Good morning, Chicago.
President Joe Biden delivered a poignant yet forceful call to support Vice President Kamala Harris as he ceded the Democratic presidential nomination to her in last night’s keynote address at the party’s convention on opening night.
“It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve as your President. I love the job, but I love my country more,” Biden said in a nearly 50-minute address, frequently interrupted by delegates shouting “Thank you, Joe” and waving “I (heart) Joe” signs.
The opening-night program, with scores of speakers, ran later than scheduled, putting Biden’s much-anticipated address past television prime time.
But the delegates were unwavering in their support for Biden throughout his speech as he detailed a litany of accomplishments by his administration and shared the praise with Harris.
Delegates and convention speakers spent the day trying to strike a balance between thanking the 81-year-old Biden for his four years as president and looking forward to promoting Harris, 59, as Democrats aim to retain the White House and prevent Donald Trump, the 78-year-old former Republican president, from reclaiming it.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rick Pearson.
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Gov. JB Pritzker’s national moment has come at the DNC. But it’s much different than first imagined.
JB Pritzker has been working toward this moment for much of his adult life.
But when the affable Illinois governor takes the stage Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, it will be under vastly different circumstances than he must have imagined when he led Chicago’s effort to bring the party’s quadrennial gathering to his hometown.
Mayor Brandon Johnson stresses Chicago’s Black history in opening-night DNC speech
Mayor Brandon Johnson delivered a short, but spirited pitch for Chicago during Monday evening’s kickoff of the Democratic National Convention, casting the city as a cradle of African American triumph that engendered the historic moment of a Black woman being nominated for president.
Addressing a far-from-capacity United Center crowd as one of the DNC’s first speakers, the rookie mayor and former teacher spent his few minutes in the national spotlight celebrating Chicago’s role in the milestone moment — while delivering a brief history lesson.
Sen. Dick Durbin: Trump is ‘bad boss’ who is ‘driving the company into the ground’
Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin likened Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to “a bad boss” during a speech on the first night of the Democratic National Convention.
During his roughly four-minute address at the United Center, Durbin, a former Senate colleague of both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, drew an economic contrast between the current administration and the four years under the former president and current GOP presidential nominee.
Demonstrators chant, break fencing, but first major protest of DNC stays mostly peaceful
Chanting and holding signs decrying the Biden administration’s support for Israeli military action in Gaza, thousands of pro-Palestinian and other demonstrators rallied and marched past the Democratic National Convention headquarters on Monday in what had been billed as the largest of many planned demonstrations during the four-day event.
The day was marred by only one fairly minor skirmish. As protest leaders kept marching later in the afternoon, several protesters broke down the first barrier of the security perimeter along Washington Boulevard just north of the United Center. They faced the police officers in a line, shouting, “Quit your job! Quit your job!”
Meet the DNC delegates — Part 1: An Alabama leader who was here in ’68; Patrick Kane’s aunt; and more
A leader of Alabama’s Democratic Black caucus who was in Chicago for the fateful 1968 convention. A retired nurse and member of the Cherokee Nation. Former Chicago Blackhawks great Patrick Kane’s aunt: These are three of the thousands of delegates who traveled to Chicago for the long-awaited Democratic National Convention, which kicked off Monday at the United Center.
Gun control in spotlight on first day of DNC in Chicago
Politicians and gun control activists gathered early on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to highlight violence on the South and West sides, remember the Highland Park shooting and continue their push for local and federal gun control legislation.
Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords — the victim of an assassination attempt in 2011 — gave remarks at the event at the Carnivale restaurant in the West Loop. So did Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, who was a representative there during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. They were joined by a host of state and city politicians and local activists.
Planned Parenthood offers free abortions, vasectomies at mobile clinic near DNC
A few blocks from the Democratic National Convention, Planned Parenthood is offering free medication abortions and vasectomies at its mobile health clinic to demonstrate “what is possible when policies truly support accessible reproductive health care,” according to the agency.
Physicians were providing abortions and vasectomies by appointment on Monday in the West Loop and said they planned to continue doing so Tuesday. As of Monday evening, no appointments on Tuesday were available. The Chicago Abortion Fund has also been distributing free emergency contraceptive at the site.
Chicago Bears storylines: Caleb Williams’ big miss, the defense’s renewed hunger and 5 lingering
After defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 27-3 on Saturday at Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears have one last preseason game Thursday in Kansas City before crossing the bridge into the regular season.
The Bears have to set their initial 53-man roster next week and have plenty of work to do before being ready for Week 1, but things seem to be trending in the right direction. As the game with the Chiefs nears, here’s the inside slant on three notable storylines.
Chicago basketball report: Bulls add another power forward option, while Sky hit a 3-point shooting low
Power forward Kenneth Lofton Jr. will have a shot at earning a spot with the Chicago Bulls after signing a training camp contract last week.
Urban historian Shermann ‘Dilla’ Thomas showcases Chicago’s South and West sides during DNC
As the convention kicked off Monday, around 20 visiting delegates from states including Montana, Vermont and New York piled into a bus leaving McCormick Place at 11 a.m., heading south towards the historically Black neighborhood of Bronzeville.
Projecting archival images on the bus screen, local urban historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas took participants on a two-hour tour on the South Side, past landmarks from Chicago’s Black history and culture. Stops included a monument for Black WW1 veterans, the church where 14-year-old Emmett Till’s open-casket funeral was held in 1955 and the homes of journalist and activist Ida B. Wells and singer Nat King Cole.
A super blue moon peaked Monday. How rare is this phenomenon?
While Monday night will be the peak for full moon viewing, it will still be an impressive sight through early Wednesday.
The Chicago River Swim is still on — but it’s been moved to Lake Michigan
The Chicago River Swim has been moved to Lake Michigan, organizers said Monday, a month after the city denied a permit for the open-water swimming event because of safety concerns related to the proposed route and the number of swimmers.
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