The Latest: Obama has special Twitter fan back in Illinois

The Latest: Obama has special Twitter fan back in Illinois


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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Latest on the Democratic National Convention (all times EDT):

12:05 a.m.

That's her man.

President Barack Obama's got a special Twitter admirer back in Illinois.

The president's address to the Democratic National Convention had barely ended Wednesday night when a tweet popped up from first lady Michelle Obama.

She watched the speech from her mother's home in Chicago.

Her tweet: "That's my man! Your truth, dignity and grave reminds us what real leadership looks like. I am always proud of @POTUS. -mo"

___

11:50 p.m.

"A sad sight for the Democratic Party."

That's the assessment by Donald Trump's campaign of the lineup of speakers at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night.

Trump adviser Stephen Miller says the Democrats "spoke in cheap, petty terms beneath the dignity of a convention."

Miller says the message conveyed by Democrats was that things are perfect. He says Democrats resorted to fear to try to scare voters away from supporting Trump.

President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine and others presented Trump as devoid of solutions to serious problems in American society.

They said Trump is the candidate using scare tactics, especially to appeal to voters who have not shared in the nation's economic recovery.

___

11:48 p.m.

President Barack Obama is signing off at the Democratic National Convention by thanking Americans for sustaining him through two terms.

Obama says his tenure hasn't "fixed everything." But he says he'll leave office with assurances the Democratic Party "is in good hands" and that voters will sustain his successor as they've sustained him.

He recalls a "big-eyed green owl" given to him by the parents of a 7-year-old girl killed a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

He recalls meeting an injured solider who learned to walk again and who stepped into the Oval Office to shake the president's hand.

He recalls a small business owner from Colorado who gave up his own pay to keep from firing his employees.

And he recalls a Texas conservative expressing his appreciation for the president because he tries "to be a good dad."

___

11:46 p.m.

President Barack Obama is asking Democrats to "do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me."

He's asking a cheering audience at the Democratic National Convention to "carry her the same way you carried me."

Obama is crediting his supporters with giving him hope in the face of difficulty. He calls it "the audacity of hope."

He says America has "vindicated that hope these past eight years."

And the president says he's now "ready to pass the baton and do my part as a private citizen."

He asks voters to "reject cynicism, reject fear" and elect Hillary Clinton the next president.

___

11:46 p.m.

President Barack Obama did it without mentioning his name.

Obama was taking one of his strongest shots yet at Donald Trump, yet didn't use the Republican nominee's name.

The president used his speech at the Democratic National Convention to say that "anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end."

That line came out as Obama was telling an enthusiastic Democratic audience that values of his grandparents in Kansas are still relevant today.

___

11:41 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is embracing President Barack Obama on stage after his speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Clinton is making the surprise appearance with Obama a night before she addresses the convention.

The president tells Democrats he's "ready to pass the baton" to Clinton in her campaign against Republican Donald Trump.

Clinton is the first woman to be the presidential nominee of a major party.

___

11:36 p.m.

President Barack Obama is making a pitch to disaffected Republicans to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Obama is quoting Ronald Reagan to make the point that Republican Donald Trump is peddling fear in his white House campaign.

Obama says at the Democratic convention that Reagan called America "a shining city on a hill." Obama says Trump calls the United States "a divided crime scene" and that Trump is hoping to scare enough people into voting for him.

The president says Trump and his supporters don't offer solutions to pressing problems.

He says the rhetoric at the GOP convention "wasn't particularly Republican, and it sure wasn't conservative."

___

11:33 p.m.

President Barack Obama was coming to the part of his convention speech where he's critical of Donald Trump — and the mention of the GOP nominee's name caused the crowd of delegates to boo.

Obama didn't miss a beat.

He deviated from his prepared remarks to implore his fellow partisans: "Don't boo. Vote!"

___

11:31 p.m.

President Barack Obama is telling the Democratic convention and voters watching on TV that if they're "concerned about who's going to keep you and your family safe in a dangerous world," then their Election Day choice is clear.

Obama says Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is "respected around the world not just by leaders, but by the people they serve."

He says Clinton has worked closely with "our intelligence teams, our diplomats, our military."

He says Clinton won't relent until the Islamic State group is destroyed.

And in a reference to GOP nominee Donald Trump, Obama says Clinton will "finish the job - and she'll do it without resorting to torture, or banning entire religions from entering our country."

___

11:30 p.m.

President Barack Obama is blasting Donald Trump's for trying to scare Americans into handing the GOP nominee the keys to the White House.

Obama tells the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia that Trump believes he will win if he "scares enough people" over immigration and crime.

Obama says Trump is "selling the American people short" by suggesting "he alone can restore order" as a "self-declared savior."

The second-term president notes that Democrats are meeting in the same city where American founders signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and later wrote the Constitution.

He's quoting words from those documents, and saying it's "We the people" who "can form a more perfect union."

___

11:28 p.m.

President Barack Obama is telling the Democratic National Convention that if they believe that there's too much inequality in our country and too much money in our politics, they need to be as vocal, organized and persistent "as Bernie Sanders' supporters have been."

He says they need to get out and vote for Democrats up and down the ticket and then hold them accountable.

Obama says politics can be frustrating, but that "democracy works." He says Americans have to "want it, not just during an election year but all the days in between."

___

11:27 p.m.

President Barack Obama is trying to make the case for his preferred successor and he says: "Hillary Clinton is that woman in the arena."

Obama says the Democratic nominee has been "there for us - even if we haven't always noticed."

The president tells the delegates at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia that if they're serious about democracy, "you can't afford to stay home just because she might not align with you on every issue."

That's a coy reference to supporters of Clinton's primary rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

He tells activists: "You've got to get in the arena with her, because democracy isn't a spectator sport."

Obama's also making a reference to GOP nominee Donald Trump. The president says, "America isn't about, 'Yes he will.' It's about, 'Yes we can.'"

___

11:26 p.m.

President Barack Obama says Donald Trump "shows no regard for working people."

Obama says he knows plenty of businessmen and women who've achieved success like Trump has. But Obama says they've done it without leaving a trail of lawsuits, unpaid workers and "people feeling like they got cheated."

Obama tells Democrats at their convention that "The Donald is not really a plans guy. He's not really a facts guy, either."

He said anyone concerned about pocketbook issues and who wants a bigger voice for workers should vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

___

11:21 p.m.

President Barack Obama is criticizing what he says is the "deeply pessimistic vision" of America he says he heard from Republicans at their convention last week.

Obama is telling the Democratic National Convention that Republican nominee Donald Trump and his supporters proposed "no serious solutions to pressing problems."

Instead, the president says Republicans spent their time fanning "resentment, and blame, and anger, and hate."

Obama says "that's not the America I know."

He's delivering a speech that makes the case for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's election as his successor.

Obama says the country is "full of courage, and optimism, and ingenuity."

The president is acknowledging that Americans have "real anxieties" and that some have not shared in the economy recovery.

___

11:17 p.m.

President Barack Obama says there's never been a man or a woman — "not me, not Bill" — who's more qualified than Hillary Clinton to be president.

Obama says at the democratic convention that "nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office."

Obama says Clinton has been in that room and has been part of the decisions that a president makes.

He's vouching for Clinton as someone who listens to people, keeps her cool and treats everybody with respect.

Obama says, "that's the Hillary I've come to admire."

___

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

___

10:35 p.m.

Tim Kaine is focused on trust as he concludes his pitch — to Democrats in Philadelphia and to voters watching on TV — that Hillary Clinton should be the next president.

The Democrats' vice presidential candidate tells his party's convention that "we better elect the candidate who's proven that she can be trusted with the job."

He adds there's another standard that voters should consider: which candidate is "ready for the job."

The Virginia senator says Clinton's "ready because of faith. She's ready because of her heart. She's ready because of her experience. She's ready because she knows in America we are stronger together."

And here's his closing line: "Hillary is ready. Ready to fight, ready to win, ready to lead."

___

10:30 p.m.

Tim Kaine is tearing into Donald Trump as a "guy who promises a lot" but always follows up with the words "believe me."

Kaine says in his speech at the Democratic convention that "most people, when they run for president, they don't just say 'believe me.' They respect you enough to tell you how they will get things done."

Kaine says the Republican presidential nominee has asked Americans to believe he'll build a wall with Mexico, destroy the Islamic State group "so fast" — and that there's nothing suspicious in the tax returns he won't make public.

The Virginia senator says, "so here's the question: Do you really believe him? Donald Trump's whole career says you better not."

___

10:25 p.m.

Tim Kaine says he knows a lot of Republican senators who say privately "how fantastic a senator that Hillary Clinton was."

Kaine is making his first major speech as the Democratic vice presidential nominee. And the Virginia senator is speaking about his work on the Senate Armed Services and Senate Foreign Relations Committees — as well as serving on the Senate Budget Committee with Bernie Sanders.

Kaine says that on the Senate Aging Committee, he helps seniors to make sure they're not targeted by "rip-off artists."

___

10:17 p.m.

Tim Kaine is promoting his lengthy government experience in his first major speech as the Democratic vice presidential candidate.

The Virginia senator — in a prime-time speech at the Democratic convention — is detailing his rise from a member of the Richmond City Council to the city's mayor, to Virginia's lieutenant governor to governor.

Kaine says if he's good at his work, it's because he "started at the local level listening to people, learning about their lives and trying to get results."

Kaine says it was hard work steering his state through the recession, but he says, "Hey, tough times don't last - and tough people do."

___

10:14 p.m.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine says his Republican father-in-law has been voting for a lot of Democrats recently.

Kaine's father-in-law is a former Virginia governor, Linwood Holton. Kaine tells Democrats at their national convention that his father-in-law is in attendance — at age "90-plus and going strong."

Kaine says his father-in-law remains a Republican, but is voting for Democrats because "any party that would nominate Donald Trump for president has moved too far away from his party of Lincoln."

Kaine is inviting other voters "looking for that party of Lincoln," to join the Democratic Party.

___

10:10 p.m.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine is "humbly" accepting his party's nomination for vice president.

Kaine tells the Democratic convention in Philadelphia that he formally accepts the party's nomination on behalf of his wife, Anne, "and every strong woman in this country," their three children and everyone in the military.

The former governor of Virginia and mayor of Richmond says he'll run for vice president on behalf of families working to get ahead, for senior citizens hoping for a dignified retirement and for every person who wants America to be a beloved community.

And Kaine says he'll do it for his friend and running mate, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

___

10 p.m.

A video introducing Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine is emphasizing his working-class roots and his service as Virginia's governor and senator.

The video playing for convention delegates says Kaine's life is "built on selfless humble service" and that he had a "Midwestern start in a working-class home in Kansas City."

The tribute notes his work as a civil rights lawyer, commitment to family and work to bring Virginia together after a shooting at Virginia Tech while he was governor

___

9:45 p.m.

Vice President Joe Biden is calling Vladimir Putin a "dictator" — a term the U.S. government doesn't use when referring to the Russian president.

Biden says in his speech at the Democratic convention that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is belittling U.S. allies while embracing "dictators like Vladimir Putin."

Earlier in the day, Trump said: "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing." He was referring to emails on Hillary Clinton's private server as secretary of state that she said she deleted — because they were private — before turning other messages over to the State Department.

The U.S. regularly chastises Putin for cracking down on dissent, but doesn't consider Russia a dictatorship. Putin has won three presidential elections, most recently in 2012.

___

9:43 p.m.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is endorsing Hillary Clinton — and that's giving her the support of an independent who says he votes based on the candidate, "not the party label."

Bloomberg says at the Democratic National Convention that the country must unite around Clinton because she can "defeat a dangerous demagogue."

He's offering a tough critique of businessman Donald Trump, saying, "I'm a New Yorker and I know a con when I see one."

Bloomberg points to his work to build a business and compares that with Trump's beginning in real estate:

"I didn't start it with a million dollar check from my father."

9:37 p.m.

Vice President Joe Biden has wrapped up his speech to the Democratic convention by making a forceful case for American exceptionalism.

He says the United States "does not scare easily," and when confronted with crisis, "we endure, we overcome and we always move forward."

Biden says the 21st century "is going to be the American century."

He says that will happen because the U.S. leads "not only by the example of our power but by the power of our example."

___

9:33 p.m.

Vice President Joe Biden is casting Donald Trump as too dangerous to trust with the presidency.

Biden says "no major party nominee in the history of this nation has ever known less or been less prepared to deal with our national security."

The vice president tells the Democratic National Convention that Trump — the GOP presidential nominee — offers policies that are more in line with the United States' adversaries.

Biden says Trump backs "torture" and "religious intolerance." Biden says that "betrays our values" and makes it harder for the United States to defeat Islamic State militants.

___

9:27 p.m.

Vice President Joe Biden is skewering Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for suggesting he represents the middle class.

Biden says the billionaire real estate mogul "has no clue about what makes America great."

The vice president is telling the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia that he's known as "middle-class Joe" in the nation's capital — and he says that's not a compliment.

He says it actually means ... "you're not sophisticated."

Biden says Trump isn't actually a friend to the middle class, but instead is a wealthy man who "doesn't have a clue" about middle America.

___

9:25 p.m.

Vice President Joe Biden says Hillary Clinton's election will have a major impact on young girls. He says when she walks into the Oval Office as president, "it will change their lives."

Biden is vouching for Clinton in a speech to the Democratic National Convention. He recalls his weekly breakfasts with Clinton when she served as secretary of state during the Obama administration.

Biden says everyone knows that Clinton is smart and tough but he says, "I know what she's passionate about. I know Hillary."

___

9:20 p.m.

Vice President Joe Biden is paying tribute to his late son Beau, who introduced him at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Beau Biden went on to become attorney general of Delaware. He died in 2015 after a battle with cancer.

The vice president tells delegates in Philadelphia that the nation got to see "what an incredibly fine young man" Beau Biden was when he nominated his father for vice president.

Biden says his challenge in dealing with his son's death makes him appreciate "the unbreakable spirit of the people of America" who deal with problems every day with "so much less support," but still "put one foot in front of the other."

The vice president was considered to be a potential 2016 presidential candidate, but cited his son's death as a reason he wasn't up for a national campaign.

___

9:17 p.m.

Donald Trump's running mate is sounding a humble tone during his first solo campaign event since joining the ticket.

Mike Pence is calling himself a "B-list Republican celebrity."

The Indiana governor was introduced in Waukesha, Wisconsin, by a fellow GOP governor, Scott Walker, and Pence is playing up his self-effacing Midwestern persona.

Waukesha overwhelmingly voted for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz during Wisconsin's presidential primary — and Cruz won the state handily.

But Pence tells a crowd of several hundred people to vote for Trump because of the conservatives he'd nominate to the Supreme Court if he's elected president.

He says they should vote Trump for the sake of the Constitution, the sanctity of life, the Second Amendment and "all our God given liberties."

___

9:15 p.m.

Vice President Joe Biden is paying tribute to President Barack Obama at the Democratic convention, calling Obama the "embodiment of honor, resolve and character."

Biden says Obama is "one of the finest presidents we have ever had."

Biden reminds delegates it's been eight years since he accepted the nomination to become vice president.

He says he and his wife, Jill, now considers the Obamas "family." Biden says of the president, "He's become a brother to Jill and me."

___

9:10 p.m.

WikiLeaks has released 29 voicemails stolen from the Democratic National Committee, and they include several from unidentified party members upset by Bernie Sanders' influence on the party.

The anti-Sanders messages are included with mostly run-of-the-mill messages about upcoming Democratic events that WikiLeaks selected for release Wednesday.

One caller objects to Sanders' choices for the party's platform committee and doesn't even want the Vermont senator to have a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention.

The caller — speaking about Sanders — says "he's not a Democrat. Please stop this man now." Another complains about the role given to Sanders supporter Cornel West, who's been highly critical of President Barack Obama.

The release follows more than 19,000 stolen DNC emails that WikiLeaks published on its website last week.

___

9:05 p.m.

Leon Panetta's critique of Donald Trump's preparation for the presidency has drawn dueling chants from the audience at the Democratic National Convention.

Chants of "No more war!" broke out during Panetta's speech. The former defense secretary and CIA director questioned Trump's ability to become commander in chief.

Later in Panetta's speech, chants of "USA!" filled the arena.

It was one of the first times that chant was heard during the Democratic convention. It was common during last week's Republican gathering.

Panetta promoted Hillary Clinton's national security credentials.

___

9 p.m.

Democratic convention delegates are watching a video tribute to Vice President Joe Biden in which he proclaims he's more optimistic than ever about the country's future.

The video recaps Biden's long career and is being shown just before his speech in Philadelphia.

Biden is praised for taking on the National Rifle Association in pushing for an assault weapons ban in the 1990s. The video says that's the "kind of courage we need today in Congress to stand up to the NRA."

It also alludes to personal loss in Biden's life — the deaths of his first wife and daughter in 1972, and son Beau Biden from cancer last year.

___

8:50 p.m.

Former CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says Donald Trump is taking Russia's side, and that means Trump can't become commander in chief.

Panetta is making the case for Hillary Clinton in a speech Wednesday night at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.

He's citing Trump's earlier comments that encouraged Russia to find and make public emails deleted by Clinton from the private account and servers she used as secretary of state.

Panetta is criticizing Trump for — as he puts it — "asking one of our adversaries to engage in hacking or intelligence efforts against the United States to affect our election."

To Panetta, "it's inconceivable to me that any presidential candidate would be this irresponsible."

___

8:45 p.m.

A retired Naval admiral is criticizing Republican Donald Trump for encouraging a foreign government — Russia — to spy against his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

John Hutson says at the Democratic National Convention that earlier Trump, earlier Wednesday, "personally invited Russia to hack us."

In Hutson's view, "that's not law and order. That's criminal intent."

Hutson also points to Trump's mocking of Arizona Sen. John McCain for being captured as a prisoner of war during Vietnam.

Hutson's take on Trump: "You're not fit to polish John McCain's boots."

Hutson's speech came on the first night at the convention that the Islamic State group and national security are getting extensive attention.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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