Bill Clinton returns to DNC to tear into Trump before the introduction of Tim Walz, Harris' VP pick

CHICAGO (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton returned Wednesday to a place he knows well, the Democratic National Convention stage, to denounce Donald Trump as selfish and praise Kamala Harris as focused on the needs of Americans — firing up his party with his trademark off-the-cuff flourishes.

Clinton was meant to add heft to a third DNC night headlined by vice presidential nominee Tim Walz 's introduction to a national audience.

“We’ve got a pretty clear choice it seems to me. Kamala Harris, for the people. And the other guy who has proved, even more than the first go-around, that he’s about me, myself and I," Clinton said.

Democrats gathered at Chicago's United Center are hoping to build on the momentum Harris has brought since taking over the top of the party’s presidential ticket last month. They want to harness the Democratic exuberance that followed President Joe Biden stepped aside while also making clear to their supporters that they face a fierce battle with Trump.

The nation’s 42nd president and a veteran of his party’s political convention going back decades, Clinton was once declared the “secretary of explaining stuff” by Barack Obama, whose reelection bid in 2012 was bolstered by a Clinton stemwinder at that year's DNC.

___

The Latest: Walz is expected to accept the party’s nomination for vice president at DNC Day 3

Vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and former President Bill Clinton are headlining the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, the third day of the party’s choreographed rollout of a new candidate, Kamala Harris, and her pitch to voters.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are also expected to address the convention.

Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Here’s the Latest:

“A people that cannot stand together cannot stand at all,” poet Amanda Gorman declared from the Democratic convention stage as she recited an original piece of verse penned for the occasion, “This Sacred Scene.”

___

Walz's night, Bill Clinton's dig at Trump, influencers flexing clout. DNC Day 3 takeaways

CHICAGO (AP) — The Democratic National Convention barreled into its third day Wednesday with a lineup featuring former President Bill Clinton and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the closer, introducing himself as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate. Given the truncated nature of the scrambled presidential race, the convention is a key opportunity for voters to get to know Harris and Walz better.

Here are some takeaways from the third night of the DNC.

Clinton has spoken at 13 straight Democratic National Conventions, going back to 1976. On Wednesday night he confessed, “I have no idea how many more of these I’ll be able to come to.”

It was a striking admission from a politician whose dominance earned him the nickname The Big Dog. Clinton, who just turned 78, didn't shrink from his age, instead turning it into a poke at the GOP nominee, declaring, “I’m still younger than Donald Trump."

In his 27-minute speech, Clinton leaned into what he’s seen over the decades and the burdens of history. He warned the convention crowd that, however good they feel, the campaign will be tough.

___

Parents of American held by Hamas appeal for hostages' release during Democratic convention

The parents of a 23-year-old American taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel gave a moving speech Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention, pleading for the release of the dozens of people who continue to be held captive in Gaza.

“This is a political convention. But needing our only son — and all of the cherished hostages — home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” said Jon Polin, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin lost part of his left arm and was kidnapped from Israel by militants who attacked the music festival he was attending.

Polin and his wife, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, were greeted with an extended ovation and chants of “bring him home” by the thousands of Democratic delegates in Chicago.

They steered clear of politics in their 10-minute speech, but Jon Polin said the families of the American hostages meet regularly in Washington and are heartened to see bipartisan support for securing the release of their loved ones. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, he said, are “both working tirelessly" for a deal between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages.

“Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you, stay strong, survive,” Rachel Polin-Goldberg said.

___

Trump speaks from behind bulletproof glass at first outdoor rally since his attempted assassination

ASHEBORO, N.C. (AP) — At his first outdoor rally since last month’s attempted assassination, Donald Trump spoke from behind bulletproof glass Wednesday in North Carolina at an event focused on national security. On politics, he called his predecessor Barack Obama “nasty” for his comments the night before at the Democratic National Convention.

Trump blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal and for wars in Ukraine and the Middle East while returning repeatedly in his remarks to the Democratic gathering in Chicago, where speaker after speaker has assailed Trump as a threat to the country should he return to the White House.

The former president, now the GOP nominee, asked the crowd gathered at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame whether they had seen the speeches given Tuesday by former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.

“He was taking shots at your president. And so was Michelle. You know, they always say, ‘Sir, please stick to policy. Don’t get personal.’ And yet they’re getting personal all night long, these people,” he said, asking: “Do I still have to stick to policy?”

Trump, who is facing Harris in the November election after Biden stepped aside, spoke from behind a podium surrounded by panes of bulletproof glass that formed a protective wall across the stage — part of ramped-up security measures aimed at keeping him safe after the attack by a Pennsylvania gunman on July 13.

___

Kennedy campaign's future in question as Trump allies lobby for endorsement

PHOENIX (AP) — Close allies to Donald Trump are quietly urging independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to endorse the Republican nominee if he withdraws from the campaign for the White House as soon as this week.

Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., along with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and GOP donor Omeed Malik are among those who have been working behind the scenes to lobby Kennedy to drop out of the race and back Trump, according to a person familiar with the efforts. The person requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Kennedy will speak Friday “about the present historical moment and his path forward,” his campaign announced Wednesday, fueling growing speculation that he could drop out and support Trump. Kennedy's running mate openly discussed the possibility on a podcast this week, saying the campaign was considering a move to “join forces” with Trump to limit the election chance of Kamala Harris, whose Democratic convention winds up Thursday night in Chicago.

The move would have once seemed unthinkable for Kennedy, a Democrat for most of his life and — as the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of Robert F. Kennedy — a member of a beloved Democratic dynasty.

Last month, during the Republican National Convention, Kennedy's son posted and then quickly deleted a video showing a phone call between Kennedy and Trump, in which the former president appeared to try to talk Kennedy into siding with him.

___

Ex-politician testifies he's innocent in the killing of a Las Vegas investigative reporter

LAS VEGAS (AP) — In his first words to a jury, a former Las Vegas-area Democratic elected official declared Wednesday that he didn't kill an investigative reporter who wrote articles critical of him and his workplace conduct. Then he promised to tell them his story.

“This is the day I've been waiting for,” Robert Telles said after his attorney received permission from the trial judge to let Telles testify “by way of narration" instead of a standard question-and-answer format.

The attorney, Robert Draskovich, then sat down. He had strongly advised his client not to take the stand and risk questioning under oath from two prosecutors who rested their murder case Monday after four days, 28 witnesses and hundreds of pages of photos, police reports and video evidence that weigh heavily against Telles.

Telles could face life in prison if he is convicted.

“Unequivocally I'm innocent,” Telles said, speaking softly and turning in the witness box to face 12 jurors and two alternates who each leaned forward to face him. Some held notebooks, pens poised. The hushed courtroom was packed with media and spectators, including several members of slain reporter Jeff German's family.

___

Key mediator Egypt expresses skepticism about the Gaza cease-fire proposal as more details emerge

CAIRO (AP) — Key mediator Egypt expressed skepticism Wednesday about the proposal meant to bridge gaps in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas as more details emerged a day before negotiations were expected to resume in Cairo.

The challenges around the so-called bridging proposal appeared to undermine the optimism for an imminent agreement that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken carried into his latest Mideast visit this week.

Diplomatic efforts have redoubled as fears grow of a wider regional war after the recent targeted killings of leaders of the militant Hamas and Hezbollah groups, both blamed on Israel, and threats of retaliation.

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, and stressed the urgency of reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal, the White House said.

Officials in Egypt, in its unique role as both a mediator and affected party since it borders Gaza, told The Associated Press that Hamas won't agree to the bridging proposal for a number of reasons — ones in addition to the long-held wariness over whether a deal would truly remove Israeli forces from Gaza and end the war.

___

Hunter Biden's lawyer accuses prosecutors of trying to smear him with salacious details at tax trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An attorney for Hunter Biden accused prosecutors Wednesday of wanting to introduce salacious details about partying and spending by President Joe Biden's son to smear his character in front of jurors at his upcoming trial on federal tax charges.

During a lengthy hearing in Los Angeles federal court, Hunter Biden's lawyer said special counsel David Weiss' team was intent on "character assassination" by seeking to bring in evidence of spending on things like strippers in the case alleging a scheme to avoid paying at least $1.4 million in taxes.

“They want to slime him because that is the whole purpose," attorney Mark Geragos told U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi.

Geragos' comments came as the defense and prosecution sparred for hours over what evidence and testimony jurors should be allowed to hear when the trial begins early next month. It's the second criminal trial in just months for the president's son, who was convicted in June of three felony charges in a separate federal case over the purchase of a gun in 2018.

Potential jurors are expected to be brought to the court for questioning on Sept. 5, with opening statements in the trial expected on Sept. 9.

___

Divers recover 5 bodies from wrecked superyacht off Sicily; 1 still missing

PORTICELLO, Sicily (AP) — Divers searching the wreck of a superyacht that sank off Sicily found the bodies of five passengers Wednesday, leaving one still missing as questions intensified about why the vessel sank so quickly when a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

Rescue crews brought four body bags ashore at Porticello. Salvatore Cocina, head of the Sicily civil protection agency, said a fifth body had been located. Divers on-scene said they would try to recover it on Thursday while continuing the search for the sixth.

The discovery made clear the operation to search the hull on the seabed 50 meters (164 feet) underwater had quickly turned into a recovery one, not a rescue, given the amount of time that had passed and with no signs of life over three days of searching.

The Bayesian, a 56-meter (184-foot) British-flagged yacht, went down in a storm early Monday as it was moored about a kilometer (a half-mile) offshore. Civil protection officials said they believed the ship was struck by a tornado over the water, known as a waterspout.

Fifteen people escaped in a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby sailboat. The body of the ship's chef, Recaldo Thomas of Antigua, was recovered Monday.

News from © The Associated Press, 2024