Biden to give possible swan song at Democratic convention amid Gaza protestsDavid SmithJoe Biden will take centre stage for perhaps the last time on Monday night when he addresses the Democratic national convention in Chicago – as the US president faces a backlash over one of his most complex legacies.Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to converge in the host city to demand that the US end military aid to Israel for its ongoing war in Gaza. Activists have branded Biden “Genocide Joe” and called for the vice-president, Kamala Harris, to change course.The biggest protest group the Coalition to March on the DNC has planned demonstrations on Monday and Thursday to coincide with Biden and Harris’s speeches. Organisers say they expect at least 20,000 activists to demonstrate, including students who protested against the war on college campuses.Read the full story here.ShareKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featurePro-Palestinian supporters began to gather in Chicago’s Union Park early this morning ahead of a planned march to near the United Center, where the Democratic national convention is taking place.Taylor Cook, an organizer with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, traveled from Atlanta to Chicago to attend the march.Cook told AP that the group was pushing all Democrats to call for an end to aid to Israel, adding that Kamala Harris “has been complicit in this,” adding:
People think it’s just Joe Biden, but she is vice president. We’re saying, you need to stop if you want our vote.
Protest signs are set out prior to a demonstration at Union Park during the Democratic National Convention Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. Photograph: Julio Cortez/APShareEdward HelmoreA US arms embargo on Israel is a motivating issue for millions of younger voters whose support Kamala Harris hopes to secure after replacing Joe Biden at the top of the party’s ticket for November.The issue of a ceasefire in Gaza, which has divided moderate and progressive members of the Democratic party, was not formally discussed in committee hearings when the 92-page platform was being drafted, according to the Washington Post.Gaza protests in Chicago are planned by more than 200 groups, with organizers expecting tens of thousands to join. On Sunday, the city received a possibly early taste of what some fear could be a repeat of the party’s 1968 convention in Chicago that was characterized by a police riot targeting anti-Vietnam protesters.A rally against the Israel-Hamas war and restrictions on reproductive rights was met by a larger showing of Chicago police when it set off down the city’s Michigan Avenue. A far larger protest focusing exclusively on US-support for Israel is set to begin at noon on Monday at Union Park.Meanwhile, Harris and the rest of the Democratic party are convening as US diplomats scour the Middle East for an elusive ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has been waging war in retaliation for Hamas’s 7 October attack.ShareThe Democratic party on Sunday unveiled its platform for November’s presidential race – but nowhere in the 92-page document does it mention an arms embargo on Israel, a key demand by uncommitted delegates at the party’s four-day convention in Chicago and a central demand by Gaza war protesters gathering in the city.The platform, which was to be voted on on Monday, instead described a wishlist of domestic Democrat objectives, among them growing the economy, combatting inequality and the protection of reproductive rights.The party calls on members to recommit to support for Israel in the fight against Hamas. It also calls for support for a two-state solution that “upholds the right of Palestinians to live in freedom and security in a viable state of their own” that many anti-war protesters view as fig leaf for continued US military aid toward a goal that has shows scant signs of being achieved.But the document does call for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire deal” that secures the release of all hostages taken by Hamas fighters in the cross-border 7 October raid as well as aims to protect against the additional displacement and death of Gazans.ShareAlvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who prosecuted Donald Trump in his hush-money criminal trial, does not oppose the former president’s request to delay his sentencing, according to new court filings.In a letter to the presiding judge, Juan Merchan, prosecutors said they “respectfully defer to the Court on the appropriate post- trial schedule”.NEW — Manhattan DA does not oppose Trump’s request to delay sentencing set for Sep. 18 while the judge considers the effect of the Supreme Court immunity decision“Given the defense’s newly-stated position, we defer to the Court on whether an adjournment is warranted” pic.twitter.com/t1wfKKBC4m— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) August 19, 2024ShareUpdated at 17.13 CESTJohn Fetterman, the Democratic senator for Pennsylvania, said he will not be attending the party’s national convention in Chicago this week.“I’ve got three young kids, and they’re out of school. That’s four days I can spend with my children,” Fetterman said in an interview with the Free Press.Fetterman, once a budding star of the left endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in his 2022 race, has faced backlash over his enthusiastic support for Israel and continued US funding to its war in Gaza.But in the interview published on Sunday, he dismissed suggestions that he might not be welcomed at the party’s convention in Chicago, where thousands of demonstrators are expected to gather to protest against Israel’s war in Gaza.ShareUpdated at 16.58 CESTIllinois national guard ‘on standby’, says governorIllinois governor JB Pritzker said 250 members of the state’s national guard have been deployed to Chicago this week for the Democratic national convention.Pritzker said the guard was on “standby” and would act essentially as military police, the New York Times reported. He added:
Nobody expects that we’ll have to use them for anything very serious, but we also want to make sure that we have additional law enforcement type folks who are in uniform and who are trained to be police available.
ShareUpdated at 16.47 CESTEd PilkingtonThe proverb that the early bird catches the worm appears to apply even to the Democratic national convention, which is normally a late-night affair.I’m at a breakfast meeting of the delegation for Wisconsin, one of the key battleground states that will decide the outcome of the November election, and lo and behold but who should show up but Tim Walz, the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee.There are only about 100 Wisconsin volunteers at the event, yet even here Walz lit up the room the minute he entered it – a skill that bodes well for his keynote convention speech on Wednesday. “It’s been an interesting 11 days for me,” he began, looking genuinely shellshocked after his lightning propulsion on to the national stage following his pick by Kamala Harris as her running mate.
Over the next few days we will show what democracy looks like – it’s inclusive.
As governor of neighboring Minnesota, Walz is a familiar figure in Wisconsin. He’ll have more work to do on Wednesday introducing himself to a country that knows little about him.He gave a taste of what is to come, saying that his goal with Harris was “not just to beat those guys” but to set out a “vision for our future that people can believe in. The end is a better, fairer, more just society.”And he repeated what has by now, in 11 short days, become a mantra of the Harris-Walz campaign: joy. He said they aimed to do “politics with a sense of dignity, excitement and joy”.Wisconsin delegates lapped it up. We’ll see how it goes down with a wider audience later in the week.ShareUpdated at 16.24 CESTHere are some images from the newswires from the protests on Sunday in downtown Chicago on the eve of the Democratic national convention.Protesters march on the eve of the Democratic national convention in downtown Chicago on Sunday. Photograph: Kyle Mazza/Rex/ShutterstockProtesters march in downtown Chicago. Photograph: Kyle Mazza/Rex/ShutterstockClaudia De La Cruz, presidential nominee for the Party of Socialism and Liberation gives a speech at a protest in Chicago on Sunday. Photograph: Dave Decker/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/ShutterstockPeople take part in a protest organized by pro-abortion rights, pro-LGBT rights and pro-Palestinian activists, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Photograph: Seth Herald/ReutersShareUpdated at 16.18 CESTKamala Harris told reporters on Sunday that she considers herself and her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, to be the “underdog” in the upcoming election.Harris, speaking to reporters in Pennsylvania yesterday, added:
That’s why we’re on this bus tour today, and we’re going to be traveling this country as we’ve been, and talking with folks, listening to folks and hopefully earning their votes over the next 79 days.
ShareThe Harris-Walz campaign has launched a WhatsApp channel targeting Latino voters in what it described as a “first-of-its-kind in a presidential election”.The channel aims to reach voters with “tailored, culturally competent content” to “create an organic avenue to reach Latino families from the abuelos to tías and tíos and primos”, it said in a statement on Monday.“Now more than ever, we must meet Latinos where they are,” a statement from the campaign’s Hispanic media director, Maca Casado, reads.
While Donald Trump vilifies our community at every turn and uses us as a political punching bag, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know the power of our community and are fighting everyday on the issues that matter to Latino voters.
ShareUpdated at 15.32 CESTChuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries will both speak at the Democratic national convention in Chicago this week.From Politico’s Emily Ngo :ShareHow can I watch the Democratic national convention?The Democratic party will livestream the convention on its Democratic national convention website and on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.The Guardian has a team of reporters in Chicago and will be covering the convention in depth, including live blogs each night.Major news networks are likely to carry prime-time programming. In the US, PBS will have live coverage beginning at 8pm each night.ShareTwo arrested during DNC-related protests on SundayTwo people were arrested on Sunday during protests related to the Democratic national convention, according to Chicago police.A 23-year-old female was arrested for criminal defacement of property and resisting/obstructing peace officer, CNN reported. A 28-year-old male was also arrested for criminal damage and resisting/obstructing peace officer.About 40,000 protesters are expected to gather outside the convention on Monday to demonstrate against the war in Gaza.ShareUpdated at 17.15 CESTThe Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a $27m ad campaign focused on capturing Republican-held seats, according to a report.The new ad buys target a mix of swing districts and red-leaning areas as the Democrats seek to retake control of the House, NBC reports.A statement from Julie Merz, the DCCC’s executive director, reads:
House Democrats are on offense and this latest salvo of reservations reflects the strong position we are in to retake the majority. We’re able to make these moves across the map thanks to the record-breaking fundraising we’ve had – driven by Leader Hakeem Jeffries and fueled by the historic numbers of individual donors this cycle.
ShareUpdated at 14.27 CESTWhat’s ahead on the US election calendar?The Democratic national convention will be held in Chicago from today until 22 August.Chicago previously played host to the convention in 1996, when Bill Clinton was nominated for re-election, and 1968 when Hubert Humphrey was nominated.The next presidential debate is scheduled for 10 September, with both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump confirmed.A debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz has been confirmed for 1 October.Read the full explainer.Share‘We can’t just vote’: in Chicago, protesters rally for Gaza and abortion rightsGeorge ChidiAs thousands of Democratic delegates, party officials and elected leaders descend on Chicago for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) a smaller, strident group of protesters have taken to Michigan Avenue ahead of a week that promises several demonstrations.A protest of up to 1,000 marchers combining support for the Palestinian cause and abortion rights gathered at the iconic corner of Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue in Chicago Sunday evening. The protest is the first of several demonstrations, legally permitted and not, planned for the convention.Some protesters at the march, organized by groups like Bodies Against Unjust Laws, have come explicitly to “Disrupt the DNC”.Read the full story.ShareBiden to give possible swan song at Democratic convention amid Gaza protestsDavid SmithJoe Biden will take centre stage for perhaps the last time on Monday night when he addresses the Democratic national convention in Chicago – as the US president faces a backlash over one of his most complex legacies.Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to converge in the host city to demand that the US end military aid to Israel for its ongoing war in Gaza. Activists have branded Biden “Genocide Joe” and called for the vice-president, Kamala Harris, to change course.The biggest protest group the Coalition to March on the DNC has planned demonstrations on Monday and Thursday to coincide with Biden and Harris’s speeches. Organisers say they expect at least 20,000 activists to demonstrate, including students who protested against the war on college campuses.Read the full story here.ShareWho is speaking at the convention?Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will both speak at the convention, and Joe Biden is also expected to give an address.Here is the expected lineup:

Monday, 19 August: Biden will speak on the opening night, along with former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Tuesday, 20 August: Former president Barack Obama will give an address on the second night.

Wednesday, 21 August: Former president Bill Clinton will join Walz on the convention’s third night.

Thursday, 22 August: Harris will close out the fourth night of the convention.
The party will livestream the convention on its Democratic national convention website and on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.The Guardian has a team of reporters in Chicago and will be covering the convention in depth, including live blogs each night.Read the full explainer here.Share‘Resurrected’ Democrats look toward 2024 convention with renewed hopeLauren GambinoTens of thousands of Democrats are expected to descend on Chicago this week for their party’s convention, bubbling with a feeling few had anticipated: pure, unconfined joy.At the end of their four-day fete, when the red, white and blue balloons tumble from the rafters of the United Center, Kamala Harris will have become the first woman of color to accept a major party’s presidential nomination in American history.The moment will cap a frenzied few weeks for Democrats, following the vice-president’s sudden ascent to the top of the ticket in a development that has transformed the race for the White House and galvanized a party once resigned to a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.“It’s a remarkable turn of events,” said Howard Dean, a former Democratic National Committee chairman and former Vermont governor. “The Democrats have now been resurrected.”Democrats will hear speeches from party luminaries, leaders and rising stars.“The story here is simple and it’s one that will resonate with Americans across the country: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are fighting for the American people and America’s future — Donald Trump is only fighting for himself,” said ​Minyon Moore​, chair of the convention.Read the full story here.A painter applies a coat of paint to the stage in the United Center which will be the location of the evening activities at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Photograph: Tannen Maury/UPI/REX/ShutterstockShareUpdated at 12.02 CEST