theguardian--2020-08-25--Trump's allies and family rally to his defense on first night of Republican convention – as it happe

Trump's allies and family rally to his defense on first night of Republican convention – as it happened

That ’ s it from us tonight .
The Guardian team will be back tomorrow with more coverage of the Republican National Convention .
Here are the key takeaways from the night : • Republicans delivered a dark , Trumpian message centered on the alleged dangers of electing Joe Biden as president .
Despite party leaders ’ promises to paint an optimistic vision about the future of the country , Republicans instead attempted to scare voters into supporting Trump by pushing baseless claims that Democrats would “ disarm you , empty the prisons , lock you in your home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , as Florida congressman Matt Gaetz said .
• The convention kept fact-checkers busy as the RNC peddled falsehoods about the coronavirus pandemic .
Republicans praised Trump ’ s response to the pandemic and accused Democrats and the media of failing to recognize the threat posed by coronavirus , even though the president has said as recently as this month that the virus “ will go away ” .
Health experts dismissed Republicans ’ presentation as “ all propaganda ” .
• Trump made multiple appearances at the convention through pre-taped videos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the event .
Despite the president ’ s criticism of Democrats for including many pre-taped videos in their convention last week , Trump appeared in two such segments tonight .
Considering Republicans did not craft a party platform for the convention , the president ’ s repeated appearances underscored that this week is certain to become “ the Trump Show ” .
• Nikki Haley tried to walk the line between embracing Trump and promoting her own vision for the future .
The former UN ambassador began her speech by celebrating Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Obama administration of disastrous inaction .
But Haley , who previously served as the South Carolina governor , then pivoted to calling for a more inclusive America .
Haley praised her home state for removing the Confederate flag from the state capitol in 2015 , which seemed to be at odds with Trump ’ s repeated criticisms of Nascar for banning the Confederate flag from races .
• Republicans copied elements of the Democratic convention .
Certain segments and speakers of Monday ’ s programming appeared to be a direct response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A Democratic state legislator explained why he was supporting Trump , an obvious attempt to counter prominent Republicans ’ endorsements of Biden last week .
A father who lost his daughter in the Parkland shooting also addressed the convention on Monday , a week after another Parkland father spoke at the Democratic convention .
• Kimberly Guilfoyle was mocked by critics for her loud and enthusiastic speech , which was delivered to an empty room .
Guilfoyle , who serves as a senior adviser to the Trump campaign , shouted much of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Korean propaganda lady ” and a SoulCycle instructor .
• Senator Tim Scott attracted praise for his hopeful speech , which clashed with the overall dark tone of the evening .
Scott , the only Black Republican in the Senate , explained his belief in the American dream , noting that his own grandfather was forced to leave school in the third grade to pick cotton .
“ Our family went from cotton to Congress in one lifetime , ” Scott said .
“ And that ’ s why I believe the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last.
” Thanks for following along with our convention coverage and remember to return tomorrow , as the RNC continues .

Joan E Greve in Washington DC and Maanvi Singh

25 Aug 2020 06.10 BST Key takeaways from the first night of the Republican convention That’s it from us tonight. The Guardian team will be back tomorrow with more coverage of the Republican National Convention. Here are the key takeaways from the night: Republicans delivered a dark, Trumpian message centered on the alleged dangers of electing Joe Biden as president. Despite party leaders’ promises to paint an optimistic vision about the future of the country, Republicans instead attempted to scare voters into supporting Trump by pushing baseless claims that Democrats would “disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home, and invite MS-13 to live next door”, as Florida congressman Matt Gaetz said.
Despite party leaders’ promises to paint an optimistic vision about the future of the country, Republicans instead attempted to scare voters into supporting Trump by pushing baseless claims that Democrats would “disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home, and invite MS-13 to live next door”, as Florida congressman Matt Gaetz said. The convention kept fact-checkers busy as the RNC peddled falsehoods about the coronavirus pandemic. Republicans praised Trump’s response to the pandemic and accused Democrats and the media of failing to recognize the threat posed by coronavirus, even though the president has said as recently as this month that the virus “will go away”. Health experts dismissed Republicans’ presentation as “all propaganda”.
Republicans praised Trump’s response to the pandemic and accused Democrats and the media of failing to recognize the threat posed by coronavirus, even though the president has said as recently as this month that the virus “will go away”. Health experts dismissed Republicans’ presentation as “all propaganda”. Trump made multiple appearances at the convention through pre-taped videos, ensuring he will remain the star of the event. Despite the president’s criticism of Democrats for including many pre-taped videos in their convention last week, Trump appeared in two such segments tonight. Considering Republicans did not craft a party platform for the convention, the president’s repeated appearances underscored that this week is certain to become “the Trump Show”.
Despite the president’s criticism of Democrats for including many pre-taped videos in their convention last week, Trump appeared in two such segments tonight. Considering Republicans did not craft a party platform for the convention, the president’s repeated appearances underscored that this week is certain to become “the Trump Show”. Nikki Haley tried to walk the line between embracing Trump and promoting her own vision for the future. The former UN ambassador began her speech by celebrating Trump’s foreign policy agenda and accusing the Obama administration of disastrous inaction. But Haley, who previously served as the South Carolina governor, then pivoted to calling for a more inclusive America. Haley praised her home state for removing the Confederate flag from the state capitol in 2015, which seemed to be at odds with Trump’s repeated criticisms of Nascar for banning the Confederate flag from races.
The former UN ambassador began her speech by celebrating Trump’s foreign policy agenda and accusing the Obama administration of disastrous inaction. But Haley, who previously served as the South Carolina governor, then pivoted to calling for a more inclusive America. Haley praised her home state for removing the Confederate flag from the state capitol in 2015, which seemed to be at odds with Trump’s repeated criticisms of Nascar for banning the Confederate flag from races. Republicans copied elements of the Democratic convention. Certain segments and speakers of Monday’s programming appeared to be a direct response to the Democrats’ convention last week. A Democratic state legislator explained why he was supporting Trump, an obvious attempt to counter prominent Republicans’ endorsements of Biden last week. A father who lost his daughter in the Parkland shooting also addressed the convention on Monday, a week after another Parkland father spoke at the Democratic convention.
Certain segments and speakers of Monday’s programming appeared to be a direct response to the Democrats’ convention last week. A Democratic state legislator explained why he was supporting Trump, an obvious attempt to counter prominent Republicans’ endorsements of Biden last week. A father who lost his daughter in the Parkland shooting also addressed the convention on Monday, a week after another Parkland father spoke at the Democratic convention. Kimberly Guilfoyle was mocked by critics for her loud and enthusiastic speech, which was delivered to an empty room. Guilfoyle, who serves as a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, shouted much of her speech, prompting comparisons to a “North Korean propaganda lady” and a SoulCycle instructor.
Guilfoyle, who serves as a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, shouted much of her speech, prompting comparisons to a “North Korean propaganda lady” and a SoulCycle instructor. Senator Tim Scott attracted praise for his hopeful speech, which clashed with the overall dark tone of the evening. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, explained his belief in the American dream, noting that his own grandfather was forced to leave school in the third grade to pick cotton. “Our family went from cotton to Congress in one lifetime,” Scott said. “And that’s why I believe the next American century can be better than the last.” Thanks for following along with our convention coverage and remember to return tomorrow, as the RNC continues.
Updated at 06.27 BST
25 Aug 2020 05.51 BST The Biden campaign’s Latino Media Director Jennifer Molina offered this rebuke of the RNC: “Congratulations to the Trump campaign on finding the small handful of Latino voters still supporting him after a disastrous four years for the Latino community.” The DNC also drew criticism for not involving more Latino speakers, and for excluding Julián Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development secretary under Obama and the only Latino Democratic presidential candidate in 2020. This year, there are 32m Latino eligible voters, per the Pew Research Center. Molina noted: “Under Trump’s watch, Latinos have been devastated by COVID, a crumbling economy, anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies that have separated families and needlessly divided Americans. Tonight’s program was thin on solutions for the challenges facing Latinos.” – Maanvi Singh
25 Aug 2020 05.43 BST In some non-convention news, Jacob Blake is reportedly in stable condition after being shot multiple times by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the Blake family, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the father of six remains in stable condition. “At this point, we’re still waiting for the facts to be confirmed,” Crump said. “But we know what we saw in that video, and it was clearly an excessive use of force that was shocking and outrageous and devastating and nobody’s more devastated than his three sons.” A video of the shooting appears to show Kenosha police repeatedly shooting Blake while his back is turned. Wisconsin deploys national guard amid protests over police shooting Read more
25 Aug 2020 05.37 BST More fact checks from tonight... Donald Trump: “I didn’t back down from my promises, and I’ve kept every single one.” Fact check: Per a Politifact tally, Trump has kept 24% of his promises. Donald Trump: “We’re taking good care of our postal workers. We’re not getting rid of any of our postal workers, you know ... If anyone does it’s the Democrats, not the Republicans.” Fact check: The USPS under Trump donor Louis DeJoy, earlier this month announced planning to seek early retirements of non-union employees. It only suspended an initiative to cut work hours for postal workers after public scrutiny. – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 05.56 BST
25 Aug 2020 05.21 BST Notably, tonight, the Republicans offered few specific platforms of their own, choosing instead to keep the focus on bashing Democrats policies. While the DNC adopted an official party platform last week, the RNC won’t be doing the same. This year, the RNC has resolved that it “enthusiastically supports President Trump and continues to reject the policy positions of the Obama-Biden Administration” and “will adjourn without adopting a new platform until the 2024 Republican National Convention”. – Maanvi Singh
25 Aug 2020 05.10 BST Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Fox News – Trump’s darling network – and other news channels during tonight’s RNC. Hannity bragged that Fox News was the only network that will show you all of the RNC when at that very moment it was the only network that was NOT showing you (well, it was showing it in a window, with no sound) the RNC. pic.twitter.com/5QZyBdPHP2 — Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) August 25, 2020 – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 05.18 BST
25 Aug 2020 05.04 BST A few quickfire fact checks from tonight: Nikki Haley: “They want to ban fracking.” Fact check: Biden and Harris’ climate plan would not ban fracking, though it would end new leases for fracking on federal land. Donald Trump Jr: “Courtesy of the Chinese Communist Party, the virus struck.” Fact check: Though the virus first flared up in China, genome evidence suggests that most people in New York caught the virus from travelers from Europe. Steve Scalise: “Joe Biden has embraced the left’s insane mission to defund [police].” Fact check: He has not and it is not a part of Biden’s platform. – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 05.09 BST
25 Aug 2020 04.50 BST Biden’s campaign attacked the Republicans for failing to provide any plans to contain the coronavirus crisis during tonight’s convention. Kate Bedingfield, the campaign’s deputy manager, said:
If you tuned into the Republican convention tonight looking for some indication from President Trump that he has a strategy to contain the coronavirus, you’re still waiting. Instead, what you heard tonight was a parade of dark and divisive fear-mongering designed to distract from the fact that Donald Trump does not have an affirmative case to make to the American people about why he should be re-elected. The truth is that his failed leadership has needlessly cost over 177,000 Americans their lives, tens of millions of Americans their jobs, and left the United States the hardest hit country by the pandemic in the whole world. Yet six months into this crisis, he still doesn’t have what Joe Biden proposed months ago: a plan to get us out. – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 05.06 BST
25 Aug 2020 04.47 BST Today’s roster of speakers included two rising stars of the Republican party – Nikki Haley and Tim Scott. Haley, who was initially critical of Trump (she said in 2015, when she was governor of South Carolina, that he represents “everything a governor doesn’t want in a president”) has come a long way in delivering a full-throated endorsement today. She also used the opportunity to set herself up as a 2024 presidential candidate – providing a personal biography and outlining her vision for the country’s future. – Maanvi Singh
25 Aug 2020 04.31 BST In the lead up to the RNC, Republicans struggled to pin down an attack against the Biden/Harris ticket, alternatively painting them as radicals, and socialists who want to defund the police (they are not and do not) but also as candidates too tough on crime. That waffling continued tonight.
Vernon Jones, a Georgia state representative, lauded Trump for delivering a “historic criminal justice reform” and decried Democrats’ reform efforts in the same speech. – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 04.34 BST
25 Aug 2020 04.25 BST Senator Tim Scott received some praise for his convention speech, with many fellow Republicans saying he offered an uplifting message about America’s future. Reflecting on how his grandfather was forced to leave school after third grade to pick cotton, Scott said, “Our family went from cotton to Congress in one lifetime. And that’s why I believe the next American century can be better than the last.” Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said Scott’s speech was “authentic” and “the most effective” of the night. "I think the most effective speech of the night by far was Tim Scott...the content that Tim spoke about was reaching out to beyond just the base of our party," @ChrisChristie says after the first night of #RNC2020. https://t.co/SLOF32ABAG
"It was authentic." pic.twitter.com/zFB6MjAqVd — ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) August 25, 2020
Updated at 04.38 BST
25 Aug 2020 04.14 BST The conservative-leaning website Drudge Report summarized the first night of the Republican convention with the headline: Trump or doom. Drudge succinctly summing up the RNC argument tonight. pic.twitter.com/lBLx9jvC5m — Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) August 25, 2020 Heading into the convention, Republicans promised to offer a promising vision for the future of the country, but the night was dominated by dark warnings about the alleged dangers of electing Joe Biden president.
Updated at 04.20 BST


theguardian--2020-08-25--RNC night one: Republicans argue only Trump can save America

Republicans have used the first night of their national convention to issue dark warnings about the future of America , arguing that re-electing Donald Trump is the only way to save the country from falling into socialism , economic ruin , violence and anarchy .
Monday night ’ s theme was officially the “ land of promise , ” but the collection of speeches offered an almost apocalyptic vision of what ’ s at stake in November ’ s elections , and a dizzying array of misleading claims .
“ They ’ ll disarm you , empty the prisons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ street gang ] MS-13 to live next door , ” the congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida said of the Democrats in his speech , likening the prospect to a “ horror movie ” .
“ The same socialist policies which destroyed places like Cuba and Venezuela must not take root in our cities and our schools , ” Trump campaign senior adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle warned in a loud , inflammatory speech to an empty room .
Directly lifting a line from the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ’ s stump speech , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s son Donald Trump Jr , said : “ This election is a battle for the soul of America .
Your choice is clear.
” Guilfoyle described Democrats as focused on enslaving Americans to their liberal ideology “ to the point that you won ’ t recognize the country yourself ” .
While Biden has moved to the left during his presidential campaign , he is regarded as a moderate within the party , and spent much of the Democratic convention last week touting his support among anti-Trump Republicans .
Other featured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compassionate man who succeeded through his first term in office in the face of “ radical ” Democrats and the media , both presented as the president ’ s coordinated enemies hellbent on blocking his initiatives .
Mark and Patricia McCloskey , a white St Louis couple facing charges for brandishing guns at peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters , gave a pre-recorded speech , in which they baselessly accused Democrats of “ protecting criminals from honest citizens ” and trying to “ abolish the suburbs ” .
The dark tone was apparent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the convention would be about hope and light but so far most of the speeches are extreme fear porn ” , one veteran Republican presidential campaign operative told the Guardian .
A video of Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic featured multiple Democratic governors complimenting Trump and the federal government , editing out the fierce criticism of the administration ’ s response from those same speakers .
Trump has been criticized for playing down the pandemic , and saying the coronavirus – which has killed more than 175,000 people in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by far – will eventually just “ disappear ” .
Voters have increasingly viewed the president ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in a negative light .
A new Gallup poll found that just 36 % of Americans surveyed approve of how he ’ s handled the pandemic while 63 % disapproved .
As the night wore on the more high profile speakers took aim at Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris .
“ Joe Biden and the Democrats are still blaming America first .
Donald Trump is putting America first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as our president , ” the former UN ambassador Nikki Haley said , who is seen as a potential Republican presidential candidate for the 2024 election .
“ President Trump brought our economy back before , and he will bring it back again.
” One of the most common warnings throughout the night was about cancel culture -the blanket censorship of public figures .
Haley said Trump “ knows that political correctness and ‘ cancel culture ’ are dangerous and just plain wrong ” .
“ Joe Biden and the radical left are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech and want to bully us into submission , ” Trump Jr argued in his speech , again to an empty room .
“ If they get their way , it will no longer be the ‘ silent majority ’ , it will be the ‘ silenced majority ’ .
” The South Carolina senator Tim Scott warned “ Make no mistake : Joe Biden and Kamala Harris want a cultural revolution .
A fundamentally different America.
” The DNC included speeches from Republicans as a way to try and woo over moderates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
But most of the RNC addresses on Monday were aimed at revving up the Republican base .
Trump himself has been more focused on that throughout his re-election campaign , hoping that an energized conservative electorate can overpower any broader coalition backing Biden .
The convention had some of the same elements as the Democratic national convention last week , including a short taped version of the roll call across America , testimonials from average Americans and the president interacting with people affected by the pandemic .
But it also featured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which sometimes fell flat without the usual audience responses .
The format of the convention changed several times over recent months as the coronavirus crisis worsened .
But despite health concerns , more than 300 cheering Republicans convened in Charlotte , North Carolina , on Monday to officially nominate Trump as the party ’ s presidential candidate .
In a preview of what was to come later in the evening , Trump claimed without evidence that the Democrats were attempting to “ steal ” the election .
“ The only way they can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if this is a rigged election , ” Trump told the 336 delegates in the hall , who had traveled to the convention from the 50 states and US territories .
“ They ’ re trying to steal the election.
” The majority of speakers at a political nominating convention such as the RNC or the Democratic national convention are usually current or former elected officials .
But this year many of the speakers are celebrities for the conservative wing of the party .
Over the next four days the RNC is poised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican party ’ s complete shift over to a political party centered on Trump .
The revised party platform for the convention this year is just an expression of support for the president ’ s second-term agenda .
And none of the featured speakers at the convention are Republicans who have strongly dissented with Trump – a few , like the former Arizona senator Jeff Flake , have instead endorsed Biden .
Usually former presidents attend their party ’ s nominating convention , but former president George W Bush , the only living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or offering a taped video .
All three former living Democratic presidents participated in last week ’ s Democratic national convention .
Both national and statewide polling has shown Trump trailing Biden and although polls have recently tightened , Biden came out of his party ’ s convention with a polling bump .
Trump and his aides are hoping the convention will help shift both Trump ’ s approval numbers and the national spotlight in the president ’ s favor .

Republicans have used the first night of their national convention to issue dark warnings about the future of America, arguing that re-electing Donald Trump is the only way to save the country from falling into socialism, economic ruin, violence and anarchy.
Monday night’s theme was officially the “land of promise,” but the collection of speeches offered an almost apocalyptic vision of what’s at stake in November’s elections, and a dizzying array of misleading claims.
“They’ll disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home and invite [street gang] MS-13 to live next door,” the congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida said of the Democrats in his speech, likening the prospect to a “horror movie”.
“The same socialist policies which destroyed places like Cuba and Venezuela must not take root in our cities and our schools,” Trump campaign senior adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle warned in a loud, inflammatory speech to an empty room.
01:33 Kimberly Guilfoyle shouts much of her Republican national convention speech – video
Directly lifting a line from the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s stump speech, Guilfoyle, whose partner is the president’s son Donald Trump Jr, said: “This election is a battle for the soul of America. Your choice is clear.”
Guilfoyle described Democrats as focused on enslaving Americans to their liberal ideology “to the point that you won’t recognize the country yourself”.
While Biden has moved to the left during his presidential campaign, he is regarded as a moderate within the party, and spent much of the Democratic convention last week touting his support among anti-Trump Republicans.
Other featured speakers described the incumbent president as a compassionate man who succeeded through his first term in office in the face of “radical” Democrats and the media, both presented as the president’s coordinated enemies hellbent on blocking his initiatives.
Mark and Patricia McCloskey, a white St Louis couple facing charges for brandishing guns at peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters, gave a pre-recorded speech, in which they baselessly accused Democrats of “protecting criminals from honest citizens” and trying to “abolish the suburbs”.
The dark tone was apparent to political operatives.
02:15 St Louis couple filmed threatening Black Lives Matter protesters speak at RNC – video
The “campaign said the convention would be about hope and light but so far most of the speeches are extreme fear porn”, one veteran Republican presidential campaign operative told the Guardian.
A video of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic featured multiple Democratic governors complimenting Trump and the federal government, editing out the fierce criticism of the administration’s response from those same speakers.
Trump has been criticized for playing down the pandemic, and saying the coronavirus – which has killed more than 175,000 people in the US, more than any other country by far – will eventually just “disappear”.
Voters have increasingly viewed the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in a negative light. A new Gallup poll found that just 36% of Americans surveyed approve of how he’s handled the pandemic while 63% disapproved.
As the night wore on the more high profile speakers took aim at Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.
The Republican national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
“Joe Biden and the Democrats are still blaming America first. Donald Trump is putting America first. And he deserves four more years as our president,” the former UN ambassador Nikki Haley said, who is seen as a potential Republican presidential candidate for the 2024 election. “President Trump brought our economy back before, and he will bring it back again.”
One of the most common warnings throughout the night was about cancel culture -the blanket censorship of public figures. Haley said Trump “knows that political correctness and ‘cancel culture’ are dangerous and just plain wrong”.
“Joe Biden and the radical left are also now coming for our freedom of speech and want to bully us into submission,” Trump Jr argued in his speech, again to an empty room. “If they get their way, it will no longer be the ‘silent majority’, it will be the ‘silenced majority’.”
The South Carolina senator Tim Scott warned “Make no mistake: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris want a cultural revolution. A fundamentally different America.”
The DNC included speeches from Republicans as a way to try and woo over moderates and Republicans who don’t support Trump. But most of the RNC addresses on Monday were aimed at revving up the Republican base. Trump himself has been more focused on that throughout his re-election campaign, hoping that an energized conservative electorate can overpower any broader coalition backing Biden.
The convention had some of the same elements as the Democratic national convention last week, including a short taped version of the roll call across America, testimonials from average Americans and the president interacting with people affected by the pandemic. But it also featured more live addresses over pre-recorded videos, which sometimes fell flat without the usual audience responses.
The format of the convention changed several times over recent months as the coronavirus crisis worsened. But despite health concerns, more than 300 cheering Republicans convened in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday to officially nominate Trump as the party’s presidential candidate.
In a preview of what was to come later in the evening, Trump claimed without evidence that the Democrats were attempting to “steal” the election.
“The only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election,” Trump told the 336 delegates in the hall, who had traveled to the convention from the 50 states and US territories. “They’re trying to steal the election.”
02:28 Donald Trump accuses Democrats of plot to 'steal' election at Republican convention – video
The majority of speakers at a political nominating convention such as the RNC or the Democratic national convention are usually current or former elected officials. But this year many of the speakers are celebrities for the conservative wing of the party.
Over the next four days the RNC is poised to be the latest example of the Republican party’s complete shift over to a political party centered on Trump. The revised party platform for the convention this year is just an expression of support for the president’s second-term agenda. And none of the featured speakers at the convention are Republicans who have strongly dissented with Trump – a few, like the former Arizona senator Jeff Flake, have instead endorsed Biden.
Usually former presidents attend their party’s nominating convention, but former president George W Bush, the only living former Republican president, is not attending or offering a taped video. All three former living Democratic presidents participated in last week’s Democratic national convention.
Both national and statewide polling has shown Trump trailing Biden and although polls have recently tightened, Biden came out of his party’s convention with a polling bump. Trump and his aides are hoping the convention will help shift both Trump’s approval numbers and the national spotlight in the president’s favor.


theguardian--2020-08-25--RNC 2020: a two-hour glimpse into the upside-down world of Trump TV

There was once a theory that Donald Trump ’ s first run for president was a merely a stunt to help him launch his own TV network .
On Monday the world finally got two and a half ghoulish hours of Trump TV .
It was a lesson in the medium ’ s power in the art of make believe , especially of the Soviet kind .
The first night of the Trump national convention – sorry , Republican national convention – was proof how the 166-year-old party of Lincoln , Eisenhower and Reagan has become a personality cult .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ absolute monarch as if competing to outdo one another for obsequious sycophancy .
There is no Republican policy platform this year other than “ the party ’ s strong support for President Donald Trump and his administration ” .
Trump TV had two other crucial components .
One was the type of propaganda that would make Fox News blush and had fact checkers scrambling , for example a selectively edited video segment on the coronavirus pandemic that trashed Democrats , claimed , “ One leader took decisive action to save lives , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s repeated predictions that the virus will “ just disappear ” nor his suggestion that patients be injected with disinfectant .
Only on the upside down Trump TV channel could a Covid-19 death toll of more than 175,000 – far higher than any other country in the world – be an argument for reelection .
The other predictable theme was pornographic scaremongering about Democratic candidate Joe Biden and – in an endlessly repeated phrase – “ the radical left ” .
Despite Trump ’ s promise that the evening ’ s programming would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , speakers portrayed the prospect of a Biden victory as the stuff of dystopian nightmares , sometimes with racist overtones .
Charlie Kirk , 26 , of the student group Turning Point USA , set the tone early on by describing Trump as “ the bodyguard of western civilisation ” under mortal threat .
But it was Kimberly Guilfoyle , partner of Trump ’ s son Don Jr and former Fox News host , who stole the show with a high-octane audition for Evita – without an audience .
Standing in Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , scene of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin ’ s wedding in 2018 , Guilfoyle screamed into the void about Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris : “ They want to destroy this country and everything we have fought for and hold dear .
They want to steal your liberty , your freedom .
They want to control what you see and think and believe so that they can control how you live .
“ They want to enslave you to the weak , dependent , liberal victim ideology to the point where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yourself.
” It was about as different as could be imagined from Michelle Obama ’ s calm , intimate address exactly one week earlier at the Democratic address .
But it had a similarly dramatic message : whereas Obama and her husband framed the election as Trump versus democracy , the Republican pitch this week is America versus socialism .
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina , the last speaker of the night , said : “ Joe Biden ’ s radical Democrats are trying to permanently transform what it means to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Joe Biden and Kamala Harris want a cultural revolution .
A fundamentally different America .
If we let them … they will turn our country into a socialist utopia … and history has taught us that path only leads to pain and misery , especially for hard-working people hoping to rise.
” This was spoken in a tone more moderate than Guilfoyle ’ s so may have been more convincing to some .
It also came from the only African American Republican in the Senate .
There was a very obvious effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is racist .
Former football player Herschel Walker , who is African American said : “ It hurt my soul to hear the terrible names that people called Donald : The worst one is ‘ racist ’ .
I take it as a personal insult that people would think I ’ ve had a 37-year friendship with a racist .
People who think that don ’ t know what they ’ re talking about .
Growing up in the deep south , I ’ ve seen racism up close .
I know what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t Donald Trump.
” There were also contributions from Black Trump supporters Kim Klacik , a Maryland congressional candidate , and Georgia state representative Vernon Jones .
In another counter-punch , Nikki Haley , the former ambassador to the UN , told how she was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants .
“ In much of the Democratic party , it ’ s now fashionable to say that America is racist .
That is a lie .
America is not a racist country.
” Such efforts were undermined , however , by Mark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who waved guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home in St Louis , Missouri .
Their job was to voice Trump ’ s racist obsession with America ’ s suburbs , supposedly being under threat of invasion , violent crime and total destruction .
Sitting in a faux European medieval mansion , they knew how to push buttons .
Mark warned : “ The radicals are not content just marching in the streets .
They want to walk the halls of Congress .
They want power .
This is Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who will be in charge.
” Patty addded : “ They are not satisfied with spreading the chaos and violence into our communities , they want to abolish the suburbs altogether by ending single-family home zoning .
This forced rezoning would bring crime , lawlessness and low-quality apartments into thriving suburban neighborhoods .
President Trump smartly ended this government overreach , but Joe Biden wants to bring it back .
“ These are the policies that are coming to a neighborhood near you .
So make no mistake : no matter where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be safe in the radical Democrats ’ America.
” Republicans struggled with the pandemic-enforced virtual format more than Democrats .
Shots of Trump supporters in every state had a rushed look as if hastily commissioned in response to the Democrats ’ moving roll call last week .
There was soaring music and clips of monuments and memorials glowing at sunset and yet more stars and stripes .
Whereas Biden was seen last week at virtual roundtables with guests on TV screens , Trump was able to host Covid-19 front line workers and freed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House ( they did not wear masks and barely physically distanced ) .
But the speeches , delivered in that empty auditorium with six colossal fluted Roman doric columns and draped in giant stars and stripes , rang hollow without the “ Make America great again ” crowd cheers , chanting and , of course , booing of perceived enemies .
Trump Jr , who feeds off crowd adulation like his father , struggled to throw red meat to an empty room .
He accused the left of trying to “ cancel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Joe Biden and the radical left are also now coming for our freedom of speech and want to bully us into submission .
If they get their way , it will no longer be the ‘ silent majority ’ , it will be the ‘ silenced majority , ’ ” – a comment met with deafening silence .
None of it was likely to win over wavering independents .
This was a festival of fear aimed squarely at the base .
It ’ s Trump ’ s party now : Republicans just @ @ @ @ @ @ @

There was once a theory that Donald Trump’s first run for president was a merely a stunt to help him launch his own TV network. On Monday the world finally got two and a half ghoulish hours of Trump TV. It was a lesson in the medium’s power in the art of make-believe, especially of the Soviet kind.
The first night of the Trump national convention – sorry, Republican national convention – was proof how the 166-year-old party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan has become a personality cult. Speaker after speaker paid homage to the absolute monarch as if competing to outdo one another for obsequious sycophancy.
There is no Republican policy platform this year other than “the party’s strong support for President Donald Trump and his administration”.
Trump TV had two other crucial components. One was the type of propaganda that would make Fox News blush and had factcheckers scrambling, for example a selectively edited video segment on the coronavirus pandemic that trashed Democrats, claimed, “One leader took decisive action to save lives,” and made no reference to Trump’s repeated predictions that the virus will “just disappear” nor his suggestion that patients be injected with disinfectant.
Only on the upside-down Trump TV channel could a Covid-19 death toll of more than 175,000 – far higher than any other country in the world – be an argument for re-election.
The other predictable theme was pornographic scaremongering about the Democratic candidate Joe Biden and – in an endlessly repeated phrase – “the radical left”. Despite Trump’s promise that the evening’s programming would contain “something very uplifting and positive”, speakers portrayed the prospect of a Biden victory as the stuff of dystopian nightmares, sometimes with racist overtones.
Charlie Kirk, 26, of the student group Turning Point USA, set the tone early on by describing Trump as “the bodyguard of western civilisation” under mortal threat. But it was Kimberly Guilfoyle, partner of Trump’s son Don Jr and a former Fox News host, who stole the show with a high-octane audition for Evita – without an audience.
01:33 Kimberly Guilfoyle shouts much of her Republican national convention speech – video
Standing in Washington’s cavernous Andrew W Mellon Auditorium, scene of the treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin’s wedding in 2018, Guilfoyle screamed into the void about Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris: “They want to destroy this country and everything we have fought for and hold dear. They want to steal your liberty, your freedom. They want to control what you see and think and believe so that they can control how you live.
“They want to enslave you to the weak, dependent, liberal victim ideology to the point where you will not recognize this country or yourself.”
It was about as different as could be imagined from Michelle Obama’s calm, intimate address exactly one week earlier at the Democratic address. But it had a similarly dramatic message: whereas Obama and her husband framed the election as Trump versus democracy, the Republican pitch this week is America versus socialism.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the last speaker of the night, said: “Joe Biden’s radical Democrats are trying to permanently transform what it means to be an American.
“Make no mistake: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris want a cultural revolution. A fundamentally different America. If we let them … they will turn our country into a socialist utopia … and history has taught us that path only leads to pain and misery, especially for hard-working people hoping to rise.”
This was spoken in a tone more moderate than Guilfoyle’s so may have been more convincing to some. It also came from the only African American Republican in the Senate. There was a very obvious effort all night to counter charges that Trump is racist.
Former football player Herschel Walker, who is African American said: “It hurt my soul to hear the terrible names that people called Donald: The worst one is ‘racist’. I take it as a personal insult that people would think I’ve had a 37-year friendship with a racist. People who think that don’t know what they’re talking about. Growing up in the deep south, I’ve seen racism up close. I know what it is. And it isn’t Donald Trump.”
There were also contributions from black Trump supporters Kim Klacik, a Maryland congressional candidate, and Georgia state representative Vernon Jones. In another counter-punch, Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the UN, told how she was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. “In much of the Democratic party, it’s now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie. America is not a racist country.”
02:15 St Louis couple filmed threatening Black Lives Matter protesters speak at RNC – video
Such efforts were undermined, however, by Mark and Patty McCloskey, a white couple who waved guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home in St Louis, Missouri. Their job was to voice Trump’s racist obsession with America’s suburbs, supposedly being under threat of invasion, violent crime and total destruction.
Sitting in a faux European medieval mansion, they knew how to push buttons. Mark warned: “The radicals are not content just marching in the streets. They want to walk the halls of Congress. They want power. This is Joe Biden’s party. These are the people who will be in charge.”
Patty addded: “They are not satisfied with spreading the chaos and violence into our communities, they want to abolish the suburbs altogether by ending single-family home zoning. This forced rezoning would bring crime, lawlessness and low-quality apartments into thriving suburban neighborhoods. President Trump smartly ended this government overreach, but Joe Biden wants to bring it back.
“These are the policies that are coming to a neighborhood near you. So make no mistake: no matter where you live, your family will not be safe in the radical Democrats’ America.”
Republicans struggled with the pandemic-enforced virtual format more than Democrats. Shots of Trump supporters in every state had a rushed look as if hastily commissioned in response to the Democrats’ moving roll call last week.
There was soaring music and clips of monuments and memorials glowing at sunset and yet more Stars and Stripes. Whereas Biden was seen last week at virtual roundtables with guests on TV screens, Trump was able to host Covid-19 frontline workers and freed hostages in the grand setting of the White House (they did not wear masks and barely physically distanced).
But the speeches, delivered in that empty auditorium with six colossal fluted Roman doric columns and draped in giant Stars and Stripes, rang hollow without the “Make America great again” crowd cheers, chanting and, of course, booing of perceived enemies.
Trump Jr, who feeds off crowd adulation like his father, struggled to throw red meat to an empty room. He accused the left of trying to “cancel” the founding fathers, adding: “Joe Biden and the radical left are also now coming for our freedom of speech and want to bully us into submission. If they get their way, it will no longer be the ‘silent majority’, it will be the ‘silenced majority,’” – a comment met with deafening silence.
None of it was likely to win over wavering independents. This was a festival of fear aimed squarely at the base. It’s Trump’s party now: Republicans just happen to be living in it.


theguardian--2020-08-25--For once, the Trumps are only the Republicans' second most dysfunctional family | Marina Hyde

As the Republican national convention got under way last night , the party that has formed a personality cult around the personality of Donald Trump was treated to a speech from Don Jr. Say what you like about the polls , Junior ’ s mere presence sounded a note of optimism .
After all , nothing says “ hope ” like being asked to believe in a second Trump administration by a man whose beard can ’ t even make you believe in his jawline .
The show-fiend in me would have preferred a joint speech from Don Jr and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , one friend calls them – but it seems the Trump family plan to spread their fabled orators across the week .
Eric will be day-released from the attic tomorrow and gibber though something or other , his tamer cracking the whip warningly in the wings .
Ivanka will reportedly introduce her father on Thursday and hope he doesn ’ t try to hump her leg .
Though it never achieved the heights of basic coherence , Don Jr ’ s speech rose to an aspirational passage about Americans ’ desire for “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , his own family really is a fairytale .
Grimm .
It ’ s interesting the Trump children feel able to lecture on family values to America , the country the rest of the world used to think of as the great forerunner in the mainstreaming of psychotherapy .
You ’ d struggle to imagine any offspring less suited to the task , except perhaps those of Zeus .
“ Has anything happened since our last session , Persephone ?
” “ My father has committed another rape , this time in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet , in what may turn out to be a sign of the general oustering to come , the Trumps are suddenly not even the most dysfunctional family represented at their convention .
Quite a feat to be upstaged by an even more defective domestic unit , but undoubtedly , the Kellyanne-and-George Conways have managed it .
Are you familiar with the Sybil and Basil Fawlty of the post-truth era ?
A top presidential adviser , Kellyanne has finished second in the White House Lying Bee four years running , and is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump himself .
She doesn ’ t so much reapply as repoint .
Her husband , George , is a conservative lawyer who held a dignified silence on the Trump presidency for about 10 minutes , before – like most holders of dignified silences – giving way to hourly frothings , in this case about the president ’ s iniquities .
On Sunday , Kellyanne suddenly announced she ’ d be leaving the White House to focus on her family , while George declared he would be stepping back from anti-Trump campaign group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter “ hiatus ” .
( I always enjoy the Pooterish spectacle of adults announcing that they ’ re taking a break from Twitter , as opposed to simply taking a break from Twitter and accepting that the entire roiling shitpit will carry on quite unaffected with or without them . )
As for what ’ s brought all this on , it seems not unrelated to the Conways ’ four children , in particular their 15-year-old daughter ’ s furiously damaged forays on to social media over the past few months , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ emancipated ” from her parents .
You can see her point .
The Conways ’ partnership has long seemed less a marriage than an Asiatic land war – a kind of marital Helm ’ s Deep where even the bed linen had taken sides .
Both parties liked to tell themselves they were taking to the field in service of America , but increasingly America itself came off as merely a buffer state between these two warring spousal powers .
I think we were supposed to root for George on the basis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked for the far-right quarterwit who didn ’ t care about his own citizens being killed in various ways , or indeed about the rule of law .
Which shows you just how far one ’ s general expectations have been commuted in recent years .
And yet , it takes two to create a rolling tit-for-tat , and George ’ s slide into a social media narcissism that could only ever be read in terms of the family ’ s domestic life was a self-indulgence if not equal to Kellyanne ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If Kellyanne should have stopped her state-sponsored lying , then George should certainly have logged off too .
Yet because we mostly look the wrong way , it ’ s notable that for the past couple of years , all the Conway talk has been of what the couple really thought behind closed doors , or whether they were planning a joint book deal .
Will no one think of the children , the cliche asks ?
And the answer is always : no .
Certainly not their posturing parents , until the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talk about the Trump era ’ s malign self-absorption writ large , but it ’ s genuinely tragic to see it writ small .
It would be nice to think the Conways could heal their family after what they ’ ve put it through – but the stains they have inflicted will be hard to shift .
People spent a long time eagerly anticipating George and Kellyanne ’ s joint memoir .
Maybe they should wait for the children ’ s .

As the Republican national convention got under way last night, the party that has formed a personality cult around the personality of Donald Trump was treated to a speech from Don Jr. Say what you like about the polls, Junior’s mere presence sounded a note of optimism. After all, nothing says “hope” like being asked to believe in a second Trump administration by a man whose beard can’t even make you believe in his jawline.
The show-fiend in me would have preferred a joint speech from Don Jr and his brother Eric – Uday and Schmuday, one friend calls them – but it seems the Trump family plan to spread their fabled orators across the week. Eric will be day-released from the attic tomorrow and gibber through something or other, his tamer cracking the whip warningly in the wings. Ivanka will reportedly introduce her father on Thursday and hope he doesn’t try to hump her leg.
Though it never achieved the heights of basic coherence, Don Jr’s speech rose to an aspirational passage about Americans’ desire for “a perfect family”. And you know, his own family really is a fairytale. Grimm. It’s interesting the Trump children feel able to lecture on family values to America, the country the rest of the world used to think of as the great forerunner in the mainstreaming of psychotherapy. You’d struggle to imagine any offspring less suited to the task, except perhaps those of Zeus. “Has anything happened since our last session, Persephone?” “My father has committed another rape, this time in the form of a bull.”
And yet, in what may turn out to be a sign of the general oustering to come, the Trumps are suddenly not even the most dysfunctional family represented at their convention. Quite a feat to be upstaged by an even more defective domestic unit, but undoubtedly, the Kellyanne-and-George Conways have managed it.
Are you familiar with the Sybil and Basil Fawlty of the post-truth era? A top presidential adviser, Kellyanne has finished second in the White House Lying Bee four years running, and is the only person who wears more makeup than Trump himself. She doesn’t so much reapply as repoint. Her husband, George, is a conservative lawyer who held a dignified silence on the Trump presidency for about 10 minutes, before – like most holders of dignified silences – giving way to hourly frothings, in this case about the president’s iniquities.
On Sunday, Kellyanne suddenly announced she’d be leaving the White House to focus on her family, while George declared he would be stepping back from anti-Trump campaign group the Lincoln Project, and taking a Twitter “hiatus”. (I always enjoy the Pooterish spectacle of adults announcing that they’re taking a break from Twitter, as opposed to simply taking a break from Twitter and accepting that the entire roiling shitpit will carry on quite unaffected with or without them.)
As for what’s brought all this on, it seems not unrelated to the Conways’ four children, in particular their 15-year-old daughter’s furiously damaged forays on to social media over the past few months, culminating in a stated desire to be “emancipated” from her parents. You can see her point.
The Conways’ partnership has long seemed less a marriage than an Asiatic land war – a kind of marital Helm’s Deep where even the bed linen had taken sides. Both parties liked to tell themselves they were taking to the field in service of America, but increasingly America itself came off as merely a buffer state between these two warring spousal powers.
I think we were supposed to root for George on the basis he wasn’t the one who worked for the far-right quarterwit who didn’t care about his own citizens being killed in various ways, or indeed about the rule of law. Which shows you just how far one’s general expectations have been commuted in recent years. And yet, it takes two to create a rolling tit-for-tat, and George’s slide into a social media narcissism that could only ever be read in terms of the family’s domestic life was a self-indulgence if not equal to Kellyanne’s, then certainly accessory to it. If Kellyanne should have stopped her state-sponsored lying, then George should certainly have logged off too.
Yet because we mostly look the wrong way, it’s notable that for the past couple of years, all the Conway talk has been of what the couple really thought behind closed doors, or whether they were planning a joint book deal. Will no one think of the children, the cliche asks? And the answer is always: no. Certainly not their posturing parents, until the situation was absolutely desperate. We always talk about the Trump era’s malign self-absorption writ large, but it’s genuinely tragic to see it writ small.
It would be nice to think the Conways could heal their family after what they’ve put it through – but the stains they have inflicted will be hard to shift. People spent a long time eagerly anticipating George and Kellyanne’s joint memoir. Maybe they should wait for the children’s.


theguardian--2020-08-25--Donald Trump Jr calls Joe Biden 'Loch Ness monster' in Republican convention speech – video

Donald Trump Jr has attacked Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on the opening night of the Republican National Convention , @ @ @ @ @ 'the Loch Ness monster of the swamp ' and 'Beijing Biden ' .
Trump Jr @ @ @ @ @ making the case for his father 's reelection on the event 's first of four @ @ @ @ @ key takeaways from the first night of Republicans ' dark convention • Republicans argue only @ @ @ @ @ first night of convention • RNC 2020 : a two-hour glimpse into the upside-down world @ @ @

Donald Trump Jr has attacked Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on the opening night of the Republican National Convention, calling his father's rival 'the Loch Ness monster of the swamp' and 'Beijing Biden'. Trump Jr joined girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle in making the case for his father's reelection on the event's first of four nights


theguardian--2020-08-28--Ivanka Trump gives speech defending father, flanked by three siblings – RNC live

Alice Marie Johnson , whose life sentence was coommuted by Trump after Kim Kardashian advocated for her , has become @ @ @ @ @ president .
She appeared in a SuperBowl ad for Trump , and tonight delivered her @ @ @ @ @ she was released from prison , “ I remembered the promise I had made to @ @ @ @ @ left behind — that I would never stop fighting for them , ” said Johnson @ @ @ @ @ ’ t .
I ’ m using my voice to tell their stories .
And @ @ @ @ @ reminds you of those forgotten faces.
” The prison reformer vouced for Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ jarr against messaging at the RNC tonight that stoked fears about cities overrun with vioolence @ @ @ @ @

Joan E Greve in Washington and Maanvi Singh

28 Aug 2020 06.40 BST Key takeaways from the final night of the Republican convention That’s it from us tonight. Here are the key takeaways from the final night of the Republican convention: Trump repeatedly exaggerated and misrepresented his presidential record as he accepted the nomination. Several of the president’s falsehoods focused on coronavirus, as Trump sought to downplay the ongoing pandemic. The rosy picture painted by the president ignored the US coronavirus death toll of 180,000, which is far higher than that of any other country in the world. Despite Trump’s implications that the nation is past the worst of the pandemic, about 1,000 Americans are still dying of the virus each day.
Several of the president’s falsehoods focused on coronavirus, as Trump sought to downplay the ongoing pandemic. The rosy picture painted by the president ignored the US coronavirus death toll of 180,000, which is far higher than that of any other country in the world. Despite Trump’s implications that the nation is past the worst of the pandemic, about 1,000 Americans are still dying of the virus each day. Trump’s White House setting for his speech obliterated the line separating the official business of governing and the partisan politics of campaigning. Large screens displaying the Trump-Pence campaign logo were planted on either side of the White House portico, and more than 1,500 supporters, including Trump’s family and cabinet members, attended the event, which did not enforce social distancing or mask-wearing. Democrats and ethics experts decried the move, but Trump relished the moment. Veering off script briefly during his speech, he turned and gestured to the White House. “The fact is, we’re here and they’re not,” he said of the Democrats.
Large screens displaying the Trump-Pence campaign logo were planted on either side of the White House portico, and more than 1,500 supporters, including Trump’s family and cabinet members, attended the event, which did not enforce social distancing or mask-wearing. Democrats and ethics experts decried the move, but Trump relished the moment. Veering off script briefly during his speech, he turned and gestured to the White House. “The fact is, we’re here and they’re not,” he said of the Democrats. The convention continued its focus on “law and order” while largely ignoring the recent nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. Housing and urban development secretary Ben Carson was the only speaker on Thursday to mention Jacob Blake, an African American father of six who was repeatedly shot in the back by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A number of other speakers, including the president, instead used their remarks to condemn the “violent anarchists” marching against racism, even though the recent protests have been mostly peaceful.
Housing and urban development secretary Ben Carson was the only speaker on Thursday to mention Jacob Blake, an African American father of six who was repeatedly shot in the back by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A number of other speakers, including the president, instead used their remarks to condemn the “violent anarchists” marching against racism, even though the recent protests have been mostly peaceful. Average Americans delivered some of the most emotional and effective moments of the night. Ann Dorn captured the hearts of many viewers when she described how her husband, retired police captain David Dorn, was fatally shot amid unrest in St Louis, Missouri, earlier this year. The parents of Kayla Mueller, who was killed by Isis in 2015, delivered some of the most scathing criticism of the Obama-Biden administration. “If Donald Trump had been president when Kayla was captured, she would be here today,” Carl Mueller said.
Ann Dorn captured the hearts of many viewers when she described how her husband, retired police captain David Dorn, was fatally shot amid unrest in St Louis, Missouri, earlier this year. The parents of Kayla Mueller, who was killed by Isis in 2015, delivered some of the most scathing criticism of the Obama-Biden administration. “If Donald Trump had been president when Kayla was captured, she would be here today,” Carl Mueller said. America’s culture wars were once again front and center. In appeals that seemed aimed at suburban women and Christian conservatives, speaker after speaker warned of rising crime in cities run by Democrats. Trump also positioned himself as a warrior against “cancel culture”, which he described as a “far-left” phenomenon that means “decent Americans live in fear of being fired, expelled, shamed, humiliated, and driven from society as we know it”. But as president, Trump has routinely called for the firing of his critics or the boycott of companies and institutions that he disapproves of.
In appeals that seemed aimed at suburban women and Christian conservatives, speaker after speaker warned of rising crime in cities run by Democrats. Trump also positioned himself as a warrior against “cancel culture”, which he described as a “far-left” phenomenon that means “decent Americans live in fear of being fired, expelled, shamed, humiliated, and driven from society as we know it”. But as president, Trump has routinely called for the firing of his critics or the boycott of companies and institutions that he disapproves of. More of the president’s advisers and family members described his behind-the-scenes compassion, but they struggled to provide examples of such behavior. “President Trump is a kind and decent man,” Dan Scavino, one of Trump’s advisers said. “I wish you could be at his side with me to see his endless kindness to everyone he meets.” But Scavino then pivoted to attacking the media without elaborating about the president’s “kind and decent” character. Thanks for following along with our convention coverage for the past two weeks. Next up: the debates.
Updated at 07.54 BST
28 Aug 2020 06.31 BST Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly plans to resign due to his health. The Japanese outlet NHK reports: Abe Shinzo is scheduled to hold a news conference later in the day to explain his decision.
Abe has visited a hospital twice over the past two weeks, fuelling speculation that his health has deteriorated. This is the second time that Abe is to leave the post over a medical issue – stepping down in 2007, because of his inflammatory bowel disease, after only serving a year in office. The news may be disappointing to Trump, who has grown fond of the Japanese leader due to Abe’s repeated efforts to court the US president.
Updated at 06.43 BST
28 Aug 2020 06.26 BST A White House official, in response to a question from CNN’s Jim Acosta about concerns that the RNC gathering at the White House would amount to a coronavirus “super spreader” event, reportedly said: “Everybody is going to catch this thing eventually.” On the lack of social distancing or face masks at Trump’s #RNC2020 acceptance speech in the middle of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, a senior White House official tells @Acosta: “Everybody is going to catch this thing eventually.” 🤯 pic.twitter.com/0T5e6r3BSx — Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) August 28, 2020 The crowds gathered to hear Trump speak were not socially distanced, and many weren’t wearing face masks to slow the spread of Covid-19. – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 06.43 BST
28 Aug 2020 06.17 BST At tonight’s RNC, Ben Carson was the only speaker to mention Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old Black man who was shot multiple times by a Wisconsin police officer. While the convention carried on, Blake’s family revealed that he had been handcuffed to the hospital bed, even as he recovers from surgery. “I hate it that he was laying in that bed with the handcuff on to the bed,” his father said today. “He can’t go anywhere. Why do you have him cuffed to the bed?” “This is an insult to injury,” Blake’s uncle told CNN. “He is paralyzed and can’t walk and they have him cuffed to the bed. Why?” 'We've all had enough': Kenosha in anguish over Jacob Blake shooting Read more – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 06.44 BST
28 Aug 2020 06.02 BST Earlier today, four Latino advocacy groups circulated an “indictment” of the Republican party. “With Donald Trump’s election in 2016 and the near-total capitulation of Congressional Republicans to his party takeover, today’s Republican Party is the party of white nationalists,” the statement reads. UnidosUS Action Fund, Voto Latino, League of United Latin American Citizens (Lulac) and Mi Familia Vota asked Republicans “who still believe in a bigger tent, an inclusive and unified society” to “reject blind obedience” to Trumpism. “The Latino community is hurting because of the horrible mismanagement of this pandemic by Trump, his administration, and those in the Republican party who enable them,” added Hector Sanchez Barba, the CEO of Mi Familia Vota, in a statement. “We must say Basta Trump this election cycle.” While the RNC did make a pitch to Latino voters this week, speakers ignored the unequal toll of the coronavirus pandemic on Latino Americans. – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 06.15 BST
28 Aug 2020 05.51 BST One of the most striking moments tonight was Trump’s wistful retelling of colonization: Our American ancestors sailed across the perilous ocean to build a new life on a new continent. They braved the freezing winters, crossed the raging rivers, scaled the rocky peaks, trekked the dangerous forests, and worked from dawn till dusk. These pioneers didn’t have money, they didn’t have fame – but they had each other. They loved their families, they loved their country, and they loved their God! When opportunity beckoned, they picked up their Bibles, packed up their belongings, climbed into covered wagons, and set out west for the next adventure. Ranchers and miners, cowboys and sheriffs, farmers and settlers – they pressed on past the Mississippi to stake a claim in the wild frontier. Legends were born – Wyatt Earp, Annie Oakley, Davy Crockett, and Buffalo Bill. Americans built their beautiful homesteads on the open range. Soon they had churches and communities, then towns, and with time, great centers of industry and commerce. That is who they were. Americans build the future, we don’t tear down the past! The “ranchers and miners, cowboys and sheriffs, farmers and settlers” staked a claim on Native American land and “built their beautiful homesteads” on stolen land. – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 19.05 BST
28 Aug 2020 05.33 BST One moment of whiplash that stuck with me tonight: Just moments after Ja’Ron Smith made a direct pitch to Black voters, Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, made the case against statehood for Washington, DC – where about 45% of residents are Black. McConnell listed a series of liberal reforms and said they’d be codified into law if DC was able to send “two more liberal senators” to the capitol. – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 05.42 BST
28 Aug 2020 05.19 BST The Biden campaign’s response to the RNC: “Since the beginning of the Republican convention, at least 3,525 Americans have lost their lives to the coronavirus.” Once again, Biden for President deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield attacked the president’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Her statement continued: Over those four days — and for the last eight months — the American people have waited in exasperation for a plan to finally take control of the pandemic that has cost us 180,000 lives, infected almost six million, and thrown working families and our middle class into dire financial straits, but nothing came. – Maanvi Singh
28 Aug 2020 05.12 BST Trump’s speech tonight clocked in at 71 minutes, making it a few minutes shorter than the president’s 2016 convention speech. But the speech was the longest nomination acceptance speech ever delivered by a presidential incumbent, beating out Bill Clinton’s 1996 speech by three minutes. To clarify, at 1 hour, 11 minutes, he blew past Clinton's "bridge to the future" 1996 speech for longest post-WWII acceptance address by an incumbent president. Beat Clinton by 3 minutes — George Condon (@georgecondon) August 28, 2020
Updated at 05.19 BST
28 Aug 2020 05.09 BST Some of the most dissonant, contradictory messages at the RNC this week were about criminal justice and policing – and Trump’s speech exemplified that. Trump sought to highlight Joe Biden’s involvement in the infamous Crime Bill, and cast him as part of a “radical left” that wants to defund the police (he does not). The president touted his own record on criminal justice and prison reform and riled the crowd up by championing “10 years in prison” for activists who tear down Confederate statues. – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 05.18 BST
28 Aug 2020 05.00 BST FACT CHECK “Biden has promised to abolish the production of American oil, coal, shale, and natural gas,” Trump said. “These same policies led to crippling power outages in California just last week.” Biden wants to ban new fracking permits, not all fracking. The electrical outages in California were the result of residents pumping up their ACs all at once amid a searing heatwave, the state’s largest electrical grid manager said. But energy experts said the outages may have been unnecessary. And regardless, while California has invested in wind and solar power, it’s also still one of the nation’s top oil-producing states. Read my explainer here: Governor demands investigation after Californians left without power in extreme heat Read more – Maanvi Singh
Updated at 05.06 BST
28 Aug 2020 04.59 BST The impressive fireworks show at the Washington Monument included a display of “Trump” and “2020”.
Post-speech fireworks that say “Trump 2020” pic.twitter.com/KKyLHqE6Ay — Peter Stevenson (@PeterStevenson) August 28, 2020 The display felt familiar to one Washington Post journalist who wrote a book about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Oh hey just as an aside, this is what happens during military parades in North Korea: Kim Jong Un has his name spelled out in huge letters pic.twitter.com/Za93CCpZbd — Anna Fifield (@annafifield) August 28, 2020
Updated at 05.05 BST
28 Aug 2020 04.52 BST Two Fox News anchors said they were underwhelmed with Trump’s convention speech tonight. “Surprising flat” and “didn’t seem to have the bite that he usually does have in his speeches,” Fox News’ Chris Wallace says in panning Trump’s RNC address. “Chris has a point,” Brit Hume added. “The speech was very long.” — Christopher Cadelago (@ccadelago) August 28, 2020 Anchor Chris Wallace said the speech was “surprisingly flat” and lacked “the bite” that Trump’s remarks usually have. One of Wallace’s colleagues, Brit Hume, agreed that the 70-minute speech was “very long”. The comments were even more noteworthy given that Wallace praised Joe Biden’s speech last week as “enormously effective”. Trouble for Trump as Fox News praises 'enormously effective' Biden speech Read more
Updated at 05.04 BST
28 Aug 2020 04.45 BST Ethics expert Norm Eisen described Trump’s convention speech at the White House as “the greatest mass Hatch Act transgression in US history”. Do you know what I see?
Literally thousands of Hatch Act violations— one for every federal official who helped with or participated in this revolting display. The greatest mass Hatch Act transgression in US history.
Even the fireworks are a violation. pic.twitter.com/7xQbTMKoyo — Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) August 28, 2020 The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from participating in certain political activities. The president and the vice-president are exempt from the Hatch Act, but every other administration official who participated in tonight’s events at the White House is not exempt.
Updated at 05.05 BST
28 Aug 2020 04.42 BST Republican convention comes to an end With the president’s speech concluded, the Republican convention has now come to an end. The blog will have more reactions and analysis coming up, so stay tuned.


theguardian--2020-08-28--Trump to paint Biden as a radical in Republican convention speech

Donald Trump plans to offer a blistering critique of his Democratic rival Joe Biden , painting the nominee as radical and extreme , as he accepts the Republican presidential nomination in a speech on Thursday night .
Trump ’ s address is the main event of the party ’ s national convention .
Over the past four days , speakers at the convention have included White House aides to Trump , his family members , and a few statewide elected politicians .
Broadly they have argued that Biden is a leftist radical that would bring ruination to the country and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop it .
“ We have spent the last four years reversing the damage Joe Biden inflicted over the last 47 years .
At the Democrat convention , you barely heard a word about their agenda .
But that ’ s not because they don ’ t have one , ” Trump is expected to say , according to remarks first reported by Politico .
“ It ’ s because their agenda is the most extreme set of proposals ever put forward by a major party nominee.
” Trump will deliver his speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police shooting of Jacob Blake , a black man who was repeatedly shot in front of his children and left paralyzed by police in Kenosha , Wisconsin , on Sunday .
The shooting has sparked a wave of anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests across the country .
Trump and his campaign have charged again and again that Biden is a “ socialist ” and liberal extremist who wants to defund police across the country and supports a Medicare for All healthcare plan championed by the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders .
Both are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding for police forces .
He also does not support shifting the country ’ s healthcare programs to a universal healthcare system .
In his speech , Trump is expected to portray himself as a president focused on law and order .
During the protests across the country , Trump has expressed support for law enforcement using tougher tactics .
He has dispatched federal law enforcement and military officials to cities experiencing protests , which has served to inflame tensions .
Trump has used those moves to contrast himself as a president serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned that a Biden presidency would see mass chaos and protests in major American cities .
But Biden himself has pointed out that the dire description Trump has described is actually what ’ s going on now : high unemployment , violence across the country , and a federal government struggling to get a handle on national issues .
“ The violence you ’ ve seen is in Donald Trump ’ s administration .
Donald Trump ’ s America , ” Biden said during a fundraiser Thursday afternoon .
Trump , Mike Pence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that under Trump the economy has only improved , foreign terrorists have been defeated , and the coronavirus pandemic is an afterthought .
But the US defense department says Isis has not been entirely defeated ; tens of millions remain unemployed ; and more than 180,000 people have died from Covid-19 , far more than in any other country .
Despite the pandemic , Trump is expected to deliver his speech in front of a large audience without social distancing measures in place .
Trump has made some kind of appearance every night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lines between campaigning and governing , and raising ethics concerns .
But Trump aides , including his chief of staff , have denied allegations that the president and his team violated the Hatch Act , which bars federal employees from conducting political activity while on duty .
Besides Trump , the Arkansas senator Tom Cotton and Trump ’ s attorney Rudy Giuliani delivered speeches .
Ivanka Trump was due to speak before her father .
Speakers throughout the evening focused their remarks mostly on law and order and race .
Trump was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African Americans and police officers across the country while Democratic-run cities were presented as examples of what would happen if Biden retook power .
Giuliani , the former New York mayor , used his speech to paint a portrait of an America on the verge of anarchy , and accused New York current mayor Bill De Blasio of allowing protests and crime to spiral .
“ Today , my city is in shock .
Murders , shootings , and violent crime are increasing in percentages never heard of in the past , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crime is down under de Blasio , the annual number of murders is around half the number it was under Giuliani .
“ These continuous riots in Democratic cities gives a good view ” of a Biden administration , Giuliani claimed .
He ended by saying “ Mr President , make our nation safe again !
” In a taped speech , senate majority leader , Mitch McConnell , described Trump as his friend , and framed himself as a midwestern champion leading the defense of the Senate from Democrats .
“ Today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to improve life for middle America , ” McConnell said in the video , going on to say “ we are the firewall against Nancy Pelosi ’ s agenda ” .
Unlike most speakers this week , Trump ’ s housing secretary Ben Carson directly addressed Blake ’ s shooting , starting his remarks by saying “ our hearts go out to the Blake family ” before launching into a full throated defense of Trump on the African American community .
“ Before the pandemic African American unemployment was at an all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a somewhat misleading statement .
“ At this point in time President Trump is the man with the courage , the vision , and the ability to keep it shining brightly.
” The RNC has notably lacked some key party figures and the presence of the last Republican president , George W Bush .
Meanwhile , Democrats ’ convention included speeches by former Republican elected officials who have emerged as outspoken critics of the president .
On Thursday morning , aides to the previous two Republican nominees for president , the late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Romney , released statements endorsing Biden .
The Biden campaign hopes that support will motivate moderates and Republicans to support the centrist Democrat .
Earlier on Thursday , the Democratic vice-presidential nominee , Kamala Harris , delivered a scathing rebuke of the Trump administration ’ s handling of the pandemic .
“ The Republican convention is designed for one purpose : to soothe Donald Trump ’ s ego , to make him feel good , ” Harris said .
“ But here ’ s the thing : he ’ s the president of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not supposed to be about him .
It ’ s supposed to be about the health and the safety and the wellbeing of the American people .
”

Against a backdrop of a global pandemic, heightened racial tensions, and widespread unemployment, Donald Trump framed his Democratic rival Joe Biden as the real danger to the country’s safety and economic welfare in his address to the Republican convention on Thursday.
Accepting the party’s presidential nomination ahead of November’s elections, Trump argued for more than an hour that his administration had accomplished everything it had set out to do and warned that a Biden presidency could be ruinous.
“This is the most important election in the history of our country,” Trump told an audience of about 1,500 supporters and officials on the South Lawn of the White House, raising concerns over the ethics of holding a political rally at the site, and over the apparent lack of social distancing measures.
“At no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies, or two agendas.”
Trump went on to excoriate the Democratic party and argue that the choice for voters is between a “law and order” president who has a record of unmatched accomplishments, and a “socialist” opposition party and “radical” candidate eager to bring anarchy to the streets.
“Your vote will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans, or whether we give free rein to violent anarchists, agitators, and criminals who threaten our citizens,” Trump said.
“And this election will decide whether we will defend the American way of ‘life, or whether we allow a radical movement to completely dismantle and destroy it.
“At the Democrat national convention, Joe Biden and his party repeatedly assailed America as a land of racial, economic and social injustice,” Trump said. “So tonight, I ask you a very simple question: how can the Democrat party ask to lead our country when it spends so much time tearing down our country?”
Trump delivered his speech in front of a line of flags on a stage at the White House, a decision that raised questions over whether doing so would be violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty. Though the president is exempt from that law, government officials are not.
“It certainly breaches any norms for just good government, the idea of mixing politics with government resources,” Daniel Jacobson, a former Obama administration attorney, told the Guardian.
Trump’s remarks were the capstone of a night during which speakers focused on national security and policing, describing the country as rife with chaos and lawlessness in the streets because of Democratic leadership.
Speakers also repeatedly stressed that Trump was a longstanding friend of the African American community and minorities. Most speakers of color at the convention devoted significant portions of their speeches to stressing that Trump is not a racist.
Few mentioned the coronavirus pandemic, which has left more than 180,000 Americans dead and more than 5.8m infected, far more than any other country in the world. “If we had listened to Joe, hundreds of thousands more Americans would have died,” Trump claimed, ignoring widespread criticism of his administration’s response to the pandemic.
“I did what our political establishment never expected and could never forgive, breaking the cardinal rule of Washington politics,” Trump said. “I kept my promises.”
Trump has kept about half of his 2016 campaign pledges, according to Politifact. Earlier in the campaign cycle Trump struggled when directly asked what he would do if elected to a second term in office, but laid some plans out on Thursday.
Trump promised, if re-elected, to create 10m jobs within the first year of his second term. He said more police would be hired and more judges appointed, and he promised to defend social security and protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions, despite his administration’s moves to weaken those programs during his current term.
03:48 Protesters try to drown out Donald Trump's acceptance speech on last day of RNC – video highlights
He promised to reduce taxes and cut regulations “at levels not seen before”, adding: “We will fully restore patriotic education to our schools, and always protect free speech on college campuses.” He also said the country would land a woman on the moon, and “the United States will be the first nation to plant a flag on Mars”.
Trump delivered his speech amid heightened tensions across the country over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who was repeatedly shot in front of his children and left paralyzed by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday. The shooting has sparked another wave of anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests across the country.
Though the protests have been largely peaceful, Trump condemned “rioting, looting, arson and violence” that he said had taken hold in Democratic-run cities, but did not mention Blake by name.
Trump and his campaign have charged again and again that Biden is a “socialist” and liberal extremist who wants to defund police across the country and supports a government-run Medicare for All healthcare plan championed by the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders. Both are untrue, and Biden is seen as a moderate in the party.
Biden himself has pointed out that the dire picture Trump has described is actually what’s going on now, during his time in office.
“The violence you’ve seen is in Donald Trump’s administration. Donald Trump’s America,” Biden said on Thursday.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump arrive on the South Lawn of the White House on the fourth day of the Republican national convention on Thursday. Photograph: Doug Mills/AP
Trump, Mike Pence and other speakers have also argued that under Trump the economy has only improved, foreign terrorists have been defeated and the coronavirus pandemic is an afterthought. But the US defense department says Isis has not been entirely defeated; tens of millions remain unemployed; and Covid-19 is still claiming hundreds of lives every day.
Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and White House adviser, gave the most effusive speech of the evening,.
“My father isn’t deterred by defeatist thinkers. The word impossible, well it only motivates him. Donald Trump rejects the cynical notion that our biggest accomplishments are behind us,” she said.
Besides the Trumps, the Arkansas senator Tom Cotton and Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani delivered speeches.
Former New York mayor and Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani seen on a video screen addressing the final night of the Republican national convention. Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters
Giuliani, the former New York mayor, used his speech to paint a portrait of an America on the verge of anarchy, and accused New York’s current mayor, Bill de Blasio, of allowing protests and crime to spiral.
“Today, my city is in shock. Murders, shootings and violent crime are increasing in percentages never heard of in the past,” Giuliani claimed. In reality, serious crime is down under De Blasio, the annual number of murders is around half the number it was under Giuliani.
“These continuous riots in Democratic cities gives a good view” of a Biden administration, Giuliani claimed. He ended by saying: “Mr President, make our nation safe again!”
In a taped speech, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, described Trump as his friend, and framed himself as a midwestern champion leading the defense of the Senate from Democrats.
“Today’s Democratic party doesn’t want to improve life for middle America,” McConnell said in the video, going on to say “we are the firewall against Nancy Pelosi’s agenda”.
Unlike most speakers this week, Trump’s housing secretary, Ben Carson, directly addressed Blake’s shooting, starting his remarks by saying “our hearts go out to the Blake family” before launching into a full-throated defense of Trump on the African American community.
“Before the pandemic African American unemployment was at an all-time low,” Carson said, in a somewhat misleading statement. “At this point in time President Trump is the man with the courage, the vision, and the ability to keep it shining brightly.”
The RNC has notably lacked some key party figures and the presence of the last Republican president, George W Bush. Meanwhile, Democrats’ convention included speeches by former Republican elected officials who have emerged as outspoken critics of the president.
On Thursday morning, aides to the previous two Republican nominees for president, the late John McCain and the Utah senator Mitt Romney, released statements endorsing Biden. The Biden campaign hopes that support will motivate moderates and Republicans to support the centrist Democrat.
Earlier on Thursday, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, delivered a scathing rebuke of the Trump administration’s handling of the pandemic.
“The Republican convention is designed for one purpose: to soothe Donald Trump’s ego, to make him feel good,” Harris said. “But here’s the thing: he’s the president of the United States, and it’s not supposed to be about him. It’s supposed to be about the health and the safety and the wellbeing of the American people.”
Thursday night’s events ended with Trump and his family standing on the stage in front of the White House balcony listening to a band play Ave Maria, another norm-shattering piece of Trump’s convention.


theguardian--2020-08-28--Kamala Harris delivers scorching rebuke of Trump's Covid response ahead of his RNC speech – as it ha

Kamala Harris delivers scorching rebuke of Trump's Covid response ahead of his RNC speech – as it happened

Fundraisers , messages of support and celebratory memes for the alleged Kenosha , Wisconsin , mass shooter are being shared widely on Facebook and Instagram , despite the company ’ s assurance on Wednesday that it was working to enforce its policy banning content that “ praises , supports , or represents ” mass shooters .
Hundreds of Facebook posts and memes featuring the phrase “ Free Kyle ” or “ Free Kyle Rittenhouse ” had garnered more than 70,000 interactions as of Thursday morning .
Many of the posts include stills captured from videos of Rittenhouse carrying his assault @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shooting .
On Thursday morning , Joshua Feuerstein , an Evangelical Christian social media influencer best known for a viral video in which he complained about Starbucks ’ red holiday cups , shared a meme showing a photo of Rittenhouse during the shooting with the slogan , “ I stand with Kyle Rittenhouse ” .
“ SHARE THIS BEFORE THEY TAKE IT DOWN AGAIN !
” Feuerstein wrote to his 2.6 million fans .
His fans responded , sharing the image more than 3,700 times over about two hours before the image was @ @

Lois Beckett, Joan E Greve in Washington, Tom McCarthy and Martin Belam

28 Aug 2020 01.41 BST Evening summary We’re wrapping up our daily live politics coverage for this evening, but you can continue to follow our live highlights from tonight’s Republican National convention speeches. A summary of key news from this afternoon and early evening: At least four people have died from Hurricane Laura, according to the Louisiana governor’s office. The four fatalities, which included a 14-year-old girl in Vernon parish. all resulted from falling trees. A spokesperson for the governor warned the death toll was likely to rise.
according to the Louisiana governor’s office. The four fatalities, which included a 14-year-old girl in Vernon parish. all resulted from falling trees. A spokesperson for the governor warned the death toll was likely to rise. The New York Mets and Miami Marlins walked off the field together tonight, choosing not to play in a coordinated protest in support of Black Lives Matter. They left a Black Lives Matter t-shirt draped over home plate.
choosing not to play in a coordinated protest in support of Black Lives Matter. They left a Black Lives Matter t-shirt draped over home plate. Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Illinois, faces homicide charges in the shooting deaths of both Anthony Huber , 26, and Joseph “Jojo” Rosenbaum , 36, at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday. Both victims were Kenosha area locals. Rittenhouse also faces a charge for being too young to legally possess the rifle he allegedly used in the killings.
faces homicide charges in the shooting deaths of both , 26, and , 36, at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday. Both victims were Kenosha area locals. Rittenhouse also faces a charge for being too young to legally possess the rifle he allegedly used in the killings. Despite Facebook’s ban on content supporting mass murderers, fundraisers and posts praising Rittenhouse for killing two people have spread widely on the social media website, with some calling his victims “commies” and other posters openly defying Facebook’s rules and urging their followers to share the posts before they are deleted.
fundraisers and posts praising Rittenhouse for killing two people have spread widely on the social media website, with some calling his victims “commies” and other posters openly defying Facebook’s rules and urging their followers to share the posts before they are deleted. Jacob Blake’s uncle told a journalist that his family is furious that Blake, shot seven times and reportedly paralyzed, has been handcuffed to his hospital bed.
28 Aug 2020 01.23 BST Jacob Blake has been handcuffed to his hospital bed, family members say Wesley Lowery interviewed the uncle of Jacob Blake today. One of the things he emphasized in the interview, Lowery reports: One thing the family is particularly upset about — the uncle just gave me a call to make sure I had noted this in our interview — is that Jacob Blake, shot seven times and paralyzed, has been handcuffed to his hospital bed. — Wesley (@WesleyLowery) August 27, 2020 Blake’s father has also been speaking out: Jacob Blake is handcuffed to his hospital bed, his dad says, and authorities won't say what he's been arrested for or charged with https://t.co/f2MHMErLCs — Nader Issa (@NaderDIssa) August 27, 2020
Updated at 01.39 BST
28 Aug 2020 01.14 BST White House correspondent highlights Trump’s attacks on trans rights As the Trump campaign debuts an LGBTQ coalition, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, one of the most influential journalists covering the White House, is highlighting Trump’s record of attacks on trans rights: 1. Restarting a thread to articulate the point clearer - the president's allies on the right act as if he is somehow not responsible for his own attacks on transgender rights, and as if he's somehow not responsible for things the Trump Justice Department does... — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 27, 2020 7. Then there is the specific targeting of transgender rights as a wedge to separate out the broader coalition. https://t.co/xtMO14cj6A — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 27, 2020 8. Trump was quiet throughout Pride Month, which was filled with significant moments for the LGBTQ community. It is only now, 2 months before an election in which he is scrambling to find people to add to his column of voters, that the campaign has rolled out an LGBTQ coalition. — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 27, 2020
27 Aug 2020 00.44 BST Despite ban, praise for alleged Kenosha shooter is being shared widely on Facebook Julia Carrie Wong Fundraisers, messages of support and celebratory memes for the alleged Kenosha, Wisconsin, mass shooter are being shared widely on Facebook and Instagram, despite the company’s assurance on Wednesday that it was working to enforce its policy banning content that “praises, supports, or represents” mass shooters. Hundreds of Facebook posts and memes featuring the phrase “Free Kyle” or “Free Kyle Rittenhouse” had garnered more than 70,000 interactions as of Thursday morning. Many of the posts include stills captured from videos of Rittenhouse carrying his assault rifle before, during and after the shooting. On Thursday morning, Joshua Feuerstein, an Evangelical Christian social media influencer best known for a viral video in which he complained about Starbucks’ red holiday cups, shared a meme showing a photo of Rittenhouse during the shooting with the slogan, “I stand with Kyle Rittenhouse”. “SHARE THIS BEFORE THEY TAKE IT DOWN AGAIN!” Feuerstein wrote to his 2.6 million fans. His fans responded, sharing the image more than 3,700 times over about two hours before the image was removed. Read the full story: Praise for alleged Kenosha shooter proliferates on Facebook despite supposed ban Read more
27 Aug 2020 00.39 BST Mets, Marlins walk off field in Black Lives Matter protest The New York Mets and Miami Marlins, two major league baseball teams, jointly walked off the field after a moment of silence, draping a Black Lives Matter T-shirt across home plate as they chose not to start their scheduled game Thursday night, the Associated Press reported. After a moment of silence, the Mets and the Marlins have left the field.
The only thing remaining on the field is a Black Lives Matter shirt. pic.twitter.com/t7QfWwofOS — SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2020 https://twitter.com/SNYtv/status/1299124375225073669 pic.twitter.com/XVV1pLYNAh — SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2020 Mets outfielder Dominic Smith — a Black man who wept Wednesday night while discussing the shooting by police of a Black man in Wisconsin over the weekend — then led New York onto the field. Players took their positions, then reserves and coaches filed out of both dugouts and stood silently for 42 seconds. Both teams then left the field, leaving only the black T-shirt at home plate. It was not immediately clear if the Mets and Marlins planned to resume their game.