Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says he would do whatever was needed to keep the country safe amid the coronavirus pandemic even if that meant shutting down the country. Biden made the comment in an interview with ABC. The interview airs Sunday night, but clips were provided Friday.

Biden says, "I will be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus." He adds that if scientists recommended shutting down the country, "I would shut it down."

President Donald Trump spent the week of the Democratic National Convention forsaking what has historically been an incumbent's greatest advantage: He's in the job his challenger wants. Traditionally, an incumbent would devote the week of his rival's convention to bolstering his own credentials as a leader.

But rather than focusing on his command of the job or using its power, Trump hit the campaign trail, where he flouted his own administration's pandemic safety guidance and expressed gratitude for support from adherents to an extremist conspiracy theory, QAnon.

It was a consequence of Trump's unwillingness to share the limelight, but also a necessary attempt to shift the November campaign from a referendum on his job performance to a choice between himself and Joe Biden. Ten weeks out from Election Day, as the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged Trump's reelection chances, aides have recognized that a vote on his presidency is not one he is likely to win. (AP)

The future of the Supreme Court is on the line, though it would be hard to tell from the Democratic National Convention that just concluded. There was a fleeting glimpse of a younger Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a brief reference to the court by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York and a mention of it by Ayesha Curry, in a segment with NBA star Stephen Curry and their two daughters.

Neither Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden nor vice presidential running mate Kamala Harris said a word about the high court in their acceptance speeches. By contrast, President Donald Trump and other Republican candidates rarely miss a chance to talk up Trump's more than 200 federal court appointments, including Supreme Court justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, with the prospect of more seats to fill in a second term. (AP)

Wisconsin election officials Thursday decided to keep rapper Kanye West off the battleground state's presidential ballot in November because his campaign turned in his nomination papers moments after the deadline, the Associated Press reported.

West announced in July he is running for president on a ticket he calls the "Birthday Party". He has been gathering signatures to get on the ballot in several states.

Democrats allege that Republicans are pushing West's candidacy in several swing states to siphon Black votes away from Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Wisconsin is expected to play a key role in deciding the election after President Donald Trump narrowly won the state in 2016.

After nearly five decades in national politics and in his third run at the presidency, Joe Biden accepted his party’s nomination Thursday with one of the most forceful speeches of his career — given to a dark and empty room, save for a smattering of journalists who watched him live as he addressed the nation by camera.

It was a final, surreal scene in an extraordinary virtual Democratic convention week that showcased a party unified around Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris — even as sharp differences remain below the surface. Here are seven key takeaways from an unprecedented gathering

Former President George W. Bush on Friday backed Republican Senator of Maine in his first public endorsement of the 2020 election cycle, the Associated Press reported.

Bush has largely stayed out of the political fray since he left the White House in 2009. Collins, the centrist senator, has become a top target for Democrats, who cast her as an enabler of President Donald Trump's agenda, even though she said she votes against him more than any other GOP senator and distances herself from his more controversial statements and policies. Collins worked with Bush when he was president and served as the first chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Trump has not endorsed the Maine senator, whose race is among a handful critical to Republicans' hopes of keeping control of the Senate, where the have a 53-47 advantage.

US presidential candidate Joe Biden and closely allied Democratic groups raised $70 million during their foru-day convention this week, Biden's election campaign said, reported Reuters. The convention's broadcasts drew 122 million views across digital platform livestreams and attracted 85.1 million to television broadcasts, the campaign said in an email. Republican President Donald Trump's campaign and closely allied groups pulled in $165 million during the political fundraising month of July, more than Biden's $140 million, Trump's campaign said earlier this month.

Previewing themes for next week's Republican Party convention, Vice President Mike Pence promised a heavy focus on GOP support for law and order as he drew a contrast with Democrats for a "negative" tone at their gathering and failure to acknowledge violence plaguing some US cities. "We're going to make sure that the American people see the choice here," Pence said.

President Donald Trump and Pence have blamed outbreaks of violence on a radical left, which they have sought to associate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, as emblematic of the type of agenda they would pursue if elected. (AP)

US President Donald Trump reacted to his Democratic rival Joe Biden's acceptance speech with a subdued and succinct tweet, terming the former vice president's address as "just words".

On the final day of the four-day virtual Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, Biden, 77, officially accepted the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. "In 47 years, Joe did none of the things of which he now speaks. He will never change, just words!" Trump tweeted his first reaction to Biden's acceptance speech on Thursday.

This was in sharp contrast to a barrage of all-caps tweets the president fired as former president Barack Obama and Indian-origin Senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris spoke on Wednesday.

Taking a dig at Donald Trump, Democratic Party's presidential nominee Joe Biden took out a moment to thank Barack Obama for being a great president who the children could and did look up to but said the same cannot be said about the current occupant of the White House.

Biden made the remarks as he formally accepted the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party on the final day of the four-day virtual Democratic National Convention on Thursday night. In his nomination acceptance speech, Biden said, "speaking of president Obama, a man I was honoured to serve alongside for eight years as vice president, let me take this moment to say something we don't say nearly enough." "Thank you, Mr. President (Obama). You were a great president, a president our children could and did look up to. No one's going to say that about the current occupant of the White House," Biden said. (PTI)

Hours before the convention, Trump visited Scranton, Biden's birthplace, in the swing state of Pennsylvania, where he targeted the Democratic nominee. He highlighted a "half century of Joe Biden failing America," and told voters he had "abandoned" Scranton and Pennsylvania. "Biden spent the last half-century in Washington, selling out our country and ripping off our jobs and letting other countries steal our jobs. Mexico, China, all of them." Trump said.  

Both Trump and Biden increased their campaign expenditures in the month on July, reported Reuters. While Biden spent nearly $60 million, Trump disbursed nearly $65 million, according to disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission.

In his acceptance speech, Biden said, "The current president has cloaked America in darkness for much too long — too much anger, too much fear, too much division. Here and now, I give you my word: If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I will be an ally of the light, not the darkness." Read NYT's report on Biden's nomination here

Joe Biden is now addressing the Democratic National Convention. "If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I'll be an ally of the light, not the darkness. It’s time for us, for we the people, to come together. And make no mistake: united, we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America," Biden said. "With great honour and humility, I accept the nomination."

Republican Michael Bloomberg endorsed Joe Biden on the last day of the Democratic National Convention. Targeting Trump, the billionaire said, "I'm not asking you to vote against Donald Trump because he's a bad guy. I'm urging you to vote against him because he's done a bad job... And let me tell you a little secret. Trump's economic plan was to give a huge tax cut to guys like me, who didn't need it. And then lie about it to everyone else."

On the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention, several Democrats who challenged Joe Biden for the nomination, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker, spoke in praise of Biden's empathy and leadership. 

Joe Biden's children are introducing him, as he prepares to formally accept the Democratic nomination for US President. They introduce him with a film, which features Biden's son Beau, who passed away in 2015 of brain cancer. Biden's career has spanned nearly 50 years, his first presidential run 33 years ago.

Here's what former Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg said: "Just over 10 years ago, I joined a military where firing me because of who I am wasn’t just possible — it was policy. Now in 2020, it is unlawful in America to fire anyone because of who they are or who they love. The very ring on my finger reflects how this country can change.

“Every American must now decide. Can America be a place where faith is about healing and not exclusion? Can we become a country that lives up to the truth that Black lives matter? Will we handle questions of science and medicine by turning to scientists and doctors? What will we do to make America into a land where no one who works full time can live in poverty?" he asked. Buttigieg was previously in the race to be president on a Democratic ticket.

The 2020 Democratic National Convention was held virtually, with millions of people across the world tuning in to watch. The convention was streamed live on the Democratic National Convention website, and was also available on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. This ritual, dating to the 1830s, was held virtually for the first time this year. Read this explainer on how the coronavirus changed US political conventions, perhaps forever