DNC 2024 Day 1 live updates: Joe Biden to headline amid Gaza protest arrests
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President Joe Biden will be the final speaker at the Democratic National Convention as it kicks off on Monday night.
Biden is set to deliver a unifying message after dropping out of the race last month and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
Security has been ramped up as activists descend on Chicago to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. A small number of protesters managed to break through a fence at the outer perimeter of the convention area on Monday afternoon.
Delegates are gathering at the convention, which will see Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz formally nominated to be the party’s candidates in the 2024 presidential race to take on Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Harris has enjoyed an astonishing boom in popularity since Biden made his historic decision not to pursue another term in the White House a month ago in the wake of his disastrous debate performance against Trump in Atlanta on June 27.
With the party rallying around Harris, she has surged in the polls and cemented her appeal by adding Walz to the ticket, a sequence of events that has left Trump and Vance reeling, with seemingly little idea how best to respond to the new challenge they face.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz could clear path for first-ever Native American woman governor
Under the succession plan laid out by the state’s constitution, Minnesota’s Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan would ascend to the governor’s office, if Harris-Walz defeats Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance in 2024.
Flanagan — a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe — would also become the state’s first-ever female governor. She spoke at the DNC on Monday night.
She is already the highest-ranking Indigenous woman in statewide elected office and is the first to lead the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association.
Alex Woodward20 August 2024 00:30
No threat to any protectees as protesters breach fence at DNC, Chicago Police say
Gustaf Kilander20 August 2024 00:28
The DNC is not ‘empty’
No, the DNC is not “empty” as many on social media have been claiming as the convention is getting underway.
The arena won’t be full for a few hours. It takes time to get everyone through checkpoints, plus President Biden and Dr Biden won’t speak for a few hours.
You can expect a packed house for both Bidens when they take to the stage later this evening.
Andrew Feinberg20 August 2024 00:26
Emotional scenes at the DNC as Reverend Jesse Jackson is brought on stage in a wheelchair
Reverend Jesse Jackson was brought on stage in a wheelchair to an emotional response from the audience at the DNC, who started a chant of “Jesse! Jesse! Jesse!”
The DNC praised Black trailblazers in their party, such as Jackson and the late US Representative Shirley Chisholm, who was the first Black woman elected to Congress and in 1972 became the first Black candidate for the presidential nomination of a major party. She was also the first woman to run for the Democratic nomination.
Gustaf Kilander20 August 2024 00:23
‘My daughter will see … a reflection of herself in the White House’
Gustaf Kilander20 August 2024 00:20
North Carolina governor says he hasn’t ‘felt this much excitement since 2008′
Gustaf.Kilander20 August 2024 00:15
DNC schedule: When Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, Michelle Obama and more will speak
As many as 50,000 visitors are now expected to descend on the Steven Spielberg-coordinated convention at the United Center including 5,000 delegates from 50 states and territories, plus 15,000 members of the media and tens of thousands of guests.
A schedule for the event has been released. The main programming portion of the evening is expected to begin at 5.30pm (Central Time) and will continue until 10pm each night.
Here’s what we know so far.
James Liddell, Joe Sommerlad, Gustaf Kilander20 August 2024 00:06
In Pictures: Protesters attend ‘March on the DNC’
Gustaf Kilander20 August 2024 00:00
‘The America Democrats are fighting for’
DNC chair Jaime Harrison said on Monday night that “hope and hard work can take you anywhere.”
“You can go to college, you can start your own business, you can even win the Olympics. That’s the America Democrats believe in, and that’s the America Democrats are fighting for,” he added.
Gustaf Kilander19 August 2024 23:59
Chicago mayor praises Harris as DNC gets underway
Speaking at the beginning of the DNC, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson praised Kamala Harris.
“As the son of a family that worked to make ends meet, I know that Kamala Harris – the daughter of a mom who worked hard every single day – she is going to look out for the interest of everyday people,” he said.
“What will it take to defend our fundamental rights and our freedoms? It will take someone with leadership who would fight for us. And let me tell you, America – leadership, Kamala, she’s got it,” he added.
Gustaf Kilander19 August 2024 23:56
