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Former Rivals Praise Biden in Montage: Convention Update

Bernie Sanders, Michelle Obama Speak Monday: Convention Update

Former primary rivals praised Biden in a video montage at the convention. Democrats largely focused on economy for the first night. And actress Eva Longoria was on center stage, again.

There are 78 days until the election.

Other Developments:

Former Rivals Praised Biden in Video Montage

It’s not unusual for former primary rivals to endorse the party’s nominee at the convention. But it was unusual to have this many.

After a primary featuring a historically high number of candidates, it took a video montage to fit their endorsements in.

Speaking in the video were Biden’s now-running mate Kamala Harris; Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar; former Representative Beto O’Rourke; investor Tom Steyer; entrepreneur Andrew Yang; Washington Governor Jay Inslee and Representative Seth Moulton.

“Joe has my vote because he will bring decency and dignity back to the White House,” Klobuchar says in the video.

That still left 19 candidates out of the video, including some who will speak at other times such as Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Democrats Focus on Economy on First Night (11:25 p.m.)

Democrats focused on damage to the U.S. economy Monday night and made the case that Joe Biden is best positioned to rebuild it.

The campaign featured small business owners and family farmers who shared their losses during the coronavirus pandemic or from the U.S.-China trade war.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said Trump “concocted fraudulent executive orders that do virtually nothing” to respond to the economic collapse. Trump recently announced actions to redirect disaster-relief funds toward unemployment benefits as Congress reached a stalemate on a new relief package.

Former Rivals Praise Biden in Montage: Convention Update

Sanders contrasted Trump’s decisions with Biden’s economic initiatives -- including plans to raise the minimum wage, support unions and expand paid family leave -- saying they would create “millions of good-paying jobs” in the U.S. -- Maeve Sheehy

Eva Longoria Brings Hollywood to First Night (11:05 p.m.)

Actress Eva Longoria once again found herself at center stage at a Democratic national convention.

The former “Desperate Housewives” star and immigration activist, who gave a speech at the 2016 convention, emceed the first night.

With the convention virtual, Longoria’s role was to stitch together pre-taped segments, remote speeches and live music performances.

In an interview with Latina magazine in 2016, the Texas native said she would never want to run for office, saying “politics is so much meaner than Hollywood.”

Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida criticized her appearance at the convention on Twitter.

“Brilliant move! No one is more in touch with the challenges & obstacles faced by everyday Americans than actors & celebrities,” he wrote.

Daughter of Covid Victim Blames Trump in Speech (10:21 p.m.)

The daughter of a Covid-19 victim blamed Trump for his death in a brief appearance at the Democratic National Convention.

Arizona resident Kristin Urquiza said that her father chose to go to a karaoke night because he believed the president’s reassurances about the virus.

“My dad was a healthy 65-year-old,” she said. “His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.”

Urquiza gained national attention in July when an obituary she wrote for her father, Mark Anthony, blamed “the carelessness of the politicians” who did not acknowledge the severity of the virus.

St. Louis Lawyer Who Brandished Gun at Protesters to Speak at GOP Convention (10:02 p.m.)

Mark McCloskey, a St. Louis lawyer and gun owner who stood guard at his home during a protest march, will address the Republican National Convention at the invitation of the White House, his lawyer said.

McCloskey’s lawyer, Albert Watkins, said that McCloskey will appear and may be joined by his wife, Patricia McCloskey. The couple came to national attention after pointing guns at protesters marching past their home, a case that raises issues of balancing rights to protest with the right to bear arms and defend property. McCloskey’s remarks will touch on that, Watkins said.

“This is not a message that’s designed to diminish in any way the importance of anyone’s message,” he said. “It is however designed to emphasize the importance of the integrity of all of our rights.”

Details of the remarks, including what day he’ll speak and in what format, are still being finalized, he said. The news was first reported by the Washington Post. -- Josh Wingrove

Progressives Lobby for AOC to Get More Speaking Time

A group of progressive Democrats are calling for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to be given more speaking time at the convention.

The Young Delegates Coalition, a group of 225 young delegates who support Biden, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg signed an online petition calling for Ocasio-Cortez to get more than the one minute she has been alloted.

The petition notes that she is one of only three Latinos and two people under the age of 50 who will speak at the convention. But dozens of other speakers also only have a minute to speak.

“She is only being allotted 60 seconds while Republican John Kasich is slated to have a much longer speaking segment,” they wrote. “This is unacceptable.”

Democratic Chair Wants to End Caucuses (6:54 p.m.)

As Democrats met for a virtual convention, the head of the Democratic Party called for ending another tradition: caucuses.

In an interview with the Associated Press, party chairman Tom Perez that the 2020 election should be the last one in which Democrats hold caucuses, hours-long in-person meetups where party members decide how to award their delegates to the presidential candidates.

Perez’s term as chairman will end before the party makes that decision, but he said that he will “use the bully pulpit as a former chair” to press them.

He did not specifically mention Iowa, the first-in-the-nation caucuses that had a meltdown this year that led to reporting delays. But he said that the party should at least require states like Iowa to use a paper ballot.

The interview comes as Democrats have embraced vote-by-mail in primaries held since the coronavirus pandemic and in November’s general election.

Trump Appointee Comes Out for Biden (5:39 p.m.)

A former Trump-appointed senior official came out for Biden Monday, arguing that the president is “dangerously chaotic.”

In an op-ed in the Washington Post and a video from Republican Voters Against Trump posted on social media, former Homeland Security official Miles Taylor argues the president ignored problems like terrorism and cybersecurity while focused entirely on political concerns.

“He was one of the most unfocused and undisciplined senior executives I have ever encountered,” he wrote. “It is more than a little ironic that Trump is campaigning for a second term as a law-and-order president. His first term has been dangerously chaotic. Four more years of this are unthinkable.”

In the video, already seen more than 1.7 million times, he alleges that Trump told officials to stop giving disaster aid to Californians hurt by wildfires because he was upset that the state didn’t go for him in 2016.

The op-ed and video came out on the first day of the Democratic National Convention when former Ohio Governor John Kasich, former New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman and other Republicans were slated to speak in favor of Biden.

GOP Plans Fireworks for its Convention, Literally (1:35 p.m.)

The Republican National Committee has applied for a permit to display fireworks near the Washington Monument at the conclusion of President Donald Trump’s nomination speech on Aug. 27, according to a Republican official familiar with the plans.

Trump plans to accept the Republican presidential nomination from the White House lawn, after the coronavirus pandemic forced his campaign to abandon plans to have him speak at the convention in either Charlotte, North Carolina, or Jacksonville, Florida.

Democrats, and some Republicans, including South Dakota Senator John Thune, the second-highest ranking Republican in the Senate, have expressed concern about using the White House for that event.

But the Office of Special Counsel last week said that Trump could deliver the convention speech from the White House lawn or residence. -- Mario Parker

Three More Republicans Join Kasich at Democratic Convention (12:50 p.m.)

Three more Republicans will cross party lines to speak in support of Biden as the Democratic National Convention gets under way Monday night.

Former Representative Susan Molinari of New York, former Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitman, who unsuccessfully ran for governor of California in 2010, and former Governor Christine Whitman of New Jersey are slated to speak. They will join Kasich, who served two terms as governor of Ohio and challenged Trump for the nomination in 2016.

The Republicans will make a pitch to GOP voters whose support for President Donald Trump might be wavering. “It’s important to let them know that they’re not alone,” said Representative Cedric Richmond, a Biden campaign co-chairman, on a conference call with reporters. “There are Republican leaders voting for Biden-Harris.”

Molinari, once a rising star in the GOP who gave the keynote address in the 1996 Republican National Convention, left office in 1997 for a job at CBS News. She served as Google’s top Washington lobbyist before moving into an advisory role late in 2018.

It’s not the first time that two of the speakers have backed a Democrat. In 2016, Meg Whitman endorsed Hillary Clinton and said she would donate to her campaign and try to raise money for it. Christine Whitman also endorsed Clinton. Both have been critical of Trump. -- Bill Allison

Cardi B Gives ‘Joey B’ Biden Some Props (11:17 a.m.)

Cardi B opened a video chat with Biden by asking: “Oh snap -- is this real?”

“Hi, Biden, how are you?” she continued. Biden replied that she could call him Joe or what his daughter called him when she was young: “Joey B.” Elle magazine, which arranged the meeting between the rapper and the presumptive Democratic nominee, published the video on Monday.

Cardi, 27, has been politically active since President Donald Trump’s election and was an outspoken supporter of Bernie Sanders in the primary, advocating for many of his policies such as Medicare for All. Biden began by asking what her priorities were for this election. “First and first, let me get to the point, I just want Trump out,” she answered.

Cardi said the problems confronting the country had to happen to open people’s eyes to the importance of voting. “The new generation -- my fans, my people -- it’s like this is why we have to get out there and vote,” she said. “It’s like, why don’t we make a change for real?”

Separately, the Democratic National Committee announced Monday that it was adding four entertainers to the convention’s roster of celebrity speakers. Eva Longoria will appear on Monday, Tracee Ellis Ross on Tuesday, Kerry Washington on Wednesday and Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Friday. Performers previously announced include Leon Bridges, The Chicks, Common, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Billy Porter, Maggie Rogers, Prince Royce and Stephen Stills. -- Emma Kinery

Here’s Who’s Speaking on Monday -- and Why (6:38 a.m.)

There are several ways to get picked to speak at a national convention. Here’s how Monday’s speakers did it:

Being from the right state: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Wisconsin Representative Gwen Moore are from key battlegrounds. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto are battleground-adjacent.

Representing a key group of voters: Former Ohio Governor John Kasich will speak for disaffected Republicans, while Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders will represent the disappointed progressives. Having them speak on the same night emphasizes the big-tent theme.

Needing help: Alabama Senator Doug Jones is the most vulnerable incumbent in either party, so Democrats are lending a hand.

Returning the favor: South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn pretty much single-handedly resurrected the faltering Biden campaign with a major endorsement in that state’s primary. This is his reward.

Adding some star power: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo enjoyed a boomlet of attention this summer for his coronavirus briefings, while former First Lady Michelle Obama boasts sky-high approval.

Convention Planners Add More Notables to Virtual Watch Parties (6:38 a.m.)

Apart from the speakers, convention planners have also asked some notable people to host virtual watch parties.

Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, who was on the short list for Biden’s running mate, will host watch parties in Maine.

Other hosts include Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren; former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and actress Alyssa Milano.

But if you want a particularly memorable socially distant watch party, it’s hard to beat the plans made by Oklahoma’s Democratic delegates, who will be watching from a drive-in movie theater in Tulsa.

Coming Up:

Tuesday’s convention theme is “Leadership Matters” and will feature more than a dozen rising stars giving a unusual shared keynote speech.

Hollywood heavyweight Tom Hanks will join Biden for a grassroots, virtual fundraiser in the afternoon. Biden will also participate in an event to encourage Latino voting with Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Trump will travel to Iowa and Arizona for official events.

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