Nero fiddled while Rome burned; POTUS golfs: Bernie Sanders

Top Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders launched a scathing attack on President Donald Trump at the opening of the Democratic National Convention, saying the Republican leader posed a threat to democracy in the US and his disregard for science had jeopardised the economy and the lives of Americans.

The four-day convention was initially scheduled to be held in Wisconsin but it began virtually on Monday amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Senator Kamala Harris is set to be formally nominated by the DNC as the first-ever Black as well as the firstever American of Indian and African descent as a vice presidential candidate by a major political party.

In his address to the DNC, Sanders said the future of American democracy and its economy is at stake. He urged the people to elect Joe Biden, 77, and his running mate Kamala Harris, 55, in the November 3 presidential elections.

"This president is not just a threat to our democracy, but by rejecting science, he has put our lives and health in jeopardy. Trump has attacked doctors trying to protect us from the pandemic, while refusing to take strong action to produce the masks, gowns, and gloves our health care workers desperately need," he said.

"The future of our democracy is at stake. The future of our economy is at stake. The future of our planet is at stake. We must come together, defeat Donald Trump and elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next president and vice president," Sanders said

/