8 years after hope and change, voters are angry, anxious

ARVADA, Colorado (AP) — Eight years ago, Barbara Conley was one of the millions of Americans swept up in Barack Obama's promises of hope and change when he accepted the Democratic nomination at a packed football stadium a few miles from her home in the Denver suburbs.

With Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton preparing for their own nominating conventions, the 68-year-old independent is filled with so much frustration at the candidates and the political system that propelled them to victory that she can't even imagine voting in November.

Trump and Clinton will each try to paint a rosy picture of life under their leadership during their back-to-back conventions, but it seems unlikely either can quickly shake Americans out of their bad mood.

A self-described conservative Democrat who voted for Republicans in the past two presidential elections, Defoe has considered simply not voting in November.

Tens of thousands of American troops have come home from dangerous war zones during Obama's presidency.

Terrorism fears have been heightened in the U.S. after a string of deadly incidents in the West, including Thursday night's attack in Nice, France, that killed more than 80 people during a Bastille Day celebration.

A mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub left 49 people dead, as well as a gunman who pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State group despite no formal ties to the group.

[...] as Americans looked toward the presidential candidates and other political leaders, some saw little sign of readiness to meet a challenging time.

Though Ryan supports Obama, he's been irritated by the years of battle between the Democratic president and Republican lawmakers that have often ended in stalemate.