Day two of the DNC took a celebratory tone, with a keynote speech from former President Barack Obama touting the accomplishments of the administration of President Joe Biden– his former vice president– and Kamala Harris. He also worked to call out the urgency of this election by saying voters must rally around Harris in an effort against another possible Trump presidency.

Other notable speakers from day two were former first lady Michelle Obama and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff.

Tuesday on the News Hour, leading Democrats at the DNC make the case for a Kamala Harris presidency while the candidate herself takes her message to voters in the swing state of Wisconsin. A rare look from on the ground in Sudan, where a brutal civil war has stolen people’s food and livelihoods. Plus, a summer COVID surge highlights difficulties in keeping up with the ever-changing virus.

Former President Barack Obama took the convention stage Tuesday in Chicago, a city where he launched his history-making political career decades ago.

Speaking on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, Obama praised Vice President Kamala Harris’ record and work ethic in his speech. He criticized former President Donald Trump and his policies, saying Trump “sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends.”

“We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse,” he said to thunderous applause. “America’s ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.”

When the crowd booed Trump, Obama also turned to a familiar refrain from his time as president: “Do not boo — vote.”

In another echo, one that repurposed his own campaign slogan, he said of Harris: “Yes, she can.”

Before he delivered his endorsement of Harris, Obama also paid tribute to President Joe Biden, who had served eight years as his vice president. Biden, who stepped away from the 2024 race a little more than a month ago, spoke on the first night of the DNC.

Former first lady Michelle Obama spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, a night devoted to bringing “bold vision” to America’s future and a new generation of Democratic leadership.

Obama opened with a tribute to her late mother, expressing that the foundational values instilled within her by her mother are the very same ones that Vice President Kamala Harris’ mother passed on.

“[Harris] is one of the most dignified. A tribute to her mother, to my mother and to your mother, too. The embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country,” Obama said. “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.”

Obama also jabbed at former President Donald Trump for the ways he had targeted President Barack Obama.

“For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. His limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black,” Obama said. “Who’s going to go tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs’?”

Throughout her speech, Obama urged the audience to take direct action across the next 11 weeks to ensure as many people as possible vote for Harris in the upcoming November election.

“Michelle Obama is asking you, no, I’m telling y’all to do something,” said Obama, inspiring an audience chant of “DO SOMETHING!” in return.

The phrase “do something,” she reminded audiences, comes from Harris’s own mother, an immigrant from India who encouraged Harris to not complain about what was wrong in the world but instead to “do something.”

“This is our time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right, to stand up not just for our basic freedoms, but for decency and humanity, for basic respect, dignity, and empathy, for the values at the very foundation of this democracy,” Obama said. “It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: ‘Don’t just sit around and complain. Do something.’”

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, a night devoted to bringing “bold vision” to America’s future and a new generation of Democratic leadership.

Emhoff spent much of his speech talking about their blended family, sharing two adult children from a previous marriage with Vice President Kamala Harris and their mother.

He told the story of how he and Harris met, after being set up on a blind date, and how they share traditions, religions and cultures. And he related how Harris is a beloved stepmother to his son and daughter.

“She’s always been there for our children, and I know she’ll always be there for yours too. Kamala is a joyful warrior,” he said. “Here’s the thing about joyful warriors: They’re still warriors. And Kamala is as tough as it comes.”

Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland’s Democratic Senate candidate, spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, a night devoted to bringing “bold vision” to America’s future and a new generation of Democratic leadership.

Stephanie Grisham, former press secretary for former President Donald Trump, spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, a night devoted to bringing “bold vision” to America’s future and a new generation of Democratic leadership.

Recounting her time as part of Trump’s administration, Grisham said she was more than a supporter, noting she spent holidays with the family. But behind closed doors, she said, “He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth.” She noted she was the first senior staff member to resign during the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and that she now supports Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Kamala Harris tells the truth, she respects the American people, and she has my vote,” Grisham concluded. Later in the week, Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will formally accept their nominations as the party’s candidates.

Delegates cast their ceremonial votes for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee for president at the party’s national convention in Chicago on Tuesday. As DJ Cassidy spun records for every state and U.S. territory, delegates spoke about why they were there, what is special about their homes and why they were supporting Harris. Rapper Lil Jon, actors Wendell Pierce and Sean Astin, and a number of leading Democratic lawmakers made appearances.

Minnesota and California, home states of Harris and Gov. Tim Walz, were the last to cast their votes.

Tuesday’s roll call was a repeat of an online event in early August, when Harris became the official nominee. The DNC called the ceremonial vote a “celebratory roll call.”

John Giles, the Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona, spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Tuesday, a night devoted to bringing “bold vision” to America’s future and a new generation of Democratic leadership.

Giles said he felt more at home among Democrats than among Republicans, calling the GOP “the cult of [former President] Donald Trump.”

“We all need an adult in the White House, and we’ve seen what happens when we don’t have one. Trump made a lot of lofty promises: unlimited economic growth, American manufacturing reborn, a secure border,” Giles said. “Turns out, Donald Trump was all talk. He wanted our votes but couldn’t deliver a thing.”

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.