Democratic National Convention 2016 Live Updates: How To Watch Obama Speech, Wednesday Schedule And Speaker Quotes

UPDATE: 11:43 p.m. EDT -- President Barack Obama said he is leaving the nation in good hands.

"Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me. I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me. Because you're who I was talking about 12 years ago, when I talked about hope," he said. "America, you have vindicated that hope these past 8 years. And now I'm ready to pass the baton and do my part as a private citizen."

UPDATE: 11:35 p.m. EDT -- President Barack Obama told Americans not to boo, but vote.

"We all need to be as vocal and as organized and as persistent as Bernie Sanders' supporters have been. We all need to get out and vote for Democrats up and down the ticket, and then hold them accountable until they get the job done. That's right, feel the Bern," he said.

His said his grandparents from Kansas didn't value braggarts or people looking for short cuts. They believed in people helping each other out. Their values, he said, "weren’t reserved for one race; they could be passed down to a half-Kenyan grandson, or a half-Asian granddaughter.”

UPDATE: 11:24 p.m. EDT -- Voters shouldn't believe Donald Trump's slogans, President Barack Obama told a cheering crowd Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention.

"We're not a fragile people. We're not a frightful people.....We don't look to be ruled," Obama said. "America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump."

He added, "The American dream is something no wall can contain."

UPDATE: 11:12 p.m. EDT -- President Barack Obama said Hillary Clinton was a tough competitor in the 2008 Democratic primary and a hard worker as his secretary of state. He called the most qualified candidate ever for the White House.

On the campaign trail, Clinton, "was doing everything I was doing, but … it was backwards in heels," he said.

In the Obama administration, she continued to fight for smart policy, he said.

"After all these years, she has never forgotten who has she is fighting for," he said.

UPDATE: 11:06 p.m. EDT -- President Barack Obama said after serving for two terms, he is more optimistic about the future while Republicans portrayed a dark and gloomy nation during their national convention in Ohio last week.

"The America I know is decent and generous," he said.

UPDATE: 10:55 p.m. EDT -- President Barack Obama walked on stage Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention to U2's "City of Blinding Lights." The crowd including Vice President Joe Biden stood and applauded him. They chanted, "Yes, we can." The event represents one of his of last major speeches to the nation before he leaves the White House.

"I love you back," he said.

UPDATE: 10:35 p.m. EDT -- Tim Kaine did his best Donald Trump Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention, poking fun of his lack of specific policy plans.

"You cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump's mouth," Kaine said.

UPDATE: 10:08 p.m. EDT -- Tim Kaine accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention. "We are all Americans," he said in Spanish.

UPDATE: 9:39 p.m. EDT -- Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg said neither Republicans or Democrats have all the solutions. But Bloomberg, an independent, said Hillary Clinton always heard him out when she was a New York senator, a quality the next president needs.

He said Donald Trump can't successfully run his businesses, let alone the nation.

"I'm a New Yorker, and I know a con when I see one," he said.

Clinton, he said, "understands this is not reality television. This is reality."

UPDATE: 9:20 p.m. EDT -- Vice President Joe Biden said the nation's daughters can grow up to do anything. He said Hillary Clinton is the only 2016 candidate who will always be there for voters.

"I know Hillary. She gets it. She knows," he said. "She is always there. She's always been there."

He remembered his son, Beau, who died in 2015 from brain cancer. "This is a bittersweet moment for Jill and me ... in 2008 our son Beau introduced me and placed my name into nomination. You got a glimpse into what a incredibly fine man Beau was," he said.

As he began to discuss Donald Trump, he begged the crowd not to boo or cheer. He said Trump "doesn't have a clue about the middle class."

"How can their be pleasure in saying, 'you're fired," Biden said of Trump.

UPDATE: 8:59 p.m. EDT -- Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was interrupted Wednesday by Democrats chanting "no more war" during the Democratic National Convention. During his speech, he blasted Donald Trump for urging Russia Wednesday to probe Hillary Clinton's emails.

"As someone who was responsible for protecting our nation from cyberattacks, it's inconceivable to me that any presidential candidate would be that irresponsible," he said.

He praised Clinton as a strong commander-in-chief.

"Hillary is the single most experienced and prepared person who has ever run for president," he said. "I have worked alongside 9 presidents, Republican and Democrat, all experienced, all believing in the US role in world leadership, and I can tell you this: In this election, the only candidate for president who has the experience, temperament, and judgment to be commander-in-chief is Hillary Clinton."

UPDATE: 8:38 p.m. EDT -- Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived a 2011 mass shooting in Arizona, said she learned in Congress that women "get things done."

"Speaking is difficult for me," said Giffords, who is still recovering from critical injuries stemming from the shooting. "But come January, I want to say these two words: Madam President."

Retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, her husband, told the audience: "If you want our legacy to be that we left our kids and grandkids a country with less gun violence, not more, then we need to make Hillary our president."

UPDATE: 8:10 p.m. EDT -- Democratic leaders called for gun control reform Wednesday night with stirring stories from victims of mass shootings and lawmakers who have fought to help them. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said he was outraged that nothing has changed since the Sandy Hook massacre in his home state in 2012. He recalled how he once filibustered for 15 hours to protest the lack of action on gun control.

"I've had enough!" he shouts. "And friends, it is time to take Washington back from the gun lobby!"

UPDATE: 7:59 p.m. EDT -- Film and television director Lee Daniels, who is black, said he and many members of his family had spent time in jail, but had persevered. He urged young voters, many of whom had backed Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, to embrace Hillary Clinton, who he called a strong advocate for gun control.

"For that millennial who comes from where I come from and doesn't think they have a voice, you do," he said.

UPDATE: 7:50 p.m. EDT -- A James Cameron-directed video at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night warned about the dangerous results of global warming and called on Americans to embrace clean energy. California Gov. Jerry Brown said afterwards that Hillary Clinton would "lead the clean energy revolution."

"Trump says global warming is a hoax. I say Trump is a fraud," he said.

UPDATE: 7:30 p.m. EDT -- Some of the nation's most prominent Democrats came out Wednesday to champion Hillary Clinton. Among them was former Maryland governor and Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley, who told the cheering audience at the Democratic National Convention: "I say to hell with Trump's American nightmare. We believe in the American Dream."

UPDATE: 7:05 p.m. EDT -- Senate Minority Leader disparaged Senate Republicans for insulting President Barack Obama and blocking legislation that would help Americans in recent years. He said their rancor resulted in Donald Trump's campaign.

"Trump knew that hateful rhetoric and dangerous policies are the way to win in today's GOP. But that's not how you win in America. And that's not how America wins in the world," he said at the Democratic National Convention.

UPDATE: 6:40 p.m. EDT -- TV personality Star Jones doesn't have any time for Donald Trump. She endorsed Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night while telling Trump, "Boy, Bye."

"As a former prosecutor, I like to deal in facts. Here's a fact: 'There has never been any man or woman more qualified for this office than Hillary, ever.' President Barack Obama said that. Here's another fact: Nobody else in the race has the same unique connection to women, children, families, and our day-to-day challenges. I'm saying that. And that's very different from some very loud, obnoxious, race-baiting folk on the other side, who I also know…Shade. Boy, bye," she said.

UPDATE: 6:20 p.m. EDT -- The White House released excerpts of President Barack Obama's Democratic National Convention speech. It reads:

"The America I know is full of courage, and optimism, and ingenuity. The America I know is decent and generous. Sure, we have real anxieties – about paying the bills, protecting our kids, caring for a sick parent. We get frustrated with political gridlock, worry about racial divisions; are shocked and saddened by the madness of Orlando or Nice. There are pockets of America that never recovered from factory closures; men who took pride in hard work and providing for their families who now feel forgotten. Parents who wonder whether their kids will have the same opportunities we have. All that is real; we’re challenged to do better; to be better. But as I’ve traveled this country, through all fifty states; as I’ve rejoiced with you and mourned with you, what I’ve also seen, more than anything, is what is right with America. I see people working hard and starting businesses; people teaching kids and serving our country. I see a younger generation full of energy and new ideas, unconstrained by what is, and ready to seize what ought to be.

You know, nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office. Until you’ve sat at that desk, you don’t know what it’s like to manage a global crisis or send young people to war. But Hillary’s been in the room; she’s been part of those decisions. She knows what’s at stake in the decisions our government makes for the working family, the senior citizen, the small business owner, the soldier, and the veteran. Even in the middle of crisis, she listens to people, and keeps her cool, and treats everybody with respect. And no matter how daunting the odds; no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits. That’s the Hillary I know. That’s the Hillary I’ve come to admire. And that’s why I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as President of the United States of America."

Original story:

President Barack Obama came out of nowhere to block Hillary Clinton's presidential ambitions during the 2008 Democratic primary. Eight years later, he is expected to open wide the door to the White House for her in a rousing endorsement speech Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention.

Obama will headline the event in Philadelphia in what is expected to be one of his final major speeches as president to the nation. Other speakers include family members of mass shooting victims, Clinton’s vice presidential pick Tim Kaine and Vice President Joe Biden, who at one point considered running against Clinton in the 2016 race but ultimately decided to stay on the sidelines.

The third day of the convention opened at 4:30 p.m. Obama was scheduled to speak after 10 p.m. The theme of the night is "working together." You can watch the speeches at the DNC website live here. Bill Clinton addressed the DNC Tuesday night, while first lady Michelle Obama spoke Monday night.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the president spent weeks on his speech. Obama previously endorsed Clinton in June when she cinched enough delegates to unofficially become the Democratic presidential nominee after beating Bernie Sanders in California. He has been a vocal critic of Republican nominee Donald Trump, questioning his temperament and leadership abilities.

The full list of speakers includes:

-Erica Smegielski. Her mother, Dawn, was the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary and was killed during the 2012 mass shooting in Connecticut. She is now a gun control advocate.

-Felicia Sanders & Polly Sheppard. They are among the survivors of the Mother Emanuel Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015.

-Jamie Dorff. Her husband, Patrick Dorff, was an Army helicopter pilot from Minnesota who died while on a rescue mission in northern Iraq.

-Vice President Joe Biden

-President Barack Obama