This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/aug/18/democratic-convention-live-colin-powell-aoc-cindy-mccain-dnc-latest-news-updates-tonight

The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
Democrats formally nominate Joe Biden for president on second night of convention – live Jill Biden delivers keynote address at Democratic convention – live
(32 minutes later)
Biden has already surpassed the threshold to capture the nomination while Ocasio-Cortez praises Sanders’ campaign in nominating speech Democrats formally nominate Joe Biden for president while Ocasio-Cortez praises Sanders’ campaign in speech
The second night of the virtual Democratic convention has now concluded, but the blog will have more reactions and analysis coming, so stay tuned.
“After our son, Beau, died of cancer, I wondered if I would ever smile or feel joy again,” Jill Biden said. “It was summer but there was no warmth left for me.”
She praised her husband’s resolve to continue working after the loss. “Four days after Beau’s funeral, I watched Joe shave and put on his suit. I saw him steel himself in the mirror—take a breath—put his shoulders back—and walk out into a world empty of our son. He went back to work. That’s just who he is.”
– Maanvi Singh
Jill Biden said her husband, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, would provide “leadership worthy of this nation.”
“Worthy of you,” Biden told the Americans watching the virtual convention.
Biden promised that her husband’s election would ensure that classrooms would “ring out with laughter and possibility once again.”
“The burdens we carry are heavy, and we need someone with strong shoulders,” Biden said.
The former second lady promised a President Biden would “bring us together and make us whole, carry us forward in our time of need, keep the promise of America for all of us.”
Former second lady Jill Biden is now delivering her convention speech in support of her husband, Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Biden delivered her speech from a Delaware school where she used to teach English, and she used the setting to underscore the uncertainty surrounding schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“This quiet is heavy,” Biden said as she moved through the school. “You can hear the anxiety that echoes down empty hallways.”
As the wife of a career politician — this is Joe Biden’s third run for president — Jill Biden has often found herself in a tricky position, asked to defend her husband’s record.
This campaign cycle, she was asked to answer for her husband’s behavior during the Anita Hill hearings in 1991. “I watched the hearings like most other Americans, and so I mean, Joe said, as I did, we believed Anita Hill. He voted against Clarence Thomas. I mean, he’s called Anita Hill, they’ve spoken. He apologized for the way the hearings were run. And so now it’s—it’s time to move on,” she said in an NPR interview last year.
She’s been asked about how her husband has made women uncomfortable by touching them. For that as well, she has an answer.
“You know, I’ve been married to Joe for 42 years, and I’ve seen how he interacts with people—but times have changed,” she told Vogue magazine. “And he’s said, you know, ‘I’m going to take responsibility for this, I hear this,’ and he’s much more aware of how he interacts with people now.”
Journalists and political commentators have noted that she has been her husband’s fiercest defender on the campaign trail. Sometimes that’s meant literally.
When a protester rushed Joe Biden while he was delivering a campaign speech in early March, Jill Biden intercepted to protect her husband, while Biden’s senior advisor Symone Sanders carried the woman off stage.
– Maanvi Singh
Cindy McCain, the widow of Senator John McCain, was featured in a video describing the friendship between her late husband and Joe Biden.
“It was a friendship that shouldn’t have worked,” the video began, before going on to describe the camaraderie between the two longtime senators.
After the video played, Biden tweeted, “John McCain was a good man, and a good friend. He made this country better. I miss him dearly.”
Dr. Jill Biden is expected to speak in moments.
Jill, who is Joe’s wife of 43 years, is one of her husband’s closest advisors and his primary campaign surrogate, though she has said she never aspired to be in politics, let alone become a First Lady. “I say that I’m apolitical — if that’s at all possible being married to Joe for 30 years,” she told NPR in 2008, the last time her husband ran for president.
An educator who has taught writing in high school and community colleges, Jill Biden has a doctorate in education — and maintained a teaching job though Biden’s term as Vice President. She’s an advocate for military families, and for public education — championing community colleges in particular as “one of America’s best-kept secrets.”
When she met Joe, in 1975, the two were introduced by his brother. Joe was a Delaware senator at the time, and Jill was finishing her college degree at the University of Delaware.
Biden was mourning the loss of his first wife, Neilia, and their 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, who died in a car accident three years back. He was raising his two sons, Hunter and Beau, as a single father.
After they met, “[Jill] gave me back my life,” Biden wrote in his memoir Promises to Keep. “She made me start to think my family might be whole again.”
– Maanvi Singh
Former secretary of state Colin Powell endorsed Joe Biden’s presidential bid, becoming one of the most prominent Republicans to do so.
“Today, we are a country divided, and we have a president doing everything in his power to make it that way and keep us that way,” Powell said in his video for the Democratic convention.
“What a difference it will make to have a president who unites us, who restores our strength and our soul.”
Powell’s endorsement is the latest attempt by the Biden campaign to reach out to centrist voters who supported Barack Obama before flipping to Trump in 2016.
The delegates casting votes for Wyoming were Judy and Dennis Shepard, the parents of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student whose murder prompted the passage of a landmark law that expanded the definition of violent hate crimes.
The Shepards have been deeply critical of the Trump administration for failing to protect LGBTQ rights. They thanked Biden today for “his passion for social justice & his bottomless compassion for others”.
– Maanvi Singh
One of the defining features of the DNC so far has been its outreach to anti-Trump Republicans. Last night we had John Kasich and Meg Whitman, and tonight we have Colin Powell.One of the defining features of the DNC so far has been its outreach to anti-Trump Republicans. Last night we had John Kasich and Meg Whitman, and tonight we have Colin Powell.
This hasn’t gone down too well with some Democrats, especially those who are more on the progressive and anti-war sides of the party (Colin Powell was George Bush’s secretary of state and helped build the case for the invasion of Iraq).This hasn’t gone down too well with some Democrats, especially those who are more on the progressive and anti-war sides of the party (Colin Powell was George Bush’s secretary of state and helped build the case for the invasion of Iraq).
Here’s how some critics have been responding:Here’s how some critics have been responding:
Meanwhile, the Onion has done it again, with this biting commentary on Colin Powell’s appearance.Meanwhile, the Onion has done it again, with this biting commentary on Colin Powell’s appearance.
Former secretary of state John Kerry criticized Trump as an embarrassment on the global stage in his convention speech.Former secretary of state John Kerry criticized Trump as an embarrassment on the global stage in his convention speech.
“When this president goes overseas, it isn’t a goodwill mission,” Kerry said. “It’s a blooper reel. He breaks up with our allies and writes love letters to dictators. America deserves a president who is looked up to, not laughed at.”“When this president goes overseas, it isn’t a goodwill mission,” Kerry said. “It’s a blooper reel. He breaks up with our allies and writes love letters to dictators. America deserves a president who is looked up to, not laughed at.”
Kerry, who endorsed Joe Biden early in the primary cycle, contrasted Trump’s foreign policy agenda with that of a Biden administration.Kerry, who endorsed Joe Biden early in the primary cycle, contrasted Trump’s foreign policy agenda with that of a Biden administration.
“Our troops can’t get out of harm’s way by hiding in the White House bunker,” Kerry said. “They need a president who will stand up for them. And President Biden will.”“Our troops can’t get out of harm’s way by hiding in the White House bunker,” Kerry said. “They need a president who will stand up for them. And President Biden will.”
Progressive activist Ady Barkan, who is dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, addressed the Democratic convention and demanded access to quality healthcare for all Americans.Progressive activist Ady Barkan, who is dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, addressed the Democratic convention and demanded access to quality healthcare for all Americans.
“We live in the richest country in history and yet we do not guarantee this most basic human right,” said Barkan. “Everyone living in America should get the health care they need regardless of their employment status or ability to pay.” “We live in the richest country in history and yet we do not guarantee this most basic human right,” said Barkan. “Everyone living in America should get the healthcare they need regardless of their employment status or ability to pay.”
Barkan, who has lost his voice because of ALS and has testified before Congress using eye movements, urged Americans to vote for Joe Biden in order to avoid the “existential threat of another four years of this president.” Barkan, who has lost his voice because of ALS and has testified before Congress using eye movements, urged Americans to vote for Joe Biden in order to avoid the “existential threat of another four years of this president”.
“Even during this terrible crisis, Donald Trump and Republican politicians are trying to take away millions of people’s health insurance,” Barkan said.“Even during this terrible crisis, Donald Trump and Republican politicians are trying to take away millions of people’s health insurance,” Barkan said.
“We must elect Joe Biden. Each of us must be a hero for our communities, for our country, and then, with a compassionate and intelligent president, we must act together and put on his desk a bill that guarantees us all the health care we deserve.” “We must elect Joe Biden. Each of us must be a hero for our communities, for our country, and then, with a compassionate and intelligent president, we must act together and put on his desk a bill that guarantees us all the healthcare we deserve.”
In what must be a first in the history of the DNC, a plate of calamari has made a star turn, making an appearance in the Rhode Island part of the roll call. They even called themselves “the calamari comeback state of Rhode Island”.In what must be a first in the history of the DNC, a plate of calamari has made a star turn, making an appearance in the Rhode Island part of the roll call. They even called themselves “the calamari comeback state of Rhode Island”.
The delegate casting the votes for Virginia is Khizr Khan, whose son, army captain Humayun Khan, died serving in the Iraq war.The delegate casting the votes for Virginia is Khizr Khan, whose son, army captain Humayun Khan, died serving in the Iraq war.
Speaking at the Democratic national convention in 2016 with his wife Ghazala, Kahn delivered one of the most memorable moments of that election cycle: He held up a copy of the constitution that he kept in his jacket pocket, held it up and addressed Donald Trump: “Let me ask you, have you even read the United States constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words ‘liberty’ and ‘equal protection of law’.”Speaking at the Democratic national convention in 2016 with his wife Ghazala, Kahn delivered one of the most memorable moments of that election cycle: He held up a copy of the constitution that he kept in his jacket pocket, held it up and addressed Donald Trump: “Let me ask you, have you even read the United States constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words ‘liberty’ and ‘equal protection of law’.”
The comments from Kahn, who is Muslim and Pakistani-American, came after Trump made xenophobic comments linking American Muslims to terrorists and calling for a ban on Muslim immigration.The comments from Kahn, who is Muslim and Pakistani-American, came after Trump made xenophobic comments linking American Muslims to terrorists and calling for a ban on Muslim immigration.
Kahn spoke from Charlottesville, the site of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist rally in 2017 where a counter-protestor was killed. Donald Trump said that there were “very fine people on both sides”.Kahn spoke from Charlottesville, the site of a neo-Nazi, white supremacist rally in 2017 where a counter-protestor was killed. Donald Trump said that there were “very fine people on both sides”.
Biden said he decided to run for president after that rally. “When those folks came out of the fields carrying those torches, chanting the anti-Semitic bile and their veins bulging, accompanied by the Ku Klux Klan, with such ugliness … I never thought I’d see something like that again in my life. That’s when I decided,” Biden told supporters last year.Biden said he decided to run for president after that rally. “When those folks came out of the fields carrying those torches, chanting the anti-Semitic bile and their veins bulging, accompanied by the Ku Klux Klan, with such ugliness … I never thought I’d see something like that again in my life. That’s when I decided,” Biden told supporters last year.
– Maanvi Singh
Joe Biden, a three-time presidential candidate, is officially the Democratic presidential nominee -- more than three decades after his first White House bid.Joe Biden, a three-time presidential candidate, is officially the Democratic presidential nominee -- more than three decades after his first White House bid.
“It is the honor of my life to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States of America,” Biden said in a tweet.“It is the honor of my life to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States of America,” Biden said in a tweet.
The formal nomination of Biden underscored what an unprecedented convention this is. Every state delegation cast their votes remotely, and Biden briefly thanked his supporters via livestream.The formal nomination of Biden underscored what an unprecedented convention this is. Every state delegation cast their votes remotely, and Biden briefly thanked his supporters via livestream.
Meanwhile, vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who would otherwise be celebrating Biden’s nomination in Milwaukee right now, watched the roll call vote from her couch.Meanwhile, vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who would otherwise be celebrating Biden’s nomination in Milwaukee right now, watched the roll call vote from her couch.
After the roll call concluded, the convention briefly turned to Joe Biden, who thanked his supporters for nominating him.After the roll call concluded, the convention briefly turned to Joe Biden, who thanked his supporters for nominating him.
“It means the world to me and my family, and I’ll see you on Thursday,” Biden said.“It means the world to me and my family, and I’ll see you on Thursday,” Biden said.
The Democratic nominee and his family celebrated his achievement with streamers and a dozen or so balloons.The Democratic nominee and his family celebrated his achievement with streamers and a dozen or so balloons.
It was far from the massive balloon drop that Biden would have enjoyed if the Democrats were able to hold their convention in person, but it added a bit of pageantry to the virtual event.It was far from the massive balloon drop that Biden would have enjoyed if the Democrats were able to hold their convention in person, but it added a bit of pageantry to the virtual event.
The Delaware delegation initially passed on casting its votes, but the roll call later returned to Delaware Senator Tom Carper and Delaware Governor John Carney to close out the formal nomination of Joe Biden.The Delaware delegation initially passed on casting its votes, but the roll call later returned to Delaware Senator Tom Carper and Delaware Governor John Carney to close out the formal nomination of Joe Biden.
Speaking from the Joseph R Biden train station in Wilmington, Delaware, Carney praised Biden for spending decades “delivering for families like his own.”Speaking from the Joseph R Biden train station in Wilmington, Delaware, Carney praised Biden for spending decades “delivering for families like his own.”
Carper, who served alongside Biden in the Senate, described him as “a leader made for this moment and the finest public servant I have ever known.”Carper, who served alongside Biden in the Senate, described him as “a leader made for this moment and the finest public servant I have ever known.”
The two lawmakers then cast their votes for “our friend, Delaware’s Joe Biden.”The two lawmakers then cast their votes for “our friend, Delaware’s Joe Biden.”
The roll call votes from delegates across the US are giving a lot of us who are isolating due to the pandemic some serious wanderlust.The roll call votes from delegates across the US are giving a lot of us who are isolating due to the pandemic some serious wanderlust.
This reporter is all about the “calamari comeback state of Rhode Island” - looks lovely!This reporter is all about the “calamari comeback state of Rhode Island” - looks lovely!
– Maanvi Singh– Maanvi Singh
With an unprecedented roll call vote, Democrats have formally nominated Joe Biden for president.
Because of the virtual nature of the convention, delegates were not able to gather in Milwaukee to cast their votes.
Instead, each state delegation filmed a video casting their votes for Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
The roll call is still ongoing, but Biden has already surpassed the threshold of 2,374 delegates needed to capture the nomination.
If you were confused by AOC’s seconding of Bernie Sanders’ nomination, worry not – she’s explained what it all means via Twitter:
Ocasio-Cortez, like so many progressives, traces her political awakening to Sanders 2016 presidential campaign, where she worked as an organizer. A self-described democratic socialist, Ocasio-Cortez was elected to Congress in 2018, unseating the fourth-ranking House Democrat.Since her shocking victory, she has helped organize and raise money for progressive challengers around the country, including Jamaal Bowman who won the Democratic primary this year, knocking off a 16-term incumbent in a deep-blue New York district.Many progressives were furious that Ocasio-Cortez, widely viewed as the leader of a next generation of Democrats, was only allotted one minute to speak, while ample time was devoted on Monday night to Republican defectors, including former Ohio governor John Kasich, a staunch opponent of abortion. Yet her invitation was a testament to influence within the party, rare for a first-term member of Congress.Ocasio-Cortez, who endorsed Sanders in the primary, giving his campaign a much needed jolt in the uncertain days after the senator’s heart attack, has been critical of Biden’s establishment-minded approach to governing. In an interview last year, she mused that in another country, they would not belong to the same party.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s nominating speech for Bernie Sanders was a virtual passing of the torch. Sanders briefly led the primary contest earlier this year before falling impossibly behind Biden as fear of the coronavirus began to spread across the US.Sanders, who nearly eked out a victory in the Iowa caucuses, and then went on to win primary contests in New Hampshire, and Nevada before sweeping California on Super Tuesday, is expected to receive about 1,000 delegates. In the same way Sanders popularized Medicare for all, she has championed the Green New Deal – both turning the issue into a rallying cry for young Democrats and an easy line of attack for Republicans. Climate is one of the key areas in which Biden has moved left, and she was included in the Biden-Sanders unity taskforces, created to forge a policy consensus between the often-warning progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic party.Addressing his supporters on Monday, Sanders said their movement had “moved this country in a bold new direction” but he was unequivocal in his endorsement of Biden, warning that the stakes were too high to stay home.“The future of our democracy is at stake,” he said.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is without a doubt the most exciting rising star in the Democratic party. But her 60-second speaking slot, which was spent reiterating her support for Bernie Sanders, was all we’ll be seeing of her at the DNC, and many of her admirers aren’t happy:
Ocasio-Cortez was there to second Sanders’ nomination, which is a procedural quirk of the convention that forms part of the roll call. But some viewers have misunderstood her speech, and think she’s suddenly flipped back to Sanders to sabotage Biden. Just to be clear: this isn’t the case.
Jacquelyn Brittany, a 31-year-old woman who first met Joe Biden when she escorted him in an elevator to a New York Times meeting in December, was the first the put his name forward in the formal nomination process.
In an NYT video, she blurted out “I love you” to Biden and took a selfie with him.
“Once he came in, he was just genuinely, genuinely nice to people. We don’t get that from everybody,” she recalled to the Washington Post, speaking about her initial interaction with Biden.
On her role in the DNC, she said: “I never thought I would be in a position to do this. I never thought I was worthy enough to do this.”
– Maanvi Singh
Jacqueline Brittany, the New York City elevator operator who met Joe Biden during the Democratic primary, was the first person to officially nominate him at the convention.
The video of Brittany meeting Biden and getting her photo taken with him went viral earlier this year.
“In the short time I spent with Joe Biden, I could tell he really saw me,” Brittany said. “I nominate my friend, Joe Biden, as the next president.”
The nomination was seconded by the Delaware senator Chris Coons and the Delaware congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester.
Bob King, the former president of the United Auto Workers, and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered the nominating speeches for the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders before the convention formally nominated Joe Biden.
King praised Sanders, who won several primary contests but ultimately fell short of the nomination, as “a great champion of the working class”.
Ocasio-Cortez, who worked on Sanders’ 2016 campaign before joining Congress, said he had “organized a historic, grassroots campaign to restore our democracy”.
Bill Clinton’s appearance at the DNC tonight hasn’t been well received among some of his critics on both the left and right. It comes only a few hours after new photos revealed of him receiving a neck massage from one of Jeffrey Epstein’s personal massage therapists, who was a victim of the disgraced financier’s sexual abuse.
Two former Democratic presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, have just offered their endorsements of Joe Biden.
In an audio-only address, Carter said Biden would ensure the country expands coronavirus testing and mask requirements to limit the spread of the virus.
“Joe Biden must be our next president,” Carter said.
Like Michelle Obama and Chuck Schumer, Clinton referenced Trump’s “It is what it is” quote to argue the president has downplayed the loss of 170,000 Americans to coronavirus.
“Covid hit us much harder than it had to,” Clinton said, blaming Trump’s leadership for the extent of the pandemic’s devastation.
Clinton said that if Trump were reelected, he would only “blame, bully and belittle” for another four years, while Biden will “build back better.”