Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the convention

Image source, Getty Images

Michelle Obama says that Harris is "one of the most qualified people to ever seek the office of the presidency".

"And she is one of the most dignified, a tribute to her mother, to my mother, and probably to your mother too," Obama adds. "The embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country."

Obama says that "her story is your story. It's my story. It's the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life".

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the convention

Image source, Reuters

After a lengthy standing ovation, Michelle Obama says: "Hope is making a comeback".

The iconic Barack Obama "Hope" poster was a symbol of his 2008 campaign to become president.

It's clearly an emotional moment for Obama, who recently lost her mother, Marian Robinson.

"I wasn't even sure if I could be steady enough to stand before you tonight, but my heart compelled me to, because of the sense of beauty that I feel, to honour her memory and to remind us to not squander those sacrifices."

Michelle Obama presidential rumour millpublished at 03:40 British Summer Time 21 August

03:40 BST 21 August

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from the convention

For a woman who has repeatedly expressed a lack of interest, if not intense dislike, of politics, Michelle Obama’s name keeps popping up as a future Democratic presidential candidate.

Last month, when many Democrats were pressuring Joe Biden to abandon his re-election bid, polls consistently showed that the most popular replacement for him - and the candidate who fared the best against Donald Trump - was the former first lady.

When she went on a book tour in 2022, she regularly packed professional sports arenas.

Obama, for her part, has done her best to shoot down the presidential speculation.

“I’ve never expressed any interest in politics. Ever,” she told Oprah during a 2023 Netflix interview. “Does what I want have anything to do with anything? Does who I choose to be have anything to do with it?”

That clearly didn’t put an end to the rumour mill this year. And if she delivers an effective speech this evening, it’s sure to continue to stoke the hopes of her fans that she might, eventually, change her mind.

Michelle Obama has just walked on stage.

In a deeply divided country, the former first lady remains one of the most beloved figures in US politics.

She has gotten one of the loudest standing ovations of the week so far, here in her hometown of Chicago.

Stick with us, we'll bring you all the top lines from her speech.

Ana Faguy
US reporter

Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris's husband, is on stage saying his wife will be a "president we can all be proud of".

Let's take a moment to talk about Emhoff, then we will bring you some of his speech (you can also watch his speech live at the top of this page).

Emhoff met Harris in 2013 after being set up on a blind date with the powerful attorney general of California. The couple married less than a year later.

Emhoff, who worked as a Los Angeles entertainment lawyer for 30 years, was born in Brooklyn and spent his youth in New Jersey.

As his wife made history as the first woman to serve as vice-president, he became the first Jewish spouse of a White House principal.

Harris can be heard affectionately referring to the Second Gentleman as “Dougie,” or “My Dougie".

If she wins the election in November, he will become the first-ever First Gentleman (rather than First Lady as the wives of presidents are known).

Through the marriage, Harris became a step-mother or "Momala," as she is also known, to Emhoff's two children from his first marriage, Cole and Ella.

Read more here

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the convention

Doug Emhoff has just started speaking.

He was introduced in a video about his and Kamala Harris's relationship - narrated by Cole Emhoff, his son.

In the video, Cole narrates his relationship with his father and the relationship between him and the vice-president, now his step-mother.

"We might not look like other families in the White House, together we represent all families in America," the video says.

Courtney Subramanian
Reporting from the convention

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff has made a name for himself as the public face of the administration's fight against the global rise of antisemitism. As the first Jewish spouse of a White House principal, he has spent the last few years leaning into his Jewish faith and identity.

But in his speech on Tuesday night, Harris's husband will focus more on Harris' and share personal stories about his wife and her accomplishments.

"It's all about her," one senior Harris aide told the BBC of Emhoff's speech.

The Republicans at the Democratic conventionpublished at 03:21 British Summer Time 21 August

03:21 BST 21 August

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from the convention

Donald Trump has been the Republican presidential nominee for three straight elections. And for the third time, Democrats are using their political convention to make a direct appeal to disaffected Republican voters.

The 2016 convention line-up featured a co-founder of the group Republicans for Hillary. In 2020, former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell and Ohio Governor John Kasich offered speeches endorsing Joe Biden.

Tonight, a handful of Republicans – including former Trump White House Communications Director Stephanie Grisham and Mesa, Arizona Mayor John Giles - have taken the stage.

Trump has dramatically reshaped the Republican Party in the past eight years, and Democrats may be hoping that some members of his party may feel left behind and out of place.

The number of cross-party voters in US presidential elections are small, of course. According to exit polls, in 2020 Biden received support from 6% of Republican voters. In 2016, Clinton won 8%. But in tight elections, flipping even a sliver of traditional voters for the opposing party could be the difference between victory and defeat.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the convention

We've been hearing from John Giles, the long-time Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona.

"I feel a little out of place tonight," he said.

Despite his conservative values, Giles is an outspoken critic of Trump, saying that the US needs "an adult in the White House" - a swipe at the former president.

Whether the Democratic strategy of trotting out Republicans to speak to their base has any impact on the wider election remains to be seen.

One recent Pew poll found that the overwhelming majority - 89% - of Republicans have an unfavourable view of Harris.

Courtney Subramanian
Reporting from the convention

The Democratic National Convention kicked off on the first night with a core focus on President Joe Biden, whose decision to exit the race paved the way for Kamala Harris's nomination. Every speaker from Hillary Clinton to Harris herself began their remarks honouring Biden while members of the crowd brandished placards that read, "We love Joe!"

But the party has pivoted to its nominee on the second night, with speakers making the case for Harris's White House run - while criticising her Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump.

Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are expected to headline the night, laying out the stakes in November's election and focusing on why Harris is the right choice to lead the country.

As Tuesday night's programme ramped up, there was no mention of Biden, underscoring his diminishing influence on the party as he prepares for his final months in office.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the convention

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr / BBC

At the moment I'm sitting on the seventh floor of the arena, with a clear view of the convention floor below.

To me, tonight's event seems slightly more subdued.

While some speakers certainly have elicited laughter and ferocious applause - and the crowd did, in fact, go wild for Lil Jon - much of the audience seemed slightly tuned out.

From where I am sitting, I can hear loud conversations among delegates, even as the speakers address them.

A couple of factors are likely at play here. For one, yesterday was the first night of the convention, and Joe Biden was scheduled to speak - it was very much a celebration of his achievements as he "passed the torch" within the party to Kamala Harris.

The woman of the hour also appeared herself, albeit briefly. The crowd clearly loved that.

Tonight seems to lack that excitement - although I strongly suspect that will change once Michelle and Barack Obama take the stage later.

One interesting difference we've noticed is that tonight's videos are more about Harris, whereas yesterday's were about Trump and his perceived faults.

John Sudworth
North America Correspondent, reporting from Chicago

Two hours or so after it began, the tense standoff on the streets of Chicago now appears to be coming to an end.

We're about a mile and a half from the convention center, where earlier on this pro-Palestine protest outside the Israeli consulate quickly spilled out onto the surrounding streets.

The protesters, a few dozen or so at most and still hugely outnumbered by the police, kept on the move, pursued on foot by ranks of officers in riot gear rushing in occasionally and making arrests.

From what I've seen the protesters have remained largely peaceful, chanting slogans and carrying banners.

But they've been repeatedly warned that they are unlawfully blocking the roads and, if they don't disperse they'll be taken into custody. Slowly they've been whittled down further, some have chosen to drift away, and just a handful remain.

A new roll call tradition?published at 02:59 British Summer Time 21 August

02:59 BST 21 August

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent at the convention

This year’s Democratic Convention didn’t need the traditional roll call of the states to formally nominate Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee. That was done virtually a few weeks ago.

So instead of an obligatory tallying of delegate votes – most of which were originally pledged to Joe Biden – the Democratic Party decided to turn the roll call into a raucous celebration of American state pride.

Rapper Lil Jon popped up before Georgia’s announced its vote. Actor Sean Astin spoke during Indiana’s turn. Every state had it’s own soundtrack, spun by a DJ positioned on the main stage.

“Wasn’t that the greatest roll call?” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asked as he took the stage after it all concluded.

The crowd cheered.

It’s hard to tell from here in the arena how it all translated on the television, but it seems likely that a new Democratic Convention tradition has been started.

John Sudworth
North America Correspondent, reporting from Chicago

The Chicago police outside the Israeli consulate have issued what they called "a lawful order" for the protesters gathered here to disperse.

The police outnumber the protesters massively. There are hundreds of them, many carrying plastic ziptie handcuffs. The order comes after several scuffles have broken out between the protesters and police.

The stage now appears to be set for police to take some kind of action, as the protesters have shown no intention of going anywhere.

As I was on air, police told us to move back from the area.

City officials knew in advance about this protest, so it always looked like this might be some kind of flashpoint.

For now, police are primed to clear this street.

Mike Wendling
Reporting from Milwaukee

Kamala Harris has finished her remarks in front of a raucous crowd here in Milwaukee.

They cheered throughout the roll call simulcast from the convention in Chicago, and did not let up until Harris and Tim Walz left the stage.

The vice president returned to the "freedom" theme that she has been repeating since her swift ascendance to the top of the ticket just weeks ago, with her remarks about abortion and reproductive rights getting some of her biggest responses from the crowd.

And she even used a brief medical emergency in the crowd to hammer home some of her campaign points.

"It's about truly understanding what love thy neighbour means," she says. "It's a big difference about what we're talking about and the other side" - by which she meant Republicans.

The tensions over US policy towards Gaza were not entirely absent in this Democratic safe space. Some audience members hoisted a banner reading: "Fund housing, not genocide".

But the sign quickly came down and it's likely few in the crowd noticed.

"Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America?" she asked supporters in parting. "And are we ready to fight for it?"

The proceedings in Chicago are now being streamed to big screens outside the arena here.

Does Bernie have a political successor?published at 02:43 British Summer Time 21 August

02:43 BST 21 August

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent, reporting from the convention

Back in 2016, Bernie Sanders received a conquering hero’s welcome at the Democratic Convention.

His supporters streamed through the hallways of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The intensity of his support was a headache for the Hillary Clinton campaign, which intensely watched what he would say in his prime-time speech.

Fast forward eight years, and Sanders is again giving a prime-time speech to a Democratic Convention. He’s still railing against the oligarchs and corporate interests.

But the energy in the arena is minimal. There’s a low-level murmur of people talking while he speaks.

One explanation is that the building is filled with delegates who originally supported Joe Biden – not Sanders faithful. But it’s also a reflection that Sanders simply doesn’t command the political movement he once did – and there is no clear leader to the progressive left to replace him.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the convention

Image source, Getty Images

Speaking to a cheering crowd of delegates in Chicago, Sanders has rattled off a long list of policy achievements: "to make one simple point: when the political will is there, government can effectively deliver for the people of our country".

"Now we need to summon that will again," he says. "Too many of our fellow Americans are struggling every day just to get by, to put food on the table, to pay rents and get the healthcare they need."

"We need an economy that works for all of us, not just the billionaire class," Sanders adds.

Sanders has a slightly awkward history at conventions.

In 2016, he had extremely strong support within a segment of the Democratic Party, revealing deep fissures in the party.

During the 2016 DNC, his supporters repeatedly interrupted the proceedings to make their voices known. Some even walked off the floor to protest a "rigged system".

While Sanders is repeating many of the same policy points he did back then, he is now doing so to a crowd which is largely supportive of him.

This same voting bloc is also among the strongest and most enthusiastic centres of support for the Harris-Walz ticket.

Mike Wendling
Reporting from Milwaukee

We're criss-crossing our coverage between the DNC in Chicago and the Kamala Harris rally in Milwaukee.

At the Harris rally, she just stopped speaking as someone gets medical assistance. Medics then attended to someone in the crowd.

"This is who we are, this is what we're about - looking out for each other," Harris says as she resumed her speech.

Brandon Drenon
Reporting from the convention floor

Image source, Brandon Drenon / BBC

Guess who was partying with rapper Lil Jon - who appeared during the roll call earlier - last night?

Georgia delegate Beverly Leaphart, who’s 76 years young.

“We partied with him last night until 4am," she says, though the ticket advertising the party mentioned a 02:30 end time.

“It was wonderful. It was a little different. I’m a bit older, so you know. It was a lot of lights. Loud. But it was good.”

When I asked her if I could take her picture, she shrugged and jokingly said: “Sure. Maybe I’ll find a man on (the internet).”

She says she’s excited about the election and thinks swing state Georgia can deliver another victory to Democrats in November. When Joe Biden won the state in 2020, he was the first Democrat to do so since the 1990s.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the convention

Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders just took the stage here in Chicago. He's previously promised to do everything he can to get Kamala Harris elected.

He's starting his speech by imploring Democrats to remember where they were three years ago - at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic amid the Trump administration.

"Businesses were shutting down, unemployment was soaring, workers were losing their health insurance," he says.

"That was the reality the Biden-Harris administration faced as they entered the Oval Office," he adds. "Within two months of taking office, our government did respond."