thought jill would be the vice president here. gregg: corey lewandoski. great to see you. thank you very much. >> thank you. gregg: i'm gregg jarrett in for liz macdonald. you're watching "the evening edit" on fox business. have a great weekend. check out my boo >> announcer: a century-old amusement park that could be lost forever. >> we're dying on the vine down here. >> "our time is over." that's serious. >> announcer: a divided family on the verge of a painful split... >> no amusement park in the world has been owned by a family as long as this one. >> the family loyalties just tend to get disintegrated. it's just a pattern for disaster. >> announcer: ...and a reprieve from the governor. but will it be enough? >> it's the day after labor day. the amusement park's not open down there. my father is flipping in his grave right now. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ]

>> i'm jamie colby, in ocean city, maryland, an irresistible atlantic resort town known for its golden beaches and this historic boardwalk. now, the population may read 7,000, but more than 8 million visit every single year. and i'm here to meet a family that has a strange inheritance that's been an icon on this boardwalk for more than a century. hi, doug. >> hi. >> i'm jamie. >> nice to meet you. >> so nice to see you, too. your family really is so well known here. >> yeah, i'm afraid we are. yeah, we've been here a long time. >> a long time, indeed -- since 1890, to be exact. doug trimper's great-grandparents daniel and margaret trimper purchase two city blocks of oceanfront land. they start with a pair of small hotels but in 1902 decide to

risk everything on a new attraction. daniel wants to bring in a ride unlike any seen before in maryland. he orders a massive carousel from the herschell-spillman company. with a diameter of 51 feet, the merry-go-round is one of the largest built up to that point. how special is the carousel? >> it's pretty unique. there's 48 hand-carved animals on it, with real horsehair tails, and it has oil paintings around the top. i mean, it's just not the sort of thing that's made anymore. >> the carousel is originally powered by a steam engine, and rides costs a nickel. but those nickels add up. when daniel trimper dies in 1929, he leaves ownership of a thriving operation to his seven children, and they pass it on to theirs. under the third generation of trimpers, the park enters its golden era with the leadership of daniel trimper iii and doug's

father, granville. >> my father -- all he ever wanted to do was to run the amusement park. he was the youngest person in the planet's history to own and operate a ferris wheel. >> starting in the 1960s, granville upgrades the park's rides in both scale and theme. in 1964, he commissions a former ringling bros. art director to build a haunted house. granville later opens the trimper's wheels of yesterday attraction -- a fleet of vintage cars that includes a 1914 overland driven by the tv and movie comic jack benny. in the 1980s, he restores the famous carousel and erects the park's first roller coaster. >> he had big ideas for the amusement park. you know, that was his dream. the man was just crazy about amusement rides. >> over the next decades, profits keep climbing. but the park's success is an exception to the rule within the industry.

amusement-park historian jim futrell tells me that, since the 1960s, family-run operations like the trimpers' have become a dying breed. >> with the interstate highways and the shift to corporate theme parks, a lot of the family-owned parks fell by the wayside. >> what does a family-owned amusement park do with that kind of competition? >> well, i think you have to know your place in the market. >> trimper's did seem to know its place, trading on its rich history and tradition. >> no amusement park in the world has been owned by a family as long as this one. >> in the world? >> in the world. and these are rides that have been around for generations, and people come to these shore communities for generations. [ people screaming ] >> but nostalgia must compete with ever wilder thrill rides at bigger parks. trimper's attendance tumbles in the 1990s. then, at the turn of the 21st century, another challenge arrives in the form of another wild ride... the real-estate boom.

>> in that decade alone, 15 amusement parks closed throughout the country on the seashore just because the value of their land outstripped the value of the business. >> oceanfront amusement parks across the country are selling out for big paydays. coney island's vintage astroland takes $30 million to build condos. panama city, florida's, miracle strip goes dark in a $15 million deal. >> it's tough to say no to something like that. >> but granville, now in his late 70s and still park president, has zero trouble saying no. he'd much rather hold on tight to his family's boardwalk empire than cash in his tickets. and doug is a chip off the old block. >> you're making people happy, and the thing my dad liked the most about his job was sitting on that bench every night, watching people be happy. >> but after five generations, more and more trimpers share a slice of the pie. and some family members no

longer feel the amusement-park magic. we spoke with one shareholder, who wished not to be named, who told us some owners just feel the business no longer makes sense and think the time's come to sell. joe harrison, one of the trimper family attorneys, says this divide is a common theme among family business. >> trying to keep a business in a family for a long period of time is very difficult. the family loyalties just tend to get disintegrated. it's just a pattern for disaster. >> ownership of trimper's is now split among 7 families, with a total of around 22 stakeholders. doug says two of those families are becoming increasingly vocal about wanting to sell the park to cash in on the real-estate boom. how hard is it to have to deal with a family member who is only saying, "show me the money or else"? >> it was a probably the only thing in my father's life that really caused him any real anguish.

>> in 2007, the majority of the trimpers' family board of directors still want to keep the park open but find themselves backed into a corner. that's because the beachfront-development boom causes the park's property taxes to skyrocket. >> the new property-tax assessments came out, and i was like, "oh, my god," you know? "what's happened here?" our property taxes increased $500,000 at once. our annual profit generally ran, at that time, around $300,000, so it was a -- >> those numbers don't work. >> no, they don't work at all. >> that must have been sad for your dad. >> nobody wants to be the trimper to close the park. he said it wasn't gonna be him, and yet he didn't have any more answers. >> granville and doug know they better come up with some answers if this century-old amusement park is going to make it. >> do you have any idea how many children you have to spin in a circle to pay $1 million of taxes alone? >> that's next.

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>> announcer: now the answer to our "strange inheritance" quiz question.

the answer is "a," military training. >> in 2007, father and son granville and doug trimper are scrambling to keep open their family's century-old amusement park along the boardwalk in ocean city, maryland. the development boom has caused the park's property taxes to soar, making it impossible to stay in business. >> there's only a level of government spending that is sustainable by businesses before the businesses have no more to give. >> the tax hike ups the pressure from trimper family members who think it's finally time to get out of the amusement business and sell their valuable beachfront land. i don't get it, doug. you sell off the amusement business and you build condos and a shopping mall here, you're gonna make 10, 20, maybe

50 times more money! >> well, i believe that, but my whole family's always been in this business, and it was a legacy that it's we all feel an obligation to try and do our part to continue. >> what, then, about selling some of its attractions, like the wheels of yesterday or even that vintage 1902 carousel, to make way for new thrill rides? jim futrell, who's written a series of books on amusement parks, says some have done that. so, tell me the value of a park like this. >> some of the irreplaceable rides that they have -- you know, the antique carousel, the haunted house -- those things you don't find anymore. they're really living pieces of history. back in the 1980s, they took off as a collectible, and you saw a lot of parks that, at that time, were kind of struggling see that as a way to raise some quick cash. >> collectors have always been especially interested in the ride that put trimper's on the map.

oh, my goodness. only two dozen herschell-spillman carousels are still spinning today, and just five of those include a unique menagerie like the trimpers'. >> what is really wonderful about these rides is that each one of these was carved by a person. so, there is blood, sweat, and tears in each one of these animals. >> and what's this? >> this is a hippocampus. >> a what? >> it's a hippocampus. it's essentially a sea monster. >> is it more valuable because it's so rare? >> i've only known about one or two of these to actually be auctioned off. it could easily go probably six figures back at the peak -- >> six figures?! >> back at the peak of the collecting craze. >> in the end, selling the carousel would be giving up on the trimpers' family legacy, and granville refuses to do that just yet. but he does realize change is needed. and so granville, who had been the heart and soul of the trimper operation since the 1960s, puts doug at the

controls. >> my dad was getting on in years and ill at the time that this happened. i was the next in line to do it, so just started doing what had to be done in order to try and survive. >> doug's first step toward survival? with the help of attorney joe harrison, doug appeals the park's land-value assessment, which was based on sky-high property sales prior to the national real-estate crash. >> it was my job was to try to go ahead and show them that the numbers that they had were just out of whack in that environment at the time. >> doug, meanwhile, takes his fight to the public, writing letters to local newspapers and politicians. >> "do you have any idea how many children you have to spin in a circle to pay $1 million of taxes alone? just how much can anybody bear? people say, 'you ought to put condominiums in down there.' no. we want to run an amusement park. the new county property-tax assessments just came out.

they sealed the deal for us. our time is over." >> "our time is over." that's serious. the public response is overwhelming. politicians across the state jump on the "save trimpers" campaign. even maryland governor martin o'malley tours the park and puts the trimper's land appeal on a fast track. the state assembly goes a step further, taking up a bill that could provide additional relief. will the tax relief come? more importantly, if it does, will the trimpers take it? the surprising answer next, on "strange inheritance." >> announcer: here's another quiz question for you. the answer when we return.

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>> announcer: now the answer to our quiz question. the answer is "b," denmark. >> in 2007, doug trimper is fighting to save his family's century-old amusement park. soaring property taxes are threatening to bankrupt the business. unless doug can get the taxes reduced, his family's board of directors may vote to sell the park. >> those were scary times. we're dying on the vine down here. >> dying on the vine? it had reached that point? >> yes, it had. >> in march of 2008, success -- doug and his lawyer finally get taxes rolled back to 2004

levels, plus about a 4% increase. you set a really great example for people to not take "no" for an answer. >> well, you can't always save your business, but people in this country have to fight back a little bit at government that has become so big and so controlling. >> government control is the problem doug sees with the maryland state assembly bill that would allow the trimpers to operate as a historic amusement zone. that would lower their taxes further but also lessen their ability to run the business independently. so doug turns the offer down, saying he never wanted special treatment from the government. why not get every penny you're entitled to? >> we've never believed much in entitlements. we just want to be part of the community and do our share and be treated fairly. >> but in october 2008 comes another setback.

at the age of 79, doug's father, granville trimper, dies after a battle with prostate cancer. the fight for the park's future must continue without its most persuasive advocate. doug realizes his father's death could mark a tipping point. when he died, did he leave a will? >> he certainly did. >> what did he want to happen to the park? >> oh, he wanted to continue it. >> but with each generation, park ownership is further diluted. according to one major shareholder, who wished to remain anonymous, some family members would still rather cash out than continue the challenging amusement business. >> there's a feeling by a portion of the corporation that they still needed to do that so that they could cash out and have the money for their own lives. >> they're not the only ones demanding cash. to cover the steep estate taxes that come due after his dad's death, doug must finally sell

off at least a piece of his father's legacy -- the classic car museum. how difficult was that? >> that was real difficult. you were glad because we needed the money to help with the estate taxes, but it was really kind of sad to see part of him going out the door, you know? i mean, it was very emotional. >> the 2008 financial crisis, which hits shortly after granville's death, is causing panic around the world and even more anxiety on the boardwalk. if you're sitting on millions' worth of real estate, do you sell, or do you hold? what's your price that you could not refuse to sell the park? 10 times more money than you're taking home a year doesn't mean that much to you? that's next on "strange inheritance." ♪ ♪ [ engines revving ]

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>> announcer: now back to "strange inheritance." >> in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, the driving force behind the trimpers' amusement park, granville trimper, dies, passing

along ownership of the century-old park to his heirs. for now, doug trimper gets to keep running this strange inheritance. but according to doug, some family members are eager to cash out. how often do you hear from that other side of the family? >> we have an annual meeting, and there's still quite an effort to get us to sell the park. >> do they really understand how important it is to you to maintain the legacy that your father, your grandfather, your great-grandfather started? >> th-they really don't. and they can't, 'cause they weren't here. they weren't a part of it. >> what's your answer to them? >> we're sorry, but, uh, we're not ready to give this up. >> what's your price that you could not refuse to sell the park? 10 times more money than you're taking home a year doesn't mean that much to you? >> not to me. i mean, i guess we could have sold out quite a while ago and all have more money, but, uh, it's just not what we want to

do. we just -- we love this business. ♪ >> it's memorial day, the official kickoff of the season here on the ocean city boardwalk. and thanks to doug, yet another generation of parkgoers get to enjoy the classic amusements and rides. [ people screaming ] but the battle for the park's survival never really ends. now entering the fray is the next generation of trimpers, including doug's sons, chris and brooks. like their grandfather granville, they vow that they won't be the trimpers who close the park. >> i believe getting our business to the sixth and seventh and eighth and ninth generation is our challenge. >> it's gonna be a long road ahead of us, but i'd rather be on that road than somewhere else. >> hello, trimpers! they'll know they've risen to

that challenge so long as they can keep that grand old carousel installed by their great-great-grandfather running. i think it's time i went for a ride. >> absolutely. >> i like this one, doug. >> well, it's all yours. >> i'm going sidesaddle. all right, brooks! hit it! it's my first carousel ride in 20 years. >> well, i think it's about time, don't you? >> i do, too! i mean, why do i feel 10 again? >> this place will do it to you. >> as i ride the carousel, i cannot help but marvel that i'm spinning in the same circle where kids have spun for more than 100 years -- before a great depression and two world wars, even before the birth of flight. it's also hard not to feel gratitude to the generations of trimpers who have seen this amusement park not just as a family business but as a public trust. in a sense, they've allowed their strange inheritance to be

our strange inheritance, too. ♪ granville trimper made it his business to service this carousel every single day. he was a man of tradition. but his legacy almost never was. the carnival kid and high-school valedictorian earned a scholarship to the prestigious sorbonne university in paris, a much higher-powered career in engineering or management calling. but granville turned it down. he was so much more comfortable in his greasy overalls, fixing the rides, than in a suit and tie. so this family-run amusement park lives on and goes strong into its second century, leaving five generations of trimpers with a heck of a ride. i'm jamie colby for "strange inheritance." thanks so much for joining us, and remember -- you can't take it with you.

do you have a "strange inheritance" story you'd like to share with us? we'd love to hear it! send me an e-mail or go to our website -- strangeinheritance.com. >> abracadabra! >> oh, my god, it's my card! >> 400 years of magic secrets... >> did he ever tell you how he did any of those tricks? >> as many times as i asked, he'd never tell me. >> ...hidden in these dusty volumes. >> a lot of them were seen as occult books, and people were a little scared of them. >> the collector himself a closed book. >> so your dad is some man of mystery. >> he's a man of many mysteries. >> it's smoke, mirrors, and money. >> lot 250, "a magician among the spirits," by houdini. we will start the bidding at... [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ]

>> i'm jamie colby in chicago today with a story about magic, but also about something magical that happened between a father and son many years after the father was gone. >> my name is rex conklin jr. my dad died when i was in high school and left me a huge collection of magic books. some were old. others were ancient. many held the secrets that magicians have guarded for centuries. >> i meet rex at the magic lounge, one of chicago's best-known spots for magic lovers. hi, rex. i'm jamie. >> hi, jamie, pleasure to meet you. >> i understand that your inheritance is magic, but it's this? >> it's all about magic. my dad collected books, posters, going all the way back to the 1500s. >> 1500s? that's right out of harry potter. cool! rex's father, rex conklin sr., is born in 1904 on detroit's southwest side. what do you know about your

dad's childhood? >> i knew he grew up very poor in detroit. his father was a conductor on the streetcars and didn't bring a lot of money home. >> for entertainment, in an era before movies were big, little rex is drawn to a type of performance then sweeping the nation -- magic shows. >> as a very young boy, probably about six or seven, he saw a performer named howard thurston perform in detroit, and that's what really ignited his interest in magic. >> step up, girls and boys, and see how easily it is for your eyes to be deceived. >> thurston amazes little rex. billed as the "king of cards," he's seen here doing a show outside the white house. >> howard thurston was the most successful magician from about 1908 to 1936. >> magic historian gabe fajuri. >> he made his reputation as a card manipulator. that's how he started out in vaudeville. >> did he have a signature move? >> actually, yeah -- one called "the rising cards."

>> howard thurston's magic still mystifies... >> we're going to do one of my favorite tricks. >> bill cook, a professional magician, is going to show me that signature trick of thurston's, "the rising cards." >> go through that half, pick out a card that you like, a card that calls to you. >> that would be me. >> queen of hearts. >> yes! >> i like that, okay. this is the easy part. >> okay. >> you picked the queen, and we'll put the cards back inside the box. watch. up. all the way. come on. >> you're talking to the card, and she's moving up. is it still the queen? >> of course it is. >> oh, my god. it's my card! >> all the way. >> what little kid wouldn't be enthralled? as a teen, rex dabbles in magic himself, then gets a job as a streetcar conductor, like his dad. when the great depression hits, he loses it and takes odd jobs to get by. things don't turn around for rex until the early '40s, when

he opens his own lead-parts-manufacturing shop in milwaukee. >> i think he was starting to become somewhat successful, and he had, you know, a little bit of money. >> "a bit of money" for the bachelor to indulge his childhood fascination -- magic. he becomes a card-carrying member of the society of american magicians and makes a name for himself, not as a performer, but as an important collector. by the late 1950s, he's acquired a pretty impressive library of magic books, going back centuries. that's when doris pagliasotti, 21 years his junior, suddenly appears. the couple marry in 1959. >> when they were married, my father was 55, and my mother was 34. >> at their ages, children weren't likely "in the cards," but rex has found the love of his life. >> i don't think he had any plans to start a family at that age, but he was very excited. >> then, presto!

doris is pregnant. in june 1960, rex jr. arrives. but the really big surprise comes 30 minutes later -- his sister, connie. you're twins? >> my mother didn't know she was having twins. >> they had no idea. >> they didn't know. >> do you think that was life-altering for your dad? all of a sudden he's a dad with twins. >> oh, absolutely. >> rex jr. and connie grow up in this house in a suburb of milwaukee. did dad do tricks? >> he did small tricks, card tricks, and things with coins. >> did he ever tell you how he did any of those tricks? >> he would never tell me, as many times as i asked. >> nor does he fill his son in on the hundreds and hundreds of magic books around the house. >> i had built-in bookcases in my bedroom, and they were full of magic books, and then we had a breakfront in our living room where the books were all under lock and key. >> hands off. >> hands off, except when he opened the case and stood with me while i looked at the books.

>> son and father never explore the secrets in those pages. in 1977, rex sr. suffers a stroke and dies. he's 73. rex jr. is just 17. >> i never had the opportunity to know him as an adult, which i really missed. >> but his strange inheritance, that library of magic, will make his father reappear in ways he could never imagine. >> i found out so much from this one letter. >> but first, our "strange inheritance" quiz question... >> the answer after the break. tara, did you know geico is now offering an extra 15% credit on car and motorcycle policies? >>wow...ok! that's 15% on top of what geico could already save you. so what are you waiting for? idina menzel to sing your own theme song? ♪ tara, tara, look at her go with a fresh cup of joe.

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>> so, which pop singer was granted a patent for a magic trick? it's "b," michael jackson. in 1993, jackson and his co-inventors got a patent for their "lean shoe," which attached to pegs in the stage floor, so performers could lean beyond their center of gravity. >> "the years of our life are 70, or by reason of strength, 80," says the bible. by that measure, rex conklin sr., 73 when he dies, has a pretty fair run. but his 17-year-old son can't see it that way. nor can he see much wonder in his strange inheritance --

shelves upon shelves of books about magic. it's not until he becomes a father himself and moves the collection to his home that he revisits the dusty, old tomes. is that what drives you? "now that i'm a dad, i want to know more about my own dad"? >> sure, because i wanted to get a better understanding of who he was, for myself, obviously, but also for my children. what's the legacy that i'm going to pass along? >> book by book, rex jr. explores his father's ancient texts, magicians' handbooks, and bizarre diaries of the occult. between the pages, rex finds a copy of a letter his dad wrote to a fellow magic enthusiast. he always knew the great magician howard thurston inspired his dad to dabble in magic. now, from this one letter, he learns that the great magician also started him collecting. >> he talked about how howard thurston gave him his

first book. >> so, now you get a little nugget. >> i did. that was really one of my first clues. >> rex has little clue about the importance of his dad's acquisitions. to understand that, you'd have to be well-versed in the dark arts. >> a lot of them were seen actually as occult books, and people were a little scared of them. ray ricard, a rare-book collector, says rex's inheritance includes some of the oldest magic books in existence. >> some books actually had handwritten prayers that were put in the front of the book that were required to be read before you could actually open the book. >> like "the history of magick," published in 1657... >> the spelling of the word "magic" is m-a-g-i-c-k, which indicates books that are related to the occult, if you will, so superstition, some spiritualism, witchcraft. there's also "hocus pocus in perfection," published in london in 1789... and "the conjurer unmasked" from 1785.

but the rarest of them all? a first edition of reginald scot's "the discoverie of witchcraft," from way back in 1584! >> reginald scot's "discoverie of witchcraft" is considered the first book in english published on magic. he decided that people weren't really witches. they were just clever tricksters and the book itself was issued to try to show people that they were not actually performing weird rituals or killing people. they were simply performing clever conjuring tricks. >> that same letter reveals the book had been in his father's sights for years. >> he wrote that he spent 20 years searching for a good copy of the book. >> what did he pay for it? >> he paid about $1,200 at the time, so in today's dollars, maybe $21,000. it was a substantial amount of money. >> how relevant is the book today? >> it's an important book in the history of the art. some people say that with the tricks that it describes, you could, to this day, make a living as a magician. >> this i have to see to

believe. magician bill cook volunteers to show me a trick straight from the pages of "the discoverie of witchcraft." >> pick a walnut, any walnut. >> the one that speaks to me? >> put it on top of the book. i'll come back to it in a little while. do you have a finger ring or something special i could borrow, a necklace? >> i'm actually wearing a ring of my grandmother's. >> really? can i borrow that? >> are you gonna give it back? >> well, i'll be nice today, and i'll give it back. oh, it's very pretty. >> it's very sweet. >> i need you to hold onto it, underneath the cloth, right there at the top if you would, please. hold it out, a little farther away, and don't let it go until i tell you to. >> okay. >> like now, let go. >> [ gasps ] >> and that's when the ring vanishes. now, i had you pick a walnut earlier. >> yes. >> i brought with a walnut cracker. would you pick up the walnut and put it inside of the, uh... yeah, all the way. >> i hope my ring is in there. >> listen, you can actually hear it break. [ walnut crunches ] >> [ laughs ] >> awesome. that should be enough.

take a look inside the walnut. >> i hope you didn't swap the stone. wow, that really is it. >> yep. >> i got to think about this one. i can't figure it out. that's great, bill. >> that's one of the oldest tricks in recorded magic history. >> so, rex's father basically was acquiring the hogwarts library, book by book. and as rex sifts through it all, a question occurs to him -- why did dad stop? the answer comes at the end of that telling letter that his father wrote to one of his collector friends all those years ago. what did it say? >> he says, "most of these books have become valued and highly treasured friends. however, the time has come in my life when the spiritual call is greater than the material, and my interest in the really great rare and scarce works of magic is waning." >> what year was it written? >> in 1960, shortly after i was born. >> so, what do you interpret that passage to mean, in terms

of his life changing? >> he's probably thinking about, "okay, you know, my children were just born, you know, twin babies. i'm in my mid to late 50s. by the time they're out of school, i'll be an elderly man. so, what's important to me in life right now?" i found out so much from this one letter. >> then he finds this one, written ten years later -- a note from father to son, tucked into the pages of one of the magic books rex jr. will inherit, to be delivered at a time and place of fate's choosing. >> he says, "it's 11:30 at night. you've just finished your third day in fifth grade. i'm so proud of you. you're everything i always wanted in a son. you're my pride and joy of my heart. you're so big and strong, the greatest boy i've ever known. i hope you never change." >> oh, what a passionate,

considerate letter you'll have forever. >> yeah. >> he wasn't in good health at that time, and i think that's why he wrote this note. >> for decades rex jr. just enjoys having his strange inheritance around. he's a marketing consultant in his 50s, living near atlanta, georgia, married, with three daughters, when opportunity knocks. >> a friend of mine told me that there was an upcoming sale at christie's, and it featured some books on the occult. >> rex thinks, "why not?" more than 400 magic books fill his shelves. he takes the oldest -- that 1584 first edition of "the discoverie of witchcraft" -- and puts it on the auction block. what are we talking? >> the world record. >> here's another quiz question for you...

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>> so, which famous general was a member of the international brotherhood of magicians? it's "c," desert storm commander norman schwarzkopf jr., who is said to have practiced his magic tricks to relieve stress during the war. >> in june 2015, rex conklin jr. puts his rare, first-edition copy of reginald scot's "the discoverie of witchcraft" up for sale at a christie's auction in new york. why'd you pick that one to sell? did you know it was valuable? >> i definitely knew that it had value, and, you know, i thought it would be fun to have a book in a major auction. >> collector ray ricard is

following the sale online and bidding on the book. >> it was definitely going up in price, second by second. the value went very quickly from the low estimate right up through $30,000 before you knew it, so i dropped out. >> bids continue to climb -- $35,000, then $40,000. $45,000! when the hammer falls... what are we talking? >> it sold for $55,000. [ cash register dings ] >> the sale is a new world record for any copy of the book. it gets rex thinking about the more than 400 remaining items he inherited from his father. >> i've enjoyed having his collection for many years now, but i'm at a similar point right now where, you know, the material is a little less important to me. >> in chicago, he approaches gabe fajuri, president of potter and potter auctions, which specializes in magic sales. gabe tells me rex has plenty of gems left. >> the first one is a book by houdini.

it's the second book he wrote, "the unmasking of robert-houdin." and this one is from houdini's library, so it has his bookplate, a beautiful autographed postcard of houdini inside. it's also inscribed "a friend of houdini for 35 years, howard thurston." >> houdini's such a big name. you have another houdini book. >> mm-hmm. this is the last book he wrote, "magician among the spirits." >> what else? >> a copy of henry dean's "hocus pocus, the whole art of legerdemain." this is a bestseller from the time it appeared in print, first in 1722. >> good condition? >> i mean, if i look this good when i'm this old, yeah, i'll be very happy. this is a book that actually does a trick and... >> okay, i'm ready. >> so, when you flip through, you may see some pictures of some soldiers. >> i do. >> you breathe on the book, and when you flip through it again, you may see some different pictures, perhaps of flowers. >> upside down? >> and when you breathe through it again, most of the pages are blank. >> gabe says no single book will top rex's previous

record-breaking sale. but with 400 volumes on the block, he hopes to "conjure up" an even bigger payday. >> fair warning...sold! what's your "strange inheritance" story? we'd love to tell it. send me an e-mail, or go to our website, strangeinheritance.com. hey, can i... hold on one second... sure. okay... okay! safe drivers save 40%!!! guys! guys! check it out. safe drivers save 40%!!! safe drivers save 40%! safe drivers save 40%!!! that's safe drivers save 40%. it is, that's safe drivers save 40%. - he's right there. - it's him! he's here. he's right here. - hi! - hi. hey! - that's totally him. - it's him! that's totally the guy. safe drivers do save 40%. click or call for a quote today.

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>> now back to "strange inheritance." >> it's december 2016 in chicago, and rex conklin jr. is ready to auction off more than 400 rare magic books from the collection he inherited from his father. >> at $750. $750, we have... >> i feel my dad in this room today, you know. all his prized possessions are around me. it's almost like having him here. >> and now a copy of houdini's "magician among the spirits," including a beautiful photograph of houdini. looking for $1,500. $1,600 right here.

looking for $1,700. fair warning at $1,600. sold! [ cash register dings ] >> remember the other houdini book gabe showed me? the one signed by howard thurston, the legendary performer who sparked rex sr.'s love of magic? it hammers home at $2,600. oh, and "the history of magick" -- with a "k"? >> $2,000. i need $2,600 is next. sold! >> $2,800! >> lot 159 -- henry dean, "the whole art of legerdemain, or hocus pocus in perfection." fair warning at $3,200. sold for $3,200. >> the big numbers keep rolling in. that french "blow book" that gabe demonstrated? it fetches $3,200. >> warning at $850. >> a signed photo of famed magician harry kellar? $3,400. and this book from 1785, "the conjurer unmasked"?

$4,200. it's a steady beat of the hammer, and guess what? $1,500 here, $2,000 there -- it starts adding up. by the end of day, the total is an expectations-beating $105,000. >> overall, i thought it went really well. i'm pleased. it is emotional for me today, to see his things that i've lived with for so many years, but it's another chance to say goodbye and flip a new page. >> but i got to tell you what makes this strange inheritance story so magical for me. i've come across collectors of all sorts of things that were so obsessed, their families wondered if anything else meant as much to them as their stuff. but rex's dad set aside all his "highly treasured friends" the moment his children were born. and the strange inheritance he left his son leaves no doubt what he valued most in life. >> "i know i haven't much

longer to live. my final advice to you is never be afraid to admit your mistakes. never miss mass on sundays. be kind to your mother and sister and your wife when you find the right girl. play life's game straight, be a good boy, and a just man. [ exhales ] love, with the depth of my heart, daddy." he was from, you know, a different generation, but he also had a very big heart. >> did you know he loved you that much? >> i did, yeah. rex jr. has sold most of his father's books and mementos, but he's keeping three rare and valuable howard thurston posters. his plan is to leave one to each of his three daughters, a reminder of how the magic started for their grandfather all those years ago. i'm jamie colby.

thanks so much for watching "strange inheritance." and remember -- maybe you can take it with you. >> is a fox news special presentation. >> good evening from fox news headquarters in new york. this is a special and very different presentation the 2020 democratic national convention read what you're about is he is something we've never witnessed before in american politics varied democrats have the next four nights to make their pitch to americans to try to put joe biden and kamala harris in the white house. the invent has been entirely virtual varied joe biden is in

delaware. milwaukee was expected to be flooded with delegates varied this is not the case in the cov in times varied over the next hour here are some of the big speeches you will see. in moments michigan governor wh has been on the former republican presidential candidate ohio governor john kasich will speak and we will hear from several candidates he also sought the democratic nomination including amy clover chart from minnesota and bernie sanders. former first lady michelle obam will bring the star power to convention that is unlike any w have seen before. it is entirely virtual. we have coverage all our. mikah manual reports from president trump's campaign very busy today. also analysis from our politica team. we begin with caroline shively who reports live near biden's home in wilmington, delaware. as i tossed you and introduce

you tonight, we may get interrupted depending on when the governor comes out varied first, caroline, good evening. >> good evening. we have never seen a convention like this ever before. in a typical year, 50,000 news crews and politicians and delegates event dissent on city for a four-day party. the speakers won't even take th stage, they are in their laundr rooms and basements and living rooms doing it themselves, bein tied into the central location and we can watch this for ourselves where they're doing a lot less coverage than they normally would, a typical convention here is 16 hours. >> carolyn shively in wilmington , we will be with you throughout the evening here. picking up on a few of the themes we've listened to from the past hour, they have gone hard at president trump. he's been in the crosshairs fro the beginning heavy emphasis on covid and also black lives matter.

we will get you analysis, but here in the meantime is governo witmer here with her presentation. hello, america. i am that woman from michigan a donald trump calls may. here i am at 652 in lansing, michigan. autoworkers in this union and across our state could have los their jobs if not for barack obama and joe biden. in 2009, the obama biden administration the worst economic crisis since the great depression. the auto industry on the brink of collapse. 1 million jobs at stake varied but president obama and vice president biden didn't waste time blaming anyone else or shirking the responsibility, they got to work.

they brought together union members, companies, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and they saved the auto industry. in just a few months ago, as ou nation began battling covid 19, autoworkers across, michigan sprang into action and started making protective equipment for doctors and nurses on the front lines. let me break it down. president obama and vice president biden saved these autoworkers livelihoods. in these workers did their part to save american lives. that is the story of this great nation. action begets action. progress begets progress. when we work together, we can accomplish anything. after all, it is a team sport, especially now. it is crucial that we rallied together to fight this virus an build our economy back better.

from the jump, we took this pandemic seriously in michigan. we listened to medical experts. we planned, and with a lot of work from the autoworkers into little help from the white house , we executed our plan. we selves saved thousands of lives. just imagine if we had a national strategy. so everyone who needs a test gets one for free. so everyone has access to a saf vaccine. so our kids and educators have the resources they need to safely get back to school. with joad biden and kamala harris in the white house, we will. joe biden and kamala harris wil lead by example. it will be science, not politic or ego that will drive their decisions. they know that the health of ou people goes hand in hands with the strength of our economy. they know action begets action. over the past few months, we have learned rising to the

challenge not denying it we hav learned who is essential too. not just the wealthiest among us , not a president who fights his fellow americans, rather than fight the virus that's killing us and our economy. it is the people who put their own health at risk, to care for the rest of us. they are the mvps. the nurses and the doctors, the utility workers, truck drivers, and grocery clerks. the child care workers, the parents, the teachers, the mill carriers mail carriers, and the autoworkers. so many of these essential workers have lost their lives t covid. nearly more than 170,000 people across america. including a five -year-old girl named skyler from detroit whose mom is a police officer and dad is a firefighter. generation after generation, ou

nation has been defined by what we do or what we fail to do. so, for skyler, for her parents and in the memory of all those we've lost, lets us act, lets u heal as one nation. let us find strength to do the work. >> the governor there in lansing , michigan. you saw that they are live. many of these have been pre- recorded and played out through the course of the evening here. want to bring in ed rollins, former president reagan's campaign manager from 1984. i know it was different back then, that as the senior statesmen of our group tonight, ed, what do you think about wha they're trying to pull off, and how are they doing so far? gave those of us involved in campaigns always worry most about the conventions because you don't have control over a. i've been to ten conventions beginning in 72, you try to mak them into a tv show that the db

that the audience would want to watch. this is a tv show tonight. it will be a tv show from now on . you won't have the excitement and thousands of people rallyin to a speech great as i watch th governor i thought back on his father's speech in 1984 he gave a keynote speech in which he really excited the whole house and it people had there choice, they would've made the him the nominee instead of mondale. today, you never going to quite have that excitement of those lines. i think this is part of passing grade i got excited watching th first one in 1956 when kennedy challenge for the vice presidency. how many people get interested in politics watching this, i don't know. ticket. >> we will see in time. normally we expect the audience and a big reaction afterwards, you not going to get that. it's kind of baked in a little

bit too. i think a lot of the viewership during the last four or five months, the audience adjust and adapt. i am assumed they world over th next four nights. how is the message greg's how you hearing it? jiggy i have to agree with ed, this is a tv show for all intents and purposes. you see at the beginning where they have some pre- tapes and some lives, they have some conversation with essential workers. i think the message is clear. but the democratic party is trying to do is paint a clear contrast between where they sit in where donald trump does. you saw that in the 9:00 o'cloc hour with the speech that andre cuomo gave. you saw that with the speech that gretchen witmer gave. they are a party that science -based, they believe in social distancing, they're a party tha believes in masks and they're trying to paint that against donald trump which is they woul argue a man who really sort of came late to masks and social distancing. he wanted the government to

reopen before it was time to do so. we will have to the how it play out in day two, day three, and port of the convention. given that they are in a big arena and there aren't cheers and i would give the democratic party two thumbs up. >> i would expect nothing less. you know how many people watch night 14 years ago? almost 26 million. what i think as interesting about that, richard, i will bring melanie into the conversation to there is not a lot to watch on television to begin with now during this covi days. i wouldn't dissipate the audience to be quite large. >> i'm sure that's what democrats are hoping, remember, this is the first time. to keep melanie, i apologize, but as i mentioned, it is covid times and this is governor k-6 and we have to go to him. >> it is a path that led to division, dysfunction,

irresponsibility, and growing vitriol between our citizens. continuing to follow that path will have terrible consequences for america's soul, because we're being taken down the wron road by a president who has pitted one against the other. he is unlike all of our best leaders before him, who worked to unite us, to bridge our differences, and lead us to a united america. am a lifelong republican, but that attachment holds second place my responsibility to my country. that's why i've chosen to appea at this convention. in normal times, something like this would probably never happen . but these are not normal times. i'm proud of my republican heritage. it's the party of lincoln that had the funding principles of but what i have witnessed these past four years belies those principles. many of us can't imagine four more years going down this path. and that's why i'm asking you t

join with me in choosing a better way forward. i believe the best of america lies ahead. but only when we rediscovered our shared beliefs in that united states of america. that can be inspired if we choose to make it so. i've known joe biden for 30 years, i know his story of profound grief that has so deeply affected his character. i know he is a good man, and ma of faith, a unifier, someone wh understands the hopes and dream of the common man and the commo woman. a man who can help us to see th humanity in each other. he knows that the path to restored and rejuvenated americ lies in respect and unity and a common purpose for everyone. yes, there are areas where joe and i absolutely disagree, but that's okay.

that's america. whatever our differences, we respect one another as human beings, each of us searching fo justice and purpose we can all see what's going on in our country today, and all the questions that our facing us. no one proceeded our party has all the answers, but what we do know as that we can do better. i know that joe biden with his experience and wisdom, indecenc and bring us together to help u find that better way. i'm sure there are republicans and independents who couldn't imagine crossing over to suppor the democrats. the fear joe may turn sharp lef and leave them behind. i don't believe that because i know the measure of the man is reasonable, faithful, respectful , and you know, no one pushes joe around. joe biden is a man for our times . times that call for all of us t take off our partisan hats, and

put our nation first for ourselves, and of course for ou children. when america chooses the right path and pulls together like we've done so many times before we can dream big drink. we can see the top of the mountain as that united states of america with a soul that is beacon of freedom to the entire world. jiggy the republican governor from ohio, former governor john kasich. he had a convention in his stat for years ago in which he did not even attend. he has not been a fan of president trump as president, nor as a candidate from 2016. i cut you off, and i apologize. i wanted to get your impression of how you think the rollout of the message is going so far? jiggy it's interesting having john kasich speaking just now. i think the question as will democrats really see a clear an cohesive message because these

speakers have been so eclectic great we have bernie sanders coming up, he's a progressive government leading progressive and the party, michelle obama likely closing things out great i think democrats took a huge gamble by having a republican come and speak at their convention. already there was some grumblin on the left, they had criticize alexandria 32 and her and her supporters have shot back. and she started fundraising off of this. she doesn't represent our core values. but that let the democrats know that the voters there are tryin to reach, they're trying to reach those different franchise republicans and this is a way t reach out for them and tell the what it looks like to vote for joe biden. >> we will continue with our team here just to analyze a little bit of what we seen and what we see coming up. senator amy klobuchar will be the next address that we hear. what about the point that john

kasich was making very does it matter in the end? the president was making his acceptance speech, john ran against the president whilst my sense as if he is for is not going to bring one to the ticket , i think it. >> standby to all of you, the campaign as kicking into high gear. targeting a handful of states that could decide the race ultimately. the battleground states tonight kevin clark is live in columbus ohio. first, it took pennsylvania where president trump will head a little bit later this week. >> good evening. if there was any doubt about ho important pennsylvania is due the democrats, that was gone in

the first five minutes of this convention. the too top speakers was a smal business owner just outside of pennsylvania and a farmer just outside of pittsburgh who is struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic. the politics and average bulls is up to six points to presiden trump you're in pennsylvania. on the issue of the economy, trump is leading. the labor union here in pennsylvania said frankly, democrats tonight need to do a better job of connecting trump directly with the job losses in the pandemic. >> when some voters have not ye connected is that because of trump's response or lack of response to the pandemic, that is what has cause the unemployment. if we had had a national strategy, we might be through this by now. >> if you look at the states that have the highest unemployment rates in pennsylvania at one time was th number one, it is the democrati

governors, their actions, there are steps that they took in restricting and limiting businesses and continuing to do so. to get that second part of that fight was a republican party chair here in pennsylvania who believes that the democrats he should take blame for their response to the pandemic. you think hear from the afl-cio in democrats in the state that believe they need to connect with voters here, that it was president trump's lackluster response to the pandemic in their view that has caused this economic hardship in this state. one more thing, bill. the other important factor here is energy. the afl-cio president believes the democrats need to be more clear as to where they stand on the issues. biden has said outright he doesn't believe there should be an outright ban on fracking, but his running mate said there should be. they think they need to be more clear on that issue because a lot of energy jobs year. the national natural gas

industry is the number two industry well it's number two i the nation behind texas in term of so we will see about that. thank you for your reporting. pennsylvania will get a lot of attention over the next 78 days. thank you, what a move to battleground, ohio. what are you hearing tonight in columbus? >> well, essen you well know, a ohio goes, so goes the nation. that is the general consensus commit you just saw the former governor in the state of ohio, john kasich speaking, a republican speaking to the democratic national convention, but there are a number of democrats that feel like this i a state which went red as we know back in 2016. they feel like they can turn it to blue. they want to do that on the strength of moderate republican like john kasich and the strength of suburban women. they feel like they are pulling

very well with respect to the battle between biden and trump a . at least among suburban women. however, we talked to a number of voters and a lot of them are saying quite frankly they are curious to see what kamala harris has to say and some of her followers. she's an unknown. i would caution and say that whenever people talk about polling, which right now we hav seen joe biden enjoy a sizable lead on the president, there were a number of balls that wen in fact the president ultimately , eight percentage points, on this date, back in, clinton had a three-point lead in the polls over trump. that's an 11-point swing that happened by election day. i suspect we will be here quite a bit, bill.

>> nice to see you tonight. >> one more thing. >> oh? >> i/o. the home state. thank you, we will get to senator klobuchar. president trump had a full week of events in battleground states . we saw him give rees speeches already today. one and 2016 telling voters there the states are incredibly high. get the voters of wisconsin wil not surrender their beloved state to the left-wing mob and that's what would happen. in 78 days, we are going to sto the radical left, we're going t win the state of wisconsin, and

we're going to win four more years. >> earlier the president trying to change that this time around. >> we are trying to keep the timing. senator klobuchar is up now. >> the president may hate the post office what is going to have to send them a change of address card come january. donald trump happens to be in m state today trying to divide people instead of responding to the pandemic and the significan needs of our economy. democrats independence, and yes many republicans have had enoug of his divisiveness. my friends in contrast, we hear a lot about how we can unite as americans about our shared values, our shared dreams, how we've come together in this cas face of crisis. i want and want to be clear. it isn't the end, it's the mean

commits how we get stuff done. unity is about reaching up towards a higher purpose, a better future for all of us. out of many, one. it is more than a motto, it is the northstar for our democracy. now more than ever, we need to president he will unite this country. instead of using the bible is the will heed its words, to act justly. we need a president for the workers who lost their jobs, because this administration is selling american workers out when we need to buy american fo the farmers and manufacturers, and the people of rural america who are sick and tired of reaping what he sewn. we need a president who will look out for the seniors like m dad, who is families now visit them through glass windows, never knowing if it will be the

last time they see him. we need a president for all of america. i come from the middle of this country where we believe in people joining together to solv problems. we seek common ground to reach higher ground. that has been joe biden's life work. he is a man of scrappy working-class groups a man whos own hardships have only been more determined to lift up thos who have been left out. he understands redemption and knows resilience. barack obama, better known tonight is michelle's husband, he leaned on joe for his strength and decency and you ca too. most candidates, and they end their campaign that day is a hard one, for me it was a momen because the day i ended my presidential campaign as the da i endorsed joe biden.

job ran for the same idea reasons idea when i danced my campaign in the middle of that river on the banks of the mississippi river. across the river of our divide to bring this nation together t be a president for all of america. as i said the day i endorsed him , if you feel stuck in the middle of the extremes in our politics, if you are tired of the noise and the nonsense, you have a home with joe biden. that's why i was so proud to stand with him now across this great country. that's why we are all now standing united behind joe and my friend kamala. our nation's motto is out of many, one. and as you're about to see, it' also the story of the democrati primary. thank you, america.

>> we are motivated by the same reasons for it. >> as i watch president trump divide this country more and more, i thought to myself what are you willing to do to stop him. >> the most destructive hateful racist president in the history of this country who is literall tearing apart the fabric of the united states of america. >> donald trump as a failed democrat and get desperately feeling as president. >> i ran for president because think we need to heal the divisions in this. a green jobs program. a president to do defined as

together. >> they are often capped off by these evening events that go on for hours and hours. >> at the challenges to be true to yourself and true to yuv and in the first place. that is something that i really admire about joe biden. he is his own man. >> joe biden as somebody who deeply cares about people, people who are marginalized, wh are being left behind. >> iou everything. >> you are staying, man. he's had some hard times in his life. he's had some losses in his lif right i think that is something that people relate too. >> are you doing okay? >> close to 15 years cancer free . >> i saw the families who were so comforted by joe biden when they walked out, they knew

somebody cared for them, somebody could relate to their own pain they are having. >> i remember standing side-by-side. puts his arm around me and starts telling me how good my ideas are. the next thing you know, i feel like he's giving me a pep talk. and literally telling me how important it is how really important it is that i am on that stage. >> joe called me and was extraordinarily gracious and comforting and he told me i should be proud of myself and said that i did myself and my family a real service and the country as surface. that meant a lot for it. >> it's not easy to unite the democratic party, where a rambunctious group. he has bolded offered. >> he wants to get the best ideas on the table so we can move forward in the best way

possible. >> he has unified are grouped around a clean energy strategy. >> that did mastic workers bill of rights, i'm excited about that and in their bread. >> he is the kind of leader tha brings other leaders in. >> this is a guy that will walk into the oval office and not have to find his way around but he will walk in and have alread sort of home honed the instinct you need to lead the most powerful nation on earth throug a crisis. >> on the other side, donald trump does not understand who w are as americans. he really doesn't. this is a guy that blames everyone for everything. he blames the city of baltimore he blames the country of denmark , he blames the prime minister of canada for cutting him out of the canadian version of home loan two. who does that? >> there are no sidelines. there is no sitting this one out .

there's no hoping someone can come in and save the day. their was one shot to make the most humble one president. >> a clear theme in that video called the united we stand, those are all former competitor who are trying to take the nomination before joe biden grabbed it. back in late february and early march in the state of south carolina. remember how the democratic primary began. in iowa, joe biden finished fourth and fifth place this sam for new hampshire about a week later. the turnaround is in the palmetto state in south carolin was something that politico had seldom seen in the history of trying to get this nomination.

a few moments away, we will hea bernie sanders. he is live back in vermont and we will take that for you as well before we lead up to what will be the main which is forme first lady michelle obama who filed her message on video. richards, we were talking bit earlier and taking some notes about some of the things were trying to drive home here. you want to talk about joe biden , but there has been a clear effort tonight. to really put donald trump in the crosshairs of schism of america. >> there is no doubt about it, they're making a clear contrast between joe biden and kamala harris and donald trump and mik pence. at the bottom of the speech the talk about what donald trump isn't. i think you're right to talk about what was a very long democratic primary were at the

beginning of it, joe biden didn't look like he was the front runner and then he got to south carolina where everything turned in his favor. inning of the 9:00 o'clock hour we talked to healthcare workers. the police officers and securit workers to work during this pandemic. they are going to try to paint joe biden as the guy who cares about kitchen table issues, the guy who stands up for the working class. i know that john kasich got som heat, but remember he didn't come to speak to those voters h came to speak two disaffected republicans who feel like donal trump has moved the republican party to far to the right.

those who voted would have vote for john mccain. he is saying he's not a republican like john mccain, he is not a republican like mit romney. you're welcome to come to the democratic party in boat for jo biden. the rest of our political team, at some point, the message has been somewhat dark i think in the last 90 minutes. perhaps that reflects the current mood of america. perhaps not, at some point, you have to shed a light of optimis for what you will do. >> you also have to have some ideas that move the country forward. this is all about trump. they're trying to make the country rejects trump, his styl of leadership, and the reality is no offense to anybody talkin about, south carolina which ended up nominating to republicans, john mccain and

george hws. mccain lost after that, but my sense is that this was a very protracted primary season. it's going to be very close. the roadmap, for trump as the same it was the last go round, same states, it put the obama coalition together. >> melanie just joined the conversation here and give us a sense of where you feel that message of optimism and hope fo the future can be introduced. >> michelle obama. it will come from michelle obama . what we're hearing it she is going to give her sharpest criticism yet that we've heard of the president. she is untethered for the first time. she is not the first lady, so were expecting edge charts feet from her. that's what she's known for, on of the most well-liked and adored figures on the left. can vouch for her personal

extremes with biden, speak to his character, and i think that's where she's going to bring not only a fire, but the little bit of light and optimis to try to close things out on a optimistic and happier tone. >> thank you. again, it goes along with the theme of going after the commander-in-chief. here now is bernie sanders. >> good evening. our great nation is now living in an unprecedented moment. we are facing the worst public health crisis in 100 years and the worst economic collapse since the great depression. we are confronting systemic racism and the enormous threat to our planet of climate change. in the midst of all of this, we

have a president who is not onl incapable of addressing these crises, but is leading us down the path of authoritarianism. this election is the most important in the modern history of this country. in response to the unprecedente crises we face, we need an unprecedented response, of movement like never before of people who are prepared to stan up and fight for democracy and decency and against greed oligarchy, and bigotry. we need joe biden as our next president. let me take this opportunity to say a word to the millions of people who supported my campaig this year and in 2016. my friends, thank you for your trust, your support, and the love you have shown jane, me, and our family.

together, we have moved this country in a bold new direction showing that all of us, black-and-white, latino, native american, asian american, gay and straight you're in for a nation based on the principles of justice, love, and compassion . our campaign ended several months ago. but our movement continues and is getting stronger every day. many of the ideas we fought for that just a few years ago were considered radical are now mainstream. but let us be clear, if donald trump is reelected, all the progress we have made will be i jeopardy. at its most basic, this electio is about preserving our democracy. during this president's term, the unthinkable has become

normal. he has tried to prevent people from voting, undermining the u.s. postal service, deployed the military and federal agents against peaceful protesters. threatened to delay the electio and suggested that he will not leave office if he loses. this is not normal. we must never treat it like it is. under this administration, authoritarianism has taken root in our country. i and my family, and many of yours know the insidious way authoritarianism destroys democracy, decency, and humanity . as long as i am here, i will work with progressives, with moderates, and yes, with conservatives to preserve this nation from a threat that so many of our heroes fought and

died to defeat. 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 and scientists trying to protect us from the pandemic. while refusing to take strong action to produce them masks, gowns, and gloves are healthcar our healthcare workers desperately need. nero fiddled while rome burned. trump does, his actions fanned this pandemic resulting in over 170,000 deaths and a nation still unprepared to protect its people. furthermore, trump's negligence has the economic crisis we are now experiencing. since this pandemic began, over

30 million people have lost their jobs, and many have lost their health insurance. millions of working families ar wondering how they will feed their kids, and they are worrie that they will be evicted from their homes. and how has trump responded? instead of maintaining the $600 a week unemployment supplement that workers were receiving, an the $1,200 emergency checks tha many of you received, instead o helping small businesses, trump concocted roger lind executive orders that do virtually nothin to address the crisis. while threatening the very future of social security and medicare. but the truth is that even before trump's negligent response to this pandemic, too many hard-working families have been caught on an economic

treadmill with no hope of ever getting ahead. together we must build a nation that is more i know that joe biden will begi that fight on day one. let me offer you just a few examples of how joe will move u forward. joe supports raising the minimu wage to $15 an hour. this will give 40 million workers pay raise and push the rage scale up or everyone else. joe will also make it easier fo workers to join unions, create 12 weeks of paid family leave, fund universal pre-k for three and four -year-olds, and make childcare affordable for millions of families. joe will rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and fight the threat of climate change by

transitioning us to 100 percent clean electricity over the next 15 years. these initiatives will create millions of good paying jobs al across our country. as you know, we are the only industrialized nation not to guarantee healthcare for all people. while joe and i disagree on the best path to get universal coverage, he has a plan that will greatly expand healthcare and cut the cost of prescriptio drugs. further, he will lower the eligibility age of medicare fro 65 down deep. to help our broken criminal justice image he will and private prisons and detention center, cash bail and the schoo to prison pipeline. and to heal the soul of our

nation, joe biden will end the hate and the vision that trump has created. he will stop the demonization o immigrants, the coddling of white nationalist, the religiou bigotry, and the ugly attacks o women. my friends, i say to you, to everyone who supported other candidates in the primary, and to those who may have voted for donald trump in the last election, 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 to defeat donald trump and elect joe bide and kamala harris as our next president and vice president. my friends, the price of failur is just too great to imagine.

>> bernie sanders there from burlington, vermont getting som of his favorite notes on climat change, state of the economy an healthcare. in a moment, we will see michelle obama, so standby for that great as we await that's come out we want to point out that there is a significant counter programming effort put forward by president trump throughout the day to day and again tomorrow. we will get back to kind of complete that thoughts after we cut you off about an hour ago. he was in minnesota, and wisconsin, and tomorrow it is, iowa and arizona. gate that's right, then onto pennsylvania later this week which was a critical component in terms of the victory in 2016. used to be when the one party was having a convention the other one would go dark and allow them to have the stage. the 2020 campaign has been anything but the standard campaign so president trump has been out there hitting it hard.

the battleground states will likely decide the 2020 election and trying out out some lines suggesting that joe biden is th trojan horse of the democratic left bird that he's basically a puppet boat then that it put forward in programming him. he's also suggested that the democratic convention is boring because we've seen some taped segments so that's a line of attack the president is trying out. he's realizing was 78 days left he needs to get out there and make the case to the swing voters. >> we will see how the republicans do next week ratemaking maybe take some note and learn some things with democrats are or are not successful. a few hiccups here and there, but by and large, relatively smooth for a first-time project by a major party. now the star of the evening, th former first lady michelle obama .

>> it's a hard time and everyon is feeling it in different ways. i know a lot of folks are reluctant to tune into politica convention right now. believe me, i get that, but i a here tonight because i love thi country with all my heart. it pains me to see so many people hurting. i have met so many of you will, i have heard your stories, and through you, i have seen this country's promise. thanks to so many who came before me, thanks to their toil and sweat and blood, i have bee able to live that promise myself . that is the story of america. all those folks who sacrificed and overcame so much in their own times because they wanted something more, something bette for their kids. there is a lot of beauty in tha story.

there is a lot of pain in it too , a lot of struggle and injustice, and work left to do. and who we choose as our president in this election will determine whether or not we honor that struggle and chip away at that injustice and keep alive the very possibility of finishing that work. i am one of a handful of people living today who have seen firsthand the immense weight an awesome power of the presidency. let me once again tell you this the job is hard. it requires clearheaded judgment , a mastery of complex and competing issues, a devotio to facts and history, a moral compass, and an ability to listen. and an abiding belief that each

of the 330 million lives in thi country have meaning and worth. of president's words have the power to move markets, they can start wars or broker peace, the can summer our better angels, o awaken our worst instincts. you simply cannot fake your way through this job. as i've said before, being president doesn't change who yo are, it reveals who you are. well, a presidential election can reveal who we are to. in four years ago, too many people chose to believe that their votes didn't matter. may be they were fed up, maybe they thought the outcome wouldn't be close, it may be th barriers felt too steep, whatever the reason, in the end those choices sent someone to the oval office who lost the

national popular vote by nearly 3 million votes. in one of the states that determine the outcome, the winning margin averaged out to just two votes per precinct. to votes. and we've all been living with the consequences. when my husband left office wit joe biden at his side, we had a record-breaking stretch of job creation. we secured the right to healthcare for 20 million people . we were respected around the world, rallying our allies to confront climate change. and our leaders had worked hand in hand with scientists to help prevent an ebola outbreak from becoming a global pandemic. four years later the state of the nation's very different bir

more than 150,000 people have died and our economy is in shambles because of a virus tha this president downplayed for too long. it has left millions of people jobless. to many have lost their healthcare, too many are struggling to take care of basi necessities like food and rent. to many communities have been left in the lurch to grapple with weather and how to open ou schools safely. internationally we've turned ou back, not just on agreements forged by my husband, but on alliances championed by president like reagan and eisenhower. here at home, has george floyd, breonna taylor and a number of people continued to be murdered stating the simple fact that black life matter is still met

with derision from the nation's highest office. because whenever we looked at this white house for some leadership or consolation, or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and other are lack of empathy. empathy. that is something i've been thinking a lot about lately. the ability to walk in someone else's shoes. the recognition that someone else's experience has value two. most of us practice this withou a second thought. if we see someone suffering or struggling, we don't stand in judgment, we reach out because they are, but for the grace of god go i. it is not a hard concept to grasp, it's what we teach our children. unlike so many of you, barack

and i have tried to instill in our girls a strong moral foundation to carry forward the values that our parents and grandparents poured into us. right now kids in these country are seeing what happens when we stop requiring empathy of one another. they are looking around wondering if we have been lying to them this whole time about who we are and what we truly value. they see people shouting in grocery stores unwilling to wea a mask keep us all safe. they see people calling the police on folks minding their own business, just because of the color of their skin. they see an entitlement that says only certain people belong here. that greed is good and winning as everything because as long a you come out on top, it doesn't

matter what happens to everyone else. and they see what happens when that lack of empathy is jammed up into outright disdain. they see our leaders labeling fellow citizens enemies of the state while emboldening torch bearing white supremacist. they watch in horror as childre are torn from their families an thrown into cages and pepper sprayed and rubber bullets are used on peaceful protesters for a photo. sadly, this is the america that is on display for the next generation, and nation that is underperforming not simply on matters of policy, but on matters of character. that isn't just disappointing, it is downright infuriating. because i know the goodness and the grace that is out there in

households and neighborhoods al across this nation. and i know that regardless of our race, age, religion, or politics, when we close out the noise and the fear and truly open our hearts, we know that what's going on in this country is just not right. this is not who we want to be. so what do we do now? what is our strategy? over the past four years, a lot of people have asked me when others are going solo, does going hi still work? my answer, going hi is the only thing that works because when w go blow, when we use those same tactics of degrading and humanizing others, we just become part of the ugly noise

that is drowning out everything else. we degrade ourselves, we degrad the very causes from which we fight. it doesn't mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty. it means taking the harder path. it means scraping and clawing our way to that mountaintop. it means standing fiercely against hatred while rememberin that we are one nation under god . if we want to survive, we have got to find a way to live together and work together across our differences. it means unlocking the shackles of lies and mistrust with the only thing that can truly set u free. the cold hard truth.

so let me be an honest and as clear as i possibly can. donald trump as the wrong president for our country. he has had more than enough tim to prove that he can do the job but he is clearly in over his head. he cannot meet this moment. he simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. it is what it is. now i understand that my messag won't be heard by some people, we live in a nation that is deeply divided and i am a black woman speaking at the democrati convention, but enough of you know me by now, you know that i tell you exactly what i'm feeling. you know i hate politics. but you also know that i care about this nation. you know how much i care about all of our children. so if you take one thing from m

words tonight, it is this. if you think things cannot possibly get worse, trust me they can and they will if we don't make a change in this election. if we have any hope of ending this chaos, we have got to vote for joe biden like our lives depend on it. i know joe, he is a profoundly decent man guided by faith. he was a terrific vice president , he knows what it takes to rescue an economy come it beat back a pandemic and lea our country. and he listens. he will tell the truth, and trust audience, he will make smart plans and manage a good team, and he will govern as someone who has lived a life that the rest of us can recognize. when he was a kid, his father

lost his job. when he was a young senator, he lost his wife and his baby daughter. and when he was vice president, he lost his beloved son. so joe knows the anguish of sitting at a table with an empt chair, which is why he gives hi time so freely to grieving parents. joe knows what it's like to struggle, which is why he gives his personal phone number to kids overcoming stutter of thei own. his life is a testament to getting back up. he is going to channel that sam great and passion to pick us al up. to help us heal and guide us forward. now joe is not perfect, and he would be the first to tell you that. but there is no perfect candidates, no perfect president , and his ability to learn and grow, we find in that

the kind of humility and maturity that so many of us for right now. joe biden has saved this nation his entire life without ever losing sight of who he is. more than that, he has never lost height of who we are, all of us. joe biden wants all of our kids to go to a good school, see a doctor when they're sick, live on a healthy planet, and he has got plans to make all of that happen. joe biden wants all of our kids no matter what they look like t be able to walk out the door without worrying about being harassed or arrested or killed. he wants all of our kids to be able to go to a movie or a math class without being afraid of getting shot. he wants all of our kids to gro up with leaders who won't just

serve themselves and their wealthy peers, but will provide a safety net for people facing hard times. if we want a chance to pursue any of these goals, any of thes most basic requirements for a functioning society, we have to vote for joe biden in numbers that cannot be ignored. because right now, folks who know they could not win fair an square have the ballot box are doing everything they can to stop us from voting. they are closing down polling places in minority neighborhoods . they are purging voter rolls, they are sending people out to intimidate voters, and they are lying about the security of our ballots. these tactics are not new. but this is not the time to withhold our votes in protest o play games with candidates who have no cha