DNC: Biden to speak on opening night at Chicago convention

Making a brief, unannounced onstage appearance, US Vice President Kamala Harris said she was "forever grateful" to President Joe Biden. 

"I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible president, Joe Biden," she said to cheers.

"Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation."

Harris' remarks came shortly before Biden was scheduled to address the event. 

For both Republicans and Democrats, national conventions symbolize the party uniting behind a single candidate for the final stage of the presidential race.

But this year's campaign has been anything but traditional for the Democrats. Due to Biden dropping out of the race last month and some legal concerns regarding the ballot in Ohio, the party has already held a virtual roll call to confirm Harris as its presidential nominee.

Harris secured the support of 99% of the delegates during the virtual roll call in early August, which saw 4,615 delegates cast their vote. Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, have already accepted the Democratic nomination, making any further display of support from the delegates is purely symbolic.

Harris is still expected to give a formal acceptance speech and close the nomination process on Thursday. Read more about what to expect from the DNC this week here.

The first day of the Democratic National Convention has started. Watch live here:

Dozens of protesters broke through a fence set up by police near the site of the Democratic National Convention.

Police then formed a line along a fence after arresting several of the demonstrators who had managed to get through it. 

Thousands of people had gathered to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza.

Members of the crowd chanted, "End the occupation now" and, "The whole world is watching."

Pro-Palestinian groups have criticized President Joe Biden's administration for sending aid to Israel.

President Joe Biden and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, arrived in Chicago late Monday afternoon to walk through the site of the Democratic National Convention, where the sitting president will address party faithful later this evening.

Biden, who was forced to drop his candidacy due to concerns over his age, will now attempt to rally the party behind his heir to the nomination, Vice President Kamala Harris, as she squares off against the GOP nominee, former President Donald Trump.

Asked if he was ready to pass the torch to Harris, Biden told reporters: "I am," as he did a sound check at the convention center.

The speech will be one of the last major addresses the 81-year-old will deliver, signaling the end of more than five decades in public office. 

Harris is expected to join the president on stage after the speech, which set to begin at 10:50 p.m. (0250 GMT).

The Bidens arrived in the midwestern metropolis to the sound of protests over his administration's foreign policy, especially as regards Gaza and Israel's ongoing military operation there. Protesters now say they are setting their sights on Harris' role in shaping US foreign policy toward Israel.

Pro-Palestinian protesters are rallying in Chicago outside the Democratic National Convention, with only around half of the turnout that organizers had expected, DW's Stefan Simons reports from Chicago.

Donald Trumpposted a series of doctored and/or AI-generated images of Taylor Swift and her fans to his Truth Social account.

The images posted on Sunday and the accompanying captions suggest the GOP presidential candidate is blatantly attempting to hijack Swift's fame to win support for his own candidacy.

Posting a fake image of Swift dressed as Uncle Sam and featuring the words, "Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump," the former president wrote, "I accept!" Trump, who regularly claims to be more popular than the global pop megastar, also included images of women wearing "Swifties for Trump" shirts. These, too, appear to be fake.

There has been much speculation as to whether Swift will eventually endorse a candidate in this November's election, though her support for legal abortion and LGBTQ+ rights would put her at odds with Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance.

Swift, who commands a massive fan base — and who voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in 2020 — has remained tight-lipped regarding political endorsements. Nevertheless, she has encouraged fans to register to vote. When she did so last fall, some 35,000 heeded the call.

Kamala Harris will formally accept the Democratic Party's nomination to be its presidential candidate on Thursday night with a speech at the United Center in Chicago.

Harris is heading into the convention on the crest of a wave after her campaign broke records for fundraising and turned opinion polls in some battleground states in Democrats' favor.

Incumbent Joe Biden announced he would step aside after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump on June 27 prompted allies, major donors and other party supporters to question is suitability for another four years.

Polls a month ago showed Trump with a clear lead over Biden, but Harris has made inroads, including in many of the country's most competitive states, such as Pennsylvania.

Activists are gathering in Chicago outside the Democratic National Convention, attempting to highlight issues such as economic injustice, reproductive rights, and, in particular, the conflict in Gaza.

Protesters say their plans have not changed since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and Democrats quickly rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

Their issues cover climate change, abortion rights and racial equality, to name a few, but many protesters agree that pressing for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war is the protesters' top message, comparing it to the Vietnam War.

Chicago leaders say they're committed to keeping protests peaceful.

"The city of Chicago is really good at things like this," Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a Monday news conference. "We are ready."

With November's US presidential election looming large, the Democratic Party is gearing up for a major political event: the Democratic National Convention (DNC), set to start on Monday, and conclude on Thursday, August 22, in Chicago, Iliinois.

Organizers expect to host over 5,000 Democratic delegates, high-profile guests and party officials from various parts of the United States. The convention will also see 12,000 volunteers and some 50,000 visitors attending the event.

President Joe Biden and former-Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are all expected to speak at the event. Vice President Kamala Harris, the party's presumptive presidential nominee, is set to give an address on the last day of the conference.

The conference will be staged at two main locations. The United Center will host official proceedings, speeches and high-profile televised events. McCormick Place will be the site of daytime party meetings, consultations and briefings.

jsi/lo (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)