Watch RNC live: Kellyanne Conway, Mike Pence to speak on night 3 of the Republican National Convention
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Mike Pence formally accepts Republican vice presidential nomination
On the third night of the Republican National Convention, Vice President Mike Pence formally accepted his party’s 2020 vice presidential nomination.
„With gratitude for the confidence President Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican party, and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as Vice President of the United States,” Pence said.
(Republican National Convention via Reuters TV)
Pence says ‘the violence must stop’ as protests intensify
Vice President Mike Pence condemned the „violence and chaos in the streets of our major cities” but did not directly mention Jacob Blake — the Black man who was shot in the back by police, sparking ongoing protests over racial injustice.
„President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest, but rioting and looting is not peaceful protest, tearing down statues is not free speech. Those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Pence said.
„Let me be clear: The violence must stop, whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color.”
(Republican National Convention via Getty Images)
Vice President Mike Pence addresses Hurricane Laura at RNC
Vice President Mike Pence began his remarks at the RNC by addressing communities in the path of Hurricane Laura. The Category 4 storm is currently projected to devastate parts of Louisiana and Texas.
„Our administration is working closely with authorities in the states that will be impacted and FEMA has mobilized resources and supplies for those in harm’s way.” Pence said. „This is a serious storm. We urge all those affected areas to heed state and local authorities.”
(Republican National Convention via Getty Images)
President’s daughter-in-law on Trump Organization: ‘Gender didn’t matter’
Lara Trump, wife of Eric Trump and adviser to the Trump campaign, attempted to humanize the Trump family by discussing her personal experience as the president’s daughter-in-law.
„Any preconceived notion I had of this family disappeared immediately. They were warm and caring; they were hard workers; and they were down to earth. They reminded me of my own family — they made me feel like I was home,” Trump said.
Like other female speakers on night three of the RNC, Lara Trump also touted President Trump’s record on women amid the president’s low polling with female voters.
„Walking the halls of the Trump Organization, I saw the same family environment. I also saw firsthand the countless women executives who thrived there, year after year. Gender didn’t matter – what mattered was someone’s ability to get the job done,” she said.
(Republican National Convention via Reuters TV)
Republicans in tight races avoid Trump’s convention
There are at least nine Republican senators at serious risk of losing reelection in November.
But only one of them, Iowa’s Joni Ernst, decided that it was in her best interest to share the primetime spotlight with President Trump at this year’s Republican National Convention.
“For years, I’ve worked closely with the president for farmers in Iowa and across the country,” Ernst said Wednesday night, evoking the recent derecho that devastated Iowa. “Knowing we have an ally in the White House is important.”
As the sole endangered GOP senator to appear during the public-facing portion of the RNC, Ernst was the exception that proves the rule. To retain control of the Senate next year, Republicans need to stop Democrats from netting three additional seats — unless Trump wins reelection, in which case Democrats would have to net four seats to overcome Vice President Mike Pence’s 50-50 tie-breaking vote. Read more.
(Republican National Convention via Reuters TV)
25-year-old congressional candidate speaks at RNC on overcoming adversity
Madison Cawthorn, who is running to represent North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, shared his experience of resilience following a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
„I just turned 25. When I’m elected this November, I’ll be the youngest member of Congress in over 200 years,” Cawthron said. „If you don’t think young people can change the world, then you don’t know American history.”
Cawthron also encouraged the welcoming of „all ideas and people.”
„To liberals, let’s have a conversation. Be a true liberal, listen to other ideas and let the best ones prevail,” Cawthorn said. „To conservatives, let’s define what we support and win the argument in areas like health care and the environment.” Read more.
(Republican National Convention via Reuters TV)
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik scorns ‘baseless and illegal impeachment sham’
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the youngest Republican woman ever elected to Congress, discussed President Trump’s impeachment trial on the third night of the RNC, condemning what she called „Democrats’ baseless and illegal impeachment sham and the media’s endless obsession with it.”
„I was proud to lead the effort standing up for the Constitution, President Trump, and most importantly the American people. This attack was not just on the president, it was an attack on you — your voice and your vote,” Stefanik said.
(Republican National Convention via Reuters TV)
The 2020 Republican National Convention continued Wednesday night, with Vice President Mike Pence delivering the keynote address from Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Other speakers included Kellyanne Conway, Sen. Joni Ernst and Madison Cawthorn, a controversial 25-year-old paraplegic candidate who is seeking to become one of the youngest members of Congress.
The convention’s third night was held amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has left more than 179,000 Americans dead and more than 5 million infected; Hurricane Laura, which is expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast Wednesday as a Category 4 storm; and unrest in Kenosha, Wis., where two people were killed during protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, four days ago.
Mike Pence formally accepts Republican vice presidential nomination
On the third night of the Republican National Convention, Vice President Mike Pence formally accepted his party’s 2020 vice presidential nomination.
„With gratitude for the confidence President Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican party, and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as Vice President of the United States,” Pence said.
(Republican National Convention via Reuters TV)
Pence says ‘the violence must stop’ as protests intensify
Vice President Mike Pence condemned the „violence and chaos in the streets of our major cities” but did not directly mention Jacob Blake — the Black man who was shot in the back by police, sparking ongoing protests over racial injustice.
„President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest, but rioting and looting is not peaceful protest, tearing down statues is not free speech. Those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Pence said.
„Let me be clear: The violence must stop, whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color.”
(Republican National Convention via Getty Images)
Vice President Mike Pence addresses Hurricane Laura at RNC
Vice President Mike Pence began his remarks at the RNC by addressing communities in the path of Hurricane Laura. The Category 4 storm is currently projected to devastate parts of Louisiana and Texas.
„Our administration is working closely with authorities in the states that will be impacted and FEMA has mobilized resources and supplies for those in harm’s way.” Pence said. „This is a serious storm. We urge all those affected areas to heed state and local authorities.”
(Republican National Convention via Getty Images)
President’s daughter-in-law on Trump Organization: ‘Gender didn’t matter’
Lara Trump, wife of Eric Trump and adviser to the Trump campaign, attempted to humanize the Trump family by discussing her personal experience as the president’s daughter-in-law.
„Any preconceived notion I had of this family disappeared immediately. They were warm and caring; they were hard workers; and they were down to earth. They reminded me of my own family — they made me feel like I was home,” Trump said.
Like other female speakers on night three of the RNC, Lara Trump also touted President Trump’s record on women amid the president’s low polling with female voters.
„Walking the halls of the Trump Organization, I saw the same family environment. I also saw firsthand the countless women executives who thrived there, year after year. Gender didn’t matter – what mattered was someone’s ability to get the job done,” she said.
(Republican National Convention via Reuters TV)
Republicans in tight races avoid Trump’s convention
There are at least nine Republican senators at serious risk of losing reelection in November.
But only one of them, Iowa’s Joni Ernst, decided that it was in her best interest to share the primetime spotlight with President Trump at this year’s Republican National Convention.
“For years, I’ve worked closely with the president for farmers in Iowa and across the country,” Ernst said Wednesday night, evoking the recent derecho that devastated Iowa. “Knowing we have an ally in the White House is important.”
As the sole endangered GOP senator to appear during the public-facing portion of the RNC, Ernst was the exception that proves the rule. To retain control of the Senate next year, Republicans need to stop Democrats from netting three additional seats — unless Trump wins reelection, in which case Democrats would have to net four seats to overcome Vice President Mike Pence’s 50-50 tie-breaking vote. Read more.
(Republican National Convention via Reuters TV)
25-year-old congressional candidate speaks at RNC on overcoming adversity
Madison Cawthorn, who is running to represent North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, shared his experience of resilience following a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
„I just turned 25. When I’m elected this November, I’ll be the youngest member of Congress in over 200 years,” Cawthron said. „If you don’t think young people can change the world, then you don’t know American history.”
Cawthron also encouraged the welcoming of „all ideas and people.”
„To liberals, let’s have a conversation. Be a true liberal, listen to other ideas and let the best ones prevail,” Cawthorn said. „To conservatives, let’s define what we support and win the argument in areas like health care and the environment.” Read more.
(Republican National Convention via Reuters TV)
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik scorns ‘baseless and illegal impeachment sham’
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the youngest Republican woman ever elected to Congress, discussed President Trump’s impeachment trial on the third night of the RNC, condemning what she called „Democrats’ baseless and illegal impeachment sham and the media’s endless obsession with it.”
„I was proud to lead the effort standing up for the Constitution, President Trump, and most importantly the American people. This attack was not just on the president, it was an attack on you — your voice and your vote,” Stefanik said.
(Republican National Convention via Reuters TV)
Trump Leverages Powers of Office as He Seeks to Broaden Appeal
President Donald Trump made a bid to sand down his divisive political image by appropriating the resources of his office and the powers of the presidency at the Republican convention Tuesday, breaching the traditional boundaries between campaigning and governing in an effort to broaden his appeal beyond his conservative base.
In an abrupt swerve from the dire tone of the convention’s first night, Trump staged a grab-bag of gauzy events and personal testimonials aimed in particular at female and minority voters. In videos recorded at the White House, Trump pardoned a Nevada man convicted of bank robbery and swore in five new U.S. citizens, all of them people of color, in a miniature naturalization ceremony.
Where the convention Monday emphasized predictions of social and economic desolation under a government led by Democrats, the second-night speakers — including three from Trump’s immediate family — hailed the president as a friend to women and a champion of criminal justice reform. There was no effort to reconcile the dissonance between the two nights’ programs, particularly the shift from Monday’s rhetoric about a looming “vengeful mob” of dangerous criminals into Tuesday’s tributes to the power of personal redemption.
It was not clear whether this new appeal would change the minds of women, people of color and others who had formed negative opinions of Trump over the last five years, amid the allegations of sexual assault against him, the appeals to racial bigotry and hard-line policies like a border crackdown that separated migrant families.
The coronavirus pandemic was largely confined to parenthetical comments within the speeches, until Melania Trump, the first lady, addressed it directly in the final speech Tuesday and extended her “deepest sympathy” to people who had lost loved ones. Like her husband, Melania Trump enlisted the trappings of the presidency for her remarks: She spoke from the White House Rose Garden.
Defense official: Arson suspected as cause of Navy ship fire
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Arson is suspected as the cause of a July 12 fire that left extensive damage to the USS Bonhomme Richard docked off San Diego, and a U.S. Navy sailor was being questioned as a potential suspect, a senior defense official said Wednesday.
The sailor was being questioned as part of the investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the official said, adding that defense department leaders were notified of the development. The official, with knowledge of the investigation, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. The sailor was not detained.
The amphibious assault ship burned for more than four days and was the Navy’s worst U.S. warship fire outside of combat in recent memory.
The ship was left with extensive structural, electrical and mechanical damage and its future remains uncertain.
The development in the investigation was first reported by KGTV, the ABC affiliate in San Diego. The Navy declined to answer questions.
“The Navy will not comment on an ongoing investigation to protect the integrity of the investigative process and all those involved,” said Lt. Tim Pietrack, a Navy spokesman. “We have nothing to announce at this time.”
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service also declined to comment on the case.
The amphibious assault ships are among the few in the U.S. fleet that can act as a mini aircraft carrier. If the Bonhomme Richard is not repaired, it could cost the Navy up to $4 billion to replace it, according to defense analysts.
The Bonhomme Richard was nearing the end of a two-year upgrade estimated to cost $250 million.
About 160 sailors and officers were on board when the flames sent up a huge plume of dark smoke from the 840-foot (256-meter) amphibious assault vessel, which had been docked at Naval Base San Diego while undergoing the upgrade.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday visited the ship a day after the blaze was extinguished. He said then that the Navy thought it had the fire under control only hours after it broke out the morning of July 12 in the ship’s lower storage area, where cardboard boxes, rags and other maintenance supplies were stored. But winds coming off the San Diego Bay whipped up the flames and the fire spread up the elevator shafts and the exhaust stacks.
The fire sent acrid smoke billowing over San Diego, and local officials had recommended people avoid exercising outdoors.
Firefighters attacked the flames inside the ship while firefighting vessels with water cannons directed streams of seawater into the ship and helicopters made water drops.
More than 60 sailors and civilians were treated for minor injuries, heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.
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Baldor reported from Washington.
