Politics
DNC Live Blog, Day 4: Kamala Harris Accepts Nomination; Uncommitted Delegates Push for Recognition
WTTW News reporters are spread out across Chicago covering the 2024 Democratic National Convention and the Illinois delegation. Check back throughout the day for continuous updates and be sure to tune in to “Chicago Tonight” live at 5:30 and 10 p.m. For a recap of the third day of the convention, check out our DNC Day 3 live blog.
Pro-Palestine Protesters at Exit of DNC Security Zone
11:45 p.m., United Center, Chicago
(Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)
As delegates exit the DNC security zone on the convention’s final day, pro-Palestinian protesters stand behind barriers and a line of police officers on Madison Street as the names and ages of children killed in the Israel-Hamas war are read over a megaphone.
“These are the names of the children killed by the Democratic Party directly funding Israel,” one of the protesters yelled over a megaphone. “It should be uncomfortable.”
- Eunice Alpasan, WTTW News
Illinois Delegates Mark End of DNC at Balloon Drop
11:30 p.m., United Center, Chicago
(Emily Soto / WTTW News)
(Emily Soto / WTTW News)
Members of the Illinois delegation celebrate the official end of the DNC with the red, white and blue balloon drop. (Emily Soto / WTTW News)
Lieutenant Governor Reflects on Historic Nomination: ‘I Actually Shed a Few Tears’
11 p.m., United Center, Chicago
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton joined “Chicago Tonight” to discuss Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic nomination.
“I sat there, and I actually shed a few tears, just thinking about just the magnitude of this occasion and knowing when she said, ‘I accept the nomination for president of the United States.’ To hear a woman’s voice and know that there was so much enthusiasm, so many people who really believe that we can do it this time, that we got close in 2016, but this time we are determined to not go back, to go forward.”
-Amanda Vinicky, WTTW News
Former GOP Rep. Kinzinger Says ‘We Must Put Country First’
10:45 p.m., United Center, Chicago
Democrats have spent days painting a foreboding picture of what would happen should former President Donald Trump win the November election.
On the closing night of the Democratic National Convention, an unconventional former congressman piled on — Republican Adam Kinzinger.
“I still hold onto the (Republican) label,” Kinzinger said. But “the Republican Party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance from the principles that gave it purpose to a man whose only purpose is himself.”
Kinzinger retired from Congress after he criticized his own party in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a bid to stop Joe Biden from becoming president. Kinzinger, at the invitation of Democrats, defied his leadership to join Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming as a member of the House committee investigating the attack.
“Some have questioned why I’ve taken the stand I have,” Kinzinger said. “The answer is simple, ladies and gentlemen. We must put country first. And tonight, as a Republican speaking before you, I’m putting our country first.”
He added, “I know Kamala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law, the constitution and democracy.”
Democrats gave Kinzinger a standing ovation after his speech Thursday night.
- Amanda Vinicky, WTTW News, and Associated Press
Balloons Drop on Final Night of DNC
10:30 p.m., United Center, Chicago
Balloons drop after Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the Democratic nomination. (Blair Paddock / WTTW News)
Pro-Palestine Protesters on Ashland Avenue
10:15 p.m., Chicago
Pro-Palestine protesters gathered on Ashland Avenue across from Union Park, just outside the United Center where Night 4 of the Democratic National Convention is taking place.
The gathering follows the March on the DNC 2024 demonstration earlier in the evening, which concluded around 9 p.m.
- Nicole Cardos, WTTW News
Kamala Harris Invites Voters to Chart a ‘New Way Forward’ as She Accepts Democratic Nomination
10:05 p.m., United Center, Chicago
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Vice President Kamala Harris told voters they have a chance to chart a “new way forward” as Americans this November, as she looked to introduce herself to voters and prosecute her case against Republican Donald Trump as she accepted her party’s nomination Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention.
Harris walked onstage to thunderous applause and a long standing ovation as convention-goers chanted her name, before beginning her remarks.
“Our nation with this election has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past,” Harris said, as she accepted the nomination. “A chance to chart a New Way Forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans.”
Harris’ address in Chicago caps a whirlwind eight weeks in American politics and manifests the stunning reversal of Democratic fortunes just 75 days until Election Day. Party leaders, who had publicly despaired over President Joe Biden’s candidacy after his disastrous debate against Trump, were jubilant both at the historic nature of Harris’ candidacy and their buoyed hopes for this November.
“America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected. But I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys,” she said. Read the Full Story
-Associated Press
Palestinian Supporters Never Got to Address the Convention
9:45 p.m., United Center, Chicago
It appeared that pro-Palestinian delegates would not get an opportunity to address the convention from the stage. It was a reflection of how the party has tried to avoid one of the more divisive issues of this election season as the U.S. alliance with Israel has become a political flashpoint.
Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas has spurred outrage over mass casualties and human rights violations in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have marched outside the arena each day, but their advocates were not to be found on the convention schedule.
“Uncommitted” delegate Abbas Alawieh had been in talks with DNC officials about speaking. After being rejected, he and other delegates chose to spend Wednesday night on the sidewalk outside the convention hall in protest.
“When we ran out of options as uncommitted delegates, we just sat down,” Alawieh said Thursday.
Harris and Biden have both called for a cease-fire and the release of hostages taken in the October raid. On Wednesday, the parents of one of the young men being held hostage in Gaza addressed the convention.
-Associated Press
Johnson: Chicago Police ‘Most Certainly’ Passed Test Posed by DNC
9 p.m., Chicago
Mayor Brandon Johnson told WTTW News on Thursday night that the Chicago Police Department “most certainly” passed the test posed by the Democratic National Convention, just as the final night of the convention — and the final planned protest — got underway.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how the Chicago Police Department responded in this moment,” Johnson said, praising Supt. Larry Snelling as “compassionate, collaborative and competent.”
Snelling told reporters Wednesday that the way officers responded to days of protests is evidence CPD has undergone a “transformation” after botching nearly every aspect of its response to the protests and unrest triggered by the police murder of George Floyd during the summer of 2020.
“It’s a true example of how we protect the First Amendment rights,” Johnson said, “but that we also ensure that the value of protests is also protected.” Read the Full Story
-Heather Cherone, WTTW News
Uncommitted Delegates Make a Statement
8:40 p.m., United Center, Chicago
Awhile ago, members of the @uncommittedmvmt — calling for a ceasefire in Palestine, an arms embargo to Israel and a Palestinian speaker at the DNC — chained arms as they walked through the convention hall https://t.co/JtHKfGXobi pic.twitter.com/PDLjs0k57v
— Amanda Vinicky (@AmandaVinicky) August 23, 2024
Chicago Drumline Takes DNC Stage
8:30 p.m., United Center, Chicago
The Pack, a drumline performance group, took to the DNC stage Thursday evening.
The Chicago-based group is the official drumline for the Chicago Sky. They are also no strangers to the United Center, as the drumline of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks.
-Dan Lambert, WTTW News
Former Attorney General Lisa Madigan Returns to the Political Spotlight to Endorse Harris
8:15 p.m., United Center, Chicago
Lisa Madigan, former Illinois attorney general, and Marc Morial, former mayor of New Orleans and president of the National Urban League, speak at the DNC on Aug. 22, 2024.
Former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan appeared Thursday at the Democratic National Convention to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president, reemerging onto the political stage for the first time in nearly five years.
While Madigan was Illinois’ top law enforcement officer, Harris served as California attorney general and both were forced to grapple with the aftermath of the 2008 housing market collapse triggered by the Great Recession.
Madigan said she and Harris worked together to force big banks to allow families facing foreclosure to stay in their homes, Madigan said.
“She stood her ground,” Madigan said. “And together, we prevailed.”
When Madigan introduced herself, the hometown crowd roared in recognition.
“For as long as I have known her, Kamala has always taken principled positions and never wavered,” Madigan said.
Madigan’s father, former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, is scheduled to stand trial in October on federal corruption charges.
Lisa Madigan has never been accused of any wrongdoing.
-Heather Cherone, WTTW News
Is Beyoncé Performing? Speculation is Running Wild
8:10 p.m., United Center, Chicago
Social media was aflutter Thursday night with speculation that a surprise special guest would appear at the DNC before Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage.
Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are frequent targets of speculation, with celebrity gossip site TMZ citing unnamed sources about Beyonce’s planned performance.
Harris has been using Beyoncé’s song “Freedom” frequently on the campaign trail .
Earlier in the evening, White House political director Emmy Ruiz tweeted out an emoji of a bee, which some took as a reference to the Beyhive, a colloquialism for avid Beyoncé fans.
Ramirez Calls for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
7:50 p.m., United Center, Chicago
U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) joined “Chicago Tonight” to speak about pro-Palestinian voters and immigration policy.
On whether pro-Palestinian voters should still vote for the Democratic ticket:
“I’m telling the campaign we have to earn their vote. We have to make sure that they know that we hear them and see them, and it’s a missed opportunity if after this great music, amazing speakers, we don’t have a Palestinian speaker in this place. Palestinians have the biggest diaspora in Chicago. We should be listening to them, and we should be building a relationship where they can trust us. We’ll earn their vote, and they will vote for us.”
On what she wants to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech:
“I want comprehensive immigration reform, and I think we all want it. We have been telling the immigrant communities to be patient — next election, next election — but we have been waiting since 1986. I believe that the daughter of immigrants that we are going to elect to the White House has the ability, has a proven record, to do the things that maybe the guys have not been able to do, right. But here’s an opportunity: Within the first 100 days, I want to work with her tirelessly to create a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. And then, we take it from there, work permits, and the list goes on. There are Republicans who support pathways for dreamers. We should make that happen, first 100 days.”
-Blair Paddock, WTTW News
For Some Chicago Voters, Kamala Harris Represents Something Bigger: ‘She Covers a Cross-Section of American Society’
7:45 p.m., Chicago
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid has already been a whirlwind.
It’s been just over a month since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and Harris was catapulted into the forefront. If she beats former President Donald Trump in November, she’ll be the first woman in the Oval Office as well as the first person of Jamaican ancestry to assume the role, and the first person of South Asian descent.
Her historic candidacy is not lost on the people who see themselves in her. Harris is the daughter of immigrants. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, moved from India in 1958, while Harris’ father, Donald J. Harris, immigrated from Jamaica in 1961. Read the Full Story
-Joanna Hernandez and Shelby Hawkins, WTTW News
What Illinois Delegates Are Expecting From Harris’ Candidacy: ‘She’s Going to Fire Us Up’
7:30 p.m., United Center, Chicago
For the second time, Democrats are trying to elect a woman to the White House over former President Donald Trump. Delegates who’ve been in Chicago since Monday will hear Thursday night from their “joyful warrior,” Vice President Kamala Harris.
“She’s going to fire us up,” said state Rep. Lisa Hernandez (D-Cicero), chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “She is going to assure us, and I think that’s what it is. She’s gotten to the heart and soul of people.”
Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering is a “Kamala OG,” as in original backer, and has been wearing a beaded bracelet that says so. Rotering was a slated delegate for Harris’ short-lived first presidential campaign.
“I watched her as an attorney general in California when I was running for attorney general,” Rotering said. “I felt a camaraderie with her. When she moved to the Senate, as Sen. Durbin mentioned, on the Senate Judiciary Committee, she’s just bright, she’s authentic, she gets it done.” Read the Full Story
-Amanda Vinicky, WTTW News
Axelrod on Political Purpose of Conventions
7:30 p.m., United Center, Chicago
Amanda Vinicky interview David Axelrod on Aug. 22, 2024. (Blair Paddock / WTTW News)
Political consultant David Axelrod, a chief engineer of President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, told WTTW News that political conventions are an “unparalleled opportunity to tell your story in an unfiltered way.”
“This whole week, in some ways, was her introduction to the country, because when you’re vice president, you’re known but you’re not known,” Axelrod said.
He said he expects on the final night of the DNC Harris will talk about the “middle class, and their struggles, and perhaps some contrast with (Republican nominee) Donald Trump.”
-Amanda Vinicky, WTTW News
Female Delegates Wearing White to Honor Women’s Suffrage
6:20 p.m., United Center, Chicago
If you think you’re seeing a lot of women wearing white tonight, you don’t need to adjust your television set.
There appeared to be a coordinated effort among female delegates and Democratic supporters as they arrived at the United Center on Thursday afternoon, with security lines and convention floor seats filling up with women clad in white suits, dresses and other attire.
So when Harris takes the stage to accept the Democratic presidential nomination — becoming the first Black woman, and only the second woman overall, to do so — she will be looking out across a sea filled with the color of women’s suffrage, the movement that culminated with American women securing the right to vote in 1920.
The homage is a couture callback to other momentous political events in which women wearing white have played a role, particularly for other glass ceiling moments.
-Associated Press
Influencers Take to the DNC
6:15 p.m., United Center, Chicago
Content creators are pictured at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (AP Photo / Matt Brown)
Across this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, more than 200 online influencers, streamers and other social media personalities have been capturing and livestreaming their impressions of what’s going on.
There’s the 12-year-old nicknamed “Knowa,” who’s posted with a swath of prominent Democrats and went head-to-head with Republican personalities like MyPillow founder Mike Lindell inside the convention hall.
A veteran from rural North Carolina with more than 5 million TikTok followers proclaimed himself a “Hillbilly for Harris.” Other influencers and social media personalities are sharing everything from the food available at trucks outside the United Center to attendees’ thoughts on more serious issues, such the war in Gaza.
The creators were invited to the DNC by convention organizers, a new but significant part of a digital strategy that aims to leverage the sizable followings of creators across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Discord and Twitch, according to officials with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ campaign. They hope it will help Harris and running mate Tim Walz reach new voters who might not be following along with political news via traditional media.
The creators span a range of ages, backgrounds and content specialties, often reflecting the diversity of the audiences they serve. They can be spotted throughout the United Center, with phones on tripods and selfie sticks. Read the Full Story.
-Associated Press
Thursday DNC Speaker List
6 p.m., United Center, Chicago
After her running mate, Tim Walz, gave the pep talk of his life on Wednesday, it's Kamala Harris’ turn to deliver the goods on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, as she accepts a historic nomination for president of the United States.
Rhetoric so far has been long on talk of joy and hope, but short on policy specifics of what a Harris-Walz administration would bring to the table.
How much of her agenda will Harris outline when she takes to the podium Thursday night? And will her appearance be overshadowed by rumored special guests?
The night’s list of speakers ranges from D.C. heavy hitters to activists, from social media influencers to Hollywood elites. The program will focus on Harris’ record as a prosecutor and attorney general. Read the Full Schedule.
-Patty Wetli, WTTW News
Uncommitted Delegates Push for Palestinian Representation
4:30 p.m., outside United Center, Chicago
A couple dozen delegates are demonstrating across from the United Center on the last day of the DNC.
Many of the demonstrators are members of the Uncommitted Movement, which is made up of delegates who have refused to support the Democratic nominees for president and vice president until a cease-fire in Gaza is put into place.
They are also calling attention to the lack of American-Palestinian speakers on the DNC’s main stage.
“It’s the last day and we just have to push through until we get the ‘yes’ that there is space for us here at the Democratic National Convention, that there’s space for Palestinian voices and voters,” said Sabrene Odeh, an uncommitted delegate from Washington state.
The group has been demonstrating since Wednesday evening, after receiving notice that their request for a Palestinian-American speaker on the main stage was denied.
“I feel very proud of myself and my fellow Palestinians and non-Palestinians for standing up with us, and I’m also very tired,” Odeh said, mentioning that she has been awake since Wednesday morning.
Others standing in solidarity with the Uncommitted are cease-fire delegates, or those who’ve pledged their support for Harris but have signed onto an open letter created by the Uncommitted Movement asking for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and an arms embargo.
“I’ve been so amazed at what [the Uncommitted have] done and have been so grateful because of their organizing,” said Nick Koenig, a cease-fire delegate from Idaho who stayed with the Uncommitted delegates overnight.
“Their organizing is the reason why Biden dropped out in so many ways, it started with them, the grassroots activists,” they said.
The speaker schedule for Thursday hasn’t yet been released, but Odeh said the demonstrators will be there “until we get that yes” for a member of their community on the main stage.
-Nicole Cardos, WTTW News
72 People Have Been Arrested Related to First Amendment Activities
4 p.m., Chicago
As the Democratic National Convention continues for a fourth and final day, there have been a total of 72 arrests related to First Amendment activities since Monday, according to the DNC 2024 Joint Information Center.
That number includes three journalists who were issued citations after a protest on Tuesday.
No arrests were made during Wednesday’s protest at Union Park, though there were some “dust-ups,” said Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling during a Thursday press briefing.
The Wednesday protest drew more than 2,000 pro-Palestinian protesters to Union Park for a march toward the United Center, where the DNC is being held.
A rally and march for Palestine led by March on the DNC, a coalition of over 200 organizations, is expected to begin at 5 p.m. at Union Park on Thursday. The coalition’s main demand is to end U.S. aid to Israel, organizers said. Read the Full Story.
-Eunice Alpasan and Jared Rutecki, WTTW News
The Numbers Behind Bill Clinton’s 50 Million Jobs Claims
2:15 p.m., United Center, Chicago
So, Bill Clinton made a claim tonight that America has added about 50 million jobs since 1989 and that almost all of them were added during Democratic Presidencies.
You guys just know I had to fact check it.
And, yeah, it's basically true. Amazingly. pic.twitter.com/5ooxX5OQpU
— TheValuesVoter (Also on Threads and BlueSky) (@TheValuesVoter) August 22, 2024
“Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. I swear, I checked this three times; even I couldn’t believe it. What’s the score? Democrats 50, Republicans one.”
It’s been a couple decades since former President Bill Clinton’s connection to the jobs market made headlines, but his claims during the third night of the Democratic National Convention drew major attention in newsrooms and on social media.
There are some major caveats here. First, the government data goes by month and not day, meaning the totals don’t exactly line-up with Inauguration Day, even if the trend holds generally true.
Also, while presidential policies influence jobs, the analysis by both the former president and many on social media leaves out the influence of Congress, which hasn’t always moved in lockstep with the Executive Branch over the past three and a half decades.
There are also major historic events like 9/11 and the housing crash that impacted GOP presidents who were followed by Dems. The numbers get muddier if you include administrations before George H.W. Bush.
While accurate, the claim does require more information to judge it in proper context.
-Jared Rutecki, WTTW News
After Delivering DNC’s Closing Prayer, Ald. Hall is Back to ‘Potholes and Garbage Pickup’
2:30 p.m., United Center, Chicago
Ald. William Hall, a rookie politician elected a little more than a year ago to represent Chicago’s 6th Ward, delivered the closing prayer during Wednesday’s session of the Democratic National Convention.
The pastor of St. James Church, Hall said it was “humbling, joyful, inspirational” to find himself in the white-hot spotlight of the DNC, delivering the benediction alongside Tahil Sharma, a Los Angeles interfaith activist, who wore a keffiyeh in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
“God, we are ready to fight for freedoms,” Hall said. “Division is the tool of the insecure. Hatred is the misunderstanding of love.”
“Let there be peace tonight, peace in Palestine, peace for Palestinians, peace for Israelis,” Hall said. “Tonight, by faith, we rise together.”
But by Thursday morning, Hall was back at his desk, dealing with “potholes and garbage pickup” issues in his ward, which includes parts of Auburn Gresham, Chatham and Englewood. Hall, 40, said he hoped to inspire his generation to participate in politics and civic life, and help spark a rebirth in the Democratic Party. Read the Full Story
-Heather Cherone, WTTW News
Nancy Pelosi, Robin Kelly and TV Stars Get DNC Women’s Caucus Fired Up
1:45 p.m., McCormick Place, Chicago
U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-California) speaks at a meeting of the Women’s Caucus on Aug. 22, 2024. (Nick Blumberg / WTTW News)
U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-California) has been hailed as a party legend at Democratic National Convention guests all week — but even her star power was outshone at a meeting of the Women’s Caucus on Thursday morning when actor and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph took the stage.
Leading the crowd in a sing-along of “we’re not going back,” Ralph displayed none of the hoarseness of voice endemic to many of the politicians being run somewhat ragged after a long week of events.
Ralph, a breakout star of the hit ABC show “Abbott Elementary”, told the crowd that “now is the time to feel your power.”
“I don’t need to tell you what to do,” Ralph told the rapturous crowd. “You are the choir; you know the notes in every song; get out there and sing it!”
Pelosi had a similar message of motivation for the crowd, saying this campaign has to abide by her “three nos – no wasted time, no underutilized resources, and no regrets the day after that election that we could have done just a little more.” Read the Full Story.
-Nick Blumberg, WTTW News
Step Inside the ‘Secret Garden’ That’s Right Under DNC Delegates’ Noses: the McCormick Bird Sanctuary
1:45 p.m., McCormick Bird Sanctuary, Chicago
Ramirez Hopes to See Muslim or Palestinian Representation on DNC Stage
1:30 p.m., United Center, Chicago
U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) speaks with members of the Uncommitted Movement outside the United Center on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (Nicole Cardos / WTTW News)
U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Illinois) said she hopes a member of the Muslim or Palestinian community will take the main stage during Night 4 of the Democratic National Convention.
After speaking and taking photos with members of the Uncommitted Movement on Thursday morning, Ramirez told WTTW News that while it’s important to showcase Israeli voices and stories during the DNC, it’s also important to address those who are calling for a cease-fire.
“Not having a Muslim, a Palestinian on that stage is a missed opportunity to say that we hear them and we see them,” Ramirez said.
So far, the DNC has showcased the Israeli crisis (including featuring Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, onstage during Night 3), but members of the Uncommitted Movement said they have been refused a speaker during the convention.
The movement is made of delegates who have refused to support the Democratic nominees for president and vice president until a cease-fire is put into place.
“These are Muslim Democrats,” Ramirez said. “These are Palestinian Democrats. These are folks like me … who want to see the Democratic Party listen to Americans who are calling for a cease-fire and want to make sure that these diverse voices on stage also include them because it’s all of us.”
“We’re not a party of exclusion,” she continued.
-Nicole Cardos, WTTW News
Groggy Delegates Start Last Day of DNC By Taking Aim at Vance
1:15 p.m., Royal Sonesta Hotel, Chicago
State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, chair of the Illinois Democratic Party, fields questions from the news media while dressed in white, a nod to the suffragette movement that led to the passage of the 19th Amendment, in honor of Vice President Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech set to take place later Thursday. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)
An exhausted Illinois delegation started the final day of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday by taking repeated shots at U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for vice president.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the second highest ranking Democrat, said he was disgusted to hear Vance “lecture us” about crime after Vance singlehandedly blocked the U.S. Senate from confirming April Perry, President Joe Biden’s choice to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
“We do not need to hear J.D. preaching about law enforcement,” Durbin said.
Perry is now waiting to be confirmed as a federal judge.
Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza unleashed on Vance, calling him the “king of weirdos,” saying that he shouldn’t be “within 100 feet of the White House, your kids’ couches or cats’ couches.”
Mendoza’s comments were prompted by a vulgar meme based on a false assertion that has shadowed Vance since Trump tapped him to be his running mate as well as Vance’s repeated lament that the nation is suffering because it is being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies.”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias also addressed the delegation.
-Heather Cherone, WTTW News
Politics and Skateboards
1 p.m., Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Zarif Chavero is pictured on Aug. 22, 2024. (Amanda Vinicky / WTTW News)
Zarif Chavero skateboarded down the Michigan Avenue sidewalk Thursday morning, the final day of the Democratic National Convention, wearing a “Nobody for President” T-shirt.
Chavero stands by his shirt’s message and said he won’t cast a vote for either Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or Republican nominee Donald Trump.
He’s got a good reason. Chavero said he can’t legally cast a ballot as he’s a Mexican citizen.
-Amanda Vinicky, WTTW News
Focus on the Supreme Court
12:30 p.m., Trump Tower, Chicago
A sidewalk mural is drawn outside of Trump Tower in Chicago. (Amanda Vinicky / WTTW News)
New — but temporary — sidewalk art went up within view of Trump Tower during the Democratic National Convention, commissioned by United for Democracy, a campaign that’s working to “rein in this extreme U.S. Supreme Court.”
During his presidency, Donald Trump appointed three of the court’s nine members: Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
The sidewalk mural, which chalk artists drew Tuesday morning reads “power to the people” and is meant to, “remind us that court reform is essential to securing equity, justice, and the protection of our democracy,” United for Democracy campaign director Stasha Rhodes said in a statement.
During a Thursday morning speech to the Illinois delegation, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin drew a contrast with President Joe Biden’s single appointment to the Supreme Court of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson – fulfilling, Durbin said, Biden’s promise to put an African American woman on the nation’s highest court.
Durbin, the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, said that as chair of the Judiciary Committee, he has been working with President Joe Biden to diversify the federal bench.
He said 205 Biden judicial appointees have been confirmed to lifetime appointments.
“What we’re trying to do is to make certain that we have diversity that we have never seen before,” Durbin said. “That is part – which is a small part – of the legacy of Joe Biden.”
Democrats’ nominee for president, Vice President Kamala Harris, served on the Judiciary Committee when she was a U.S. Senator. Durbin said because Harris was last in seniority she was also last on the committee to speak and to question witnesses, but he said a crowd always waited to hear her line of questioning “because they were always smart and tough.”
-Amanda Vinicky, WTTW News
Bagpiping for Delegates
11:45 a.m., Chicago River, Chicago
Nicholas Damery provided an unusual soundtrack along the Chicago River Thursday morning for groggy delegates waking up to the last day of the Democratic National Convention.
A flight attendant for United Airlines, Damery plays bagpipes at weddings and funerals. His Instagram is @marriedorburied.
-Heather Cherone, WTTW News
After Arrest, Protesters Are Barred From Area Near DNC and Israeli Consulate
10:45 a.m., Chicago
Protesters gather on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, near the Democratic National Convention. (Emily Soto / WTTW News)
Many of those arrested around the Democratic National Convention this week were later banned from the areas near where protests took place, raising questions about potential free-speech issues.
The restrictions listed on court documents order defendants to stay away from the areas in Chicago surrounding the convention through Sunday. While the streets identified do contain the restricted DNC perimeter, they also extend outside the event.
Those charged at the protest of the Israeli consulate in the Loop on Tuesday also had restrictions placed on their movement, according to records and interviews, in an area far beyond the protest target.
Sharlyn Grace, policy advisor from the Cook County Public Defender’s Office, said the majority of cases this week involving protesters included orders to avoid the area they were cited in following their release.
Most arrests reported by Chicago Police associated with the DNC have been misdemeanors and ordinance violations with a limited number of felony cases.
Legal scholars say there is a careful line to walk between the protections of the First Amendment and the safety of those around the convention. Read the Full Story.
-Jared Rutecki, WTTW News
DNC to Take Over Soldier Field for Watch Party
10 a.m., Soldier Field, Chicago
Soldier Field will be packed on Thursday night, even though the Chicago Bears are playing their final pre-season game on the road in Kansas City.
A sold-out crowd is expected for a DNC watch party as Kamala Harris accepts the nomination as the Democratic candidate for president.
Chicago’s own Common will perform and Harris’ speech will be livestreamed at the free event.
Click here to join the wait list for tickets. The party is hosted by the nonprofit GoChiLife.
-Patty Wetli, WTTW News
Gen Z Voters on Increasing Voter Turnout, Civic Engagement
9:45 a.m., Epiphany Center for the Arts, Chicago
Attendees at the Youth VoteFest voter engagement event, hosted by the UChicago Institute of Politics in partnership with the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, at the Epiphany Center for the Arts on Aug. 21, 2024. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Brooke Jenkins and Katherine Bradley sat at a table together for a voter engagement event being held near the site of the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday afternoon.
Even though they’re not even old enough to vote in the upcoming election — both will still be 17 years old — a passion for civic engagement brought them to attend the Youth VoteFest event, which aims to mobilize more young people to be involved in the electoral process.
“I’ve always been super interested in history, and this is history in the making,” said Bradley, a student from Minnesota. “I’ve always been super interested in getting my peers and classmates to be able to vote, because I can’t.”
Bradley said the issues that are top of mind for her include the war in Gaza and stopping Israel’s occupation of Palestine, in addition to protecting abortion rights.
Young voters and to-be voters gathered for the event in the West Loop at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, a half-mile away from the United Center, where the DNC is being held. Read the Full Story.
-Eunice Alpasan, WTTW News
What to Watch on the DNC’s 4th and Final Day in Chicago
5 a.m., Chicago
The Democratic National Convention will kick off its fourth and final night on Thursday.
After a week of Democrats’ most prominent figures rallying the party faithful, Vice President Kamala Harris will accept her party’s nomination during a speech in which she is widely expected to offer her vision and policy agenda to the American people.
The theme of the final night is “For Our Future,” according to convention organizers.
Only weeks ago, the Democratic Party was wracked by debates over whether President Joe Biden should step aside as the party’s nominee and over the party’s general message and values ahead of the 2024 election. In the weeks since Biden decided to stand down, however, left-of-center politics has coalesced around Harris in an unprecedented switch at the top of the party ticket.
While Harris’ candidacy has unleashed a high level of enthusiasm and determination among Democrats, she is still defining her policy priorities and the ideological direction she will take the party. Last Friday, she unveiled her first major policy goal when she announced a raft of economic policies meant to lower the cost of living for working- and middle-class Americans.
The pop star Pink is set to headline the final night of the convention. The Rev. Al Sharpton, the prominent civil rights leader, has also announced he will speak.
- Associated Press
