President Biden, union leaders, Hillary Clinton highlight opening night speakers

The Democratic National Convention begins Monday in Chicago, with roughly 50,000 people expected to arrive in the Windy City. That includes thousands of anti-war activists demonstrating near the United Center.President Joe Biden is the headline speaker for the first evening. Later this week, Vice President Kamala Harris will officially accept the party’s nomination.Read live updates from DNC Day 1 below.Union leaders line up behind HarrisDemocrats want to show voters that they’re with workers, drawing on labor union support for the opening night of the convention.“We are all in for Kamala Harris because Kamala Harris has always been all in for us,” said April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU.Verrett was among the group of union leaders who took to the stage to counter the courting of blue-collar workers by Trump, who invited the head of the Teamsters to speak at the Republican National Convention. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien was not among the union leaders speaking at the Democratic convention on Monday.Video below: Harris’ campaign rally highlights workers’ rights, union growthThe crowd waved “UNION YES!” signs as the leaders spoke. Most union households have backed Democrats, helping the party win in key states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in 2020.Liz Shuler, head of the AFL-CIO, said that Trump’s plans were “a CEO’s dream, but a worker’s nightmare.”Rep. Robert Garcia shares his family’s immigration storyCalifornia Rep. Robert Garcia delivered his family story of immigrating to the U.S. and becoming a citizen, seeking to paint a different vision of patriotism to that touted by the GOP.“I am a proud immigrant who came to the United States as a young child. We grew up poor, English was our second language and we often, like many immigrant families, struggled to get by,” Garcia said.Garcia called the day he became a citizen “the proudest day of my life.” He recounted his upbringing, which was at times characterized by hardship.“She believed in the American Dream,” Garcia said of his mother, who Garcia said “taught me to love this country.”“She taught me that real American patriotism is not about screaming and yelling ‘America First,’” but instead, “loving your country so much that you want to help the people in your country,” Garcia told the crowd.FACT CHECK: Trump, COVID-19 and bleach injectionsRep. Robert Garcia, of California, claimed that former President Trump “told us to inject bleach into our bodies” during the COVID-19 pandemic.That’s an overstatement. Rather, Trump asked whether it would be possible to inject disinfectant into the lungs.“And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute,” he said at an April 2020 press conference. “And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that, so that you’re going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. So, we’ll see, but the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute. That’s pretty powerful.”Democrats want to remind voters that the COVID-19 pandemic began during Trump’s presidencyIt’s been four years since the pandemic shut down the United States — and Democrats are trying to tie the crisis to Trump’s presidency.The convention showed a video montage of Trump commenting on the coronavirus pandemic as president, as the hall echoed with boos. It included a separate video featuring Rich Logis, a former Trump voter who rejected Trump over his handling of the pandemic. The Democrats noted that the economy recovered under President Biden as vaccinations allowed offices, schools and public spaces to reopen.“He took the COVID crisis and turned it into a catastrophe,” said Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill. “We can never let him be our president again.”Last month’s Republican convention largely eschewed mention of the pandemic, framing Trump’s presidency as a period of prosperity that was subsequently undone by the Biden administration.Video below: Why are COVID-19 cases rising? A doctor explainsPeggy Flanagan could be the first Native woman governor — if Harris is electedThe Democratic convention’s co-chair, Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, could soon make history as the first Native woman to govern a state. The prospect led to cheers among the crowd, as it would depend on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz winning the vice presidency as Kamala Harris’ running mate.Flanagan is a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.She focused her remarks on electing Harris and Walz, saying, “He and Harris have spent their lives fighting for you, for your family, for your future.”Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson honoredThe opening of the Democratic convention recognized Jesse Jackson, the civil rights activist and Democratic presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988.Jackson, 82, entered the stage in a wheelchair, holding up both thumbs up in triumph to a cheering crowd. The ordained Baptist pastor did not speak to the convention.Multiple speakers gave shoutouts to Jackson, who was also the subject of a video broadcast at the event’s hall. The video noted that Vice President Harris was “standing on the shoulder of giants” such as Jackson.Who is Fannie Lou Hamer?Multiple speakers have mentioned Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights activist who gave a landmark speech at the Democratic Convention in 1964.Hamer was a former sharecropper and a leader of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, a racially integrated group that challenged the seating of an all-white Mississippi delegation at the 1964 DNC.Her televised testimony to the credentials committee in Atlantic City, New Jersey, mesmerized the nation and shone light on the violence inflicted on Hamer and others as they worked to secure rights that were supposed to be guaranteed by the Constitution.Hamer spoke on Aug. 22, 1964 — exactly 60 years before Kamala Harris is scheduled to accept the Democratic nomination and become the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to be the presidential nominee of a major party.Night 1 of the DNC has begunThe Democratic National Convention has started with delegates still filtering into Chicago’s United Center.The gathering opened with remarks shortly after 6:30 p.m. central time by Minyon Moore, chair of the convention committee. Moore called President Biden, the evening’s main speaker, a true patriot.Jaime Harrison, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, noted to applause the historical moment in that he and Moore are both Black, as is the party’s nominee, Vice President Harris.Several protesters have been detainedA group of several dozen activists, who had separated from a larger march advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, were removed from a restricted area by police, including those led by Superintendent Larry Snelling.Police wearing helmets with masks attached formed a line along a fence, which had been previously breached and still had several panels missing, while some activists shouted at them. Several protesters who had managed to get through the fence were detained and handcuffed by the police.‘The whole world is watching’Dozens of activists chanting, “End the occupation now,” are facing off with police just a few blocks from the United Center. As tensions rose, many officers put on gas masks, and the situation intensified when some activists tried to bring down a second fence set up in front of the police.Some protesters began chanting, “The whole world is watching!” just as anti-Vietnam War protesters did in 1968 when police clashed with protesters on live television.Video below: President Biden prepares to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala HarrisDemonstrators break through fenceDozens of activists taking part in the Coalition to March on the DNC broke through a fence set up outside the United Center.The fence lining Park 578 was torn down as protesters broke through. A second fence was in place in front of dozens of police officers. Activists banged on the fence in front of officers, who yelled at them not to touch it.Full speaker listMinyon Moore, chair of Democratic National ConventionJaime R. Harrison, chair of Democratic National CommitteeMayor Brandon Johnson, of ChicagoLt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, of MinnesotaRep. Lauren Underwood, of IllinoisRich Logis, former Donald Trump voterRep. Robert Garcia, of CaliforniaLee Saunders, president of AFSCMEApril Verret, president of SEIUBrent Booker, general president of LiUNA Kenneth W. Cooper, international president of IBEWClaude Cummings Jr., president of CWAElizabeth H. Shuler, president of AFL-CIOMallory McMorrow Gina M. Raimondo Gov. Kathy Hochul, of New YorkShawn Fain, president of UAWRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New YorkHillary Rodham Clinton, former Secretary of StateRep. James E. Clyburn, of South CarolinaRep. Jamie Raskin, of MarylandRep. Jasmine Crockett, of TexasRep. Grace Meng, of New YorkAmanda and Josh Zurawski, reproductive rights advocatesKaitlyn Joshua, reproductive rights advocateHadley Duvall, reproductive rights advocateGov. Andy Beshear, of KentuckySen. Raphael G. Warnock, of GeorgiaSen. Chris Coons, of DelawareFirst lady Jill BidenPresident Joe Biden

CHICAGO —

The Democratic National Convention begins Monday in Chicago, with roughly 50,000 people expected to arrive in the Windy City. That includes thousands of anti-war activists demonstrating near the United Center.

President Joe Biden is the headline speaker for the first evening. Later this week, Vice President Kamala Harris will officially accept the party’s nomination.

Read live updates from DNC Day 1 below.

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Union leaders line up behind Harris

Democrats want to show voters that they’re with workers, drawing on labor union support for the opening night of the convention.

“We are all in for Kamala Harris because Kamala Harris has always been all in for us,” said April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU.

Verrett was among the group of union leaders who took to the stage to counter the courting of blue-collar workers by Trump, who invited the head of the Teamsters to speak at the Republican National Convention. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien was not among the union leaders speaking at the Democratic convention on Monday.

Video below: Harris’ campaign rally highlights workers’ rights, union growth

The crowd waved “UNION YES!” signs as the leaders spoke. Most union households have backed Democrats, helping the party win in key states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in 2020.

Liz Shuler, head of the AFL-CIO, said that Trump’s plans were “a CEO’s dream, but a worker’s nightmare.”

Rep. Robert Garcia shares his family’s immigration story

California Rep. Robert Garcia delivered his family story of immigrating to the U.S. and becoming a citizen, seeking to paint a different vision of patriotism to that touted by the GOP.

“I am a proud immigrant who came to the United States as a young child. We grew up poor, English was our second language and we often, like many immigrant families, struggled to get by,” Garcia said.

Garcia called the day he became a citizen “the proudest day of my life.” He recounted his upbringing, which was at times characterized by hardship.

“She believed in the American Dream,” Garcia said of his mother, who Garcia said “taught me to love this country.”

“She taught me that real American patriotism is not about screaming and yelling ‘America First,’” but instead, “loving your country so much that you want to help the people in your country,” Garcia told the crowd.

FACT CHECK: Trump, COVID-19 and bleach injections

Rep. Robert Garcia, of California, claimed that former President Trump “told us to inject bleach into our bodies” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s an overstatement. Rather, Trump asked whether it would be possible to inject disinfectant into the lungs.

“And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in one minute,” he said at an April 2020 press conference. “And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that, so that you’re going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. So, we’ll see, but the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute. That’s pretty powerful.”

Democrats want to remind voters that the COVID-19 pandemic began during Trump’s presidency

It’s been four years since the pandemic shut down the United States — and Democrats are trying to tie the crisis to Trump’s presidency.

The convention showed a video montage of Trump commenting on the coronavirus pandemic as president, as the hall echoed with boos. It included a separate video featuring Rich Logis, a former Trump voter who rejected Trump over his handling of the pandemic. The Democrats noted that the economy recovered under President Biden as vaccinations allowed offices, schools and public spaces to reopen.

“He took the COVID crisis and turned it into a catastrophe,” said Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill. “We can never let him be our president again.”

Last month’s Republican convention largely eschewed mention of the pandemic, framing Trump’s presidency as a period of prosperity that was subsequently undone by the Biden administration.

Video below: Why are COVID-19 cases rising? A doctor explains

Peggy Flanagan could be the first Native woman governor — if Harris is elected

The Democratic convention’s co-chair, Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, could soon make history as the first Native woman to govern a state. The prospect led to cheers among the crowd, as it would depend on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz winning the vice presidency as Kamala Harris’ running mate.

Flanagan is a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.

She focused her remarks on electing Harris and Walz, saying, “He and Harris have spent their lives fighting for you, for your family, for your future.”

Chip Somodevilla

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson honored

The opening of the Democratic convention recognized Jesse Jackson, the civil rights activist and Democratic presidential candidate in 1984 and 1988.

Jackson, 82, entered the stage in a wheelchair, holding up both thumbs up in triumph to a cheering crowd. The ordained Baptist pastor did not speak to the convention.

Multiple speakers gave shoutouts to Jackson, who was also the subject of a video broadcast at the event’s hall. The video noted that Vice President Harris was “standing on the shoulder of giants” such as Jackson.

Who is Fannie Lou Hamer?

Multiple speakers have mentioned Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights activist who gave a landmark speech at the Democratic Convention in 1964.

Hamer was a former sharecropper and a leader of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, a racially integrated group that challenged the seating of an all-white Mississippi delegation at the 1964 DNC.

Bettmann

Her televised testimony to the credentials committee in Atlantic City, New Jersey, mesmerized the nation and shone light on the violence inflicted on Hamer and others as they worked to secure rights that were supposed to be guaranteed by the Constitution.

Hamer spoke on Aug. 22, 1964 — exactly 60 years before Kamala Harris is scheduled to accept the Democratic nomination and become the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to be the presidential nominee of a major party.

Night 1 of the DNC has begun

The Democratic National Convention has started with delegates still filtering into Chicago’s United Center.

The gathering opened with remarks shortly after 6:30 p.m. central time by Minyon Moore, chair of the convention committee. Moore called President Biden, the evening’s main speaker, a true patriot.

Jaime Harrison, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, noted to applause the historical moment in that he and Moore are both Black, as is the party’s nominee, Vice President Harris.

Several protesters have been detained

A group of several dozen activists, who had separated from a larger march advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, were removed from a restricted area by police, including those led by Superintendent Larry Snelling.

Police wearing helmets with masks attached formed a line along a fence, which had been previously breached and still had several panels missing, while some activists shouted at them. Several protesters who had managed to get through the fence were detained and handcuffed by the police.

Jim Vondruska

‘The whole world is watching’

Dozens of activists chanting, “End the occupation now,” are facing off with police just a few blocks from the United Center. As tensions rose, many officers put on gas masks, and the situation intensified when some activists tried to bring down a second fence set up in front of the police.

Some protesters began chanting, “The whole world is watching!” just as anti-Vietnam War protesters did in 1968 when police clashed with protesters on live television.

Video below: President Biden prepares to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris

Demonstrators break through fence

Dozens of activists taking part in the Coalition to March on the DNC broke through a fence set up outside the United Center.

The fence lining Park 578 was torn down as protesters broke through. A second fence was in place in front of dozens of police officers. Activists banged on the fence in front of officers, who yelled at them not to touch it.

Full speaker list

• Minyon Moore, chair of Democratic National Convention
• Jaime R. Harrison, chair of Democratic National Committee
• Mayor Brandon Johnson, of Chicago
• Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, of Minnesota
• Rep. Lauren Underwood, of Illinois
• Rich Logis, former Donald Trump voter
• Rep. Robert Garcia, of California
• Lee Saunders, president of AFSCME
• April Verret, president of SEIU
• Brent Booker, general president of LiUNA
• Kenneth W. Cooper, international president of IBEW
• Claude Cummings Jr., president of CWA
• Elizabeth H. Shuler, president of AFL-CIO
• Mallory McMorrow
• Gina M. Raimondo
• Gov. Kathy Hochul, of New York
• Shawn Fain, president of UAW
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York
• Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Secretary of State
• Rep. James E. Clyburn, of South Carolina
• Rep. Jamie Raskin, of Maryland
• Rep. Jasmine Crockett, of Texas
• Rep. Grace Meng, of New York
• Amanda and Josh Zurawski, reproductive rights advocates
• Kaitlyn Joshua, reproductive rights advocate
• Hadley Duvall, reproductive rights advocate
• Gov. Andy Beshear, of Kentucky
• Sen. Raphael G. Warnock, of Georgia
• Sen. Chris Coons, of Delaware
• First lady Jill Biden
• President Joe Biden