Welcome to the online version of From the policy deskevening bulletin that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News Politics team.
In today’s edition, our team looks at the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Plus, senior politics editor Mark Murray looks at the strengths and weaknesses the party brings to the week.
Programming note: Tune in to a special edition of the Policy Desk newsletter each evening following the Democratic National Convention this week, bringing you the latest news and analysis from our team in Chicago.
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Biden prepares to pass the torch: What to expect on the first night of the Democratic convention
Tonight’s convention speech will not be the speech President Joe Biden originally planned to deliver.
Like NBC News Natasha Korecki and Peter Nicholas writea month ago, Biden was poised to wrap up the Democratic confab by accepting the nomination with bold statements about how his second term would build on the successes of his first. Instead, he will open the party’s convention in Chicago to claim that Vice President Kamala Harris is the person to carry the torch.
It’s a turnaround that Democrats have greeted with joy, sadness, lingering hard feelings and, for some, outright anger. The complicated dynamic has gracefully given way to a show of respect for the outgoing president as congressional planners and party leaders build on the newfound euphoria within the party over Harris’ rise.
Democrats are expected to pay tribute to Harris in speeches throughout the week, using what the party sees as an act of sacrifice as an inspiration to rally behind Harris and defeat former President Donald Trump. With his comments tonight, Biden is in a position to be the one to bridge the gap.
A senior Biden adviser said the president viewed the moment with no regrets, according to NBC News. Mike Memoli reports. “He makes up his mind and moves on,” the adviser said. “Is it hard for other people? Yes. But being president is not like a part-time job. He has a lot on his plate to focus on.”
That includes making sure Harris is elected to replace him. While the vice president has embraced the positive energy surrounding his candidacy to deliver a forward-looking campaign message, Biden still sees it as mission critical to ensure voters understand what’s at stake if Trump returns to the White House.
Biden will call Trump a threat to democracy and call on all Democrats — and Americans — to focus on what needs to be done to defeat him. Now that he’s made the decision he needs to make, he will say, it’s up to others to help him ensure Democrats “continue the progress we’ve made.”
🎙️ Staff: Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a close ally of Biden, and first lady Jill Biden will address the president tonight, who will be introduced by his daughter Ashley. Jill Biden will use her speech to highlight her husband’s character and reiterate her support for Harris’ candidacy, NBC News reported Monica Alba and Megan Lebovitz report.
Other notable speakers of the night at the Democratic convention included: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia; Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear; Representatives Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York; Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo; and UAW President Shawn Fain.
🔵 What else to expect: NBC News’ Sahil Kapoor speaks five great things to watch on the week’s proceedings, including whether Democrats will lean more toward vibes or politics, whether Harris has ties to Biden, and how the vice president is handling the issue. Gaza protests It takes place in Chicago.
Follow tonight’s performances on our live blog →
Democrats have strengths and weaknesses in their congress
By Mark Murray
CHICAGO — The Democratic Party is showing clear strengths and visible bruises as it descends here for its convention.
Strengths: rising poll numbers, more enthusiasm for his presidential ticket, and an institutionalism that today’s Republican Party can’t compete with.
NBC News’ Ed Demaria According to NBC News, Bill Clinton will be speaking at his 12th straight Democratic convention this week (dating back to 1980), while Biden will be speaking at his 13th convention (dating back to 1972, though he skipped 1988 due to surgery ) ‘ Mike Memoli. And Barack Obama has been a mainstay of the congress since his keynote address in 2004.
In contrast, the Bushes and Cheneys have stayed out of GOP conventions under Trump.
But there’s a greater strength that Democrats have shown over the past four weeks: They’ve forced the incumbent commander in chief to drop out of the race, even though he initially didn’t want to drop out. (“I’m not going anywhere,” Biden told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on July 8, after a dismal debate performance.)
This is an undeniable and breathtaking backdrop to this political convention. The party was ultimately stronger than the current president.
But the move also created bruises for the party, which will be evident when Biden leaves Chicago after his speech. (Translation: Biden will not attend the convention after tonight.)
The Democrats may be doing better politically—just look at the polls—but what happened over the past four weeks is remarkable and historic: The party, facing a likely loss, changed its presidential ticket months after Election Day.
More NBC News coverage than the Democratic convention
- Jonathan Allen examines how Harris built a massive political network nationally and online, allowing him to strengthen the party once he became its standard-bearer. More →
- Sahil Kapoor accepts Harris’ first major revenue-raising proposal: raising the corporate tax rate to 28% from the 21% set in Trump’s 2017 tax law. More →
- Democrats have laid out more than 90 pages of policy priorities in their official party platform. But it was written and voted on before Biden dropped out — even referring to the president’s “second term” more than a dozen times. More →
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said anti-Semitism played no role in Harris’ decision to run over him, as Trump has accused. More →
- The Democratic National Committee chanted anti-Trump campaign slogans at Trump Tower in Chicago. More →
🗞️ Other top stories of the day
- ⚖️ Plea of guilt: Former Rep. George Santos, RN, whose political career unraveled after he admitted fabricating key elements of his past, pleaded guilty Monday to several counts of felony fraud. More →
- ⬅️ Left, left: With widespread calls for “Medicare for All” and a “Green New Deal,” progressives are trying to focus on more pragmatic goals for a potential Harris presidency. More →
- 🏠 Housing discussion: NBC News’ Davis Giangiulio examines how the housing shortage has left both the Harris and Trump campaigns with a politically challenging landscape. More →
- 📝 Impeachment report: The GOP-led committees released a report alleging Biden engaged in impeachable conduct, but deferred to the full House on whether to pursue formal impeachment. More →
- 📺 On air: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a $27 million advertising campaign aimed at capturing Republican-held seats. More →
- 👀 Elsewhere in Washington: D.C. Councilman Trayon White Sr. has been arrested on federal bribery charges, the Justice Department announced. More →
That’s all for the Policy Desk for now. If you have feedback – like it or not – email us politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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