you
From CNN's Gregory KriegFormer Vice President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden struggled to win over younger voters during the Democratic primary. So on Thursday night, he dedicated a section of his speech to addressing – and applauding – their activism.
“They are speaking to the inequity, and injustice, that has grown up in America,” Biden said. “Economic injustice. Racial injustice. Environmental injustice. I hear their voices. If you listen, you can hear them too.”
Earlier in his speech, Biden talked up his climate plan and his promise to use the transition toward a green economy as a tool for creating new and better jobs.
Here, he spoke to a slate of issues that have galvanized youth activism.
“Where there is existential threats posed by climate change, the daily fear of being gunned down and school, or the inability to get started in your first job,” Biden said, “it will be the work of the next president to restore the promise of America to everyone.”
Biden on Harris: "Her story is the American story"
Former Vice President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden praised his running mate Kamala Harris during his nomination acceptance speech, describing her as a “powerful voice in this nation.”
“It will be thework of the next president torestore the promise of Americato everyone.And I am not going to have to do it alone.I will have a great vicepresident at my side,” Biden said.
Biden touted Harris’ diverse family heritage and her perseverance to “overcome every obstacleshe has ever faced.”Last night, Harris became the first Black and South Asian woman nominated to a major political party’s ticket.
“No one has been tougher on bigbanks and the gun lobby.No one has been tougher oncalling out the currentadministration for itsextremism, its failure tofollow the law, it’s failure tosimply tell the truth.Kamalaand I both draw from ourfamilies.That is where we get ourstrength. ForKamala, it is Doug, and their families.For me, it is Jill, and ours,” Biden said.
Biden says his economic plan is "all about jobs, dignity, respect and community"
From CNN's Eric BradnerFo
Joe Biden said his economic plan is built on lessons he learned from his father, who told him that the importance of a job is about “being able to look your kid in the eye and say it’s going to be OK, and mean it.”
Biden touted his “build back better” plan, which would seek to inject stimulus spending into the economy to create union jobs in clean energy and manufacturing and would seek to create jobs in what his campaign has called the “caregiving economy.”
“And yes, we’re going to do more than praise our essential workers. We’re finally going to pay them,” he said.
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Biden: It’s only going to get worse if Trump is reelected
From CNN's Gregory KriegFormer Vice President Joe Biden.
After running through the staggering toll to date of the coronavirus, Joe Biden said here’s no need for guessing about what comes next if Trump is reelected in November.
The “assault on the Affordable Care Act will continue,” Biden added, “until it’s destroyed.”
Setting the stakes moments earlier, Biden said that “character,” “compassion,” “decency,” “sincerity,” and – echoing Obama from Wednesday night – “democracy” were all on the ballot this year.
“And the choice could not be more clear,” he said. “No rhetoric is needed.”
Biden slams Trump on coronavirus and says what he would do different
From CNN's Dan MericaJoe Biden laid out his plan to combat coronavirus on Thursday, telling voters that President Donald Trump has “failed in his most basic duty” to protect Americans from the virus.
Ever since the first cases of coronavirus broke out in the United States earlier this year, the 2020 campaign has been dominated by the pandemic, forcing both Biden and Trump to pivot their campaigns to the issue.
Biden dedicated a significant portion of his acceptance speech on Thursday to how he, as president, would combat the virus.
Biden, in a stark rebuke of Trump, said he would deploy rapid tests for the virus, make personal protective equipment in the United States “so we will never again be at the mercy of China or other foreign countries,” make sure that schools have the resources they need to reopen and “put politics aside, take the muzzle off our experts.”
Biden also pledged to impose a “national mandate to wear a mask.”
“In short, we will do what we should have done from the very beginning,” Biden said. “Our current president has failed in his most basic duty. … That is unforgivable.”
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Biden thanks Obama, says he was "a president our children couldand did look up to"
Former Vice President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden took a moment during his nomination acceptance speech to thank former President Barack Obama saying, “You were a great president.”
Biden, who served two terms alongside Obama, said children could look up to Obama, adding that they can’t do that with President Trump.
“A president our children couldand did look up to.No one’s going to say that aboutthe current occupant of theWhite House,” Biden said.
Biden says "no miracle is coming" when it comes to ending the coronavirus pandemic
Joe Biden criticized President Trump and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying “no miracle is coming.”
Biden’s comments were in direct response to a refrain from Trump that the virus is “going to disappear,” as he said on Feb. 27.
“One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear,” Trump told attendees at an African American History Month reception in the White House Cabinet Room.
Biden on a Trump second term: "Is that the America you want for you, for your family, your children?"
From CNN's Eric BradnerFormer Vice President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden said that if President Donald Trump is re-elected, “he’ll be what he’s been for the last four years,” and asked Americans if that’s what they want for their children.
Trump, Biden said, “takes no responsibility” and “fans the flames of hate and division.”
In a second term, he said, “He’ll wake up every day believing the job is all about him, never about you.”
Biden says America is in a "perfect storm" of crises
From CNN's Dan MericaFormer Vice President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden said on Thursday that the nation he hopes to lead is in the midst of “a perfect storm” of four pressing crises, portraying America as a nation in turmoil but with ability to overcome those issues.
“Now history has delivered us to one o the most difficult moments America has ever faced,” Biden said in his acceptance speech. “Four historic crises — all at the same time. A perfect storm.”
Those four issues, Biden said, were the coronavirus pandemic, the growing economic crisis, the call for racial justice and the threats of climate change.“The question for us is simple,” Biden said. “Are we ready? I believe we are.”
Biden said that no generation knows the issues it will be forced to confront, but he sought to take a positive outlook on the problems facing the country.
Biden calls on nation to "overcome this season of darkness"
From CNN's Eric BradnerFormer Vice President Joe Biden.
When Joe Biden accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night, he said in Delaware that “united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America.”
“The current president’s cloaked American darkness for much too long,” Biden said in an opening that targeted President Donald Trump.
Watch:
Biden officially accepts the Democratic presidential nomination
From CNN's Sarah MuchaFormer Vice President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden has officially accepted the presidential nomination of the Democratic party.
“It is with great honor and humility that I accept this nomination for President of the United States of America,” he said.
“I am a proud Democrat,” Biden said, adding that he promises to be a president for all Americans.
Biden was introduced by a video that went through the former vice president’s life, and career, and highlighted his role as a father, husband and political leader.
Biden’s children, Ashley Biden and Hunter Biden, spoke before their father accepted the nomination.
“He’s been a great father, and we think he will be a great president,” they continued.
Watch:
Hunter and Ashley Biden talk about their father
From CNN's Gregory KriegBiden’s late son Beau, who served as Delaware’s attorney general, has been a constant presence during the convention, his memory – and the memory of his death in 2015 – a point of tragic reference for a number of speakers testifying to Biden’s humanity.
On Thursday night, two more of Biden’s children made an appearance, for the first time, in a recorded video that teed up a montage about Biden’s life.
Hunter and Ashley Biden exchanged lines in a slickly edited clip, promising that their father will “never let you down” and be “rock steady” during tough times.
“He’ll be the best friend you ever had,” Hunter said. “And if you give him your cell phone number…”
“…He’s going to call it,” Ashley continued.
They finished on a note about their brother, saying that even after his death, “he’s still very much alive in our hearts.”
Fact Check: Cory Booker's claims on the economic impact of Covid-19
From CNN's Tami LuhbyNew Jersey Sen. Cory Booker slammed President Donald Trump for praising the economy at a time when the pandemic hasupended many Americans’ lives.
“Last week, Donald Trump said, and I quote: “our economy is doing good,” while 40 million Americans are at risk of losing their homes, 30 million aren’t getting enough to eat and 5.4 million people have lost their health care because of this crisis,” Booker said at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night.
Facts First:It’s true that tens of millions of Americans are facing housing and food insecurity, according to a Census Bureau from mid-July. While millions of folks have likely lost their health coverage, it’s not yet known exactly how many have been left uninsured.
Some 44.7 million adultsmissed last month’s rent or mortgage paymentor who have slight or no confidence that their household can pay next month’s rent of mortgage on time, according to the most recent Census Household Pulse Survey, taken between July 16 and July 21.
That’s 26.5% of American adults.Likewise,29.3 million adults– or 12.1% – were in households where there was either sometimes or oftennot enough to eatin the last seven days, the Census survey found.As for 5.4 million Americans losing health insurance amid the coronavirus pandemic, that figure comes from aFamilies USA reportreleased in mid-July.
The left-leaning advocacy group estimates how many laid-off workers lost their job-based coverage. But official data has yet to be released, and some other health care experts said the Families USA report is based on rough projections.
Stephen Curry and his family endorse Joe Biden for president
From CNN's Adrienne VogtThe Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, his wife Ayesha, and their two daughters, Riley and Ryan, appeared together during the Democratic National Convention to discuss why they are supporting Joe Biden for president.
When asked by their parents if they know what a president’s job is, Ryan said, “To tell what happened to theworld,” while Riley said, “To keep the environment safe.”
The girls told their parents they’d want a president to have a “very kind personality” and someone who “is taking care of the Earth and the people.”
Riley said she feels “surprised and happy” that Biden picked a woman as his running mate.
“There’s, like, not a lot ofwomen being president andhelping alongside the president,” she said.
“Please vote.Every vote counts.Just remember that,” Ayesha Curry added in the video.
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2020 Democrats recall the campaign trail and tell stories about Biden
From CNN's Eric BradnerFormer Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Andrew Yang, talk during the fourth night of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Aug. 20.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker hosted a panel discussion with some of the 2020 Democratic candidate field that he compared to “Survivor” interviews with people who were voted off the island, where each told stories about Joe Biden.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar recalled Biden watching a late-night speech on the Senate floor that she thought no one was watching, and then calling her to discuss them.
Pete Buttigieg, the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, said that before an event, Biden told him about a personal tragedy that a Buttigieg ally faced — one that “somehow Joe knew about” but Buttigieg did not.
“This is clearly the most important election in the modern history of this country. In Joe Biden, you have a human being who is empathetic, who is honest, who is decent. And at this particular moment in American history, my God, that is something this country absolutely needs,” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said.
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13-year-old boy describes how Biden allowed him to feel "more confident" about his stutter
Brayden Harrington.
Brayden Harrington, 13, has a stutter but he says Joe Biden allowed him to be “more confident about something that’s bothered me my whole life.”
Biden has opened up about his lifelong struggle with stuttering in the past. Ata CNN town hall in February, Bidensaid he “still occasionally, when I find myself really tired,” catches himself stuttering.
Brayden met Biden a few months ago in New Hampshire, where the former vice president told him “that we were members of the same club: we stutter.”
“It was really amazing to hear that someone like me became vice president. He told me about a book of poems by Yeats he would read out loud to practice. He showed me how he marks his addresses to make them easier to say out loud. So I did the same thing today. And now I’m here talking to you today about the future, about our future,” Brayden said.
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Fact Check: Bloomberg's economic claims
From CNN's Tami Luhby,Katie Lobosco,Holmes Lybrand,Tara SubramaniamandTal YellinDuring his speech, Michael Bloomberg made three economic claims, contrasting the administrations of Donald Trump and Barack Obama.
“Biden and Obama created more jobs over their last three years than the Trump administration did over their first three,” Bloomberg said, later adding that “Biden helped save one million auto industry jobs, Trump has lost 250,000 manufacturing jobs.”
Facts First:Bloomberg is right about all three claims, though the manufacturing job loss came in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
As CNN hasreported, during Obama’s last three years 8.1 million jobs were added to the US economy, which is 23% more than the 6.6 million jobs added in Trump’s first three years.
And according to astudyfrom The Center for Automotive Research, the auto bailout in 2009 saved 1.5 million jobs.
While Bloomberg’s characterization of manufacturing job loss was roughly accurate, it relies heavily on the impact of the coronavirus. Between January 2017, when Trump was sworn in as President, and July 2020, manufacturing jobs have decreased by 257,000, according to the latestdatafrom the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit the US, manufacturing jobs had been increasing. As of July, they have already started rebounding from their April low.
Bloomberg returns to Democratic stage and criticizes Trump: "A bad guy" who's done "a bad job"
From CNN's Gregory KriegFormer Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg.
More than six months after he was filleted on a Las Vegas debate stage by Elizabeth Warren, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg turned up, improbably, as the final politician scheduled to speak before Joe Biden delivers his acceptance speech.
Bloomberg cycled through a familiar round of criticism of President Donald Trump, and recalled a similar speech he gave at the Democratic convention in 2016.
“Four years ago I came before this convention and said, New Yorkers know a con when we see one,” Bloomberg said. “But tonight I’m not asking you to vote against Donald Trump because he’s a bad guy. I’m urging you to vote against him because he’s done a bad job.”
After noting high unemployment numbers and small businesses’ struggles, Bloomberg spoke a bit about himself.
“Before I ran for mayor, I spent 20 years running a business I started from scratch,” he said, before pivoting back to Trump. “So I want to ask small business owners and their employees one question and it’s a question for everyone.”
“Would you rehire or work for someone who ran your business into the ground?” Bloomberg said. “And who always does what’s best for him or her even when it hurts the company, and whose reckless decisions put you in danger, and spends more time tweeting than working?”
Bloomberg carried on, mocking Trump and talking about his favorite childhood book, before addressing the Democratic ticket.
“Joe and Kamala,” he said, “go get them for all of us.”
Buttigieg praises Biden’s "political courage" on same-sex marriage
From CNN's Dan MericaFormer South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
When Joe Biden, in a nationally televised interview, said he supported same-sex marriage, he put President Barack Obama, who had not publicly backed gay marriage, in a tough position and later had to privately apologize to him.
For Pete Buttigieg, Biden’s statement was a sizable step in making his marriage possible, a fact he recalled in his speech to the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
“The very ring on my finger — a wedding we celebrated here where I’m standing — reflects how this country can change,” Buttigieg said, speaking from the event space where he held his wedding reception with his husband.
Buttigieg, the first out gay candidate in American history to win a major party’s presidential primary contest, said that the changes in LGBTQ acceptance and rights between 2010 and 2020 show the broader progress America can make together if Biden is elected in November.
“It starts here — with the choices we are going to make in just a few weeks,” Buttigieg said. “Decisions not just about who will lead us, but about who we are.”
A tribute to Beau Biden preceded Buttigieg, who opened his remarks by remembering the late Biden son as someone who “lived a life of service, in office and in uniform.”
When Buttigieg endorsed Biden earlier this year, Biden said his one-time rival “reminds me of my son, Beau,” a comment that clearly moved the former South Bend mayor.
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Sen. Tammy Duckworth: Donald Trump is the "coward in chief"
From CNN's Dan MericaIllinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth did not mince words when hitting President Trump on Thursday: He is the “coward in chief.”
Duckworth, a finalist to be Biden’s running mate, used her speech to the Democratic convention to tout Biden’s understanding of the “sacrifices” made by military families.
It was a personal message for Duckworth, a US Army veteran who lost both of her legs while serving in Iraq. Her speech opened with a shot on her two prosthetic legs.
She added: “That’s the kind of leader our service members deserve.”
“Ours troops deserve better, our country deserves better,” Duckworth said, slamming Trump for not confronting Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia reportedly putting bounties on the lives of American servicemembers.
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Trump says he'll be watching Biden's DNC speech
From CNN's Maegan VazquezPresident Trump said he plans to watch Joe Biden’s Democratic National Convention speech tonight.
Asked by Fox News’ Sean Hannity tonight whether he’d be watching Biden’s remarks later, Trump said, “I will. I’ll watch.”
“I might not be able to watch all of it, but I’m going to be watching,” he added.
The President also said the Republican National Convention will have more live elements than the DNC.
“I think we’re going to have more of it as live than what they did. I think it’s pretty boring when you do tapes. I’m going to go live and do mine live,” he said.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin: "What kind of country do we want to be?"
From CNN's Gregory KriegWisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin made a progressive populist argument for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Thursday night, talking about the illness she suffered as a child and how it left her with the label, “child with a pre-existing condition.”
That was before the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act, which required insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. The law is being challenged now in court with the Trump administration’s backing.
“We all have stories like this. Stories about a time when the system was rigged against us. When we were counted out, left out, pushed out,” Baldwin said.
On the final night of this historic convention, Baldwin asked viewers to consider a “fundamental question – a question that gets to the heart of the choice in this election: what kind of country do we want to be?”
She asked:
As Baldwin concluded her remarks, she returned to her own story and how, as a House member, she worked with and supported former President Barack Obama and Biden as their administration passed the ACA.
Paraphrasing Biden’s famous ad lib during the bill’s signing ceremony, she stressed the gravity of the accomplishment.
“We got that done,” Baldwin said, “And, yes, it was a big f’ing deal.”
Former surgeon general shows how Biden would lean on experts
From CNN's Eric BradnerFormer US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the former US surgeon general under President Barack Obama, said the nation is missing leadership in combatting the coronavirus pandemic in a DNC speech Thursday night.
Murthy has advised Biden’s campaign on policy proposals to respond to the pandemic, as well as how Biden and his staff can safely hold events and reach out to voters during the crisis.
Featuring a doctor was unusual for a political convention, but it was part of Biden’s campaign’s effort to underscore that he if elected, he would be guided by experts on policy matters.
He said he has seen “how he sits with people in their pain and holds them in his heart; how he pores over Covid briefings, asking smart questions, letting science guide his way, just as he did when managing the Ebola crisis.”
He also told a personal story about Biden meeting his family — many members of whom are immigrants — six years ago in Washington.
“I saw how he kneeled beside my grandmother’s wheelchair, took her hands in his, and said, ‘Thank you for choosing us, the United States of America, as the place to trust with your family,’” Murthy said.
Historian and author: Biden can help America write its next chapter
From CNN's Adrienne VogtHistorian and author Jon Meacham.
In remarks at the Democratic National Convention, historian and author Jon Meacham said Americans need to take an honest account of the nation’s history in order to move forward.
“This is a grave moment inAmerica.A deadly virus is ravaging us.Our jobs are evaporating.Our faith in the things thatbind us together is fraying, forour democracy is under assaultfrom an incumbent moreinterested in himself than he isin the rest of us,” he said.
In his speech, Meacham reflected that failures throughout American history can lead to progress.
He advocated that Joe Biden can help guide the country in the next four years.
“With our voices and our votes,let us now write the nextchapter of the American story — one of hope, of love, ofjustice.If we do so, we might just saveour country and our souls,” he said.
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Booker says Trump has failed to address income inequality
From CNN's Eric BradnerNew Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker assailed the economy under President Donald Trump, saying that “he has failed us.”
Booker spoke of his grandfather, who he said left the South during the Jim Crow era and moved to Detroit, where he got a union job on an assembly line during World War II.
“Together, with Joe and Kamala in the White House, we’ll raise the minimum wage so no one who works a full time job lives in poverty. Together, we’ll fight for those who keep us healthy; who keep us safe; who teach our kids,” Booker said. “We’ll stand for those who cook, and serve and clean; who plant and harvest; who pack and always deliver, whose hands are thick with callouses like my grandad’s, who held mine when I was a boy.”
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Awkward or funny? Viewers are split.
From CNN's Gregory KriegJulia Louis-Dreyfus hosts the final day of the Democratic National Convention.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus starred in one of the sharpest satires of American political culture, which always made her an odd choice to host a self-serious event like the final night of this convention.
Through about an hour on Thursday night, the former VEEP lead’s performance as emcee of the final night of the Democratic National Convention is dividing opinion, with some viewers saying (on social media) that her jokes are undermining or dissonant, while others are finding her winking tone a tonic during what’s been, at times, a heavy few nights.
One moment stands out.
Following a clip that showed Biden discussing, at some length, his faith and how it would guide him in office, the camera cut back to Louis-Dreyfus. She turned from the screen behind her and addressed the camera.
“Joe Biden goes to church so regularly,” she said, “that he doesn’t even need tear gas and a bunch of federalized troops to help him get there.”
After delivering the punchline — a reference to Trump’s infamous stroll from the White House, across Lafayette Park, to St. John’s Episcopal Church in June — Louis-Dreyfus moved the program along by teeing up Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to discuss the voting rights legacy of the late Rep. John Lewis.
New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland: "Our Constitution is under attack"
Rep.Deb Haaland.
Rep.Deb Haaland,one of the first Native American women ever elected to Congress, urged Americans to vote this November because “our Constitution is under attack.”
Speaking from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Haaland described the plight of her ancestors and the importance of voting.
“My people survived centuries of slavery, genocide, and brutal assimilation policies. But throughout our past, Tribal Nations have fought for and helped to build this country,” she said.
“Whether your ancestors have been here for hundreds of years or you’re a new citizen, know this: whether we vote, and how we vote will determine if our nation’s promise of social, racial, and environmental justice will outlast us. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris respect our past and understand our present. They will see us through this crisis of leadership that is plaguing our country, and they will help us to build a better future,” Haaland said.
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DNC spotlights Biden's powerful moment with pastor at a CNN town hall
From CNN's Kate SullivanThe DNC featured a video from a CNN town hall of Joe Biden reflecting on his faith while connecting with a pastor who lost his wife in the 2015 mass shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina
The Rev. Anthony Thompson’s wife, Myra, was one of nine African Americans killed by a white supremacist at a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Thompson asked Biden at the February town hall in Charleston about the former vice president’s faith and how it would inform his decision-making if he’s elected president.
“Well, Reverend, I kind ofknow what it’s like to losefamily, and my heart goes out to you,” Biden said.
Biden’s first wife and infant daughter were killed in 1972 in a car crash, right after he had won his US Senate seat. Biden’s son Beau, an Iraq War veteran who served as the attorney general of Delaware, died in 2015 from brain cancer at the age of 46.
The Charleston shooting occurred only weeks after his son’s death, and Biden visited the church with then-President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. Biden said at Wednesday’s town hall that he then had gone back to the church in 2015 to attend a Sunday service, “because I had just lost my son, and I wanted some hope.”
“Because what you all did was astounding,” Biden said, after choking up at the mention of his son. He said those in the community affected by the massacre forgave the shooter. “The ultimate act of Christiancharity,” he said.
Biden said, “I’m not trying toproselytize, I’m not trying toconvince you to be, to share myreligious views. But for me it’simportant because it gives mesome reason to have hope and purpose.”
He spoke about how his son had urged him right before he died to stay engaged and not retreat into himself. Biden said that every day he wakes up and “I askmyself,I hope he’s proud of metoday.”
“It took a long time to get tothe point to realize that thatpurpose is the thing that wouldsave me,” he said. “And it has.”
DNC pays tribute to civil rights icon John Lewis: "We best honor him bycontinuing to fight"
The final night of the Democratic National Convention featured a tribute to the late Congressman John Lewis.
Lewis, a longtime US congressman from Georgia and civil rights icon, died in July after a six-month battle with cancer.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms introduced the tribute video, honoring the work Lewis did to champion voting rights and she reminded Americans that “our vote can be our voice.”
“One of the things that Johntaught us is that you may haveto sacrifice, but if yousacrifice for a cause, somethingbigger than you, and you reallybelieve in it, then you willhave people following you,” the late Rep. Elijah Cummings said in the video. Cummings, a longtime Maryland Democrat, died last October.
“From day one, John Lewis wasa role model for the members ofCongress, whether they werefreshmen or here a long time,because he brought with him akind of heft, weightiness,of purpose,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in the video.
Rev. Raphael Warnock called on present and future generations to continue Lewis’ work.
“And all of these decadeslater, while he and others ofhis generation achieved much,we’re still fighting againstpolice brutality and fightingfor our voting rights.So we best honor him bycontinuing to fight the goodfights that he fought.By staying in good trouble,” Warnock said.
Following the video, singer John Legend performed “Glory” alongside rapper, actor, and writer Common.
Watch the tribute:
Atlanta mayor connects historic fight for civil rights to current racial justice movement
From CNN's Dan MericaAtlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, speaking from the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, drew a line between the historic leaders of the civil rights movement and those largely young people who are leading the nation’s latest reckoning on race.
The nation, following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis in May, has been gripped by ongoing protests about racial injustice.
Bottoms, who was among the 11 women Biden interviewed to be his running mate, said that while people have “cried out for justice” and gathered “in our streets to demand change,” an important way to make that change is to vote in November.
To make that case, Bottoms invoked the names of a host of civil rights leaders, including the late Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon who championed voting rights. Bottoms described Lewis as a man who “walked gently amongst us—not as a distant icon, but as a God-fearing man, doing what he could do to fulfill the as-yet unfulfilled promise of America.”
“Congressman Lewis would not be silenced. And neither can we,” Bottoms said. “We cannot wait for some other time, some other place, some other heroes. We must be the heroes of our generation, because we, too, are America.”
Watch:
The Chicks perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at tonight's DNC
The Chicks perform the National Anthem during the fourth night of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, August 20.
The Chicks appeared tonight to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
Tonight’s performance comes months after they changed their name from The Dixie Chicks to the The Chicks following nationwide demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd and the deaths of other African Americans at the hands of police. The protests prompted intense discussions on racism in America.
The country band announced the news on their website, with the caption “We want to meet this moment.”
In 2003, The Chicks faced backlash singer Natalie Maines said in a concert in London that she was “ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” Country stations across the United States pulled their music following her remarks.
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons calls Biden "a man of faith and conscience"
From CNN's Eric BradnerDelaware Sen. Chris Coons.
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a close Joe Biden ally, called the former vice president “a man of faith and conscience” who “knows the power of prayer” in a speech that focused on Biden’s Catholic faith.
His remarks came during a segment of Thursday night’s DNC that was focused on describing Biden’s faith.
“Joe knows that it’s faith that sustains so many ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things: nurses who brave infection, firefighters who run into burning buildings, teachers working overtime, especially now,” Coons said. “They all deserve a servant leader who knows the dignity of work, who sees them, respects them, fights for them.”
Watch:
Yang sends a message to the "Yang Gang": Biden and Harris can be trusted
From CNN's Dan MericaFormer presidential candidate and founder of Venture for America Andrew Yang.
Andrew Yang’s unexpectedly strong Democratic primary campaign earlier this year was powered by a unique coalition of non-traditional Democratic voters, the kind of infrequent voters who Democrats hope they can turn out in November.
Yang had those exact voters in kind when he took to the virtual convention stage on Thursday night and told the so-called Yang Gang they can trust Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Yang added: “If we give them the chance, they will fight for us and our families every single day. … I ask you tonight to join me to help Joe and Kamala fight for the promise of America.”
Yang also opened the speech with the kind of humor that defined his 2020 bid, introducing himself as the “guy who ran for President talking about MATH and the future.”
Watch:
Activists and politicians share where they'd like to be “this time next year”
Civilians, activists and prominent politicians shared where they want the country to be this time next year if Joe Biden were to be president.
“Unity in our country.This is what I hope to see nextyear,” labor leader and political organizer Dolores Huerta said.
“I am confident this time nextyear we will have a presidentwho provides this country withreal leadership, not justtweets,” Jim Roosevelt, DNC credentials committee co-chair, said.
“This time next year I hope weare listening less to theRussians and more to Dr. Fauci,” Susan Molinari, former representative for New York, said.
“I believe that America willhave faced its darkest momentand will have come out better,” criminal justice reform advocate Donna Hylton said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Andrew Yang and more also participated in the video.
Watch the video compilation aired during the DNC:
As fires rage in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom says climate change must be a priority this November
California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom made a case for climate change to be front and center this November during the final night of the Democratic National Convention as he stood roughly a mile from one of the more than 370 wildfires decimating his state.
Newsom talked about “a heat wave that led to130-degree temperatures, highesttemperature ever recorded inCalifornia arguably the world’shistory here in our state” while imploring Americans to vote for Joe Biden this fall.
Newsom praised the work Biden and former President Barack Obama did on “vehicle emissions standards,fuel efficiency standards tosave billions and billions ofdollars for taxpayers and reduceour greenhouse gas emissions.”
Kamala Harris to Biden: "Go get 'em"
Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s running mate, tweeted her support ahead of the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
In his speech tonight, Biden will officially accept the Democratic presidential nomination and lay out a vision for the country.
Read the tweet:
The final night of the DNC kicks off
From CNN's Kate Sullivan, Maeve RestonandStephen CollinsonThe fourth and final night ofthe Democratic National Conventionhas begun.
Joe Biden will deliver his full convention acceptance speech this evening from the Chase Center in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, to close out the week.
Other notable speakers tonight include:
- Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom
- Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
- Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
- Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois
- Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware
Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus will emcee.
In what is likely to be a deeply poignant moment, Biden’s three children will give the introduction to his keynote speech in a video.The former vice president’s son Beau,who died of brain cancer five years ago at the age of 46, will be portrayed in video clips from previous speeches about his father.
The evening will also feature average Americans whose lives have been touched by the former vice president, from military families to 13-year-old Brayden Harrington,who approached Biden in New Hampshireasking him to help coach him through overcoming his stutter, as Biden did in his own youth by reciting poetry in the mirror and later by marking his speeches as a reminder not to rush through his remarks.
Jill Biden says Biden is spending time with grandkids ahead of speech
From CNN's Arlette SaenzFormer Vice President Joe Biden and former Second Lady Jill Biden stand on stage at the end of the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware on August 19.
Jill Biden tells CNN that in the final hours before his speech, her husband Joe Biden is relaxing at home with his grandkids, eating pizza and sitting on the porch.
CNN asked her how it feels to not have Beau here with them tonight.
“Beau is here, and I think you’ll see that tonight. He’s here. He’s with us,” she said.
Biden said she’s watched the video featuring Beau several times and expects she will have tears in her eyes tonight.
“He loved this. He loved politics. He and his father were so in sync, but I feel like he’s here with us.”
Cars line up outside the Chase Center to watch final night of DNC
From CNN's Jeff ZelenyThe parking lot outside the Chase Center, where Joe Biden is set to deliver is speech later this evening, is taking on the look of a summertime drive-in movie theater.
A few dozen cars have arrived, with people waving Biden signs from convertibles or sun roofs, arriving to watch the final night of the convention on a large screen outside.
It’s hardly the audience Joe Biden expected, but on an unseasonably nice summer evening, supporters from Delaware, New Jersey and beyond have arrived. Officials have capped it at 100 cars, with people told to stay in or around their vehicles — and socially distant.
It’s a good shot that captures this very unconventional convention.
Biden did a walk through on an outdoor stage earlier today, leading some to wonder whether they will see him after his speech.
Watch the scene outside the Chase Center:
Biden practiced his speech at the Chase Center this afternoon
From CNN's Arlette SaenzDemocratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden leaves after speaking at the Chase Center July 14, in Wilmington, Delaware.
Joe Biden did a walk through this afternoon at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware,where an adviser said he practiced the acceptance speech he will deliver this evening.
Tonight will mark the biggest speech he’s given in the nearly half century he’s been in politics and his involvement in these Democratic conventions dates back to the 1970s. But this is the first time Biden is delivering an acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination, 33 years after he launched his first White House bid.
And there’s another thing different about tonight. This election marks the first time Biden will appear on the Democratic ticket without his son Beau Biden here to see it.
Beau passed away from brain cancer in 2015 and was active in his father’s past campaigns. In both the 2008 and 2012 conventions, Beau delivered impassioned speeches about his father.
Tonight there will be a tribute video to Beau, who was an Iraq war veteran. It will air just before Pete Buttigieg’s speech. He’s also a veteran who Biden has said reminds him of his son Beau.Beau Bidenislooming large over the week’s festivities as his father is set to accept the nomination this evening.
Biden campaign: Tonight on that stage, Americans are"going to see a president"
From CNN's Leinz ValesUS Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at the William "Hicks" Anderson Community Center in Wilmington, Delaware on July 28.
Just hours before Joe Biden officially accepts the Democratic presidential nomination and delivers remarks, his deputy campaign manager said the former vice president will lay out a vision that “even in these most divisive times that we’re living in we can work together to get things done.”
“I think in this moment,Americans are looking forpresidential leadership, andtonight on that stage, they’regoing to see a president,” Bedingfield added.
President Trump reportedly won’t be a central figure in Biden’s acceptance speech. The President, however, continued his attacks Thursday against Biden and mail-in voting at a campaign stop in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
“This is just a way they’re trying to steal the election,” Trump said. “Because the only way they’re going to win is by a rigged election. I really believe that.”
Bedingfield called Trump’s remarksa “fear mongering tactic,” adding that “This is something that we’ve heard consistently from Donald Trump. He has actually said unabashedly out loud that when more people vote, Republicans lose.”
“I think that people are resoundingly going to show up in November,”Bedingfield said.“We have to remember that’s the way we make real change.We don’t let Donald Trump and the Republicans scare us away from our right to vote.”
Boy who bonded with Biden over stutter speaking in primetime convention video
From CNN's Arlette SaenzBrayden Harrington, a 13-year-old boy from Concord, New Hampshire, will speak in a primetime convention video tonight about the bond he shares with Joe Biden over stuttering.
Harrington first met Biden at a New Hampshire campaign event in February. After speaking briefly on the ropeline, Biden, who has dealt with a stutter since childhood, invited the young boy backstage to offer advice over their mutual struggle.
“He takes the time to talk to people and kids about what’s going on in their life and try to change it, and I just think it will make a huge impact on this country,” Harrington told CNN today. “He’s someone who doesn’t care about how he talks and someone who’s able to put himself out there and help other people in need.”
See a portion of the video appearing tonight during the DNC:
On the campaign trail this year, Biden often talked about his lifelong struggle, saying “still occasionally, when I find myself really tired,” he finds himself stuttering.
“It has nothing to do with your intelligence quotient. It has nothing to do with your intellectual makeup,” Biden said in a CNN townhall. “It’s critically important for them not to judge themselves by their speech, to not let that define them.”
Harrington’s video tonight will be the latest moment in this convention focusing on Biden’s connection with every day Americans as the former vice president attempts to present a character contrast with President Donald Trump.
“He took the time to say I want you to go out back, this isn’t easy for us to talk right now and I want to take some time just you and me one-on-one. That’s a really kind act,” Harrington’s father Owen told CNN in an interview in February.
And tonight, Harrington hopes his video helps other children grappling with stutters.
He said, “I knew it would help other kids in need of this to feel a bit better about it and be more confident.”
Watch CNN’s February interview with Harrington below:
Joe Biden earns endorsement of Steph and Ayesha Curry ahead of DNC's final night
From CNN's Sarah MuchaStephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors reacts after Klay Thompson made the clinching basket with four seconds left of their game against the Houston Rockets during Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on May 8, 2019 in Oakland, California.
NBA superstar Steph Curry and his wife Ayesha, a New York Times best-selling author, announced their support for Joe Biden earlier today in a preview clip of a video that will air later this evening at the Democratic Convention.
“We’re voting for Joe Biden,” Steph Curry said.
“We want to ensure that our kids live in a nation that is safe, happy, healthy, and fair, so this election we’re voting for Joe Biden,” they say in the excerpt.
Their children Riley and Ryan are also briefly featured in the excerpt.
See an excerpt of their endorsement video:
Biden set to deliver the most important speech of his 5-decade political career
From CNN's Maeve RestonandStephen CollinsonDemocratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about economic recovery during a campaign event at Colonial Early Education Program at the Colwyck Center on July 21, in New Castle, Delaware.
Joe Bidentakes the stage on Thursday for the most important speech of his 50 years in politics, hoping to convince frustrated voters that he would be a more caring, competent and thoughtful president thanDonald Trump.
As he officially accepts the nomination of his party during the last night of theDemocratic National Convention,Biden plans to focus more on his own biography and life in government service than on his critiques of the current occupant of the Oval Office.
The evening will feature average Americans whose lives have been touched by the former vice president, from military families to 13-year-old Brayden Harrington,who approached Biden in New Hampshireasking him to help coach him through overcoming his stutter, as Biden did in his own youth by reciting poetry in the mirror and later by marking his speeches as a reminder not to rush through his remarks.
In what is likely to be a deeply poignant moment, Biden’s three children will give the introduction to his keynote speech in a video.The former vice president’s son Beau,who died of brain cancer five years ago at the age of 46, will be portrayed in video clips from previous speeches about his father.
Biden strongly pushed for such an introduction, which will also feature his son Hunter and daughter Ashley, party officials said. The former vice president decided after much soul searching not to pursue a presidential campaign in 2016, saying the window for a run had closed while he was mourning Beau.
Read more about tonight’s events here.
Biden's speech tonight will be introduced by a video touting his leadership during economic turmoil
From CNN's Sarah MuchaThe Biden campaign has released a clip of the video thatwill introduce Joe Biden ahead of his speech this evening when he accepts the Democratic nomination, making his case for a leader who has once already helped lead a nation through economic turmoil.
The video clip was produced by Oscar Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim, according to an official involved in convention planning.
The video begins by showing Biden’s personal connection to economic hardship, referencing the time his father told him as a child that he had lost his job, a moment Biden speaks about often on the campaign trail.
“The country was losing tens of thousands of jobs a day,” the narrator continues, turning to the 2008 economic crisis, and notes that there were three votes needed to pass the economic rescue package.
“Joe returned to the place where he had been so effective,” the voice says as b-roll of Capitol Hill plays. “When the law finally passed, the president tapped his partner to run the program,”the narrator says of Biden’s implementation of the Economic Recovery Act.
This is Guggenheim’s fourth video for the convention — he produced Monday’s video that showed Biden’s relationship with the Amtrak conductor, the video about Biden’s relationship with John McCain, and Wednesday’s video on the Violence Against Women Act.
Watch an excerpt of the video:
Sen. Chris Coons will speak about Biden's faith in DNC speech
From CNN's Sarah MuchaSen. Chris Coons asks a question to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a Senate Foreign Relations to discuss the Trump administration’s FY 2021 budget request for the State Department on July 30 in Washington.
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons and longtime friend to Joe Biden will deliver a testament to the Democratic nominee’s faith tonight at the Democratic National Convention.
“On the convention’s final night… you’ll hear something you might not have expected: a deep and personal testament to my friend Joe Biden’s faith,” Coons writes in anop-ed for Fox News. “That’s because Joe and I agree that communities of faith are critical to the past, present and future of America.
Biden is a practicing Roman Catholic.
Coons, a seminarian, ties issues like civil rights and climate change to core tenants of the Christian faith. He says that for Democrats like himself and Biden, taking care of the planet “isn’t just about rising sea levels and extreme weather, it’s also about protecting and honoring God’s creation.”
He adds that fighting for civil rights “isn’t just about political correctness, it’s about loving our neighbor and recognizing that all of us are created equal in the eyes of God.”
Bidengrew up in a multigenerational Catholic home, where he says he learned the foundational principles of politics. He devotes the very first pages of his memoir, Promises to Keep, to illustrating his Catholic identity, noting that he spent every Sunday at mass where his attendance “was not optional.”
Last month, Coonsspoke to CNNabout Biden’s faith.
“This is a man who knows what it means to both be on your knees in prayer and to be shouting with joy in a congregation in South Carolina, that is also desperately yearning for God’s grace but is celebrating in a way that’s just so open-hearted,” he explained.
He said then that he is confident that Biden’s message will translate naturally to religious voters.
“I think there’s millions of White Catholics and White evangelicals who can look at Joe Biden and say, ‘This is a man whose life has been touched by grace, who has been sustained through faith, and who respects me,’” he said. “Yeah, we may not agree on every application of a gospel to doctrine and doctrine to policy, but I know this is a guy who knows the words to hymns, who knows passages from the Bible, who respects other faiths, and for whom the very idea of faith is central to who he is.”
What to expect on the final night of the DNC
From CNN's Dan Merica, Eric Bradner and Kate SullivanThe fourth and final night ofthe Democratic National Conventionis tonight, and will air from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
Last night, California Sen.Kamala Harrisofficially accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president, making history as the first Black woman and South Asian American woman on a major party ticket.
Tonight, Joe Biden will deliver his full convention acceptance speech from the Chase Center in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, to close out the week.
Here are key things to watch during the final night of the convention:
- Biden’s moment: Biden has sought the Democratic presidential nomination for nearly half his life. He ran for president three times — in 1988, when a plagiarism scandal effectively ended his hopes; in 2008, when he gained no real traction as then-Sen. Barack Obama ignited a movement; and finally, this year, when he said he felt the “soul of the nation” was at stake. Finally, in a year in which his old-school political instincts that drive him toward compromise appear to meet an unprecedented moment, he’ll deliver the speech he has spent decades seeking to give.
- One-time opponents to tout Biden: They ran against Biden. Now they speak for him. Four of Biden’s former primary opponents — New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and businessman Andrew Yang — will tell Democrats about the Biden they got to know on the campaign trail and why they believe he should be president.
- Biden gets a boost from once prospective VP candidates: Biden interviewed 11 women to be his running mate. On Thursday, three of those finalists — Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth — will address the convention on Biden’s behalf. Their message will exemplify the diversity of the women Biden vetted to be his running mate and provide the former vice president validators on topics ranging from health care to support for military families.
Read more about tonight’s events here.
The DNC will host a "virtual after party"to close convention week
From CNN's Brian RokusAfter the Democratic National Convention wraps tonight, a virtual “after party” will be hosted by Andy Cohen and feature Diplo.
Other big names participating in the eventinclude Alyssa Milano, Aubrey Plaza, Cat and Nicole Ehrlich Cora, Jaime Camil, Jason George, Elena Delle Donne, Keith Powell, Liza Koshy, Neil Casey, Michelle Kwan, and Zooey Deschanel.
The event will be livestreamed across Joe Biden’s and the DNC’s social media accounts and websites.
Here's a preview of some of tonight's big speeches
From CNN's Dan MericaFormer Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
A trio of Joe Biden’s former primary opponents — New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and businessman Andrew Yang — will tell Democrats about the Joe Biden they got to know on the campaign trail and why they believe he should be president during Thursday’s Democratic National Convention.
Buttigieg’s speech, according to an aide, will continue with the message of belonging that anchored the former South Bend mayor’s campaign but “tie that to how President Joe Biden will bring people together to overcome our greatest challenges.”
Yang, whose upstart presidential campaign was centered on calls for a Universal Basic Income, will both offer a nod to the untraditional base that propelled him during the primary and argue why voters who may have never considered backing Biden or Harris should get behind them, lauding the duo as people who “understand the problems we face” and “want the best for our country,” according to a prepared version of the speech.
Booker, as part of a taped conversation with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, will discuss “why he still feels a sense of hope in these difficult and dark times and issue a call to action that this moment demands more from all of us to join together,” said a Booker aide.
Biden interviewed 11 women to be his running mate. On Thursday, three of those finalists — Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth — will address the convention on Biden’s behalf.
Baldwin, an aide said, “will discuss the choices before voters and what kind of America we want to be, focusing particularly on her own health care story.” The Wisconsin senator, a groundbreaker as the first LGBTQ person elected to the Senate in 2012, was vetted in large part because of her legislative bona fides and the fact that she came from a key swing state.
“What kind of country do we want to be,” Baldwin will ask, according to prepared remarks provided to CNN. “Where ‘We the People’ means just certain people or one where ‘We The People’ means all the people?”
Duckworth, another finalist to be Biden’s running mate, will note how the Bidens have deep military ties —most notably through their late son Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015 — and argue that Biden “will look out for veterans and military families unlike Donald Trump,” an aide said. Duckworth is a US Army veteran who lost both of her legs while serving in Iraq.
National security officials from GOP administrations endorse Biden
From CNN's Jeff ZelenyIn this August 4, 2015 file photo, Former CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden testifies during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Ahead of Joe Biden formally accepting the Democratic nomination this evening, 73 former national security officials from various Republican administrations and Republican members of Congress have announced they are endorsing Joe Biden.
The group’s members include former NSA and CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden, former deputy Secretary of State and DNI Ambassador John Negroponte, former CIA and FBI Director William Webster and other senior executive branch officials and members of Congress, according to the release.
The group, a new project of Defending Democracy Together, is also planning a six-figure social media campaign in swing states, making the case to swing voters that American national security can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump, the statement says.
The full list of officials can be found here.
Sanders outlines parameters for accepting position in Biden's cabinet
From CNN's Annie Grayerand Gregory KriegIn this screenshot from the Democratic National Convention’s livestream of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Sen. Bernie Sanders addresses the virtual convention on August 17.
Sen.BernieSanders said he would consider a position in Joe Biden’s cabinet, but it would depend what the position was and how much room he would have to implement policy, he said during an interview with Washington Post Live.
“But if President Biden were to sayBernie,were to say I want you, this is what you’ve been talking about A, B, C, and D, I want to make you, put you in the government to carry that out, and I’m going to you know let you do what you have to do, that’s another story. I’d give consideration,” he said.
In response to whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should have gotten more time to speak at the Democratic National Convention, Sanders said, “I think there is some confusion about that, and I think the reason for the confusion has to do with the DNC and it has to do with the media.”
Sanders then explained how the procedure worked, how he chose Ocasio-Cortez to be one of the two people nominating him, and that it was cleared with the Biden campaign.
“She was accused of not, you know, saying she supported Biden.She was nominating me. She is of course supporting Biden. So I think the confusion there rests with I think what the DNC was saying, and certainly media not understanding what happens at a convention” Sanders added.
In general, Sanders stated that the DNC should have had more progressives speaking at the convention.
“They should’ve had more progressives speaking, giving them speaking spots,” he said.
More on this: Sanders spoke during Monday’s DNC programming, offering his mostforceful argumentyet on behalf of former primary rival Biden, beseeching his supporters to back the Democratic nominee in November or risk seeing “all the progress we have made” be thrown into doubt.
Biden does not intend to make Trump a central figure of his acceptance speech
From CNN's Jeff ZelenyDemocratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about economic recovery during a campaign event at Colonial Early Education Program at the Colwyck Center on July 21, in New Castle, Delaware.
Joe Biden does not intend to make President Trump a central figure of his acceptance speech tonight, a senior adviser tells CNN.
Yes, there will be significant criticism of Trump in Biden’s speech on Thursday night in Wilmington. And yes, there will be stern words about the President’s handling of coronavirus and America’s fallen place in the world. But a lot of that freight has been carried by other convention speakers and Biden is crafting a speech that is forward-looking, aspirational and optimistic, an adviser said.
The former vice president sees the moment “as bigger than President Trump,” an adviser said, “an opportunity to make his affirmative case to America.”
For Biden, it is a lifetime of work building to his speech Thursday night. His place in American history is still unfolding, but he is a bridge from the Obama-Biden coalition, where he served alongside the nation’s first Black president to what he hopes will be the Biden-Harris coalition.
Tonight's event will feature a tribute to John Lewis
From CNN's Terence BurlijThe flag-draped casket of the late Rep. John Lewis is placed by a U.S. military honor guard at the center of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda to lie in state on July 27, in Washington.
In addition to event-closing speech from Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, the final night of the Democratic National Convention will feature tributes to Biden’s late son Beau and Congressman John Lewis.
Lewis, a longtime US congressman from Georgia and civil rights icon, died in July aftera six-month battle with cancer. Beau Biden, who served as the Delaware attorney general and was an Iraq war veteran, died of brain cancer in 2015.
Among the speakers Thursday night will be former primary foes of Biden: Andrew Yang, Sen. Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg, as well as women who were reportedly on the short list of potential running mates: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Senators Tammy Duckworth and Tammy Baldwin.
Thursday’s theme is “America’s Promise,” and the evening will also feature remarks from Hunter and Ashley Biden, and musical performances from John Legend and Common.
Read excerpts from some of tonight's big speeches
The Democratic National Convention has released text excerpts of remarks coming tonight from former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, businessman Andrew Yang, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Yang will urge Americans to give Democratic nominee Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris a chance.
Bottoms will galvanize voters to follow in the footsteps of civil rights giants:
Baldwin will tout Biden’s and Harris’ ability to lead a “nation that builds back”:
Buttigieg will call on Americans vote for the country they want:
Missed the third night of the convention? Here are some highlights
From CNN's Kate SullivanSen. Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama.
Kamala Harris introduced herself to the nation Wednesday night, leaning into her place in history and noting that her nomination was “a testament to the dedication of generations before me.”
The California senator ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination last year, but much of the nation was introduced to her personal story for the first time on Wednesday. She is the daughter of immigrants — an Indian mother and Jamaican father — and a graduate of a historically Black university.
Former PresidentBarack Obamadelivered his speech from Philadelphia, where the Constitution was written, to warn America’s democracy was under grave threat. Obama unleashed an unprecedented rebuke of President Donald Trump, who stepped onto the national political scene advancing the racist birther conspiracy theory aimed at undermining Obama’s presidency.
2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton also spoke, warning against November becoming a “woulda, coulda, shoulda” election and reminded people that Biden and Harris could win the popular vote and lose the election, just like she did.
Read seven takeaways from last night’s event here.
Biden will formally accept Democratic presidential nomination tonight
From CNN's Dan MericaandEric BradnerPresumptive Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden signs required documents for receiving the Democratic nomination for President at the Hotel DuPont on August 14, in Wilmington, Delaware.
The fourth and final night of theDemocratic National Conventionwill culminate withJoe Bidengiving the speech he has been hoping to deliver for decades when he accepts his party’s presidential nomination.
A nominee’s acceptance speech is a critical moment of any presidential campaign. But this speech may carry more weight, given most campaigning has been halted by the coronavirus. That lack of regular contact with the Biden himself puts even more pressure on a primetime address that could shape the way voters see both the Democratic Party and Biden’s candidacy.
Viewers will watch what Biden says — especially how he frames his campaign against PresidentTrumpbefore a national audience — with Republicans set to spend much of the following week at the Republican National Convention casting the former vice president as old and out-of-touch.
But don’t expect Biden’s speech to be centered on Trump, a senior adviser told CNN. Instead the former vice president, while sharply criticizing the President, will seek to look beyond the Trump presidency and strike a more aspirational and optimistic tone.
Biden will be far from alone in attacking Trump and defending Democrats, though, joined by three women he vetted to be vice president over the last two months and four Democrats who ran against him in the Democratic primary.
The first three nights of the convention have been a successful, albeit unconventional, affair. But event organizers know that the final night — and Biden’s speech —will largely shape the way voters see the success or failure of the four-night event.
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