The final day of the Democratic National Convention wraps up with Kamala Harris' big moment: her acceptance speech in which she gets to tell her story to the millions of Americans watching.
Her campaign says, in addition to describing her middle-class upbringing, she will continue to stress optimism and patriotism -- the "politics of joy" -- the overall themes we've heard throughout the gathering.
Photos: 2024 Democratic National Convention
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Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris arrives onstage to speak on the fourth and last day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Aug. 22, 2024.
Harris to promise to be 'a president for all Americans'
In her acceptance speech tonight, Harris will deliver a message of unity as Democrats look to appeal to independent voters.
"With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past," she will say. "A chance to chart a New Way Forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans."
"I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans," Harris will say, according to released excerpts of her speech.
"I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads -- and listens. Who is realistic. Practical. And has common sense. And always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life's work."
Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a pre-recorded message during the second day of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2024 in Chicago.
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10 hours and 14 minutes ago
Trump's tie to the 'Central Park 5' case
Four of the five men in the "Central Park Five" who were wrongfully convicted in the 1989 rape of a Central Park jogger appeared at the DNC.
The five Black and Latino men, who were teenagers at the time of their arrest, were taken into custody, hounded in police interrogations and ultimately gave false confessions in the brutal assault on jogger Trisha Meili.
While the five teenagers awaited their trial, former President Donald Trump bought newspaper ads calling for New York to adopt the death penalty for violent crimes.
"Bring back the death penalty. Bring back our police!" the ad stated in all caps.
Angela Cuffie meets reporters at Manhattan Supreme Court where a judge overturned the conviction of her brother, Kevin Richardson, and four other men who had been jailed in the Central Park jogger case, Dec. 19, 2002. Behind Cuffie, Councilman Bill Perkins (D-Harlem) holds up an advertisement taken out by Donald Trump after the crime.
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The five men were exonerated in 2002 after convicted rapist Matias Reyes confessed to being Meili's sole attacker, and Reyes' DNA was matched to the crime scene. New York City settled with the Central Park Five in 2014 for $41 million in a civil rights lawsuit.
When asked in 2019, following the release of a Netflix series about the case, whether he would apologize for the ads to the men who were exonerated in the Central Park jogger case, Trump refused.
"Why do you bring that question up now? It's an interesting time to bring it up. You have people on both sides of that," he said. "They admitted their guilt. If you look at Linda Fairstein and you look at some of the prosecutors, they think that the city should never have settled that case, so we'll leave it at that."
Following Trump's indictment in 2023 on 34 felony counts of falsified business records in the hush money case, some of the exonerated men called it "karma."
10 hours and 19 minutes ago
Speakers make case for Harris as commander in chief
The DNC is highlighting national security, with recent speakers Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger; Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin and New York Rep. Pat Ryan, an Army veteran, making the case for Harris as the commander in chief.
US Representative Jason Crow, Democrat from Colorado, speaks about the Heritage Foundation's "Mandate for Leadership," a major component of the "Project 2025" political initiative,on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 22, 2024 in Chicago.
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"I'll tell you what I think of Donald Trump. They told me I can't say that word on TV," Ryan said.
10 hours and 17 minutes ago
Slotkin leans in on patriotism
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., made it clear: Democrats are patriotic, too.
Her speech was the most vocal example of how Democrats are taking back words like "freedom" and symbols like the flag, leaning on her time in the CIA and accusing Republicans of betraying the values they represent.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin speaks on stage during Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 22, 2024 in Chicago.
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"We're the damn United States of America. We lead," she thundered in conclusion.