Harris prepares for convention keynote as Trump and Vance focus on immigration message – live | Democratic national convention 2024

Lauren Gambino

The fourth and final night of Democrats’ joy-fueled convention in Chicago will feature another long list of speakers – secretaries, senators, governors, congressmen and activists – in the buildup to Kamala Harris’s formal acceptance speech.

Notable speakers include rising stars like Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and Arizona senator Mark Kelly; Democrats running in swing races like Pennsylvania senator Bob Casey, Wisconsin senator Tammy Baldwin and Arizona congressman Ruben Gallego, who is running for an open senate seat in Arizona.

Attendees will also hear from gun control advocates, including Georgia congresswoman Lucy McBath, whose 17-year-old son was shot and killed in a “stand your ground” killing, as well as members of the Tennessee Three who were expelled from the state legislature after demanding action on gun control. Gabby Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman who survived an assassination attempt, will also speak, along with other survivors and the families of victims of gun violence.

Thursday night’s theme is “For Our Future”. The evening will end with Harris’s historic acceptance speech in which she will become the first woman of color to accept a major party’s presidential nomination.

In a December 2023 speech, JD Vance defended a notorious white nationalist convicted over 2016 election disinformation, canvassed the possibility of breaking up tech companies, attacked diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and talked about a social media “censorship regime” that “came from the deep state on some level”.

The Ohio senator’s speech was given at the launch of a “counterrevolutionary” book – praised by the now Republican vice-presidential candidate as “great” – which was edited and mostly written by employees of the far-right Claremont Institute.

In the book, Up from Conservatism, the authors advocate for the repeal of the Civil Rights Act, for politicians to conduct “deep investigations into what the gay lifestyle actually does to people”, that college and childcare be defunded and that rightwing governments “promote male-dominated industries” in order to discourage female participation in the workplace.’

Vance’s endorsement of the book may raise further questions about his extremism, and that of his networks. The Guardian emailed Vance’s Senate staff and the Trump and Vance campaign with detailed questions about his appearance at the launch, but received no response.

Uncommitted continue to hold sit-in outside DNC after Palestinians denied a speaker

Rachel Leingang

An impromptu sit-in that began last night at the United Center continues today. The uncommitted movement started the sit-in after the Democratic convention denied its request for a Palestinian American to speak on the main stage and said they will continue it until their request is granted.

More support for the action came in overnight, including from the United Auto Workers.

On Wednesday, movement leaders were told they were close to getting a speaker on the stage, Waleed Shahid, an organizer with uncommitted, said at a press conference this morning.

Over the course of last night, party leaders offered the uncommitted movement could have meetings with convention and Harris campaign staffers – but did not change their minds on allowing a speaker, Shahid said. The movement did not intend to disrupt the DNC, but to work with the convention process to elevate the issue and then to mobilize for Harris, he said.

Layla Elabed, a leader of the uncommitted national movement, said having a speaker on the main stage was the “bare minimum,” and far below the policy change uncommitted and anti-war voters want to see from Harris on Gaza. Elabed said:

This has been an embarrassment for those of us who had faith in the Democratic party that we still had voices here.

The movement has suggested a potential list of Palestinian American speakers, including elected officials, and their remarks would be pre-approved and vetted by the convention

Donald Trump attacked Minnesota governor Tim Walz on Thursday morning’s Fox & Friends after the Democratic vice-presidential nominee pushed back against Trump and Project 2025 the night before. Trump said:

First of all, he’s a total lightweight and he shouldn’t be even having any access to possibly being president.

Walz closed out Wednesday night by calling out the former president and his running mate JD Vance, saying “their Project 2025” is an “agenda nobody asked for.”

The Democratic vice-presidential pick was referring to the rightwing policy document that some warn could serve as a blueprint for Trump’s administration if he wins a second term in office.

“We’ll turn the page on Donald Trump,” Walz said.

That’s how we’ll build a country where workers come first, healthcare and housing are human rights, and the government stays the hell out of your bedroom.

Donald Trump said he would be “honored” if he received an endorsement from the independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, who is reportedly planning to drop out of the race to back the Republican nominee.

Trump, in an interview with Fox & Friends this morning, said he had known Kennedy for a long time, describing him as a “very smart guy” and “very good person”. Trump added:

If he endorsed me. I would be honored by it. I would be very honored by it. He really has his heart in the right place. He is a respected person.

Lauren Gambino

Democrats rose to their feet when Nancy Pelosi walked on stage at the United Center in Chicago for the Democratic national convention. They applauded, and then applauded louder. Pelosi waved before quieting the room.

The former House speaker began by expressing her gratitude to Joe Biden, calling his term “one of the most successful presidencies of modern times,” even though she had pushed subtly but forcefully for the president to step aside. “Thank you, Joe,” she said, before turning to Kamala Harris, a fellow California Democrat who Pelosi proclaimed was “ready to take us to new heights”.

Pelosi may have retired as House Democratic leader, but the convention has proven – if proof were needed – that the veteran congresswoman remains one of the most consequentially and uniquely influential power brokers in the party who can make – or break – a US president.

Bill Clinton, the 42nd president, made his first major speech of the 2024 presidential election cycle on Wednesday night at the Democratic national convention.

Clinton read off written notes, not the teleprompter, suggesting the speech was edited last-minute. He warned Democrats against complacency:

We’ve seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn’t happen, when people got distracted by phoney issues. This is a brutal business.

The former president landed several jabs at Donald Trump, mocking the Republican nominee for his narcissism and obsession with crowd sizes, following Barack Obama’s widely cited joke on Tuesday: “[Trump] mostly talks about himself … his vendettas, vengeance, his complaints, his conspiracies.”

Clinton appeared frail on the podium and spoke at a slow pace, but he delighted the crowd when he said: “I’m still younger than Donald Trump.” He also laid out the case for Kamala Harris, calling her the “president of joy”.

Here’s a clip of Clinton’s speech last night:

Pop singer Pink is set to perform tonight at the Democratic national convention, ahead of Kamala Harris’s acceptance speech.

The singer has been an outspoken activist for women’s rights, condemning the supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade. Pink told fans who supported the court’s decision to stop listening to her music.

She’ll join the slew of performers that took the stage at the DNC this week, including Lil Jon, Stevie Wonder, Maren Morris, and John Legend.

The country music group The Chicks will perform the national anthem on Thursday night at the Democratic national convention, CNN reports.

The band, previously known as the Dixie Chicks, will take the stage when Kamala Harris delivers her speech on Thursday.

The Chicks are no stranger to political controversy. While on stage during a performance in 2003, the band announced that they disagreed with former president George W Bush’s decision to enter the Iraq War.

The Democratic national convention’s final night will feature victims of gun violence and lawmakers pushing for changes at the state and national levels, according to NBC News.

Speakers tonight will include former Representative Gabby Giffords, Representative Lucy McBath, who lost her son Jordan to gun violence in 2012, and the “Tennessee Three,” made up of representatives Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson and Justin J Pearson.