Associated Press
The Latest on the Democratic National Convention (all times EDT):
11:12 p.m.
President Barack Obama says Hillary Clinton‘s handling of their 2008 presidential primary rivalry proved her mettle as a public servant.
Obama tells the Democratic convention in Philadelphia he was “worn out” by that race, but watched then-New York Sen. Clinton match him step-for-step – “backward in heels.”
He recalls asking her to serve as secretary of state after he won the general election, a move he says surprised her.
But Obama says Clinton “ultimately said yes” because “she knew that what was at stake was bigger than either of us.”
11:10 p.m.
President Barack Obama is defending his record during his two terms in the White House. He says the economy has rebounded and the world order has been sustained amid so many threats.
The Democratic president says at his party’s convention that “by so many measures our country is stronger and more prosperous than when we started.”
He cites falling deficits, a recovering auto industry, plummeting unemployment and his signature health care law.
He’s referencing his decision to order the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. And he’s championing the deal designed to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions. And he’s celebrating a “new chapter” of normalized relations with Cuba.
He says “change is never easy” and acknowledges that necessary changes aren’t accomplished “in one term, one presidency or even in one lifetime.”
11 p.m.
It’s his final Democratic National Convention as president, and Barack Obama is saying he’s “more optimistic about the future of America than ever before.”
Obama is speaking on the night before Hillary Clinton addresses the convention – and he’s making the case for her to continue his work.
The president says the nation has been tested by war and recession but he’s more optimistic about the country’s future.
Obama arrived to an extended ovation and chants of “Yes, we can.
10:50 p.m.
Democrats are getting a reminder of the loneliness of being president.
A video being shown before President Barack Obama takes the stage at their convention recalls the difficult decisions Obama faced as he took office amid the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Among the decisions Obama struggled with were whether to support a bailout of the U.S. auto industry and press for a health care overhaul.
He did both in the face of political concerns that he might not win re-election.
The video also explores Obama’s emotional reaction to the massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
10:40 p.m.
Donald Trump‘s campaign is accusing Leon Panetta – a former CIA chief and defense secretary – of turning a blind eye to what it calls Hillary Clinton’s “enablement of foreign espionage.”
Trump adviser Stephen Miller says in a statement it’s “alarming” Panetta would, “through his silence,” condone Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state.
Miller says Panetta “better than most, should know how many lives she put at risk.”
There’s no evidence Clinton’s actions put any lives at risk.
Panetta said at the Democratic convention that Trump’s comments encouraging Russia to find and make public emails deleted by Clinton disqualified him from being commander in chief.
Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
