theguardian--2020-08-21--Trouble for Trump as Fox News praises 'enormously effective' Biden speech

Under pressure on the last day of the Democratic convention , Joe Biden “ hit a home run ” with an “ enormously effective ” speech that blew “ a big hole ” in Donald Trump ’ s efforts to paint him as a mentally faltering captive of his party ’ s left wing .
And that was to hear Fox News hosts Dana Perino and Chris Wallace tell it .
“ It was a very good speech , ” added Karl Rove , a Republican strategist respected and reviled on either side of the aisle .
Democratic hopes were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accept the presidential nomination on Thursday night , he might deliver the kind of speech to get voters nodding their heads instead of nodding off , and cable pundits talking about “ momentum ” .
Broadcast to tens of millions , Biden ’ s speech marked the first truly national moment of the 2020 campaign , with the formal conclusion of the Democratic primary on one hand , and the first clear picture of the presidential showdown – Biden v Trump , Uncle Joe v Maga Don – on the other .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would avoid the kind of verbal slips the Trump campaign has been using eagerly , if ironically given their own candidate ’ s cha-chas with incoherence , to attack him .
But when Biden was done speaking on Thursday in Wilmington , Delaware , with one arm around Dr Jill Biden , fireworks in the background and his smile as wide as the country , Democrats were not alone in realizing that their nominee had not only connected – he had nailed it .
“ I went in there with expectations of adequate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the park , ” said longtime Republican strategist Mike Murphy , a harsh Trump critic , on an overnight podcast Hacks on Tap .
“ It was so authentic to who Biden is , and … it caught the mood of the country , which is unity , steady , competence , ‘ We can rise above this ’ .
“ I thought Biden had the moment of his life , and he ought to feel really good about that.
” Trump sought to steal Biden ’ s big moment with campaign stops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scranton , Pennsylvania , that afternoon .
After a speech at an airstrip the president visited a pizza parlor , where he was filmed hoisting a pie , without a face mask , as staff members , all wearing masks , snapped photos and waved excitedly .
“ They supposedly have the best pizza , ” Trump told reporters .
“ We ’ ll let you know in about a half-hour.
” Alert on Friday morning to a need to nip Biden ’ s moment in the bud , the Trump campaign deployed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where he argued that Biden , a known quantity in Washington for 50 years , was a lurking socialist .
“ It ’ s a choice between President Trump ’ s record and agenda of freedom and opportunity , versus a Democrat agenda driven by the radical left and Joe Biden ’ s vision that will result in socialism and decline for America , ” Pence told Fox News .
In reply to criticism by Biden of Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus , Pence demonstrated the extraordinary ability of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The president keeps telling us the virus is going to disappear , ” Biden said in his speech .
“ He keeps waiting for a miracle .
Well , I have news for him , no miracle is coming.
” Pence told CNN : “ We think there is a miracle around the corner.
” The biggest near-term opportunity for Trump and Republicans to draw a contrast with Biden will be through their own convention , which is scheduled to begin on Monday with more in-person , physical elements than the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans to accept the nomination on the grounds of the White House on Thursday , in apparent violation of laws requiring that political campaigning be kept separate from the conduct of office .
The president and vice-president are exempt from the law , but broad party participation in such a major campaign event is inevitable .
Trump has invited most Republican lawmakers ( though not Senator Mitt Romney , who voted for his impeachment and removal from office ) to the White House lawn to watch his speech .
The campaign plans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Unlike Democrats , Republicans also plan to convene delegates in-person in Charlotte , North Carolina .
Trump had unconfirmed plans to visit the 336 delegates on Monday , although the Democratic governor of the state has led an effort to ensure that Republicans abide by public health guidelines .
“ We were not going to let the governor ’ s partisan politics come between us and our commitment to North Carolina , ” Ronna McDaniel , chair of the Republican National Committee – and Romney ’ s niece – told the New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump announced earlier this summer that the convention would be moved to Florida , where a Republican governor had proposed no coronavirus restrictions .
A large Covid-19 outbreak in that state returned the event to Charlotte .
With the force of his speech on Thursday night , Biden , 77 , was seen as implicitly rebutting Trump ’ s accusation that he had lost a step .
But Biden ’ s rebuttal of Trump ’ s other attack – that the former vice-president and six-term senator is a Trojan horse for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explicit .
“ While I will be a Democratic candidate , I will be an American president , ” Biden said .
“ I will work as hard for those who didn ’ t support me as I will for those who did .
That ’ s the job of a president .
To represent all of us , not just our base or our party.
” Biden appeared to have won some converts .
“ Joe wows critics , ” the Drudge Report , usually a clearinghouse for the most astringent conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Under pressure on the last day of the Democratic convention, Joe Biden “hit a home run” with an “enormously effective” speech that blew “a big hole” in Donald Trump’s efforts to paint him as a mentally faltering captive of his party’s left wing.
And that was to hear Fox News hosts Dana Perino and Chris Wallace tell it.
“It was a very good speech,” added Karl Rove, a Republican strategist respected and reviled on either side of the aisle.
Democratic hopes were riding high that when Biden rose to accept the presidential nomination on Thursday night, he might deliver the kind of speech to get voters nodding their heads instead of nodding off, and cable pundits talking about “momentum”.
Broadcast to tens of millions, Biden’s speech marked the first truly national moment of the 2020 campaign, with the formal conclusion of the Democratic primary on one hand, and the first clear picture of the presidential showdown – Biden v Trump, Uncle Joe v Maga Don – on the other.
At a minimum, Democrats hoped, Biden would avoid the kind of verbal slips the Trump campaign has been using eagerly, if ironically given their own candidate’s cha-chas with incoherence, to attack him.
But when Biden was done speaking on Thursday in Wilmington, Delaware, with one arm around Dr Jill Biden, fireworks in the background and his smile as wide as the country, Democrats were not alone in realizing that their nominee had not only connected – he had nailed it.
“I went in there with expectations of adequate, and he knocked it out of the park,” said longtime Republican strategist Mike Murphy, a harsh Trump critic, on an overnight podcast Hacks on Tap. “It was so authentic to who Biden is, and … it caught the mood of the country, which is unity, steady, competence, ‘We can rise above this’.
“I thought Biden had the moment of his life, and he ought to feel really good about that.”
Trump sought to steal Biden’s big moment with campaign stops outside Biden’s home town of Scranton, Pennsylvania, that afternoon. After a speech at an airstrip the president visited a pizza parlor, where he was filmed hoisting a pie, without a face mask, as staff members, all wearing masks, snapped photos and waved excitedly.
“They supposedly have the best pizza,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll let you know in about a half-hour.”
Donald Trump supporters await his arrival in Scranton, Joe Biden’s home town. Photograph: Chris Tuite/Rex/Shutterstock
Alert on Friday morning to a need to nip Biden’s moment in the bud, the Trump campaign deployed Vice-President Mike Pence on five morning shows, where he argued that Biden, a known quantity in Washington for 50 years, was a lurking socialist.
“It’s a choice between President Trump’s record and agenda of freedom and opportunity, versus a Democrat agenda driven by the radical left and Joe Biden’s vision that will result in socialism and decline for America,” Pence told Fox News.
In reply to criticism by Biden of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, Pence demonstrated the extraordinary ability of the two parties to talk past one another.
“The president keeps telling us the virus is going to disappear,” Biden said in his speech. “He keeps waiting for a miracle. Well, I have news for him, no miracle is coming.”
Pence told CNN: “We think there is a miracle around the corner.”
The biggest near-term opportunity for Trump and Republicans to draw a contrast with Biden will be through their own convention, which is scheduled to begin on Monday with more in-person, physical elements than the all-virtual Democratic event.
05:13 DNC 2020: from emotional speeches backing Biden to fiery warnings on Trump – video highlights
Controversially, Trump plans to accept the nomination on the grounds of the White House on Thursday, in apparent violation of laws requiring that political campaigning be kept separate from the conduct of office.
The president and vice-president are exempt from the law, but broad party participation in such a major campaign event is inevitable. Trump has invited most Republican lawmakers (though not Senator Mitt Romney, who voted for his impeachment and removal from office) to the White House lawn to watch his speech. The campaign plans to set off fireworks on the National Mall.
Unlike Democrats, Republicans also plan to convene delegates in-person in Charlotte, North Carolina. Trump had unconfirmed plans to visit the 336 delegates on Monday, although the Democratic governor of the state has led an effort to ensure that Republicans abide by public health guidelines.
“We were not going to let the governor’s partisan politics come between us and our commitment to North Carolina,” Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee – and Romney’s niece – told the New York Times.
That commitment had wavered. Trump announced earlier this summer that the convention would be moved to Florida, where a Republican governor had proposed no coronavirus restrictions. A large Covid-19 outbreak in that state returned the event to Charlotte.
With the force of his speech on Thursday night, Biden, 77, was seen as implicitly rebutting Trump’s accusation that he had lost a step. But Biden’s rebuttal of Trump’s other attack – that the former vice-president and six-term senator is a Trojan horse for the terrors of “socialism” – was explicit.
“While I will be a Democratic candidate, I will be an American president,” Biden said. “I will work as hard for those who didn’t support me as I will for those who did. That’s the job of a president. To represent all of us, not just our base or our party.”
Biden appeared to have won some converts. “Joe wows critics,” the Drudge Report, usually a clearinghouse for the most astringent conservative messaging, exclaimed on Friday morning.
Its banner headline? “Biden Barn Burner”.


theguardian--2020-08-21--The Guardian view on the US Democrats: Biden seized his moment | Editorial

There have never been two campaign gatherings like this week ’ s US Democratic convention and next week ’ s Republican one .
Stripped to their essentials by the coronavirus pandemic , the 2020 conventions can not match the energy of normal years .
Yet the big speech by the presidential candidate at the convention remains a defining campaign moment , and this year is no different .
The greater severity imposed by the virtual convention is also appropriate .
For this is not a normal US election year .
It is one in which the central contest between Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future of the United States and the world like few others .
Because of the constraints , the Democratic convention lacked true razzmatazz .
In that respect it was tailor-made for Mr Biden ’ s decent , stubborn but markedly unexciting political message .
And yet the lack of glitz had certain advantages .
It meant that the nightly coverage offered to American voters this week was more serious-minded .
The televised broadcasts were full of ordinary people ’ s video accounts of what they are going through as a result of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ format also meant that Mr Biden could use his acceptance speech to cut to the chase about the issues at stake in November ’ s election , rather than play up the rhetoric that would have been expected in a packed hall .
In any case , Barack Obama had powerfully supplied that form of oratory the previous evening .
Mr Biden nevertheless delivered an effective and successful speech .
He did not mention Mr Trump by name at any point .
Yet everything he said in his 25-minute address was completely explicit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates .
America was experiencing “ too much anger , too much fear , too much division ” , he said .
In the heart of the speech , he zeroed in on four policy crises which together define the choice voters must confront – the worst pandemic in a century , the worst economic crisis since the 1930s , the biggest movement for racial justice since the 1960s , and the “ undeniable ” threat of climate change .
Together , these crises faced America with a perfect storm , through which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope and light ” .
Such language can sound vacuous , but Mr Biden was absolutely right about the four great issues .
He has also usefully cast himself as the candidate of optimism .
The Democratic leader made much of his claims to be a unifier .
His choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate has helped .
The convention also went some way to unite this party for the task to come .
There were significant speeches from defeated rivals , notably Bernie Sanders , who has rallied behind Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played his hand well during subsequent policymaking processes .
Elizabeth Warren made a strong and humane contribution too .
Mr Obama ’ s speech was a stirring reaffirmation of his belief in an American system of democracy and justice which Mr Trump has done so much to undermine and in which the faith of many natural Democrats has been deeply challenged by events including police killings .
Although Mr Biden is a candidate from the heart of old Democratic politics , it is worth noting that this year ’ s convention had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for decades not dominated by the Clintons .
Mr Biden will not be an inherently exciting Democratic candidate .
There are good reasons for asking whether he has either the vision or the capacity to turn post-Trump America around successfully .
He is instinctively happier reaching out to the middle ground than driving the new radical agenda that the times also demand .
But he came through this week much better than some feared .
His campaign , like his life , has shown resilience and judgment .
His offer of hope and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times .
Now Mr Biden must also beat Mr Trump .
Now it gets harder .
The world is willing him on .

There have never been two campaign gatherings like this week’s US Democratic convention and next week’s Republican one. Stripped to their essentials by the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 conventions cannot match the energy of normal years. Yet the big speech by the presidential candidate at the convention remains a defining campaign moment, and this year is no different. The greater severity imposed by the virtual convention is also appropriate. For this is not a normal US election year. It is one in which the central contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden will define the future of the United States and the world like few others.
Because of the constraints, the Democratic convention lacked true razzmatazz. In that respect it was tailor-made for Mr Biden’s decent, stubborn but markedly unexciting political message. And yet the lack of glitz had certain advantages. It meant that the nightly coverage offered to American voters this week was more serious-minded. The televised broadcasts were full of ordinary people’s video accounts of what they are going through as a result of the pandemic, recession and racism. The format also meant that Mr Biden could use his acceptance speech to cut to the chase about the issues at stake in November’s election, rather than play up the rhetoric that would have been expected in a packed hall. In any case, Barack Obama had powerfully supplied that form of oratory the previous evening.
Mr Biden nevertheless delivered an effective and successful speech. He did not mention Mr Trump by name at any point. Yet everything he said in his 25-minute address was completely explicit about the profound contrast between the two candidates. America was experiencing “too much anger, too much fear, too much division”, he said. In the heart of the speech, he zeroed in on four policy crises which together define the choice voters must confront – the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the 1930s, the biggest movement for racial justice since the 1960s, and the “undeniable” threat of climate change. Together, these crises faced America with a perfect storm, through which Mr Biden promised “a path of hope and light”. Such language can sound vacuous, but Mr Biden was absolutely right about the four great issues. He has also usefully cast himself as the candidate of optimism.
The Democratic leader made much of his claims to be a unifier. His choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate has helped. The convention also went some way to unite this party for the task to come. There were significant speeches from defeated rivals, notably Bernie Sanders, who has rallied behind Mr Biden since the primary season ended and played his hand well during subsequent policymaking processes. Elizabeth Warren made a strong and humane contribution too. Mr Obama’s speech was a stirring reaffirmation of his belief in an American system of democracy and justice which Mr Trump has done so much to undermine and in which the faith of many natural Democrats has been deeply challenged by events including police killings. Although Mr Biden is a candidate from the heart of old Democratic politics, it is worth noting that this year’s convention had a watershed feel because it was the first for decades not dominated by the Clintons.
Mr Biden will not be an inherently exciting Democratic candidate. There are good reasons for asking whether he has either the vision or the capacity to turn post-Trump America around successfully. He is instinctively happier reaching out to the middle ground than driving the new radical agenda that the times also demand. But he came through this week much better than some feared. His campaign, like his life, has shown resilience and judgment. His offer of hope and light is well crafted for such dark times. Now Mr Biden must also beat Mr Trump. Now it gets harder. The world is willing him on.


theguardian--2020-08-21--Digested week: Escape from New York, but not from the news | Emma Brockes

We drove out of New York in a rented minivan with Nebraska plates , squandering the newfound goodwill towards New Yorkers .
( In New York , the virus infection rate hovers at 1 % while in Nebraska it ’ s at 9 % ; New York plates , once the mark of Cain , are suddenly a passport to a warm welcome . )
Our destination , meanwhile , was Massachusetts ( infection rate : 1.8 % and rising ) , which is not , for the time being , on the New York governor ’ s list of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a visit , which he extended this week to Delaware and Alaska .
Such are the demands of travelling in the US in the time of Covid .
There were other , more opaque considerations .
How Trumpy was the part of the country we were going to ?
( As we neared our destination the volume of solar panels , landscaped gardens and Black Lives Matters signs in the windows of tastefully converted barns suggested not very Trumpy at all . )
Apart from the virus , what other diseases were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease being the most common and feared ) ?
And , after months of living in a state of acute anxiety , would any of us be able to relax ?
Going on holiday with friends is an invitation to dilute the dynamics of one ’ s own family in those of another .
For the first half of the journey , my friend Oliver and I bickered vigorously about which of us got to ride up front in the minivan , an impressive lesson for my children in the fact they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my rage .
After a four-hour drive we drove down a track to a remote house surrounded by wooded hills .
The internet was hit and miss ; there was no TV ; and on that day of arrival a small , black snake slithered across the lawn , bold as brass , to the horror of the adults , and delight of the kids .
But for the first time since March , we were out of the city .
It was stupendously , mind-blowingly spacious and quiet but there something even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open country , for days at a time , no one would have to wear a mask .
The relief didn ’ t last , obviously – although a big temperature drop and the substitute of cricket chirps for wailing sirens did help .
The next morning , I opened an email from the Department of Education containing further reassurances that it was doing its best to help us cope as we head towards September and the certainty that most state schools in New York won ’ t be opening for more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my inbox , what has become a commonplace : endless promotions and offers from private after-school programmes to oversee homeschooling for a mere $ 120 ( £90 ) a day per child .
In the New York Times , Bill de Blasio , the mayor of New York , was reported to be under pressure from school principals to push the start date of even this limited school reopening to some indistinct point in September .
There was no end to the mess in sight .
Meanwhile , texts and emails flew between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to figure out a way to share tutors and babysitters so we could still get a minimal amount of work done .
Inevitably , a school within a school is forming that falls largely along class and behavioural lines : “ disruptive ” kids won ’ t be asked to join private pods , nor will kids having to stay home to watch their younger siblings .
The one piece of equity in all this is that a certain kind of pain-in-the-arse middle-class parent , who at the best of times blows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air out of the PTA , is in danger of being relegated to podlessness .
In these stretching times , no one has the resources to smile and say : “ It ’ s fine.
” When Kamala Harris appeared at the virtual Democratic convention , it was as the first woman of colour to accept a major-party nomination for vice-president .
She occupied an even more novel position that night : that of being the sole candidate to clear what is probably the lowest bar of any presidential race in history .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a group with Donald Trump , Mike Pence and Joe Biden her ability to meet a base-level cognitive function and follow a thought to its rational conclusion – without digression , non sequitur or blatant lie – made her unique in the lineup .
( There ’ s no sense that Pence is troubled by any hardware impairment , but his hang-ups are so deep and strange that it amounts to the same thing . )
There was something moving about watching Hillary Clinton , still the consummate good loser , appear on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perennially annoying about the appearance of her husband , Bill , thinner and thankfully less visible than ever .
Arguably the convention has been Barack Obama ’ s , the former president launching into Trump ’ s character faults and calling him out as a threat to democracy .
Watching the clip , with frequent buffering , offered a momentary sense of how bleak this will look if things go wrong in November .
“ Have you heard the good news ?
” My friend Oliver emerged from the shed at the bottom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been working all morning .
There were so many possibilities .
A vaccine breakthrough ?
A sudden reversal on school reopenings ?
A gust of wind finally laying Trump ’ s vanity bare ?
“ Steve Bannon has been arrested and charged with fraud !
” A cheer went up in the garden .
As news , it was oddly of a piece with everyone ’ s vacation reading list .
No beach reads here .
The books left face-down on the big outdoor table that morning included Jane Mayer ’ s Dark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right , and Nancy MacLean ’ s Democracy in Chains : the Deep History of the Radical Right ’ s Stealth Plan for America .
It was a relief that the member of our party who had considered bringing along Thomas Piketty ’ s Capital and Ideology had managed to leave it at home .
Later that day , we got back in the minivan to visit the Mount , Edith Wharton ’ s beautiful turn-of-the-20th-century house an hour or so ’ s drive away .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ brilliant blue , and it made me long to abandon our doomsday reading list for a novel in which the long arc of history could be regarded from a safe distance , in which the villains had been overtaken by time .
You don ’ t always want to know how the story ends .
After days spent wading through creeks and long grass , the nightly tick-check is of paramount importance .
Ticks like warm areas of the body so the audit isn ’ t pleasant : armpits , belly buttons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I did my five-year-olds then began the long , dismal examination of the self .
Standing in front of a mirror , craning over your right shoulder while trying to check your own arse for ticks is a sad affair , unalleviated by the dim but powerful sense that it is somehow a perfect commentary on the times .

Monday
We drove out of New York in a rented minivan with Nebraska plates, squandering the newfound goodwill towards New Yorkers. (In New York, the virus infection rate hovers at 1% while in Nebraska it’s at 9%; New York plates, once the mark of Cain, are suddenly a passport to a warm welcome.)
Our destination, meanwhile, was Massachusetts (infection rate: 1.8% and rising), which is not, for the time being, on the New York governor’s list of 35 states requiring 14 days of quarantine after a visit, which he extended this week to Delaware and Alaska. Such are the demands of travelling in the US in the time of Covid.
There were other, more opaque considerations. How Trumpy was the part of the country we were going to? (As we neared our destination the volume of solar panels, landscaped gardens and Black Lives Matters signs in the windows of tastefully converted barns suggested not very Trumpy at all.) Apart from the virus, what other diseases were we likely to get (tick-borne Lyme disease being the most common and feared)? And, after months of living in a state of acute anxiety, would any of us be able to relax?
Going on holiday with friends is an invitation to dilute the dynamics of one’s own family in those of another. For the first half of the journey, my friend Oliver and I bickered vigorously about which of us got to ride up front in the minivan, an impressive lesson for my children in the fact they’re not the only ones who trigger my rage. After a four-hour drive we drove down a track to a remote house surrounded by wooded hills.
The internet was hit and miss; there was no TV; and on that day of arrival a small, black snake slithered across the lawn, bold as brass, to the horror of the adults, and delight of the kids. But for the first time since March, we were out of the city. It was stupendously, mind-blowingly spacious and quiet but there something even more miraculous than that: in the open country, for days at a time, no one would have to wear a mask.
Tuesday
The relief didn’t last, obviously – although a big temperature drop and the substitute of cricket chirps for wailing sirens did help. The next morning, I opened an email from the Department of Education containing further reassurances that it was doing its best to help us cope as we head towards September and the certainty that most state schools in New York won’t be opening for more than two days a week.
Elsewhere in my inbox, what has become a commonplace: endless promotions and offers from private after-school programmes to oversee homeschooling for a mere $120 (£90) a day per child. In the New York Times, Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, was reported to be under pressure from school principals to push the start date of even this limited school reopening to some indistinct point in September. There was no end to the mess in sight. Meanwhile, texts and emails flew between families at the school, as we tried to figure out a way to share tutors and babysitters so we could still get a minimal amount of work done. Inevitably, a school within a school is forming that falls largely along class and behavioural lines: “disruptive” kids won’t be asked to join private pods, nor will kids having to stay home to watch their younger siblings. The one piece of equity in all this is that a certain kind of pain-in-the-arse middle-class parent, who at the best of times blows through teaching resources and sucks all the air out of the PTA, is in danger of being relegated to podlessness. In these stretching times, no one has the resources to smile and say: “It’s fine.”
Wednesday
When Kamala Harris appeared at the virtual Democratic convention, it was as the first woman of colour to accept a major-party nomination for vice-president. She occupied an even more novel position that night: that of being the sole candidate to clear what is probably the lowest bar of any presidential race in history. Harris is extremely smart. But in a group with Donald Trump, Mike Pence and Joe Biden her ability to meet a base-level cognitive function and follow a thought to its rational conclusion – without digression, non sequitur or blatant lie – made her unique in the lineup. (There’s no sense that Pence is troubled by any hardware impairment, but his hang-ups are so deep and strange that it amounts to the same thing.)
There was something moving about watching Hillary Clinton, still the consummate good loser, appear on Harris’s behalf, and something perennially annoying about the appearance of her husband, Bill, thinner and thankfully less visible than ever. Arguably the convention has been Barack Obama’s, the former president launching into Trump’s character faults and calling him out as a threat to democracy. Watching the clip, with frequent buffering, offered a momentary sense of how bleak this will look if things go wrong in November.
Thursday
“Have you heard the good news?” My friend Oliver emerged from the shed at the bottom of the garden, where he had been working all morning. There were so many possibilities. A vaccine breakthrough? A sudden reversal on school reopenings? A gust of wind finally laying Trump’s vanity bare?
“Steve Bannon has been arrested and charged with fraud!” A cheer went up in the garden. As news, it was oddly of a piece with everyone’s vacation reading list. No beach reads here. The books left face-down on the big outdoor table that morning included Jane Mayer’s Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, and Nancy MacLean’s Democracy in Chains: the Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America. It was a relief that the member of our party who had considered bringing along Thomas Piketty’s Capital and Ideology had managed to leave it at home.
Later that day, we got back in the minivan to visit the Mount, Edith Wharton’s beautiful turn-of-the-20th-century house an hour or so’s drive away. The gardens were manicured, the sky brilliant blue, and it made me long to abandon our doomsday reading list for a novel in which the long arc of history could be regarded from a safe distance, in which the villains had been overtaken by time. You don’t always want to know how the story ends.
Friday
After days spent wading through creeks and long grass, the nightly tick-check is of paramount importance. Ticks like warm areas of the body so the audit isn’t pleasant: armpits, belly buttons, hairlines, creases. On Friday night, I did my five-year-olds then began the long, dismal examination of the self. Standing in front of a mirror, craning over your right shoulder while trying to check your own arse for ticks is a sad affair, unalleviated by the dim but powerful sense that it is somehow a perfect commentary on the times.


theguardian--2020-08-21--Democrats must understand that hugs and empathy can't defeat Trump | Suzanne Moore

I missed the balloons , the streamers , the strutting around the stage .
I missed the lines carefully calibrated for applause and the veering off-script .
I missed the theatricality .
But the revolution is now streaming .
The pandemic meant the Democratic convention was televised online , in four nights of two-hour party political broadcasts .
There was no pizza big enough for this endurance test .
The convention felt like a charity marathon without an audience , punctuated with unfunny comedy and sob stories .
Tear-jerking speeches informed us that Joe Biden is a nice man .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ John Lewis the heroic archive .
What a mishmash it all was .
The US is standing on the faultline of a pandemic , a deepening recession and a racial divide , but the convention still subjected us to endless speeches about how great and good the country is .
Though all nations sing their own praises , the US tends to do so for longer and with far bigger production values than others .
Of course , I am biased : I ’ ve been to actual conventions and rallies in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grandiosity , their pomp , and their insane security details .
You go for the parties and the gossip that , as with Britain ’ s party conferences , always takes place offstage : the plots , the snubs , the affairs , the desperation .
On stage , everything is designed to look good on TV – a political version of Glastonbury .
During the 2008 election campaign , a friend and I were in Kentucky and were given special seats at a John McCain rally .
My friend happens to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cameras , which homed in on McCain ’ s “ diverse ” supporters .
The mostly white crowd screamed “ Drill , baby , drill ” at the mention of Sarah Palin ’ s name .
This year , the Democratic convention tried to make up for an absent audience with slick production and fake unity .
Everyone appeared to love Biden , even those who didn ’ t before .
Bernie Sanders ’ s speech indicated their friendship ; support from rogue Republicans such as Colin Powell and Cindy McCain came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made a speech , as did Hillary ( you may have forgotten that Bernie ’ s supporters booed Hillary in 2016 ) .
We could have done without them , to be frank .
If you ’ re trying to capture wavering voters who feel the Democrats represent the establishment , then the Clintons are its epitome .
Overall , two messages were key .
The first ?
Vote .
This is important , beyond everything .
The other , which I grew tired of , was that Biden is a good guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic nominee rarely goes so far as to attack the president .
Not being Trump seems like Biden ’ s main pitch .
The Democrats have always drawn celebrities .
But this convention felt disjointed and random .
Julia Louis-Dreyfus had too much time to tell mediocre jokes ; Billie Eilish appeared .
All of this was leading up to the Biden speech , by which point I was in a semi-coma after hearing so much about his church attendance and his bleeding-heart empathy .
People sat outside in cars for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watch the former Trump strategist Steve Bannon being arrested for fraud .
Then Mr Empathy appeared .
Biden gave a good speech , albeit a little slurry and vague .
Where it was short on policy , it was big on emotions : pain , loss , purpose , compassion , decency .
As Andrew Cuomo has put it : “ Donald Trump didn ’ t create the initial division .
The division created Trump .
He only made it worse.
” This is true , but it ’ s a concept nobody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was calling the Democrats crazy socialists , there was little anyone could argue with at the convention .
I doubt many people watched the full eight hours .
But will the right 30-second clips be streaming ?
Did Biden do enough ?
It ’ s not clear to me .
I wanted more fight , more policies , and less Mr Nice Guy .
I ’ ll admit it : I wanted the Democrats not to “ go high ” , as Michelle Obama says , but to go low – to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they should understand that Trump will go lower yet .
And that can ’ t be met with hugs and empathy .
Trump and his administration have to be eviscerated .
That may not be nice , but it ’ s true .

I missed the balloons, the streamers, the strutting around the stage. I missed the lines carefully calibrated for applause and the veering off-script. I missed the theatricality. But the revolution is now streaming. The pandemic meant the Democratic convention was televised online, in four nights of two-hour party political broadcasts.
There was no pizza big enough for this endurance test. The convention felt like a charity marathon without an audience, punctuated with unfunny comedy and sob stories. Tear-jerking speeches informed us that Joe Biden is a nice man. John Legend supplied the light entertainment, John Lewis the heroic archive. What a mishmash it all was.
The US is standing on the faultline of a pandemic, a deepening recession and a racial divide, but the convention still subjected us to endless speeches about how great and good the country is. Though all nations sing their own praises, the US tends to do so for longer and with far bigger production values than others.
Of course, I am biased: I’ve been to actual conventions and rallies in the US, and am familiar with their grandiosity, their pomp, and their insane security details. You go for the parties and the gossip that, as with Britain’s party conferences, always takes place offstage: the plots, the snubs, the affairs, the desperation. On stage, everything is designed to look good on TV – a political version of Glastonbury.
During the 2008 election campaign, a friend and I were in Kentucky and were given special seats at a John McCain rally. My friend happens to be black – a fact not lost on the cameras, which homed in on McCain’s “diverse” supporters. The mostly white crowd screamed “Drill, baby, drill” at the mention of Sarah Palin’s name.
This year, the Democratic convention tried to make up for an absent audience with slick production and fake unity. Everyone appeared to love Biden, even those who didn’t before. Bernie Sanders’s speech indicated their friendship; support from rogue Republicans such as Colin Powell and Cindy McCain came as no great surprise. Bill Clinton made a speech, as did Hillary (you may have forgotten that Bernie’s supporters booed Hillary in 2016). We could have done without them, to be frank. If you’re trying to capture wavering voters who feel the Democrats represent the establishment, then the Clintons are its epitome.
Overall, two messages were key. The first? Vote. This is important, beyond everything. The other, which I grew tired of, was that Biden is a good guy while Donald Trump is bad. Yet the Democratic nominee rarely goes so far as to attack the president. Not being Trump seems like Biden’s main pitch.
The Democrats have always drawn celebrities. But this convention felt disjointed and random. Julia Louis-Dreyfus had too much time to tell mediocre jokes; Billie Eilish appeared. All of this was leading up to the Biden speech, by which point I was in a semi-coma after hearing so much about his church attendance and his bleeding-heart empathy.
People sat outside in cars for the drive-in rally. I switched over to watch the former Trump strategist Steve Bannon being arrested for fraud. Then Mr Empathy appeared. Biden gave a good speech, albeit a little slurry and vague. Where it was short on policy, it was big on emotions: pain, loss, purpose, compassion, decency.
As Andrew Cuomo has put it: “Donald Trump didn’t create the initial division. The division created Trump. He only made it worse.” This is true, but it’s a concept nobody wanted to take on.
Although Trump was calling the Democrats crazy socialists, there was little anyone could argue with at the convention. I doubt many people watched the full eight hours. But will the right 30-second clips be streaming? Did Biden do enough? It’s not clear to me. I wanted more fight, more policies, and less Mr Nice Guy.
I’ll admit it: I wanted the Democrats not to “go high”, as Michelle Obama says, but to go low – to be on the attack. After four years, they should understand that Trump will go lower yet. And that can’t be met with hugs and empathy. Trump and his administration have to be eviscerated. That may not be nice, but it’s true.


theguardian--2020-08-21--Are US small businesses 'gone forever'? No, not all of them | Gene Marks

Just a few weeks ago , a New York Times article warned that as many as one-third of New York ’ s small businesses could be “ gone forever ” .
Bloomberg reports that small businesses are “ dying by the thousands ” .
Business bankruptcies in Maryland have reached a “ staggering state ” .
There are countless stories like these around the US and none of them sound very good .
So are things that bad for small businesses ?
Is there not a great need for billions in new stimulus funding to save them ?
The short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for all of them .
America is a big country with 30m small businesses .
And if there ’ s one thing I ’ ve learned about small businesses it ’ s that you can ’ t just lump them all together to support a narrative , be it moral or political .
I ’ m not trying to sugarcoat things .
Many small businesses have suffered during the pandemic and consumer-facing businesses have suffered the most .
Restaurants and retail shops have had to significantly curtail operations .
Companies in harder-hit industries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even dog walkers have seen their livelihoods literally disappear during quarantine .
And I can ’ t even imagine how gyms and fitness centers in some cities and states are going to survive these never-ending months of shutdowns and restrictions .
I see them all as I walk around the city where I live .
These are the businesses that need targeted help from the government .
But that ’ s not the entire story .
Because here ’ s what I also see : the more than 600 clients in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serves .
These firms are a microcosm of the small business economy nationwide .
These companies are primarily not consumer-facing .
They are privately held and oftentimes family-owned or -managed .
They are little , nondescript firms in out of the way , nondescript industrial parks and suburban office centers .
You drive by them all the time but you never see them because your attention is distracted by other companies selling delicious foods or cool clothes .
These companies don ’ t do that .
They make and sell unsexy products and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trade groups with names like the National Coil Coating Association , the Specialty Equipment Market Association and the Independent Packaging Association .
These are industries that could put you to sleep .
But believe me when I tell you that the people running these businesses – my clients - are not sleeping .
I am in close contact with all of them and I can report that they are doing fine .
Some worse than others .
Some better .
Sure , the media loves to cover the stories of the failing restaurant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clients ’ fortunes are reflected in other kinds of data that don ’ t get much media attention .
For example , just this past week a CNBC/SurveyMonkey small business survey found that more than two-thirds of the small businesses they surveyed are confident that they can survive for more than a year under current conditions – a number up from 37 % in their last quarterly survey .
The National Federation of Independent Businesses reported a small drop in small business confidence this month … but the levels are still comparable to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the 2008 recession .
Want more evidence of our small business resiliency ?
The National Association of Home Builders Confidence Index ( the construction industry supports countless small firms ) has tied its record high .
Industrial production continues to increase .
Both manufacturing and service business conditions have expanded in the past three months , according to the Institute for Supply Management .
E-commerce sales are up almost 20 % .
And according to a report released this week by Goldman Sachs , small businesses are “ recovering well ” from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standing at just 6 % below their pre-pandemic levels .
It turns out that small businesses – who employ more than 50 % of the country ’ s workforce – were only responsible for 18 % of the job losses during the pandemic .
My clients coat film , churn out corrugated containers , make prefab structures , assemble machines , distribute building materials and stamp out pallets .
Exciting ?
No .
Critical ?
Yes .
During the pandemic these companies – and millions of others – have continued to work .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ They sent their employees home .
They tapped their reserves .
But they pivoted and they innovated , and they ’ re still here and they ’ re fine .
Make no mistake , this is a severe economic downturn .
Many small businesses will probably never return .
But the vast majority will .
In fact they already have .
You don ’ t hear or read about them because they ’ re boring .
They ’ re quietly making and servicing stuff behind the scenes .
The government needs to target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no fault of their own .
But for the rest of us , we ’ re OK , thank you very much .

Just a few weeks ago, a New York Times article warned that as many as one-third of New York’s small businesses could be “gone forever”. Bloomberg reports that small businesses are “dying by the thousands”. Business bankruptcies in Maryland have reached a “staggering state”. There are countless stories like these around the US and none of them sound very good. So are things that bad for small businesses? Is there not a great need for billions in new stimulus funding to save them? The short answer is no. Well, not for all of them.
America is a big country with 30m small businesses. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about small businesses it’s that you can’t just lump them all together to support a narrative, be it moral or political.
I’m not trying to sugarcoat things. Many small businesses have suffered during the pandemic and consumer-facing businesses have suffered the most. Restaurants and retail shops have had to significantly curtail operations. Companies in harder-hit industries – travel, personal care, landlords, even dog walkers have seen their livelihoods literally disappear during quarantine. And I can’t even imagine how gyms and fitness centers in some cities and states are going to survive these never-ending months of shutdowns and restrictions. I see them all as I walk around the city where I live. These are the businesses that need targeted help from the government.
But that’s not the entire story.
Because here’s what I also see: the more than 600 clients in the mid-Atlantic region that my technology consulting firm serves. These firms are a microcosm of the small business economy nationwide. These companies are primarily not consumer-facing. They are privately held and oftentimes family-owned or -managed. They are little, nondescript firms in out of the way, nondescript industrial parks and suburban office centers. You drive by them all the time but you never see them because your attention is distracted by other companies selling delicious foods or cool clothes. These companies don’t do that. They make and sell unsexy products and services for unsexy industries and belong to trade groups with names like the National Coil Coating Association, the Specialty Equipment Market Association and the Independent Packaging Association.
These are industries that could put you to sleep. But believe me when I tell you that the people running these businesses – my clients - are not sleeping. I am in close contact with all of them and I can report that they are doing fine. Some worse than others. Some better. Sure, the media loves to cover the stories of the failing restaurant or Main Street store. But my clients’ fortunes are reflected in other kinds of data that don’t get much media attention.
For example, just this past week a CNBC/SurveyMonkey small business survey found that more than two-thirds of the small businesses they surveyed are confident that they can survive for more than a year under current conditions – a number up from 37% in their last quarterly survey. The National Federation of Independent Businesses reported a small drop in small business confidence this month … but the levels are still comparable to 2017 and nowhere near the depths reached during the 2008 recession.
It turns out that small businesses … were only responsible for 18% of the job losses during the pandemic
Want more evidence of our small business resiliency? The National Association of Home Builders Confidence Index (the construction industry supports countless small firms) has tied its record high. Industrial production continues to increase. Both manufacturing and service business conditions have expanded in the past three months, according to the Institute for Supply Management. E-commerce sales are up almost 20%. And according to a report released this week by Goldman Sachs, small businesses are “recovering well” from the pandemic, with active small businesses standing at just 6% below their pre-pandemic levels. It turns out that small businesses – who employ more than 50% of the country’s workforce – were only responsible for 18% of the job losses during the pandemic.
My clients coat film, churn out corrugated containers, make prefab structures, assemble machines, distribute building materials and stamp out pallets. Exciting? No. Critical? Yes. During the pandemic these companies – and millions of others – have continued to work. They suffered initial setbacks and disruption. They sent their employees home. They tapped their reserves. But they pivoted and they innovated, and they’re still here and they’re fine.
Make no mistake, this is a severe economic downturn. Many small businesses will probably never return. But the vast majority will. In fact they already have. You don’t hear or read about them because they’re boring. They’re quietly making and servicing stuff behind the scenes. The government needs to target those businesses that have really suffered for no fault of their own. But for the rest of us, we’re OK, thank you very much.


theguardian--2020-08-21--Biden gives the acceptance speech he's been waiting decades to deliver

Thirty-three years ago , Joe Biden was tasked with delivering a rather somber speech .
The then senator of Delaware called journalists to a press conference on Capitol Hill to announce he would no longer seek the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination , following accusations that he plagiarized a speech by the British Labour leader Neil Kinnock and inflated his academic record .
“ I made some mistakes , ” Biden told reporters .
“ But now , the exaggerated shadow of those mistakes has begun to obscure the essence of my candidacy and the essence of Joe Biden.
” Despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House bid , Biden expressed optimism about his political future .
“ There will be other opportunities for me to campaign for president , ” Biden said .
“ This country ’ s going to be lifted up , and I ’ m going to play a big part in doing it.
” Now , after another failed presidential campaign and two terms as Barack Obama ’ s vice-president , Biden is finally getting the chance to realize his long-held dream .
On Thursday , Biden formally accepted the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than three decades for .
“ United we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America , ” Biden pledged .
“ It is with great honor and humility that I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America.
” The moment was almost certainly not what Biden had been imagining since 1987 .
Rather than walking out on to a convention stage to thousands of cheering fans , Biden delivered his remarks in front of a silent room , his remarks transmitted via livestream from an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wilmington , Delaware , because of the coronavirus .
The career-defining speech was eerily devoid of applause .
Biden ’ s path to the Democratic nomination , like his career overall , has been marked by the highest of highs and lowest of lows .
Weeks after winning his first Senate race in 1972 , Biden ’ s first wife , Neilia , and one-year-old daughter , Naomi , were killed in a car crash .
Tragedy touched Biden again in 2015 , when his eldest son , Beau , died of brain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life has been defined by loss and hardship and tragedy that most of us can ’ t fathom , ” said Jeff Wilser , author of the Biden biography The Book of Joe .
“ One of the biggest clichés is politics is , ‘ I feel your pain ’ .
But when Biden says it , it ’ s truly earnest .
He does feel it.
” Biden has cited his son ’ s illness when asked why he chose not to seek the Democratic nomination in 2016 , despite some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By the time of his son ’ s death , Biden had been the vice-president for six years .
Obama selected his former primary rival as his 2008 running mate months after Biden was forced to suspend his second presidential campaign following a dismal showing in the Iowa caucuses .
“ He ’ s been counted out many times before , ” Wilser said .
“ And yet he keeps coming back .
He keeps getting up.
” But Biden , who has previously described himself as a “ gaffe machine ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off-the-cuff comments .
During the 2008 race , Biden was forced to apologize for referring to Obama as “ the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy ” .
After joining the presidential ticket , Biden caused embarrassment by accidentally asking a state lawmaker in a wheelchair to “ stand up ” .
The White House again had to issue explanations for the vice-president when Biden said during the 2010 signing of the Affordable Care Act : “ This is a big fucking deal.
” But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in April last year , when several women accused him of touching them in ways that made them uncomfortable .
The allegations sparked speculation that Biden might abandon plans for a third presidential campaign .
However , he did indeed announce weeks later that he was launching another bid for the White House , framing the 2020 election as a “ battle for the soul of this nation ” .
Biden was immediately considered the frontrunner in the race , but his struggles in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doomed to repeat the failures of his first two campaigns .
It took his landslide victory in the South Carolina primary , followed days later by his impressive Super Tuesday performance in March , to right the ship .
One by one , his Democratic rivals dropped out of the running , until only Biden and Bernie Sanders remained .
In April , a year after Biden launched his campaign , Sanders announced he was withdrawing from the race .
Biden , a three-time presidential candidate , became the presumptive Democratic nominee .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden once again framed his candidacy as an urgent response to the threat posed by Donald Trump ’ s presidency as the nation faces a global pandemic and a reckoning over racism .
“ Our current president has failed in his most basic duty to the nation .
He has failed to protect us , ” Biden said .
“ My fellow Americans , that is unforgivable .
As president , I ’ ll make you a promise : I will protect America.
” Democrats hope that message can carry them to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who has spent 33 years waiting for this moment , hopes that the third time will prove to be the charm .

Thirty-three years ago, Joe Biden was tasked with delivering a rather somber speech.
The then senator of Delaware called journalists to a press conference on Capitol Hill to announce he would no longer seek the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, following accusations that he plagiarized a speech by the British Labour leader Neil Kinnock and inflated his academic record.
“I made some mistakes,” Biden told reporters. “But now, the exaggerated shadow of those mistakes has begun to obscure the essence of my candidacy and the essence of Joe Biden.”
Despite the ignominious end to his first White House bid, Biden expressed optimism about his political future. “There will be other opportunities for me to campaign for president,” Biden said. “This country’s going to be lifted up, and I’m going to play a big part in doing it.”
Now, after another failed presidential campaign and two terms as Barack Obama’s vice-president, Biden is finally getting the chance to realize his long-held dream. On Thursday, Biden formally accepted the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination – a moment he has was waited more than three decades for.
“United we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America,” Biden pledged. “It is with great honor and humility that I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America.”
The moment was almost certainly not what Biden had been imagining since 1987. Rather than walking out on to a convention stage to thousands of cheering fans, Biden delivered his remarks in front of a silent room, his remarks transmitted via livestream from an event site in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware, because of the coronavirus. The career-defining speech was eerily devoid of applause.
Joe Biden delivers his speech from an empty Chase Center in Wilmington. Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Biden’s path to the Democratic nomination, like his career overall, has been marked by the highest of highs and lowest of lows. Weeks after winning his first Senate race in 1972, Biden’s first wife, Neilia, and one-year-old daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car crash. Tragedy touched Biden again in 2015, when his eldest son, Beau, died of brain cancer at age 46.
“His life has been defined by loss and hardship and tragedy that most of us can’t fathom,” said Jeff Wilser, author of the Biden biography The Book of Joe. “One of the biggest clichés is politics is, ‘I feel your pain’. But when Biden says it, it’s truly earnest. He does feel it.”
Biden has cited his son’s illness when asked why he chose not to seek the Democratic nomination in 2016, despite some of his allies urging him to do so.
By the time of his son’s death, Biden had been the vice-president for six years. Obama selected his former primary rival as his 2008 running mate months after Biden was forced to suspend his second presidential campaign following a dismal showing in the Iowa caucuses.
“He’s been counted out many times before,” Wilser said. “And yet he keeps coming back. He keeps getting up.”
But Biden, who has previously described himself as a “gaffe machine”, has frequently attracted criticism for his off-the-cuff comments. During the 2008 race, Biden was forced to apologize for referring to Obama as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy”.
After joining the presidential ticket, Biden caused embarrassment by accidentally asking a state lawmaker in a wheelchair to “stand up”. The White House again had to issue explanations for the vice-president when Biden said during the 2010 signing of the Affordable Care Act: “This is a big fucking deal.”
But the most intense criticism of Biden came in April last year, when several women accused him of touching them in ways that made them uncomfortable. The allegations sparked speculation that Biden might abandon plans for a third presidential campaign.
However, he did indeed announce weeks later that he was launching another bid for the White House, framing the 2020 election as a “battle for the soul of this nation”. Biden was immediately considered the frontrunner in the race, but his struggles in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire led some to suggest he may be doomed to repeat the failures of his first two campaigns.
It took his landslide victory in the South Carolina primary, followed days later by his impressive Super Tuesday performance in March, to right the ship. One by one, his Democratic rivals dropped out of the running, until only Biden and Bernie Sanders remained. In April, a year after Biden launched his campaign, Sanders announced he was withdrawing from the race. Biden, a three-time presidential candidate, became the presumptive Democratic nominee.
05:22 'Light is more powerful than dark': Joe Biden accepts presidential nomination – video
Formally accepting the nomination on Thursday, Biden once again framed his candidacy as an urgent response to the threat posed by Donald Trump’s presidency as the nation faces a global pandemic and a reckoning over racism.
“Our current president has failed in his most basic duty to the nation. He has failed to protect us,” Biden said. “My fellow Americans, that is unforgivable. As president, I’ll make you a promise: I will protect America.”
Democrats hope that message can carry them to a presidential victory in November, and Biden, who has spent 33 years waiting for this moment, hopes that the third time will prove to be the charm.


theguardian--2020-08-21--USPS chief says he won't restore mail-sorting machines ahead of election – video

During his first appearance before Congress , the US postmaster general , Louis DeJoy , said he would not bring @ @ @ @ @ that have been pulled from service in recent weeks , saying they were routine responses @ @ @ @ @ due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Democratic senator Maggie Hassan said the decision was 'sabotaging @ @ @ @ @ sort mail efficiently

During his first appearance before Congress, the US postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, said he would not bring back mail-sorting machines and mailboxes that have been pulled from service in recent weeks, saying they were routine responses to changes in mail volume due to the coronavirus pandemic. Democratic senator Maggie Hassan said the decision was 'sabotaging' efforts by USPS to sort mail efficiently


theguardian--2020-08-21--DNC 2020: from emotional speeches backing Biden to fiery warnings on Trump – video highlights

A unique Democratic national convention gave countless memorable moments , from Kamala Harris 's historic nomination as vice-president , to @ @ @ @ @ for Donald Trump .
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and former president Barack Obama @ @ @ @ @ scathing reviews of the Trump administration .
Others who showed their support for Harris and @ @ @ @ @ healthcare activist Ady Barkan , former US congresswoman and shooting survivor Gabby Giffords , comedian @ @ @ @ @ Louis-Dreyfus and singer Billie Eilish • Biden vows to end 'season of darkness ' as @ @ @ @ @

A unique Democratic national convention gave countless memorable moments, from Kamala Harris's historic nomination as vice-president, to Michelle Obama's harsh words for Donald Trump. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and former president Barack Obama echoed her words by giving scathing reviews of the Trump administration. Others who showed their support for Harris and Joe Biden's nomination included healthcare activist Ady Barkan, former US congresswoman and shooting survivor Gabby Giffords, comedian Sarah Cooper, actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus and singer Billie Eilish


theguardian--2020-08-22--Joe Biden vows to 'listen to scientists' on coronavirus – US politics live

In the joint interview with ABC News , interviewer David Muir brought up Donald Trump ’ s first attacks on Kamala Harris .
“ President Trump has referred to you as ‘ nasty ’ , ‘ a sort of madwoman ’ , ‘ a disaster ’ , ‘ the meanest , most horrible , most disrespectful of anybody in the US Senate ’ .
How do you define what you hear from the president ?
” Harris laughed .
Then she said : “ Listen , I really – I think there is so much about what comes out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ designed to distract the American people from what he is doing every day that is about neglect , negligence and harm to the American people.
” “ And incompetence , ” Biden added .
“ The idea that he would say something like that – no president , no president has ever said anything like that .
No president has ever used those words .
“ And no president has said people coming out of fields with torches and spewing antisemitic bile and met by people who oppose them , and someone dies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good people on both sides .
No president of the United States has ever said anything like that ever.
” That was a reference to far right protests in Charlottesville , Virginia in August 2017 , in which Heather Heyer , a counter-protester , was killed .
Biden said those events , and Trump ’ s response to them , had inspired his third run for the White House .
For what it ’ s worth , much of Trump ’ s anger with Harris seems to have been generated at least in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supreme court nominee , Brett Kavanaugh , during his controversial confirmation in late 2018 .
To say the least , the former prosecutor turned senator from California was… tough .

22 Aug 2020 22.16 BST Donald Trump has dismissed the House’s $25bn emergency funding bill for the Postal Service as a “HOAX” in a tweet on Saturday afternoon. “Representatives of the Post Office have repeatedly stated that they DO NOT NEED MONEY, and will not make changes,” Trump tweeted. “This is all another HOAX by the Democrats to give 25 Billion unneeded dollars for political purposes, without talking about the Universal Mail-In Ballot Scam.” Representatives of the Post Office have repeatedly stated that they DO NOT NEED MONEY, and will not make changes. This is all another HOAX by the Democrats to give 25 Billion unneeded dollars for political purposes, without talking about the Universal Mail-In Ballot Scam.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2020 Earlier Saturday, the House passed a bill to fund the Postal Service amid ongoing complaints by Democrats that the Trump administration is attempting to sabotage the delivery of mail-in ballots ahead of the November election. The Democratic bill, which passed on Saturday despite opposition from Republicans, would provide $25bn in aid for the USPS and prioritize election mail as “first class”, to ensure ballots arrive in time to be counted in an election in which the coronavirus pandemic will cast a shadow over in-person voting.
22 Aug 2020 21.49 BST Donald Trump’s motorcade is back at the White House after spending the day at his golf club in Virginia. As has become customary during the president’s visits to the Loudoun county club, groups of supporters and protesters gathered outside were there to make themselves heard as Trump departed the property. According to a White House pool report: There was a little impromptu parade, outside of the country club and in the rain, as we waited for the president to depart. Two Jeeps, covered in Trump bumper stickers and flying blue and yellow and pink Trump banners, buzzed up and down the boulevard. A big semi chugged alongside, complete with giant American flag and Trump 2020 mud flaps. This convoy, for the better part of half-an-hour, laid on their horns, on and off again, to show support for the other Trump fans, the ones standing in the grass with their own Trump signs and Trump flags and Trump t-shirts and assorted Trump swag. There were about two dozen, and they cheered as the motorcade passed by. A handful of Biden supporters, who didn’t have a semi or any Jeeps, also stood outside holding their signs. Protesters gather outside Trump National on Saturday in Virginia. Photograph: Yuri Gripas/EPA Trump departs his golf club on Saturday. Photograph: Reuters
Updated at 23.03 BST
22 Aug 2020 21.20 BST TikTok is planning to sue the Trump administration over the president’s executive order banning transactions with the popular video-sharing app and its Chinese parent ByteDance, CNBC reported Saturday. Trump issued the orders earlier this month, saying the US must take “aggressive action” in the interest of national security and foreign policy. “Even though we strongly disagree with the Administration’s concerns, for nearly a year we have sought to engage in good faith to provide a constructive solution,” a TikTok spokesperson said. “What we encountered instead was a lack of due process as the Administration paid no attention to facts and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses. To ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and users are treated fairly, we have no choice but to challenge the Executive Order through the judicial system.”
22 Aug 2020 20.15 BST New York congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, the chair of the House oversight committee, has released new internal Postal Service documents warning postmaster general Louis DeJoy about a drop in service standards as a result of his drastic operational and organizational changes. The documents came to light on Saturday as the House prepared to vote on providing the cash-strapped Postal Service with $25bn and block policy changes that have stirred concerns about mail-in balloting ahead of the November election.
“The American people do not want anyone messing with the Post Office,” said Maloney, who authored the legislation. “They certainly do not want it to be politicized. They just want their mail, they want their medicines and they want their mail-in ballots delivered in a timely way. And that is exactly what our bill does.” On Friday, DeJoy conceded the changes that he recently implemented were contributing to delays but said he would not reverse the decision to remove mail equipment ahead of the election.
22 Aug 2020 19.54 BST Pelosi slams Trump ‘deep state’ comment about coronavirus vaccines House speaker Nancy Pelosi described Donald Trump’s tweet accusing “the deep state, or whoever, over at” the Food and Drug Administration of deliberately slowing coronavirus vaccine and therapy development as “scary” and “beyond the pale” even for the US president.
“The FDA has a responsibility to approve drugs, judging on their safety and their efficacy, not by a declaration from the White House about speed and politicizing the FDA,” Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill. .@SpeakerPelosi described Trump’s comments as “scary” after he suggested, without evidence, that employees at the @US_FDA are attempting to sabotage his re-election campaign by slowing down research on #coronavirus treatments pic.twitter.com/NjCl3IjHnk — Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) August 22, 2020 The president’s amplification of the “deep state” conspiracy theory comes one day after Fox Business host Lou Dobbs used it to explain the arrest of former Trump campaign manager Steve Bannon. Bannon himself is a key propagator of the theory that unknown government operatives are working against the Trump administration – but has also said the idea is “for nut cases” and should not be taken seriously. In Deep State: Trump, the FBI and the Rule of Law by James B Stewart, published last October, Bannon said the “deep state conspiracy theory is for nut cases”, because “America isn’t Turkey or Egypt”.
22 Aug 2020 19.29 BST New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the state will give voters a chance to correct missing signatures and other clerical errors so their absentee ballots can be counted in anticipation of a wave of mail-in voting for the November election. Election officials are expecting an even bigger flood of mail-in votes in November than for the June primary, after which results were delayed for six weeks. The AP reports: Cuomo said late Friday he’d sign yet temporarily tweak legislation that calls for notifying voters about such problems and provides for fixing them. Under the version that passed the Legislature last month, the voter would have seven business days to file a form to fix the problem after a notice was mailed, in many situations. Cuomo, a Democrat, said he agreed voters should be able to correct inadvertent mistakes that would otherwise invalidate their mail-in votes. But he said the Legislature’s plan came too close to the Nov. 3 presidential election, requiring a series of notifications and mailings that would overtax election officials. “New York must balance the right to vote with the need to ensure a timely, seamless and operationally sound election that leaves no doubt as to its outcome,” he wrote in a memo, saying he and lawmakers had agreed on “temporary modifications” that would give voters an opportunity to correct slip-ups “without relying so heavily on an already burdened mail system.” The original legislation will take effect after November, Cuomo’s memo said. His memo didn’t give further details on the temporary changes, saying they’d be made in an executive order and possibly in further legislation.
22 Aug 2020 19.09 BST The Associated Press has more from Portland, Oregon, where protesters against police brutality and structural racism clashed again with federal agents and law enforcement officers overnight. Such confrontations were the subject of a Trump tweet this morning, in which the president once again expressed his willingness to send in the national guard: About 200 people marched to a police precinct station on yet another night of violence for Oregon’s largest city. Demonstrators hurled bottles and rocks at officers and pointed lasers at them, damaging police cars and causing minor injuries for several officers, Portland police said. One protester was given medical treatment after he threw rocks at officers and was shot with what police described as a “sponge-tipped less-lethal round”. That protester was among nine people arrested. Three were charged with assault on a police officer. Many protesters wore helmets, eye protection, gas masks and body armor and some carried homemade wooden shields, police said. Demonstrations – the majority peaceful but many violent – have happened in Portland for more than two months following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody in late May. The demonstration that went into Saturday morning came a day after protesters in Portland clashed with federal agents outside a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building. Also Friday, a number of federal buildings across the city were closed as the FBI investigated a car bomb threat.
22 Aug 2020 18.32 BST Florida’s department of health reports that there were 4,311 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday in the state and 106 new deaths from the virus. Francisco Alvarado reports on how the pandemic has exposed the state’s wealth gap: When the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic reached southern Florida’s shores, Bal Harbour residents braced themselves. In early March, health department officials confirmed a New York man who tested positive for coronavirus had spent time in the wealthy enclave. About a week later, a pair of Bal Harbour rabbis were among the first people in Miami-Dade county to test positive for the deadly virus. The mayor, Gabriel Groisman, quickly went into isolation because he had been with one of the rabbis, Sholom Ber Lipskar. Grosiman advised anyone who had come in contact with Lipskar and Rabbi Moshe Gruenstein the previous 14 days to also self-isolate. In Surfside, a small town neighboring Bal Harbour where the rabbis’ synagogues are located, officials closed the town hall and other facilities and non essential staff were ordered to work from home. Surfside residents received a notice cautioning individuals who had close interactions with anyone who had been in close contact with Lipskar to self-monitor themselves for any Covid-19 symptoms. Groisman said he and other local leaders had legitimate concerns about coronavirus spreading across Bal Harbour, Surfside and Bay Harbor Islands. But the outbreak never arrived. As coronavirus ravages Miami Beach and mainland Miami, Bal Harbour has emerged mostly unscathed from the pandemic. According to the Florida department of health, 49 of 3,039 Bal Harbour residents have tested positive through 8 August. Buffered from the summer surge in cases that turned Florida into one of the nation’s Covid-19 centers and has now killed more than 10,000 Floridians, wealthy coastal locales like Bal Harbour illustrate how sharp the socioeconomic divide is in Miami-Dade in the face of the pandemic. About 30 minutes away from Bal Harbour, a blue-collar, predominantly Hispanic city is struggling to contain the coronavirus. Roughly 8.5% of the 238,942 residents of Hialeah, the second largest municipality in Miami-Dade, have tested positive for Covid-19. The city’s 20,261 cases is the fourth most of any city in Florida. You can read the full article below: 'The haves and the have-nots': how Covid revealed Florida's wealth gap Read more
22 Aug 2020 18.17 BST The House has voted to advance a bill that would provide $25bn in funding for the US Postal Service as fears grow the agency will be unable to cope with mail-in ballots in this November’s election. The bill would also stop the USPS from introducing changes such as the removal of sorting machines and a reduction in overtime that could harm its capacity to process mail in November’s election. The postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, is a Trump ally and has been accused of supporting the president’s antipathy towards mail-in voting my making cuts to the USPS. Saturday’s bill passed by 230-171 in the Democrat-majority House. It is almost certain that the bill will fail to pass the Republican-held Senate. Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s majority leader, has said Republicans only want to see USPS funding as part of a wider Covid-19 stimulus package.
Updated at 18.18 BST
22 Aug 2020 18.00 BST The White House’s famous Rose Garden has been given a new look before Melania Trump gives a speech there for next week’s Republican national convention. First look at the refreshened Rose Garden, from where First Lady Melania Trump will speak at the convention Tuesday night pic.twitter.com/WowbDRfkGB — Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) August 22, 2020 The White House says the renovations were paid for by private donations but there has been criticism that the venue will be used for a campaign event when Melania Trump gives her speech.
22 Aug 2020 17.50 BST Pelosi says Trump's rush for Covid-19 vaccine is 'very dangerous' House speak Nancy Pelosi has pushed back on Donald Trump’s tweet from earlier today, in which he said the Food and Drug Administration was too slow in producing a Covid-19 vaccine. “The FDA has a responsibility to approve drugs judged on their safety and efficacy, not by a declaration from the White House on speed,” said Pelosi. “This was a very dangerous statement from the president ... that went beyond the pale.” In Trump’s tweet, the president suggested the “deep state” was behind a plot to delay the vaccine and harm his chances in November’s election. Nancy Pelosi said the FDA needs to be methodical in its approach to a vaccine. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images “The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics,” he wrote on Twitter. “Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!” Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, has said in the past he would resign rather than approve a Covid-19 vaccine that had not been proven to be safe. “I could not stand by and see something that was unsafe or ineffective that was being put through,” he told Reuters. “You have to decide where your red line is, and that’s my red line. I would feel obligated [to resign] because in doing so, I would indicate to the American public that there’s something wrong.”
22 Aug 2020 17.34 BST Judge orders Trump to pay Stormy Daniels' legal fees A California judge has ordered Donald Trump to pay porn actor Stormy Daniels for her legal fees in the battle over her non-disclosure agreement with the president. The judge said Trump must pay Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, $44,100. Daniels says she had an affair with Trump from 2006 until 2007, and sued the president in 2018 to be released from a non-disclosure agreement she signed with Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen. The lawsuit was dismissed as the agreement was deemed unenforceable. The judge ruled Daniels was entitled to have her legal fees paid by Trump as she was the “prevailing party” under California law, even though her suit was dismissed. Stormy Daniels claims to have had an affair with Donald Trump before he was president. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images On Thursday, during an appearance in Pennsylvania, the president confirmed Daniels’s story that he is scared of sharks. “They were saying the other night, the shark. They were saying, ‘Sharks, we have to protect them.’ I said, ‘Wait a minute, wait.’ They actually want to remove all the seals in order to save the shark. I said, ‘Wait, don’t you have it the other way around?’ “It’s true,” he added. “I’m not a big fan of sharks either. I don’t know, how many votes am I going to lose?”
Updated at 17.51 BST
22 Aug 2020 17.13 BST The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation has told CNN that the US death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic could rise to 310,000 by 1 December. However, that figure is under a scenario in which federal and state governments ease social distancing protocols and do not require masks to be worn in public. If more than 95% of the US population wear masks, the projected death toll between now and December would drop by around 70,000 according to the researchers. “It really depends on what our leaders do, as individuals, and what governments do,” the head of the institute, Dr Chris Murray, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Friday night. According to Johns Hopkins University, 987 people died of the virus in the US on Friday, the first time the toll had fallen below 1,000 in three weeks.
Updated at 17.49 BST