The New York congresswoman seconded the nomination of the Vermont senator and praised his 'historic grassroots campaign to reclaim our democracy' in convention address
Continue reading...Category Archives: Democrats
Democratic national convention day two: Ocasio-Cortez & Jill Biden among speakers – watch in full
Democrats attending an online convention are expected to formally pick Joe Biden as their party's nominee to face President Donald Trump in the Nov 3 election. The main speakers on the second night of the convention include Joe Biden's wife, Jill, former President Bill Clinton, liberal firebrand Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the party's 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry
Continue reading...‘In over his head’: Michelle Obama delivers rebuke of Trump in DNC speech – video
The former first lady Michelle Obama has delivered a searing rebuke of Donald Trump, arguing the president is incapable of leading the country during this moment of crisis. “If we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it,” Obama said. The pre-taped speech attracted widespread praise, with many Democrats saying Obama offered an eloquent and urgent call to action.
Continue reading...Bernie Sanders slams Trump at DNC: ‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned. The president golfs’ – video
In his convention remarks, the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders strongly urged his supporters to vote for Joe Biden in the November election, warning that Trump represents a severe threat to US democracy. “Our great nation is now living in an unprecedented moment,” Sanders said, describing this election as the “most important in the modern history of this country”
Continue reading...Kristin Urquiza blames Trump for her father’s coronavirus death in DNC speech – video
Urquiza, whose father died from coronavirus, addressed the Democratic convention to condemn Trump’s efforts to downplay the threat posed by the virus.
Urquiza said her father, Mark Anthony Urquiza, voted for Trump in 2016, and he listened to the president when it came to coronavirus
Continue reading...Democratic national convention: Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders among speakers – watch in full
Democrats kick off a four-day virtual convention with a display of party unity for Joe Biden and the broad coalition aiming to defeat Republican Donald Trump in November.
Biden's top primary rival, Bernie Sanders, and the former first lady Michelle Obama will headline a parade of speakers appearing from around the US to make a virtual case for a Biden presidency, organizers said
Continue reading...‘It is what it is’: Michelle Obama picks Trump apart in gripping DNC speech
The former first lady sharply contrasted Joe Biden’s competency and character with that of the president
Michelle Obama eviscerated Donald Trump during her keynote speech at the opening night of the virtual Democratic convention, accusing him of being the “wrong president for our country” and “clearly in over his head”.
In her most political address and her most pointed criticism of Trump to date, the former first lady called on Americans to “vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it” in the November election.
Continue reading...US politics: virtual Democratic convention to start amid coronavirus crisis – live updates
- Pelosi recalls House early to fight postal service election ‘sabotage’
- Sanders says Trump’s attacks on mail-in voting a ‘crisis for democracy’
- Virtual Democratic convention to kick off with emphasis on unity
- Sign up to our First Thing newsletter
Republican senator Lindsey Graham’s Democratic rival in South Carolina’s senate race has now out-raised the incumbent for two consecutive quarters.
Former South Carolina Democratic party chairman Jaime Harrison faces an uphill battle in the Republican stronghold state. The fundraising figures, however, coupled with the racial equity protests and pandemic this year has led Cook Political Report to forecast the race from “likely” to “lean” Republican.
Eva Longoria, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kerry Washington and Julia Louis-Dreyfus will help emcee the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the convention committee announced today.
Each of the celebrities are anchoring one night of the convention. Each night has a theme.
The time has finally come! ...Join me live at the 2020 Democratic National Convention to welcome Joe Biden and Kamala Harris!
Watch it Live: https://t.co/GIf7neWRVo#DemConvention pic.twitter.com/Tddyl7Nlzo
End of an era: has coronavirus killed the political convention for good?
With Democrats and Republicans holding no in-person conventions this year, some have called to ditch them completely – but others say they’re a vital political tool
There won’t be any huge balloon drops at the Democratic or Republican party conventions this year. Presidential candidates will not get the chance to accept their nominations in front of massive, cheering crowds. Political reporters and strategists will not descend on a carefully selected American city to kick off the final stretch of the 2020 presidential election.
And some in Washington say those changes may be for the best.
Continue reading...Joe Biden and Kamala Harris call for nationwide mask mandate – live
- Biden: ‘Every governor should mandate mandatory masks’
- Yang and Bloomberg to speak at virtual Democratic convention
- Biden campaign gets $26m boost in donations after Harris pick
- Highest daily Covid-19 deaths recorded in US since mid-May
- US unemployment claims dip below 1m for first time in 20 weeks
- Postal service changes pose threat to voting, says ex-USPS deputy
- Sign up to our First Thing newsletter
Just hours after Joe Biden announced Kamala Harris as his running mate, in her home state of California fierce speculation had already begun as to who might replace her in the Senate if she wins a spot in the White House.
Related: If Kamala Harris wins, who might fill her California Senate seat?
From Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem and Julian Borger in Washington:
Israel and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to establish full diplomatic ties in a historic Washington-brokered deal under which Israel will “suspend” its plans to annex parts of the Palestinian territories.
Continue reading...Harris and Biden make first appearance as running mates and excoriate ‘failure’ Trump
- Democratic pair say president has left America ‘in tatters’
- Biden introduces Harris as ‘the next vice-president of the US’
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris accused Donald Trump of leaving the US “in tatters” by failing to lead the country through the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout, as they debuted the Democratic presidential ticket the party hopes will defeat him in November’s election.
Related: 'Ready on day one': Joe Biden welcomes Kamala Harris at their first event as running mates – live
Continue reading...‘Good day for our country’: Democrats hail Kamala Harris as VP pick
Party leaders and progressive groups appear largely united behind Joe Biden’s choice of running mate
Democrats from all corners of the party appeared largely united behind Joe Biden’s selection of the California senator Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday.
The responses came almost immediately after Biden unveiled Harris as his choice for the vice presidential nominee, less than a week before the Democratic national convention, where Biden will be formally nominated as the presidential candidate for his party.
Continue reading...In choosing Kamala Harris, Biden may have found the anti-Trump
Biden’s VP pick ‘makes America look more like America’ – and now Harris is better placed than anyone to be the first female president
Joe Biden may have just chosen the anti-Trump as his running mate – and, if he wins, as his successor.
The selection of California senator Kamala Harris for the Democrats’ vice-presidential nomination puts a woman of colour on a major party ticket for the first time in America’s 244-year-old history.
Continue reading...Why a Biden presidency might not mean a return to pre-Trump foreign relations
There could be a renewed focus on international cooperation – but Biden would not be great news for Boris Johnson’s Britain
European leaders, desperate for an end to the Trump presidency, are being warned that four years of Joe Biden may present them with new challenges and not a simple restoration of the benign status quo in transatlantic relations prior to 2016.
An evolving Biden doctrine about ending “forever wars” and protecting American workers from Chinese competition would require collective military and economic commitments from the EU that it is still ill-equipped to meet, foreign policy specialists have suggested.
Continue reading...New York attorney general files lawsuit to dissolve NRA – live
- Letitia James says her office uncovered ‘years of self-dealing’
- Another 1.18m Americans file for unemployment
- Deutsche Bank gave Trump records to New York prosecutors - report
- Join us today at 5pm ET for an online event with Eric Holder to discuss voter suppression in the 2020 election. Register now
- Sign up to our First Thing newsletter
At her press conference, New York attorney general Letitia James said NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre is the “central figure” in the alleged fraud and abuse crimes committed by the gun rights group.
New York AG Letitia James says NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre is the "central figure" in the organization's suspected financial schemes, and she details instances of him allegedly using millions of dollars in NRA assets for personal and family expenses https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/kkJ3ZCihfY
New York attorney general Letitia James is seeking to dissolve the NRA after an investigation by her office uncovered “years of self-dealing and illegal conduct,” the Democratic official said.
#BREAKING: I filed a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association for years of self-dealing and illegal conduct.
The @NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse.
No organization is above the law.
Sexism casts shadow over Biden’s search for a female running mate
Leading VP contenders have had to endure the usual criticisms men often direct at women – which has undermined a historic selection process
The final weeks of Joe Biden’s search for a running mate have had all the usual trimmings: leaks from unnamed Democratic party officials, last-minute suggestions of outsider names and a trail of vague hints from the candidate himself.
But this year is different. Biden promised to select a female running mate, setting up a historic nomination process that many prominent Democratic women say is being overshadowed by the increasingly nasty – and unmistakably sexist – debate over who he should choose.
Continue reading...Trump refuses to praise late civil rights leader John Lewis
- President unhappy that Lewis did not attend his inauguration
- Trump questions value of Civil Rights Act: ‘How’s it worked out?’
Donald Trump refused to praise the late John Lewis, the Georgia congressman and original Freedom Rider, during his latest one-on-one interview, and also questioned the value of the pivotal Civil Rights Act of the 1960s, which Lewis fought and almost died for.
Related: Coronavirus US: Biden tells Trump 'step up and do your job' over Covid-19 death toll – live
Continue reading...Donald Trump flounders in interview over US Covid-19 death toll
President again says he is doing ‘incredible job’ fighting pandemic and casts doubt on Jeffrey Epstein’s cause of death
Donald Trump visibly floundered in an interview when pressed on a range of issues, including the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the US, his claims that mail-in voting is fraudulent, and his inaction over the “Russian bounty” scandal.
The US president also repeatedly cast doubt on the cause of death of Jeffrey Epstein, and said of Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite who has pleaded not guilty to participating in the sex-trafficking of girls by Epstein, that he wished her well.
Continue reading...Deborah Birx warns Covid-19 now ‘extraordinarily widespread’ in US – as it happened
- Birx says virus has taken a hold over large parts of the US
- GOP reportedly to ban media from Republican national convention
- Is US attorney general William Barr a danger to democracy?
- QAnon is finding a home in the Republican party
- Sign up to our First Thing newsletter
We’ll be shutting down today’s blog shortly. Here’s a glance at today’s major news items:
The US economy could benefit if the nation were to “lock down really hard” for four to six weeks, a top Federal Reserve official said on Sunday, adding that Congress can well afford large sums for coronavirus relief efforts.
The economy, which in the second quarter suffered its biggest blow since the Great Depression, would be able to mount a robust recovery, but only if the virus were brought under control, Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, told CBS’s Face the Nation.
Democratic congressman issues blistering attack on Republicans after Covid-19 diagnosis
Raúl Grijalva condemns colleagues for failing to take crisis seriously as they ‘strut around the Capitol with no mask’
A Democratic congressman diagnosed as positive for the coronavirus has condemned Republican politicians for their carelessness around Congress and blamed them for spreading the virus.
The Arizona Democrat Raúl Grijalva tested positive for the coronavirus, it was revealed on Saturday, and has immediately quarantined, though he is asymptomatic and feeling well, his office said. But Grijalva issued a fiery condemnation of Republicans and their behavior around the halls of Congress.
Continue reading...