- NOTE: Due to technical difficulties with Storify, we had to continue our live blogging efforts on the PBS NewsHour homepage.
- 8:47 p.m. ET | Now up: Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee
- 8:47 p.m. ET | Tammy Duckworth: “President Obama pushed for fairness in the military, listening to commanders as we ended ‘don't ask, don't tell’ and on how to allow women to officially serve in more combat jobs — don’t you think it’s time that we stopped being surprised that our American daughters are just as capable of defending liberty as her sons?”
“Barack Obama will never ignore our troops. He will fight for them. That's why he is my choice on November 6,” Duckworth said. - 8:43 p.m. ET | Duckworth: “Dad's work took us all over the world until he lost his job. It was a tough time. We used up our savings, moved into a studio apartment. But our family did the responsible thing and rolled up our sleeves. Mom took in sewing. My 55-year-old dad tried to find work. But at 15, I was the only one with a job—after school, for minimum wage. Thank God for the food stamps, public education and Pell grants that helped me finish high school and college.”
- 8:38 p.m. ET | Now up at DNC: Tammy Duckworth, former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
- 8:37 p.m. ET | Keenan: “We are ready to work hard, work together to re-elect President Barack Obama. We must do it because women deserve to make their own choices and determine the course of their lives. Don't assume that every voter knows what Barack Obama has done for the women in this country -- and don't assume they know the truth about Mitt Romney.
- 8:25 p.m. ET | Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America: “We cannot trust Mitt Romney to respect our rights. He would overturn Roe v. Wade and sign into law a wave of outrageous restrictions on a woman's ability to make decisions about her pregnancy. Mitt Romney would take away our power to make decisions about our lives and our futures. But there's one decision he cannot take away—and that's the one women will make on November 6.”
- 8:32 p.m. ET | “And I can tell you that (Obama) cares deeply about the next generation of young women in this country — his daughters, and everyone's daughters. President Obama had the courage to stand with Sandra Fluke. Without hesitation, he defended her right to tell her story. Shields and Brooks discuss Fluke comments:
- 8:32 p.m. ET | Nancy Keenan is the current president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. She is not seeking reelection in 2012.
In May, Nancy Keenan announced she will step down from her role as President of NARAL Pro-Choice America to make room for a new, younger leader. Read more: Head of Abortion Rights Group Will Step Down
Naral Pro-Choice America announced Thursday that its president, Nancy Keenan, will step aside at the end of the year.- 8:31 p.m. ET | On February 23 Judy Woodruff discussed with Nancy Keenan and other guests Virginia’s proposed law mandating women receive an ultrasound before abortions. Watch here:
Virginia Proposal Mandating Ultrasound Before Abortion Debated | PBS NewsHour | Feb. 23, 2012
Amid rising criticism, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell changed his stance on a bill that would require women to have a transvaginal ultrasoun...- 8:30 p.m. ET | Keenan: “I am proud to say that the Democratic Party believes that women have the right to choose a safe, legal abortion with dignity and privacy... We believe that rape is rape... And we believe that there's no place in that room for politicians—especially politicians who don't know how women's bodies work.”
- 8:30 p.m. ET | NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan arrives at the NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2012 Los Angeles Power Of Choice Reception on May 24, 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif.
- 8:29 p.m. ET | Now up: Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL
- 8:28 p.m. ET | Sorry for the tech hiccups, folks! For the live blog while Storify was down:
DNC Live Blog
8:22 p.m. ET Live in the PBS Skybox: Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine8:22 p.m. ET Now Playing at DNC: "Stronger Together Video: Reproductiv...- 5:51 p.m. ET | On the NewsHour tonight, Democrats aim to win the youth vote in 2012 and their effort to keep a ‘gender edge’ as November nears.
- 5:46 p.m. ET | Gwen Ifill spotted Biff from the Dave Letterman Show.
- 5:43 p.m. ET | The AP reports the national debt passed the $16 trillion mark -- more than $50,000 worth of debt for every man, woman and child in the United States. According to the article:
“The spiraling debt means that lawmakers and whomever wins the White House in November will have to pass legislation to raise the government's borrowing cap from the current ceiling of $16.4 trillion. Passing such legislation last year proved enormously difficult and the nation's credit rating suffered.”
Politico has this story on the debt: Debt to hit $16 trillion as DNC kicks off
Bad timing for Democrats: The gross national debt is set to hit $16 trillion Tuesday as the party’s convention gets underway, and R...- And Bill Flax with Forbes Magazine has this commentary: