DNC 2024 live updates: Kamala Harris, accepting Democratic nomination, says 'the future is always worth fighting for'

Following her primetime speech closing the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris will remain in Chicago overnight, according to the daily schedule released by her office.

On Friday, Harris "will receive briefings and conduct internal meetings with staff" before heading back to Washington, D.C., with second gentleman Doug Emhoff in the afternoon.

The fourth and final night of the DNC has concluded. On Wednesday, Sen. Tim Walz of Minnesota formally accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination; tonight, Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the presidential nomination.

Some 100,000 balloons dropped from the ceiling in the convention center as Harris, Walz and their families headed off the stage.

Harris received an emphatic response from the crowd when she addressed the Israel-Hamas war, calling for a hostage deal, a cease-fire and acknowledging the human suffering in Gaza as well as Israel's right to defend itself.

"Let me be clear: I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself and I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself because the people of Israel must never again face the terror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on Oct. 7," she said.

"At the same time," she continued. "What has happened in Gaza over the past ten months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking."

Earlier this week at the DNC, the parents of a 23-year-old American-Israeli hostage who was taken on Oct. 7, pleaded for the hostages to be released.

Uncommitted delegates staged a sit-in earlier today outside of the convention center in protest of the lack of Palestinian-American speakers at the DNC.

“President Biden and I are working to end this war," Harris said Thursday. "Such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

Kamala Harris connected her "freedom" theme to abortion rights, using her speech to directly tie Donald Trump to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

"I believe that America cannot truly be prosperous unless Americans are fully able to make their own decisions about their own lives, especially on matters of heart and home," she said. "But tonight, in America, too many women are not able to make those decisions. And let's be clear about how we got here: Donald Trump handpicked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom. And now he brags about it."

She continued: "I've traveled across our country. And women have told me their stories. Husbands and fathers have shared theirs. Stories of women miscarrying in a parking lot. Developing sepsis, losing the ability to ever again have children. All because doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients."

Harris then turned to Project 2025, a draft plan for Trump's second term that lays out even more aggressive anti-abortion measures. Trump has distanced himself from the proposals, which were created by allies and former members of his administration.

"This is what's happening in our country because of Donald Trump. And understand, he's not done," Harris said. "Simply put, they are out of their minds. And one must ask, why exactly is it that they don't trust women? Well, we trust women. We trust women."

Turning her attention to the border in her speech, Harris promised to bring back the bipartisan border security bill that passed the House but was blocked by Republicans in the Senate. Former President Donald Trump pressured GOP senators not to pass it.

"I refuse to play politics with our security," Harris said. "As president, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed and sign it into law."

In her speech Thursday, Harris spent considerable time laying out the arguments against reelecting Trump to a second term. In some ways, her presentation felt similar to how a prosecutor, a role she has held, presents a case to a jury.

"Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers," she said. "When politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help, he did the opposite. He fanned the flames."

A former district attorney in San Francisco and California's former attorney general, Harris built her rhetorical presentation throughout her speech.

"For an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans, and separately found liable for committing sexual abuse," she added.

Since entering the race, she has touted her experience as a prosecutor, promising to hold Trump to account, and Thursday's speech offered the biggest example of that.

"Consider what he intends to do if we give him power again. Consider his explicit intent to set free violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol," she said, adding, "His explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens. Consider the power he will have, especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails."

On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump appears to be live posting in response to Harris's speech, with over 20 posts just in the first 25 minutes.

Many of the posts were attacks against Harris. "IS SHE TALKING ABOUT ME?" he asked in one post.

In another he asked "WHERE'S HUNTER?" despite none of the Bidens being at the convention tonight.

Kamala Harris is using the entire start of her speech to introduce herself: her family, her upbringing and, by extension, her values.

Harris addressed both her mother and her father — immigrants from India and Jamaica, respectively. Her father, she said, "taught me to be fearless." She then addressed their divorce: "But the harmony between my parents did not last. When I was in elementary school, they split up, and it was mostly my mother who raised us."

And she stressed how she grew up in a "beautiful, working-class neighborhood of firefighters, nurses and construction workers — all who tended their lawns with pride."

Although Harris has been in the public eye as vice president for four years, her campaign clearly believes there is a swath of the electorate that needs to understand who she is on a more human level. If she can convince voters that she has an ethical moral compass, she may be able to blunt some of Donald Trump's attacks in the race as well.

After formally accepting the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris used her convention-closing speech to make a call for unity.

"With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism, and divisive battles of the past," Harris said. "A chance to chart a new way forward, not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans.

"And let me say, I know there are people of various political views watching tonight," she continued. "And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self, to hold sacred America's fundamental principles, from the rule of law to free and fair elections.

"I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations," Harris added. "A president who leads — and listens, who is realistic, practical, and has common sense, and always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life’s work."

During her speech on Thursday, Harris introduced the country to her background and used those recollections to reinforce a theme that has been heard throughout the Democratic convention.

Recounting what her mother taught her growing up, Harris said, "She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it."

That "do something" message was also heard in speeches given by former first lady Michelle Obama, former President Barack Obama and talk show icon Oprah Winfrey.

Harris began her speech by talking about her parents. Her mom, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, was also mentioned by Harris's sister, Maya, earlier tonight.

"My mother was a brilliant, 5-foot tall, brown woman with an accent," Harris said, to cheers from the audience. "She was tough, courageous, a trailblazer in the fight for women's health and she taught Maya and I a lesson Michelle Obama talked about the other night: Never complain about injustice. Do something about it."

Her father, Donald Harris, met Shyamala at a civil rights gathering. The two split when Harris was in elementary school and there is one memory of him Harris shared that resonates with her campaign.

"Run, Kamala, run. Don't be afraid and don't let anything stop you," she remembered him telling her.

Vice President Kamala Harris began her DNC speech by wishing her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, a happy anniversary.

"Let me start by thanking my most incredible husband, Doug, for being an incredible partner to me and an incredible father to Cole and Ella," Harris said. "And happy anniversary, Dougie."

Today marks their 10th anniversary. The pair were married at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse on Aug. 22, 2014.

Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage Thursday at Chicago's United Center to accept her party's nomination for president.

"Good evening, everyone, good evening," she said, beaming a smile as her crowd cheered and chanted "U-S-A!"

"Let's get to business," she said, quieting the excited crowd.

Kamala Harris's sister, Maya Harris, took to the stage to tell the story of their "trailblazer" late mother: Shyamala Gopalan Harris, an immigrant from India.

"She raised us to believe that we could be and do anything — and we believed her," said Maya Harris. Their mother "understood the power and the possibility that come with knowing and showing who you truly are. She knew we could be the authors of our own stories, just as she'd been the author of her own."

She added: "That's a distinctly American story."

Maya also connected their mother's lessons to the person her sister is today.

"She knows what it's like to be the underdog yet still beat the odds. And now, she has created so much electricity, so much optimism, so much joy throughout the nation. And it's why we need her leadership in this historic moment," she said.

A lawyer, public policy expert and author, Maya Harris served as a senior policy adviser to Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign.

Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican, addressed his unusual presence at the DNC head-on in his opening remarks: "I never thought I'd be here. But you never thought you'd see me here, did you?"

Kinzinger shared how he's seen the Republican Party change since Trump was elected in 2016. He says he still identifies as a Republican and hopes his speech can reach other Republicans who don't recognize their party anymore.

"I learned something about the Democratic Party: The Democrats are as patriotic as us," he said. "They love this country just as much as we do."

Kinzinger was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

"Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party," he said. "The Republican Party is no longer conservative, it has switched its allegiance."

Kinzinger was one of two Republicans to serve on the House Jan. 6 select committee and has been a fierce critic of Trump. Scorned by his party for participating in the investigation of Trump's actions leading up to and during the riot at the Capitol building, he announced in 2021 that he would not seek reelection the following year.

Actress Eva Longoria also took the stage during the DNC on Thursday night to teach the crowd a new chant.

"In the Latino community, in our community, we have a saying, 'Si se puede,' which means ... 'Yes, we can.' But tonight, I'm here to tell you: Yes, she can," Longoria said.

"So, when someone asks you, 'Is she ready to lead this country forward?' We're going to say, 'She se puede.' When somebody says, 'Is she qualified for the job?' We're going to say, 'She se puede.' When somebody asks, 'Is she going to be the first female president of the United States?' We're going to say, 'She se puede.'" The crowd chanted in response.

Vice President Kamala Harris has arrived at the United Center after a quick ride from her hotel, according to the traveling press pool.

"The ride here was the fastest I’ve ever seen a motorcade move," Jeff Mordock, White House reporter for the Washington Times, noted in his pool report.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used her primetime address to depict Kamala Harris as both “tough” and empathetic, contrasting that sharply with her Republican rival.

“Donald Trump doesn’t know you at all,” Whitmer said. “You think he understands that when your car breaks down, you can’t get to work? No! His first word was probably ‘chauffeur.’ You think he has ever had to take items out of the cart before checking out? Hell, you think he’s ever been to a grocery store? That’s what the chauffeur is for.”

She added: “But Kamala Harris, she gets us. She sees us. She is us.”

Later, Whitmer argued that “in a crisis, we need someone strong enough to come up with a plan, to tell the truth, and to bring people together. Right now, before the crisis, is when we get to choose. Why wouldn't we choose the leader who’s tough, tested and a total badass.”

Whitmer has been governor of Michigan since 2019 and is widely considered to be a future candidate for national office. In 2020, she gave her party’s response to then-President Trump’s State of the Union address. Later that year, the Justice Department arrested 13 men over a plot to kidnap Whitmer and to violently overthrow Michigan’s government.

Apparently putting an end to a night of feverish speculation about whether Beyoncé would be a special guest, the Hollywood Reporter published a story late Thursday indicating that she would not make a DNC appearance.

“Beyoncé was never scheduled to be there,” a representative for the singer told the publication. “The report of a performance is untrue.”

Sorry, Beyhive.

During his speech, Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona and former U.S. Marine, was joined onstage by numerous other Democratic military veterans serving in Congress.

He also praised the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who former President Donald Trump has repeatedly disparaged as a "loser."

"John McCain was an American hero," Gallego said. "Show some respect."

Meghan McCain's daughter thanked Gallego in a post on X.

Gallego is currently running for the U.S. Senate in Arizona.

If you're late to tonight's convention, you've missed a stellar performance by Pink and her daughter, a lesson on how to pronounce Kamala Harris's first name by actress Kerry Washington and Harris's great-nieces, and lots of speeches by Democrats running for Congress in 2024.

But there's much more yet to come, including:

• Former Illinois GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger

• Maya Harris, Kamala Harris's sister

• North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper

• And, of course, Vice President Kamala Harris

We still don't know if there's going to be a special guest and who it could be. Beyoncé? Taylor Swift? Stay tuned!

"President Obama had to follow Michelle. I had to follow Gabby and Pink," Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said to laughter and applause. "Gabby amazes me every single day. She was able to walk out and address you tonight because she's a fighter."

Kelly's wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who famously survived an assassination attempt, had just spoken.

Now it was Kelly's turn to address the convention. The former NASA astronaut and Navy fighter pilot used the opportunity to attack Donald Trump’s military credentials and burnish Harris’s.

“Trump thinks Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice are 'suckers' and 'losers,'” he said, referring to a report, which Trump has disputed, about his comments on slain soldiers. “If we fall for that again and make him commander in chief, the only suckers would be us.”

Kelly added: “Kamala Harris knows that standing with our allies means standing up for Americans.”

Acclaimed singer Pink took the stage to perform a rendition of her 2017 single "What About Us" alongside her daughter, Willow.

The song was allegedly written as a critique of former President Donald Trump and the political climate at that time. The accompanying music video also begins with an audio clip of then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaking at the Republican National Convention in 2016.

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, the "So What" singer also shared a video on social media criticizing Trump supporters.

"How can anyone call themself a patriot or an American if you reelect a president that doesn't govern, respect or represent half of our country?" she said. "That's not America. That's your America."

Vice President Kamala Harris has left her Chicago hotel and is en route to the United Center, according to the press pool traveling with her.

Harris is scheduled to give the DNC's closing speech later tonight.

People whose lives were directly affected by gun violence were featured on the final night of the Democratic convention in primetime.

Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia, who lost her son Jordan to gun violence in 2012, moderated what was billed as a “conversation” with four others: Abbey Clements, a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who hid in a closet with her students during the 2012 massacre; Kim Rubio, whose daughter was killed in the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas; Melody McFadden, who was 17 when her mother was shot to death by her boyfriend, and years later her niece was killed in a shooting in Myrtle Beach, S.C.; and Edgar Jared Vilchez, a Cornell University student who witnessed the shooting of a classmate outside his Chicago high school in 2022.

They took the stage just before former Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona — who suffered brain injuries in a deadly mass shooting at a political event near Tucson in 2011 — was scheduled to speak.

“I was in high school when my classmate got shot,” Vilchez said. “It changed my story. Instead of worrying about taking a test, I started worrying about living to take another test.

“They say schools are for learning. And I did learn a lot that day,” he added. “I learned to run.”

McBath said their stories “are about loss.”

“But make no mistake, our losses do not weaken us,” she said. “They strengthen our resolve.”

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona addressed the DNC on Thursday, recounting the 2011 mass shooting that nearly killed her and forced her to resign from Congress.

"A man tried to assassinate me," Giffords said. "He shot 19 people. He killed six. Terrible, terrible day. I almost died."

The wife of Sen. Mark Kelly\, Giffords was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006. In 2012, Giffords cited the brain injuries she had sustained when she announced her retirement from Congress. Since then, she has championed gun control legislation.

Giffords has addressed the past two Democratic conventions.

Chris Swanson, a sheriff for the Michigan county that includes Flint, is one of several law enforcement officers who have spoken at the DNC. In 2020, Swanson drew national attention for taking off his riot gear and joining demonstrators in marches protesting the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

“We laid down our riot gear, we embraced our community and instead of hate, we chose hope," he said. "Let's walk together and let's elect Kamala Harris and turn hate into hope yet again."

In his speech at the Democratic National Convention, comedian and syndicated radio host D.L. Hughley had several zingers aimed at former President Donald Trump.

"Trump's been saying Kamala isn't Black," Hughley said. "I guarantee you this: Kamala's been Black a lot longer than Trump's been a Republican."

Hughley marveled at various groups supporting Harris, including "Republicans for Kamala."

"I guess Donald Trump will finally know what it's like when you get left for a younger woman," Hughley said.

Three of Kamala Harris's family members took the stage together to each offer a personal anecdote of what their relationship with her has meant to them over the years.

Meena Harris, Harris's niece:

Ella Emhoff, Harris's stepdaughter:

Helena Hudlin, Harris's goddaughter:

Actress Kerry Washington, who is serving as one of the hosts of the final night of the DNC, led a memorable segment devoted to how to pronounce Kamala Harris's first name.

"It's come to my attention that there are some folks who struggle, or pretend to struggle, with the proper pronunciation of our future president's name," Washington said, in an apparent reference to Trump. "So, hear me out, confusion is understandable. Disrespect is not."

Washington then brought out Harris's great-nieces, Amara and Leela, who provided pronunciation guidance.

"First you say Kama, like a comma in a sentence," Amara said.

"Then you say la, like la, la, la, la, la," Leela added.

"Put it together," Washington prompted, "and it's Kamala," the group said in unison.

Country trio the Chicks took to the stage to perform the national anthem on the final night of the DNC.

The 13-time Grammy-winning trio, which consists of members Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer, famously drew nationwide backlash in 2003 when Maines publicly denounced the Iraq War and criticized then-President George W. Bush during a London concert. Maines, Maguire and Strayer were subsequently shunned by much of the country music world.

The group's 2006 Grammy-winning song "Not Ready to Make Nice" was inspired by the fallout of Maines's 2003 comments.

In 2022, while performing with the Chicks in Toronto, Canada, Maines criticized the Supreme Court in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Craig Sicknick received a standing ovation after addressing the DNC to speak about his brother, Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who was injured on Jan. 6, 2021, and later died. A medical examiner found that Brian Sicknick had suffered a stroke.

“My brother was a U.S. Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, a hero who died after defending our country on Jan. 6,” Craig Sicknick said while appearing next to his mother, Gladys.

“My family knows how dangerous Trump is,” he continued. “He incited the crowd while my brother and his fellow officers were putting their lives at risk. We need a real leader, not an autocrat who is stuck in the past. Brian, we miss you every day.”

The Sicknicks appeared as part of a panel of speakers addressing various issues. Anya Cook of Florida appeared with her husband and baby; she said she had an earlier miscarriage in her bathroom after being denied a medical abortion. Gail DeVore of Colorado praised the Biden administration efforts to cap insulin costs. Juanny Romero, a Las Vegas coffee shop owner, hailed recent small-business growth in the U.S. And Eric Fitts of North Carolina appeared with his sons Christian and Carter and said it was time to build a country his “kids could be proud of.”

Rep. Maxwell Frost, Gen Z's first elected congressman, addressed the United Center crowd during the final night of the DNC. The 27-year-old Florida native emphasized the realities of climate change, insisting it's not some "far-off" threat.

"I've heard the stories of immigrant farmworkers made to work in horrid conditions, exacerbated by this crisis," he said. "And I've felt the scorching record heat and know that climate change can sometimes feel like an unstoppable force. But with our movement and with organizing an administration that cares, we are making progress."

"Fighting the climate crisis is patriotic. And unlike Donald Trump, our patriotism is more than some damn slogan on a hat," Frost continued. "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."

Four days after his coach Steve Kerr gave a rousing speech name-checking him at the Democratic National Convention, Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry appeared via video to endorse Kamala Harris.

Curry and Kerr led Team USA to win the gold medal at the Olympics in Paris earlier this month.

"What a great honor it was to represent Team USA and go out there and win the gold medal," Curry said, wearing the medal around his neck.

"The unity on and off the court reminded us all that together we can do things and continue to inspire the world. That's why I believe that Kamala as president can bring that unity back and continue to move us forward. This is about preserving hope and belief in our country."

If you're just tuning in to the final night of the DNC, anticipation has been building all night regarding the identity of a special guest.

Citing multiple unnamed sources, TMZ reported that Beyoncé would perform at the United Center on Thursday. Sen. Mitt Romney denied that he was the surprise guest and speculated that it would be Beyoncé or Taylor Swift.

With hundreds of millions of devoted fans and social media followers, either of those two performers could play a significant role in influencing the election.

On Wednesday, Oprah Winfrey was the unannounced special guest, and she delivered an impassioned speech in support of Harris.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who made history when she became the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary, was one of the first people to praise Harris's record on environmental issues and climate change.

As attorney general, Harris sued oil companies like BP and investigated ExxonMobil. As a senator, Harris sponsored the Green New Deal resolution.

"[Trump] called the climate crisis a hoax," Haaland said. "An American president must lead the world in tackling climate change."

In 2014, Haaland was the first Native American to be elected to lead a state party — in New Mexico — and she was one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress. Her policies focus on environmental justice, climate change and missing and murdered Indigenous women.

“Kamala has been a staunch advocate for tribal people, for women and for marginalized communities,” Haaland told HuffPost in July. “She has the strength to win and lead, and I will do everything I can to ensure her success.”

Seeking to highlight Vice President Kamala Harris's record as California attorney general, night four of the Democratic convention featured a human trafficking survivor who said Harris helped save her.

"In 2013, I was sold for sex in cities across California by a trafficker who controlled every aspect of my life," Courtney Baldwin said. "During those dark moments, I held onto hope that one day I'd be seen as more than a victim, that I would pursue my dreams and that my trafficker would be held to justice."

"I didn't know it yet, but waiting for me on the other side were people fighting for survivors," she continued. "One of them was Kamala Harris."

As attorney general, Harris prosecuted the owners of Backpage.com, a website that Baldwin said "let me and thousands of others be bought and sold."

"Vice President Harris is fearless, compassionate and she still gives me hope," Baldwin said. "She's protected people like me her whole life and I know she'll fight for us all as president."

Rev. Al Sharpton, the founder of the National Action Network civil rights organization, said his group does not endorse political candidates but does report on what both sides believe in.

"On one side of this race is Donald Trump, a fellow New Yorker who I have known for 40 years," Sharpton said. "Only once — once in that time — did he take a position on racial issues. He spent a small fortune on full-page ads calling for the execution of five innocent young teenagers."

Sharpton used Trump's campaign against the Central Park Five to launch a chant that's been repeated throughout Harris's presidential run: "We won't go back."

"We've endured January 6, we've endured conspiracy theories, we've endured lies and darkness," he said. "If we stand together: Joy! Joy! Joy!"

Sharpton, a Baptist minister, ran unsuccessfully for mayor of New York City, the Senate and the presidency (in a Democratic primary) and ultimately served in an advisory role for former President Barack Obama.

In 2007, when Sharpton was asked about the U.S. having a Black president, he said, “It would be a great moment as long as the Black candidate was supporting the interests that would inevitably help our people. A lot of my friends went with Clarence Thomas and regret it to this day. I don't assume that just because somebody's my color, they're my kind.”

The Harris campaign has released the following excerpts of Vice President Kamala Harris's closing speech to the Democratic National Convention:

Four of the group that came to be known as the Central Park Five addressed the final night of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.

"We were innocent kids," Korey Wise told the audience.

The group was initially arrested, charged and convicted in the 1989 rape and assault of a jogger in Central Park. The crime, the arrest of the suspects and their trial were front-page news for months in a bitterly divided city. Donald Trump took out full-page advertisements in New York newspapers calling for the death penalty in the case. The men spent between six and 13 years in prison, but their convictions were later overturned after convicted murderer and rapist Matias Reyes confessed to the crime.

In 2014, the city awarded the wrongly accused men a $41 million settlement.

Last year, Yusef Salaam was elected to a seat on the New York City Council, representing a Central Harlem district.

"I love these guys," Salaam said of the other men onstage Thursday.

"45 wanted us unalive," Salaam said of Trump. "He wanted us dead."

Salaam noted that Trump dismissed DNA evidence showing that the five men had not committed the crime, and called on the convention to "usher in Kamala Harris and Tim Walz into the White House" so that "America will finally say goodbye to that hateful man."

Democratic Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin just drew enthusiastic applause for a foreign policy-focused speech in which the former Central Intelligence Agency analyst urged attendees to “proudly claim your patriotism.”

“Do not give an inch to pretenders who wrap themselves in the flag but spit in the face of freedoms it represents,” she said.

Slotkin is the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, a key battleground state, and one of several candidates who will be critical to Democrats holding onto their slim Senate majority in November.

The Democratic convention is set to feature several other such candidates Thursday night. Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey both face competitive reelection races; both are set to speak, as are Reps. Colin Allred and Ruben Gallego. Allred is running against Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, while Gallego is running for the Arizona seat held by outgoing independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

For the fourth night in a row, a DNC speaker has brought out an oversize book labeled "Project 2025."

Tonight, it was Colorado Rep. Jason Crow who spoke about Project 2025, which the Harris campaign has used to illustrate what a future Trump presidency could look like. (Trump has denied any knowledge of or ties to Project 2025).

The 922-page playbook was created by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. It is, essentially, a wish list of policy proposals for the next Republican president, including eliminating the Department of Education, implementing widespread abortion bans and promoting “biblically based, social science reinforced” heterosexual marriages.

Read more from Yahoo News: Project 2025 takes center stage at the DNC. What to know about the conservative policy plan Kamala Harris and other Dems keep attacking.

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah put the rumors to rest Thursday night, saying he was not the surprise guest at the final night of the DNC.

"Contrary to fake news posts, I am not the surprise guest at the DNC tonight," Romney wrote in a message posted to X. "My guess is that it will be Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. So disappointing, I know!"

Romney, the Republican nominee for president in 2012, has made no secret of his dislike of Trump, twice voting to impeach him.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren was greeted with a standing ovation from the DNC audience when she walked onto the stage Thursday night. She initially seemed a little bit emotional at the reception from the crowd.

Warren praised Vice President Kamala Harris for her economic policies, especially her efforts to combat price gouging during the California wildfires and the pandemic.

"Kamala Harris can't be bought and she can't be bossed around," she said. “She will take on the giant corporations that are squeezing American families."

Warren compared Harris's economic record with Trump's, saying, "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."

A former law professor and author, Warren served as the first-ever chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel of the Troubled Asset Relief Program in the wake of the financial crisis of 2007-2008. In that role, she established herself as a fierce consumer advocate.

In 2012, Warren became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts and ran for president in 2020.

Night three of the Democratic National Convention, which featured notable speeches from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and talk show icon Oprah Winfrey, drew nearly 20.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

By comparison, night three of the Republican National Convention, which featured a speech from Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance, drew nearly 18 million viewers.

Read more from USA Today.

With Vice President Kamala Harris about to formally accept the Democratic presidential nomination in her DNC-closing speech, former President Donald Trump is soliciting donations for his campaign with an all-caps missive.

"KAMALA HARRIS WILL UNLEASH HELL ON EARTH TONIGHT!" Trump declared in a fundraising email hours before Harris was scheduled to speak.

Referring to the event as the "dirty Democrat Convention," Trump blasted the speeches by Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and vice presidential nominee Tim Walz while warning that "Democrats will use Kamala's speech to fuel their MILLION-DOLLAR fundraising machine."

"But with your support today, we'll DROWN OUT their HATE-AMERICA convention," he added, seeming to acknowledge the recent Harris surge, "and seize back our momentum!"

If you're just tuning in to the DNC, the final night promises to be a high-energy affair. Not only will Kamala Harris give her highly anticipated acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination, her sister Maya Harris will also do her part to fill in her background. In addition, vulnerable Democratic candidates will deliver primetime remarks that the party hopes will help it retain control of the Senate and retake the House of Representatives in November. Through it all, Chicago's DJ Metro will do his best to keep the crowd dancing, and notable musical guests the Chicks and Pink are slated to perform.

The Democratic National Convention, which began on Monday, has seen a number of electrifying musical performances from artists including Mickey Guyton, John Legend and Stevie Wonder.

While the Chicks and Pink are confirmed to take the stage tonight, there's also been plenty of speculation that either Taylor Swift or Beyoncé may make a surprise appearance. With Harris using Beyoncé's 2016 track "Freedom" as her campaign anthem, some viewers believe a surprise performance by the Grammy winner isn't entirely far-fetched — especially given that the DNC band was allegedly practicing Beyoncé songs ahead of night four.

On Wednesday, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware reportedly teased "an unexpected musical guest" at a breakfast for the Democrats' North Carolina delegates.

Emmy Ruiz, the White House political director, further fueled rumors about the "Cowboy Carter" singer possibly attending the DNC tonight when she tweeted a single bee emoji earlier this afternoon.

Ruiz has since chalked up the cryptic tweet to her 6-year-old taking her phone.