What He Said at the DNC and Who Will Speak on Day Two

With just three months until the 2024 election, thousands gathered in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention.

This year’s event is being held at the United Center Arena and begins on Monday, August 19 and runs through Thursday.

The convention, which takes place every four years before a presidential election, looked a little different than past conventions. The party formally nominated Vice President Kamala Harris in a virtual roll call after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

But many other DNC traditions — including celebrity appearances and memorable speeches by party leaders — will remain. The conventions date back to the 1830s, when a group of Democratic delegates supporting President Andrew Jackson gathered in Baltimore to nominate him for a second term.

Here’s what you need to know.

ABOVE TuesdayFormer President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver a prime-time speech at around 21:00 local time (03:00 BST). Former First Lady Michelle Obama will also speak.

The evening will also feature several prominent senators on the convention stage: Majority Leader Chuck Schumer; Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.

Other keynote speakers include Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Mesa, Arizona Mayor John Giles and Ms. Harris’s husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

After the convention was delayed multiple times on Monday, DNC organizers said the program would start earlier, at around 5:30 p.m. local time.

WednesdayIt is said to be attended by former President Bill Clinton and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among others.

Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, will deliver a prime-time speech that evening after being nominated.

The most important night of the conference is Thursdaywhen Vice President Harris will take the stage. She will formally accept the presidential nomination and deliver a speech on the final night of the convention dedicated to “For the Future.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will also take the stage at some point this week.

Several prominent Democrats and celebrities took the stage on the first night in Chicago.

The convention heard from President Joe Biden, who was the keynote speaker. Monday. He was introduced by his wife Jill and daughter Ashley. In an emotional defense of his presidency“America, I have given you my all,” he said.

2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton paid tribute to Mr Biden that evening and expressed hope that Kamala Harris could finally break the “highest, hardest glass ceiling” in the United States by becoming the first female president.

Others speaking Monday included progressive lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Americans affected by abortion bans in Republican-controlled states, and voices from the labor movement, including United Auto Workers head Shawn Fain.

With Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz already nominated, this year’s convention will focus on speeches by prominent Democrats and the adoption of the party platform.

Delegates worked during the day to finalize the platform, the draft was released.

Focuses on a variety of issues, including plans to reduce inflation, mitigate climate change and address gun violence.

In the draft, Democrats contrast each party position with Project 2025, an ultraconservative blueprint of what a second Trump administration might look like, compiled by the Heritage Foundation. Trump has sought to distance himself from the project, although some of his allies were involved in writing it.

The public can only attend the convention in person by volunteering. But like the Republican convention, there will be plenty of national media coverage, and the convention itself will offer livestreams on social media platforms.

You can follow BBC News coverage – including on-the-spot reporting and analysis – on our website and apps, as well as on our live streams.

The BBC News Channel will air the special from 20:00 ET (01:00 BST) each night. You can find special episodes of The Global Story and Americast podcasts on BBC Sounds and other podcast platforms.

Register Head to North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher’s election newsletter US Election Unspun for his perspective on the week’s events straight to your inbox.

About 50,000 people are expected to attend this year’s convention in Chicago. That includes thousands of delegates chosen by state Democratic parties as well as superdelegates, who are key elected officials, prominent Democratic Party members and some members of the Democratic National Committee.

Thousands of members of the media will also attend.

It’s going to be a star-studded convention with plenty of celebrity appearances. In 2020, actors Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Eva Longoria attended the convention, while Elizabeth Banks and America Ferrera appeared in 2016.

There are rumors that big stars Beyoncé and Taylor Swift will be attending this year, but neither have confirmed.

Protests outside the DNC venue focused on opposing US support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in a largely peaceful demonstration on Monday.called for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to US support for Israel. Several people were arrested when dozens of them broke through the security fence.

The number of attendees appeared to be much lower than the tens of thousands that organizers had hoped for and did not reach the 15,000 they claimed.

In his speech that night, Mr Biden acknowledged that the activists “have a point”, while saying that “a lot of innocent people are being killed, on both sides”.