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CNN Live Event/Special
Members of Exonerated "Central Park Five" Speak at DNC; Final Night of Historic DNC Underway. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired August 22, 2024 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[20:00:00]
REV AL SHARPTON, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: ...money they have. We are here because of those who fought and suffered for us and we vow tonight, we won't go back.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SHARPTON: This November, we will go forward to fulfill the promise of a just and fair nation.
Let me say as we transition, I'm a preacher, and in Psalms it says, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
We have endured January 6th, we've endured conspiracy theories, we have endured lies and eras of darkness, but if we stay together -- Black, White, Latino, Asian, Indian American -- if we stay together -- joy, joy, joy, joy coming in the morning.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SHARPTON: I want to now, since I was a teenager, I was mentored by Reverend Jesse Jackson and Reverend Jackson taught us to fight for what is right. Now, I want to bring out some young men that I thought for. I referred to them, then they were known as The Central Park Five. Now they are The Exonerated Five.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SHARPTON: Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise, The Exonerated Five.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
KOREY WISE, MEMBER OF THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE:We won't go back.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
WISE: Good evening, people.
My name is Korey Wise, 35 years ago my friends and I were in prison for a crime we did not commit. Our youth was stolen from us.
Every day as we walked into the courtroom, people screamed at us, threatened us because of Donald Trump.
He spent $85,000.00 on a full-page ad in "The New York Times" calling for our execution.
(BOOING)
WISE: We were innocent kids, but we served a total of 41 years in prison.
Reverend Al Sharpton stood with us. Now, I am proud to stand with him today.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
WISE: Vice President Kamala Harris has also worked to make things fairer. I know she will do the same as president and I prove that message.
YUSEF SALAAM (D), NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMAN: I love these guys. These are my brothers. These are my brothers.
Yes, indeed. America, I'm Yusef Salaam . A New York City councilman representing my hometown of Harlem . That's right.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SALAAM: Representing my hometown of Harlem, USA. Listen, as my friend Korey Wise just said, 45 wanted us un-alive. He wanted us dead.
Today, we are exonerated because the actual perpetrator confessed and DNA proved it. That guy says he still stands by the original guilty verdict.
(BOOING)
SALAAM: He dismisses the scientific evidence rather than admit he was wrong. He has never changed and he never will.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
[20:05:49]
That man thinks that hate is the animating force in America. It is not.
We have the constitutional right to vote. In fact, it is a human right. So let us use it. I want you to walk with us. I want you to march with us. I want you to vote with us.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SALAAM: Together -- and let me tell you, this is going to be so beautiful, and together on November 5th we will usher in Kamala Harris and Tim Walz into the White House.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) SALAAM: I want to do this. When I say 'when they', I want you to say
'see us'. When they --
CROWD: See us .
SALAAM: When they --
CROWD: See us.
SALAAM: When they see us, America will finally say goodbye to that hateful man.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SALAAM: We will say what I have said after seven long years of wrongful incarceration.
Free at last, free at last.
Thank God Almighty we are free at last.
God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER: 360": If you are just joining us, this is CNN's continuing live coverage of the final night of the Democratic National Convention. Anderson Cooper here in Chicago.
Van Jones, I grew up in New York at the time The Central Park Five were accused or arrested and were put on trial and went to prison.
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: What a moment. What a moment. What a redemptive moment.
This has been an open wound in the Black community, what happened to those five boys and the fact that Donald Trump wanted them killed and has never apologized, it is still an open wound.
It's still one of the first things that comes up when you talk to Black people, why is Donald Trump considered to be a racist.
It is every Black parent's nightmare that their kid is going to be railroaded for something they did not do and they will be helpless to help them.
For those young men to come through that experience, for Yusef Salaam to be one of the great leaders of the city now is a redemptive moment, for them to be a part of that redemptive moment,, but this is an open wound that Donald Trump needs to close by apologizing to those young men.
COOPER: Let's go back to the program.
AMY RESNER, FORMER PROSECUTOR AND FRIEND OF VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: I'm Amy Resner. I was a colleague in the courtroom when my friend Kamala tried one of her first cases and made the prosecutor's promise for the people.
For Kamala, practicing law was always about protecting the vulnerable and giving the victims a voice. Women who were sexually assaulted, children who were mistreated and sexually abused -- she helped them navigate their nightmares and demand justice for their injuries and she did it all with grit and grace, intelligence, and heart.
She was a remarkable prosecutor and she will be a remarkable president.
KARRIE DELANEY, DIRECTOR OF FEDERAL AFFAIRS AT RAPE, ABUSE AND INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK: Survivors of sexual assault struggle to be heard over the cacophony of voices demeaning, discrediting, and vilifying them. When powerful offenders are allowed to manipulate public opinion by attacking their victims credibility, all victims suffer.
[20:10:10]
Those words are from the 2021 amicus brief filed by RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization in the case of E. Jean Carroll versus Donald J. Trump.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
DELANEY: As a legislator and life-long advocate against sexual violence, I urge all of us to stand together, to support survivors, believe them, and hold perpetrators accountable.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
LISA MADIGAN, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ILLINOIS. I'm Lisa Madigan, former attorney general of Illinois.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MADIGAN: I worked with Kamala Harris during the Great Recession to protect homeowners from foreclosure.
As attorney general of California, Kamala met thousands of people on the verge of losing their homes and their faith in the American Dream.
She demanded big banks provide mortgage relief to allow families to stay in their homes. She stood her ground and together we prevailed.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MADIGAN: For as long as I have known her, Kamala Harris has always taken principled positions and never wavered.
Thanks to Kamala's determination, countless Americans have a home they can call their own.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MARC MORIAL, CEO, URBAN LEAGUE: And I am Marc Morial, civil rights leader and former mayor of New Orleans.
In the 1970s, Donald Trump was sued for refusing to rent his apartments to African-Americans. His employees were told, put those applications in a drawer and leave them there.
It was straight up housing discrimination. It was racism and civil rights advocacy put an end to it.
Kamala Harris has a plan to build more housing, keep rent prices fair, and help more people own homes.
Donald Trump, you denied Black people the American Dream and Kamala Harris is creating a future where every family, yes, every family has a place to call home.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
NATHAN HORNES, FORMER STUDENT, CORINTHIAN COLLEGES: In 2010, I went to college in California to pursue my dreams but ended up with a nightmare.
Corinthian Colleges was a predatory, for-profit chain. They defrauded more than half a million students and burdened us with loans we could never repay. Then, Kamala Harris stepped in.
As attorney general of California, she stuck up for students. She prosecuted Corinthian and as vice president she stuck with us.
As we fought and organized for debt relief, the Biden-Harris administration came in, cancelled all Corinthian student debt, and gave us back our futures.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TRISTAN SNELL, FORMER NEW YORK STATE ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: My name is Tristan Snell and I prosecuted Trump University.
(CHEERING APPLAUSE)
SNELL: I interviewed over 100 victims of Trump's fraud -- a retired police sergeant, an Iraq veteran with PTSD, a mother caring for her son with special needs. They trusted Trump.
They believed that he would teach them his secrets and make their American Dreams come true. But all they got was credit card debt and a fake diploma.
Some lost their life savings. Some lost their homes. Donald Trump ripped off his biggest fans and made $5 million in profit.
Kamala Harris fought scammers like him and as president she will continue to fight for you, for us, for the people.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
EVENT HOST: Please welcome Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. (CHEERING APPLAUSE)
[20:15:10]
GOV. MAURA HEALEY (D-MA): For the people, those three words define the role of the prosecutor. To serve not only our clients in the courtroom, but our community and our country. To give people a sense of security and safeguard the principles that hold our nation together. To stand up to abusers and bullies and stand up for the voiceless and the vulnerable.
In other words, exactly what Kamala Harris has done her whole life.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HEALEY: When she was DA, mothers of children who had been murdered, whose cases had gone cold would come to her office saying, I will only speak to Kamala, because they knew she would listen, because they knew she would help them find justice. And she did. That is the Kamala Harris I know.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HEALEY: A few weeks ago in Massachusetts I watched a little girl meet the vice president. Her eyes were so wide, as open as the future.
Kamala asked her about the summer, her basketball camp, and what position she likes to play. The little girl said to her, anything but defense.
Kamala put her hand on her shoulder and replied, me too. I love offense.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HEALEY: That's what it means to be for the people.
Kamala Harris fights for all Americans. She stays on offense and she wins and I know she will fight with the same passion, the same determination as president of the United States.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HEALEY: I can't wait to see her prosecute the case against Donald Trump on the debate stage in September.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HEALEY: We face a stark choice in this election. A felon and conman or a dedicated prosecutor. The contrast between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is clear. He obstructs justice, she upholds it. He swindles people, she serves them.
He thinks he is above the law, she actually understands the law.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) HEALEY: That is what this election comes down to. One candidate who is
out for himself or Kamala Harris for the people. It is a battle for the future of our nation.
Tonight, we will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Kamala Harris should be, she must be the next president of the United States. Thank you.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
COOPER: Coming up, more from the DNC here in Chicago. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro joins us as we await some of the biggest speeches and biggest stars of the night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:22:33]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Here is the Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first ever Native American to serve in a Cabinet position.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
DEB HAALAND, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HAALAND: (Speaking in non-English language)
In my Keres language greetings friends and family. My name is Crushed Turquoise and I'm from the Turquoise Clan.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HAALAND: Thirty-five generations ago, my ancestors built lives in the high desert of New Mexico. I am on this stage tonight because of them.
While fishing with my dad and running through the desert with my cousins, I learned that we have a responsibility to take care of our planet.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HAALAND: Donald Trump never learned that lesson. He called the climate crisis a hoax. He made it easier for big companies to poison our air and water.
An American president must lead the world in tackling climate change. We need a president who understands that assignment. That is Kamala Harris.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
HAALAND: I know her record. She held polluters accountable for spilling oil into the San Francisco Bay. She defended President Obama's clean power plan in court, and as vice president, she casts the tie-breaking vote for the most ambitious climate action plan in our nation's history.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
[20:25:14]
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will fight for a future where we all have clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.
Let me go back to the lesson I learned in the desert Southwest.
We all have a role in protecting our earth for future generations. Let's all be fierce and let's make Kamala Harris the next president of the United States.
Thank you all so much. Thank you. Thank you.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
TAPPER: Secretary of the interior Deb Haaland speaking there. We are in the arena, the United Center and we're sitting with Josh Shapiro, the governor of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who spoke last night.
Governor, what do you want to hear from Kamala Harris tonight, and how are things looking for Democrats in Pennsylvania? Because I know about two months ago, it was not looking great.
GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): Right. Look, on Monday night President Biden eloquently passed the baton to Kamala Harris. Over the next several nights since then, we've been laying out the case. Tonight, she gets the opportunity to lay out the case to talk about her background, to talk about her view and vision for leadership, the kinds of things she wants to do for this country and the direction she wants to take. And I'm sure she will hit a home run tonight.
As for what has transpired, Jake, Dana, over the last 30 or so days since Joe Biden dropped out, I think what you have seen is the race effectively be tied. Maybe up one or down one on the poll you're there, but the race is tied and if you think about it this way, she has marched 49 yards down the field. You know Pennsylvania really well, that last yard and a half to get to the other side of the field, that's a hard yard and a half.
The good news is, I think this campaign is showing incredible nimbleness and skill to be able to go out and grab the yard and a half. I think every day Kamala Harris is on the stump, she is earning more and more votes. I will share with you anecdotally, when I'm out in rural communities in the areas of around Pennsylvania where maybe a voter voted for Obama and then Trump and moved to Biden, voters who shift around. They are really curious about Kamala Harris.
They will say to me, what you think of her? What do you think she will do on this, that or the other thing? I think curiosity is important, it means they are open to casting a vote for Kamala Harris and I will make the case as I know she and her campaign will going forward.
DANA BASH, CNN HOST: So what does she need to do to move that curiosity to a yes, I'm going to vote in the speech tonight particularly among those wanted swing voters in the Philly suburbs and Pittsburgh suburbs?
SHAPIRO: Well before we even get to the speech tonight, what she needs to do is what she did right before she came to this convention on Monday. She was in Pennsylvania but importantly she was not in Philly or Pittsburgh. I love Philly and Pittsburgh and they are important.
She went to rural Beaver County in the Southwestern corner of the state and she went there to talk about the economy. She went there to talk about cutting costs. Things that are on people's minds. The message that she had shared in Beaver County is one that is she chooses so would be appropriate here on the stage tonight.
TAPPER: The southwestern corner of your Commonwealth, just to be precise.
SHAPIRO: That is correct.
TAPPER: So, Donald Trump went after you on social media. He called you the highly overrated Jewish governor and he went after you specifically also for saying -- because he said he was better for Israel than anyone in the history, and presumably that includes Moses.
I've never heard him describe a governor as a Christian governor. I've never heard him describe a senator as a Christian senator. What do you make of that?
SHAPIRO: Look, it is not new to see Donald Trump engaging in these antisemitic tropes, these efforts to divide us, to kind of single someone out and remove them from others.
This notion of this dual loyalty that Jews only care about Israel, if they do, they have to believe a certain thing. I think it's an affront to Jews everywhere. Forget my feelings, I don't care. He can say whatever the hell he wants about me, but I know how it makes people feel and I think it's important to state that American Jews care about a lot of things. Maybe some care about Israel. A whole lot of them like me care about healthcare and education, public safety and economic opportunity.
And as I talked about here on the stage last night, protecting our fundamental freedoms. I talked about how Donald Trump would inject chaos and division into this country exactly like what you did with that ridiculous tweet last night. I think there is something deeper here than just the antisemitism that he spews, the bigotry he spews.
What a presidential race is really all about, it's about leadership. Who do we want to lead us? Who's going to be compassionate, who's going to look at all of us no matter what we look like, where do we come from, who we love for, who we pray to and say you belong here.
Donald Trump doesn't think I belong. Donald Trump doesn't think certain other people who maybe don't think like him or look like him or worship like him. That's dangerous and that's failed leadership. We need to uplift this country and he wants to drag us down.
[20:30:27]
BASH: That's not new. And he's -- he didn't win in 2020. He did win with similar messages in 2016. How do you turn that back now?
SHAPIRO: Well, look, in 2016 he won Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes. Since that time, Dana, he lost in 2020. And every one of his political offspring, including Doug Mastriano, who he supported and I ran against and whooped in the last election, every single time he's endorsed one of his offspring, they've lost, Dr. Oz, Doug Mastriano, even people on school board.
BASH: It's not the offspring, it's him this time.
SHAPIRO: And he lost in 2020. And I don't think he's improved his standing. And more divisive rhetoric is only going to make it tougher for him.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Governor Shapiro, it's always good to have you on. We're about to go to I think he's the youngest member of -- of Congress --
BASH: Gen Z.
TAPPER: Gen Z, Maxwell Frost, a Democrat from Florida, it's about to come out. And obviously the youth vote very, very important, which is why you just saw that little video there with people --
BASH: We can talk later about Gen X getting pushed over. But that's the next --
TAPPER: No. But, you know what? Doug Emhoff considers himself and Kamala to be Gen X, just FYI. Anyway, here's Congressman Frost.
BASH: Thanks Governor.
TAPPER: Thanks Governor.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
REP. MAXWELL ALEJANDRO FROST (D-FL): I'm Maxwell Alejandro Frost. And I'm proud to be the first member of my generation in Congress.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
FROST: I'm also proud to represent Central Florida. You might expect me to talk about how climate change will impact our future. But as a Floridian, as a Florida man, I'm here to tell you that the climate crisis isn't some far off threat. It is here. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance think they can divide us by saying this crisis is some type of hoax, but I've walked the streets of communities that have been forced to rebuild after hurricane flooding destroyed their homes.
I've heard the stories of immigrant farm workers made the work and horde conditions exacerbated by this crisis. And I felt the scorching record heat. And know that climate change can sometimes feel like an unstoppable force, but with our movement and with organizing and an administration that cares, we are making progress.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
FROST: Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have proven that take -- tackling this crisis creates jobs, that investing in clean energy protects our health, and that investing in mass public transit build strong communities. And we must always remember that peace is essential to our climate, and war destroys our environment. This election is about every drop of water that we consume. And every breath we breathe.
Fighting the climate crisis is patriotic. And unlike Donald Trump, our patriotism is more than some damn slogan on a hat. It's about actually giving a damn about the people who live in this country.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
FROST: Because when you love somebody, you want them to have clean air. When you love somebody, you want them to have safe drinking water. And when you love somebody, you want them to have a dignified job. And so America, it's simple. Let's get to work and elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for our planet, for our future, for our present and for our people, God bless.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
[20:34:07]
TAPPER: Lieutenant Maxwell Frost, it is almost prime time in Chicago. Stay with CNN for all the biggest moments tonight, including the grand finale, Kamala Harris, accepting the Democratic nomination for president. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STEPHEN CURRY, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS POINT GUARD: What's up everybody? Stephen Curry here.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
CURRY: I play for the Golden State Warriors. And man, what a great honor was represent Team USA and go out there and win that gold medal at the Olympics this summer. And that unity on and off the court reminded us all that together, we can do all things and continue to inspire the world. That's why I believe that Kamala as president, could bring that unity back and continue to move our country forward.
This is about preserving hope and belief in our country, making sure families can be taken care of during the most precious times. I got to visit Kamala with my team in the White House last year. And I can tell you one thing, I knew then, and I definitely know now, the Oval Office, it suits her well. So in the words of Michelle Obama, do something. Go vote. Be active. Let's show out in November like never before.
It's been an honor for me to represent our country. It's an honor to support Kamala. So let's all do our part. God bless.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
TAPPER: Steph Curry speaking to the crowd here. David Axelrod, obviously, this is the final night. What do you -- what do you expecting, what does Kamala Harris need to do?
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, this has been a good week for Democrats, and there have been a lot of great speeches, and they've positioned the party, and they positioned her in the mainstream, in the middle class, and in ways that I think are very helpful. But now she has to carry the ball. This is her convention, and there's so much Americans still want to learn about her, and they want to hear her tell it. And they want to hear her tell it in the -- in the framework of her own experience and from the depths of her own experience.
[20:40:03]
I think that's what we're going to hear tonight. This is a big moment for her. I think how she delivers this speech and how it's received will ultimately put a quote on this convention, or will put a damper on it. I think she's going to do pretty well.
TAPPER: It's so interesting, Audie, you know, you look at the Republican Convention, there was so much lead up to -- to Donald Trump's speech, and then when he actually spoke, it sort of deflated a lot of what they had tried to do all week. Obviously, the -- the pressure is on for Kamala Harris
AUDIE CORNISH, ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, Donald Trump had to tell his story of an assassination attempt, right? So, very different atmosphere.
TAPPER: Let's listen in to -- to Colin Allred.
CORNISH: Yes. It's Dr. Colin Allred.
REP. COLIN ALLRED (D-TX): Hey everybody. I'm Colin Allred. A congressman from Dallas. Dad of two perfect little boys. And this November, I'm going to beat Ted Cruz.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ALLRED: And I'm so proud to be here to support our next president, Kamala Harris. You know, like Kamala, I was raised by a single mom. Mom was a public school teacher who often worked two jobs to make ends meet. So when we talk about lowering costs, I think about the times when we went to the grocery store, when I was growing up and swiped the debit card and said a little prayer.
But my mom and my community in Texas gave me a chance to chase my version of the American dream. I played football at Baylor and in the NFL before becoming a civil rights lawyer representing my hometown in Congress. Now I'm the guy who's going to turn Texas senate seat blue.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ALLRED: You know, in the NFL, we had a term for guys like Donald Trump and my opponent, Ted Cruz. Me guys, you know, the type, talk a big game. Only care about themselves. But you don't want to be stuck with them at a barbecue. The truth is, America has never been about me.
As President Obama said, the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word we. We, the people. We shall overcome. Yes, we can. And we've got a message for the me guys. We, is more powerful than me. We will protect restore reproductive freedom. We will secure the border. We will protect Medicare and Social Security, and we'll turn the page and write a new chapter for this country and let Kamala Harris be the next president and beat Ted Cruz. Thank you all so much. God bless you. And may God bless Texas.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(CHANTING)
ANYA COOK, FLORIDA RESIDENT: I'm Anya Cook. This is my husband, Derek. And our daughter, Aneya. Two years ago, a miscarriage nearly killed me. At 16 weeks, my doctors told me to prepare for a stillbirth. I needed care, but my state's abortion restrictions kept it from me. I miscarried in a bathroom. I'll never forget my husband's face as he tried to stop the bleeding, trying to do what doctors should have been doing.
When I reached the hospital, I lost nearly half the blood in my body. I can't change the past. But I can, we can choose a different future.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE) CRAIG SICKNICK, OFC. BRIAN SICKNICK'S BROTHER: I'm Craig Sicknick, and -- and this is my mother, Gladys. My brother was a U.S. Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick, a hero who died after defending our country on January 6th.
(APPLAUSE)
(CHEERING)
SICKNICK: My family knows how dangerous Trump is. He incited the crowd while their brother and his fellow officers were putting their lives at risk. We need a real leader, not an autocrat who was stuck in the past. Brian, we miss you every day.
(APPLAUSE)
[20:45:15]
GAIL DEVORE, COLORADO PATIENT ADVOCATE: I'm Gail DeVore. I've had type one diabetes since I was 11, stressing about insulin cost has been a constant in my life. President Biden and Vice President Harris have moved mountains to help. Medicare can finally negotiate prescription drug prices.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
DEVORE: Insulin is capped at $35 for Medicare recipients.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
DEVORE: And when elected, Kamala Harris plans to extend that cap to the rest of us.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
DEVORE: That's the future I want. That's the future I am voting for.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
JUANNY ROMERO, NEVADA COMMISSION ON MINORITY AFFAIRS MEMBERS: I'm Juanny Romero, Owner and CEO of Mothership Coffee in Las Vegas.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ROMERO: I put in work to build my business. When COVID hit, this administration's support kept us moving. I hired staff and we grew. We've more than doubled in size since the pandemic, and it's just not us. Over the last four years, 19 million new business applications have been filed. Like Trump, I grew up in Queens. But unlike him, I built my business with grit. That's my story.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ROMERO: That's the American story. Let's turn the page on Trump.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ERIC FITTS, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, EDUCATOR: I'm Eric Fitts. And these are my sons, Christian and Carter.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
FITTS: Always try to set an example for my boys, to teach them compassion, accountability and resilience. I want those values to be reflected in our leaders. I don't want to have to turn off the T.V. because our president is lobbing insults or telling lies. I'm tired of all of the hate.
(APPLAUSE)
FITTS: It's time to move forward together and build a country our kids can be proud of.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
ANNOUNCER: Please welcome the bulls, official drumline, Chicago's own Pack Drumline.
(CHEERING)
(APPLAUSE)
(LIVE PERFORMANCE BY THE PACK DRUMLINE)
[20:51:43]
TAPPER: Still ahead speeches by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly as Democrats put the spotlight on battleground state officials and the country band, The chicks, is getting ready to Perform the National Anthem. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:55:55]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you've been with me all four days, let me see you make some noise right now.
TAPPER: The fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention. I want to go to the floor in CNN's Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, a -- a lot of energy out there tonight.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: I'm down here on the floor. I'm in the middle of the California delegation. You can see they just handed out American flags. Everyone is waving on, watching to see who is going to be next on stage. I can tell you, the energy in here is so different than it has been every night of this convention.
Obviously, it has been a -- a quite a -- an electric convention. You've seen just how festive the crowd has been. Tonight changes that. Tonight supersedes all of that. And what we've seen, I can tell you, it's very hard to get on the floor right now. We were able to with our press passes, but for a lot of the delegates, there's so many of them here that have all showed up for this night of the convention that a lot of them were having trouble actually getting into their seats.
Every seat is packed. It is standing room only from here on out back behind me. And of course, the California delegation has been the most excited to see their home state, Vice President, get up there and speak in just a few hours addressing the convention.
TAPPER: And we'll check in with you shortly. We're going to go to Sara Sidner, who's also on the convention floor. Sara, what have you been hearing?
SARA SIDNER, CNN HOST: This is wild, like there is so much patriotism just coming out of people's pores. And every single person has a flag in their hand. They're singing the music. They're dancing. It doesn't matter your age, your color, your dream, who you love. Everyone is standing up and enjoying themselves. They are all waiting to hear the keynote speaker, of course, Kamala Harris. But there are a lot of rumors going around. There are some people who really want a certain someone to show up. But even if she doesn't, everyone is energized here.
There's one thing we have learned from this Democratic National Convention. It is that people feel incredibly energized. And they are all telling me, one after the other, that they are going to leave here and they are going to go to work to try to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
TAPPER: Thanks very much. Tim Walz, we just saw there he is in the stand with his family, his son, Gus, his daughter by his -- his side. Audie, there is up -- I mean, the energy here is quite an intense. It's been building pretty much every night, Audie.
CORNISH: It is. I mean, last night you had a lot of speakers come to the floor and say, like Oprah did, I'm an independent I'm talking to you or Republicans who spoke and said, look, this is what you should think.
Tonight, I do see some effort to turn on some of the base that people thought she was vulnerable with particularly black men. There's comedian D.L. Hughley. You had Representative Colin Allred, Maxwell Frost. And then, of course, the Central Park Five, which was a very moving moment. But it's the idea of taking these communities that people thought, is she soft with them or not? And her saying, look, I see you, and I see the different generations of you and giving them a nod tonight.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And this is pretty loud in here right now. It's maybe the loudest we've seen it during the convention. I think there's more people in here. These American flags were sort of startling to me. Van (ph) normally, you guys are burning these things, but tonight you're waving them. Just kidding.
AXELROD: Can I -- can I -- can I take -- I'm sorry go ahead.
JENNINGS: No, no. But it -- but -- but to me, this speech tonight by Harris is the true beginning of the campaign for her. I mean, this -- this pre period has been weird because the way she got into the race. Now it's on the words in the -- in the excerpts that we've seen that she's going to stress, I think, are realistic, practical and common sense.
And so from this day forward, that's the race, right? If she can get in that zone, she's definitely viable. If Trump turns it into something like radical liberal and dangerous, then she's going to be something less than that. It'll be hard to win.
AXELROD: Let me give you a little clue. I think he's going to try that.
JENNINGS: Yes.
AXELROD: I don't know whether it will work. But last night, Oprah said a common sense versus nonsense.
[21:00:04]
JENNINGS: Yes.
AXELROD: I think we need to hear a little more that. I'd say something else.
