US judge rejects Green Party’s Pennsylvania recount case
A federal judge on Monday issued a stinging rejection of a Green Party-backed request to recount paper ballots in Pennsylvania’s presidential election, won by Republican Donald Trump, and scan some counties’ election systems for signs of hacking. In his 31-page decision, U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond said there were at least six grounds that required him to reject the Green Party’s lawsuit, which had been opposed by Trump, the Pennsylvania Republican Party and the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office. Suspicion of a hacked Pennsylvania election “borders on the irrational” while granting the Green Party’s recount bid could “ensure that that no Pennsylvania vote counts” given Tuesday’s federal deadline to certify the vote for the Electoral College, Diamond wrote. “Most importantly, there is no credible evidence that any ‘hack’ occurred, and compelling evidence that Pennsylvania’s voting system was not in any way compromised,” Diamond wrote. He also said the lawsuit suffered from a lack of standing, potentially the lack of federal jurisdiction and an “unexplained, highly prejudicial” wait before filing last week’s lawsuit. The decision was the Green Party’s latest roadblock in Pennsylvania after hitting numerous walls in county and state courts. Green Party-backed lawyers argue that it was possible that computer hackers changed the election outcome and that Pennsylvania’s heavy use of paperless machines makes it a prime target. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein also contended that Pennsylvania has erected unconstitutional barriers to voters seeking a recount. It is part of a broader effort by Stein to recount votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump won all three states narrowly over Democrat Hillary Clinton, while Stein captured about 1 percent of the vote, or less, in all three states. In Pennsylvania, Trump beat Clinton in Pennsylvania by about 44,000 votes out of 6 million cast. A federal judge halted Michigan’s recount last week after three days. The Wisconsin recount was expected to conclude Monday. With about 95 percent of the votes recounted as of Sunday, Clinton had gained 25 votes on Trump, but still trailed by about 22,000. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Focus of recount effort shifts to Michigan, Pennsylvania
Presidential candidate Jill Stein‘s fight to force ballot recounts in three states focuses Monday on Pennsylvania, where her Green Party is seeking an emergency federal court order for a statewide recount, and Michigan, where a federal judge has ordered a hand recount to begin by noon. The recount is underway in Wisconsin. President-elect Donald Trump narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in all three states. The recounts were not expected to change enough votes to overturn the result of the election. Stein, who received about 1 percent of the vote in all three states, says her intent is to verify the accuracy of the vote. She has suggested, with no evidence, that votes cast were susceptible to computer hacking. She also scheduled a rally and news conference for Monday morning outside Trump Tower in New York. Here’s what’s going on in each state and in Nevada, where a partial recount of the race was requested by independent presidential candidate Roque De La Fuente: — WISCONSIN The recount began Thursday and continued over the weekend, with little change so far in the unofficial results as reported on election night. A federal lawsuit was filed late last week by a Trump voter and two super PACs seeking to stop the recount. The judge rejected a request to halt the recount while the lawsuit is pending and scheduled a hearing for Friday. State and local election officials have all said they don’t expect Clinton to surpass Trump in Wisconsin, where he won by about 22,000 votes. — MICHIGAN A federal judge late Sunday night in Detroit ordered a statewide hand recount of roughly 4.8 million ballots to start by noon Monday. Trump won the state by about 10,700 votes, or two-tenths of a percentage point, over Clinton. Stein argued that a law is unconstitutional that requires a break of at least two business days after the Board of Canvassers’ final action on a recount request. Judge Mark Goldsmith found that Stein had “shown the likelihood of irreparable harm” if the count was delayed even by two days and rejected the state’s arguments about the cost to taxpayers. Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette, the Trump campaign and super PACs have filed separate lawsuits asking state courts to prevent the recount, arguing that Stein, as the fourth-place finisher, is not “aggrieved” because she has no chance of winning in a recount. — PENNSYLVANIA The Green Party filed a federal lawsuit on Monday seeking a statewide recount – a move that came after the party on Saturday dropped a case set to be argued Monday in state courts. An updated count Friday by state election officials showed Trump’s lead shrinking to 49,000 from 71,000 over Clinton, out of 6 million votes cast, as more counties finish counting overseas ballots and settled provisional ballot challenges. That is still shy of Pennsylvania’s 0.5 percent trigger for an automatic statewide recount. Final counts are outstanding in some counties, but there are not enough uncounted votes to change the outcome, officials say. — NEVADA A recount of a sample of ballots has begun in Nevada at the request of De La Fuente. Clinton won Nevada and De La Fuente finished last, but he requested and paid about $14,000 last week for the recount, which he called a counterbalance to the review sought by Stein in Wisconsin. Nevada Secretary of State spokeswoman Gail Anderson said late last week that the recount of ballots from Carson City and Douglas, Mineral, Nye and Clark counties should be completed by Friday. If the sample shows a discrepancy of at least 1 percent for De La Fuente or Clinton, a full recount will be launched in all 17 Nevada counties. Clinton defeated Trump in Nevada by 27,202 votes out of 1.1 million votes cast. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Clinton team sees recount effort as waste of resources
Hillary Clinton‘s aides and supporters are urging dispirited Democrats to channel their frustrations about the election results into political causes — just not into efforts to recount ballots in three battleground states. The former Democratic presidential candidate and her close aides see the recount drive largely as a waste of resources, according to people close to Clinton. The effort is being fueled by Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who’s formed an organization to try to force recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. “Believe me if there was anything I could do to make Hillary Clinton the next president of the United States I would,” said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a longtime Clinton supporter. “But this is a big waste of time.” Aides say Clinton is focused on moving past her unexpected defeat and has devoted little attention to the recount or thinking about her political future. She’s been spending time with her grandchildren and going for walks near her Westchester home. Sightings of Clinton hiking with her dogs and shopping at a Rhode Island bookstore went viral on social media. “There have been a few times this past week where all I wanted to do was curl up with a good book and our dogs and never leave the house again,” Clinton said in an emotional speech at a gala for the Children’s Defense Fund, her one public appearance since her loss. Former President Bill Clinton, meanwhile, has been poring over the election results, second-guessing decisions by top campaign aides and intensely trying to figure out how his wife lost the white working-class voters who were the base of his electoral coalition, say people familiar with the campaign. Clinton’s team was aware of possible discrepancies soon after the election, telling top donors on a conference call four days after the election that they were looking into potential problems in the three states. But while many campaign staffers believe Russian hacking influenced the outcome of the election, blaming foreign actors for incursions into campaign and Democratic National Committee emails, they’ve found no evidence of the kind of widespread ballot box tampering that would change the results of the race — or even flip a single state. Still, some dejected Clinton supporters have been unwilling to accept the results. Stein has raised $6.5 million for her recount campaign, according to a count posted on her campaign website on Tuesday. That’s nearly double the roughly $3.5 million she raised during her entire presidential bid. Some former Clinton aides have asked frustrated supporters to donate their dollars to what they view as more constructive causes, like state parties or the Democratic candidate in Louisiana, where a Dec. 10 runoff will be the party’s last chance to pick up a Senate seat this year. “I wouldn’t give a dollar to Jill Stein,” said Adam Parkhomenko, a longtime Clinton aide. “Volunteers, supporters and Democrats, they want to pick themselves up and get back out there. The best vehicle to do that is the Louisiana Senate race.” Clinton’s team conducted an exhaustive investigation into the possibility of outside interference in the vote tally, tasking lawyers, data scientists and political analysts to comb over the results. They contacted outside experts, examined the laws governing recounts and double-checked all the vote tallies. The campaign found no “evidence of manipulation,” wrote Marc Elias, the general counsel for Clinton’s campaign, in an online essay. But, he said, Clinton agreed to minimal participation in Stein’s effort, largely to make sure that her interests are represented. They put out a call for volunteers to monitor the proceedings and are relying on local lawyers to handle filings and other legal matters. Clinton is under pressure to participate from her supporters, some of whom have struggled to accept the election results given her lead in the popular vote, which has grown to more than 2.3 million in the weeks after the Nov. 8 election. “Now that a recount is underway, we believe we have an obligation to the more than 64 million Americans who cast ballots for Hillary Clinton to participate in ongoing proceedings to ensure that an accurate vote count will be reported,” Elias wrote. Clinton’s lawyers filed motions with a Wisconsin judge on Tuesday looking to join Stein’s lawsuit demanding that Wisconsin officials recount ballots by hand. The state elections commission will formally began the recount on Thursday. Stein’s organization has also filed for recounts in six of Pennsylvania’s largest counties and says it plans to file a petition Wednesday demanding a Michigan recount. “It’s election law malpractice to not have your lawyers sitting around the table with Jill Stein’s lawyers,” said Adam Ambrogi, elections program director at the bipartisan Democracy Fund. “It is just due diligence.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Hillary Clinton turns focus to down-ballot candidates in final days
Hillary Clinton is expanding her focus in the final days of the presidential race, seeking to help down-ballot congressional candidates. In Pittsburgh on Saturday, Clinton assailed incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, saying he had failed to “stand up” to Donald Trump in the face of his comments about Mexican immigrants and a Muslim-American military family. She also noted that Trump had “said terrible things about women” and “spread the lie that our first black president wasn’t born in America.” “If he doesn’t have the courage to stand up to Donald Trump after all of this, then can you be sure that he will stand up for you when it counts?” Clinton said of Toomey. Toomey is locked in a tight race with Democratic challenger Katie McGinty. Clinton called McGinty “exactly the kind of senator that Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania needs. The attacks on Toomey were a new effort from the presidential nominee, who has largely focused her fire on Trump. Clinton did note that some Republicans have had the “grits and the guts” to push back against Trump. Toomey spokesman Ted Kwong said the Clinton comments show how McGinty would not be an independent voice in the Senate. “Today is just further proof that hyper-partisan, ethically challenged Katie McGinty will be a rubber stamp for everything Hillary Clinton wants to do in Washington,” he said. “Pat Toomey has been, and will continue to be, an independent leader in the Senate on issues ranging from gun safety to ending Wall Street bailouts.” Clinton told reporters on her plane in Pittsburgh that she does plan to focus more on helping other Democrats. The move shows her growing confidence in her own race and her hope that Democrats recapture the Senate. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump team says ‘we are behind’ but can still win the race
Donald Trump‘s campaign bluntly acknowledged Sunday that the real estate mogul is trailing Hillary Clinton as the presidential race hurtles toward a close, but insisted he still has a viable path to win the White House. With barely two weeks left and early voting underway in most of the U.S., Trump’s team said “the race is not over” and pledged to keep campaigning hard — even in states like Virginia and Pennsylvania that polls show are now trending Clinton’s way. Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway laid out a path to the requisite 270 electoral votes that goes through make-or-break states Florida, Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio. “We are behind. She has some advantages,” Conway said Sunday. Yet she argued that Clinton’s advantages — like a slew of bold-name Democrats campaigning for her — belied her lack of true support. “The current president and first lady, vice president, all are much more popular than she can hope to be.” Added Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus: “We expect to win.” Yet even as Clinton appeared to be strengthening her lead, her campaign was careful not to declare premature victory. “We don’t want to get ahead of our skis here,” said Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook. He said the “battleground states” where both candidates are campaigning hardest “are called that for a reason.” As part of his closing message, Trump was laying out an ambitious agenda for his first 100 days as president. Yet he undermined his own attempt to strike a high-minded tone on policy issues when he announced in the same speech that he planned to sue the numerous women who have accused him of groping and other unwanted sexual behavior. “All of these liars will be sued once the election is over,” Trump said Saturday during an event near the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg. He added: “I look so forward to doing that.” Asked about Trump’s remarks, Clinton told reporters between rallies Saturday in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia that she was done responding to what her Republican opponent is saying as Election Day nears and would instead focus on helping elect other Democrats. A day earlier, Clinton attacked Pennsylvania’s Republican senator, Pat Toomey, saying in Pittsburgh that he has refused to “stand up” to Trump as she praised his Democratic challenger, Katie McGinty. Noting Trump’s comments about Mexican immigrants and his attacks on a Muslim-American military family, she said of Toomey: “If he doesn’t have the courage to stand up to Donald Trump after all of this, then can you be sure that he will stand up for you when it counts?” Clinton rejected Trump’s allegation, offered without evidence, that the dozen or so women who have come forward are being prompted by her campaign or the Democratic National Committee. The accusers emerged after the former reality TV star boasted of kissing women and groping their genitals without their consent. “These accusations are not coming from our campaign,” Mook said. On Saturday, an adult film actress said the billionaire kissed her and two other women on the lips “without asking for permission” when they met him after a golf tournament in 2006. Trump has denied that all the other allegations, while insisting some of the women weren’t attractive enough for him to want to pursue. “He’s been waterboarded by these issues,” said former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Trump supporter, lamenting the “oppression” of her candidate in the media. Though mostly a recap of policies he’s proposed before, Trump’s speech included a few new elements, such as a freeze on hiring new federal workers and a two-year mandatory minimum sentence for immigrants who re-enter the U.S. illegally after being deported a first time. In a pledge sure to raise eyebrows on Wall Street, he said he’d block a potential merger between AT&T and media conglomerate Time Warner. Throughout the GOP primary, Trump was criticized for shying away from detailed policy proposals. But his speech, which aides said would form the core of his closing argument to voters, underscored how the billionaire has gradually compiled a broad — if sometimes vague — policy portfolio that straddles conservative, isolationist and populist orthodoxies. Mook and Brewer spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union” and Priebus on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Conway spoke on “Fox News Sunday” and on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump campaign doubles spending, not ground game
Donald Trump‘s campaign expenses more than doubled last month, even as the Republican presidential nominee held his payroll to about 70 employees, aired zero television advertisements and undertook no significant operational build out across the country. Instead, about half of the campaign’s $18.5 million in spending was vacuumed up by Giles-Parscale, a web design and marketing firm new to national politics, Federal Election Commission filings show. It’s a crossover vendor from Trump’s real estate organization. The campaign paid Giles-Parscale $8.4 million in July, about twice what the San Antonio firm had collected from it over the course of the preceding year. Brad Parscale, the president, is the campaign’s director of digital marketing. The big expense came as Trump put a new emphasis on online fundraising, after paying for his primary run mostly out of his own pocket. Millions more went to air travel. The campaign paid about $2 million for private jets other than Trump’s own TAG Air, which also collected $500,000. Some of Trump’s consultants are also mysteriously well-paid. Chess Bedsole, the campaign’s Alabama state director, was paid $64,000 last month for field consulting. His last campaign payment was for $15,000 in December. Yet the campaign’s payroll remained thin, and there did not appear to be much new in the way of office leases across the country, including in critical battleground states such as Ohio. Trump has relied heavily on the Republican National Committee for conventional campaign infrastructure. And he’s boasted of holding the line on his campaign spending. But he’s running critically low on time to build an operation that can compete with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In addition to being ahead of Trump in polls in key states, Clinton has maintained a staff of about 700 for months, opened up offices across the country and already spent $67 million on general election ads. Trump put out his first ads days ago, spending $5 million to air them in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Her campaign spent $38 million in July, about double his spending. Clinton can afford to spend more than Trump, the July campaign finance reports show. Her campaign raised $52 million while his brought in $37 million for the month, including a $2 million contribution from Trump himself. The candidates also raise money for their parties, enabling them to ask for contributions far higher than the $2,700-per-donor limit to the campaigns. Overall in July, Clinton raised $90 million for her campaign and Democratic partners, while Trump raised $80 million for the campaign and Republican groups. Trump did bring aboard some new campaign consultants in July. He paid $100,000 to Cambridge Analytica, a deep-dive data firm that did business with GOP opponent Ted Cruz. Hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer, who contributed $2 million to a pro-Trump super political action committee in July, is an investor in Cambridge. The Trump filings also show some old ties. Two weeks after the ouster of campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign cut his firm, Green Monster Consulting, another $20,000 check. That’s about the same amount it had paid him each month while he was running the campaign. At the time of the latest payment, Lewandowski was already on the payroll of CNN, where he is a political contributor. The campaign also paid Trump Organization employee Meredith McIver, who has worked as a Trump ghostwriter over the years. She took credit — and then blame — for writing Melania Trump‘s speech at the Republican National Convention that included similar lines from Michelle Obama‘s speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The campaign valued McIver’s time, accounted for as payroll from the Trump Organization, at $356.01. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Balloons drop, mark end of Hillary Clinton’s convention
The Latest on the Democratic National Convention and 2016 presidential campaign. (all times EDT): 11:35 p.m. Balloons are falling on Hillary Clinton‘s convention in Philadelphia. Red, white and blue balloons are raining down on Democrats and blanketing the stage as Clinton and vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine celebrate their nomination with their families. The convention-closing party included pyrotechnics that seemed to startle even Clinton, as well as an elaborate “card stunt” that doesn’t appear to have come off as planned. According to instructions given earlier in the night, delegates were supposed to hold up color cards attached to their seats to spell out a message. But within the hall at least, it was not clear what message read. 11:30 p.m. There are some signs of discontent amid the celebration of Hillary Clinton’s acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination. As Clinton spoke, several people in the crowd at the Democratic National Convention unfurled a banner that said “Wikileaks.” It’s a reference to the leaked party emails that some say show the Democratic National Committee favored Clinton over primary rival Bernie Sanders. Near the Hawaii delegation, a few delegates waved signs for Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Some Sanders delegates sat quietly throughout the speech. For much of Clinton’s speech, a bright red sign stood out from the sea of campaign posters. It read, “Keep your promises.” Clinton struggled to keep command of the arena. She was repeatedly interrupted by chants of “Hillary!” – that was her supporters’ way of drowning out hecklers. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Hillary Clinton urges voters ‘to stand up to bullies’
The Latest on the Democratic National Convention and 2016 presidential campaign. (all times EDT): 11:26 p.m. Hillary Clinton is calling on voters to “stand up to bullies.” She says her mother never let her back down from a challenge, and “literally blocked the door” when a young Hillary tried to hide from a neighborhood bully. Clinton says she still hears her mother urging her “to keep working, keep fighting for right, no matter what.” She says that, “More than a few times, I’ve had to pick myself up and get back in the game.” Clinton is closing her speech at the Democratic National Convention by urging Americans to look to the future “with courage and confidence.” 11:24 p.m. Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump is offering America “empty promises” and what she’s calling “bigotry and bombast.” She says the choice is clear between the GOP nominee’s rhetoric and what says she is the Democrats’ “bold agenda to improve the lives of people across our country.” Clinton says she didn’t believe it at first that Trump meant “all the horrible things he says.” She’s talking about the times Trump called women “pigs” and said a federal judge of Mexican heritage couldn’t be fair to him and denigrated Sen. John McCain’s military service in Vietnam because he was captured. Clinton says it “was just too hard to fathom” that a candidate for president could say such things. But she says she had to acknowledge “the sad truth: There is no other Donald Trump.” 11:22 p.m. Hillary Clinton says Americans need to stand up against “mean and divisive rhetoric” and heal the divides in the fabric of American society. The Democratic presidential nominee is using her acceptable speech at the party’s convention to say Americans must unite to deal with gun violence, immigration and racial strife. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump can’t be trusted with nukes
The Latest on the Democratic National Convention and 2016 presidential campaign. (all times EDT): 11:18 p.m. Hillary Clinton is questioning whether Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has the temperament to be commander in chief. She says Trump “can’t even handle the rough-and-tumble of a presidential campaign.” Clinton says Trump loses his cool at the “slightest provocation” – when he’s gotten tough questions from reporters, when he’s challenged in a debate or when he sees a protester at a rally. Here’s her take: “A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.” 11:15 p.m. Hillary Clinton says the U.S. needs a leader who’ll work with allies to keep America safe. Clinton says the presidential election presents a stark choice on national security, with the U.S. facing what she says are “determined enemies that must be defeated.” She says people want “steady leadership.” Clinton says she’s proud of the Iran nuclear and global climate agreements – and says both must be enforced now. Neither deal happened while she was in government. Clinton says she’ll stand by NATO allies against any Russian threats. And she’s pledging to defeat the Islamic States group with airstrikes and support for local ground forces, while authorizing a “surge” in intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks. Clinton says: “We will prevail.” 11:10 p.m. Hillary Clinton is assailing Donald Trump‘s record as a businessman. She points to Atlantic City, New Jersey – about 60 miles from Philadelphia, site of the Democratic convention. She says there are contractors and small businesses that lost everything because Trump refused to pay his bills for work they did in his casinos. Clinton says Trump talks a “big game” about putting America first. But Trump’s clothing line is made overseas, not in the United States. The same goes for other Trump products, such as furniture and picture frames, Clinton says. “Donald Trump says he wants to make America great again,” she says. “Well, he could start by actually making things in America again,” she says. 11:08 p.m. Hillary Clinton is checking off one policy difference after another with Republican rival Donald Trump. She’s promising to appoint Supreme Court justices “who will get money out of politics” and expand voting rights, “not restrict them.” Clinton is calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn the high court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling that’s especially unpopular among Democrats. The Democratic nominee says she’ll fight to overhaul the immigration system. She’s voicing support for raising the minimum wage, expanding health insurance and ensuring women are paid the same as men. Clinton is talking about issues on which she’s moved closer to primary rival Bernie Sanders. They include support for companies sharing more profits with workers and opposition to what she calls “unfair trade deals.” 11:06 p.m. Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump didn’t offer any solutions to problems when he gave his nominating speech last week. The Democratic nominee is citing several goals for the first 100 days of a Clinton administration. Topping her list is bipartisan support to pass what she says will be the biggest investment in new, good-paying jobs since World War II. Jobs in manufacturing, clean energy, technology and innovation, small business, and infrastructure. Clinton says she’ll work with primary rival Bernie Sanders to make college tuition-free for the middle class and debt-free for all. She also promises to “liberate” millions of people already with student debt. 11:04 p.m. Hillary Clinton says her presidential nomination is a milestone on America’s “march toward a more perfect union.” Clinton is the first woman nominee of a major party. She tells the Democratic convention that the achievement is special “for grandmothers and little girls and everyone in between.” But she says the nation must keep going until all 161 million women and girls in the country have the opportunities they deserve. Clinton says: “When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit.” She says she’s happy for boys and men, too, because when a barrier fall, it clears the way for all. 11:02 p.m. Hillary Clinton says her mother – who was abandoned by her parents as a young girl – taught her an important life lesson. Clinton says Dorothy Rodham told her: “No one gets through life alone.” Clinton mentioned her late mother several times in her nomination speech at the Democratic National Convention. She says her mom was saved by the kindness of others, including a first-grade teacher who brought extra food to share with the little schoolgirl. She says her mother, who ended up on her own at age 14 and worked as a maid, told her daughter that people have to look out for one another and “lift each other up.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Hillary Clinton says she’d be president for all people
The Latest on the Democratic National Convention and 2016 presidential campaign. (all times EDT): 10:56 p.m. Hillary Clinton says she’d be a president for Democrats, Republicans and independents – “for all those who vote for me and those who don’t.” She says she’s met many people who motivate her to fight for change, including sick children and survivors of 9/11. Clinton says “it’s true, I sweat the details of policy. She says details should be a “big deal” to the president. 10:54 p.m. Hillary Clinton says Democrats haven’t done a good enough job of showing working families that they understand what these families are going through. Clinton says she agrees with families that have told her the economy just isn’t working. She says Americans are willing to work, and work hard. But right now, she says, “an awful lot of people feel there is less and less respect for the work they do.” 10:52 p.m. Democratic Delegates have twice broken out in chants of “Hillary!” during their presidential nominee’s acceptance speech in order to drown out isolated hecklers in the convention hall. Some supporters of primary rival Bernie Sanders still object to Clinton’s nomination and they were planning to express their displeasure. Clinton hasn’t acknowledged any of the jeers or yelling. Some Washington state delegates left quietly – with tape over their mouths – as Clinton spoke. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump wants ‘us to fear the future’
The Latest on the Democratic National Convention and 2016 presidential campaign. (all times EDT): 10:50 p.m. Hillary Clinton is telling Democrats at the party’s national convention not to believe anyone who says, “I alone can fix it.” That’s a knock on her Republican rival, Donald Trump. He told GOP delegates a week ago that he’s the only one who can fix “the system.” Clinton is accepting the Democratic nomination and warning that Trump’s words should “set off alarm bells for all of us.” She accusing Trump of forgetting such people as America’s troops, its police and firefighters, teachers and others. Clinton says Americans don’t say, “I alone can fix it” but “we’ll fix it together.” She’s emphasizing her point by saying the Founding Fathers designed the Constitution so America would be a nation where no one person has all the power. 10:47 p.m. Hillary Clinton says she accepts the Democratic presidential nomination with “humility, determination and boundless confidence in America’s promise.” Clinton says the slogan “stronger together” that’s been featured in her campaign is a guiding principle for the country. She says it’ll help define a future with a healthy economy “for everyone, not just those at the top.” Clinton says it also means good schools for rich and poor, and safe communities. Clinton is recalling the book she wrote while she served as first lady. She says “It Takes a Village” envisions a country in which people work together to make “our nation better and stronger.” 10:44 p.m. Hillary Clinton says the United States has the most dynamic and diverse people in the world – and the most powerful military. So, she says, don’t let “anyone tell you that our country is weak.” Clinton is continuing a theme at the Democratic National Convention that seeks to counter Donald Trump’s starker vision. She also says the U.S. has the most innovative entrepreneurs and the most enduring values. “Don’t let anyone tell you we don’t have what it takes,” Clinton says. “We do.” 10:40 p.m. Hillary Clinton says she’d be an inclusive president. She says she wouldn’t build a wall or ban a religion. The Democratic nominee says she’d try to build an economy that benefits everyone and she’d work toward a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants. Clinton says she’d work with all Americans and the nation’s allies to fight terrorism. She says: “We are clear-eyed about what our country is up against. But we are not afraid.” 10:38 p.m. Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump has brought the Republican Party a long way – from “Morning in America” to “Midnight in America.” The Democratic presidential candidate says the Trump “wants us to fear the future and fear each other.” “It’s morning in America” was an optimistic line from a famous political ad aired by Ronald Reagan. Clinton is asking whether Trump would stay true to the phrase on the country’s seal – “E Pluribus Unum,” or out of many, we are one. And her take? “We heard Donald Trump’s answer last week at his convention. He wants to divide us – from the rest of the world, and from each other.” She says President Franklin Roosevelt‘s famous words are the perfect rebuke: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” 10:36 p.m. Hillary Clinton says she’s heard the views of Bernie Sanders‘ steadfast supporters and says their cause is her cause. She’s giving her presidential acceptance speech at the Democratic convention after a hard-fought race with the Vermont senator. She’s praising Sanders for putting economic and social justice issues “front and center” – where she says they belong. And she tells Sanders’ supporters the country needs their “ideas, energy and passion.” She’s asking them to move forward and turn their platform into “real change for America.” 10:33 p.m. Hillary Clinton is returning the praise she has received all week from leading Democrats. Clinton is delivering her acceptance speech for the Democratic presidential nomination. She’s thanking President Barack Obama and says she’s a better person because of Obama’s friendship. She has kind words for first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and her running mate, Tim Kaine. Clinton says people are “soon going to understand” why Kaine is so popular in Virginia, which he represents in the Senate. She says Kaine will make the “whole country proud as our vice president.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Chelsea Clinton joins bid to win Bernie Sanders backers
The Latest on the Democratic National Convention and 2016 presidential campaign. (all times EDT): 10:22 p.m. Chelsea Clinton is joining in the effort to woo Bernie Sanders‘ supporters. The former first daughter says her mother, Hillary Clinton, is a progressive and a fighter. Clinton says her mom will fight to protect the planet, stop gun violence, overhaul the criminal justice system and work to secure human rights abroad. The list is aimed at winning over reluctant liberals who haven’t yet let go of Sanders’ primary bid. Clinton says her mother “always believes we can do better, if we come together.” 10:16 p.m. Chelsea Clinton is offering a daughter’s view of her mom’s life work. The former first daughter says she’s had a “front-row seat” to watch how Hillary Clinton serves. She’s describing her mom as a diligent public servant who looks for solutions and dives into policy. Chelsea Clinton tells the Democratic convention in Philadelphia on Thursday that she’s seen her mom surrounded by “stack of memos and reports” to review policy. And she’s seen her promise struggling mothers she’d do all she could to help them. Chelsea Clinton says she’s learned this from her mom: “Public service is about service.” 10:12 p.m. Chelsea Clinton tells the Democratic convention that her mother has always made her feel “valued and loved,” and she says Hillary Clinton wants that for every child. The younger Clinton calls that desire “the calling of her life.” She’s introducing the former secretary of state, who’s set to formally accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency on Thursday night. Chelsea Clinton notes that her parents “expected me to have opinions” – and that they taught her “to back them up with facts.” 10:10 p.m. Hillary Clinton may not be a typical grandma, but she’s a doting one. That’s how daughter Chelsea Clinton is describing her mom as she introduces the presidential candidate at the Democratic convention. Chelsea Clinton says her mother will drop everything to FaceTime her 2-year-old granddaughter Charlotte – even if she’s about to walk on stage for a debate or campaign speech. Chelsea Clinton says her mom will pause “for a few minutes of blowing kisses and reading ‘Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo.’” 9:55 p.m. Katy Perry isn’t afraid to get political. The pop star prefaced her Democratic convention performance with a message for her young fans: Get out and vote. Perry says the election is a chance to be as powerful as a National Rifle Association lobbyist – or a chance to cancel out what she’s calls “your weird cousin’s vote.” Perry notes she’s been campaigning for Hillary Clinton since the Iowa caucuses. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
