DNC - Sept. 5
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View our live-blog from noon and earlier. -
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12:20 p.m. ET | The “umbrella graveyard” outside the DNC. Umbrellas are prohibited items at the convention.
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12:30 p.m. ET | Convention CEO Steve Kerrigan said President Obama’s speech was moved to the Time Warner Cable Arena "to ensure the safety and security of our delegates and convention guests." But GOP spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski cast it as Democrats downgrading the event "due to lack of enthusiasm," the Associated Press reported.
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We're Asking: What convention questions do you have for Mark Shields and David Brooks. They'll answer them in tonight's Doubleheader?by NewsHour via twitter 9/5/2012 7:21:19 PM -
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1:40 p.m. ET | Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is stepping down from his role as a national co-chair of President Obama's campaign to help raise money for an independent "super" political action committee -- the pro-Obama super PAC, Priorities USA.
From the Washington Post: “Democratic strategists said they have noted some reluctance among well-heeled Democrats to contribute big-dollar checks to super PACs, in part because Democrats, including Obama, were originally wary of these new entities. The move by Obama’s first White House chief of staff could change their mind-set, said David Rosen, a Democratic consultant who is at the convention and attending private sessions for donors and campaign insiders.”
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Delegates and media enter the convention center in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday. Photo by Jared Soares for PBS NewsHour.
www.flickr.comby PBS NewsHour via Flickr 9/5/2012 7:30:30 PM -
1:55 p.m. ET | GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan wants the DNC to explain why it doesn’t use the word “God” in its platform. “For what it's worth, Ryan is correct that the Democratic platform does not use the word ‘God,’” Slate’s Josh Vorhees reports. “It does, however, include a plank on religious freedom that opens: ‘Faith has always been a central part of the American story.’ Republicans, meanwhile, used the word ‘God’ ten times in their platform by CNN's count.”
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2:06 p.m. ET | First lady Michelle Obama surrounded by thousands of “We Love Michelle” signs, delegates faces transfixed by her speech, colorful cowboy hats and Obama berets. Here’s our latest slide show of Tuesday night’s Democratic National Convention.
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2:12 p.m. ET | Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas, known as the "flying squirrel," will lead the pledge of allegiance during Wednesday night’s Democratic National Convention, according to Politico.
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2:32 p.m. ET | Politico reports on “The Joe Biden Factor”: “He doesn’t get his own night. He doesn’t get his own headline. He doesn’t get his own agenda. The man who hadn’t had a boss since his first election to the Senate at 29, who never had to answer for anyone but himself for the (many) words he said, reports to Obama.”
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2:36 p.m. ET | Breaking: There will be no mass balloon drop for Obama. The last-minute change of venue means there’s no time to fill the ceiling with balloons, the Associated Press reports. “So organizers are scrambling to come up with another festive way to punctuate the end of the convention.”
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3:02 p.m. ET | From the Hollywood Reporter: Scarlett Johannson, Natalie Portman and Kerry Washington will speak Thursday at the DNC. “Not only are the Democrats' most prominent celebrity speakers women, but their collective age barely equals Clint Eastwood's.”
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Jill Biden gets into a car at the convention center in Charlotte on Wednesday. Photo by Jared Soares for PBS NewsHour.
www.flickr.comby PBS NewsHour via Flickr 9/5/2012 7:46:38 PM -
3:15 p.m. ET | The New Yorker’s Amy Davidson: “[T]alk of debt and love ran through [Michelle Obama’s] speech: the connection between the two was its great theme, and pointed to the deepest contrast between Michelle Obama’s convention appearance and that of her counterpart on the Republican side, Ann Romney, and, in many ways, that between their two parties.”
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3:30 p.m. ET | Some confusion over whether actress Natalie Portman will make an appearance at the convention:
Natalie Portman will NOT be attending the #DNC, per her representative.by MarlowNYC via twitter edited by PBS NewsHour 9/5/2012 7:53:30 PM -
A Democratic National Convention volunteer arranges T-shirts in the convention hall. Photo by Jared Soares for PBS NewsHour.
www.flickr.comby PBS NewsHour via Flickr 9/5/2012 7:54:57 PM -
4 p.m. ET | NPR's Liz Halloran: Former President Bill Clinton is the Democrats' version of Dos Equis' "Most Interesting Man in the World."
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4:15 p.m. ET | The Associated Press: Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan praises former President Clinton on day of his speech at Democratic convention.
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4:18 p.m. ET | Hundreds of people on Twitter, plus a few pundits, are now saying that Michelle Obama should run for president, according to this Salon article.
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4:33 p.m. ET | From Piers Morgan via Twitter: The President should bring out an empty chair on Thursday, then get George Clooney to walk out, sit down, say, 'Vote Obama', and walk off.by Piers Morgan via twitter edited by PBS NewsHour 9/5/2012 8:31:58 PM -
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5:00 p.m. ET | “We’ve Got Your Back.” Tee-shirts for sale outside the Charlotte Convention Center.by PBS NewsHour via Flickr 9/5/2012 8:59:31 PM -
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5:13 p.m. ET | Branford Marsalis, saxophonist and composer performs the National Anthem.
Marsalis is the brother of jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis; both are sons of the legendary New Orleans music educator and bandleader Ellis Marsalis.
Branford led the Tonight Show band for host Jay Leno from 1992-95.
Here’s a video of Marsalis performing, “In the Crease.”
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5:33 p.m. ET | Up now is Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Here’s an article from two months ago on Menino’s vow to block Chick-Fil-A from Boston due to the company’s stance on gay marriage.
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5:46 p.m. ET | Next up at the DNC: Former State Controller and Chief Financial Officer of California Steve Westley.
In July, the GOP labeled Westley, who is running for governor, an “Obama crony.” Find out why here: www.sfgate.com -
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5:52 p.m. ET | Next up at the DNC: U.S. Rep. John Larson of Connecticut and Democratic Caucus chair.
Rep. John Larson reflects on First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2012 DNC speech in this television interview: www.fox17online.com -
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6:00 p.m. ET | On the NewHour tonight, Gabby Douglas leads the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democratic National Convention.
Mark Shields and David Brooks weigh in with political analysis on the night’s activities and speakers.
Ray Suarez talks to delegates on the convention floor, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus address the convention floor. -
6:06 p.m. ET | Andrea Chambliss was one of about 6,000 volunteers who traveled to Charlotte to volunteer for the Obama campaign, Associated Press reports. She spent thousands of dollars on the trip and agreed to put in nine hours of volunteer service. In return, she was promised a ticket to the president's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. But when organizers, wary of thunderstorms, pulled the plug Wednesday on plans for Obama's address Thursday night at the city's open-air NFL stadium, they left about 60,000 ticket-holders in the lurch.
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