Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour Convention Coverage 20240712

Unshakeable. Woodruff and to denounce President Trump. Today we are a country divided and we have a president doing everything in his power to make it that way. At the time like this the oval office should be a command center. Woodruff tonight former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, former president barack obama and this years Vice President ial nominee Kamala Harris. Day three of the Democratic National convention. Woodruff again, im Judy Woodruff and welcome to our special pbs newshour live coverage of the Democratic National convention. Were now on night three of this virtual event. Tonight, we will hear from Hillary Clinton, the partys nominee four years ago. Well hear from former president barack obama and then we will hear from Kamala Harris, a historymaking Vice President ial nominee. Im here in our studio with political analyst amy walter and right around the corner our senior correspondence amna nawaz. Both socially distanced. And we have reported and guests across the country. For our part despite the virtual nature of this time and social distancing, we will continue to bring you the same depth of coverage and analysis during this historic election year. So lets turn first to our newshour reporters. Amna is here to help give us a sense what to expect tonight and some key moments to look out here. Amna. Hi judy. All the speakers tonight are making remarks under the theme of a more Perfect Union. Theres a lot of anticipation in particular around what senator Kamala Harris will say tonight. Shell be making history as the first woman of color nominated for Vice President by a Major Political party. Among the speakers were going to be hearing from tonight will be other history making women. Who are they . Among them nancy pelosi, the first woman to serve as speaker of the u. S. House of representatives. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton as you mentioned who in 2016 became the first female president ial nominee by a Major Political party. Elizabeth warren former president ial candidate and also the first female senator from massachusetts. California senator Kamala Harris, of course, will be speaking later to accept that vn nominationnd theres also some men you might recognize. Among them tonights keynote from former president barack obama who of course also made history as this nions first black president. The convention officials are telling us that womens leadership will be a theme we hear a lot about tonight but theres also going to be remarks and segments built around some major policy issues so expect to hear speakers tonight talking much more about the economy, gun control, immigratio and Climate Change. Judy. Woodruff we look forward to hearing all of that and well be coming back to you amna throughout the night. In the meantime our Lisa Desjardins is again in wilmington, delaware where she will be in the room with Kamala Harris speech tonight so lisa, what are you learning about what we have to look forward to . Right. Well first of all we have some information about what harris is going to say. Staff members who work for harris work for that part of their campaign. She wants to convey an image of herself, tell her story in a way that all kinds of people see themselves in her. Shes bringing that to the white house. Shes 55 years old as many of our viewers note. She would be the youngest Vice President this century in the white house. Not that many, she will be the fourth and thats still a note in this campaign when running with 77 year old joe biden. Were going to hear from Kamala Harris are sort of those themes of immigration, the theme of justice. And we do have some exerts from her speech. One of them about this theme of inclusion. She is going to say that we may disagree on the details as a nation but we are united by the fundamental bereef that every human being is of infinite value. Another quick thing judy, youre going to see what it looks like inside the room. I will be one of a couple dozen reporters in there. We have some photos what it looks like. The scene is both familiar and strange. We understand there will be sort of those markers for each state yet no delegates for each state. And then a stage that will look reminiscent of a debate stage or brightly lit Convention Stage with one podium on it just for hairs. Woodruff kind of a Mini Convention but as you say of the thousands and houses of the people normally there. Lisa desjardins in wilmington where you thereby throughout this night and tomorrow night. Lisa thank you and i know were coming back to you several times tonight. To help make sense of this moment we will continue to thunder throughout the night and all this night with a wgbh range of analysts and special guests. Lets start with our court groom mark shields, New York Times columnist david brooks. Michael nutter of philadelphia, Chris Buskirk the editor of the american journal greatness and at the desk with me here amy walter with the cook political report. Its so good to see all of you to have you with us again on this third night. Amy lets talk first about how its gone so far. Is there a sense that the democrats are doing what they needed to do this week . It seems this last couple days is making people comfortable with joe biden, spruce him and get to the meat introduce him and get to the meat of the bones. Joe biden the most personal of that. But also speaking to a group of voters that since trump was elected have been moving toward the Democratic Party. The suburban voters and formerly product strong hold. We talk board of director that last night, like california and places around atlanta and dallas. Im speaking with a republican today who was talking, whose done a lot of focus groups with these suburban voters who said what they are looking for, the three words that come up consistently, normal, president ial, behavior. And that is what theyre looking for and it seems like the show that has been put on these last couple nights especially putting colin powell, the story of his friendship with john mccain, having leaders from both sides coming up and talking about the fact that we are going to get a president who will exhibit normal president ial behavior. Woodruff isnt it interesting that its that base. That its normal behavior that ey say theyre looking for. David brooks, what are you hearing from people and what are you been thinking tnight as we are at the Halfway Point about thto start the second half. Speaking of president ial behavior. Today donald trump praised he praised the hate monger and mark and Patricia Mcclusky the gn wielding are going to speak about the convention. Theres nothing normal about any of this. Donald trump is having a melt down in the face ofonvention. Thats the dynamic thats driving people like colin powell and other people to the Democratic Party. Its just mindboggling that were used to it now but its just insane, its insane what is happening to donald trump and the people around him. And so thats one dynamic year. The second dynamic is joe bidens desensey. What leads me is joe biden and the video about the biden family and what a good family they are. With just basic decency. Im opened with the profound question is when he becomes president will it calm the others or is america so roil and convul shift he will be swallowed up. I dont know. I just dont know what kind of society we are. Finally after last night i was reflecting a mel concollie thought melancholy, why did he have to speak last night. To me take some time out, do some penance. To me that left stain on the ght that what happened with epstein and what happened allegedly with clinton thats not minor stuff and not the stuff the party should be associated with. Thats a sad note but its a note that really left me last night. Woodruff mark, a lot packed into what davidust had to say. What about that and about where you think we are two nights in. Well, i first of all, judy, i think the first two nights have been about who joe biden is. Is to say is a man who runs for the presidency over his 32 years. And 32 years and three runs into it february 29, 2020 before he won a single primary and then he won 11 in the next four days. Even though he had been around for a long time, it was filling out the questions people had. Obviously devoted and selfless father, good husband, a great friend. Somebody who doesnt polarize or demonize those on the other side. Has been criticized by partisans from his own party, reaching across the aisle being personal friends with john mccain and so many other republicans. So thats, i think thats workable. But in the final analysis every president ial campaign is about the future. And voters have a right to know where a president wants to take the country. Not a 23 Point Program but two or three things that joe biden wants to do. I think that has to begin tonight with Kamala Harris. I think its joe bidens responsibility as well but its also the other speaker, to give a sense where joe biden really wants america to go and where he wants to lead america and what he wants to be doing. I think thats whats missing. Obviously talking to republicans its missing in Donald Trumps. There i no future agenda in donald trump. As david pointed out from issue to issue to topic to topic, the news cyle to news cycle every day in more bizarre fashion. There is no Republican Health plan. There never has been. There never has been as john boehner said in 25 years. So joe biden instead of limiting himself to 23 programs, 23 ideas, where the two or three has to emerge in the next two nights. We know who he is now we have to find out what he wants to do. Woodruff lets talk about that Chris Buskirk. Are you sensing a need to hear about the future from joe biden and in this campaign overall. A hundred percent. I think that really is going to be the essential theme that needs to be explained to anybody whose watching who hasnt already decided who they want to vote for. We know the Democratic Base is very excited to vote against donald trump. Almost for anybody and thats not a knock on joe biden. People dont like President Trump i get it. For those people who are persuadable and havent made up their mind yet, what is it in this for me, why does this person want to be president and what are they offering. I was struck by what amy said some of the polling about the desire for sort of a return to normalcy. And thats term that can mean a lot of things to a lot of peop but i think it just means its a reflection to the fact things arent normal in this country for a lot of reasons. And donald trump and joe biden being some of the oldest candidates are you reflective of that but not in the way people dont think of. We have millennials arent making enough money, they cant buy houses. Each generation seems to be making less money owning a smaller share of the National Wealth at any given age than the generation above them. Thats whats roiling underneath this and thats what needs to be answered by the political clan in general. Somehow that needs to be addressed to millennials and gen z will be voting in numbers this time. It will affect their lives for some time to come and will be on their minds either implicitly or explicitly when they decide. Michae Michael Nutter. Do you think the menial coming from this convention are touching on the things most people need to hear right now . I do, judy and again from we the people to Leadership Matters to a more Perfect Union. These themes are coming through. The word the roiling water has been mentioned a number of times. I think what joe biden and Kamala Harris are trying to do is calm those waters. You know, for the younger people i think as chris mentioned, they may not necessarily know exactly what normal has been for many of us on this panel. Theyve had an economic melt down in 2008. Were now in a pandemic and another economic meltdown and civil unrest. And so what is normal. And some sense of decency i think is the first part of what joe biden is going to bring. Im reminded i guess George Herbert walker bush he talked about the thousand points of live. His son talked about compassion of conservatism where conservative is compassion. Normal sane behavior that the president of the United States of america should not necessarily be the news each and every day. I remember, i mean there were certainly a few controversies in president Obamas Administration but one of them that really put people out is that he wore a tan suit to a press conference one day. You know, ill take that. I can deal with that. But not some of the insanity that goes on, as david mentioned. Its every day. Americans are tired of donald trump and the nonsense and the fear that goes on on a daily basis. Woodruff its a lot to consider as we start a night three of this convention. Im going to be coming back to all of you to continue this conversation as we prepare to watch the starof tonights Democratic Party story. But for now, when joe biden selected california senator Kamala Harris to be his running mate many viewed his historic pick as to the future of the Democratic Party. One that is younger and as weve been discussing more diverse. Hakim jeff ruiz is one of the youngest mechanics of the partys Leadership Team and he joins me now. Congressman jeffreys its good to have yo back with us. Thank yovery much. What is your sense. I think youre joining us from california. Tell us what youre hearing from people you talked to about this convention so far. Im in brooklyn new york. Woodruff im sorry, i was flinching the country. New york. Thats okay. Im looking forward to tonight as we talk about where we are and where we need to go to form a more important union. We certainly have come a long way in america. We still have a ways to go as it relates to ensuring prosperity and equality in every single zip code. But that is the objective of the Democratic Party. That is in the dna of joe biden and Kamala Harris. And im certainly looking forward to her remarks which will begin to set forth a vision for the future as it relates to a better america. Woodruff and you think that hasnt been done yet . Well i think it has been done in a variety of different ways. But as your panelists have indicated, the first two nights of the convention have really been dedicated to getting to know joe biden through his humanity i his decency and his authenticity. I think he couldnt have too better validaters in that record in former First Lady Michelle Obama and jill biden. Woodruff i want to turn you to an issue thats getting a great deal of attention right now both around the convention and outside and thats the Postal Service. It has to do with mailin voting, it has to do with the integrity of this election. As we know President Trump has been critical of mailin voting, talked a lot about fraud. In the last day or so the post master general has said hes not going to allow some of the cutbacks that there was, there were beginning to be in the Postal Service. Youve been very involved in this issue in the congress. Youve called for an investigation. Where does it stand right now . Well, the post master general took a modest but insufficient step in the right direction by backg away from the future changes that he was planning to make to america mine the ability to america mine the ability of the Postal Service to be there for the American People. The post office is as american as baseball, motherhood and apple pie. One of the few institutions that actually in the United States constitution. The first post master general of course was dr. Ben franklin one of the framers of the United States constitution thats how central it is and continues to be so to the American People. The fact donald trump would endeavor to undermind it so manically because he apparently does not want americans to have the opportunity to vote safely and by mail because he concludes that if they do so in large numbers, he will lose. That is shameful. Now the post master has agreed to come before the house of representatives on monday to answer questions as it relates to what has happened and how do we reverse theamages already been done to the Postal Services. And on saturday we will be back in washington to pass last that does reverse the damage that has been done designed to ensure that post office boxes are brought back that sorting equipment is brought back. If the changes are to undermind the delivery of the mail are reverse. Woodruff at this point how confident are you this is going to get resolved in a way that you and others feel that the balloting process that the mospostal suri was is service i. It has risen up in a phenomenal way. Drieks, independents, people in suburban america and rural america, every day citizens, veterans, Senior Citizens all of whom rely on the Postal Service for things like their Social Security check or their medicine in the case of veterans and others. Or their Unemployment Insurance checks in the face of a deadly pandemic with more than 55 million americans have lost employment during the course of the year in large measure because the president ial response out of this white house has been unmitigated disaster. That is what has forced in my view the postmaster general to resource course. Were going to trust but verify and ensure we can arrive in Common Ground with my republican colleagues. I do expect republican votes for our legislation this weekend. Woodruff very quickly. I cant let you get aay without asking you about the status of covid relief for the coronavirus and what its done to the economy. Right now congress at a complete stalemate on this issue. People are out there wondering if anything is going to happen. What do you see right now . It does require action. Money 1010,000 americans have died, more than 1000,000 Small Businesses have closed more than five million aricans have been affected by e coronavirus and counting and more than 55 million americans have lost their jobs during the course of this pandemic. Its an extraordinary moment and it requires an extraordinary intervention. Thats what democrats have been fighting for. We passed the heros act and the republicans have done nothing for three months. Thats ou outrageous and we need the republicans to rise to the occasion in emerging the American People keep the pressure on until they come to the negotiating table to arrive at something that is comprehensive, transformational and significant. Woodruff representative Hakim Jeffries joining us one of the leadership of the Democratic Party of the house of representatives joining us tonight from his district in brooklyn new york. Congressman very good to have you with us. Thank you very much. Thank you judy, great to be with you as always. Woodruff take care. And last night former vice tys nomination for president , a long awaited moment for the politician. Lisa desjardins has the first of two looks at the joe biden we know. The man. The senator. And his many decades in politic that brought him to this point. Desjardins Joseph Robinette biden, junior was born in scranton, pennsylvania, the first child in a vivacious, tightknit catholic family. Every single person, my dad used to say, no matter who they are, is entitled to be treated with dignity. a word i think that is probably used more here in scranton, at least in my experience, than anywhere else. Desjardins soon, tough times. His dads business failed, and he ultimately moved the family to delaware for a job. Tony allen, presidenof delaware state university, was a speechwriter for biden in the 90s. He tells the story, as you know, of his father losing his job and the family having to move to wilmington. My dad, who fell on hard times, always told me, though champ, when you get knocked down, get up. Get up. desjardins in high school, biden thrived as an athlete. But classmates called him dash for his stutter. Author steven leavenson. He was subjected to a lot of bullying and he didnt want that to define him. So he worked really hard, staring in the mirror and working his lips and trying to make sure that he could speak. Desjardins he stayed in delaware for college. And on a spring break trip, he met aspiring teacher neilia hunter. They married two years later. Biden got a law degree and almost immediately, jumped into local politics in the states largest county. Joe biden started his political career as a Newcastle County councilman. Desjardins the 20something councilman soon had three small children. He also had growing ambition. And in 1972, he ran for u. S. Senate, an utter longshot. Lets take a look at some of the very close senate races. Delaware is the first state. J caleb boggs is the incumbent, republican, being challenged by joseph biden. Desjardins by just 3000 votes, in the end, he won. He was an instant national headline. Happy birthday dear. Desjardins days after the election, he turned 30, and celebrated with his wife. But one month after that, tragedy. A car crash took the lives of wife neilia and their oneyearold daughter naomi. Their sons, hunter and beau were injured, and biden, who initially considered resigning, was sworn into the senate from beside beaus hospital bed. So help you god . I do. Congratulations, senator. If in six months or so theres a conflict between my being a good father and being a good senator which hope will not occur, i thought would, bu desjardins Nina Totenberg is the justice correspondent for National Public radio. I have a dim recollection of him being sort of a zombie for a little while. Just sort of walking through the, the the steps that yotake to survive. Desjardins biden commuted on amtrak, some four hours a day, to be home with his kids at night. Joe biden was a complete newbie. He was close to college age and the people who really had power in the senate in those days were the dixiecrats, the old bulls, and he quickly discovered, i think that if you wanted to get anything done, you had to go through them. Was very effective at it. Desjardins things started moving quickly. In 1975 biden was placed on the powerful Foreign Relations committee and a few years later, on the Judiciary Committee. He met teacher jill tracy jacobs, and spite some proposal rejections, they married two years later, with the blessing of young hunter and beau. Im ashad of the lack of moral backbone to this policy. Still mmuting to washington by train, in the 1980s, bidens life and profile grew. Daughter ashley was born and 1987 marked his First Campaign for president. It is the obligation of this generation to care for and protect the future of our children. Desjardins almost immediately, biden ran into trouble. He had taken to quoting a British Labour party leader in his speeches. But at an august 23 debate in iowa, biden did not attribute the following quote. Why is it that joe biden is the first in his family ever to go to a university . Why is it that my wife, who is sitting out there in the audience, is the first in her family to ever go to college . Desjardins back on capitol hill biden faced questions about the alleged plagiarism. I saw that and it was a connect. I mean, i could tell how that man felt. Desjardins within onweek, he would drop out of the race. Just as he faced another test. There will be other opportunities for me to campaign for president. But there will not be many opportunities for me to influence president reagans choice for the supreme court. Desjardins biden, now chairman of the Judiciary Committee, oversaw the confirmation hearing of judge robert h. Bork to the supreme court. It was sharp from the beginning. I have to say, having watched the Senate Judiciary committee over the years, this is the one time where senators who were on offense actually were prepared. They asked good questions. They knew a lot about bork. And joe biden led the charge. Desjardins bork failed his confirmation vote. The nomination is not confirmed. Desjardins just a few months later, in 1988, a health crisis. Biden suffered two lifethreatening aneurysms. A full seven months of recovery later, he returned to the senate floor. I will not forget the sentiments expressed, the support given, it means a lot. Thank you very much. Desjardins he got back to work and as the 90s opened, a new test the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the supreme court. Clarence thomas, seasoned now by more experience on the bench, fits my description of the best man at the right time. Desjardins biden was still judiciary chairman. The committee learned about charges of Sexual Harassment against thomas from his former assistant, anita hill. Tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god . I do. Woodruff others kim forward to testify but biden limited the testimony to the hill alone. The terrifying hearings gripped the nation. His conversations were very vivid. He spoke about acts that he had seen in pornographic films involving such matters as women having sex with animals and films showing group sex or rape scenes. Desjardins it all would make a searing impression on some women watching, like aimee allisson, the founder of the prowomen group she the people. I was an undergraduate and i went to the common room in our dorm to watch the hearings. I saw the way she was being treat by the white men on the Judiciary Committee both democrats and republicans. Joe biden was among them. Desjardins biden stressed he would run a fair hearing. Judge, i have not made my judgment based on this proceeding, because we have not heard all the evidence. Desjardins but his handling of it and the fact that other corroborating witnesses were never called, has raised sharp scrutiny. Just as the republicans were really unprepared for the bork hearings, the democrats were unprepared for the fury and the determination of the republicans and that they would use tactics, any tactic to destroy the main witness against thomas. Biden thought, my job is to be fair. His fairness in the end was in many ways unfair to anita hill. This entire proceeding has ended. Desjardins biden spoke about the hearings last year. As the committee chairman, i take responsibility that she did not get treated well. I take responsibility for that. Desjardins later, biden used the judiciary chairmanship for big policy pushes, including, in 1994the violence against women act, which created a National Strategy for combating and prosecuting Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence against women. He also led on a more controversial bill that was attached, the 1994 crime bill that imposed longer sentences for drug crimes and other offenses. It may have seemed and did seem entirely reasonable in the middle of a crime epidic. But in hindsight, it rulted in locking up a generation of black and brown and poor white people. Desjardins as the new century opened, with george w. Bush elected twice, biden again thought it was his time. And started dropping hints that he wanted another shot at the white house himself. For the pbs newshour, im Lisa Desjardins. Woodruff we will have part two of the biden biography tomorrow night on our special coverage. Now i want to bring other voices that are with us throughout this weak. Gary abernathy is a columnist for the washington post. Hes based in oh. Johnathan capehart a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist also with the washington post. Errin haines with the newly launched news website the 19th. Sarah smarsh is a kansasbased journalist and Cynthia Tucker a Pulitzer Prize winning syndicate columnist based in alabama. Its very good to see all of you again. Thank you for being here. I want to ask you both whats going on at the convention but thinking about with a we just heard from lisa in terms of the life story of joe biden, jonathan capehart, how important is it in this election that the story of who he is, a story of his life is out there for voters to consider as much as the issues and the controversies around President Trump. Joe biden has been in politics for 50 years. People know his name and recognize his face. What this convention does is it gives the American People an opportunity to learn more about him. They might know about the tragedies in his life from the loss of his first wife and first daughter to the loss of his son beau, the former attorney general of delaware a few years ago. But theres more to joe biden. And i loved lisas part one of his biography. It was gripping. There were some things in there i didnt know and i think there are a lot of things the American People will find out about joe biden that they didnt know. Or might be learning for them for the first time. The one thing, the one through line in jimm Vice President bidn boggity is one of trauma and tragedy biography is one of trauma and tragedies but how those traumas and trawdges formed and shaped this man and how the empathy and big heart come through when, through joe biden himself and when people talk about him that theres a grounding there. There is a core there and his biography, people sometimes will through bgraphies youre just trying to humanize. I think now 2020 given who the match up is President Trump and former Vice President biden, that humanization, that core of biden, his empathy is the word im looking for, the empathy that comes through, through the screen and through his story, is something that will be an incredible contrast to the current president of the United States. Woodruff air awe smarsh how much of the joe biden story comes through to the voters. Im not asking you to spoke for kansas but how much does it come through who dont pay close attention to washington every day. Sure. I think the elements of his story that even apart from matters of character are easily contrasted with that of the current president has to do with matters of class and place origins. He didnt grow up in poverty but there are some elements of his story that certainly correlate with the prized american idea of pulling one self up by ones boot straps. I noticed during the Convention Last night they emphasize story lines that had to do with resilience, hard work. These are ideas that certainly translate to what we might call the common person regardless of their politics. Woodruff errin haines, i want to ask you to pick up on that. Im thinking tonight again, we know that, some of us know the joe biden story, weve been covering him for many years and he has been an American Public life for almost half a century. But how much of that is coming through and how much does it matter in this year in particular, given whats going on, who hes running against. Now is the time for joe biden to introduce himself to those people in the country who dont know him. We are 11 weeks out from this election and this is really the time when voters are starting to pay attention. I know those of us who have been covering this election has been pretty much paying attention to all things about the many people who ran for president last year. But now the rest of the country is starting to do that too. Even in the mitt of a pandemic. Because hes been in public life for half a century i did hear a lot of voters in the primary thing just what you heard from a conservative saying this week they feel like they know joe biden and they feel like joe biden knows them. Joe biden is somebody who came into sharper focus beyond being that senator from delaware when he was Barack Obamas number two. And so seeing him in the Vice President see for eight years certainly gave him the highest name of any of the people who ran in th but beyond that its his life story, the compelling connection you need to have with voters thats part of what is the potentially winning formulas i think is the case that he and others are making on his behalf night. Woodruff so Gary Abernathy given what some of your fellow panelists are saying about him, how does that joe biden story stand up to what were hearing from President Trump that this is sleepy joe, that this is sleazy joe, that this is socialist joe. How does that hold up . No matter what President Trump says about joe biden, americans will make their own decision based on watching joe biden. A lot of people who follow politics as has been pointed out, already feel they know him pretty well. Joe biden is a moderate. Hes not a leftwing liberal. Kamala harris is more english rule. Shes not quite the moderate a lot of people are trying to paint her out to be. Biden has a very compelling story and its part of what the convention has really tried hard this week to convey which is we as a party, were not scared. Theyre almost screaming at you. Were not the scary liberals. Dont worry. It reminds me of reagan in the 1980s assuring people he was the scary right wing conselfive that the Carter Campaign and right wing made him out to be. Theyre to go good with that. In the wake of george floyd horrible killing, that horrible tragedy, America United around the idea we need to do more on social justice and mostly on Police Reform and tat type of thing. People have to be careful not to think thats a mandate for upheaval from the left. And i think the democrats realize that and they are trying to run a convention that says hey we get it, we know what lane were supposed to be in, its a centerright country and we recognize that. Woodruff cinct know tucker alabama what Gary Abernathy just describe is that successfully whats coming across if thats what the democrats are trying to convey. Yes, it is. I think humanizing joe biden has been very important. After all, this has been a truncated campaign. He hasnt been out there as president ial candidates generally are because he could not be. And the other thing i think is important to remember while many of us are waiting for policy statement from joe biden, what he plans to do if hes elected. The simple fact of th matter is thats not the way many voters make their voices. Yes they want to hear about his plan for curbing the pndemic, they want to hear about healthcare. But many voters also want to be comfortable with the candidate. They make their choices based on personality. And there are an awful lot of Younger Voters out there who dont know joe biden well at all, and what they do know is that hes a moderate and for progressives that hasnt necessarily been a good thing. Vs very successful effort to humanize joe biden, to introduce him to voters, to have voters get to know him better has been very successful. And looking back over his long career, it is interesting now to think that some of the things that were controversial 20, 30 years ago, were still controversial. He drove out of his first president ial campaign over allegations of plagiarizing a speech. Boy, that was a very different time. We now have a man in the white house who has said that he could shoot somebody on fifth avenue and not lose any voters. So were in a very different time now, i tink. And it is a very good time for joe biden to introduce himself to voters who dont know him well. Woodruff so in just the few minutes we have left of this round, jonathan capehart, i want to go around and try to hear from each one of you. Theres going to be a message that president obama is going to convey tonight about joe biden. What do you want to hear from him . I want to hear from President Biden what joe biden was like as Vice President. Why did he want biden to be the last person in the room with him when he made a big decision. What did it mean to him. What kind of judgment did biden display. What kind of advice did he give. And i dont know if hell actually do this but how often was joe right. Woodruff sarah smarsh what would you like to hear from president obama or other speakers tonight. I want to hear from president obama will likely make reference about the former Vice President s ability to work across the aisle. That was a characteristic of president obama that he i think feels proud about his own character. But not only to frame that as sort of opening a flany signalst also to the left. There is a future party, the younger new generation tends to be more progressive in its view than policy ideas. And some sort of signal as to Peoples Trust that they might have in a President Bidens willingness to listen to new ideas and in both directions i think would be interesting. Woodruff errin haines in just a few words, what are you looking for in president obama. Well as much as what president obama says tonight is how and where hes saying it. Im in philadelphia where president obama is going to give his speech at the museum of the American Revolution which i urge everybody to see if they havent because it tells a very different story. There are a lot of people who think right now were in the midst of a third revolution. He made the case for hillary clintohere in 2016 on the eve of the election. And philadelphia is a place considered by Many Americans as the cradle of this democracy. So not only will he be talking about who joe biden is but talking about who we are and where we are as a country in making a case for this democracy. Woodruff weve got less than a minute. Gary abernathy in 20 seconds what do you look for in president obama. Well i hope what i hear from president obama is a little bit of the discussion on claw Kamala Harris and how he made history how she will follow in his foot steps. I heard him saying Kamala Harris should be trumps opponent at the top of the ticket. I think she could be strong in that position too. Woodruff Cynthia Tucker. I am certainly looking ford to collages ford to Kamala Harris steeling her own sto. But i want to hear about the jimmys competence. So Many Americans want to see restored to the white house. I would like to hear president obama talk about joe bidens competence as his Vice President. Woodruff tall order. Youve all laid it out there for him. Well see what happens. Thank you all so much. Cynthia trk, sarah smarsh, Gary Abernathy thank you. I want to go to amna nawaz talking to somebody fromoe bidens home state. When Kamala Harris accepts the Vice President ial know nation tonight there are a lot of eyes on her from california. Start shafer is here to talk out that a reporter from television kqed in san francisco. Welcome and thanks for being with us. Its worth reminding people back in march which now feels like a full lifetime ago that it was Bernie Sanders who actually won the california primary. When you talk to voters in california today, how do they feel about this more centrist ticket and also about what theyre hearing from the convention. Well you know, Bernie Sanders did win the primary but theres a lot of support for joe biden in the state of california. He finished behind sanrs in march but wasnt that far behind. Its interesting i think people didnt know what to expect from this convention. Its so unconvirtualconventionv. People even Kamala Harris, they will see and know somebody in Kamala Harris. There was growing excitement. There was disappointment for sure among the Bernie Sanders supports in the delegation. I think they are hoping to be in milwaukee to have a physical presence and have an impact on the platform and that sort of thing. I think we saw from the roll call last night theres a lot of unity in this delegation right now. Left me talk aboharris becaue for years. What can you learn from her record or leadership how shes awe approaching this new role. She was elected a u. S. Attorney in 2003. She never ran for office. She ran against the incumbent, a man who was quite liberal. She ran a little bit to his right. She was in the center and she had a trial by fire because she ran where she would never seek the Death Penalty and within four months of her taking Office San Francisco Police Officer was shotnd killed. She kept her promise she did not seek the death panellity and that assailant penalty and that awe sillan assailant was ne death panellity and it shook her i think. She spent the next decade or more really trying to make amends to law enforcement. She ran for attorney general in 2010. She did not have any endorsements from law enforcement. She very narrowly won just squeaking past a more traditional republican candidate from los angeles. I think shes somebody who is pragmatic, its evolution not revolution when it can comes to politics. Well be hearing more in her own words. That is scott shafer from kqed in san francisco. Thanks, scott. Thank you. Woodruff weve heard from a number of joe bidens rival who came to support his bid for the white house. Senator Amy Klobuchar joins us from minneapolis coming from protests for Racial Justice after the muer of george floyd. Senator klobuchar thank you for being with us tonight. It has been a long journey, this campaign for president. You were out on the trail yourself for many months. What does it look like to you at this point . We are two nights into this convention. Is it doing what you thought it should do . It is and more. We all know its a challenge to be virtual, we dont have the after parties and that feeling of camaraderie but it has allowed americans to see the story of joe biden, the story that were about to hear of Kamala Harris in a different way. One of my favorite moments is actually the roll call last night where you had everything from heart felt thoughts from people who had lots of trials of gun violence to our favorite duo trying to sell cal calamari from rhode island. This is the america as we know it and not the america that donald trump tries talking about. It is an america where people are different but they dont want to be divided, they want to come together and youve seen that in colin powell and hearing from governor kasich the night before. There are so many republicans ani dont think it should be lost here, moderate republicans who have come forward. So when we talk about unity its Bernie Sanders heart spoke pitch to bring his supporters with him. It is all these republicans who have come forward and courageously cindy mccain anywhere eightinnarrating the v. Woodruff theres some where its not enough on the personal and too much on substance. I see the personal from the woman from arizona who said her dads only preexisting condition was trusting donald trump and he paid with his life. Yes, thats personal. But this is a personal election, judy. People are isolated. I had to see my dad with covid through a window in a nursing home not knowing if it was the last time i would see him and he made it through. There are stories like that all over our land. Joe bidens ability to allay to people from the woman in the elevator as to his competence as some of your last mannists re talking about, the panelists were talking about, the confidence he brings to the job. Im really excited about kamala tonight. We grew closer in the campaign trail. I texted her husband jokingly what he is wearing tonight because thats what you ask the spouse. I wont reveal. Woodruff we dont ask those questions, by the way, senator klobuchar. Others may. Because they always ask the woman what theyre wearing, the spouse. Anyway. So the point is, is that this is going to be a moment where every little girl and boy in america, especially in our African American community, indianamerican community is going to know that anything and everything is possible. Woodruff speaking of covid we know your own husband, john, went through the experience of the coronavirus and was in the hospital when you had to be in washington and we know that was a tough time. Were glb he recovered. I want to ask you about minnesota. Four years ago Hillary Clinton won but it was by the the narrowest of margins. You said out in the campaign trail you Amy Klobuchar if you were the Party Nominee you would keep minnesota blue but my question to you is what happens now. The polls are closed. There was one that came out the alexander poll i think three anderson poll i think three points up for joe biden. Is minnesota in play this year . Joe bidens going to win minnesota. And im going to do everything to make sure he does. And to mention helping wisconsin and iowa and across the can country as i said in my campaign were going to build a blue wall of democratic votes in these states and make donald trump pay for it. A lot of what weve seen this incredible momentum. In minnesota there was one poll, there are others showing him much more ahead. Theyre going to vote for him. They like him here. Hes been up in northern minnesota a number of times. Hes can come to our state over and over and over because we like joe biden. So i just want to make sure we win big. Not just in my state but across the country. As you know hes trying as much as he can to limit votes and to stop people from voting and stair them about voting by mail scare them about voting by mail. Woodruff you mean the president. Yes, the president. Hes doing that to stop people. I dont think theyre listening. Theyre showing up in record numbers by mail and in person and they are going to do that. So we expect this in every single state. And the key is this week is our week to show the country what were all about. Not only why people shouldnt vote for donald trump but why they should for joe biden. Woodruff but in just less than a minute, how worried are you about having an Effective Campaign when your candidate cant get out on the trail, cant go out and connect with people. Cant shake their hands, look them in the eye. And hes someone that loves doing that we know that. Its especially hard in joe biden but the truth is were in a pandemic everyone has to be safe. Thats why some of the things weve seen that incredible video with barack obama and joe biden, the way people have come forward and been able to participate in this Convention Like they couldnt do because they wouldnt have flown out there. Its an example of the newind of campaigning were going to see. Again it has not suppressed turnout in the democratic primaries. Its at an all time high. People know what the stakes are. To end with ke your life depends on it because it does. Woodruff well leave it there. Senator Amy Klobuchar joining us from minnesota. Thank you very much. And well see what Kamala Harris husband is wearing but we will not comment on it. Thank you very much. You can. Thanks. Woodruff all right. And now back to our own Lisa Desjardins. Hes in wilmington, delaware and to our White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor. Lisa, you are not outdoors, you are in doors. This is the room where Kamala Harris will be speaking, is that right . No, judy this is a holding room for reporters who are getting ready to go into that auditorium. I want to cast the scene because people may be hearing a layout of noise as if there were a convention but this is a few dozen reporters who will be going inside. What we listening to you see behind me, there you go, is the actual feed from i think the Democrats Convention seat. Everyone who made it into this room and is going into this speech with this group has the past two days of covid tests, negative tests. We just had our temperatures check. We had a secret service sweep through all of our items and we also had to go through sort of a Health Survey to get into this room. But we may be the only americans who see this speech in person. So history, you cant predict but were the ones who will go in to see what happens. Woodruff we are glad that you are there and were glad that youre staying safe and keeping socially distant. Lisa, thank you. And now to yamiche who is in touch with the trump campaign, in touch with the white house. Yamiche, i want to ask you again how, as i have every night, how they are following whats going on at the democratic convention. And also about the president s comment today about qanon and the remarkable statement he made again about this conspiracy theory. Thats right. Well the white house and President Trump and the trouble campaign are watching very closely the democratic convention. They are red ying themselves for any attacks that may come the president s way ready to defend him. What was interesting today as you said the president posed a question about qanontha anon. Instead of denouncing the fbi has said is a possible domestic terrorists threat he says these are people who love the country and appreciate me very much. Although its untraditional for the president to talk like that we know the president has trafficked in conspiracy theories for a long time. Whats interesting is the president is going to look at some of the people who hes talked about conspiracy theories about at a democratic convention. Were thinking about barack obama and how he questioned his birth place for a long time. Hockey hiHillary Clinton his fol and Kamala Harris openly not saying she was born in california and clearly eligible to be Vice President of the United States. This is all interesting and the president is ready when the attacks come his way. Woodruff in just a few seconds we have left, yamiche, this tells us, does it suggest that the people around the president think this is an effective strategy for him. It does suggest that. The president is is in some way trying to throw red meat to his base as he does every day and g this isng to alienate the his support in 2020. The esident is understanding his win was very narrow in 2016 and might be narrow again in 2020. Woodruff Yamiche Alcindor following itll very closely. Thank you, yamiche. Were going to take a short break for our pbs stations. Our coverage will continue in one minute. Stay with us. Woodruff good evening, im Judy Woodruff and welcome back to our pbs newshour special coverage of this years Democratic National convention. This is a big night. We will hear from former president barack obama, former secretary of state, and of course the partys president ial nominee Hillary Clinton. And then the hstory making pick for Vice President , senator Kamala Harris. And we may also by the way get a peek at Kamala Harris early on in the evening. The mc tonight is actress carry washington. The theme kerry washington. The theme is Climate Change to immigration starts with gun violence. Here we go. I want to talk about the importance of voting. I know many of you plan to vote this year but aw amidst of excitement you may have misinformation and making it harder for you to st your ballots. I think we need to ask ourselves why dont they want us to vote. Why is there so much effort to silence our voices . And the answer is because when we vote, things change. When we vote, things get better. When we vote, we address the need for all people to be treated with dignity and respect in our country. So each of us needs a plan, a voting plan. Joe and i want to make sure youre presented. If you text vote to 30330, well help you come up with your plan. And remember deadlines and get ready to vote in encourage your family and friends to send one too. Now lets enjoy another night of inspiration from around our country. Ill see you a little later tonight and until then i turn it over to my dear friend and tonights moderator, kerry washington. Welcome to night three of the demoatic national convention. Im honored to be joining you as we continue to celebrate this unconventional convention. Were going to be hearing a lot more from senator harris later a promise but first when i was in seventh or eighth grade we memozed the preamble the constitution and i never r gotten it. The first 15 words of our constitution are, we the people of the United States in order to form a more important union. We say more important because our union is not without flaws. When our constitution was written, women couldnt vote. Black people were considered three fifth of a human being, but therein lies the work. No one is perfect. Nothing is. But it is the striving toward justice, equality and truth that distinguishes us. We fight for a more Perfect Union because we are fighting for the soul of this country and for our lives. And right now, that fight is real. Tonight, we are going to hear from so many phenomenal women who are working to help us build that more Perfect Union. Speaker nancy pelosi, sect Hillary Clinton, senator elizabeth warren, senator Michelle Lujan grisham. Well see from Jennifer Hudson and a performance from Billie Eilish looking to build a more equal and more just future. Were going to hear from our 44th president barack obama. Thats a long way of saying this is goingo be an unfort gettable night unforgettable night filled with unforgettable voices. But the most important voice were going to hear from tonight is the one we need to hear from most. Its yours. Because if we are going to repair the damage that has been done, if we are going to finally realize the dream, we the people have to get involved. Each and every one of us is the we. You are the we. Its going to be your voice, your service, your action that helps us create that more Perfect Union. Tonight were going talk about where we are and where were going on so many issues important to our future. 90 of americans support common sense gun laws because we need to do more to address the epidemic of gun violence. Lets start there. People are affected by gun violence has to walk by the Street Corner where their best friends, brothers or mothers or nevada news when they themselves were shot. If we hadnt just lost a loved one dike just put in the grave. The whole point of what im saying here is until one of us or all of us stand up and say i cant do this anymore, i cant sit by and watch the news and shootings like acts of god. Gun violence isnt just going to stop until theres a source fighting harder against it and im going to do something to prevent it. They say that gun laws do not decrease gun violence. A good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun. They say guns are just tools like knives. They say that no laws could have been able to prevent someone in a sensesless tragedy. That us kids dont know what were talking about, that were too young to understand how the government works. What were fighting for will happen because were fighting so strongly for it. Were going to make this change. Long before this pandemi our country has been suffering from the epidemic of gun violence. Gun violence is the Public Health crises. One that disproportionately affects the black and brown bron communities. First it was my beloved fiance. The shooting in o orlando. Seven years later it would be my son. I know exactly the pain, the toll, the heart break of gun life. My freshman year my high school went into lock down because a kid brought a tbawn to school. Weve had to endorp shooting drills in our schools. We have enough to deal with. We shouldnt be responsible for keeping themselves safe at school. Thats the job of the government. We have to invest in Mental Health in our communities rather than making our schools maximum security promise instances. I want a president that will make gun violence prevention a top priority and i believe joe biden is that person. Now mother and activist. In a split second a stray bullet shattered my familys life. My son dion dry was 13 years old. He was recognized as a gifted and talented student. Possibilities. He was dancing at a Birthday Party when he was shot in the back left side of his head shattering his skull. One shot changed our lives forever. Today room. But im unsure if he knows a gunshot has changed his life. Since march ive only been able to see my son three times. I cant touch or hug him due to covid 19. People tell me that im lucky. I tell them we are blessed. I remind them that my son is in a wheelchair and unable to feed himself. I dont think did h deandre is o lucky. He gets muscle contractions. I am in faith of gratitude. Yes i can touch him and hold his hand buthe child i birthed is not able to live his dream. And that hurts. Every day were reminded that he may never be the same. We are not alone. In every town across america, there are families who know what a bullet can do. Thats why im a mom who volunteers to stop this. President trump, he doesnt care. He didnt care about the victims after parkland, las vegas or el paso. I want a president who cares about our pain and grief, a president who will take on the gun lobby to ban assault weapons and close the loopholes to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Joe biden has taken on the nra twice and wonain as president. I looked in the eyes of too many parents and i mean literally scores of them who have lost their children to gun violence. I looked in the eyes of brave young people survive school shootings. I made ea of them a promise and made myself a promise. I promised them and i promise all of you, i will make this promise today, those families hurting across the country, i will Never Never Never never give up this fight. Out of pain, we choose to find means. A glimmer of light that lands on a promise. Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords shot in the head from less than three feet away. But she survived. When Tragedy Strikes we see comfort in knowing we arent alone. Join us in this fight. We seek strength to keep fighti, to keep moving forward. We turn to leaders who share our pain. The most difficult times is when we stand closest together. Its out of tragedy that you grow stronger. He was there for me. Hell be there for you too. We are a nation ready to end gun violence. A safer america is possible. But from this point forward, we must choose courage. Ive known the darkest of days, days of pain and uncertain recovery. But confronted by despair ive summoned hope. Confronted by paralysis and aphasia. I responded with good and determination. I put one foot in front of the other. I found one word and then i found another. My recovery is a daily fight but it makes me stronger. Words once came easily. Today i struggle to speak but i have not lost my voice. America needs all of us to speak out even when you have to fight to find the words. We are at a crossroads. We can let this continue or we can act. We can protect our families, our future. We can vote. We can be on the right side of history. We must elect joe biden. He was there for me, hell be there for you too. Join us in this fight. Vote, vote, vote. Thank you very much. Woodruff just a remarkable statement by former arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords who of course was shot in 2011. Terribly terribly wounded and is still fighting to be able to communicate. But what a powerful powerful statement. As you can see, im having a hard time holding it together after watching this. Im sure many of you are too. We return now to our core group watching with us tonight. Mark shields, david brooks, nickel further, Chris Michael nutter Chris Buskirk and here at the able amy walter. Amy help me out. Im trying to hold it together. I cant watch Gabby Giffords without thinking about her and thinking about the mother you heard a moment ago who described what happened to her son 13 years old. Thats right. Woodruff we were saying earlier tonight we havent been hearing much about issues in this convention. A lot ofts been about who is joe biden but now we are starting to hear. And they are coming at us, they are presenting them in a way thats touching our hearts. Thats right. And in a way thats hard to do in a convention hall. You cant convey this level of intimacy that way. And i think it obviously, it was incredibly powerful and effective. Weve also seen in these last few years just the power of young people and taking this movement from an idea to the streets which we have seen more and more of in these last few years. Its also interesting to net that Gabby Giffords, i remember meeting her when she was a candidate for congress and i thought this is somebody who i absolutely going to be in the leadership of the house or i dont know how far shes going to go. Because this is a super star. You can tell when i first sat down with her. Its her husband now who is running for United States senate. So she is still engaged in politics from the other side now as the spouse, but still makes for a powerful spokesperson. Woodruff Chris Buskirk, you are in the state of arizona thats where Gabby Giffords mark kelly is running for the senate against Martha Mcsally a republican. Gun craw control is an issue, pe feel strongly about it from both sides. How do you see it playing out in this president ial election. I was watching those videos, and of course representative giffords was a very emotional and its an emotional issue here in arizona because even people who disagreed with her didnt vote for her, didnt support her politically, liked her personally. When we come back to the political aspect of it, this is a big hot button issue in arizona its a big issue in a lot of states thats going to be important in this election. Arizona i think probably, i guess ill rephrase it, is probably out of reach for biden right now but if theres a theory of the senate race. Mark kelly is running very much as a strong advocate of gun control. If theres one thing alone that will make his candidate see very challenge is that. I look at places like michigan and ohio and wisconsin. Guns are an issue there and while this is a very popular issue among the Democratic Base it is a much touchier political issue in the middle of the country and the you were mid west. To the extent democrats want to embrace that they do that at their own peril if they want to win. Woodruff i want to go back to the convention program. Coming up is the governor of new mexico, Michelle Lujan girish g. Were going to look at her and come back to all of you. Good evening, america. Im Michelle Lujan grisham, governor of the great state of new meico. Im proud of my home state every single day. Especially how we have punched above our weight in our successful response to screen. Im proud covid 19. Im proud of those who have stepped up in so many incredible ways this past year. Im proud how we embrace our multicultural identity as our greatest strength. Im proud that new mexico has shown what climate leadership looks like. While the Trump Administration has been eliminating environmental protections weve expanded them. While theyve been rolling back regulations on oil and gas weve taken on ploiters nd held them account polluters and held them accountable. We have Energy Futures for exciting careers for workers across our beautiful state including right here in the heart of northern new mexico. We are lake a roadmap here for what america can and should look like in the 21st century. An america where we lead again, where we build safer, cleaner and more affordable cities and communities. Where we provide meaningful opportunities for workers and families to thrive and build better lives. As president , joe biden will rejoin the International Climate agreement and the United States will once again lead on this critical issue. At home, hell invest in Energy Workers and he will deliver for working families across the u. S. , helping them build meaningful careers while accelerating our nation and world into a clean green 21st century and well beyond. We know time is running out to safe our planet. We have the chance this november to end two existential crises. The Trump Presidency and the environmental awe indemnify lation he annihilation he represents. We have a chance to attack the climate crises, jobs and embrace the Clean Energy Revolution our country our young people are trying out for and the leadership the rest of the world is waiting for. The choice is closer. The choice is joe biden. Thank you america. Hard work rising to a challenge the american way. Going to the moon was all three. Astronauts returned home and reported a shift in their awareness. The view they saw of earth from space was profound. The world looked beautiful, tiny, fragile. Our atmosphere is all that administrates us fm oblivion. We know call what they experienced the overview effect. Our community for such a long time have nailed the burden of pollution and i failed the burden of pollution and we have a chance to correct some of those wrongs and invest in the goals of our communities. Patient you read some of the millions of pages of Scientific Evidence on Climate Change or maybe you felt it as you walked the neighborhoods. For most people its overwhenning. With the global warming, a lot of its a hoax. Its a hoax. The Trump Administration started to remove any americans mentioned Climate Change. I wrote indemnify letter six months into the administration. They were handing the keys of public lands over to private interests. The Trump Administration has gone all out not just affecting Climate Change issues and laws but to reverse them. We have about a decade before its too late. Im a kid and were watching this rig now. Why dont you get up and do something. Some of the first Climate Change legislation ever written was by a senator from delaware. When donald trump thinks about Climate Change the only word he can muster is hoax. America faces a challenge bulb if we face it but if we face it together we will rise to the occasion and build back better. When i think about Climate Change, the word i think of on is jobs. Thats joes plan to create millions of new good paying jobs, many of them union like mine invest in critical infrastructure, invest in micro mobility and precision agriculture. A Clean Energy Future that achieves net zero emissions by 2050 because we cant power the economy that future without investing in the technologies of the future. I think whats really important about joe bidens plan is that 40 of the investment will go to vulnerable communities. We know how to do ths. Well dot again but this time bicker and faster and smarter bigger and faster and smarter. Joe wont ignore the crises, hes seeing whoops. He wont surrender to the fight. Joes america will lead the world on clean energy, will lead on jo creation and america will lead the world again on climate. I was 13 when the cam fire, the most destructive wild fire in californias history broke out. We were visiting family nearly a hundred miles away but my asthma flared badly i could hardly bleat. Ive been orgazing young people around Climate Change since 2018. Climate change is impacting us now and its robbing my generation of a future. For young people my age, every aspect of our lives from where we go to school, what kind of careers well have, to whether or not we can raise a family. Depends on us taking Climate Change seriously right now. Joe biden wont solve this crises in four years. No one can. But he will put us back on track so that my generation can have a fighting chance. Im asking you to join us. Dont let our futures go up in flames. The corn growers on my parenteds farm have a saying knee high by the 4th of july. July. I studied at northern university. We can see the effect of Climate Change happening right in front of us. Weve been trying to do our part. Were adapting Sustainable Solutions on my familys farm searching Community Models using less land and using resources to grow our food. We are eliminating carbon. This can be part of the solution instead of the problem. Today we can all grow our own future but we need our leaders to be part of the solution as wellen instead of part of the problem. We ned them to commit to the problem not ignore it. We need to go forward rather than hold back. Thats what joe biden is doing with Clean Energy Revolution. Without being left behind we can lead the world again. I spent a lot of time talking about ibt Climate Change with different communities here in nevada the one question i get asked over and over again is what are you doing hear. Not a lot of climate activists are like me. My name is catherine, im a latin latina and an activist. I grow up in a low neighbor where a lot of kids have as me. Renewable energy would mean cleaner air in neighborhoods like mine. Because these are some of the Fastest Growing jobs in the country and joe bidens plan is transformative. He knows that saving the planet isnt just a challenge to overcome its an opportunity for a better way of life. Its going to be america. Are you ready to vote for joe biden. Are you ready to solve the climate crises. Because our futures depend on it. And from gun violence to Climate Change, two issues that matter of course to Many Americans and especially to the younger generation. So its no surprise the biden campaign, the Democratic National committee would highlight these young people, these voices weve just heard. A 15 year old young woman who got sick from the smoke cloud from a camp fire in california to the other voices. Right now were going to hear from a young woman who won at this years grammys best new artist album of the year, best pop vocal album andecord of the year and song of the year. Shes Billie Eilish. You dont need me to tell you things are a mess. Donald trump is destroying our country and everything we care about. We need leaders who will solve problems like Climate Change and covid not deny them. Leaders who will fight against racism and inequality. That starts by voting for someone who understands how much is at stake. Someone who is voting for a team that shares our values. It starts with voting against donald trump and for joe biden. This is not an option and we cannot sit this one out. We all have to vote like our lives and the world depend of it because they do. The only way to be certain of the future is to make it ourselves. Please register. Please vote. Cant you hear me woodruff as young pop sensation Billie Eilish performs before the Democratic National convention you heard her make a plea, a pitch to vote for joe biden and our look from another report from one of our public media. Amna nawaz takes it from there. One of the headliners is of course, former president barack obama. He is one of the most Popular Figures in the Democratic Party and hes going to be making the case for his former Vice President. A Political Correspondent at pbs station in chicago, which is of course the city that launched obamas career. Welcome to you, thanks for being with us. Lets talk about what we should be expecting from the former president. His message has been optimism and hope. He is speaking to a country more divided than ever do we expect more that have hope or harder line on President Trump . Remembethe speech that launed his career national loo in 2004 it was a divided time. Perhaps less divided than it is now that speech was all about how were not the red state, were not the blue state were the United States of america. This speech because weve gotten excerpts is a far cry from that. Hes shedding the traditional decorum of not commenting on their success or earring are hes calling out donald trump by name blasting the president cy i hope he would take it seriously, clear rehes not capable of doing that. Also contrast with the last speech that obama gave as president , he was in chicago, mccormick place, he was trying to assuage his supporters who were very wrong husband about the oncoming Trump Administration. Look, im optimistic, im confident in the future because of american institutions. Hes not as optimistic because is his speech how severe he thinks the situation is right now. I want to ask you about this ticket because theres been a presentation of joe biden as someone who was part of history in the Obama Presidency now making history person who possibly could be the first black Vice President. How are voters looking at this. Do they see it as continuation of the obama legacy or something separate . Ill speak for voters in illinois. Tis is a solid blue state. I dont think its going to be contested. Biden believes that this state is in their pocket. I think obama is an effective communicator. So his role is going to be communicating joe biden his empathy, his decency as a person. tract that midwestern voter. Ters that they lost in 2016, especially in places like wisconsin, places like michigan. Wisconsin im told by the campaign is ground zero that is the state that they really want. I think a lot of their programming over these four nights is aimed mostly at that core constituency. Well be waiting to see what former president barack obama says. That is paris from wttw in chicago. Thanks to you. Woodruff war r were going to go right back to our core group of analysts who i had to runt because we wanted to get back to the convention programming. Let me pick up with the discussion that david brooks, with what is coming from the convention right now. That is theyre spending a few minutes on series of issues. They started out with gun violence, then Climate Change theyre just bee given now to tackle immigration. Among women, at this time four years ago Hillary Clinton had 13 point avantage over donald trump. Joe biden now has 1 point advantage among women. The group that im curious about is the sanderstrump voters. Hi voted for bernie sand was in the primary then donald trump in the general. And from are are a significant number in pennsylvania, michig michigan, wisconsin, trumps margin is smaller than the number of sanderstrump voters. Those stepped to be high school educated white men. Bidens Economic Policy is targeted directly to them. A populous Economic Policy that would give Industrial Union jobs proportionately to African Americans and high school educated white men who are in these places of high industria industrialization. Woodruff were watching to this. As i said theyre looking at immigration in a moment well be hearing from an immigrant fami family. Very quickly to you, mark shields, is this in past conventions weve seen entire nights devoted to whether its the economy or Something Like that. This is a different approach. Is this what you have to do in the age of short Attention Span . I think it is, judy. And i think Climate Change i think emerging as really a central issue to american politics. And not simply as a health issue and climate issue in itself. But its a social and Economic Justice issue. Take, for example, the state of michigan. 14 of the state of michigan is African American. And yet in the most polluted zip code in the state its 84 African American. People of lower income, latinos, African Americans disproportionately bear the burden of Climate Change and air pollution and i think it can be an organizing and galvanizing issue especially for young voters. One of the mysteries of this campaign to me is, donald trump continues to berate barack obama and yet in the last fox news poll which compared the two, barack obama was at 63 favorable. Fox news let it be known while donald trump was at 43 favorable and 55 unfavorable. Against somebody who is so much popular than he is, just is a mystery. Woodruff very good point. Im keeping one eye on what the convention is doing. They went ahead and airedthis conversation with a family that we were planning to dip into but turned out to be shorter than what bee expected. I think do want want to show a little of the video. Theyre on subject of immigration, of course, this is founding of america, legals listen. All of our families come from some pce else. These new americans we see our own american stories. Life in america was not always easy. There was discrimination and hardship and poverty. But like you they no doubt found inspiration in all those who had come before them and able to muster faith that here in america they might build a better life. Give their children something more. Attention throughout our history between welcoming the stranger its about the meaning of america. What kind of country do we wanted to be . Immigrants are the teachers who inspire our children. Theyre the doctors who keep us healthy. Theyre the engineers who design our sky lines and artists and entertainers who touch our hearts. Immigrants are soldiers, sailo sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardmen who protect us. We can never say it often or loudly enough. Immigrants and refugees revitalize and renew america. Its not something to take for granted. Its something to cherish and fight for. God bless you. May god bless the United States of america. Woodruff i think we recognize whose voice that was, voicing over that commentary on where we are with immigration in this country. With that okay. Were not going to our analysts go to our own reporters, Lisa Desjardins is in wilmington, delaware. Yamicheal cinder is at the white house. Tell us where they are right now. Where you are. Well, judy, the democrats really have been making a pretty emotional pitch as to why people should be backing joe biden. They put on former representative gabby gird, someone who was shot in the head nearly a decade. She strung together perfects words, hard for her to say. Sources say that she really practiced to be able to stream those words together. Shes someone who skill recove recovering from a severe brain injury. Also put on a young woman whose father voted for President Trump and whose mother was deported back to mexico. Her father says hes no longer supporting President Trump. What the democrats are doing here not just making a caseaga g bringing in the human aspects. Saying hes not aedes person and someone is dangerous to ordinary americans. The republicans of course are going to make their own emotional pitch bringing on families that were impacted by undocumented immigrants april negative way. Democrats are really making their days case on an emotional level. Woodruff as you say on an issue that President Trump made central to his presidency and to his reelection. Lisa, what about where you are in wilmington. Where the bide campaign, Democratic Party is preparing to continue with the program. Its impossible not to feel what it would be like. This is prince royce performing behind me. Ill talk a little louder because the room is so loud. This is a moment when i think we would see delegates dancing on the convention floor. Instead the only guest at this convention are myself and 25 other journalists waiting to go in to attend the speech. All of that said, what yamiche said, they are trying to hit an emotion. They know that theyre reaching people where they live. That is something that biden cam pan stairs have been talking to me bought because there might be more intimate connection from this convention because it is in peoples living rooms. No difference between where maybe Amy Klobuchar is watching it than where any of the voters in her state are watching it. Well see if that bears out. But they are going r that emotion tonight, however, Kamala Harris is going for a bigger message, going to say vote as you heard again and again. Woodruff very interesting you make that point. Because its the opposite i think of what some people expected and ill come to yamiche on this. A lot of p people thought this is a Virtual Convention you can watch it on your computer screen in boxes or rectangles or whatever. But they are clearly touching some emotional chords, heartstrings, if you will. And yet they have very real points to make about the difference between joe biden and donald trump. On these issues that affect lives. Whether it is immigration, whether it is gun violence or Climate Change. Yamiche. Thats right. Theyre making the kates in a pointed way against President Trump but in a very human way. I said last night, ill say it again i think were start topping see the real aspts of this convention that seem almost better than the traditional convention, because i think there was a moment it was very bumpy, video quality varied. Ive been talking to voters who said they were crying watching Gabby Giffords and Young Children talking about President Trump separating families. These are things that he did well but democrats are saying theres real damage being done in the country and meet the people who are being damaged by the p i think its a powerful way to put it but we can expect that the republicans will have a very stern answer for the images that were seeing tonight. Woodruff no question they are going to want to answer for sure on the subject of immigration. And no doubt they will have things to say about guns and about Climate Change. Although they will frame them very differently, no doubt. Yamiche, lisa, thank you both well come back to you as the night goes on. If we seem to be jumping arod a little bit, we are. Because even though we know in general what the program is, there still some are surprises here. The length of program pieces of the program and the elements. We want to bring you as much as we can of this convention. With that in mind, in 2016, Hillary Clinton was the nominee. Her loss is a motivat motivatinr for a number of democratic voters. We now hear from im sorry. We are not going to hear from Hillary Clinton tonight. But we are going to pick up i think right now on a video well keep rolling. All of you who are watching are going to bear with us. Im going right now back to my colleague amna next door in the studio. Theres a lot going on tonight were watching that program along th the rest of america. But did wanted to update on that video that went by without us being able to dip into it. It was on the issue much immigration. It was featuring the story of the sanchez family. And one of the things we want to point out were seeing again and again this gs to the points that both lisa and yamiche just made, was this humanity being highlighted in each of the issues that theyre highlighting tonight. Among the story of immigration in america it was presented not only as sort of the foundational part of america story but leaning heavily into the issues on which there is broad b bipartisan support. Featuring the supports of daca recipients, dreamers, of course. Theyre touching on an issue that has broad bipartisan support. Theres no divide between republicans and democrats when it comes to wishing for a permanent status for those dre dreamers. Similarly with gun violence as we know there is broad b bipartisan support for some basic background checks and those kinds of steps. Even though we know democrats are at this point leaning more heavily into the policies, into the issues, theyre doing it in a way that has broad appeal. This follows with the pattern weve seen in the days previous. They have been trying to make sure they message, this is a big tent, all are welcome. Democrats, republicans and everyone in between. So judy, pattern that were seeing tonight its one we should continue to expect to see and well follow of course the policies issues as they continue to talk about them tonight. Woodruff for sure. Were so glad to have you with us on that particular subject. Because it is one you have covered for the last several years, youve covered it very closely for the newshour and its really important to have your expertise and your input at this moment. Thank you. Thanks, judy. Woodruff while we wait. Amy walter who is here with me at the table to figure out what the democrats are doing. The signal completely went down. We were looking at a dark screen from coming from wherever its coming from. We dont even know. Its not partly wilmington but new york city we were told, los angeles, number of different places where this program is being put together like nothing we have ever seen. Its remarkable that weve made it three days and this is the first real technical problem. Woodruff what happened a few minutes ago we were throwing to Hillary Clinton they pushed back, secretary clintons performance or presentation. And it looks to me like theyre about to go to her again. Were now seeing a video that reminds us of her candidacy. She has an Important Role to play, amy, at this convention. She was the nominee four years ago. But she didnt go the distance. Thats right. You know, we saw the challenge for Hillary Clnton goes first woman to ever be nominee for major party at the same time a lot of democrats who think that, boy, if we had had another nominee, donald trump might not have won. Woodruff there was some resentment on the part of joe biden and his famy. Not e fact that she was chosen and the fact that president obama didnt encourage him to run. All right. Lot to talk about. Lets go now to Democratic Party programming and Hillary Clinton is coming right up. The morning after the last election, i said we owe donald trump an open mind and the chance to lead. I meant it. Every president deserves that. And trump came in with so much set up for him, a strong economy, plans for managing crises including a pandemic. Yes, we democrats would have d disagreed with him on many things. But if he had put his own interests and ego aside, seen the humanity in a child ripped if her parents at the border or a protester calling for justice or family wiped out by natural disaster, that would have been a good thing for america and the world. I wish donald trump knew how to be a president. Because America Needs a president right now. Throughout this time of crisis, americans keep going, checking on neighbors, showing up to jobs as first responders, hospitals, grocery stores, nursing homes. Yes, it still takes a village. We need leaders equal to this moment of sacrifice and service. We need joe biden and Kamala Harris. Everyone has a story about joes caring a empathy. I remember him calling after my mother, dorothy, died and we talked about being raised by strong women. The best testament to joe is how hes cared for his family. And how great is it that dr. Jill biden plans to keep teaching as first lady. And joe picked the right partner in kamala. Shes relentless in the pursuit of justice and equity and shes kind. When her press secretary, tyrone gale was dying of cancer she dropped everything to be with him in his final moments. I know something about the sli slings and arrows shell face, and believe me this former District Attorney and attorney general can handle them all. So this is the team to pull our nation back from the brink. But they cant do it without us. For four years people have told me, i didnt realize how dangerous he was. I wish i could do it all over. Or worse. I shoe have voted. Look, this cant be another woulda, coulda, shoulda electi election. If you vote by mail request your ballot now and send it back right away. If you vote in person, do it early. Become a poll worker. Most of all no matter what, vo vote. As Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders warned us, if trump is reelected things will get even worse. Thats why we need unity now more than ever. Remember back i 2016 when trump asked, what do you ve to lose . Well now we know. Our health care, our jobs, our loved ones. Our leadership in the world and even our post office. But lets set our sights higher than getting one man out of the white house. Joe biden and Kamala Harris are going to give us so much to vote for. Lets vote for the jobs that j joes plan ll create, Clean Energy Jobs to fight Climate Change. Caregiving jobs with living wages. Vote for emergency relief that lifts Small Businesses and saves hard working people from foreclosures and evictions. Its wrong that billionaires got 400 billion richer during the pandemic while millions lost their 600 a week in extra u unemployment. Vote for the parents and teachers struggling to balance childrens education and safety. And for health care workers, fighting covid19 with little help from the white house. Vote for paid family leave and health care for everyone. For Social Security, medicare and planned parenthood. Vote for dreamers and their families. Vote for law enforcement, purged 6 racial bias that keeps all our streets safe. Vote for justice, for george floyd, Brionna Taylor and ahmad arvery because black lives matter. Vote for honest election so we, not a foreign adversary choose our president. Vote for the diverse hopeful america we saw in last nights roll call. And dont forget, joe and kamala can win by three million votes and still lose. Take it from me. So we need numbers overwhelming so trump cant sneak or steal his way to victory. Text vote 30330 to get started. A hundred years ago yesterday, the 19th amendment to the constitution was ratified. Itook seven decades of suffragists marching, picketing and going to jail to push us closer to a more Perfect Union. 55 years ago john lewis mr. Ed and bled in selma. Americas future because of Kamala Harris, a black woman, daughter of jamaican and indian immigrants and our nominee for Vice President. This is our countrys story breaking down barriers and expanding the circle of pssibility. And to the young people watchi watching. Dont give up on america despite our flaws and problems we have come so far. Generations could never have imagined. Theres a lot of heartbreak in america now. And the truth is many things were broken before the pandemic. But as the saying goes, the world breaks everyone and afterward, many are strong at the broken places. Thats joe biden. He knows how to keep going, unify and lead because hes done that for his family and country. So come november, if were strong together, well heal together. Well redeem the soul and the promise of our country led by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Tonight is a night steeped in women who have stepped in to service and advocacy and who are cruising their power for good. The power of women is undeniabl undeniable. Whether its in the office, in the home or in the house of representatives. It is my honor to introduce the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi. I was never raised in a way that i would be running for public office. It didnt interest me. When i graduated from college i got married, had five children in six years. So that was my life. When the children were grown, the opportunity to run for congress came along. She ran because another woman said, run. And she won. Starting on a path that would make history. The first woman speaker of the house. For our daughters and our grand daughters, today we have broken the the marble ceiling. In her, so many saw themselves. Iid feel a real responsibility to other women as i stood on the shoulders of those who went before. Now it was her turn to say, run. And run they did. Winning and making her speaker once again. We didnt have a speaker who would bring a dreamers issue to the floor. We do now. And thats good for every american. But not everyone was on board. Nancy Pelosi Pelosi im a mother of five grandmother of nine. I know a temper tantrum when i see one. The power of the speaker is awesome. Awesome. You have to be prepared to take a punch. Also to throw a punch. For the children. Throw a punch for the chirp. From running the house. To speaker of the house. Taking on the madam speakerrer. Congratulations, madam speaker. Madam speaker. Madam speaker. And now please welcome. Lgbtq. Our diversity is our strength. Our unity is our power. This month as america marks the sen ten i cant believe of women finally winning the right to vote we do so with 105 women in the house. Proudly 90 are democrats. To win the vote, women march and fought never gave in. We stand on their shoulders charged with carrying forward the unfinished work of our nation advanced by nation. From seneca falls to selma to stonewall. Four years ago when president obama and Vice President biden were in the white house, they made us proud. And their leadership made our country great. In that spirit we come together now, not to decry the darkness but light a way forward for our country. That is the guiding purpose of House Democrats fighting for the people. We have sent the senate bill for Lower Health Care costs, for bigger paychecks, for cleaner government protecting john lew lewis Voting Rights and enac enacting George Floyd Justice and policing act. We set the senate bills to protect our dreamers, lgbt, protect gun violence to preserve our planet for future generations. And even more. All of this is possible for america. Who was standing in the way . Mitch mcconnell and donald trump. Our nation faces the worst health and economic catastrophe in our history. More than five million americans are infected by the coronavirus. Over 170,000 have died. The sciencebased action and heroes act we enacted three months is ago is auto sechal to safeguard lives, lively hood and the life of our democracy. And who is standing in the way. Mitch mcconnell and donald trump. Instead of crushing the virus theyre trying to crush the Affordable Care act and pr preexisting conditions benefit. As speaker of the house ive seen firsthand Donald Trumps disrespect for facts, for wor working families and for women in particular. Disrespect written into his policies toward our health and our rights. Not just his conduct. But we know what he doesnt. That when women succeed, america succeeds. And so we are unleashing the power of women to take our rig rightful place in our national life. By championing a womans right to choose and defending roe v. Wade. Securing safe and affordable child care. Preservi Social Security and passing equal pay for equal work. Who is stand knowledge in the way, Mitch Mcconnell and donald trump. Here is our answer. We will remember in november. When we will elect joe biden president whose heart is full of love for america and rid the country of trim ls heartless disregard for americas goodne goodness. His faith in god gives him the courage to lead. Joe bidens love gives him the strength to persevere. Joe biden is the president e need right now, battle tested, forward looking, honest and authentic. He has never forgotten who he is fighting for. Kamala harris is the Vice President we need right now. Committed to our constitution. Brilliant in defendig it and a witness to the women of this nation that our voices will be heard. Our mission to fight for future equal to the ideals of our founders. Our hopes for our children and the sacrifices of our veterans, our brave men and women in uniform and their families. Well increase our majority in the house, we will win a democratic majority in the senate, we will elect Kamala Harris and elect joe biden president of the United States of america. God bless you. And god bless america. To ensure the house stays that way we need everyone to fund our work to elect joe biden and decrats up and down the ballot. If you are able, please go to joebiden. Com right now and chip in whatever you can to support this campaign. Last year under speaker pelosis leadership the house reauthorized the violence against women act. Joe biden wrote that landmark law nearly 30 years ago. Since then he and other leaders have built on it. But for all of this work, women are still not tirely safe. So the work must continue. Joe biden knows that and he is committed to doing that work. To making sure that women are safe. And no National Hotline to call. Local shelters were full. I didnt even know the name for what was happening to me then. Domestic violence. W working to end Domestic Violence is my lifes work. When i started doing research to play detective Olivia Benson on law and order su i was shocked to find out how many people including children experienced physical or sexual abuse. The statistics fueled my resolve and i committed myself to the movement to end this violence. My name is carly, my small hometown i didnt feel ke i could speak out about my experience with Sexual Assault. But at the university of puget sound, i met an incredible force of people working to end the culture of Sexual Assault. I went from survivor to arc r advocate. As the president and ceo of the National Coalition against Domestic Violence, ive seen joe bidens passionate leadership in passing the violence against women act. Now Domestic Violence rates are rising due to this pandemic. We need congress to reauthorize and enhance that law. We need leaders who believe that a womans life is worth fighting for. Joe biden is that kind of leader. I created the joyy Heart Foundation to help survivors heal and to change the way our society responds to Sexual Violence. The Vice President has worked tirelessly by our side to end the backlog of hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits. And our work will continue. Because testing kits not only makes our country safer. But it sends a vital mess tahj survivors. That what happened to them matters. The most important thing you can say to a survivor is, i hear you. Thats why i became leader and its on us. Its a program started by Vice President biden to eliminate Sexual Assault on College Campuses and support a new generation of advocates including men and boys. Because if youre silent, youre complicit. D were just getting started. I am voting for joe biden on behalf of all victims and survivors of Domestic Violence. Im voting for joe biden because its on my generation to make sure that we never go back. I am voting for joe biden for my daughter. For my sons. For all of our children. First episode was a slap to the face and he brock my ear drum. Punching, kicking, choking, threatening with a knife or a gun. He had always threatened me if i had ever called the police on him that he would kill me. You didnt hear voices like these in the halls of the u. S. Capitol. My husbands dad made 13 times and broke my neck while police were on the scene. I nearly died and i am permanently paralyzed. Senator joe biden invited them to speak. Battered women need to be taken seriously, Proper Police response can prevent what happened to me from happening to someone else. Thank you. Thank you. At the time the police considered Domestic Violence something that was not a crime. In the home its a private matter. So women were responsibl responr their own injuries. I was about to say, i know but i dont know. I can only guess how pain half is. Growing up our father said that the greatest of all sins was the abuse of power. He told us a bully when someone bigger or stronger takes advantage of you, that is a really grave sin. The expectation was for all four of us, be a person of character. You see something wrong, we were then expected to stand up and do something about it. When e introduced the legislation, few believed it could pass. It is a first attempt to address Violent Crimes ainst women. It was hard to get the votes because you had some tradition traditionalists who just didnt believe that there should be laws about this. But joe doesnt give up hes tenacious. Joe persevered and he very good at persuasion. Doing nothing to help him. He brought together law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates and survivors. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to come and speak. In 1994, the violence begins women act became law and protected millions of american women. A lot of the change in the attitudes we have about Domestic Violence were shaped by his leadership on this. If you see something wrong, we were then expected to stand up and do something about it. Judas you can see focus right now at this convention on an issue that joe biden has spent a number oyears working on, violence against women, he was one of the principle sponsors of the violence against women act. You saw one of these hearings just a moment ago. They are taking a few minutes now as they transition to loo at the economy. Were going to go back to the convention when they do that. But right now for just next few minutes i want to go to our analysts to talk about what we are hearing. Michael nutter, former mayor of philadelphia. Chris bus kirk joining us analyst join us from phoenix, arizona. Michael nutter, the focus right now at this convention is on women. But broadly weve been hearing about issues, weve been hearing about gun violence, about Climate Change. Weve heard from powerful women like nancy pelosi, Hillary Clinton, how much as somebody you know american politics how much does the womens vote and reaching women this year, how much is that going to matter . Well judy, it always matters. Certainly. I know a night or so ago there was discussion about when are we going to get to the issues . Well were in the issues. And were in the issues that the American Public really care about. Immigration, Climate Change and certainly violence, gun violence and Domestic Violence. These are serious issues. They dont just affect women, they affect the entire family, they affect an entire community. And they are also very emotional issues. It was emotionally painful to hear some of the testimony and comments. Emma gonzales and congresswoman gird. The women that we just saw on the video. These are issues that joe biden cares deeply about i think most americans actually care deeply about. Sandy hook, pulse nightclub. The level of violence in america daytoday on our streets, these should not be turnover issues. No one should be able to hae a military style weapon. Theres no legitimate argument about that. And joe biden fought the nra and won on that particular issue back at that time in the 90s. So this is a party, these are elected, these are real people who are talking about now real issues in the middle of a pandemic. Woodruff in just about 30 seconds that we have right now, chris, the Republican Party obviously ha different point of view on these things. Were going to hear a lot of that next week. But right now in this moment how much does it matter do you think that the democrats are stressing these issues around gun violen violence, violence against women. Well, the violence against women in fact that video i thought was really well done at a lot of lvels. Might have been the best thing ive seen so far it was i found it extremely powerful. On the other hd, i think thats controversial everybody is against violence against women. Or places like upper midwest. You know one of the things that i point to is that if you look at, for instance, gun violence, murders with been gun in 1980, the rate at which that was occurring in this country is about half or maybe less than half of what it was in 2018 despite the fat that theres Something Like two or two and a half times more guns in private hands in this country today than 40 years ago. And so weve seen the level of violence actually decreasing. We should be happy about that. As opposed to trying to demonize guns or lawful gun owners. When we look at places that hav. Woodruff theres strong, strong views on both sides. I see Michael Nutter shaking his head. I dont want to cut you off, but tey are at the convention right now turning to the economy, to the voices of real americans and were going to cult in to that. Well come back to you a little later. We could use a little help right now and it just seems like we get one step forward and then two steps back. This is the story of jernay green who just started a Clothing Store then covid hit. Fashion has been a love of mine since i was a kid. I worked really hard to save money to open this store. Did my Ribbon Cutting december 14. It was booming. Then, bam. Heres covid. It was sry. To one was buying anything. My employees, theyre gone. I reached tut to my bank but they stated that they had no iv money. Its gone to a lot of the bigger businesses, the Million Dollar businesses who get a Small Business like myself left to struggle. Being an African American fema female, Business Owner under President Trump i feel, how can i say, im alone. Im alone. This is the story of lynn and two restaurants. Its always really hard for restaurants to begin, it would be crowded in here with babies and families and crowds outside waiting to get in. It was pretty exciting. On the day of the shut down we were actually reviewed in the Los Angeles Times on that day the virus was announced as a global pandemic. Its sad to see. If we dont turn this around soon were going to see not just this year but ghost town. The first decision that i had to make because a hundred people are looking at you, u unfortunately the call was to furlough everybody. At this point i dont even see myself in business next month. We dont ask for much. From government. But catch us when were falling and i know that it must feel like youre falling right now without a net. Restaurants are among the hardest businesses to succeed at. But i was going to do it in a way that was going to provide a successful career for not only myself but a hundred employees. This is the story of dan, hes a fifth generation farmer struggling to keep his business alive. Im not so sure that president understands that when he thinks about business, i dont think he thinks about farmers. No. As a business. No. He has no clue about this stuff. Dan, tell me about the farm. Weve been here since 1864. Trade tariffs with china have been horrible. Part of the language in the trade deal said that china does not have to buy unless the price is to their advantage. What kind of trade deal is that . Thats no deal. When covid hit then everything just plummeted. Getting through now thats the problem. Thats the daytoday battle. I believe that joe biden will be a clear voice for us, something that we have not had. Joe biden has an understan understanding of what the average american is experienci experiencing. I think hes with me. Enough is enough, its time to help Small Businesses. Manage their way though a pandemic. I have a lot of confidence in joe biden. Hes a fighter and hes the real deal. We have taken a lot of knock downs and we know that at the end of the day we will endure. We will rise again. Every time i get knocked up i got to get up and keep running. Keep going. Keep going. Tonight weve heard from the people that make america work. People who keep our lives on the line and since covid19 hit, they have taken one gut punch after another. And what is the covid fallout done to our babies . Well im here at the Early Childhood Education Center in springfield, massachusetts. Which has been closed for mont months. Child care was already hard to find before the pandemic and now rents are stuck. No idea when schools can safely reopen and even fewer child care options. The devastation is enormous. And the way i see it, big problems demand big solutions. Now, i love a good plan. And joe biden has some really good plans. Plans to bring back union jobs in manufacturing and create new union jobs in clean energy. Plans to increase Social Security benefits, cancel billions in Student Loan Debt and make our bankruptcy laws work for families instead of the creditors who cheap them. These plans reflect the central truth. Our Economic System has been rigged to give bail outs to billionaires and kick dirt in the face of everyone else. But we can build a thriving economy by investing in families and fixing whats broken. Joes plan to build back better includes making the wealthy pay their fair share. Holding corporations accountab accountable, repairing racial g corruption in washington. Let me tell you about one of joes plan thats especially close to my heart. Child care. As a little girl growing up in oklahoma, what i wanted most in the world was to be a teacher. I loved teaching. And when i had babies and was juggling my first big teaching job in texas it was hard. But i like to do hard. The thing that almost sank me, child care. One night my aunt bee called just to check in. And i thought was fine. But then i just broke down and started to cry. I had tried holding it all together but without reliable child care, working was nearly impossible. When i told aunt bee i was going to quit my job i thought my heart would break. And then she said the words that changed my life. I cant get there tomorrow but ill come on thursday. She arrived with seven suitcases and a pekinese named buddy and stayed for 16 years. I get to be here tonight because of my aunt bee. I learned a fundamental truth, nobody makes it on their own. And yet here we are, two generations of working parents later and if you have a baby and dont have an aunt bee, youre on your own. And here is why that is wrong. We build infrastructure like roads and bridges and Communication Systems so that people can work. That infrastructure help us all because it keeps our economy going. Its time to recognize that child care is part of the basic infrastructure of this nation. Its infrastructure for famili families. Joe and kamala will make high quality child care affordable for every family. Make preschool universal and raise the wages of every child care worker. Now, thats just one plan but it gives you an idea of how we get this country working for everyone. Donald trumps ignorance and i incompetence have always been a danger to our country. Covid19 was trumps biggest test. He failed miserably. Today, america has the most covid deaths in the world and an economic collapse and both crises are falling hardest on black and brown families. Millions out of work, millions more trapped in cycles of poverty. Millions on the brink of losing their homes, millions ever restaurants and stores hanging by a thread. This crisis is bad. And it didnt have to be this way. This crisis is on donald trump and the republicans who enable him. On november 3rd, we will hold them all accountable. So, whether youre planning to vote, wearing a mask for vote by mail, please take out your pho phone, right now and text vote to 30330. We all need to be in the fight to get joe and kamala elected. And after november, we all need to stay in the fight to get big things done. We stay in this fight so that when our children and our grandchildren ask what we did during this dark chapter in our nations history, we will be ale to look them squarely in the eye and say, we organized, we persisted and we changed america. Former president barack obama has said that choosing joe biden to be his Vice President was one of the best decisions he ever made. And this is a man who has made a lot of good decisions. Making health care more affordable and accessible. Rescuing our economy. Protecting american jobs. Marrying Michelle Obama. And through it all, joe biden was by his side. Except for maybe marrying michelle. You can witness their Mutual Respect and affection in this clip. Take a look. So, joe, for your faith in your fellow americans, for your love of country and for your lifetime of service that will endure through the generations, d like to ask the military aide to join us on stage. For the final time as president , i am pleased to card our nations civilian honor the president ial medal of freedom. [ applause ] and for the first and only time in my presence i will bestow this medal with an additional level of adoration, honor my three most recent successors Pope John Paul ii, president Ronald Reagan and general cohill powell. Ladies and gentlemen, im proud to award the president ial medal of freedom with distinction to my brother, Joseph Robinette biden junior. Will the aide please read the citation. Vice president joseph r. Bide junior in career of Public Service spanning nearly half a century Vice President joseph r. Biden junior has left his mark on almost every part of our nation. Fighting for atronger middle class, a fairer judicial system and a smarter foreign policy. Providing unyielding support for our troops, combating crime and violence against women, leading our quest to cure cancer and safeguarding the landmark american recovery and reinves reinvestment act from corrupti corruption. With his charm, candoor unabashd optimism and deep and abiding patriotism, joe biden has garnered the respect and esteem of colleagues of both parties and friendship of people across the nation and around the world. While summoning the strength, faith and grace to overcome great personal tragedy, this son of stanton, clamont and wilmington has become one of the consequential Vice President ebb his tore. Accolade that nonetheless rests firmly behind his legacy as a husband, father and grandfather. A grateful nation thanks Vice President joseph r. Biden junior for his lifetime of service on behalf of the United States of america. [ applause ] good evening, everybody. As you have seen by now this isnt a normal convention. Its not a normal time. So, tonight i want to talk as plainly as i can about the stakes in this election. Because what we do these next 76 days will echo through generations to come. Im in philadelphia where our constitution was drafted and signed. It wasnt a perfect document. It allowed for the inhumanity of slavery. And failed to guarantee women and even men who didnt own property the right to participate in the political process. But embedded in this document was a north star that would guide future generations. A system of representative government. A democracy. To which we could better realize our highest ideals. Through civil war and bitter struggles we improve this constitution to include the voices of those who once been left out. And gradually we made this country more just. And more free. The one Constitutional Office elected by all of the people is the presidency. So at a minimum we should expect a president to feel a sense of responsibility for the safety and welfare of all 330 million of us regardless of what we look like, how we worship, who we love. How much money we have. Or who we voted for. We should also expect a president to be the custodian of this democracy. We should expect that regardle s of ego, ambition or political beliefs, the president will preserve, protect and defend the freedoms and ideals that so Many Americans marched for, went to jail for, fought for and died for. I have sat in the oval office with both of the men who are running for president. I never expected that my succe successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope for the sake of our country that donald trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously. That he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverance for the democracdemocracy that had beend in his care. But he never did. For close to four years now he has shown no interest in putting in the work. No interest in finding Common Ground, no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends. No interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves. Donald trump hasnt grown into the job. Because he cant. And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 americans dead, millions of jobs gone. While those at the top take in more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed, our proud reputation around the world badly diminished. And our Democratic Institutions threatened like never before. Now, i know that in times as polarized as these, most of you have already made up your mind. But maybe youre still not sure which candidate youll vote for. Or whether youll vote at all. Maybe youre tired of the direction were headed but you cant see a better path yet. Or you just dont know enough about the person who wants to lead us there. So let me tell you about my friend, joe biden. 1 years ago when i began my search for a Vice President , i didnt know id end up finding a brother. Joe and i come from different places, different generations, but what i quickly came to admire about joe biden is his resilience, born of too much struggle. His empathy, born of too much grief. Joe is a man who learned early on to treat every person he meets with respect and dignity, living by the words his parents taught him. No ones better than you, joe. But youre better than nobody. That empathy, that decency, the belief that everybody counts, thats who joe is. When he talks with someone who has lost their job, he remembers the night that his father sat him down to tell him he lost hi. When he listens to a parent who is trying to hold it all together right now, he does it as a single dad who took the train back to wilmington each and every night so he could tuck his kids into bed. When he meets with military families who have lost their hero, he does it a as a kindred spirit, the parent of an american soldier. Somebody whose faith has endured the hardest loss there is. For eight years joe was the last one in the room whenever i faced a big decision. He made me a better president and hes got the character and thexperience to make us a better country. And in my friend, Kamala Harris, hes chosen ideal partner. Who is more than prepared for the job. Someone who knows what its like to overcome barriers and who has made a career fighting to help others live out their american dream. Along with the experience needed to get things done, joe and kamala have concrete policies that will turn their vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into reality. They will get this pandemic under control like joe did when he helped me manage h1n1 and prevent an ebola from reaching our shores. They will expand health care to more experience like joe and did i ten years ago when he helped craft the Affordable Care act and nail down the votes to make it the law. They will rescue the economy like joe helped me do after the great resection. I asked him to manage the recovery act, which jump started the longest stretch of job growth. He sees this moment now not as chance to get back to where we were, but to make long overdue changes so that our economy actually makes life a little easier for everybody. Whether its the waitress trying to raise a kid on her own or the shift worker always on the edge of getting laid off. Or the student figuring out how to pay for next semesters classes. Joe and kala will restore our standing in the world and as weve learned from this pandem pandemic, that matters. Joe knows the world and the world knows him. He knows that our true strength comes from setting an example that the world wants to follow. A nation that stands with democracy, not dictators, a nation that can inspire and mobilize others to overcome threats like Climate Change and terrorism. Poverty and disease. But more than anything, what i know about joe, what i know about kamala is that they actually care about every american. And that they care deeply about this democracy. They believe that in a democracy the right to vote is sacred and we should be making it easier for people to cast their ballots not harder. They believe that no one including the president is above the law and that no public official, including the president , should use their office to enrich themselves or their supporters. They understand in this democracy the demander in chief does not use the men and women of our military who are willing to risk everything to protect our nation as political props to deploy against peaceful protes protesters on our own soil. They understand that political opponents arent unamerican just because they disagree with you. Free press isnt the enemy, built the way we hold officials accountable. That our ability to Work Together to solve big problems like a pandemic depend on a fidelity of facts and science and logic. Not just making stuff up. None of this should be controversial. These shouldnt be republican principles or democratic principles they are american principles. At this moment, this president and those who enable him, have shown they dnt believe in these things. Tonight im asking you to believe in joe and kamalas ability to lead this country out of these dark times and build it back better. But heres the thing. No single american can fix this country alone. Not even a president. Democracy was never meant to be transactionable, you give me your vote i make everything better. It requires an active and i informed citizenry. So im also asking you to believe in your own ability to embrace your own responsibility as citizens. To make sure that the basic tenants of our democracy entour because thats whats at stake right now. Our democracy. Look, i understand why a lot of americans are down on governme government. The way the rules have been set up and abused in Congress Make it easier for special interest is to stop progress than to make progress, believe me i know it. I understand why a white factory worker who has seen his wages cut or job shipped overseas, it look like the government no longer looks out on him. Why a black mom might feel like it never looked out for her at all. I understand why a new immigrant might look around this country wnder whether theres still a place for him here. Y a young opinion might look at politics right now, the circus of it all, the meanness and the lies and conspiracy theories and think, what is the point . Well heres the point. This president and those in power, those who benefit from keeping things the way they are, they are counting on your cynicism. They know they cant win you over with their policies so theyre hoping to make it as hard as possible fo you to vote and to convince you that your vote does not matter. That is how they win. That is how they get to keep making decisions that affect your life and the lives of the people you love. Thats how the economy will keep getting skewed to the wealthy and well connected. How our Health Systems will let more people fall through the cracks. Thats how a democracy withers until its no democracy at all. And we cannot let that happen. Do not let them take away your power. Do thought let them take away your democracy. Make a plan right now for how you are going to get involved and vote. Do it as early as you can and tell your family and friends how they can vote, too. Do what americans have done for over two centuries when faced with even tougher times than this. All those quiet heroes who found the courage to keep marching, keep pushing in the face of hardship and in justice. Last month we lost aiant of amican democracy in john lewis lewis. And some years ago i sat down with john and a few remaining leaders of the early Civil Rights Movement. One of them told me hed never imagined hes walk into the white house and see a president who looked like his grandson. And then he told me that he had looked it up. And it turned out that on the very day that i was born, he was marching in to a jail cell trying to end jim crows segregation in the south. What we do echos through generations, whatever our backgrounds, we are all the children of americans who fought the good fight, great grandparents working in sweat shops without rights or representation. Farmers losi their dreams to dust. Irish and italians and asians and latinos, go back to where you come from. Jews and catholics, muslims and sikhs made to feel suspect for the way they worshipped. Black americans chained and whipped and hanged, spit on for trying to sit at lunch counters. Beaten for trying to vote. If anyone had a right to belief that this democracy did not work and could not work, it was those americans. Our ancestors, they were on the receiving end of a democracy that had fallen short all their lives. They knew how far the daily reality of america strayed from the middle. And yet instead of giving up, they joined together and they said, somehow some way we are going to make this work. We are going to bring those words in our founding cuments to life. I have seen that same spirit rising these past few years. Folks of every age and background who packed city centers and airports and rural roads so that families wouldnt be separated so that another classroom wouldnt get shot up. So that our kids wont grow up on an uninhabitable planet. Americans of all races joining together to declare in the face of injustice and brutality at the hands of the state, that blk lives matter. No more but no less so that no child in this country feels the continuing sting of racism. To the young people who led us this summer, telling us we need to be better, in so many ways you are this countrys dreams fulfilled. Earlier generations had to be persuaded that everyone has equal worth, for you its a given, a conviction. And what i want you to know is that for all its messiness and frustrations, your system of Self Government can be harn massed to help you realize those convictions. For all of us. You can give our Democracy New meaning. You can take it to a better place. Youre the missing ingredient. The ones who will decide whether or not america becomes the country that fully lives up to its creed. That work will continue long after this election. But any chance of success depends entirely on the outcome of this election. This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down. If thats wh it takes for them to win. We have to get busy building it up by pouring all of our efforts into these 76 days and by voting like never before for joe and kamala and candidates up and down the ticket so that we leave no doubt about what this country that we love stands for. Today and for all our days to come. Stay safe. God bless. Thank you, president obama for your thank you for your brilliant leadership. Joe biden has chosen an extraordinary womato be his running mate. Kamala harris is a fighter and a trailblazer using her Ground Breaking ideas to protect families and keep them together by reducing recidivism. I am so thrilled for her to become the Vice President of the United States. Now please welcome our Convention Chair woodruff this is the live feed youre seeing on your screen right now. Were hearing from president obama in a remarkably strong address solo without an audience saying essentially this administration is going to take away your democracy. I was writing down, amy walter, some of the comments from president obama. We were saying that its not typical for american president s, at least in the modern era to come after their successors even different party, different policies. But we heard him say do not let them take away your democracy. This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that is what it takes. It does not get any tougher that that. You could see the emotion in him as well as he was speaking. Even as he concluded it was with a look tat said, were not fooling around any more, this is very serious to get from the sidelines. Lot democrats when is barack obama going to get involved and stabbed up and Say Something about this president. This was the time that he decided to do that. Here we are about 80 days away from this election. A little less than 80 days. Woodruff raw appeal for people to ge involved. That is video leading up to Kamala Harris. Lets watch. The importance of Public Service and made sure i grew up surrounded by smart, strong, ambitious women every day. Growing up, heaven help the poor kid who picked on me because my big sister would be there in a flash ready to have my back. Well now, weve got your back. As you and joe fight to protect our democry. Theres no union more perfect than the one that brings us all to your Kitchen Table every sunday night for stir fry, or spaghetti and meatball family dinners. Now that im a mom your showing my daughters and so many girls around the world who look like them whats possible and what its like to move through the world as fierce, formidable phenomenal women in their own unique way. I love you. I admire you. I am so proud of you. And even though mommy is not here to see her first daughter step into history, the entire nation will see in your streng strength, your integrity, your intelligence and your optimism the values that she raised us with. We love you, mamala. Were so proud of you, antae. You mean the world to us, kamala. We could not be more excite excited to share you with the world as the next as the next Vice President of the United States joe biden has selected Kamala Harris as his running mate. She is first black woman, first south asian woman to be named on the democratic ticket. Historic pick someone who looks like us on a president ial ticket thats crazy. Kamala harris is us. She was born in oakland. A daughter of immigrants. The daughter of big sister and protector. She is an hbcu grad. She a woman of many firsts. Shes a hard worker. A really hard worker. Shes bril california shes smart. Shes tough. Got a big future. Probably one of the best role models. Kamala harris is like a dream to me. Senator harris cares about people. Theres no doubt about it. When she says for the people, it is every ounce of who she is. Shes for us. Shes for us. She fights for womens righ rights. She fights to end mass incarceration. She is a fearless advocate for the voiceless. The litmus test for america is how we are treating black women. Im talking about someone who can fight for black people, brown people, undocumented people, lgbt people, disabled people, young people, old people, all of america. Its about all of us knowing our power to lift people up. To remind them that we see them and we hear them and this they matter. Youre going to be Vice President of the United States greetings, america. It is truly an honor to be spe speaking with you tonight. That i am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me. Women and men who believed so fiercely in the promise of equality, liberty and justice for all. This week marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment. And we celebrate the women who fought for that right. Yet so many of the black women who helped secure that victory were still prohibited from voting long after its ratification. But they were undeterred. Without fanfare or recognition they organized and testified and rallied and marched and fought not just for their vote, but for a seat at the table. These women and the generation, is that followed worked to make democracy and opportunity real in the lives of all of us who followed. They paved the way for the trail blazing leadership of barack obama and Hillary Clinton. And these Women Inspired us to pick up the torch and fight on. Women like mary church turrell, fannie lou hammer and diane na nash, Constance Baker motley and great shirley chism. Were not often taught their stories but as americans, we all stand on their shoulders. And theres another woman whose name isnt known, whose story isnt shared, another woman whose shoulders i stand on. And thats my mother. Shamala harris. She came here from india at age 19 to pursue her dream of curing cancer. At the university of californi californiaberkeley she met my father Donald Harris who had come from jamaica to study economics. They fell in love that most american way while marching together for justice in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1 1960s. In the streets of oakland and berkeley, i got a strollers eye view of people getting into what the great john lewis called, good trouble. When i was five, my parents split and my mother raised us mostly on her own. Like so many mothers, she worked around the clock to make it wo work, packing lunches before we woke up and paying bills after we went to bed. Helping us with homework at the Kitchen Table and shuttling us to church for choir practice. She made it look easy, though it nver was. My mother instilled in my sister maya and me the values that would chart the course of our lives. She raised us to be proud, strong black women. And she raised us to know and be proud of our indian heritage. She taught us to put family first, the family youre born in to and the family you choose. Family is my husband, doug, who i met on a blind date set up by my best friend. Family is our beautiful childr children, cole and ella who call me maala, family is my sister. Family is my best friend, my nieces and my god children. Family is my uncles, my aunts and my family is mrs. Shelt mrs. Shelton, my second mother who lived two doors down and helped raise me. Family is my beloved alpha kappa alpha, our divine nine and my hbcu brothers and sisters. Family is the friends i turn to when my mother, the most important person in my life, passed away from cancer. And even as she taught us to keep our family at the center of our world. She also pushed us to see a world beyond ourselves. She taught us to be conscious and compassionate about the struggles of all people. To believe Public Service is a noble cause. And the fight for justice is a shared responsibility. That led me to become a lawyer, a District Attorney, attorney general and a United States senator. And at every step of the way, ive been guided by theords i spoke from the first time i stood in a courtroom. Kamala harris for the people. I have fought for children and survivors of Sexual Assault. I fought against transnational criminal organization. I took on the biggest banks and helped take down one of the biggest forprofit colleges. I know a predator when i see o one. My mother taught me that service to others gives life purpose and mooning. And oh, how i wish she were here tonight but i know shes looking down on me from above. I keep thinking about that 2 25yearold indian woman, all of five feet tall who gave birth to me at Kaiser Hospital in oakla oakland, california. On that day she probably could have never imagined that i would be standing before you now and speaking these words. I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of america. I do so committed to the values she taught me, to the word that teaches me to walk by faith and not by sight. And to a vision passed on through generations of america americans, one that joe biden shares. A vision of our nation as a beloved community, where all are welcome no matter what we look like, no matter where we come from, or who we love. A country where we may not agree on every detail. But we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite wor worth, deserving of compassion, dignity and respect. A country where we look out for one another, where we rise and fall as one. Where we face our challenges and celebrate our triumphs together. Today that country feels distant. Donald trumps failure of lead are ship has cost lives and livelihoods. If youre a parent struggling with your childs remote lear learning, or youre a teacher struggling on the other side of that screen, you know what were doing right now is not working. And we are a nation that is grieving. Grieving the loss of life. The loss of jobs. The loss of opportunities. The loss of normalcy and, yes, the loss of certainty. And w÷ certainty. Hile this virus all, we got to be honest. It is not an equalpportunity offender. Black, latino and indigits people are suffering and dying disproportionately. And this is not a coincidence. It is the effect of Structural Racism of inequits and education and technology, healthcare and housing, job security and transportation. The injustice in reproductive and maternal healthcare. In the excessive use of force by police. And in our broader criminal justice