DNC live updates: Kamala Harris to make case for her presidential candidacy in biggest speech of her political career | Democratic national convention 2024

The Democratic National Convention Committee has released the full schedule of the night’s speakers, which shows that, in addition to a host of powerful and prominent lawmakers, delegates will hear from people affected by issues that the party wants to address.

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The 8pm hour will feature “a conversation on gun violence” with people from Newtown, Connecticut; Uvalde, Texas; Charleston, South Carolina; and Chicago – all places that have been the site of mass shootings.

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Representatives of the Central Park Five, the group of Black and Latino boys wrongfully convicted of raping a jogger in New York, will speak at about 7pm CT. Donald Trump was a cheerleader of their prosecution, something they will no doubt bring up.

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On a lighter note, we’ll be seeing comedian DL Hughley on the convention stage tonight, along with The Chicks, who will perform the national anthem.

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The final night of the Democratic national convention is officially under way, with Congresswoman Veronica Escobar gaveling in the session.

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Even though Kamala Harris will not speak for another four hours, the United Center already looks quite crowded.

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The delegates representing California, Harris’s home state, are clearly fired up about her speech tonight. They were already chanting “California!” before the session even began.

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The United Center already looks quite crowded, with tonight’s programming about to get underway. Harris won’t address the convention until roughly 10pm CT. pic.twitter.com/FT98QJpYUW

— Joan Greve (@joanegreve) August 22, 2024

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Good evening, US politics blog readers, and thanks for joining us as we cover the fourth and final night of the Democratic national convention in Chicago. This evening’s big event is Kamala Harris’s speech closing out the convention, which will be her most high-profile opportunity yet to make the case that she is a better choice for president than Donald Trump. Expect the vice-president to aim to create a signature moment or line that will be repeated by Democratic faithful as they seek to rally the party’s voters in the less than three months that remain before election day, as polls show a tight contest against the Republican former president.

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Before the vice-president takes the stage, we expect to hear from another batch of party luminaries, including progressive senator Elizabeth Warren, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, Mark Kelly, the Arizona senator who was on Harris’ short list to be vice-president, and former congresswoman and shooting survivor Gabby Giffords. We also hear rumors that there will be a surprise musical guest, but there’s no saying who that might be. Keep in mind that the Democratic party does have the power to dazzle – yesterday, Oprah Winfrey strolled on stage without warning, and made a speech calling on independent voters to back Harris.

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The convention kicks off at 6pm CT, and the White House said to expect Harris to speak at 9.45pm.

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Here’s more about what we’ll watching out for this evening:

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  Will the Democrats allow a Palestinian-American to speak at the convention? Outside the United Center, activists and delegates are holding a sit-in to pressure convention organizers to allow a speaker from the community. Yesterday, the convention heard from the family of a US citizen taken hostage on October 7, but the Uncommitted National Movement, which has 30 delegates at the convention, wants a Palestinian to be able to offer their views, as well.

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  The two names flying around as potential surprise musical guests are Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. Either one could be huge for Democrats as they seek to underscore the breadth of support for Harris.

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  Cornel West, the independent presidential candidate, was spotted outside the convention hall. Is he just coming to watch, or might he be here to announce his support for Harris?

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Main Events

David Smith

Chicago prides itself on being the host city for the Democratic Party. Nationwide Tournament.

Among those pearls Abraham Lincoln BookstoreOpened in 1938, the museum is a treasure trove of autographs, letters, rare books, presidential memorabilia, and reproductions of Lincoln and Civil War photographs.

Today, the museum displays items from the first political nominating convention, held in Chicago in 1860, that put Lincoln on the path to the White House.

James Carville He showed up to a bookstore tour on Thursday. William ShermanA Union general during the Civil War.

During discussions with the owner Daniel Weinberg Former White House staff member Sidney BlumenthalSaid the veteran Democratic strategist: “If you listen to Fox, Chicago is one giant hellhole. There’s homelessness, people getting shot in the streets. It’s one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been.”

“My only problem with Chicago being the convention center is that the United Center is too far away. I don’t think there’s much that can be done about that. Chicago should build an arena like this downtown one day, but I think Chicago is a great city anyway. You can come and go as you please.”

Weinberg pointed out Mark TwainThey say history rhymes. Bill ClintonPresident George W. Bush, who had a very successful 1992 presidential campaign, responded: “I don’t think it’s just rhyming. There’s a lot to learn from European history — and I shouldn’t say that — from the alliance of powers that still lives among us today.”

“The internal conflicts, the movies we’re watching, the books we’re writing, January 6th. Sorry, but this is more than a little rhyme. Forty percent of the residents of 10 states want to secede. I wouldn’t say history repeats itself, but I think it repeats more than it rhymes.”

“What I’ve been saying is that the deeper you go into the past, the closer you get to the present,” countered Blumenthal, a columnist for The Guardian who is currently writing the fourth volume of a monumental biography of Lincoln.