Live updates: Democratic National Convention 2024 | CNN Politics (2024)

When then-President Barack Obama was preparing to depart office in 2016, he issued an edict: Members of his Cabinet would not be allowed to address that year’s Democratic Convention in Philadelphia.

No such ban exists this year. The roster of speakers on Monday includes Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who is considered a rising star in the party. CNN previously reported that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was expected to address the convention later in the week.

In the span of convention history, Cabinet members having prime speaking spots is not unusual. Putting the party’s top figures in front of a national audience is a way to boost their profiles and show voters the depth of the party.

Still, administration appointees are required by federal law to separate their official and political duties.

Cabinet members speak at conventions in their personal capacity, but the distinction can be blurry for a viewing audience. The mandate from 2016 was rooted in Obama’s desire to signal that his final months in office would not be consumed by politics.

His chief of staff, Denis McDonough, wanted to “send a signal about the primacy of the Obama administration’s responsibility to manage the government and serve the American people,” a statement from the White House said at the time.

Explaining further, then-press secretary Josh Earnest said the goal was to “delineate as clearly as possible the public, official governing responsibilities we have at the White House, and separate that from politics.”

Hillary Clinton speaks on stage during Vital Voices 23rd Annual Global Leadership Awards on May 30, in Washington, DC.

Hillary Clinton has delivered plenty of big political speeches throughout her career, but she is taking her remarks at the opening night of the Democratic National Convention very seriously, an aide who is with her in Chicago told CNN.

Clinton landed last night in Chicago with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and longtime aides Dan Schwerin, Huma Abedin and Nick Merrill. This morning, with coffee flowing, the former secretary of state has been spending her morning making tweaks to the draft and doing read throughs at her hotel.

While her mood has been “very upbeat” and her spirits have been high, Clinton also recognizes the gravity of this moment and the importance of Vice President Kamala Harris defeating Donald Trump in November.

As CNN previously reported, Clinton plans to discuss the proverbial glass ceiling that she herself failed to fully break in 2016.

Bill Clinton is slated to speak at the convention on Wednesday night.

Families of the American hostages held captive in Gaza are in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Some family members will be inside the United Center on Monday for President Joe Biden’s speech.

Convention organizers declined to say whether they had assigned the family members speaking slots.

But people familiar with the matter said the plight of the hostages and the necessity of a hostage deal would be addressed in some format during the convention.

The ongoing hostage talks in the Middle East are making for an uncertain backdrop to this week’s convention. Biden’s top diplomat, Antony Blinken, is the region to try to advance the talks.

The Israel-Hamas war has caused deep divisions for Democrats. For Biden, the negotiations to secure the release of captives held in Gaza in exchange for a ceasefire are the best chance to bring the grueling conflict to an end.

At the Republican National Convention in July, family members of an American citizen held hostage in Gaza, Omer Neutra, spoke and appealed for his release.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Heading intothe Democratic National Convention, new data suggests the Trump campaign’s initial attempts to frame the conversation about Vice President Kamala Harris have so far gained relatively little traction.

Instead, the public’s attention has remained largely focused around the Democratic nominee’s selection of a running mate and other facets of her campaign — a dynamic that could be reinforced for another week as the Democratic Party gathers in Chicago. Meanwhile, the public conversation around the GOP nominee, former President Donald Trump, remains relatively unfocused in the quieter aftermath of a month of major news stories surrounding him.

The Breakthrough is a CNN polling project thattrackswhat average Americans are actually hearing, reading and seeing about the presidential candidates throughout the campaign.

Charting the words used to describe each candidate, the project found that in the weeks since Harris entered the race, the word “campaign” has been mentioned more frequently regarding Harris than Trump — a break from earlier in the summer, when the Trump campaign drew as much or more attention than President Joe Biden’s campaign.

In the most recent survey—conducted August 9-12 by SSRS and Verasight on behalf of a research team from CNN, Georgetown University and the University of Michigan—Americans were more likely to report hearing about Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for the Democraticvice presidential slot (and other news about the vice presidency, including her own current role)than any other topic. Slightly fewer mentioned other aspects of the Harris campaign, a broad category that includes the new ticket’s rally tour, fundraising totals, poll numbers or ads.

Far fewer mentioned the border, and there was even less mention of the economy – two traditionally GOP-friendly campaign issues on which theTrump campaign has criticized Harris. The most prominent negative news about Harris to break through was criticism that she has been reluctant to hold news conferences or engage with the media.

Read more about the Breakthrough projecthere.

CNN’s Jennifer Agiesta and Edward Wu contributed to this story.

AshleyBiden, daughter of President JoeBiden, tests out the podium at the United Center, the host venue of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, on August 18.

President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley will introduce her father on Monday ahead of his convention address, a show of family support for the symbolic passing-of-the-torch moment to Vice President Kamala Harris.

The moment will undoubtedly be a touching one for the president. Family members have introduced him at past conventions, including his son Beau at the 2008 convention where he was nominated as vice president.

Ashley Biden, the only child of the president and first lady Jill Biden, has kept a lower profile than her half-brother Hunter over the course of the Biden administration.

But she is a staunch supporter of her parents and is often seen at family occasions at the White House and in Delaware.

Anita Dunn, former adviser to President Joe Biden, described the president as “the volunteer in chief,” noting he is fully committed to working to ensure Vice President Kamala Harris is elected.

Dunn said Biden, in his speech at the Democratic National Convention tonight, will deliver a “resounding argument” for why Harris should be elected president.

Dunn, who wasuntil recentlyone of Biden’s top strategists, dodged questions surrounding Biden’s relationship with former House speaker Nancy Pelosi. CNN’s Dana Bash pressed Dunn about the alleged strained relationship between the two following Pelosi’s reported push for Biden to drop out of the presidential race.

Bash noted that the former speaker of the House had mentioned that she has yet to speak with Biden.

Trump allies promoted the former president’s economic plan and brushed off concerns that he isn’t focusing enough on policy, while trying to draw sharp contrasts with Vice President Kamala Harris on the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott told reporters in Chicago “absolutely” when asked if Trump was focusing enough on policy, saying the former president has “put out exactly what he will do,” while Harris “won’t even do an interview.”

The vice president has said she’ll sit down for a formal interview as the party’s nominee before the end of the month, but Trump and his allies have continually been critical of Harris’s level of engagement with the media.

She has taken some questions from reporters while traveling, including yesterday in Pennsylvania.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said it’s going to take “ground game” to get Trump across the finish line in his home state, but also “a little assistance” from an “honest and unbiased” media, claiming Harris has been “put on a pedestal” and not held accountable since Biden dropped out of the race.

Johnson downplayed a Wall Street Journal survey of economists last month who said inflation would be worse under a second Trump administration, versus a continuation of the current administration’s policies, saying it’s based on tariff policy that is a necessary response to China’s behavior.

“Those tariffs are meant to discipline China,” he said of Trump’s proposed trade policy, accusing Biden of being “compromised” on China and saying Harris and her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, would be “equally soft” on the foreign adversary.

Trump campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes also said based on internal polling data, the campaign believes the “plateau is reached” after the “honeymoon period” of enthusiasm for Harris at the top of the ticket on the Democratic side, and now, the race is “where it was expected to be.”

The Trump campaign mocked the Democratic National Committee’s platform —and by extension Vice President Kamala Harris — for the multiple references to “Biden’s second term” in a campaign statement released Monday afternoon.

The mentions are “an open admission that Kamala has no policies of her own. She has no plan to fix the litany of crises she’s created,” according to the Trump campaign.

Republican vice presidential candidateJDVancespeaks during a visit to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 19.

As the Democratic National Convention gets underway in Chicago, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance told CNN at his event in Philadelphia Monday that Republicans don’t need to blunt Vice President Kamala Harris’ momentum but rather highlight their contrasting vision for the country.

“We just really have to contrast those two visions and those two records of accomplishment. I think if we do that, the American people are going to give Donald Trump another chance,” Vance said.

Asked by CNN why Trump is calling the Democratic National Committee convention “rigged” if he is confident he will win, Vance said, “We are confident we can win. We’re confident we’re going to win by taking forward a message of peace and prosperity to the American people.”

At the same time, Vance said it was “important” to point out “how absurd” Harris’ ascension to the top of presidential ticket is.

“The Democratic Party ran a primary process. They pretended that Joe Biden was mentally fit to do the job and the minute that he became a political dead weight, they cast him overboard, not the voters of the Democratic Party, but the actual elites of the Democratic Party. That is a fundamentally unfair process. I think it’s reasonable for Donald Trump to call that out,” he said.

Watch here:

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Vice President KamalaHarrisand her running mate Minnesota GovernorTimWalzreact as they hold a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 6.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attended a series of caucus meetings on the first day of the Democratic National Convention where he expressed gratitude for their support while praising Vice President Kamala Harris as a visionary leader.

“You might have seen few people are kind of excited across this country for Kamala Harris, what they’ve seen is what you’ve known in Kamala Harris — a deeply kind, visionary, effective leader,” Walz said during the Asian AmericansandPacific Islanders caucus meeting.

Walz stops at four different delegate caucus meeting on the morning of the first day of the Democratic convention, and made specific appeals to some of those groups as he rallied their support for Harris.

During remarks to the Black caucus meeting, Walz acknowledged the Democratic Party’s history of putting White politicians at the top of the ticket and asking Black voters for their support.

“A lot of times, this was the history, you can count on the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, and you can count on White politicians coming to Black communities to ask for their votes,” he said, eliciting knowing laughter from the crowd.

At the Native American caucus meeting, Walz highlighted Harris’ previous commitment to honoring tribal sovereignty and his own work in Minnesota to advance native causes, including by selecting Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to serve alongside him and approving a redesigned Minnesota state flag the removes a depiction of a Native American that Walz called “racist.”

While speaking to the Hispanic caucus, Walz echoed the same message, pledging to acknowledge “the good, the bad, and the ugly” of treatment of Hispanic communities in America.

“It’s all about trying to realize that purely American ideal of a more perfect union. But you know, what great countries do? They acknowledge their history. The good, the bad and the ugly, all of it,” he said. “Because if you can’t acknowledge where you came from, how do you know where you’re going.”

Walz is expected to appear at the LGBTQ+ caucus meeting later today.

While the DNC gets underway in Chicago, in Georgia the State Election Board has passed a rule on Monday giving local election officials additional power to investigate ballot counts before certifying the results, a move critics say could inject chaos into the 2024 election and delay the state’s official vote count.

The “Rule for Reconciliation Prior to Certification” will allow for a hand recount of votes to ensure “the total number of ballots cast” does not exceed “the total number of persons who voted,” according to the language of the rule.

County election officials will now be allowed to investigate any possible discrepancies.

The vote was carried 3 to 2 by the five-member board.

First Lady Jill Biden attends the Women's Sports & Health Innovation Event at Le Meurice on July 27, in Paris, France.

First lady Jill Biden, who remained steadfast in her support of her husband Joe Biden as he deliberated over his political future before ultimately ending his 2024 reelection campaign last month, will use her remarks at the first night of the Democratic National Convention tonight to call on Americans to now support Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency.

Jill Biden will express her support for Harris and ask Americans to join together“with faith in each other, hope for a brighter future, and love for our country,” a source familiar with the first lady’s Monday night remarks tells CNN.

Her speech will also serve as a personal tribute to President Biden – the source said the first lady plans on speaking to her husband’s strength and character “in a way that only a spouse of nearly 50 years can do.”

If the first night of this week’s convention in Chicago will focus significantly on President Biden’s accomplishments, there will also be a moment of honoring Jill Biden’s work as first lady as well. A video that features key moments from her three-and-a-half years as first lady, as well as the causes that have been most central to her career, will serve to introduce the first lady, according to a source familiar.

To that end, the video will feature in part Vivian Wierwille of New Hampshire, who – then a fourth-grader – had introduced Biden in March 2021 at an elementary school in Concord as schools reopened amid the Covid pandemic.

Police block a street as pro-Palestine protesters march ahead of the Democratic National Convention on August 18, in Chicago, Illinois.

The Chicago Police Department is hoping to avoid confrontations at protest events in the city around the Democratic National Convention.

“What we will not tolerate is intimidation,” said police superintendent Larry Snelling in a news conference Monday. “We will not tolerate violence, and we want every single person in this city to feel safe.”

Snelling said they plan to keep police presence as low-profile as possible, while also preventing clashes and traffic problems in the heart of America’s third-largest city. “This won’t be a logjam,” he said. “We’re going to make sure that if anything happens that we have to call an audible on to make sure that everyone is safe, we will do that.”

Despite disagreements with protest groups over how close demonstrators can get to the DNC venue, Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city is committed to letting people express their opinions, even in large numbers. “The city of Chicago is really good at things like this,” Johnson said.

President JoeBidendelivers remarks at an event in Prince George's County, Maryland, on August 15.

President Joe Biden’s speech Monday at the opening night of the Democratic National Convention is not expected to resemble a farewell speech, sources have told CNN.

That moment for the president — to formally mark the end of his one-term presidency in an address to the American people – will likely come in January, a Biden aide said.

The timing would be similar to how former President Barack Obama delivered a farewell address to the nation near the end of his two terms in January of 2017. In that speech, Obama described Biden as “the scrappy kid from Scranton who became Delaware’s favorite son” and “the first decision I made as a nominee.”

“And it was the best,” Obama said, “not just because you have been a great Vice President, but because in the bargain, I gained a brother.”

Seven and a half years later, Obama will speak Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention — not on behalf of his former vice president seeking a second term, but rather, Vice President Kamala Harris’ new quest for the White House.

As CNN has reported, Biden will use his prime time remarks tonight to talk about the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration and zero in on how critical it is that Harris defeat Donald Trump in November.

For the Democratic ticket, it’s no longer blue wall or bust.

That’s the blunt assessment of Chauncey McLean, president of Future Forward, the leading super PAC supporting Kamala Harris after spending hundreds of millions of dollars promoting Joe Biden’s candidacy for more than a year.

While the final three months of the presidential contest may be less harrowing for Democrats than before President Joe Biden stepped aside, given the rising enthusiasm for Harris, McLean said Monday the race with Donald Trump is far closer than some exuberant Democrats may assume.

“We have it as tight as a tick, pretty much across the board,” McLean told reporters at a breakfast hosted by the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and the Cook Political Report. He said his group has surveyed 375,000 Americans since Harris became the nominee.

Democrats have more paths to victory because of a “dramatic uptick in her favorability,” McLean said, with the party no longer playing defense in Minnesota, New Mexico and beyond.

He said Harris has improved her standing in every demographic group, particularly with Latino voters, but among “older white voters she has seen the least gain.”

The race to define Harris is very much alive by both political parties, he said, with surveys showing that a majority of Americans know very little about her or her background. But he said the economy remains a pivotal issue — and challenge — for Harris and Democrats.

President Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi.

Nancy Pelosi helped push Joe Biden to quit his re-election campaign, but Monday morning in Chicago she said that the reaction she wants to see from the Democratic convention when the president delivers his farewell address is:

She mimed some arm pumps to go with her suggested cheer.Pelosi called Biden’s decision to step aside “very selfless on his part,” adding, “he’s one of the greatest, most consequential presidents in our country’s history.”

As for any lingering hard feelings among Democrats over her role in Biden’s decision to step aside, Pelosi said her reaction is: “That’s their problem.”

The comments to reporters came after Pelosi spoke at a California delegation breakfast at a hotel in downtown Chicago, where she said she wanted to take a point of personal privilege to note that the first female speaker of the House came out of California, and now promised that the first female president will as well.

Asked to compare Kamala Harris to Donald Trump, as she tends to do, Pelosi refused to mention the Republican nominee by name.

“The difference between the two is that Kamala Harris has a set of values and priorities,” Pelosi said. “When the other guy was in the room, all he wanted was a tax cut for the richest people in America.”

People gather for a Pro-Palestinian protest ahead of the Democratic National Convention on August 18, in Chicago, Illinois.

Protests are taking place this week outside the Chicago venue for the Democratic National Convention, with demonstrators not swayed by the party’s positive reaction to Kamala Harris’ move to the top of the ticket.

“We’ve made it clear from the very beginning that there is no difference” between Harris and Joe Biden, said Hatem Abudayyeh, Coalition to March on the DNC spokesperson. The coalition’s website says “the March on the DNC will be a march for Palestine” and the main demand will be ending US aid to Israel.

Despite the factRepublican candidate Donald Trump has spoken more favorably of Israeli military action in Gaza than the current administration, protesters said they don’t believe supporting Democrats will help Palestinians.

“There is no lesser of two evils when the so-called lesser is aiding and abetting a genocide,” said Faayani Aboma Mijana, also a spokesperson for the coalition.

“We will not take any responsibility if Kamala Harris loses the election,” Abudayyeh added.

Retired federal appeals courtJudge J. Michael Luttig, a prominent conservative legal scholar put on the bench by President George H.W. Bush, is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump, whose candidacy he describes as an existential threat to American democracy.

It will be the first time Luttig, a veteran of two Republican administrations, has voted for a Democrat.

Luttig played anow famous rolein persuading then-Vice President Mike Pence to defy Trump and certify the 2020 presidential election. In a series of tweets drafted at the request of Pence’s attorney, Luttig spelled out in stark terms the legal rationale for Pence to reject the former president’s attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.

Since then, Luttig has emerged as a preeminent constitutional critic of Trump. In endorsing Harris, Luttig argued partisan distinctions must, in this election, be set aside in order to prevent the “singularly unfit” Trump from returning to the White House.

Actress Lynda Carter arrives for the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner, in Washington, DC, on April 27.

Lynda Carter, the original “Wonder Woman” actress and Harris campaign surrogate, said the vice president is a breath of fresh air following years of disruption.

“I’m just so thrilled that we have competent, wonderful human beings that are for the whole country not just half the country,” Carter said.

Carter highlighted that abortion rights are a key issue for her and that she is working to reverse the impact of the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade.

“I will do everything in my power and in my pocketbook to change that,” she said.

Stage is set for the start of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, on August 18.

The Harris campaignpreviewed the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday, which will feature remarks from former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock.

Monday night will also include people who have been impacted by stricter abortion laws passed by states following the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, including Hadley Duvall, the Kentucky woman whose story of has been featured in Democratic campaign ads in this cycle.

Quentin Fulks, principal deputy campaign manager for the Harris campaign, shared a list of speakers expected to address the convention.

The list included:

Fulks also said the convention “will feature the men and women that have been subjected to cruel and dangerous abortion bans under Donald Trump,” including Duvall, who was impregnated by her stepfather at 12 years old and has since used her story to campaign for Harris.

Harris campaign officials previewed what they expect to hear from President Joe Biden’s remarks at the Democratic National Convention this evening and praised both his record as president and his decision to step away from the presidential race.

At a news conference ahead of the first night of the convention, the Harris campaign said they expect Democrats in attendance to reflect positively on his record over the past four years and celebrate his handing the Democratic ticket to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Sen. Chris Coons, a close Biden ally, said his speech tonight won’t end his involvement in working to get the vice president elected, noting he expects to see Biden campaign in Pennsylvania ahead of election day.

“No one loves to campaign like Joe Biden. You will see him campaigning with some joy and some lift in Pennsylvania and around the country and focusing on the job that yet to be done, both for the remaining five months and then going forward,” he said.

Minyon Moore, chair of the convention, said Biden’s speech will give Democrats the opportunity to “celebrate” him.

“We are going to celebrate him, celebrate all the accomplishments that he has given us,” she said.

Moore also touched on Harris’ relationship with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will also speak tonight, saying Harris and Clinton are “on speed dial with each other.”

“She has been an incredible partner to Vice President Harris. They have a great friendship. You know, they’re on speed dial with each other,” Moore said.

A trio of rising star Democratic governors addressed delegates from battleground Pennsylvania Monday morning – placing focus on the election 78 days from now while keeping an eye on their own political futures.

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, all believed to hold presidential ambitions of their own, each heralded Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy and implored Pennsylvanians to do their part in working and organizing to elect her.

But their presence and messages before key leaders of Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party offered some insight into a future Democratic bench. Shapiro, Whitmer and Pritzker were all on initial lists of potential running mates for Harris in a sign of their post-2024 potency.

Shapiro addressed his home delegation with his “GSD (getting stuff done)” signature message centered around education, public safety, jobs, and personal freedoms and rights.

He also singled out former President Donald Trump, who, he said, is “scared of Kamala Harris.”

Pritzker, meanwhile, touted his own successes in his home state of Illinois, pointing to his efforts to raise the minimum wage, eliminate grocery taxes, cancel medical debt, lower the cost of prescription drugs, and raise teacher pay, among others.

And Whitmer offered a broad message cementing the Pennsylvania’s importance this November as one of the “blue wall” states that will be critical to Democrats’ electoral map.

“We gotta do the work. It means showing up and knocking doors. It means writing the postcards. It means making the phone calls, sometimes having a difficult conversation in the grocery store checkout line, right? But the stakes are so high” she told the Pennsylvanians.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Asheville, North Carolina, on August 14.

Former President Donald Trump responded to criticisms of his recent comments comparing the Medal of Honor with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during an interview with WBRE in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

The former president said he “always considered that to be the ultimate, but it is a painful thing to get,” referring to the Medal of Honor.

Trump added that “to my knowledge, I don’t think anyone has suffered” to achieve the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

On Thursday, former President Trump argued Republican megadonor Miriam Adelson, whom he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom while in office, had received the “much better” medal compared to the top military award the Medal of Honor, because for the latter the recipients have “been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead.”

On Monday, CNN exclusively reported that Trump’s former chief of staff and retired Marine General John Kelly rejected his comments about the medals, telling CNN that the honors are “not even close. No equivalencyofany kind.”

“TheMedalofHonoris earned, not won, by incredibly brave actions on the battlefield under fire typically by very young men who joined when others did not to defend their country,” Kelly said.

The four-week campaign between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump has already cemented a hugely significant change in American politics.

Both candidates have embraced a populist approach to economics – one that extends a shift engineered by both Trump in his first term and President Joe Biden who moved away from the centrist, corporate and globalist approach to policy of their predecessors.

Harris will put her new economic plan on display at the Democratic National Convention this week. She’s vowing to use federal power to combat what she says is price gouging by supermarket giants and to offer government help for first-time home buyers.

Trump has slammed Harris’ approach as Venezuela-style socialism. But the Republican nominee has his own populist plan. He’s pledging to end taxes on tips for service workers – a proposal Harris matched – and would slap tariffs on foreign goods of up to 20% and even higher for China.

Mainstream economists say Harris’ price controls would lead to food shortages. They argue the cost of Trump’s import duties would be borne by Americans rather than foreign trade competitors and would ignite massive inflation. But working - and middle-class voters have been hurting for years and have little interest in hearing from the architects and promotors of an economy they see as making the rich richer.

Harris and Trump may be embracing bad economics – but it’s good politics.

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidateKamalaHarrisspeaks at an event in Raleigh, North Carolina, on August 16.

Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee, of California, said Vice President Kamala Harris will bring a much needed fresh perspective to the White House.

“Vice President Harris brings a perspective. She brings a lens that has not been in the White House that we know to solve these problems. We have to have new energy, new lens, new perspectives, new vision for where we go.”

Lee added that she believes that Harris has the experience and is prepared to lead the country.

Lee, who has attended Democratic national conventions since the 1970s, also told CNN on Monday that this year’s gathering is different. She said that previous conventions have been more about an inclusive democracy and including more people who had never had a seat at the table — “but at this one I think we see more hope, more joy.”

Lee added that Harris’ candidacy along with her vice president pick Tim Walz has energized the party.

Regarding the historic nature of Harris’ candidacy, Lee said the moment is a culmination of years of sacrifices made by Black women and women.

“There have been so many who have paved the way, such as Fannie Lou Hamer, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Hillary Clinton, Shirley Chisholm. And so we’ve come to this point now where the work and the sacrifices of so many Black women and so women and so many young people have gotten us this point and so this is historic,” Lee said.

Lee noted that this convention is kind of a “bookend” from 1972, when she was a part of Shirley Chisholm’s campaign for president.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz rallied a pair of so-called “Blue Wall” battleground states’ delegations Monday morning, offering a pep talk to Wisconsin and Pennsylvania’s delegates as the Democratic National Convention gets underway.

He continued, “I am not waking up the day after this election and not thinking we left it all on the field. We are going to leave it all on the field. We’re going to knock every door that needs to be knocked. We are going to have no regrets on this.

Walz was introduced at the Wisconsin breakfast by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who told the delegates if Democrats keep the Senate and House, including winning key races in Wisconsin, and “we elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz president and vice president – you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers also praised Walz, noting that the “path to the White House runs straight through our state,” and “we’re going to deliver.”

Moments later, Walz made a surprise appearance before the Pennsylvania delegation, telling an enthusiastic crowd, “The blue wall is solid, people. The blue wall is solid.”

Walz ticked through some organizing milestones: 48,906 new volunteer signups, more than 28,000 call shifts, 621,590 phone calls as of last night, and over 90,000 door knocks since Harris assumed the campaign on July 21.

Beyoncé (L) and Taylor Swift.

Not since the Obama years has celebrity enthusiasm in Democratic politics been so high, merging the world of pop culture and politics as the race tokicksinto high gear withthis week’sDemocratic conventionin Chicago.

John Legend – who performed at the2008 and 2020conventions– is set to headline a showTuesday for IllinoisGov.JB Pritzker.

On Wednesday afternoon, “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfusishosting a panelwith the country’s eight female Democratic governors. And on Wednesday night, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will perform at a benefit concert thrown by the Creative Coalition, a Hollywood advocacy nonprofit.

Notable actors expected to attend include Tim Daly, Uzo Aduba, Anthony Anderson, Iain Armitage, Yvette Nicole Brown, David Cross, Jon Cryer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Danai Gurira, Richard Kind, Busy Philipps and Sheryl Lee Ralph.

High-profile speakers are still being finalized, multiple sourcestoldCNN, adding that a slew of actors will speak on the convention’s main stage. But speculation has run rampant on two stars in particular: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

With no major performer announced, fans of both Beyoncé and Swift are hopeful the women – who bothendorsed the Biden-Harris ticketin 2020– will show up in Chicago.

Representatives for Swift and Beyoncé did not respond to CNN’s numerous requests for comment. Spokespeople for the DNC and the Harris campaign would not comment on the rumors surrounding the twomegastars.

Read more here.

Democratic vice presidential running mate Minnesota GovernorTimWalzattends a campaign event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on August 7.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Democratic vice presidential hopeful will be attending a series of caucus meeting at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, a Harris campaign spokesperson said in a statement.

Walz will “drop by” the Black Caucus meeting, the Hispanic Caucus meeting, the Native American Caucus meeting, the AAPI Caucus meeting, and the LGBTQ+ Caucus meeting on Monday.

There, he’ll “express his gratitude for their support,” the campaign spokesperson said.

Frmer White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain says President Joe Biden is “very enthusiastic” to show his support for the Harris-Walz ticket at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago when he speaks at the convention tonight.

Klain told Kasie Hunt on CNN This Morning that he spoke to President Biden last night.

Klain joked that overall Democratic support is “H-O-T T-O G-O” for the Harris-Walz campaign referencing the popular song by Chappell Roan.He continued, “Democracy is on the line this year” and Vice President Harris is the right choice to be the next President.

When asked about Harris’ opponent, former President Donald Trump, and his attacks on the Harris-Walz campaign, Klain told Hunt:

Klain argued that Trump “really doesn’t know what to say about her so he’s just throwing old garbage at her.”

The Harris campaign on Monday launched a broadcasting channel through the messaging platform WhatsApp targeting Latino voters in an effort to mobilize the core constituency.

The channel will be operated by the “Latinos con Harris-Walz” organizing programming and aims to provide a novel way to court the key coalition “in an increasingly dynamic and fragmented media environment.” It will provide content that reflects the Latino community while also combating misinformation and disinformation.

The platform features a bilingual selfie-stylevideofrom Harris-Walz campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, and will also include daily voice memos, videos and notes from surrogates. The campaign believes it will be able to create an organic path to reach the demographic by emphasizing grassroots non-produced content and uplifting news stories and commentary from trusted outlets and voices.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at a press conference on Capitol Hill in July.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will both speak at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this upcoming week.

Other speakers throughout the week include President Joe Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of StateHillary Clinton, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, will deliver the vice presidential acceptance speech on Wednesday and Harris will deliver her presidential acceptance speech Thursday.

Speaking from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, CNN political commentator Van Jones said Kamala Harris has “lit this country on fire.”

Watch as he talks about his excitement for the Democratic campaign here.

President Joe Biden will make the case for Vice President Kamala Harris and sketch out his view of the stakes of this election during his speech to Democrats this evening in Chicago, White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt told CNN’s John Berman.

“The president has focused his presidency on defending democracy at home against the threat posed by Donald Trump who wants to be a dictator from day one. And he’s going to call on Americans tonight to defend democracy one more time in November by voting for his close governing partner Vice President Harris and governor Walz,” LaBolt said.

LaBolt added that Biden’s “key goal” this evening will be to make the case for Vice President Harris and lay out the stakes of the election as he draws a contrast with Trump.

Asked if Biden would call out Trump by name, LaBolt replied:

Asked how this convention feels when compared to previous ones, LaBolt said: “This is a historic moment. It’s different than past conventions, and I think you’ll see a sitting president pass the torch to Vice President Harris and the next generation.”

Security officials walk through the United Center in Chicago during preparations ahead of the Democratic National Convention on Sunday.

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to accept her party’s nomination Thursday at the Democratic National Convention, but only after a “who’s who” list of speakers from of the Democratic party and beyond.

From past presidents and presidential hopefuls to key Harris allies, here’s a look at some of the people who are set to deliver speeches in Chicago this week:

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are also expected to speak at some point during the convention, according to DNC officials.

Vineeta Gupta, who immigrated to the US from India in 2003, says she didn't engage much with electoral politics until Harris became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. She's seen here at an August 6 Harris rally in Philadelphia.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, Vineeta Gupta hosted 20 Indian American women at her home in Silver Spring, Maryland. Fueled by chana masala, naan andrice pudding, they wrote hundreds of postcards in an appeal to fellow South Asians.

Their message: VoteKamala Harrisfor the nextpresidentof the United States.

Organizing for a political candidate was a highly unusual move for Gupta, a 61-year-old physician and human rights lawyer who immigrated to the US from India in 2003. Despite advocatingvarious social justice causes, Gupta—a registeredindependent—had never involved herself in electoral politics outside of voting.

That changed last month when Harris,the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, rose to the top of the Democratic ticket afterPresident Joe Bidenannounced he wouldn’t seek reelection.

Gupta joined several WhatsApp groups of politically activated South Asian Americans. She participated in a “South Asian Women for Harris” Zoom call. Sheappealedto skeptical women of color on LinkedIn. On August 6, she drove to Philadelphia to watch Harris introduce Minnesota Gov.Tim Walzas her running mate— Gupta’sfirst election rally.

Many Indian Americans appear to share Gupta’s newfound enthusiasm and urgency. Over thepastseveral weeks, national and grassroots political organizers from the community say they’ve seen a groundswell of support and energy for the Harris campaign.

Keep reading the full story here.

Protesters march ahead of the Democratic National Convention on August 18, in Chicago.

A 23-year-old female and a 28-year-old male were arrested Sunday during DNC-related protests, according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).

The 23-year-old female was arrested for Criminal Defacement of Property and Resisting/ Obstructing Peace Officer. The 28-year-old male was arrested for Criminal Damage and Resisting/Obstructing Peace Officer. All of the charges are misdemeanors.

CPD did not specify when the arrests occurred.

Inflation is slowly moving backto what’s considereda more sustainable pace, but for many Americans, it’s hard to take solace: The post-pandemic spike in price hikes drastically increased the cost of living.

Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have pledged to bring those costs down. But some economists warnthat the candidates’ aims — including an initial economic policy laid out Friday by Harris and the economic-related statements made in recent months by Trump — could push prices higher … and in the latter’s case, possibly much higher.

Both candidates’ plans would probably raise the deficit and increase demand, including through government spending and tightening the labor market, Joe Brusuelas, RSM US chief economist, said to CNN via email.

But Trump’s plan, or what he’s so far released of it, presents more risks, Brusuelas said. “Both likely inflation and the risk to permanently higher inflation are greater with the Trump proposal.”

Read more about how the proposals could impact inflation here.

Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

Former President Donald Trump will hold a series of what his campaign is internally calling “messaging events” in several battleground states this upcoming week, a source tells CNN, in counterprogramming to the Democratic National Convention.

These events will be at smaller venues and focus on one or two policy issues important to the campaign.

Trump’s event on Monday will be in Pennsylvania, the same day that the DNC kicks off in Chicago. His remarks will focus on the economy, according to a statement.

And on Tuesday, Trump will deliver remarks on crime and justice in Howell, Michigan, the campaign announced. His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, will also hold a rally focused on crime the same day in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

He is also expected to visit North Carolina and Arizona. The additional trips will also touch on the economy, as well as crime and immigration, three issues the former president’s campaign believe could help Trump win in November.

Trump held two speeches last week centered on the economy and his policies, but he has yet to release a detailed economic plan. Harris spoke Friday afternoonabout the economic proposals she is rolling out, including enhancedtax credits for kids, housing assistance and efforts to control prices. Trump repeatedly slams the Biden-Harris administration for high inflation and has pledged to bring down prices immediately.

Here’s what we know so far about Harris’ and Trump’s economic plans.

CNN’s Katie Lobosco and Tami Luhby contributed reporting to this post.

Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the University of Las Vegas Thomas & Mack Center on August 10, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Harini Krishnan had worked as a volunteer organizer for Sen. Kamala Harris’ first presidential campaign in 2019, but she said Harris’ decision to drop out of the race then had left her distraught.

Nearly five years later, Krishnan says seeing Harris now atop the Democratic ticket makes her emotional.

“I am proud to call her a friend and to think that this could happen,I don’t think in my ancestors’ wildest dreams I imagined this moment,” said Krishan, the national director of South Asians for Harris.

Harris’ rise could encourage more young Asian-Americans to consider politics as a potential career path, instead of traditional roles like doctor or engineer, Krishnan said.

But at the same time, she admits that people are still getting to know Harris and want more specifics from her on policy, which she expects to get soon. “People are asking for it, but I also would say that let’s get through convention and you’re going to see more of our platform,” she told CNN.

Eight years after Hillary Clinton lost the election to former President Donald Trump, she will again address the Democratic National Convention.

This time, to rally support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the second woman to win a major party nomination.

For many Democrats who hoped Clinton would become the first woman elected president, the sudden elevation of Harris is both a thrilling surprise and a second chance to make history. Clinton’s presence at the convention — the first in-person gathering since her own 2016 event — speaks to that dynamic.

“If I know anything about her, she’s going to be talking about the future,” said Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood. “She’s like my mother before her, she’s not about crying over spilled milk.”

Like many Democrats, Clinton is excited about Harris’ candidacy and is “all in” for her, and her speech will reflect that, according to a source familiar with her thinking. Her remarks are upbeat and will touch on the momentum the vice president has generated. She will also argue that Democrats need to be “clear eyed” about the long road to Election Day and Republicans’ familiar playbook.

Read more about how Clinton’s supporters are reacting to her upcoming speech here.

U.S. Capitol Police officer Sgt. Aquilino Gonell testifies before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on July 27, 2021 at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C.

Some speakers at the Democratic National Convention were chosen to highlight the threat to democracy that Democrats say former President Donald Trump poses — including lawmakers and a Capitol Police officer wounded during the January 6, 2021, riots.

Those speakers include Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who served on the House select committee to investigate the January 6 insurrection, an official with Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign told CNN. That committeeultimately recommendedin its 2022 report that Trump be barred from holding office again.

RetiredSgt. Aquilino Gonell, one of the Capitol Police officers wounded on January 6, will also address the convention. Since responding to the attack on the US Capitol over three years ago, Gonell has become a public face of the insurrection’s toll and a vocal critic of Trump and the Republicans who continue to defend him.

Here are some other speakers:

Homeland Security Police patrol around federal buildings in downtown Chicago on Sunday.

Protective fencing is up, street closures are beginning and local and federal law enforcement officials say Chicago is prepared as Democrats begin to descend on the city for the party’s convention.

The convention is kicking off just five weeks after the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump,survived an assassination attemptat a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — a moment that raised concerns about the security at Democrats’ gathering in Chicago as well as Republicans’ convention in Milwaukee last month.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Thursday on CNN that the attempted assassination “did heighten our awareness here” as law enforcement planned for “any possibility.”

“Comparing Butler to a national special security event — you can’t compare it,” Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Derek Mayer told reporters this week. “This is a whole of government approach — we’ve been planning for this convention for well over a year.”

Also looming as Chicago prepared for the convention has been the memory of 1968, when violent clashes between law enforcement and protesters erupted amid protests over the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War.

Read more abouthow Chicago prepared for the DNC.

The Democratic Party released its proposed platform Sunday on the eve of the Chicago convention. It is brimming with contrasts between Republican presidential nomineeDonald Trumpand the old Democratic nominee.

The 92-page nonbinding document, which outlines the Democratic National Committee’s priorities for the next four years, will be voted on by delegates at the party’s national convention today. But it hasn’t been updated since PresidentJoeBidendropped out of the race last month and endorsed Vice PresidentKamala Harristo replace him.

Platforms, which lay out the goals and policies the party broadly supports, are typically crafted to mirror the priorities of their presidential nominees. But Harris officially locked down the Democratic nomination in late July — and only began laying out the details of her policy agenda with therollout of an economic platformin North Carolina on Friday.

The platform is already outdated: On the economy, the platform includes sections about expanding tax credits for working people, but it doesn’t go as far as Harris’ proposal for a $6,000 tax credit for middle-class and working families with newborn children.

And while the platform criticizes companies for keeping prices high even as their costs have come down, it doesn’t include Harris’ proposal for a federal ban on price gouging on groceries.

The document is also explicitly anti-Trump. Section by section, it lays out contrasts with the former president.

Read more about the platform.

President Joe Biden talks to reporters upon his arrival to Joint Base Andrews, en route to the White House, on August 18.

After 50 years in public life, Joe Biden’s speech on Monday will be one of his final chances to make his case for his legacy and his view of the country.

Those close to him say he will want to talk about the progress the US made in the last three and a half years, an appeal expected to be supplemented by highly produced visuals showcasing the evolution of the country’s economy from Covid-era school closures and employees working from home to an America that’s fully open for business.

Here’s what to expect: He’ll argue Kamala Harris is the natural successor to that record, and will frame his work in office as a foundation for her to build upon.Inkeeping with the touchstones of both his 2020 and truncated 2024 runs, he’ll issue warnings that Donald Trump poses adirethreat todemocracy.He’ll argue Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, must be elected to safeguard the country from that continued threat.

And, as he told reporters before heading off to Camp David on Friday, he’ll offer a concise message to Democrats heading into the final heat of the election: “Win.”

Jamie Raskin speaks during a press conference outside the Capitol on January 5.

Democrats gathered in Chicago this week for the national convention will highlight the threat to democracy that they say former President Donald Trump poses, giving prominent speaking roles to lawmakers, as well as to a Capitol Police officer injured during the January 6, 2021, riots.

An official with Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign told CNN that among those speakers are Reps. Jamie Raskin and Bennie Thompson, who both served on the House select committee to investigate the January 6 insurrection. That committeeultimately recommended in its 2022 report that Trump be barred from holding office again.

RetiredSt. Aquilino Gonell, one of the Capitol Police officers injured during the January 6 attack, will also address the convention.

“Donald Trump’s failure to denounce the violence on January 6, 2021 is a betrayal to every officer who put their life on the line that day — and to every veteran who risked everything to defend our country,” Gonell, who is supporting Harris, said in a statement provided to CNN. “You cannot say you back the police or the Constitution if you’re offering pardons to criminals who tried to destroy our democracy, hurt our leaders and attack law enforcement.”

Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who also served on the January 6committee, is scheduled to address the convention Thursday, CNN previously reported.

The so-called Tennessee Three — state Reps. Justin Jones, Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson — are also expected to speak at the convention. Jones and Pearson were expelled from the Tennessee House last year after the three lawmakers led a gun control protest on the chamber floor. They have since won reelection.

Before dropping out of the 2024 race, President Joe Biden made the argument that Trump posed a threat to democracy a driving feature of his candidacy.

As a new presidential candidate, Harris has placed less focus on the argument — a marked departure from Biden’s campaign. But the Harris campaign will make clear this week that it believes the issue is a critical concern to voters.

“We will remind all Americans about the stakes of this election for freedom and the future of our democracy,” the campaign official said.

Stage is set for the start of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, on August 18.

Democrats are primed to celebrate theirKamala Harris-inspired renaissance in Chicago this coming week, less than a month after the vice president’s ascent lifted the party’s election hopes and injected fresh vibes into a campaign once beset by dread over President Joe Biden’s dismal prospects

Here aresix thingsto watch for — and listen to — this week during the Democratic National Convention:

Harris’ biggest stage: Harris has effectively erased the polling and fundraising gaps Biden faced — which reflects voters’ desire for a different choice than the one they’d faced in 2020 and underscores how quickly she has hit the ground running. Harris will give a prime-time speech on Thursday and frame the race against former President Donald Trump as the two prepare forat least one debate in Septemberand the start of early voting in some states soon after.

Biden’s send-off: Democrats are getting perhaps the most awkward part of their business out of the way tonight: sending off Biden. While he will receive a hero’s welcome, Democrats acknowledge that this convention will look much different than it would have if they were sending him into a second matchup with Trump.

Trump’s shadow: The former president will be omnipresent at the DNC. The biggest job Democrats face this week, though, could be insulating Harris from Trump’s attacks — many of which he’s previewed by portraying her as one of Washington’s most liberal Democrats and a flip-flopper who has disavowed the positions she took in 2019 as a presidential candidate.

Introducing Walz: The twice-elected governor and former congressman was little-known to Democrats outside Minnesota just a month ago. Walz will speak in prime time on Wednesday under the kind of scrutiny he never knew during his time in Congress, the first term of his governorship, or during all the years he spent as a high school teacher, as a football coach, and in the National Guard.

Former presidents’ pitches: Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton will also speak at the DNC — a stark difference from the Republican National Convention, where aside from Trump, no former presidents or vice presidents took the stage. Two former first ladies, Hillary Clintonand Michelle Obama, are also scheduled to speak.

Handling protests: For all that’s changed since the party traded Biden for Harris, the grinding, bitter debate over the administration’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza remains. Outside the convention, tens of thousands will protest against the Biden administration’s support — most notably via weapons sales — of the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Mindy Kaling and Ana Navarro will serve as hosts at the Democratic National Convention this week, convention officials told CNN.

Each star will host one night of the four-day convention in a role similar to an award show host, kicking off the event and then appearing onstage throughout the evening to help guide the audience through programming, according to organizers, reported first by CNN.

Goldwyn will host on Monday night, Navarro on Tuesday, Kaling on Wednesday, and Washington on Thursday, when Vice President Kamala Harris will speak.

All four hosts have a history of supporting the Democratic Party and publicly campaigning for candidates.

Democrats this week will enshrine one of the most audacious power plays in modern political history as they gather for a convention that was hastily reconfigured to try to vaultKamala Harristo a historic presidency.

It begins with adulation for PresidentJoe Biden, who will speak tonight to a crowd grateful that he belatedly agreed topass the torch. But the moment will be bittersweet for the 81-year-old president, who, despite a productive tenure, was pressured by his own party leaders to end his reelection bid when a 50-year career succumbed to the ravages of age.

Biden told Americans last month when he announced his departure from the race that “History is in your hands. The power’s in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands.”

The response from his party was a swift coalescing behind Harris, 59, as hopes of some activists for a multi-candidate race among Democratic rising stars were dashed.

With Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz leading their new ticket, Democrats now hope to thwart a White House comeback byDonald Trumpamid panic over the prospect of a second term he plans to devote to “retribution.”

Read the full analysis.