usatoday--2020-08-19--Live coverage: Joe Biden secures enough delegates to become the Democratic presidential nominee

Be sure to refresh the page often for live coverage of Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention .
John Kerry , the former secretary of state and 2004 Democratic nominee for president , slammed President Donald Trump for failing to confront Russia over interfering with the 2016 election or over bounties allegedly put on U.S. troops .
“ When this president goes overseas , it isn ’ t a goodwill mission , it ’ s a blooper reel , ” Kerry said .
“ Our troops can ’ t get out of harm ’ s way by hiding in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kerry for negotiating a deal aimed at hindering Iran ’ s nuclear program during the Obama administration and Trump withdrew from the deal .
Trump has focused his foreign policy on securing the borders and renegotiating trade deals with Canada and Mexico , and with China .
Kerry served in the Senate from Massachusetts with the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge Trump , Joe Biden of Delaware .
Kerry said Biden , a former chairman of the Foreign Relations and Judiciary committees , for having the steely grit to deal with international crises @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apartheid in South Africa .
Kerry also promoted the Obama administration ’ s support of the Paris climate change agreement with 195 nations and stopped ebola before it became a pandemic .
“ Joe ’ s moral compass has always pointed in the right direction , ” Kerry said .
“ Joe understands that none of the issues of this world – not nuclear weapons , not the challenge of building back better after COVID , not terrorism and certainly not the climate crisis – none can be resolved without bringing nations together.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday formally secured enough Democratic delegates to become the party 's nominee to challenge President Donald Trump , winning one of the highest prizes in U.S. politics more than three decades after he first campaigned for it .
Though presidential nominating conventions haven ’ t been contested for decades and Biden demonstrated he had enough support for the nomination months ago , the formal roll call is nevertheless a symbolic milestone and an expression of the party ’ s support for their candidate .
During the state primaries and caucuses , Biden collected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,073 earned by his closest rival , Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders .
The nomination completes the chief – and least suspenseful - objective of the convention : Choosing the candidate that will be on the November presidential ballot .
But it ’ s also done with fanfare and celebration , a moment where party rivals who vied for the nomination united behind the nominee .
Few moments have underscored the unusual nature of the Democrats ' virtual convention as the roll call Tuesday that is expected to lead to Joe Biden 's nomination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participating in the “ Roll Call Across America , ” which included video montages from each area when their turn came to announce their delegate allocations .
The various party activists announcing those delegate pledges were n't just governors , senators and congressmen but also parents , teachers , and small business owners .
That meant local delegates could make their announcements with symbols of the state ’ s beauty or important landmarks , such as a fire station in Connecticut , the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma , Alabama or the Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marisol Garcia , a high school parent and a union organizer for the National Education Association , announced Arizona ’ s votes with cacti in the background .
“ Arizona casts 29 votes for Bernie Sanders and 51 for our next president Joe Biden , ” she said with cacti in the background .
The display marked a major departure from past years , and underscored the challenges convention planners have endured because of the coronavirus pandemic .
In normal election years , delegates gather on the floor of the hall and formally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their delegation will vote .
Though the results are almost always preordained , the roll call gives a member of a state 's party a chance to offer a short speech espousing the soon-to-be-nominee and promote their areas while building a sense of drama until the candidate formally crosses the threshold of delegates needed to seize the nomination .
National conventions usually feature politicians and party stars – but not always .
“ I could tell he really saw me , ” Jacquelyn Brittany , a security guard at the New York Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visit there last year , said during the convention .
“ Nominating someone like that to be in the White House is a good place to start , ” she said .
Jacquelyn has declined to publicize her last name .
Brittany is her middle name , according to the Washington Post .
Brittany was one of several people who seconded Biden ’ s nomination before the formal roll call of delegates .
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , one of the most outspoken progressives in Congress , delivered a nomination speech for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roll call that will nominate Joe Biden as the party ’ s candidate .
Sanders , Biden ’ s last standing opponent in the primary race , suspended his run for the Democratic nomination in April and has supported Biden .
Ocasio-Cortez ’ s roughly 90-second speech didn ’ t mention Biden but established the ideals of the progressive wing of the party .
The progressive movement is “ striving to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice , colonization , misogyny and homophobia , ” Ocasio-Cortez said , adding that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy that rewards explosive inequalities of wealth for the few at the expense of long term stability for the many.
” When the length of her speech was first reported at one minute , some viewed it as a snub to progressives , noting that some Republicans were given more time to speak .
Others saw her inclusion as a sign Democrats are hoping to unify progressives and centrists against Trump .
Ocasio-Cortez was a prominent backer and surrogate for Sanders ’ campaign and has since said she will vote for Biden but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left .
She co-chaired the climate task force to advise Biden on policy .
Sanders , who spoke on the first night of the Democratic Convention , has asked his supporters to back Biden despite their differences in ideology .
He said during his speech Monday that the country can not withstand another Trump term .
“ The future of our democracy is at stake , ” Sanders said .
“ The price of failure is just too great to imagine.
” Bob King , former president of the United Auto Workers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders on Tuesday .
Former President Bill Clinton sought to recapture some of his “ explainer in chief ” mojo during remarks Tuesday that were highly critical of President Donald Trump ’ s response to the coronavirus pandemic .
“ Did it have to be this way ?
No , ” Clinton said of coronavirus infection rates and deaths , after relating several of those statistics .
“ COVID hit us much harder than it had to.
” Clinton blamed Trump for ignoring the advice of scientists and spending too much time on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ The buck never stops there , ” he said .
The 42nd president has ridden peaks of popularity between troughs of disfavor since leaving the White House in 2001 .
His 48-minute speech at the 2012 convention was viewed by some Democrats as a more cogent argument for President Barack Obama ’ s second term than anything Obama had offered himself at that point in the campaign , and it earned Clinton the nickname “ explainer in chief.
” But while Clinton has remained popular among the Democratic establishment , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual assault and harassment have come into harsher light during a MeToo movement that has exposed similar , systemic problems in the workplace .
And so while Clinton played an extensive role on stage at the 2016 convention when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the nominee , his speaking time was limited to just a few minutes Tuesday and his slot fell in the 9 p.m. hour before major networks began carrying the convention in its entirety .
Clinton has addressed every Democratic convention since 1980 .
With no direct stake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton , who turns 74 on Wednesday , has remained out of the fray of the race .
But the distance also gives him an opportunity to deliver more of a direct attack on Trump without running the risk of firing up Trump ’ s core Republican supporters .
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , whose middle name Ellis stems from the iconic New York immigration facility Ellis Island , stood Tuesday in front of the Statue of Liberty as a beacon of hope for the world .
“ America , Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ We need a president with dignity , integrity the experience to lead us out of this crisis.
” His daughter ’ s middle name is Emma after Emma Lazarus , whose poem graces the statue .
“ Beckoned by the lady behind us , we will reform our immigration system so that immigrants yearning to breathe free will at last become American citizens , ” Schumer said .
Schumer said Tuesday that Democrats must elect presumptive nominee Joe Biden president and regain control of the Senate in order to pursue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take decisive action against climate change .
“ Democrats must take back the Senate , ” Schumer said .
“ Out of this long national nightmare , America will finally awaken to a brighter future and a new day.
” Democrats controlled half of Congress under Trump by leading the House of Representatives .
But Schumer of New York could begin leading the Senate – setting the agenda for floor debate on legislation and nominations to courts and federal agencies – if Biden wins and his coattails are long enough to flip three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign speeches , Trump promotes the confirmation of nearly 300 federal judges , including two members of the Supreme Court , during his first term .
He warns that if he loses , Democrats would pursue gun control that he would not .
Schumer said a variety of Democrats oppose Trump , Biden ’ s former primary rivals in the Sens .
Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts .
Schumer said the opposition ranges to more moderate Sens .
Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Mark Warner of Virginia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders and Warren to Manchin and Warner – and together , we will bring bold and dramatic change to our country , ” Schumer said .
Jimmy Carter : Biden is the right person for this moment in our nation ’ s history Former President Jimmy Carter said Joe Biden had the “ experience , character and decency to bring us together and restore America ’ s greatness ” in his first appearance at a presidential nominating convention in eight years .
`` We deserve a person with integrity and judgement , someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is committed to what is best for the American people , '' the 95-year-old said in prerecorded remarks .
“ Joe is that kind of leader , and he is the right person for this moment in our nation ’ s history . ''
Carter appeared with his wife , Rosalynn Carter , who marked her 93rd birthday on Tuesday .
She spoke about working with both Biden and his wife , Dr. Jill Biden on tackling the demands faced by more than 53 million unpaid caregivers who are juggling work and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , too well , the sorrows and struggles of being a family caregiver , from Joe ’ s time as a young widower thrust into single parenthood with a demanding job to he and Jill caring for their own parents and their son Beau at the end of their lives , '' she said .
`` He knows caregiving is hard even on the good days . ''
Carter , the 39th president , declined to attend the 2016 convention in Philadelphia , revealing after the election that he backed Sen. Bernie Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convention was in 2012 when he delivered prime time remarks that were broadcast on the convention ’ s second night .
The one-term Democratic president has mostly stayed out of domestic politics and focused much of his post-presidency on humanitarian work , which landed him a Nobel Peace Prize since he left office in 1981 .
Carter has been sheltering at his home in Plains , Georgia , amid the ongoing pandemic , and was notably absent from Congressman John Lewis ’ funeral in Atlanta last month .
The Georgia Democrat instead sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aloud at the funeral .
The former president recalled Biden as his `` first and most effective supporter in the Senate '' in his bid for the White House in 1976 .
`` For decades , he has been my loyal and dedicated friend , '' Carter said .
`` He understands that honesty and dignity are essential traits that determine not only our vision but our actions .
More than ever , that 's what we need . ''
Yates slams Trump for treating U.S. ‘ like his family business ’ Former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump of trampling on constitutional norms in one of the first addresses of the second night of the Democratic convention on Tuesday .
“ From the moment President Trump took office , he ’ s used his position to benefit himself rather than our country , ” Yates asserted .
“ Put simply , he treats our country like it ’ s his family business.
” Yates , who gained prominence among Democrats after defying Trump at the Justice Department , was considered a potential running mate for Biden and some have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serve as Attorney General should he win .
Yates served as deputy attorney general under former President Barack Obama and became acting attorney general in the chaotic early days of the Trump administration .
Her profile was elevated dramatically when she instructed the department ’ s attorneys not to defend the administration ’ s hastily crafted travel ban on majority-Muslim nations , calling it unlawful .
On Tuesday , Yates added the word “ shameless ” to describe the ban .
Her defiance was the first high profile case of a Justice Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other political appointments made by Trump – questioning the president ’ s authority to carry out his early agenda .
Trump loyalists have used the episodes to dismiss any pushback with the administration as evidence of a “ deep state ” conspiracy .
Yates later testified that she warned the White House early in Trump ’ s administration that their incoming national security adviser , Michael Flynn , had misled senior officials about his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States .
Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ambassador but later reversed course , arguing investigators entrapped him .
Trump has argued that Flynn was “ treated him very unfairly ” and hasn ’ t ruled out a pardon for his former adviser .
Stacey Abrams had hoped for a larger role at the Democratic National Convention , namely a spot on the presidential ticket that Joe Biden gave to California Sen. Kamala Harris .
But the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate still got a prime-time slot Tuesday , one of 17 “ rising stars ” the party tapped to give a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call vote that will officially elevate Biden as the party ’ s presidential nominee .
The choice is clear between Biden and Trump is clear , she said : “ A leader who cares about our families or a president who only cares about himself.
” Abrams , who was among those Biden was said to consider for his running mate at one point , narrowly lost the 2018 race for governor .
She now chairs Fair Fight Action , an organization aimed at mobilizing Black voters and eliminating obstacles to voter access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convention has also changed the format a bit .
Instead of one up-and-rising Democrat to deliver the keynote speech , the party chose to showcase 17 , all of whom heralded Biden ’ s positions to expand health care , fight climate change and grow the economy .
The other 16 keynote speakers kicking off the second day of the convention included federal and state officeholders from across the country including key battleground states such as Florida ( State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried ) , Michigan ( State Rep. Mari Manoogian ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Conor Lamb , and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta ) .
Also on the roster were : Tennessee State Sen. Raumesh Akbari , Texas Congressman Colin Allred , Nevada State Sen. Yvanna Cancela , Former Ohio State Rep. Kathleen Clyde , Long Beach , California , Mayor Robert Garcia , South Carolina State Sen. Marlon Kimpson , Texas State Rep. Victoria Neave , Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez , Georgia State Rep. Sam Park , Georgia , New Hampshire State Rep. Denny Ruprecht , and Birmingham , Alabama , Mayor Randall Woodfin .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this election , ” Nez said in a video message that includes separately recorded sound bites from his fellow keynoters .
“ When we ’ re facing the biggest economic and health crisis in generations because our president didn ’ t and still doesn ’ t have a plan , ” Garcia added .
Most Americans might not be familiar with those names but they well could be over the next decade as they climb the party ranks , said Lara Brown , director of the Graduate School of Political Management ( GSPM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you are interested in creating essentially a national profile , you need to become known among the activists within your party , ” she said .
“ Even if they don ’ t generate a tremendous amount of celebrity or name recognition , what it does do is put them on the radar screen of democratic party activists who will start supporting them in their current race , in the next race or on policy issues they ’ d like to advance … this is an opportunity for more than 15 minutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much of Tuesday attacking former first lady Michelle Obama for delivering prerecorded remarks to the Democratic National Convention that included a searing rebuke of his administration .
“ Unlike Michelle Obama , I ’ m doing it live , ” Trump said of his plans for his Republican nomination acceptance speech after a briefing on border wall construction in Yuma , Arizona .
“ Live , by the way , is always much more exciting than tape , especially once you made the tape long before the event.
” Trump , who flew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of a jam-packed schedule of counter-programming during the DNC , criticized the former first lady for citing an outdated COVID-19 death toll and failing to mention Sen. Kamala Harris as Biden ’ s historic pick as his running mate during taped remarks on the opening night of the convention .
During her speech , Obama said “ more than 150,000 ” Americans had died from the coronavirus , a number that has since topped 170,000 .
Trump dismissed her speech as “ divisive ” and “ devoid of facts.
” “ She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facts and then they say , ‘ what a wonderful job.
’ What was wonderful about it ?
” Trump asked .
Obama delivered a blistering attack on Trump , calling him “ the wrong president for our country ” who is “ clearly in over his head.
” While urging Americans to vote for Biden , Obama said Trump ’ s failure to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and his response to the Black Lives Matter protests underscored his inability to lead the country through crisis .
“ You simply can not fake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
The speech appeared to rankle Trump , who tweeted about it multiple times earlier on Tuesday .
He later took aim at the Obama administration , slamming his predecessor for his handling of the swine flu outbreak and insisting he “ would not be here , in the beautiful White House , if it weren ’ t for the job done by your husband , Barack Obama.
” Trump also blasted the DNC for “ very bad ” ratings after it was revealed that the first night of the convention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six networks compared to 2016 , according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research .
The convention averaged about 19 million viewers across six networks during the 10 p.m. hour when most networks carried the event .
The figures do not include viewers on other networks , streaming services , or social media platforms .
“ Well their ratings were very bad , ” Trump told reporters .
“ I thought it was not the best television I ’ ve ever watched .
It was brutal actually.
” Guard who met Biden in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who gushed over meeting Joe Biden in an elevator during his visit with The New York Times editorial board will be the first person to put his name into nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention .
Jacquelyn Brittany is one of three people putting Biden ’ s name into nomination on Tuesday night .
She ’ ll be joined by Sen. Chris Coons and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester , both from Delaware .
The 31-year-old , who has declined to share her last name publicly , was filmed telling the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as she escorted him to the newspaper ’ s editorial board meeting .
While Biden lost the paper ’ s endorsement , his team elevated the clip of Brittany as evidence that Biden appeals to average working Americans rather than elites .
Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield tweeted that Jacquelyn ’ s was “ the most powerful endorsement of the 2020 cycle.
” In a pre-recorded video , Cindy McCain highlights the late Sen. John McCain 's close friendship with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in another high-profile instance of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Convention .
In the video , first reported on by the Associated Press , McCain narrates key moments of the Biden-McCain friendship , with photos and video clips of the two men .
A snippet of the video on YouTube does not contain an explicit endorsement of Biden over Republican President Donald Trump .
In the video , Cindy McCain talks about the two families that grew close , as her husband and Biden worked together and traveled thousands of miles together .
In the teaser on YouTube , McCain says the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a senator from Delaware at the time , met John McCain when McCain was assigned as a Navy aide for him on an overseas trip .
Trump will accept nomination at the White House President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will formally accept his party 's nomination in a speech delivered at the White House , ending weeks of speculation about what will be one of the most closely watched events of the presidential election .
Trump , speaking in Yuma , Arizona , said he would deliver the remarks from the South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her time as a teacher Jill Biden is expected to speak about being a teacher during the pandemic from the Delaware high school classroom where she taught while Joe Biden was a senator .
“ You can hear the anxiety that echoes down empty hallways , '' she said in prepared remarks .
`` There ’ s no scent of new notebooks or freshly waxed floors .
The rooms are dark and the bright young faces that should fill them are confined to boxes on a computer screen.
” Clinton expected to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump over the high unemployment rate at a time when he should be leading the world .
`` At a time like this , the Oval Office should be a command center , '' Clinton said in prepared remarks .
`` Instead , it ’ s a storm center .
There ’ s only chaos .
Just one thing never changes—his determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame .
The buck never stops there.
” The theme of the night is : `` Leadership Matters , '' John Kerry , the 2004 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is among the speakers .
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York , a vocal critic of Trump , will also be speaking .
Kerry is expected to criticize Trump for pretending that Russia did n't try to influence the 2016 election and for failing to act against bounties that Russia allegedly put on U.S. troops .
`` So he won ’ t defend our country , '' Kerry said in a prepared remarks .
`` He doesn ’ t know how to defend our troops .
The only person he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

Bart Jansen, John Fritze, Courtney Subramanian and Ledyard King, USA TODAY

Joe Biden secures Democratic presidential nomination during night of attacks on Trump and messages of unity
Show Caption Hide Caption AP Top Stories August 19 A Here's the latest for Wednesday August 19th: Democratic Party formally nominates Joe Biden; Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Colin Powell hammer President Trump; Australia to produce possible coronavirus vaccine; Wildfires in California. AP
WASHINGTON – Democrats formally nominated Joe Biden for president during the second night of a virtual convention Tuesday that started with scathing criticism of President Donald Trump’s administration and ended with personal reflections on the former vice president’s decades of service.
More than three decades after he first ran for president, Biden clinched the nomination following a virtual “roll call” featuring party luminaries from all 50 states and lesser-known Democrats who described Biden as ready to lead the nation through the twin crises of a pandemic and economic uncertainty.
“We have shown that the heart of this nation still beats with kindness and courage,” said Dr. Jill Biden, who delivered the evening’s marquee address. “We just need leadership worthy of our nation – worthy of you.”
The second night of the convention began with several high-profile Democrats slamming President Donald Trump. Former President Bill Clinton recited statistics about the number of infections and deaths from the pandemic, which he and others asserted could have been lowered if the Trump administration had acted differently or more quickly
It’s was a preview of a tough message Biden and other Democrats are certain to reprise between now and the Nov. 3 election.
“Did it have to be this way? No,” Clinton argued.
“America, Donald Trump has quit on you,” claimed Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“We deserve a person with integrity and judgement,” former President Jimmy Carter said in a video.
Despite the heavy line of attacks, the final minutes of the second night became far lighter as the party conveyed Biden as a man who had endured tremendous hardship in his own life and brokered friendships with those – like the late Sen. John McCain – on the other side of the aisle.
Minutes after he clinched the nomination, Biden appeared briefly in a video with his grandchildren and family, promising to say more later. The former vice president reappeared to embrace his wife after her remarks, which became personal and emotional as she recalled how Biden handled the death of their son, Beau Biden, who died in 2015.
“I wondered if I would ever smile or feel joy again,” Jill Biden said.
But, she said, four days after Beau’s funeral, she watched her husband put on a suit, take a deep breath and “walk out into a world empty of our son.”
“He went back to work. That’s just who he is,” she said. “He and Kamala (Harris) will work as hard as you do every day to make this nation better.”
Biden is set to formally accept the nomination Thursday.
— John Fritze
Jill Biden ends Day 2 by saying her husband will make the nation whole
Jill Biden spoke as a teacher, a mother and a wife when she addressed the Democratic National Convention on the night her husband was formally nominated to challenge President Donald Trump.
The former Second Lady described her husband as a man who has gone through the unimaginable while still managing to keep putting one front in front of the other.
“He does it for you,” she said of Joe Biden. “His faith is in you, in us.”
And she shared her own pain from the 2015 death of Beau Biden, the family’s oldest child, drawing larger lessons to be applied to a broken nation.
“How do you make a broken family whole? The same way you make a nation whole,” she said. “With love and understanding – and with small acts of kindness. With bravery. With unwavering faith.”
Biden spoke from Room 232 of the high school in Wilmington, Delaware, where she taught English when her husband served in the Senate.
A sign on the bulletin board read: “Welcome back Dr. Jill Biden.”
While she didn't mention Trump in her 10-minute speech, Biden used the backdrop of the school to address the pandemic, saying she’s heartbroken by the magnitude of the nation’s loss of life and the “failure to protect our communities.” She said she feels the frustration of parents juggling work while supporting their children’s learning or fearful they’ll get sick at school.
"Like so many of you," she said, "I’m left asking: how do I keep my family safe?"
As she’s done at past conventions, Biden on Tuesday told the story of Joe Biden losing his first wife and baby daughter in a 1972 car crash. His two sons, Beau and Hunter, were badly injured.
Democratic Convention speaker: Jill Biden Dr. Jill Biden delivers a speech from a school in Wilmington, Delaware about COVID and closed schools for the Democratic National Convention. USA TODAY
“I feel in love with a man and two little boys standing in the wreckage of unthinkable loss,” Biden said. “We found that love holds a family together.”
After Jill and Joe married in 1977, they had a daughter, Ashley.
Beau Biden, who introduced his father at the 2008 and 2012 conventions, died of brain cancer in 2015 at 46.
“I wondered if I would ever smile or feel joy again,” Jill Biden said Tuesday.
But, four days after Beau’s funeral, she watched her husband put on a suit, take a deep breath and “walk out into a world empty of our son.”
“He went back to work. That’s just who he is,” she said. “I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours: bring us together and make us whole."
— Maureen Groppe
Colin Powell speaks up for Biden
Former GOP Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke in support of Joe Biden, saying he would bring the country together and not coddle dictators.
“Today, we are a country divided, and we have a president doing everything in his power to make it that way and keep us that way,” Powell said without mentioning Trump by name. “What a difference it will make to have a president who unites us, who restores our strength and our soul.”
Powell’s decision to address the virtual convention on behalf of Biden makes him one of the most prominent Republicans to play a part in the process of nominating the former vice president.
Powell, who served in President George W. Bush’s cabinet, said in 2016 he would vote for Hillary Clinton, partly because of Trump’s leading role in the “birther” movement questioning the legitimacy of Barack Obama’s citizenship.
Then in June, Powell, the first African-American secretary of state, said he planned to vote for Biden while chiding Trump for his behavior, notably the decision a few days before to clear Lafayette Square in Washington D.C. of mostly peaceful protestors so he could stage a photo op in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church with a bible.
On Tuesday, Powell said Biden will be a president “we will all be proud to salute.”
“With Joe Biden in the White House, you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to our adversaries—never the other way around,” he said. “He will trust our diplomats and our intelligence community, not the flattery of dictators and despots. He will make it his job to know when anyone dares to threaten us. He will stand up to our adversaries with strength and experience. They will know he means business.”
— Ledyard King
Ady Barkan: Put Biden in office, then fight for progressive causes
After video segments highlighting Biden’s health care plan, progressive activist Ady Barkan delivered a speech on the importance of access to health care for all Americans, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. Barkan was diagnosed with the degenerative neurological disease ALS in 2016 shortly after the birth of his son and has become a prominent voice for single-payer health care.
Biden has said he wants a Medicare-like option and to strengthen the Affordable Care Act.
“We live in the richest country in history and yet we do not guarantee this most basic human right. Everyone living in America should get the health care they need regardless of their employment status or ability to pay,” Barkan said.
Barkan made headlines in 2017 when he was filmed confronting former Republican Sen. Jeff Flake over a tax bill. Barkan initially supported Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president and then backed Sen. Bernie Sanders. Barkan and Biden disagree on Medicare for All, but Barkan has urged progressives not to sit out of the November election.
In July, Barkan announced his endorsement of Biden. The two discussed their differences in a video interview, and Barkan said he would take Biden up on an offer to help “figure out what’s enough” on health care should Biden be elected.
“Although he & I have different perspectives on the world, winning this election is essential,” Barkan said at the time.
Barkan said Tuesday that with Biden as president, progressives can continue advocating for further action on health care.
“We must elect Joe Biden. Each of us must be a hero for our communities, for our country, and then, with a compassionate and intelligent president, we must act together and put on his desk a bill that guarantees us all the health care we deserve,” Barkan said.
— Jeanine Santucci
DNC speaker: Ady Barkan, health care activist dying of ALS Ady Barkan, who confronted Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake on the Trump tax cuts effect on health care, spoke at the Democratic National Convention. USA TODAY
John Kerry: Trump heading overseas is a ‘blooper reel’
John Kerry, the former secretary of state and 2004 Democratic nominee for president, slammed President Donald Trump for failing to confront Russia over interfering with the 2016 election or over bounties allegedly put on U.S. troops.
“When this president goes overseas, it isn’t a goodwill mission, it’s a blooper reel,” Kerry said. “Our troops can’t get out of harm’s way by hiding in the White House bunker.”
Republicans blasted Kerry for negotiating a deal aimed at hindering Iran’s nuclear program during the Obama administration and Trump withdrew from the deal. Trump has focused his foreign policy on securing the borders and renegotiating trade deals with Canada and Mexico, and with China.
Kerry served in the Senate from Massachusetts with the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge Trump, Joe Biden of Delaware. Kerry said Biden, a former chairman of the Foreign Relations and Judiciary committees, for having the steely grit to deal with international crises such as genocide in the Balkans or apartheid in South Africa. Kerry also promoted the Obama administration’s support of the Paris climate change agreement with 195 nations and stopped ebola before it became a pandemic.
“Joe’s moral compass has always pointed in the right direction,” Kerry said. “Joe understands that none of the issues of this world – not nuclear weapons, not the challenge of building back better after COVID, not terrorism and certainly not the climate crisis – none can be resolved without bringing nations together.”
— Bart Jansen
Democratic Convention speaker: Former Secretary of State John Kerry Former Massachusetts senator and former Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, John Kerry addresses the Democratic National Convention. USA TODAY
Biden formally seizes Democratic nomination
Former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally secured enough Democratic delegates to become the party's nominee to challenge President Donald Trump, winning one of the highest prizes in U.S. politics more than three decades after he first campaigned for it.
Though presidential nominating conventions haven’t been contested for decades and Biden demonstrated he had enough support for the nomination months ago, the formal roll call is nevertheless a symbolic milestone and an expression of the party’s support for their candidate.
During the state primaries and caucuses, Biden collected 2,687 delegates -- more than twice the 1,073 earned by his closest rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Biden will formally accept the nomination Thursday.
The nomination completes the chief – and least suspenseful - objective of the convention: Choosing the candidate that will be on the November presidential ballot. But it’s also done with fanfare and celebration, a moment where party rivals who vied for the nomination united behind the nominee.
An unconventional roll call to nominate Joe Biden
Few moments have underscored the unusual nature of the Democrats' virtual convention as the roll call Tuesday that is expected to lead to Joe Biden's nomination.
All 57 states and territories are participating in the “Roll Call Across America,” which included video montages from each area when their turn came to announce their delegate allocations. The various party activists announcing those delegate pledges weren't just governors, senators and congressmen but also parents, teachers, and small business owners.
That meant local delegates could make their announcements with symbols of the state’s beauty or important landmarks, such as a fire station in Connecticut, the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama or the Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C.
Marisol Garcia, a high school parent and a union organizer for the National Education Association, announced Arizona’s votes with cacti in the background.
“Arizona casts 29 votes for Bernie Sanders and 51 for our next president Joe Biden,” she said with cacti in the background.
The display marked a major departure from past years and underscored the challenges convention planners have endured because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In normal election years, delegates gather on the floor of the hall and formally announce -- state by state -- how their delegation will vote. Though the results are almost always preordained, the roll call gives a member of a state's party a chance to offer a short speech espousing the soon-to-be-nominee and promote their areas while building a sense of drama until the candidate formally crosses the threshold of delegates needed to seize the nomination.
— John Fritze and Ledyard King
Elevator operator touts Biden
National conventions usually feature politicians and party stars – but not always.
“I could tell he really saw me,” Jacquelyn Brittany, a security guard at the New York Times who operated the elevator during a Biden visit there last year, said during the convention.
“Nominating someone like that to be in the White House is a good place to start,” she said.
Jacquelyn has declined to publicize her last name. Brittany is her middle name, according to the Washington Post.
Brittany was one of several people who seconded Biden’s nomination before the formal roll call of delegates.
— John Fritze
How the DNC changed its rules since Sanders, Clinton in 2016 The primaries are here! How does one get elected in the first place and what is in store for the Democratic National Convention in 2020? We explain. Just the FAQs
AOC gives nominating speech for Bernie Sanders
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most outspoken progressives in Congress, delivered a nomination speech for Sen. Bernie Sanders ahead of the official roll call that will nominate Joe Biden as the party’s candidate.
Sanders, Biden’s last standing opponent in the primary race, suspended his run for the Democratic nomination in April and has supported Biden. Ocasio-Cortez’s roughly 90-second speech didn’t mention Biden but established the ideals of the progressive wing of the party.
The progressive movement is “striving to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice, colonization, misogyny and homophobia,” Ocasio-Cortez said, adding that it “realizes the unsustainable brutality of an economy that rewards explosive inequalities of wealth for the few at the expense of long term stability for the many.”
When the length of her speech was first reported at one minute, some viewed it as a snub to progressives, noting that some Republicans were given more time to speak. Others saw her inclusion as a sign Democrats are hoping to unify progressives and centrists against Trump.
Ocasio-Cortez was a prominent backer and surrogate for Sanders’ campaign and has since said she will vote for Biden but hopes to influence his platform to the left. She co-chaired the climate task force to advise Biden on policy.
Sanders, who spoke on the first night of the Democratic Convention, has asked his supporters to back Biden despite their differences in ideology. He said during his speech Monday that the country cannot withstand another Trump term.
“The future of our democracy is at stake,” Sanders said. “The price of failure is just too great to imagine.”
Bob King, former president of the United Auto Workers, also delivered a symbolic nominating speech for Sanders on Tuesday.
-Jeanine Santucci
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez seconds Sanders nomination Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez emphasized progressive causes as she seconded the presidential nomination of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders during the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night. The party formally nominated Joe Biden. (Aug. 19) AP
‘The buck never stops.’ Clinton hits Trump on COVID-19
Former President Bill Clinton sought to recapture some of his “explainer in chief” mojo during remarks Tuesday that were highly critical of President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Did it have to be this way? No,” Clinton said of coronavirus infection rates and deaths, after relating several of those statistics. “COVID hit us much harder than it had to.”
Clinton blamed Trump for ignoring the advice of scientists and spending too much time on social media blaming others for the crisis: “The buck never stops there,” he said.
The 42nd president has ridden peaks of popularity between troughs of disfavor since leaving the White House in 2001. His 48-minute speech at the 2012 convention was viewed by some Democrats as a more cogent argument for President Barack Obama’s second term than anything Obama had offered himself at that point in the campaign, and it earned Clinton the nickname “explainer in chief.”
But while Clinton has remained popular among the Democratic establishment, the controversies of his presidency and allegations of sexual assault and harassment have come into harsher light during a MeToo movement that has exposed similar, systemic problems in the workplace.
And so while Clinton played an extensive role on stage at the 2016 convention when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the nominee, his speaking time was limited to just a few minutes Tuesday and his slot fell in the 9 p.m. hour before major networks began carrying the convention in its entirety.
Clinton has addressed every Democratic convention since 1980.
With no direct stake in this year’s election, Clinton, who turns 74 on Wednesday, has remained out of the fray of the race. But the distance also gives him an opportunity to deliver more of a direct attack on Trump without running the risk of firing up Trump’s core Republican supporters.
-- John Fritze
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton speaks at the Democratic Convention Former President Bill Clinton addresses the Democratic National Convention to talk about the dangers of President Trump and what Joe Biden offers. USA TODAY
Schumer: Trump has quit on America
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose middle name Ellis stems from the iconic New York immigration facility Ellis Island, stood Tuesday in front of the Statue of Liberty as a beacon of hope for the world.
“America, Donald Trump has quit on you,” Schumer said. “We need a president with dignity, integrity the experience to lead us out of this crisis.”
His daughter’s middle name is Emma after Emma Lazarus, whose poem graces the statue.
“Beckoned by the lady behind us, we will reform our immigration system so that immigrants yearning to breathe free will at last become American citizens,” Schumer said.
Schumer said Tuesday that Democrats must elect presumptive nominee Joe Biden president and regain control of the Senate in order to pursue affordable healthcare, protect voting rights and take decisive action against climate change.
“Democrats must take back the Senate,” Schumer said. “Out of this long national nightmare, America will finally awaken to a brighter future and a new day.”
Democrats controlled half of Congress under Trump by leading the House of Representatives. But Schumer of New York could begin leading the Senate – setting the agenda for floor debate on legislation and nominations to courts and federal agencies – if Biden wins and his coattails are long enough to flip three seats from Republican to Democratic.
In campaign speeches, Trump promotes the confirmation of nearly 300 federal judges, including two members of the Supreme Court, during his first term. He warns that if he loses, Democrats would pursue gun control that he would not.
Schumer said a variety of Democrats oppose Trump, Biden’s former primary rivals in the Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Schumer said the opposition ranges to more moderate Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Mark Warner of Virginia.
“We will stay united, from Sanders and Warren to Manchin and Warner – and together, we will bring bold and dramatic change to our country,” Schumer said.
--Bart Jansen
Democratic Convention speaker: U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer delivers remarks contrasting President Trump with the Democratic Party nomiinee, Joe Biden. USA TODAY
Jimmy Carter: Biden is the right person for this moment in our nation’s history
Former President Jimmy Carter said Joe Biden had the “experience, character and decency to bring us together and restore America’s greatness” in his first appearance at a presidential nominating convention in eight years.
"We deserve a person with integrity and judgement, someone who is honest and fair, someone who is committed to what is best for the American people," the 95-year-old said in prerecorded remarks. “Joe is that kind of leader, and he is the right person for this moment in our nation’s history."
Carter appeared with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, who marked her 93rd birthday on Tuesday. She spoke about working with both Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden on tackling the demands faced by more than 53 million unpaid caregivers who are juggling work and family responsibilities.
"Joe knows well, too well, the sorrows and struggles of being a family caregiver, from Joe’s time as a young widower thrust into single parenthood with a demanding job to he and Jill caring for their own parents and their son Beau at the end of their lives," she said. "He knows caregiving is hard even on the good days."
Carter, the 39th president, declined to attend the 2016 convention in Philadelphia, revealing after the election that he backed Sen. Bernie Sanders. His last appearance at a nominating convention was in 2012 when he delivered prime time remarks that were broadcast on the convention’s second night. The one-term Democratic president has mostly stayed out of domestic politics and focused much of his post-presidency on humanitarian work, which landed him a Nobel Peace Prize since he left office in 1981.
Carter has been sheltering at his home in Plains, Georgia, amid the ongoing pandemic, and was notably absent from Congressman John Lewis’ funeral in Atlanta last month. The Georgia Democrat instead sent a letter of condolences that was read aloud at the funeral.
The former president recalled Biden as his "first and most effective supporter in the Senate" in his bid for the White House in 1976.
"For decades, he has been my loyal and dedicated friend," Carter said. "He understands that honesty and dignity are essential traits that determine not only our vision but our actions. More than ever, that's what we need."
— Courtney Subramanian
Democratic Convention speakers: Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter Former President Jimmy Carter and former fist lady Rosalynn Carter discuss Joe Biden for the Democratic National Convention USA TODAY
Yates slams Trump for treating U.S. ‘like his family business’
Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates accused President Donald Trump of trampling on constitutional norms in one of the first addresses of the second night of the Democratic convention on Tuesday.
“From the moment President Trump took office, he’s used his position to benefit himself rather than our country,” Yates asserted. “Put simply, he treats our country like it’s his family business.”
Yates, who gained prominence among Democrats after defying Trump at the Justice Department, was considered a potential running mate for Biden and some have speculated she remains in the running to serve as Attorney General should he win.
Yates served as deputy attorney general under former President Barack Obama and became acting attorney general in the chaotic early days of the Trump administration. Her profile was elevated dramatically when she instructed the department’s attorneys not to defend the administration’s hastily crafted travel ban on majority-Muslim nations, calling it unlawful.
On Tuesday, Yates added the word “shameless” to describe the ban.
Trump immediately fired Yates.
Her defiance was the first high profile case of a Justice Department staff member -- including some career officials and other political appointments made by Trump – questioning the president’s authority to carry out his early agenda. Trump loyalists have used the episodes to dismiss any pushback with the administration as evidence of a “deep state” conspiracy.
Yates later testified that she warned the White House early in Trump’s administration that their incoming national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had misled senior officials about his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his communications with the ambassador but later reversed course, arguing investigators entrapped him.
Trump has argued that Flynn was “treated him very unfairly” and hasn’t ruled out a pardon for his former adviser.
— John Fritze
Convention gets started by featuring diverse voices attacking Trump
Stacey Abrams had hoped for a larger role at the Democratic National Convention, namely a spot on the presidential ticket that Joe Biden gave to California Sen. Kamala Harris.
But the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate still got a prime-time slot Tuesday, one of 17 “rising stars” the party tapped to give a keynote address leading up to the roll call vote that will officially elevate Biden as the party’s presidential nominee.
The choice is clear between Biden and Trump is clear, she said: “A leader who cares about our families or a president who only cares about himself.”
Abrams, who was among those Biden was said to consider for his running mate at one point, narrowly lost the 2018 race for governor. She now chairs Fair Fight Action, an organization aimed at mobilizing Black voters and eliminating obstacles to voter access nationwide.
The virtual nature of the convention has also changed the format a bit. Instead of one up-and-rising Democrat to deliver the keynote speech, the party chose to showcase 17, all of whom heralded Biden’s positions to expand health care, fight climate change and grow the economy.
The other 16 keynote speakers kicking off the second day of the convention included federal and state officeholders from across the country including key battleground states such as Florida (State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried), Michigan (State Rep. Mari Manoogian), and Pennsylvania (Congressmen Brendan Boyle and Conor Lamb, and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta).
Also on the roster were: Tennessee State Sen. Raumesh Akbari, Texas Congressman Colin Allred, Nevada State Sen. Yvanna Cancela, Former Ohio State Rep. Kathleen Clyde, Long Beach, California, Mayor Robert Garcia, South Carolina State Sen. Marlon Kimpson, Texas State Rep. Victoria Neave, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, Georgia State Rep. Sam Park, Georgia, New Hampshire State Rep. Denny Ruprecht, and Birmingham, Alabama, Mayor Randall Woodfin.
“There’s a lot riding on this election,” Nez said in a video message that includes separately recorded sound bites from his fellow keynoters.
“When we’re facing the biggest economic and health crisis in generations because our president didn’t and still doesn’t have a plan,” Garcia added.
Most Americans might not be familiar with those names but they well could be over the next decade as they climb the party ranks, said Lara Brown, director of the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at George Washington University.
“If you are interested in creating essentially a national profile, you need to become known among the activists within your party,” she said. “Even if they don’t generate a tremendous amount of celebrity or name recognition, what it does do is put them on the radar screen of democratic party activists who will start supporting them in their current race, in the next race or on policy issues they’d like to advance … this is an opportunity for more than 15 minutes of fame.”
-- Ledyard King
Trump blasts Michelle Obama for taped speech, DNC’s ‘very bad’ ratings
President Donald Trump spent much of Tuesday attacking former first lady Michelle Obama for delivering prerecorded remarks to the Democratic National Convention that included a searing rebuke of his administration.
“Unlike Michelle Obama, I’m doing it live,” Trump said of his plans for his Republican nomination acceptance speech after a briefing on border wall construction in Yuma, Arizona. “Live, by the way, is always much more exciting than tape, especially once you made the tape long before the event.”
Trump, who flew from Washington to Iowa to Arizona as part of a jam-packed schedule of counter-programming during the DNC, criticized the former first lady for citing an outdated COVID-19 death toll and failing to mention Sen. Kamala Harris as Biden’s historic pick as his running mate during taped remarks on the opening night of the convention.
During her speech, Obama said “more than 150,000” Americans had died from the coronavirus, a number that has since topped 170,000.
Trump dismissed her speech as “divisive” and “devoid of facts.”
“She didn’t even have the accurate facts and then they say, ‘what a wonderful job.’ What was wonderful about it?” Trump asked.
Obama delivered a blistering attack on Trump, calling him “the wrong president for our country” who is “clearly in over his head.” While urging Americans to vote for Biden, Obama said Trump’s failure to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and his response to the Black Lives Matter protests underscored his inability to lead the country through crisis.
“You simply cannot fake your way through this job,” she said.
Michelle Obama, wearing 'VOTE' necklace, calls Trump 'wrong president' Michelle Obama called President Donald Trump the "wrong president for our country" during her speech at the Democratic National Convention. Associated Press, USA TODAY
The speech appeared to rankle Trump, who tweeted about it multiple times earlier on Tuesday. He later took aim at the Obama administration, slamming his predecessor for his handling of the swine flu outbreak and insisting he “would not be here, in the beautiful White House, if it weren’t for the job done by your husband, Barack Obama.”
Trump also blasted the DNC for “very bad” ratings after it was revealed that the first night of the convention drew about 25% fewer views across six networks compared to 2016, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research. The convention averaged about 19 million viewers across six networks during the 10 p.m. hour when most networks carried the event. The figures do not include viewers on other networks, streaming services, or social media platforms.
“Well their ratings were very bad,” Trump told reporters. “I thought it was not the best television I’ve ever watched. It was brutal actually.”
— Courtney Subramanian
Guard who met Biden in elevator to nominate him
A security guard who gushed over meeting Joe Biden in an elevator during his visit with The New York Times editorial board will be the first person to put his name into nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention.
Jacquelyn Brittany is one of three people putting Biden’s name into nomination on Tuesday night. She’ll be joined by Sen. Chris Coons and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, both from Delaware.
The 31-year-old, who has declined to share her last name publicly, was filmed telling the former vice president “I love you” as she escorted him to the newspaper’s editorial board meeting. While Biden lost the paper’s endorsement, his team elevated the clip of Brittany as evidence that Biden appeals to average working Americans rather than elites.
Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield tweeted that Jacquelyn’s was “the most powerful endorsement of the 2020 cycle.”
- Associated Press
Cindy McCain talks about John McCain's friendship with Joe Biden
In a pre-recorded video, Cindy McCain highlights the late Sen. John McCain's close friendship with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in another high-profile instance of a Republican lending her voice to the Democratic National Convention.
In the video, first reported on by the Associated Press, McCain narrates key moments of the Biden-McCain friendship, with photos and video clips of the two men. A snippet of the video on YouTube does not contain an explicit endorsement of Biden over Republican President Donald Trump.
In the video, Cindy McCain talks about the two families that grew close, as her husband and Biden worked together and traveled thousands of miles together.
In the teaser on YouTube, McCain says the two men grew close when Biden, a senator from Delaware at the time, met John McCain when McCain was assigned as a Navy aide for him on an overseas trip.
— Yvonne Sanchez, Arizona Republic
Democratic Convention video: John McCain Cindy McCain voices a video about the decades-long friendship between Joe Biden and her late husband, Sen. John McCain. USA TODAY
Trump will accept nomination at the White House
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will formally accept his party's nomination in a speech delivered at the White House, ending weeks of speculation about what will be one of the most closely watched events of the presidential election.
Trump, speaking in Yuma, Arizona, said he would deliver the remarks from the South Lawn.
- John Fritze
Jill Biden will take from her time as a teacher
Jill Biden is expected to speak about being a teacher during the pandemic from the Delaware high school classroom where she taught while Joe Biden was a senator.
“You can hear the anxiety that echoes down empty hallways," she said in prepared remarks. "There’s no scent of new notebooks or freshly waxed floors. The rooms are dark and the bright young faces that should fill them are confined to boxes on a computer screen.”
Clinton expected to go after Trump
Clinton is expected to criticize Trump over the high unemployment rate at a time when he should be leading the world.
"At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center," Clinton said in prepared remarks. "Instead, it’s a storm center. There’s only chaos. Just one thing never changes—his determination to deny responsibility and shift the blame. The buck never stops there.”
A theme of leadership
The theme of the night is: "Leadership Matters," John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee and former secretary of state, is among the speakers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, a vocal critic of Trump, will also be speaking.
Kerry is expected to criticize Trump for pretending that Russia didn't try to influence the 2016 election and for failing to act against bounties that Russia allegedly put on U.S. troops.
"So he won’t defend our country," Kerry said in a prepared remarks. "He doesn’t know how to defend our troops. The only person he’s interested in defending is himself.”


usatoday--2020-08-19--Watch: Virtual DNC Night 2

Watch: Virtual DNC Night 2

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usatoday--2020-08-18--4 men, 4 takeaways from the monster Senate intelligence report on Russian election meddling

In a far-reaching account of Russia 's efforts to compromise the 2016 presidential election , the Senate Intelligence Committee offered new details Tuesday on the roles played by Donald Trump 's campaign advisers and their willingness to take advantage of a Kremlin-directed attempt to undermine the candidacy of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton .
Across nearly 1,000 pages , the Republican-led Senate panel not only documented the interactions of Trump campaign officials with Russian contacts but faulted the FBI , in part , for providing a `` veneer of credibility '' to an uncorroborated dossier that sought to disparage Trump in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's former campaign chairman was singled out for some of the harshest criticism by the committee , which cast the high-flying political consultant as `` a grave counterintelligence threat . ''
For the first time , the committee unequivocally identified Manafort business associate Konstantin Kilimnik as `` a Russian intelligence officer . ''
The committee 's assessment of Kilimnik went further than an investigation of Russian election interference prepared by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller .
Before joining the Trump campaign in March 2016 , Manafort `` directly and indirectly '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate report , and `` on numerous occasions , Manafort sought to secretly share internal campaign information '' with the Russian operative .
Read it yourself : Senate Intelligence Committee report , more on Manafort and Kilimnik pages 158-169 After dual convictions on financial fraud charges in Alexandria , Virginia , and Washington , arising from the Mueller investigation , Manafort was sentenced to more than seven years in prison .
In May , he was released to home confinement because of the risk posed by the coronavirus pandemic in federal prison .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets his share of attention in the Senate report , but it is not likely to please Trump , his longtime friend .
The Senate report found that Trump spoke with Stone about back-channel efforts to communicate with the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks about the release of emails stolen by Russian hackers that were damaging to Clinton and the Democratic National Committee .
Trump told Mueller 's team , in written responses to investigators ' questions , that he did not recall discussing WikiLeaks with Stone .
`` Despite Trump 's recollection , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , speak with Stone about WikiLeaks and with members of his campaign about Stone 's access ( to the group ) on multiple occasions , '' the report said .
Stone was convicted of lying to Congress about his interactions with the Trump campaign and Wikileaks .
He was set to begin serving his 40-month sentence when Trump granted him clemency .
Russia 's effort to influence the campaign , the Senate panel concluded , extended to Trump 's family and the base of the real estate development enterprise : Trump Tower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in a meeting June 9 , 2016 , ( page 332 ) with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower , `` it was the intent of the campaign participants in the meeting , particularly Donald Trump Jr. , to receive derogatory information that would be of benefit to the campaign from a source known ... to have connections to the Russian government . ''
Investigators `` found no reliable evidence that information of benefit to the Trump campaign '' was provided during the meeting .
There also was no evidence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nevertheless , investigators concluded that the offer of information was part of a `` broader influence operation targeting the United States that was coordinated , at least in part , with elements of the Russian government . ''
The FBI 's investigation into Russian interference did not escape scrutiny from Senate investigators .
The committee seized on the bureau 's handling of a dossier , prepared before the 2016 election by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele , that purported to document Trump 's activities and associations in Moscow .
The FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered the unverified information as `` extremely sensitive and potentially relevant to ongoing investigations . ''
Senate investigators concluded that Steele 's reporting was `` assigned credibility based on flawed understanding of his past work with the FBI . ''
`` The dossier joined a stream of intelligence and investigative reporting about Russia 's attempts to interfere in the 2016 elections , '' even though the FBI `` never fully explored the allegations in the dossier or Steele 's trade-craft , '' the senators said .
Senate investigators said the FBI 's efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were focused largely on identifying Steele 's source network .
Though the bureau attempted to corroborate the dossier 's contents , the Senate panel concluded that effort was `` lacking in both thoroughness and rigor . ''
Trump and his allies in Congress have repeatedly used the discredited dossier as a bludgeon to disparage the Mueller investigation and the Senate inquiry .
More : Start reading on the origins of the Steele dossier on page 846

Kevin Johnson and Kristine Phillips, USA TODAY

4 men, 4 takeaways from the monster Senate intelligence report on Russian election meddling
Show Caption Hide Caption Senate report: Manafort a 'grave' threat as Russia meddled in election A Senate report found that Manafort shared Trump campaign strategy with a Russian official. It also said a Russian attorney who met at Trump Tower with Manafort, Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner had "significant connections" to the Kremlin. Newsy, Newsy
In a far-reaching account of Russia's efforts to compromise the 2016 presidential election, the Senate Intelligence Committee offered new details Tuesday on the roles played by Donald Trump's campaign advisers and their willingness to take advantage of a Kremlin-directed attempt to undermine the candidacy of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Across nearly 1,000 pages, the Republican-led Senate panel not only documented the interactions of Trump campaign officials with Russian contacts but faulted the FBI, in part, for providing a "veneer of credibility" to an uncorroborated dossier that sought to disparage Trump in the run-up to the 2016 election.
Paul Manafort (and Konstantin Kilimnik)
Trump's former campaign chairman was singled out for some of the harshest criticism by the committee, which cast the high-flying political consultant as "a grave counterintelligence threat."
For the first time, the committee unequivocally identified Manafort business associate Konstantin Kilimnik as "a Russian intelligence officer." The committee's assessment of Kilimnik went further than an investigation of Russian election interference prepared by Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller.
Before joining the Trump campaign in March 2016, Manafort "directly and indirectly" communicated with Kilimnik, according to the Senate report, and "on numerous occasions, Manafort sought to secretly share internal campaign information" with the Russian operative.
Read it yourself: Senate Intelligence Committee report, more on Manafort and Kilimnik pages 158-169
After dual convictions on financial fraud charges in Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington, arising from the Mueller investigation, Manafort was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. In May, he was released to home confinement because of the risk posed by the coronavirus pandemic in federal prison.
Roger Stone (and WikiLeaks)
Stone, the self-described political dirty-trickster, gets his share of attention in the Senate report, but it is not likely to please Trump, his longtime friend.
The Senate report found that Trump spoke with Stone about back-channel efforts to communicate with the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks about the release of emails stolen by Russian hackers that were damaging to Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.
Trump told Mueller's team, in written responses to investigators' questions, that he did not recall discussing WikiLeaks with Stone.
"Despite Trump's recollection, the committee assesses that Trump did, in fact, speak with Stone about WikiLeaks and with members of his campaign about Stone's access (to the group) on multiple occasions," the report said.
Read: More on Stone, Trump and WikiLeaks pages 222-251
Stone was convicted of lying to Congress about his interactions with the Trump campaign and Wikileaks. He was set to begin serving his 40-month sentence when Trump granted him clemency.
Donald Trump Jr. (and Trump Tower)
Russia's effort to influence the campaign, the Senate panel concluded, extended to Trump's family and the base of the real estate development enterprise: Trump Tower in New York.
Senate officials concluded that in a meeting June 9, 2016, (page 332) with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower, "it was the intent of the campaign participants in the meeting, particularly Donald Trump Jr., to receive derogatory information that would be of benefit to the campaign from a source known ... to have connections to the Russian government."
Investigators "found no reliable evidence that information of benefit to the Trump campaign" was provided during the meeting.
There also was no evidence that Trump had advance knowledge of the meeting.
Nevertheless, investigators concluded that the offer of information was part of a "broader influence operation targeting the United States that was coordinated, at least in part, with elements of the Russian government."
Christopher Steele (and the FBI)
The FBI's investigation into Russian interference did not escape scrutiny from Senate investigators.
The committee seized on the bureau's handling of a dossier, prepared before the 2016 election by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele, that purported to document Trump's activities and associations in Moscow.
The FBI, including the bureau's leadership, considered the unverified information as "extremely sensitive and potentially relevant to ongoing investigations." Senate investigators concluded that Steele's reporting was "assigned credibility based on flawed understanding of his past work with the FBI."
"The dossier joined a stream of intelligence and investigative reporting about Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 elections," even though the FBI "never fully explored the allegations in the dossier or Steele's trade-craft," the senators said.
Senate investigators said the FBI's efforts to investigate the allegations in the dossier were focused largely on identifying Steele's source network. Though the bureau attempted to corroborate the dossier's contents, the Senate panel concluded that effort was "lacking in both thoroughness and rigor."
Trump and his allies in Congress have repeatedly used the discredited dossier as a bludgeon to disparage the Mueller investigation and the Senate inquiry.
More: Start reading on the origins of the Steele dossier on page 846


usatoday--2020-08-19--Breonna Taylor billboard in Louisville, one of 26 placed by The Oprah Magazine, vandalized with red

A Breonna Taylor billboard in Louisville 's Irish Hill neighborhood has been vandalized with red paint .
Drivers who were @ @ @ @ @ of Taylor on the billboard on Lexington Road near Spring Street , one of 26 @ @ @ @ @ with the police shooting victim 's face on it , instead saw red paint smeared @ @ @ @ @ morning .
The 26 billboards were put up by officials with O , The Oprah @ @ @ @ @ the same image on a magazine cover .
'Sooner rather than later ' : Breonna @ @ @ @ @ charges 'hopefully ' before October The billboards call for the three Louisville Metro Police officers @ @ @ @ @ night Taylor was killed to be arrested and charged for their involvement in the case @ @ @ @ @ Black woman dead in her apartment and led to protests in Louisville and around the @ @ @ @ @ readers to visit the website for Until Freedom , a social justice organization that moved @ @ @ @ @ work with protesters and call on city and state officials to take action .

Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal

Breonna Taylor billboard in Louisville, one of 26 placed by The Oprah Magazine, vandalized with red paint
Show Caption Hide Caption Oprah seeks justice with Breonna Taylor billboards First, Oprah Winfrey put Breonna Taylor on the cover of O, The Oprah Magazine. Now the media mogul is spreading her message with billboards demanding justice for the Kentucky woman shot to death during a police raid. (Aug. 7) AP
A Breonna Taylor billboard in Louisville's Irish Hill neighborhood has been vandalized with red paint.
Drivers who were used to seeing the image of Taylor on the billboard on Lexington Road near Spring Street, one of 26 put up around the city with the police shooting victim's face on it, instead saw red paint smeared across the forehead on Tuesday morning.
The 26 billboards were put up by officials with O, The Oprah Magazine, which recently used the same image on a magazine cover.
'Sooner rather than later': Breonna Taylor family attorneys push for charges 'hopefully' before October
The billboards call for the three Louisville Metro Police officers who fired their weapons the night Taylor was killed to be arrested and charged for their involvement in the case, which left the 26-year-old Black woman dead in her apartment and led to protests in Louisville and around the nation.
It also directs readers to visit the website for Until Freedom, a social justice organization that moved to Louisville last month to work with protesters and call on city and state officials to take action.
Follow Lucas Aulbach on Twitter @LucasAulbach


usatoday--2020-08-18--Opinion: These are not your NBA Finals-caliber Bucks. So where are they?

In one of the great Twilight Zone episodes titled `` Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up ? ''
a snowstorm maroons folks in a diner leaving them to wonder if an alien is among them .
It has me thinking , while watching the NBA playoffs in a bubble in August : Will the real Milwaukee Bucks please stand up ?
Because the restart Bucks are not the same Bucks that were 53-12 and had the NBA ’ s best defense , the sixth-best offense and the league ’ s best net rating .
They possessed the talent and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And that still may be the case .
But they ’ re not that team right now .
2020 has been its own special Twilight Zone so why not the NBA playoffs , too ?
Milwaukee handling Orlando was supposed to be the surest of sure things of any first-round matchup , but the eighth-seeded and injury-decimated Magic outplayed and stunned the Bucks on their way to a 122-110 victory in Game 1 of their series on Tuesday .
The Magic didn ’ t just scratch out a victory .
They earned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an impressive performance .
Nik Vucevic had 35 points and 13 rebounds , including 15 points on three-pointers .
Terrence Ross scored 18 points and was joined in double figures by Gary Clark ( 15 ) , Markelle Fultz ( 15 ) , D.J .
Augustin ( 11 points , 11 assists ) and James Ennis ( 11 points ) .
The Magic were without Aaron Gordon ( hamstring strain ) , Michael Carter-Williams ( foot strain ) , Jonathan Isaac ( torn ACL ) and Mo Bamba ( post-COVID-19 evaluation ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ offense had Milwaukee flat-footed and scrambling on defense , and Magic coach Steve Clifford put together a stellar game plan .
“ I don ’ t think our group underestimated Orlando , ” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said .
“ They ’ re a very good team .
They ’ re very well-coached .
They ’ ve got a lot of good players .
They ’ ve got weapons.
” Orlando may not win another game in the series .
But that ’ s not the point .
Forget the result .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Bucks ’ big picture dream of winning a championship .
Forget that Milwaukee trailed Orlando 92-79 headed into the fourth quarter and 112-97 with 4:50 left in the game .
It 's the larger issue of returning to championship-caliber basketball .
Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo put up his usual great numbers - 31 points , 17 rebounds and seven assists .
But he needs help .
Through eight restart games and one playoff game , Milwaukee looks average .
For certain , Budenholzer had a plan for building toward games in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out minutes and didn ’ t want to overextend anyone in the restart .
Makes sense .
But at a certain point , the Bucks need to start playing like a team that can earn its way to the Finals .
Throughout his postgame news conference , Budenholzer used the word aggressive and did n't think the Bucks played with the same force as Orlando .
“ We have to step up and match that , ” he said .
The Bucks struggled offensively , and that will happen from time to time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the game the Bucks used to crush teams this season .
Milwaukee allowed 101.6 points per 100 possessions before COVID-19 suspended the season in March .
But in eight restart games , it allowed 110.2 points per 100 possessions , and in the first game of the playoffs , it allowed 114 points per 100 possessions .
“ We ’ ve got to be better on that end of the court , ” Budenholzer said .
Bucks guard George Hills knows something is off and said they need to do some soul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been ourselves , and we have to figure that out , ” said Hill , mentioning the strangeness of life inside the bubble .
Without the normalcy of a regular playoffs with home and road games and travel , the complexion of the postseason is different , and the team that adjusts to the unusual nature of the circumstances will prosper .
That ’ s not Milwaukee , not right now .

Opinion: These are not your NBA Finals-caliber Bucks. So where are they?
Show Caption Hide Caption Predicting the NBA Finals Sports Pulse: Jeff Zillgitt on who he thinks will make it to the NBA Finals this season SportsPulse, USA TODAY
In one of the great Twilight Zone episodes titled "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" a snowstorm maroons folks in a diner leaving them to wonder if an alien is among them.
It has me thinking, while watching the NBA playoffs in a bubble in August: Will the real Milwaukee Bucks please stand up?
Because the restart Bucks are not the same Bucks that were 53-12 and had the NBA’s best defense, the sixth-best offense and the league’s best net rating. They possessed the talent and stats that indicated another deep postseason run. And that still may be the case.
But they’re not that team right now.
2020 has been its own special Twilight Zone so why not the NBA playoffs, too?
Milwaukee handling Orlando was supposed to be the surest of sure things of any first-round matchup, but the eighth-seeded and injury-decimated Magic outplayed and stunned the Bucks on their way to a 122-110 victory in Game 1 of their series on Tuesday.
The Magic didn’t just scratch out a victory. They earned it, putting away the Bucks in an impressive performance.
Nik Vucevic had 35 points and 13 rebounds, including 15 points on three-pointers. Terrence Ross scored 18 points and was joined in double figures by Gary Clark (15), Markelle Fultz (15), D.J. Augustin (11 points, 11 assists) and James Ennis (11 points).
The Magic were without Aaron Gordon (hamstring strain), Michael Carter-Williams (foot strain), Jonathan Isaac (torn ACL) and Mo Bamba (post-COVID-19 evaluation).
Orlando’s activity and movement on offense had Milwaukee flat-footed and scrambling on defense, and Magic coach Steve Clifford put together a stellar game plan.
“I don’t think our group underestimated Orlando,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. “They’re a very good team. They’re very well-coached. They’ve got a lot of good players. They’ve got weapons.”
Orlando may not win another game in the series. But that’s not the point.
Forget the result. That’s not important in the context of the Bucks’ big picture dream of winning a championship. Forget that Milwaukee trailed Orlando 92-79 headed into the fourth quarter and 112-97 with 4:50 left in the game.
It's the larger issue of returning to championship-caliber basketball.
Reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo put up his usual great numbers - 31 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists. But he needs help.
Through eight restart games and one playoff game, Milwaukee looks average. For certain, Budenholzer had a plan for building toward games in late September and October. He spread out minutes and didn’t want to overextend anyone in the restart. Makes sense.
But at a certain point, the Bucks need to start playing like a team that can earn its way to the Finals.
Throughout his postgame news conference, Budenholzer used the word aggressive and didn't think the Bucks played with the same force as Orlando. “We have to step up and match that,” he said.
The Bucks struggled offensively, and that will happen from time to time. But defense is the one facet of the game the Bucks used to crush teams this season.
Milwaukee allowed 101.6 points per 100 possessions before COVID-19 suspended the season in March. But in eight restart games, it allowed 110.2 points per 100 possessions, and in the first game of the playoffs, it allowed 114 points per 100 possessions.
“We’ve got to be better on that end of the court,” Budenholzer said.
Bucks guard George Hills knows something is off and said they need to do some soul searching. “We haven’t been ourselves, and we have to figure that out,” said Hill, mentioning the strangeness of life inside the bubble.
Without the normalcy of a regular playoffs with home and road games and travel, the complexion of the postseason is different, and the team that adjusts to the unusual nature of the circumstances will prosper.
That’s not Milwaukee, not right now.
Follow USA TODAY Sports NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt


usatoday--2020-08-19--Amazon removes clothing with derogatory term toward Kamala Harris

Amazon removed shirts referring to Kamala Harris in a derogatory term from its marketplace .
The seller , The Oxygen Bandit , was offering t-shirts , tank tops , hoodies and sweatshirts with a similar design to Joe Biden 's campaign logo saying `` Joe and the h -- . ''
The name of the gardening tool that rhymes with `` Joe '' is slang for the word `` whore . ''
The prices ranged from $ 24.99 to $ 42.99 .
`` All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We are working to remove these products , '' an Amazon spokesperson told USA TODAY .
The political meme gained momentum when Rush Limbaugh used his radio show to push misinformation about vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris .
The meme is the latest iteration of previous smear campaigns targeting Harris for her romantic relationship with former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown 25 years ago .
While Harris had a relationship with Brown between 1994 and 1995 , her first successful run for office happened in 2003 – when she won the San Francisco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bandit does not appear to have a standalone website .
Among the other items it is selling on Amazon are clothing items with the words `` Kamala smelled the best '' alluding to the claims of inappropriate behavior by the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden .
These items are still available for purchase .
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to USA TODAY 's request for comment .
Twitter users took notice of the item on Amazon and a tweet from user @ LesaPamplin is garnering steam asking people to submit their @ @ @ @ @

Amazon removes clothing with derogatory term toward Kamala Harris
Show Caption Hide Caption Kamala Harris: 5 things to know about Joe Biden's running mate Joe Biden made history when he chose Kamala Harris as his running mate. USA TODAY
Amazon removed shirts referring to Kamala Harris in a derogatory term from its marketplace.
One of the sellers, The Oxygen Bandit, was offering t-shirts, tank tops, hoodies and sweatshirts with a similar design to Joe Biden's campaign logo saying "Joe and the h--." The name of the gardening tool that rhymes with "Joe" is slang for the word "whore."
The prices ranged from $24.99 to $42.99.
"All sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who do not will be subject to action including potential removal of their account. We are working to remove these products," an Amazon spokesperson told USA TODAY.
The political meme gained momentum when Rush Limbaugh used his radio show to push misinformation about vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The meme is the latest iteration of previous smear campaigns targeting Harris for her romantic relationship with former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown 25 years ago.
While Harris had a relationship with Brown between 1994 and 1995, her first successful run for office happened in 2003 – when she won the San Francisco District Attorney runoff election.
The Oxygen Bandit does not appear to have a standalone website. Among the other items it is selling on Amazon are clothing items with the words "Kamala smelled the best" alluding to the claims of inappropriate behavior by the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
These items are still available for purchase and Amazon declined to comment on whether it would remove them.
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
Twitter users took notice of the item on Amazon and a tweet from user @LesaPamplin is garnering steam asking people to submit their complaints to the retailer.


usatoday--2020-08-19--Former senior Trump administration official endorses Joe Biden

WASHINGTON – Former senior Trump administration official Miles Taylor endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president on Monday .
In doing so , he became one of the highest-ranking former officials from the Trump administration to back the presumptive Democratic nominee .
Taylor , who served as chief of staff to former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and a political appointee at the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 until he left in 2019 , was featured in a video produced by the Republican Voters Against Trump , saying what he saw from President Donald Trump `` was terrifying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when DHS staffers attempted to discuss issues of national security like a `` cyberattack '' or `` terrorism threat '' with the president , Trump `` wasn ’ t interested in those things .
… To him , they weren ’ t priorities.
” He also stated Trump would give what Taylor called illegal orders to the DHS and “ didn ’ t want us to tell him it was illegal anymore because he knew that … he had ‘ magical authorities . '
” The video followed an op-ed he wrote that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor called Trump `` dangerous '' for America , without mentioning whom he was voting for .
Not sure if you ’ re registered to vote ?
: Check your status More : Trump to campaign in battleground states as Democrats embrace Joe Biden , Kamala Harris at convention In the video , Taylor stated , `` Given what I have experienced in the administration , I have to support Joe Biden for president .
And even though I am not a Democrat , even though I disagree on key issues , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country and I 'm confident that he wo n't make the same mistakes as this President . ''
Taylor 's video endorsement and op-ed come on the first night of the Democratic National Convention , where several Republicans are set to speak in a show of bipartisan support for former Biden and his running mate , Sen. Kamala Harris .
Four Republicans will speak for a segment called “ We The People Putting Country Over Party.
” 'It 's not a good picture ' : Party conventions may further complicate coronavirus stimulus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Democrats look to ride anti-Trump wave to capture state legislatures in 2020 Biden ’ s other Republican backers include several former administrations cabinet secretaries , former members of Congress and former GOP state party chairs .
One-time Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina , and Anthony Scaramucci , a prior Trump ally who briefly served as his White House communications director , have also endorsed Biden .
White House spokesperson Judd Deere responded to Taylor 's allegations in a statement to USA TODAY , saying Taylor `` never understood the importance of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people elected him and clearly just wants to cash-in . ''
Some other former senior Trump administration officials , including most recently former national security adviser John Bolton , have also been critical of Trump , but few have publicly endorsed Biden .
In the ad , Taylor asserts the president sought to “ exploit the Department of Homeland Security for his own political purposes and to fuel his own agenda.
” More : Trump 's Postmaster General DeJoy will testify before Congress about USPS changes Taylor claimed the president sought to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigration policy at the southern border that led to family separations , and wanted “ a deliberate policy of ripping children away from their parents to show those parents that they shouldn ’ t come to the border in the first place.
” Nielsen implemented the Trump administration 's controversial family separation policy after being appointed DHS secretary in December 2017 that led to the separation of thousands of families .
She resigned in April 2019 .
More : Three more Republicans join Kasich to speak at Democratic National Convention in support of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders , Kasich to speak as Democrats look to unite both sides of the aisle In the op-ed , Taylor also slammed Trump 's response to the coronavirus pandemic as `` bungled '' , writing that `` Trump failed to make effective use of the federal crisis response system painstakingly built after 9/11 .
Years of DHS planning for a pandemic threat have been largely wasted . ''
According to CNN , Taylor has taken a leave of absence from working at Google 's public policy arm until Election Day to engage more @ @ @ @ @ @

Former senior Trump administration official endorses Joe Biden
Show Caption Hide Caption Former senior Trump administration official endorses Joe Biden Miles Taylor is one of the highest-ranking former officials from the Trump administration to back the presumptive Democratic nominee. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Former senior Trump administration official Miles Taylor endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president on Monday. In doing so, he became one of the highest-ranking former officials from the Trump administration to back the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Taylor, who served as chief of staff to former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and a political appointee at the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 until he left in 2019, was featured in a video produced by the Republican Voters Against Trump, saying what he saw from President Donald Trump "was terrifying."
Taylor continued to claim that when DHS staffers attempted to discuss issues of national security like a "cyberattack" or "terrorism threat" with the president, Trump "wasn’t interested in those things. … To him, they weren’t priorities.”
He also stated Trump would give what Taylor called illegal orders to the DHS and “didn’t want us to tell him it was illegal anymore because he knew that … he had ‘magical authorities.'”
The video followed an op-ed he wrote that was published in The Washington Post where Taylor called Trump "dangerous" for America, without mentioning whom he was voting for.
Not sure if you’re registered to vote?: Check your status
More: Trump to campaign in battleground states as Democrats embrace Joe Biden, Kamala Harris at convention
In the video, Taylor stated, "Given what I have experienced in the administration, I have to support Joe Biden for president. And even though I am not a Democrat, even though I disagree on key issues, I'm confident that Joe Biden will protect the country and I'm confident that he won't make the same mistakes as this President."
NEW: Testimonial ad from Trump's Former DHS Chief of Staff @MilesTaylorUSA, declaring his support for Joe Biden and describing Trump's presidency as "terrifying" and "actively doing damage to our security."
WATCH & go to https://t.co/Nz2NiSCquN for more. pic.twitter.com/iChqOdIIew — Republican Voters Against Trump (@RVAT2020) August 17, 2020
Taylor's video endorsement and op-ed come on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, where several Republicans are set to speak in a show of bipartisan support for former Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris.
Four Republicans will speak for a segment called “We The People Putting Country Over Party.”
'It's not a good picture': Party conventions may further complicate coronavirus stimulus talks
'Coronavirus is a local issue': Democrats look to ride anti-Trump wave to capture state legislatures in 2020
Biden’s other Republican backers include several former administrations cabinet secretaries, former members of Congress and former GOP state party chairs. One-time Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, and Anthony Scaramucci, a prior Trump ally who briefly served as his White House communications director, have also endorsed Biden.
White House spokesperson Judd Deere responded to Taylor's allegations in a statement to USA TODAY, saying Taylor "never understood the importance of the President's agenda or why the American people elected him and clearly just wants to cash-in."
Some other former senior Trump administration officials, including most recently former national security adviser John Bolton, have also been critical of Trump, but few have publicly endorsed Biden.
In the ad, Taylor asserts the president sought to “exploit the Department of Homeland Security for his own political purposes and to fuel his own agenda.”
More: Trump's Postmaster General DeJoy will testify before Congress about USPS changes
Taylor claimed the president sought to “go further” than the zero tolerance immigration policy at the southern border that led to family separations, and wanted “a deliberate policy of ripping children away from their parents to show those parents that they shouldn’t come to the border in the first place.”
Nielsen implemented the Trump administration's controversial family separation policy after being appointed DHS secretary in December 2017 that led to the separation of thousands of families. She resigned in April 2019.
Pres. Trump ponders citizenship query of Sen. Kamala Harris President Donald Trump has been criticized over a baseless Harris citizenship conspiracy, and it's not the first time. USA TODAY
More: Three more Republicans join Kasich to speak at Democratic National Convention in support of Joe Biden
Monday at the DNC: Sanders, Kasich to speak as Democrats look to unite both sides of the aisle
In the op-ed, Taylor also slammed Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic as "bungled", writing that "Trump failed to make effective use of the federal crisis response system painstakingly built after 9/11. Years of DHS planning for a pandemic threat have been largely wasted."
According to CNN, Taylor has taken a leave of absence from working at Google's public policy arm until Election Day to engage more in the 2020 presidential campaign.