What to know about the DNC tonight
- Vice President Kamala Harris will accept the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in Chicago on Thursday night, capping off the party's four-day convention with a speech to delegates and the nation.
- According to excerpts of her speech, Harris will say: "With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past. A chance to chart a new way forward, not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans."
- Other primetime speakers on Thursday include Rep. Ruben Gallego, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Sen. Mark Kelly. Gabby Giffords, Kelly's wife and a gun control advocate who was severely wounded by a gunman in 2011, is also slated to speak.
- Rumors have swirled all day about a potential surprise appearance by Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, but convention organizers have not confirmed either will attend.
- Watch all the speeches live in the player above, and watch CBS News' coverage of the convention on CBS News 24/7 on your mobile or streaming device.
- Follow the latest updates from the convention below:
Harris' grandnieces take to the stage to help teach pronunciation of her name
Two of Harris' grandnieces appeared on stage alongside Kerry Washington to help clarify pronunciation of the vice president's name.
Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly mispronounced Harris' first name. In an interview with CNN earlier this month, GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina said she would "say Kamala's name any way that I want to."
"It's come to my attention that there are some folks that struggle, or pretend to struggle, with the proper pronunciation of our future president's name," Washington said. "Here me out. Confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not."
Washington invited the two young girls on stage, who led the crowd in a chant of "Kamala," explaining the pronunciation is like "comma" and "la."
"Scandal" actors Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn take selfie video with the crowd
Actress Kerry Washington, star of TV series "Scandal," is the celebrity host for the primetime portion of the evening. She said she isn't at the DNC tonight as an actor.
"I am here as a mother, as a daughter, as a proud union member," Washington said. "I am here as the granddaughter of immigrants, as a Black woman descendant of enslaved people. I am here because I am an American and because I am a voter."
"I am not the lead character in this story. You are," Washington said.
Washington, whose character is Olivia Pope on the show, told the audience, "you are the Olivia Popes."
"You are the superheroes saving this democracy," she said. "It is you, not me, who have the greatest power to convince your loved ones to vote. So just like Michelle Obama told us, let's do something."
Washington began to try to take a selfie video with the crowd when actor Tony Goldwyn, who plays the president and her love interest on the show, rushed on stage to join her. Together, they took a selfie video with the crowd in the background for attendees to send their family and friends.
The Chicks perform national anthem
Americans tell their stories, emphasizing need to elect Harris
Multiple families took to the stage to warn against reelecting Trump.
Wife and mother Anya Cook shared how two years ago, she was undergoing a miscarriage, but doctors refused to see her because of her state's abortion restrictions.
"I miscarried in a bathroom," she said. "I'll never forget my husband's face as he tried to stop the bleeding, trying to stop what doctors should have been doing."
By the time she got medical help, she'd lost half the blood in her body.
The family of Brian Sicknick, an officer who died following the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol assault, also spoke. Craig, Brian's brother, said his family "knows how dangerous Trump is."
"We need a real leader, not an autocrat who is stuck in the past," Craig Sicnkick said. "Brian, we miss you every day."
Eric Fitts, a father of two boys, said he always tries to set an example for them, instilling character and values.
"I want those values to be reflected in our leaders," Fitts said. "I'm tired of all of the hate. It's time to move forward together, and build a country our kids can be proud of."
Allred calls Trump and Ted Cruz "me-guys" who will be defeated in November
Texas Rep. Colin Allred is taking on GOP Sen. Ted Cruz in November and pledged to turn the Senate seat blue. A former professional football player, he currently represents Texas' 32nd Congressional District.
"In the NFL, we had a term for guys like Donald Trump and my opponent, Ted Cruz: 'me-guys,'" he said. "You know the type: Talk a big game, only care about themselves. But you don't want to be stuck with him at a barbecue. The truth is, America has neer been about 'me.'"
Echoing former President Barack Obama, who has said "the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word 'we,'" Allred said he has a message for the so-called "me-guys."
"'We' is more powerful than 'me,'" he said. "We will restore reproductive freedom. We will secure the border. We will protect Medicare and Social Security, and we'll turn the page and write a new chapter for this country: elect Kamala Harris to be the next president and beat Ted Cruz."
After he concluded his remarks, the crowd broke out into chants of "Beat Ted Cruz."
Steph Curry appears in video for Harris: "The Oval Office suits her well"
Steph Curry, the four-time NBA champion and recent Olympic gold medalist, appeared in a video expressing his support for Harris.
"I believe that Kamala as president can bring that unity back and continue to move our country forward," the Golden State Warriors point guard said. "This is about preserving hope and belief in our country, making sure families can be taken care of during their most precious times."
Curry recalled meeting with Harris at the White House after the Warriors' most recent championship in 2022: "I can tell you one thing, I knew then, and I definitely know now, the Oval Office suits her well."
He concluded: "So in the words of Michelle Obama: Do something! Go vote, be active. Let's show out in November like never before. It's been an honor for me to represent our country, it's an honor to support Kamala, so let's all do our part."
Rep. Maxwell Frost: "Patriotism is more than some damn slogan on a hat"
Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, Gen Z's first congressman, focused his remarks on climate change.
"Fighting the climate crisis is patriotic," he said. "And unlike Donald Trump, our patriotism is more than some damn slogan on a hat. It's about actually giving a damn about the people who live in this country. Because when you love somebody, you want them to have clean air. When you love somebody, you want them to have safe drinking water. And when you love somebody, you want them to have a dignified job."
Frost recalled visiting communities who have had to rebuild their lives after their homes were destroyed in hurricanes. He said he listened to stories of immigrant farm workers who are "made to work in horrid conditions exasperated by this crisis."
"Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have proven that tackling this crisis creates jobs," he said. "That investing in clean energy protects our health. That investing in mass public transit builds strong communities. And we must always remember that peace is essential to our climate and war destroys our environment. This election is about every drop of water we consume and breath we breathe."
Harris will frame election as a chance to "chart a new way forward"
When Harris takes the stage at the convention later tonight to formally accept the Democratic presidential nomination, she will share her story with the public about being raised by a single mother in California and what motivated her to become a prosecutor.
According to excerpts of her speech, the vice president will urge voters to seize the November election as an opportunity to move forward and pledge to unite the country.
"With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past," she will say. "A chance to chart a new way forward, not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans."
She will also warn the nation about what a second term for Trump will bring, invoking Project 2025 and the policy proposals outlined in the sweeping agenda overseen by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
"In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man," Harris will say. "But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious."
She will draw on her travels during her time as vice president and on the campaign trail, and tell attendees that she sees "a nation ready to move forward."
"I see an America where we hold fast to the fearless belief that built our nation, That inspired the world," Harris will say. "That here, in this country, anything is possible. Nothing is out of reach."
Central Park Five members condemn Trump: "45 wanted us unalive"
Four members of the so-called Central Park Five were introduced at the convention by the Rev. Al Sharpton. The Central Park Five were a group of Black and Latino teenagers arrested and charged for the rape and assault of a White female jogger in Central Park 1989. They were wrongly convicted in 1990 and exonerated when DNA evidence was matched to a different man who confessed to the attack. Their convictions were tossed out in 2002.
"Our youth was stolen from us. Every day, as we walked into the courtroom, people screamed at us and threatened us because of Donald Trump," said Korey Wise. "He spent $85,000 on a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for our execution. We were innocent kids. But, we served a total of 41 years in prison."
Yusef Salaam, now a New York City councilmember, said Trump wanted him and the other four men, who were teenagers at the time of the case, dead.
"45 wanted us unalive," he said.
Despite the DNA evidence and confession, Trump has said he will not apologize for the comments he made more than 30 years ago.
"That man thinks that hate is the animating force in America. It is not," Salaam said. "We have the constitutional right to vote, in fact, it is a human right. So, let us use it. I want you to walk with us. I want you to march with us. I want you to vote with us."
Rev. Al Sharpton: "We suffered and died and bled, went to jail to get the right to vote — we won't go back"
Rev. Al Sharpton, the longtime civil rights leader, vowed that the nation "won't go back" from all its progress before introducing the Central Park Five.
Sharpton alluded to Trump's remarks about migrants taking "Black jobs," a comment for which Trump hasn't apologized.
Sharpton said Trump and others will learn in November.
"We have fought too hard for women to be told to get out of the kitchen," Sharpton said. "We are now on our way to the Oval Office. We won't go back."
And the nation won't go back after fighting for LGBTQ+ equality, Sharpton said, or relinquish the right to vote.
"We suffered and died and bled, went to jail to get the right to vote — we won't go back," he said.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin says Trump "treats our friends as adversaries, and our adversaries as friends"
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running for Senate in the battleground state of Michigan, offered her perspective as a former national security official. She served in the CIA and three tours in Iraq, and worked as an acting assistant secretary of defense under former President Barack Obama.
"I want to talk tonight about national security," Slotkin said. "Because the choice in November is stark. America retreating from the world, or leading the world. Trump wants to take us backwards. He admires dictators, a lot. He treats our friends as adversaries and our adversaries as friends. But our vision is based on our values, the values that took us to the shores of Normandy and helped us win the Cold War."
Slotkin said the U.S. needs to partner with allies to tackle global challenges like AI and climate change.
"And guess what, that takes friends, you've got to have friends to do that," she said.
Slotkin urged Americans to "not give an inch to pretenders who wrap themselves in the flag, but spit in the face of the freedoms it represents."
She concluded: "We are the damn United States of America. We lead."
New York Rep. Pat Ryan: I can't say what I think of Trump on TV
New York Rep. Pat Ryan, an Iraq War veteran, said Harris treats service members and veterans with respect and dignity, while Trump disrespects them.
"At West Point, you learn the honor code: 'A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do,'" he said. "Well, there's a candidate who has violated every word in that code. A serial liar, cheater, and thief who looked soldiers in the eye then turned around and called fallen heroes 'suckers' and 'losers,' who insulted Medal of Honor recipients just last week."
He then used military slang to describe the former president.
"I'd tell you what I think of Donald Trump, but they told me I can't use that word on TV," he said. "I'm going to use an Army term — FUBAR. If you don't know FUBAR, Google it."
Project 2025 returns on last night
Project 2025 returned for the final night of the convention, with Democratic Rep. Jason Crow highlighting some of the initiative's plans for national security and foreign policy.
"I refuse to let Trump's golf buddies decide when and how our troops are sent to war," he said.
A former Army Ranger, Crow said good leaders do not engage in "tough talk or chest-thumping."
"In war, talk is cheap," he said. "And trust me, I know a couch commando when I see one."
Warren gets hero's welcome, knocks Trump for conviction and ongoing legal issues
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, took the stage to raucous applause from convention attendees and grew emotional, wiping tears from her eyes before she began speaking.
In her remarks, the Massachusetts Democrat took aim at Trump for his conviction by a New York jury in late May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and ongoing legal issues related to the 2020 presidential election.
"Donald Trump, the felon, has no plan to lower costs for families. He doesn't know how, and basically, he doesn't really care," she told convention attendees. "When did he ever fill up a gas tank or worry about a grocery bill? The only bills he worries about are from his criminal defense lawyers"
Warren went on to praise Harris for her economic policies and highlighted her efforts targeting price gouging during California wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.
"You know what I love best about Kamala Harris? Kamala Harris can't be bought and she can't be bossed around," Warren said.
The senator said she wouldn't trust Trump or Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance to look out for families on issues including the price of groceries, gas, housing, health care, taxes and abortion.
"Shoot, I wouldn't trust those guys to move my couch," she said, a reference to a joke about Vance that went viral on social media.
Warren faced off against Harris, Mr. Biden and a wide field of candidates in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
Krishnamoorthi says China wants Trump across the bargaining table
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, said it's his job in Congress to study China. He noted that one of China's highest-ranking leaders wrote a book called, "America Against America."
"It's how they think they'll win," Krishnamoorthi said of China. "They know the only way they'll beat America is if we beat ourselves."
"Mark my words, they want to see Donald Trump across the bargaining table," he said.
Krishnamoorthi said Trump will "pit American against American, and that's what China wants."
Bob Casey, vulnerable Senate Democrat, says he and Harris will tackle "greedflation"
Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, another vulnerable Democrat, attacked companies for price gouging and greed, calling it "greedflation."
"In just six months, a box of diapers went up $15. The corporations say your prices are up only
because their costs are up. They're selling you a lie. It's in the bag with the diapers. Prices are up because these corporations are scheming to drive them up," he said.
The three-term senator is facing a tough reelection battle against former hedge fund CEO David McCormick.
He said he and Harris are fighting to ban price gouging.
"Americans don't expect stuff to be free. But we do expect it to be fair," he said.
Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, facing reelection fight, hits Trump on Social Security
Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin said her mother struggled with addiction, and she never knew her father. But she had two grandparents who stepped in and raised her.
"Everything I know, I learned from them," she said.
When her grandparents aged, Baldwin said it was her privilege to take care of them.
But Baldwin noted that Trump has said "there's a lot you can do … in terms of cutting" Social Security and Medicare, and said Democrats would protect entitlements.
"We Democrats, we honor our elders and ask the wealthiest to pay their fair share," she said.
A Trump campaign spokesman said Trump was referring to "cutting waste and fraud," not Social Security and other entitlements. Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump has consistently said he does not intend to make cuts to Social Security or Medicare.
Baldwin faces a tough reelection fight in November, and her presence is notable. Other vulnerable Democrats, including Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, skipped the convention altogether.
Calling Trump a "negligent landlord," Marcia Fudge touts Harris' housing policies
Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge detailed Harris' work as a prosecutor fighting for homeowners facing foreclosure and the efforts of the Biden administration focused on housing.
"Kamala Harris has fought to protect homeowners and renters her entire career," she said.
Fudge said Harris believes housing is a "human right."
"We can hand the keys to our housing policy back to a negligent landlord or we can elect a president who believes in safe, affordable housing for all," she said.
Sen. Alex Padilla: Harris believes "all of our kids deserve a shot at the American dream"
Sen. Alex Padilla of California talked about how Harris treats his three sons, saying she "greets them with kindness and respect."
"Literally meeting them on their level, to speak to them and to listen," he said.
"Kamala and I believe that all of our kids deserve a shot at the American dream," he said. "But today we know the dream is out of reach for too many families."
He asked the crowd, "who is ready to defend the dream?"
Padilla filled Harris' seat in the Senate when she became vice president.
Teachers' union leaders: "When our public schools are strong, our nation is strong"
The leaders of the two biggest teachers' unions made the case that Harris will make the promise of America real, starting with education.
"As an eighth grade science teacher for over 30 years, I can tell you that Kamala and teacher Ttim Walz understand, when our public schools are strong, our nation is strong," said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association. "They know expanding free school meals, investing in health care and keeping our communities and our schools safe creates opportunity for everyone."
Pringle said former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance "will shut down the Department of Education and Head Start and make educators pay a higher percentage in taxes than billionaires."
Randi Weingarten, who heads up the American Federation of Teachers, said Trump and Vance "can't claim they're pro child while gutting funding for public schools."
Final night of the convention kicks off
Democrats convened for the last night of their convention in Chicago. Harris is set to address delegates, elected officials and other attendees and officially accept the party's presidential nomination later in the night.
Harris putting "finishing touches" on her speech, aide says
Top Harris campaign aide Quentin Fulks told CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes Harris is still putting the "finishing touches" on her speech.
But she still knows "exactly" what she wants to say, Fulks said.
Fulks said Harris isn't completely revamping her speech, in the way former President Bill Clinton did earlier this week, when he rewrote his address after seeing the enthusiasm of the convention crowd.
Who's speaking at the DNC tonight?
Here's the full list of DNC speakers, as released by the Democratic National Committee:
- Minyon Moore, chair of the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee
- Invocation by Everett Kelly, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, and Imam Muhammad Abdul-Aleem of Masjidullah Mosque of West Oak Lane, Pennsylvania
- Presentation of Colors by the Illinois State Police Honor Guard
- Pledge of Allegiance by Luna Maring, a 6th grader from Oakland, California
- Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas
- Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association
- Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers
- Sen. Alex Padilla of California
- Marcia Fudge, former secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- Rep. Ted W. Lieu of California
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin
- Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, House Democratic Whip
- Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado
- Mayor Leonardo Williams of Durham, North Carolina
- Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois
- Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
- Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado
- Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan
- Rep. Pat Ryan of New York
- Rev. Al Sharpton
- Members of the "Central Park Five": Dr. Yusef Salaam, member of the New York City Council, and activists Korey Wise, Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson
- Amy Resner, former prosecutor and friend of Harris
- Karrie Delaney, director of Federal Affairs at the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
- Lisa Madigan, former attorney general of Illinois
- Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League
- Nathan Hornes, former student at Corinthian Colleges
- Tristan Snell, former New York State assistant attorney general
- Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts
- Courtney Baldwin, youth organizer and human trafficking survivor
- Deb Haaland, secretary of the interior
- John Russell, content creator
- Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida
- Rep. Colin Allred of Texas
- Joint remarks on "A New American Chapter": Anya Cook, Craig Sicknick, Gail DeVore, Juanny Romero and Eric, Christian, and Carter Fitts
- National anthem by The Chicks
- Kerry Washington
- Joint remarks by Meena Harris, Ella Emhoff and Helena Hudlin
- D.L. Hughley
- Sheriff Chris Swanson of Genesee County, Michigan
- Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia, joined by Abbey Clements of Newton, Connecticut; Kim Rubio of Uvalde, Texas; Melody McFadden of Charleston, South Carolina; and Edgar Vilchez of Chicago.
- Gabrielle Giffords, former member of the House
- Performance by P!NK
- Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona
- Leon Panetta, former secretary of defense
- Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan
- Eva Longoria, actress and film producer
- Adam Kinzinger, former member of the House
- Maya Harris
- Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina
- Vice President Kamala Harris
What's coming on Day 4 of the DNC in Chicago
How to watch the DNC tonight
CBS News 24/7 has coverage of the convention throughout the night and is streaming the major keynote speeches. Watch live on your mobile or streaming device.
A live feed of all of the speeches can be found here and in the player at the top of this page.
CBS television stations will have coverage beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Find your local CBS station here.