Chicago mayor praises Harris-Walz ticket as he welcomes delegates to city
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson kicked off the convention speakers by welcoming delegates to his city, delivering energetic remarks about what the new Democratic ticket offers Americans.
“Welcome to the greatest city in the world, Chicago,” Johnson said. “This city of hard work and caring people is where Democrats will celebrate Joe Biden and nominate Kamala Harris for president of the United States of America.”
Johnson outlined Harris and Walz’s records, saying “as the son of a family that worked to make ends meet, I know that Kamala Harris – the daughter of a mom who worked hard every single day — she is going to look out for the interests of everyday people.”
Johnson, a former teacher, said that he knows “as a fellow former social studies teacher, that Gov. Tim Walz will never shrink from standing up for our democracy and for those most in need.”
“Together we can build a better, brighter future, and there’s no better place to start that than right here in the greatest freaking city in the world, the city of Chicago,” he said.
Chicago police say 4 arrested at protests
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling told CBS Chicago that four people were arrested Monday when protesters breached a security fence at the DNC.
According to CBS Chicago, the official protest had moved away from Park 578 by just after 5:30 p.m. ET, but a faction stayed behind and broke through the fence about two blocks from the United Center.
Read more at CBS Chicago.
What will Democrats’ message be during the DNC?
Brakkton Booker, national political correspondent for Politico, and Shelby Talcott, politics reporter for Semafor, joined CBS News to discuss what they expect Democrats to focus on during the DNC and what they think will differentiate Kamala Harris’ campaign from Hillary Clinton’s 2016 run for the White House.
Watch the full speeches at the DNC live
CBS News is bringing you live coverage of the Democratic National Convention in the video player at the top of this page, but if you want to watch all the speeches in their entirety, you can stream them live here:
DNC gavels in
Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
The convention gaveled in at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said all the conventions past have led to this moment — a Black Democratic National Committee chair and a Black Democratic National Convention chair staging the convention for the first Black woman as their party’s presidential nominee.
Convention chair Minyon Moore also gave a nod to the night’s headliner, Mr. Biden, saying, “In a true act of patriotism, he passed the torch to the next generation.”
Who is speaking at Day 1 of the DNC?
President Biden is set to headline Monday night, after remarks by first lady Jill Biden and an introduction from their daughter Ashley Biden.
Hillary Clinton, former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic nominee, will also speak tonight.
Other speakers include Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and a host of nationally known Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, and Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware and Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
A number of labor union leaders will also speak, including Shawn Fain, president of the United Automobile Workers.
And a number of women from states with abortion restrictions will have speaking time to share their stories, as the party seeks to focus attention on support for reproductive rights.
See the full list of speakers here.
Trump defends personal attacks on Harris
In an exclusive TV interview with CBS News’ Caitlin Huey-Burns in Pennsylvania on Monday, Trump defended his attacks on Harris’ intelligence. Asked by Huey-Burns if that’s the right message to win over moderate voters, the kind of voters Trump will need in key battleground states, he responded that no, “the message is what a bad job they’ve done.”
Asked for specifics, Trump couldn’t point to evidence or examples of deficits in Harris’ intellect.
“Our country needs a very smart person, and I don’t think she’s a very smart person,” Trump replied. “So, I’m not looking to — I don’t consider that an insult — that’s just a fact.”
“What evidence do you have for that?” Huey-Burns asked.
“I looked at the things that she’s said, I looked at the way she deals, I looked at her record — her crazy record — I look at her policies. I just don’t happen to think so,” Trump responded. “Now, I could say she is and I know that would be very nice. And the other thing, we have to win this election.”
In the interview with Huey-Burns, Trump also discussed whether he’d accept the election outcome and whether he’d release his medical records.
Read more here.
Harris campaign co-chair, former Biden adviser, on president’s DNC address
Cedric Richmond is the Kamala Harris campaign co-chair and a former senior adviser to President Biden. Richmond joined “America Decides” to discuss the role Harris played in the Biden administration and the party’s transition to Harris from Biden.
Theme of Day 1 of the DNC and plans for Biden’s role
Each day of the convention features a theme related to the tagline, “For the People, For Our Future.” Monday’s theme is centered on the “For the People” element, where the party will outline how they argue Democrats have put the people first under the Biden-Harris administration while contrasting the record and the Harris-Walz ticket with former President Donald Trump’s record.
Mr. Biden’s time in office and decades in Washington are also expected to be featured prominently on Monday, as the party seeks to honor the president — and his decision to step aside — while celebrating its new standard bearer.
Anita Dunn, a former senior adviser to Mr. Biden who left the White House last month to join the main super PAC supporting Harris, said the president sees his role in the campaign as “volunteer-in-chief” and is determined to ensure Trump is defeated in November.
— Kaia Hubbard, Aaron Navarro
Protesters breach security fence at Democratic National Convention
Protesters breached a security fence into the security perimeter for the Democratic National Convention Monday afternoon.
The official protest had moved away from Park 578 by just after 4:30 p.m., but a faction stayed behind and broke through the fence at Washington Boulevard and Wolcott Avenue. This group made it through the first line of the perimeter, and was trying to make it through the second fence—which would allow them access to the United Center.
Read more at CBS Chicago.
— Dave Savini, Charlie De Mar