Good morning, Chicago.
It’s the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Vice President Kamala Harris will ceremonially accept her party’s nomination.
Her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, spoke to his largest national audience yet on last night, peppering his relatively brief address with sports references and framing the party’s definition of freedom.
And former President Bill Clinton, who departed frequently from his prepared remarks relatively early in the evening, highlighted Trump’s selfishness, joking that he sounded like a tenor during a warm up, “Me, me, me, me.”
The loudest applause went to a surprise speaker: Oprah Winfrey. It was a homecoming for the purple-clad star, who hosted the nationally syndicated Oprah Winfrey Show talk show in Chicago for 25 years.
Today’s theme is “For Our Future” and will also feature Republican former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who previously lived in Channahon south of Chicago. DNC officials have repeatedly invited Republicans to publicly repudiate former President Donald Trump.
Catch up on what you missed yesterday and what’s on the schedule for today, from the Tribune’s A.D. Quig.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Today’s eNewspaper edition
Tim Walz formally accepts Democratic VP nomination
Tim Walz capped a whirlwind 15 days that took him from Minnesota governor to vice presidential nominee with an acceptance speech Wednesday that traced his path from Butte, Nebraska, to Chicago’s United Center stage on the penultimate night of the Democratic National Convention.
Walz, in a keynote speech lasting a scant 16 minutes, framed the Nov. 5 general election campaign against Republican nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, as a contest largely “about freedom.”
Oprah Winfrey makes surprise appearance at the DNC in Chicago
Last night, she marked her return as she took the mic at the United Center blocks away from where Harpo Studios once stood.
“Who says you can’t go home again?” she said to start her speech.
Pete Buttigieg rips JD Vance at DNC over childless Americans comments
A Rhodes scholar and Navy Reservist who deployed during the war in Afghanistan, Buttigieg attacked former President Donald Trump’s running mate over Vance’s past comments about people without children not having a “physical commitment to the future of this country.”
Recalling his time in combat, Buttigieg said, “Some of the men and women who went outside the wire with me did not have kids either. Let me tell you, our commitment to the future of this country was pretty damn physical.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she wanted to ‘protect’ President Biden’s legacy
Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday said Democrats need to hold the White House and win majorities in both the House and Senate to defend democracy against Republicans led by former President Donald Trump, a belief that underscored her concerns about President Joe Biden’s reelection bid.
While reiterating she thinks Biden is a “very, very consequential president,” she hinted many of his accomplishments were in jeopardy if he continued his presidential bid against Trump.
DNC sees third day of protests as Chicago’s top cop blasts demonstrators who confronted officers at Israeli consulate
The latest demonstration yesterday stepped off with a rally in Union Park followed by a march toward Park 578 near the United Center, where a much larger demonstration earlier in the week had brought out some 3,000 attendees.
Uncommitted delegates, ‘Squad’ members sit-in at DNC to demand a Palestinian American get a speaking slot
Hours after a rally outside the security zone around the United Center where the DNC was being held, three dozen uncommitted pro-Palestinian delegates held a sit-in inside the security perimeter, just feet from the United Center doors.
Parents of American held by Hamas appeal for hostages’ release during Democratic National Convention
The parents of a 23-year-old American taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel gave a moving speech Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention, pleading for the release of the dozens of people who continue to be held captive in Gaza.
“This is a political convention. But needing our only son — and all of the cherished hostages — home is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” said Jon Polin, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin lost his part of his left arm and was kidnapped from Israel by fighters who attacked the music festival he was attending.
Jose More/Chicago Tribune
President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore face the roaring delegates at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in 1996. (José Moré/Chicago Tribune)
Bill Clinton’s ’96 United Center speech still has some relevance, but does he?
Much has changed in 28 years as Clinton, now 78, prepared last night to take the stage again at the Democratic National Convention, this time to voice support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential nomination.
For one, Clinton still retains a connection to the older white rural voters who have since largely abandoned the Democratic Party in favor of Donald Trump. His acceptance speech in the then two-year-old United Center also was a reminder of more quaint and gentle political times.
Former President Obama spoke at DNC as an elder statesman. In 2004, his speech launched him toward the White House.
The impact of Barack Obama’s 2004 keynote address to a rapt audience of fellow Democrats would likely be difficult for this week’s convention speakers to replicate: Not only was Obama’s personal story and storytelling style uniquely his, but polarization — both in the media and the political landscape — have drastically transformed the audience, making his optimistic message of hope and unity a tougher sell.
Kamala Harris’ family members are popping up around Chicago this week during the DNC. Here’s the rundown on who’s who.
Kamala Harris has a husband, Doug Emhoff, who could make history as America’s first gentleman spouse. Two stepchildren who call her “Momala.” A politically connected sister who is a top adviser and sounding board. A brother-in-law who temporarily stepped away from a top private sector gig to help elect her. A niece who is the mother of two daughters that Harris dotes on. There’s also her husband’s ex-wife, who defends Harris and Emhoff and their blended family.
It’s Da Bears vs. the DNC tonight TV. What will Chicago watch?
Some true blue Chicagoans may be facing a TV viewing dilemma when Da Bears and the DNC go head-to-head in prime time tonight.
Who said it? Kamala Harris, JD Vance or Betty Boop? A Tribune quiz on quotes from politicians
We’re on the back end of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, an apt moment for a quiz. Wait! Come back! It’s a wee multiple-choice quiz, where you pick the correct political leaders — fictional or real, foreign or domestic, deceased or living — responsible for the following 10 quotations.