Fox ends contract with Newt Gingrich ‘due to intense media speculation’
Obama and George W Bush speak at Dallas memorial service
Bernie Sanders officially endorses Hillary Clinton for president
3.03am BST
Jason Hill, a commercial banker, who is reluctantly supporting Donald Trump, asks about “perceptions around racism and bigotry and other issues.”
“What we strive for in our ideas and our principles are to provide for equal opportunities so that people can make the most of their lives,” Ryan says. “Those things are what animate our beliefs and our principles.”
2.53am BST
James West, a Staten Island Republican, who is undecided about voting for Donald Trump, asks Paul Ryan about post-partisanship being a “realistic goal.”
“As you know, it wasn’t my plan to become speaker of the House,” Ryan says. “For the firs time in six years, we got consensus on what we would replace Obamacare with… that, to me, was unifying.”
2.48am BST
I just don’t think we should be talking about dividing at all - I think we should be talking about unifying.
- Paul Ryan, of Donald Trump’s declaration that Black Lives Matter is dividing the nation
2.47am BST
Another audience question, this time from Heather Tarrant, a New York Republican, “do you know why we say” Black Lives Matter?”
2.29am BST
Father Michael Duffy, a Catholic priest and registered Republican, asks Paul Ryan about immigration.
“I don’t ask somebody for their documentation when they come to ask me for help,” Duffy says. “What can we do to make sure that we meet the basic human needs of the poor in this country, even if they are here illegally?”
2.26am BST
Mark Hudges, the man who was falsely accused by the Dallas police department of being a suspect in the assassination of five law enforcement officers at a Black Lives Matter protest last week, asks Ryan: “What are you going to do to make sure that guns don’t end up in the hands of people who don’t have some sort of mental disorder?”
“There is common ground to be had here,” Paul Ryan says. “We’ve got to get early intervention into people with mental illnesses.” Ryan cites a bill recently passed that revamps mental-health law.
2.22am BST
Paul Ryan dodges a question from Jake Tapper about whether he would have endorsed Donald Trump if he weren’t the speaker of the house.
“I do believe that I have certain institutional responsibilities,” Ryan says. “I think it’s important if I had not done that, I would have contributed to basically cutting our party in half… and I couldn’t do that.”
2.21am BST
“I’m disheartened with you and some of the Republican leadership because you haven’t fully gotten behind Donald Trump and his candidacy,” asks a paralegal from Staten Island.
“It’s important if you believe in core principles, you defend those principles no matter what,” Ryan says, of speaking out against Donald Trump. “He won the election. We are a bottom-up party, we are not a top-down primary,” Ryan says.
2.19am BST
The first question for House speaker Paul Ryan from the audience comes from Zachary Marconi, a Republican student who does not support Donald Trump.
“It concerns me when Republican leadership is supporting someone who is openly racist,” Marconi says. “How can you morally justify your support?”
2.11am BST
On the subject of Hillary Clinton, Paul Ryan tells Jake Tapper that he will continue to hound the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate after the FBI recommended not pursuing charges against her for her use of private email servers during her tenure at the State Department.
“I believe that she has gotten preferential treatment throughout much of her career, and she holds herself above the law,” Ryan says. “I would say that any other person that did something like this… they would be denied that kind of information.”
2.06am BST
We’re going to interrupt our coverage of Donald Trump’s rally in Indiana to join a CNN town hall with Paul Ryan, in which Ryan will talk about the party’s platform, its plans for the future and about the presumptive presidential nominee.
Moderated by Jake Tapper, the town hall will feature questions from voters and from Tapper himself on an array of issues.
1.54am BST
As Donald Trump speaks, Mike Pence launches into an anti-Clinton tweetstorm:
Hillary Clinton must NEVER become the President of the United States of America!
It would be "extremely careless" to elect Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States.
We will not rest until we elect @realDonaldTrump as the next President of the United States of America!
1.45am BST
Unclear what Donald Trump meant here:
Walls don’t have bathrooms and bathrooms are always tough.
1.44am BST
“Every once in a while, problems will happen, and we’re gonna take care of those problems. And they can be bad problems, but we are going to treat our police with respect, okay?”
“Since President Obama became president, almost 5,000 killings in Chicago, and nobody talks about it. Well we’re gonna start talking about it, because we have to make this a great country,” Trump says. “I was talking about the border, and I was talking about the wall - and we will build the wall, I can tell you, I can tell you…”
1.40am BST
“Let us resolve here and now that from this day forward we will unite we still stand together we will not regress, until we make this good man our next president,” Mike Pence says, introducing Donald Trump to Hoosier State voters.
“Wow. Wow. Whoa!” Trump says, apparently impressed by the fiery speech delivered by Indiana’s governor.
1.32am BST
“We are ready for a change in this state - we are ready to put a fighter, a builder and a patriot in the Oval Office of the White House,” Mike Pence says. “We are ready to make Donald Trump our president.”
“Donald Trump gets it. Donald Trump hears the voice of the American people,” Pence says. “Donald Trump knows that the boundless potential of the American people awaits, and we can make America great again!”
1.28am BST
More than an hour behind schedule, Donald Trump is appearing tonight with Indiana governor Mike Pence, a potential running mate, in Westfield, Indiana, at the Grand Park Events Center.
1.26am BST
Mike Pence seems happy...
Photo of @realDonaldTrump and @GovPenceIN right after their one-on-one meeting, from a source at the fundraiser. pic.twitter.com/9HbRPaPBOH
1.19am BST
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reportedly turned down a speaking opportunity at the NAACP annual convention in Ohio next week, according to the group’s CEO, Cornell William Brooks.
12.51am BST
Jill Stein, the Green party’s candidate for president, launched an epic tweetstorm criticizing Bernie Sanders’ endorsement of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton earlier today:
The anti-TPP, anti-corporate , anti-fracking, pro-Palestine, pro-marijuana, etc revolution is still going strong here in the Green Party.
If you don't want to vote for a war monger or racist billionaire, there are more options. The political revolution will keep going.
Many Berning hearts are breaking right now.
12.13am BST
The Log Cabin Republicans - a group of long-suffering LGBT Republicans who have pushed for reform within the GOP - have released a statement in response to the passage of what the group described as “the most anti-LGBT platform in the party’s 162-year history.”
The platform, which contains “opposition to marriage equality, nonsense about bathrooms, an endorsement of the debunked psychological practice of ‘pray the gay away,” according to Gregory Angelo, the group’s president, was finalized by the party’s platform committee earlier today.
12.07am BST
The insanely popular Pokémon Go is collecting users’ data and sharing it with anonymous third parties, Senator Al Franken of Minnesota said in a letter to the company’s CEO.
Related: Senator Al Franken demands Pokémon Go release privacy information
11.03pm BST
Video: Barack Obama and former president George W Bush spoke at the memorial service for five Dallas police officers who were killed last week earlier today.
10.38pm BST
The Colorado delegation to the Republican National Convention has long been one of the most vocal redoubts of opposition to Donald Trump in the Republican party. But emails shared with the Guardian reveal how divisive the conflict over Trump has become, with supporters of the GOP nominee comparing Never Trumpers to opponents of Jesus Christ and using a 12-year-old to make threatening phone calls to coax anti-Trump delegates into supporting him.
Related: Colorado's Republican delegates still don't like 'charlatan' and 'dirtbag' Trump
10.26pm BST
Nigel Farage, who spearheaded the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union and former leader of the right-wing Ukip party in the UK, plans on attending the Republican National Convention in Cleveland next week, although he has no plans to officially endorse presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
10.15pm BST
White nationalist David Duke, whose endorsement of Donald Trump became an issue in the Republican presidential primary, is reportedly mulling a run for Congress in his home state of Louisiana, according to the Daily Beast.
“I’ve very seriously set up an exploratory committee to run for the United States Congress against Steve Scalise,” Duke told the Daily Beast. “I expect to make a decision in a few days” ahead of the state’s ballot deadline on July 22.
10.03pm BST
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is having a banner day after former foe Bernie Sanders endorsed her campaign for the White House, with a new Reuters/Ipsos poll showing the former secretary of state extending her lead over presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to a 13-point advantage nationally.
The survey, conducted between July 8-12, showed that 46% of likely voters nationwide say that they support Clinton’s candidacy, compared to 33% who said that they support Trump. That’s a three-point jump in Clinton’s lead from the beginning of the month, with Clinton gaining a point and Trump losing two. A full 21% of voters, however, said that they do not currently support either candidate.
9.56pm BST
Sound the Veep Klaxon:
NEW: Sources tell me @realDonaldTrump will hold the public event to showcase his VP choice Friday
9.41pm BST
Massachusetts senator and liberal icon Elizabeth Warren has reportedly been offered a primetime speaking slot during the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia two weeks from now, a invitation that indicates that the senator will not be named as presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s running mate.
9.21pm BST
With former House speaker Newt Gingrich being floated as a potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Fox News has issued a statement declaring that its contributor agreement with Gingrich is officially over.
“Fox News Channel has mutually agreed to suspend its contributor agreement” with Gingrich “effective immediately,” according to a Fox News statement provided to CNN.
9.11pm BST
Donald Trump would be the only national leader in the world to dismiss the science of climate change should he become president, putting him out of step even with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea.
Related: Donald Trump would be world's only national leader to reject climate science
9.01pm BST
George W. Bush’s favorite dance number is, apparently, the Battle Hymn of the Republic:
LAURA: George, be on your best behavior.
GEORGE: Of course I will!
LAURA: No dancing.
GEORGE: ... pic.twitter.com/qNnyTWbe6i
8.54pm BST
Supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has intensified her unprecedented criticism of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, calling the candidate “a faker” who “has no consistency about him.”
8.30pm BST
Obama calls for blessings for the memory of the officers and for the country. He finishes and is applauded.
There’s a somewhat off-key performance – the organ is falling into minor - of Battle Hymn of the Republic.
8.22pm BST
Even those who dislike the phrase Black Lives Matter, Obama says, should be able to relate to stories about Alton Sterling, who always cooked enough for everyone, or Philando Castile, a gentle soul, “Mr Rogers with dreadlocks.”
8.17pm BST
Obama:
“If we cannot even talk about these things, if we cannot talk honestly and openly... then we will never break this dangerous cycle. In the end, it’s not about finding policies that work. It’s about forging consensus and fighting cynicism, and finding the will to make change.
8.12pm BST
Obama:
“I’m not naive. I’ve spoken at too many memorials during the course of this presidency. I’ve hugged too many families who lost a loved one to senseless violence. And I’ve seen how a spirit of unity born of tragedy can gradually dissipate...
8.04pm BST
Obama holds up the mayor and the chief, “a white man and a black man with different backgrounds, working not just to restore order... but working together to unify a city.”
“The Dallas police department has been at the forefront of improving relations between the police and community... the Dallas police department has been doing it the right way. So Mayor Rawlings and Chief Brown, thank you for your steady leadership, thank you for your powerful example.”
8.01pm BST
Obama says the officers must have objected to some messages from some protesters in the demonstration they were protecting. But they did their job.
.@POTUS to Dallas police: "We mourn fewer people today because of your brave actions." #DallasMemorial
I know that Americans are struggling right now with what we’ve witnessed over the last week,” Obama says. He mentions “the shootings in Minnesota and Baton Rouge,” the protests, and then “an act not just of demented violence but of racial hatred.”
“All of it’s left us wounded... and hurt. It’s as if the deepest fault lines of our democracy have been exposed and even widened... faced with this violence we wonder if the divides of race in America can ever be breached....We turn on the TV or surf the Internet, we can watch positions harden and lines drawn, people retreat to their respective corners... it’s hard not to think sometimes that the center won’t hold and that things might get worse.
But Dallas I’m here to say that we must reject such despair. I’m here to insist that we are not as divided as we say. I know this because I know America. I know how far we’ve come against impossible odds. I know we’ll make it because of what I’ve experienced in my own life.. and I konw it because of what we’ve seen here in Dallas. How all of you out of great suffering have shown us the meaning of perseverance and character and hope.
7.56pm BST
Obama “From the moment you put on that uniform, you have answered the call that at any moment, you may put your life in harm’s way.”
He talks about each of the officers who were killed.
7.49pm BST
Obama is speaking.
He greets the assembled dignitaries. The members of Congress. Then a laugh line:
Chief Brown, I’m so glad I met Michelle first, because she loves Stevie Wonder.
Sometimes the truths of these words are hard to see,” he says. “Right now those words test us, because the people of Dallas, people across the country are suffering. We’re here to honor the memory and mourn the loss of five fellow Americans, to grieve with their loved ones, to support the community, to pray for the wounded and to try to find some meaning amidst our sorrow.”
7.46pm BST
Here’s Brown, the police chief. He thanks the crowd.
Brown says he had trouble talking to girls as a teen. But he likes 1970s R&B. So he would say lyrics to get a date. Al Green. “I’d recite the lyrics to their love songs.” But if he fell in love “oh I had to dig down deep and get some Stevie Wonder.”
7.40pm BST
The Dallas police chief, David Brown, is introduced – and he’s given an enthusiastic standing ovation. He is the only one in the hall who keeps his chair, including the president.
Brown takes the lectern.
7.38pm BST
Bush makes a joke about one of the fallen officers being a “loyal Texas Rangers fan.” The crowd chuckles.
“Those wearing the uniform assume that risk for the safety of strangers... each new day can bring new dangers. But none of us were prepared or could be prepared... the shock of this evil has not faded...
7.32pm BST
Bush is applauded.
He thanks Cornyn. He says he’s “pleased” that the president and vice president came. “Today the nation grieves but those of us who love Dallas and call it home have had five deaths in the family.”
7.31pm BST
Former president George W Bush takes the lectern.
Bush has rarely made national public appearances since leaving office, although he did pop up in February on the campaign trail in South Carolina on behalf of brother Jeb.
7.31pm BST
Senator John Cornyn, the state’s senior senator, is next. He thanks the mayor, the police chief and the police department. The remark is applauded.
He introduces former president Bush.
7.22pm BST
A succession of prayers is followed by a performance of Total Praise by the interfaith choir. They’re at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.
7.15pm BST
First to speak is the mayor of Dallas, Mike Rawlings. He says “the soul of our city was pierced when our police officers were ambushed in a cowardly attack.”
He thanks people for coming. He vows to support the families and loved ones of the victims. “Today must be about unity,” he says.
6.59pm BST
Obama has been introduced. They file in.
6.52pm BST
The president is in Dallas. Here’s a live video stream of the memorial service where both he and former president George W Bush are scheduled to speak:
6.49pm BST
Also making a bid for Sanders backers: Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson:
“If you’re still feeling the Bern, and feeling burned, because the Clinton machine rolled over your ideals, there is another option,” he says.
If joining Sen. Sanders in the Clinton Establishment isn't a good fit, there IS another option... #afterthebern pic.twitter.com/b0rnrpBVea
6.46pm BST
The Obamas have arrived at Love Field in Dallas. Texas senator Ted Cruz hitched a ride on Air Force One for the occasion, as did House minority leader Nancy Pelosi.
During the flight, the president placed telephone calls to family members of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, according to a White House pool report.
6.19pm BST
Bernie Sanders, famous for not suspending his presidential campaign even after the math had abandoned him, still hasn’t suspended his campaign, a spokesperson tells the Atlantic:
Sanders spox tells @ckmarie: He’s still a candidate, he’s not dropping out https://t.co/BGbcqN1K6H pic.twitter.com/ZwOLF74CAR
That doesn't make sense https://t.co/NI3zgb0MgL
Dept of 'you're doing it wrong' https://t.co/xEKOWEKiEK
Uh wait... What? https://t.co/pIn7Unh8sU
Beyond parody https://t.co/CinnuU2CkF
Still a candidate, but endorsed his opponent? Like playing a soccer match, but shooting on your own goal? https://t.co/POtRTCd5FI
6.14pm BST
Trump tweets that Sanders “sold out” and “abandoned his supporters.” P.S.: join us! “We welcome you with open arms.”
Bernie Sanders endorsing Crooked Hillary Clinton is like Occupy Wall Street endorsing Goldman Sachs.
Bernie sanders has abandoned his supporters by endorsing pro-war pro-TPP pro-Wall Street Crooked Hillary Clinton.
To all the Bernie voters who want to stop bad trade deals & global special interests, we welcome you with open arms. People first.
6.08pm BST
Sanders replies to Trump’s accusation that he has “sold out,” reminding Trump that he backed out of a proposed debate with Sanders back in May:
Bernie Sanders, who has lost most of his leverage, has totally sold out to Crooked Hillary Clinton. He will endorse her today - fans angry!
Big talk from the same guy who was too afraid to debate Bernie in California. https://t.co/LVCjo0PKrN
Related: Donald Trump refuses one-on-one debate with Bernie Sanders
5.56pm BST
Sanders in email to supporters: "Today, I endorsed Hillary Clinton... I know that some of you will be disappointed" pic.twitter.com/sF9lu0IpiC
5.54pm BST
Donald Trump is flexing some rapid-response muscle, replying to Sanders’ endorsement of Clinton by pointing out that during the primary campaign, Sanders questioned Clinton’s qualifications for the job:
#CrookedHillary is not qualified!https://t.co/6qi7KTW43O
When this campaign began, I said that we got to end the starvation minimum wage of $7.25, raise it to $15. Secretary Clinton said let’s raise it to $12. There’s a difference. And, by the way, what has happened is history has outpaced Secretary Clinton, because all over this country, people are standing up and they’re saying $12 is not good enough, we need $15 an hour.
To suddenly announce now that you’re for $15, I don’t think is quite accurate.”
5.41pm BST
Next up: the president’s en route to Dallas, to appear in an hour or so with noted local George W Bush:
As is normal for presidential visit, huge police presence here in Dallas awaiting @POTUS @VP @FLOTUS. pic.twitter.com/gprxOL9TAs
5.36pm BST
The Clinton campaign is vetting retired four-star admiral James Stavridis as a potential running mate, the New York Times has first reported.
Also thought to be on Clinton’s short list: Virginia senator Tim Kaine, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and Ohio senator Sherrod Brown.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell confirms @maggieNYT @AshleyRParker scoop that Hillary Clinton is vetting retired 4-star admiral James Stavridis for VP
Per NYT, @HillaryClinton vetting Rumsfeld's former squash partner for VP (ht @DavidCloudLAT) https://t.co/KYLr7Z4boA pic.twitter.com/VcCqFvBiG1
5.34pm BST
Unity: easier said than done.
More Sanders fans leave as @HillaryClinton takes the mic, some of them in tears. pic.twitter.com/7MrfDQtHy8
Heckler starts yelling while Hillary speaks, Bernie puts up his hand to silence them and they stop. #nhpolitics
Dear Berneristas - the phrase you're looking for is "cognitive dissonance." Don't worry. It'll be fine. We'll all be fine.
Great line on Hillary/Bernie by @jeffzeleny: "This is an arranged marriage."
Sources close to Sanders told me this morning Sanders and Jane are "putting on a good face" but feel hurt that his campaign didn't succeed.
5.26pm BST
5.26pm BST
“We accept $27 donations too, you know,” Clinton said, referring to the impressively grassroots average donation contributed by Sanders backers during the primary season.
And it’s true: the digital fundraising manager for the Sanders campaign just pitched in:
Also, very nice of @HFA team to include $27 option on their main donate form: pic.twitter.com/dpSeATdLZd
5.25pm BST
Clinton address Sanders supporters directly:
Those of you “who poured your heart and soul into Senator Sanders’ campaign: Thank you. Thank you.”
I was proud of the campaign... it was a campaign about issues not insults... our country desperately needs your voices and involvement... we need to take back the senate and take back the house and make sure we have democratic governors and democratic state legislators. I’m asking you to stand with us... and keep working in the weeks, months and yes years ahead. You’ll always have a seat at the table when I am in the White House.
As Bernie will tell you, talk is cheap, we need to keep fighting to make sure everything we’ve stood for is real... this amazing country of ours is worthy of our best efforts.
5.18pm BST
Clinton campaign bought a special Snapchat filter for the Sanders endorsement.... pic.twitter.com/bGQodmmRhJ
5.17pm BST
Clinton picks up on George HW Bush’s characterization of trickle-down economics, by which tax cuts for the rich turn into new investments that power the economy and make it rain dollars for everybody, as “voodoo economics.”
Donald Trump is trying to bring that back, she warns:
5.11pm BST
Pick your gif:
Unity is hard pic.twitter.com/yX5wPmJ1vu
Hillary &
Barack &
Elizabeth &
Joe &
Bernie. pic.twitter.com/b48H2z51cB
5.07pm BST
Clinton tells the story of Seth Rich, a DNC employee shot and killed in a possible attempted robbery at the weekend in Washington, DC. She calls for getting “weapons of wars” off the streets.
Clinton says that to rejuvenate the economy, “we need to go big and we need to go bold. This isn’t a time for half-measures.”
Sorry Donald, if you’re watching. We’re not cutting the minimum wage, we’re raising the minimum wage. And we’re going to create millions of good jobs by making America the clean-energy superpower of the 21st century.
5.01pm BST
Clinton says she’s determined to stop “the tragedy, the tragedy of black men, and women and children killed in police incidents.”
She calls for national guidelines on the use of force by police officers, and better training on implicit bias.
4.58pm BST
Clinton:
“With your help, we are joining forces to beat Donald Trump... and build a future we can all believe in.”
THank you. Thank you Bernie for your endorsement, but more than that, thank you for your lifetime of fighting injustice. I am proud to be fighting alongside you, because my friends, this is a time for all of us to stand together. These have been difficult days.
Our job now is to see our progressive platform implemented by a Democratic Senate, a Democratic House and a Hillary Clinton presidency.
4.54pm BST
Clinton takes the mic:
“I cannot help but reflect how much more enjoyable this election is going to be because we are on the same side. Because you know what? We are stronger together.”
4.54pm BST
Sanders:
“Hillary Clinton understands that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths,” Sanders says. In contrast with Trump, he says.
4.46pm BST
“Hillary Clinton believes that we must substantially lower student debt” and make colleges tuition-free for the working class, Sanders says.
“Hillary Clinton believes” is his refrain. He’s so far working to build her up as a credible progressive, as opposed to highlighting the Trump threat.
I wish Hillary believed what you believe, @BernieSanders. But it just doesn't pass the laugh test.
Many Berning hearts are breaking right now.
Hillary is a faithful servant of the top 1%. We need to escape this trap where the political establishment supports corporate oligarchy.
4.43pm BST
“The last thing we need in America is a president who doesn’t care whether millions of Americans will lose access to the health care they need,” Sanders says.
He’s running through areas of specific agreement between them, from Medicare negotiating with the pharmaceutical industry on drug prices to the need to address income and wealth inequality, to tax policy to corporate inversions and on and on.
4.39pm BST
Sanders:
“Hillary Clinton understands that we must fix an economy in America that is rigged and that sends almost all new wealth and income to the top 1%...
4.33pm BST
Sanders:
“Republicans want us to forget where we were seven and a half years ago... our economy was in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression....
About 30-40 Sanders supporters just walked out on Bernie endorsing Hillary in a single line in front of the press
4.31pm BST
Sanders:
“During the last year, I have had the extraordinary opportunity to speak to more than 1.4m Americans at rallies in almost every state... and the profound lesson that I have learned is that this campaign is not really about Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders.. this campaign is about the needs of the American people and addressing the very serious crises that we face. And there is no doubt in my mind that as we head into November, Hillary Clinton is far and away the best candidate to do that.”
4.30pm BST
Sanders:
“I have come here today not to talk about the past but to focus on the future. That future will be shaped more by what happens on November 8 ... than by any other event in the world. I have come here to make it as clear as possible as to why I am endorsing Hillary Clinton and why she must become our next president.”
4.29pm BST
Sanders:
It is not enough to win the nomination... Secretary Clinton goes into the convention with 389 more pledged delegates than we have and a lot more superdelegates.
4.26pm BST
Sanders thanks Vermont. He thanks his volunteers and small donors.
There’s a very big American flag behind them. Sanders is at the lectern. Clinton is standing beside him – very close – smiling, nodding, clapping. So close it’d be hard to take a picture of one and not the other.
4.26pm BST
Hillary and Bernie live onstage - together at last pic.twitter.com/PuOeK2BWmW
4.24pm BST
Sanders speaks first. “Let me begin by thanking the 13m Americans who voted for me during the Democratic primaries. And thank you New Hampshire for giving us our first great victory!”
4.23pm BST
Clinton and Sanders are onstage together. Here’s that live stream again:
4.21pm BST
Two new polls suggest that the US electorate is clearly divided along demographic lines, writes Guardian US data editor Mona Chalabi:
In a survey that looked specifically at young Americans (1,965 adults age 18-30 were interviewed), Hillary Clinton appears to be struggling to win over former Sanders supporters. Only half of the young adults interviewed said they would now be voting for Clinton after their first choice of Sanders had dropped out of the race.
4.18pm BST
Stronger together / Bernie or Bust:
4.16pm BST
Representative Darrell Issa is questioning Loretta Lynch. He asks her if she took an oath and prepared for the hearing. Is that correct?
Yeah.
4.11pm BST
Guardian Washington bureau chief Dan Roberts is at the Sanders-Clinton rally. And finds an outlier:
4.06pm BST
“Donald Trump is focused on tearing us apart,” Hassan says. “Trump has demonstrated that he is temperamentally unfit to serve as commander-in-chief.”
“Unfortunately it’s not a surprise that senator Ayotte supports Trump for president, because at core they both agree on an agenda that will pull us backward.”
"Let's all give a big hand to my good friend and warmongering corporate sellout, Hillary Clinton!" - Bernie Sanders, in a few minutes
4.02pm BST
New Hampshire governor Maggie Hassan, a Democrat who’s running for the senate, seeking to dislodge Republican Kelly Ayotte (in one of six or seven good senate pickup opportunities for the Democrats), is addressing the crowd at the Sanders-Clinton event.
“The Trump-Ayotte ticket does not work for New Hampshire families!” she says.
3.57pm BST
The Sanders-Clinton rally is warming up. Here’s a live video feed:
3.53pm BST
In the ongoing political battle over LGBT rights, social conservatives bent but didn’t break as the Republican party drafted its 2016 platform Monday evening, writes Guardian politics reporter Ben Jacobs:
With the campaign of presumptive nominee Donald Trump relatively unengaged in the platform process, Republican activists from across the country spent Monday hashing out their differences on same-sex marriage and other thorny social issues ranging from transgender bathroom access to Internet pornography.
Related: From LGBT rights to porn, Republicans hash out their stance on social issues
RNC platform committee members now debating about whether to be as bold as Ted Cruz in naming gays & lesbians as particular targets of ISIS
RNC platform committee now voting on whether to strike specific mention gays and lesbians as victims of ISIS
RNC committee members who voted to keep mention of LGBT members as victims of ISIS in the platform pic.twitter.com/6xQgDQLiCO
3.47pm BST
Here’s Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin. He accuses Lynch of punting by accepting Comey’s recommendation not to prosecute Clinton. Of course before Comey’s decision, Lynch came under pressure to recuse herself. A Catch-22 for Lynch.
3.40pm BST
Goodlatte is prying at the seam of what FBI director Comey said about Hillary Clinton’s emails and what Clinton said publicly. The two versions contradict, as the RNC has starkly pointed out in a video:
3.36pm BST
Goodlatte notes that Lynch is a two-time federal appointee by Bill Clinton.
Why did you not see fit to recuse yourself from the emails case? Or appoint a special prosecutor?
3.33pm BST
Lynch addresses the FBI investigation of Clinton’s emails.
“As you are aware, last week I met with director Comey... I received and accepted their unanimous recommendation... and while I understand that this investigation has” attracted significant public attention, “as attorney general, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on the facts... I am extremely proud of the work” of the agents and prosecutors.
3.29pm BST
Lynch reads her opening statement. She says the justice department has offered aid in the fatal shootings at a Michigan courthouse Monday. “This incident follows on the heels of a series of devastating events,” she says. She names the five Dallas officers killed Thursday, as well as Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, black men gunned down by police last week.
3.24pm BST
Donald Trump, the branding king, accuses Bernie Sanders, the lifelong class warrior, of being a sellout:
Bernie Sanders, who has lost most of his leverage, has totally sold out to Crooked Hillary Clinton. He will endorse her today - fans angry!
I am somewhat surprised that Bernie Sanders was not true to himself and his supporters. They are not happy that he is selling out!
3.17pm BST
Conyers says he and Goodlatte are “on the precipice of legislation on policing reform.” He questions why they’re not working on that instead of holding a hearing about Hillary Clinton.
3.16pm BST
Here’s the ranking member, Representative John Conyers of Michigan. “It will not have escaped your attention that we’re in the middle of an election season,” Conyers says.
3.14pm BST
Goodlatte says Comey’s recommendation not to prosecute in the emails case “defies logic and the law.”
3.13pm BST
It appears it’s going to be, on the Republican side, an investigation of a possible conspiracy by Lynch-Comey-Clintons to exonerate Clinton in the emails case.
“The American people expect government officials to abide by the law like everyone else... that is not the case for former secretary of state Hillary Clinton,” says Goodlatte.
3.10pm BST
Lynch is seated. Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia begins. He starts in on the “murder [of] five police officers” in Dallas. He refers to the “tragic and fatal shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana last week.” He asks for a moment of silence.
3.06pm BST
Attorney general Loretta Lynch is testifying this morning before the House judiciary committee, where she is expected to face questions about her meeting last month with Bill Clinton, the FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails and other topics.
We’ll be listening in. Here’s a live video feed of the hearing:
1.52pm BST
Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the 2016 race for the White House. After a 15-month-long battle, Bernie Sanders is expected to endorse Hillary Clinton for president this morning at a joint appearance at a high school in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
In 2008, Clinton and Barack Obama traveled to the Granite State to lay to rest their rivalry. This year, New Hampshire is a hotbed of Sanders support (he won the primary by a whopping 22.4%) and a swing state. Local Democrats are excited.
Related: Bernie Sanders set to endorse Clinton after Democratic platform negotiations
pic.twitter.com/hqucVAAvHG
Just in: Ret Gen McChrystal tells me “I have not been contacted by #Trump campaign. If contacted I would decline consideration for any role"
Related: From LGBT rights to porn, Republicans hash out their stance on social issues
Continue reading...