President Joe Biden spoke between regular chants of “thank you, Joe!” to cap off the first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The president, who dropped out of the race weeks ago and endorsed vice president Kamala Harris to lead the ticket, delivered what may be the final campaign speech of his long political career.

President Joe Biden spoke Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Kamala Harris will step into the spotlight not as a running mate but at the top of the ticket. Biden removed himself from the 2024 race in July, kicking off a weekslong whirlwind to name his replacement, find a vice presidential candidate, and unite the party. After Biden threw his support behind Harris, more party Democrats followed soon after, culminating in delegates officially selecting Harris as the nominee in early August.

As the keynote on the first day of the convention, the president walked out to thunderous applause and “We love Joe!” chants.

“Let me ask you, are you ready to vote for freedom? Are you ready to vote for democracy and for America? Let me ask you, are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz?”

Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance and briefly spoke Monday evening on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where she will ultimately accept the nomination for president.

“This is going to be a great week, and I want to kick us off by celebrating our incredible President Joe Biden, who will be speaking later tonight,” Harris said to loud cheers inside the United Center. “Joe, thank you for your historic leadership, for your lifetime of service to our nation, and for all you will continue to do. We are forever grateful to you.”

Amanda and Josh Zurawski of Texas, Kaitlyn Joshua of Louisiana and Hadley Duvall of Kentucky spoke Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, sharing personal stories about their pregnancies and living in states that have passed strict abortion laws after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who this week steps into the spotlight at the top of the party’s presidential ticket, has made the fight for reproductive rights a central message in her presidential campaign. During the first day of the convention, delegates formally adopted a party platform. Later in the week, Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will formally accept their nominations as the party’s candidates.

Steve Kerr, head coach for the Golden State Warriors as well as the USA men’s Olympic-gold winning basketball team, spoke Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

“As a coach and former player, as a husband, a son, a father, even a grandfather, and as an American, I believe in a certain kind of leadership. I believe leaders must display dignity. I believe that leaders must tell the truth,” Kerr said, listing additional qualities people look for in their friends and family.

“Shouldn’t you want those same qualities in your president?” he said. “When you think about it that way, this is no contest.” He then threw his support behind the Harris-Walz ticket, saying the nation needs “real leadership.”

Capping his remarks, Kerr then referenced NBA star player Steph Curry’s “night night” celebration gesture, while holding his hands to the side of his head.

After the results are tallied Election Night, Kerr said, “in the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump, ‘Night, night.’”

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., spoke Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Kamala Harris will step into the spotlight not as a running mate but at the top of the ticket.

During the first day of the convention, delegates formally adopted a party platform. Later in the week, Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will formally accept their nominations as the party’s candidates.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., spoke Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Kamala Harris will step into the spotlight not as a running mate but at the top of the ticket.

United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain spoke Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Kamala Harris will step into the spotlight not as a running mate but at the top of the ticket.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Kamala Harris will step into the spotlight not as a running mate but at the top of the ticket.

Clinton’s speech nodded to the women who ran for national office, including Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to run for president and a source of inspiration for Harris’ campaign.

Clinton herself was on the convention stage eight years ago, accepting the Democratic nomination for president against her then-rival Donald Trump, who ultimately beat her in the election.

Mentioning that loss, Clinton said, “Afterwards, we refused to give up on America. Millions marched, many ran for office, we kept our eyes on the future. Well, my friends, the future is here.

“I wish my mother and Kamala’s mother could see us. They would say: ‘Keep going!’” she added.

Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow spoke Monday at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Kamala Harris will step into the spotlight not as a running mate but at the top of the ticket.

McMorrow slammed an enlarged copy of Project 2025 on the lectern, saying that the blueprint for a new conservative government, written by a right-wing think tank, was full of “extreme things that [former President] Donald Trump wants to do in the next four years.”

During the convention, delegates will adopt a party platform, and Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will formally accept the Democratic nominations for president and vice president.

This week in Chicago, Democrats will formally nominate a very different presidential candidate than they expected to just a couple of months ago. News Hour anchors Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett plus White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López discuss what the upcoming convention week will look like.

In our news wrap Monday, at least two people died in Connecticut’s catastrophic flooding, a luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily, Ukraine reportedly damaged a third bridge in Russia’s Kursk region, a woman in Wisconsin received an 11-year prison sentence for killing the man who sex trafficked her, former Rep. Santos pleaded guilty in his federal fraud case, and Phil Donahue has died.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including this critical week in the presidential race and the Republican ticket’s efforts to counterprogram the Democratic National Convention.