Biden accepts nomination: 'This is a life-changing election'

Good morning and welcome to the weekend! Last night, Democrats finalized its presidential nomination, with Joe Biden’s acceptance speech on the Night 4 of the pandemic-era convention. Highlights of the DNC last night and more news you should know to start your weekend:

Storms possible later tonight; sticky weekend ahead. Scattered thunderstorms are expected to spread across Minnesota and western Wisconsin Friday evening and overnight Friday night. Highs today will be in the lower 80s to lower 90s, except in the 70s up north. It’ll be a pretty quiet weekend, weatherwise, with highs in the 80s both Saturday and Sunday.

Biden promises: “I will draw on the best of us, not the worst.” Joe Biden vowed to unite an America torn by crisis and contempt as he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on the final night of the DNC. Biden promised to be "an ally of the light, not the darkness" if he is elected president — contrasting himself against President Trump. Here are fact checks and analysis of Biden’s remarks last night.

Other key moments of the Night 4: A 13-year-old thanks Biden for helping him with his stutter; Steph Curry’s family makes an appearance; former Biden rivals sing his praises; tributes honor Beau Biden and John Lewis. More highlights and key takeaways of the final night of the Democratic convention can be found here.

It’s Trump’s turn next. Republicans will kick off their national convention next week, which is slated to be held partially in-person in Charlotte, N.C., and remotely from around the country. President Trump is expected to speak each night during the four-day convention. Follow our live coverage of the RNC on MPR News next week.

When will Minnesotans get the extra $400 unemployment benefit authorized by Trump? We don’t know yet. And even when the money starts to flow, it may not be the full $400 as the president initially promised -- because Trump’s executive action only requires the federal government to pay $300 per week. The extra $100 is up to individual states, and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says it’s unsure how to implement the new program and has no timeline for when it might be available to workers, MinnPost reports.

There’s another help that’s for sure coming, though: $100 million in housing assistance. Starting Monday, you can apply for a piece of the $100 million in housing assistance the Minnesota housing agency is doling out across the state. The money comes from the federal CARES Act and is intended for those who are behind in their rent or mortgage and struggling financially because of COVID-19.

State health officials to Minnesotans: Pandemic is not -- and far from -- over, so keep your guard up. Yes, daily deaths are running in single digits and hospitalizations have flattened. But new cases are still rising, and officials increasingly worry too many Minnesotans are behaving like the pandemic is over.

“Health care professionals have their roles to play — and so does every single Minnesotan. We need people to do the right thing,” Dr. Ruth Lynfield, the state’s epidemiologist, said earlier this week, adding that she and other officials have been hearing reports of people doing the wrong things in the pandemic.

Here are the latest coronavirus statistics in Minnesota:

67,308 cases confirmed (698 new) via 1,322,220 tests (13,956 new)

1,745 deaths (seven new)

6,019 cases requiring hospitalization

309 people remain hospitalized; 148 in intensive care

60,605 patients no longer needing isolation

These courageous, persistent women made voting rights possible for fellow Minnesota women. Join us in celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the U.S. as we take a look back at the work of three Minnesota women who helped break down barriers and paved the way for women’s suffrage.