CNN is live from Chicago as Democrats unite to offer their support for their new nominee,

Vice President Kamil Harris, and her running mate Governor Tim Walls.

Follow CNN for complete coverage of the Democratic National Convention on CNN and streaming on Max.

From CNN, I'm a Foma Dikay with the five things you need to know for Monday August 19th.

President Joe Biden is speaking tonight on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago,

and it's a bittersweet moment for the president who dropped his re-election bid nearly a month ago.

He and other speakers will be making the case for why Vice President Kamala Harris should

lead the country.

Here's CNN's M.J. Lee.

We are told that we shouldn't see this as sort of a farewell speech

from the president.

Aids have told me that that moment is going to come later.

Probably in the month of January, really days before his first term ends.

Meanwhile, protesters are demonstrating against the Israel-Hamoss war in Gaza outside the DNC venue.

Many say they're not swayed by the party's positive reaction to Harris's move

to the top of the ticket. A spokesperson for the March on the DNC coalition

criticized Biden and other top Democrats for not withholding support to Israel, courtesy of

CNN affiliate W. B. M. Make no mistake. Joe Biden can turn off that tap of

money and funding immediately. The fact that he didn't means he

supports this genocide that he's got the blood of 40,000 Palestinians on his hands.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken says Israel has agreed to the U.S.

proposal to bridge the remaining gaps on a ceasefire and hostage release deal. He made the announcement during his trip to Israel today and he heads to Egypt and Qatar tomorrow.

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