Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto: Harris worked to 'protect our southern border'
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada talked about working with Harris when the two were attorneys general for their respective states.
Cortez Masto said she worked with Harris to "protect our southern border" when Harris was attorney general of California.
“Holding criminals accountable? That’s Kamala Harris," she added.
She also pointed to her slim 2022 midterm victory, calling on voters to turn out for Harris in a tight election.
Fact check: Have recent Democratic presidents outpaced Republicans in job creation 50-1?
Statement
"Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. I swear, I checked this three times, even I couldn't believe it. What's the score? Democrats 50, Republicans 1."
Verdict
The numbers are correct, but there are some important caveats.
Analysis
PolitiFact checked a version of this claim this year (more than a decade after it looked into a similar comment Clinton made at the 2012 Democratic National Convention) and found it to be "mostly true," citing annual statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
An NBC News analysis of those figures found a net gain of more than 50 million jobs under Democratic presidents since 1989 and a net gain of about 1 million jobs under Republican presidents.
But there are several caveats to note. First off: Democrats served more time in office than Republicans over that period, almost five terms (since Biden's isn't complete) to three.
It's also not clear how much credit presidents should get for job creation during their time in office, when legislation crafted by members of Congress both during and before their administrations also plays a big role in setting economic policy.
And timing can have a massive impact on the numbers — the Covid pandemic and the Great Recession happened in the final years of the Trump and George W. Bush presidencies, respectively, wiping out previous gains just as they left office.
Bill Clinton says we need ‘the president of joy’ — Kamala Harris
Bill Clinton delivered a lengthy speech praising Harris.
Harris family and friends take the stage
More of Harris’ blended family came out tonight, including her niece Arden Emhoff, nephew Jasper Emhoff and Alexander Hudlin, whose father Reginald set Harris up on a blind date with her future husband Doug Emhoff.
The Gen Zers talked about their auntie as a “baller” who made them feel seen regardless of their ages and backgrounds.
Alexander Hudlin said he was just 9 years old when Trump won in 2016. Even though he was a kid, he knew enough to be “concerned." But Harris reassured him by saying: “Do you know what superheroes do? They fight back, and we will, too.”
Her brother-in-law Tony West, who is married to Harris' sister, Maya, spoke later.
Congressional candidate Lateefah Simon talks about working with Harris
Lateefah Simon, who is running for a House seat in California, recounted her experience as a teen mom meeting and eventually working with Harris, who was then district attorney in San Francisco.
Simon has said she was tapped by Harris to work on an anti-recidivism initiative known as Back on Track to help young people facing charges for low-level offenses.
"There's something about Kamala Harris, for those who know her, you know when she hears your story, she carries it with her. When she sees you, she truly sees you," Simon said. "She wanted to get to the root cause of a broken criminal justice system, I saw her chip away."
Simon is running for Rep. Barbara Lee's House seat. Lee failed to advance through California's top-two primary in its Senate race in March.
Meet the woman Rep. Barbara Lee literally passed the congressional baton to
When Lateefah Simon, a congressional candidate in California’s 12th District, stopped by outgoing Rep. Barbara Lee’s election headquarters in Oakland on Super Tuesday, she intended to bring well wishes to the veteran congresswoman in her run for the Senate.
“I’d been told she was catching a flight back to Washington, D.C.,” said Simon, whose campaign shared the same office building downtown. “I wanted to say hello and show my support.”
But it was Lee who surprised Simon with a gift. She took Simon by the hand at a news conference and, as supporters and media looked on, passed her the baton — literally.
“Barbara gave me an actual baton,” Simon, 47, said of the shiny blue cylinder that she accepted to cheers and applause. “I was humbled. It is an honor and great responsibility, one that I feel I must live up to.”
Simon spoke at the convention tonight about her relationship with Harris.
Uncommitted delegates get a ‘no’ on their request for a Palestinian convention speaker
The uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention announced tonight they were denied their chief request from Harris’ campaign — to have a Palestinian American speak to the convention here.
The delegates, who were elected in Democratic primaries this year in protest of Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza, have been signaling they would commit to Harris if a Palestinian American were allowed to address the convention.
In twice-daily news conferences all week, they reiterated their request for a few minutes on the stage, insisting they were willing to work with organizers on preparing remarks and selecting a mutually acceptable speaker.
Fact check: Would Project 2025 ban all abortions?
Comedian Kenan Thompson brought the lengthy conservative wish list Project 2025 onstage for a somewhat comedic discussion of its policy proposals.
Statement
"Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. I swear, I checked this three times, even I couldn't believe it. What's the score? Democrats 50, Republicans 1."
Verdict
This is half true.
Analysis
The 1873 Comstock Act bans mailing “indecent” materials and abortion drugs, and Project 2025 proposes ending "promoting or approving mail order abortions in violation" of that law. Knowing violation of the act is punishable by prison time.
Medication abortions are the most common kind of abortion but not the only kind; this proposal would not affect medical abortion.
Pelosi praises Harris and bashes Trump over Jan. 6
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former House speaker, offered strong praise for Harris tonight while describing the Capitol riot as a "parable" serving to remind Americans about the fragility of democracy in the wrong hands.
Pelosi, who is credited with helping persuade Biden to drop his re-election bid, referred to Harris as “astute and strategic in winning difficult elections.”
She also criticized Trump over the Capitol riot.
"Never before had a president of the United States so brazenly assaulted the bedrock of our democracy, so gleefully embraced political violence, so willfully betrayed his oath of office," said Pelosi, who as House speaker established the Jan. 6 committee.
Bill Clinton goes off script but still doesn't beat his previous records
Bill Clinton holds the modern record for the longest Democratic convention acceptance speech — 64 minutes, 44 seconds in 1996. His 1992 speech was longer than 53 minutes.
His infamous 1988 speech, which went long, was more than 30 minutes — not that long by Bill Clinton standards, but way too long for what he was scheduled for!
Tonight we were told his speech would be about 12 minutes. But he spoke for around 27 minutes.
As Clinton spoke, speakers who were on deck were staking up backstage as they waited their turn. Notably waiting in the wings are Pelosi and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Statement
"Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. I swear, I checked this three times, even I couldn't believe it. What's the score? Democrats 50, Republicans 1."
Going back to 1988 (not his first convention) — here are the times:
2020: 4:50
2016: 42:24
2012: 48:25
2008: 19:58
2004: 23:37
2000: 40:04
1996: 53:07
1992: 64:55
1988: 32:30
Avery Grosvenor contributed.