Sunday, July 31, 2016

2016 Presidential Election: Trump grabs the headlines for the fourth straight day - FURTHER UPDATES


New: The Latest: Ryan: Trump may have to “struggle” for change

The latest on the US presidential campaign. Read More
House Speaker Paul Ryan is warning the Republican Party that Donald Trump may struggle to bring about transformational change.

Donald Trump is boasting about his 'tremendous support' from the nation’s veterans just hours after one of the nation’s most prominent veterans groups condemned him for clashing with the parents of a slain Army veteran.

Donald Trump says he raised $35.8 million from small donors last month.

Donald Trump is suggesting that he’s 'afraid the election is going to be rigged.'

President Barack Obama is headlining his first fundraiser for Hillary Clinton.

More Senate Republicans up for re-election are weighing in to praise Army Capt. Humayun Khan and his family, and criticize Donald Trump’s comments.
New: Trump: 'I'm afraid the election's going to be rigged'

Donald Trump on Monday took his complaints about the "rigged" political system one step further. Read More
"Trump's comments during the primary bolstered the impression that Trump, a political outsider, was leading the charge against a corrupt political system.

But his latest comments could hurt Trump's general election campaign as his supporters might decide not to turn out to vote if the election is already "rigged" against their candidate." Jeremy Diamond, CNN
New: Gold Star Families Attack Trump Over Comments About Ghazala Khan

The families of 17 service members who died fighting for the U.S. demanded an apology from Donald Trump on Monday, accusing him of "cheapening the sacrifice made by those we lost." Read More
Also see: Latino Family of Slain Marine Signs Letter Demanding Apology from Trump
New: The Latest: Trump gripes about OH fire marshal

The latest on the U.S. presidential campaign. Read More
"Donald Trump is complaining that a fire marshal in Ohio is capping attendance at his town hall on Monday.

A former top adviser to Jeb Bush says she’s leaving the GOP and will consider voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton if the race with Republican Donald Trump becomes close.

President Barack Obama says no one has given more for American freedom and security than the families of those who have died for their country.

Two U.S. cyber-security firms say that their analysis of computer breaches at the Democratic Party’s funding group for congressional candidates shows detailed evidence that the intrusions were likely linked to Russian hackers.

Islamic State extremists have entered the U.S. political uproar over slain Army Capt. Humayun Khan, whose father denounced Donald Trump at last week’s Democratic convention.

The commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars says Donald Trump’s criticism of the parents of an Army captain killed in Iraq is unacceptable."
New: GOP senators joining criticism of Trump over disparagement of Muslim soldier's parents

Fellow Republicans are joining the rising chorus of criticism of Donald Trump for his disparagement of the bereaved parents of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim who was awarded a Bronze Star after he was killed in 2004 in Iraq. Read More
"On Monday, Blunt advised Trump to 'focus on jobs and national security and stop responding to every criticism whether it's from a grieving family or Hillary Clinton.' Senators running for re-election — and Senate and House leaders — are concerned that the Republican nominee will damage their own campaigns.

The continuing controversy risks setting back whatever progress Trump made during his convention at winning over the independent voters who will probably be key in the fall election.

Yet he's repeatedly made inflammatory statements at little apparent political cost — and sometimes to his benefit — going back to the beginning of the campaign when he challenged the heroism of McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and branded Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals. Many of his supporters have been drawn to his tendency to say the politically unthinkable. The question is whether this, finally, is a step too far." Associated Press
New: Trump feud with parents of slain soldier enters fourth day

Donald Trump’s feud with the parents of a Muslim Army captain killed in Iraq in 2004 entered its fourth day on Monday, as Republicans lined up to rebuke their own nominee while he traded attacks with ‘Gold Star’ father Khizr Khan. Read More
Outside of Trump, Khan was overall complimentary of the Republican Party, which he described as equally patriotic as the Democratic Party. The problem, Khan said, is that while many in the GOP have been quietly critical of their party’s nominee, very few Republican leaders who might be in a position to influence Trump have been publicly critical of his comments. Louis Nelson, Politico
New: John McCain Denounces Donald Trump’s Comments on Family of Muslim Soldier

In a remarkable and lengthy rebuke of his party’s nominee, Senator John McCain sharply criticized Donald J. Trump’s comments about the family of a fallen Muslim Army captain, saying, “While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us.” Read More
"Mr. McCain has also been a vocal proponent of American military aid in Ukraine and was almost certainly rankled by Mr. Trump’s comment over the weekend suggesting that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was not involved in military moves into the area in spite of the fact that he seized the Crimean Peninsula." Jennifer Steinhauer, The New York Times
Trump Pushed For GOP To Change Ukraine Position, Now Claims He Didn’t

The pro-Russia change was the only party platform tweak the Trump camp cared about, sources say. Read More
"Last week, two RNC officials praised Trump for not pushing the party’s conservative grassroots activists to alter language on gay marriage or abortion. They said that, apart from the Ukraine change, Trump’s campaign seemed generally uninterested in the platform altogether.

The platform does not bind Republican candidates who win office and is often seen by political professionals as creating unnecessary vulnerabilities for the party. Still, the RNC officials said it was unusual but not surprising that the Ukraine plank was the only thing of concern to the Trump camp, given Manafort’s business ties to the country’s former president, Victor Yanukovych." S.V. Date, The Huffington Post
Republicans denounce Trump as confrontation with Muslim parents escalates

Donald Trump faced mounting criticism from leaders of his own party Sunday as a confrontation between the Republican nominee and the Muslim American parents of a soldier killed in Iraq continued to consume the presidential race. Read More
"Whether the fight with the Khans will ultimately hurt Trump among voters remains an open question. Some of Trump’s more controversial remarks, such as his attacks on a disabled reporter and a U.S.-born judge of Mexican descent, seem to have initially registered only to fade somewhat quickly." Katie Zezima, Washington Post
Did Trump go too far?

Donald Trump's criticism about the Muslim parents of a slain American soldier has generated -- once again -- a backlash within his own party.

Just 100 days from the election, Trump has responded in his standard fashion -- dig in, claim he's being treated unfairly and attack back.

But the swift condemnation of Trump's response raises questions about whether this controversy is different from the ones that came before it. Read More

GOP Reacts to Donald Trump's Controversial Remarks on Khan Family

Republicans have responded to a number of controversial comments that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump made about Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of an American soldier killed in Iraq. Their son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service. Read More

Backlash Grows Over Trump's Comments on Dead Muslim Soldier's Parents

Democrat Clinton says it's unacceptable to "scapegoat" on the basis of religion, ethnicity. Read More

McConnell, Ryan defend Khans amid Trump remarks

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan on Sunday waded into the controversy surrounding Donald Trump and his dismissive comments toward a Muslim-American couple whose son was killed in combat during the Iraq War. Read More

Will the GOP repudiate Trump’s cruelty to a fallen soldier’s family?

Republican politicians face a choice. They can accept Hillary Clinton’s invitation to abandon Donald Trump and prevent a redefinition of their party as a haven for bigotry. Or they can prop Trump up, try to maximize his vote — and thereby tarnish themselves for a generation. Read More
This article reflects one commentator's view of Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan's response to Donald Trump's criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan.
Trump stirs outrage after he lashes out at the Muslim parents of a dead U.S. soldier

Republican Donald Trump lashed out Saturday at two Muslim American parents who lost their son while he served in the U.S. military in Iraq and who appeared at the Democratic National Convention last week, stirring outrage among critics who said the episode proves that Trump lacks the compassion and temperament to be president. Read More

Trump retreats from claim that NFL sent letter regarding debates

Presidential candidate Donald Trump doesn’t like the fact that two of the three scheduled debates conflict with NFL prime-time games. He claimed in an interview with ABC’s This Week that the NFL sent him a letter calling the move “ridiculous.”

The league called him on it, saying no letter was sent. Apparently learning a lesson from the last time he took on the NFL (as owner of the USFL’s New Jersey Generals), Trump has backed down. Read More

What we know about the presidential debates and the NFL schedule

Paul Manafort, the manager of Donald Trump's campaign, said Sunday that Republican nominee's camp plans to meet with the Commission on Presidential Debates over the general-election debate dates, after Trump's accusation that Democrats were rigging the schedule in hopes of a smaller audience. Two of three general-election debates are scheduled on the same night as National Football League games.

The commission and the NFL have rejected Trump's accusation. The nonpartisan, independent commission said Sunday that a debate "has never been rescheduled as a result" of a conflict with NFL games. Here's what we know about the commission's debate scheduling. Read More

Trump campaign wrong about Clinton influence on debates against Sanders, Trump

There is no evidence in leaked DNC emails that the Clinton campaign lobbied for weekend dates or fewer debates in her primary fight against Sanders. There is also no evidence that the Clinton campaign had any hand in the setting the debates between Trump and Clinton.

A bipartisan commission released the chosen dates 11 months before Clinton and Trump secured the party’s nomination. Read More

Trump Says He Turned Down Koch Invite. Koch Aides Dispute He Got One.

'You’ll have to talk with him about what his facts are and what he’s relying on'

It was like a bad version of “Who’s On First?” as top lieutenants of Charles and David Koch, the billionaire political patrons, tried on Saturday to intimate that Donald Trump was lying without ever saying the words. Read More
"Have you noticed this about Trump? Nobody ever turns down a meeting with him. He turns down meetings with other people. Likewise, he never calls anyone. They call him. It doesn't matter who it is. President, pope, CEO, whatever. According to Trump, they're the ones who called first. His ego just can't stand the thought of anyone thinking that he's the guy who ever goes begging." Kevin Drum, Mother Jones
Kochs reject push to meet with Trump

Trump donors have been pushing the billionaire brothers to reconsider their lack of support for the GOP nominee. Read More

Koch network seeks to defuse donor frustration over Trump rebuff

Thirteen years after billionaire industrialist Charles Koch gathered a small group of his fellow libertarian donors in a Chicago hotel to discuss how to promote their economic theories, the network he launched is one of the country’s most potent political forces, with 1,600 staffers spread across 38 states.

But Koch’s refusal to harness his singular operation in support of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has put him at odds with some of his wealthiest peers — and forced the network to defend its relevance at a time of its greatest reach. Read More

John Allen predicts 'civil military crisis' if Trump is elected

The election of Republican Donald Trump as president could mean a breakdown in the relationship between civilian and military leaders, a former top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan warned Sunday. Read More

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Saturday Lagniappe: "Developing a Powerful Positive Perspective" and Much More


Developing a Powerful Positive Perspective

Over the past few months, I’ve been thinking a lot about the power of perspective. In fact, one of the greatest assets any leader can have is a powerful positive perspective – the ability to see the good in any circumstance. Read More

5 Ways the Church Hurts and Helps Victims of Sexual Violence

Let’s dare to risk discomfort for the sake of ministering to victims of sexual violence. Read More

Pastoring a Church Between 100 and 200 Without Going Crazy

Some Dos and Don’ts for surviving and thriving in the awkward, in-between world of 100 to 200 in church attendance. Read More

Cutting-Edge Florida Church Network Rediscovers the Life of Mission

If you want people to live in a different way, you have to promise them change—the possibility of a different kind of church. Read More

How Refugees Revived One White Iowa Church

Meet the congregation that traded in a homogeneous heritage for a diverse future. Read More

Wrestling with Challenging Kingdom Multiplication Questions

Scripture shows us that Jesus frequently used questions to challenge people’s paradigm. Questions have the power to challenge us to listen closer to the voice of God, see things from a different perspective, and guide us to breakthrough new behaviors. Read More

Episode 86: Critical Mass and Launching a New Campus [Podcast]

So you’re at critical mass in your services? Here are some things to consider before launching a new campus. Listen Now

Episode 85: Gaining Commitment in Your Core Team [Podcast]

Strengthen your core team with compelling vision. Listen Now

6 Mistakes I Made as a Church Planter

One of the greatest joys of my ministry was planting a church in northeast Tennessee in 1991. I made several mistakes, which hopefully you can learn from the easy way, through my pain, not yours. These are not the only mistakes I made in the ten years I pastored that church, but they are the ones I regret the most. Read More

Bravery

Among the readers of NewChurches.com, I imagine we share differing views on certain elements of the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives. When a pastor starts talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit or the filling of the Spirit there are a multiplicity of differing views. I don’t want to argue any of those right now. But I would like to draw your attention to what I believe is an undeniable reality of God’s Spirit working in a person: Bravery. Read More

99 Essential Doctrines Christians Should Know

Christianity wouldn't have its framework without these essential doctrines. Read More

3 Reasons Why Pastors Neglect Leadership Development

Here are three reasons pastors neglect making leadership development a priority in their churches. Read More

The 5 Marks of Authentic Leadership

Influence matters but it's not the whole package. Read More

Are You a Terrible Boss? These 4 Subtle Signs Will Tell You.

Here are some of the more common warning signs that there may be a problem. Read More

20 Thoughts On Helping People Recover From Terrible Decisions They’ve Made

How cn we help people recover from the terrible decisions they've made? Read More

9 Steps for Transitioning from Parsonage-Living to Homeownership

Make a smooth and financially responsible move. Read More

Online Bible Study Resources

If you’re an avid online Bible student, you are probably already familiar with the ten resources I’ve listed below. But these are the ones that I find most helpful in my own personal study. Read More

You know what’s actually America’s most relentless propagator of racism? The porn industry.

With the increasingingly visible violence between members of law enforcement and the African American community regularly dominating the news cycle, much analysis has been spilling forth from the chattering classes discussing various strains of racism running through society. They discuss the roots of slavery and segregation, the breakdown of the family structure, and systemic prejudice. What no one has yet discussed, however, is how ugly and brutal racial stereotypes are being crassly perpetuated by one of the largest capitalist enterprises in the United States of America: the porn industry. Read More

The Story of Iran’s Church in Two Sentences

It’s a simple story that can be summarized in just two sentences: Persecution threatened to wipe out Iran’s tiny church. Instead, the church in Iran has become the fastest growing in the world, and it is influencing the region for Christ. Read More

2016 Presidential Election: Trump attacks Colorado Springs hero; may skip the presidential debates - FURTHER UPDATES


New: Trump’s burn of the Colorado Springs fire dept. came right after they rescued him

Since Trump's campaign began, a series of fire officials across the country have become his unwitting nemeses, as Trump publicly grumbles about their enforcement of the capacity restrictions at some of his rally venues. Read More

New: Which side of the law is Trump on

Trump’s proclamation of law and order should not go unexamined. After all, anyone who is not an anarchist favors both law and order. So what, exactly, is wrong with “law and order”? To answer that question, we can usefully distinguish between the idiomatic use of “law and order” and the cherished value of the rule of law. Read More

New: NFL Denies It Sent Letter to Trump Over Debate Schedule

It's the second time this week that Trump has made claims that were either directly or indirectly contradicted by those he said were involved. Read More

New: NFL denies contacting Donald Trump about schedule clash with debates

Trump also says the league complained to him about the debate schedule in a letter.

A spokesman for the NFL, however, said the league did not send a letter to the billionaire businessman. Read More

New: Donald Trump and RNC attack presidential debate schedule

Donald Trump says the fall debate schedule is "unacceptable," raising the specter that he may try to skip them. Read More

New: Trump accuses Clinton of rigging debate schedule

Donald Trump late Friday accused Hillary Clinton of intentionally stacking debates against primetime programming to “rig” the election process, despite the fact that the schedule has been set since last September. Read More

New: Does Donald Trump fear debating Hillary Clinton?

Trump is protesting the debates despite the bi-partisan committee.

It looks like Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump wants no part of debating his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Read More

New: British Newspaper Reports Tangled Web of Connections Linking Trump, Putin

GOP nominee Donald Trump has continued to strongly deny any connections with Russia or its leader, President Vladimir Putin, but The Guardian, a major British newspaper, on Saturday raised questions about an increasingly tangled web of connections he and key players in his campaign, namely chairman Paul Manafort, have had over the years with the country. Read More

Donald Trump and Russia: a web that grows more tangled all the time

Frank Mermoud, a key figure at the recent Republican convention, has strong business ties with Ukraine, to which others in Trump’s orbit have been linked as questions grow over the candidate’s interests in Russia and view of its president. Read More

New: Trump's Russia Reset Ideas Alarming Allies, Many in US

Donald Trump's flurry of offhand remarks and abrupt zingers on Russia — praising Vladimir Putin, dismissing NATO — have jolted the world, not to mention the U.S. presidential campaign.

With Russia's behavior rattling nerves in the U.S. and elsewhere, Trump is accused of cozying up to a "dictator." Of threatening the very underpinnings of America's relationship with Europe. And of naiveté. Read More

New: The Trumping of US foreign policy

The United States’ presidential campaign, already long and tumultuous, will no doubt become even more so in the coming months, as the two parties’ nominees, now officially selected, face off ahead of November’s election. But voters will have a clear choice before them, especially with regard to foreign policy. Read More

New: Trump the traitor

If Donald Trump were to become president, the United States would have a problem with many dimensions. So would the world...

But most seriously and worryingly, the problem would be that the leader of the world’s leading power would have a catalogue of simplistic ideas in the place of a geopolitical vision. And it is a catalogue that, despite Trump’s promise to “Make America Great Again,” would undermine US prosperity and security. Read More

New: Donald Trump blasts 'incompetent' fire marshal for refusing to let more people into his rally but it turns out the guy is a local hero

Donald Trump may have picked the wrong guy to criticize at a rally in Colorado Springs. Read More

New: As Trump lavishes Colorado with attention, he faces resistance in GOP enclave

Conversations with more than two dozen voters here revealed a widespread ambivalence about Trump, underscoring the difficult climb he faces in turning this state red after it backed Barack Obama in the past two presidential elections. Read More

New: Donald Trump responds to the Khan family: ‘Maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say’

Donald Trump has spoken out about Khizr Khan, the father of a soldier killed in Iraq who issued a devastating critique of Trump at the Democratic convention. Read More

The Democrats' Republican moment

Over four flag-waving days in Philadelphia, Democrats stole the Republicans' mojo.

That's how many conservatives felt, at least, watching their opponent's pageant this week in Philadelphia. And it may be enough to sway some of them to cross the aisle on Election Day. Read More

The Only Way for Republicans to Save Their Party Puts Them in a Pickle

There is only one way for the Republicans to save their party. By voting for Hillary Clinton.

If Trump wins, its all over for the now-tarnished Republican brand. Trump will decimate its cherished policies for four years or more. Diehards will never be able to put it back on track. But if Trump loses... Read More

Clinton, Trump struggle for national security upper hand

In their struggle for the upper hand on national security, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are emphasizing strikingly different themes - he as the bold and cunningly unpredictable strongman who will eliminate terrorism; she as the calm, conventional commander in chief who will manage all manner of crises. Read More

Poll: Clinton, Trump in virtual tie in Missouri

With campaigning set to ramp up post-conventions, a new poll puts Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in a dead heat in Missouri. Read More

Donald Trump at Denver rally: 'I’ve got to win here'

Donald Trump launched a barrage of criticism against Hillary Clinton on Friday as he toured the state, verbally attacking her before huge crowds at his rallies and declaring on Twitter that she’s a “loose cannon with extraordinarily bad judgement.” Read More
Earlier in the week a Democratic Party figure described Trump himself as "a loose cannon." One of the criticism Republicans as well as Democrats have leveled at Trump has been his poor judgment. Sounds like the pot is calling the kettle black. 
Trump Admits the DNC Hurt His Feelings and Made Him Want to Lash Out

This week was a rough one for Donald J. Trump. Democrats and their like-minded friends spent four long days lobbing everything they had at him during their convention in Philadelphia. They painted the former reality TV star as uninformed, unhinged, and un-American. They also made fun of his business record, his alleged fortune, and his Twitter account. Read More

Ruth: Only one candidate sounds presidential

“I can do presidential,” Donald Trump said. So far, he hasn’t. Read More

Friday, July 29, 2016

On the Net: "9 Ways to Begin Reaching Your Community for Christ" and More


9 Ways to Begin Reaching Your Community for Christ

If you read this blog much, you know my heart for the nations that don’t know Christ. At the same time, though, Jesus called us to reach our Jerusalem – our community where we live – even as we go to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Here are some simple ways to move your congregation in that direction. Read More

3 Types of Legalism

Have you, as a Christian, ever been accused of legalism? That word is often bandied about in the Christian subculture incorrectly. For example, some people might call John a legalist because they view him as narrow-minded. But the term legalism does not refer to narrow-mindedness. In reality, legalism manifests itself in many subtle ways. Read More

3 Dangers of Preaching in a Digital Age

An integral part of ministry involves helping Christians recognize how our culture is forming us so we can intentionally pursue gospel-shaped formation in our cultural moment. Pastors must ask, “How can I help the church discern the forces of our culture?” We also must ask, “How do the forces of our culture shape the way I minister?” Read More

The Word of God and the Academy

The word of God was not written for the elites. It is not the property of the clergy, professors or the academy. God’s word is—as it has ever been—a word for his people. It belongs to the church. Read More

The Sacred Ritual of Church Suppers and Snacks

By honoring the gift of food, we honor the body of Christ. Read More

A Podcasting 'How To'with Carey Nieuwhof - Rainer on Leadership #246 [Podcast]

Carey Nieuwhof joins Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe to talk about the nuts and bolts of podcasting for pastors and church leaders. Lis Now

Discipling: A Conversation Between Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman [Podcast]

“If you say you’re a Christian, but you’re not helping other Christians follow Jesus, I’m simply not sure what you mean.” Listen Now

Goodbye, God Gap: Trump and Clinton Have Churchgoers Unusually Split

Plus here's what we know about evangelical Democrats. Read More

The Deep Roots of Our Hillary Hostility

A Clinton biographer and #NeverTrump third-party voter on why evangelicals are #NotWithHer. Read More

Pro-Life Democrats Struggle with Clinton Challenging Status Quo

Hyde Amendment joins Johnson Amendment in no longer being sacrosanct. Read More

Is There a Better Way to Fight 'Political Correctness'?

When language is a tool for coercion, nobody wins. Read More

How controversy over a march to celebrate the conversion of Russia highlights divisions in Ukraine

Controversy over a march to mark the anniversary of the conversion of Russia in AD 988 has highlighted the divisions in Ukrainian society following the loss of territory to its giant neighbour. Read More

Calls for an end to 'continuous massacre of Christians' in Nigeria

Nearly as many Christians have been murdered by Islamists in Nigeria this year as throughout the whole of 2015, latest figures show. Read More

2016 Presidential Election: Feds launch probe into Clinton campaign hacking; Trump ramps up his attacks on Clinton's character - UPDATED


New: Clinton campaign denies reports that its computer system was hacked

The Clinton presidential campaign said Friday that an “analytics data program” maintained by the Democratic National Committee had been hacked but that its computer system had not been compromised, denying news reports from earlier in the day that the campaign had become the third Democratic Party organization whose systems had been penetrated. Read More

New: Feds probing Clinton campaign hacking

The FBI and Justice Department are investigating a computer hack of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in addition to its examination of intrusions of other Democratic Party organizations, two law enforcement officials said Friday. Read More

New: Exclusive: FBI probes hacking of Democratic congressional group - sources

The FBI is investigating a cyber attack against another U.S. Democratic Party group, which may be related to an earlier hack against the Democratic National Committee, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Read More

New: Trump on 'lock her up' chant: 'I'm starting to agree'

Donald Trump on Friday abandoned his modest dismissals of the "lock her up" chants his supporters have aimed at Hillary Clinton.

"I've been saying let's just beat her on November 8th. But you know what, I'm starting to agree with you," Trump said.

The comments, which came in his first public appearance since Clinton ripped him in her speech at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night, marked an about-face for Trump, who in the last week has resisted joining in on his supporters' chants and instead urged them to channel their anger at the ballot box. Read More

Hillary Clinton makes history – and strives for unity

Hillary Clinton made history in accepting the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday. But to become president, she needs to overcome familiar challenges – most notably questions about her trustworthiness and warmth. Read More

How Hillary Clinton defined her historic moment

Her speech lacked the poetic sweep of the President Barack Obama's address Wednesday, but it was in keeping with someone who presents herself as a practical, dogged, policy-oriented striver who gets knocked down and then gets straight back up. Read More

‘Stronger together’ vs. ‘I can fix it alone’

How does one top a week of powerful speeches by Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama?

You don’t even try.

Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Hillary Clinton did not deliver the best address of this convention or even the runner-up. Instead she gave a solid, substance-laden, and highly effective acceptance speech to her fellow Democrats.

It never reached the rhetorical flights of fancy achieved by Obama the night before — but it didn’t need to. Clinton delivered rhetorical shot after rhetorical shot to Donald Trump as she laid out a clear vision for her presidency. Read More

'She found her voice tearing apart a wannabe president': the verdict on Hillary Clinton's speech

Hillary Clinton delivered a searing response to Trump’s dark vision of America at the Democratic National convention – but was that enough? Read More

Clinton speech soars - sometimes

Mrs Clinton, in an acceptance speech that occasionally soared and sometimes trudged along, did her best to frame the upcoming general election race in her favour. Read More

10 takeaways from the Democratic convention

Hillary Clinton accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night, casting herself as a uniter working for the common good and Donald Trump as a divider stoking fear for political gain.

It capped a Democratic National Convention designed to tell a new story about the most famous woman in American politics.

And it teed up the Democrats' frame for the election: Clinton's view of an optimistic, inclusive America ("Stronger Together") juxtaposed against Trump's vision of a country being ripped apart by terrorism, bad trade deals and a corrupt political system that he alone can save. Here are CNN's takeaways from four days in Philadelphia. Read More

Hillary Clinton dreams of wooing Republicans. So far, things look the way they always do.

No doubt annoying the Bernie Sanders delegates in the room to no end, the Democratic convention capped its four-night run with the most explicit appeal to Republican voters it has made all week.

There were speakers from Republicans for Hillary, and the nominee herself mentioned that appeal in her speech. "You heard from Republicans and independents who are supporting our campaign," Hillary Clinton said. "Well, I will be a president for Democrats, Republicans, independents, for the struggling, the striving, the successful, for all those who vote for me and for those who don't."

It's a smart play, for multiple reasons. But if Clinton actually thinks that Republicans will bail on Trump to support her, so far it doesn't really look like it's happening. Read More

At convention, Democrats struggle with stereotypes – of other Democrats

Young black women ready to 'Bern it down.' A teenage boy for Hillary. A middle-aged small-business owner for Bernie.

These are just a few of the fervent Democratic voters who don't fit into the stereotypes dominating the news right now.

While it's useful to see larger trends, such as white millennials for Bernie, there is a far more colorful mosaic of activists on the streets of Philadelphia. Understanding that diversity can help guard against the fear and mischaracterizations that arise between parties, or even within a party. Read More

Antics of Sanders’ backers rankles some black delegates

As most Democrats rally around Hillary Clinton, the lingering ‘‘Bernie or Bust’’ movement is stirring frustration at the party’s convention among delegates of color, who say they’re upset at the refusal of the Vermont senator’s most fervent backers to fall in line. Read More

Bernie Sanders: Is his 'revolution' now beyond his control?

The problem for the Clinton campaign, however, is that the Sanders "revolution" is refusing to acknowledge defeat. Read More

Trump says he would like to 'hit' DNC speakers who disparaged him

Donald Trump, after hearing speeches at the Democratic convention this week, said Thursday he wanted to "hit a number of those speakers so hard, their heads would spin.""They'd never recover," he said. Read More

Dozens show up to protest Trump in Davenport

The candidate spoke this afternoon, July 28, 2016. One specific group of protesters included the people with the League of United Latin American Citizens. LULAC said their message to Trump was simple. Read More

Thursday, July 28, 2016

2016 US Presidential Election: "Americans don't say: 'I alone can fix it,'" declares Clinton, "We say: 'We'll fix it together.'" - UPDATED


New: Touting Togetherness, Hillary Clinton Accepts Nomination With Promise to Heal Nation's Divides

Hillary Clinton, the first woman to lead a major American political party's presidential ticket, accepted the Democratic nomination Thursday night with an appeal for a more collaborative and unified nation in the face of domestic divisiveness and global uncertainty. Read More

New: Hillary Clinton: 'The sky's the limit'

Hillary Clinton beamed with emotion as she took the convention stage to become the first woman ever to accept a major U.S. party's presidential nomination. Read More

New: Democratic National Convention updates: 'When there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit,' Clinton says

The final day of the Democratic National Convention is over. Read More

New: Trump, Clinton to receive intel briefings despite opposition

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will receive their government intelligence briefing within days, even as each party argues the other's nominee is not worthy of receiving sensitive information, a US intelligence official familiar with the process confirmed to CNN Thursday. Read More

New: Clinton Campaign: Trump Needs To Guarantee He Won’t Leak Before Getting Briefed

“This isn’t a normal political story, and it’s not funny.” Read More

New: Trump comments raise new concerns about intelligence briefings

Donald Trump's entreaty to Russian hackers to find rival Hillary Clinton's deleted e-mails has renewed the debate over a decades-long tradition of providing major presidential candidates with classified intelligence briefings. Read More

Clinton makes play for those who fear Trump

The primetime lineup of military leaders and Reagan admirers could have been ripped from last week's GOP convention. Read More

Father of Muslim U.S. Soldier Killed in Combat Blasts Trump: Have You Read the Constitution?

The father of one of 14 American Muslims who died serving in the U.S. Armed Forces in the ten years that followed the 9/11 attacks, took direct aim at Donald Trump Thursday night during a speech at the DNC, suggesting the GOP presidential candidate brush up on the Constitution. Read More

The father of Muslim soldier killed in action just delivered a brutal repudiation of Donald Trump

Donald Trump was speaking at an event in Iowa, complaining that America was not allowed to waterboard terrorists, when Khizr Khan and his wife walked up to the microphone at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia. Khan's son Humayun Khan was a captain in the U.S. Army. When a vehicle packed with explosives approached his compound in Iraq in 2004, he instructed his men to seek cover as he ran toward it. The car exploded, killing Khan instantly. He was awarded the Bronze Star posthumously. Read More

Former Reagan speechwriter knocks Trump during Democratic convention

Doug Elmets, a former speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, admitted when he took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday that it was not an event he'd ever thought he'd attend. Read More

Four-star general trolls Donald Trump over torture

Moments after Donald Trump praised waterboarding at an Iowa rally Thursday night, retired United States Marine Corps Gen. John Allen passionately pledged "our armed forces will not become an instrument of torture" at the Democratic National Convention. Read More

Donald Trump threatens to ‘hit’ several DNC speakers 'so hard' over their critical speeches

Donald Trump is living up to his reputation as thin-skinned bully. At a rally in Davenport, Iowa on Thursday, Trump threatened to attack several of the Democratic National Convention’s speakers for their remarks against him. Read More

AP FACT CHECK: Trump's misreading of Iran deal

Donald Trump entertained an Iowa audience Thursday with an animated account of how he would have wrung a better nuclear deal out of Iran if he'd been president when it was negotiated. But there was more fable than fact in his story. Read More

Hillary donors to Bernie supporters: Shut up

Rich Clinton backers, who were targeted during the Democratic primary, are tired of their antagonists’ antics. Read More

Angst in Bernie ranks over push to exit Democratic Party

Efforts by some Bernie Sanders supporters to organize an exodus from the Democratic Party have not only agitated party leaders but caused tensions inside the Sanders ranks – with some worried the latest effort to split from the establishment is a step too far. Read More

A new poll gives Clinton a big lead in Trump’s must-win Pennsylvania

The short version of the story is that Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by nine points, both in a one-on-one contest and when the field is expanded to include Libertarian Gary Johnson and the Green Party's Jill Stein. That's in line with an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll taken earlier this month, but it's a bit bigger than the current average of Pennsylvania polls. Is this stable? Hard to say. Is it affected by the convention? Same. Read More

Trump Could Win Pennsylvania, May Not Debate, Rendell Says

Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell said Thursday he’s skeptical that Republican Donald Trump will take part in the three debates against Democrat Hillary Clinton scheduled for this fall. “He not only doesn’t put any meat on the bones, I think if you asked him for specifics he couldn’t tell you, and that’s why I think he may duck the debates,” Rendell, a Democrat, said at a Bloomberg breakfast in Philadelphia during his party’s national convention. Read More

Republican security experts request congressional investigation of DNC hack

Two dozen Republican national security experts signed a letter to congressional leaders Thursday asking for an immediate investigation into the cyberattack on the Democratic National Committee, writing that “this is not a partisan issue” but rather “an assault on the integrity of the entire American political process.” Read More

Donald Trump is a unique threat to American democracy

Donald J. Trump, until now a Republican problem, this week became a challenge the nation must confront and overcome. The real estate tycoon is uniquely unqualified to serve as president, in experience and temperament. He is mounting a campaign of snarl and sneer, not substance. To the extent he has views, they are wrong in their diagnosis of America’s problems and dangerous in their proposed solutions. Mr. Trump’s politics of denigration and division could strain the bonds that have held a diverse nation together. His contempt for constitutional norms might reveal the nation’s two-century-old experiment in checks and balances to be more fragile than we knew. Read More

Trump and the Oligarch

He claims no ties to Russia. Here’s how he made millions from one of its wealthiest men. Read More

Trump's missed opportunity

Overall, this was an evening aimed squarely at a narrow audience, namely the GOP base. There was next to nothing presented in terms of ideas that might appeal to independents and moderates, whom Trump will need to win. In this sense the evening was a failure. Most importantly, what was missing Tuesday night was any discussion of policy ideas or proposed solutions that a President Trump would offer -- a squandered opportunity for the candidate and his party. It was a night long on anger and short on answers. Read More

On the Net: "Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit" and More


Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit

What does it mean to grieve the Holy Spirit? Read More

Apostasy and Backsliding Look Alike

Since you can’t tell where apathy will lead—whether to apostasy or back-sliding—and because both are very undesirable for us, then apathy should never be relativized, but rather it should be quickly dealt with. Read More

Doubt and Assurance

The quest for full assurance of salvation has long plagued the people of God. Many Christians place their faith in Christ alone for redemption but still live with doubts about their standing before God. For these dear saints, the tension between doubt and assurance can be crippling. Read More

5 Points on Decision Making as Leaders

Leaders are decision makers. Period. Whatever the time of year and season of life, lots of decisions are probably on your desk or in your to do list waiting to be pushed forward. It’s something we must do. Constantly. So here are 5 points to help you with making leadership decisions. Read More

The Costly Discipline of a Godly Pastor

We who are ministers and shepherds in the Lord’s church must maintain this same priority at all times. We, too, must discipline ourselves for godliness. We must keep our minds pure and our hearts clean. We must keep our souls unstained and our lives holy. We must be, as M’Cheyne said, “A pure instrument in the hand of God.” We must be a battle axe that is sharp and fit for our Master’s use. Read More

5 Ways to Lose Your Ministry

It is deeply tragic when ministry leaders lose their ministry, when sin sidelines them for a season. Not only is it painful for the leader, but also it is painful for the people who have been impacted and influenced through their leadership. Because sin is always crouching at the door and because Satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking to devour, we shouldn’t be surprised when great leaders implode. We should grieve, pray, and love, but we shouldn’t think ourselves better. In fact, here are five ways to lose our own ministries. Read More

8 Reasons Why Many Pastors Don't Like Pastoral Care

Let’s face it, church leaders. Some of us much prefer preaching over pastoral care. Others love pastoral care, but not all of us. Some do it because our role demands it, but that doesn’t mean we always enjoy it. If that’s who you are, use this post to check your heart. You might even be honest with your church and ask them to pray for you about this responsibility. Consider these reasons some of us don't love this role. Read More

7 Tips for Seeking Peace with African Americans

Race relations are complicated and understanding goes a long way. Read More

The Ethics of Missionary Strategy

Do you have an ethical ministry strategy? I’m guessing most people have never asked this sort of question. What does strategy have to do with ethics? Read More

3 questions to ask before considering long-term missions

Those considering long-term missions should ask the following questions to minimize the dangers of rushing in unadvisedly, and the answers received should be the result of prayer, counsel, and searching the Scriptures. Read More

Porn Is More Criticized and More Popular Than Ever

There are so many problems with porn; it’s hard to pick just one. Read More

Christians to Science: Leave Our Bodies How God Made Them

Pew examines how US religious groups feel about the ways that biomedicine can enhance human abilities. Read More

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

2016 US Presidential Election: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride* - FURTHER UPDATES


New: Hillary Clinton's challenge: Igniting excitement

Hillary Clinton's allies did everything in their power to set up her big moment Thursday night. Now it's up to her to deliver. Read More

New: Can Clinton meet the moment?

She’s not a natural at this, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Read More

New: Pressure's on Hillary Clinton after Obama's grand-slam speech, Trump's errors

It would have been a good speech, even for the oratorically gifted Obama, under any circumstances. But coming just six days after Trump delivered the darkest, angriest, scariest, vainest acceptance speech in modern presidential history, it was devastatingly effective.' Read More

New: Clinton Is ‘Sane’ And ‘Competent,’ Unlike Trump, Bloomberg Tells U.S.

The billionaire ex-Republican, who has endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, made the case that Trump’s career is characterized by a litany of collapses and missteps, and that the Republican presidential nominee’s boasts don’t match reality. Americans who want a great businessperson in the White House should look for someone who isn’t Trump, Bloomberg said. Read More

New: Opinion: DNC hack requires swift, forceful response from Washington

President Obama and other Western leaders need to send a strong and lasting message to Moscow that meddling in democratic institutions is off limits. Read More

New: Donald Trump’s Call for Russia to Hack the U.S. Might Be a Felony

The GOP nominee says all kinds of crazy things on the campaign trail. But this one could open him up to prosecution—if the Department of Justice was really willing to go there. Read More

New: Donald Trump's admiration for Vladimir Putin is trouble

Trump has long been fascinated with Russia and, before its dissolution, the Soviet Union. Read More

New: Trump & Russia: Campaign Will Not Release Tax Returns [UPDATED]

On the heel of revelations the Russian government has been both using paid internet trolls to support Trump in addition to hacking the DNC and manipulating metadata to release emails to Wikileaks to damage Hillary Clinton, Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort told CBS News this morning Donald Trump will not release his tax returns for public inspection. This refusal not only breaks tradition with every major party candidate in recent history (since 1976) but also contradicts Trump’s previous attack on Mitt Romney in 2012 for engaging in identical behavior. Read More

New: Trump: I Was Being Sarcastic When I Asked Russia to Hack Hillary

In an interview on Fox & Friends, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said that comments he made on Wednesday calling for Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails were meant to be a joke. Read More
But no one is laughing.
New: Trump: Putin’s ‘doing a better job’ than Obama

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump says Russian leader Vladimir Putin is "doing a better job" than President Obama. Read More

New: Melania Trump website scrubbed from internet

Melania Trump’s professional website was recently deleted from the internet, according to The Huffington Post. The deletion comes amid questions from the media about her degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. Read More

Trump goes it alone on Russia

His call for Moscow to find Hillary Clinton’s missing emails won him attention, but his foreign policy found few supporters on either side of the aisle. Read More

Trump denounced for suggesting Russians should hack Clinton email + video

Military and national security figures strongly condemned Donald Trump for his comments on Wednesday in which he appeared to suggest that Russians should hack Hillary Clinton's email. Read More

GOP Figures Disgusted By Trump Urging Russian Cyberattack

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, whose eventual electoral domestication seems to be forever around the next corner, pivoted back in the direction of the surreal and reprehensible Wednesday morning at a press conference in Doral, Florida. And once again, Trump is taking fire from fellow Republicans in a way that shatters all precedent, as disaffected conservatives receive one more sign that their party’s nominee is catastrophically unfit for office. Read More

Democrats accuse Trump of disloyalty over Clinton emails

Donald Trump appeared to call on Russian intelligence agencies Wednesday to find 30,000 of Hillary Clinton's deleted emails, adding a stunning twist to the uproar over Moscow's alleged intervention in the presidential election. Read More

Fact check: Trump’s presser on Clinton emails, Putin and more

Donald Trump made several false and misleading statements in an hourlong press conference Wednesday — on Bernie Sanders, Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton’s emails and more. Read More

On second thought, better to hail Mother Russia, Trump

William Inboden, a former National Security Council member under President George W. Bush, told Politico: "Trump's appeal for a foreign government hostile to the United States to manipulate our electoral process is not an assault on Hillary Clinton, it is an assault on the Constitution." Read More

McAuliffe fuels new distrust of Clinton over her position on trade

Gov. Terry McAuliffe fueled new distrust of Hillary Clinton among liberal Democrats this week with a declaration that the presidential nominee was likely to reverse her position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership after the election. Read More

What's the deal with Terry McAuliffe saying Clinton will flip on TPP?

On Tuesday night, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe gave a glowing speech about his friend, former secretary of Sate Hillary Clinton. There was only one problem: He seemed to suggest that she’d reverse her opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal if she became president. Read More

An Unforced Error

Terry McAuliffe accidentally fueled the perception that Hillary Clinton merely follows the trade winds on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Read More

Clinton friend McAuliffe says Clinton will flip on TPP, then walks it back

Terry McAuliffe tells POLITICO the Democratic nominee will support a deal with tweaks that Sanders' supporters hate. But the Clinton campaign calls the comments 'flat wrong.' Read More
* Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is a "dark ride" at Disney Land. It is a fitting description for how this year's presidential election is unfolding for the American voter.

On the Net: "A Beginner’s Guide to ‘Free Will’" and More


A Beginner’s Guide to ‘Free Will’

The human will is free when it is not in bondage to prefer and choose irrationally. It is free when it is liberated from preferring what is infinitely less preferable than God, and from choosing what will lead to destruction. Read More

Taking Back Christianese #3: “God is Always Pleased with You”

Our purpose in this post (as in all the posts in this series) is simply to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of this phrase. We will do this by asking three questions: (1) Why do people use this phrase? (2) What is correct or helpful about this phrase? and (3) What is problematic about this phrase? Read More

3 Ways to Understand Jesus and the Old Testament

Because Jesus didn’t make an obvious appearance in the Old Testament (OT) and is introduced in the New Testament (NT), Christians sometimes wonder how to connect the OT with Him. In other words, what relationship does Jesus have to books written hundreds of years before He was born? There are several ways to discuss this, but here are a few to get you thinking. Read More

What Do You Think About Pope Francis?

Wherever you land in your opinion of him, here are five traits essential to understanding Pope Francis. Read More

Why You Should Use Stats in Ministry

Facts are our friends, and so are stats. Read More

Seven Reasons for Not Considering Office Hours for Ministerial Staff

I’ve never liked the idea of requiring office hours for pastors and ministry staff. Ministry demands a “go” mentality. It’s hard to go when you have to sit at a desk all day. Assuming you have at least one person in a support role to answer phones and greet walk-ins, then you likely don’t need to require staff to have office hours. Here are a few reasons why I don’t require office hours for ministry staff. Read More

7 of the Hardest People to Lead

Often personalities, experiences and preferences negatively impact a person’s ability to be led effectively. Read More

10 Questions to Evaluate If You Have an Anger Problem

In my years of working with church leaders, I’ve seen two common problems: lust/pornography and anger. As a believer, I’ve dealt with both issues personally, and I know both the brokenness of the ongoing battle and the sweetness of daily, long-term victory. Read More

Attitudes of a True Shepherd

Caring for the wounded is the church’s loving duty to her own. Read More

5 Reasons to Host a Q&A After Your Worship Service

For many years I did a question-and-answer session after each worship service. At the end of the service, just before the benediction, I would say, “Anyone who would like to ask a question about something in the sermon, or in the service, or about our church or Christianity in general—you are invited to stay and ask me those questions. Immediately after the postlude, we will conduct a 40-minute Q&A session right here down in front of the podium.” Read More

6 Times When Prayer Isn’t Enough

If you are doing these six biblical commands, dedicate yourself to prayer and call on God on behalf of our nation. Read More

5 Current Views of Discipleship

“What do you mean by discipleship?” Read More

Who's backing Trump and who's for Clinton? The battle for evangelical endorsements

Endorsements from leading evangelical pastors and opinion-formers are prized, because they can influence the followers of these Christian leaders. "So-and-so thinks Trump is a good guy? Well, maybe he's right." Read More

Vice-President Kaine? Find out six facts about his faith

What can we learn about the Virginia's senator's religion and what influence it would have should he become the next vice-president? Read More

Pakistan: Christian students face 'victimisation and religious persecution'

The Punjab government in Pakistan has launched an inquiry into allegations that Christian students are coming under pressure to convert to Islam. Read More

US Presidential Election: Trump's Latest Remarks a National Security Issue--FURTHER UPDATES


New: 'Treason'? Critics savage Trump over Russia hack comments

Donald Trump's call on Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's emails has shocked, flabbergasted and appalled lawmakers and national security experts across the political spectrum, with some describing his comments as "treason." Read More

New: Trump's Political Patron

Donald Trump is openly encouraging Russia to commit espionage against the U.S. How else might he allow Vladimir Putin to sway this election? Read More

New: What Did Trump Mean When He Said Putin Used the "N-Word" and Doesn't Respect Obama?

Donald Trump gave a wide-ranging and bizarre press conference on Wednesday that the Washington Post described as “falsehood-laden.” Getting the most attention out of the event was Trump’s request that Russia hack and release some of Hillary Clinton’s emails from her time as secretary of state. But perhaps even more bizarre was another portion of the event in which Trump made a puzzling reference to Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama, and “the N-word.” Read More

New: Donald Trump invites Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's emails

Donald Trump dared a foreign government to commit espionage on the U.S. to hurt his rival on Wednesday, smashing yet another taboo in American political discourse and behavior. Read More

New: Trump urges Russia to hack Clinton’s emails

Democrats prepared to use their convention Wednesday night to raise fresh doubts about Donald Trump’s fitness to serve as commander-in-chief as the Republican presidential candidate called on Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton’s email server to find “missing” messages and release them to the public. Read More

New: Donald Trump’s falsehood-laden press conference, annotated

On Wednesday, Donald Trump held a press conference in Florida, focused largely on questions about his possible relationships with Russian business interests. True to form, the conversation ranged much more widely than that, resulting in enough misrepresentations and falsehoods that we decided to simply post the full transcript and annotate what Trump said. Read More

New: Democrats Fear Cyber 'October Surprise' That Could Sink Clinton

Now that U.S. authorities are confident Russian intelligence agencies are behind the hack of Democratic Party emails, political operatives and cybersecurity experts tell NBC News they are bracing for an "October Surprise" -- a release of even more potentially damaging information timed to influence the outcome of the presidential election and the course of the next administration. Read More

New: As Democrats Gather, a Russian Subplot Raises Intrigue

An unusual question is capturing the attention of cyberspecialists, Russia experts and Democratic Party leaders in Philadelphia: Is Vladimir V. Putin trying to meddle in the American presidential election? Read More

Democratic National Convention: Obama, Biden, Kaine take aim at Trump

Top Democrats leveled a series of attacks on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday, previewing part of what they plan to do Wednesday night to tout Hillary Clinton’s fitness to serve as commander-in-chief. Read More

Obama and Biden tag-team to slam Trump on foreign policy

With both men set to take the stage Democratic National Convention stage Wednesday night in Philadelphia, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden spent the morning hammering Donald Trump. Read More

Now Hillary Clinton has to even out her contradictions

Hillary Clinton has been a national political figure for a quarter-century, longer than any presidential candidate. Yet contradictions and conflicting portraits of her persist. Read More

A historic night for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party

Hillary Clinton on Tuesday became the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party on a historic night during which her campaign also sought to reintroduce her to skeptical voters and calm continuing tensions here. Read More

Bill Clinton Makes The Case For The 'Best Darn Change-Maker' He Has Met

If the first day of the Democratic National Convention focused on Bernie Sanders, the second day focused solely on Hillary Clinton. Read More

US election: Bill Clinton backs 'best friend' Hillary to lead US

Former US President Bill Clinton has set out the case why his wife and "best friend" Hillary should lead the nation. Read More

Sanders struggles to unite his ‘political revolution’ behind Clinton

Party disunity overshadows Democratic convention as Bernie fans boo their own man. Read More

How Sanders Delegates Organized a Walkout Under Everyone's Nose

The walkout, which came as Sanders personally moved to nominate Hillary Clinton by acclimation, left hundreds of seats on the convention floor empty. It came after protests from Sanders delegates seemed to be fizzling out, thanks to personal pleas from Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, among others. Read More