Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., points from the podium during the third day session of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Update 8:13 p.m.: Survivors of last year’s massacre at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston spoke, introduced by actor Angela Bassett.
Felicia Sanders and Polly Sheppard were both inside the historic church when a gunman walked in during Bible study and opened fire. Nine were killed.
Bassett said Charleston’s “soul is on fire.”
“It fuels their resistance,” she said. “It brought down the Confederate flag, and it brings the Charleston community closer together every day.”
Sheppard said she forgave accused killer Dylan Roof two days after the shooting.
“To heal we must forgive,” she said. “The shooter in Charleston had hate in his heart. The shooter in Orlando had hate in his heart and the shooter in Dallas did, too.”
Instead of hate, Sheppard said, look elsewhere.
“But as Scripture says, love never fails, so I choose love,” she said. “And in this election, I choose Hillary Clinton.”
Felicia Sanders, survivor of the Mother Emanuel Church shooting in Charleston, SC., and Polly Sheppard, survivor of the Mother Emanuel Church shooting in Charleston, SC., speak during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Wednesday, July 27, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Update 8:05 p.m.: A mother of an Orlando nightclub shooting victim gave an emotional plea for “common sense gun policies” during the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
The Orlando nightclub shooting, where suspect with two guns killed 49 people last month, is labeled the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
The shooting brought home two of the most divisive political debates roiling Georgia and the nation: the fight over gay rights and gun control.
Christine Leinonen, the mother of Christopher “Drew” Leinonen, who was killed in the nightclub attack in Orlando, is joined on stage by Brandon Wolf, survivor of the nightclub attack in Orlando., and Jose Arraigada, survivor of the nightclub attack in Orlando., as she speaks during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia , Wednesday, July 27, 2016. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Updated at 7:26 p.m.: Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid has finished speaking here, but he made a point today in the Huffington Post that he failed to repeat from the stage:
“How would the CIA and the other intelligence agencies brief this guy? How could they do that? I would suggest to the intelligence agencies, if you’re forced to brief this guy, don’t tell him anything, just fake it, because this man is dangerous,” Reid said in an interview with The Huffington Post Wednesday afternoon. “Fake it, pretend you’re doing a briefing, but you can’t give the guy any information.”
Updated 7:10 p.m. Supporters of former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner protested in the media tent Wednesday, about an hour after the start of the convention.
The protesters sporting “I’m with Nina” stickers included actors Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Shailene Woodley and Rosario Dawson.The protest was in response to Turner, a Cleveland Democrat, being removed from the list of nominating speakers for Sanders.
Members of National Nurses United, otherwise known as #Nurses4Bernie, were also on hand as were police officers.
Turner arrived about an hour after the majority of the group. Protesters started chanting “we’re with Nina,” soon after she entered the media tent.
Nina Turner, left, is flanked by Susan Sarandon, Shailene Woodley and Rosario Dawson at a “I’m with Nina” protest in a media tent at the Democratic National Convention. MIGUEL MARTINEZ / MUNDO HISPANICO
“They say they believe in America first,” Reid said. “What a joke. They believe in one thing and one thing only: Party first. This year the nominated the poster child of ‘Me First.'”
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., points from the podium during the third day session of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Updated at 6:30 p.m.: Addressing head-on what is seen as one of Hillary Clinton’s biggest political weaknesses with voters, Rev. Jesse Jackson said the Democratic nominee is the most trustworthy presidential candidate.
“We brand her trusted and tested and tried,” said the civil rights leader, describing his decades-long relationship with Clinton. “Hillary can be trusted to appoint our Supreme Court.”
Jackson said Clinton could also be trusted to ban assault weapons, an idea he returned to at several points in his speech, and to uphold the key tenets of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“She knows our scars and our suffering,” he said.
Jackson, who himself ran for president twice as a liberal outsider, also gave a shoutout to Bernie Sanders supporters.
“The Bern must never grow cold,” he said.
Updated 6:10 p.m.: Georgia state Rep. Park Cannon, D-Atlanta, made a surprise appearance on stage at the DNC. Cannon, who won a special election and was sworn in in February, was not listed on any official convention schedule. But she and several other younger Democrats delivered a message of inclusion.
“I’m African-American, I’m queer and I’m the newest member of the Georgia House of Representatives,” Cannon said. “I ran for office because I represent the rainbow of voices that too often went unheard in our state Capitol. We need to trust black women. Our America is unapologeticaly ready to stand together.”
Jamie Dupree of WSB Radio fame has kindly sent us the audio:
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 27: (L-R) Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez delivers remarks as Park Cannon, Democratic candidate for Georgia House District 58, looks on during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received the number of votes needed to secure the party’s nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Updated at 5:35 p.m.: Brooks Bell, a young tech entrepreneur from North Carolina, warned about the impact a Trump presidency would have on the economy.
Bell described the flight of outside investments the recently-passed bathroom bill has prompted so far in the Tar Heel State and highlighted Trump running mate Mike Pence’s role passing so-called “religious liberty” legislation in Indiana.
“It’s no surprise that The Economist has listed a Trump presidency as one of the top 10 risks to the world economy,” she said, before urging delegates to vote for Clinton.
Updated at 4:45 p.m.: Atlanta-based HIV/AIDS activist Daniel Driffin said Hillary Clinton would work to reduce the stigma surrounding the virus and provide ongoing resources for prevention, treatment and education.
“With Hillary Clinton as our president I believe that we can meet our goal of an AIDS-free generation,” Driffin told the crowd. “So, as an organizer and an advocate, as a black man, as a gay man and as a man living with HIV, I ask you to go get tested and then go and vote.”
Driffin is the first HIV-positive speaker to address the Democratic National Convention in 16 years. Read more about him here.
Updated at 4:33 p.m.: That was fast.
Virginia U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine was quickly nominated as the Democratic Party’s pick for vice president in less than two minutes.
The mood at the Wells Fargo Center was largely cheerful, but there was also a smattering of boos when his nomination was accepted by voice vote. Kaine will address the convention tonight.
Original Post at 4:00 p.m:
Third day of the Democratic National Convention gets under way at 4 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center. Here are five things to watch for:
1. Veep’s debut: Lost in the week of the Bernie Sanders-Hillary Clinton drama, an electrifying speech from First Lady Michelle Obama and the official roll call nomination on Tuesday is tonight’s big-stage debut of Virginia U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine. For many Americans, if not delegates in the hall, tonight’s speech from Kaine will be their first introduction to the low-key former governor.
2. Big farewells: President Barack Obama is on his way to Philadelphia along with Vice President Joe Biden. The two will appear separately, Biden most likely in the 9 p.m. hour and Obam will close the night after 10 p.m.
3. Mayor has tough spot: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is scheduled to speak somewhere around 9:30 p.m. It will be a big, prime-time spot for the two-term mayor. But, he also will directly follow Biden’s speech. That’s a tough act to follow.
4. Another Georgia voice: Daniel Driffin, an HIV/AIDS activist from Atlanta, will make remarks immediately after Kaine is officially nominated as vice president. The schedule lists him taking the stage between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Driffin is a policy advisor with Georgia Equality. According to his bio on the group’s website, says he has “experience working in hardest affected communities, Daniel has leadership in providing Rapid Pre/Post HIV Test Counseling, specimen collections to screen for sexually transmitted infections and facilitating numerous evidence based intervention.”
5. A GOP-ish endorsement? Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will follow Reed to the microphone tonight. Elected as a Republican, Bloomberg has flirted with an independent bid for president and is expected to endorse Clinton tonight.
