All eyes will be on Democrats this week as the party holds its national convention in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Democratic National Convention kicks off at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center on Monday, July 25, through Thursday, July 28. Presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton will make history by becoming the first female presidential candidate nominated by the Democratic Party. We’ll hear from the likes of President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton. Democrat all-stars like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) will make an appearance. So will Clinton’s VP pick, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Virtually every Democratic member of congress, governor, or mayor of a major city will say some words on the behalf of their candidate.
All except for one: soon-to-be-former Democratic Nation Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fl.).
Following a massive WikiLeaks dump Friday of DNC emails that painted Clinton’s campaign in a bad light, the embattled Florida congresswoman announced she would step down as party chair on the last day of the convention. Exchanges between Wasserman-Schultz and her staffers showed her mocking the campaign of former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The congresswoman then faced pressure from Sanders, along with DNC leadership, to step down. The convention duties of Wasserman-Schultz, which includes gaveling in at votes, will instead be performed by Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio). The Clinton campaign officially named Fudge the permanent DNC party chair over the weekend, according to WKYC. Wasserman-Schultz may still open and close the ceremony, according to her resignation speech, but that plan could get scraped at the last minute.
All in all, the Democratic Convention couldn’t happen at a worse time. The WikiLeaks email dump and Wasserman-Schultz’s subsequent resignation cast doubt about party unity. Republican nominee Donald Trump went on a gleeful tweetstorm that has lasted through Monday, calling out the DNC and the Clinton campaign for its behavior towards Sanders.
Here we go again with another Clinton scandal, and e-mails yet (can you believe). Crooked Hillary knew the fix was in, B never had a chance!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2016
Tensions are high in the Democratic Party. The FBI‘s dropping of another Clinton email scandal has already cast the party in a bad light. A Real Clear Politics average on Monday indicated that Trump is leading Clinton in the polls, although only by a hair. And the touted FiveThirtyEight forecast model now puts Trump within just a few points of Clinton, who only weeks ago had an 80 percent chance of winning the White House.
But the DNC convention won’t be all scandal and grim negativity. Expect speeches from celebrity Clinton supporters such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, America Ferrera, Eva Longoria, and Lena Dunham of Girls. Clinton fans Demi Lovato and Katy Perry will also be at the convention.
ME TOO! I’m joining @EvaLongoria @AmericaFerrera @lenadunham @HillaryClinton @DemConvention – text BANKS to 47246 for updates! #ImWithHer
— Elizabeth Banks ❄️ (@ElizabethBanks) July 20, 2016
OK, I guess I’ll watch the DNC. When and how should I tune in?
Monday: The Democratic Convention will gavel in at 4pm ET on Monday, July 25. Monday’s speeches include DREAMer Astrid Silva and former Clinton intern Anastasia Somoza, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia.
We’ll also hear from Sanders, Warren, and First Lady Michelle Obama during prime-time.
If you have cable, you can catch live coverage of the DNC convention on all major news networks. For those who don’t have cable, you’re in luck!
The DNC will be streaming the entire convention for free on its website. CBSN will be streaming the DNC on Twitter. ABC News has also partnered with Facebook to offer live coverage of the DNC, as they did with the RNC.
What’s the rest of the schedule look like for the Democratic National Convention?
Following Monday’s kick-off with Sanders, Michelle Obama, and Warren, the schedule is jam-packed for the rest of the week with speeches from prominent Democrats.
Tuesday: Tuesday’s theme will be “A Lifetime of Fighting for Children and Families.” You can also expect the official roll call vote of delegates to nominate Clinton on that day. We’ll also hear from the mothers of the individuals whose deaths spawned the Black Lives Matter movement, including Eric Garner’s mother Gwen Carr, Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton, Jordan Davis’s mother Lucia McBath, Michael Brown’s mother Lesley McSpadden, Sandra Bland’s mother Geneva Reed-Veal, and more.
Oh, and we’ll also hear from Clinton’s spouse, former President Bill Clinton, on Tuesday night.
Wednesday: Wednesday will focus on jobs and employment. We’ll hear from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, and Erica Smegielski, whose mother was killed while principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School during the 2012 shooting there.
Thursday: Thursday will be the final and biggest night of the convention, when we’ll hear from Hillary Clinton herself. Chelsea Clinton is expected to introduce her mother.
