AP News in Brief at 6:04 a.m. EDT
Dems put divides aside, rally behind Biden at convention
NEW YORK (AP) — Michelle Obama delivered a passionate condemnation of President Donald Trump during the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, declaring him “in over his head” and warning that the nation's mounting crises would only get worse if he's reelected over Joe Biden.
“Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country,” she said. “He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us.”
The former first lady, one of the nation's most respected women, was the headliner at the first presidential nominating convention of the coronavirus era. There was no central meeting place or cheering throng during the all-virtual affair Monday night. But it was an opportunity for Democrats — and some Republicans — to rally behind Biden, the party's presidential nominee.
Bernie Sanders, the progressive Vermont senator who was Biden's last standing rival during the primary, encouraged his loyal supporters to vote for the former vice president in November, arguing the nation can't survive another four years of Trump. He notably backed Biden’s plan for tackling health care, one of their most substantive differences in the past. Sanders backs a Medicare for All plan while Biden has called for expanding the current “Obamacare” law.”
But it was Michelle Obama, making her fourth convention appearance, who once again delivered an electrifying moment. Wearing a necklace that said “vote,” she tapped into her enduring popularity among Black voters and college educated suburban women — voters Biden will need to show up in force.
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5 takeaways from first night of the Democratic convention
In another profound way that the coronavirus pandemic has upended American life, the Democratic National Convention started with no convening. Instead, Democrats opted for the first virtual convention as the party begins the formal process of nominating Joe Biden as its candidate for president.
Five takeaways from Monday night:
MICHELLE OBAMA'S DOMINANT MOMENT
Michelle Obama, in an uncharacteristically pointed and political speech, said President Donald Trump is “simply in over his head,” as she forcefully made the case against his administration and tried to create a sense of urgency and energy for Joe Biden's candidacy.
As one of the most popular women in the world, the former first lady's words carried added weight and set a tone for a convention that will try to make the election a referendum on the president's character as much as his record.
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Amid outcry, postmaster general to testify before House
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a public backlash over mail disruptions, the Trump administration scrambled to respond as the House prepared an emergency vote to halt delivery delays and service changes that Democrats warned could imperil the November election.
The Postal Service said it has stopped removing mailboxes and mail-sorting machines amid an outcry from lawmakers. President Donald Trump flatly denied he was asking for the mail to be delayed even as he leveled fresh criticism on universal ballots and mail-in voting.
“Wouldn’t do that,” Trump told reporters Monday at the White House. “I have encouraged everybody: Speed up the mail, not slow the mail.”
Embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will testify next Monday before Congress, along with the chairman of the Postal Service board of governors.
Democrats and some Republicans say actions by the new postmaster general, a Trump ally and a major Republican donor, have endangered millions of Americans who rely on the post office to obtain prescription drugs and other needs, including an expected surge in mail-in voting this fall.
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AP survey: States uncommitted to Trump's unemployment boost
President Donald Trump’s plan to offer a stripped-down boost in unemployment benefits to millions of Americans amid the coronavirus outbreak has found little traction among the states, which would have to pay a quarter of the cost to deliver the maximum benefit.
An Associated Press survey finds that as of Monday, 18 states have said they will take the federal grants allowing them to increase unemployment checks by $300 or $400 a week. The AP tally shows that 30 states have said they're still evaluating the offer or have not said whether they plan to accept the president's slimmed-down benefits. Two have said no.
The uncertainty is putting some families' finances in peril.
Tiana Chase, who runs a community game room and store in Maynard, Massachusetts, said the extra $600 she and her partner had been receiving under the previous federal benefit helped keep them afloat after the pandemic caused many businesses to shutter.
For the past few weeks, she’s been getting less than $300 in unemployment. If that’s boosted by another $300, “it’s going to be a lot tighter, but at least I can vaguely manage,” she said. “I can cover my home expenses.”
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Report: Nursing home cases up nearly 80% in COVID-19 rebound
WASHINGTON (AP) — COVID-19 cases in U.S. nursing homes jumped nearly 80% earlier this summer, driven by rampant spread across the South and much of the West, according to an industry report released Monday.
“The case numbers suggest the problem is far from solved,” said Tamara Konetzka, a research professor at the University of Chicago, who specializes in long-term care. She was not involved with the study.
Long-term care facilities account for less than 1% of the U.S. population, but more than 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The situation is a politically sensitive issue for President Donald Trump, who is scrambling to hold on to support from older voters as polls show disapproval of his administration’s response to the pandemic.
The White House announced in late July the release of $5 billion for nursing homes, while launching a program to equip each of some 15,000 facilities with a fast-test machine to screen residents and staff for the coronavirus.
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Michelle Obama warns at DNC that Trump is 'in over his head'
WASHINGTON (AP) — At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, former Michelle Obama told party members that "when they go low, we go high.”
After four years of President Donald Trump, she came back to give it to them straight.
“If you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me they can; and they will, if we don’t make a change in this election,” Mrs. Obama told her party in a blunt and emotional appeal that capped the first night of the Democrats' convention.
The former first lady outlined dire stakes for the election ahead, declaring President Donald Trump “in over his head" and the “wrong president for our country.” Warning of possible voter suppression, she told Americans they must vote for Joe Biden “in numbers that cannot be ignored" if they want to preserve the "most basic requirements for a functioning society.”
The scathing assessment was delivered in the last and longest speech in Democrats' experiment with a virtual convention in the coronavirus era, a spot Mrs. Obama earned through her overwhelming popularity in her party.
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2 men charged in '02 killing of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay
NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly two decades after the slaying of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay, federal prosecutors said Monday they have solved one of New York City’s most enduring mysteries, charging two men from his neighborhood with murder and suggesting that the hip-hop artist — celebrated for his anti-drug stance — was ambushed over a cocaine deal.
The suspects were identified in court papers as Ronald Washington, 56, who is currently serving a federal prison sentence stemming from a string of robberies while on the run from police after Jay’s 2002 death, and Karl Jordan Jr., 36, who is also charged with engaging in a cocaine distribution conspiracy in 2017.
Jason “Jay” Mizell, known professionally as Jam Master Jay, formed Run-DMC with Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniel in the early 1980s. Together, they helped take hip-hop mainstream with hits like “It’s Tricky” and the Aerosmith remake collaboration “Walk This Way."
Jay's death, following the long unsolved slayings of rappers Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas in 1996 and Christopher “Biggie Smalls” Wallace in Los Angeles in 1997, shook the hip-hop world. Chuck D of Public Enemy compared his death to that of John Lennon. More than $60,000 in rewards was offered, but witnesses refused to come forward and the case languished.
“This is a case about a murder that for nearly two decades had gone unanswered,” Acting U.S. Attorney Seth DuCharme said at a news conference announcing the charges. “Today, we begin to answer that question of who killed Jason Mizell, and why, and we’re confident that we can prove those charges beyond a reasonable doubt.”
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Trump rule on transgender health blocked at the 11th hour
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge blocked the Trump administration on Monday from enforcing a new regulation that would roll back health care protections for transgender people.
Finalized days after the Supreme Court barred sex discrimination against LGBT individuals on the job, the regulation from the federal Department of Health and Human Services was to have taken effect Tuesday.
Monday's preliminary injunction from U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block in Brooklyn bars the administration from enforcing the regulation until the case can be heard in court and decided. Block indicated he thought the Trump administration's so-called transgender rule is invalid in light of the Supreme Court ruling in June on a case involving similar issues in the context of job discrimination.
“When the Supreme Court announces a major decision, it seems a sensible thing to pause and reflect on the decision’s impact,” Block wrote in his order, suggesting the agency may want to reconsider. “Since HHS has been unwilling to take that path voluntarily, the court now imposes it.”
The HHS health care rule was seen as a signal to President Donald Trump's social and religious conservative supporters that the administration remained squarely behind them after the shock of the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was nominated by Trump.
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AP PHOTOS: Scars from Beirut blast capture moment of horror
BEIRUT (AP) — Their scars capture the horrific moment when every window shattered.
The explosion in Beirut blew out windows for miles around and sent cascades of glass shards pouring onto the streets. It killed at least 180 people and left 6,000 wounded.
The scars often tell the story of where the victim was standing when a stockpile of explosive chemicals stored at Beirut's port was ignited by a fire, sending an earthquake-like jolt through the city and leaving entire blocks littered with rubble.
Shadi Rizk, a network engineer, was working in a glass building across from the port and saw the fire out his window. A haunting video he shot on his phone shows the column of spoke and his reflection in the glass window. His colleagues can be heard chanting “Oh my God” in the background.
Then there is a ball of fire and the screen turns to dust.
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5 Things to Know Today
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. DEMOCRATS CLOSER TO NOMINATION Potential first lady Jill Biden and Bill Clinton will be the main speakers during the second day of the all-virtual Democratic National Convention.
2. POSTAL SERVICE IN FOCUS The House of Representatives is preparing an emergency vote to halt mail delivery delays and embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will testify next Monday before Congress.
3. LAST-MINUTE RELIEF FOR LGBT RIGHTS A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a new regulation that would roll back health care protections for transgender people.
4. HIP-HOP PIONEER'S DEATH CLEARED UP Federal prosecutors say they have solved one of New York City’s most enduring mysteries, the 2002 slaying of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay.